Chapter 89: Yuntao's Travels, the Marrow Cleansing Secret Method of Hua Jin
"Congratulations on your successful Breakthrough."
Xue Qinghe saw Tang Shan emerge from his cultivation state and stepped forward to offer his congratulations.
Tang Shan stood up and cupped his hands toward Xue Qinghe.
"This was only possible with Your Highness's support of various precious resources and Heaven And Earth Treasures; otherwise, I would never have such rapid cultivation speed."
"That is also because you work hard; you are worthy of these resources."
Xue Qinghe spoke a word, then changed the subject to ask: "Have you thought it through? Are you sure you want that Diamond Mammoth?"
Tang Shan nodded: "That one will do. Both its quality and age are the most suitable."
"Alright then. Make some adjustments, consolidate your cultivation, and then I'll have Senior She take you to the Star Dou Great Forest for the hunt."
"Good."
Tang Shan agreed. Just then, there was a knock at the courtyard gate.
Tang Shan was somewhat curious. He walked to the door and looked out, finding a figure he hadn't seen for a while but was very familiar.
He hurriedly opened the gate and asked curiously: "Big Brother, where have you been lately? How is your cultivation?"
Indeed, the person who came to find Tang Shan was none other than Su Yuntao. Ever since he took Chen Zhan as his master, he had been forced into a hellish cultivation state. Even after arriving at the Prince's Mansion, he had been dragged off to Cultivate as soon as he was settled.
He left early and returned late every day. Each time he went out high-spirited but returned listless. It was clear what kind of harsh tempering he had endured during that period.
Seeing Su Yuntao's hard-to-describe expression, Tang Shan subconsciously gave up on further questioning.
"Big Brother, come in."
He opened the gate and let Su Yuntao in.
Stepping inside, Su Yuntao saw Xue Qinghe standing in the courtyard and hurriedly bowed slightly in thanks: "Your Highness, thank you for your help with the Salas matter."
Xue Qinghe wore his usual gentle smile and waved his hand dismissively: "It's nothing, just a Passage Token. Besides, your father is a member of Spirit Hall himself; obtaining this token shouldn't have been a big problem. It was mainly affected by my identity; otherwise, getting this token would have been quite easy."
The Passage Token Xue Qinghe mentioned was a special token within the Spirit Hall system. Its authority wasn't particularly high—it didn't grant the right to mobilize Soul Masters—but some of its effects were quite beneficial for Su Yuntao's travels across the continent. It allowed local Spirit Halls to provide assistance within a reasonable range, and it was valid wherever a Spirit Hall existed.
Su Haichao had vaguely heard rumors of this token before and wanted Su Yuntao to get one.
Upon arriving in Heaven Dou City, Su Yuntao immediately went to Spirit Hall with Su Haichao's credentials to obtain it. However, Spirit Hall's "information was incredibly swift." Platinum Bishop Salas quickly learned that Tang Shan and Su Yuntao had joined the "First Prince of Heaven Dou," so he naturally refused the request.
Later, through First Prince Xue Qinghe's "mediation and efforts," a Passage Token was still obtained. Therefore, how could Su Yuntao not be grateful?
Although Tang Shan knew it was very easy for Xue Qinghe to get this token, he still kept this favor in his heart. After all, fundamentally, the fact that the other party could obtain it easily was due to their own capability. Even without the influence of them joining the Prince's Mansion, it was uncertain whether Su Haichao's status alone could have secured a Passage Token.
"Shan Zi, Your Highness, I am preparing to leave."
After thanking Xue Qinghe, Su Yuntao looked at the two of them, his tone somewhat complex.
Tang Shan's emotions wavered slightly, and it took a while before he regained his calm.
"Have you thought it through? Are you sure you want to travel the continent? The help the Prince's Mansion can provide will be very limited then."
Hearing Xue Qinghe's question, Su Yuntao nodded without hesitation: "Your Highness, the World is so big, I want to go see it. I want to experience different Soul Masters, see different scenery, and witness this vast continent."
As he spoke, a bitter smile appeared on his face: "And Master was right. With my Innate Soul Power Rank, if I want to continue improving rapidly, I must progress and grow through tempering. Traveling the continent and participating in Spirit Fights is the best choice for me."
"Then take care, Big Brother."
Tang Shan stepped forward and heavily patted Su Yuntao's shoulder, his voice a bit raspy.
He understood Su Yuntao's thoughts; the later reason was merely secondary. Just as Su Yuntao said, the World was big, and he wanted to see it.
He had no reason to persuade him otherwise, nor was there a need. In any case, he had already reserved a portion of future Immortal Herbs for his big brother. Even if the other party gained nothing from his travels, Tang Shan was confident he could push him to become a Titled Douluo. Not to mention the terrifying combat experience and instincts Su Yuntao possessed after entering his Martial Soul Fusion state—wasn't that also a form of talent and potential?
"Shan Zi, work hard at your cultivation. Don't let me overtake you."
Su Yuntao's voice was also a bit raspy as he gave Tang Shan a heavy hug, unable to resist giving careful instructions.
Tang Shan was not impatient; instead, he listened seriously. After this parting, he didn't know when they would meet again.
Standing to the side, Xue Qinghe seemed a bit lost, his gaze somewhat empty and dazed, as if thinking about something.
"Big Brother, at the very least, send a letter every month."
Tang Shan said seriously.
"No problem, I'll have Spirit Hall deliver the letters every month," Su Yuntao promised.
