Douluo Continent: The True Self of Martial Soul, Infinite Awakening

At the summit of the main peak of the Body Sect lies a place called the Sky-Touching Stone.

Even birds cannot cross this land, as it is covered by thick ice and snow year-round.

The relentless winds carved through the towering, jagged rock, emitting mournful howls.

Ye Yuan sat cross-legged in the very center of the Touching Sky Stone, his upper body bare.

The sun was blazing overhead.

With no shelter whatsoever, the relentless exposure to the sun creates an extreme distortion in the temperature here.

Ye Yuan's primal martial spirit was operating at high speed, drawing upon the purest, most intense sunlight from the heavens.

The skin and flesh were roasted red by the high temperature, and fine beads of blood seeped from the pores, turning into blood mist before they could drip off.

The blazing light energy surged through the meridians, violently tearing apart muscle fibers, which were then forcibly stitched back together by the Martial Soul.

With each breath, a deep, rumbling sound came from his chest.

Then the sun sets and the moon rises.

The intense heat was instantly replaced by an eerie chill, like ancient ice.

The pale moonlight shone on Ye Yuan, causing a thick layer of frost to form on his body.

This is the most difficult moment.

The chilling, dark energy did not harm the body, but went straight to the center of the forehead.

That terrifying, deathly silence, where even the soul seems to freeze, is maddening.

Ye Yuan's spiritual sea had just begun to take shape when it was frozen solid by the extreme cold. Then, his spiritual power could not withstand the pressure and crumbled inch by inch.

My head is splitting with pain.

Ye Yuan gritted his teeth, biting his lower lip until it bled, and blood dripped down his chin onto the ice, creating shallow, crimson pits.

The original spirit shone faintly in the ruins of the Sea of ​​Spirit, piecing together and reassembling the shattered fragments of the spirit little by little.

Repeatedly.

Body training by day, soul shattering by night.

Ye Yuan has been practicing this self-inflicted torture method of cultivation for a full seven days.

Just when he thought he would spend the next year in this tedious and bloody solitude, the iron chains at the edge of the Sky-Touching Stone made a teeth-grinding scraping sound.

Ye Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, his clear black and white pupils revealing a coldness that had not yet faded.

A small hand, covered in mud and blood, clung desperately to the edge of the cold rock wall.

Immediately afterwards, a thin figure struggled to roll up, lying face up in the snow, breathing heavily.

It's Huo Yuhao.

He was wearing the gray, fitted clothing uniform issued by the Body Sect, which had originally fit him well but now had several tears cut into it by the rocks.

His fingernails were full of bruised blood, clearly the price he paid for climbing that almost vertical cliff with his bare hands.

Ye Yuan suppressed his aura, and the distorted air around him gradually returned to calm.

He looked at Huo Yuhao on the ground, his brows furrowed slightly.

"You absorbed all the medicinal essence from the Four Symbols Warm Fire Cauldron so quickly?" Ye Yuan stood up and walked to Huo Yuhao.

"And why did you get up here? Aunt Huo is just recovering, why aren't you downstairs with your mother, what are you doing up here on this Sky-Touching Stone?"

Huo Yuhao took a few deep breaths of the cold air and struggled to get up from the ground.

He didn't brush the snow off his body, but stood up straight and stared intently at Ye Yuan.

Those eyes, which had been cloudy due to long-term malnutrition, were now clear and bright, with a faint golden light even emanating from the depths of their pupils.

This is a sign that the Spirit Eye Martial Soul's essence is being nourished.

"My mother is being cared for by maids arranged by Elder Qian, and her health has improved considerably." Huo Yuhao clasped his hands in a fist salute, his back ramrod straight.

"Wherever the young sect leader is, that's where I'll be. From now on, I'll cultivate with the young sect leader."

His voice wasn't loud, but it conveyed a resolute determination that left no room for negotiation.

Ye Yuan looked at the boy in front of him, at his taut jawline, and shook his head with a light laugh.

"Don't call me Young Sect Master, it sounds jarring." Ye Yuan turned and walked back to where he had been sitting.

"Just call me Brother Yuan."

Huo Yuhao didn't move, still maintaining the clasped-fist posture, stubbornly shaking his head.

"The rules cannot be broken. Without the young sect leader, my mother and I would probably be frozen to death in that dilapidated courtyard in Xingluo City by now." Huo Yuhao stared directly at Ye Yuan's back.

"This life was given to me by the sect, and even more so by the young sect leader. The young sect leader will always be the young sect leader."

Ye Yuan stopped in his tracks.

He turned his head and looked at Huo Yuhao's flushed face and his stubborn expression.

In this dog-eat-dog world, for a child who has struggled in the mud since childhood and suffered endless scorn, gratitude is the only thing he can offer to maintain his dignity.

The title of Young Sect Master was a mark he used to constantly remind himself and demonstrate his determination to follow.

"Whatever." Ye Yuan waved his hand helplessly and pointed to a slightly flat open space next to him.

"Sit down. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth on the Touching Heaven Stone is several times richer than that below, but it is also much more turbulent. Your spiritual eyes need to absorb the purple energy of the rising sun, and this is the perfect spot."

Huo Yuhao's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed, and a big smile finally appeared on his lips.

He nodded vigorously, took three steps at a time to the spot Ye Yuan pointed out, sat cross-legged like Ye Yuan, quickly closed his eyes, and entered a meditative state.

The wind on the Sky-Touching Stone seemed less cold and harsh than usual.

In the years that followed, this highest and most desolate mountain in the Body Sect became the exclusive training ground for two six-year-old children.

Ye Yuan's originally monotonous cultivation time was disrupted.

At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight pierce through the sea of ​​clouds, Huo Yuhao would open his eyes precisely on time, staring intently at the fleeting purple aura on the eastern horizon.

Nourished by the abundant spiritual energy of heaven and earth, his Spirit Eye Martial Soul greedily devoured the purple energy, nourishing his fragile spiritual sea.

Meanwhile, Ye Yuan, not far away, was subjected to a new round of burning flesh under the blazing sun.

Around noon, sect deacons would ride flying spirit beasts to deliver medicinal meals made from the meat of spirit beasts that were hundreds or even thousands of years old to the cliff.

This is one of the few relaxing moments the two of them have during the day.

Huo Yuhao has an astonishing appetite.

That medicinal bath not only reshaped his meridians, but also fully stimulated his martial soul's terrifying thirst for energy.

He grabbed a piece of meat from the hind leg of a century-old fiery pig, bigger than his face, and tore into it, his mouth dripping with oil.

"Young Sect Master, the meat Elder Qian brought today wasn't cooked quite right; it's a bit dry," Huo Yuhao mumbled indistinctly as he chewed on the meat.

"When my cultivation level is higher and I can start a fire, I'll personally roast them for you. I often secretly roast frogs and field mice for myself in the back mountains of the Duke's mansion; my skills are superb."

Ye Yuan held a bowl of thick, nourishing soup and sipped it slowly.

Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow and looked at Huo Yuhao: "The personal chef of the young master of the Body Sect can only roast field mice?"

Huo Yuhao tossed the bone aside, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and his eyes sparkled.

"After we descend the mountain, let's go to the Star Dou Great Forest! We'll have the Sect Master catch a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast, and I'll roast its hind leg meat for the Young Sect Master! Sprinkle it with cumin and chili powder, and I guarantee it'll be delicious!"

Ye Yuan didn't speak, but looked at Huo Yuhao's hopeful face, tilted his head back and drank the medicine soup in the bowl in one gulp.

Night fell, and the temperature plummeted.

Huo Yuhao's cultivation level was too low to withstand the extreme cold on the Heavenly Touching Stone.

He would light a campfire in a natural cave on the leeward side of the cliff, wrap himself in a thick bearskin blanket, and continue meditating.

Ye Yuan remained outside, letting the starlight and the cold moonlight pour into his skull, enduring the torture of his soul being torn apart.

