The Body Sect

Du Busi carried Huo Yuhao through the air at an astonishing speed.

Huo Yuhao heard only the wind howling past his ears. By the time he could make out his surroundings again, he was already among mountains beside the sea.

"Boy Huo, welcome to the Body Sect!" Du Busi's voice brimmed with pride.

Du Busi brought Huo Yuhao down onto the Body Sect's square.

More than twenty figures instantly flashed out from various places.

Some were old and some young, but every one of them radiated immensely powerful Soul Power fluctuations, their auras as unfathomable as the sea. They were probably all Soul Douluos, or even Titled Douluos.

"Sect Master," an old man no less burly than Du Busi strode forward. "Has something else happened over in Heaven Dou City?"

Du Busi laughed heartily and swept out his great hand, pushing Huo Yuhao in front of everyone. "Heaven Dou City is perfectly safe. Take a look at the treasure I brought back from there!"

Only then did everyone turn their attention to Huo Yuhao, their eyes full of scrutiny and curiosity.

The old man walked up to Huo Yuhao and ventured, "Little fellow, could you also possess a body Martial Soul?"

"He's far more than just a body Martial Soul wielder!"

Du Busi's voice rang across the square.

He clapped his great hand hard against Huo Yuhao, nearly knocking him to his knees.

"He has twin Martial Souls, just like Vina! The mental-attribute Spirit Eyes and the ultimate-ice Azure Sky Profound Ice Dragon! A true dragon! Even stronger than the late Mu En's Radiant Sacred Dragon!"

The square instantly fell silent. Every expert of the Body Sect stared at Huo Yuhao in disbelief.

"A silver-level Body Martial Soul beyond any doubt, and True Dragon level ultimate ice?"

The burly old man's voice trembled slightly. "This... what kind of talent is this?"

Du Busi smiled smugly. "Old Jin, when I first heard that boy Xue Xin talk about Yuhao through the Image Transmission Stone, my reaction was even bigger than yours."

Du Busi then introduced Huo Yuhao to the Body Sect's senior figures.

After hearing Du Busi's introduction, Jin Peng gently stroked Huo Yuhao's head and asked, "Little Yuhao, you have a grudge against the White Tiger Duke's Mansion?"

"We cannot live under the same sky," Huo Yuhao said through gritted teeth.

"But Dai Hao is still your birth father. How do you intend to take your revenge?" Hong Yue asked.

She was the teacher of Princess Vina of the Heaven Dou Empire, a rank ninety-five mental-type Super Douluo.

Though she appeared to be questioning Huo Yuhao, she was actually testing his character and resolve, wanting to know whether his disposition would allow him to become a worthy heir to the Body Sect.

No one present doubted Huo Yuhao's talent.

A silver-level body Martial Soul alongside an ultimate-attribute true dragon-this was formidable talent that even Long Aotian could not match. As long as nothing unexpected happened, he would be the Body Sect's future Sect Master.

Huo Yuhao took his old bones out of his storage necklace.

An icy gleam flashed in his eyes. His voice was quiet, but every word was a blade, carrying hatred etched into his very bones.

"When I fused with the Ice Jade Scorpion Soul Ring, I underwent a transformation that almost remade my flesh and bones."

"This old flesh and these bones are no different from pieces I carved out of my own living body."

"When the day comes for me to take revenge on the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, I'll grind all of this into powder and scatter it before Dai Hao's eyes. I'll make him witness for himself how I, whom he once discarded like a worn-out shoe, grind everything he treasures into dust."

Everyone exchanged glances, then threw back their heads and laughed.

"Good!"

Hong Yue clapped Huo Yuhao firmly on the shoulder. "Now that's a lad worthy of our Body Sect! Once Vina, Ao Tian, and those other brats return from replenishing our supplies, we'll have to get you all properly acquainted!"

Jin Peng grinned. "Sect Master, what you've brought back isn't a genius, but a ferocious dragon whose eyes have turned red with hunger!"

Then he turned to Huo Yuhao and said solemnly, "Little Yuhao, I'm the Body Sect's Deputy Sect Master. My name is Jin Peng, my title is Golden Body, and I'm a rank ninety-six power attack-type Super Douluo. My Martial Soul is my torso."

"My name is Hong Yue," Hong Yue introduced herself. "My title is Spirit Heart. I'm a rank ninety-five power attack-type Super Douluo, a mental-type Soul Master, and my Martial Soul is Spiritual Power."

Du Busi added, "She also has another identity: she's the teacher of Princess Vina of the Heaven Dou Empire."

Huo Yuhao bowed solemnly. "My respects to you both, seniors."

The remaining Titled Douluos and Soul Douluos introduced themselves to Huo Yuhao one by one, and he returned each greeting.

Seeing that Huo Yuhao had met everyone, Du Busi waved his great hand and declared heartily, "Today is a day of great joy! Pass down the order-the whole sect will celebrate! And starting tomorrow, the Body Sect will officially emerge from seclusion!"

"I finally managed to get my hands on a treasure like Yuhao. If we don't go out and show him off, but keep cowering like turtles among these mountains and seas, wouldn't I have picked up this treasure for nothing?"

