Even though Ye Yu had used the secret between Yu Xiaogang and the Perverted Trio as leverage—forcing him to summon Luo Sanpao every few days at the back mountain of Shrek Academy for his Blue Silver Spirit Jade Tree to devour—it still wasn't enough.
Yes, Yu Xiaogang was obedient.
But to Ye Yu, this progress was far too slow.
After several months, the Blue Silver Spirit Jade Tree had only materialized less than a single branch. The spiritual awareness it had gained didn't even reach the level of basic instinct.
At this rate, it would take more than fifty years for the Martial Soul to fully materialize into something like Luo Sanpao —a true lifeform with its own consciousness.
And Ye Yu had no intention of waiting that long.
But he had a plan.
If he could parasitize Yu Xiaogang's body with the External Spirit Bone – Demon Willow Fluff, then feed him Spirit Power to raise his cultivation, each devouring session of Luo Sanpao would yield higher quality and quantity of life force—greatly accelerating the Blue Silver Spirit Jade Tree's growth and awakening.
Moreover, after each devouring, the backlash Yu Xiaogang suffered from Martial Soul damage could be rapidly healed by the regenerative effects of the Spirit Bone Ability: Devouring Parasitism from the External Spirit Bone – Demon Willow Fluff.
That meant...
Soon, Ye Yu could devour Luo Sanpao multiple times per day.
"You want to... take me away?"
Yu Xiaogang was stunned for a moment, not quite registering Ye Yu's words.
But the next second, Ye Yu activated his Spirit Power.
Several crystal-blue Blue Silver branches, thick as vines, burst from the ground—wrapping around Yu Xiaogang's limbs.
With a vicious twist—
CRACK!
Yu Xiaogang's arms and legs were brutally snapped, and he collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony.
"Ye Yu, you bastard! What are you doing to me?!" he roared, pain and fury distorting his already strained voice.
But Ye Yu remained calm, utterly unfazed.
He stepped forward and retrieved a fresh strand of Demon Willow Fluff from the core of the mother plant.
Then, placing it gently on Yu Xiaogang's chest...
He activated the Spirit Bone Ability: Devouring Parasitism.
Immediately, the Demon Willow Fluff burrowed into Yu Xiaogang's body—attaching itself to his meridians and branching out, weaving through every channel of his Spirit Power network.
"What did you do to me?!" Yu Xiaogang screamed in panic, feeling the invasive presence writhing inside him.
"Relax, Master Yu," Ye Yu said with a calm smile. "I'm not here to harm you."
"In fact... I'm offering you a deal."
"What I implanted is a special External Spirit Bone. It'll heal your wounds quickly—so much so, you'll be able to summon Luo Sanpao multiple times a day without dying from backlash."
"More importantly, it can help you break past Rank 30... and even help you evolve Luo Sanpao into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!"
"So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?"
While it was true Ye Yu could use the Demon Willow Fluff to keep Yu Xiaogang alive and store him in the Wishful Hundred Treasures Pouch—just like Tang Hao—he still needed Xiaogang to actively summon Luo Sanpao for the devouring to work.
So Ye Yu chose the carrot-and-stick approach:
Evolve his Martial Soul.
He knew that under the combined weight of coercion and temptation, Yu Xiaogang would eventually submit.
"You can really... help me break Rank 30?"
"And evolve Luo Sanpao into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon?"
Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened in disbelief and hope. He wanted to believe, but... could he?
Ye Yu didn't bother arguing.
Instead, he sealed Yu Xiaogang back into the Wishful Hundred Treasures Purse, then turned into a flash of lightning and shot toward the Star Dou Great Forest.
There, he hunted down a ten-thousand-year Thunder Tyrant Dragon—a powerful sub-dragon species said to share the bloodline of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
After the beast was slain, Ye Yu used the Demon Willow Fluff to fully absorb its Spirit Power, life force, and blood essence.
Then, he returned to Yu Xiaogang and replaced the old parasitic strand with this newly charged one.
Once connected, a portion of that potent energy was fed directly into Yu Xiaogang's body.
Instantly, he felt it:
The barrier that had stopped him at Rank 29 for decades shattered under the overwhelming influx of pure Spirit Power.
"I-I broke through! I finally broke through Rank 30!!"
Tears welled in Yu Xiaogang's eyes. He had waited so long for this.
"Master Yu," Ye Yu said gently, looking down at him with a smirk. "As long as you keep cooperating, I'll do more than just help you break through—I'll help you evolve Luo Sanpao into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon."
With the breakthrough as tangible proof, Yu Xiaogang finally believed him.
"If... if you really can evolve San Pao... then I'll do whatever you ask. I'll summon it—every time."
To Yu Xiaogang, this wasn't a bargain—it was a dream come true.
Back when he was heir apparent of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan, he was admired by his peers. That changed the moment he awakened Luo Sanpao as his Martial Soul.
From a prodigy to a disgrace.
He had endured a lifetime of ridicule, his sole wish to one day restore Luo Sanpao's glory—evolve it back into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
Because he couldn't achieve that, he had turned to theory—to Martial Soul research, to teaching, to grooming Tang San.
But none of that was the dream.
Evolution was.
And now, that dream was within reach.
He would do anything to seize it.
After Yu Xiaogang summoned Luo Sanpao again, Ye Yu used the Blue Silver Spirit Jade Tree to devour it.
And this time, the Spirit Bone Ability: Devouring Parasitism released a controlled flow of life force and the refined soul essence absorbed from the Thunder Tyrant Dragon.
Though the Demon Willow Fluff wasn't specialized in devouring souls, it had still managed to refine some usable soul energy.
For someone as weak as Yu Xiaogang, even a small amount of that power was enough.
The backlash damage from the Martial Soul devouring was healed almost instantly.
Once again, Ye Yu's experiment was a success.