Chereads / Soul Land: The Untold Tales / Chapter 4 - Ninth-brother

Chapter 4 - Ninth-brother

After introducing Feng Long to all the eight students and guards of the Body Sect, Du Bojing led him into the headquarters, a fortress-like structure carved directly into the rocky mountainside.

Master Du knocked on the door, which bore the words "DO NOT DISTURB" in bold handwriting, but received no response. Since no one answered, Master Du kicked the door open with a loud 'slam!'

Inside the room lay a chaotic mess, with dumbbells and other rock-made equipment scattered about. In the corner, a person slept loudly, clutching an alcohol pouch. Before him stood a plaque reading "Vice Sect Master," signifying his authority second only to the sect master.

Despite the commotion caused by Du Bojing, the drunken man continued to sleep soundly. Growing enraged, Sect Master Du shouted, "Wake up!" directly into the drunkard's ear, audible to all the disciples of the Body Sect. Finally roused, the drunkard woke and immediately resumed drinking.

The man bore some resemblance to Sect Master Du, sharing a similar build but appearing more ragged and less tidy. He seemed uncouth, with foul breath,long tangled hair, and bushy eyebrows.

After a few gulps, he stared intensely at Feng Long for a moment, echoing Master Du's expression upon first learning of Feng's spirit body. "A spirit body! Am I dreaming?" the drunkard questioned aloud.

"No, it's reality, you drunkard," Du Bojing retorted sharply.

"Oh! You're back, brother? And you've achieved the Hyper Douluo limit?" The drunk man sobered up instantly in surprise. "Ha ha ha... it's true! I've finally met the requirements," Sect Master Du proudly proclaimed.

"What luck, little Du! Not only did you gain a disciple with a spirit body but also reached the Hyper Douluo limit. You must've used up all your luck for the next decade, ha ha ha..." The drunk man chuckled while playfully smacking Sect Master Du's head.

"I'm not a child anymore, Du Boqin! Stop hitting my head," Du Bojing retorted, punching the drunkard in the stomach.

"Ah, my cute brother is all grown up. Hitting his big brother like this breaks my heart," the drunk man lamented, sulking. He then began whining about not being taken out to play.

"Hah, what can I do? Once he starts sulking, he neither works nor stops complaining for who knows how long," Sect Master Du sighed aloud, pondering how to handle his brother's whining. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he looked at Feng Long with a mischievous smile, akin to how a cat looks at its toy.

Feng Long suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He wondered if coming to the Body Sect had been a good decision, as the people he encountered were all quite eccentric.

Du Bojing cheered up his older brother, saying, "Do you know something special about this kid here?" while pointing at Feng Long.

"What? That he has a spirit body and he's your disciple? What else?" Du Boqin replied, still sulking.

"Nope, actually this kid has a dual martial soul," Sect Master Du said with a grin on his face.

"What? What are the odds... Oh god! Why did you give all the luck to someone who doesn't even care for his brother's feelings?" Du Boqin exclaimed, looking at the ceiling.

"Do you know what? That's not all," Du Bojing said to his brother with a plotting face.

"What? What more could there possibly be?" Du Boqin asked dramatically.

Sect Master began presenting while holding Feng Long up like Simba from "The Lion King" and said, "Not only does this child have two martial souls, but he also possesses a second body spirit."

"What!!" Du Boqin exclaimed. Du Boqin fainted and fell straight to the floor. **Thwack** "What do we do now?" Du Bojing asked Feng Long. Feng Long shook his head, indicating he didn't know.

After some time, Du Boqin woke up and began to ponder while looking at the wall. After a long period of pondering, Du Boqin started grabbing Du Bojing's legs and began giving him a tenderizing massage, asking him to give up his disciple for himself. Du Bojing straight up declined.

Du Boqin began complaining and soon started whining while lying on his back on the ground, much like a child would. Feng Long began sweating profusely, with sweat pouring down his forehead like a waterfall.

(Meanwhile, Guardian Shu laughed uncontrollably inside Feng's spiritual sea.)

