Outside the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters in Shrek City.
A red light flashed, and the mecha landed smoothly.
The cockpit opened, and Na'er stepped out.
Her eyes rimmed with red, Na'er clung tightly to Lu Guan's fingers, refusing to let go.
"Brother, you have to come get me soon."
Lu Guan rubbed her head, then gave her cheek a pinch.
"Don't worry. Stay here and learn properly from Tower Master Leng. Once I've settled down in Heaven Dou City, I'll come get you, and we'll feast like kings."
Leng Yaozhu stood beside them, speechless.
Was this brat treating the Spirit Pagoda like a daycare?
"All right, enough clinging." Leng Yaozhu waved a hand and led Na'er into the tower.
Na'er looked back three times with every step, until she disappeared behind the doors.
The cockpit closed.
Mu Ye restarted the mecha and shot straight into the clouds.
"Can't bear to leave her?" Mu Ye sat in the pilot's seat without turning around.
Lu Guan leaned back in his seat and stretched. "It's not that bad."
Mu Ye burst out laughing.
The mecha flew at full speed until they reached Heaven Dou City.
A dilapidated courtyard in Heaven Dou City.
The mecha landed, and Lu Guan followed Mu Ye into the estate, growing more astonished with every step.
This rundown courtyard concealed a whole world within.
An enormous underground training ground held every kind of precision instrument, and its surrounding walls were all constructed from high-grade metals.
"Sit wherever you like. This is our Body Sect's base in Heaven Dou City. There's plenty of room, so go wild."
Seeing Mu Ye's slightly smug expression, Lu Guan asked, "Teacher, how many people are in our Body Sect? We've got such a huge place."
Mu Ye's smile froze. He coughed twice. "Including you, three."
His weathered face reddened, and he hurried to recover.
"Quality, not quantity! Our Body Sect follows the elite route. Back in the day, we were a top sect whose might shook the entire continent."
He stood and walked to the center of the training ground, his expression turning serious.
"Lu Guan, now that you've joined the Body Sect, there are some things you ought to know about us."
"The key to a body martial soul is its second awakening."
Lu Guan straightened up, attentive and solemn.
Mu Ye raised two fingers. "When a Soul Master breaks through to level seventy or level ninety, their body martial soul has a chance of triggering a second awakening."
"There are four tiers of second awakening: black iron, bronze, silver, and gold!"
"Once you achieve a gold-tier second awakening, your martial soul's strength can triple! Within your level, you're practically invincible. Killing someone above your level becomes as easy as plucking something from your pocket!"
Mu Ye looked at Lu Guan, raising his voice.
"But you should be able to go even higher!"
Lu Guan raised an eyebrow. "There's something higher?"
Mu Ye grinned, exposing stark white teeth.
"Innate Secret Method!"
"Through this secret method, your body can become a martial soul. Once you master it, your flesh will be the mightiest divine weapon. This is also the foundation on which our Body Sect stands."
At this point, Mu Ye sighed, a trace of helplessness entering his voice.
"But the very thing that made us has also been our undoing."
"The medicinal ingredients required for the Innate Secret Method cost a fortune." Mu Ye rubbed his brow. "And the failure rate is terrifyingly high. That's why our Body Sect has fallen so far. Successive sect masters practically emptied our coffers to practice the Innate Secret Method, only to fail in the end."
After hearing him out, Lu Guan did not hesitate.
"I'll practice it."
Mu Ye froze for a moment.
"Have you thought this through? Not only does the process burn through money, you'll also suffer pain beyond what ordinary people can imagine."
Lu Guan rolled his neck, producing a series of crisp cracks. "I'm not afraid."
"Good! Good! Good! I love that fearless streak of yours!"
Mu Ye turned and headed deeper into the basement.
"Strip. Time for a bath!"
Half an hour later.
An enormous wooden tub now stood in the center of the basement.
It was filled with dark red liquid that bubbled and gave off a pungent medicinal odor.
Mu Ye stood beside the tub with several jade boxes in his hands, twitching with heartache.
"Millennium dragonblood vine, earth-core fire marrow... every one of these is a top-grade material."
