Huo Yuhao noticed that there was some dirt on his body and a few patches of dead skin on his surface. It was likely caused by Tianmeng Iceworm's work in opening up his meridians during cultivation.
However, that was all. To truly achieve a qualitative transformation would still take a long time of persistent effort, but this was already much more convenient than relying on luck to find heavenly treasures.
Feeling the soul power continuously circulating and growing inside his body, Huo Yuhao stretched his somewhat stiff muscles and bones that had become sore from sitting in meditation for too long.
Ordinary cultivators had to enter a deep meditative state because their control over their soul power was insufficient. Only through long-term posture training and focus could they stabilize their cultivation.
Even titled Douluo, despite their immense power, still had to gather their focus to recover soul power properly if they could not completely master it.
When a soul master reached the level of Super Douluo, they would form a soul core. The soul core created a stable and powerful soul power circulation system, replacing the need for constant conscious control. As a result, their endurance would increase greatly.
Moreover, the soul core was not exclusive to Super Douluo. In the original story and later generations of the Douluo Continent, as the cultivation system evolved, people discovered ways to condense soul cores.
Thus, most soul masters would choose to establish their cultivation path at the Soul Sage stage, condensing their own soul core to lay a foundation for future breakthroughs.
Although Huo Yuhao could not yet condense a soul core due to the quality of his spiritual power and soul power, with Tianmeng Iceworm's immense mental strength as his support, he did not need to confine himself to any particular posture to cultivate. He could enjoy the benefits of soul power training freely.
"Ah, having a cheat is really great!" he thought. As a modern man who had just transmigrated, Huo Yuhao found repetitive soul power cultivation as monotonous as working an assembly line.
For someone who knew the plot of the original story and the limitations of the Douluo Continent's worldview, his time was far too precious to waste. He needed to do something more meaningful,not because he was lazy.
For instance, using his martial soul to study soul tools, or to study soul skills, or even to explore the very essence of martial souls.
Because no matter how one walked the martial soul path, there was an inevitable dilemma: the soul master system relied entirely on breakthroughs through soul rings.
Thus, a soul master could never exist independently of soul beasts. Even though ringless soul masters might have other ways to progress, once they obtained their first ring, their future path became deeply bound to soul beasts.
For a transcendent system, this dependency was fatal,this was the shackle the God Realm placed upon all soul masters.
If Huo Yuhao wanted to defy the fate predetermined by Tang San, he had to walk a path that transcended that of soul masters.
Soul masters could use soul rings to break through the first nine ranks, but what about the tenth?
To reach level 100 and become a god, one needed a divine-level soul ring. But here came the paradox,soul beasts were suppressed by the laws of the Douluo Star, and divine beasts only existed in the God Realm.
That made it a joke:
"I want to become a god and enter the God Realm, so I need a divine ring."
"You don't have one? Then go hunt a divine beast."
"Where are the divine beasts?"
"In the God Realm, of course."
"But I can't enter the God Realm until I become a god!"
"Then go hunt a divine beast."
And so the cultivation path of soul masters entered a dead loop. With Douluo Star's environment deteriorating after the failed ascension of the Divine Dragon Realm, the situation became even worse.
Only those with immense willpower and great fortune could gather enormous faith power to create their own god position, breaking through level 100 and transcending into true godhood.
But even that path had been sealed off by Tang San. For ten thousand years, no new god had appeared on Douluo Star.
Now, for a soul master to become a god, they had to be acknowledged by the God Realm and inherit an existing god position. But since all the god positions were already filled, the powerful beings of the mortal realm could only wait for death.
Or they could hope that, after enduring the time difference of one day in the God Realm equaling one year in the mortal world, a god might eventually relinquish their position,and that the inheritance would somehow descend to their plane,and that among countless waiting contenders, they would be the lucky one chosen.
Only through countless coincidences could someone escape the world so carefully planned by the gods.
"Phew, better not think about that now."
When Huo Yuhao opened his eyes, he saw that Beibei hadn't slept all night and was now waking Tang Ya.
"Little brother Huo, watch carefully. This is one of Tang Sect's unique techniques,absolutely perfect for your martial soul cultivation," Beibei said with a smile.
Tang Ya opened her eyes wide, gazing toward the east where the first light of dawn appeared. A faint purple hue flashed in her pupils.
Huo Yuhao squinted and activated his _Spirit Eyes_, observing Tang Ya and the rising sun in detail.
After watching for a while, he couldn't help but feel speechless. "So it really is like martial arts from a wuxia world,it's basically just external training like iron sand palm!"
"Though it sounds mysterious, it still hasn't escaped the framework of low-level martial arts. How did something like this spread in a fantasy world?"
"It works by damaging the body's cells slightly, keeping it within a controlled limit, and then using soul power to repair them. The repaired tissue becomes stronger than before."
"The core of this Purple Demon Eye technique is just adapting internal energy circulation into soul power operation through a specific route."
"It efficiently repairs the eyes without causing real harm, and since the route passes through the brain, it also stimulates brain activity and increases spiritual power."
