Sun Moon Empire, Capital City, Kong Family Residence.
As the Hall Master of the Sun Moon Empire's Hall of Worship—a pillar of the empire and the most powerful figure beneath the emperor—Kong Deming's residence was far less ostentatious than one might expect. In fact, it appeared almost austere compared to the lavish mansions of other imperial dignitaries.
Of course, anyone familiar with it would inevitably remark, "Elder Kong is indifferent to fame and fortune; he truly is a pillar of the empire."
Inside the room, Kong Ming'an sat cross-legged on the bed in meditation.
Nearly sixty hours had passed since he awakened his Energy martial soul and proved his worth.
All information regarding his martial soul, his innate soul power level, and his feat of crafting a first-level soul tool core with only rank 0.5 innate soul power had been completely sealed.
The many ninth-level Soul Engineers present at the time were trusted confidants of his grandfather, so suppressing the news was a simple matter—a minor exercise of authority.
None of that concerned Kong Ming'an at the moment, however.
His mind was fully immersed in the faint yet strikingly clear soul power within his body, and in the formless, intangible, yet seemingly omnipresent martial soul—"Energy."
What exactly was Energy?
In the understanding of the Douluo Continent, soul power served as the foundation for driving one's martial soul and unleashing soul skills; it was the source of life and strength.
Mental force, meanwhile, was an extension of will—a bridge for perception and control.
Both were manifestations of Energy.
Flow, transformation, eruption... these fundamentals formed the cornerstone of the soul master system in this world.
The unique power of Kong Ming'an's Energy martial soul lay in its profound control and insight over this very "cornerstone."
After more than two days of preliminary exploration, he had tentatively identified two core abilities his martial soul demonstrated:
First: exceptional internal control.
He possessed near-perfect mastery over the Energy he wielded—specifically "soul power" and "mental force."
This had been evident two and a half days earlier, when he manually forged a first-level soul tool core before a crowd of ninth-level Soul Engineers.
That rank 0.5 soul power, faint as a candle in the wind, had obeyed his will without the slightest dispersion or delay, meticulously tracing the circuits he envisioned with flawless precision.
Second: external Energy perception.
He had discovered this during recent introspection attempts.
When focused, he could "see" the flow of Energy within roughly five meters around himself.
He could clearly observe his own soul power trickling sluggishly yet steadily through his meridians, and his mental force rippling invisibly like waves encircling his body.
Likewise, he could perceive the soul power fluctuations and mental force fields emitted by other living beings in the surroundings—like viewing halos or air currents of varying shapes and intensities in the darkness.
Undoubtedly, his martial soul was, in some sense, extraordinarily overpowered.
But... was it truly limited to controlling "soul power" and "mental force"?
Kong Ming'an remained skeptical.
His martial soul was called "Energy," yet if it could only manipulate his own soul power and mental force, that seemed unworthy of the name.
Thus, he hypothesized:
Either some potential remained unmanifested due to his extremely low innate soul power.
Or—precisely because soul power and mental force were currently the only forms of Energy he possessed—the scope of his abilities was temporarily restricted to them.
These possibilities required verification, one by one.
A rare surge of excitement rose in Kong Ming'an. This was far more engaging than dealing with the daily chaos his mentor and juniors caused in the lab back in his previous life!
Emerging from meditation, his gaze fell on several exquisite jade bottles arrayed before him.
These had been sent by his grandfather, Kong Deming, after learning of his intentions.
There were three types of medicinal pills capable of boosting innate soul power to a certain degree without side effects.
Two bottles contained pills developed by the Sun Moon Empire itself, while the third—faintly wreathed in gentle mist and exuding a cool aura—held Mystic Water Pills.
Kong Ming'an picked up the jade bottle, and relevant information surfaced from his memories:
A top-tier pill for fortifying the origin and cultivating the foundation. It purified marrow, cleansed tendons, and had miraculous effects on enhancing innate soul power aptitude—especially potent for low-level soul masters.
