A Body Sect Unlike Any Other

Several streaks of light tore across the sky, flashing over the mountains and rivers along the border.

Only after a full two hours did Xu Yan and his companions finally leave the Sun Moon Empire and enter the Heaven Dou Empire.

The Heaven Dou Empire occupied the northwestern corner of the Douluo Continent, sharing a border with the Sun Moon Empire.

Its overall national strength was second only to the Star Luo Empire to the south.

The Body Sect, one of the continent's foremost powers, was rooted amid the perilous natural barriers of the Heaven Dou Empire's northern reaches.

Far from the great cities of the world, the terrain was treacherous and steep, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

It was an ideal home for a secluded sect.

Unbroken stretches of mountains and rivers swept swiftly beneath their feet.

"Huh? What's that?"

While admiring the distant scenery through his Telescopic Soul Tool, Xu Yan suddenly spotted an enormous valley behind a mountain range.

Quite a few youths in training clothes were sitting cross-legged there, facing into the wind.

They seemed to be cultivating.

Du Busi followed his gaze and explained with a smile:

"That is Ten Thousand Gale Valley, a hurricane-swept gorge discovered by our sect's predecessors.

"Chaotic storms ravage it year-round, and its fierce gales bite to the bone.

"They constantly batter the body, tempering the physique and honing its resistance.

"Our predecessors opened a passage through the gorge, connecting it to the mountain behind the sect specifically so our disciples could temper their bodies."

"There's actually a cultivation ground blessed with such exceptional natural advantages?"

Surprise flashed in Ji Juechen's eyes, and he hurriedly asked, "Can we cultivate there too?"

For this sword fanatic, nothing mattered more than cultivation.

A dangerous place where raging winds tempered the body was perfect for honing his swordsmanship and state of mind.

Du Busi nodded readily, making no objection.

Although Ji Juechen and the others did not possess body martial souls, they were Xu Yan's brothers, after all.

Naturally, he would give them special consideration.

"You can, but the valley is extremely dangerous.

"Swirling winds fill the outer region, violent wind turbulence fills the middle, and the core contains incomparably sharp hurricane gales, with deadly dangers lurking within.

"Even a Soul Saint could lose their life upon entering the core.

"If you wish to cultivate there, a sect steward must accompany you for protection, and you must remain in the outer region."

"Understood! We'll follow the rules to the letter!"

Ji Juechen immediately gave his assurance.

Hearing this, Xu Yan suddenly had a thought.

Could Ten Thousand Gale Valley be the very place where Feng Xiaotian cultivated his Gale Demon Wolf Fifty-Four Consecutive Slashes ten thousand years ago?

Now that I think about it, it really might be!

The Heaven Dou Empire had originally split off from the former Heaven Dou Empire.

Its capital was still the old Heaven Dou City, with the major elemental academies nearby.

This hurricane valley was very likely the former site of the Wind Element Academy.

Du Busi flew swiftly, and before long, they had arrived outside the Body Sect's gates.

"We're here. This is my Body Sect."

Du Busi's eyes gleamed like lightning, and a trace of pride colored his voice.

"This is the Body Sect?"

Xu He stared at the sight before him, his face full of bewilderment, and exclaimed:

"This is nothing like the top-tier sect I imagined..."

The scene before them could not have been more different from Mingdu.

There were no bustling streets, no precision-crafted soul tool streetlights.

There were only vast, rugged mountains in their most primitive state.

Enormous stone buildings followed the contours of the mountainside, exuding a weighty, ancient air.

There was scarcely a trace of any soul tool throughout the entire entrance complex.

Even the gates were carved from basalt weighing ten thousand jin.

Heavy and solemn.

Yet a rich fragrance of medicinal herbs seemed to permeate the air.

It mingled with mighty, surging bloodline power.

Breathing it deep into their lungs cleared their minds and refreshed their spirits.

Yan Feng and Ji Juechen were stunned on the spot.

One of the continent's greatest sects actually looked this plain and rugged, far removed from the lavish grandeur they had imagined.

Even though he had been prepared, Xu Yan still could not keep the corner of his mouth from twitching.

The Body Sect revered physical cultivation to the extreme, almost entirely rejecting soul tools.

Apart from Storage Soul Tool Rings, they used no soul tools whatsoever.

No wonder the sect seemed to possess such substantial reserves yet remained perpetually short of supplies.

The sect regularly went to the Sun Moon Empire to squeeze out some spoils, yet they only gathered spiritual herbs and never fought over high-grade soul tools.

They could have snatched a few of those things and sold them to the nobles and imperial families of the Douluo Three Kingdoms for a hefty sum.

Why else would they have ended up in this state?

