Yu Xiaoheng's Resolve: I Have Come This Far Through Hardship—How Can I Give Up?

The clan members around the Thunder Pool had their disappointment and worry swept away, replaced by incomparable excitement and pride.

Cheers and congratulations merged into a tidal roar that shot straight into the heavens.

Yet amid this sea of celebration, one corner stood utterly out of place.

Still caught up in their wild joy, quite a few clan members unconsciously glanced toward Yu Xiaogang.

Their eyes were filled with ridicule and mockery, as though they were watching a clown who had just put on a strenuous performance—only to botch it completely.

Yu Xiaogang noticed none of it.

He simply stood there in a daze, as if struck by lightning, his entire body frozen in place.

The delight on his face had long since solidified and shattered, leaving behind only confusion and emptiness.

Failed?

No, Yu Xiaoheng had succeeded.

Then... was I the one who failed?

His mind was a complete mess as the scenes that had previously baffled him replayed over and over.

A Martial Soul... swallowed medicinal herbs...

Why...

Suddenly, a flash of insight split through the fog in his mind like lightning!

No, my theory was not wrong!

Only those unwilling to improve could be wrong—not knowledge itself!!

A Split Body Martial Soul was an entirely new field!

The Golden Sacred Dragon was Yu Xiaoheng's Split Body Martial Soul!

A Split Body Martial Soul could separate from its host, could... consume external objects to strengthen itself?!

This was Martial Soul knowledge from an entirely new field!

And...

Yu Xiaogang's pupils abruptly contracted, and even his breathing stopped.

My Luo Sanpao...

Is also a Split Body Martial Soul!

Then I... can do the same, can't I?!

The clan members' gazes, mixed with mockery and anger, suddenly became utterly insignificant in Yu Xiaogang's eyes.

It did not matter.

Another scene surfaced in Yu Xiaogang's mind.

It was from several years ago, when his twin brother, Yu Xiaoheng, had brought out those colorful candies and strangely fragrant soaps. The looks on the clan members' faces had been exactly the same.

"Neglecting proper duties!"

"A Soul Master should focus on cultivation. Why waste time fiddling with such tricks and gimmicks!"

Yu Xiaoheng had also endured doubt and attacks...

But he had proven himself with facts.

We are brothers.

I, Yu Xiaogang, will not be inferior to him!

The cheers around the Thunder Pool gradually subsided.

The lightning within the pool did not weaken because of Yu Xiaoheng's breakthrough. Instead, it grew increasingly violent.

Silver-blue electric snakes gathered and intertwined, transforming into thick Lightning Pythons that rolled and roared at the center of the pool, producing terrifying crackling sounds.

On the Viewing Platform, the smile on Yu Yuanzhen's face had long vanished, and his brows were tightly furrowed.

"Why hasn't he come out yet?"

Ning Zhenyuan said gravely, "The power of the Thunder Pool is still rising. Xiaoheng's body... has probably reached its limit."

Tang Wei's expression was solemn. "Second Body Tempering is already unprecedented. If he stays any longer, something may happen!"

Everyone's hearts tightened as their eyes fixed on the figure at the center of the Thunder Pool.

Deep within the lightning.

Yu Xiaoheng sat cross-legged, his body enveloped in a faint golden glow.

He could feel the Soul Power within him becoming increasingly smooth and effortless under the tempering of lightning, while his control over Lightning Power had risen by more than one level.

But he knew even more clearly that this was not enough.

Far from enough.

Body tempering greatly increased Soul Power, but there was a limit to how much it could strengthen the body itself.

With his current physique, combined with Soul Power protecting his body, absorbing a thousand-year Spirit Ring would perhaps be more than manageable.

But the Spirit Ring he was determined to obtain was Fourteen Hundred Years.

To obtain it without any risk, he had to reach the third realm of body tempering—Thunder Bone Solidification.

Only then could his physique truly undergo a qualitative transformation and withstand the violent power of that Spirit Ring.

What should he do?

The shouts from outside the pool came through the raging lightning in fragments.

"Xiaoheng! Come out quickly!"

"That is enough! Do not take any more risks!"

Yu Xiaoheng turned a deaf ear.

He continued to absorb Lightning Power frantically, attempting to break through that invisible barrier.

Boom!

A Lightning Python as thick as a water barrel slammed violently into his back.

The Golden Light flickered intensely.

"Puh—"

He sprayed out a mouthful of blood, a dazzling crimson stain spreading through the silver-blue lightning.

His body had reached its limit.

The protection of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect merely weakened the Thunder Pool's damage; it could not block it completely.

Should he give up?

Yu Xiaoheng's consciousness began to blur.

The gains from this had already been great enough. Second Body Tempering, Soul Power at the peak of level ten, an Open Road ahead of him—there was no need to throw away his life here for a single Spirit Ring.

He even thought calmly that even if Liu Erlong's foundation was damaged because of this, it would only affect the power of their Martial Soul Fusion Skill in the future. It would not affect his ability to use this opportunity to let his Martial Soul fully adapt to the Golden Sacred Dragon's form...

The moment that thought arose, Yu Xiaoheng's expression darkened.

He slowly opened his eyes. A trace of struggle flashed through his golden pupils before it finally...

Turned into resolve.

He could not continue any longer.

He had struggled so hard to reach this point, struggled so hard... to break free from his original fate.

He could not gamble with his life.

I still...

Still have to grow stronger!

Transcend!

Until... I no longer suffer the pain of being crushed by powerful people like Qian Xunji!

He prepared to rise.

At that moment, Yu Yuanzhen frowned tightly on the Viewing Platform. Seeing that the clan members' persuasion was useless, he turned to the frail figure at his side.

"Second Dragon, go persuade him!"

Liu Erlong's Small Face was deathly pale as she hurried to the edge of the Thunder Pool.

"Brother Xiaoheng! Come back quickly!"

Liu Erlong's pale face was covered in tear stains.

"I... I will be fine! Really!"

At the center of the pool, Yu Xiaoheng slowly raised his head.

Scarlet blood slid from the corner of his mouth, forming a stark contrast with the faint golden dragon scales appearing across his body.

His gaze passed through the violent silver-blue Lightning Pythons and fell upon the frail figure at the pool's edge.

Second Dragon's eyes were filled with fear and pleading.

He fell silent for a moment.

"Then what will happen to you?"

The instant the words left his mouth, Yu Xiaoheng felt a wave of self-mockery.

What a hypocritical question.

He had clearly already decided to give up, yet he had to ask that question now.

It was no different from throwing the entire dilemma at her and making her choose for him.

He could even clearly foresee Liu Erlong's answer.

Sure enough.

Liu Erlong shook her head hard, tears scattering through the air.

"I do not care!"

"As long as Brother Xiaoheng is safe, I do not care what happens to me!"

She did not care...

The struggle in Yu Xiaoheng's eyes...

Vanished in an instant.

That was all it took.

Beside the Thunder Pool, the voices fell silent.

The wild joy faded from the clan members' faces.

They were not fools. Naturally, they understood what Liu Erlong's "I do not care" meant.

A damaged foundation, a bleak future.

But so what?

Trading an outsider girl for the Young Sect Master's stabilized Martial Soul of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was an exceptionally worthwhile bargain.

On the Viewing Platform, Yu Yuanzhen's tightly furrowed brows did not relax in the slightest. In the end, they only turned into a long sigh.

Amid this oppressive atmosphere, an enraged demand suddenly exploded like thunder.