Chapter 245: Xingluo and the Holy Soul (Part 2)
Despite family ties, Gelong wasn't likely to ally with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan unconditionally. After all, the Gelong Family and Heaven Dou Empire had a thousand year history of mutually beneficial relations. Given that this was the first mission Ye Wen entrusted to Yu Yuanzhen, he wanted to make sure everything went smoothly. Yu Yuanzhen even sought Ning Fengzhi's advice to handle the situation as meticulously as possible.
With deep research into the Gelong Family, Ning Fengzhi had no intention of passing up the opportunity to solidify their alliance. As part of his plan to join forces with Yu Yuanzhen, Ning Fengzhi made sure to demonstrate good faith and instructed him on the best approach to win over Gelong.
First, absolute military might was necessary. The Gelong family's allegiance could only be secured if they understood their very lives were on the line. Second, Yu Yuanzhen needed to reveal the alliance between the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, thus reinforcing Gelong's respect and fear. Lastly, he advised using powerful incentives, as Ning Fengzhi firmly believed that loyalty was a question of price.
But what could compel someone like Gelong to shift his allegiance? For a soul master of his status, neither power nor wealth was appealing enough. Only the opportunity to attain greater strength held sway over Gelong's heart.
The Top Three Sects of Douluo held their positions through unparalleled methods for training elite warriors. They alone could cultivate Titled Douluo, besides the Spirit Hall a testament to their expertise. To the outside world, the path to becoming a Titled Douluo was an arcane secret, but to these sects, it was simply a tradition passed down with the right guidance and ample resources.
Resources were critical, and even though the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon boasted the title of "Best Beast Martial Soul," it still only produced a single Titled Douluo in each generation. Unlike the Hao Tian Clan, it was hindered by the peculiar needs of its members. To support each Titled Douluo, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan required a supply of resources from rare dragon spirit beasts. This limited the number of Titled Douluo in each generation and sparked intense family rivalries for these resources.
Yu Luomian, Yu Yuanzhen's own brother, was an example. Though born in the same era, he only reached the rank of Spirit Douluo, halting at level 89, unable to advance further. Gelong, now stuck at the same rank, came seeking precisely these resources for a breakthrough.
Despite the substantial cost, Yu Yuanzhen valued Gelong's potential and exceptional talent and decided to provide what was needed. With the sharp mind of a battlefield hardened warrior and spirit power at the cusp of rank 89, Gelong's only shortcoming was his vitality.
For years, the common knowledge on Douluo Continent was that age affected a soul master's likelihood of becoming a Titled Douluo. The younger they were, the greater the chance, with breakthroughs over fifty exceedingly difficult. This understanding of spirit martial arts became clearer to Yu Yuanzhen as he delved into Ye Wen's theories, gaining a new perspective.
Ye Wen's research revealed to him the stark limitations of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul. Though powerful, it ranked low among true dragon spirits and carried an unstable thunder attribute that increased the chances of mutation, especially in future generations. While most mutations were dragon variants, they often weakened the spirit power.
As a result, Yu Yuanzhen had long contemplated restructuring his clan, hoping to secure a new path that would stabilize their bloodline with a pure dragon martial soul capable of producing future generations of Titled Douluo. This prompted him to turn to his nephew, Yu Xiaogang, placing hope in the potential of Luo Sanpao, who had shown traces of the rare Holy Golden Dragon.
Seeing the promising transformation of Luo Sanpao's spirit, Yu Yuanzhen felt a renewed sense of confidence for his family. Though he had once feared alienating Ye Wen, the newfound alliance presented an opportunity for better lineage. Moreover, the Holy Golden Dragon's attribute of light was much more stable than lightning, making it less prone to mutation.
Having high hopes for his clan's continuity, Yu Yuanzhen set about ensuring Yu Xiaogang's success. He arranged ten marriages for his nephew, despite Ye Wen's initial disapproval, to quickly expand the clan's future generations. Though it left Yu Xiaogang somewhat exhausted, walking slightly unsteadily and appearing more haggard, Yu Yuanzhen felt it a small price to pay for the continuity of the clan.
Only two of Yu Xiaogang's wives were pregnant thus far, but for a lineage as prestigious as theirs, Yu Yuanzhen was content with these results, knowing the difficulties in breeding high level martial souls. Nonetheless, the upcoming changes in the world left Yu Yuanzhen feeling that his clan was unprepared, so he sought alliances with other branches.
As the sole Titled Douluo of a true dragon martial soul, Yu Yuanzhen believed it was his duty to lead. Gelong's condition for attaining the resources to break through to Titled Douluo was one that only Yu Yuanzhen could grant. Gelong's clan, the Ji family, wielded the Yazi martial soul though a lesser dragon, it was close in strength to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
With everything in place, Yu Yuanzhen addressed Gelong, saying, "Once our mission is complete, come to me at the clan's stronghold. I will personally oversee your breakthrough."
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