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The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect's library was a treasure trove of knowledge, encompassing astronomy, geography, encyclopedias on soul beasts, differences in martial souls, and even the most extensive collection of medicinal herbs on the Douluo Continent. The sect itself was also one of the largest herb traders on the continent.
Every morning, Yang Xiong swiftly browsed through various books in the library, particularly interested in medicinal herbs and self-created soul skills.
Surprisingly, there were a few records of immortal herbs, though vague, mentioning several names.
The most prominent among them was the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, the clearest description of all immortal herbs.
As was widely known, the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum was the martial soul of Ju Dou Luo from the Spirit Hall, the only plant-type Title Dou Luo on the Douluo Continent. His martial soul was anything but ordinary.
Moreover, as mortal enemies of the Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect spared no effort in researching Ju Dou Luo's weaknesses. Consequently, information about the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum was relatively complete.
In addition, some ancient texts mentioned other immortal herbs, including the Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid, Yearning Heartbroken Red, Aromatic Silk Beauty, and even descriptions of Beautiful Silk Tulip.
The Eight-Petal Fairy Orchid was considered the pinnacle of orchids. Given the popularity of orchids in the Douluo world, there were many detailed records about it.
The Aromatic Silk Beauty was described in greater detail, as it had been sought by the Breaking One Clan for countless generations. Naturally, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, with its vast intelligence network, would not overlook such information.
The Beautiful Silk Tulip was inscribed on an ancient piece of animal hide, appearing both primitive and timeless. Remarkably, it was stored on the seventh floor of the library, indicating the sect's high regard for it.
However, even these ancient texts provided limited descriptions of immortal herbs, far less comprehensive than Tang San's Xuan Tian Bao Lu (Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record). Nevertheless, for Yang Xiong, this information was sufficient.
Among all immortal herbs, the one Yang Xiong truly cared about was the Aromatic Silk Beauty. Finding relevant illustrations would suffice, as it represented the ultimate guarantee of safety.
Beyond herbal knowledge, Yang Xiong studied countless self-created soul skills. However, he found that most of these skills were tailored to specific martial souls and held little value for him. For instance, the Dragon Transformation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was effective only for dragon-type martial souls, rendering it useless for others.
Yang Xiong spent some time studying the Seven Kill Sword Technique. His father's martial soul was an iron sword, and Yang Xiong often sought his advice on martial arts, gaining a basic understanding of swordsmanship. He even practiced a bit, though his martial soul wasn't compatible enough for deeper exploration.
Yang Xiong had long contemplated the limitations of Body Martial Souls. Since their soul skills were manifested through the body, they lacked versatility and were easily targeted or analyzed by enemies. Thus, the Body Sect had a strict rule: do not reveal soul skills unless absolutely necessary.
However, as a soul master, refraining from using soul skills placed one at a significant disadvantage. Whether it was the enhancement of Beast Martial Souls or the might of Weapon Martial Souls, relying solely on physical combat left much to be desired for Body Martial Souls.
After careful consideration, Yang Xiong concluded that he needed to develop a self-created soul skill—something adaptable for ordinary battles.
Creating a soul skill, however, was no easy feat. Yang Xiong didn't want to waste too much time on it, as this was the golden period for cultivation.
Take Feng Xiaotian from the original story, for example. Obsessed with developing self-created soul skills, despite having full innate soul power, his soul strength lagged far behind the Spirit Hall's Golden Generation. Even with abundant resources from Shenfeng Academy, he became a laughingstock among those with full innate soul power.
After much deliberation, Yang Xiong devised a plan. Drawing on his knowledge from past and present lives, he settled on the Rasengan from Naruto. It was simple, cost-effective, and held great potential for future development.
Yang Xiong planned to absorb soul rings corresponding to the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. If he could later infuse the Rasengan with elemental powers, its destructive potential would be terrifying, possibly even triggering a qualitative transformation.
He knew that while elements were interconnected, they also repelled each other. Combining multiple elements could lead to instability, potentially amplifying the power exponentially, akin to a bomb. Wouldn't that resemble a certain emperor's ultimate technique?
Moreover, Yang Xiong believed the Rasengan was highly compatible with his Body Martial Soul. Though his spirit couldn't be summoned independently, it allowed for more precise and flexible control of soul power. Additionally, the side effects of infusing elemental energy into such a skill could be mitigated by his Body Martial Soul.
After finalizing his decision to develop the Rasengan, Yang Xiong added this project to his afternoon training regimen, alongside extreme body tempering. He limited it to one or two hours daily to avoid interfering with his physical conditioning.
However, developing the Rasengan proved more challenging than anticipated. As a novice soul master, Yang Xiong was at the lowest rung of the soul master hierarchy, lacking refined control over soul power.
After days of continuous effort, though he managed to gather some soul power in his palm, it quickly dissipated in the air, leaving him unable to manipulate it for combat, let alone shape it into form.
Yang Xiong attempted to incorporate water, pouring it onto his palm, but the water dispersed immediately. Even using a water-filled balloon resulted in it bursting, failing to take any form.
He realized a significant issue: he had been overly optimistic. The Rasengan was based on the flow of wind-attribute energy, requiring mastery over rapid rotational control.
However, Yang Xiong had only absorbed a space-attribute soul ring. Space was notoriously the most difficult and mysterious attribute, and with his current strength, mastering it was impossible—he hadn't even scratched the surface.
Furthermore, the Rasengan demanded exquisite control over soul power, akin to moving one's fingers with precision. Both soul power and spiritual power requirements were immense, and Yang Xiong's understanding of soul power was still far behind.
After three months of relentless research, even Yang Xiong began to feel disheartened. The Rasengan seemed too distant a goal. He even considered altering his cultivation plan to absorb a wind-attribute soul ring for his second ring.
But then, something happened that reignited his hope.
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