Chapter 13: Spirit Characteristics, A Flash of Inspiration from the First Workout
Through my first session of cultivation, I gained a basic understanding of Spirit cultivation on the Douluo Continent.
A Spirit can be seen as a semi-biological entity that coexists with the human body, and it's also the key to opening the path of cultivation.
Before my first cultivation session, I had always harbored a trace of doubt. I wondered if it was because my Spirit hadn't awakened or if it was my own fault, but no matter how I tried before, I could never feel the spirit power between heaven and earth.
After the Spirit Awakening, this doubt completely vanished. Clearly, there was nothing wrong with my own cultivation method; it was purely the fault of the Spirit not being awakened.
The spirit power of heaven and earth is like being on an encrypted channel; it can only be accessed once you have the key, which is the Spirit.
No, it should be that the Spirit combined with Innate Soul Power is the true 'key'.
This situation feels quite similar to the cultivation described in typical Xianxia novels.
Cultivating immortality requires a Spiritual Root, while Douluo Continent cultivation requires a Spirit paired with Innate Soul Power. There doesn't seem to be much difference.
Thinking carefully, the environment of the Douluo Continent is actually quite good. At the very least, there aren't Demonic Path Cultivators who constantly talk about 'Mortal blood-food'.
No matter how harsh the social environment may be, the social essence of the Douluo Continent is still a combination of slavery and feudalism, which maintains a certain level of order. Most Xianxia novels feel like their true social essence has 'fast-forwarded' to the law of the jungle and survival of the fittest.
Back to the point, social issues aren't something I need to worry about for the Douluo Continent right now. My first priority is to focus on my own cultivation.
Yesterday's ideas were a bit too optimistic. Whether my father can truly use the spatial pressure of Teleportation for Body Tempering still requires further study... Shaking his hand, Tang Shan stopped writing and looked at the summary of his recent gains, nodding with satisfaction. Then, without hesitation, he lit a fire starter and burned the 'diary' he had written.
Walking out the door, Su Haichao had already left for the Spirit Hall, leaving only him and the two brothers, including Su Yuntao, at home.
Seeing his younger brother come out, Su Yuntao stood up directly from the dining table. "Little brother, are you going to start exercising?"
Tang Shan's mouth twitched slightly. "Big brother, I haven't even had breakfast yet. Also, why aren't you at the Spirit Hall helping Dad? What are you doing hanging around the house?"
"I'll be going to the villages below in a few days to awaken Spirits for the children, so I'm quite free right now. Besides, what could Dad possibly need my help with?"
Tang Shan couldn't help but shake his head as he sat down at the dining table.
"I'll be training in a bit. You can watch if you want, but Big Brother, don't slack off yourself."
"Don't worry, I can complete my current training very easily."
Su Yuntao patted his chest, looking completely nonchalant.
Hearing this, Tang Shan couldn't help but frown.
It seemed that the training methods from his previous life were no longer of much help to his big brother. Now that I have awakened a Body Martial Soul, with my keen perception of the body, I wonder if I can continue to research a few Body Tempering techniques.
Quickly finishing breakfast, Tang Shan rested for a moment before heading out, with Su Yuntao following behind him.
He didn't start exercising immediately. After all, sharpening the axe doesn't delay the woodcutting. Yesterday, he had only tried cultivating and hadn't yet seriously experienced the specific effects of his Spirit.
Following his body's instinct, he activated his Spirit. This instinct was inherent after the Spirit Awakening, like an extension of his limbs, easily mastered.
A series of bone-popping sounds came from his body. Accompanied by subtle spirit power fluctuations, Tang Shan felt an unprecedented surge of power spread throughout his body.
His height increased by ten centimeters, and faint muscular outlines emerged. Though only six years old, he gave off a fierce impression.
Looking at the training equipment piled to the side, Tang Shan narrowed his eyes, walked forward, and grabbed a huge dumbbell.
As the muscles in his upper and lower arms contracted, bursts of abundant power erupted. At the same time, his five fingers gripped the dumbbell tightly like iron pincers.
"Up!"
With a loud shout and the contraction of his muscles, the ten-kilogram dumbbell was lifted by him in a standard bicep curl.
Carefully feeling the contraction of his muscles and bones, Tang Shan put the dumbbell back down and couldn't help but frown.
Although Tang Shan believed his perception and control over his body far exceeded that of most Spirit Masters, and he could feel whether his movements were coordinated, he was still somewhat dissatisfied.
Setting aside other Spirits for a moment, as a Body Spirit Master, having 100% control over one's own body should be the foundation in his view. Yet, he hadn't even achieved the most basic level yet.
It seemed he now had a direction for the goal of his first spirit ring's Spirit Ability.
And with this kind of power boost, it seems my Spirit is also a Body Martial Soul with an innate attribute, and that attribute should be strength.
Carefully sensing the subtle changes within his body, Tang Shan did not deactivate his Spirit state.
Compared to Tool Spirit Masters and Beast Spirit Masters, Body Martial Soul Spirit Masters have another great advantage.
Because the Spirit itself is the body, the consumption of spirit power to maintain the Spirit state is minimal. As long as one doesn't use Spirit Abilities, keeping it active for a long time is basically not a problem.
Watching Tang Shan activate his Spirit just to lift a dumbbell once and put it down, then sink into thought and frown, Su Yuntao was already used to it.
His little brother must have started researching his Spirit again. Su Yuntao had seen this state many times over the past six years.
After a while, seeing his little brother snap out of it, Su Yuntao hurriedly spoke up. "Little brother, let's begin."
Tang Shan nodded in agreement. No matter how much he thought about it, it wasn't as clear as experiencing it firsthand.
"Little brother, what should we train first?"
"Let's start with push-ups."
As he spoke, Tang Shan had already placed his hands on the ground, getting into the ready position.
"Little brother, did you forget something?"
Su Yuntao couldn't help but remind him, his face showing the smugness of having caught Tang Shan in a mistake.
Hands supported, slightly wider than shoulder-width, back and legs straight in a single line.
Then, the arm muscles contracted and folded, the body slowly lowered until it was barely an inch from the ground, held for a moment, and then slowly pushed back up.
After completing a standard push-up, Tang Shan finally replied to Su Yuntao.
"Big Brother, don't underestimate the Body Martial Soul. For someone like me with a Body Martial Soul, warm-up exercises are unnecessary. When the Spirit is activated, the body naturally reaches its optimal state."
After finishing his sentence, another standard push-up was completed.
"What! A Body Martial Soul has that kind of effect?"
Su Yuntao never expected that the warm-up exercises he did before every workout were just a matter of activating the Spirit for a Body Martial Soul Spirit Master.
You should know that when he first started exercising, Su Yuntao hadn't formed the habit of warming up. It was only after he once gave himself a cramp from working out that the heart-wrenching pain made him firmly remember the necessity of warming up.
Having a strong will is one thing; choosing not to warm up and making yourself suffer is another.
At this time, Tang Shan, who was still in his Spirit-activated state, continued to do push-ups at a steady pace. His speed wasn't fast, but his form was incredibly standard, as precise as a textbook.
The strength attribute should be the innate attribute of my Body Martial Soul. This boost to physical fitness is indeed not bad.
Also, with the Spirit activated, I feel that the improvement in physical fitness is much faster than my previous training.
This should be the combined effect of the Body Martial Soul and Innate Soul Power.
"Ninety-nine, one hundred..."
Beads of sweat slid down from Tang Shan's forehead. Having already deactivated his Spirit-enhanced state, Tang Shan struggled to finish his hundredth push-up and then slowly sat cross-legged on the ground.
"Little brother, was the load a bit too much?"
With a solemn face, Su Yuntao hurried over and handed him a bottle of salt water.
Tang Shan opened the bottle, took a small sip, and then slowly drank more several times.
Phew!
Feeling his strength recover slightly, Tang Shan shook his head.
"No. Now that I've awakened my Body Martial Soul, my understanding of my body has gone a step further. In terms of body control, even you, Big Brother, who has trained for several years, might not be more proficient than me."
Tang Shan's reasoning barely convinced Su Yuntao, but he was still a little worried.
"Little brother, didn't you previously tell me to wait until I absorbed my first spirit ring before doing high-intensity training? Why are you applying such high intensity now that your own Spirit has just awakened? Are you sure this won't affect your development?"
Hearing the question, Tang Shan nodded and then shook his head.
"Big Brother, your thinking is good, but it's not practical for me. My Spirit is my body. From a certain perspective, when my Spirit awakened, my body already possessed certain Spirit properties.
What does a Spirit rely on to improve? It relies on spirit power and spirit rings. Setting aside the promotional effect on our bodies when absorbing spirit rings, relying solely on the characteristics my Spirit grants me, as long as I don't train with a death wish, no matter how high the intensity, it won't have any impact on my growth and development."
While explaining to Su Yuntao, a flash of inspiration struck Tang Shan's mind. All the descriptions from douluo two era and douluo 3 regarding Body Martial Souls, Secondary Awakening, Tertiary Awakening, and the Flawless Golden Body—all that information replayed continuously in his mind.
Taking a deep breath, he didn't rush to think further but firmly committed all these inspirations to memory.
"Big Brother, don't worry, I won't be reckless. Help me up first, then go back and heat up a piece of Whale Glue for me."
Seeing his little brother so confident, Su Yuntao finally believed that Tang Shan's high-intensity training wouldn't cause irreversible damage or impact his body. He hurriedly stepped forward and hoisted the other onto his shoulder.
As they walked back, Su Yuntao said irritably, "Why try to act tough? 'Help you up' indeed. It's much more convenient and efficient to just carry you back."
Tang Shan, whose whole body was aching, felt helpless and simply let his big brother have his way.
Back at home, thanks to the terrifying recovery power of the Body Martial Soul, Tang Shan's basic movements were no longer much of a problem.
After confirming that Tang Shan had some ability to care for himself, Su Yuntao took a piece of Whale Glue and went into the kitchen.
Tang Shan went into the bathroom, first wiping the sweat off his body with a towel, then turning on the faucet and letting the cold water wash over his body.
Injury is inevitable for anyone when exercising, especially those tiny capillaries, which are incredibly fragile;
Or rather, exercise itself is a process of destruction followed by supercompensation.
Tang Shan's use of cold water allowed the minute bruises caused by broken capillaries to solidify quickly and then be reabsorbed by the body, so as not to affect the next day's workout.
PS: I have received the station short message. Everyone can rest assured to recommend, read, and collect. Seeking attention and more comments. Any plot-related questions are welcome to be discussed with the young author.