Body Sect

The Federation's eastern sea was vast and surging, with a lone island hanging in its depths—Dawn Island.

From afar, it looked no more than an ordinary deserted island shrouded in mist, quiet and desolate.

These waters were notorious for their danger. Submerged reefs lay tangled together like canine teeth, lurking menacingly beneath the surface and forming a natural barrier that deterred large vessels.

The island's resources were hardly abundant. Apart from a dense primeval forest so thick that wind could barely pass through it, there were only several mountains that were not particularly lofty but exceptionally steep. There were neither rare mineral deposits nor precious medicinal herbs, giving it virtually no development value.

Thus, the Federation had never extended its reach here, allowing the island to retain its most primitive appearance, far from the clamor of the world. The air was intoxicatingly fresh, carrying the scent of vegetation mixed with a faint salty tang of the sea. Birds sang melodiously, flowers exuded rich fragrance, and the place resembled a paradise beyond the mortal world—though it also carried a touch of isolated loneliness.

Yet deep within this seemingly barren island, a force capable of shaking the continent lay dormant.

Passing through a narrow, hidden valley at the center of the island, the sight that opened up would overturn all outside perceptions. In the heart of the valley, backed against the most perilous main peak, several buildings had been constructed along the mountainside.

They were neither resplendent palaces nor intricately carved pavilions, but buildings of an exceedingly ancient and rugged stone-and-wood style.

Bluish-gray rock and dark brown timber formed their main structure. Their lines were hard and their edges sharp, exuding an unadorned wildness and sense of power, as though they had naturally grown from the mountain itself.

The buildings were simple and practical in design, with low eaves and enormous doors and windows. There was not a trace of unnecessary decoration; everything existed only for utility and durability, blending perfectly into the island's primitive environment.

But the most shocking sight was not the buildings themselves, but the mountains surrounding them. Looking closely, dozens of platforms of varying sizes and depths were scattered across the steep rock walls.

These platforms were absolutely not naturally formed. Their edges bore obvious marks that had not been carved by blades—they had been forcibly blasted and excavated by countless fistprints, palmprints, elbow strikes, and even headbutts! The rock surfaces were covered in spiderweb-like cracks, yet were astonishingly dense, as if tempered through a thousand hammerings.

Every platform was steeped in sweat and Blood Qi, silently recounting the most primitive and direct method of cultivation: using the body as the soul, using strength to shatter all hardness.

This was the distinctive mark of one of the continent's most mysterious and formidable superpowers—the Body Sect.

At this moment, sunlight filtered through sparse branches onto the largest artificially excavated plaza beneath the main peak.

Several white-haired, ancient-looking elders stood there, their gazes as sharp as hawks as they supervised dozens of disciples training. The disciples varied in age, the youngest barely in their teens and the oldest already nearing adulthood.

They trained bare-chested, exposing either lean, hardened muscles or bodies still growing into strength. They practiced punches and kicks across the plaza, their movements plain and unadorned yet carrying the weight of a thousand jun. Every strike tore through the air with a whistle.

Others carried massive boulders on their backs as they struggled up mountain paths, their muscles bulging and veins standing out.

Still others sat cross-legged with their palms, soles, and crown facing heaven, immersed in deep breathing and meditation. The fluctuations of Soul Power around them resembled undercurrents beneath a calm lake, steady and restrained.

This was the new location of the Body Sect.

Before Zuo Qiu Lun arrived, the Body Sect's circumstances could only be described as miserable.

Apart from a few unfathomably powerful yet eccentric elders who were elusive all year round, the sect had only a dozen or so disciples. Though every one of them was exceptionally talented, with astounding potential and strength considered top-tier among their peers.

Yet ten thousand years of wandering had also caused them to inherit the Body Sect's longstanding tradition of "freedom"—or, more accurately, its habit of drifting around like street vagrants.

They had no fixed sect headquarters. Like lone wolves, they roamed the continent, training and surviving on various missions or "sparring matches" to obtain their livelihood and cultivation resources. They had no permanent home and were as scattered as loose sand.

To them, the very concept of a sect existed almost solely in the memories of their bloodline and inheritance.

Until Zuo Qiu Lun appeared and changed everything.

This young man, who aspired to become the Body Sect's sect master, had been deeply pained upon seeing the sect's current state. The Body Sect's inheritance could not be severed, much less allowed to decline so miserably!

He understood well that a powerful sect required not only peak experts, but also a constant influx of fresh blood and a stable foundation.

So he had no choice but to call upon his connections and resources, finding Zhou Mingyu, who held a modest position in the Spirit Pagoda.

Using the Spirit Pagoda's Martial Soul awakening record system, which covered the entire continent, Zuo Qiu Lun asked Zhou Mingyu to help watch for and select promising Body Soul Masters who possessed Body Martial Souls but might not have been discovered by major sects, or whose potential had yet to be fully developed.

