A New Era for the Body Sect

As his qi and blood grew stronger, the Qi and Blood Spear Spirit grew as well. This was a good thing, as it meant the spear spirit was integrating smoothly with his qi and blood.

Xu Yuan was also highly motivated in his cultivation.

"With the Qi and Blood Contract, your Bloodline Power cultivation has indeed become much faster." Mu Ye found this rather remarkable.

Because Xu Yuan's Body Martial Soul was located in his brain, although he could cultivate many of the Body Sect's secret techniques and had considerable talent for them, the growth of his qi and blood had always been a major weakness.

It might seem as though Xu Yuan had only been gathering Bloodline Power for a little over two months, but in truth, Mu Ye had been observing the strength of his qi and blood for more than a year. Compared with Xu Yuan's senior disciple, the gap was truly enormous.

"Then perhaps you could use this path as a reference, Teacher, and expand the range of disciples the Body Sect accepts," Xu Yuan suggested.

Mu Ye frowned. He had not expected Xu Yuan to bring this up.

There was no question that the Body Sect had declined in the present-day continent.

If not for his relationship with Zhen Hua, his Four-Word Dou Armor, and his standing among the strongest on the Douluo Continent with combat strength comparable to an Ultimate Douluo, the Body Sect might not even qualify as a first-rate power anymore.

Of course, Body Martial Soul possessors were rare, which meant the Body Sect had few disciples. Without any advantage in a particular industry, it had gradually declined with the times. Yet it remained remarkably resilient.

The previous Sect Master of the Body Sect had been an Ultimate Douluo.

The current Sect Master, Mu Ye, was a Four-Word Dou Armor Master as well as a God-level Mech Pilot.

The next Heir Sect Master, A Ruheng, possessed a Body Martial Soul. Having been nurtured by the Body Sect's Innate Secret Technique since childhood, he had displayed outstanding talent and had hopes of reaching the realm of the Flawless Golden Body. So long as he did not perish prematurely, he would certainly become an ultimate-level powerhouse in the future.

In this regard, the Body Sect's cultivation secret arts and methods were undoubtedly exceptionally powerful. Even with a shortage of disciples, they produced outstanding talents generation after generation.

In terms of inheritance, the Body Sect could compete with Shrek and the Tang Sect, and even challenge the Spirit Pagoda. However, the Body Sect was a sect with few members and no special industries. It could not monopolize the Soul Spirit industry as the Spirit Pagoda did, and thus had gradually declined over the past ten thousand years.

But what if that situation could be changed? For instance, what if the Body Sect could increase its number of disciples?

Why did the Body Sect only accept disciples with Body Martial Souls?

At the beginning, it was indeed because a group of Soul Masters with Body Martial Souls had gathered together for mutual support. But as it developed and the Body Sect Secret Techniques were refined generation after generation, the Body Sect's true core had always been Bloodline Cultivation.

Without a Body Martial Soul, qi and blood cultivation faced enormous obstacles. That was why the Body Sect had never accepted Soul Masters without Body Martial Souls.

Zhen Hua was an exception.

After Zhen Hua, Xu Yuan's suggestion seemed to signal that the Body Sect could begin a new era.

Mu Ye sank into thought.

If the Qi and Blood Contract could truly make a Soul Master's Bloodline Cultivation smoother, then it would not need to match a Body Martial Soul. As long as it allowed one to enter the path relatively easily and cultivate, that seemed sufficient to meet the Body Sect's entry requirements.

And if Xu Yuan continued his exploration and could truly turn qi and blood into a Vital Energy Martial Soul, allowing the Martial Soul to merge with qi and blood, then adding Soul Rings to the Martial Soul would mean adding Soul Rings to the qi and blood. Once this method reached completion, it would surely rival a Body Martial Soul.

Moreover, could a Vital Energy Martial Soul undergo a second awakening?

Theoretically, it could!

Mu Ye was genuinely tempted.

He had given up on himself because pursuing the limits of mecha had delayed his own cultivation. His foundation had been damaged during one cultivation session, leaving him unable to break through to Super Douluo.

But if the Body Sect still had a chance to rise from the ashes—cough, cough—to make a comeback, then as its Sect Master, he might yet regain his former vigor!

