"Is this… invisibility?"
Looking at his now-empty shoulder, Bai Mu was absolutely certain that Zygarde was still right there.
As a Legendary Pokémon, even in its powerless Core state, Zygarde naturally possessed survival abilities of its own—Invisibility.
It was precisely because of this ability that Little Soft (Zygarde) had managed to evade Team Flare again and again in the anime.
"Since it's become a Martial Soul… does that mean it's brought its Pokémon abilities with it and turned them into Martial Soul abilities?"
Bai Mu pondered.
Everyone knew that different Martial Souls came with different innate traits and special properties.
The sheer weight of the Clear Sky Hammer.
The Nine-Heart Begonia being restricted purely to healing.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's amplification ignoring the target's soul power rank.
And Zygarde Core itself possessed many unique abilities—Invisibility, Synthesis, as well as telepathy and shared vision between Zygarde Cores and Cells.
Suddenly, a bold thought surfaced in Bai Mu's mind.
Zygarde was his Martial Soul.
Which meant—by definition—it was also a part of him.
So… could he, the master, use the abilities that the Martial Soul itself possessed?
"Can I turn invisible too?"
The moment the thought appeared, it took root and grew uncontrollably.
He glanced at the busy street outside and immediately quickened his pace, hurrying home.
"Wawu~"
The instant Bai Mu returned to his small courtyard and closed the gate, Zygarde jumped off his shoulder on its own, landing on the ground and comfortably basking in the sunlight.
Bathed in the sun's radiance, its body emitted a faint glow, as if it were reflecting the sunlight itself.
And its condition was clearly becoming more energetic.
"So this is Zygarde's Synthesis?"
Bai Mu observed with fascination.
In the anime, Little Soft survived by absorbing sunlight for nutrients, even refusing the food Ash and the others offered it.
Aside from being less efficient, this ability was essentially identical to the Pokémon move Synthesis—absorbing energy, restoring stamina, and healing injuries.
"Does that mean… I can absorb sunlight too?"
Bai Mu opened his arms toward the sky, embracing the sun and trying to absorb the warmth pouring down on him.
In a hazy trance, he felt his body filling up, like a phone switching into charging mode.
Every cell in his body seemed to cheer, greedily receiving the sun's blessing.
"It works!"
Uncontainable joy exploded across Bai Mu's face.
"Perfect! That means I won't starve to death anymore!"
…Of course, that wasn't the point.
The real point was—
"If Tang San can use the Purple Qi of the rising sun to cultivate the Purple Demon Eye and his spiritual power, then it should be completely reasonable for me to use sunlight to cultivate soul power!"
The more he thought about it, the more logical it felt.
In the Douluo world, the most basic way to increase soul power was Calm Mind Cultivation.
Its essence was similar to internal energy cultivation in wuxia—strengthening energy flow and meridians.
Yet the ridiculous part was that aside from hidden techniques passed down within great clans, there were practically no systematic cultivation manuals circulating across the continent.
Even ten thousand years later, Shrek Academy still relied on running, weight training, and squeezing potential. Actual meditation methods were almost never mentioned.
The sole exception was Tang San—who somehow trained himself into Acquired Innate Full Soul Power using the peerless divine technique, the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
One word—
Absurd.
"Honestly? If I tried, I feel like I could do it too."
Bai Mu sat down cross-legged and began Calm Mind Cultivation.
Even though he had never learned a formal meditation technique before, simply by closing his eyes and guiding his soul power, he effortlessly entered a tranquil state.
Soon after, the soul power within his body began circulating along a simple route, gradually transforming sunlight and natural energy into refined power that merged with his soul power, slowly strengthening both his cultivation and meridians.
"This circulation path is too conservative… it's inefficient."
Bai Mu frowned slightly and began experimenting, guiding his soul power through his entire body in search of a more complete and efficient route.
Ordinary people would never dare to recklessly alter their cultivation paths—one mistake could cripple their meridians.
But Bai Mu had Synthesis.
Healing and recovery were built-in.
Risk? He could ignore it completely.
Before long, he discovered a circulation route that suited his current body best.
As he cultivated, he felt as if he had transformed into a plant cell, continuously growing and thriving under sunlight.
The sensation was so immersive that he almost forgot about time itself.
By the time he stopped, the sun was already sinking toward the western horizon.
"…No. Calm Mind Cultivation isn't that hard. Then why has no one developed proper methods for it?"
Bai Mu scratched his head, unable to make sense of it no matter how he thought about it.
"Whatever. From now on, this cultivation method will be called the Sunlight Meditation Method!"
"And when I master it completely, maybe I'll even be able to use moves like Synthesis, Solar Beam, or even Sunlight Blade."
A slight smile curled on Bai Mu's lips as he looked at Zygarde, which was bathed in the glow of the setting sun.
He reached out, picked it up, and asked casually:
"Little Soft, how long do you think it'll take for you to split and condense new cells?"
"Wawu~"
A thoughtful glint passed through Zygarde's eyes.
A vague instinct told it that for every soul power rank Bai Mu gained, it could condense one new cell.
Based on their cultivation speed just now, with some effort, it could condense two new cells per year—in other words, two rank increases per year.
"I see… then once you change into other forms, will the speed of cell condensation increase?"
Bai Mu stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Wu~"
Zygarde nodded.
Moreover, aside from normal cultivation, if it could absorb, digest, and refine high-quality Heaven and Earth Treasures, it would be able to condense even more cells.
"That's more than enough!"
Joy flashed across Bai Mu's face.
Starting at Rank 1 innate soul power, Huo Gua needed five years to reach Rank 10.
According to Zygarde's estimate, Bai Mu would at worst break through Rank 10 before the age of eleven.
And if the growth rate didn't slow down—but actually increased—then even without any fortuitous encounters, he could still become a Titled Douluo in a few decades just by playing it safe.
"Tch… I really dare to dream."
Bai Mu laughed softly.
As a transmigrator, when your aptitude is low and your starting point is poor, you naturally start thinking about other people's opportunities.
If he had the chance, he would absolutely seize the opportunities destined for Tang San.
And if he couldn't seize them—
He would do everything in his power to destroy them.
Not out of malice or jealousy.
Purely out of deep affection for Tang San.
After all… the two most important women in Tang San's life just happened to be the ones Bai Mu was most interested in during this era.
"The Soft Bones Demon Rabbit spirit ring and Spirit Bone… the Blue Silver Emperor Spirit Bone…"
"Those are top-tier treasures."
A trace of dangerous excitement flickered in Bai Mu's eyes.
He knew very well that the moment he touched Xiao Wu or Ah Yin, he and Tang San would become irreconcilable enemies.
But even so, just thinking about the Spirit Abilities attached to those spirit rings and bones made his heart race.
What's there to fear?
The Grass Douluo and the future God King Tang—still in cub form?
Before they grew sharp, should he avoid them?
"…Before all that, stabilize development. Don't act recklessly."
Bai Mu warned himself, suppressing his impulses and focusing on becoming stronger while quietly waiting for the right opportunity.
Then he grabbed Zygarde—like he was grabbing hold of his future.
"Aji, I'm counting on you to help me cultivate!"
"Wawu?"
Zygarde tilted its head, utterly confused.
…Seriously, just how many names does it have now?