The assistance provided by Ning Fengzhi's Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was indeed incredibly powerful. In no time, Yang Xiong's body had fully recovered, and his mental strength felt exceptionally abundant.
After Yang Xiong had recovered, Sword Douluo finally spoke: "How are you feeling now, Little Xiong? What do you think about the killing intent within you?"
Yang Xiong thought carefully before replying: "Teacher Sword, although I was completely suppressed during our earlier clash of killing intent, I could sense my own shortcomings."
Sword Douluo nodded: "That's normal. You've just passed the trial in Slaughter City and obtained the Killing God Domain, but you haven't fully mastered it yet—it's still relatively rough around the edges."
"Moreover, you're only a Soul King, while I'm a ninety-seven-level Title Douluo. The gap in our soul power is simply too vast, which is why I was able to easily suppress your Killing God Domain."
"Of course, if your soul power were higher—if you reached the level of a Soul Emperor or even a Title Douluo—then it wouldn't be so easy for me to suppress you."
Yang Xiong said: "Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Sword."
Sword Douluo continued: "What are your plans moving forward? This overwhelming killing intent emanating from you isn't a sustainable solution, and your current state makes it very easy for you to lose control."
After some thought, Yang Xiong replied: "Teacher Sword, I plan to find a remote mountain forest to recuperate. I'll try to control the killing intent within me by immersing myself in the life force of nature."
Sword Douluo nodded: "That's a good idea. Nature is filled with infinite life energy, and you might be able to gradually master your Killing God Domain through this life force. However, this process will likely be slow, and it may not be ideal for your future development."
Yang Xiong quickly asked: "Then what should I do now, Teacher?"
Sword Douluo responded: "When I broke through to become a Title Douluo, I awakened the Seven Kill Domain—a pure manifestation of killing intent. However, unlike your Killing God Domain, the Seven Kill Domain is innate to my Seven Kill Sword martial soul, whereas your Killing God Domain is something you acquired through slaughter. Controlling it will naturally be more difficult."
"I suggest splitting your efforts into two parts: spend some time cultivating alone, and focus the rest on mastering the application of your killing intent. It would be a waste to limit your killing intent solely to the Killing God Domain."
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiong's eyes lit up: "Teacher Sword, I've actually been thinking along those lines. Over the years, I've been studying the Seven Kill Sword Technique. Since the killing intent has integrated into my body, the sword qi I wield seems to have changed—it's become even more lethal and imbued with greater killing intent."
Sword Douluo remarked: "You've put some thought into this. Moving forward, we'll arrange for you to train in the secluded mountains behind the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. No one will disturb you there."
"Fengzhi and I will visit you once a week. During these visits, I'll guide you on how to apply your killing intent. Perhaps sparring with me will help you improve. Additionally, Fengzhi's Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda will also provide you with some assistance."
…
In just half a day, a small thatched cottage had been built in the secluded mountains behind the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. The interior was fully equipped with all necessary amenities, and various flowers and plants had been transplanted around the area.
Yang Xiong moved into this thatched cottage.
The reason for building a thatched cottage was that it was closer to nature, exuding a stronger sense of life and vitality.
Yang Xiong slept soundly until he naturally woke up—a rare occurrence for him. Especially in this isolated place, where the life force was incredibly rich, it seemed to subtly assimilate the killing intent within his body.
Yang Xiong's days here were simple.
His main activities each day were writing, practicing Tai Chi, and trimming flowers.
Whenever Yang Xiong held a pen, he felt as though it were a weapon, and the paper his enemy. His hand trembled slightly as he gripped the pen.
However, Yang Xiong suppressed the killing intent in his heart and began writing slowly, stroke by stroke.
The content he wrote wasn't complicated—it mainly consisted of passages from the *Tao Te Ching* and the *Heart Sutra*.
Although Yang Xiong couldn't fully comprehend these classic texts from the Daoist and Buddhist traditions, he was familiar with some of their most famous lines.
From the *Tao Te Ching*: "The Dao gives birth to One; One gives birth to Two; Two gives birth to Three; Three gives birth to all things."
