The discussions reached Yu Xiaogang's ears, making him tremble with rage.
"Yu Hong! Yu Hong! It's Yu Hong again!"
Yu Xiaogang hid in his room, smashing things in a frenzy.
"Why? Why is he better than me at everything?!"
He couldn't accept it.
He was the clan leader's son. He was the one who should have been the family's heir.
Why was everyone praising Yu Hong and mocking him?
"I'm not willing to accept this! I'm not willing to accept this!"
Yu Xiaogang's eyes brimmed with spite and jealousy.
He swore that one day, he would make Yu Hong pay.
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.
"Vice Clan Leader, may I ask what you need?" Yu Hong asked Yu Luomian respectfully.
As Yu Hong spoke, he noticed a young girl standing beside Yu Luomian.
She looked about eleven, with a slender figure and fair skin. Her long black hair was tied back in a ponytail, giving her a neat, brisk appearance.
Her features were delicate, and there was a hint of heroism between her brows. The corners of her mouth tilted up slightly, making her seem like a cheerful girl.
Yu Hong merely glanced at her, then looked away without giving her much thought.
"Come, sit." Yu Luomian greeted him with a beaming smile, pointing to the chair beside him.
Yu Hong walked over and sat down, looking at Yu Luomian as he waited for him to speak.
"Yu Hong, let me introduce you." Yu Luomian pointed at the girl beside him and said with a smile, "This is my daughter, Liu Erlong."
The girl nodded at Yu Hong and said in a clear, lively voice, "Hello, my name is Liu Erlong."
"Hello," Yu Hong replied politely.
Yu Luomian turned to Liu Erlong and said, "Erlong, this is Yu Hong, the one I told you about. He's the most talented young person in our family. One day, he'll surely become a Titled Douluo."
Liu Erlong looked Yu Hong up and down, curiosity flashing in her eyes.
Before she came, her father had told her all about Yu Hong: how he had awakened his Martial Soul at six, absorbed a two-thousand-year Soul Ring at twelve, and possessed a white dragon Martial Soul that even the clan leader feared...
To be honest, she hadn't really believed it at first.
Absorbing a two-thousand-year Soul Ring at twelve? That was just too outrageous.
But now that she was seeing Yu Hong with her own eyes, she realized there really was something different about him.
He had a steady bearing and clear, keen eyes, and an aura of restrained power seemed to radiate from him.
He was completely unlike the other peers she had met.
"You two are close in age, so you can spend more time together in the future," Yu Luomian said with a smile. "Erlong just arrived and isn't familiar with the family yet. Yu Hong, if you have time, you can show her around."
Yu Hong nodded. "Of course, Vice Clan Leader."
He understood what Yu Luomian meant, but didn't let it show.
He only had eyes for Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Unless Liu Erlong could become a Light-Attribute dragon with 3000 ATK and 2500 DEF, he might consider it.
Seeing his response, Yu Luomian nodded with satisfaction, then stood up and said, "You two chat for a while. I have a few things to take care of."
With that, he left the courtyard, giving Yu Hong and Liu Erlong some privacy.
The courtyard fell quiet for a moment.
Yu Hong picked up his teacup, took a small sip, then looked at Liu Erlong and asked politely, "Miss Liu, the journey here must have been tiring, right?"
"It was all right." Liu Erlong shook her head. "The carriage ride was a little boring, but it wasn't that tiring."
She paused, then asked outright, "Yu Hong, I heard from my father that your Martial Soul is a white dragon?"
"Mm." Yu Hong nodded.
"Really?" Liu Erlong's eyes lit up. "I've never seen a dragon-type Martial Soul before! Can I see it?"
Looking at her eager expression, Yu Hong smiled and said, "Sure, but it's a little cramped here—not very convenient."
"Then let's go outside!" Liu Erlong immediately stood up, looking as if she could hardly wait.
Yu Hong shook his head helplessly and stood up too.
"Let's go."
The two left Yu Luomian's courtyard and headed toward the family's Martial Arts Arena.
On the way, Liu Erlong chattered nonstop.
"Yu Hong, did you really absorb a two-thousand-year Soul Ring?"
"Mm."
"What level are you now?"
"Level twenty-two."
"Wow, that's amazing! I'm only level twenty-one." Liu Erlong sounded a little envious. "My Martial Soul is a Fire Dragon. It's dragon-type too, but it must pale in comparison to your white dragon."
Yu Hong glanced at her and said, "The Fire Dragon is quite good too. It has great potential."
"Really?" Liu Erlong smiled happily. "You're the first person to say that! Everyone else says my Martial Soul is too ordinary."
Yu Hong shook his head. "There's no such thing as an ordinary or extraordinary Martial Soul, only one that's strong or weak. As long as you work hard at cultivating, any Martial Soul can grow stronger."
A glimmer flashed through Liu Erlong's eyes as she listened.
She realized Yu Hong wasn't the kind of genius she had imagined.
She had thought geniuses were all haughty and conceited, but Yu Hong was easygoing and made a lot of sense.
"Yu Hong, you're a really nice person," Liu Erlong said sincerely.
Yu Hong smiled but said nothing.
Soon, the two arrived at the Martial Arts Arena.
There weren't many people there at this hour, so it was just the right place for them.
"Let's do it here," Yu Hong said.
Liu Erlong nodded, then stepped back a few paces to give Yu Hong plenty of room.
"Yu Hong, hurry and show me your Martial Soul!" Liu Erlong urged.
Yu Hong gave a slight nod, recited the summoning line for Blue-Eyes White Dragon in a chūnibyō manner, then released his Blue-Eyes White Dragon Martial Soul.
This time, Blue-Eyes White Dragon didn't appear in the earth-shattering way it had the first time. It simply materialized beside Yu Hong.
Liu Erlong instinctively stepped back a few paces. She stared at the sight beside Yu Hong, stunned; she felt she would never forget it.
A gigantic dragon, pure white from head to tail, radiated a holy light.
Its body was long and graceful, every scale like the finest white jade, gleaming brilliantly in the light.
Its wings spread wide, blotting out the sky as if they could cover the entire Martial Arts Arena.
"Th-this is your Martial Soul?" Liu Erlong's voice trembled.
Ever since she was little, she had been proud of her Fire Dragon Martial Soul and believed dragon-type Martial Souls were the strongest.
But now, seeing Yu Hong's Blue-Eyes White Dragon, she finally understood what a true dragon was.
Compared to Blue-Eyes White Dragon, her Fire Dragon was practically a little earthworm.
"It's so... so beautiful..." Liu Erlong murmured, her eyes filled with shock and admiration.
Seeing Liu Erlong's reaction, Yu Hong's lips curled up slightly.
He waved his hand, and Blue-Eyes White Dragon turned into a streak of white light and sank into him.
The dark clouds dispersed, and sunlight fell once more.
Only then did Liu Erlong come back to her senses. The way she looked at Yu Hong had completely changed.
"Yu Hong, your Martial Soul is incredible!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I've never seen such a powerful Martial Soul!"
"It's nothing much," Yu Hong said modestly.
"What do you mean, 'nothing much'? It's obviously amazing!" Liu Erlong said with dissatisfaction. "Can't you be a little more proud of yourself?"
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