Yu Yuanzhen brought the Soul Beast over. On closer inspection, he discovered it was only two hundred years old.
"Although I don't know how a Golden Sacred Dragon cultivates, are you sure you want to absorb this Soul Beast?" Yu Yuanzhen asked skeptically.
Yu Xiaogang said solemnly, "The Golden Sacred Dragon is a Soul Beast that evolved from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, so its attributes should be compatible with lightning. The Thunder Skunk is a lightning-attribute Soul Beast. If I absorb its Soul Ring, the lightning attribute will surely awaken Luo Sanpao's bloodline and produce a powerful Soul Skill."
"Since you've made up your mind, kill it," Yu Yuanzhen said, leaving it at that.
Yu Xiaogang killed the Soul Beast, and a bright yellow Soul Ring appeared above the skunk. He eagerly drew it over and began absorbing it.
The process was painful, but still within what Yu Xiaogang could endure. Before long, he finished absorbing it.
Excitement welled up in Yu Xiaogang's heart. With Innate Soul Power like his, most people on Douluo Continent would never become Soul Masters. Yet he had finally entered their ranks. He was still a good-for-nothing, but there was a world of difference between a Soul Master and an ordinary person. Soul Masters were born a cut above the rest. And Yu Xiaogang was confident that, by working two hundred times harder at cultivation, he would someday awaken the Golden Sacred Dragon Bloodline and advance beyond Soul Grandmaster, Soul Elder, Soul Ancestor, perhaps even... Titled Douluo!
"That's enough. Stop admiring yourself." Yu Yuanzhen clasped his hands behind his back. "Summon your Martial Soul and use your First Soul Skill on me. Let your father see how strong it is."
"Right away, Father." After absorbing his First Soul Ring, Yu Xiaogang had been so caught up in his delight that he had not even tested his First Soul Skill. At his father's words, he sprang to his feet and called out grandly, "Luo Sanpao!"
The little purple creature, looking like a cross between a pig and a dog, appeared before them with a pop. A bright yellow Soul Ring circled Luo Sanpao.
Yu Yuanzhen looked Luo Sanpao up and down, somewhat disappointed. He could see no change in him after he had absorbed the Soul Ring.
"First Soul Skill—"
The Soul Ring flashed. Luo Sanpao's face turned solemn, and he rose into the air until he hovered face-to-face with Yu Yuanzhen.
What would the First Soul Skill be? A powerful lightning attack, or an Agility Attack System skill? Yu Yuanzhen studied Luo Sanpao's ugly-cute face and tried to guess.
Suddenly, Luo Sanpao scrunched up his piglike face as though he were holding something in.
Yu Yuanzhen was baffled.
Then Luo Sanpao turned around and aimed his plump purple rear at Yu Yuanzhen.
What was he doing? Was he about to launch a lightning-charged tackle, or some kind of high-speed charge? Yu Yuanzhen wondered.
As if acting on instinct, Yu Xiaogang suddenly roared, "Fart like thunder! Earth-Shattering Luo Sanpao!"
Pfft! A thick, viscous cloud of yellow gas burst visibly from Luo Sanpao's backside and shot straight into Yu Yuanzhen's face.
The dense yellow cloud slammed into Yu Yuanzhen. The force blew off his jade hairpin, leaving his hair in disarray as the foul-smelling gas spread all around.
Yu Xiaogang lowered his head. His expression was impossible to see.
Amid the powerful stench, Yu Yuanzhen lowered his head too. His expression was equally impossible to see.
An eerie silence fell between them. No words could have said more.
When the cloud finally began to clear, Yu Yuanzhen broke the silence. "Listen... Xiao Gang, you're officially a Soul Master now. Isn't that enough? Come back and learn how to run a business. Then I can leave the sect's trading houses and other ventures in your hands someday."
Yu Xiaogang panicked. He understood what his father was implying: his father intended to give up on him. If his father, the Sect Leader, abandoned him, there would be no more triple Cultivation Resources from the Sects and no more Power Transmission to help him cultivate. His path as a Soul Master would end here.
No, Father, you can't give up on me! You can't! I'm counting on the sect's resources and your Power Transmission to advance step by step, awaken my bloodline, become a Titled Douluo, and surpass that bastard Yu Xiaomen.
An idea struck Yu Xiaogang. "Father, I don't want to give up halfway. My First Soul Skill may not be ideal, but I can feel a trace of Luo Sanpao's bloodline awakening. I believe that if I keep cultivating and adding Soul Rings, Luo Sanpao will become a Golden Sacred Dragon one day."
Of course, Yu Xiaogang was lying through his teeth. Luo Sanpao was still the same Luo Sanpao after absorbing the Thunder Skunk's Soul Ring. He had nothing whatsoever to do with a Golden Sacred Dragon.
"What did you say? Luo Sanpao's bloodline awakened?" Yu Yuanzhen stared at Luo Sanpao in surprise and examined him from head to toe, but still saw nothing unusual.
Yu Xiaogang kept bluffing. "Father, only the faintest trace has awakened. As the owner of this Martial Soul, I'm the only one who can sense it. I believe that if I persevere, Luo Sanpao will eventually transform into a Saint Dragon."
"Are you certain? I've told you this path will be difficult." Yu Yuanzhen gave Yu Xiaogang a searching look.
In Yu Yuanzhen's eyes, the stubborn Flat-top clasped his hands behind his back and lifted his chin proudly. "No matter how hard the road ahead is, I, Yu Xiaogang, will keep cultivating. If I lack the talent others have, I'll make up for it with effort. If working twice as hard isn't enough, I'll work a hundred times harder, two hundred times harder. I firmly believe there are no useless Martial Souls, only useless Soul Masters."
"Hahaha!" Yu Yuanzhen stroked his beard and laughed, his gloom swept away. He stepped over to Yu Xiaogang and patted him on the back. "Good! Well said! That's the spirit. You truly are my son. Go forward boldly. I'll give you all the support I can, but don't disappoint me."
Yu Xiaogang said with a solemn face, "Don't worry, Father. I won't disappoint you."
And so, after obtaining the First Soul Ring, father and son returned to the Sects. The talk about Yu Xiaogang becoming a Soul Master did not die down; it only grew louder. Why? Because his First Soul Skill was a fart!
Faced with everyone's mockery, Yu Xiaogang could only swallow the humiliation. Each month, he consumed three times the resources allotted to a Core Disciple, while his aging father used Power Transmission to help him cultivate—no, scratch that—through two hundred times more effort than anyone else, he steadily improved his strength. He believed hard work would pay off. One day, he, Yu Xiaogang, would make everyone who looked down on him pay.