The result of Yu Xiaogang's Martial Soul Awakening was like a basin of ice water, extinguishing all his unrealistic fantasies and completely altering the trajectory of his life.
Yu Yuanzhen sat at the head of the table with an expressionless face. Yu Xiaogang's biological mother, that beautiful concubine, was currently kneeling on the ground, her face covered in tears, begging bitterly.
"Master! I beg you, for the sake of Xiaogang being your own flesh and blood, give him another chance! He is still young and doesn't know any better... He must have been too nervous during the awakening..." The woman's voice choked with sobs as she kowtowed incessantly.
She knew deep down that her son's performance today, especially his final display of unhinged madness, had completely infuriated the Sect Master and thoroughly severed his future within the sect.
Yu Yuanzhen closed his eyes, his fingers tapping unconsciously against the armrest. After a long while, he slowly opened them, his gaze cold and weary. "Nervous? Among six-year-old children, many have distracted thoughts during awakening, but one as crooked and resentful as him is rare! Today's result is the consequence of past causes. His temperament is already skewed and requires strict discipline. However, with talent such as this, forcing it is of no use."
He looked at Yu Xiaogang, who was slumped on the floor with hollow, soul-less eyes. The last shred of softness brought about by blood ties dissipated, leaving only the coldness of handling official business. "In consideration of the father-son bond, the sect will not mistreat him. But sect resources must be used where they are most effective.
Starting tomorrow, send him to the Dragon City Primary Soul Master Academy. All expenses will be provided according to the standard for ordinary branch disciples of the sect. He is strictly forbidden from styling himself as the grandson of the Sect Master or a successor of the Blue Lightning. If he dares to bully others by relying on his status or tarnish the sect's reputation, he will be punished without mercy! Once he comes of age, he will be assigned to manage an ordinary business in an outer county to live out his life."
These words were like a final verdict, completely sealing the termination of Yu Xiaogang's political life within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. To fall from the high-and-mighty position of the Sect Master's grandson and the son of a Titled Douluo (albeit illegitimate) to the status of an ordinary branch disciple, with a future limited to managing a mundane business, was a drop so steep it made one sigh in regret.
"No... Father! You cannot do this to me!" Yu Xiaogang, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot as he shrieked, "I am your son! I should be a genius! It was the Awakening Array that went wrong! Someone is trying to sabotage me!"
"Stubborn and unrepentant!" Yu Yuanzhen rebuked him with a roar. He released a sliver of his Titled Douluo pressure, and Yu Xiaogang was struck as if by a heavy blow. He groaned, slumped down, and could no longer speak, though the bone-deep resentment in his eyes grew even more intense.
"Take him away!" Yu Yuanzhen waved his sleeve, unwilling to look at him for another second.
Yu Xiaogang's mother slumped to the floor, her face ashen. She knew that everything was beyond saving. She watched the back view of her son being dragged away by a deacon, then looked at the expressionless Yu Yuanzhen, her heart turning cold.
She was a clever woman who had seen plenty of filth before becoming a Shadow Guard; how could she not see the paranoia and cold-heartedness in her son's bones? The result today, while heart-wrenching, was it not also of his own making?
Yet, as a mother, she could not let go. She struggled to climb to her feet and kowtowed heavily to Yu Yuanzhen three times, her voice hoarse. "Master... this concubine knows that Xiaogang's sins are unforgivable and dares not ask for anything more.
I only beg you... for the sake of our past affection, to bestow a 'Marrow Cleansing Pill' to help Xiaogang improve his aptitude slightly, so that in the future... he might have some power to protect himself. From now on, Xiaogang and I will never cause trouble for the sect again and will live peacefully as ordinary people."
A Marrow Cleansing Pill? Yu Yuanzhen's brows lifted slightly. This was one of the new types of pills his niece, Yu Yunyao, had developed in recent years by studying alchemy, referencing the properties of Immortal Herbs, and using century-old and millennium-old spiritual herbs as primary ingredients with special techniques.
Although the medicinal effect was far inferior to a true Immortal Herb, it could cleanse the impurities of the physical body and had a miraculous effect on improving the innate soul power of low-level soul masters. Especially for those with innate soul power below level five, it could often raise them by one or two levels. It was quite valuable and supplied in limited quantities within the sect, primarily used to reward branch or outer-surname disciples who lacked talent but possessed a resilient heart.
