"So, these are two complementary cultivation techniques."
In the early morning, practicing the Vajra Technique several times facing the rising sun, and combining it with his recent personal experience, Zhu Wu came to a conclusion in his heart.
Practicing the Vajra Technique too long in the morning sunlight made his body increasingly hot and restless, as if there was a fire burning in his abdomen. His heart rate sped up, followed by dry mouth, swollen face, constipation with hard stools and yellow urine, and insomnia at night caused by internal heat. Even though in his past life he studied veterinary medicine, he recognized these as symptoms of excessive internal heat. These symptoms became especially severe when practicing under the high sun.
The strangest—and most coincidental—thing was:
Practicing the Longevity Technique effectively relieved these symptoms, and this effect was especially noticeable at night. However, the Longevity Technique could not be practiced for too long either; otherwise, coldness would develop inside his body, his hands and feet would feel inexplicably cold, like catching a chill. He couldn't sleep well at night either.
With moderate practice, after Vajra Technique, he felt full of strength; after Longevity Technique, refreshed and clear-minded.
Honestly, this reminded him of the Dragon God.
According to the sequel's explanation, before being exposed to chaotic energy, the Dragon God grew by absorbing the radiance of the sun (the essence of sunlight) and the moon (the essence of moonlight). The former gave the Dragon God a powerful physical body and derived ultimate strength; the latter enhanced the Dragon God's divine awareness and gradually gave him control over various elemental forces of heaven and earth. The Golden Dragon King inherited the former, and the Silver Dragon King inherited the latter.
In other words, in this world, absorbing the essence of sunlight (the radiance of the sun) strengthens the physical body, much like Superman in the movies from his past life, who constantly grows stronger by absorbing the yellow sun's light and radiation, gaining a steel-like body. Absorbing the essence of moonlight (the moon's glow) seems to strengthen divine awareness—that is, spiritual power.
"So, my Vajra Technique and Longevity Technique, now here on Douluo Continent, can not only cultivate soul power but also assist in absorbing the sun's essence to refine the body and the moon's essence to refine the spirit?"
Thinking of this possibility, he could not help but ponder.
"So, the Vajra Technique is suitable for practicing in the morning at sunrise, aimed at beginners."
"The morning sunlight is weak, so beginners absorbing it at this time can avoid taking in too much sun essence at once, preventing symptoms of internal heat."
"Could it be that excessive internal fire causes one to burn oneself?"
"In the evening, practicing the Longevity Technique absorbs the moon's essence while also drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, which the martial soul transforms into soul power. This should be harmless, but because it's cooler at night, the process inevitably brings in some cold yin energy from the air, which explains why I felt a slight chill inside."
Combining this with his previous medical knowledge from his past life, he boldly hypothesized:
"Vajra Technique is yang, rigid, external, manifest, physical, acquired, and foundational. Longevity Technique is yin, soft, internal, hidden, spiritual, innate. Practicing both together combines inside and outside, strength and softness, balancing yin and yang."
"Honestly, though I don't understand all the details, just from the text and online descriptions of Vajra and Longevity Techniques, it really matches."
"If that's true, then it's awesome!"
As a living person, body and spirit are inseparable. If these two techniques can truly complement each other, making him actively absorb the essences of the sun and moon, progressing both simultaneously…
He felt that becoming a Dragon God in the future was not just a dream.
After all, the Dragon God also grew by absorbing the sun and moon essences.
"Uh, provided I live long enough." Lifespan was indeed a big problem.
Who knew how long the Dragon God had absorbed sun and moon essences before reaching that level?
"No matter what, just keep practicing for now."
The future was not a dream, but it was still the future. Grasping the present was the real principle.
A while later, Zhu Wu left his house, grabbed the basket he prepared yesterday, and strode toward the gate.
After the New Year, the He Shou Wu (Fo-ti) was nearly all eaten by Xiao Bai; it was time for him to go out and gather herbs.
As for staying home to focus on cultivation, there was no choice: one practice caused internal heat, the other caused coldness; his small body couldn't withstand either for long. He felt helpless but didn't dwell on it. After all, nothing in this world was absolutely perfect; one must learn to be content.
"Slash, slash." Entering the back mountain, he swung his machete, advancing into unexplored territory.
"Chirp, chirp." Xiao Bai transformed into a magpie flying overhead, scouting and alerting Zhu Wu.
