6 Chapter 6: Harmony of Soul Power

Ren Du Second Meridian, not directly connected to the internal organs and lacking coordination with the twelve meridians, takes an extraordinary path in its circulation. It is considered a meridian of wonder due to its unique route. If one attempts to circulate soul power through this pathway, it will undoubtedly be extremely challenging.

Despite the difficulty in its operation, the absorption speed of soul power does not show a significant increase, leading people to mistakenly believe in the inefficiency of this route.

However, no matter how challenging, there is no way around it. Only by traversing the Ren Du Second Meridian can a small circulation be formed, connecting the twelve meridians into a whole, and subsequently opening up the eight extraordinary meridians to establish a connection with the grand circulation.

"Go through the Ren Du Second Meridian!"

Cheng Xiao planned to modify the meditation technique and, when reaching the Ren Du Second Meridian, go straight through instead of avoiding it.

Cheng Xiao once again executed a set of Tai Chi movements. This time, as soul power reached the Ren Du Second Meridian, it directly followed the path of the vessel.

However, the Ren Du Second Meridian was obscure and difficult, with several interruptions along the way.

Undeterred, he tried again and again, with each attempt pushing his soul power a bit farther.

From the initially stumbling movements, Cheng Xiao's practice became smoother and more fluid with each repetition.

On the side, Xiao Wu was glaring at Cheng Xiao, who had ignored her and continued practicing that mysterious technique. Her already bad mood was further fueled by his disregard.

"If Xiao San acts like this, Cheng acts the same. I hate it! If they don't apologize, I'll ignore them forever!" Xiao Wu gritted her teeth, swearing in frustration, turning her head away to sulk.

Seeing Cheng Xiao persisting without pause, Xiao Wu's gaze involuntarily drifted towards him. She quickly averted her eyes, but after a moment, she looked again. Cheng Xiao remained unfazed. Her head tilted slightly, and her gaze was gradually drawn into his movements.

"Huh?"

She was surprised to find that the originally soft and weak fist technique now exuded a strange charm.

It looked the same as before—soft and powerless, but within it seemed to be a hidden force, restrained but ready to burst forth. As the technique concluded, the force erupted with a burst of fist wind, slamming into the ground not far away. The resulting boom created a bowl-sized crater, and even a Soul Master would find it challenging to withstand such force.

"Is this a soul skill!? A self-created soul skill?"

No, it couldn't be! Xiao Wu's mother mentioned that self-created soul skills were something only seasoned and renowned experts could achieve!

However, if it wasn't a soul skill, how did Cheng Xiao unleash such power without having a soul ring? Just relying on that soft and weak fist technique?

At this moment, Xiao Wu felt a tingling sensation as if electrified.

Cheng Xiao continued his rhythm, and unexpectedly, beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He went on for three sets before stopping. Despite being soaked in sweat, there was no sign of exhaustion. Instead, he seemed exhilarated, full of energy as if there was an endless reserve within him.

This state was a hundred times better than recovering in the medical office.

"Soul power hasn't increased?"

Cheng Xiao checked his soul power and found no increase, but the current state was distinctly different from before—a transformative change.

"Could it be... this method can compensate for my congenital deficiency?"

In this world, people determined one's talent and future achievements based on innate soul power. However, Cheng Xiao believed this logic was flawed.

In fact, innate soul power is just a manifestation, not the root cause.

A person's martial soul and physique determine the speed at which they absorb soul power. From birth, individuals passively absorb energy stored in their bodies, converting it into soul power.

The worse one's physique and martial soul, the poorer the affinity with soul power. Those who absorb less soul power in the six years, awakening with innate zero soul power, indicate poor compatibility with soul power and are deemed talentless.

On the other hand, those with full innate soul power signify absorbing the soul power equivalent to ten levels in six years. Their physique and martial soul must have a high affinity with soul power, leading to higher natural talents in cultivation.

Therefore, it shouldn't be the level of innate soul power that represents talent, but rather the level of affinity. The correct terminology shouldn't be the level of innate soul power but the level of soul power affinity!

Despite having a God-level martial soul, Cheng Xiao feel the conflict of the two Monarch martial souls meant he could only use a small portion of the Shadow's power. In the context of the Douluo Continent, this might be considered a malignant martial soul mutation.

This "malignant martial soul mutation" and a non-extraordinary physique naturally resulted in low affinity with soul power. Therefore, after awakening, his innate soul power was only at level one, indicating a level one soul power affinity.

"While Tai Chi hasn't increased my soul power, I clearly feel a difference. It's likely improving my affinity with soul power!"

If, without awakening the Shadow Monarch, his upper limit is a Grand Soul Master, then by diligently practicing Tai Chi every day, his potential could be infinitely elevated.

This is consolidating his foundation, laying the groundwork! Only by strengthening the foundation can one continuously advance to higher levels.

If he had started using this method a few years ago, he might have become a "genius" with full innate soul power.

"Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill might be like this," Cheng Xiao thought of the original story, where Tang San realized a bottleneck after practicing Mysterious Heaven Skill for five or six years.

He speculated that Tang San's twin martial soul should have originally possessed full innate soul power, but due to malnutrition, innate deficiency, and weak physique, the affinity was low. Xuan Tian Gong, which also follows the extraordinary channels, played a role in compensating for the innate deficiency. It continuously improved Tang San's affinity with soul power during the Shrek Academy period, preventing him from falling behind others.

Essentially, Mysterious Heaven Skill is not an acceleration artifact!

"Phew..."

A slight smile appeared on Cheng Xiao's lips, feeling as if a large stone had been lifted off his chest, relieving the pressure.

There has always been an urgency compelling him to continuously endure hardships, eager to liberate the two Monarch.

This was all due to "uncertainty"! He was uncertain about what level he needed to reach to liberate the two Monarch.

He was uncertain whether merely increasing soul power and enduring hardships would enable his body to withstand the impact of the Monarch's destructive power.

He was even more uncertain if he could wait until the day he liberated his martial souls; it's possible he might never achieve it in his lifetime.

These worries kept him from relaxing, from stopping. With only innate level one, his upper limit was just a Grand Soul Master, and if he couldn't liberate his martial souls, his lifespan might be only a few decades.

But now, with Tai Chi improving soul power affinity, his upper limit could be raised. As long as he continued practicing, coupled with various opportunities, he could certainly cultivate to the level of a Title Douluo, possessing a hundred or even a thousand years of lifespan. By then, he could slowly figure out a solution to the martial soul problem.

Even if he didn't solve the martial soul problem, as long as the affinity with soul power increased, his talent would improve, and he could potentially seize the Sea God's position.

With more choices, there was no need to worry as before.

As Cheng Xiao was lost in thought, Xiao Wu suddenly approached, staring at his face with eager eyes.

"Xiao Cheng, Xiao Cheng! Was that just now a soul skill?"