[ I know it's been some time , but I have been really really busy. ]
After listening to Poison Immortal's detailed explanation, Xu Tianhao's understanding of the Body Martial Soul's second awakening was completely clear, and all his doubts vanished.
With his current foundation, a Silver-level second awakening was as easy as reaching into a pocket for him, as stable as Mount Tai.
As for the one-in-ten-thousand Gold-level, though he yearned for it, he dared not make a final conclusion.
That was a Realm that could only be touched with ultimate talent, Heaven-Defying Opportunity, and a will of iron.
Only by experiencing it personally could one know the final result.
And the legendary Divine Rank Third Awakening, which required a rank ninety-nine Limit Douluo cultivation to even touch, was an even more distant and unattainable luxury.
That was a legend that transcended the entire Spirit Master system, an Opportunity to possibly break through rank one hundred and achieve Divinity.
Only by taking it one step at a time, Cultivating steadily, and reaching the Limit Douluo Realm in the future, would one be qualified to glimpse those legendary secrets.
The night passed in silence as Xu Tianhao sat cross-legged, adjusting his state and honing his Essence, Qi, and Spirit to their Peak.
Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Poison Immortal took Xu Tianhao and Long Aotian out of the Bright Capital, heading straight for the boundless ocean.
The core essence of a Body Martial Soul's second awakening was to stimulate the Origin power hidden deep within the Spirit, excavating the Spirit Master's own ultimate potential.
To achieve this, the most effective method was to use extreme external pressure.
Forcing the Spirit Master's Physical Body, spirit power, and mental force to the brink of collapse simultaneously, completing the Spirit's transformation and sublimation at the thin line between life and death.
Through thousands of years of Legacy in the Body Sect, countless predecessors had used their blood and lives to summarize the most perfect and safest Awakening method—Tidal Body Tempering.
Using the vast and boundless tidal pressure from the depths of the ocean, it forced the Body Martial Soul Spirit Master into endless oppression.
Pushing Essence, Qi, and Spirit to their limits at the same time, thereby triggering the Spirit Origin to complete the second awakening.
This method was the most direct and efficient, and as long as there was a powerful expert acting as a Protector throughout the process, even if the Awakening failed, they could intervene in time to save them, preventing any accidents.
They sped along like a bolt of lightning.
A day later, Poison Immortal arrived at a secluded and hidden island with Xu Tianhao and Long Aotian.
This island stood alone in the middle of the vast ocean, surrounded by towering waves and howling gales; ordinary ships could not get close at all.
The island was covered in dense vegetation and towering ancient trees, but there were no signs of birds or beasts, only an ancient and heavy aura permeating the air.
This was the exclusive Awakening site that the Body Sect had spent countless efforts to find and create.
For thousands of years, countless Prodigies of the Body Sect had undergone tempering here, emerging from their cocoons as butterflies, and a complete and mature Awakening process had long since been established.
In the very center of the island stood an incredibly massive natural limestone cave.
The entrance to the cave was dozens of zhang wide, deep and pitch-black, with no end in sight. Bursts of bone-chilling seawater aura emanated from within, carrying a heart-palpitating pressure.
Beneath the cave was not hard rock, but bottomless seawater connected to the endless deep sea—the core area where the tidal force was most concentrated.
Poison Immortal led Xu Tianhao and Long Aotian slowly into the cave. The cold seawater aura hit them, making both of them shiver involuntarily.
The inner walls of the cave were as smooth as mirrors, covered with traces of erosion from the passage of time, with countless crystalline stalactites hanging from the ceiling.
Dripping water droplets fell into the seawater below, making crisp sounds that echoed continuously in the empty cave.
Arriving at the edge of the cave and looking down at the pitch-black, bottomless seawater.
Poison Immortal turned around, looked solemnly at Xu Tianhao and Long Aotian, and spoke in a serious tone:
"Next, I will Seal the spirit power within your bodies, letting you rely solely on your Physical Body strength and mental will to resist the extreme pressure of the undersea tides."
