Body Sect, Body Village

Just before Long Zhanye finished cultivating, the silver Heavenly Eye between his brows suddenly sent a sharp pain through him.

A blurred, fleeting image flashed past: torn red silk mixed with blood, and what drifted down from the sky were not festive petals, but ashes...

He abruptly opened his eyes, a trace of lingering alarm still remaining in his star-like gaze.

His heart pounded heavily and urgently in his chest, as though he had just escaped a desperate pursuit.

"Another one of those baseless premonitions..." he murmured, unconsciously pressing his fingertips against his chest.

Ever since seven years ago.

When his second Martial Soul, the "Heavenly Eye," and his first Martial Soul, the "Heart," had awakened at the same time, these brief and ominous fragments of vision had occasionally appeared.

"Young Master, it's time to head back. Madam has called for you several times..."

A kind voice sounded beside him, dispersing the lingering chill.

Long Zhanye looked up and saw the old steward, "Old Ma," standing quietly nearby.

This old man, who had served the Long Family for over twenty years, now had frosted temples. He was watching Long Zhanye with a gentle smile, his eyes full of the gratification one felt for one's own child.

"Mm, I understand. Let's go, Old Ma."

Long Zhanye rose to his feet with crisp, efficient movements. He brushed the dust from his blue cloth robes and temporarily suppressed the inexplicable unease in his heart.

Today was the day of his engagement. Important guests might be arriving at the sect, so it was only natural for him to feel a little nervous.

That was what he told himself as he headed toward the village basking in the warm autumn sunlight.

Heaven Dou Empire, Body Village.

The village lay amid the towering mountains in the northeastern part of the empire.

Perilous peaks surrounded it on all sides, and the only route leading outside was a narrow, winding path along sheer cliffs. It was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

As one of Body Sect's many affiliated villages, it was like a pearl carefully protected by the surrounding mountains, hidden deep within misty clouds and rarely known to the outside world.

The village was not large, with only around fifty households. Its gray-tiled roofs and stone walls were neat and orderly.

A crystal-clear stream flowed continuously through the village, with orderly rice paddies lining its banks.

It was harvest season. Golden rice stalks swayed like waves in the breeze, releasing the distinctive fragrance of grain.

Thanks to Body Sect's protection and regular provisions, the villagers were not wealthy, but they could live and work in peace, without worrying about food or clothing.

On this continent, where Spirit Masters reigned supreme and conflicts between powers never ceased, such a sanctuary, free from bandits and war, was especially precious.

Long Zhanye and Old Ma walked one before the other along the bluestone road through the village.

The villagers they passed warmly greeted him.

"Zhanye, finished cultivating? Today's your big day!"

"Wild boy, you look full of energy! Make sure you eat a few extra bowls tonight!"

The youth nodded to each of them in response, his steps steady and a proper faint smile on his lips.

The maturity in his expression, far beyond his years, never failed to amaze the village elders.

He was the village's acknowledged miracle and a role model for every child—twin top-grade Body Martial Souls, twelve years old, and already a four-ring Soul Ancestor.

Even across the entire continent, he was a genius seen only once in several thousand years.

Old Ma followed half a step behind, gazing at the youth's upright, pine-like back with pride in his eyes.

He had watched this child grow up and had witnessed his transformation from lively and restless to silent and resilient. That day-after-day, near self-destructive training had left even many adult Spirit Masters stunned.

As they passed the tea stall beneath the old locust tree at the village entrance, fragments of conversation from several old hunters drifted over on the wind:

"...The news from the south says things aren't peaceful. Evil Soul Masters have appeared again. Their methods are bizarre, and I heard they specifically target remote villages."

"Exactly. Everyone's on edge. But apparently Shrek Academy has already dispatched the Shrek Inspectorate. They're the continent's number one power. With them patrolling around, things should settle down."

"Settle down? My nephew serves in a Spirit Master squad in the city. He said the Shrek Inspectorate is famous for its iron-fisted methods against Evil Soul Masters!"

"As long as someone's even slightly touched by evil, they'd rather... Cough, forget it, forget it. Today is a joyous day for the Long Family. Let's not talk about such unlucky things. Drink your tea, drink your tea..."

Long Zhanye did not slow his pace, as though he had heard nothing, but his cold, star-like eyes flickered slightly.

Shrek Academy.

The continent's number one academy, its strength no weaker than Body Sect's.

He simply did not know what their "iron fist" truly looked like.

Body Sect—this name carried immense weight in the world of Spirit Masters.

Other than Shrek Academy, lofty above all others and hailed as both sacred ground and orthodoxy, and the mysterious, sinister Holy Spirit Cult, feared by everyone who spoke of it, Body Sect was the undisputed third great power.

Its uniqueness and strength stemmed from its harsh entry requirements: it accepted only Spirit Masters whose Martial Souls were some part of the human body, known as Body Martial Souls.

Eyes, arms, bones, skin... even rarer internal organs.

What drove Body Martial Soul masters across the world even madder was that Body Sect possessed a unique secret art capable of causing a qualitative transformation in a Body Martial Soul and multiplying its power—Second Awakening!

However.

The rarity of Body Martial Souls meant that the sect could never recruit disciples as widely as other factions.

Even at its peak, it had only a few hundred core disciples.

To maintain its inheritance and uncover talented individuals hidden within its bloodlines, Body Sect secretly protected dozens of settlements like Body Village.

The sect encouraged its disciples to marry villagers in order to increase the chances of their descendants awakening powerful Body Martial Souls.

Once children from these villages awakened outstanding Martial Souls, they would be brought directly into the sect and receive its most core training.

Even if their Martial Souls were ordinary, as long as they were willing to work hard, they could find steady employment in industries affiliated with the sect.

Body Village had merely been an obscure "Heavenly Soul Village" on the empire's frontier seventy years ago.

Its fate changed when three Spirit Masters of considerable talent emerged from the village at the same time. All three successfully joined Body Sect and eventually became stewards with considerable authority within it.

To commend the village for producing such outstanding people, the Body Sect Master of that time—the mighty Lord Du Bisi, whose name shook the continent—personally bestowed the name "Body" upon the village, granting it immense honor.

Of the three stewards, the most outstanding was named Long Tianxing.

His Martial Soul was an exceptionally rare and powerful Body Martial Soul—the Heart.

With the tremendous power granted by this Martial Soul, coupled with his own relentless efforts, Long Tianxing eventually reached the realm of a rank-seventy-eight Soul Saint. He held an important position within Body Sect and was at the height of his prestige.

However.

Around thirty years ago, a sudden calamity changed the Long Family's fate.

Body Sect organized a large-scale hunt targeting a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in the Star Dou Great Forest. This enraged the overlord deep within the forest—the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, Di Tian—and triggered an unprecedentedly terrifying Beast Tide.

In that incomparably brutal defensive battle, Long Tianxing resolutely stayed behind to cover the retreat of his fellow disciples. In the end, he fought to the death, leaving not even his bones behind.

The sect did not forget the sacrifice of its meritorious disciple. Du Busi personally ordered that Long Tianxing's surviving family be treated generously.

Long Zhanye's father, Long Yufeng, possessed only average talent. Though he was over fifty, he remained stuck at the three-ring Soul Elder level. Yet he was exceptionally appointed as the commander of the guards at one of Body Sect's important gateways, a position of considerable status.

The generous compensation granted by the sect allowed the Long Family to be the first in the village to build a large courtyard of gray bricks and live a prosperous, respectable life.

And now, the Long Family's true hopes all rested on the youth walking toward its gates...