Give it to Yu Xiaogang? Yu Yuanzhen instinctively wanted to refuse. With this child's temperament, even if his aptitude improved, it would likely be a curse rather than a blessing.
But looking at the desperate and humble plea of the woman at his feet, and thinking that this was, after all, his own blood, a trace of imperceptible complexity flickered in Yu Yuanzhen's heart. He remained silent for a moment, ultimately softening for an instant—or perhaps, making a final severance.
"Very well." He spat out the words coldly, took out a white jade pill bottle, and flicked it toward the woman with his finger. "This pill is for him. Whether it is a blessing or a curse depends on his own fortune. After he takes the pill, send him to the academy. Behave yourself; if you cause any more trouble, do not blame me for being heartless."
"Thank you, Master! Thank you for your grace!" The woman acted as if she had been granted a reprieve, clutching the pill bottle tightly and weeping uncontrollably. She knew that this pill was the final bit of affection and pity Yu Yuanzhen would ever show Yu Xiaogang.
From this day forward, Yu Xiaogang would have no further connection to the core of the sect. She had already made a secret resolution: rather than wasting her energy on a son destined to have no future, it would be better to... plan for herself as soon as possible. Perhaps, she might still have a chance to give birth to another...
Yu Xiaogang was taken back to his somewhat remote courtyard and spent several days in a daze. During this time, his mother brought him the Marrow Cleansing Pill and relayed Yu Yuanzhen's arrangements.
"Xiaogang, this is the last thing Mother could beg for you. Take it, and your innate soul power will improve a little. In the future... at least you will have more paths to choose from.
Once you go to the academy, restrain your temper, cultivate diligently, and stop causing trouble..." The mother's words carried an undisguised weariness and detachment.
Yu Xiaogang looked at the pill, which emitted a faint medicinal fragrance. A flicker of greed flashed in his eyes, only to be replaced by an even deeper resentment.
Improve his aptitude? A mere level or two, what use is that! He was still a failure! He hated his father's heartlessness, his mother's incompetence, the sect's unfairness, and the cold stares of everyone!
But he was ultimately afraid of death, and he held onto a sliver of luck that "it might just work." He snatched the pill and shoved it into his mouth.
The pill melted upon contact, and a gentle yet tyrannical medicinal force instantly surged into his limbs and bones. It felt like countless tiny needles piercing his meridians and flesh, bringing waves of tearing pain, but it was also accompanied by a feeling of transformative change.
The process lasted for several hours. When the medicinal force dissipated, Yu Xiaogang was covered in a layer of gray-black grime that smelled foul, but he could clearly feel that the soul power within his body seemed... more solidified, and its circulation was much smoother.
He impatiently tested his soul power. The result caused a ripple in his deadened heart—his innate soul power had increased from half a level to... three levels!
Three levels! Although he was still at the bottom, at least he was no longer a legendary "waste"! If he had enough resources and cultivated hard for seven or eight years, perhaps... there was hope to become a Soul Master?
But this faint spark of hope was quickly drowned out by his deeply ingrained bad habits. Hard cultivation? Seven or eight years? That was too exhausting!
And even if he became a Soul Master, what would that count for in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, where geniuses gathered like clouds? He would still be at the bottom! What he wanted was instant power, a leap to the heavens in a single step!
"Hmph, a mere three levels, are you trying to dismiss a beggar?" Yu Xiaogang spat, his eyes full of disgust and unwillingness. He felt no gratitude for this hard-won pill; instead, he felt it was an act of charity and an insult from the sect.
A few days later, he was "escorted" by two expressionless sect deacons, leaving the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan where he had lived for six years, heading toward an ordinary primary soul master academy located in the city. Before his departure, his mother did not come to see him off; it was said she was in seclusion, attempting to break through the Soul Emperor bottleneck. Yu Xiaogang sneered internally, assuming his mother had also given up on him.
What he did not know was that shortly after he left, his mother had indeed begun her "seclusion," but not to break through a bottleneck. Instead, she began to nourish her body and intentionally or unintentionally started to approach Yu Yuanzhen, who occasionally returned to live in the city due to sect affairs... She had decided to gamble once more, for herself and for the future.