"Boy Huo," Du Busi turned to Huo Yuhao. "From now on, I'll teach you myself. Don't worry. I'll make sure you get a taste of what it means to wish you were dead. You'd better hold on and not disgrace me!"

Huo Yuhao offered Du Busi a disciple's bow.

His words rang out with unwavering force. "Your disciple Huo Yuhao pays his respects, Teacher!"

Du Busi swept his sleeve and lifted Huo Yuhao upright.

"The sentiment is enough. We don't bother with that empty nonsense in the Body Sect."

His tone sounded displeased, but his eyes were filled with mirth.

Then Du Busi barked at the elders, "What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and prepare the ceremony for our emergence! And get plenty of wine and meat ready tonight. No one's leaving sober!"

Everyone answered in unison.

Soon, the Body Sect was bubbling with excitement.

Cooking smoke curled up among the mountains. Some Body Sect disciples hunted beasts in the mountains, while others caught fish in the sea. Before long, a towering mountain of meat had been piled up on the Body Sect's broad square.

Huo Yuhao was given a seat beside Du Busi.

No one envied his place there, because everyone understood that this young Soul Master might well be the Body Sect's future.

Du Busi raised his wine bowl high, his voice booming like a great bell. "Drink to your hearts' content! Congratulations to the Body Sect!"

"Congratulations to the Body Sect!"

Everyone echoed him in unison. The clinking of wine bowls rose in waves, shaking the clouds.

As the night deepened, the bonfire blazed, casting a red glow over everyone's faces.

The aromas of wine and meat mingled. Laughter, drinking-game calls, and songs blended together without stopping from beginning to end.

Long Aotian, back from purchasing supplies, came over to Huo Yuhao and laughed as he clinked bowls with him. "Junior Brother! Come on!"

Huo Yuhao raised his wine bowl and knocked it hard against Long Aotian's. "Bottoms up!"

Both tipped back their heads and drained their bowls.

Seeing this, Wang Yanfeng, Chen Lü, Gu Tong, Chen Yu, and the others behind Long Aotian came forward in turn to clink bowls with Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao remained cheerfully undaunted.

In the end, even the female Soul Masters, including Vina and Jiang Yixi, picked up their cups to drink with Huo Yuhao.

"Keep it up, Little Junior Brother!"

As the drinking reached its height, Huo Yuhao directly invoked Azure Sky Profound Ice Dragon Martial Soul Possession. He threw back his head and let out a high, clear dragon's cry. "Everyone, no one's leaving sober tonight!"

"No one's leaving sober!" Wine splashed, and the clashing of bowls rang out in every direction.

Just then, someone suddenly linked arms with a companion beside them.

This set off a chain reaction. One Body Sect disciple after another stood, forming a large circle around the bonfire and beginning the battle dance passed down through generations of the Body Sect.

"Hey-ha!"

Their rough cries rang out in perfect unison. Everyone moved with bold strides, stamping their feet so heavily that the square trembled slightly.

The firelight flickered, stretching their shadows long.

Swept up in this wild, primal strength, Huo Yuhao felt as though the blood within him was boiling. His Soul Power Level actually rose by one rank as a result.

Yet his attention was not on that at all. He simply laughed as he followed everyone's rhythm, stepping, turning, and throwing up his arms. Though his movements were unpracticed, they carried a surge of heroic spirit.

Tears slid down his cheeks, only to be swiftly dried by the dancing bonfire.

Watching the Body Sect disciples perform their battle dance, Du Busi could not help feeling a swell of gratification and emotion.

"How many years has it been? Ever since Big Brother passed away, the sect hasn't been this lively."

He tilted his head back and swallowed a great mouthful of strong liquor. "Big Brother, can you see this? Our Body Sect... has new hope again."

Du Busi looked at Huo Yuhao, whose movements were somewhat awkward but full of vitality amid the crowd, and murmured, "Since you've taken me as your teacher, I can't very well leave you without an apprenticeship gift."

"Shrek has had several Sea God Pavilion Masters with ultimate attributes throughout its history. Tomorrow, I'll pay Shrek a visit and snatch their Ultimate Attribute Manual for training ultimate-attribute wielders. That'll be your apprenticeship gift, Little Yuhao."

Suddenly, an impassioned drumbeat rang out, followed by the lilting notes of a bone flute weaving through it, bringing the square's atmosphere to an explosive peak.

"Good!"

Du Busi roared.

He tore off his outer robe and leaped above the bonfire amid the disciples' delighted cheers.

"Watch closely, you little brats!" He let out a long cry. "This is the true Body Sect Battle Dance!"

He stretched out his arms. His movements were slow yet brimming with strength, and each motion faintly distorted the air around him.

Huo Yuhao watched without blinking.

In Du Busi, he seemed to glimpse the most fundamental application of a body Martial Soul's power.

"What are you all standing around for?"

Du Busi laughed and beckoned to everyone. "Join in!"

The bonfire burned ever brighter.

Gradually, Huo Yuhao felt as though a strange resonance had formed between him and the Body Sect disciples. Even their heartbeats fell into sync, while their Soul Power responded invisibly to one another.

"Mother..."

This time, Huo Yuhao did not let his tears fall. "I've found a home."