The gentle water-attribute life energy it contained nourished meridians, flushed out impurities, and could gently elevate innate soul power by roughly one level.
Though a specialty of the Xuanming Sect, the Sun Moon Empire had secretly acquired a substantial quantity to nurture imperial talents.
The bottle before him contained a full five Mystic Water Pills—enough to build tolerance through repeated use.
This was the direct result of his proven value, combined with his status as the Kong family's sole heir, granting him significant resource allocation.
He uncorked the bottle; a refreshing medicinal fragrance wafted out. Without hesitation, he placed the lychee-sized, entirely azure pill into his mouth.
It melted instantly upon contact with his tongue, transforming into a gentle yet vast, cool torrent that surged through his limbs and acupoints.
In his perception, this azure medicinal flow swiftly yet softly flushed every tiny meridian.
Wherever it passed, the narrow, stagnant channels—constricted by innate deficiencies—were gently widened and reinforced.
Subtle "impurities" clinging to the meridian walls dissolved and receded like melting snow under the clear stream.
The most concentrated life energy integrated thread by thread into his faint soul power origin.
After an indeterminate time, the surging medicinal torrent finally subsided, becoming a gentle nourishing current that soothed his refreshed meridians.
Kong Ming'an slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in their depths. He introspected once more.
The previously faint, almost imperceptible stream had visibly thickened. Though its flow remained far from smooth, obstructions had lessened considerably, gaining a newfound steadiness.
"Innate soul power... has roughly increased to around level 1.5..."
In the original story, Huo Yuhao consumed a Mystic Water Pill and rose from newly entering level 11 to the peak of level 12.
Beyond his firm will, that included bonuses from Mysterious Heaven Skill and his unawakened ice martial soul.
Kong Ming'an's results were average—neither perfect absorption nor poor due to a subpar physique.
But... this posed no major issue.
"It's simply a matter of taking a few more pills."
Kong Ming'an remarked casually.
A low starting point was merely a minor hurdle; resources could compensate to some extent. Moreover, it concerned only innate aptitude.
This wasn't his first time defying fate—it was merely another attempt.
Rising, he carefully stored the Mystic Water Pills and the other bottles, planning to consume them once the effects of this one were fully absorbed.
He went to the bathroom to wash away the impurities expelled by the pill. Afterward, he dressed, gathered his things, and opened the door.
Outside stood a figure clad in the Sun Moon Empire's standard dark-gold armor, his aura solid as a mountain. He had been waiting patiently.
Though the invisible pressure was deliberately restrained, in Kong Ming'an's Energy vision, the man's soul power burned like a vast furnace—dense as mercury—within his body.
Undoubtedly, a Titled Douluo.
This was the guard and guide arranged by his grandfather.
Without unnecessary words, Kong Ming'an gave a slight nod. The Titled Douluo understood immediately, turned, and led the way with steady strides.
Their destination: the military camp on the outskirts of the capital—the garrison for reserve soldiers of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Legion.
On the vast training field, earth-shaking shouts, heavy thuds, and the whoosh of weapons blended into a raw, fervent torrent of power.
Under the scorching sun, the air carried the scent of sweat and dust. Thousands of robust soldiers, stripped to the waist, underwent rigorous physical and basic soul skill training.
This was daily essential regimen for reserves.
Kong Ming'an did not enter the central field. Guided by the Titled Douluo, he quietly sat on a shaded step at the edge.
The Titled Douluo stood a few paces behind like an immovable rock, his aura blending seamlessly yet forming an invisible barrier against disturbances.
Moments later, a dozen Spirit Elder-level soldiers, led by their officer, approached the open space before him.
After respectfully performing the Sun Moon military salute, the officer knelt directly.
"Young Master Ming'an, this subordinate Wang Meng awaits your orders on Hall Master's command! Please instruct us!"
The man's eager expression made Kong Ming'an pause on him briefly before waving a hand.
