Bone Dragon, the First Choice for the Third Soul Ring

Yu Tianheng was even more confused. "Great-Uncle, every Soul Master on the continent knows that Heaven Dou Royal Academy is a gathering place for noble children. It is full of arrogant, overbearing people. How could it possibly be a place that attracts geniuses? If there really were geniuses there, Heaven Dou Royal Academy wouldn't have gone so many years without producing a single Titled Douluo."

"Heaven Dou Royal Academy truly had no notable talent in the past. But a few years ago, Poison Douluo became an Imperial Guest Official, and he sent his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, to Heaven Dou Royal Academy for training. Tianheng, you have heard of Dugu Bo, the man known as Jade Phosphorous and Poison Overlord of the World, haven't you?"

As he spoke, Yu Luomian walked up to Yu Tianheng and patted him on the shoulder. "I heard that Poison Douluo's granddaughter also possesses the talent of high innate Soul Power. When you arrive at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, make friends with her. You would not only win her over, but also gain the support of a Titled Douluo famous for Poison Control. Isn't that worth trying?"

After hearing this, Yu Tianheng froze. The resentment in his eyes as he looked at Yu Luomian turned into guilt.

If he could win Dugu Yan over, then her grandfather, Poison Douluo, would surely stand on his side. Not only would the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan grow stronger overall, but no one would be able to shake his position within the clan.

So Great-Uncle Yu Luomian had actually been considering his future. Thinking this, Yu Tianheng lowered his head guiltily. After a moment of silence, he finally apologized. "Great-Uncle. I'm sorry. I thought you—"

"You thought I was weakening and suppressing you?" Yu Luomian smiled kindly. "Tianheng. You and Tian Xin are among the finest geniuses of our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. In the future, the clan's heavy responsibilities will surely fall upon you two brothers. Neither your connections nor your personal strength can be lacking. Once you reach Heaven Dou Royal Academy, do not mingle with those nobles. You must cultivate diligently, understand?"

Yu Tianheng nodded. "I understand, Great-Uncle."

Yu Yuanzhen, who sat in the main seat, suddenly said, "Since it has been decided, set out tomorrow and report to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Tianheng, do not underestimate the foundations of the Heaven Dou Empire. Although it has not produced a Titled Douluo in many years, Heaven Dou Royal Academy still has talented people. Enough. Go back and prepare. When you return after graduating from the academy, I will arrange new training for you."

"Yes, Grandfather." After paying his respects to the two elders, Yu Tianheng turned and left the hall.

Only after a while did Yu Yuanzhen ask Yu Luomian, "Second Brother, do you think Tianheng can befriend Poison Douluo's granddaughter?"

"Big Brother, don't worry. Back then, even your son with Innate Level Five Soul Power nearly tricked the Martial Soul Hall Saintess into falling for him. Are you worried that a genius like Tianheng cannot befriend Poison Douluo's granddaughter? I'd say this plan has an eighty or ninety percent chance of succeeding."

"If Poison Douluo aids us in the future, we will surely surpass the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and become the second greatest sect under heaven. Now that the Clear Sky Sect has sealed itself away, when the Seven Great Sects are reelected in the future, our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan will become the greatest sect under heaven."

As he said this, Yu Luomian looked toward the entrance of the hall, and an imperceptible sinister smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Half a year later.

Nine at night.

Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Inside the Cave Mimetic Field.

In the dark cave, a pile of white bones lay at its deepest point.

It was said that these bones were the skeletons of Soul Beasts, deliberately placed at the end of the cave by the academy to create a mimetic environment.

Few Soul Masters came to cultivate in the Cave Mimetic Field, much less at the very end of the cave.

Within the pitch-black cave, Black-Purple Ghost Fire could occasionally be seen drifting about.

"Heh heh heh."

As that sinister, chilling laughter rang out, an Anomalous Skeleton Head burning with Black-Purple Flame emerged from within the cave wall and slowly floated down onto Xia Liang's shoulder as he sat cross-legged in meditation.

