After returning home, Yang Xiong appeared a bit quiet. He was mainly pondering how to develop his body-based Martial Soul.
The full-body Martial Soul was considered a supreme form even among body-based Martial Souls. It had a wide range of development paths, whether focusing on power attacks, speed, defense, or even spiritual control, all were viable options.
One particularly fearsome trait of a full-body Martial Soul was its compatibility.
It could integrate with any type of spirit ring without side effects. Especially if one pursued the path of poison, it could become incredibly versatile and deadly.
And Douluo One just so happened to be a remarkably brilliant era, a time when gods were born in abundance. In fact, the Douluo world's most numerous deities originated from this very era.
Yang Xiong thought carefully. The poison path was ultimately not viable. Even if he reached the peak of that path, he'd likely cap out at Rank 98. Though poison could greatly boost his combat prowess and strike fear into his enemies like a nuclear weapon, it still damaged the user's body over time.
The most ideal development for a full-body Martial Soul was raw strength. Power-type spirit beasts typically had devastating attacks and excellent defense, and their spirit rings were relatively easier to find.
However, Yang Xiong felt that focusing solely on strength had limitations. It lacked in the spiritual or mental aspect and didn't feel "complete."
Of course, no matter which path he chose, the body was the foundation of everything. Ultimately, it all came down to one word: body cultivation. Only with a strong body and outstanding physical attributes could one absorb higher-level spirit rings.
In the Douluo world, only those with body-based Martial Souls could absorb 10,000-year fourth spirit rings and even 100,000-year seventh spirit rings without relying on external items, no celestial herbs needed.
But for a body-based Martial Soul to truly rise, a second awakening was required. Unfortunately, Yang Xiong had no idea how to trigger one.
He vaguely recalled that the original novel didn't describe the process in detail. It was said to be a secret technique within the Body Sect. There was also mention of a deep-sea pressure method, but again, without clear explanation.
Another possibility was using celestial herbs to trigger a second awakening, but Yang Xiong knew nothing about any of them.
Since the age of four, Yang Xiong had loved reading. Aside from his daily training, he spent most of his time reading books, some inherited from his parents, others acquired through connections from the outer sect of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. But none contained information about celestial herbs.
Perhaps the inner sect's library held a few rare records, but even then, those would be limited.
As Yang Xiong was deep in thought, his parents, Yang Lin and Sun Yu, grew worried. For a Soul Master, one's Martial Soul was everything. Awakening a "useless" Martial Soul was something many simply couldn't accept.
His mother, Sun Yu, was already over forty. Despite her years of hard training, she had only reached Rank 42, unlikely to ever reach the Soul Emperor level. She herself felt stuck in a bottleneck. That was the cruel reality of Soul Master cultivation.
His father, Yang Lin, tried to comfort him. "Xiao Xiong, don't worry too much. Your innate spirit power is Rank 6. With the resources of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, becoming a Soul Emperor or even a Soul Sage is entirely possible."
"Your mother's innate spirit power was only Rank 4, and mine was Rank 5. Yours is higher than both of ours, and even among the whole clan, it's considered quite impressive."
Yang Xiong glanced at his parents. They both wore concerned expressions, clearly worried that his Martial Soul would hold him back. After all, body-based Martial Souls were widely regarded as useless and notoriously hard to train.
But Yang Xiong couldn't help but laugh. "Mom, Dad, what are you two thinking? I'm just figuring out the best way to develop my Martial Soul. I'm actually very satisfied with it, both the Martial Soul and my innate power. I think I may surpass anything our family has ever achieved."
Sun Yu gently patted Yang Xiong's head, her face still unsure. "Xiao Xiong, are you sure nothing went wrong with your awakening? Martial Souls tied to parts of the body are extremely rare—and commonly accepted as weak and hard to train."
Yang Xiong quickly replied, "Mom, my Martial Soul isn't some useless ability, it's a supreme Martial Soul. It may be difficult to train, but it's among the most powerful types a Soul Master can have."
Yang Lin and Sun Yu looked at each other in confusion. Indeed, there were countless Martial Soul types in the world, and body-based ones were one in ten thousand.
Sun Yu thought for a moment and said, "Xiao Xiong, I've looked through all the records in the clan. Martial Souls like ours have never produced top experts. Even reaching Soul Sage is rare. How can it be considered top-tier?"
Yang Xiong responded, "Mom, I've read many books. Martial Souls tied to body parts, I call them body-based Martial Souls don't grow through meditation like others. They grow through physical training. Only by constantly pushing the body beyond its limits can the Martial Soul become stronger."
Yang Lin and Sun Yu were even more puzzled. They had been born and raised in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and had a wide range of knowledge. But they had never heard of a Soul Master primarily advancing through physical training. In the Soul Master world, the accepted method was to meditate and absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
Seeing their expressions, Yang Xiong said no more. The path of body-based Martial Souls was indeed filled with setbacks. It wouldn't rise to prominence until thousands of years later. Plus, it did have its limitations.
But seeing that Yang Xiong wasn't discouraged, both parents felt relieved. Even if they didn't fully understand, their son's optimism was all that mattered.
Then Yang Lin remembered something and said, "Oh right, Xiao Xiong. With your high innate power, the clan will likely pay more attention to you. According to the rules, all children must begin formal education soon,you'll be attending school soon too."
Yang Xiong's face fell slightly. "Father, school sounds so boring. I'd rather study at home. It's better for my training."
Yang Lin replied, "That's the rule, no exceptions. All kids your age will be studying together. You'll make new friends, and you'll be exposed to children from both the inner and outer sects. With your talent, it's only a matter of time before you join the inner sect too."
"Also, I'll personally teach you how to meditate. Starting today, you can begin cultivating on your own."
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