Chapter 18: Learning and Cultivation
After becoming a soul master, Yang Xiong's training plan underwent a complete transformation, or rather, he added a lot of new training routines.
Although he was only eight years old, due to his long-term training, his height had already reached 1.4 meters, even taller than many children with beast martial souls.
Yang Xiong directly approached a blacksmith shop in Seven Treasure City to make various items for himself, including a weight load of about 30 kilograms, four 5-kilogram wrist guards, and a 10-kilogram chest armor. He also had small iron balls made into sandbags and an iron wooden man post.
The so-called wooden man post was not complex in construction. It was commonly used in ancient martial arts on Blue Star. The base was a large platform, and the main body was an iron pillar over 1.5 meters long, with numerous holes. These holes could hold various iron arms, which could be designed according to one's needs.
The wooden man post was a great tool for martial artists, integrating attacking techniques, hand techniques, footwork, and leg techniques into one. It fully demonstrated ancient martial arts' emphasis on practical combat awareness and methods.
However, the ancient wooden man post of Blue Star was made of hardwood, while the one Yang Xiong had made was crafted from pure iron, and each arm could be swapped out. It was more convenient and durable compared to the ancient version.
Douluo Continent, being a fantasy world, had greatly enhanced Yang Xiong's physical abilities after becoming a soul master. Even at eight years old, his strength likely surpassed that of many adults from Blue Star.
Every morning, apart from the usual exercises, Yang Xiong focused more on practicing with the wooden man post and sandbags, which were the true combat simulations.
When practicing with the wooden man post, if his reaction was even a little slower, he would get hit by the iron arms. The greater the force, the faster the speed, and the higher the chance of being hit. However, his Body Martial Soul required impacts to grow stronger.
As for the sandbags, although they seemed simple, they were one of the essences of boxing.
The inside of the sandbag was made of fine iron sand, and it was wrapped in soul beast skin on the outside. Even now, Yang Xiong couldn't break it with all his strength. He put his full effort into hitting it every morning, maximizing the power in his fists and feet.
After hitting the iron sandbag with all his might, the flesh on his hands and feet was bruised and injured. After the session, he felt as if his entire body was in immense pain. At that point, his Body Martial Soul displayed its terrifying healing ability, which amazed even Yang Xiong himself.
In the mornings, Yang Xiong rarely went to class anymore and preferred to visit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's library, where there were many valuable books.
In the afternoons, he focused purely on physical training, running and swimming with heavier weights, pushing his body to its limits.
Though his daily routine appeared simple, Yang Xiong could clearly feel his body growing stronger.
Of course, every few days, Yang Xiong would ask his father for a spar. Though he was always badly beaten, it helped him accumulate combat experience.
What excited Yang Xiong the most was the wealth of books in the library of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
The library was divided into seven floors, each filled with various books. As the floors increased, the books became more secretive and valuable.
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was indeed the wealthiest sect in the Douluo Continent. It seemed they had spent a lot of money on their collection of books, which covered all kinds of knowledge, including the cultivation notes of Title Douluo, self-created soul skills from high-level soul masters, and even knowledge on poisonous plants and spirits. It was undoubtedly one of the richest libraries on the continent.
The higher the floor, the rarer and more valuable the books became. There were even some rare editions and secret records from the soul master world's history.
When Yang Xiong reached the sixth floor, he was surprised to find records about the Haotian Sect's Chaos Breaking Hammer, Haotian's Nine Absolute Techniques, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Dragon Transformation. However, they seemed to be battle summaries from past experts and were incomplete.
To enter the seventh floor, one needed a token from the sect leader or two of the highest-ranking protectors. However, since Yang Xiong had the token given to him by Ning Fengzhi, he could enter without issue.
While the first six floors were known for their rich and precious collections, the seventh floor was relatively simple, containing fewer books but with extremely valuable content.
When Yang Xiong entered for the first time, his eyes widened in surprise. The books contained Distraction Control and the Seven Killing Sword Technique, as well as Bone Douluo's cultivation methods. However, they seemed to be for the lower levels of his technique, with the highest level missing, probably requiring direct oral teachings.
Distraction Control was known to be a secret technique of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. While not unique to the sect, it was capable of maximizing the amplification of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and could even be used to amplify multiple people at once.
The Seven Killing Sword Technique was said to be one of the most powerful sword techniques in the world.
What intrigued Yang Xiong the most was Bone Douluo's cultivation methods. Bone Douluo's martial soul, the Bone Dragon, was known as the most mysterious and cunning soul master in the world, but his true expertise lay in defense.
When it came to pure defense, he was even stronger than the likes of Huyan Zhen and the Yushi Clan's Niu Gao. In addition to his unique martial soul, Bone Douluo's cultivation method also played a significant role.
Aside from that, Yang Xiong found many cultivation methods for defensive families in the library, including unique exercises and some methods for enhancing defense using medicinal substances.
As Yang Xiong immersed himself in the library, he felt like he was swimming in an ocean of knowledge. Many things he found would be beneficial for his future, like the self-created soul skills, which he could use for reference when developing his own soul skill.
Of course, Yang Xiong also found many recipes for medicinal baths, most of which came from different families. While not necessarily the best in the world, each family's methods had its own strengths and were often suitable for specific types of martial souls.
Lin Gong, the class teacher, paid a lot of attention to the class discipline but was somewhat helpless when it came to Yang Xiong.
After all, all the children in the class were only eight years old, and the education mostly focused on theoretical knowledge. There was hardly any combat practice.
Yang Xiong originally attended classes just to read books and hardly listened to the lectures. Now, he didn't even come to class and directly took leave to go to the library, which left the old man quite frustrated.
However, Lin Gong had no choice. Yang Xiong had read so many books over the years and had unique insights into martial soul cultivation. He could even recognize his own martial soul at a glance, which meant that he had surpassed many teachers in terms of knowledge.
But Lin Gong still insisted that Yang Xiong come to school for at least one day each week to attend classes, as otherwise, he might become disconnected from the class. Moreover, it was important to understand Yang Xiong's specific situation, as it would be hard to report to the sect if the teacher didn't know the students well.
(END CHAPTER)
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