Time passed quickly,before long, a full year had gone by.
On the training ground of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the scene looked extremely dangerous and intense.
Yang Xiong stood alone in the center of the field, surrounded by five thousand-year-old soul beasts, each over 3,000 years in age and exceptionally fierce.
These beasts had different attributes: a lightning-fast Gale Demon Wolf, a heavily-armored Explosive Flame Bear, and even a giant python among them.
But Yang Xiong showed no fear. He held a heavy sword in hand, fiercely fighting all five beasts. Even without using soul power, his movements were precise and confident.
As time went on, Yang Xiong severely injured the beasts one by one using various tactics. In the end, only one terrifying tyrannosaurus-like soul beast remained,the strongest and oldest among them.
As the beast launched a full-force charge, Yang Xiong suddenly released a sword aura from his blade. The sword energy seemed to tear through space itself, slicing cleanly through the tyrannosaurus's throat. It was clear the beast wouldn't live much longer.
With this final strike, Yang Xiong's sword shattered into pieces. He collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily, completely drained of strength.
Sword Douluo waved his hand, and several soul masters stepped forward to subdue and treat the soul beasts. These were top-tier thousand-year soul beasts, not to be wasted lightly.
Once Yang Xiong stood up, Sword Douluo nodded with satisfaction. "Not bad. You've met the expectations Old Bone and I set for you this year. Both your combat strength and control over your body have improved. You haven't let us down."
Yang Xiong let out a sigh of relief. Just two days earlier, he had broken through to level 50. But before he could celebrate, Sword Douluo arranged this brutal test for him.
This past year had been full of grueling, almost life-threatening training. Yang Xiong lived on the edge of life and death, never truly resting.
After much consideration, Yang Xiong had asked Sword Douluo to teach him swordsmanship.
Though Body Martial Souls were powerful, they lacked refined offensive techniques. Learning sword techniques could help fill that gap.
Initially, Sword Douluo had scoffed at the idea. He saw it as a waste of time for someone without a sword-type Martial Soul to learn swordsmanship.
But Yang Xiong was persistent. He commissioned a massive sword weighing 3,000 jin (approx. 1,500 kg). Though not sharp, it was designed to match his body.
Every day, Yang Xiong trained with this heavy sword, repeating eight fundamental movements,thrust, chop, point, lift, flick, slash, slice, press,each one a thousand times. Eventually, he made progress. Upon reaching level 50, he finally comprehended a trace of sword aura.
At first, Sword and Bone Douluo dismissed this training as pointless, but since Yang Xiong only practiced sword techniques after his main training sessions, they didn't stop him.
Still, Yang Xiong sensed that Sword Douluo was secretly pleased, as if Yang Xiong now resembled a true sword disciple.
After this year of intense training, Yang Xiong's combat and defensive abilities had clearly reached the two masters' expectations.
In terms of defense, he could react quickly and endure heavy blows from multiple soul beasts. He even withstood a direct hit from the thousand-year tyrannosaurus, his body absorbing the force using powerful muscles and toughened skin, dissipating part of the impact on contact. His defensive skill had advanced significantly.
In offense, aside from occasional sword use, his style was ferocious and savage. After fighting soul beasts for so long, his body had adapted to extreme stress, and a natural killing aura began to form around him.
Grateful for Sword Douluo's praise, Yang Xiong bowed. "Thank you, Master. I will continue working hard to become stronger."
Sword Douluo nodded. "Alright. Now that you've reached level 50, wait until you've acquired your fifth soul ring before continuing your cultivation. What ring you choose is up to you. I've got things to do, so I'll let Lin Gong help you deal with that ten-thousand-year beast."
Yang Xiong had risen five levels over the past year,a respectable pace.
Each training session had tested his limits, whether it was with Bone Douluo's defensive drills or Sword Douluo's offensive techniques. This intense combat training had not only hardened his body but also slightly accelerated his cultivation speed.
After parting ways with Sword Douluo, Yang Xiong followed Lin Gong back to Yunwu Mountain.
Inside the main hall, Yang Xiong sat at the center, surrounded by five individuals: Lin Gong, Yang Wudi, Niu Gao, Bai He, and Long Gong Meng Shu.
That's right,Long Gong Meng Shu had also joined the Body Sect, bringing his entire family with him. He even relocated the Exotic Beast Academy near Heaven Dou City.
To recruit Meng Shu, Yang Xiong had pulled out all the stops, offering not only a rare ten-thousand-year herb and substantial support but also significant help from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Most importantly, Lin Gong played a key role. He had recently reached level 89, very close to Titled Douluo status.
Originally, he was one level below Meng Shu. Now he had surpassed him, which made Meng Shu feel unsettled.
The two even had a fierce duel that lasted a full day and night. Lin Gong narrowly won.
Their bet was serious,only after losing did Meng Shu agree to ally with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and join the Body Sect. He was now the fifth elder of the sect.