After some more whining, Du Bojing negotiated with Du Boqin on the condition that he would be allowed to teach Feng Long, but only if Du Boqin stopped whining like a baby from now on.

Du Boqin immediately agreed to all the conditions and started collecting his tears back into his eyes.

(Feng Long began wondering if all the destiny that Old Guardian Shu always talked about was all a hoax.)

Du Boqin grabbed Feng Long's hand and enthusiastically took him inside one of the indoor practice rooms. Du Bojing began closely following both of them.

Du Boqin instructed Feng Long to call him Instructor Boqin from now on and to follow his instructions without questioning. "Release both of your martial souls one at a time."

Feng Long first released his spirit eyes. Patterns started appearing on his forehead and below his eyes. Feng Long's jade green eyes started shining greenish-gray. Both Du Bojing and Du Boqin inspected Feng's spirit eyes closely. They couldn't grade Feng's spirit eyes as there wasn't much information about spirit eyes in the records of the Body Sect.

Seeing Du Bojing's horrendous expression up close along with Du Boqin's bad breath, Feng's pupils began dilating as he almost fainted.

Feng began complaining, "Instructor Boqin, please wash your mouth. I almost fainted smelling your bad breath up close."

Du Boqin smacked his head and told him to stop complaining so much. Both Du Bojing and Du Boqin suggested that Feng Long come up with a name for his spirit eyes.

Feng Long started questioning, "Is it really necessary to name a martial soul? I don't think so."

Du Boqin said proudly, "Of course it's not important to name a trash martial soul. As no one in our sect has a trash martial soul, all of our spirit bodies have unique names. And you, with your twin martial souls, will definitely make a name for yourself in the future. When people remember you, they will think of your martial soul name instead of your real name as a sign of respect."

Du Bojing and Du Boqin both started coming up with a name for Feng's spirit eyes. The name suggested by Sect Master Du was rejected by Du Boqin, while the name suggested by Du Boqin was rejected by Du Bojing. Both of them started quarreling with each other.

At the same time, Feng Long started thinking which name would be suitable for his eyes. As the names suggested by both of his teachers were really bad, Feng couldn't come up with a good name. So, he asked Old Man Shu to name his spirit eyes.

Old Man Shu seemed to be in deep thought for a while with his eyes closed. Guardian Shu opened his eyes and gave the spirit eyes the name "Jade Eyes."

"Jade Eyes! Wow, real creative you are," mockingly said Feng Long with a disappointed face.

Feng Long announced the name of his spirit eyes to both of his teachers. "Jade Eyes?" both of them reacted at the same time with disappointed faces.

Feng Long began mocking Old Shu for his poor naming sense. "See! I told you both of them are disappointed."

(Guardian Shu seemed to be grumbling about young people not showing respect and similar things.)

Du Bojing and Du Boqin instructed Feng Long to release his spirit body next. Feng started releasing his spirit body, an imposing aura surrounding him along with patterns and markings on his forehead and body.

Both Bojing and Boqin began inspecting the body patterns and concluded that they were of the highest grade.

'Oh god!' exclaimed Du Boqin, 'one of the martial souls is an ultimate spirit body.

Instructor Bojing, with his sleeves neatly arranged, began in a measured tone, "Feng Long, let us start with the different types of martial souls. First, we have the Trash Martial Soul. These are of extremely low quality, often with little innate soul power. Examples include mundane tools like Scythes, Hoes, and even the humble Blue Silver Grass. They are considered weak and difficult to cultivate."

Du Bojing, his gaze steady and contemplative, continued seamlessly, "Moving up, we have the High-Level Martial Soul. These souls are far superior to ordinary ones. They often possess special abilities or ancient bloodlines. Sometimes, they can mutate or evolve from ordinary martial souls. They are rare and greatly sought after for their potential."

Du Boqin nodded in agreement, adding, "Next, we come to the Super Martial Soul. These souls surpass high-level ones in power and ability. They typically possess extremely potent abilities or even bear traits of god-level bloodlines. Awakening such a soul requires meticulous rituals and special steps, reflecting their exceptional nature."

