"Little Uncle, congratulations on getting your cultivation talent back!"
Only after Qin Ming stepped away did Yu Tianheng finally get a chance to come over. Grinning from ear to ear, he congratulated him.
He and Yu Tianjiao had always gotten along quite well.
Though they were technically uncle and nephew, they got along more like brothers.
The difference was that Yu Tianjiao was more mature, making him seem more like the older brother. Meanwhile, Yu Tianheng, a strapping six-foot-three nephew who was four years older than Yu Tianjiao, was always the one being looked after.
Yu Tianheng had been held to strict standards from a young age. Yu Yuanzhen had only ever cared about his cultivation and rarely asked about anything else.
A child who grew up starved for affection could remember someone's kindness for a lifetime.
So when Yu Tianjiao, a senior of the same age, turned out to be no spoiled brat and even often took him out to play and cultivate together, Yu Tianheng had already come to accept this precocious genius as his beloved Little Uncle.
Originally, Yu Xiaogang had also treated him fairly well when he was very young.
But Yu Tianjiao, who was the same age as Yu Tianheng, was a transmigrator. With all his worldly knowledge, wasn't winning over a kid as easy as pie?
He'd tell Yu Tianheng a few tales from folklore or web novels he'd read, and the boy would get so excited he'd practically wish he could become protagonists like Xiao Yan, Ye Fan, or Shi Hao.
Of course, Yu Tianjiao would never tell him the story of Douluo Continent.
Besides that, simple little toys and the like were also quite appealing to children.
Yu Tianjiao had even taken Yu Tianheng straight to Yu Yuanzhen, asking the old man to pay more attention to his grandson instead of keeping his eyes glued to his Martial Soul cultivation all the time. That had helped bring grandfather and grandson closer, too.
Little children didn't have the best memories, and gradually, Yu Xiaogang became the unfamiliar Second Uncle in Yu Tianheng's eyes.
Yu Tianjiao, meanwhile, became the uncle he was closest to and his good big brother.
"All right, we're outside, so just call me Brother. You can call me Uncle when we get home."
Yu Tianheng nodded firmly. The burly young man, standing six-foot-three, now had tears welling in his eyes.
Seeing the dazzling Little Uncle he remembered recover once more filled Yu Tianheng with excitement.
Though his Little Uncle hadn't been there to look after him or offer him guidance over the past three years, Yu Tianheng had grown a lot in that time. Now, he was an outstanding student who could hold his own at the academy.
For the past year, under Qin Ming's arrangements, he had led a group of fellow students in Soul Fighting matches around Heaven Dou City. It had improved his practical combat experience and built up his confidence.
He wanted to show his Little Uncle what he had accomplished over the past three years.
To him, his Little Uncle's praise was the highest recognition he could hope to receive.
Even his own father couldn't compare.
After all, they rarely saw each other.
"I knew you'd have plenty to say to me. Come on, let's go sit in your dorm."
Yu Tianjiao could tell at a glance what his young nephew was thinking. He patted Yu Tianheng on the shoulder and smiled.
"Mm! This way, Brother!"
Yu Tianheng beamed, delighted, and hurried to lead the way.
Along the way, plenty of classmates he already knew and was fairly familiar with greeted Yu Tianjiao. He responded to each of them without the slightest impatience.
Honestly, he quite enjoyed being surrounded by admirers.
After all, he'd been pretty ordinary in his previous life, and transmigrating here had let him finally enjoy himself.
Too bad he was still young. He could admire all those pretty older sisters, but couldn't get close to them, which left him feeling a little regretful.
Once they reached Yu Tianheng's dorm, the uncle and nephew had a good catch-up. Yu Tianheng hadn't returned to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan all year; he'd been focused on cultivating. He'd originally planned to become strong enough to protect the Little Uncle he was closest to.
Though Yu Tianheng had received word from the clan a few days earlier that his Little Uncle, Yu Tianjiao, had recovered, it wasn't until he saw him with his own eyes and sensed how much stronger his Soul Power had become that he finally felt reassured.
Earlier, out of consideration for his Little Uncle's feelings, Yu Tianheng hadn't said much to Yu Tianjiao about the academy. But now, at last, he could.
So he launched straight into a detailed account of everything that had happened over the past three years at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, including plenty of stories about his own experiences.
He also slipped in a few things about Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling. When he got to the two girls, he shot Yu Tianjiao a knowing look, his expression tinged with teasing.
After all, he wasn't a little kid anymore. He could tell that his two classmates had special feelings for his Little Uncle, and that it clearly wasn't an ordinary friendship between classmates.
"By the way, I can sense your Soul Power fluctuating. Are you close to a breakthrough?"
Yu Tianjiao didn't mind his nephew's teasing. He dared to have a beauty in each arm in front of so many people, after all; he was quite confident in his thick skin.
If you weren't thick-skinned, how could you ever find a girlfriend?
You might as well go home, hug your pillow, and cry!
Maybe you'd sob yourself unconscious and meet a girlfriend in your dreams!
"Brother, your eye for these things is as sharp as ever. I really am close to reaching level forty!"
Yu Tianheng smiled and nodded.
"Not bad. But keep working hard. I have to win the championship at the Soul Master Tournament in two years, and I'll need your help then. Don't let me down!"
Yu Tianjiao gave a slight nod, his tone turning a little more serious.
"Win the championship? Was that Grandpa's demand?"
Yu Tianheng guessed the truth in an instant.
After all, ever since Yu Tianjiao had made a suggestion to the old man, Yu Yuanzhen, on his behalf, the standards Yu Tianheng had once been held to had been imposed on Yu Tianjiao with even stricter demands.
But Yu Tianjiao really was a super genius. Even under those conditions, he'd managed to balance cultivation and fun.
"Mm. The old man said that if I win, the clan's heirloom Soul Bone will be mine. I might hesitate if it were some other reward, but I really can't turn down a Soul Bone."
Yu Tianjiao said with a smile.
"Gasp! He's even offering a Soul Bone? But isn't two years too short?"
Yu Tianheng first sucked in a sharp breath, then quickly asked with concern.
"Don't worry. Have some faith in your big brother's talent. Those three years weren't wasted. I'm cultivating even faster than I used to. In two years, even if I don't reach level fifty, I should be close to the peak I'd reached three years ago."
Yu Tianjiao patted Yu Tianheng's shoulder and smiled confidently.
Seeing that familiar confident smile appear on his Little Uncle's face, Yu Tianheng smiled and nodded as well.
His Little Uncle wouldn't lie to him. If he said he could do it, then he definitely could!
"All right, it's getting late. I need to hurry over to Teacher Qin's place, then have a chat with Yanzi and Lingling."
Yu Tianjiao smiled and waved, then got up to leave.
Yu Tianheng walked him to the door and called out just before he left:
"Brother, be careful out there!"
Yu Tianjiao had already taken two steps down the corridor. At the words, he raised his middle finger without even turning around, and his teasing reply drifted back:
"You little brat, get out of here!"
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