Whenever he was in so much pain that his consciousness was about to blur, he only needed to turn his head slightly to see the cluster of leaping firelight in the cave, and the thin but exceptionally resilient back of Huo Yuhao illuminated by the firelight.

A certain invisible bond quietly took root and sprouted in this daily companionship and arduous practice.

Ye Yuan had prepared himself to climb the abyss alone, but with the figure beside him gritting his teeth and persevering, the lonely cultivation seemed less unbearable.

Time flies by in the remarkably regular cycle of sunrise and sunset.

In the first week, Huo Yuhao's innate soul power barrier was forcefully broken, and he advanced two levels.

In the first month, after hundreds of cycles of breaking and rebuilding, Ye Yuan's spiritual sea expanded tenfold in size. The originally ethereal spiritual power began to take the form of visible water droplets.

In the third month, an unprecedented blizzard swept across the main peak of the Body Sect.

The heavy snowfall completely obscured the outline of the Sky-Touching Stone.

Ye Yuan sat upright in the very center of the snowstorm, letting the icicle-like snowflakes pelt his bare chest, producing a crisp, metallic sound.

His skin had long since lost its initial scorching redness, turning into a warm and restrained white, a sign that his extreme physical strength concealed all his sharpness within.

……

Six months have passed in the blink of an eye.

In the early spring morning, the chill had not yet completely dissipated.

As the eastern sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, a red sun broke free from the horizon, generously showering the world with its golden rays.

Ye Yuan sat cross-legged on the bluestone.

Surprisingly, this time, he did not use his true martial spirit to guide the nascent sunlight to temper his body.

He sat there quietly, his chest rising and falling slowly and evenly.

The surrounding air rippled with visible transparency in sync with his breathing.

Without leaking any soul power, he was already able to disrupt the surrounding spatial structure with his pure physical strength alone.

Ye Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

The sharp, frenzied glint in his clear black and white pupils was gone, replaced by an abyssal tranquility.

He placed his hands on his knees and stood up.

"call--"

A long, stale breath escaped from Ye Yuan's mouth.

This breath, condensed and not dissipated, transformed into a white arrow that shot straight for dozens of meters, piercing directly through the thick, floating clouds ahead.

A dense, popping sound, like popping beans, emanated from within the bones.

Noticing the commotion, Huo Yuhao, who was meditating and absorbing purple energy not far away, suddenly opened his eyes.

He sprang up from the ground quickly, not even bothering to brush off the dust, and ran to Ye Yuan.

Huo Yuhao looked up, his gaze fixed intently on Ye Yuan.

Although his current cultivation level is only level ten, thanks to the special nature of his Spirit Eye Martial Soul, his perception of aura far surpasses that of ordinary people.

In his vision, Ye Yuan standing before him no longer seemed like a living person, but rather a live volcano that could erupt at any moment, with immense power hidden beneath his seemingly symmetrical and slender body.

Meeting Huo Yuhao's hopeful gaze, Ye Yuan smiled and nodded gently.

Huo Yuhao's eyes instantly reddened.

He didn't cheer out loud, but instead clenched his fists tightly, biting his lip hard, his shoulders trembling violently from excessive excitement.

For the past six months, he has watched Ye Yuan endure that despairing torment every night in the cave.

No one knew better than him the terrible price Ye Yuan had paid for this moment.

A deep sense of joy and awe surged within him.

"Let's go down the mountain." Ye Yuan put on his long robe. "Let's go see the sect leader."

The two of them rushed down the steep steps.

Main Peak, Sect Council Hall.

The heavy sandalwood door of the main hall was wide open.

The massive body of Poison Undying was sitting on a specially made armchair, holding an intelligence report in his hand, his brows furrowed.

Hearing footsteps outside, Poison Undying looked up.

Seeing Ye Yuan and Huo Yuhao walking into the main hall side by side, Du Busi looked surprised, then relaxed his brows and threw the intelligence sheet in his hand onto the table.

"Six months, a little faster than I expected." Poisonous Immortal leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over Ye Yuan.

"It seems you've given up on the idea of ​​absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring, Xiao Yuan."

