Ning Fengzhi's support from the Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was indeed extremely powerful. In no time, Yang Xiong's entire body had completely recovered, and even his spiritual energy felt brimming.
Only after Yang Xiong had recovered did Sword Douluo speak. "Well, Xiao Xiong, how do you feel about the murderous aura in your body now?"
Yang Xiong thought carefully before answering. "Sword Master, during that clash of murderous aura with you just now, I was completely suppressed, but I think I could sense my shortcomings."
Sword Douluo nodded. "That's perfectly normal. You must have passed the assessment in the City of Slaughter and just obtained the Killing God Domain. But you haven't fully mastered it yet,it's still rather crude."
"Besides, you're just a Soul King. I am a level ninety-seven Titled Douluo. The gap in soul power between us is far too great, which is why I can easily suppress your Killing God Domain."
"Of course, if your soul power were higher,if you reached Soul Douluo or even Titled Douluo,then I wouldn't be able to suppress you so easily."
"Thank you for your guidance, Sword Master," Yang Xiong said.
Sword Douluo continued, "What's your plan next? Having your murderous aura exposed like this isn't good, and you're in a state where you could easily lose control."
After thinking for a moment, Yang Xiong replied, "Sword Master, I plan to find a secluded mountain forest and slowly recuperate, using the life force of nature to control the killing intent within me."
Sword Douluo nodded. "That's not a bad idea. Nature contains boundless life energy. You might be able to gradually master your Killing God Domain amidst its vitality. But this method will likely be slow and may not be the best for your long-term growth."
Yang Xiong quickly asked, "Then what should I do now?"
"When I broke through to Titled Douluo, I awakened the Seven Kill Domain, which is pure killing intent," Sword Douluo explained. "But unlike your domain, mine comes from the Seven Killing Sword itself, whereas yours comes from slaughter,it's much harder to control."
"My advice is to split your training into two parts: spend part of your time meditating alone, and the other part focusing on controlling and applying your killing intent. If you only keep it within the Killing God Domain, it's a bit of a waste."
Yang Xiong's eyes lit up. "I've thought the same thing. Over the years I've also studied the Seven Killing Sword techniques, and since my body was infused with killing intent, my sword energy seems to have changed,it carries more killing intent and has greater power."
Sword Douluo smiled. "You do have some insight. We'll arrange for you to train in the back mountain of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. No one will disturb you there."
"Fengzhi and I will visit you once a week. I'll guide you in applying killing intent, and fighting me might help you improve. Also, Fengzhi's Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda can aid you as well."
In just half a day, a small thatched hut was built in the back mountain of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. The hut was fully equipped inside, and various flowers and plants were transplanted around it.
Yang Xiong moved in immediately.
The reason for choosing a thatched hut was because it was closer to nature, more infused with the breath of life.
For once, Yang Xiong slept until he naturally woke up. In this isolated place, the vitality of life was extremely strong, as if subtly harmonizing with the killing intent in his body.
His daily life became very simple.
Each day, his main activities were writing, practicing Tai Chi, and tending to flowers.
Whenever Yang Xiong held a brush, he always felt as if it were a weapon, the paper his enemy, his hand trembling slightly.
But he forced himself to suppress the killing intent, writing stroke by stroke.
The content he wrote wasn't complicated,mostly passages from the _Tao Te Ching_ or the _Heart Sutra_.
Though he couldn't fully understand these ancient Taoist and Buddhist classics, he knew some famous lines.
From the Tao Te Ching : "The Dao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, Three gives birth to all things."
From the Heart Sutra: "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form; form is emptiness, emptiness is form."
These sayings contained profound truths about the world and human life. Every time he wrote them, Yang Xiong felt a unique insight.
He also wrote about Tai Chi theory: "Tai Chi gives birth to Two Forms, Two Forms give birth to Four Symbols, Four Symbols give birth to Eight Trigrams."
After writing and reflecting, he often felt an inner clarity. These simple phrases held extraordinary meaning.
When he felt on the verge of losing control,or simply "itching for action",he would go to the open space to practice Tai Chi.
Tai Chi emphasized the balance of hardness and softness. As he moved through its forms, the killing intent in his body seemed to transform, becoming calmer.
Killing intent was fierce and direct, while Tai Chi was gentle and yielding,they seemed to counterbalance each other perfectly.
The last activity was trimming flowers.
This was Sword Douluo's idea, and Yang Xiong only did it when Sword Douluo was present.
Whenever he held the sharp little scissors, he had the urge to shred the plants completely.
But under Sword Douluo's gaze, he would shakily trim the messy branches and leaves. Each snip felt like killing intent condensing again.
Yet the flowers swaying before him displayed tenacious life, showing the miracle of existence.
The scissors in his hand felt like the embodiment of killing itself,only by fully controlling it could one avoid committing evil.
