Family Foundations, Appointment as Young Clan Leader

After awakening their martial souls, Murong Yunxue and the others did not waste their breath telling Zhuang Xingyu things like how he should first add soul rings to his first martial soul and wait until he became a Titled Douluo before adding soul rings to his second martial soul.

Because these matters might have been secrets to ordinary soul masters, but to the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan—a family that had once produced three Titled Douluo—they were the most basic common knowledge!

This was especially true for Zhuang Xingyu, who had been raised as the Young Clan Leader since childhood. To him, it was elementary reading. In Murong Yunxue and the others' eyes, Zhuang Xingyu already surpassed Dugu Bo, that self-taught Titled Douluo, in terms of knowledge and perspective alone.

In truth, it was far more than that. Zhuang Xingyu's true breadth of knowledge was unquestionably number one in the entire Douluo world.

The Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan also knew how to cultivate Twin Martial Souls! It really came down to physical strength, Spiritual Power, martial soul compatibility, and methods of circulating Soul Power, along with the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan's specially prepared medicinal baths. With Zhuang Xingyu's cheat-like advantages, none of it was a problem.

Cultivating Twin Martial Souls was not actually that difficult. The original story only made it sound difficult to highlight Tang San's strength.

When the first person with Twin Martial Souls appeared, all the major powers were intensely curious! Families with divine inheritances had even directly asked the gods.

They all began gathering knowledge on the subject, especially the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan. Later, when Bibi Dong overcame the issues of Twin Martial Souls, she had relied on divine power, yes, but even more so on the strength of the entire Spirit Hall. Could that madwoman Bibi Dong have done it alone?

Spirit Hall's knowledge in this area was limited, so it sought "help" from other powers. Some knowledge was traded for, some was stolen, and some was simply seized by force. In the end, as a compromise, the upper echelons of all major powers came to know how to resolve the problems of Twin Martial Souls.

Therefore, Tang Hao knew how to cultivate Twin Martial Souls. From beginning to end, had Tang Hao ever seemed anxious to solve the problem? The reason he had not stopped Yu Xiaogang was, first, because he wanted to verify it once more, and second, because he simply did not care about Yu Xiaogang.

Only Yu Xiaogang was foolish enough to know nothing. Rather than spending time seeking out Bibi Dong, he would have been better off asking the imperial family or his own father. Of course, those people most likely would not have told him either. Wouldn't that have been aiding an enemy?

The Family Library of the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan contained a vast collection of books: maps of the distribution of major soul beasts across Douluo, cultivation insights, cultural history, secrets of various powers, and much more, all documented in great detail.

Take obtaining soul rings as an example. Ordinary soul masters had to enter a Soul Hunting Forest and search painstakingly. What about the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan? Their Family Soul Hunting Forest raised large numbers of suitable low-age soul beasts. As for high-age soul beasts, they also possessed precise records of their locations. Whenever one was needed, they could simply go and hunt it down.

This was the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan! Three Titled Douluo, more than ten generations, over two hundred thousand clan members, more than two million affiliated forces, and over five hundred years had gone into building this foundation of the clan! (This number was the cumulative total over more than five hundred years.)

These things were among the greatest foundations that allowed major soul master families to endure and prosper! There were also intelligence networks, family treasuries, affiliated forces, knowledge, bearing, and so on. This was the difference between a power with inheritance and a self-taught Titled Douluo like Dugu Bo! It might not be apparent in the early stages, but stretch out the timeline, and the gap would immediately become obvious.

In addition, the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan had quite a few personal connections and resources, though they had never used them. A favor was something that diminished each time it was used, and could only be called upon in a crisis.

Of course, all of this depended on the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan still having powerful experts to guard it, or outstanding descendants worthy of continued loyalty, friendship, or investment. The current Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan clearly met those conditions.

This was the terrifying aspect of soul master families and sects. They controlled cultivation resources, built legions, and were intertwined with one another so deeply that moving one affected them all. They might fight among themselves in ordinary times, but if outsiders dared to strike at them, these forces would immediately unite tightly enough to pull even the Heaven Dou Imperial Family from its throne.

Even Spirit Hall could only seek cooperation. Why was the Spirit Hall Empire universally condemned during its era? The Two Great Empires and the families and sects within them knew they would likely lose, yet most forces still resisted to the end and could still easily muster armies of millions. It was because their core interests had been touched. A centipede did not die even after being crushed.

However, this also caused quite a few problems. For example, there were many nobles at Heaven Dou Royal Academy who spent their days eating, drinking, and playing.

The Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan's inheritance had never been severed. Even in its current most impoverished state, it still had ten Soul Douluo experts, all battle soul masters with formidable Combat Power.

In this life, another Titled Douluo should have emerged, but unfortunately, he had been murdered by Tang Hao and Tang Xiao.

However, Zhuang Jingxing, Zhuang Xingyu, and Zihan all possessed the potential to become Titled Douluo! As long as they remained cautious and developed discreetly, the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan would surely rise to greatness once more!

On the afternoon of the day Zhuang Xingyu awakened his martial soul, the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan announced that he had awakened the mutated martial soul, the Extreme Yin Yang Leopard, and possessed Innate Full Soul Power. They also appointed Zhuang Xingyu as the Young Clan Leader of the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan, granting him status equal to that of a Core Clan Elder!

Considering the clan's current circumstances, the ceremony for appointing the Young Clan Leader would not be held on a grand scale for the time being. They merely issued a notice within the clan, gathering the clan members together to bestow upon Zhuang Xingyu the Young Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Ring, symbolizing the Young Clan Leader's identity. No outsiders were invited.

They also gave everyone in Pure Yang Sacred Leopard City three days off. The monthly stipends of clan disciples and legion members were tripled that month, while all merchandise in the remaining shops was discounted by twenty percent for three days.

The Young Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Ring and the Great Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Ring were both soul rings symbolizing the clan's inheritance. One represented the Young Clan Leader, while the other represented the Clan Leader.

They were also exceedingly precious spatial rings. The two rings contained six hundred cubic meters and one thousand cubic meters of space respectively, capable of storing plants and soul beasts below one thousand years old. However, Zhuang Xingyu possessed a treasure like the Chaos Bead, so he did not lack space.

What intrigued Zhuang Xingyu the most was his father's claim that the ring could recognize its master through a drop of blood, and that no one other than its owner could open it.

Zhuang Xingyu did not entirely believe it, because if a god intervened, they could most likely still open it.

His father said that the clan's founder—the first Titled Douluo of the clan, the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Douluo—had obtained it from a Secret Realm. It was suspected to be an artifact from ancient times.

It seemed that Douluo Continent's ancient era had not been simple. Perhaps there had once been other cultivation civilizations besides the soul master system. He just did not know why they had disappeared.

"Heaven truly favors the direct line! Back then, Zhuang Ziliang had Innate Level 9 Soul Power, and he married a wife with Innate Level 9 Soul Power. Of their two children, one had Innate Level 9 Soul Power and the other Innate Level 8.5 Soul Power. They also adopted Zihan, who had Innate Level 9 Soul Power. And now they have another child with Innate Full Soul Power. All seven members of that family have Innate Soul Power above Level 8." Upon hearing the news, the First Clan Elder let out a long sigh.

He then turned to his grandson, Zhuang Shengye, and said, "From this moment on, abandon all those thoughts you had before. Otherwise, no one else will need to act—I will be the first to cripple you! From now on, settle down and loyally serve Zhuang Xingyu. The direct line conducts itself fairly and justly. They will not treat you poorly."

"Yes, Grandfather. I understand."

"Ah, Shengye, Grandfather did not restrain you before because the main line had few descendants. Although Zihan is talented, she does not bear the surname Zhuang. If Zhuang Xingyu had possessed low Innate Soul Power, and the Clan Leader had not had another child within twenty years, you would have had a considerable chance of becoming the Young Clan Leader.

"After all, the ancestor left behind a clan rule five hundred years ago: any descendant of the Zhuang family, as long as they possess high talent and serve the clan wholeheartedly, may contend for the position of Young Clan Leader regardless of whether they come from the main or branch line. Not even the Supreme Elder can object. But things are different now!

"Zhuang Xingyu is highly likely to become a Titled Douluo in the future. The Supreme Elder, the Clan Leader, and Zihan also have considerable chances of breaking through to become Titled Douluo. The direct line is about to lead the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan to its peak. Surpassing the Upper Three Sects is just around the corner!

"At a time like this, the clan must unite. All resources must be concentrated toward the direct line. Only then can the clan restore its glory, and only then can we clan members have a broader future! A family is the smallest clan, and a clan is made up of countless families! Do you understand?" The First Clan Elder feared that his grandson did not understand, so he explained the reasoning to him once again.

"Grandfather, I understand. From now on, I will loyally follow the Young Clan Leader, assist the Young Clan Leader, and contribute to the revival of the clan!" Zhuang Shengye said solemnly.

Zhuang Shengye was the other of the clan's three true disciples. He possessed Innate Level 8 Soul Power. He was fifteen years old this year, his martial soul was the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard, and his Soul Power had reached Level 38.

Seeing this, the First Clan Elder nodded in satisfaction. Though he usually liked taking small advantages, he still understood what mattered when it came to major issues of right and wrong. This was also one of the reasons the Pure Yang Sacred Leopard Clan had endured through the ages.