Five?
Jiang Wuyue's lips twitched.
Was this treating the Blood God Legion as their home?
The direct teacher-student group of five from the Body Sect all joining the Blood God Legion—was this an attempt to seize power?
"As far as I know, our eldest senior brother is also a military man. Changing his military registration to join the Blood God Legion isn't impossible. Moreover, our eldest senior brother seems to be stuck at the ninety-level bottleneck right now. With the recent Abyssal passage anomalies forming starry sky phenomena, it might help him break through."
With just a few sentences, Xu Yuan roughly explained everything.
Jiang Wuyue had no choice but to accept this reality.
The two set off from Shrek City and soon arrived in Tian Dou City. In Tian Dou City, Xu Yuan indeed not only met Mu Ye but finally saw their eldest senior brother.
Blacksmith Association Headquarters.
Standing beside Mu Ye was a tall man. The man was over two and a half meters tall, with shoulders wide enough to equal two ordinary people. Just the exposed arms were terrifyingly muscular, and the strength they contained could already be felt without any exertion.
His skin was faintly crimson red, and his blood essence surged. Despite his enormous figure, even without activating his blood essence or showing any malice, he exuded a tremendous oppressive presence.
"This is your eldest senior brother, Ah Ruheng." Mu Ye pointed at Ah Ruheng's towering figure and introduced him.
Then, he introduced Xu Yuan and Jiang Wuyue to Ah Ruheng.
"Two junior brothers, hello." Ah Ruheng scratched his head and greeted them with a silly smile.
"Eldest senior brother." Xu Yuan and Jiang Wuyue said in unison.
Both Jiang Wuyue and Xu Yuan were observing this eldest senior brother, astonished by Ah Ruheng's overwhelming blood essence.
Both practiced blood essence power, so even though Ah Ruheng hadn't activated his blood essence, they could still vaguely sense it.
Jiang Wuyue had already transitioned to practicing blood essence and had almost reached the peak of his current stage. His martial soul was the evolved ancestral form of the Tyrant Dragon, giving him one of the top-tier advantages in terms of strength.
Moreover, he possessed a five hundred thousand-year ferocious beast torso bone!
Even so, his blood essence couldn't match Ah Ruheng's. Even if he continued to cultivate and broke through to become a Title Douluo, with his blood essence growing proportionally, Jiang Wuyue still didn't have the confidence to reach this level of blood essence cultivation.
As for Xu Yuan, this was the first time he had seen someone other than Mu Ye with stronger blood essence than him.
Although he had anticipated that Ah Ruheng might be impressive in this aspect, he hadn't expected it to be this exaggerated.
Seeing their expressions, Mu Ye guessed what they were surprised about.
"Your eldest senior brother practices the innate secret technique of our Body Sect. He endured the baptism of numerous rare treasures at a very young age and withstood inhuman pain, thus laying the most top-tier foundation in blood essence. Throughout his cultivation, he has primarily focused on blood essence, driving his soul power cultivation." Mu Ye clarified for them: "The decline of our Body Sect is also because no disciple has successfully cultivated the innate secret technique in the past four hundred years. Instead, due to the existence of the innate secret technique, the sect lost many talented children."
After Mu Ye's explanation, Jiang Wuyue's expression became even more astonished.
The innate secret technique required the use of a large number of rare treasures to lay the groundwork for blood essence cultivation in children who had just awakened their martial souls. Unlike Xu Yuan's medicinal bath, the innate secret technique's medicinal bath wasn't gentle, nor did it provide any comfort—it was extremely painful.
If successful, it would forge a terrifying foundation, allowing rapid progress in blood essence cultivation and making them the best candidates to inherit the leadership of the Body Sect.
But if they failed, all those rare treasures would be wasted.
Not only that, but the children would have their meridians burst from the terrifying medicinal power. The lucky ones might only suffer potential damage, but the vast majority would die instantly.
Due to bad luck, there hadn't been a single success in four hundred years, causing significant losses for the Body Sect.
It wasn't just the loss of rare treasures and the new generation of disciples, but also the accumulation of subsequent debt. After all, even if subjectively agreeing and having no objections from family, the sect still had to compensate these children's families.
Xu Yuan showed an understanding expression.
The decline of the Body Sect also had this factor.
Previously, this was undoubtedly one of the reasons for its gradual decline, leading to a dwindling of talent within the sect.
