Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo quietly left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan with a group of people.
Early the next morning, Yang Xiong followed Bone Douluo to the training ground.
Bone Douluo looked at Yang Xiong with extreme seriousness.
"Yang Xiong, I know you've been cultivating my 'Way of Defense' manual since childhood, and you've even made some progress. But do you truly understand what the strongest defense is?"
Yang Xiong thought for a moment.
"Teacher Bone Douluo, I think the strongest defense is having an incredibly tough body, absolute physical strength, combined with defensive soul skills to enhance oneself."
Bone Douluo nodded.
"Not a bad answer. You do have some understanding of defense. But your view is too one-sided, and too simplistic."
"Whether it's your body refinement or the so-called absorption of defensive-type soul rings, these are not the essence of defense. True, ultimate defense lies in an unbreakable willpower,the kind that doesn't falter even in the face of the fiercest attacks."
"In the world of soul masters, the only ones who have achieved some success in defense are the Elephant Armored Sect and the Yu Clan. Their martial souls are naturally defense-oriented, but what sets them apart is their inheritance and body refinement techniques."
"In fact, purely from a defensive perspective, many martial souls are stronger than the Armored Giant Lizard and Diamond Mammoth. Take the Xuanming Turtle you encountered as your first soul ring, or the Xuanwu Turtle spirit of the Shi family brothers, or even the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon,they can all potentially take the path of extreme defense. So why haven't any true defensive experts emerged from them? It's because of their cultivation methods and lack of proper legacy."
"In my eyes, defense is about repeatedly standing against enemy attacks with your will until you break your limits."
Yang Xiong seemed to be deep in thought. What he used to consider a deep understanding of defense now felt shallow.
Bone Douluo casually waved his hand, and countless sharp bone spikes suddenly appeared in the air and shot toward Yang Xiong.
Startled, Yang Xiong immediately summoned his martial soul and soul rings. His entire body turned silver.
Facing the countless sharp bone spikes, Yang Xiong quickly dodged and punched them away when he had to.
But these spikes were cunning, aiming specifically at the weaker spots on Yang Xiong's body,his joints and head. He was soon overwhelmed. Several spikes struck him, and if he hadn't reacted quickly, a few could have hit his eyes.
In just a few minutes, Yang Xiong stood at the edge of the training ground, panting heavily and bleeding from multiple wounds.
Bone Douluo finally stopped.
"Yang Xiong, in terms of defense, you may be unmatched among Soul Sects or even Soul Kings. But I only used Soul Sect-level power, and you couldn't even handle that."
Yang Xiong's face turned red. He had always had strong confidence in his defenses, but now he was being shown a whole new level of attack.
Just as Bone Douluo had said,the attacks weren't that powerful or fast. They were at most at Soul Sect level.
Yet he still got injured. This wasn't just because Bone Douluo was strong,it was because, as someone who specialized in defense, Bone Douluo knew exactly where others were weak.
Bone Douluo then pointed at Yang Xiong, and a terrifying surge of soul power seemed to shoot toward him.
Yang Xiong's expression changed. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, his muscles and bones hardening as he activated his self-created soul skill: "Iron Bone Body."
But Bone Douluo's energy shifted midair. The originally direct attack dispersed, as if Yang Xiong had just taken countless simultaneous hits. All the weak spots on his body felt targeted again.
Yang Xiong was shocked. He had never imagined that an attack could be used in such a way.
Bone Douluo shook his head.
"Yang Xiong, you're still too green,too weak. You don't understand what true defense is."
"Defense isn't just about being physically tough. It's about making your entire body function as a whole. Right now, your soul power is clumsy. No matter how strong your body is, you'll still have weak points. The move I just used could be easily learned by an average Soul Emperor."
Yang Xiong quickly said,
"Please guide me, teacher!"
Bone Douluo shook his head.
"This isn't something I can just teach. You need to gradually understand it through countless battles. Try attacking me with your strongest move."
Yang Xiong thought for a moment. His eyes sharpened, and he quickly condensed a golden Rasengan in his hand, hurling it at Bone Douluo with all his might.
This Rasengan carried powerful metallic energy and rotated at incredible speed,not something a typical soul master could resist.
Surprisingly, the Rasengan seemed to be met with some kind of force dispersion upon hitting Bone Douluo. Though it covered Bone Douluo's neck and head, he stood completely still.
