Chapter 148 – Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan Council Meeting

"Sect Master, although our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has recently gained four Title Douluo thanks to the soul core condensation method, we're still a long way off from matching Spirit Hall's strength. After all, they've had nearly ten thousand years to build their foundation."

"That's why I believe we should align ourselves with other forces hostile to Spirit Hall. Working together, we can prepare for whatever tactics Spirit Hall might use next."

The speaker was an elder surnamed Li—one of the beneficiaries of the soul core method and one of the sect's four newly promoted Title Douluo.

His spirit was the Mighty Divine Ape, a strength-type martial soul similar to the Strength Gorilla, known for its tremendous physical power.

Upon hearing Elder Li's suggestion, Ning Fengzhi's brow furrowed slightly. Had this been before the incident in Spirit City, he would have wholeheartedly agreed. After all, this had always been the sect's approach: rely on alliances—especially with the Heaven Dou Empire and the other two upper sects—to make Spirit Hall think twice before making any move.

But after witnessing firsthand the foundation Spirit Hall had built over thousands of years, and after personally observing the battle between Ultimate Douluo, Ning Fengzhi had changed his thinking. Now, he believed the sect's top priority should be strengthening its own power.

After all, rely on mountains, and they may crumble. Rely on others, and they may flee. Only relying on oneself is truly reliable.

That was the purpose of this meeting: to find a new way forward.

Sitting to the side, Madam Ning immediately understood what her husband was thinking.

She spoke up: "Elder Li's proposal is reasonable, but these are different times. Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect can no longer survive by simply maintaining good relations with everyone. I believe it's time we change our approach."

"This latest incident revealed not just Spirit Hall's strength—it also exposed our sect's strength. By now, every major power on the continent has realized we possess unique soul tools and cultivation techniques."

"That means the old path of keeping a low profile and staying friendly with all sides is no longer viable."

Her meaning was clear: now that the sect had grown powerful and possessed secret cultivation methods and soul tool technology, it had become a target. If they continued to try to stay neutral, they'd only invite more danger.

"Master, Madam—what if we used a strategy of retreat in order to advance?" Xu Yang proposed after some thought. "Publicly, we maintain our previous appearance. But behind the scenes, we gradually withdraw from the Seven Treasure City region and relocate the sect to a relatively safe location—just like the Clear Sky Clan did."

Although Xu Yang deeply wished to confront Spirit Hall head-on and end things directly, he knew full well that in their current state, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was no match for Spirit Hall. Going toe-to-toe would be a foolish move.

Instead, strategic retreat was the best option. Of course, they couldn't repeat the Clear Sky Clan's hasty retreat, where even their subordinate sects were left behind.

They had the luxury of time—enough to bring their affiliated sects along.

As for those unwilling to relocate, the sect could provide enough compensation to ease their concerns.

"But besides Seven Treasure City, where else could we go?" Ning Fengzhi frowned and sighed. "All the prime locations on the continent are already claimed by other powers."

"The sea," Xu Yang said confidently. "We've already surveyed much of the South Sea. There are quite a few habitable islands out there. It shouldn't be difficult to pick a suitable one as a temporary base."

Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi's eyes lit up. He had visited the South Sea before on spirit beast hunting expeditions. Indeed, there were many excellent islands, and the inner sea was populated with aquatic spirit beasts—more than suitable for training disciples.

Most importantly, no other faction on the continent currently possessed naval technology capable of long-distance ocean travel like theirs.

The only major obstacle was that Seven Treasure City was located deep inland, far from the South Sea. The sect would need to pass through the Star Luo Empire to reach it. But this too wasn't a deal-breaker. Dai Mubai now had a legitimate claim to the throne and held real power—he could assist in relocating sect members.

Alternatively, they could take ships from the East Sea and sail around to the South Sea.

After several hours of discussion, Ning Fengzhi made his decision: they would begin relocating the sect's core disciples in waves, both overland through the Star Luo Empire and by sea, establishing a new base on Qingfeng Island in the South Sea.

Seven Treasure City wouldn't be abandoned, but only the strongest members would remain behind. Even if Spirit Hall attacked, they would be able to retreat in time.

"Uncle Sword, Yang'er—focus on cultivation. Strive to reach Ultimate Douluo and Spirit Sage as soon as possible."

"Understood!"

Chen Xin and Xu Yang nodded, then returned to their respective secluded cultivation chambers. The Spirit City mission had been extremely fruitful for Chen Xin, especially since he had now glimpsed the path toward becoming an Ultimate Douluo. He was confident he could form a dual soul core through harmonic resonance.

As for Xu Yang, he was waiting for Chen Xin's breakthrough. The sect currently couldn't spare the manpower to help him hunt that 200,000-year-old Golden Crow spirit beast. His only hope was to rely on Chen Xin once he became an Ultimate Douluo.

Back in the sect's rear artificial sunflower field, Xu Yang summoned his Sun Martial Soul and activated the Sun Domain to absorb the power of the sun while cultivating with the Great Sun Manual. His soul power circulated through his meridians in a great heavenly cycle, refining his essence, energy, and spirit. Soon, he entered the state of Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, Five Energies Returning to the Origin.

Essence, energy, and spirit were the foundations of cultivation. After a month of closed-door cultivation, Xu Yang had brought all three to their peak—and kept them remarkably stable.

"With the spirit as fire, the essence and energy as medicine, and the body as the furnace... The first step is to ignite the Fire of Spirit. The method is simple: compress spiritual power…"

Xu Yang was already very familiar with compressing spiritual power. During his two years of research into soul cores, he hadn't just compressed soul power but also spiritual power. So, igniting the Fire of Spirit came easily.

In his spiritual sea, a crimson-gold flame flickered into life. It blazed brightly, though it emitted no heat.

With a thought, Xu Yang guided the scarlet-golden flame through his meridians in a full circulation, tempering his essence and energy. These gradually flowed toward his lower dantian. At the same time, he entered a state of harmony between man and nature, and the power of heaven and earth began pouring into his body.

Heaven and earth power also circulated throughout his body, eventually merging with the Fire of Spirit in his dantian, transforming into soul power and essence.

The Fire of Spirit soared, continuously refining the soul power and essence within. Under the operation of the Great Sun Manual, Xu Yang gathered all his energy into the lower dantian, allowing the flame to temper it intensely.

"Now!"

With a focused thought, strange spatial fluctuations radiated from the walls of his dantian, creating terrifying pressure. The accumulated soul power and essence compressed toward the center, shrinking rapidly until it was only the size of a fist—completely losing the form of a flame and transforming into a solid core.