It was through this method that those scattered across the Federation, Body Martial Soul possessors who might have been confused or overlooked due to the peculiar nature of their Martial Souls, were gradually gathered by Zuo Qiu Lun onto Dawn Island, far from worldly turmoil.

From the initial dozen or so people to the current several dozen, their numbers were still small—nowhere near comparable to those super sects with thousands or even tens of thousands of disciples. But for the Body Sect, this was already a massive leap forward, the spark of hope for its revival being kindled here.

Thus, seeing the steadily increasing number of disciples, Mu Ye had no choice but to begin choosing a sect headquarters.

In the end, he chose Dawn Island and purchased it outright.

Not only because it was hidden, but because of its "barrenness" and "danger." The reefs were natural defenses, the steep peaks were the best places to temper the body, the primeval forest was an ideal site for survival training, and the boundless deep sea was an excellent trial ground for the disciples' second awakenings.

By rooting the Body Sect here, he intended to have both new and old disciples use the purest methods on this seemingly impoverished land—tempering themselves, strengthening their sinews and bones, comprehending Soul Power, and reforging the glory of the Body Sect.

The fistprint platforms carved into the mountainsides and the sweat spilled across the plaza were proof of the new Body Sect's rise.

At this moment, within the sect's main hall.

Mu Ye looked at his two disciples. A hearty, bold grin spread across his bronze-colored face, and his voice rang like a great bell. "Hahaha! Ruheng, Xiao Lun! Your master truly had unbelievable luck on this trip!"

He extended one large hand and carefully held out a jade case carved from special warm jade.

The instant the lid opened, an indescribably rich and exotic fragrance spread through the hall, overwhelmingly drowning out the scent of sweat and earth from the plaza.

The fragrance seemed alive. The moment it entered their noses, A Ru Heng and Zuo Qiu Lun felt the Blood Qi throughout their bodies accelerate uncontrollably. Their limbs and bones grew warm, as though they had been immersed in a hot spring, and even the circulation of their Soul Power seemed to quicken slightly.

At the center of the jade case lay a strange "lump of flesh." Its entire body was a deep, full dark-red color, as though blood might drip from it at any moment. Its surface was covered in complex folds like the grooves of a Brain, layered somewhat like lingzhi mushrooms, yet fuller and richer than any lingzhi, brimming with indescribable life force.

This was the rare treasure recorded in the sect's ancient texts—the Ten-Thousand-Year Tai Sui! Legend said that it was formed from the essence of the earth. After ten thousand years of accumulation, it contained a vast ocean of primordial Blood Qi, making it an ultimate divine treasure for nourishing the body, tempering the bloodline, and strengthening one's foundation.

For Body Sect Soul Masters, who based their cultivation on tempering their physiques and regarded their own bodies as their strongest weapons, the Ten-Thousand-Year Tai Sui was worth even more than a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone!

"Look at this treasure!" Mu Ye's eyes gleamed brightly, unable to conceal his excitement and pride as his voice rose. "This is practically a great gift Heaven sent to our Body Sect!

Perfect timing. You two brats have laid down your foundations well enough. This is exactly when you need a divine treasure like this to nourish you and transform you! Hurry, half for each of you. Take it now! Your master will protect you while you absorb it!"

As he spoke, he was about to hand the jade case to his two disciples.

Yet to Mu Ye's surprise, faced with this peerless medicinal treasure that could drive any Soul Master mad, his two prized disciples—A Ru Heng, a towering man built like an iron tower with knotted muscles, and Zuo Qiu Lun, calm in temperament and deep-eyed—did not accept it in ecstatic delight after their initial shock. Instead, they exchanged a glance, each seeing the same hesitation and resolve in the other's eyes.

The two fell silent for a moment, and the air seemed to freeze.

In the end, Zuo Qiu Lun took a deep breath, suppressing the Blood Qi boiling within him from the Ten-Thousand-Year Tai Sui's fragrance, and spoke first. His voice remained steady, but carried unquestionable sincerity. "Master, this Ten-Thousand-Year Tai Sui... you should take it instead."

Beside him, A Ru Heng, normally an easygoing man known for his bold courage, rarely lost his smile at this moment. He nodded heavily and agreed in a deep, muffled voice, "Yeah, Master. This treasure... should be yours."

The smile on Mu Ye's face instantly froze. Then his brows knotted tightly, his eyes widening as though he had heard some absurd fantasy.

"What?!" he practically roared, the sound making the nearby leaves rustle. "Have you two little bastards lost your minds?! Do you know what this is?! A Ten-Thousand-Year Tai Sui! Ten thousand years! Even the ancient texts say this thing has gone extinct!

Your master has ventured into countless dangerous places without ever finding something like this! I only managed to get my hands on this treasure this time through Heaven's blessing!

