Things were simply not that easy for the young boy. After his transmigration into this new world, Yu Xiaogang was not entirely clear about every single event that would happen in the future of the Douluo Continent.
He had some knowledge, but it was limited. One of the few things he knew for certain was that his own natural talent was very poor. From the moment of his birth until now, five years of a muddled and confusing life had already passed. In that time, he had unfortunately become the laughingstock of everyone around him, and his reputation even affected his father, Yu Yuanzhen.
Yu Xiaogang often worried about the future. Once the Martial Soul Awakening happens, would he continue to be a stain on Yu Yuanzhen's life for many years to come? This thought haunted him.
Whenever Yu Xiaogang thought about how much Yu Yuanzhen cared for him and doted on him all these years, he felt a deep sense of guilt. He was completely unwilling to let such a thing happen. He didn't want his father to be mocked because of him. He wouldn't allow it, not even if he died!
Therefore, not long after he regained his senses and understood his situation, Yu Xiaogang went to his father with a request. He proposed the idea that he wanted to begin to cultivate. He wanted to start early to see if he could change his fate.
In the Black World, specifically at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, important figures were watching these events unfold on a giant screen in the sky.
"Feng Zhi, could it be that starting to cultivate before the Martial Soul Awakening is actually useful?" Bone Douluo Gu Rong said with a mix of surprise and doubt. He looked at the sect master with a questioning gaze.
If it were anyone else making such a claim, Gu Rong would certainly say that cultivating before a Martial Soul Awakening was useless. This was a basic rule of the world. It was a rule that had been passed down through the legacy of the Douluo Continent for more years than anyone could count. Every child waited until they were six years old to awaken their spirit and then began their journey as a Spirit Scholar.
But Dragon God Douluo Yu Xiaogang was different. He was the counterpart of the man known as Yu Xiaogang. As for the original Yu Xiaogang's situation, how could people like them not be aware of it? They knew him as someone with broken potential.
However, the video of Dragon God Douluo Yu Xiaogang played on the heavenly curtain showed something else. It showed that from his birth until now, his life was actually no different from the original Yu Xiaogang's life. In fact, his starting point was even worse.
This comparison was very interesting to the powerful masters. It showed the development of the same person making different choices in life. They couldn't help but wonder if every choice Dragon God Douluo Yu Xiaogang made was the key. Perhaps making choices different from an ordinary person was the condition that allowed him to achieve a heaven-defying change of fate and become a powerful Titled Douluo.
"This is hard to say," Ning Fengzhi replied. He didn't dare to make a judgment for a moment. After all, this was an idea proposed by a future Titled Douluo during his childhood. Even if it sounded impossible, they had to consider it.
"Let's watch a bit more first; we will know the answer later," Sword Douluo Chen Xin said. His eyes were fixed on the screen.
Besides the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, other major powers like the Spirit Hall, the Clear Sky Sect, and various forces across the Douluo Continent all focused their attention on the heavenly curtain at this moment. Everyone wanted to know if cultivating before the Martial Soul Awakening was actually useful. It was a discovery that concerned how all of them would cultivate in the future. If a five-year-old could gain an advantage, the entire system of the continent might change.
The video on the screen continued to play. Yu Xiaogang's words and his disappointed expression made Yu Yuanzhen feel a pang of sympathy. The tall man stepped forward and squatted down. He placed his large, warm hand on Yu Xiaogang's head in a fatherly gesture.
"Silly son, don't worry. You will never be a stain in my life," Yu Yuanzhen said. He had a kind smile on his face when he spoke, but his words were powerful and resonant. He meant what he said. If he truly regarded Yu Xiaogang as a stain or an embarrassment, he would have sent him away long ago. He could have hidden him shortly after Yu Xiaogang was born, but he chose to keep him close.
Yu Yuanzhen's words made Yu Xiaogang's heart feel very warm. It was nice to know his father supported him so much. Feeling the strength of the palm on his head, Yu Xiaogang gently shook his head and brushed the hand away. He stood up straight and looked his father in the eye.
"You might not care, but I do. I want you to be proud of me. So, even if it might be useless to try this, I still want to try," Yu Xiaogang said. His voice was very firm and didn't waver at all.
Looking at his son's eyes, Yu Yuanzhen understood that the boy was serious. He wasn't just throwing a tantrum or playing a game. Regarding Yu Xiaogang's sentiment, Yu Yuanzhen felt very gratified. He felt that he hadn't doted on this son in vain. The boy actually cared about his father's reputation.
