The faint morning light filtered through the carved window frame and fell across Huo Yuhao's face.
For once, he had not cultivated the night before, instead enjoying a deep sleep.
Now Huo Yuhao felt refreshed, as though his entire body brimmed with inexhaustible strength.
After he finished breakfast with Du Busi, Bai Ming, and Xue Yang, a Heaven Dou attendant arrived with the seal representing his title of Azure Dragon Viscount.
The seal was about an inch across, made entirely of azure spirit jade, with a lifelike azure dragon carved upon it.
Huo Yuhao accepted the Azure Dragon Seal and rewarded the attendant with some Gold Soul Coins, then followed Du Busi and the others back to the Body Sect.
As for Ma Xiaotao, after Huo Yuhao temporarily suppressed her Evil Fire the previous night under the witness of the Heavenly Soul Royal Family, the Body Sect, and Shrek, Xue Xin, who had come to the palace, took her back to Di'ao Academy.
Song Yunzhi promised to personally deliver the medicinal herbs Shrek had agreed to provide as a deposit to Di'ao Academy five days later, where someone from Di'ao would pass them on to the Body Sect.
Meanwhile, after discussing the matter, Du Busi and the others believed that since Ma Xiaotao had not undergone tempering by ultimate power before reaching Soul Saint, even if her Evil Fire was eventually purified, she would not advance rapidly afterward, but would instead need a period of consolidation.
"We estimate that Ma Xiaotao will linger at Soul Saint for a while, or simply get stuck at rank sixty-nine."
"So the time spent treating her Evil Fire, along with the period when she is trapped at that bottleneck, will be your chance to surpass her in cultivation."
Upon hearing this, Xue Xin immediately promised that Di'ao Academy would spare no effort in supporting Huo Yuhao's growth.
Even when Huo Yuhao expressed a desire to study Soul Tools, he said he would discuss it with his imperial elder brother, Xue Heng, and recall the spies embedded in the Sun Moon Empire specifically to teach Huo Yuhao.
The wind whistled past their ears. By the time the group returned to the Body Sect, the sun was already high overhead.
Du Busi brought Huo Yuhao to the Body Sect's Ancestral Hall.
After introducing Huo Yuhao to the memorial tablets of the past sect masters, he began explaining the Body Secret Art to him.
Du Busi placed the Body Ancestor's life's work, the Secret of the Body, in Huo Yuhao's hands.
The booklet was small, only palm-sized, but it weighed no less in his hands than the Ultimate Secret Manual, and perhaps even more.
The Body Ancestor had truly reached the pinnacle of Body Martial Souls and had nearly fought his way into the Divine Realm by his own strength.
Even Du Busi and the late Du Bisou could hardly catch a glimpse of his back.
Huo Yuhao could not help imagining what a magnificent spectacle it would have been if the Body Ancestor and the Seven Gods had lived in the same era.
Du Busi said, "This is the Body Sect's closely guarded secret. It records the secret method for the Second Awakening of a Body Martial Soul."
"The Ancestor believed that Body Martial Souls were gifts from a god. By god, he did not mean gods who rose from mortals like the Seven Gods ten thousand years ago, but the Great Cosmic True God who existed at the dawn of creation."
"He has neither form nor appearance, yet fills heaven and earth."
"He leaves neither shadow nor trace, yet shines upon all eight directions."
"But it was precisely this belief that made the Divine Realm refuse to accept the Ancestor, leaving him unable to condense a divine seat of his own."
Du Busi's voice was particularly deep and solemn.
He was revealing a great secret of history to Huo Yuhao. "After the Divine Realm rejected the Ancestor, he left these words: 'A false god's seat-then I need not attain it.' Then he laughed three times and breathed his last."
As Huo Yuhao understood it, the god the Body Ancestor spoke of should have been equivalent to a Plane Embryo-in other words, cosmic will.
At the same time, things began to become clear to him: cosmic will probably did exist in his universe.
However, its foundations were too weak for it to truly form a Plane Embryo.
Huo Yuhao guessed that the god the Martial Ancestor had told him to become was very likely the Great Cosmic True God, rather than a god of the Divine Realm.
