First Encounter with a Body Sect Prodigy—It Seemed Like Nothing Special?

Jagged peaks towered into the clouds.

Led by Vina, Liu Yuan finally set foot on this land, a holy ground for Body Martial Soul masters.

It was not as resplendent as he had imagined. Instead, it carried an ancient, desolate air.

The enormous mountain gate had been built against the mountain, as though it had been carved straight out of the cliff face. It was rugged and imposing.

Mists swirled all around, strange rocks rose in jagged formations, and the occasional roar of an unknown soul beast drifted from the depths of the mountains, adding even more mystery to the place.

"So this is the Body Sect..."

Liu Yuan looked around and nodded inwardly.

Compared to Shrek Academy's scholarly atmosphere and exquisite architecture, the Body Sect's wild, primitive environment seemed better suited to the Body Martial Soul's nature of pursuing one's own limits without caring for trivialities.

"Stop! Who dares trespass into the Body Sect!"

They had barely reached the mountain gate when several guards in fitted combat uniforms blocked their way.

Though they were merely gatekeepers, every one of them had sharp, piercing eyes and extraordinary auras. Clearly, none of them had weak cultivation.

"It's me."

Vina stepped forward, casually removed the hood from her head to reveal her delicate, refined face, and displayed a token engraved with special runes.

"Greetings, Miss Vina!"

Once the guards recognized her, their expressions changed instantly. Their fierce auras vanished at once, and they all dropped to one knee in salute.

Vina held an exceptionally special status within the Body Sect. Not only was she a key disciple nurtured by the sect, but more importantly, she was also a princess and an important bridge maintaining friendly ties between the Body Sect and the imperial family. Naturally, they did not dare show her any disrespect.

"At ease."

Vina waved a hand indifferently and pointed to Liu Yuan behind her. "This is Liu Yuan, a friend I brought here. He is also a soul master with a Body Martial Soul. I specially brought him to take the sect entrance test."

"Since he was brought by Miss Vina, there is naturally no problem."

The leading guard hurriedly stepped aside. Though his gaze toward Liu Yuan held curiosity and scrutiny, he did not stop him any further.

After all, anyone personally brought back by Senior Sister Vina was certainly no ordinary person.

Once they passed through the mountain gate, the view inside suddenly opened up.

On the enormous training ground, disciples could be seen everywhere, sweating as they honed their bodies.

Some ran while carrying weights, some fought each other, and some even bared their upper bodies and slammed into rocks with Iron Mountain Leans, producing dull booms.

The atmosphere of fists meeting flesh and the pursuit of ultimate strength made Liu Yuan's blood stir as well.

"Liu Yuan, don't be fooled by how hard they're training. This is only the foundation of our Body Sect." Vina explained with a smile as she led the way. "Our Body Sect focuses on developing one's own potential, so we have extremely high requirements for physical strength."

"Next, we only need to go to the Elder Hall and find the elder responsible for recruitment. He'll briefly test your Martial Soul, potential, and current strength. Once you're registered, you'll officially become a member of our Body Sect."

"Doesn't sound too difficult." Liu Yuan nodded, already looking forward to this so-called "test."

With the quality of his Double Pupil, he was sure to give those old fellows of the Body Sect quite a surprise.

However, just as the two of them headed toward the Elder Hall—

"Vina! You're back!"

A hearty voice full of surprise suddenly came from the side.

Liu Yuan and Vina stopped and looked toward the sound.

Near the training ground, several youths dressed in Body Sect disciple uniforms were striding toward them.

The one in front was tall and burly. Though he did not appear particularly old, his entire body radiated an extremely formidable aura. His skin held a strange bronze hue, with a faint luster flowing across it as though it were indestructible.

Three more youths followed behind him.

One had exceptionally long arms that hung past his knees, clearly unlike those of ordinary people;

Another had thick, powerful legs, and every step he took seemed to make the ground tremble slightly;

The last was comparatively slender, but his eyes were especially lively, with an occasional glint flashing through them.

"Aotian! And Yan Feng, Chen Lü, Gu Tong—long time no see!"

Vina's smile immediately brightened when she saw them. Clearly, she had run into old friends.

"Yeah! It really has been a long time."

The tall youth at the front strode over to Vina and looked her over with concern.

"How did it go? Was getting your Soul Ring this time smooth? You didn't run into any danger, did you?"

"It was a close call, but everything turned out fine." Vina stuck out her tongue, then suddenly remembered something and quickly stepped aside to reveal Liu Yuan behind her. "Oh, right, let me introduce him."

"This is Liu Yuan, a friend I met on my way back. His Martial Soul is also a Body Martial Soul, and it's his eyes! I specially brought him back this time to join the sect."

Then Vina turned to Liu Yuan and introduced them one by one.

"Liu Yuan, these are all my good friends in the sect, and they're also among the younger generation's best."

"This is Long Aotian. His Martial Soul is his skin. He's the young disciple the Sect Master values most." Vina pointed at the tall youth.

"Hello." Although Long Aotian had a somewhat arrogant personality, he remained polite in front of Vina. He nodded at Liu Yuan in greeting. However, his gaze carried the scrutiny of a strong person, as though he were assessing how capable this newcomer truly was.

"This is Wang Yanfeng. His Martial Soul is Double Arms."

"This is Chen Lü. His Martial Soul is his legs."

"And this is Gu Tong. His Martial Soul is the same as yours—his eyes."

As Vina made the introductions, Liu Yuan smiled and nodded to each of them. He remembered all of them. They were the ones who had competed alongside Vina in the original story...

As for their attitude toward Liu Yuan...

Wang Yanfeng and Chen Lü reacted rather indifferently, merely giving simple acknowledgments.

After all, strength was king in the Body Sect. A newcomer who had not even entered the sect was not worth too much enthusiasm.

Gu Tong, however, looked at Liu Yuan a few more times when he heard that Liu Yuan's Martial Soul was also his eyes. Curiosity—and... fighting spirit?—flashed through his gaze.

After all, those in the same profession were natural rivals. Since they both possessed eye Martial Souls, they would naturally want to compare themselves.

"Liu Yuan, right? Since Vina brought you here, work hard and strive to pass the test soon." Long Aotian spoke to Liu Yuan in a flat tone.

Liu Yuan nodded, harboring no objections because of their attitude.

He understood very well that respect came from strength, not from anyone else's charity.

Besides, they really were strangers right now. It was only natural that they would not be particularly warm toward him.

After the brief exchange, everyone's attention quickly returned to Vina.

"By the way, Vina, what kind of soul beast Soul Ring did you absorb this time? And what level are you now after absorbing it?" Wang Yanfeng asked curiously.

"Mm, it was a thousand-year Golden Silk Demon Ape." Vina said with a hint of pride. "I'm already a level-twenty-two Soul Grandmaster now!"

"Gasp—level twenty-two!"

Chen Lü could not help sucking in a breath. "Vina, you're hitting us way too hard! We may be a little older than you, but we're still hovering around level nineteen. Other than Aotian, you're the only one among our generation to break through to Soul Grandmaster!"

"Yeah, Vina's talent really is beyond question. Among the younger generation of the entire sect, only Aotian can compete with you." Gu Tong chimed in, his tone full of envy.

Even the usually arrogant Long Aotian nodded approvingly. "Not bad. That really is fast. It won't be long before you catch up to me."

Everyone gathered around Vina, praising and marveling at her. Their words were filled with recognition for her talent. Reaching the Soul Grandmaster realm at her age was exceedingly rare, even in a gathering place for geniuses like the Body Sect.

Liu Yuan stood quietly to the side the entire time, smiling as he listened. He did not interrupt, nor did he show any impatience or jealousy.

Was level twenty-two really that surprising?

If they knew that this "passerby" was not merely level twenty-two...

But Liu Yuan had no intention of showing off.

They were just chatting among friends and were not targeting him. If he suddenly jumped in to flaunt himself, what would that make him?

So he merely listened in silence.

Before long, they finally arrived at the Elder Hall.

After reaching this place, Vina finally turned her attention back to Liu Yuan.

It was not that she had deliberately left Liu Yuan out. She simply had many friends, and she needed to consider their feelings too.

Only now did she have the chance to speak to Liu Yuan.

"Liu Yuan, we're here. In a moment, I'll speak to the elder, and then you can just follow his requirements and test your abilities and potential as usual. The process is actually very quick..."