Cloud-Deep Unknown, Body Secret Technique

For the next few days, Li Chen stayed in the Blacksmith Association's guest rooms. Before dawn each day, he entered the forging room to hone his skills, starting with lower-level work. Only after he had fully mastered it did Zhen Hua allow him to touch that piece of Gold Water Intertwined.

When the initially tempered "blank" was handed to Zhen Hua, the continent's only Divine Craftsman stared at it with an approving gaze and said, "Not bad."

On the afternoon of the fifth day, Li Chen was forging a piece of Battle Armor arm guard when Zhen Hua pushed open the door and entered, followed by someone else.

The newcomer was tall and broad-shouldered. Just standing there, he seemed to suppress even the firelight.

"Li Chen, meet someone." Zhen Hua pointed behind him. "This is Mu Ye, the current sect master of the Body Sect and an old friend of mine."

Li Chen set down his polishing tool, wiped his hands, and greeted him with the proper respect of a junior. He had heard of the Body Sect—one of the continent's oldest sects dedicated to the inheritance of Body Martial Souls.

Mu Ye did not return the greeting immediately. He looked Li Chen over from head to toe, the smile on his face growing deeper. Then he suddenly strode forward and slapped a hand onto Li Chen's shoulder. The force was so great that even the nearby forging table shook.

"Good! Good! Good!" Mu Ye said three times in a booming voice. "These bones, this physique, this Soul Power foundation—Old Han's student really lives up to his reputation!"

The slap shifted Li Chen half a step sideways. His expression did not change, but he was slightly startled inside.

Mu Ye had not released his Martial Soul or circulated Soul Power. He had achieved this with pure physical strength alone.

"Mu Ye, take it easy." Zhen Hua shot him a glare from the side. "The kid has been here for five days. If you don't slap him apart, you'll still end up giving him internal injuries."

"He won't fall apart!" Mu Ye laughed heartily and withdrew his hand. "I've slapped plenty of people. One slap tells me exactly how much their bones can take. This kid's physical foundation is excellent. Even a Soul King-level assault-type Soul Master might not be as sturdy as him. Zhen Hua, you weren't boasting."

Zhen Hua rolled his eyes. "When have I ever boasted to you?"

Mu Ye ignored him. His gaze fell on Li Chen, and the admiration in his eyes was undisguised. "I read the records of your battle in Skysea City. You crushed Shrek's Seven Monsters in seven moves and defeated a One-Word Battle Armor Master head-on. Others saw your use of the Law of Death, but I saw something else."

"Please enlighten me, Senior."

"Your body." Mu Ye raised a finger and tapped Li Chen's shoulder. "When you fought Xuan Li, you took at least four direct charges from him. A Soul King-level assault-type Soul Master's frontal charge would crack the bones of an ordinary Soul King even if he managed to endure it. Yet not only did you withstand them, you could counterattack immediately after a head-on clash. A body like that isn't natural—it was tempered afterward. If I'm not mistaken, you've practiced the foundational techniques of the Body Secret Technique."

"Old Han taught me a body-tempering method while I was at the Spirit Pagoda. He said it was a basic introductory technique of the Body Sect. Later, I combined it with the characteristics of my Martial Soul and tempered my body through two attributes. The results were better than practicing either one separately."

"Old Han taught you the Body Sect's foundational entry technique?" Mu Ye's eyes lit up, and his voice rose. "Then did he ever mention someone named Mu Ye?"

Li Chen nodded. "Old Han mentioned you many times. He said he had a martial nephew who was the current sect master of the Body Sect, someone straightforward and warmhearted. He also said that if I ever had the chance to meet you, I had to pay you a visit in person."

Mu Ye's smile faded slightly at the words "martial nephew." He fell silent for two breaths, his voice lower than before. "When Old Han left the Body Sect, I had only recently become sect master. Before he left, he said that the Body Sect was too small to contain the path he wanted to walk. I didn't understand at the time. I even resented him a little. But after becoming sect master all these years, I came to understand that he made the right choice. The Body Sect has been passed down for ten thousand years and has too many rules. It truly could not give him the spiritual power realm he sought. Later, he entered the Spirit Pagoda and nominally left the Body Sect, but he kept in contact with me. When he was teaching you at the Spirit Pagoda, he contacted me as well."

He looked into Li Chen's eyes. A smile appeared on his face again, but this one carried more warmth than his earlier hearty grin. "He said he had taken in a good seedling. Your Soul Power talent was far greater than his had been, and your temperament was good too. He said there was nothing wrong with you, except that you pushed yourself too hard in cultivation. He was afraid you would wear your body down. He asked me to take a good look at you if I ever had the chance."

Li Chen fell silent for a moment. Old Han had never praised him to his face while teaching him at the Spirit Pagoda. After every test, the best evaluation he ever received was merely, "Not bad."

