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**
According to what Ling Xiao knew, although the path of soul masters in the Douluo Continent primarily focused on martial soul cultivation, the soul masters of the continent had not entirely neglected exploring alternative methods to enhance their personal strength.
This was especially true in the past, before the relationship between innate soul power and martial soul capacity was discovered.
Upon finding that they could no longer break through their current bottlenecks no longer how hard they cultivated, many high-level soul masters would attempt to explore other ways to increase their strength.
These either included spirit skill secret arts that could fully unleash their potential, or methods targeted at strengthening the mind and the physical body. Body-refining methods were one such path, focusing primarily on strengthening the physical flesh.
For soul masters with strength-type beast martial souls:
If they could take a step further on top of the foundation reinforced by their martial soul and soul power, their strength would multiply drastically and their combat power would soar after undergoing martial soul possession and unleashing their Martial Soul Avatar.
As for soul masters with weapon-type tool martial souls:
If their own physical strength increased tremendously, their combat power would similarly receive a boost when wielding their tool martial soul as a weapon in battle. It was just that the magnitude of this enhancement was not as pronounced as it was for strength-type beast soul masters.
Because of this, those major forces on the continent that passed down strength-type beast martial souls as their inheritance often possessed a certain degree of inherited body-refining methods.
However, these body-refining methods were all designed to supplement a soul master's cultivation journey, serving to enhance their might after deploying their martial soul.
The methods themselves did not form an independent system. Currently, there was no complete, refined path of body cultivation that could rival the path of the soul master.
Ling Xiao could understand this point.
After all, while soul master cultivation might possess certain difficulties regarding the mastery of martial soul power, the process of growing that martial soul power could actually be considered simple.
On the other hand, if one truly wanted to research and create a path of body refining to the extent that it could contend with the soul master lineage, it would be extremely difficult.
Setting aside whether it could even be successfully created, even if it were successfully established, practicing it would still be arduous.
Furthermore, if the soul power within a soul master's body was not specifically cultivated to enhance the martial soul, it was merely a relatively fundamental type of energy; its intrinsic might would not be very strong.
Only after strengthening the origin power of the martial soul—
Where the martial soul's power reinforced the soul power, or rather, the origin power of the martial soul nurtured and sustained the soul power within the martial soul space—could the soul power reflected inside the soul master's body manifest a formidable might.
Consequently, even if one managed to reach a higher rank of soul power cultivation by absorbing weak soul rings as the price based on the theory of martial soul capacity, their strength still could not compare to a soul master of the same rank.
This held true even if they held a soul weapon in hand.
Because by proactively absorbing extremely weak soul rings, the growth of the martial soul's source could only rely on the nurturing of soul power, which resulted in an incredibly slow rate of increase.
Not to mention, soul masters who chose this method to absorb soul rings boundlessly possessed low-quality martial souls with weak innate might.
Therefore, due to the weakness of the martial soul, the soul power generated would also be relatively weak in terms of destructive power, and the physical reinforcement it produced on the body would be noticeably weaker than that of a normally cultivating soul master.
Under such circumstances, with a body that was too weak and soul power that lacked destructive might, even possessing a powerful soul weapon would be useless.
This was also the reason why system-type auxiliary soul masters could not compare to battle soul masters of the same cultivation level even if they used soul weapons.
Unless they practiced a body-refining type technique, achieved success in their cultivation, and then coordinated it with a soul weapon alongside their soul power, only then could they barely match a battle soul master of the same rank.
However, if they did this, the price paid would simply be a bit too much.
Moreover, this was mostly just a forced combination to increase combat capability rather than a true path of cultivation, because this method could fundamentally never reach the Titled Douluo level, nor could it even reach the Soul Saint level.
Furthermore, the resources it consumed would be far greater than that of an ordinary soul master.
The methods of mental cultivation were fundamentally similar to body-refining methods. The various mental cultivation methods passed down by the major forces were also mostly designed to supplement a soul master's cultivation and enhance their combat capabilities.
There was not yet a truly complete and mature path of mental cultivation that could fully rival the cultivation system of the soul master lineage.
However, leaving aside mental cultivation methods for the moment, and looking strictly at body-refining techniques—body-refining methods could be divided into the hard and the soft styles.
The Ox Demon Force Fist and Tiger Demon Bone-Refining Fist that Ling Xiao practiced were body-refining methods that leaned toward the fierce and hard style, focusing primarily on strengthening the skin, flesh, tendons, and membranes, as well as fortifying the bones.
From what he knew, Hu Liena also practiced body-refining techniques, and her style happened to be the exact opposite of his two fist techniques, belonging to the soft style of body refining.
One of her techniques was called the Sky Entangling Hand, which could refine the tendons, muscles, and skin to an exceptionally resilient degree. In terms of overall efficacy, it was on par with the Ox Demon Force Fist.
However, the Sky Entangling Hand placed greater emphasis on the flexibility and pliability of the muscles and skin, whereas the Ox Demon Force Fist leaned toward fierce, rigid strength and durability.
They advanced in two completely different directions.
Her other technique was called the Boneless Soft Fist, which was similarly the polar opposite of the Tiger Demon Bone-Refining Fist. It could refine the bones to become extraordinarily flexible, making the practitioner's movements incredibly agile and nimble.
The latter technique, on the other hand, pursued rigid, domineering, and unshakable bone hardness.
At this moment, in Ling Xiao's estimation, the Elephant Armored Sect's body-refining technique—the Elephant Armored Skill—was even more overbearing than his own Ox Demon Force Fist.
It influenced the practitioner's physical form and posture so noticeably that it could even be described as exaggerated.
This could be said to have both pros and cons.
The benefit lay in the fact that its amplification of strength and defense surpassed that of the Ox Demon Force Fist. The drawback, however, was that the physical frame would become rather clumsy and heavy, leaving a glaring deficiency in terms of speed.
In terms of stylistic traits, it was practically an exact mirror of the Diamond Mammoth martial soul inherited by the Huyan Clan of the Elephant Armored Sect.
He speculated that the Elephant Armored Skill had very likely been created originally to complement the strength and defensive characteristics of the Diamond Mammoth martial soul, further maximizing its advantages.
It was designed solely to pursue an increase in combat power after deploying the martial soul.
This body-refining method could clearly be classified as one meant for external application.
In contrast, the Ox Demon Force Fist and Tiger Demon Bone-Refining Fist he practiced, as well as the two body-refining techniques Hu Liena practiced, possessed a certain function of forging the fundamental bedrock of the physical flesh.
It wasn't that they lacked external combat value.
Rather, while enhancing the body and combat effectiveness, they did not overly alter the flesh to the point of generating glaring weaknesses or flaws. While maintaining the stylistic characteristics of their respective body-refining methods, they avoided going to such extremes.
In just a brief moment, Ling Xiao managed to discern a great deal from these individuals of the Elephant Armored Sect, largely thanks to Mu Chen's guidance and the incredibly vast collection of books in the Spirit Hall Academy.
However, the thoughts in his heart remained hidden from everyone else.
Suddenly, an exceptionally booming and robust voice rang out, drawing Ling Xiao's attention back. At this moment, among the seven members of the Elephant Armored Sect standing side by side.
The one in the absolute center—who also possessed the most magnificent and imposing frame—stared with bright, piercing eyes directly at Spirit Hall's procession. He spoke up, saying, "Elder Chrysanthemum, it has been a long time since we last met. I trust you have been well?"
"Heavenly Elephant, we haven't met in many days. It seems your Prajna Heavenly Elephant Skill has made further progress, and your physical blood vitality has grown even stronger. Congratulations."
A rather effeminate voice drifted over.
Simultaneously, a flash of golden light manifested, and Chrysanthemum Douluo's figure vanished from within the carriage. In the blink of an eye, he had already arrived at the very front of Spirit Hall's procession, moving so fast that it was impossible to see clearly.
Watching the conversation between Chrysanthemum Douluo and the leader of the Elephant Armored Sect, a look of doubt inevitably surfaced on Ling Xiao's face.
This man before him, whose body was formidable to the extreme and far more robust than the fellow sect members beside him, should boundlessly be the strongest expert of the Elephant Armored Sect—the Sect Master, Heavenly Elephant Huyan Zhen.
Yet, according to his knowledge, although Heavenly Elephant Huyan Zhen was a powerful expert at the eight-ring Soul Douluo level with a cultivation that had reached the peak of Rank 87, he was ultimately not a Titled Douluo.
However, looking at the scene of their current conversation, Chrysanthemum Douluo was actually conversing with him as an equal.
This was truly a strange matter.
After all, the soul master world had always been a place where the strong were revered.
**
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