Chapter 223 Shocking the Body Sect: What? Liu Yuan is going to fight a Title Douluo?
The fluctuations in soul power within the secret chamber completely subsided.
The soul-guiding lamps on the wall no longer flickered, but regained their stable light.
The oppressive feeling in the air dissipated as the fluctuations disappeared.
Liu Yuan opened his eyes, and the purple-gold light in his three pupils gradually subsided.
His face was still a little pale, and the sweat on his forehead hadn't dried yet, but his whole demeanor was completely different from before.
It wasn't the kind of outward sharpness, but rather a restrained composure, as if something had taken root deep within him.
Poison Undying stood not far away, his gaze fixed on Liu Yuan.
His hand had already withdrawn from Elder Chen's shoulder and was hanging at his side, his knuckles twitching slightly.
Elder Chen took a step forward, but then stopped.
He looked at Liu Yuan, opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He wanted to ask, but he was afraid of hearing an answer he didn't want to hear.
It was Poison Undying who spoke first.
"How is it?" His voice wasn't loud, but in the quiet, secluded room, every word was clearly audible.
Liu Yuan looked up at Du Busi, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
That smile held weariness, but even more so, a sense of relief and ease.
"It's a success," Liu Yuan said.
His voice was a little hoarse; he had rarely spoken in the past two weeks, and his throat hadn't fully recovered. "The first soul core has been formed."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Poison Undying remained silent.
He stood there, looking at Liu Yuan, his lips moved slightly, but he ultimately didn't say anything.
His expression didn't change much, but Elder Chen noticed that the fingertips of his hand, which was hanging at his side, were trembling slightly.
Elder Chen's reaction was more direct.
"It really worked?" His voice rose several octaves, filled with barely suppressed excitement.
He strode up to Liu Yuan, looked the disciple up and down, his eyes filled with disbelief, "Level 62, first soul core... Who would have believed such a thing before?"
Liu Yuan didn't say much.
He could understand Elder Chen's shock, because even now he himself still felt it was unreal.
But the solid core inside the body just kept spinning quietly, radiating a stable soul power fluctuation with each rotation; this couldn't be faked.
Poison Undying finally spoke.
"Try it running, let me see." His tone was calm, but those who knew him well knew that this calmness was just a facade.
Liu Yuan nodded.
He closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and focused his consciousness into his dantian.
The soul core was small, only the size of a fingernail, and its entire body was a deep dark gold color.
It hangs in the center of the dantian, rotating slowly and steadily.
With each rotation, a fine layer of soul energy seeps out from the core, flowing through the meridians to the entire body.
These soul energies are different from the previous liquid soul energies; they are more condensed and heavier, bringing a warm and fulfilling feeling when they flow through the meridians.
Liu Yuan took a deep breath and urged his soul core to accelerate its operation.
The next moment, a dense surge of soul power erupted from his body.
It wasn't an out-of-control rampage, but rather an orderly release.
Soul power surged from the dantian, rapidly circulating along the route of the "Secret Technique of the Body," vibrating slightly and emitting a low humming sound as it passed through each meridian node.
These vibrations combined to create an invisible pressure that pushed the air outwards from the sealed room.
The hem of Du Busi's clothes was blown up by the air current, but he remained completely still.
Elder Chen took a half step back, not because he couldn't bear it, but as a subconscious reaction. He looked at Liu Yuan, his eyes filled with shock.
"This is the first soul core..." Elder Chen said in a low voice.
The poison-ineffective person's reaction was even more profound than his.
He didn't look at Liu Yuan's outward appearance, but instead extended his perception into Liu Yuan's body, carefully sensing every detail of the soul core's operation.
The speed of soul power flow, the pressure on the meridians, and the stability of core output—these data flashed through his mind one by one.
A moment later, Poison Undying withdrew his senses and let out a long breath.
"It is indeed the first soul core," he said, his tone carrying an indescribable complexity. "It is of very high quality, even more solid than the one I condensed back then."
Elder Chen's shock deepened upon hearing this.
He turned to look at Poison Undying, opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just shook his head.
"Sect Master, you only condensed your soul core at level ninety back then," Elder Chen's voice was somewhat hoarse. "He's only level sixty-two, and the quality of the soul core he condensed is even better than yours back then? This..."
He couldn't continue.
Because he realized that no matter what he said, he couldn't change the facts before him.
Liu Yuan stopped the operation of his soul core, and the fluctuations of his soul power gradually subsided. He opened his eyes, looked at Du Busi and Elder Chen, and awaited their judgment.
After a moment of silence, Poison Undying spoke.
"How are you feeling right now?" he asked.
Liu Yuan assessed his internal state and replied, "My soul power is recovering much faster than before, and my output is more stable. As for the specific increase in combat power, I'm not sure yet; I need to test it in actual combat to know."
"That makes sense." Elder Chen chimed in, looking at Liu Yuan with curiosity in his eyes.
"Your mental strength is already far beyond that of your peers, your soul skills are strong, your martial soul quality is high, and now you have the first soul core. To be honest, I really want to know just how strong you have become."
Liu Yuan himself wanted to know as well.
He stood up and stretched his somewhat stiff body.
The two-week seclusion had made his muscles a little tight, but his soul power was exceptionally abundant, as if it could burst forth at any moment.
"How about we test it out?" Liu Yuan said calmly, looking at Du Busi and Elder Chen. "Let's find a place to test my current strength."
Poison Undying nodded.
"That's what I think too," he said. "Let's go to the training ground."
Without delay, the three of them left the secret chamber and walked down the stone steps.
The training ground is located in the core area of the sect, and is a large open space paved with bluestone slabs.
On ordinary days, the disciples of the Body Sect conduct their daily training and competitions here, with shouts of sparring and cheers echoing from morning till night.
It was afternoon, and the sunlight shone on the bluestone slabs, giving them a faint white glow.
The training ground was bustling with activity, as dozens of disciples were divided into several groups and engaged in various combat training exercises.
Some were practicing sparring, the two of them exchanging blows, the wind whistling through the air;
Some were testing the power of their soul skills, repeatedly releasing them at the target;
A few people sat in a circle on the sidelines, discussing the gains and losses of the previous match.
Chen Lu was sparring with an inner disciple, his head covered in sweat, but he was in high spirits.
His left arm was still somewhat inconvenient, but his right-hand punches were becoming increasingly fierce.
Wang Yanfeng stood on the sidelines, arms crossed, watching the competition unfold.
He didn't go on stage, but instead observed the other disciples' moves, occasionally frowning and nodding.
Gu Tong leaned against a large tree at the edge of the training ground, his eyes closed, seemingly resting, but his ears were always perked up, listening to the sounds coming from the training ground.
Just then, a voice came from the entrance of the training ground.
"The sect leader has arrived."
It's unclear who spoke first, but soon everyone noticed the three figures walking down the stone steps.
Leading the way is Poison Undying.
His injuries had not fully healed; the bandage on his left shoulder was faintly visible under his robes, but his steps remained steady, and his face carried its usual coldness.
Elder Chen walked beside him, his left hand still wrapped in ointment, but he was in good spirits, with a slight smile on his lips.
The person walking at the very back caused all the disciples in the training ground to stop what they were doing.
Liu Yuan.
He hasn't appeared at the training ground for more than half a month.
These days, a lot of news about him has been circulating among his disciples.
Some say he's in seclusion, some say he's recovering from injuries, and others say he feels guilty because the sect leader was injured. There are all sorts of rumors, but no one knows the truth.
Now he has appeared.
The disciples' eyes all fell on Liu Yuan, scrutinizing him and trying to glean something from his demeanor.
But apart from feeling that he was more composed than before, there didn't seem to be many other changes.
"Senior Brother Liu Yuan has emerged from seclusion," a newly initiated disciple whispered, a hint of excitement in his eyes.
"Nonsense, didn't you see?" The senior brother next to him rolled his eyes at him, but his gaze never left Liu Yuan.
Chen Lu stopped sparring, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and turned to look at Liu Yuan.
A smile appeared on his face, and he was about to greet them when he saw Liu Yuan and Elder Chen walk onto the training ground together.
Chen Lu's smile froze.
Not only him, but all the disciples on the field changed from curiosity to shock.
Wang Yanfeng lowered his arms and leaned forward slightly, thinking he had misread the situation.
Gu Tong stopped leaning against the tree, stood up straight, and squinted at the center of the field.
Liu Yuan and Elder Chen went up to the training ground together.
Everyone present understood what this meant.
The rules of the training ground are simple: when two people go up, they are to fight.
"What's going on?" Chen Lu couldn't help but ask. Although his voice wasn't loud, everyone in the suddenly quiet training ground could hear him clearly.
"Senior Brother Liu Yuan wants to spar with Elder Chen?" Wang Yanfeng's voice was filled with disbelief. "Elder Chen is a Title Douluo..."
Is there really any need for this sparring match?
(End of chapter)