Feng Long listened intently, absorbing the information with keen interest. His eyes flickered with curiosity as Du Bojing proceeded, "Lastly, we reach the Ultimate Martial Soul. An ultimate martial soul is a pinnacle within its category, exhibiting unparalleled attributes. Its cultivation speed is steady at first, then slows between levels thirty and seventy, only to accelerate significantly beyond level seventy. The soul power of an ultimate martial soul is purer and more resilient, often varying in superiority based on bloodline or cultivation."

Du Boqin concluded, "For instance, an ultimate ice attribute represents absolute zero, while an ultimate fire attribute does not necessarily denote the highest temperature. Each ultimate martial soul is unique and holds tremendous potential for those who possess them."

Feng Long nodded thoughtfully, processing the intricate details of each type of martial soul.This lesson marked a crucial step in his journey within the Body Sect, where strength and soul mastery intertwined with the mysteries of martial souls.

Du Bojing with a calculative gaze says 'If it can awaken for the second time, it would be at least a silver level or even golden level.'

'Second Awakening?' asked Feng long with a tilted head.

Du Bojing starts to explain 'our Body Sect has a method of teaching our disciples to initiate a Second Awakening in the midst of a battle.'

Du Boqin adds 'This elevates the quality of the martial soul and we can categorize them into four levels. After the Second Awakening is completed, light projections formed from the individual's martial soul will appear behind the disciple as they unleashes their evolved abilities.'

'The color of this projection is very key to understanding the level of their Second Awakening. historically, except our sect there are only certain clans with exceptionally profound inner secrets and martial souls passed down from ancient times that have a higher chance at a second awakening' says Du Bojing.

Feng long asks again 'what are the categories you talked about?'

Du Bojing clears his throat and begins explaining 'There are four levels of body awakening at the lowest level it is the Iron-Level where a black projection carrying a metal glow appears during an Iron-ranked awakening. The fighting strength of the individual's martial soul will increase by thirty percent or more. This is the most common one among our Sect members'

Du Boqin adjusted his sleeves as he explained, "The next level is the Bronze-Level, where a bronze glow represents the Second Awakening. The fighting strength of the individual's martial soul will increase by sixty percent. This level is considered rare to find."

Du Bojing pointed at himself with a pretentious gaze and said, "The Silver-Level Awakening surpasses bronze. Such an awakening will only manifest in more critical body parts, such as the skeleton or head. Once the awakening is completed, one's fighting strength can double. I have also achieved this level."

Du Boqin added, "With the Silver-Level awakening, some individuals can even elevate their fighting strength by a tier. A Soul King can temporarily wield the offensive abilities of a Soul Emperor. This talent is exceedingly rare, with no more than seven members possessing it in our Body Sect to date."

"Then what about the Golden level?" asked Feng Long eagerly.

"Only one man is known to have achieved the Gold-Level Awakening. It is the rarest and most formidable rank, a Gold-ranked Second Awakening. The light projection created will be golden. In the history of the Body Sect, no one else has reached this level—it was achieved only by our founding ancestor," Du Bojing explained.

Du Boqin cautioned, "If one were to encounter such a soul master, they should not engage in combat unless their soul power exceeds his by at least one level. Such a soul master possesses tremendous explosive power; their offensive strength might increase up to three times their normal standard."

Both Du Bojing and Du Boqin instructed Feng Long to practice diligently to achieve the Golden-Level awakening during the second awakening of his martial soul.

Du Bojing suggested that Feng Long think deeply and come up with a suitable name for his ultimate spirit body.

Feng Long appeared deep in thought for a while with his eyes closed.

Both Du Bojing and Du Boqin waited in anticipation. Slowly, Feng opened his eyes and named his spirit body "Jade Body."

(Guardian Shu burst into uncontrollable laughter in the spiritual sea at Feng Long's choice of name.)

Master Du and Instructor Boqin both had visibly disappointed reactions.

Suddenly, Du Bojing called out, "Mei Ling!" A woman in her late twenties appeared before Feng Long like a shadow.

Du Bojing asked Mei Ling to conduct the welcome ceremony for Feng Long. The instructor had a beautiful complexion with long, silky hair, thick thigh muscles, and pronounced abs.

Feng Long introduced himself as a new disciple of the Body Sect. "Oh, what a polite child you are!" Mei Ling said with a beautiful smile as she began to caress Feng's hair. She introduced herself, saying, "You can call me Sister Mei from now on." Grasping Feng Long's hand, she led him out of the training room. She asked to be excused and left the room along with Feng Long.

(As Instructor Mei and Feng were leaving the indoor training room, both Du Bojing and Du Boqin seemed to be engaged in a deep conversation.)

They arrived at the Combat Arenas where students were training. Opposite the combat arena was an area equipped with sturdy platforms and obstacle courses designed to simulate real-life combat scenarios.

"Sister Mei, why did we come to the combat arena?" asked Feng Long with curious eyes.

Instructor Mei replied, "It's to test your combat level and battle prowess."

Old man Shu gave permission to Feng. "Go ahead and demonstrate the battle techniques I've taught you to your heart's content!"

Feng Long's eyes suddenly lit up. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's start!"

Seeing such enthusiasm, Instructor Mei activated the training field. Students began gathering to witness the new disciple's combat skills. There were purple training dummies marked with scars from countless previous demonstrations.

Sister Mei instructed Feng to punch the dummy as hard as he could.

Feng Long released his spirit body, an imposing aura surrounding him along with patterns and markings on his forehead and body.

Approaching the dummy with measured steps, Feng Long's movements were fluid and deliberate. Each step seemed to resonate with his soul energy, promising the force he was about to unleash. Halting before the dummy,

Feng Long raised his right fist, fingers curling into a tight, controlled grip. His gaze sharpened, fixating on the dummy's head as his target. Drawing a deep breath into his lungs, he unleashed his punch. The strike was lightning-fast, a blur of motion punctuated by a sharp crack of impact. His knuckles connected with the dummy's surface, sending a reverberation through the arena that seemed to echo in the chests of the spectator students.

The dummy shuddered under the force, rocking back slightly from the blow. Feng Long remained poised for a moment, his hand still extended, before withdrawing it slowly.

Onlookers held their breath, awestruck by the raw power and precision of the strike they had just witnessed. Feng Long turned to face them, a faint smile playing on his lips as he acknowledged their admiration with a respectful bow.

Instructor Mei was truly surprised by Feng Long's combat prowess, which rivaled that of the soul elders despite him being only a soul master.

Instructor Mei asked the other students to guide Feng Long on how to use the training equipment, a request they enthusiastically complied with, like never before.

As all members of the Body Sect recognized only true strength, the students now truly regarded Feng Long as one of their own. All the students started calling him 'ninth-brother.' Feng began to feel closer to his fellow students.

In the courtyard of the Body Sect's combat arena, Feng Long stood before a series of traditional training equipment, each steeped in history and revered for its role in shaping generations of warriors.

One of the female students, Jing Yi, at the Soul King level with a kind yet authoritative presence, approached Feng Long with a knowing smile. "Today, we will delve into the ancient arts of our sect through these traditional training tools. They embody the essence of discipline and mastery."

Feng Long nodded with reverence, eager to immerse himself in the timeless wisdom held within each piece of equipment. The first item that caught his eye was a wooden practice dummy, its surface weathered by years of strikes and training.

"In our sect," Jing Yi began, gesturing to the dummy, "this wooden dummy embodies resilience and precision. It will teach you the fundamentals of striking and defense."

Jing demonstrated a series of precise strikes and blocks on the dummy, her movements fluid and purposeful. Feng Long studied her technique closely, absorbing the nuances of each movement—how to channel strength from his core, how to pivot his stance for maximum impact, and how to protect vulnerable areas with swift counters.

Encouraged by Jing's guidance, Feng Long approached the wooden dummy with respect. With each strike, he felt the resonance of centuries of martial wisdom guiding his hands. He adjusted his stance, corrected his form under Jing Yi's watchful eye, and gradually began to hone his technique with focused determination.