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"Thanks to Count's grace, our training progress has been going very smoothly," Fan Niu respectfully replied, releasing his martial spirit: his chest.
In the possessed state, Fan Niu's chest muscles became resilient, and with the flow of blood and qi, they vaguely formed the shape of a fierce tiger. Although abstract, the image, emphasized by his muscles, gave off the imposing aura of a tiger descending the mountain.
An ordinary person would likely be frightened out of their wits at first sight.
Fan Ma followed suit, showcasing his broad back. With the flow of blood and qi, a ghostly bear-like pattern emerged on his back muscles. It was abstract like Fan Niu's, but even more ferocious.
Although the muscles on the human back are not as exaggerated as the chest, they can form a strikingly tense and intertwined structure under the action of the shoulder blades and arms.
Over the past two years, the brothers diligently practiced the Tiger-Bear Body Training Technique, and their heights were approaching 2.4 meters. Their physical strength could already rival that of a Soul Master without using soul power.
"Not bad, let's spar," Tang San commanded, signaling the two to attack.
"With your permission," Fan Niu and Fan Ma exchanged glances, knowing they had to use their full strength against the Count. Even if he used only a fraction of his power, they wouldn't stand a chance otherwise.
"Ha!"
The two shouted in unison, their blood and qi surging. Their chests and backs expanded, and their muscles seemed to pulsate.
Boom!
Like a sudden clap of thunder on a dry day, they stepped forward simultaneously, shattering the stone bricks beneath them as they leapt towards Tang San, flanking him from both sides.
Fan Niu attacked with his claws like a hungry tiger pouncing, while Fan Ma threw a punch like a ghostly bear crashing down, both exuding an intimidating aura.
The brothers were perfectly synchronized and well-coordinated.
For an average soul master facing this combined attack, survival would be unlikely without a powerful martial spirit or strong soul power.
However, to Tang San, their speed was as slow as a turtle's and their strength like that of fledgling chicks. He effortlessly raised his hands and caught their fists and claws.
Feeling their arms restrained as if by iron clamps, the brothers panicked and pulled away with all their might.
This showed Tang San their lack of combat experience.
If an ordinary person were controlled like this and couldn't break free, they would certainly use their other hand or legs to attack other parts of the opponent's body.
But Fan Niu and Fan Ma panicked, trying desperately to break free like bullied children.
With a slight exertion of his arms, Tang San pulled them closer, causing their foreheads to collide. Their heads spun, and they fell to the ground, losing their fighting capability.
"Not bad," Tang San said, helping them up and treating their injuries. "You just lack combat experience. When you have free time, you can practice at the Great Soul Arena during shift changes with the other guards."
Fan Niu smiled, "We understand."
Fan Ma sighed, "The Count is still the strongest. We are far from his level."
Afterward, Tang San gave them some additional guidance on qi and blood training. Then he called over the twelve spirit masters with innate martial spirits for further assessment of their abilities.
By comparing their organs, Tang San realized that many parts of the Jade Bone and Golden Skin technique were yet to be fully trained, such as the mouth, tongue, nose, ears, blood vessels, bone marrow, nervous system, and so on.
Although these parts were passively strengthened during the Jade Bone and Golden Skin training, they still lagged significantly. This could potentially leave many weaknesses in the future.
Fortunately, Tang San could address these gaps by using the unique abilities of these martial spirit holders to improve his own deficiencies, thus perfecting the Jade Bone and Golden Skin Technique.
Moreover, after refining the corresponding areas, Tang San noticed a significant improvement in the conversion and circulation between qi, blood, soul power, and spiritual power. This led to a further integration of the three fundamental cultivation methods.
"The macrocosm of the universe and the microcosm of the human body correspond to each other. It seems that to achieve a perfect fusion of my three fundamental methods, I must first perfect the details of each part. Forming the corresponding Golden Core, Star Core, and Spirit Core is just the foundation; the road ahead is still long."
Tang San did not hesitate or feel sad about the long journey ahead. Instead, he felt a surge of excitement. After all, he had found the direction, and it was full of challenges.
This was an immensely enjoyable and promising endeavor!
Tang San then addressed the twelve individuals, "I plan to divide you into four groups to go to Spirit Hall for my three-month training sessions. I will personally take the first group. The remaining three groups will travel back and forth between Spirit Hall and Tian Dou City on your own. If anyone wants to leave during this period, they are free to do so."
With that, Tang San took out twelve slave contracts and, before they could react, tore them up in front of their eyes.
"You've stayed here for a while, so you know that the servants here work for me on a contract basis, not as slaves. If they make a big mistake, they settle their wages and leave—they don't have to sacrifice their lives."
"Just like them, you will not be treated differently. In the future, if Lingxi, Lingmeng, or you bring back other servants purchased from the slave market, if you use your own rewards to buy them, I won't interfere. But if you use the manor's funds, those servants must also be granted their freedom."
The twelve people, filled with gratitude and admiration, shouted, "The Count is righteous! We will serve him wholeheartedly!"
Freedom is what slaves desire most! Now, the Count had torn up their slave contracts, showing them the greatest respect. Not to mention, the Count had given them names.
If they were to run away in the future, they would be too ashamed to face the Count!
"Next, you will form groups of three. If you cannot decide, I will arrange you according to the twelve zodiac signs," Tang San said.
In the end, Shen Hou, You Ji, and Hai Zhu formed a group, and the others were arranged by the twelve zodiac signs.
Shen Hou, You Ji, and Hai Zhu chose to form a group because they were the strongest: Shen Hou was at level nine, You Ji at level eight, and Hai Zhu at level eight. The other nine had soul powers between levels three and five, with little difference among them.
Although these people were not yet soul masters, the "law of attraction among the strong" was evident among them.
"Since you have formed your teams, the first group to go to Spirit Hall with me will be Shen Hou, You Ji, and Hai Zhu. The second group will depart three months later, followed by the third group six months later, and the fourth group nine months later, in a continuous cycle."
Tang San then gave each of them some tips on using soul power to move qi and blood according to their martial spirits. He said, "In the future, when practicing the foundational stance of the Tiger-Bear Body Training Technique, you can use these little tricks according to your situation, which will improve your efficiency slightly."
As for the more advanced methods, these people had not yet earned his complete trust, so he did not teach them. However, these small tips were harmless.
In the future, once he planted Blue Silver Emperor plants all over the continent, Tang San even planned to spread the basic cultivation methods of qi, spiritual power, and soul power.
By then, regardless of how many people cultivated or innovated, he would be able to sense it through the Blue Silver network—
How could the wisdom of one person compare to the collective intelligence of all beings?
(End of the chapter)