"But this is also a slow process. If one could obtain a heavenly treasure, they could easily skip this long training altogether."
"The so-called morning purple light is simply a mild, steady, and continuous light stimulus,not really mystical at all."
"If other methods could stimulate, repair, and train the eye and brain tissues properly, the same results could be achieved without all this flashy ceremony."
When Tang Ya finally exhaled and finished, Beibei smiled and said, "Aside from hidden weapons, the most important part of Tang Sect's legacy is our unique techniques."
"Unlike soul skills, these can be cultivated by any soul master, regardless of martial soul type. They offer those with special or non-combat souls a clear path to strength."
Huo Yuhao nodded. Though he didn't entirely agree, he went along and said, "Just as Brother Bei said, since my martial soul is mutated and my innate soul power was weak, I've had to explore my own ways to train and improve."
"I've decided, Brother Bei, Sister Tang,I want to join Tang Sect!"
Tang Ya's eyes lit up with joy. "That's wonderful! From today on, little Yuhao, you're part of our Tang Sect family. I'll be your teacher, and Beibei will be your senior brother,go ahead, call him Senior Brother!"
Beibei sighed but smiled helplessly. "Since our little junior has joined, and we've already explained our sect's rules before, I won't repeat them."
Huo Yuhao then performed a simple apprenticeship ceremony. As a transmigrator from the modern world, he didn't feel much sentiment about it,he simply thought, "Why not take advantage of free benefits first?"
After the ceremony, Tang Ya took out a copied version of the _Mysterious Heaven Record_, the heavily edited manual originally left by Tang San.
Though Huo Yuhao had already learned most of Beibei and Tang Ya's techniques just by observing them, he still needed a legitimate reason to display that knowledge.
"The _Mysterious Heaven Skill_ and _Purple Demon Eye_ are mostly deconstructed already," he thought. "Once I go through this manual, I'll tell Tianmeng Iceworm to adjust the energy circulation routes accordingly."
"There's no need to rush developing the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. This body's foundation is too weak; forcing them open could cause lasting damage. I'll take my time."
"As for _Jade Hand_, _Controlling Crane and Catching Dragon_, and _Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track_, I can let Tianmeng Iceworm practice them mentally,they all focus on special meridian and acupoint development."
"Regarding hidden weapons, I can study the mechanical structures of low-tier ones, but the high-tier ones are practically useless now. Their techniques have long been lost. There's no need to waste time when high-grade soul tools can replace them."
Later, Beibei took out a belt modeled after the legendary _Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges_ and gave it to Huo Yuhao. Under Beibei's guidance, Huo Yuhao quickly learned how to use it.
Tang Ya smiled and said, "Alright, let's eat breakfast first. After that, we'll head back to Shrek Academy."
The three of them set off toward Shrek Academy. Their pace wasn't fast, as they had to avoid the Star Dou Forest, which added time to their journey.
During the trip, both Tang Ya and Beibei were amazed by Huo Yuhao's talent.
Though his physique was terrible, his comprehension was extraordinary, and his mutated martial soul was exceptional.
In their eyes, aside from innate talent, Huo Yuhao was almost perfect in every other aspect.
"I thought you were being rash when you took Yuhao in," Beibei said with mixed feelings. "But it seems you've really picked up a gem."
Although the _Mysterious Heaven Skill_ had been heavily simplified by Tang San, its ability to strengthen the body and nourish the foundation helped compensate for Huo Yuhao's weak starting point.
With his insight and perception, Beibei could only admit that Tang Ya's luck was incredible. Tang Ya chuckled proudly.
"Wow, Yuhao, you humans are amazing," Tianmeng Iceworm said through their shared mind. "This technique boosts your cultivation speed so much compared to before!"
Due to his mutated martial soul, Tianmeng Iceworm could only communicate directly with Huo Yuhao when he allowed mental sharing.
"This is just the beginning," Huo Yuhao replied. "You'll see even greater surprises later. And this technique isn't even that powerful,there are far stronger ones ahead."
"Tianmeng, you have to understand,humanity's greatest strength lies in standing on the shoulders of their predecessors to reach higher goals."
"Heritage, knowledge, wisdom,that's why humans dominate this world."
"Even when soul beasts gain intelligence, they still can't learn true inheritance. Your lives are simply too long."
"You have too few peers to communicate with meaningfully, and your thoughts are too simple."
"Your lifespans are so long that only at the brink of death do you consider helping your offspring."
"That's why soul beasts can never build a real civilization."
"Even if a powerful leader unites them into a tribe, once that leader falls, everything collapses again."
"And as for the current 'humans,' they've also lost their true pride. Just wait, Tianmeng,I'll show them that knowledge is power."
Hearing Huo Yuhao's words, Tianmeng Iceworm didn't fully understand, but the conviction and pride within them made him look at the young man anew.
Perhaps one day, when Huo Yuhao reached the peak, it wouldn't be because of Tianmeng's choice to follow him,but because of Huo Yuhao's existence itself that Tianmeng's own dying dream could be realized.
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