He turned around and looked at the Divine Realm Center again, his gaze growing grave. "I'll have to think of another way and see if I can investigate through other channels. If that doesn't work..."
He paused and said no more.
Xiao Wu looked at him and tightened her grip on his hand.
Not long after Du Busi left, someone gently pushed open the stone room's door again.
Tie Hu poked half his head inside first, his eyes bright with barely contained curiosity.
Before Xu Jingyao could ask what he wanted, Tie Hu squeezed in sideways and dropped heavily onto a stone stool.
The heavy stone stool immediately let out a creaking groan under the strain.
"Did the sect master give you a hard time?"
Tie Hu rubbed his thick hands together, his voice full of apprehension.
"I've been keeping watch outside this whole time. When the sect master came out, his face was dark, and I couldn't tell whether he was happy or angry. He was especially hard to read."
"He didn't."
Xu Jingyao gently pushed the jar of candied fruit beside him over.
"Want some?"
Tie Hu unceremoniously grabbed a huge handful and crunched the fruit and pits together, speaking indistinctly with his mouth full.
"Good, good! Listen, our sect master may look rough and overbearing, but he's actually very thoughtful."
"If he really couldn't be bothered with you, he wouldn't have come to see you in person."
"He went out of his way to come in and talk with you for so long today. There's a hundred percent chance this will work out!"
Xu Jingyao smiled faintly but said nothing.
Tie Hu sat around for a while longer, managing to eat half the jar of candied fruit before wiping his greasy mouth and leaving, thoroughly satisfied.
Inside the stone room next door.
Du Busi casually tossed his dark outer robe onto the stone table and dropped heavily onto the stone bed.
He stretched his legs out carelessly and rested one hand on his knee, his fingertips tapping his thigh intermittently as he sat with a grave expression.
Tie Hu's master's surname was Tie, and his given name was Jian.
Their shared surname was purely coincidental; they were not related in the slightest.
Tie Jian was over forty, with a burly, solid build. His Martial Soul transformed both his arms into hammers. He had always been quiet, steady, and reserved.
Yet he was the trusted confidant Du Busi relied on most and the person he most often sought out to discuss matters.
At that moment, Tie Jian sat properly on the stone stool across from him, quietly watching the sect master's grave expression. He lowered his eyes and waited patiently, not speaking first and disturbing him.
Du Busi tapped his knee by himself for a long while before finally breaking the silence.
"Tie Jian."
"Yes, sect master."
"That boy's Martial Soul is unquestionably genuine. There's not the slightest doubt."
Tie Jian gave a slight nod.
There was no need for the sect master to say more about this. Anyone in the Body Sect with a decent eye could see at a glance whether it was genuine.
"Life Ash Body, bearing the Origin powers of life and destruction. He's only twelve, yet his Soul Power is already at the peak of Level 49, and he could break through at any moment."
Du Busi leaned his head back against the stone wall and gazed at the rough ceiling, his tone tinged with astonished disbelief.
"I've lived for nearly a hundred years and spent half my life roaming Douluo Continent, but I've never seen such a bizarre and peerless Martial Soul."
"I secretly tested him just now. The foundation of his Martial Soul is absurdly solid."
"His meridians, flesh, and bones-every inch of his body has been tempered and honed by the extreme forces of life and death. It's the purest innate Body Martial Soul, perfectly suited to the Body Sect's path of cultivation."
"If such a genius joined the Body Sect and learned the sect's core techniques, even I wouldn't dare to predict how far he might go in the future."
Tie Jian listened quietly, remaining silent throughout and not interrupting once.
Du Busi continued on his own, his voice concealing a deep helplessness.
"I've been stuck at the threshold of Level 98, Limit Douluo, for decades."
"I once thought that one more step would let me touch the ultimate realm below godhood and extend the Body Sect's prosperous fortunes for another few decades."
"But in the end, I'm old. My meridians have long since hardened into place. My talent, physique, and age have all locked off the road ahead. There's no possibility of making further progress in this life."
He raised a hand and patted his knee, his tone heavy.
"But that boy is only twelve."
Tie Jian finally spoke, his voice calm and even, striking straight at the heart of the matter.
"What the sect master is worried about has never been his Martial Soul. It's his identity and allegiance."
Du Busi's fingertips, which had been tapping his knee, suddenly stopped.
"The Carefree Pavilion has expanded far too rapidly over the past few years. Its influence spans the Heaven Dou Empire, the Spirit Empire, the Star Luo Empire, and the Sun Moon Empire. Its reach is everywhere."
"As the Pavilion Master of the Carefree Pavilion, he commands such a vast force. Yet he suddenly came alone to the Body Sect to study. His explanation is too far-fetched for anyone to believe completely."
Du Busi drew his legs back and sat upright, his expression turning utterly grim.
"Who exactly is behind him? Is the Sun Moon Empire secretly supporting him? Or is he a pawn of some royal family?"
"If I make an exception and accept him into the sect, passing down the Body Sect's secret core techniques..."
"If one day he sides with the Sun Moon Empire, wouldn't the Body Sect become the laughingstock of the world, condemned as traitors who sold out our ancestors for glory?"
Tie Jian fell silent for several breaths, then raised his eyes to look straight at Du Busi, his tone confident and composed.
"Sect master, don't forget the roots of our Body Sect."
"I remember them, of course."
"Since the Body Sect was founded, we have never depended on any empire's royal family, nor bowed down to or submitted to any faction."
Tie Jian spoke evenly, each word ringing out with conviction.
"A hundred years ago, when the Heaven Dou Empire sent people to recruit us, the sect masters of that era simply threw the envoys out the door and flatly refused."
"The Sun Moon Empire sent people several times to discuss cooperation and offered generous benefits. We kept our doors shut and paid them no mind."
"Our Body Sect has survived in the narrow gap between the four empires until today not because of patrons, connections, or political maneuvering."
"It is because of our overwhelmingly powerful Body Martial Souls and our absolute strength, which crushes all rivals."
Du Busi fell silent, his fingertips coming to a complete stop.
"That child is a once-in-ten-thousand-years peerless genius. Where he came from is entirely irrelevant."
Tie Jian continued to advise him calmly.
"If he truly pledges himself to the Body Sect, we'll devote all our efforts to cultivating him. He'll become a pillar of the sect's future."
"If he's secretly harboring other intentions and his heart is with the Sun Moon Empire, then it only shows that the Sun Moon Empire's fortunes are flourishing enough to make room for a rising prodigy."
"When war breaks out between the four empires and flames of battle spread everywhere, which side he takes will be his personal choice."
"As long as he is a disciple of the Body Sect, he must abide by the sect's rules and remember the kindness the sect showed in raising him."
"Our Body Sect never takes sides first. We stand only with ourselves and protect the survival of our sect."
"The Heaven Dou Empire has never given us even the slightest protection or resources. The Sun Moon Empire is no different."
"Since none of the royal families have shown us any kindness, why should we fret needlessly and weigh the pros and cons for the various factions?"
Du Busi stared at Tie Jian for a long while, then suddenly gave a low snort.
"You certainly know how to talk your way out of things."
"This subordinate is only speaking the truth."
Tie Jian's expression was open and untroubled.
"The sect master already wants to take that boy as a disciple. You've just tied yourself in knots over it. It has nothing to do with that youth."