Besides this, Yang Xiong also made tea and drank wine.
Whenever Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi visited, Yang Xiong would go all out in a sparring match with Sword Douluo, unleashing his killing intent to the fullest.
As Sword Douluo said, it was better to release the killing intent than suppress it,only by venting it could one truly master it.
After each exhausting battle, Ning Fengzhi would use the Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to support him.
As expected of the top auxiliary martial soul, the pagoda's radiant light greatly benefited his body.
This reminded Yang Xiong of Tang Yuehua of Yuexuan. Her Ruyi Plate martial soul carried a noble domain, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda shared that gem-like elegance. In a sense, they were somewhat similar.
Initially, Ning Fengzhi had suggested Yang Xiong study at Yuexuan, but Yang Xiong refused.
Yuexuan was well-known in Heaven Dou City, and since Tang Yuehua was from the Clear Sky Sect, Ning Fengzhi naturally knew of her. Yuexuan also had the backing of wealthy patrons like Ning Fengzhi himself.
That year, Ning Rongrong also secretly came to meet Yang Xiong, the two enjoying flowers, moonlight, and starlight together. Their relationship warmed, and even Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo turned a blind eye.
Time passed quickly, and a year went by.
Over this year, Yang Xiong's body and temperament had undergone great change. The killing intent in him seemed fully integrated, making him appear like an ordinary nature-loving man.
His once blood-red hair had gradually turned black, though it reverted to crimson whenever he fought Sword Douluo.
His heart was now calm,neither ambitious nor scheming.
After earning Sword Douluo and the others' approval, Yang Xiong finally left the back mountain.
When he returned home, his parents Yang Lin and Sun Yu could finally relax.
Though they had visited him in the back mountain several times, his abnormal state made interactions brief. No one else had seen him in that year.
Even though he hadn't meditated for an entire year,in fact, nearly three years,his soul power had grown naturally, reaching the peak of level 60.
Yang Xiong knew his time was short.
It had been four years since the Soul Master Tournament, leaving only one year before the Spirit Hall's soul-hunting campaign. In that time, he had to strengthen himself and those around him to stand a chance against the coming war.
He was painfully aware that, no matter how much the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect or his own Body Sect grew, they were still far from matching Spirit Hall.
From what he knew, Spirit Hall had nine elders, seven worshipers, and Bibi Dong,seventeen Titled Douluo in total, including two level 99 Limit Douluo, Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu. Even the level 98 Golden Crocodile Douluo was beyond their current ability to handle.
Sword Douluo remained at level 97 despite his training, and Bone Douluo at level 96, with no signs of breaking through.
As for Lin Gong and Dragon Duke, their soul ring configurations were two yellow, three purple, and four black. Their weak early foundations meant their potential after reaching Titled Douluo would be limited. Even though Lin Gong had consumed the Black Jade Divine Bamboo, it couldn't fully make up for that, and his cap was likely around level 95.
Yang Xiong had considered that if they could develop the Soul Core soon, it might greatly boost the strength of the sects.
But since he hadn't even reached Soul Sage, he had neither the time nor the means to study it yet.
After a night of meditation, he felt his cultivation speed had improved greatly,thanks both to his golden-ranked body martial soul awakening and his deepened understanding of meditation.
His Tai Chi Meditation Method had already reached perfection, but after a year mastering the Killing God Domain, his application of it had become even more fluid and profound.
The next morning, Yang Xiong went to find Lin Gong.
Lin Gong was surprised to see him. "Xiao Xiong, I didn't expect you to come out of seclusion so soon. Your improvement must have been pretty good, I can't even clearly sense your strength now."
Yang Xiong laughed. "Lin Master, you're being too modest. You're a Titled Douluo,how could you not see through a little Soul King like me?"
Lin Gong smirked. "What kind of Soul King are you? I bet even some Soul Saints couldn't beat you now."
After some small talk, Yang Xiong got to the point.
"Lin Master, has anything happened with the Body Sect in these three years? Anything unusual?"
Lin Gong chuckled. "Well, well, the absentee sect master finally shows concern for his sect. At least you have enough self-awareness to know you're only barely a sect master."
Yang Xiong grinned. "Thanks for your hard work these years, Lin Master. But as the sect's grand elder, isn't it your duty to contribute?"
Lin Gong sighed. "I must have owed you something in a past life. I was enjoying my days teaching, and then somehow I ended up as your grand elder. One day you're going to get me killed."
"You spent two hard years in the City of Slaughter, then another year in seclusion,all for this Killing God Domain. Was it really worth three years?"
Yang Xiong's smile deepened. "Of course. It's not just a domain,there might be more surprises in the future."
Lin Gong rolled his eyes. "Spare me your 'surprises.' Just don't scare me,I'm too old for your tricks."
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