But behind his back, Old Han had long regarded him as a personal disciple. He had written to the Body Sect's sect master about Li Chen's circumstances and asked him to look after him. Even if Li Chen was not from the Body Sect, Old Han's relationship with Mu Ye meant that Mu Ye would still value those ties and teach Li Chen some of the Body Sect's secret techniques.

"Old Han's health..."

"An old problem." Mu Ye waved a hand, his tone becoming somewhat wistful. "Back then, he forcefully tried to break through to Limit Douluo and damaged his foundation. But he's doing quite well at the Spirit Pagoda now. Teaching students and doing research is much easier than before. The last time we communicated, he was still talking about you."

He untied a small cloth bundle from his waist and placed it on the table. When he opened it, several porcelain jars were neatly arranged inside, their mouths sealed with red wax.

As he unsealed them, Mu Ye said, "I stewed chicken soup at noon. I thought Zhen Hua might have guests here, so I brought some over. Come on, have some soup first. We can talk while we drink."

A rich fragrance of chicken soup immediately filled the room. The broth was clear, with several goji berries and chopped scallions floating on top. Mu Ye served it with neat, efficient movements, handing the first bowl to Li Chen.

After thanking him, Li Chen accepted the bowl. Mu Ye then filled the remaining bowls one by one and called to Zhen Hua, "Zhen Hua, don't just stand there. Come drink."

Zhen Hua walked over with a bowl and shook his head. "Every time you come, you bring food. You make it seem like my association doesn't provide meals."

"You call what you provide food?" Mu Ye shot back without any politeness. "That work meal you had the cafeteria deliver last time had vegetables boiled yellow and meat so tough it couldn't be bitten through. Even dogs wouldn't eat it. If you actually want to eat, then I won't cook next time I come."

For once, Zhen Hua did not retort and simply drank his soup in silence.

At that moment, there was another knock on the door. Leng Yaozhu pushed it open and entered, followed by Gu Yue and Na'er. Gu Yue was as quiet as ever, carrying a paper bag in her hand. Na'er hung listlessly from Leng Yaozhu's arm, her golden ponytail drooping just as lifelessly. The expression on her face could only be described as hungry.

"Aunt Leng, my tummy's growling." Na'er's voice carried a trace of grievance. "I've only eaten one pastry since this morning. The restaurant we tried at noon had a line stretching halfway down the street."

Leng Yaozhu ignored her. Her gaze swept through the forging room before settling on Mu Ye, and she raised an eyebrow slightly. "Mu Ye? Why are you here too?"

"Deputy Pagoda Master Leng!" Mu Ye put down his soup bowl and strode over, his smile unchanged. "Long time no see! The last time we met at the Spirit Pagoda was two and a half years ago. Come, the chicken soup has just been served. You and your two little disciples should each have a bowl and try my cooking."

Na'er's eyes followed Mu Ye's hand to the bowl of soup, and she instantly perked up. She accepted the bowl he handed her, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it twice, and drank it. Then her entire face lit up. "Delicious!" It was approval from an astonishing palate.

"If it's good, drink more!" Mu Ye laughed and added a chicken drumstick to her bowl. "Little girl, your name is Na'er, right? Golden Dragon bloodline. That punch in Skysea City directly knocked down three layers of rock shields. No one among your peers could match the force of that punch. But it was too fierce and not flexible enough in its control. Later, I'll teach you a couple of Body Sect techniques for redirecting force. Combined with your Golden Dragon bloodline, they can increase your power by at least thirty percent."

Na'er bit into the chicken leg and mumbled, "Thank you, Senior Mu Ye."

Leng Yaozhu accepted her bowl and took a sip. Then she set it down and looked between Mu Ye and Li Chen. "What were you discussing just now? I heard you say 'good' three times in a row from outside the door."

"Old Han." Mu Ye returned to the low table, sat down across from them, and ladled soup into his own bowl. "Han Tianyi is my martial uncle. Deputy Pagoda Master Leng should know that. Li Chen is the student he personally taught. I examined him carefully just now. His Soul Power foundation is solid, and his physical tempering has been methodical. Old Han taught him well. What is even rarer is that his Martial Soul naturally carries the Law of Life and Death. A Martial Soul with such extreme attributes is likely unmatched anywhere on Douluo Planet. But the greatest weakness of an extreme Martial Soul does not lie in its offensive power, but in the user's ability to withstand it. Although his physical foundation is good, he is still missing one step if he is to bear law power of this level."

Leng Yaozhu set down her bowl. "What step?"

