Chapter 8: New Techniques

The next day came, and time passed. On the second day after the Soul Awakening Ceremony, Wong Yazhu used his Byakugan to look at the God Tree, expecting to see a solid structure made of soul power or a physical object with Dantian and meridians like humans. However, all he saw was a solid physical object. It had no trace of soul power within it, which was confusing, but it quickly made sense.

Martial Souls are like the 'personification' of a human's soul, not a construct of soul power. If he wanted to learn more about Martial Soul, he would probably need the rinnegan Human path or Outer Path. It will take a while to get them if he were to assume the ability he acquired for the rinnegan is not based on the kind of ring he gives the God Tree but from its weakest to strongest ability.

But he decided not to think of that and instead planted the God Tree under the apple tree. He watched with his X-ray as the God Tree's root extended to connect itself with the apple tree's root, probably taking away all the nutrients the root was receiving from the world and its life force.

Since he stopped needing soul power to keep it active while it absorbed the apple tree's life force, he left it planted and met up with Tang San. That day, like every other day after, Tang San continued with his forging endeavor. 

Wong Yazhu didn't hate it, quite the contrary. Whenever Tang San forged, he always used three techniques that required soul power; one for his eyes, the other for his hands, and the last for his whole body. Wong Yazhu sneakily used his Byakugan to study the way the energy flow for these three skills, and it only took him two weeks for Wong Yazhu to master the flow of these three skills and successfully mimic them.

Two were successful, but the one for the eyes was not. No matter how perfectly Wong Yazhu mimicked the flow of soul power, he couldn't make any ability appear. He decided that the eye technique might need another cultivation method he hadn't seen Tang San perform, so Wong Yazhu chose to ignore it. It's not like he needed more eye technique since he possesses Byakugan, Rinnegan, and maybe Sharingan.

The 'whole body' technique, which he decided to name 'Tang San Cultivation Method,' was quite good. Using it only required the 20 main meridians and about 95% of the body's sub-meridians. After two weeks of practicing it every night after his parents put him to sleep, Wong Yazhu noticed that it slightly widened those meridians, allowing much more soul power to flow through it. It also made these meridians 'purer,' allowing soul power to flow through them faster.

The second one he named 'Tang San Tough Hands Technique' simply made the hands stronger by using soul power to strengthen the hand's skin, muscles, and bones. The way it flowed was quite intricate, and Wong Yazhu quickly gave up on trying to use the technique on his whole body to avoid mistakenly crippling himself. 

Of course, he didn't give up on that idea. He decided to keep using the Tang San Tough Hands Technique and maybe mimic it on other parts of his body, like the soles of his feet, back, or maybe his stomach, before trying to use it on his whole body.

At the start of the second month, Wong Yazhu had gone to visit Tang San early in the morning, only to find him going off to the hilltop near the village. Tang San was shocked to see her and tried to send her home, but she told him that her daddy had allowed her to follow Tang San up the hill because he trusted Tang San. 

Tang San was reluctant but allowed it only after telling her that he wouldn't carry her if she couldn't make it up. That day, Wong Yazhu could barely make it to the top of the hill after continuously resting, and once she reached the top, Tang San was preparing to go back down. 

He looked rather impressed by her dedication and went back on his words, carrying her down. That was Wong Yazhu's first victory, a victory that brought him more pleasure than anything else since he came to this world, except when he found out he had soul power. 

That day, while climbing the hill, he noticed that the Tang San Cultivation Method also helped his body regenerate its stamina much more quickly. It was a great find. 

With this knowledge, on the second day, when he stopped to rest while climbing the hill, Wong Yazhu first scanned the surroundings to see if Tang San was watching, then used the Cultivation Method to recover her stamina before continuing her climb. This allowed her to reach the hill top only after 45 minutes, where she saw Tang San performing a movement art that made him move like a blur.

Tang San hadn't expected her to climb it so quickly, so he panicked when she caught him performing the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. He had even thought of killing her, something that Wong Yazhu noticed after seeing the look in his eyes, but she quickly acted stupid by saying,

"Wow, Gege San. You are fast!" She mimicked Tang San's movements in the dumbest way possible while grinning. "Daddy said that people with innate full spirit power were stronger than everyone else. He was telling the truth."

She then 'tripped' on a stone, falling butt first. "And you are a boy. Boys are stronger than girls." She frowned. "I wish I was a boy."

'She is still a child. Of course, she wouldn't know that a child shouldn't be able to do what I am doing.' Tang San decided not to kill her for now but told her. "Meimei Yazhu, if you want to become a Title Douluo, you need to keep this a secret from everyone."

Wong Yazhu immediately smiled brightly. "Will you teach me how to move like that!?" She asked, jumping up and mimicking his movement horribly. "I want to move as fast as Gege San!"

Tang San wasn't going to teach her the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, as it was Tang Sect's best movement art. But, he could teach her something much inferior, something every outer sect learns. 

The Wind Walk Stealth Track.

Unlike the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, which is quick, light, and could also form illusion at higher stages, the Wind Walk Stealth Track was only light, allowing someone to walk without making a sound and walk on freshly fallen snow without leaving any footprint. 

It was much harder to learn than the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track for less than half the strength and versatility. That's why only the Outer Sect learned it.