Just as Yu Xiaogang stepped onto the road to the academy with an uncertain future, deep within the Governor's Mansion in Purple Blazing Dragon City, inside a separate courtyard that had been converted into an alchemy workshop, a different scene was unfolding.
Yu Yunyao, dressed in a simple light cyan gown with her hair tied up casually, was focusing all her attention on controlling a half-man-high medicine cauldron made entirely of Warm Jade, its surface engraved with complex soul guidance patterns.
Beneath the cauldron, the gentle Geocentric Fire burned steadily. Inside, dozens of medicinal herbs of different ages and attributes were being guided by her precise soul power, tumbling and fusing, emitting a strange, fragrant aroma.
On the desk beside her lay a large number of ancient books and notes: there were herb guides and pill recipe fragments native to the Douluo Continent, magic potion textbooks brought from the Saint Demon Continent, insights into Priest healing arts, and even some basic pharmacology from her previous life that Yu Yuanchen had reconstructed from memory.
Ever since she broke through to the Super Douluo realm decades ago, Yu Yunyao's cultivation progress had slowed down. At this level, simple accumulation of soul power was a slow, grinding process; what was more important was the comprehension of one's own Martial Soul and the Laws of heaven and earth.
Her Sacred Heart Immortal Begonia Martial Soul, inherited from her mother, controlled all plants in the world and had an extremely keen perception of life energy, holding infinite potential in both combat and support, but her ambitions did not lie there.
After accompanying her mother, Ye Zhilan, to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and witnessing the wonders of the many Immortal Herbs there, Yu Yunyao had developed a deep interest in herbalism.
Especially after learning that her mother had once relied on two Immortal Herbs to evolve the Nine Heart Begonia into the Sacred Heart Immortal Begonia, she had conceived an idea: could she, through cultivation and the refining of ordinary spiritual herbs, replicate some of the miraculous effects of Immortal Herbs?
Possessing the Sacred Heart Immortal Begonia Martial Soul, she could indeed accelerate the growth of plants to a certain extent once she reached a high enough realm.
However, accelerating the growth of a true Immortal Herb, even with her Super Douluo cultivation, would require over a year of painstaking effort and would take a significant toll on her own vitality.
For her, the Immortal Herbs themselves were no longer of much use, and if it were only to help the younger generation of the sect, the efficiency would be too low, and it could not be popularized.
She shared this thought with her father, Yu Yuanchen. After listening, Yu Yuanchen did not directly affirm or deny it, but instead guided her to think: "Yao'er, if you can accelerate the growth of Immortal Herbs, you can certainly solve an immediate need, but the number of Immortal Herbs is limited after all, and you cannot grow them for others forever.
Giving a man a fish is not as good as teaching him how to fish. Your ability to accelerate Immortal Herbs cannot be taught, but you can try to decompose the medicinal properties of the Immortal Herbs, study them thoroughly, and find lower-tier, more easily obtainable herbs to simulate similar effects through blending and refining. If you succeed, it will benefit not just a few people in the sect, but thousands upon thousands of people in the world who have mediocre talent but a heart set on the Great Dao."
The words of her father were like a sudden enlightenment, pointing out a clear direction for Yu Yunyao. From that moment on, she devoted the majority of her energy to the study of Alchemy.
She no longer obsessed over replicating a specific Immortal Herb, but instead delved deep into the medicinal properties of various ingredients and the principles of combining them as sovereign, minister, assistant, and envoy. Using the Immortal Herbs within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well as her "blueprint," she analyzed the essence of their medicinal effects and then attempted to combine and substitute them with century-old and millennium-old spiritual herbs.
The process was extremely tedious and difficult. Conflicts in medicinal properties, the control of heat, the timing and force of injecting Soul Power... the slightest mistake would result in the entire furnace of ingredients being ruined. If not for her family's deep foundations and the support of the entire Federation and sect behind her, she could never have afforded such consumption.
However, Yu Yunyao inherited the strengths of both her parents, possessing both patience and comprehension. Over several years, she failed countless times, yet she also successfully refined many pills with unique effects. Although their potency was far inferior to Immortal Herbs, they had the advantage of relatively accessible materials, and her success rate in refining was gradually improving.
Among them, the most successful was the Marrow Cleansing Pill.
