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**
This was precisely what Ling Xiao found difficult to understand.
If the Elephant Armored Sect were replaced by any of the Three Upper Sects, he wouldn't find it strange at all. After all, if a high-level Soul Douluo was limited by the innate potential of their Martial Soul and unable to break through to the Titled Douluo realm.
They could still unleash astonishing power through sufficient comprehension. By mastering those powerful inherited secret techniques within their sect—techniques capable of helping even Rank 95 Super Douluo break through their bottlenecks—
It was entirely possible for someone at the high-level Soul Douluo cultivation level to erupt with combat power comparable to a Titled Douluo.
'But now, it seemed things weren't nearly that simple.'
It was just like Tang Hao back then.
According to what Ling Xiao knew, when Tang Hao and his wife—Ah Yin, the Blue Silver Empress who was a one hundred thousand year soul beast transformed into a human—were being hunted by Spirit Hall, his cultivation was exactly at the peak Soul Douluo level.
He was only one step away from breaking through to Rank 90, where he could obtain his ninth soul ring and become a Titled Douluo.
The enemies they faced were led by the former Pope of Spirit Hall, Qian Xunji, with the two Elders, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, assisting from the side, along with a large number of Spirit Hall members at the Soul Saint level and above.
Yet despite facing such an overwhelming force, Tang Hao and Ah Yin still managed to hold out for a considerable period of time. That alone was enough to prove that Tang Hao, while still at the peak Soul Douluo realm, already possessed strength comparable to a Titled Douluo.
Aside from his own natural talent, this point was also undeniably linked to the legacy of the Clear Sky School. Ling Xiao knew that the Clear Sky School possessed a supreme secret technique called the Great Sumeru Hammer.
Once mastered, it was enough to grant someone the ability to challenge opponents above their own level. Could the Elephant Armored Sect also possess a similar secret technique? Was that how Huyan Zhen possessed the ability to contend with a Titled Douluo?
Ling Xiao felt it was highly unlikely.
After all, this didn't seem to fit the positioning of the Lower Four Sects. His previous impression was that the Three Upper Sects stood above the Lower Four Sects precisely because they possessed Titled Douluo level experts, while the Lower Four Sects did not.
As for why the Lower Four Sects were stronger than other sects that also possessed Soul Douluo experts, it was simply because their overall strength was greater. Their heritage should have been the same.
'For the Seven Great Sects,' Ling Xiao pondered, 'the reason the Three Upper Sects stood above the Lower Four Sects,' Ling Xiao pondered, 'was because each of them possessed inheritances meant for the realms beyond Rank 95 Titled Douluo.'
'The Clear Sky School and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan even possessed complete inheritances leading all the way to the Rank 99 Limit Douluo realm, proving that both sects had once produced supreme ancestors who pioneered those paths.'
'On the other hand, the Lower Four Sects—including the Elephant Armored Sect—although possessing their own respective inherited secret techniques and self-created soul skills left behind by predecessors, almost always had heritages created within the realms before reaching the Titled Douluo level. In other words, they were fundamentally not the kind of powerful secret techniques capable of breaking through the bottlenecks beyond Rank 95.'
"The Huyan Clan, as a Soul Master clan with a legacy spanning over a thousand years, is not to be underestimated," Chrysanthemum Douluo said, breaking Ling Xiao's train of thought, "Although they are covered in muscle, they are by no means brainless brutes."
"Although the Elephant Armored Sect has never produced an expert at the Titled Douluo realm, they do possess the means to counter one. What they rely on is not the kind of inherited secret technique meant for realms beyond the Titled Douluo level."
"However, self-created soul skills and secret techniques are not the only ways to enhance a Soul Master's strength. Any method capable of increasing strength could become part of a sect's foundation."
"These heritages help younger generations to study, enhancing their overall strength and early on allowing them to break free from the constraints of soul rings, further helping them master the power of their Martial Souls on top of their soul ring soul skills."
Seeing Ling Xiao's puzzled expression, Chrysanthemum Douluo smiled faintly and continued,
"Through the Elephant Armored Skill and the Savage Elephant Vigorous Method, you should be able to see that the Elephant Armored Sect—or rather, the Huyan Clan—has put an immense amount of effort into the path of body refinement, yielding impressive results."
"The root of all this is because the Diamond Mammoth, as a pure beast-attribute Martial Soul, possesses immense strength and defense. If a Soul Master's own physical cultivation increases drastically, their strength will likewise multiply after unleashing their Martial Soul."
"Furthermore, in the past, the significance of innate soul power was not entirely clear, and the Huyan Clan had never given birth to a genius with Rank 9 innate soul power. Once a genius with Rank 8 innate soul power appeared, they would be nurtured as the successor to the Sect Master.
"They were never lacking in cultivation resources. With the physical enhancement provided by the Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul, combined with the body refinement of the Elephant Armored Skill and the Savage Elephant Vigorous Method."
"The soul rings they obtained were all exceptionally powerful, with cultivation ages far exceeding those of ordinary Soul Masters. Ironically, this instead made it difficult for them to reach the Titled Douluo realm."
"Because of this, they poured even more heart and soul into the path of body refinement, seeking to combine body refinement methods with the power of their Martial Soul. This way, even at a high-level Soul Douluo cultivation level, it would be enough to match a Titled Douluo."
'So that's how it is.'
Ling Xiao thought silently to himself.
'Yes, that makes sense. In the past, the Soul Master world had no concept of innate Martial Soul capacity. This caused Soul Masters to reach a certain realm and find themselves utterly unable to break through further, unless their Martial Soul evolved and their innate capacity increased.
But they weren't fools either. They would naturally seek out other ways to enhance their strength, such as soul weapons, medicinal pills, cultivation techniques, self-created soul skills, and so on. It wasn't like what I read in my past life.
It wasn't as absurd as some of the stories from his previous life, where Soul Masters seemed incapable of understanding even the most basic methods of enhancing their strength.'
Turning back to the Elder, Ling Xiao asked, "Elder Chrysanthemum, according to what you're saying, the Elephant Armored Sect's body refinement secret technique, combined with Huyan Zhen's Rank 87 soul power cultivation, ultimately allows his strength to reach the level of a Titled Douluo."
"Exactly," Chrysanthemum Douluo replied with a nod. "However, it isn't the Elephant Armored Skill or the Savage Elephant Vigorous Method."
"While these two body refinement methods are decent, they can be practiced by most disciples of the Huyan Clan within the Elephant Armored Sect. Even some disciples with external surnames who possess outstanding talent and are heavily nurtured by the sect can practice them.
"These are merely foundational inheritances. Of course, by comparison, the Elephant Armored Sect's heritage isn't particularly vast; they fall into the category of prioritizing quality over quantity. These two body refinement techniques are foundational yet crucial."
"As an external means to enhance combat power, they can be used up to the Soul Saint realm at most. For Soul Masters beyond the Soul Saint realm, because the gap between these techniques and the Martial Soul itself becomes too large, the boost to their strength is no longer significant."
Ling Xiao nodded to show he understood. He naturally comprehended this logic.
A supreme secret technique that could allow a high-level Soul Douluo to possess the strength of a Titled Douluo was incomparably precious.
It would inevitably be restricted to only the Sect Master and the successor of the sect. Just like the Great Sumeru Hammer was to the Clear Sky School—even back then among the Clear Sky Twin Stars, only Tang Hao was permitted to learn it.
Chrysanthemum Douluo's voice took on a touch of seriousness as he said, "The highest body refinement technique of the Elephant Armored Sect is called the Prajna Heavenly Elephant Technique."
"It uses high-level soul power to stimulate and mobilize one's vital energy and blood, further tempering the physical body. At the same time, it requires a massive amount of precious medicinal baths, pills, and formulas that replenish vital energy and enrich the blood.
"This strengthens the root of the physical body, vastly increasing physical vitality and blood, and expanding physical strength. It is a sublimation of the Savage Elephant Vigorous Method. As the supreme inherited secret technique of the Elephant Armored Sect, the difficulty of cultivating it is by no means low."
"Not only does it require a cultivation level at the Soul Saint realm, but it also demands a certain foundation in physical cultivation. A weak physical body cannot withstand the massive vital energy and blood produced by cultivating the Prajna Heavenly Elephant Technique."
"Therefore, one must cultivate at least one of either the Elephant Armored Skill or the Savage Elephant Vigorous Method to the stage of grand accomplishment to barely meet the requirement. Aside from that, the requirement for cultivation resources is also extremely high."
"During the process of cultivating the Prajna Heavenly Elephant Technique, one needs a vast amount of soul beast meat and pills that enhance vital energy and blood. No one except a major sect or a great clan could possibly afford to provide this."
"However, despite having so many cultivation requirements, the enhancement to physical strength once mastered is incredibly distinct The user's vitality and blood energy become overwhelmingly powerful—dense, scorching, and tyrannical, rendering the physical body utterly terrifying."
"After Huyan Zhen cultivated this technique to a profound stage, he once used purely his physical strength—without borrowing soul power or using his Martial Soul—to kill a fifty thousand year Scaled Armor Beast with a single punch."
"At that time, his cultivation was already at the Soul Douluo realm. If combined with the Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul and unleashing his Martial Soul Avatar, his strength is fully capable of contending with a Titled Douluo."
"Though not a Titled Douluo, he possesses the majesty of a Titled Douluo. The name 'Heavenly Elephant' originates from this."
Ling Xiao's expression immediately turned solemn.
"Without using a Martial Soul, or even using soul power, he killed a fifty thousand year cultivation Scaled Armor Beast with a single punch..." he muttered.
After all, the Scaled Armor Beast was a soul beast renowned for its physical defense, and its strength was also extraordinary. In terms of racial lineage, it was considered a relatively strong existence among high-level soul beasts, not to mention its fifty thousand year cultivation realm.
**
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