That evening, Yang Xiong was ready to begin executing the body tempering regimen he had recently devised.
Over the past few days, he had purchased various medicinal herbs from seven treasure City, one of the most prosperous cities on the entire Douluo Continent. The city boasted an abundance of herbal shops, with a nearly complete selection of medicinal ingredients.
In Yang Xiong's room sat a large iron bathtub, already filled with water and heated from below by burning charcoal. The water had nearly reached a boil.
Yang Xiong retrieved a variety of herbs from his soul tool and added them to the bath. The originally clear water instantly turned blood-red.
Watching from the side, Yang Lin looked a little anxious. "Xiong'er, there's no need to rush. You're still young. Body tempering is good and suits your martial soul, but this seems a bit early."
Yang Xiong replied, "Father, I'm absolutely confident this won't harm my body. Besides, the recipe I'm using is no ordinary one."
Earlier, Yang Xiong had discovered a cultivation record on the seventh floor of the sect's library, "The Way of Defense", written by Bone Douluo himself. As the continent's top defense-type expert, Bone Douluo emphasized not only absorbing defensive spirit rings but also using external means to push the body to its limits.
True defensive experts were not only resistant to fire and water but could also withstand deadly poisons, this was the peak of defensive cultivation.
Following the method outlined in that manual, Yang Xiong had acquired a range of fire-element herbs with mild toxicity. While inexpensive, the concoction would be extremely painful, an essential foundation for cultivating defensive prowess.
Without further hesitation, Yang Xiong stripped and jumped directly into the tub.
At once, he felt as if engulfed in a sea of flames. His skin seemed to burn, and the red liquid soaked into his body, searing every muscle and even his bones. Even with his martial soul summoned, its power could barely shield him from the intense heat and poison. Despite his resilient physique, Yang Xiong clenched his teeth in pain, his expression contorted in agony.
An hour passed before the blood-red liquid gradually faded. The medicinal energy had been absorbed into his body and slowly dispersed.
Yang Lin rushed over and pulled him out of the tub. At this point, Yang Xiong looked utterly miserable, his skin covered in burn-like injuries, resembling a badly scalded patient.
His mother, Sun Yu, was heartbroken. "Xiong'er, why put yourself through this? Let me take you to a healing-type soul master."
Yang Xiong shook his head. "Mother, I think it's working well. There's no need for treatment. My martial soul should heal these wounds soon."
This was the biggest advantage of a Body Martial Soul, injuries could be rapidly healed through its power. In terms of recovery, it was among the most superior martial souls.
Over the next nine days, Yang Xiong continued this fire-attribute tempering. His body turned red like molten iron, yet each night after meditating and cultivating, his injuries would mostly heal.
Of course, this was only possible because he had minimized the herb dosages. If he had used the advanced formulas listed later in "The Way of Defense," a normal person might melt from the intensity. Only mid- to high-level soul masters could endure it.
After nine days of fire-element training, Yang Xiong switched to a new regimen. The boiling water in the tub was infused with different herbs, instantly turning the liquid a bright blue. The temperature plummeted, and cold air began to emanate from the water.
When Yang Xiong entered the tub, it felt like he had plunged into a block of ice. An overwhelming chill seeped into his body, freezing every inch of his skin. The pain was no less intense than that of the fire training.
Worse still, the cold seemed to penetrate his martial soul and soul power, nearly freezing them solid. But under such extreme pressure, Yang Xiong found he could better perceive and control the flow of his internal soul power.
This was the cold-element tempering method described in "The Way of Defense."
After nine more days in the ice bath, he moved on to the next phase.
The tub boiled once more, this time turning a bright green. Yang Xiong had added the poisonous herbs he'd bought.
Compared to fire and ice, the poison training was even more torturous. His body felt like it was being gnawed by thousands of venomous insects. When the poison seeped into his bones, it was as if his skeleton were shattering.
The poison ravaged his cells and flesh, clinging to his body like maggots to rotting meat, nearly impossible to purge.
Here again, the Body Martial Soul, showed its superiority. Because the soul was the body, the poison could actually be absorbed and even gradually utilized by the martial soul. The result was better than that of either the fire or ice tempering. No wonder those from the Poison Douluo lineage favored using extreme toxins.
From then on, Yang Xiong followed a rotating schedule of training in fire, ice, and poison. Every phase lasted nine days before switching to the next.
As time went on, he could feel his body undergoing a transformation. Under the relentless assault of fire, ice, and poison, his body was repeatedly broken and restored, each time coming back stronger.
Even his martial soul showed signs of strengthening. His physical strength and soul power improved, and after each session of body tempering, his meditation became more effective, faster and more focused than from ordinary medicinal baths.
Yang Xiong even suspected that his meridians had grown stronger and that his innate soul power level might have increased slightly.
He was preparing himself for the future. His Body Martial Soul was far too unique and relatively weak in the early stages. Only through this kind of extreme training and cultivation along the path of defense could he hope to one day achieve a second awakening.
Of course, a second awakening required life-or-death pressure and far surpassed the pain of mere body tempering.
Yang Xiong had searched the entire library but found no method for cultivating spiritual power. It seemed that aside from Tang San's Purple Demon Eye, no one on the continent had developed anything similar.
Yang Xiong's plan was to cultivate his physical strength , soul power, and spiritual power to their absolute limits. Adding elemental attributes on top of that would raise him to an unprecedented level.
Tomorrow, he planned to begin learning pill compression, a method to compensate for his current weaknesses.
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