The Secret of the Martial Soul Origin

The essence of a Body Martial Soul's second awakening was, plainly put, strengthening its martial soul origin and driving the martial soul toward its ultimate evolution.

This, in turn, caused its soul rings to transform and grow stronger alongside it.

In a soul master's cultivation, the martial soul was the vessel that held all their power.

Much like an iron pot.

The martial soul origin was the material forming that vessel's foundation, directly determining the upper limit of its quality.

Soul rings attached themselves to the martial soul, providing soul skills and soul power, much like the water held in the pot.

All three complemented one another.

The stronger the origin, the higher the martial soul vessel's ceiling, and the richer and purer the soul ring energy it could hold.

Ordinary Body Sect disciples underwent their second awakening through medicinal stimulation and external pressure—a form of explosive, instantaneous evolution.

It was extremely fast, allowing them to break through and transform in a short time.

But the energy absorption was chaotic and enormously wasteful. Most of the origin's power went entirely to waste.

Only a handful of disciples with extraordinary talent, a martial soul located in a special part of the body, or sheer good luck could slightly increase their soul rings' ages through this process.

One example was Langya and Yu Tao, who had intended to bring Huo Yuhao back to the Body Sect during the original story's Continental Soul Master Tournament arc.

Yu Tao's martial soul was merely an ordinary right arm, and he had only achieved a bronze-level second awakening.

Yet, by a stroke of luck, he received feedback from his martial soul origin, refining both his first two soul rings to the thousand-year level.

He ultimately attained a top-tier soul ring configuration of four purple and four black.

By contrast, Langya, who accompanied him, had a head martial soul with a higher priority, yet never received such an opportunity.

His soul rings remained the conventional two yellow, two purple, and four black, without any exceptional enhancement.

This was the drawback of awakenings triggered by external forces: they were riddled with uncertainty and depended entirely on luck.

Xu Yan, however, had taken an entirely different path.

Drawing on the Extreme Yang Power available every day at noon, he polished, reshaped, and nourished his martial soul origin bit by bit.

Although the process was slow, grueling, and excruciatingly painful,

he could fully absorb every last wisp of power without wasting a fraction.

As the days accumulated, his martial soul origin grew increasingly rich and solid, giving him a foundation far beyond that of soul masters at the same level.

Precisely for that reason, when he absorbed his second soul ring,

the originally 4,900-year-old Fire-Armored Dragon soul ring successfully broke through its limits under the catalysis of his extreme yang origin.

Its age surged past 5,100 years, forcibly gaining more than two hundred years.

Not only that, but his first soul ring's age also rose by another hundred years in the process.

The increase might have seemed small, but it helped him shatter an ordinary soul master's absorption limit and perfectly absorb a ring beyond his level.

If he could absorb Extreme Yang Power faster and in greater quantities in the future,

then his soul rings' ages might soar even further.

Gathering his wandering thoughts, Xu Yan stopped letting distractions occupy his mind.

He focused on circulating the Body Sect Meditation Method to stabilize his entire body.

At the same time, he slowly channeled the pure Extreme Yang Power that had settled within him into his martial soul origin, continuing to refine his foundation.

Outside the courtyard, voices gradually gathered.

"It's so hot! Where's all this heat coming from?"

Many passing disciples crowded over curiously, craning their necks to look.

Xu Yan's courtyard was not far from the dining hall to begin with.

It was noon, and most disciples had just finished their morning cultivation and were preparing to head to the Cafeteria for a meal.

Seeing flames soaring into the sky from afar, they thought the courtyard had caught fire.

Yet the moment they approached, the sight sent a jolt through their hearts.

"Holy crap! Isn't that Junior Brother Xu, the Sect Master's new disciple?

Why's his whole body on fire, and why's he sitting right in the Magma?" a disciple at the front cried out involuntarily.

"Those flames are terrifying. Even from this far away, the heat stings my skin."

"Hey, hey, am I seeing things? He actually has two thousand-year soul rings?!"

"Holy shit! He really does!

Two thousand-year soul rings! What kind of monster is this junior brother?

With talent like that, no wonder the Sect Master took him as a disciple!"

More and more disciples gathered to watch, their chatter rising in waves.

Nearby, the Third Elder's brow creased slightly, a trace of impatience flashing in his eyes. Suddenly, he barked in a deep voice:

"Get off to lunch, all of you! You have three breaths. Anyone still lingering here will receive personal, one-on-one special training from me this afternoon!"

At those words, the disciples who had been ready to enjoy the spectacle instantly scattered like birds and beasts, turning and sprinting away.