Time flew by; two months passed deep in the mountains.
"Wow, this one's huge. Xiao Bai, great job!" Zhu Wu's eyes shone as he looked at the ginseng leaves spread on the ground ahead.
"Chirp." Xiao Bai landed on his shoulder, tilting his head with a proud expression.
"Just a bit smaller than the last one, not bad." After some digging, the entire ginseng root was exposed, and Zhu Wu smiled.
Though remote, there were advantages. Saint Soul Village lay near the national border and close to the Star Dou Forest that divided two countries, with many untouched deep mountain forests around. Thus, the herbal resources were quite good. In this fantasy world with abundant spiritual energy, rare creatures often emerged. On a previous exploration, with Xiao Bai's help, he had luckily found a century-old mountain ginseng.
He wasn't sure exactly how many centuries—it was something he hadn't studied—but it was indeed quite large with a well-developed root system.
Because of that ginseng, he gained new insights into Xiao Bai's ability to evolve by consuming rare materials.
He found Xiao Bai favored herbs with blood-nourishing and replenishing effects, both in helping him sense and find them and in self-consumption. Moreover, Xiao Bai eating these herbs didn't increase its soul power but nourished and strengthened Zhu Wu's vitality, enhancing his health.
How exactly it nourished was unclear, but when Xiao Bai consumed that century-old ginseng, Zhu Wu's complexion noticeably improved—rosy and radiant—and his cold resistance increased significantly. This was in the harsh winter, so he felt it deeply.
He hadn't realized this before.
Perhaps such herbs helped Xiao Bai replenish its origin? That was his guess.
Blood and vitality act on the blood. Maybe the "beneficial substances or energy" Xiao Bai returned to its host specifically nourished the host's bloodline, enhancing it. After all, the martial soul and its host are one. Only when the host's bloodline is strengthened can the physical body's strength and potential improve, allowing the martial soul to evolve accordingly. The host's physical strength, in some ways, determines the martial soul's evolutionary ceiling. For example, Yu Xiaogang's soul might have degenerated due to a weak body or insufficient bloodline quality. Xiao Bai's preference for blood-nourishing materials lies precisely in this.
Consuming such herbs not only accumulates energy needed for evolution but also nourishes the host, strengthening the bloodline and body.
Of course, these were just his speculations. Whether true remained to be seen.
But based on his recent personal experience, he felt it was very likely.
"Time will prove all this." Thinking so, he handed the ginseng to Xiao Bai near its forehead.
"Chirp." Xiao Bai skillfully stretched its neck, pressed its forehead close, and a flash of rainbow light made the ginseng disappear.
Only then did Zhu Wu stand and smile, "Let's go, it's been three days; time to return."
After two months, as exploration deepened, his outings grew longer.
Fortunately, Xiao Bai had some ability to sense danger, or else he wouldn't dare travel so far alone.
"Grandpa must be worried at home." Saying this, he turned back along the same path.
"I wonder which mountain Tang San hid the Blue Silver Emperor on. The original story said near Saint Soul Village." On the way, he thought, "I'll look for it when I'm stronger; searching now would waste too much time."
Shaking his head, he pressed on.
Compared to wandering aimlessly, the return trip was faster. After just over a day, Zhu Wu arrived at the forest near Saint Soul Village.
It was evening; red clouds lingered on the horizon, and lights and smoke were visible at the mountain foot.
"Xiao Bai, collect all the herbs on the top for me." Zhu Wu nodded slightly and whispered.
"Tang San, stealing my stuff, it's about time you returned it," he thought quietly.
Judging by the time, the start of Notting Academy was only days away. It was time to act.
"Chirp, chirp." Xiao Bai nodded and fluttered away.
Soon after, it returned to his shoulder.
Zhu Wu shook the basket on his back, turned, and took a detour down the mountain, striding home west of the village.
"Xiao Wu, you're back?" Villagers greeted him with smiles, eyes curious about the basket.
"How was it? After so long out, did you find any good herbs?"
"Not lucky this time, mostly worthless stuff." Zhu Wu lifted the basket cover and tilted his body to show it. "But I found some bird eggs and mushrooms along the way. Aunt Wang, want some for dinner?"
He deliberately left the less valuable items out, since an empty basket wouldn't do.
"Never mind, you've worked hard enough." Aunt Wang shook her head.
