At this moment, Poison Immortal finally understood just how apt Kong Deming's words truly were.
This was not just finding a treasure; he had grasped the hope for the entire Body Sect's glorious future for the next thousand years!
In this light, the decision he made today—to abandon stubbornness, compromise his stance, and choose to cooperate with the Sun Moon Empire—was absolutely correct to the extreme!
With the ambitious and iron-fisted Xu Tianran at the forefront, and the heaven-defying, twin spirits-wielding Xu Tianhao in the future.
Such a Sun Moon Empire, with its profound foundation and infinite potential, how could the decaying and declining royal families of the three original Empires of the Douluo Continent ever compare?
Xu Tianhao gently raised his hand, withdrawing his Spirit, and the Purple Blazing Heaven Dragon Martial Soul that had been circling his body slowly returned into him.
The domineering aura of destruction vanished in an instant, and he returned to his previous gentle and composed appearance.
He looked at Poison Immortal, who was still in a state of shock, and asked with a gentle smile: "In that case, can the Sect Master rest assured?"
Poison Immortal snapped back to reality and nodded vigorously, like a pestle pounding garlic.
There was not a trace of his previous melancholy and hesitation on Poison Immortal's face now, replaced only by uncontrollable excitement and wild joy: "I'm assured! Completely assured!"
At this moment, only relief and excitement remained in his heart; he no longer had any misgivings.
With a successor of such talent, the future of the Body Sect would only be more glorious than at any other time in history!
Seeing this, Xu Tianhao continued, softly instructing: "However, not many people currently know that I possess twin spirits. I hope the Sect Master can keep this secret for me and not spread it outside."
Poison Immortal nodded hurriedly, his tone extremely solemn: "That goes without saying! Your Highness, rest assured, this old man will definitely keep his mouth shut and will never leak a single bit!"
"However, in order to fully ensure the support of the entire Sect for my decision, may I disclose the secret of Your Highness's twin spirits to the various Elders of the Sect?"
As he spoke, Poison Immortal guaranteed: "I can swear on my life that the Sect's Elders are wholeheartedly dedicated to the Body Sect and will not leak a single bit."
Xu Tianhao nodded upon hearing this: "Since that is the case, there is no objection."
Having received permission, Poison Immortal let out a long sigh of relief, suppressing the surging excitement in his heart. When his gaze fell upon Xu Tianhao once more, it was now filled with a layer of intense anticipation and eagerness.
He looked at Kong Deming on the side, his tone carrying a hint of earnestness as he asked: "Brother Kong is His Highness's Main Teacher, imparting the Way and teaching professional skills, passing on the fundamentals. One can only have one in a lifetime; it is irreplaceable."
"I wonder if this old man might have the honor of becoming His Highness's Academic Teacher?"
There is a world of difference between a Main Teacher and an Academic Teacher.
A Main Teacher imparts the Way, teaches skills, and resolves doubts; they determine the direction of one's life and pass on the fundamental traditions. One can only have one in a lifetime, like a second parent.
An Academic Teacher, on the other hand, teaches specialized skills and cultivation methods. One can have many in a lifetime, as they are only responsible for specific areas of expertise and do not involve the fundamental lineage of mentorship.
Since Kong Deming was already Xu Tianhao's Main Teacher, Poison Immortal knew he had no chance to replace him.
But he would not let go of this position of Academic Teacher no matter what.
After all, Xu Tianhao's main focus of cultivation right now was the Body Martial Soul.
Looking across the entire Douluo Continent, when it comes to the cultivation, development, and ultimate application of the Body Martial Soul, naturally, their Body Sect reigns supreme, with no one capable of surpassing them.
Only by having him personally teach Xu Tianhao to cultivate the Body Martial Soul could Xu Tianhao's talent be brought to its absolute peak.
Xu Tianhao did not immediately agree to Poison Immortal's request; instead, he very sensibly turned his gaze to Kong Deming at his side, his expression respectful as he quietly awaited his Master's instructions.
He also attached great importance to the etiquette of mentorship and would never make decisions on his own.
Seeing this, a gratified and gentle smile appeared on Kong Deming's face. He gently patted Xu Tianhao's shoulder and said in a calm tone: "Tianhao, what are you still standing there for? Why don't you quickly pay your respects to your teacher?"
Clearly, Kong Deming not only had no objections to Xu Tianhao taking Poison Immortal as an Academic Teacher but was actually highly in favor of it.
Firstly, the Body Sect truly had unique advantages that were unmatched in the world when it came to the path of cultivating the Body Martial Soul.
As Sect Master, Poison Immortal had spent his entire life studying the Body Martial Soul; his wealth of experience and depth of understanding were unmatched in the world.
Having him personally teach Xu Tianhao to cultivate the Body Martial Soul was absolutely the best choice, as it would allow Xu Tianhao to avoid countless detours.
Secondly, once Xu Tianhao formally took Poison Immortal as his teacher, a tangible bond of master and disciple would be established between them.
This relationship was far more solid than any alliance.
It was enough to bind the Body Sect completely to the war chariot of the Sun Moon Empire, never to be separated again.
Kong Deming naturally would not mind such a mutually beneficial matter that achieved multiple goals at once.
Furthermore, Poison Immortal also understood the importance of propriety and hierarchy, knowing that Kong Deming was the Main Teacher and he was only an Academic Teacher.
By not fighting for status or position, and by giving Kong Deming full respect both in appearance and substance, Kong Deming naturally had no reason to nitpick or object.
Having received Kong Deming's clear approval, Xu Tianhao no longer hesitated. He immediately stepped forward, bowed again to Poison Immortal, and said in a respectful and clear voice: "Disciple Xu Tianhao pays respects to Teacher."
Every word was steady and powerful, formally establishing the bond between the two as master and disciple.
However, while the pronunciation of "Master" and "Teacher" is the same, their meanings are worlds apart.
"Master" corresponds to the Main Teacher, with a relationship like father and son, passing on the fundamental traditions.
"Teacher" corresponds to the Academic Teacher, teaching professional skills and specializing in one craft.
Although it was only a slight difference in characters, this address of "Teacher" sounded like heavenly music to Poison Immortal's ears, making him ecstatic and so excited that his whole body felt slightly hot.
An Academic Teacher is still a teacher.
Moreover, who would call a teacher an "Academic Teacher"? Having taken this disciple, in the eyes of others, he was Xu Tianhao's teacher.
Furthermore, his inner thoughts coincided with those of Kong Deming.
Taking Xu Tianhao as his disciple and being his teacher was not just to pass on the cultivation methods of the Body Martial Soul.
It was even more so with the intention of deeply binding the Body Sect with the Sun Moon Empire's royal family, sharing glory forever.
Since he had already taken the step of cooperating with the Sun Moon Empire, he naturally had to plan carefully to seek the most stable and long-term future for the Body Sect.
Xu Tianhao was not only the possessor of a top-tier Body Martial Soul, but also a once-in-a-century wielder of twin spirits.
His foundation was solid, his talent strong, and his potential deep—unprecedented in history.
With his aptitude, his future cultivation would surely advance rapidly, and reaching the realm of a Limit Douluo was almost a certainty, without any suspense.
If one were to imagine even more boldly, with Xu Tianhao's heaven-defying talent, perhaps in the future he could even surpass the realm of a Limit Douluo and reach that legendary, unattainable supreme realm.
Thinking of this, the gaze Poison Immortal cast upon Xu Tianhao became increasingly fervent, and the longing for the future in his heart grew even stronger.
He was determined to be this teacher!
Having received Xu Tianhao's bow, Poison Immortal excitedly helped Xu Tianhao up: "Good, good, good. From now on, we shall address each other as master and disciple."
Xu Tianhao smiled: "I will follow your instructions, Teacher."
From this moment on, Poison Immortal was Xu Tianhao's teacher.
He was also equivalent to a third father.
His biological father, Emperor Xu Jilong; his Main father, Kong Deming; and his Academic father, Poison Immortal.
With these three fathers escorting him, as long as Xu Tianhao wasn't too reckless, his life was definitely set.