Du Busi Came in Person

Xu Jingyao nodded, raising his opinion of Tie Hu a notch.

This seemingly carefree disciple of the Body Sect actually had his wits about him. He knew what he should and should not do.

If he had brought Xu Jingyao straight into the Body Sect's core area, that would have been foolish.

After Tie Hu left, Shadow Douluo stationed himself at the stone house's entrance, leaning against the doorframe as his gaze swept over the surrounding mountain walls and stone steps.

Xu Jingyao sat inside the stone house and took the jar of candied sour plums he had bought in Qingya City out of his Storage Soul Tool. He picked one up and popped it into his mouth, letting its sweet-and-sour flavor spread across his tongue.

"Shadow Douluo, what do you think of this place?"

Shadow Douluo thought for a moment, then gave a brief reply. "Nothing but reckless brutes."

Xu Jingyao nearly choked on his candied plum and laughed. "You can't quite put it that way. The Body Sect hasn't survived this long wedged between the Sun Moon Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire on recklessness alone. These people really do throw their lives away in battle, but their elders aren't stupid. When it's time to bow their heads, they know better than anyone how to bend and straighten."

Shadow Douluo nodded and said no more.

The two had spent a little under an hour in the stone house when Tie Hu returned.

A lingering trace of excitement still showed on his face as he entered. Rubbing his hands, he spoke even more warmly than before. "Brother Ziqing, I told my teacher. The moment he heard about your Martial Soul, he stood right up and said this was no small matter-he had to report it to his superiors. It went up level by level until it finally reached the sect master. The sect master said he'd come see you in person this afternoon."

Xu Jingyao raised his eyebrows.

Du Busi, the Body Sect's sect master, a Level 99 Limit Douluo.

Having him come in person was a higher level of reception than he had expected.

But on reflection, it was only natural. If a young Soul Master with a Divine Aspect Rank Body Martial Soul appeared on the Body Sect's territory, any sect master would have trouble staying in his seat.

"All right, I'll wait."

Xu Jingyao set the jar of candied plums on the table. "Tie Hu, are all your Body Sect disciples as... enthusiastic as you?"

Tie Hu paused, then burst out laughing. "Of course! We Body Sect folks have simple minds and strong limbs. We say what we mean and don't play games with you. There are exceptions, of course. Those people whose Martial Souls are brains are as cunning as ghosts, every last one of them. You have to keep your guard up when you talk to them. But I'm different. I really don't have a cunning bone in my body!"

He even patted his chest after saying that, looking thoroughly proud.

The corners of Xu Jingyao's mouth curved. He thought the man certainly was honest.

Tie Hu chatted a little longer, said Elder Du would come that afternoon and told him not to wander off, then left.

Xu Jingyao rested in the stone house over midday, ate two pastries he had brought from Qingya City, drank some water, and regulated his breathing through one full circulation.

By the time he opened his eyes, the sun had already slanted westward.

Footsteps sounded outside the stone house-more than one person's.

Tie Hu's voice came first. "Sect Master, he's right inside."

Then came a deep male voice, carrying a rich resonance that seemed to vibrate out of his chest. "Mm. Wait outside for now."

The stone house's door was pushed open from outside, and a burly middle-aged man walked in.

He was very tall, half a head taller than Tie Hu, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. He wore a dark gray robe of coarse cloth, its hem tucked into his belt, exposing trousers bound with leg wraps and a pair of mud-stained cloth shoes below.

His hair was a mess, and stubble had sprouted over his face. He looked no different from a farmer just back from working the fields, but his eyes were exceptionally sharp.

The instant his gaze landed on Xu Jingyao, Xu Jingyao felt an extraordinarily heavy pressure of Soul Power flash from him and vanish.

Du Busi.

A Level 98 Limit Douluo, the Body Sect's sect master.

Xu Jingyao rose and cupped his fist in salute, respectful without being servile. "Ziqing of the Carefree Pavilion greets Sect Master Du."

Du Busi did not speak immediately. He looked him up and down several times, his gaze lingering on the golden mask for a moment before sweeping twice over the fan and the jade token at his waist.

Then he walked over to the stone stool opposite Xu Jingyao and sat, stretching his long legs out to one side in a thoroughly casual posture.

"Tie Hu said your Martial Soul is a Divine Aspect Rank Body Martial Soul." Du Busi spoke in a voice much like the man himself-rough, direct, and without beating around the bush. "He also said your Martial Soul contains the two powers of life and destruction. With one hand, you healed his wounds; with the other, you blasted that Evil Soul Master to ash."

Xu Jingyao nodded. "That's more or less right."

"More or less?" Du Busi narrowed his eyes.

"Life and destruction are the origins of my Martial Soul." Xu Jingyao picked up the fan from the table and slowly opened it. Painted across its surface were half a withered tree and a sword thrust into a stump. "But I'm more accustomed to calling it the Life Ash Body."

Du Busi tapped a finger against the stone table.

It was a light tap, yet the entire stone table shuddered with it, and the jar of candied plums jumped before dropping back down.

"Life Ash Body."

He rolled the words around in his mouth, then suddenly stood. "Release it. Let me see."

Xu Jingyao wasted no words either. He folded his fan, stood, took half a step back, and slowly released his Martial Soul.

The divine aspect of the Life Ash Body slowly rose behind him, its indistinct humanoid outline nearly filling the entire space beneath the roof of the cramped stone house.

Emerald light of life flowed gently around its left hand, while dark purple Power of Destruction lay coiled quietly around its right. The two auras intertwined, casting shifting light and shadow across the humble stone house.

Du Busi's eyes suddenly lit up.

He took one step forward, then another, coming within three feet of the divine aspect's phantom as he examined it closely. His gaze moved from the emerald left hand to the dark purple right, then back again, studying it for a long time.

He reached out as though to touch the divine aspect's phantom, but the moment his fingers brushed its edge, that power gently bounced them away.

Du Busi withdrew his hand and lowered his head to inspect his fingertips. An extremely faint purple glow lingered there, slowly fading.

"It really is life and destruction." His voice held a tremor he could not suppress. "A Martial Soul like this shouldn't exist on the Douluo Continent."

Xu Jingyao withdrew his Martial Soul. The divine aspect's phantom slowly dispersed, and the stone house grew dim again.

He sat back down and placed his fan on the table without replying.

Du Busi also returned to his stone stool. This time, his posture was considerably straighter. He had drawn his long legs back in, and his fingers no longer tapped casually on the table.

He looked at Xu Jingyao with something more in his gaze-the focus a Level 99 Limit Douluo showed only when facing someone who required serious attention.

"Who exactly are you?" Du Busi asked bluntly. "Carefree, Carefree... you're from the Carefree Pavilion, aren't you? I've heard of the Carefree Pavilion. You've spread far and wide across the three nations and the Sun Moon Empire these past few years, trading in Soul Tools and food. Boy, how old are you this year?"