"Cultivating is very painful, especially for someone as young as you. Are you sure you can endure it?" Yu Yuanzhen asked.
"Of course I can!" Yu Xiaogang replied immediately.
And so, the very next day, the training began.
"Run! If your speed is this slow, do you still think you can become stronger?" Yu Yuanzhen shouted.
On the training ground belonging exclusively to Yu Yuanzhen in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, the five-year-old Yu Xiaogang began his running training. He was under the watchful eye of a very solemn and strict Yu Yuanzhen. According to his father's plan, they would start with running first. If the boy could persist and show discipline, then he could try other more difficult exercises later.
Lap after lap, Yu Xiaogang kept moving. Soon, his throat felt dry and tight from the continuous running. The air he inhaled felt like ice shards scraping his throat, while the exhaled breath carried a burning sensation. It was exhausting.
Sweat kept flowing down from his forehead, and his clothes were soon soaked and stuck to his body. When the wind blew, it felt chilly against his skin, yet his muscles continued to heat up from the effort. This alternation of cold and heat was very hard to endure for a small child.
His steps became weaker as time passed. His body felt heavier with every meter, and his legs felt like they were filled with heavy lead. Every time he lifted them, it strained his aching muscles. At this moment, Yu Xiaogang wanted to stop so badly. He wanted to rest, or crawl back into his warm bed for a good sleep. Any normal five-year-old would have stopped long ago.
But then he thought of his future. He thought of how he might become an object of ridicule for others if he stayed weak. He thought about how others would use his failure to mock Yu Yuanzhen. Whenever those thoughts came to mind, Yu Xiaogang clenched his teeth. He persevered through sheer willpower alone.
"Alright, that is enough!" Yu Yuanzhen called out. He had been watching Yu Xiaogang's movements closely. He saw that the boy had reached his absolute limit and called a halt to the morning's training.
Hearing Yu Yuanzhen's voice, Yu Xiaogang collapsed to the ground almost immediately. He fell flat on his back, without even the strength to move a single finger. His breathing was heavy and ragged.
"Not bad at all," Yu Yuanzhen praised him.
In reality, the father was very surprised in his heart. He had originally thought Yu Xiaogang's words yesterday were just talk. He expected today's hard training would surely scare the boy off and make him go back to playing with toys. But as it turned out, Yu Xiaogang had actually persevered through the pain.
For five-year-olds in ordinary families, or even children much older, if they were trained like this, they would have gone crying to their parents long ago. They would have begged to stop. But from beginning to end, Yu Xiaogang didn't say a single word about giving up. Even though his small calves were trembling visibly from running, he didn't stop until he was told to.
At this moment, Yu Yuanzhen couldn't help but think of the offspring of other powerful people he knew. He thought of the two sons of the Clear Sky Sect's Sect Master. Those two had talent that was visible to the naked eye, and everyone praised them. But with his experienced eyes, Yu Yuanzhen could see that those two brothers had a heart-nature that was somewhat lacking. They were used to flattery and being told they were geniuses. If that wasn't corrected, problems would arise for the two of them sooner or later when they faced real hardship.
Thinking of this, and looking at his own son who was exhausted in a heap on the dirt, Yu Yuanzhen suddenly felt a massive sense of pride. He looked toward the horizon and thought to himself. Clear Sky Twins? Hmph, my son is not inferior to them at all! His son had the spirit of a true warrior.
Back in the Black World, inside the real Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, the living Yu Yuanzhen stared blankly at the version of himself on the heavenly curtain. The pride on the other man's face was completely undisguised. He saw it clearly and understood exactly what the other father was feeling. He understood that pride perfectly.
Putting himself in those shoes, if it were him, he would be just as proud. Both were Yu Yuanzhen, and both had the same son named Yu Xiaogang. Yet the son on the screen was only five years old and was already thinking about his father's honor. To avoid becoming a stain in his father's life, that version of the boy had proactively started to cultivate at such a young age.
Throughout the entire process, the boy didn't cry or make a fuss. He didn't give up when things got hard. No matter how painful it was, he gritted his teeth and persevered until the very end. This persistence and strong heart-nature proved that his earlier words were serious. He truly wanted to help the Yu Yuanzhen of that world wash away any shame.
Looking at the other man's son and then thinking back to his own son, a sour taste spread in Yu Yuanzhen's mouth. He felt a deep sense of regret and longing. Yu Yuanzhen had never imagined that one day the person he would be most jealous of would actually be another version of himself. Both are my sons, he thought, so why is that version of my son so good?