From the *Heart Sutra*: "Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form. Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form."
These were profound teachings from Buddhism and Daoism, encapsulating the truths of the universe and the principles of human conduct. Each time Yang Xiong wrote them, he gained special insights.
He also wrote about the theories of Tai Chi: "Tai Chi gives rise to Yin and Yang; Yin and Yang give rise to the Four Symbols; the Four Symbols give rise to the Eight Trigrams."
After writing and reflecting on these teachings, Yang Xiong always felt an extraordinary sense of clarity. These sayings seemed simple on the surface, but their underlying meanings were anything but ordinary.
Whenever Yang Xiong felt on the verge of losing control, or when his hands itched for action, he would practice Tai Chi alone in an open space.
Tai Chi emphasized the balance of hardness and softness. As Yang Xiong practiced, the killing intent within him seemed to transform imperceptibly, becoming calmer as it flowed along with the movements of Tai Chi.
Especially considering how fierce and direct the killing intent was, while Tai Chi was extremely gentle—they seemed to counterbalance each other perfectly.
The final task was trimming the flowers and plants.
This activity was something Sword Douluo had taught him, and Yang Xiong only performed it when Sword Douluo was present.
Each time Yang Xiong held a small pair of scissors, he felt an urge to cut the flowers and plants into pieces.
However, under Sword Douluo's watchful eye, Yang Xiong held the sharp scissors with trembling hands, carefully trimming the overgrown branches and leaves. With every snip, it felt as though the killing intent within him was re-coalescing.
Yet, the flowers and plants swayed before Yang Xiong's eyes, displaying a kind of resilient vitality—an embodiment of the miracle of life.
And the scissors in Yang Xiong's hands represented the killing in this world. Only by gaining complete control over them could he prevent himself from committing evil.
Of course, aside from these activities, Yang Xiong also spent time brewing tea and drinking wine.
…
Additionally, whenever Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi visited, Yang Xiong would engage in a full-force battle with Sword Douluo. He pushed the killing intent within him to its limits.
As Sword Douluo had said, it was better to let the killing intent erupt rather than suppress it. Only by fully releasing it could he truly gain mastery over it.
And each time Yang Xiong was utterly exhausted, Ning Fengzhi would use the Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to assist him.
Ning Fengzhi's Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was indeed an exceptional auxiliary martial soul. As the pinnacle of gemstone-type martial souls, the radiance emitted by the pagoda after Yang Xiong collapsed from exhaustion provided immense benefits to his body.
Yang Xiong couldn't help but think of Tang Yuehua from Moonlight Pavilion, whose martial soul was the Ruyi Disk, possessing the Noble Domain. Similarly, the Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda exuded the opulence of gemstones. In a way, the Ruyi Disk and the Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda shared some similarities.
Initially, Ning Fengzhi had suggested that Yang Xiong go to Moonlight Pavilion to study, but Yang Xiong declined.
Moonlight Pavilion was a well-known place in Tendo City, especially since Tang Yuehua hailed from the Heaven Sect—a fact that naturally didn't escape Ning Fengzhi's notice. Moreover, the pavilion received support from wealthy patrons like Ning Fengzhi.
During this year, Ning Rongrong secretly visited Yang Xiong multiple times. Together, they admired flowers, watched the moon, and gazed at the stars. Their relationship grew warmer, and even Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo turned a blind eye to it.
Time flew by, and a year passed in the blink of an eye.
Over this year, Yang Xiong's body and temperament underwent significant changes. The killing intent within him seemed to have completely merged with his body, making him appear like an ordinary person who loved nature.
From an external perspective, his originally blood-red hair had gradually turned black. However, during battles with Sword Douluo, his hair would turn completely blood-red.
Yang Xiong's mind had also become extraordinarily calm. He no longer harbored the same ambitious aspirations or intricate schemes as before.
After earning the full approval of Sword Douluo and the others, Yang Xiong finally emerged from the secluded mountains behind the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect.