She referenced the medicinal properties of a new Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower cultivated by her mother (not using the Immortal Herb directly, but analyzing the essence of its purification) and supplemented it with over a dozen spiritual herbs such as century-old and millennium-old Jade Lingzhi, Bone-Cleansing Flower, and Snow Lotus Herb. Through a special Soul Guiding Array to control the heat and the fusion of medicinal power, the pill was finally formed.
This pill could cleanse impurities from the physical body and increase Innate Soul Power, showing significant effects on Soul Masters below level five. The one Yu Xiaogang consumed was one of her creations.
Of course, this pill had its limitations; one could only consume it once in a lifetime, and the degree of improvement varied from person to person. The fact that Yu Xiaogang could improve by two and a half levels was not only due to the excellent quality of the pill, but also because Yu Xiaogang's own talent was quite poor.
"Condense!"
Following Yu Yunyao's soft shout, the radiance of the medicine cauldron retracted. The lid opened, and three pale green pills, each the size of a dragon's eye, round in shape and emitting a fresh medicinal fragrance, flew out and landed in the jade bottle in her hand.
"Success! Three pills this time, and the quality is top-notch!" A gleam of joy flashed in Yu Yunyao's beautiful eyes. This time she had tried a new formula aimed at gently nourishing the Meridians and assisting Soul Masters in breaking through their Bottleneck; it seemed the effect was quite good.
She carefully put the pills away and looked at the mountain of herbs and notes piled up in the workshop, a satisfied smile appearing on her face. This Path of Alchemy, though arduous, had allowed her to find her own way—a path different from her father's conquest of the four corners or her mother's healing of the wounded, yet one that could benefit the world in a different way.
Deep within the Imperial Dragon Pass of the Saint Demon Continent, there lay a valley shrouded by a lightning Barrier.
Yu Yuanchen stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the burly figure sitting cross-legged in the center of the valley, his Qi and Blood surging like a dragon and his battle intent piercing the heavens—it was his son, Yu Yunting.
After decades of accumulation and diligent cultivation, Yu Yunting's Cultivation Level had reached the peak of a Level 99 Titled Douluo!
His three dragon race contract partners (Thunder Sacred Dragon, Purple Blazing Dragon, and Evil-Breaking Dragon) had long since grown to the hundred-thousand-year level, sharing a telepathic connection and linked auras with him.
"Yunting, are you ready?" Yu Yuanchen spoke slowly, his voice calm yet carrying a hint of imperceptible solemnity.
Yu Yunting opened his eyes, a sharp gleam shooting from them like two streaks of physical lightning. He stood up, his bones popping with a crisp sound, and a tragic, domineering, and indomitable terrifying battle intent soared into the sky, stirring the Wind and Clouds!
"Father!" Yu Yunting's voice was resonant, filled with immense confidence and anticipation. "Your son is fully prepared!"
Yu Yuanchen nodded slightly, his gaze Deep: "Your path is that of the lightning of righteous evil-breaking, unyielding and peerless. It is different from my Primordial Star Law and your mother's path of plants. An ordinary godhood may not suit you. Even if you were to inherit one by force, I fear it would limit your potential."
He paused, then continued: "Although there are currently no vacancies for First-level God positions in the God Realm that match you, and only a few Second-level Deity positions with limited potential remain, if you are willing to wait, there may still be an opportunity. This new path to godhood is merely our deduction, and the risks are not small."
Upon hearing this, Yu Yunting felt not a shred of fear; instead, an even hotter light erupted in his eyes. He grinned, revealing his snow-white teeth, his heroic spirit fully displayed: "Father! This new path to godhood is exactly what I want! What satisfaction is there in hiding behind others to inherit a godhood compared to winning one with my own fists and feet! Father, your son is willing to go! Whatever the risks, I'll just fight my way through!"
"Besides, with you here, at least you won't let me die, right? As long as I don't die, it's nothing major."
"You kid." Looking at his son's fighting spirit and confidence, a trace of Comfort flashed in Yu Yuanchen's eyes. He knew that this new path to godhood was destined to be filled with thorns, blood, and fire, but it was also the most suitable path for Yu Yunting.
"Good! Since that is the case, your father shall act as your Guardian!" Yu Yuanchen said no more, standing silently to the side.
The paths of children must, in the end, be walked by the children themselves.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan