Xiao Gang's Predicament

Xiao Gang's Predicament

After leaving the clan, Yu Xiaogang had suffered one misfortune after another.

Before leaving, he had asked his father for a Sect Token. With the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Sect Token, he could enter Spirit Hall and the other two of the Upper Three Sects, meet the influential figures of each faction, and find a way for his Martial Soul to break through Level 30 much more easily.

However, as he was leaving the mountain gate, Yu Xiaomen stopped him. Before leaving, Yu Xiaomen had swiped his Sect Token.

As the saying went, it was easy to meet the King of Hell, but hard to deal with his underlings. Without the Sect Token that proved his identity, whenever Yu Xiaogang tried to visit a Spirit Hall branch or go to the Clear Sky Sect or Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the gatekeepers at the very first checkpoint turned him away.

How could he possibly meet the Pope or a Sect Leader so easily?

With his Sect Token gone, Yu Xiaogang could have simply returned to the clan and asked Yu Yuanzhen for another. But stubborn Yu Xiaogang had his pride. Before leaving the clan, he had sworn that unless he made something of himself, he would never return.

Thus, Xiao Gang could only seek another route, looking for an opportunity to infiltrate Spirit Hall, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, or the Clear Sky Sect. He wanted to find a way to access their secrets and discover a method for Martial Soul Evolution.

But before that, Xiao Gang encountered a difficult problem: he ran into a swindler. That hateful swindler claimed to possess a miraculous medicine that could evolve Martial Souls. In a moment of impulsiveness, Yu Xiaogang believed him, and the swindler cheated him out of every last bit of his travel money.

Penniless, Yu Xiaogang was not entirely without options. Even at his worst, he was still a Level 29 Spirit Master. He could join a Soul Hunting Team, earn commissions by helping others hunt soul beasts, or join Spirit Hall as a Steward and travel to villages to help others awaken their Martial Souls.

But who was Xiao Gang? He was the son of Yu Yuanzhen, Sect Leader of one of the Upper Three Sects, born with incomparably noble status. Help lowborn people awaken their Martial Souls? Teach those lowborn people knowledge? Hunt soul beasts for lowborn Spirit Masters? He would rather die than do something so beneath his status. Even if Yu Xiaogang starved to death, he would never associate with those crude Spirit Masters of lowborn origins. (In this era, those who joined Soul Hunting Teams to earn commissions through soul hunting, as well as Spirit Hall Stewards, were generally commoners—people fortunate enough to possess Martial Souls and become Spirit Masters.) As a result, the young master starved for three whole days.

Fortunately, heaven never barred every path. When hunger had left him dizzy and seeing stars, Yu Xiaogang saw Spirit Masters emerge from the local Spirit Hall, each holding several Gold Soul Coins they had collected from Spirit Hall.

Only then did Yu Xiaogang remember the Spirit Master Stipend. He registered his Spirit Master rank at Spirit Hall, collected his monthly stipend, and began living off Spirit Hall.

Thus, a flat-top in a black scholar's robe, skinny as a bamboo pole, emerged from Spirit Hall carrying a bag containing his Spirit Master Stipend. He curled his lip disdainfully. "Hmph, Spirit Hall uses the wealth of the two great empires to buy people's loyalty. Their intentions are truly sinister. I might as well spend this money if they're handing it out."

With the Spirit Hall stipend, Yu Xiaogang had solved his problem of food and shelter. Now, he began brooding over his troubles again.

No matter how he tried to cultivate, his bottleneck remained like an immovable boulder.

What a joke. Even Yu Yuanzhen's Power Transmission cultivation had failed to help him break through Level 30. How could Yu Xiaogang manage it through cultivation alone?

Without Yu Yuanzhen, it would have been a miracle for him to become a Spirit Master at all in this lifetime.

In short, it was all Three-Eyed Blazing Demon's fault. In dark corners where no one could see, whenever Yu Xiaogang felt even slightly displeased, he would summon Three-Eyed Blazing Demon and viciously bully it:

"You trash, it's all your fault! You could have evolved into the Golden Sacred Dragon, so why did you degenerate instead? Do you know you've made me bear the name of trash for more than ten years? If it weren't for you, I would at least be a Soul Ancestor by now—no, a Spirit King! Give me back my Golden Sacred Dragon! Give me back my Golden Sacred Dragon—"

Enraged beyond measure, Yu Xiaogang viciously kicked Three-Eyed Blazing Demon to the ground. Three-Eyed Blazing Demon let out a string of wailing grunts.

If Martial Souls were not so closely connected to their Spirit Masters, and harming a Martial Soul did not affect its Spirit Master, Yu Xiaogang would have slaughtered the pig without hesitation. Pork for dinner tonight.

Inside a cheap inn in Coconut Grove City.

Yu Xiaogang staggered into his room and pushed open the door. The instant it opened, he saw three people inside.

Two elderly men stood protectively around a handsome, upright man in the center.

"You—"

Before Yu Xiaogang could finish his question, a golden flash streaked past. His frail body swayed dizzily before collapsing.

Before losing consciousness, he heard the three of them speaking.

"So this is Yu Yuanzhen's famously useless son? He truly lives up to his reputation. His Martial Soul is actually a pig, and his soul skill is farting. Hahahaha—"

"That's not all. I heard this piece of trash consumed an enormous amount of the clan's resources. Yu Yuanzhen spent more than ten years using Power Transmission to cultivate him, only managing to barely raise his cultivation to Level 29. Without him, Yu Yuanzhen would have become a Level 95 Super Douluo long ago."

"In that case, we really ought to thank this trash. He slowed the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's development."

"But are you truly choosing him?"

"What I need is trash. A clown."

Shut up! I'm not trash, and I'm not a clown! Just before his consciousness scattered, Yu Xiaogang screamed inwardly.

At dusk, Yu Xiaogang woke up from the floor.

He shook his dazed flat-top haircut, feeling somewhat puzzled. Strange, why am I sleeping on the floor? What just happened?

Unable to figure it out, Yu Xiaogang stopped thinking about it. His thoughts returned to his own predicament.

Spirit Hall's stipend had solved his food problem, but he was still nowhere near his goal.

He needed to go to the continent's other factions, obtain from them a method for evolving Martial Souls, and use their resources to help his Martial Soul, Three-Eyed Blazing Demon, evolve into the Golden Sacred Dragon. But without a Sect Token, how could he accomplish that?

Yu Xiaogang scratched his flat-top, then left in frustration.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he walked through the streets of Coconut Grove City, his face filled with worry. Then suddenly, he spotted a graceful figure weaving through the streets.

She had wine-red hair, with both a superb figure and stunning looks.

Yu Xiaogang's eyes widened as he stared at her like a wolf.

She truly was beautiful—what man would not be drawn to her? But that was not the main reason she had caught Yu Xiaogang's attention. Rather, he had recognized her identity—

Spirit Hall's current Saintess, Bibi Dong.

The moment he recognized her, the little mind beneath his flat-top began spinning faster.