Zhao Liuyun finally put down his chopsticks only after his belly was completely round, teetering precisely on the boundary between being stuffed and comfortably full.
He could still force down a few more bites, but there was no need.
One should not eat foolishly until bloated; knowing when to stop is the optimal strategy.
Exchanging goodnight wishes with his martial uncle and agreeing to rise early in the morning, Zhao Liuyun headed straight back to his small wooden cabin.
After closing the door, he sat in silence for a while. Once the food in his stomach had digested considerably, he sat cross-legged and began his meditation for the night.
[Soul Power: Level 14 (1655/3800)]
He still needed 2145 experience points to break through to Level 15.
Previously, when using experience to level up, the gradual, daily increment of experience points obscured any special feeling.
However, Zhao Liuyun vaguely sensed a subtle difference between using general experience to level up and his intended method of direct level-up.
Though the difference was slight, it could not be ignored.
At the Soul Master stage, the disparity in Soul Power between each level was more pronounced than at the Soul Scholar stage, making it easier to test the specific effect of experience on leveling up.
Therefore, Zhao Liuyun planned to dedicate a whole level to this experiment.
Naturally, the span from Level 19 to Level 20, which required the most experience, would be the best.
Before that, he still had to calm his mind, focus his spirit, and continue his diligent practice without cessation.
...
The next day, before the break of dawn, Zhao Liuyun awoke precisely in the darkness before the sun rose.
It was time to practice the Purple Demon Eye!
This Soul Hunting Town was situated on a vast, open plain, where the surrounding terrain was flat and wide, without any obstruction.
Practicing the Purple Demon Eye did not require climbing mountains; he only needed to get onto the roof.
The basic skills of a [Thief] had not been forgotten. Zhao Liuyun, as agile as a civet cat, lightly flipped onto the rooftop, sat cross-legged, and waited for the East to turn white.
Taking advantage of the wait, he used [Dreaming] to review the method for cultivating the Purple Demon Eye stored in his sea of consciousness.
His nostrils slowly inhaled the crisp morning air, and his mouth gradually exhaled the stale air.
The Mysterious Heaven Technique (Xuantian Gong) circulated within his body, accelerating its flow along a specific trajectory.
Zhao Liuyun stared intently at the eastern horizon, gazing at the gradually brightening 'fish belly white' sky.
Tang San had been practicing the Purple Demon Eye for many years and carried the habits of his previous life.
However Tang San practiced the Purple Demon Eye, Zhao Liuyun would practice it the same way!
He completely adhered to Tang San's method, trying his best to replicate every detail.
Time flowed away quietly in the wait.
During the wait, Zhao Liuyun's eyes suddenly widened.
The practice of the Purple Demon Eye requires both eyesight and focus.
Zhao Liuyun's eyesight was only at the average person's level, but relying on the [Focus] talent, his ability to concentrate and the duration for which he could maintain it were far greater than that of ordinary people!
The next moment, in the gradually brightening halo on the horizon, he faintly captured a trace of indistinct purple energy.
In an instant, he held his breath and focused his mind, locking his entire attention onto that elusive wisp of purple.
The purple energy appeared only for a very short moment. When the first ray of sunlight leaped out from the horizon, casting its golden light across the land, the purple had already vanished without a trace.
Zhao Liuyun let out a light breath, then closed his eyes, meticulously savoring the gains from that moment just passed.
When he opened his eyes again, a faint layer of purple light shimmered in his pupils.
The purple hue vanished in a flash, yet it already revealed an unchangeable fact—
Purple energy coming from the East, the Purple Demon Eye, successfully cultivated!
No one knew how many times Tang San had attempted it.
Zhao Liuyun, however, only needed a single attempt.
All of this was inseparable from Tang San's wholehearted instruction and personal demonstration.
"Thank you, God-King Tang."
He nodded in the direction of Nuoding Academy.
And he silently promised that when the day came for them to meet on the battlefield, he would grant him a swift end.
Leaping down from the rooftop, his martial uncle, Huang Xin, had just gotten up and was washing up.
He washed very quickly, simply wiping his face with a towel.
Zhao Liuyun also finished washing up promptly. Following his martial uncle's guidance, he then walked into the courtyard.
Dumbbells, stone locks, and other body-tempering equipment were laid out in the courtyard.