"Begin. Show me your soul skills that strengthen the physique... one by one."
"Yes!"
Wang Meng responded promptly, then signaled the soldiers behind him.
The first stepped forward with a fierce roar. A gray bear phantom emerged behind him.
Instantly, his muscles swelled as if inflated; coarse brown fur sprouted on his skin; his hands transformed into massive bear paws. He slammed them against his chest with a dull thud.
Then, taking a deep breath, his first soul ring lit up. Yellow light surged into his limbs and acupoints. His already bulging muscles tensed further; veins protruded like earthworms; raw power erupted!
Kong Ming'an observed silently, his Energy vision active.
His gaze pierced flesh and bone, clearly tracing the soldier's soul power circulation at that moment.
He noted that while the paths were crude, eruption points overlapped with certain acupoints from his previous life's traditional Chinese medicine—known for physique strengthening and potential stimulation.
Points like Jianjing, Quchi, Zusanli, and Yongquan surged with soul power during exertion.
"Soul power stimulates acupoints and specific locations, then protects meridians from overload, achieving short-term physique enhancement..."
Kong Ming'an murmured, his eyes gradually brightening.
He knew his weaknesses well. The Energy martial soul was powerful, but relying solely on it would never suffice.
With innate aptitude of only level 0.5, pill enhancements had limits.
Simply following the traditional path—increasing levels, absorbing rings for breakthroughs, repeating—would absolutely fail!
He needed to do something grand... truly grand!
The first step: forge a sufficiently powerful physique!
This marked not only the start of his secondary development beyond the standard soul master system but also the foundation for an ideal first soul ring configuration.
"Soul skills... physique enhancement... soul power circulation routes... acupoint stimulation... drawing in external Energy..."
As soldiers one by one possessed their martial souls and activated similar physique-enhancing soul skills, Kong Ming'an's mind raced.
The "underlying code" from Energy vision, his accumulated knowledge of meridians and acupoints from Chinese medicine, and his supreme control over internal Energy—
These three collided, dissected, and recombined in his calm consciousness.
"What if the soul power circulation routes were optimized?
"What if those acupoints maximizing potential and strengthening tendons, bones, and flesh were precisely targeted?
"What if mental force guided the process, more efficiently drawing in and refining worldly elemental power during body tempering to accelerate cultivation?
"What if, leveraging my exceptional internal Energy control, I created a 'method' independent of high soul power levels—one that excavates the human body's own treasures, systematically and efficiently strengthening the physique?"
A novel concept gradually crystallized in his mind.
He sat quietly, eyes deep as an abyss.
His Energy vision continuously scanned the soldiers' soul power trajectories with each exertion and acupoint stimulation with each breath.
Unconsciously, his fingers traced lines on his knee—as if sketching more efficient, intricate circulation routes in the void, marking critical Energy nodes.
Time slipped by; hours passed.
Even with rotation, the dozen soldiers eventually exhausted their soul power and lay sprawled on the ground.
Kong Ming'an's fingers paused; he frowned unconsciously.
"Not enough samples... too repetitive, too limited. I need more..."
He murmured, then casually withdrew over a dozen cards from his storage soul guidance bracelet and tossed them to the nearby officer, Wang Meng.
"A thousand gold coins each for the men; the rest is yours. Switch groups tomorrow and continue."
Wang Meng caught them instinctively—more than ten gold cards worth 1,000 each, plus one purple card worth 10,000.
His expression turned fervent.
"Yes! Sir!"
Another crisp Sun Moon military salute, brimming with ambition.
Kong Ming'an ignored him entirely. He stood, pondering as he walked away slowly, escorted by the Titled Douluo.
The basic framework of his envisioned "Body Tempering Method" was already in place. Now he required vast real-world samples to refine it, followed by personal verification and results.
However... "Since the foundational framework exists, this new system needs a name..."
He murmured softly, a thoughtful flicker in his eyes. Then they brightened slightly.
"Let's call it... 'Body Cultivation.'"