At Xu Yue's question, Muye's expression froze.
After a moment of silence, he sighed.
"Change? How could we change?"
Muye's face was filled with bitterness, and pain showed in his eyes.
"It wasn't just me. Which of the previous sect masters before me didn't want to change? But we had no way to do so. We could only watch the sect decline."
Xu Yue listened quietly without interrupting.
Yet inwardly, he was silently piecing together what he knew and thinking it through.
In an instant, he arrived at the answer.
"Because of the Tang Sect and Shrek?"
"...That's right, but that isn't all." Muye paused, then nodded. "Forces capable of taking in body martial souls have long ceased to be limited to our Body Sect alone."
"Since ten thousand years ago, most factions have understood the strength of body martial souls."
"Even something as poor as hair could rival mid-to-high-tier martial souls after its second awakening."
"And an awakening at the Black Iron level isn't actually very difficult. It only requires a few spirit herbs and some tempering, with a high chance of success."
"Therefore, whenever the various factions encountered one, they would usually recruit them. After all, spending a bit of resources in exchange for the combat strength of a Soul Sage or Soul Douluo was a deal no one would refuse."
"And Shrek and the Tang Sect stood out even more in this regard."
"Every sect master of the Body Sect has suspected that, back then, the Ice Spirit Douluo might have given them copies of the secrets of body martial souls."
"Even the Spirit Pagoda might possess them."
As he spoke, Muye sighed and looked at Xu Yue with a trace of resentment in his eyes.
"Then came the continent's unification and the soul beast agreements. Our