Chapter 23: Spiral Sphere Completion

Yang Xiong still trains diligently every day, but the time he spends at the Library Tower is decreasing, because he has already perused most of the useful books over the past few years.

Body Tempering, Meditation, extreme weighted training, researching Self-Created Spirit Skills, and basic combat drills with wooden dummies and sandbags basically comprise all of Yang Xiong's daily activities.

The most time‑consuming are Meditation and extreme weighted training; essentially every night is spent on Meditation, while the mornings are for basic combat training. The wooden dummies and sandbags can train both striking and kicking as well as reaction speed, even the body's ability to withstand blows.

Moreover, since Yang Xiong completed the absorption of the Second Soul Ring, the weight he carries has increased again; now he bears a sixty‑jin load every day and never removes it.

Developing Self-Created Spirit Skills takes about two hours each afternoon; besides the Spiral Sphere, there is another spirit skill.

Body Tempering still uses Ice Fire Poison, but as his strength grows the herbs employed become increasingly potent, the pain intensifies, yet all of this also makes Yang Xiong's body tougher.

Half a year after absorbing the Second Soul Ring, Yang Xiong's Soul Power Level rose another level; he is now Level 24.

That afternoon, Yang Xiong gathered high‑concentration soul power in his palm, continuously feeding soul power into it, the soul power swirling rapidly in his palm like a miniature typhoon.

Yang Xiong poured all his spirit power into the miniature typhoon in his palm; as his control increased, the typhoon gradually solidified, ultimately forming a pale‑blue sphere.

At that moment, Yang Xiong was overjoyed; he cupped the pale‑blue sphere in his hand and slammed it onto the ground, instantly shattering the earth into pieces, leaving a pit about one meter in diameter.

Yang Xiong could not contain his elation: "It worked! I finally succeeded! My Spiral Sphere will sooner or later become one of the most terrifying spirit skills in the Soul Master World."

After several days of continuous use, Yang Xiong can now quickly condense the Spiral Sphere for combat, but unfortunately his Soul Power Level is still far too low; even expending all his soul power he can only form the Spiral Sphere three times, and that still relies on Divided Mind Control to reduce soul power consumption.

Nevertheless, the Spiral Sphere's power is impressive, already comparable to a Soul Grandmaster's Third Soul Skill, and as his strength and soul power grow, reaching the power of a Yi Wan Nian spirit skill is only a matter of time.

Over the years Yang Xiong has developed two Self-Created Spirit Skills; besides the Spiral Sphere, the other is derived from dissecting the first spirit skill Xuanming Transposition, or rather swapping it with the surrounding air, gradually evolving into the Self-Created Spirit Skill: Teleportation.

Compared with Xuanming Transposition, Teleportation consumes far less and requires no Soul Ring energy; it should function normally in any situation, representing the application of the primary martial soul to the Space Attribute.

With Teleportation and the Spiral Sphere as his two Self-Created Spirit Skills, Yang Xiong is confident he can stand a fight against any opponent beneath the Soul King, and even if he cannot win, he can escape.

Yang Xiong is now eleven and a half years old, only a few months shy of twelve. He plans to go out on his own, both to train alone and to gain combat experience, especially fighting Soul Beasts, since a Soul Grandmaster must ultimately carve his path through blood.

Of course, the most important thing is that the Douluo Continent is about to become lively, and he needs to boost his strength quickly, especially since there are opportunities Yang Xiong does not want to miss; he has even already planned his next move.

However, there remains the most pressing question: whether to submit the Spiral Sphere Self-Created Spirit Skill to the sect.

The Qibao Liuli Pagoda Weapon Soul has two major flaws: it has only seven tiers, so it can never break into the Soul Douluo realm, and as an auxiliary martial soul it lacks offensive power, leaving it a step behind others.

The Spiral Sphere can, to some extent, compensate for the Pagoda's shortcomings, even granting the Qibao Liuli Pagoda's Soul Grandmasters offensive capability, allowing them to truly become combat‑support Soul Grandmasters.

Personally, the Spiral Sphere has consumed much of Yang Xiong's effort over these years; it is truly a skill he created himself, and parting with it feels reluctant.

But Yang Xiong has lived within the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect since birth, and as an Inner Disciple he has enjoyed many sect resources, at least providing him a stable environment to grow.

Don't be fooled by how simple and common this seems; an ordinary Soul Grandmaster family couldn't even obtain the first two Supreme Spirit Rings, let alone someone who never worked, with no experience earning money or living independently. The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect has essentially become his home.

Especially when Yang Xiong thinks about the Soul Hall launching a Soul Hunting Operation in about seven years; then not only the sect but also his parents would face great danger, and even his current life could be destroyed in an instant.

All these years Yang Xiong has trained alone; although he doesn't interact much with others, he can feel the sect's dedication to him. When he sought the Second Soul Ring, Teacher Lin Gong showed no hesitation beyond caring for him, evidently following sect orders.

Yang Xiong even feels the sect gives him special attention, because some matters have been unusually smooth; the extreme Body Tempering herbs for cultivating "Path of Defense" were supplied directly by his parents, who didn't seem to have bought them—likely a high‑ranking sect member who knew he was training provided them.

Having lived in the sect for over ten years, Yang Xiong feels a certain belonging to the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect; he has hardly encountered any bothersome issues, perhaps none at all. Perhaps that is the truly formidable aspect of the sect—it essentially makes every Soul Grandmaster treat the sect as their home.

Moreover, Yang Xiong will soon need several Supreme Spirit Rings, especially after the Fifth Soul Ring; those Soul Beasts are unbeatable even for his parents, leaving only the sect's power as a recourse.

Yang Xiong even probed his parents; they seem to treat the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect as their own home, willing to risk everything for the sect, showing no desire to leave, and even scolded Yang Xiong, insisting he must never entertain thoughts of departing the sect.

Finally, Yang Xiong sighed, "Fine, think of my parents' future safety. I hope Ning Fengzhi won't disappoint me."

In fact there's another point: Yang Xiong will eventually use the Spiral Sphere outside, and the sect will inevitably inquire. Rather than be passive later, it's better to offer it proactively now, possibly gaining more benefits.

As his father once said, within the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect you're not feared for showing talent, but for being unnoticed.

This isn't about picking sides; sects originating from the Douluo Shijie have various constraints but also many advantages. To put it bluntly, the status of an Inner Disciple of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect deters most from daringly provoking them in Heaven Dou City; even high‑soul‑power Soul Saints wouldn't dare act against Yang Xiong. That's the sect's strength and depth.

Additionally, this is a small foreshadowing: the protagonist cannot go on alone forever; he will eventually find a master.

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(End of Chapter)