To win over Meng Shu's family and academy, Yang Xiong had to rely not just on Lin Gong's history with him but even promised to help them eliminate Chrysanthemum Douluo in the future. If that promise couldn't be fulfilled, Meng Shu could leave the sect at any time.
Still, Meng Shu brought in hundreds of soul masters. His family's Martial Souls,dragon-head and snake-head canes,were top-tier tool-type souls, and they even had a fusion skill.
Yang Xiong's recruitment of Meng Shu was guided by Ning Fengzhi and fully supported by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
As Ning Fengzhi said, the three single-attribute clans were too closely bonded. Only by pulling in a fourth party like Meng Shu could they be balanced.
Why not have Meng Shu join the Glazed Tile Sect directly? Because someone as proud as him would never agree to be a subordinate. Joining the Body Sect allowed him to be more like a co-founder. He even became an elder, and was impressed by Yang Xiong's training programs.
Yunwu Mountain had changed dramatically. Yang Xiong had designed a variety of training methods, the core of which centered around a massive and unusual setup.
It was a granite platform several dozen meters wide, filled with tall iron stakes.
Each iron stake was three meters tall and ten centimeters in diameter,just wide enough to stand on with your toes. The stakes were spaced about a meter apart.
Yang Xiong designed this setup based on the principles of the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams, naming it the Bagua Stakes.
The stakes had two main training purposes. Standing on them trained balance, similar to light-footwork training in martial arts. It also helped stabilize soul power.
The second purpose was to practice footwork. Yang Xiong combined the Eight Trigram Step he had developed with the stakes, allowing disciples to move swiftly between them without colliding.
The three single-attribute clans and Meng Shu were all amazed by the Bagua Stakes. They proved incredibly beneficial.
The agility clan, already known for their speed, gained better evasion control and rhythm after practicing on the stakes.
The defense clan, which lacked mobility, improved their movement ability.
As for the offense clan, Yang Wudi and Meng Shu often sparred on and between the stakes without using soul power or soul skills. Yang Wudi used the Soul-Breaking Spear, and Meng Shu used his dragon-head cane. Both their techniques improved significantly through this practice.
Yang Xiong also invited Sword and Bone Douluo to Yunwu Mountain. This time, they were neither aloof nor overly formal.
Sword Douluo even sparred with Yang Wudi. Although Yang Wudi lost badly, Sword Douluo recognized the Soul-Breaking Spear's formidable strength and personally gave advice on tool-type Martial Soul techniques.
Bone Douluo competed in a defense contest against Niu Gao. Even Niu Gao, a defense specialist, admired Bone Douluo's mastery. If he weren't so old, Yang Xiong suspected he might've tried to become Bone Douluo's disciple.
In short, with Sword and Bone Douluo behind him, the five elders became more respectful toward Yang Xiong.
The Exotic Beast Academy also became a pleasant surprise. Although Meng Shu was its official head, it was now under the Body Sect.
After restructuring, it was renamed Body Academy. It focused on training disciples from the single-attribute clans and the Meng family, while also accepting talented civilian students.
Over the past year, thanks to Ning Fengzhi's influence, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect helped Yang Xiong find over a dozen children with Body Martial Souls.
Though most of them had average talent and innate soul power, Yang Xiong saw them as the future core of the Body Sect and the foundation for reshaping the world.
He had Lin Gong personally train them, and even contributed significant resources and effort, designing a special curriculum that left the children awed and deeply grateful.
Of course, a minor issue arose during the year. The four single-attribute clan leaders held a private meeting.
Titan was initially pleased that Yang Wudi, Niu Gao, and Bai He had moved their families to Heaven Dou territory. But upon hearing them constantly praise the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he became unhappy.
Ever since the fall of the Clear Sky Sect, the four clans had distanced themselves from the top three sects. Now, three had clearly aligned with the Glazed Tile Sect,something Titan deeply resented.
Titan remained loyal to Tang Hao, whom he regarded as his true master. This disgusted Yang Wudi and the others, who harbored deep hatred for Tang Hao.
Though their bond prevented an open fallout, cracks had begun to form in the once-unified alliance of the four clans.
Titan never mentioned anything about Tang San's plans, as Tang San had yet to establish the Tang Sect. Titan wasn't stupid. Seeing the other three families flourish, all he could do was reluctantly wish them well.
Yang Wudi and the others, understanding Titan's loyalty to Tang Hao, gave up on trying to bring him and the Strength Clan into the Body Sect.
Yang Xiong had already seen through Titan's personality. They'd never even met. He had no intention of recruiting someone like that. Even having Bai He was a risk,adding Titan could tear the sect apart.
According to Yang Xiong's vision, with Body Martial Souls as the core, five elders in place, a training-focused Body Academy, and financial backing from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the foundation for becoming a top-tier sect was complete.
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