Yu Tianheng, Who Has Lost the Will to Fight

Three days later, Yu Tianheng returned to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

When Yu Tianheng returned to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, he looked as though someone had pulled the backbone right out of him. The spirited confidence he'd once carried was gone.

Once, he had walked with his chest out and his head held high, radiating the domineering air of a man who feared no one. Every step had been firm and powerful, as if the ground beneath his feet bowed to him.

But now, after returning in defeat, he walked with his head bowed, as if his neck could no longer bear the weight of it. His steps were weak and dragging, each one like treading on cotton—soft and powerless.

His eyes were vacant and lost. His hair hung messily over his forehead, and his once-straight back had begun to hunch. All his former vigor had vanished.

After returning to his room, he sat by the window, staring blankly outside. He stayed there for the entire day, his gaze vacant and indifferent to everything, as though the whole world had nothing to do with him.

"Tian Heng, it's been a whole day. Are you going to sit there like this forever?" His father, Yu Feilong, finally couldn't hold back.

Although Yu Tianheng was in low spirits, he wasn't so far gone that he would ignore his father.

His voice was simply as hoarse as sandpaper scraping against itself. "Dad, I've brought shame on the clan. I overestimated myself and provoked someone, only to suffer a crushing defeat in front of everyone. It would be bad enough if I'd only embarrassed myself, but I've also disgraced the clan. I've given outsiders reason to laugh at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and even people within the clan..."

"I know they're all laughing at me, just like they laughed at Uncle back then. They're laughing at you, too, for having such a useless son. And Grandpa... Tianheng has failed you. I've made people question his decision..."

He couldn't finish. He lowered his head, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Looking at his son in such a daze, Yu Feilong felt angry, heartbroken, and anxious all at once. The words rose to his lips, then sank back down. He had no idea what to say.

He knew that Yu Tianheng had grown up surrounded by halos like "Blue Lightning Twin Stars" and "future clan heir," and burdened by the responsibility of restoring the family's fortunes. Deep down, he cared about the clan's reputation more than anyone.

This crushing defeat had plunged him into complete self-denial, convinced that he was a disgrace to the clan.

"Will sitting here sighing stop people from laughing at you?"

A deep, authoritative voice suddenly sounded in front of Yu Tianheng, startling him into looking up.

Yu Yuanzhen stood by the window. His eyes were somewhat clouded, yet piercingly sharp as they fixed on him.

"Grandpa..."

Yu Tianheng was at a loss. He started to lower his head again. "I..."

He wanted to say, "I was wrong," and "I've brought shame on the clan."

But the words caught in his throat, and before he could say them, his eyes reddened.

Yu Yuanzhen set aside his usual sternness and walked slowly to the steps by the doorway. He lightly tapped the ground. "Come sit with Grandpa for a while."

Yu Feilong tactfully stepped away, leaving the two of them alone.

Yu Tianheng hesitated, then slowly sat beside Yu Yuanzhen. He clutched the hem of his clothes tightly, waiting for his grandfather to scold him.

But Yu Yuanzhen didn't reprimand him. Instead, he asked gently, "Tian Heng, tell Grandpa this: that day on the arena, were you really no match for that boy called Xing Tian?"

Yu Tianheng froze for a moment and looked up at Yu Yuanzhen. There was no reproach in his grandfather's eyes, only earnestness.

Only then did he answer quietly, "Yes. I was no match for him at all. His fists were vicious and unpredictable; practically every move was a killing blow. His attacks flowed together seamlessly, and I could barely find an opening."

"His close-combat ability completely overwhelmed me. If the Three Education Commissioners hadn't decided to hold an ordinary Soul Fighting match, I might have been crippled after just a few exchanges."

"But that wasn't the terrifying part. It was his body and his dark element."

"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul is a True Dragon Martial Soul. Although I can't use Dragon Transformation yet, Martial Soul Possession gives me a body that surpasses Soul Masters of the same level. In that regard, even the people of the Clear Sky Sect can't match us."

"But that Xing Tian completely overpowered me. When he clamped down on my wrist, I could barely move. I could only use the explosive power of my Electric-type attribute to force myself free. And even when I hit him head-on, I barely caused any visible damage."

"And then there was his dark element. It was so powerful it was uncanny. During close combat, it could seep into my body and erode and disrupt my Soul Power. Even stranger, his dark element could devour the lightning I sent into him."

As he spoke, Yu Tianheng swallowed hard, his eyes unfocused. "And his Soul Skill... facing that move, I felt not only darkness, but death. For the first time, I felt fear..."

Yu Yuanzhen asked, "During the fight, what were you thinking? Were you thinking about how to counter his moves, or were you thinking, 'I'm from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. I absolutely cannot lose'?"

Yu Tianheng didn't understand what Yu Yuanzhen meant. The two things didn't seem all that different to him, but after thinking it over, he answered, "The latter. I thought..."

Before Yu Tianheng could finish, Yu Yuanzhen interrupted him.

"The main reason you lost so badly was that you cared too much about the clan's reputation. I bet the moment you clashed, you panicked so much you forgot how to throw a punch."

Yu Tianheng froze, his eyes turning red. "But, Grandpa, I did bring shame on the clan! The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon has never suffered such a crushing defeat! I..."

"Don't cry!"

Yu Yuanzhen's voice suddenly rose, ringing with the authority of thunder. "You're a descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon! The grandson of the Thunderclap Douluo, Yu Yuanzhen! Tears aren't for 'bringing shame'—they're for 'having no ability.' Do you really have no ability?"

He took Yu Tianheng's hand and exposed the calluses on it.

"You started cultivating as soon as you awakened your Martial Soul at six. Your Innate Soul Power was above eight. You reached Soul Grandmaster at nine, surpassing your father and every one of your uncles! You've even nearly caught up with Tianxin. You earned all of that through blood and sweat. It has nothing to do with 'the clan's reputation.' It's your own ability, Yu Tianheng!"

"You lost this time because you were too impatient and too eager to prove that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was the best Beast Martial Soul under heaven. But a loss is a loss, and it has nothing to do with the clan. This was a defeat suffered by you alone, Yu Tianheng. It has nothing to do with the clan."

Yu Yuanzhen's words struck Yu Tianheng's heart like a bolt of thunder.

He had always believed that his wins and losses concerned the honor and disgrace of the entire clan. That was why he'd been in such agony after losing, convinced he was a sinner.

But his grandfather was telling him that this was only his personal defeat, and had nothing to do with the clan...

"Grandpa..." Yu Tianheng looked at Yu Yuanzhen, his eyes full of confusion.

"Do you think that just because I'm a Titled Douluo, I've never lost?"

Yu Yuanzhen smiled, his tone softening. "When I was young, I once fought Tang Wei, the former sect master of the Clear Sky Sect. I'd already mastered Dragon Transformation, but I still lost. He even hammered off a good number of my dragon scales. People said back then that the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was nothing special, that though we were both called the best under heaven, we still couldn't compare to the Clear Sky Hammer. Guess what I did?"