"There is no distinction. Those with Body Martial Souls are family to our Body Sect."
Su Ming stated without the slightest hesitation, fully upholding the Body Sect's principle.
"Arrange for them to be settled within the sect as well. If Shrek Academy contacts them, let them communicate normally. Our Body Sect is not so narrow-minded," Su Can said with a smile and a nod, his expression full of approval.
He had already made a decision internally.
The Body Sect couldn't afford to be petty, so it would just have to be the Su family being a little petty instead.
They would uproot as much of Shrek Academy's spy network as possible, while also ensuring those eight spies became loyal to the Body Sect. These… less savory tasks would be handled by the Su family operating in the shadows.
After all, the Su family was from the Sun Moon Empire. Working to eliminate Shrek's spies for the benefit of the Sun Moon Empire was a perfectly justifiable starting point.
"Oh, right, Grandfather. Recently at the academy, I met a senior sister with a Body Martial Soul."
"The academy has a Body Martial Soul master?" Su Can asked, puzzled.
"Mn. Her martial soul is a Specter, which counts as a Body Martial Soul. However, her background is somewhat troublesome… I plan to help her deal with that Holy Spirit Cult branch."
"You are the branch leader of your Body Sect. How you treat your disciples is your decision. If you want to eliminate that branch, it's fine. If you need anything, just tell your grandfather. I may not be part of the Body Sect, but I will always be your grandfather."
"Mn. Thank you, Grandfather."
Su Ming was somewhat moved.
To be honest, Su Can and the Su family had done a great deal for him behind the scenes. He could confidently focus on his various plans precisely because the Su family was managing things in the background.
"Grandfather, I plan to have Mingde Hall take the blame."
Su Can: "???"
After taking a deep breath, he corrected Su Ming's wording. "We are also part of Mingde Hall now. It wouldn't be 'taking the blame' for them."
"Ah, right. It will be Mingde Hall's people who took action," Su Ming nodded in agreement.
"Understood. If you're going to act, take Nana directly to the Sun Moon Grand Hotel. Elder Lei Zhen of your sect is staying there. Take her to report to him, then act together with Lei Zhen. I will go and have a talk with Jing Hongchen on my end."
"Elder Lei Zhen is here?"
Su Ming was momentarily dazed.
It was Lei Zhen who had come to the Su family back then to verify that his Spirit Power martial soul was a Body Martial Soul.
In the blink of an eye, nearly five years had passed.
Sun Moon Grand Hotel.
Su Ming brought Nana to the room number Su Can had provided. He knocked and waited a moment before the door was opened from inside.
"Elder Lei Zhen."
The moment Su Ming saw Lei Zhen, he felt an overwhelming sense of security. Lei Zhen was now at the ninety-fourth rank. With his Gold-level Second Awakening, he could absolutely suppress a ninety-fifth rank Super Douluo.
Back in the Star Dou Great Forest, when he was being chased by Uncle Zhao and Auntie Zhao, he had witnessed the strength of Lei Zhen and Eight-Arms.
Within the Body Sect, aside from Du Busi, these two elders had the greatest potential because they had achieved Gold-level Martial Soul Second Awakening. Their ability to reach the Gold level wasn't because their martial souls were particularly extraordinary compared to other Body Martial Souls.
Elders Lei Zhen and Eight-Arms had grown up in the Body Sect since childhood, so their foundations were extremely solid. Even though Eight-Arms only had a dual-arms martial soul, he still reached the Silver level during his second awakening. Lei Zhen was the same.
However, logically, neither should have been able to achieve a Gold-level Second Awakening.
Their success was entirely due to their development of their martial souls.
Eight-Arms used his dual arms as a foundation, evolving them into the Eight-Armed Demonic Deity, developing his martial soul beyond the scope of mere arms. Lei Zhen used lightning as his foundation, transcending the limitations of his own Body Martial Soul.
Strictly speaking, their Gold-level Second Awakening was achieved by pushing their capabilities beyond the inherent limits of their Body Martial Souls.
Compared to a pure Gold-level Body Martial Soul Second Awakening, they were still slightly inferior.
Even so, with a few more years of cultivation, these two elders would undoubtedly become foundational pillars of the sect. If not reaching the ninety-eighth rank, they would at least achieve the ninety-seventh rank.
"Little Ming, who is she?"
"Elder, this is Nana. She's also a member of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy. Her martial soul is a Specter. I feel it is part of the soul, so I brought her for you to verify."
Specter?
Lei Zhen showed a surprised expression.
After his surprise, he began his standard inquiry.
"Is your spiritual power very strong?"
Nana shook her head.
"My martial soul is cultivated towards the Agility-Assault system."
She reported her abilities to Lei Zhen.
Lei Zhen thought for a moment and nodded.
"There's no obvious positive feedback, perhaps your cultivation direction is incorrect. If the Specter martial soul is part of the body, it should have a corresponding function. You need to find a way to unearth that aspect to truly enjoy the advantages of a Body Martial Soul."
What function did a Specter correspond to?
Both Nana and Lei Zhen fell into thought.
"If we're talking about advantages, it should be the ability to enter a state of intangibility, right?" Su Ming analyzed for Nana, helping her find the right direction. "The soul is formless and shapeless. A Specter can be considered the external manifestation of the soul, having a form. When Nana uses her third spirit skill to transform into a specter, doesn't she become immune to both physical and spiritual damage? That should be a characteristic of the specter—the ability to enter a void-like state. Considering it from this angle, the speed boost from your first and second spirit skills is likely because the soul, in its intangible state, experiences less resistance, allowing it to propel the body to move rapidly."
Nana thought for a long time but ultimately shook her head helplessly.
"I don't understand."
"It's fine if you don't understand. Just do as I say. First, use your third spirit skill to become a specter. Then, while in that state, use your first and second spirit skills."
Nana did as instructed. Immediately, six or seven afterimages and clones appeared throughout the room.
When she stopped, she herself felt a sense of dizziness.
"That's more like it! From now on, Nana, you should use your third spirit skill as the core. Develop your abilities while in the specter state. Your future spirit skills should also be chosen to complement this specter form."
"I understand," Nana said.
Seeing this, Lei Zhen extended his hand to Nana.
"Welcome home."
This officially marked Nana's acceptance as a member of the Body Sect.
It wasn't that Su Ming couldn't directly recruit people into the sect, but Nana's Specter martial soul wasn't recorded in the sect's annals. Just like how his own Spirit Power martial soul had needed verification before he could join.
In the future, if they encountered soul masters with Spirit Power martial souls or Specter martial souls, any disciple could bring them directly into the sect.
But for the first instance, it required verification by a designated elder.
Lei Zhen was responsible for this.
"Elder Lei Zhen, Nana has some troubles that might require your help to resolve."
"What troubles?" Lei Zhen asked.
Nana became nervous. Encouraged by Su Ming's look, she explained her background.
"Holy Spirit Cult? A bunch of scum."
Lei Zhen's fiery temper flared up.
"Where is that branch holding your parents? Give me the location. I'll go destroy that branch right now."
***
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(Chapter End)