Ling Xiao wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth and asked casually, "Yan, what kind of Soul Beast is this dish made of? The taste is quite good."
Glancing over, Yan uttered a name that left Ling Xiao slightly stunned: "Soft-Bone Rabbit."
Ling Xiao's mouth twitched.
He hadn't expected the Soft-Bone Rabbit to be this delicious, but on second thought, with a name like "Soft-Bone Rabbit," it sounded practically designed to be eaten.
At that moment, Xie Yue interjected, "Although the Soft-Bone Rabbit is a weak Soul Beast, its bones are flexible and tender, just as the name suggests. It is a very suitable Soul Beast to use as an ingredient. The process of absorbing its soul power is also quite gentle."
"Making it perfect for building a foundation for low-rank Soul Masters of a young age. Because this species of Soul Beast has high-quality meat, weak strength, and strong reproductive capabilities, general Soul Master Clans usually farm them."
He looked at Hu Liena and continued, "I expect His Holiness the Pope gave Nana quite a lot of it to eat, which is why she loves it so much."
Ling Xiao laughed inwardly.
In that case, Hu Liena and Xiao Wu are quite destined for one another. It'll be interesting when they meet in the future; one has a Fox Martial Soul and the other a Rabbit. Given the predator-prey relationship, they're a perfect match.
Seeing that there was still some time before the "special item" arrived, Ling Xiao wanted to take the opportunity to learn a few things.
He happened to be very interested in one particular topic.
"Brother Xie Yue, do you have any understanding of the Sword Sect?" Ling Xiao suddenly asked.
As soon as he spoke, Tuoba Yu'er and Hu Liena looked surprised, as the Sword Sect had just been mentioned in their recent class.
Yan and Xie Yue gave Ling Xiao an extra look, wondering why he would ask such a thing.
"The Sword Sect, as one of the Lower Four Sects, is well-known throughout the Soul Master world. I do know a bit about them. What do you want to ask?" Xie Yue asked with interest.
"I heard that the Sword Sect has five lineages of high-tier Sword Martial Souls. Among them, the Lightning Lineage has two types, totaling six major Sword Martial Souls. I only know of the Azure Light Sword from the Lightning Lineage; I don't know what the other five are."
Hearing Ling Xiao's question, Hu Liena and Tuoba Yu'er became intrigued.
They put down their chopsticks and cast curious glances toward Xie Yue.
"Haha, speaking of this, it is considered a prominent characteristic of the Sword Sect," Xie Yue chuckled.
"Among the great sects, except for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the branch lineages of most sects are far weaker than the Sect Master's lineage. The fundamental reason is the difference in Martial Souls."
"However, the disciples of the Sword Sect essentially possess Martial Souls belonging to the Five Sword Lineages, so the difference in strength is not obvious."
"The prosperity of other sects depends on the rise or fall of the main lineage, but the strength of the Sword Sect does not rely on a single family or surname; it is formed by the combined efforts of the Five Lineages."
"The Martial Souls inherited by the Sword Sect are: Red Flame of the Fire Lineage, Ling Frost of the Ice Lineage, Whirlwind of the Wind Lineage, Earth Fiend of the Earth Lineage, and both Azure Light and Purple Cloud of the Lightning Lineage."
"Among them, the children of the Yun Clan can inherit any of these six Martial Souls, while the Soul Master Clans that joined the Sword Sect later only inherit one specific lineage among the five."
"However, for the modern Sword Sect, they no longer possess only these six Martial Souls." Speaking to this point, Xie Yue smiled.
"Over thirty years ago, there was a youth from the Yun Clan. When his Martial Soul awakened, he did not awaken his father's Azure Light Sword. Instead, it was a Sword Martial Soul with lightning power even greater than Azure Light or Purple Cloud."
"This Martial Soul was eventually named the Thundering Sword. I've heard his son also awakened this Thundering Sword."
"In the future, the Sword Sect's Lightning Lineage will likely have one more type of sword, and this Martial Soul will become the exclusive Martial Soul of the Yun Clan, allowing the Yun Lightning Lineage to become the head of the Five Lineages once again."
"Once again?" Ling Xiao keenly caught this specific detail.
The Yun Clan already possessed all Five Sword Lineages.
Since the Yun Clan had focused on the Lightning Lineage from the start, and that lineage contained two types of Martial Souls, the Lightning Lineage's strength was bound to be the strongest and most numerous.
Many clans that joined after the Sword Sect's founding would likely choose the Lightning Lineage as well. Even if some clans grew powerful by choosing other lineages, they shouldn't be able to compete with the Yun Clan, who already had a head start.
Could it be that currently, the Yun Lightning Lineage is not the number one among the Five Lineages?
Facing Ling Xiao's doubt, Xie Yue nodded. "Since the day the Sword Sect was established, there have been distinctions between clans as well as Sword Lineages. While the Yun Clan carries the inheritance of all five lineages, other clans always belong to a single lineage."
"However, one lineage can contain many different clans. Although some clans have developed quite powerfully over time and surpassed the Yun Clan in a certain lineage—becoming the representative clan of that lineage."
"Such as the Bai Clan of the Fire Sword Lineage or the Leng Clan of the Ice Sword Lineage—the Yun Lightning Lineage, as the Sect Master's lineage, has always been the most powerful."
"Until thirty years ago, when a major event occurred that shook half of the Soul Master world, causing a significant shift in the Sword Sect's internal structure."
Xie Yue's expression turned solemn.
"The Sword Sect was the first Soul Master sect on the continent, and it wasn't formed in a rush. They prepared early. By riding the wave of popularity regarding Single-Attribute Fusion Stream, a large number of Soul Master Clans joined the Sword Sect, causing the sect's strength to explode."
"Furthermore, as those clans' Martial Souls evolved under the Yun Clan's guidance and were officially categorized into the Five Sword Lineages, the growth of the Sword Sect became even more remarkable."
"In the Sword Sect, the strongest of each of the Five Sword Lineages becomes an Elder. Because the Lightning Lineage contains two Martial Souls, it has two Elders. However, because the Yun Clan is the Sect Master's lineage and the Lightning Lineage is their primary lineage."
"Every Sword Sect Master is born from the two Elders of the Lightning Lineage. Thus, you could say that besides the Sect Master, each of the Five Lineages has one Elder. Major sect affairs are discussed collectively by the Sect Master and the five Elders."
"But in the Sword Sect, the Elders are not the most honorable figures beneath the Sect Master. There is a special title called the Sword Master, corresponding to the inherited Martial Souls of the Five Sword Lineages."
"A Sword Master must be an Elder; if they are from the Yun Clan, they must be the Sect Master. However, an Elder is not necessarily a Sword Master. When Sword Sect disciples see a Sword Master, it is as if they are seeing the Sect Master himself."
"To become a Sword Master of a lineage, one must meet at least two requirements. First, one must have extraordinary talent with the potential to reach the level of Soul Douluo or above. The strongest person meeting this condition is called one of the Six Sword Successors."
"Second, one must actually realize that potential and cultivate to the realm of Soul Douluo. Only then can they truly become a Sword Master of their lineage."
A hint of respect appeared in Xie Yue's eyes.
"Thirty years ago was the peak of the Sword Sect. Six Sword Masters existed in the world at the same time, all possessing Soul Douluo cultivation. When the Sword Sect's power reached its zenith, complemented by their 'Multi-Sword Combination Technique.'"
"Even a Titled Douluo could not look down upon them. At that moment, the Sword Sect truly suppressed the second-ranked Feather King Sect and solidified its position as the head of the Lower Four Sects."