"I'll consider it."

The peak powers of the current continent had already been established. If the Body Sect wanted to rise again, the pressure would be immense.

"Teacher, there's no rush. The Body Sect can simply expand its disciple recruitment criteria quietly. My Heaven Devouring Earth Eating Great Art can actually be included as a Body Sect Secret Technique. When paired with the Heaven Devouring Earth Eating Great Art, the suitable Martial Souls aren't just spear-type Martial Souls, but Martial Souls with the Five Elements Attribute, or Martial Souls with potential in devouring and digestion."

Unlike how he treated others, Xu Yuan was willing to hand over the Heaven Devouring Earth Eating Great Art to the Body Sect.

"No need. If Body Sect disciples need your Ultimate Art in the future, let them come learn it from you themselves." Mu Ye waved a hand, refusing to incorporate the Heaven Devouring Earth Eating Great Art into the Body Sect's secret arts.

This Ultimate Art should remain Xu Yuan's own.

After cultivating for a week, Xu Yuan had fully absorbed Zhen Hua's techniques and had begun adapting to his new cultivation schedule after completing the Qi and Blood Contract.

"Teacher, it's time for me to go to the Spirit Pagoda and ascend my spirit."

The Spirit Ascension Platform only checked admission tickets and did not record the identities of Soul Masters. Therefore, admission tickets could be auctioned off, and those entering the Spirit Ascension Platform would likewise not be completely monitored by the Spirit Pagoda.

The reason it was not complete monitoring was that staff members had to watch the surveillance feeds when people entered the Spirit Ascension Platform. However, without knowing the identities of those entering, the information would not be compiled and organized into records.

Thus, Xu Yuan had no need to worry about his circumstances being compiled by the Spirit Pagoda into a Soul Master file and eventually seen by Qian Gu Dongfeng.

"Go to the Intermediate Spirit Pagoda." Zhen Hua took out two admission tickets for the Intermediate Spirit Pagoda. "Your uncle sent these over. The Intermediate Spirit Pagoda allows Soul Masters below Level Seventy to enter. Neither your teacher nor I can help you there, so I'll find a Forging Master from the association to accompany you."

Xu Yuan nodded.

Zhen Hua made a phone call, and before long, there was a knock on the office door.

"Come in."

"President."

A young man entered. He had a burly build, though his face showed that he was no more than thirty years old.

"This is Zhao Long, a Fifth Grade Forging Master from the association. His Soul Power is at Level Fifty-Eight. With his strength, he should be more than capable of hunting Soul Beasts for you and helping you ascend your spirit."

Not yet thirty years old, with Level Fifty-Eight Soul Power, and already a Fifth Grade Forging Master.

In the forging profession, the further one advanced, the more valuable one became, because the early stages were spent laying foundations.

With Level Fifty-Eight Soul Power and already being a Fifth Grade Forging Master, advancing to the sixth grade should not be difficult. The true obstacle would likely be seventh-grade Soul Forging.

However, given his circumstances, he clearly had ample time to challenge Soul Forging. Once he succeeded, he would become a Saint Craftsman!

Across the entire continent, Saint Craftsmen were already exceptionally scarce Forging Masters.

"Zhao Long, this is Xu Yuan. Your mission this time is to help him complete his spirit ascension, raising his five-hundred-year Soul Spirit to one thousand years. If he can still endure it, raise it to one thousand five hundred years," Zhen Hua assigned the task.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhao Long answered crisply, "Alright."

"Mhm." Zhen Hua looked at Zhao Long and nodded. "Once Xiao Yuan's Soul Spirit has completed its ascension, you may ascend your own spirit. This time, directly raise your Second Soul Spirit to the limit below ten thousand years."

"Thank you, President!"

Due to technical limitations, the Spirit Ascension Platform was still unable to raise Soul Spirits to the ten-thousand-year level.

(When I wrote this earlier, I mixed it up. Fourth Grade Forging Masters do not need Spirit Forging; Spirit Forging begins at the fifth grade. The fourth grade is Thousand Refined First Grade, where one begins to come into contact with spirituality. The logic was technically fine, but I wrote that line without thinking it through. It has already been corrected.)