Yu Tianheng shook his head.
"I wasn't thinking about whether losing was embarrassing. I was only thinking about how to counter Tang Wei's Clear Sky Nine Arts and Chaotic Cloak next time. Later, when we fought a second time, I beat him. We kept trading wins and losses, enemies and friends alike. It was only later, when both sides began prioritizing the sects' stability, that we fought less often."
Yu Yuanzhen looked straight at him, his eyes full of expectation. "Tian Heng, a sect's reputation isn't built by 'never losing.' It's built by every generation of successors standing back up and carrying it forward. Lose, accept it. Accept it, then improve. Improve, then win it back!"
"You've trapped yourself in the thought that losing is 'embarrassing,' and now you're afraid to train, afraid to fight. That's what's truly shameful—shameful to the calluses on your palms, shameful to all the blood and sweat you've shed!"
"We're dragons! Our scales can fall off, but our bones must never break!"
Yu Tianheng sat quietly on the steps. It felt as if something inside him had shattered, while something new was slowly growing in its place.
So Grandpa had never demanded that he win. He had only tied winning too tightly to the sect's honor himself, until that rope had squeezed the breath from his lungs.
Dragon scales were his pride, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's cherished glory in his heart.
Magnificent scales were certainly important to a dragon. But if they stopped growing and changing, they would only become shackles, hindering the dragon's growth.
The dragon's bones were its foundation. As long as they remained unbroken, it could soar through the nine heavens again and again.
Yu Tianheng's voice was no longer hoarse. Instead, it held a new firmness. "Grandpa, I was wrong. I shouldn't have hidden away just because I lost. I should've thought about how to fight better and how to win it back!"
Seeing the light rekindled in his eyes, Yu Yuanzhen nodded in satisfaction. "Good. I'm glad you understand. You only have a month off, so I can't give you much time."
Yu Tianheng immediately rose to his feet and said solemnly, "Grandpa, please train me. No matter how grueling the training is, I can take it!"
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's council hall.
A man sat in the seat of honor. His face was as fair as jade, his nose straight and his mouth well-shaped. With his refined, gentle features and immaculate white robes, he looked to be in his thirties. His gaze was mild, and by all appearances, he seemed like an ordinary man.
He was Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
At that moment, he was looking at a young man in white martial attire kneeling before him.
"Reporting to the sect master, that's more or less what happened. Yu Tianheng was no match for Xing Tian at all," the young man said respectfully.
Ning Fengzhi nodded, curiosity in his eyes. "You may leave."
"Yes, Sect Master." The young man backed away quickly.
Ning Fengzhi turned to the two elders seated on either side of him. With a smile, he asked gently, "Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, what do you think?"
Seated to Ning Fengzhi's right was Sword Douluo Chen Xin. He wore spotless white robes, and his silver hair was neatly combed back. His face was as smooth as a baby's, yet simply sitting there, he gave off the feeling that all creation bowed before him.
To Ning Fengzhi's left sat Bone Douluo Gu Rong. His face was gaunt, his skin and muscles shriveled, and his eyes were deeply sunken. His frame was enormous, his clothes held up entirely by his bones.
Chen Xin's voice rang out with the force of a drawn blade. "To defeat Yu Tianheng so easily despite the difference in rank, he's certainly a peerless talent. But what's his character like? Is he worthy of that final, arrogant remark?"
"Though Yu Tianheng is called one of the Blue Lightning Twin Stars, everyone among the Seven Great Sects knows that title is an exaggeration. That old dragon merely hopes the younger generation of his sect will produce a pair of Super Douluo, like the Clear Sky Twin Stars of old. But that's nothing more than wishful thinking."
Gu Rong's voice was hoarse as wind through fallen leaves. "Still, there's no denying that Yu Tianheng has the talent to become a Titled Douluo. For Xing Tian to defeat him so easily proves his talent is terrifying. He may even rival Tang Hao at that age."
Gu Rong's assessment of Xing Tian was extraordinarily high, after all, Tang Hao's record was astonishing.
At twenty, he obtained an inheritance Soul Bone from the Clear Sky Sect. At twenty-five, he advanced to Soul Emperor. At twenty-eight, he acquired Divine Slaughter's Domain. At thirty, he advanced to Soul Saint. At thirty-five, he advanced to Soul Douluo. At thirty-eight, he broke the leg of a Titled Douluo elder from Spirit Hall. And at forty-four, he became the youngest Titled Douluo in history.
His first battle as a Titled Douluo ended with him hammering a Titled Douluo elder of Spirit Hall to death and crippling another. He had even left the Pope mortally wounded.
Many years had passed since then, and Tang Hao's strength was sure to have risen even further. Gu Rong could even say with certainty that neither he nor Chen Xin was a match for Tang Hao.
Anyone else receiving such praise from Gu Rong would have accepted it with delight and then humbly offered their thanks. Unfortunately, Xing Tian wouldn't. If he knew Gu Rong had spoken so highly of him, he'd only think Gu Rong was insulting him.
Gu Rong continued in a sinister tone, "It's a pity he isn't one of ours. Sect Master, from the description, he sounds like he's from the Nine-Heart Begonia Family. Why don't you let me..."
"No!" Ning Fengzhi decisively rejected Gu Rong's suggestion. "Uncle Gu, don't say such things again."
"Xing Tian isn't with Spirit Hall, nor is he one of the Seven Great Sects. We have little rivalry with him. The Nine-Heart Begonia Family has connections all over the world. Though its numbers are small, no one dares touch it. If this came to light, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would become the enemy of every Soul Master. Those with ulterior motives would surely seize the chance to attack us. It wouldn't be worth the cost!"
"Besides, Xing Tian has already enrolled at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. I've already taken Qinghe as my disciple and publicly pledged support to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. If we act against Xing Tian, we'll be openly opposing the royal family and throwing away all our efforts!"
Chen Xin chimed in. "Fengzhi is right. Xing Tian is now a student at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, so in a way, he's connected to our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect too. He's a friend, not an enemy. And yet you old bones are already thinking about how to kill him and ruin relations between our sects. Honestly, what is your brain made of? Is it just there for decoration?"
Gu Rong slammed a massive hand down and shouted angrily, "What's that supposed to mean, you old sword? Are you trying to mock me? Do you want to fight?"
Chen Xin didn't change expression. "Good timing. I've been feeling stiff lately. Let's get some exercise. Come on, I'll loosen those bones of yours."
"Like I'd be afraid of you!"
The two guardian Douluo rose at the same time, their gazes flashing like lightning as they clashed.
A plain, ancient greatsword appeared behind Chen Xin, nearly two meters long with a blade half a foot wide. Its sharp sword aura seemed capable of splitting mountains and cutting through seas.
A low dragon's roar burst from Gu Rong's body, and a ghastly black haze welled up around him. One bone spike after another emerged from within it.
Ning Fengzhi covered his face with a helpless expression. The two had met during a Soul Fighting match when they were Soul Saints, and from then on, they had become inseparable—both rivals and friends.
Even after joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, they hadn't shaken their habit of fighting each other. Every time, the reason was especially absurd, and sometimes they started fighting over the slightest disagreement.
Ning Fengzhi usually played peacemaker, talking them both down. This time, he decided to make a big move.
"Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, I've decided to send Rongrong to study at Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
"What!" x2
Chen Xin and Gu Rong instantly lost all their fighting spirit.
Before you continue