When it collided with him, Bone Douluo's soul power subtly trembled, which diffused the force of the attack. The result: Yang Xiong was the one who got hurt from the rebound.
Yang Xiong slowly began to understand what Bone Douluo meant. His body, after long-term training and tempering, had developed an instinctive response to attacks. His soul power had formed a natural defense mechanism.
Bone Douluo asked,
"Starting to understand?"
Yang Xiong nodded.
"Teacher, I think your body and soul power have formed some sort of instinct,not only tough as steel, but even the vulnerable spots seem... different."
Bone Douluo nodded.
"Good observation. But it's still far from enough. Since you know where the weak spots are, have you ever thought about training those areas specifically to withstand attacks?"
"I know you've sparred with Zhao Wuji for a long time, but he's a Soul Sage, far stronger than you. He always holds back in battles with you. That kind of training has some benefit, but it's not effective enough."
Yang Xiong asked,
"Teacher, then how should I train?"
Bone Douluo pointed at Yang Xiong again, and a powerful strike flew at his forehead. Yang Xiong tried to block with his arms, but the attack curved and hit him right on the head, leaving him dizzy.
Bone Douluo snorted.
"Yang Xiong, have you trained defense so much that you've lost your common sense? Facing deadly attacks to the head, and you still think about blocking them? Have you never thought about dodging?"
Yang Xiong felt a little embarrassed, recalling the infamous Ironhead Huyan Zhen,someone dumb enough to charge with his head.
Bone Douluo continued attacking Yang Xiong with various techniques. Against such a defense expert, Yang Xiong felt like his entire body was full of weak spots. He was completely overwhelmed.
After half an hour, Yang Xiong was nearly collapsed on the ground.
Bone Douluo finally said,
"That was just the warm-up. Now, I'll teach you something else. The foundation of defense training is developing your body's ability to withstand blows. Whether it's muscle and bone training or body-forging medicines, the goal is the same."
Bone Douluo moved swiftly in front of Yang Xiong and tapped him lightly on the chest. Yang Xiong found himself completely suppressed,unable to use soul power or even summon his martial soul.
Bone Douluo waved his hand, and eight burly men appeared, each holding a heavy black iron rod.
Yang Xiong sensed something bad.
"Teacher... you're not seriously making me fight these guys without soul power, are you?"
Bone Douluo looked at him like he was an idiot.
"You think you're in any condition to fight? These men have different martial souls and abilities. Their only job right now is to help you with impact training."
Before Yang Xiong could respond, the eight men began swinging their iron rods at him. They were clearly well-trained and incredibly strong.
Yang Xiong wanted to resist, but his soul power was sealed. He could only block with his hands.
These eight weren't normal fighters. Their attacks targeted all his weak spots,joints, head, and other vulnerable areas. Soon, Yang Xiong was covered in bruises and pain.
Meanwhile, Bone Douluo was calmly sipping tea at the edge of the training ground.
After an hour, Yang Xiong was lying on the ground, exhausted and trembling. His body was covered in bruises and turning purple.
Bone Douluo walked over and nodded.
"Not bad physical condition. That was just the first day,the easiest day. Tomorrow, you'll need to last two hours."
Before Yang Xiong could say anything, soul power lifted him into a blood-red tub. The liquid inside didn't seem like herbs,it looked more like fresh soul beast blood.
Even after undergoing ice and fire body tempering, Yang Xiong felt the liquid boiling through his pores. It felt like his body was melting,not from fire or poison, but something else entirely.
Bone Douluo nodded.
"You're lucky. The clan recently captured a few thousand-year Bone-Melting Snakes. Their venom and blood are excellent for body refinement. Usually only Soul Emperors can endure this,but it seems suitable for you."
Before Yang Xiong could respond, Bone Douluo released a force that submerged Yang Xiong's head under the liquid.
After half an hour, the red liquid in the tub had turned much paler.
Yang Xiong finally crawled out, only for the eight burly men to appear again with iron rods,this time attacking with even more force than before.
After a full morning of this brutal training, Bone Douluo leisurely left. Yang Xiong lay on the ground, beaten and nearly unconscious.
As Bone Douluo left, the suppression on Yang Xiong's martial soul and soul power gradually lifted. But after the morning's ordeal, his body felt like it had been torn apart,far more painful than even the battles with Spirit Hall.
Yang Xiong felt like crying. He seriously suspected Bone Douluo was just out to torture him.
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