No wonder many Body martial soul masters chose not to join the Body Sect.
After all, the mortality rate was quite high.
Even for a brighter future, one couldn't change the fact of dying under the innate secret technique.
As these facts accumulated, outsiders naturally kept their distance from the Body Sect.
Even body martial soul masters no longer considered joining the Body Sect as their first choice but instead opted for other sects or forces.
The last four hundred years were the most fatal, causing the Body Sect's own funds to dry up, consuming much of the sect's heritage, and resulting in no more body martial soul masters emerging from the innate secret technique. This disappearance lasted four hundred years, making external rumors more credible, and body martial soul masters stopped entering the Body Sect. Under negative feedback, more and more body martial soul masters joined other forces.
However, the difficulty and danger of the innate secret technique were matched by equally great rewards.
Even Xu Yuan didn't dare say he could reach Ah Ruheng's level of blood essence intensity.
"Ah Ruheng is actually an anomaly. He practices the most top-tier secret techniques of our Body Sect. The cultivation of the innate secret technique has brought his physique close to the state of a flawless golden body. He is also about to undergo his third awakening, achieving the Solar Body—a state that exists only theoretically in our Body Sect's secret techniques."
Xu Yuan inwardly gasped.
This eldest senior brother was truly something.
The completion of the innate secret technique would enter a state of a flawless golden body. According to the Body Sect's introduction, this was a realm called the Golden Arhat. Once achieved, one would first gain immunity to all negative states, rendering any auxiliary soul skills that apply negative states ineffective. Additionally, one could purify oneself, become immune to all poisons, and render all energy-type control soul skills ineffective.
Naturally nurtured, the flawless golden body!
"Before hearing you two talk about the training environment of the Blood God Legion, I thought about it and decided to let Ah Ruheng go with you to train there. He is currently in the critical period of his final transformation. If he can accumulate more, the transformation will be more thorough." Mu Ye said.
"Indeed." Jiang Wuyue thought it was exactly as Xu Yuan had said.
However, having the eldest senior brother return to the Blood God Legion with him, he had no objections and even welcomed it enthusiastically.
The Blood God Legion gains another formidable warrior!
"Teacher, so what identity do you plan to use to enter the Blood God Legion?" Xu Yuan asked.
Mu Ye's face briefly flashed with embarrassment.
He indeed wanted to sneak in for a while and see that so-called Yidi (Strange Place).
"I am also considered one of the top nutrition experts on the continent. While my medicinal cuisine might not surpass everyone else, the scope of my expertise is certainly the broadest." Mu Ye confidently stated.
Last time, he joined the delegation to Star Luo Continent based on this identity.
After all, a chef who could dive thousands of meters into the deep sea to catch ingredients was unique.
Want to make top medicinal cuisine without ingredients?
Go catch them yourself!
"Then, teacher, just come with us." Xu Yuan said.
Mu Ye had no objections and nodded.
"When do we depart?"
"We'll leave now, first heading to Tianding City. I have some matters to attend to."
"It's on the way. Let's pick up Jinyang too." Mu Ye said.
The four master-disciple pairs set off and soon arrived in Tianding City.
Tianding Starry Sky Soul Master Academy.
"Professor Zhang, this is the most important batch of soul-forged metals from the previous list. I've already forged them all, so you can start the actual production."
"Don't worry. Over the past six months, we've basically completed a closed-loop theory and reviewed it more than once. As long as the energy problem is solved, producing a complete spaceship won't be a problem. Even now, we can avoid the power system and start working on other areas first." Professor Zhang assured Xu Yuan.
"Has the research team sent by the Starry Sea Alliance made any progress?"
"Not sure yet. You'll have to ask them yourself when you get back. It seems the research progress is complex, and they find it hard to describe specifically to us."
"Alright, I'll ask about the specific situation when I get there."
Xu Yuan changed the topic and asked, "Where's Junior Brother Jinyang?"
"He has already departed. If nothing went wrong, he should already be in the Blood God Legion." Li Zhilong said.
"Already departed?" Xu Yuan was surprised.
"He took the most orthodox path to join the Blood God Legion, going there himself and undergoing the assessment. He will also follow the Blood God Legion's rules and serve a minimum of five years."
The service time in the Blood God Legion was longer than in regular armies, requiring at least five years.
