Chapter 223: Master and Disciple

After Yang Xiong finished communicating with Ning Fengzhi, he left alone.

Then two figures suddenly appeared beside Ning Fengzhi, and they were the Sword Bone Douluo.

Bone Douluo opened, a little puzzled: "Fengzhi, judging by Xiao Xiong's temperament, if you make an effort, perhaps he would continue staying in the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, which would be better for both the sect and Rong Rong."

Ning Fengzhi shook his head: "When the heart is gone, why force it?"

"Moreover, Xiao Xiong has contributed enormously to the sect over the years; without his contributions, our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect might have perished long ago. Rather than forcing him to stay, it's better to let him go like a bird in the high sky; perhaps that would be better for our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect."

As Ning Fengzhi said, if Yang Xiong continues to stay in the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, at most he would be a Guardian Douluo; but if he goes to Thunderclap Gorge, he would become the founder of the Body Sect, and perhaps the Body Sect and the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect would support each other in the future, which might be better for the sect.

In fact, Ning Fengzhi had long suspected Yang Xiong's secret establishment of the Body Sect, but over the years Yang Xiong's contributions to the sect have been immense, and since Yang Wudi and his group arrived at Cloud Mist Mountain, Yang Xiong's wings have already become full; even Ning Fengzhi cannot suppress him.

Bone Douluo said: "I just feel a bit sorry for Rong Rong; if Yang Xiong continues to stay in the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, he and Rong Rong wouldn't be separated."

……

After Yang Xiong made a round within the sect, he first went to visit the Sword Douluo.

In recent years, especially since taking Sword Bone Douluo as his master, the two have helped him greatly, making his cultivation path much clearer.

Upon arriving at the Sword Douluo's residence, the Sword Douluo wore a calm expression, as if indifferent to everything.

Yang Xiong bowed: "Master, I may plan to leave the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect; I hope you will approve."

Sword Douluo nodded slightly: "I've already heard about your matter; everyone has their own path, just like a sword that must undergo different grindings to become a true treasure sword. Since you've decided to leave the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, walk it earnestly, don't disappoint yourself, and don't tarnish my reputation."

Yang Xiong quickly replied: "Regardless, I will diligently practice the sword way and won't let you down."

Sword Douluo said: "You've always had your own thoughts and cultivation method. Today I'll teach you the final lesson. Since you've learned my Seven Kill Sword Technique, you must treat yourself as a true sword, facing any matter with unyielding resolve, never contemplating twists and turns."

After Sword Douluo finished speaking, endless killing aura radiated from his body, especially as the Seven Killing Sword descended from the heavens; even with Yang Xiong's current strength, he seemed completely suppressed, his heart trembling.

When the massive Seven Killing Sword lodged before Yang Xiong, even he felt a chilling cold throughout his body, unable to resist. The sword not only brimmed with endless killing aura, but also embodied the Sword Douluo himself—proud, unruly, and transcendent.

Sword Douluo continued: "Yang Xiong, your comprehension and combat power are among the finest I've ever seen, and you have your own cultivation path. Though in innate talent you may not match Qian Renxue and Tang San, your combat experience surpasses theirs, and your cultivation is even more diligent."

"But whether in cultivation or sword way, there are still shortcomings; a Soul Grandmaster must emphasize soul power. Only true strong ones can suppress opponents with soul power. Know that at the pinnacle of cultivation, each level's gap is like a heavenly trench."

At this moment, Sword Douluo displayed peak Soul Power of Level Ninety-Seven, further revealing his terrifying Sword Intent; even Yang Xiong's formidable combat power felt the trench‑like gap between them.

Sword Douluo then said: "These years I've had insights and many opportunities, but I'm still only at the Level Ninety‑Seven peak; there's still a distance to Level Ninety‑Eighth."

"Do you know that the true pinnacle of the Soul Master World is the Great Supplicant Qian Daoliu hidden within the Spirit Hall? My father reached Level Ninety‑Eighth soul power, yet even using all his strength he couldn't harm Qian Daoliu. Qian Daoliu, with perfect fusion of martial soul and body, blocked my father's nine Kill Glyphs, then with Angel soul power struck his Five Organs Six Bowels, leading to his father's untimely death. That is the power of a Level Ninety‑Nine Title Douluo, which the Soul Master World calls the Limit Douluo."

"Your current strength is decent, but both in sword way and soul power the gap is too great, and such a gap cannot be bridged merely by a few extra soul bones on you."

Yang Xiong was startled by this; although his strength had recently surged, the gap to true masters was indeed vast.

Especially after his soul power reached Level Seventy, his cultivation speed began to slow, let alone after breaking through to Title Douluo, the speed would likely decline further, and then his current advantage would quickly be erased by Tang San and Qian Renxue.

Yang Xiong quickly bowed: "Thank you, Master, I will strive to cultivate my soul power."