This is the ultimate treasure for strengthening your foundations and paving your futures! How could... how could it be used on an old man like me?!"

He stomped anxiously, pointing at the dark-red flesh fungus with trembling fingers. "You're young, your Blood Qi is abundant, and your potential is limitless!

If you take it, your Body Martial Souls will definitely rise to another level. In the future, you'll have great hope of reaching Limit Douluo, even Quasi-God!

Give it to me? What use is it to an old man like me, who hasn't managed to step into rank 95 in half his life?!"

Zuo Qiu Lun stepped forward, meeting Mu Ye's slightly reddened eyes head-on. His tone grew even more earnest, carrying a trace of barely detectable heartache. "Master, you're wrong. Precisely because this medicine is so precious, it should be used on you."

He paused before continuing. "My senior brother and I are indeed young. The road ahead of us is still long, and we have enough time to accumulate strength and break through.

But you're different. You are the pillar of our Body Sect, the hope for the sect's revival!

You've been a rank 94 Titled Douluo for many years, only one step away from the level of a Super Douluo! How long has this bottleneck troubled you? Though you never mention it, how much humiliation have you suffered because of it over the years? All of us disciples understand!"

Zuo Qiu Lun's voice carried a heavy force. "This Ten-Thousand-Year Tai Sui contains the purest, most primordial Bloodline Power! It is exactly the key you need to break through your bottleneck!

Once you take it, the tremendous Blood Qi will wash through your entire body and surely help you shatter that invisible barrier, allowing you to enter the realm of Super Douluo! Your breakthrough would mean far more to the Body Sect's current situation than my senior brother and I gaining a little more strength!

The sect needs a Limit Douluo-level powerhouse to hold the fort! Master, please... for the sect, and for yourself, take it!"

A Ru Heng also clasped his fists heavily, his voice ringing with conviction. "Master! Xiao Lun is right! If you're stronger, you can teach us better and protect the sect! This medicine... should be yours!"

Mu Ye was stunned.

He looked at the two disciples before him. One was steady and wise, voicing the desire he yearned for most deeply yet had been helpless to attain; the other was straightforward and sincere, expressing the most genuine concern in the simplest words.

An indescribable surge of heat rushed into his eyes, and his throat seemed choked by something.

He had roamed the continent all his life and endured countless life-and-death battles. His heart had long become hard as iron, yet his two disciples' heartfelt words now struck the softest place within him.

Over the years, how many peers who had once been inferior to him had surpassed him one after another to become Super Douluo? How many old fools had used him all day as a "negative example" to educate their disciples?

What did it matter if his combat strength far exceeded those of the same rank? In the end, he was still merely a Titled Douluo who had lost the potential to advance!

He knew all of this! But he could not be crushed by such humiliation, because he was the Body Sect's sect master! A sect master was not allowed to fall! He could not fall!

He opened his mouth, wanting to scold them again, wanting to say, "I don't need it," wanting to say, "Stop talking nonsense," but those words simply would not come out.

Zuo Qiu Lun's words, "for the sect," struck his heart like a heavy hammer.

That was right. He was the Body Sect's sect master, and even more so, the master of these two children... The sect, his disciples... His gaze lingered for a long time on the Ten-Thousand-Year Tai Sui, radiating alluring red light and exotic fragrance, before slowly sweeping over A Ru Heng and Zuo Qiu Lun's young yet resolute faces.

On the plaza, there was only the sound of wind and distant waves crashing against the reefs.

In the end, Mu Ye agreed. That quiet "good" was both an answer to his disciples' expectant, concerned request and an answer to the desire for a breakthrough that had long lain dormant in the depths of his heart.

He looked at his two resolute disciples. In his gaze were gratification, emotion, and a trace of indescribable determination.

Mu Ye's steps were somewhat heavy, yet carried a measure of resolve as he slowly walked toward the cultivation chamber. His figure stretched long beneath the afternoon sun, as though he carried the future of the entire Body Sect on his back.

The stone door to the cultivation chamber now seemed to him like a gateway to an entirely new realm. Once he stepped through it, it would become a battle against the limits of himself.

Watching their master's back gradually disappear behind the stone door.

Unable to suppress his excitement, A Ru Heng threw an arm around Zuo Qiu Lun's shoulders and shook him hard. His eyes were wide with excitement and anticipation as he said loudly, "Junior Brother, Heaven has finally opened its eyes this time! Our Body Sect's luck is finally turning around! Master will definitely break through to Super Douluo this time!"

His voice echoed through the empty plaza, as though he wanted to spread this joy to every corner.

Zuo Qiu Lun merely revealed a faint smile upon hearing this. Within that smile was confidence in his master, as well as a depth of meaning others could not detect.

He gently patted A Ru Heng's hand and said, "Yes, our luck is incredibly good!"

Yet deep in his heart, he silently murmured, Master, don't waste this "opportunity" I prepared for you!