The Decline of the Body Sect

When Zang Xin saw the blueprint, he paused for a moment.

Yellow-Class?

Chen Xing drew quickly, too.

His pen swept across the paper, lines appearing one after another.

It took only a few minutes.

Chen Xing set down his pen and channeled Wish Power.

Golden light rose from the page.

The next second, a Yellow-Class Mecha over three meters tall landed in the center of the hall with a thud.

Zang Xin looked at the mecha, his brow twitching slightly.

"Interesting."

He stood and walked a circle around the mecha.

"No Soul Power, yet you can create a mecha just by drawing it. I've never seen an ability like this before."

He turned to Chen Xing, a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

But that was as far as it went.

A Yellow-Class Mecha.

The boy was certainly talented.

But to a Limit Douluo like him, a Yellow-Class Mecha was little more than a toy.

That talent wasn't enough to make recruiting the boy worth the trouble.

"President Zhen Hua, your student certainly has promise."

Zang Xin returned to his seat and offered the compliment with a smile.

Zhen Hua lifted his teacup. "You flatter him, Passionate Douluo."

Zang Xin stayed a little longer, chatting with Zhen Hua about nothing in particular, then rose to leave.

"I won't take up any more of your time. Farewell."

Zang Xin cupped his hands and headed out.

At the doorway, he suddenly glanced back at Chen Xing.

There was a trace of contemplation in his eyes.

But it lasted only an instant.

Then he turned and went out the door.

Chen Xing stood where he was, watching him disappear.

But he felt no relief.

Zang Xin was gone.

The trouble he brought might only just be beginning.

Chen Xing knew that well.

Zang Xin hadn't noticed anything unusual today because he had held back.

But what about Tang Wulin?

The Blue Silver Emperor Tang Wulin possessed was vital to the Tang Sect.

If Zang Xin discovered it, the Tang Sect would use every means at its disposal to claim Tang Wulin.

When that happened, Chen Xing wouldn't be able to stop them, even as his older brother.

"Come here, kid."

Zhen Hua's voice came from behind him.

Chen Xing turned and walked back to him.

Zhen Hua looked at him, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"You kept quite a lot hidden, didn't you?"

Chen Xing chuckled.

"I got the hint you gave me, Teacher."

Zhen Hua nodded, but his expression gradually turned serious.

"I have to warn you, though. Zang Xin is no ordinary man."

"He didn't notice anything today, but that doesn't mean he won't come back."

"Especially with Wulin around."

Zhen Hua set down his teacup and looked Chen Xing in the eye.

"If the Tang Sect discovers his Blue Silver Emperor, they'll stop at nothing to get their hands on him."

"I know you don't think much of Shrek or the Tang Sect, so make sure you protect Wulin."

Chen Xing nodded. "Don't worry, Teacher. I understand."

After leaving Zhen Hua, Chen Xing went straight to find Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin was practicing his punches in the courtyard. When he saw Chen Xing, he stopped and greeted him with a smile.

"Brother, were you looking for me?"

Chen Xing walked up to him and got straight to the point.

"Wulin, keep a low profile for a while."

Tang Wulin blinked. "Why?"

Chen Xing briefly explained Zang Xin's visit.

Tang Wulin's expression darkened when he heard it. "What should I do?"

Chen Xing thought for a moment. "I think we should get Teacher Mu Ye back."

"But Teacher Mu Ye went back to the Body Sect. He said he had things to take care of there."

Tang Wulin scratched his head.

The corners of Chen Xing's mouth lifted slightly.

"Then tomorrow, we'll visit the Body Sect together."

Tang Wulin stood before the Body Sect's mountain gate, utterly dumbfounded.

He looked at Chen Xing, then at the battered signboard above the gate bearing the words "Body Sect." His mouth hung open.

"Brother... this is the Body Sect?"

Chen Xing nodded.

"This is way too..."

Tang Wulin swallowed the rest of the sentence.

His expression said it all.

The Body Sect's mountain gate was more run-down than the market in Aolai City.

Most of the paint had peeled off the gate, exposing blackened wood beneath.

There wasn't even a disciple standing guard.

Chen Xing had known what the Body Sect was like.

In the original story, the sect had declined badly over ten thousand years. By Mu Ye's generation, its fortunes were dismal, with Mu Ye practically holding it together himself.

"Come on. Let's take a look inside."

Chen Xing walked through the gate.

Tang Wulin hurried after him and lowered his voice.

"Brother, didn't Teacher Mu Ye say the Body Sect was powerful?"

"That was before."

"As for now... you'll see when we get inside."

The two passed through the gate and entered the courtyard.

The courtyard was large, but almost too empty.

The Martial Arts Arena's ground was pitted and uneven. A few rusty iron staffs sat on a weapons rack nearby, while several broken vats were piled in a corner, apparently to catch rainwater.

A dozen or so disciples were scattered around the courtyard, each training on their own.

Some sparred, some sat in Meditation, and a few clustered around a large vat, doing who knew what.

When they saw visitors enter, every head turned at once.

A burly bald man spoke first.

"Who are you looking for?"

He was absurdly broad, with shoulders as wide as two ordinary men.

Chen Xing recognized him at a glance.

A Ruheng.

Mu Ye's eldest disciple and the future leader of the Body Sect.

Tang Wulin quickly stepped forward.

"Hello, Senior Brother. I'm Tang Wulin, and this is my older brother, Chen Xing. We're both Teacher Mu Ye's disciples."

A Ruheng paused.

"So you're our new junior brother?"

He looked Tang Wulin up and down, then broke into a grin.

"Master sent word a couple of days ago that someone would be coming. I didn't expect you so soon."

Tang Wulin scratched his head.

Teacher Mu Ye actually knew we'd come.

"Master's at Back Mountain. He'll be back soon." A Ruheng patted Tang Wulin on the shoulder. "Come in and have a seat."

Then his gaze shifted past Tang Wulin to Chen Xing.

"And who's this?"

"My brother," Tang Wulin quickly explained. "Chen Xing. He's learned from Teacher Mu Ye too."

Chen Xing nodded to A Ruheng.

A Ruheng nodded back and asked no more.

But there was a distinct hint of scrutiny in the way he looked at Chen Xing.

Zero Soul Power?

A Ruheng's brow twitched slightly.

With his cultivation, he could discern someone's Soul Power fluctuations at a glance.

Yet he couldn't sense a trace of Soul Power from the gray-haired boy before him.

He said nothing, though, and simply stepped aside. "Come on in."

Chen Xing and Tang Wulin followed A Ruheng farther inside.

The disciples in the courtyard stopped what they were doing and regarded the two outsiders with curiosity.

Chen Xing could feel their gazes.

Curiosity, scrutiny, and a touch of disdain they didn't bother hiding.

He knew that look all too well.

People at the Blacksmiths Association had looked at him the same way.

He paid it no mind. After all, he was here to see Mu Ye.

And to test a new idea he had developed recently for mecha design.

A Ruheng led them to a stone table in the corner of the courtyard and poured them each a cup of tea.

"Have a seat. Master should be back soon."

Once seated, Tang Wulin began looking around.

Everything about the Body Sect fascinated him.

Chen Xing remained calm and took a sip of tea.

The disciples in the courtyard were still watching them.

Though they spoke in hushed voices, Chen Xing could make out some of their whispers.

"...Is that the kid with Zero Soul Power?"

"I heard Master took him on in Heaven Dou City..."

"Zero Soul Power? Why would Master take him on?"

"Who knows? Maybe he has some connection to the sect leader."

Chen Xing kept drinking his tea without a change of expression.

Tang Wulin, however, was growing restless. He leaned closer and lowered his voice: