Meeting Grandfather, the True Meaning of the Body Martial Soul

After passing through the ancient, towering mountain gate, Xiao Cheng felt as though he had stepped into a world cut off from the outside.

The Body Sect held wonders within. Amid the encircling mountains stood clusters of buildings of all sizes, arranged in an orderly fashion—ancient stone halls alongside modern soul-tool facilities. In the distance, disciples could vaguely be seen sparring in the training grounds, their shouts carried on the wind with vibrant youthful energy.

Mu Man led the mother and son along the main bluestone road. The sect disciples they encountered along the way all stopped to bow, their gazes filled with curiosity and respect—curious about Xiao Cheng's unfamiliar face, and respectful because Mu Wan, the "eldest young lady," had returned to her family home.

"Sis, you have no idea. Dad knew you were coming back today, so he got up early to tidy up. He even had the council hall cleaned from top to bottom." Mu Man spoke as they walked, his tone teasing. "I've never seen him this nervous. Even when he met the master of Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion last time, he wasn't this formal."

At that, a warm smile flickered in Mu Wan's eyes. "Father... he's still the same."

Listening to them, Xiao Cheng's impression of his grandfather became a little fuller. A Rank 98 Super Douluo who got nervous and cleaned the house because his daughter and grandson were coming home sounded rather adorable.

After passing through several corridors, the three arrived before a grand and imposing hall.

"We're here." Mu Man pushed open the doors.

Inside the hall, a tall elderly man stood in the middle with his hands behind his back, as if he had been waiting for something.

The old man appeared to be around sixty or seventy. His hair was silver-white, yet he was full of vigor, with a straight back and an upright posture. His features somewhat resembled Mu Man's. That inherited face usually carried an imposing dignity when stern, but the moment he saw the familiar figure at the entrance, his dignified expression blossomed into a brilliant smile, his eyes narrowing into slits.

"Wan'er! You're back!" Mu Huang strode forward, his booming voice unable to conceal his delight.

"Father." Mu Wan greeted him with a smile and embraced him. "I'm back."

Mu Huang patted his daughter's back, his eyes reddening slightly before he swiftly composed himself. Releasing her, he turned his gaze to Xiao Cheng at her side.

At that moment, Xiao Cheng felt as if an ancient beast had fixed its eyes on him. Mu Huang's gaze was gentle, but the pressure within it made his body tense instinctively.

The feeling lasted only an instant. Mu Huang withdrew the pressure belonging to a Super Douluo, crouched down, and looked at Xiao Cheng with a beaming smile. "This must be Cheng'er, right? Come, let Grandpa have a good look at you."

He reached out and gently pinched Xiao Cheng's cheeks, then his arms and shoulders. As he examined him, he nodded. "Mm, good frame, solid muscles, abundant vitality... Good! Good! Good!"

Those three consecutive words of praise fully expressed his satisfaction with this grandson.

"Hello, Grandpa," Xiao Cheng greeted obediently.

"Ah! Good grandson!" Mu Huang grinned from ear to ear. He scooped Xiao Cheng up, lifted him overhead, and spun him around once. "As expected of the Mu family's bloodline! That spirit of yours is far better than your uncle's was at your age!"

Mu Man immediately protested in dissatisfaction. "Dad, I don't like hearing that. I was excellent as a child too, okay?"

"You, excellent?" Mu Huang shot him a glance. "You were seven and still wetting the bed. Excellent at what?"

"Dad!" Mu Man's face instantly flushed crimson. "That was ages ago! Why are you still bringing it up?"

Mu Wan covered her mouth and chuckled. Xiao Cheng was also amused by the interaction between father and son. It seemed this was how his grandfather and uncle got along—constantly exposing each other's embarrassing history.

The family happily chatted about everyday matters. Mu Wan asked after her father's and brother's recent lives, and Mu Huang answered one question after another, occasionally throwing in complaints about Mu Man's unreliability. Mu Man kept refuting him from the side, making the scene particularly lively.

"By the way, Mu Man." Mu Wan suddenly changed the subject, a mischievous smile appearing on her face. "I heard you've been pursuing a girl lately?"

Mu Man's smile instantly froze.

