Body Martial Souls had one significant drawback: all their soul skills were tied to their physical bodies and triggered through bodily movements. Repeated use made it easy for enemies to exploit vulnerabilities.
To compensate for this flaw, one needed to master combat techniques—self-created soul skills or refined fighting methods.
Across the Douluo Continent, the application of combat techniques was relatively rudimentary. Most people gradually developed them through repeated soul battles. Some families, however, possessed exceptional self-created soul skills.
For instance, the Hao Tian Sect's Nine Absolutes and Chaotic Wind Splitting Hammer Technique, or the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Dragon Transformation. In comparison, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect had an even greater abundance of such resources.
Besides the sect's core technique, Heart Separation Control, there were also skills like the Seven Kill Sword Technique. This wealth of resources stemmed from the sect's diverse pool of soul masters and its continuous lineage of Title Douluos, who contributed numerous self-created soul skills to the sect.
However, these skills varied in quality. The most formidable was undoubtedly Sword Elder's Seven Kill Sword Technique. Unfortunately, only those with Sword Martial Souls or core disciples within the sect could learn it.
For Yang Xiong, all of this was still far off. What he needed most now was to strengthen his body so he wouldn't fall too far behind in the early stages.
Yang Xiong followed a simple yet repetitive routine at school. Every morning, he exercised to improve his physical fitness without overexerting himself, focusing on enhancing his agility.
After breakfast, he went to school to study. He read extensively, covering various topics related to soul masters and occasionally observing techniques for applying soul power. In the afternoon, he returned home to train rigorously, pushing his body to its limits. By the end of each day's training, he was often sprawled on the ground, utterly exhausted.
At that point, he would soak in a medicinal bath to alleviate fatigue and provide some therapeutic benefits for his body, ensuring no lasting damage.
After dinner, he devoted himself entirely to meditation. At just six years old, Yang Xiong wasn't ready for soul duels or practical combat considerations.
It was undeniable that Ning Rongrong's talent was remarkable. Just four months after her martial soul awakening, she became the first first-year student in the sect to obtain a soul ring, drawing envy from her peers.
However, Ning Rongrong had a bit of a princess complex. She loved being adored and basked in the admiration of her classmates like a star surrounded by planets.
She was also generous, often sharing delicious snacks or interesting trinkets with her classmates, sometimes even rare treasures, which drew plenty of attention.
On the flip side, Ning Rongrong enjoyed playing pranks, coming up with endless mischief. Given their young age, her classmates lacked the discipline to handle her antics, often bursting into tears under her teasing.
Ning Rongrong also loved causing trouble around the sect, dragging groups of friends along with her and turning the entire place upside down. Even the teachers weren't spared from her antics, leaving the homeroom teacher exasperated but powerless to stop her. This behavior earned her the nickname "Little Devil Girl."
In the school, Ning Rongrong and Yang Xiong represented two extremes. Ning Rongrong was the brightest star in the academy, while Yang Xiong remained the most low-key figure.
Though they were in the same class, their personalities were polar opposites, and they rarely interacted.
Yang Xiong had been teased by Ning Rongrong a few times, but he didn't take it to heart. Unlike the other children, he neither cried nor complained. Instead, he treated Ning Rongrong with respect and continued focusing on his studies.
Yang Xiong understood well that Ning Fengzhi was grooming Ning Rongrong to become the next sect leader. Given the inherent limitations of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul, which capped at level seventy-nine and was primarily supportive, leading the sect required mastering many additional skills.
For example, placing her in an elite class allowed Ning Rongrong to build rapport with her peers, enhancing her influence and ability to manipulate others.
This was one reason Ning Fengzhi indulged Ning Rongrong's mischievous behavior. Otherwise, it would be nearly impossible for a girl to inherit leadership of the sect.
Compared to other top-tier sects, leading the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was particularly challenging. While the martial soul could only reach level seventy-nine, the sect had numerous Soul Sages wielding the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul. Yet, Ning Fengzhi managed to maintain an iron grip over the sect, commanding absolute authority. This level of control couldn't solely be attributed to the support of two Title Douluos.
Yang Xiong also realized that Ning Rongrong's every move within the sect was likely monitored. Anyone harboring ill intentions toward her would be swiftly dealt with.
The difficulty of cultivating a Body Martial Soul exceeded even Yang Xiong's expectations. Though his innate soul power level of six qualified him as a minor prodigy, the gap between him and those with innate soul power levels of nine—or even full innate soul power—was immense.
It took a full two years for Yang Xiong to raise his soul power to level ten, making him the slowest in the entire class—even lagging behind those with innate soul power levels of five.
In contrast, geniuses like Ning Rongrong could advance by two to three levels annually, with even faster progress in the early stages.
However, Yang Xiong remained diligent and patient. For a full-body Body Martial Soul, slow initial progress was normal, but the later stages promised rapid advancement. Moreover, Yang Xiong possessed extensive knowledge of the soul master world's secrets, which would greatly aid his future cultivation.
Currently, Yang Xiong faced a minor dilemma: what to do with something he'd recently acquired.
During a holiday, Yang Xiong wandered around Seven Treasures City and stumbled upon an intriguing item—a piece of whale glue.
The whale glue was about the size of an egg, likely a century-grade specimen, priced at just one hundred gold soul coins. Without hesitation, Yang Xiong purchased it.
Unfortunately, while buying the whale glue, he ran into Ning Rongrong, who was also out shopping.
Ning Rongrong, seemingly knowledgeable, recognized the aphrodisiac properties of whale glue. She gave Yang Xiong a strange look, her eyes filled with disdain.
After all, Yang Xiong was only eight years old. The idea of him purchasing whale glue at such a young age was baffling, completely at odds with his otherwise reserved personality.
Ning Rongrong sneered. "Xiao Xiong, I never expected someone your age to start using whale glue. So all that stoic behavior was just an act? Aren't you afraid your parents will find out?"
Yang Xiong was speechless. "Rongrong, I just thought it was interesting and bought it as a collectible. Don't jump to conclusions."
Ning Rongrong feigned understanding. "Oh, I see, Xiao Xiong. You don't have to keep pretending anymore, okay?"
Yang Xiong: …
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