If Liu Erlong could marry Yu Hong, she would have nothing to worry about for the rest of her life, and he himself would stand a better chance of becoming clan leader.
"Erlong, oh, Erlong. Your father's found you a fine husband." Yu Luomian smiled and shook his head. "I hope you won't let me down."
He rose and headed toward his study.
He was going to write Liu Erlong a letter, telling her to prepare properly and try to make a good impression on Yu Hong.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
In Yu Yuanzhen's study.
A man dressed in the uniform of a Soul Hunting squad stood respectfully before Yu Yuanzhen.
He was Yu Tieshan's squad member, Yu Cheng.
He was a spy Yu Yuanzhen had planted in Yu Tieshan's squad, specifically tasked with keeping an eye on Yu Hong's every move.
"What did you say?" Yu Yuanzhen asked, somewhat surprised. "Yu Hong absorbed a two-thousand-year Soul Ring?"
"Yes, Clan Leader." Yu Cheng lowered his head and gave a detailed account of what had happened. "That Holy Light Sub-Dragon mutated, turning into a Three-Headed Mutant Holy Light Sub-Dragon, and its age increased to two thousand years. Yu Hong insisted on absorbing it. We couldn't talk him out of it, so we could only help him take down the Soul Beast."
"And then?"
"Then... Yu Hong successfully absorbed it." Yu Cheng's voice was a little hoarse. "The whole process was dangerous, but in the end, he pulled through."
Yu Yuanzhen fell silent.
His expression shifted between light and dark, and a complicated glint flickered in his eyes.
A two-thousand-year Soul Ring, absorbed by a Soul Master at level twenty.
In all his years, he had never heard of such a thing.
Even the geniuses of Spirit Hall couldn't manage it.
Yu Hong... what kind of monster was he?
"What level is he now?" Yu Yuanzhen asked gravely.
"Level twenty-two," Yu Cheng replied.
"Level twenty-two..." Yu Yuanzhen murmured.
Twelve years old, level twenty-two, one yellow and one purple.
Across the entire Douluo Continent, there probably wasn't a second person with a configuration like that.
More frightening still, Yu Hong's Martial Soul was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
The pressure of that white dragon could even suppress his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
If Yu Hong kept growing, then one day...
Yu Yuanzhen didn't dare think any further.
"You may leave for now." Yu Yuanzhen waved a hand. "Keep watching Yu Hong. Report anything that happens to me at once."
"Yes, Clan Leader."
Yu Cheng withdrew.
Only Yu Yuanzhen remained in the study.
He sat in his chair, brows tightly furrowed, lost in thought.
Yu Hong was growing too quickly—so quickly that it frightened him.
If things continued like this, it wouldn't be long before Yu Hong became one of the strongest members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
He might even surpass Yu Yuanzhen himself.
Yu Yuanzhen stood and went to the window, gazing at the sky outside.
He no longer thought Yu Hong was simply blessed with extraordinary talent. There had to be some way he was improving himself.
The main thing was that nothing like Yu Hong had ever appeared in the history of the entire Douluo Continent. Everyone agreed that the Second Soul Ring should be a hundred-year one.
Yet Yu Hong had broken that rule outright and absorbed a thousand-year Soul Ring.
Fortunately, Yu Hong hadn't absorbed a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring. If he had, that would mean he possessed some kind of treasure.
A hundred-year or thousand-year Soul Ring could be absorbed as long as one's body was strong enough, but a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring was different.
A Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring required powerful mental strength and a powerful physique. So far, no one with both a strong physique and strong mental strength had appeared anywhere on the Douluo Continent.
If such a person existed, they would definitely possess some kind of treasure.
"Someone," Yu Yuanzhen suddenly called.
The study door silently swung open, and a black-clad figure entered.
The person was completely shrouded in a dark cloak, their face hidden from view. Only a pair of sharp eyes showed beneath the hood.
He was one of Yu Yuanzhen's shadow guards, codenamed Yu Ying. His task was to handle matters for the clan leader that couldn't be dealt with openly.
"What are your orders, Clan Leader?"
"Investigate," Yu Yuanzhen said, his voice low and cold. "I want every bit of information on Yu Hong from his childhood to the present. Every day, every single thing—whatever you can find, find it all."
Yu Ying bowed slightly. "How broad should the investigation be?"
"Everything." Yu Yuanzhen's gaze was sharp as a blade. "When did his Martial Soul awaken? Was anything unusual about the awakening? What meditation technique does he cultivate, and who taught it to him? What does he eat every day? Who has he met, and where has he gone? His parents, friends, enemies—every person and event connected to him. I want to know it all."
"Understood." Yu Ying's figure flashed and vanished from the study.
Yu Yuanzhen sat back down and continued taking care of his own affairs.
Yu Hong belonged to Yu Luomian's side, but Yu Yuanzhen didn't care. He was a Titled Douluo, while Yu Hong was only a level-twenty-two Soul Grandmaster.
The Douluo Continent was full of geniuses, but few of them ultimately became Titled Douluos.
He wouldn't pay Yu Hong any mind until he became a Titled Douluo.
Yu Hong's residence.
Yu Hong sat cross-legged on the bed, inspecting the Primordial White Stone in his dantian.
After absorbing the energy from the two-thousand-year Soul Ring, the Primordial White Stone had changed noticeably.
The white stone, once dim, now gave off a faint glow. It seemed as if something inside was taking shape.
Yu Hong carefully sensed it and discovered that the energy within the Primordial White Stone had accumulated to a certain point.
"At this rate, after absorbing another thousand-year Soul Ring, the second Blue-Eyes White Dragon should hatch," Yu Hong estimated to himself.
He opened his eyes, a smile touching the corners of his mouth.
Everything was moving in a good direction.
From here, all he had to do was keep cultivating, grow stronger, and wait for the second Blue-Eyes White Dragon to be born.
For a while, Yu Hong returned to his regular cultivation routine.
He trained his body during the day and cultivated Soul Power at night.
His life was orderly and fulfilling, and he grew stronger with every passing day.
Meanwhile, news that he had absorbed a two-thousand-year Soul Ring spread throughout the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
"Have you heard? Yu Hong absorbed a two-thousand-year Soul Ring!"
"Seriously? A two-thousand-year Soul Ring? He was only level twenty. How could he possibly withstand it?"
"It's absolutely true! Captain Yu Tieshan said so himself. Every one of them saw it with their own eyes!"
"Good heavens, that's outrageous! What kind of monster is Yu Hong?"
"Who knows? But one thing's for sure: Yu Hong will become the strongest person in our clan one day!"
All kinds of discussion rang out without end.
Yu Hong's name had once again become the focus of the entire clan.
And Yu Xiaogang once again became the point of comparison.
"Come to think of it, Yu Xiaogang wanted to absorb a high-year Soul Ring back then, too. He failed and ended up seriously injured."
"Yeah. Compared with Yu Hong, Yu Xiaogang is a complete joke."
"Haha, one's a genius and the other's a good-for-nothing. The gap's enormous."
Before you continue