"Hahaha!"
Dugu Bo suddenly opened his eyes and burst into laughter.
He had lost the composure expected of a Titled Douluo, consumed by pure joy.
The snake poison that had plagued him for hundreds of years had finally been cured.
The cultivation bottleneck that had long remained unmoved had also been broken through.
At that moment, Dugu Bo felt an indescribable lightness throughout his body.
The pent-up frustration that had accumulated inside him dissipated completely.
What a rush!
That was the only thought in Dugu Bo's mind.
"Gongzi Yu, thank you!"
As his excitement faded and he gradually calmed down, Dugu Bo clasped his hands toward Yu Shuangbai and offered his heartfelt thanks.
If Yu Shuangbai hadn't cured the snake poison afflicting him and Dugu Yan,
never mind the increase in his cultivation,
he would still have had to endure the torment of that snake poison every day, wishing he were dead.
This was nothing less than the gift of a new life!
Dugu Bo was therefore filled with gratitude toward Yu Shuangbai.
"It was just a deal. No need to mention it."
Yu Shuangbai didn't take credit for it or grow conceited. He simply waved a hand.
They had each gotten what they needed; there was no need to call it a favor.
In fact, Yu Shuangbai had gained no less than Dugu Bo on this trip—perhaps more.
The foundation for godhood, and two teachers who were each half-step God Kings.
It had certainly been a fruitful haul.
"No, no."
Dugu Bo shook his head.
"A deal is a deal, but the fact remains that you saved my life and Yan Yan's."
"The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well has always had limited use for me. That doesn't make this something we can simply write off."
"I'll remember the kindness you've shown me today. If you ever need my help, Young Master Yu, just ask. I won't turn you down!"
Though Dugu Bo was ruthless, he was also straightforward.
He didn't treat the life-saving favor as settled just because Yu Shuangbai had called it a deal.
Instead, he kept it in his heart, vowing to repay it someday.
"Grandpa is right. There's no way to repay the kindness of saving my life."
Dugu Yan spoke up as well.
She placed her small hand over her chest, and a strange glint passed through her eyes as she looked at Yu Shuangbai.
Hearing this, Yu Shuangbai said no more.
By a twist of fate, he had gained yet another layer of protection.
Though with Snow Empress and the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings already backing him, Dugu Bo's protection seemed almost unnecessary.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Inside the ancestral hall.
An old man with a stern face and golden light in his eyes sat in the seat of honor.
Below him stood Yu Tianxin, along with Yu Tianheng, who had yet to fully recover and still looked pale.
"Tianheng, are you saying that a boy of twelve or thirteen beat you into this state?"
The old man spoke slowly, his voice tinged with displeasure.
The Twin Stars of his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had been beaten by a boy several years younger in full view of everyone.
Where did that leave the clan's dignity?
Yu Tianheng pressed his lips together. Though he didn't want to admit it, he still had to nod.
"Grandpa, that kid is strange."
"I, I..."
Yu Tianheng stopped, as if something was troubling him.
The old man seated above him furrowed his brows even more deeply.
He had always charged straight ahead in everything he did.
He hated nothing more than this hesitant, affected manner.
His voice sank.
"Speak."
The single word made Yu Tianheng tremble all over.
Only then did he stammer out the rest.
"My Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, in front of his Martial Soul..."
"It, it was trembling, afraid..."
After saying this, Yu Tianheng seemed to go limp all over.
Remembering the deep-rooted fear that had welled up from within his Martial Soul during the fight,
Yu Tianheng still couldn't bring himself to accept it.
His pride and joy, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, had been as feeble as a subordinate in front of Yu Shuangbai's unknown Martial Soul!
For someone as proud as Yu Tianheng, who had always taken pride in his Martial Soul, this was simply unacceptable!
When the old man heard Yu Tianheng's words, his first reaction was disbelief.
He thought Yu Tianheng was making excuses for his defeat.
In the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, it wasn't just Yu Tianheng. Nearly every direct-line disciple with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul shared a similar pride.
They believed their clan's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul ought to be the strongest Power Attack System Martial Soul in the world.
They never took other Martial Souls seriously, believing they were always a cut below their own.
Yu Yuanzhen, the clan leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, was no different.
He, too, refused to believe that their Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon could tremble before a Martial Soul no one had ever heard of.
So Yu Yuanzhen turned to Yu Tianxin, who stood off to the side.
"Tianxin, you were there too."
"Tell me what you felt."
Yu Tianxin gritted his teeth, then nodded.
"Grandpa, what Brother Tianheng said is probably true."
"Though I wasn't facing him directly, so I didn't feel it as strongly as Brother Tianheng did,"
"I could still feel my Martial Soul trembling and afraid."
When Yu Yuanzhen heard Yu Tianxin's words,
his expression gradually turned grave and dark.
If Yu Tianheng's words could still be dismissed as an excuse for his defeat,
what about Yu Tianxin?
He hadn't even fought that person, so he hadn't suffered a defeat at all.
There was no reason for him to make excuses.
Besides, Yu Tianxin knew perfectly well what would happen if he lied to Yu Yuanzhen's face.
So Yu Yuanzhen was eighty percent certain that Yu Tianxin was telling the truth.
In other words, what Yu Tianheng had said was most likely true.
Their family's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon had become a subordinate before that unknown Martial Soul!
At the thought, Yu Yuanzhen, the clan leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, grew as dark as a raincloud.
The other senior members of the clan seated nearby looked no better. Every face was grim.
How could their proud Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon be a subordinate to another Martial Soul?!
"Tianheng, tell me everything you know about the boy you mentioned."
Yu Yuanzhen spoke in a low voice, like a volcano held in check.
Yu Tianheng quickly recounted everything he knew, leaving nothing out.
"His name is Yu Shuangbai. He was brought here by Skywater Academy..."
He described everything that had happened that day at Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
But then...
"Yu Shuangbai?!"
A voice rang out abruptly in the ancestral hall, tinged with surprise.
"Elder Yu Song, you know this Yu Shuangbai?"
Yu Yuanzhen noticed the commotion, turned his gaze toward him, and asked.
The elder named Yu Song hesitated before answering.
"Clan Leader, I'm not sure whether this Yu Shuangbai is the one I know."
"There was indeed once a disciple named Yu Shuangbai in our clan."
"His parents were both third-generation disciples. They died in a dispute more than ten years ago."
"Some time afterward, Yu Shuangbai disappeared without a trace."
"But his Martial Soul was only an Ice Lizard. It doesn't match the Ice Dragon Martial Soul Young Master Tianheng described, and his talent was far inferior to the Yu Shuangbai Young Master Tianheng mentioned..."
"Perhaps it's just a coincidence that they share the same name."
Before you continue