Chapter 31: The Fusion of Souls (3)

Three months later, on a morning like any other, Tiger Girl awoke from her dreams and gazed at Ye Lang, still deep in sleep beside her. A faint smile appeared on her lips—was it happiness? No one could say for certain, perhaps not even she herself knew why she smiled.

Tiger Girl’s little tail flicked playfully, tracing lightly across Ye Lang’s body—a mischievous gesture, small and harmless. Then, with utmost care, she began to slip out of Ye Lang’s embrace, determined not to wake him. She knew well that once he was asleep, he was like a dead pig—nothing could rouse him, unless he awoke of his own accord.

Fortunately, his routine was steady and disciplined; he usually retired around ten each night and rose at five or six in the morning. As was her custom, Tiger Girl prepared breakfast and other morning necessities, then began practicing martial arts in the courtyard. Yet, unlike three months prior, her movements had subtly changed.

Her style remained bold and fierce, with sweeping, powerful strokes, but now there were faint traces of softness woven into her techniques. This gentle force made her movements more rounded and complete—not diminishing their strength, but instead making them seem even more powerful and vigorous.

Pure force and extreme masculinity did not suit Tiger Girl. Though gifted with innate strength, she was still a young woman, with a gentle side to her nature. Adding just a hint of feminine softness made her style all the more effective.

Yet this softness was barely perceptible. Only a true master could discern the secret within; to most, Tiger Girl’s techniques were simply overwhelming, befitting a woman of the Tiger Tribe.

This subtle improvement did not come to Tiger Girl through sudden enlightenment, but by the guidance of a certain expert—a man whose mind held the entire treasury of martial arts knowledge. Though he hadn’t mastered every technique, he had studied the strengths and weaknesses of countless styles, able to spot flaws at a glance.

After spending so much time with Tiger Girl, he was intimately familiar with her skills, strengths, and shortcomings, and began to offer experimental corrections and advice.

Through these experiments, he realized that the martial arts of this continent were immensely powerful—so powerful that centuries of refinement and inheritance had elevated them to unimaginable heights. To rely solely on his own martial arts knowledge to dominate the world would not be easy.

This was the truth: for anyone, achieving invincibility was never simple. Even a prodigy blessed with extraordinary fortune would find it difficult to become the absolute best.

The path of martial arts was arduous; no matter how many aces one held, it could never be easy.

Ye Lang understood this well. He trained steadily, improving himself bit by bit, striving towards the goal of invincibility. In truth, he didn’t crave invincibility for its own sake—he merely wished for absolute self-preservation. This was his strategy: set his sights high, so he would never slacken in his efforts.

It was his personal trick, one shared by many: if you aim for a perfect score, you might achieve eighty.

He was now cultivating internal energy and martial arts. From the day he regained his memory, he had begun his training anew. Though this body required him to start from scratch, his previous experience accelerated his progress—three months now equaled three years of earlier training, when much time was spent learning and exploring.

At this level, he could defend himself, but not flaunt his abilities. He believed in keeping a low profile, so boasting was never an option—at least in martial arts; in other matters, who could say.

He had not chosen to train both magic and martial arts, nor pursue the so-called dual cultivation of magic and combat. He focused solely on ancient martial arts and internal energy.

Firstly, he wished to avoid distraction. He remembered the words left by the ancestor of the martial arts treasury: "Those who try to master too much chew too little; progress step by step." Secondly, he realized that whether it was combat energy, magic, or internal energy, they were all fundamentally the same: training the body and unlocking its potential. Combat energy emphasized physical training, magic focused on the mind, and internal energy—according to him—could be considered a form of combat energy, only more refined, involving even the training of meridians.

Of course, this was only a rough comparison. In his view, most combat energy was external, a small part internal, and very few techniques trained both—none involved cultivating the meridians.

Beyond these reasons, there was a more obvious one: his body lacked any innate attributes. Whether training combat energy or magic, he gained no advantage. So he might as well cultivate internal energy, which depended solely on diligence and effort.

These were Ye Lang’s thoughts. Yet, the course of events often took strange turns. Perhaps even he could not foresee what he would become in the end—only by moving forward step by step could he discover the outcome. There might be twists, setbacks, obstacles; but for these, he had long been prepared.

Without this resolve, he need not bother with cultivation—he could simply continue as the wastrel he was born to be, living a quiet life. But if he lost the protection of the Ye family, he would have no means to safeguard himself.

As for Ye Lang’s martial prowess, few would know of it in the years to come. Not because he hid it, but because his achievements in another field were so remarkable that there was no need to display his martial arts. This was unexpected, even for him.

To him, it seemed almost accidental—a willow planted without intent, yet shadowed with leaves. Others would not learn of this until many years later. For now, Ye Lang conducted himself quietly, as an ordinary wastrel, a minor scion of indulgence. No one knew what he was truly capable of, for he had no opportunity to reveal it, nor any inclination.

――――――

Today, on a whim, I recommend some of Smile’s older works, including those that ended abruptly. In fact, Smile still cherishes those two books and hopes to finish them someday!

Incidentally, "Alchemy Craze" was published in traditional script as early as October, ahead of the electronic version, and its performance was good. Barring surprises, it should reach one or two million words, perhaps more, so dear brothers and sisters need not worry about the issues above…

Lastly, please cast some recommendation votes—the ratio of points to clicks seems a bit unbalanced…

[bookid=1011953, bookname="Peerless King of Another World"] [bookid=116406, bookname="Wind Descends Upon Another World"] [bookid=1191646, bookname="Dominating the World"] [bookid=1352066, bookname="Arrival in Another World"]