"Xiao Wu, better hurry home. Your grandpa has been worried about you these days."
"Okay, okay." Zhu Wu nodded repeatedly, stepped forward, and said, "Goodbye, Aunt Wang."
Aunt Wang smiled and watched him leave.
"He Shou Wu, Huang Qi, Shen Jing Grass." Far away, Tang San, who had come outside after overhearing the conversation, lost the purple glow in his eyes.
Shen Jing Grass. The effects flashed in his mind, and his face darkened as he clenched his fists and turned back inside.
"What's this? One egg less and still want to make up for it?" Zhu Wu, cheerful, walked home.
Choosing to walk west and talk with villagers was intentional, hoping Tang San would see the herbs in his basket and prove he didn't take the mountain herbs.
Also, using the Shen Jing Grass he gathered to irritate Tang San. In his past life, this herb was known as "Ao Ao Jiao," famous for strengthening the waist and kidneys and popular with men.
It was the same in this world; he always picked it because it sold well and was easy to trade.
Besides, Tang San really was impressive, half of his body bloodline coming from the Blue Silver Emperor soul beast, with amazing self-healing ability. Coupled with his youth and the healing power of Xuantian Technique, even such serious injuries had him up and about in less than two months. Of course, no matter how strong the healing, no one can just grow an extra testicle out of nowhere.
So Tang San's title as the "Lone Testicle Warrior" was safe.
That night, Zhu Wu and Grandpa Zhu Gang happily ate dinner, then began practicing the Longevity Technique.
The night passed uneventfully.
The next morning, atop the western village mountain:
"Who is it? Who exactly!?"
"How dare they steal my herbs? They're truly courting death!" Tang San's face was grim as he looked at the disappeared herbs around him. The first thought in his mind was Zhu Wu's face. Zhu Wu had just returned last night, and his herbs were gone this morning—very suspicious.
The next moment, he loosened his brow and dismissed the suspicion.
Too coincidental—almost deliberately so.
Besides, he had seen Zhu Wu's basket last night, which was full but contained none of the herbs he planted here. Also, the herbs on the mountain were few but large; even if taken, it would be impossible to carry all away without leaving traces.
"But here, there are no traces of human activity, which is truly baffling." After checking carefully, Tang San found it unbelievable.
The herbs around seemed to have vanished into thin air.
He didn't believe a kid like Zhu Wu had such ability; even he, a disciple of the Tang Sect, admitted he couldn't do it.
"No matter what, Zhu Wu remains a suspect. I'll investigate tonight."
Thinking this, he took a deep breath, sat on a large rock, and began practicing the Purple Extreme Demon Eye.
That night, at Zhu Wu's home in the north of the village.
"Could it really not be Zhu Wu?" After careful investigation, Tang San found no evidence.
Moreover, Zhu Wu had stayed home all day, ruling out the possibility he had hidden the herbs and planned to move them later.
"No matter what, someone stealing from me can't get away with it. I need to watch more these days, especially villagers who go out. Stealing my herbs is just to make money." Thinking this, he glanced at the bamboo house and left.
Several days later, atop the western village mountain:
"No signs in surrounding forests or among villagers carrying my herbs. Zhu Wu can be cleared; he hasn't left home these days. Such a clever theft is beyond a child."
"Could it be a passing soul master?" Thinking of the all-powerful soul masters Old Jack mentioned, Tang San frowned, jumped down, and headed down the mountain.
Near his home, he saw Old Jack leading Zhu Wu home, both carrying bundles.
"Leaving today?"
He sighed and hurried inside.
Lighting the stove, he ate a bowl of porridge, then wrote some words on a piece of charcoal on the floor. He then entered his room, took up his bundle, and stepped out just as Old Jack approached, waving.
"Xiao San, let's go. Your lazy dad won't get up."
"Grandpa, keep your voice down. Dad doesn't like being disturbed in the morning." Tang San made a shushing gesture.
Such a filial grandson! So why not teach your dad the Tang Sect's secret techniques? Zhu Wu thought silently behind Old Jack.
Then Tang San came near, glanced at Zhu Wu coldly without speaking.
Zhu Wu smiled politely.
"Let's go." Old Jack said softly, turning and walking off.
Zhu Wu hurried to follow.
The three headed out of the village together.
(End of Chapter)
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