"Sis... who told you that?" he asked guiltily.

"Never mind who told me. Just tell me whether it's true." Mu Wan crossed her arms, wearing an expression that clearly said, "Confession earns leniency; resistance brings harsher punishment."

Mu Wan and Mu Man's mother had passed away a few years after giving birth to Mu Man. As the Body Sect's leader, Mu Huang had far too many matters to handle, and as a rough man, he was not much good at raising children. Mu Man had practically been raised by Mu Wan herself, so to him, she was both sister and mother.

Under his sister's stern gaze, Mu Man stammered for a long while before finally surrendering. Blushing, he admitted, "Y-Yes... there is someone. She's the daughter of the Su Family in Heaven Dou City, and she's... quite pretty."

"Oh? So you know she's pretty." Mu Wan teased, "How far have things progressed between you two?"

"Just... we've met a few times and had a few meals together..." Mu Man's voice grew quieter and quieter, while his face grew redder and redder. "I haven't confessed to her yet..."

Mu Wan shook her head in disappointment. "Mu Man, Mu Man, aren't you usually quite the talker? Why do you lose your nerve at the crucial moment?"

"I... I don't know how to say it..." Mu Man scratched his head, looking troubled. "I'm afraid that if I say it, we won't even be able to stay friends..."

Mu Wan sighed, then her eyes lit up as she began giving her brother advice. "Try this. The next time you ask her out, stop taking her to dinner and movies all the time. That's far too unoriginal. Take her hiking to watch the sunrise, then confess at the mountaintop as the sun rises. How poetic is that? What girl could refuse?"

Mu Man listened in a daze, then nodded thoughtfully. "Sis, that actually makes sense..."

"Of course. Your sister has been through it." Mu Wan raised her chin proudly. "That was exactly how your brother-in-law won me over when he pursued me."

Xiao Cheng listened with great interest, secretly marveling, Was this how Dad won Mom over back then? Looks like Dad was pretty smooth when he was younger.

Just as the family was enjoying themselves—

Bang!

The hall doors were suddenly shoved open, and an elderly man with white hair and a youthful complexion strode in.

The old man wore a long white robe. His beard and hair were entirely white, but his complexion was rosy, and his eyes shone brightly. He seemed around the same age as Mu Huang, yet his steps were vigorous and his spirit high, without the slightest hint of old age.

The moment Mu Huang saw him, his brilliant smile collapsed, and his face drooped slightly. "Old Han, why are you here?"

"Why can't I come?" The old man's expression darkened as well, and he fired back without any courtesy. Then his gaze passed Mu Huang and landed on Mu Wan. His expression immediately changed, revealing a kindly smile. "Wan'er is back. Why didn't you tell your teacher?"

This elderly man was the vice sect leader of the Body Sect, the Rank 97 Illusion Brain Douluo—Han Tianyi!

The moment Mu Wan saw Han Tianyi, a delighted smile bloomed on her face. She hurried forward. "Teacher! We only just arrived, so I didn't have time to inform you. Why did you come?"

Han Tianyi said with a chuckle, "I heard you came back with your child. Naturally, I wanted to see my disciple's grandson!"

As he spoke, his gaze shifted toward Xiao Cheng. After sizing him up from head to toe, he nodded in satisfaction. "Mm, not bad. Exceptional bones, full of spirit—he's clearly a good seedling."

Mu Huang snorted from the side. "Old Han, he's my grandson, not your disciple's grandson."

"Isn't your grandson also my disciple's grandson?" Han Tianyi said matter-of-factly. "Wan'er's martial soul was trained by me personally. Naturally, her child counts as my disciple's grandson too. What, do you have a problem with that?"

"Of course I have a problem!" Mu Huang glared. "Stop trying to claim relatives here!"

"I'm trying to claim relatives? I'm stating the facts!" Han Tianyi refused to yield. "When Wan'er became my disciple, you personally agreed to it! What, are you regretting it now?"

"I was—"

"Enough, enough, stop arguing, you two." Mu Wan hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over, grabbing her father with one hand and her teacher with the other. "We're all family. Why do you have to argue every single time?"

Mu Huang and Han Tianyi exchanged a glance, snorted at the same time, and turned their heads away. Still, neither continued the argument.