"Martial Uncle, these are?" Zhao Liuyun recalled his uncle saying that the medicinal bath needed to be complemented with exercise.
"Exercise equipment," Huang Xin checked the integrity of the equipment, ensuring nothing would break and injure anyone, then explained in more detail:
"Medicinal bath, dietary supplements, and exercise—the three must be progressively combined, and none can be omitted."
"The medicinal bath was taken yesterday afternoon, and its effect is still present."
"To maximize the utilization of the medicinal properties, your task during this morning period, after breakfast, is to diligently exercise."
Zhao Liuyun understood.
To enhance his physique, training was the right path!
As long as it didn't kill him, he would train himself to death!
Just a joke~
As a physician, he understood the principle of 'too much is as bad as too little' best.
Zhao Liuyun asked in a deep voice, "How exactly should I train?"
Since his martial uncle said so, there must be a method.
"In truth, swimming is the most ideal choice, as it mobilizes every muscle in the entire body," Huang Xin's expression held some regret. "It's a pity..."
"We don't have the conditions for that."
"I will teach you a set of nineteen movements passed down by my father. Combined with stone locks, dumbbells, and resistance bands, we'll try our best to work all the muscle groups in your body."
After breakfast, Zhao Liuyun and Huang Xin returned to the courtyard.
Huang Xin said seriously, "Watch closely. The first movement mainly exercises the pectoralis major, deltoids, and back muscle groups."
"Hands on the ground, fingers naturally spread, middle fingers pointing forward or slightly inward, hands shoulder-width apart..."
He meticulously explained the key points of the movement.
Zhao Liuyun watched intently, listening with extreme concentration.
However...
This movement, which was all too familiar, wasn't it just a push-up?
Could it be?
With a guess in mind, Zhao Liuyun watched and imitated.
Indeed, it was the whole set of modern fitness exercises.
In his previous life, this type of training was often jokingly referred to as creating only "dead muscle."
But the situation was different on the Douluo Continent.
Thinking carefully, since he was not a close-combat Soul Master, the purpose of strengthening his body was merely to increase the absorption limit for Soul Rings, making this training surprisingly suitable.
The Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record also contained martial arts routines for physical conditioning.
Activating [Brainstorming] and comparing the two, he had to admit—
The nineteen movements meticulously developed by a physician most familiar with human anatomy were still more effective in promoting physical growth.
Possessing the characteristic [Agile], Zhao Liuyun naturally didn't need to worry about his body's coordination or balance.
He only needed this training method that could quickly promote physical growth.
This would ensure his body wouldn't become a weakness when absorbing his second Soul Ring, and more importantly, would allow him to withstand the test of the 'Ice and Fire Two Extremes' Immortal Grasses in the future!
The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Inferno Delicate Apricot were the Immortal Grasses Tang San used for the Ice-Fire Refined Body.
For Zhao Liuyun, this was also an inevitable path.
As a Spirit-type Soul Master, as long as he compensated for the body's shortcomings, the path ahead would naturally be bright.
After the morning exercise concluded, the afternoon was set for accompanying his martial uncle to sell medicine and practice medicine.
During the brief leisure time after lunch, Zhao Liuyun attempted to refine [Adjustment].
[Class Skill: Adjustment (Can quickly relieve the body's fatigue by massaging and activating muscles)]
The key to this skill was "massage."
Specifically, it could be divided into technique and Soul Power application method.
The technique was traditional massage itself.
It was a treatment method that used the skills of the hands and fingers—applying continuous actions like pushing, pressing, pinching, and kneading on the skin and muscle tissues of the human body to promote blood circulation, clear meridian acupoints, and regulate nerve function.
The Soul Power application method involved a slight, rhythmic oscillation that was sometimes slow and sometimes rapid.
It was useless in combat but perfectly suited for massage.
Zhao Liuyun's Soul Power control was already proficient, and after becoming a Soul Master, his mental strength soared, making it even better than before.
He quickly mastered this Soul Power enchantment method based on [Adjustment].
All that remained was the technique, and the refinement direction was: "Find a way to make the muscles move by themselves!"
This sounded quite bizarre.
But it was very consistent with Zhao Liuyun's situation—
If he couldn't seek outwardly, he could only seek inwardly!