They truly had no head for business.

"Come on in!"

Du Busi called out, and everyone followed close behind him, climbing the stone steps to the gates.

Before they even entered the sect, a clamor of rough shouts assailed them.

"Hah!"

"Put some muscle into it! Haven't you eaten?"

"Keep going! Faster!"

Listening to those blunt, coarse calls, Xu Yan wore an odd expression and muttered inwardly:

Is this really a respectable sect? Why do those shouts sound a little indecent?

At the top of the stone steps, a vast, open training ground came into view.

Dozens of bare-chested disciples were sparring furiously there, tempering their bodies.

Some had arms as thick as elephant legs and were hoisting Iron Chain Dragon Stones weighing several hundred jin with one hand.

Others had bloodline power boiling through their legs, with heavy iron blocks strapped to them as they darted and leaped across three-meter-high Plum Blossom Stakes, diligently practicing their leg techniques.

Still others sat with their eyes closed, soul power flowing gently around them as they used secret methods to calmly hone their spiritual power.

These disciples all possessed different body martial souls.

Some had arms, some had feet, and some had eyes.

One even had a pair of fleshy wings growing from his back, allowing him to rise into the air with a gentle flap.

Anyone who did not know better would have thought they were an external soul bone!

This was the Body Sect, a gathering place for martial fanatics who developed their bodies' potential to the utmost.

For a moment, Xu Yan felt dazed, as though he had walked into an old-fashioned gym.

"The way they train is way too extreme!" Xu He's eyes widened, his face filled with shock.

"Tsk, tsk. My eyes have really been opened today!"

Yan Feng clicked his tongue in amazement. "Every last one of them is a damn hardcore muscle monster!

"This is even more extreme than the training we did before!"

Ji Juechen's eyes shone, and he smiled faintly:

"The cultivation atmosphere here is good. I already like this place."

At that moment, the disciples training on the grounds also noticed their arrival and stopped what they were doing to bow.

"Sect Master!"

"First Elder, Second Elder!"

Du Busi waved casually. "Keep training, everyone. No need to stand on ceremony."

As soon as he finished speaking, a pretty, slender figure stepped briskly out of the crowd.

"Master!"

An elegant young girl hurried forward and bowed respectfully to Mo Yuan.

Beside her were three other youths, two boys and a girl, all with steady auras and solid foundations.

Xu Yan's gaze instantly locked onto one of the boys, who had reddish-brown hair.

He could hardly help it; that boy stood out the most.

Although his face looked very youthful, his bulging muscles were astonishing.

He was nearly 1.8 meters tall, broad-shouldered and broad-backed, with a powerful build.

Dressed in nothing but loose training shorts, he had full, smoothly defined muscles brimming with explosive strength.

One look told anyone that he had spent years pumping iron!

Xu Yan wondered whether he used "Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin."

A thought suddenly struck Xu Yan. Red hair, a middle part, a muscle monster... could this be Long Aotian?

Xu Yan had always admired Long Aotian.

Not only was his talent exceptional, but his martial soul was also excellent.

A skin martial soul ranked among the very best body martial souls, with limitless potential.

Moreover, like Ji Juechen, he possessed a pure, unwavering heart devoted to the martial path.

Had he lived in a peaceful era, he would surely have reached the heights of a Super Douluo and become a formidable figure in his own right.

Unfortunately, he was merely a tragic supporting character.

During the great battle in the original story, he had died horribly beneath Ye Yulin's Sun Moon Divine Needle while protecting Vina.

He had a protagonist's name, but none of a protagonist's fate.

Meanwhile, Long Aotian also lifted his eyes to look at Xu Yan.

Xu Yan stood right beside the sect master, his bearing extraordinary and far beyond that of ordinary people, instinctively stirring a trace of wariness in him.

He faintly sensed a hint of danger.

Could this be the sect master's new disciple?

Long Aotian frowned slightly, suppressed his thoughts, and bowed with the others beside him, his manner respectful.

"Sect Master! First Elder, Second Elder!"

Du Busi looked at the boy before him with satisfaction filling his eyes and asked:

"Ao Tian, your soul power should be close to breaking through to rank twenty, shouldn't it?"

"Reporting to the sect master, I'm currently at the peak of rank nineteen. Within a month, I should be able to break through to Soul Grandmaster without difficulty!"

Long Aotian answered in a deep voice, composed and measured.

"Very good. Reaching the peak of rank nineteen at eight years old—your talent truly is outstanding."

Du Busi sighed inwardly.

Before setting out on this return journey, he had intended to take Long Aotian as his disciple.

He had never expected to encounter a peerless genius like Xu Yan along the way, and in the end, that opportunity had passed Long Aotian by.