Soul Land: Full Body Martial Soul

Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had recently returned from attending Emperor Xue Ye's grand birthday banquet in Heaven Dou City, with both Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo accompanying him.

After their return to the sect, the Ninth Elder provided a detailed account of Yang Xiong's entire journey, with particular emphasis on the young man's dangerous venture deep into the mysterious poison formation.

Sword Douluo maintained a completely neutral expression throughout the report, while the smile on Ning Fengzhi's face gradually disappeared, replaced by an increasingly serious and contemplative look.

"Ninth Elder, thank you for your dedicated service and hard work. The poison formation you mentioned should be the rumored herb garden that Dugu Bo maintains in Sunset Forest. Was the cleanup of evidence done thoroughly?"

The Ninth Elder nodded respectfully. "Reporting to the Sect Master, I have carefully removed all traces from the periphery of the area. Even Dugu Bo himself would not be able to find any conclusive clues. However, I could not venture deep into the poison formation myself due to its lethal nature."

Ning Fengzhi smiled appreciatively and said, "Thank you for your excellent work, Ninth Elder. Please take a well-deserved rest for a while now."

The Ninth Elder departed without another word, leaving only Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo in the chamber.

Ning Fengzhi pondered the situation for a considerable time before finally speaking. "Sword Uncle, Bone Uncle, what are your thoughts regarding Yang Xiong's experience this time, especially his decision to venture deep into Dugu Bo's heavily guarded herb garden?"

Bone Douluo considered the question carefully before responding. "Fengzhi, Yang Xiong has always demonstrated exceptional caution in all his actions. The fact that he willingly ventured deep into a poison formation established by that old monster Dugu Bo strongly suggests that he must have obtained some crucial information beforehand. There must be something of extraordinary value that he desperately wanted from Dugu Bo's herb garden—something of absolutely critical importance to him."

Ning Fengzhi nodded thoughtfully. "Yang Xiong has never been one to act recklessly or take unnecessary risks over the years. He has consistently maintained his cautious approach even when making significant contributions to our sect. His past contributions alone would be sufficient for us to support whatever reasonable request he might make. It seems there must be something truly special and valuable in Dugu Bo's herb garden for him to accept such tremendous risk."

"You should also consider that this young man has been concealing an external spirit bone all this time, and he hasn't even revealed a single one of his true spirit abilities to us. This clearly demonstrates just how naturally cautious and secretive he tends to be."

Bone Douluo seemed somewhat irritated upon hearing this assessment. "What exactly is this kid hiding from us? If he had simply told me about his plans and objectives, he wouldn't have needed to employ so many elaborate methods or accept such enormous personal risk. Dugu Bo certainly isn't worth requiring us to invest so much effort and concern."

"Fengzhi, should I arrange for Yang Xiong to come before us so we can ask him directly about his intentions? I have a strong feeling that this young man is hiding something significant from us."

Ning Fengzhi remained silent for a long moment before finally responding. "Let's forget about pressing him for now. As long as Yang Xiong remains loyal to our sect and continues his dedicated service, his minor secrets will inevitably be revealed sooner or later through natural circumstances. We don't need to concern ourselves with his private thoughts and motivations at this time. If Dugu Bo discovers the truth one day and seeks retribution, then Sword Uncle can simply go and intimidate him into submission. At worst, we might need to pay some small compensation."

Both Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo nodded in agreement, obviously concurring with Ning Fengzhi's reasonable assessment. Of course, they also held little respect for Dugu Bo, widely considered the weakest among all Titled Douluo.

Meanwhile, at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Dugu Bo stared at the completely devastated ground, his expression displaying extreme grief and righteous indignation.

"Which despicable bastard dared to steal my precious herbs! If I ever discover their identity, I will definitely make them experience the excruciating pain of Blue Phosphorus Serpent Poison, and ensure their entire family meets a clean death!"

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well presented an extremely miserable sight at this moment. All the valuable herbs had been systematically excavated, and the entire ground appeared as if it had been thoroughly plowed by farming equipment. Everything underground had been completely dug up—not even a single root remained behind. Even the specialized poisonous herbs that Dugu Bo had personally planted were completely gone.

Dugu Bo's facial features appeared somewhat distorted with rage, but he quickly forced himself to regain composure. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well occupied a highly special and protected location, surrounded by an elaborate poison formation that he had personally established. Even a Spirit Douluo would be unable to break through such defenses—only a Titled Douluo could possibly penetrate the barrier.