Poison Immortal stood up, walked up to the two of them, and patted Ye Yuan heavily on the shoulder:

"Don't worry, I won't laugh at you. That kind of self-destructive cultivation that defies the laws of heaven and earth is something no human could do. The fact that you were able to pull back from the brink at this point shows that you're not out of your mind. This approach was extremely wise."

"Perfect timing. Yuhao is quite ambitious; he broke through to level ten a few days ago with sheer grit. I told him to go with the elders to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain his spirit ring, but he absolutely refused, insisting on waiting for you to come out of seclusion so we could go together. It's great that you've come to your senses; I'll personally take you both there tomorrow."

Ye Yuan turned his head and glanced at Huo Yuhao with a hint of surprise.

After breaking through level ten, he was able to resist the temptation of obtaining a spirit ring, just to wait for him to travel with him. This kind of self-control is truly rare.

Feeling a little embarrassed as Ye Yuan stared at him, Huo Yuhao scratched the back of his head.

Ye Yuan turned his head and looked at Du Busi, whose face was full of relief, and sighed helplessly.

"Sect Master, you may have misunderstood." Ye Yuan spread his hands, his expression becoming extremely serious.

"I came down the mountain to find you today not because I couldn't bear the torment and gave up."

"Hmm?" Poison Undying raised an eyebrow.

"I came to find you because my physical strength and mental fortitude are now sufficient to withstand the impact of a ten-thousand-year-old soul ring."

The air in the entire hall froze instantly.

Poison couldn't kill him; his expression froze on his face.

His eyes widened suddenly, his eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets.

"What did you say?!" Poisonous Undying roared, his voice shaking the dust that fell from the ceiling of the hall.

The next second, the Super Douluo's figure instantly teleported in front of Ye Yuan.

A withered hand gripped Ye Yuan's wrist, and a surge of violent soul power poured into Ye Yuan's body without reservation.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths.

Poison Undying's expression changed.

He felt as if his soul power had vanished into thin air.

Ye Yuan's meridians were so wide that they were unlike those of a human, and the density of his physical body was beyond comprehension, even able to subtly resist the probing of this titled Douluo.

"This physical body... is it really up to standard?" Poison Undying cursed and withdrew his hand.

But he immediately realized what was happening and stared intently at Ye Yuan's brow.

"I've already witnessed the strength of your physical body, but the fatal flaw of a ten-thousand-year soul ring lies in the soul's vibration!" Poison Undying took a deep breath, his hands behind his back.

"Boy, use your mental power to attack me! The rougher the better, don't hold back at all! I want to see what kind of mental power you've cultivated in these past six months!"

Ye Yuan did not hesitate.

He stood there, with his eyes closed.

Within the sea of ​​spirit, the dense, mercury-like spiritual energy, formed from countless tears and recombinations, instantly boiled over.

Ye Yuan suddenly opened his eyes.

There are no fancy soul skills, and no complicated builds.

It was simply a pure outward projection of spiritual energy, transforming into an invisible hammer that slammed into Poison Undying's brow.

"Thump!"

A deep, resounding thud echoed through the main hall.

That was an air explosion caused by the collision of mental forces.

Poison Undying kept his eyes tightly shut, enduring the brutal impact that required no skill whatsoever.

Time passed by, bit by bit.

Poison Undying's facial expression began to change drastically.

At first, there was a casual scrutiny, then it turned into extreme astonishment, and finally it froze in a state of utter shock that words could not describe.

His mouth twitched violently, and the beard on his chin even stood up due to the stiffness of his facial muscles.

He suddenly opened his eyes, his dark green pupils contracting violently in utter disbelief as he stared intently at Ye Yuan before him, his gaze completely frozen.

Seeing Du Bu Si's old face, which was flushed with shock, Ye Yuan could no longer hold back.

He turned his head and exchanged a glance with Huo Yuhao, who was also suppressing a laugh.

"Hahaha--"

Two six-year-old boys were laughing loudly and without restraint in front of a titled Douluo in the solemn and majestic main hall of the Body Sect.