Seeing that Huo Yuhao understood his meaning, Du Busi nodded in satisfaction.
He continued, "The Ancestor mentioned in his book that our Body Martial Souls can be the first to touch upon Second Awakening because the divinity within them far exceeds that of any other Martial Soul."
"Divinity?" Huo Yuhao frowned in thought.
"That's right. Divinity."
Du Busi said, "This divinity normally lies dormant and can only be roused through the secret method of Second Awakening. It is precisely because this thread of divinity exists that our combat strength soars after our Body Martial Souls undergo Second Awakening, even doubling."
"Different organs contain different amounts of divinity, which is why Second Awakening is divided into levels."
"And the key to Second Awakening lies in..."
He suddenly stopped, staring intently into Huo Yuhao's eyes. "It lies in the utmost pain and the utmost insight."
"That is why even the most ordinary Black Iron level can potentially advance to Bronze level, Silver level, or even Gold level upon reaching Titled Douluo."
"When you fused with the Ice Jade Scorpion's Soul Ring, you already endured the trial of remaking your bones and cleansing your marrow. But your understanding of your Body Martial Soul was still insufficient, which is why you did not spontaneously complete your Second Awakening then."
Huo Yuhao opened the slightly yellowed pages of the Secret of the Body.
Even though the title page contained precisely what Du Busi had just said, Huo Yuhao read it carefully, not missing a single word.
The first page of the main text contained a complex diagram of meridian circulation, recording the role of each of the human body's meridians in a Soul Master's cultivation.
Huo Yuhao studied the diagram closely and discovered, to his surprise, that the circulation through several of its meridians bore some resemblance to the Martial Scripture cultivation method.
Unable to conceal his astonishment, he marveled inwardly, To have worked out a cultivation method like this all on his own on the Douluo Continent-the Body Ancestor truly possessed world-shaking talent. Had he been born on the Tianxuan Continent, he might well have reached the Samsara Wheel stage.
Du Busi knew nothing of Huo Yuhao's thoughts.
He continued, "According to the sect's rules, we should actually test whether you can resonate with the Body Seed now."
"But considering that your Spirit Eyes will undergo an entirely new evolution in the future, we can leave the resonance test until then and spare ourselves the trouble of doing it twice."
Huo Yuhao nodded. "I understand."
Afterward, Du Busi continued explaining many things to Huo Yuhao concerning the Body Sect's various secret arts, and began personally guiding him in practicing secret arts and combat techniques.
Huo Yuhao possessed strong comprehension, and with the solid foundation laid by the Martial Scripture, he could master many combat techniques as soon as he tried them.
This repeatedly drew startled looks from Du Busi, who praised him as a truly born Body Sect Disciple.
"Good. Very good."
Only when the bright moon hung high did Huo Yuhao finally finish his training for the day.
"Thanks to the Azure Sky Profound Ice Dragon, a fully awakened ultimate dragon Martial Soul, your physical strength is already considerable."
Du Busi inferred from Huo Yuhao's Soul Rings, "And you've already absorbed two Thousand-Year Soul Rings, one of them from an Ice Jade Scorpion. Presumably, absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring from an ordinary Soul Beast would no longer pose a problem."
"But that is far from enough if you want to absorb a stronger Soul Ring!"
Du Busi stood up.
"Before you reach rank thirty, you are not to leave the Body Sect for any reason except your monthly visits to Di'ao to suppress Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire! As for studying Soul Tools, I'll have that Soul Engineer come to the Body Sect to teach you!"
"Your task now is to work hard at refining that piece of ice marrow, along with the medicinal herbs Shrek sends over."
"If there are thunderstorms during this time, go to the Thunderclap Pool and undergo the lightning baptism of the hundred-year Thunderclap Infernal Prison Vine. I'll have Old Jin and the others protect you and shoulder part of the natural lightning's power. Just focus on tempering your body."
"The upper limit of the Soul Rings you can withstand is related to your bodily qualities, including your physical body, spiritual power, Martial Soul quality, and your personal will as a Soul Master. So you must strive to absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring from a Super Soul Beast at rank thirty, while in your Second Awakening state!"
"You needn't worry about Soul Shock. I'll help you crush their souls completely!"