Moreover, the most dangerous poisonous herbs growing in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, especially the two extremely potent specimens—one white and one red—were so lethally toxic that even he himself couldn't approach them safely. This level of systematic theft must have been accomplished by a Titled Douluo, but there were only a handful of such powerful individuals in the entire world, and basically every Titled Douluo's movements were closely monitored. Only the Titled Douluo affiliated with Spirit Hall possessed the freedom and time to infiltrate his Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, with his longtime nemesis Chrysanthemum Douluo being the most suspicious candidate.

Dugu Bo seethed with fury. "Chrysanthemum Douluo, Spirit Hall—I will definitely not let this matter rest. I swear I will have my revenge for this outrage."

Meanwhile, the actual Spirit Hall remained completely unaware of these accusations.

After Yang Xiong returned to his family home, he briefly greeted his parents before retreating to cultivate alone in his private room, not emerging for many consecutive days.

During the intense Ice and Fire Body Tempering process, Yang Xiong had endured extreme pain that affected both his physical body and spiritual essence. He seemed to have undergone a fundamental transformation through this suffering, as if he had awakened to something previously unknown within his own body.

These were the meridians—the true roadmap for advanced meditation techniques.

In the Douluo world, there existed no clear concept of meridians, especially during the current era where only relatively simple meditation methods were commonly known and practiced.

However, Tang San's legendary Mysterious Heaven Skill operated on completely different principles. It functioned through the meridian system, and its cultivation efficiency far exceeded any currently available meditation methods.

Yang Xiong, after experiencing the extreme effects of two opposing poisonous attributes of ice and fire, had gained a much deeper understanding of his own physical structure. The ice and fire toxins seemed to have impacted his meridians throughout the entire process, and his entire meridian network appeared to have expanded significantly.

Through his experience with the ice and fire toxins, Yang Xiong conceived an alternative approach for cultivation advancement.

The power of ice and fire could, in a certain sense, also be called the power of yin and yang. If one wanted the ice and fire forces to achieve perfect balance within the five internal organs, the only solution was to allow spirit power to circulate rapidly throughout the body, eventually forming a state of natural equilibrium. This represented the solution that Yang Xiong had desperately conceived while enduring extreme pain in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

In essence, Yang Xiong had recalled a concept from his previous life—Tai Chi.

In any martial arts tradition, Taoism represented the undisputed philosophical foundation, and Tai Chi was widely recognized as the pinnacle of Taoist practice.

When he had lived on Earth in his previous life, although Yang Xiong hadn't conducted extensive research into martial arts, he had gained some exposure to Tai Chi principles. People practiced Tai Chi everywhere in public parks, and detailed introductions appeared in various television shows and movies. Yang Xiong had been taken by his grandfather to learn the basics for a few days, but he had always felt that Tai Chi produced no noticeable effects, so he hadn't pursued deeper study.

Now, Yang Xiong viewed it from a completely different perspective. Tai Chi might not be particularly suitable for direct combat, especially not for the intense battles common in the Spirit Master world, but for the meditation practices of Spirit Master cultivation, it represented an entirely different level of sophistication.

With this realization, Yang Xiong casually began performing the Tai Chi forms he remembered from his previous life. Whether due to his recent ice and fire body tempering or other factors, the sensation felt completely different from his previous life's experience.

Executing a complete set of Tai Chi movements felt remarkably natural, and the spirit power throughout his body seemed to be guided during the process of practicing Tai Chi forms, actually surging and flowing in previously unnoticed ways.

He remembered various descriptions about Tai Chi from his previous life. It was said that practicing Tai Chi could harmonize the yin and yang energies within the body while enhancing physical flexibility and coordination. In combat applications, Tai Chi principles employed gentleness to overcome brute strength, using stillness to control movement, and skillfully redirecting opponents' attacks. Simultaneously, it could promote blood circulation and improve overall bodily function. It represented a Taoist cultivation method that combined fitness and health preservation.

Yang Xiong had been skeptical of these claims in his previous life, but now he found himself beginning to believe in their validity. Since Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill could be successfully cultivated in the Spirit Master world, then Tai Chi principles must also be feasible, and might even prove superior in certain applications.

Yang Xiong realized he had discovered something that could potentially revolutionize his cultivation approach and bring him closer to the pinnacle of Spirit Master achievement.

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