When his meditation ended, Xia Liang opened his eyes. A faint aura burst from within his body, startling the Anomalous Skeleton Head resting on his shoulder into quickly floating into the air.

The aura that had just erupted was excess Soul Power leaking out due to a sudden surge of Soul Power within his body. Such a phenomenon generally indicated that one's Soul Power Level had increased.

Not long after joining Heaven Dou Royal Academy as a cook, his Soul Power had already broken through to level twenty-five.

After cultivating in the academy's Mimetic Field for a full year and a half, he had finally risen from level twenty-five to level twenty-nine.

Next, he only needed to soak in the Advanced Medicinal Bath gifted by the Shui Family for one full cycle. Then he could break through the level-thirty bottleneck at the fastest possible speed and obtain his Third Soul Ring.

With the cultivation talent of Innate Level Five Soul Power, becoming a Soul Elder before even turning thirteen by crossing the first major threshold was already a miracle.

Thinking of his bright future, Xia Liang could not help but smile.

Gastly, who had been frightened away, floated back down onto his shoulder and smiled along with him.

After a year and a half of arduous cultivation, it was not only his Soul Power Level that had improved. After consuming two pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, his physical condition and skeletal endurance had also been greatly strengthened.

The Skeleton Martial Soul, which used his own skeleton as its Martial Soul, had accordingly grown stronger, while its Undead Attribute had become even more powerful.

Now, as long as the Gastly or Black-Purple Ghost Fire summoned through the Undead Attribute hid in darkness and avoided sunlight, it could continue existing indefinitely.

Leaving Gastly in the cave to continue testing how many days it could survive, Xia Liang stood and walked out of the cave. The dazzling sunlight made it difficult for him to open his eyes.

Next, aside from using the Advanced Medicinal Bath to quickly break through the level-thirty Soul Power bottleneck, he still had many things to do.

For example, he needed to find a Soul Beast for his Third Soul Ring.

As for his first choice for the Third Soul Ring, he had already decided to obtain it from a kind of Soul Beast called a Bone Dragon.

The Soul Beast Compendium Yu Xiaogang had given him recorded that Bone Dragons were said to be a dragon species born from the union of the Space Dragon and a Soul Beast skilled in bone-related abilities.

After generation upon generation of bloodline inheritance, by the time the first Bone Dragon Soul Beast was born, its true dragon bloodline had already diluted, leaving it as a mutated draconic subspecies.

Even so, Bone Dragons still possessed a trace of the true dragon bloodline belonging to the Space Dragon.

That was why they possessed not only exceptional bone defense, but also a powerful Space Attribute.

The Space Dragon recorded in the Soul Beast Compendium should refer to the Dragon Clan descendants of the Space Dragon King's lineage.

According to the original setting, the Space Dragon King controlled not only the spatial element, but also a portion of the powers of light and darkness.

Perhaps because they inherited a trace of the darkness element, Bone Dragon Soul Beasts were entirely black and looked somewhat similar to Dark Soul Beasts.

In truth, just from the name alone, one could tell how compatible the Soul Ring produced by a Bone Dragon would be with the Skeleton Martial Soul.

It was said that fifty li from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan lay a place called Dragon Valley. The natural energy there was extraordinarily unique and highly suitable for draconic subspecies Soul Beasts.

As a type of draconic subspecies, Soul Beasts like Bone Dragons lived in Dragon Valley.

Dragon Valley was never mentioned in the original work. There was, however, a place called Dragon Valley, also known as the Dragon Tomb. The two should not have been the same place.

There was also a Soul Beast habitat near the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, called Sunset Forest.

However, Sunset Forest did not belong exclusively to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. It was a public resource.

Dragon Valley was the same. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was not strong enough to claim it for itself, and anyone could enter or leave freely.

However, those closest to the water got the moon first. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan could still establish barriers within Dragon Valley, just as Dugu Bo had claimed a portion of Sunset Forest for his own use.

It was said that the Nine Mountains of Dragon Valley had already tacitly become training grounds for disciples of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

If he wanted to enter Dragon Valley, he would probably have to deal with Soul Masters from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.