They feared that even a second's delay would get them stopped by Elder Peng Yu.

Who in the entire Body Sect did not know that Elder Peng Yu's special training was the harshest and most torturous?

Once he set his sights on someone, doubled training intensity was commonplace. No one wanted to volunteer for that suffering.

"Haha, Third Brother, look how badly you scared those children," Guan Yi said with a quiet chuckle.

Peng Yu curled his lip and replied unabashedly, "I'm doing this for their own good.

If those little brats can't endure even this much hardship, what could they ever amount to?

How could they strengthen the Body Sect?"

"But ordinary disciples simply can't withstand that hellish training regimen of yours." Cun Hua rolled his eyes helplessly.

"Who says no one can withstand it?"

Peng Yu gave a soft snort, his gaze suddenly locking onto Xu Yan in the courtyard as his eyes blazed:

"This little fellow's blood and vitality surge like a dragon, and his body's ability to heal itself is downright astonishing. He can certainly withstand my cultivation methods.

Such a perfect Body Martial Soul, such an unparalleled seedling—it would be an utter waste not to polish him!"

Hearing this, Vina's lovely expression shifted slightly, and she silently mourned for Xu Yan.

Wang Yanfeng lowered his head without a word, afraid of drawing attention.

Yan Feng sidled up to Long Aotian and asked quietly:

"Buddy, is this old man's special training really that terrifying?"

Long Aotian nodded solemnly, his expression grave:

'"Inhuman' would be an apt description... but the results are extremely impressive.

I've trained with him a few times, and both my physical strength and the purity of my soul power genuinely soared."

Then, as though something had occurred to him, he added sternly:

"He is the Third Elder. You must respect the sect's seniors and not speak carelessly."

Yan Feng's mouth twitched. "So serious..."

Time passed quickly as they chatted.

The sun overhead also shifted a little to the west.

Noon had passed!

The Extreme Yang Fire raging wildly inside Xu Yan gradually settled.

Although it remained somewhat restless, it was now within his body's tolerance and no longer threatened to run out of control and harm him.

"Phew—"

Xu Yan merged the final wisp of extreme yang essence into his martial soul origin, then slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

He opened his eyes.

"Excellent. To temper yourself through extreme suffering and advance against adversity—your temperament and willpower far surpass those of your ordinary peers."

Peng Yu flickered forward, appearing before Xu Yan in an instant, his face full of approval.

Taken slightly aback, Xu Yan immediately rose from the scorching Magma-covered ground.

Looking at the unfamiliar old man before him, he asked politely, "May I ask who you are, Senior?"

"I am Peng Yu, Third Elder of the Body Sect. The world calls me White Bone Douluo."

Peng Yu introduced himself, then raised a hand toward the two behind him:

"This is Fourth Elder Guan Yi, and Fifth Elder Cun Hua."

So they were elders!

Hearing this, Xu Yan immediately bowed. "Junior Xu Yan pays his respects to the three elders."

Seeing that Xu Yan was composed and well-mannered despite his youth, with none of a young man's impetuous arrogance, all three elders nodded inwardly.

Peng Yu spoke with a smile. "You have only just joined the sect. The Sect Master has been burdened with many affairs lately and cannot constantly oversee your daily cultivation.

From now on, I will personally guide your cultivation. What do you think?"

Delight rose in Xu Yan's heart. Without the slightest hesitation, he clasped his hands and replied earnestly:

"Thank you for your kindness, Elder! Receiving your personal guidance is both an opportunity and a blessing. I could ask for nothing better!"

Body Martial Souls were mysterious by nature, requiring one to memorize the acupoints throughout the human body.

They also required mastery of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.

Self-study from a single copy of Secret of the Body could only take him so far.

How could that compare with the detailed, thorough instruction of an experienced sect elder, guiding him personally and resolving his doubts?

Although the Body Sect had only a little over two hundred core disciples in its direct lineage,

Du Busi, as its Sect Master, had countless internal matters and external affairs to handle.

In particular, the large quantities of rare ore and high-grade soul tools brought back this time

all required him to coordinate personally with the Heavenly Soul Royal Family, oversee their disposal, and arrange their pricing and sale.

He simply had no spare energy to tutor a disciple individually.

"Mm, excellent!"

Peng Yu nodded in satisfaction, then said:

"Spend today familiarizing yourself with the sect. I'll come find you tomorrow morning."

With that, he turned and left.

He acted with the speed of thunder and the force of the wind, utterly decisive.