Upon returning home, Yang Xiong fell into a contemplative silence, his mind entirely consumed by the logistics of developing his Body Spirit.
A Full-Body Martial Soul was a supreme existence even among Body Spirits. Its nature meant it possessed a staggering array of developmental branches. Whether he chose the path of the Power Attack System, the Agility Attack System, or the Defense System, he would find no equal. If he leaned into the metaphysical properties of the Spirit, he could even dominate the Control System.
Most crucially, a Full-Body Martial Soul possessed a terrifying attribute: absolute physical compatibility.
It was the ultimate versatile vessel. A Full-body Spirit could theoretically absorb any type of spirit ring without suffering the violent side effects of attribute clashing. He could even pursue a path of extreme toxicity, making his very presence an all-encompassing shroud of death.
However, the first era of Douluo was a brilliantly competitive age—a time when Divinities rose like stars. This period saw the birth of more Gods than any other point in the world's history; it was truly the dawn of the Divine.
Yang Xiong weighed his options carefully. The path of extreme poison was out. Even if he reached the absolute peak of that cultivation, he would likely plateau at Rank 98. While such a power would make him a living nuclear deterrent, feared by all, the nature of extreme poison was corrosive—it would ultimately eat away at his own foundation.
The most ideal path for a Full-Body Spirit was undeniably the route of Pure Strength. Strength-type Spirit Beasts generally provided powerful offensive capabilities and outstanding defensive boons, and their spirit rings were relatively easy to procure in the wild.
Yet, a part of him felt that focusing solely on pure strength would impose an artificial ceiling on his body's potential. It wouldn't feel "perfect" enough, at least from a spiritual perspective.
Of course, regardless of the chosen path, the body remained the foundation of all things. Everything ultimately distilled down to a single concept: Body Refining. Only when the physique was tempered to a high enough degree and its physical qualities reached a certain threshold could it withstand the violent energy of higher-year spirit rings.
In the entire world of Douluo, without the assistance of external treasures or spirit bones, only a Body Spirit Master possessed the potential to absorb a ten-thousand-year ring as their fourth, or a hundred-thousand-year ring as their seventh. They could achieve these feats through sheer physical grit, even without the aid of Immortal Herbs.
However, for a Body Spirit to truly transcend, it required a Second Awakening.
The problem was, Yang Xiong didn't know how to trigger it. The original literature he remembered from Blue Star didn't dwell on the mechanics in great detail. The specific methods were the most closely guarded secrets of the future Body Sect. He recalled a vague mention of using deep-sea water pressure to force an awakening, but the nuances were lost to him.
Alternatively, one could use Immortal Herbs to catalyze a Second Awakening, but Yang Xiong currently possessed zero information on where to find them.
Since the age of four, he had been an obsessive reader. Every day, between his physical drills, he scoured every book he could find. He went through his parents' collection and used their Outer Sect connections to borrow more. None of them contained even a footnote regarding Immortal Herbs.
Perhaps the Great Library in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's inner Sect held some small record of Spiritual Plants, but for an Outer Sect disciple, such knowledge was still out of reach.
...
While Yang Xiong was lost in his thoughts, Yang Lin and Sun Yu watched him with heavy hearts. To a Spirit Master, one's Spirit was the very foundation of existence. Awakening a "waste spirit" was a tragedy that many children simply could not recover from.
His mother, Sun Yu, was now over forty years old. Despite her relentless cultivation, she was stalled at Rank 42. She likely wouldn't reach the Spirit Emperor realm in this lifetime. She had hit her bottleneck—the greatest sorrow a Spirit Master could know.
His father, Yang Lin, stepped forward to offer what comfort he could. "Little Xiong, don't let this trouble you too much. Your Innate Soul Power reached Rank 6. With the resources of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, reaching the rank of Spirit Emperor or even Spirit Saint is well within your grasp."
"You must remember," he continued, "your mother's Innate Soul Power was only Rank 4, and mine was Rank 5. You have started higher than both of us. Even within the entire School, a Rank 6 talent is considered quite good."
Yang Xiong looked up and saw the genuine worry etched into their faces. They clearly believed he was devastated by his "useless" mutation. It was common knowledge in this era: a Body Spirit was a dead-end, a wasteful Spirit that was notoriously difficult to cultivate.
Yang Xiong couldn't help but let out a short laugh. "Dad, Mom, what are you thinking? I'm not upset. I was just calculating how I should develop my Spirit in the future. I'm incredibly satisfied with what I awakened today. Perhaps, in the future, I'll reach a height our family has never even dreamed of."
Sun Yu reached out, stroking her son's head, her expression one of deep confusion. "Little Xiong... did something go wrong during the ceremony? Spirits like this—mutations of a specific body part—are rare, but they are universally recognized as waste spirits. They are incredibly difficult to advance."
Yang Xiong countered quickly, "Mom, my Spirit isn't a waste spirit at all. It's a Supreme Spirit! While the cultivation might be demanding, it is actually the most elite Spirit type in the world."
Yang Lin and Sun Yu merely exchanged a pained glance. There were tens of thousands of Spirit types in the world, and the rarity of a Body Spirit was one in ten thousand. They assumed their son was simply in denial.
Sun Yu sighed. "Little Xiong, I've seen the records of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Spirits like ours haven't produced any legendary masters. Even reaching Spirit Saint is a rarity for such a mutation. How could it be a top-tier Spirit?"
"Mom," Yang Xiong explained, "I've read many books. I call Spirits like ours 'Body Spirits.' The primary method of cultivation for this type isn't just sitting in Meditation. It requires constant, grueling physical exercise. Only by pushing the body to its absolute limits can the Spirit grow stronger."
Yang Lin and Sun Yu were now even more bewildered. They were born and raised within the framework of the Sect; they were well-versed in the world's lore. They had never heard of a Spirit Master whose primary cultivation was physical labor. Every scholar and master in the world knew that the only way to improve was through Meditation—the absorption of the Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth.
Seeing their blank expressions, Yang Xiong fell silent. The history of Body Spirits was a long, arduous one; they wouldn't truly rise to prominence for another ten thousand years. Explaining it now was like describing a computer to a medieval peasant.
Yang Lin and Sun Yu felt a sense of relief simply because their son wasn't despondent. They didn't understand his logic, but they were happy to see him optimistic.
Thinking of the next step, Yang Lin added, "Oh, Little Xiong, since your Innate Soul Power is quite decent, the Sect will take notice. According to the rules, all children of the proper age will be enrolled in the Sect's academy soon. You'll be heading to school in a few weeks."
Yang Xiong's face instantly soured. "Father, school sounds incredibly boring. I'd rather study here at home. This courtyard is much better suited for my exercises."
"It is a mandate of the Sect," Yang Lin said firmly. "There are no exceptions. Besides, you'll be studying with peers your own age, which is the best way to make friends and build connections within the Sect. Children from both the Inner and Outer Sects will be there. With your Rank 6 talent, you will likely enter the Inner Sect eventually. It's better to know them now."
"Furthermore," Yang Lin concluded, "later today, I will personally teach you the basic Meditation technique. From this day forward, you must begin your official cultivation."