Yun Yibai's first and second soul rings both granted soul skills that focused on amplifying soul power.
Within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, such a soul ring configuration made him a complete outlier — even a heretic in the eyes of the clan's old traditionalists.
To them, a lightning-attribute soul master not absorbing thunder-type soul beasts was nothing short of blasphemy!
As one of the most powerful beast-type martial souls in the entire Douluo Continent, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was famous for its offensive dominance. Soul masters who inherited this pure martial soul typically chose soul rings that enhanced lightning attacks, physical strength, or defensive capabilities, aiming to maximize their raw combat power.
Yet Yun Yibai deliberately chose skills that amplified soul power — a path that completely contradicted the Blue Lightning Clan's traditional teachings.
In the eyes of the clan elders, the configurations chosen and approved by their ancestors were sacred — the only "correct" path.
To the main branch of the clan, Yun Yibai's first and second soul rings were completely misaligned with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon lineage.
But only Yun Yibai himself understood the truth — these two soul skills were not just simple soul power boosters.
They were full attribute amplifiers.
Full attribute amplification meant a comprehensive enhancement to strength, speed, defense, agility, spirit, elemental affinity, and soul power — every key stat.
Such soul skills were extremely rare on the Douluo Continent. One could even call them unique.
That also explained how someone with only innate soul power of level 7 could reach Level 28 at just eleven years old.
Yun Yibai knew exactly what he was doing.
His soul ring choices defied tradition — but he had a vision of his own.
The clan's methods weren't necessarily wrong — after all, stability has its value.
But in Yun Yibai's mind…
The refusal to change — that's the true danger.
To him, everything in this world is fleeting — until one becomes truly powerful, all else is illusion.
Only when his soul power reaches the heights of a Titled Douluo would he earn the right to converse with the world as an equal…
Only then could he carve out a place for himself on this continent ruled by the strong?
Soul power is his foundation — his survival — and the source of his pursuit of supreme power.
And when it came to soul skills, Yun Yibai had a far deeper understanding than most.
While soul rings and the skills they grant are crucial for a soul master's strength, they are not the end-all.
A true powerhouse is someone who can dig into their martial soul and soul power and create their techniques — going beyond conventional soul skills.
Yun Yibai knew full well:
At the highest levels, during real battles between advanced soul masters, the thousand-year soul skills acquired at lower stages were often obsolete — rarely decisive.
Take the Clear Sky Hammer, for example — the continent's legendary number-one tool-type martial soul.
What truly made it terrifying was the "Clear Sky Nine Techniques" — not the individual soul skills granted by soul rings.
That's the reality.
Yun Yibai didn't see himself as inferior.
He wasn't even alone in walking this path — it had been proven possible by someone before him… although that person might now be lost in the long river of time.
Yun Yibai had no interest in explaining himself to a rigid and outdated clan.
He didn't bother showing his full strength either, because he understood:
In a place so trapped by tradition, no explanation or demonstration would ever change their minds.
Their vision was confined by old doctrines, incapable of seeing the world he saw.
Every choice Yun Yibai made was to pursue his truth, not to satisfy the clan's expectations.
But it was precisely because of his unconventional actions — and his silence — that the elders of the clan deemed him a failure.
To them, someone like him was no longer worth their investment.
So, at just over nine years old, having already reached Level 20 soul power, Yun Yibai left the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect and enrolled in the Blue Tyrant Academy, founded by Liu Erlong.
Naturally, the sect knew who founded the academy, and since Liu Erlong was one of their own, Yun Yibai's parents were at ease sending him there.
As for whether the academy would accept him?
That was never in question.
When someone from the main branch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan showed up and revealed their identity — who would dare reject them?
Liu Erlong herself, however, was deeply absorbed in her emotional pain.
She neither welcomed nor rejected Yun Yibai's arrival.
Still, back then, Yun Yibai wasn't wealthy.
Before the age of nine, the resources he received did not include any Gold Soul Coins.
When he first arrived at Blue Tyrant Academy, he had only a few hundred coins — some saved from his stipends from the Spirit Hall, and some gifted by his parents.
Everything he owned now — this entire foundation — was built by his own hands.
This was exactly why Yun Yibai had to come to the Grand Soul Arena to inquire about whale gel.
On one hand, he simply didn't have the funds.
On the other, whale gel was currently widely regarded as the most potent aphrodisiac available during this time period.
He didn't care much about other types of rumors — but this kind of reputation, he had to avoid… at least until he was a little older.
After finishing his match at the Grand Soul Arena, Yun Yibai returned to Blue Tyrant Academy, intending to continue his cultivation. He was determined to break through to the next level as soon as possible.
"Hey! Stop right there, punk!
You only escaped last time by sheer luck. That cramped place limited my skills — and let you, some no-name nobody, disgrace me, the young master!"
"Let's see how you run today, huh?!"
Just as Yun Yibai stepped through the gates of Blue Tyrant Academy, a rough, booming voice echoed out.
Yun Yibai frowned slightly and turned toward the voice — only to see a burly student, at least half a head taller than himself, blocking the path ahead.
At first glance, Yun Yibai almost thought some gorilla from the Star Dou Forest had wandered onto campus — the guy was seriously that dark.
Behind him stood several others, clearly here for backup.
"Who are you?" Yun Yibai asked, expression blank.
"You—You—You!!"
The boy flushed crimson with rage, like a cat whose tail had been stomped. He opened his mouth to argue, clearly furious, but couldn't get a coherent word out. All he could do was point at Yun Yibai, hand trembling.
A moment later, he huffed coldly.
"Hmph! You can stop talking tough now! Today, I'm going to make sure you remember the name Tai Long of the Strength Clan!
My name isn't just for show! From now on, if you see me, you'd better walk the other way — unless you're looking to embarrass yourself again!"
"Ohhh~"
Yun Yibai raised an eyebrow.
"Now I remember."
"Didn't you run away last time?"
A smirk crept across his face, amused.
The truth was, last time Tai Long had been the one to pick the fight. He loved showing off, and with a Soul Douluo grandfather backing him, he'd been a spoiled little tyrant since childhood.
That was, until he ran into Yun Yibai — who didn't give him the time of day.
Naturally, Tai Long couldn't stand that and made Yun Yibai his target.
Their last encounter had been in a narrow corridor, where they exchanged a few blows.
The result?
No contest. Tai Long was big, but Yun Yibai had the edge in both speed and strength — he came out slightly on top.
Of course, Tai Long refused to believe he had actually lost. He blamed the setting for holding him back.
And now?
He was here to settle the score — by blocking Yun Yibai at the academy gates in broad daylight.