How to Strengthen the Body Sect!

Long Aotian froze.

Dai Tu also raised his head and looked at Du Busi.

"Teacher, what... do you mean?"

Du Busi sighed, found a stone by the roadside, and sat down. He patted the spot beside him, signaling for the two of them to sit as well. Only after they had done so did he slowly speak, his voice especially bleak in the twilight.

"Aotian, Dai Tu, you are still young. What you see is the sect's current glory. You see me, a rank ninety-eight Super Douluo, striding through the Star Dou Great Forest and flaunting my power before Shrek Academy. You see our Body Sect's three hundred disciples, every one of them possessing a Body Martial Soul and extraordinary talent, such that no one dared look down on them wherever they went."

"But what you cannot see is the... crisis behind the sect."

"A crisis?" Long Aotian frowned. "Teacher, our Body Sect is at the height of its power. What crisis could there be?"

"At the height of its power?" Du Busi gave a derisive snort and shook his head. "Aotian, you are too young. What you see is only the surface. Tell me, how many disciples does our Body Sect have?"

"Three hundred and seven." Long Aotian answered immediately. He knew that number by heart.

"Correct, three hundred and seven." Du Busi held up three fingers. "What about Shrek Academy? How many people do they have between the inner and outer courts?"

"This..." Long Aotian was speechless. He did not know Shrek Academy's exact numbers, but he knew that the outer court alone admitted over a thousand students every year. Though the inner court was strict, it still had nearly a hundred students. Altogether, they had at least ten times as many people as the Body Sect.

"At least three thousand." Du Busi answered for him.

"Furthermore, Shrek expands its enrollment every year, and new geniuses join every year. Their teachers are the continent's finest soul masters. Their resources are supplied jointly by the three great empires. Their inheritance has been accumulated over ten thousand years. And what about our Body Sect?"

He paused, his voice growing lower.

"We have only three hundred people. Because Body Martial Souls are so rare, the number of new disciples we can recruit each year can be counted on one hand. In good years, we get three to five. In bad years... not even one. Our teachers consist of me and a few elders, fewer than ten altogether. We earn our resources ourselves, by hunting soul beasts and taking on certain unsavory jobs. As for our inheritance..."

Du Busi gave a bitter smile.

"Does our Body Sect even have an inheritance? Every disciple's Martial Soul is different. Eyes are eyes, arms are arms, hearts are hearts. Even their cultivation methods vary in every conceivable way. Everyone can only explore on their own and exchange insights with fellow disciples. Can that be called an inheritance? That is called... free-range cultivation."

Long Aotian opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he could not utter a single word.

Because he knew his teacher was speaking the truth.

The Body Sect was indeed living off its past glory.

Relying on Du Busi, a rank ninety-eight Super Douluo, on several Titled Douluo elders, and on three hundred extraordinarily gifted disciples, it barely maintained the empty reputation of being the "number one sect in the world."

Yet beneath that reputation lay an increasingly severe lack of successors, increasingly scarce cultivation resources, and an ever-growing... confusion over a future they could not see.

"Moreover," Du Busi said, raising his head to look at the setting sun about to sink below the horizon, a trace of worry flashing through his eyes, "the times... are changing."

"The times are changing?" Long Aotian did not understand.

"This era is no longer the era of Martial Souls. It is the era of... Soul Tools. Soul masters at the same five-ring level are entirely different depending on whether they have Soul Tools or not."

"Soul Tools seem to be developing... a little too quickly now."

Du Busi was deeply worried. He rarely spoke of such matters to others, fearing that the Body Sect would become unsettled.

Sometimes, there was no point in deceiving oneself.

Long Aotian fell silent. He understood the reasoning as well, but the Body Sect was rather resistant to Soul Tools.

Dai Tu also remained silent.

He looked at the deep concern in Du Busi's eyes and the confusion on Long Aotian's face. Something within him was stirred.

More than anyone else, he knew that Du Busi's concern was not groundless.

It was... inevitable.

According to the history of the original work, would there still be a sect called the "Body Sect" on Douluo Continent ten thousand years later?

There would be, but it would have already declined.

No, it would not merely decline. It would almost... disappear.

In that era where Soul Tool technology was highly advanced, where mechs, warships, and Soul Tool arrays had become mainstream, the Body Sect stubbornly clung to the belief that "Body Martial Souls were supreme."

It would be ruthlessly crushed beneath the wheels of time, ultimately becoming a footnote in history, an "antique" occasionally mentioned by later generations with a mixture of regret and mockery.

Why?

Because it did not embrace Soul Tools.

Because it rejected Soul Tools.

Because... it could not keep up with the times.

Dai Tu took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked at Du Busi. His voice was calm, but beneath that calm lay an unquestionable resolve.

"Teacher, you are right. If the Body Sect wants to develop and revive, it must... embrace Soul Tools."

Du Busi looked at Dai Tu. A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes, but there was even more anticipation.

"Go on."

"Soul Tools are not monsters or disasters. They are merely tools, tools that can make us stronger and help the sect develop.

"Dai Tu spoke slowly. "We do not need to abandon the principle that 'Body Martial Souls are supreme,' but we can... combine it with Soul Tools. For instance, we can use Soul Tools to strengthen the body, assist cultivation, and compensate for the weaknesses of Body Martial Souls."

He paused, then added,

"Furthermore, researching Soul Tools requires talent. It requires geniuses proficient in Soul Tool formations, Soul Tool metals, and Soul Power conduction. Most Body Sect disciples focus on cultivating their Martial Souls and improving their physical abilities. In this area, we are weak. Therefore, we need to... bring in talent."

"Bring in talent?" Du Busi's eyes lit up. "You mean recruiting those proficient in Soul Tools to join the Body Sect?"

"Yes." Dai Tu nodded. "Not just recruiting them, but training them as well. We can establish a Soul Tool research department, gather Soul Tool texts, hire Soul Engineers from the Sun Moon Empire to give lectures, and even... send disciples to the Sun Moon Empire to study."

"This..." Long Aotian frowned. "Junior Brother, would that be... too radical? Our Body Sect has always relied on ourselves and our Martial Souls. Bringing in outsiders and learning foreign things, would that not... shake our foundation?"

"Shake our foundation?" Dai Tu looked at Long Aotian and asked seriously, "Senior Brother, tell me, what is the Body Sect's foundation?"

"This..." Long Aotian was stumped.

"The Body Sect's foundation is not 'rejecting all external things,' not 'remaining stuck in old ways,' and not 'thinking ourselves the greatest in the world.'" Dai Tu's voice was calm, yet every word struck Long Aotian's heart like a heavy hammer.

"The Body Sect's foundation is 'Body Martial Souls,' 'family,' and 'supporting one another and growing stronger together.' As long as that foundation remains unchanged, embracing Soul Tools and learning new techniques will only make us stronger and make the sect more prosperous. On the other hand, if we reject progress and change because of stubbornness, prejudice, or so-called 'tradition,' then that would be... truly shaking our foundation."

Long Aotian opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but as he looked into Dai Tu's calm yet resolute eyes, then at the increasingly bright light in his teacher's eyes, he ultimately closed his mouth.

Du Busi stared at Dai Tu for a long time. Then, he suddenly smiled.

It was not the wild laughter from before, but a relieved smile filled with gratification.