"The second awakening of a Body Martial Soul." Mu Ye set down his spoon, his tone turning serious. "Li Chen's forging level has already reached level six. This time, he personally tempered Gold Water Intertwined, using the Power of Reincarnation from the Law of Life and Death to continuously reshape it. His approach is correct, but it isn't enough. Although Old Han knows the Body Secret Technique, he made a vow not to pass it on. But I can teach it. Forgive my bluntness, but only the Body Sect knows the Body Secret Technique. Only the Body Sect master's inheritance possesses the complete version on the entire continent.

Old Han was right to teach him the foundational techniques back then, but foundations can only lay the groundwork. They cannot truly provide all-around improvement. If he learns the Body Sect's second-awakening secret method and awakens a Gold-Grade Body Martial Soul, then with his Martial Soul foundation and physical base, barring accidents, he will be able to perfectly contain the Power of Reincarnation of life and death. No one of the same rank will be able to rival him."

Leng Yaozhu held her soup bowl without answering immediately. As the Spirit Pagoda's deputy pagoda master, she knew something about the Body Sect's second awakening. The Body Sect's second awakenings were divided into Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. A Silver awakening was already a threshold most Body Martial Soul Masters would never touch in their lifetimes, while the Body Sect's inherited secret method was indeed the continent's only complete method capable of steadily cultivating Gold-Grade Body Martial Souls.

"Mu Ye." Leng Yaozhu set down her bowl and smiled faintly. "Since when did a Body Sect master learn to beat around the bush? You are willing to teach him the complete secret method for a Gold-Grade Awakening? State your conditions directly. I am Li Chen's elder, so I'll negotiate this matter for him."

Mu Ye laughed loudly, his voice booming like a bell. "Deputy Pagoda Master Leng is refreshingly straightforward, so I won't hide anything either. There is only one condition. The Body Sect has lacked new talent in recent years. There are Body Martial Soul Masters scattered throughout the continent. Some are disciples of small sects in remote regions, while some do not even know that what they awakened is a Body Martial Soul. The Body Sect has limited manpower, but the Leng Family has operated within the Spirit Pagoda for thousands of years, and its intelligence network reaches every corner of the continent. If Deputy Pagoda Master Leng can use the Leng Family's channels to help the Body Sect gather information on Body Martial Soul awakeners across the land, we will send our own people to guide every one you find. Furthermore, a deep alliance between the Body Sect and the Leng Family would bring your family far more benefits than drawbacks. Though the Body Sect has declined, we still have quite a few high-level Soul Masters."

Leng Yaozhu's smile remained gentle. "Helping the Body Sect find Body Martial Soul Masters scattered outside is not difficult for the Leng Family. The intelligence network already exists; it is only a matter of adding another screening criterion. But Sect Master Mu Ye should think carefully. Once this cooperation begins, it will be long-term, not a one-time deal."

"Long-term is best!" Mu Ye slapped his thigh. "What the Body Sect lacks most is intelligence coverage. As long as Deputy Pagoda Master Leng is willing to cooperate for the long term, I can push for the Body Sect and the Leng Family to share our high-level Soul Masters in the future."

Leng Yaozhu smiled faintly. "Sect Master Mu Ye is certainly straightforward. Then it is settled. I will arrange the Leng Family's intelligence channels. Later, I'll send someone to coordinate with the Body Sect and establish the specific screening standards and contact procedures. As for Li Chen's Body Secret Technique—the Gold-Grade Martial Soul awakening method—you will teach him without holding anything back."

Li Chen said solemnly, "Senior Mu Ye, if you are willing to teach me, I will learn seriously."

"Good!" Mu Ye rose to his feet and slapped Li Chen on the back. It was much lighter than before, but it still left Li Chen aching. "Drink soup today. Come find me at six tomorrow morning. The Body Secret Technique and your forging studies will proceed together. Once you finish forging the Battle Armor, I'll take you to the Body Sect's secret grounds and formally teach you the Body Secret Technique."

Leng Yaozhu drained the chicken soup from her bowl in one gulp and stood up. "Then it's settled. Once Li Chen finishes the Battle Armor, he can learn the secret technique as well."

She looked at Na'er and Gu Yue, her tone still gentle. "I'll take the two of them around these next few days."

Na'er put down her bowl and wiped the grease from her mouth. "Thank you for the chicken soup, Senior Mu Ye."

Mu Ye waved a large hand. "No need to be polite! I'll bring food again tomorrow at noon. Oh, right, you're in for a treat tonight. A new barbecue restaurant opened in Heaven Dou City. I'll take you out to eat tonight, borrow their kitchen, and grill for you myself. Old Han's student has come to my territory—how could I let you go hungry?"

Zhen Hua shook his head from the side. "Mu Ye, you're the Body Sect master, not a chef."

"Is there anything wrong with holding multiple jobs?" Zhen Hua replied righteously. Then he turned to Li Chen and grinned. "It's settled, then. Six tomorrow morning. The first lesson of the Body Secret Technique—let me show you what a true Body Martial Soul is."