Xiao Cheng stared in disbelief. These two senior figures, nearly two hundred years old between them, acted like children whenever they met.

Mu Wan noticed her son's confusion and explained softly, "Your grandfather and Grandpa Han have liked competing with each other since they were young. After all these years, neither of them has changed that habit. But don't worry, they're actually very close. They just refuse to admit defeat to each other."

Xiao Cheng suddenly understood. So this was the classic story of a pair of bickering rivals.

Han Tianyi turned his attention back to Xiao Cheng and said with a smile, "Little fellow, let Grandpa Han see your Body Martial Soul."

Xiao Cheng looked toward his mother. Mu Wan nodded, signaling for him to comply.

Xiao Cheng took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and calmed his mind. The next instant, a gentle yet powerful aura spread from within him—his Body Martial Soul possessed him!

A faint golden glow emerged over his body. It was not dazzling, yet it carried a solemn and dignified air. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes, while his body became straighter and more balanced. Every muscle seemed to have been precisely adjusted, reaching the most perfect state.

Mu Huang and Han Tianyi's eyes lit up simultaneously.

"Excellent!" Mu Huang could not help but praise. "What a complete Body Martial Soul! It not only includes physical enhancement, but also encompasses the awakening of the spiritual level! Even in the history of our Body Sect, this is exceedingly rare!"

Han Tianyi nodded as well, his eyes full of admiration. "Not only that, his spiritual power has already reached an extremely high level. If I'm not mistaken, it should be at least above 300. For a seven-year-old child, that's simply unimaginable!"

Mu Wan listened from the side, pride filling her smile.

Mu Huang stepped forward and placed a hand on Xiao Cheng's shoulder. A gentle stream of Soul Power entered his body. A moment later, Mu Huang withdrew his hand, and the delight on his face deepened. "His vitality is surging, his circulation is perfect, and his life force is abundant... Moreover, there seems to be a special power within him, constantly nourishing his body and martial soul."

Xiao Cheng's heart stirred. He knew that was the True Dragon Qi produced after successfully cultivating the Dragon Transformation Sutra. However, he did not reveal it, since it was one of his trump cards.

"Grandpa, Grandpa Han," Xiao Cheng asked at the right moment, "how can I cultivate my Body Martial Soul more effectively?"

Mu Huang did not answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Cheng'er, what do you think a Body Martial Soul is?"

Xiao Cheng froze for a moment. After thinking it over, he answered seriously, "A Body Martial Soul is using one's own body as a martial soul. Cultivating a Body Martial Soul means uncovering one's own potential and making the body stronger."

"That's correct, but far too broad." Mu Huang shook his head, walked to the wall at the center of the hall, and pointed to a portrait hanging there. "Do you know who he is?"

Xiao Cheng followed his finger. The portrait depicted a middle-aged man with a resolute face, eyes like blazing torches, and an extraordinary bearing.

"He was the founder of our Body Sect, the first sect leader." Reverence filled Mu Huang's voice. "He once said, 'A Body Martial Soul is not meant to turn you into a monster. It is meant to make you a better person.'"

He turned around and fixed Xiao Cheng with a piercing gaze. "Cultivating a Body Martial Soul is not about pursuing overwhelming power. It is about pursuing self-perfection. When you can completely control your body, understand every muscle, every bone, and every drop of blood within you, you can unleash strength far beyond that of ordinary people. That is the true meaning of the Body Martial Soul."

Xiao Cheng nodded thoughtfully. In his previous life, his pursuit of Martial Dao had been about breaking through the limits of the body and excavating his own potential. It truly shared the same underlying principle as the Body Sect's philosophy.

"Then how exactly should I cultivate it?" Xiao Cheng pressed.

Mu Huang smiled faintly. "The Body Sect's cultivation methods are very arduous. Are you prepared for that?"

Han Tianyi also smiled. "Since you have talent in spiritual power, you cannot neglect that either. Spiritual power is a necessary condition for becoming a true powerhouse."

With the memories of two lifetimes, Xiao Cheng had long expected this. He knew that he would inevitably undergo genuine hellish training for some time in the future, but rather than fearing it, he was actually eager to give it a try.