When Yang Xiong returned home, his father, Yang Lin, and mother, Sun Yu, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Over the past year, Yang Lin, Sun Yu, and Lin Gong had visited Yang Xiong in the mountains several times. However, due to his abnormal condition, their interactions were limited, and no one else had seen him.
Even though Yang Xiong hadn't meditated at all this year—or rather, he hadn't meditated for three whole years—his soul power had grown effortlessly, reaching the perfect sixty-level mark.
Yang Xiong was acutely aware that his time was running out.
Four years had already passed since the last Spirit Master Tournament, leaving only one year until the Spirit Hall's Hunter Soul Operation. During this period, he needed to maximize his own strength and that of everyone around him. Only then would they stand a chance against the terrifying war ahead.
Yang Xiong understood clearly that no matter how much the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect improved, or how many forces the Body Sect gathered, the gap between them and the Spirit Hall remained insurmountable.
According to Yang Xiong's knowledge, the Spirit Hall had nine elders and seven offerings, along with Bi Bi Dong—making a total of seventeen Title Douluos. Among them were Bi Bi Dong and Qian Dao Liu, two ninety-nine-level peerless Douluos, and even Jin E Douluo, a ninety-eight-level powerhouse, whom the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect currently had no means to contend with.
Though Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo had trained diligently over the years, Sword Douluo's strength remained at ninety-seven levels, and Bone Douluo's at ninety-six. Neither showed any signs of breaking through in the near future.
As for Lin Gong and Long Gong, their soul ring configurations were two yellow, three purple, and four black—a result of their early limitations. Even after becoming Title Douluos, their potential for growth would likely be limited. Although Lin Gong had consumed the Ink Jade Divine Bamboo, it couldn't compensate for his foundational weaknesses, and his upper limit would likely be around ninety-five levels.
Yang Xiong had considered researching soul cores to fundamentally enhance the strength of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect and the Body Sect.
But he hadn't even reached the Soul Sage level yet, leaving him neither the mindset nor the means to pursue such research.
Yang Xiong spent an entire night meditating at home and felt that his cultivation speed had increased dramatically once again. This wasn't just due to the golden-level awakening of his Body martial soul enhancing his physical fitness but also because of his recent insights into meditation.
Yang Xiong's Tai Chi Meditation Method had long since reached mastery, but after a year of controlling the Killing God Domain, his application of the method had become even more fluid and profound.
Early the next morning, Yang Xiong went to find Lin Gong.
Seeing Yang Xiong, Lin Gong was surprised: "Little Bear, I didn't expect you to emerge from seclusion so soon. It seems your progress has been quite impressive. Even I can't quite gauge your exact strength anymore."
Yang Xiong smiled: "Teacher Lin, don't be so modest. You're a renowned Title Douluo—how could you not sense the presence of a mere Soul King like me?"
Lin Gong smirked: "What kind of Soul King are you? I estimate even a Soul Sage might not be able to defeat you now."
…
After exchanging a few casual words, Yang Xiong got to the point.
"Teacher Lin, has anything unusual happened in the Body Sect over the past three years?"
Lin Gong chuckled: "So you, the absentee leader, are finally showing concern for your sect? It seems you have some self-awareness after all—you're barely managing to act like a sect leader."
Yang Xiong laughed: "Teacher Lin, thank you for taking care of things these past few years. But aren't you the Grand Elder of the Body Sect? Isn't it only natural for you to contribute to the sect?"
Lin Gong sighed helplessly: "I don't know if I owe you something. I used to live a carefree life teaching, and now I've ended up as the Grand Elder of your Body Sect. I feel like you're going to drive me to an early grave."
"You worked so hard in Slaughter City for two years, then secluded yourself for another year. Was spending three years on this Killing God Domain really worth it?"
A faint smile appeared on Yang Xiong's lips: "Of course it was worth it. This isn't just a simple Killing God Domain—it might bring other surprises in the future."
Lin Gong rolled his eyes: "Don't talk to me about surprises. Just don't scare me—I'm old, and I can't handle your antics."
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