"In the deep sea, you will endure unprecedented pain. Only by relying on your own will to resist and surviving this extreme oppression will the spirit power Seal naturally unravel, and the Body Martial Soul will then complete its second awakening."
"Remember, no matter how much pain you endure, you must not give up. Once your will collapses, what awaits you is eternal damnation."
Xu Tianhao and Long Aotian exchanged a glance, seeing determination and resolve in each other's eyes.
Without the slightest hesitation, the two responded in unison: "Alright!"
As his voice fell, Poison Immortal said no more, his figure flashing as he appeared in front of them.
He extended his withered fingers, quickly tapping on various major Acupoints across Xu Tianhao and Long Aotian's bodies.
In just an instant, Xu Tianhao and Long Aotian felt the spirit power in their bodies being firmly locked as if by invisible shackles, becoming completely silent and impossible to mobilize in the slightest.
Having finished this, a sly smile appeared on the corner of Poison Immortal's mouth. Before the two could react, he suddenly raised his right foot and kicked Xu Tianhao and Long Aotian in their respective butts.
"Ah—Master! You're not playing fair!"
Caught off guard, Long Aotian instantly lost his balance and fell toward the dark seawater below the cave.
He couldn't help but let out a cry, shouting and wailing, his face full of terror and helplessness.
Although Xu Tianhao had been mentally prepared, he hadn't expected Poison Immortal to be so blunt and swift; his body also fell downward uncontrollably.
But his Heart-Nature was far more stable than Long Aotian's. Even in a dangerous situation, he remained calm and did not lose his composure like Long Aotian.
Like kites with broken strings, the two quickly fell into the seawater beneath the cave.
The bone-chilling seawater instantly enveloped them, and an indescribable chill seeped into their bodies through their pores, making them both shudder.
The moment they fell into the seawater, Xu Tianhao and Long Aotian instinctively tried to mobilize their spirit power to protect themselves and resist the impact and cold.
But no matter how they tried to urge it, the spirit power in their bodies remained motionless, completely Sealed and impossible to mobilize at all.
After calming down, the two immediately abandoned their useless struggling, actively composed their minds, held their breath, and allowed their bodies to free-fall toward the depths of the seabed.
Although their spirit power was Sealed, they were ultimately Five-ring Spirit King Spirit Masters, and their Physical Body foundation far exceeded that of ordinary people; holding their breath for several hours was no problem at all.
But soon, the two noticed something was wrong.
As their bodies continued to fall, the surrounding seawater pressure increased exponentially.
At first, it was just a slight sense of oppression, but as the depth increased, that pressure became more and more terrifying, as if countless great mountains were pressing down on them.
The bones of both men let out bursts of overburdened cracking sounds, and their Physical Bodies felt as if they were about to be crushed flat.
Not only that, as they continued to go deeper, the surrounding light was swallowed bit by bit by the darkness.
From the initial faint light to finally falling into complete and boundless darkness.
It was so dark they couldn't see their own hands, and they could only feel the envelopment of the cold seawater and the endless pressure.
As time passed minute by minute, the darkness eroded their minds like a tide.
The sound in their ears was no longer the flowing of seawater, but a series of eerie whispers and roars.
That was the mental interference generated by the convergence of the deep-sea tides, constantly battering their mental defense lines.
It made them restless, and their mental force began to show signs of confusion.
Poison Immortal had not mentioned these eerie mental interferences before.
And it was precisely this unknown that allowed the effects of the Tidal Body Tempering to be exerted to the extreme, forcing the two to stimulate all of their potential.
This was the Awakening site meticulously crafted by the Body Sect, where the Formation and tidal force were perfectly integrated.
No matter what part of the body the Spirit Master's Body Martial Soul was, they could feel the most precise and extreme pressure here.
Pointing directly at the Spirit Origin, it paved the way for the second awakening.