……

After seeing the Sword Douluo, Yang Xiong found his other master, Bone Douluo.

Compared to the Sword Douluo, Bone Douluo appears more gloomy, yet his assistance to him is greater, especially since he has been tempering his body since childhood, which Bone Douluo has secretly helped and supported.

When Yang Xiong saw Bone Douluo, he bowed: "Master, I plan to leave the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect; I hope you will approve."

Bone Douluo calmly said: "Having your own plan is right; leaving the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect may be better for your development, but have you considered that founding a sect is not that simple."

Yang Xiong quickly said: "Please, Master, give me guidance."

Bone Douluo shook his head: "These are not issues of Soul Grandmaster cultivation, but matters of a sect."

"For any sect's development, it needs inheritance, goals, income, and even various tangled complexities to handle."

"Your idea of establishing a Body Sect is good; you've even recruited many experts, and the basic framework is built, but have you thought about how your Body Sect will be inherited in the future? Whether it can stay in your hands?"

"Another point: your subordinates are complex; you may suppress them now, but will your descendants have your cultivation talent? Can they suppress the tangled forces? Can they curb everyone's ambitions?"

Yang Xiong was shocked; he indeed had plans for the Body Sect, with ample resources and cultivation methods, but he hadn't thought much about future control.

Yang Xiong knows well that the Body martial soul is extremely rare in the Soul Master World and hard to cultivate, with the biggest problem being unstable inheritance.

In the original work, why the Tang Sect declined after Ten Thousand Years is because of lacking true martial soul inheritance.

The entire Tang Sect, in pursuit of so‑called orthodoxy, chose a Soul Grandmaster with the Blue Silver Grass martial soul as sect leader; even the so‑called Blue Silver Grass royal family was just ordinary Blue Silver Grass.

In any aspect, Blue Silver Grass is too ordinary; its attack and defense are poor, lacking any inheritability.

If after Ten Thousand Years the Tang Sect still had Title Douluo, even if Hidden Weapons were replaced by Soul Guidance Devices, the Tang Sect would still be a decent force, not to the point of almost losing its inheritance.

Regarding the so‑called second awakening of the Body martial soul, Yang Xiong's many years of research gave him a rough idea, but he cannot achieve stable inheritance nor eliminate its dangers; not everyone can Ice Fire Temper their bodies like him, nor does everyone have Ten‑Thousand‑Year Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone as a fallback.

Yang Xiong thought then said: "Thank you, Master, I understand what to do next."

Bone Douluo shouted angrily: "No, you don't understand; a sect's true growth and strength is not solely reliant on one person nor a single martial soul."

"Just like our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda claims to be the World's Number One Supportive martial soul, yet there are martial souls comparable, such as the Golden Scepter and Nine‑Heart Begonia you have seen, which aren't much weaker."

"But only the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect is truly among the top three sects; only it can dominate the world. Beyond its martial soul, it's about methods. The sect not only has a Title Douluo each generation, and these Title Douluos are devoted to the sect; this cannot be summed up in two sentences."

"It is not only filled with bloodshed, but also with all kinds of scheming. Do you think an ordinary disciple could know as many resources as you do, or have Soul Douluos protecting you at any time as you once did? That's because you are exceptionally unique, and because of your myriad ideas, you have contributed greatly to the sect."

"Even so, you still want to leave the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. Can we not leave based on my and the old sword man's strength? Can we not found a sect with our strength?"

Yang Xiong, hearing Bone Douluo's words, felt a chilling cold all over and felt his ears ringing.

Although within the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect everyone believes the Sword Douluo is the true stabilizing needle, after all, whether repelling enemies or soul power level, the Sword Douluo surpasses the Bone Douluo by far.

But from another perspective, it's a completely different situation.

The Sword Douluo essentially has no mundane duties within the sect; he only needs to cultivate peacefully. One could say the sect provides him the best cultivation environment, even the Spirit Hall cannot match that.

In contrast, Bone Douluo mostly protects the sect leader's safety, handles various sect affairs, and even deals personally with all internal darkness and bloodshed; thus, in a sense, Bone Douluo truly upholds the sect's foundation.

Bone Douluo, seeing Yang Xiong's pallid expression, did not stop speaking, continuing: "In any sect, not only are the forces tangled, but each person's thoughts differ. Even sects like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and the Clear Sky Sect rely on martial souls and bloodlines, and they also have myriad internal conflicts."

"Take the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan: Yu Luomian and Yu Yuanzhen are brothers, yet their thoughts differ, supporting Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin respectively to inherit the sect. The Clear Sky Sect is similar; Tang Xiao and the Elder have differing thoughts as well."

"But your so‑called Body Sect lacks such bloodline connections; this issue will worsen in the future, how will you prevent sectal split and collapse?"

"Moreover, as a normal person you have selfishness; won't you consider your children and relatives? Yet on what basis can they inherit everything you have?"

(End of Chapter)