345: What is the physical body?

The Yuyao Kingdom is an extremely special nation.

The strongest individuals at the top are honored as 'Thrones.' During its peak, the Yuyao Kingdom had thirty-two Thrones; the current number is unknown.

Every Throne possesses immensely vast Soul Power, capable of easily enslaving and dominating Fourth-Grade Great Yao.

Thrones also possess secret arts, allowing them to project their power onto their subordinates, using the subordinate's Soul as a medium to remotely control Great Yao for campaigns.

Therefore, the Thrones of the Yuyao Kingdom would remain in seclusion for extended periods, sitting on their Throne for decades, even centuries or millennia, as if it were a single day. This is also the origin of the honorific 'Throne.'

Externally, there are Throne Envoys who act on their behalf, fighting battles across the land.

Throne Envoys can directly bear the power of a Throne and control Great Yao up to Fourth-Grade, so there is no need for them to cultivate diligently.

They only need to deeply study the Dao of the Soul, allowing themselves to bear the power of a Throne. This has, therefore, led to the unique cultivation system of the Yuyao Kingdom:

Cultivate the Soul, not the Physical Body; seek not self-strengthening, but the ability to bear.

Ten thousand years ago, a Great Flood Dragon in the East Sea, unable to tolerate the Yuyao Kingdom's enslavement of the Yao Race, enveloped itself in mist and headed north, attempting to destroy the Yuyao Kingdom.

The outcome of that battle is unknown, but a thick mist appeared, blocking the Yuyao Kingdom to the north, preventing it from ever moving south again.

It wasn't until recently that the mist dissipated, and the Yuyao Kingdom reappeared, immediately moving south and turning the Great Yao of Beishan into slaves.

“Hmm?”

Wan Lin finished reading this intelligence and was somewhat surprised.

Before entering the game, he had inquired about the Xuanhuan World and knew it was a world where great power belonged to the individual, and individual strength surpassed everything.

The Yuyao Kingdom's cultivation system seemed a bit strange to him.

The Cultivators of this nation do not cultivate their own power; they merely strengthen their Soul to the point where it can bear the power of a Throne, and then use this power to control Great Yao.

Wan Lin instinctively felt something was wrong and was somewhat unwilling to cultivate such a system.

He yearned greatly for the strengthening of his Physical Body; from the first day he entered the Xuanhuan World, he had fantasized about his Physical Body growing stronger as his cultivation increased.

He was unwilling to accept the Yuyao Kingdom's cultivation system, which emphasized bearing power but not self-strengthening.

'It's not certain. After all, this is intelligence from ten thousand years ago. Perhaps the Yuyao Kingdom has already changed?'

'First, follow them into the Yuyao Kingdom, then we can discuss other matters.'

Wan Lin shook his head and looked into the distance.

The speed of the Wolf Yao was even faster than he had imagined; he could already see the distant landscape.

It was a scene similar to the south: forests, villages, towns. Everything looked just like the style of the Immortal Dynasty.

There seemed to be some towering pure white spires, but he figured they were just some boring native beliefs and didn't amount to much.

'If that's the case, the customs in the Prison Land haven't changed quickly. After at least ten thousand years of change, the architectural styles inside and outside the mist are still so similar.'

'The officials previously said that the Xuanhuan World is most suitable for time acceleration because everything here is very slow. Thinking about it, perhaps it's not just the Prison Land; perhaps everything in the Xuanhuan World remains largely unchanged for ten thousand, a hundred thousand, or even a million years?'

Wan Lin felt that if the Xuanhuan World truly had such a setting, it would be too forced.

In reality, humans only need a hundred years to change customs, and a few thousand years to see civilizations change generation after generation.

In the Xuanhuan World, after ten thousand years, the culture and customs could still remain consistent. This setting was too forced.

'Perhaps there's another explanation? Forget it, it's not a big deal anyway; it's probably just a game setting.'

Wan Lin rode the Wolf Yao, gradually entering a village, then a city, until he arrived at a white spire and was sent inside.

The space inside the spire was unexpectedly large, seemingly capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people, or even allowing Great Yao to reveal their Demon Body without feeling crowded.

Wan Lin surveyed his surroundings. It was empty, with nothing but pure white walls and an equally pure white dome.

The Wolf Yao had already departed, and the spire's large door closed. He was alone inside, feeling somewhat at a loss.

Just then, a phantom light and shadow suddenly appeared before him.

Then, Wan Lin saw a concrete object appear in the center of the spire:

A three-meter-wide Throne, made entirely of some black metal. It was covered with the fur of some Yao Beast, and the backrest was adorned with the head of a Yao Beast that looked similar to a wolf but appeared even more ferocious.

A blurry figure sat on this Throne, built robustly, completely filling the Throne. His hands rested on the armrests, sitting imposingly.

Although his face was unclear, a distinct aura of grandeur emanated from him, like a mighty lord of the grasslands. Faint wolf howls could also be heard, somewhat chilling.

“Wan Lin, are you willing to become an Envoy under my Throne Hèlián?”

His words carried terrifying pressure, like a million expert cavalry from the grasslands charging forth, enough to shatter all courage.

【Ding!】

【Player privilege activated. Pressure control has been removed for you.】

Hearing the voice in his mind, Wan Lin couldn't help but be stunned.

Clearly, if he weren't a Player, he would have already been completely controlled by the pressure the other party exerted. What would happen next was truly uncertain.

“Hmm?”

A surprised sound came from the Throne.

“Your Soul… can be so powerful… Very good… Very good…”

An astonishing power emerged from the phantom image of the Throne, forming chains of iron.

If he were a Veteran Player, he would be able to discern that this was a method of projecting power across vast distances, meaning this Throne's cultivation was comparable to a Nascent Soul, or he possessed similar means.

Regardless of the situation, it indicated that the other party was a formidable foe, most likely not someone a Player at the current stage could deal with.

Wan Lin, as a new Player, hadn't yet grasped this, but he instinctively felt something was wrong. Was his mission about to fail?

Thinking about a hidden mission failing and having to start all over again, wasting time, Wan Lin couldn't help but become anxious.

“Wait, Lord Throne.”

Wan Lin's mind worked quickly. After a moment's thought, he said, “It's not that I'm unwilling to become an Envoy; it's just that I have many doubts about the Yuyao Kingdom's cultivation system.”

The suspended iron chains temporarily halted.

The phantom on the Throne remained motionless, but a voice indeed emanated:

“Speak, what doubts do you have?”

Wan Lin stated his most pressing concern: “I heard that the Yuyao Kingdom's methods only tame Yao and do not strengthen oneself. Even cultivation only cultivates the Soul and not the Physical Body. Is this true?”

The Throne did not answer directly; instead, he counter-questioned:

“Wan Lin, tell me, what is a Physical Body?”

Wan Lin was stunned, momentarily unsure how to answer this question.

The Throne continued:

“For us, every Great Yao is a Physical Body. They traverse the world for us, fight battles for us. Every action they take originates from our consciousness, and every reaction is clearly transmitted to us.”

“Do you think this is a Physical Body?”