Gritting his teeth, he dumped all the medicinal ingredients from the jade boxes into the tub.
The liquid instantly boiled, turning an eerie dark purple.
"Get in!" Mu Ye shouted.
Lu Guan stripped down to his shorts and leaped into the wooden tub.
The instant he entered-
"Hiss-"
Lu Guan sucked in a sharp breath, every muscle in his body going taut.
Pain.
Heart-piercing pain.
The dark purple liquid seemed alive, burrowing frantically through his pores. Every drop that entered his body felt like a red-hot blade slicing through his flesh.
"This is just the appetizer!" Mu Ye shouted beside him. "Keep your mind steady, and circulate your soul power to guide the medicinal energy throughout your body! Whatever you do, don't pass out!"
Lu Guan clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.
The medicinal energy rampaged through his meridians, continually tearing them apart and rebuilding them.
This wasn't a bath-it was a fucking plunge into boiling oil!
Time ticked by, second after second.
Lu Guan's skin was scalded red, and his sweat evaporated in the heat the instant it appeared. His consciousness began to blur, but he kept biting down hard on the tip of his tongue, clinging to his last shred of awareness.
Watching from beside him, Mu Ye unconsciously clenched his fists.
This kid's willpower was downright monstrous.
An ordinary adult would have broken down after five minutes in this medicinal bath. Yet this six-year-old child had endured a full half hour without so much as a groan.
"He's a tough one," Mu Ye murmured, the heavy stone in his heart finally settling.
But as he watched the medicinal liquid gradually grow paler, his face fell again.
This medicinal bath needed replacing every five days.
His current stock would last another three months at most.
"I need money." Mu Ye scratched his head. "Where can I get some resources?"
A figure suddenly flashed through his mind.
Mu Chen in Eastsea City.
And that old fellow, Zhen Hua.
Mu Ye's eyes lit up, and he could not suppress his smile.
He walked to a corner, took out his communicator, and dialed a number.
The call connected shortly afterward.
"Oh, Mu Ye? Finished your business?" Zhen Hua's languid voice came from the other end.
Mu Ye cleared his throat, his tone becoming thoroughly punchable.
"Old Zhen, didn't you say your junior brother, Mu Chen, had taken in a forging prodigy?"
Zhen Hua replied, "Yes. Why? Have you met him?"
Mu Ye chuckled.
"More than met him. That kid's taking a bath at my place right now."
The other end went silent for three seconds.
"You stole Mu Chen's disciple?" Zhen Hua's voice rose, with a hint of delight mixed in.
"Don't make it sound so ugly. Mu Chen and I each handle one side-he teaches forging, and I teach cultivation. What do you mean, stole?"
Without a trace of shame, Mu Ye continued, "But this kid really is a freak when it comes to forging. He forges with six hands and has a hundred-percent success rate at hundred refinement."
"Six years old, six hands? A hundred-percent success rate at hundred refinement?" Zhen Hua lost his composure.
"That's right. His body martial soul mutated, letting him grow four extra arms. Think about it-he was born to forge."
Mu Ye began painting grand castles in the air.
"Old Zhen, haven't you always wanted someone to inherit your legacy? This kid absolutely meets your requirements."
Zhen Hua's breathing quickened.
"Where is he? Bring him over right away so I can have a look!"
Mu Ye sighed, sounding deeply troubled.
"But this kid respects his teacher and his teachings. No matter how much I coax him, he refuses to abandon Mu Chen."
Zhen Hua knew Mu Ye was implying something.
"What, do you have a way?"
Mu Ye fought back a smile. "Simple. You know how resource-intensive our Body Sect's cultivation is. If you support his cultivation, over time, you'll surely move him."
Zhen Hua finally understood what Mu Ye was scheming. He snorted. "You can fleece me if you like, but I need to meet that child first."
Naturally, Mu Ye agreed.
That money had come far too easily.
Still, these resources would not be enough for the Innate Secret Method.
Then Mu Ye picked up his communicator again and dialed another number.
"Hello, my old friend Mu Chen!"
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