Of course, Wong Yazhu knew this wasn't what Tang San was learning, but he still practiced it. On the third day of climbing up the hill, Wong Yazhu had to pretend to rest while lying on her back to use the Tang San Cultivation Method, which she had practiced the night before because she knew Tang San would watch her today to see how she could climb so quickly.

And he was right. She could feel his eyes on him throughout the climb. When she reached the top, he had finished cultivating the Purple Demon Eye with the purple qi that appears during sunrise and was already practicing the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. Like before, he gave her some tips on the Wind Walk Stealth Track before continuing his practice. 

Wong Yazhu practiced diligently while also memorizing Tang San's movement. When he returned home that night, he tried to mimic Tang San's movement, but there was a lot of theory he didn't understand. No matter how much he memorized it, he wouldn't have been able to perform it if Tang San hadn't taught him directly, so Wong Yazhu just stuck to the Wind Walk Stealth Track for now, practicing it every chance he got. 

Like that, the second month passed, and too much has passed since the Soul Awakening Ceremony. Much to Tang San's surprise, in this month, Wong Yazhu had gotten the basics down of the Wind Walk Stealth Track. She could perfectly perform it only after concentrating, and now she only needed to master performing it unconsciously like it was her normal walk.

'Genius. Genius!' Tang San was horrified. In his past life, it took him six months to get to the level this girl got to after a month, and he was ten years old then. 'She would be Tang Sect's inner sect member in my old world. Too bad she wasn't born there...'

Of course, Wong Yazhu didn't know that this movement technique was supposed to be hard and found it rather easy. From Tang San, the Wind Walk Stealth Track had six levels.

The first level is where one can perform it without needing a conscious focus. At this level, one can walk without making much sound, like a fly flying through the air.

The second level is where one's step becomes as silent as an owl's flight, of course, not counting places like a forest filled with many dried leaves and branches.

The third level is called 'Fly on Grass,' where one can traverse a forest without a sound or walk on snow without leaving any print. This level and the levels after require inner strength, but Tang San didn't tell Wong Yazhu this.

The fourth level is called 'Ghost Crossing the Street,' where all of one's movement will become as silent as a ghost, becoming unnoticeable unless they want to be noticed or unless someone has a much more powerful sense.

The fifth and final level is called the 'Traceless Wind,' where one becomes the wind itself.

In his past life, Tang San reached the third level before he switched to learning the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track. Although it doesn't give the silent movement that the third level and above of the Wind Walk Stealth Track gives, it is more versatile.

Right now, Wong Yazhu was half-step to the first level, and he knew he would reach it after a few more weeks. At the end of the second month, Wong Yazhu was finally able to reach the top of the hill beside Tang San. Of course, Tang San had to slow down, and he hadn't used the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, but it was nonetheless an achievement.

That day, Wong Yazhu noticed Tang San practicing the Purple Demon Eye with the purple qi from the east-rising sun and asked him what was the purple aura entering his eyes.

"It is a breathing technique all Title Douluo needs to learn, called the Celestial Breathing Method." Tang San simply lied. "It significantly lowers stress levels, enabling Title Douluo to maintain a calm and focused demeanor even in battle. Regular practice gradually expands the lung's capacity, allowing for deeper, more efficient breaths that can sustain prolonged exertion and enhance overall health. It refines the process of oxygen absorption into the bloodstream, ensuring maximal efficiency with minimal wastage. This optimized transfer supports accelerated recovery times and sustained energy levels during intense physical activity. Lastly, it ensures the expulsion of all carbon dioxide from the body, preventing the buildup of fatigue-inducing waste products in the muscles."

Wong Yazhu blinked. "That's a lot of words I don't understand." She mumbled, shaking her head. She suddenly smiled. "I don't understand it, but if Title Douluo uses it, it must be good!"

'...' Tang San didn't interrupt his Purple Demon Eye training, but he was speechless. 'This girl is stupid.' It was understandable since she was a six-year-old girl, but still. 

"But why are your eyes glowing purple? Do you learn to breathe through your eyes?" Wong Yazhu asked with curious eyes.

"...Yes..." He replied, as Wong Yazhu's eyes glimmered. "Cool! Teach me, teach me!"

The Celestial Breathing Method is a technique all of the Tang Sect's members used. What he had explained it did was what it did, except breathing from one's eyes. 

Practicing it was simple. Begin in a seated position, with the spine straight to allow unimpeded flow of air, then close your eyes to concentrate on your breathing. Then, slowly inhale through the nose, focusing on filling the lower abdomen, then the chest, and finally the upper chest, in a smooth, continuous motion. Inhale until you can't inhale anymore, then hold your breath for a count of five before exhaling slowly through the mouth, concentrating on expelling all the air from the lungs, beginning from the upper chest, moving to the chest, and finally emptying the lower abdomen.

Repeat this cycle for a minimum of ten breaths, gradually increasing the count as mastery of the technique improves. You have mastered it when you can use it without conscious effort.

This was added to Wong Yazhu's training, and now he practices four things daily. His Byakugan, Tang San Cultivation Method, Wind Walk Stealth Track, and Celestial Breathing Method, while studying and practicing the Tang San Tough Hands Technique whenever he had time. 

Like that, time continued to move on.