Three days later.
The morning mist had yet to disperse when the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was already bustling with voices.
Enormous Dragon Pattern banners snapped in the wind, as though the sound of dragon roars echoed through the air.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had gone all out.
Sect Master Yu Yuanzhen, a Level Ninety-Five Title Douluo, personally led the group.
Behind him were dozens of Sect Elders with solemn, powerful auras, every one of them a Soul Douluo Level powerhouse.
Further back stood several hundred young Soul Masters in matching blue combat uniforms. They were the clan's backbone, responsible for escort duty and clearing threats along the way.
At the center of the procession were over a hundred young Disciples who had undergone Lightning Pool Body Tempering. Their expressions were grave, their eyes burning with fervor.
This immense force moved out of the clan like a winding giant dragon, slowly raising clouds of dust into the sky.
Their destination: the Star Dou Great Forest.
Star Dou Great Forest.
Outer region.
The Heaven Dou Empire's official "Soul Master Resource Management Office" had set up a temporary registration point here.
Several uniformed staff members were impatiently processing paperwork for a Soul Master squad.
"Remember this: you may only operate in the outer region of the forest. Do not hunt juvenile Spirit Beasts, and under no circumstances may you approach the middle or inner regions!"
Without even raising his head, the staff member mechanically repeated the warning he had delivered countless times before.
"Otherwise, if anything happens, we take no responsibility!"
The moment he finished speaking, a burly man with a scarred face among the Soul Masters suddenly pointed into the distance and shouted in bewilderment, "Hey? Look at those people over there. How come they went straight in without registering?"
Everyone turned to look and indeed saw an enormous procession ignoring the registration point and heading directly into the depths of the forest.
"Exactly! On what basis do they get special treatment?"
"Are the rules just for show?"
For a moment, the crowd erupted in outrage.
The staff member in charge of registration went pale at once. He hurriedly lowered his voice and waved his hands at them. "Do you people have a death wish? Didn't you see that was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's banner?"
Scarface looked thoroughly unconvinced.
"So what if it's Blue Lightning? Aren't they Soul Masters too? From the looks of them, the ones leading are just a bunch of green kids. They're probably only heading into the outer region to hunt a Hundred Year Soul Ring."
The Tall Thin Man beside him chimed in, "That's right. We're all Soul Ancestors in our thirties and forties! If we really came to blows, Blue Lightning's younger generation wouldn't be our match!"
Before his words had even faded—
An invisible pressure descended with a thunderous crash, as immense as a mountain!
The air instantly congealed, as if it had turned into thick glue.
Every Soul Master around the registration point, whether they had been complaining or merely watching the spectacle, stiffened completely. Even their breathing came to a halt.
Scarface and the Tall Thin Man's legs went weak, nearly collapsing beneath them. All color drained from their faces, leaving nothing in their eyes but endless terror.
A Title Douluo!
That pressure was undoubtedly from a Title Douluo!
In an instant, the area around the registration point fell deathly silent. A pin drop could have been heard. No one dared utter another word.
In the distance, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's vast procession passed by. This time, everyone saw clearly.
It was not that Blue Lightning had merely sent a group of green kids.
Rather, a boy of only six or seven years old stood in the most conspicuous position of the entire procession!
Some bolder low-level Soul Masters could not help stretching their necks and looking in the direction others pointed.
At the very front of the procession, a young man rode a magnificent white horse.
He wore a white-and-light-blue outer robe, his features heroic and his expression calm. Countless powerhouses surrounded him at the very center.
And Yu Yuanzhen, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Sect Master—the one who had released that terrifying pressure—was personally walking at the front of the procession, clearing the way for him.
It was a posture befitting one surrounded by stars.
The atmosphere in another nearby group was equally solemn.
This was a team made entirely of female Soul Masters. They wore water-blue academy uniforms, graceful in figure and varied in temperament. They were the teachers and students of Skywater Academy.
The mature woman leading them was named Lin Qinglan. As she looked at the figure being surrounded by all those stars, her beautiful eyes were filled with astonishment.
"What an impressive display..."
The moment Lin Qinglan spoke, the Skywater Academy Disciples behind her were already utterly dazzled.
A pretty young woman quietly tugged at the sleeve of the companion beside her.
"Yun'er, look, that young man leading them..."
Shui Yun'er's gaze had long since frozen on that white-and-blue figure. At the words, she merely nodded subconsciously, a blush rising to her cheeks.
"So... so handsome."
Beside her, the more lively Shui Lingxi covered her mouth with a light laugh and teased, "What? Has our academy's future leading figure fallen for him?"
Shui Yun'er shot her an annoyed glare.
"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll tear that mouth of yours apart!"
Though there was a hint of anger in her voice, her clear eyes never once left Yu Xiaoheng.
Shui Lingxi laughed even harder and leaned close to whisper in her ear.
"What's there to be embarrassed about? If you like him, go after him!"
"If you become the Young Sect Master's wife of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, you'll be set for life. Then we sisters can bask in your glory too, right?"
At those words, several young women nearby could not help laughing. The heavy atmosphere brought on by Yu Yuanzhen's pressure was immediately eased by their girlish banter.
Meanwhile, two stunningly beautiful young women in the group exchanged a glance, both seeing deep shock in the other's eyes.
They were none other than Ah Yin and her newly acquainted friend, Rou'er.
Ah Yin had originally been traveling through the region near the Clear Sky Sect. She had faintly sensed that an opportunity belonging to her awaited there, yet after waiting for a long time, she received no response.
As it happened, she and Tang Hao were originally meant to meet there for the first time, leading to their increasingly frequent encounters in the years to come and, ultimately, their union.
But after learning of Yu Xiaoheng's news, Tang Hao, though dismissive in words, resolutely chose to enter seclusion.
With nothing else to do, Ah Yin returned to the Star Dou Great Forest, where she happened to encounter Rou'er.
After talking for a while, the two discovered in surprise that they were both Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts who had taken human form—one a Blue Silver Emperor, the other a Soft Bone Rabbit. Naturally, they hit it off at once.
Rou'er had originally planned to remain peacefully in the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest, but after hearing Ah Yin speak of the outside world's splendor and the many wonders of human society, she could not help developing a sense of longing.
Thus, the two disguised themselves as ordinary women and temporarily joined Skywater Academy's group, hoping to take this opportunity to observe human Soul Masters up close and experience their way of life.
Now, seeing Yu Xiaoheng's display, waves of shock surged through their hearts.
More than anyone else, they knew that after Soul Beasts took human form, the best way to rapidly increase their cultivation was to attach themselves to a human blessed with immense fortune.
And the fortune surrounding this young man was the greatest they had ever seen in their lives!
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