Wang Jinyang was twelve years old now, and five years later, he would be seventeen, still not eighteen. Converted to the students of Shrek's Outer Court, that would be around the third year level, still within the exchange program's scope.
Over these two months, Shrek had publicly announced the exchange student program and had already sent many outstanding students from the Outer Court to various major forces for exchanges.
Among them, several Outer Court students who passed the Inner Court examination this year were dispatched to learn and exchange at places like the War God Hall and the Spirit Transmission Tower.
Therefore, the War God Hall and the Spirit Transmission Tower also had no choice but to send core disciples to Shrek.
Shrek's students only joined these superforces, but that didn't mean only the geniuses from these forces could exchange with Shrek.
The so-called exchange activities constrained the various forces, forcing them to cooperate with Shrek to resist the impending god-slaying missiles. They also aimed to gather all the geniuses on the continent, creating another grand spectacle in the world of soul masters.
After all, with the rise of the Spirit Transmission Tower and the War God Hall, the continent's geniuses no longer gathered solely in Shrek. Although Shrek was nominally still called a holy land, in reality, it was no longer the true gathering place for the continent's geniuses.
At least, the concentration of geniuses was less than two-thirds, and the proportion of successful talents across the entire continent was less than half. Over time, it would only continue to decline.
Moreover, if it weren't for sufficient resource aggregation, the top-tier powerhouses Shrek produced nowadays wouldn't even reach one-third of the continent's most top-tier powerhouses.
Even counting those from Tang Sect who graduated from Shrek.
Endless Mountain Range.
Four figures soared across the sky.
These four figures were all enveloped in dense blood essence. The fluctuations of their blood essence were shocking, and in the frigid Endless Mountain Range, they emitted a burning heat.
The four figures landed on a plain deep within the Endless Mountain Range.
At this moment, a figure was already waiting in the outer area of the Blood God Legion.
Zhang Huanyun sensed the powerful blood essence fluctuations of the four and waited outside the Blood God Legion.
His expression was grave. Seeing the distant bodies of the four strong blood essence energy sources, he was somewhat astonished.
He recognized two of them, namely Xu Yuan and Jiang Wuyue.
However, among the four blood essence energy sources, they were relatively weaker.
After all, Xu Yuan already had the strongest blood essence fluctuations Zhang Huanyun had ever seen.
He didn't expect to encounter two others today who were even more exaggerated than Xu Yuan.
Who were these two?
Moreover, how long had Jiang Wuyue been away from the legion? How had his blood essence fluctuations become so terrifying?
If Zhang Huanyun remembered correctly, Jiang Wuyue left the Blood God Legion to search for soul spirits with Xu Yuan. He didn't expect such significant progress after fusing a new soul spirit in just three months.
"Xu Yuan, Jiang Wuyue, who are these two?" Zhang Huanyun retracted his martial soul and approached to inquire after the four landed.
"Commander, this is my teacher, the current head of the Body Sect, and this is my eldest senior brother."
Zhang Huanyun showed a look of realization.
That explained the terrifying blood essence fluctuations of these two.
Still, he was somewhat suspicious.
"Are they also here to join the Blood God Legion with us?"
Xu Yuan honestly replied. "Yes commander."
Mu Ye stepped forward.
"There's no point hiding it. Xu Yuan told me, and I realized this place's environment is very suitable for our Body Sect's soul masters to cultivate. Therefore, I brought my disciples here to train. Of course, we're also here for military service, so we'll abide by the legion's rules."
Zhang Huanyun's lips twitched.
Abide by the rules?
Xu Yuan and Jiang Wuyue were fine, but your arrival here would directly cause changes in the power structure within the Blood God Legion.
Every strong individual represented a force, a truth that never changed.
Even without actively changing anything, it would still subtly influence the power structure.
Mu Ye's powerful blood essence fluctuations shocked Zhang Huanyun, who didn't feel confident about confronting him. His strength was obvious.
Undoubtedly, their joining would bring a huge impact to the Blood God Legion. But such a powerful force joining the Blood God Legion would surely make it grow stronger rapidly and make the upcoming competition for the Yidi easier.
"By the way, what did you say about the starry sky phenomenon?" Zhang Huanyun didn't know the common term for the Yidi, so he seized Mu Ye's statement to ask opportunistically.
This chapter is only four thousand words; tomorrow's will be six thousand to make up for it.
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