Afterward, he looked at Xue Qinghe and cupped his hands in salutation again: "Your Highness, I shall take my leave. Thank you for the regard you've shown Shan Zi and me. It's truly a bit improper of me to leave just after joining your service; please forgive me."
"It's fine. But are you in such a hurry to leave?"
Xue Qinghe snapped out of his complex thoughts, looking somewhat surprised.
"Yes, it's better to leave decisively to avoid lingering attachments."
Su Yuntao replied somewhat wistfully.
"Then let us see you off."
Before the towering city gates, Xue Qinghe, Tang Shan, and Chen Zhan stood side by side, watching Su Yuntao waving to them.
"Go on back!"
Su Yuntao's voice came from the distant road, dissipating in the wind.
With that, he no longer hesitated and did not look back, turning to walk toward the far end of the road.
The three watched his figure disappear at the horizon of the continent before finally turning back.
Sensing Tang Shan's somewhat low mood, Xue Qinghe patted his shoulder.
"Tang Shan, cheer up. It's not like your big brother isn't coming back; it's just a temporary parting. If you're really feeling bad, I can be your big brother too."
Although Tang Shan was in a low mood, his reactions were incredibly sharp. He instantly saw through Miss Angel's sinister intentions. He pretended not to hear her words and continued to remain silent.
However, with Miss Angel's interruption, his mood clearly improved a lot.
As the saying goes, emotions are conserved; when someone's mood gets better, someone else's naturally gets worse. Seeing Tang Shan grandly ignore her words, Xue Qinghe's teeth itched with frustration. He constantly told himself that the boy was only seven years old and that he was the Prince and should be magnanimous, barely suppressing the flickering flames in his heart.
Transparent Soul Power settled within his Dantian. After several days of Cultivate, although the quantity hadn't increased, the quality had clearly improved significantly.
Slowly letting out a long breath, Tang Shan opened his eyes as he exited his cultivation state, a lustrous glow appearing in his pupils.
His Soul Power should be stable now. Tomorrow, he could set out to obtain his second Soul Ring.
He just didn't know if he could once again use conscious interference to obtain the Soul skills he wanted.
Getting up from the bed, after a simple washing, he flicked his hand, sending a spray of water droplets flying.
Not a feather could be added, not a fly could land.
At this moment, Tang Shan's Internal Martial Arts Realm had clearly reached the third level: Hua Jin.
At this level, mastery and development of the Physical Body went a step further, and control over power was enough to be called a Grandmaster.
————
At this level, all techniques for using strength basically lost their mystery in their eyes. There was only the naturalness and ease of returning to basics. A simple punch or kick contained immense power. Since hidden force permeated the entire body, every move was a sudden explosion of killing intent; any part of the body could strike a lethal blow.
However, because he had to consolidate his Soul Power cultivation these past few days, Tang Shan had not yet begun the cultivation of the Hua Jin stage—namely, the secret method of cleansing the bone marrow through resonance, such as the Thunderous Sound of Tiger and Leopard or the Hum-Ha sounds.
The Marrow Cleansing Secret Method was almost created, but some aspects still felt insufficiently smooth. Regarding the resonance to vibrate the marrow, beasts were more adept. It just so happened that this trip to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt Soul Beasts would allow Senior She to help him catch a few tigers, bears, or similar Soul Beasts for research.
Pushing open the door, Tang Shan calculated his cultivation plan in his mind. Looking up, he saw that Xue Qinghe had already begun morning exercises.
She stepped forward with her left foot, stretched her right leg, and protected her waist with her left hand as if holding an invisible scabbard. Her right hand was positioned above and in front of her left, as if gripping an invisible sword hilt. Her entire body's muscles and strength converged at her waist, and her whole being radiated a not-weak surge of blood and Qi.
"Your Highness, lower your hand by an inch. Clench your left palm but relax your left arm muscles. It is to hold the scabbard steady, not to grip it stiffly."
Walking to Xue Qinghe's side, he made a few simple adjustments. Her muscles instantly relaxed, and the transmission of force became more fluid and effortless.
"Don't straighten your waist muscles. The core is not you as a person, but the sword in your hand. Let the muscles cooperate with the sword, not the sword with the muscles."
While teaching Xue Qinghe the concept of the Sword-drawing stance, Tang Shan helped her finely adjust the flaws in her movements. However, her talent was truly good; she firmly remembered every error Tang Shan had mentioned before and corrected them.
Even if she occasionally relapsed, it was because her body hadn't adapted yet, not because she hadn't remembered.
"The most important thing is the force from the right hand. When gripping the sword hilt, you must achieve 'relaxed but not empty, tight but not stiff.' Only then is it the most correct way to draw a sword."
Tang Shan extended his fingers and tapped several points on Xue Qinghe's right arm. Under his exquisite control of force, the knotted, stiff, and obstructed muscles were quickly smoothed into a perfect line of power transmission.
When Tang Shan's finger tapped Xue Qinghe's wrist, the final flaw was adjusted. Xue Qinghe felt her entire physical state transform; the muscles of her entire body seemed to converge their strength toward the virtual sword hilt held by her hands.
"Remember this feeling. This is the Sword-drawing stance most suitable for you. By practicing with this feeling and combining it with Your Highness's reasonably robust blood and Qi, you should be able to step into Ming Jin within half a year.
Loving Book So Far! check Out 30+ Advanced Chapters
patreon.com/HehBoy