Just as Yu Hong put away the map and prepared to sleep, a sudden tremor came from his dantian.
It was a signal from the Primordial White Stone.
Yu Hong hurriedly closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into his dantian.
He discovered that the second Primordial White Stone had absorbed enough energy and was beginning to glow softly.
It felt as if a life were awakening inside the stone.
A smile touched Yu Hong's lips.
It seemed the second Blue-Eyes White Dragon was about to be born.
With two Blue-Eyes White Dragons, he would be virtually invincible among opponents of the same level.
Yu Hong opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling, a satisfied smile on his face.
All in all, recent events had been developing in his favor.
Yu Hong felt like a leopard poised to pounce. He only needed to build up a little more strength before he could leap into the ranks of higher-level predators.
He closed his eyes and began cultivating.
Meanwhile, in Yu Xiaogang's room.
Yu Xiaogang sat alone on his bed, staring blankly ahead, his mind filled with Liu Erlong's radiant smile.
He had never felt anything like this before.
Until now, he had devoted all his attention to cultivation and play, and had taken no interest in girls.
But the moment he saw Liu Erlong, everything changed.
His heart began to race, his thoughts grew muddled, and he could barely focus on anything else.
Was this what it meant to like someone?
Yu Xiaogang shook his head hard, trying to fling those thoughts from his mind.
But the harder he tried, the more the image of that girl in red appeared before his eyes.
"I have to get to know her," Yu Xiaogang said through gritted teeth. "I have to spend time with her."
He decided that tomorrow he would seek out Liu Erlong and introduce himself.
He had no idea how to interact with a girl, but he was willing to try.
At least it was better than doing nothing.
A glint of determination flashed in Yu Xiaogang's eyes.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
Yu Xiaogang furrowed his brow. Who would come looking for him so late at night?
He got up and opened the door. A servant stood respectfully outside, holding a small jade bowl.
"Second Young Master Xiaogang, I'm sorry to disturb your rest." The servant bowed slightly and held out the jade bowl.
Yu Xiaogang looked down. The bowl contained a lump of semitransparent, golden-yellow jelly, its surface glistening faintly with oil.
The stuff was sticky and gave off a strong fishy stench. Just smelling it made his stomach churn.
"What is this?" Yu Xiaogang instinctively took half a step back, his face openly disgusted.
"Reporting to Second Young Master Xiaogang, this is thousand-year Whale Rubber," the servant explained. "Taking it is of great benefit to cultivation."
"Take it away! I'm not eating that." Yu Xiaogang waved his hands repeatedly, his brows knitted into a deep furrow.
Just looking at the sticky stuff made him feel sick.
The servant showed no sign of leaving. Instead, he held the jade bowl out even farther. "Second Young Master Xiaogang, this is the clan head's order. He specifically instructed that you must eat it."
"My father?" Yu Xiaogang froze for a moment, but still shook his head. "No, no. This stuff is too disgusting. I can't eat it."
The servant seemed to have expected him to refuse. Unhurriedly, he added, "The clan head also said that Yu Hong ate this thousand-year Whale Rubber, which was how he greatly improved his strength in such a short time and became so powerful."
Yu Xiaogang's expression went rigid.
Yu Hong?
He got stronger by eating this?
He thought of Yu Hong's Blue-Eyes White Dragon Martial Soul and felt intensely envious.
"Give it to me."
Before the servant could react, Yu Xiaogang snatched the jade bowl away.
He moved so quickly that the jelly inside wobbled twice and nearly spilled out.
"Second Young Master Xiaogang, you..." The servant was startled by his sudden change of heart.
"I said I'll eat it." Yu Xiaogang stared at the sticky lump in the bowl, his eyes filled with an almost obsessive determination. "I'll eat it. You can go."
The servant opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing. He bowed and withdrew.
The door closed.
Yu Xiaogang carried the jade bowl back to the bed and sat down. He looked at the golden lump of jelly and took a deep breath.
The stench shot up his nose, nearly making him gag.
"If Yu Hong can eat it, so can I." Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and spoke one word at a time. "If Yu Hong can do it, then I, Yu Xiaogang, can do it too."
He closed his eyes, as if giving himself one last pep talk.
Then he abruptly lifted the bowl and tipped the lump of jelly into his mouth.
At that instant, Yu Xiaogang felt as though he had swallowed a live octopus.
It was slick and viscous, and reeked of fish. It slid down his throat.
His instinct was to spit it out, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to swallow.
The moment the thousand-year Whale Rubber reached his stomach, a searing current of heat exploded inside him.
A violent surge of energy raced through his meridians and into every limb and bone. Every inch of muscle and every bone let out a groan under the unbearable strain.
"Gah—!"
Yu Xiaogang let out a pained growl and tumbled off the bed onto the floor. He clutched his chest with both hands, his nails nearly digging into his flesh. The veins on his forehead bulged, and cold sweat soaked through his clothes in an instant.
It hurt so much.
Yu Xiaogang's body began to tremble uncontrollably. His breathing grew more and more labored, and his consciousness started to blur.
Just then, Yu Xiaogang summoned Luo Sanpao.
Luo Sanpao stared at Yu Xiaogang in confusion, not understanding what was happening to him.
Yu Xiaogang lifted his head, his vision already blurred.
He could vaguely make out a purple figure in front of him. The familiar aura made him instinctively want to get closer.
Without giving it any thought, he lunged at Luo Sanpao.
Elsewhere, in the study.
"Clan head, Young Master Yu Xiaogang has taken it."
"Mm. I know."
Yu Yuanzhen waved his hand, dismissing his servant.
He had been investigating Yu Hong for a long time and discovered that Yu Hong had been buying something called Whale Rubber in large quantities.
At first, he had thought it was some rare treasure of heaven and earth. Later, he learned that the stuff was an aphrodisiac.
Yu Yuanzhen couldn't understand why Yu Hong was buying it, but figured Yu Hong must have discovered some use for it. So he had some purchased and sent to Yu Xiaogang.
If it proved useful, he would secretly buy up Whale Rubber. If it didn't, he would continue investigating the things Yu Hong ate and uncover the secret behind Yu Hong's strength.
If Yu Hong was simply talented, then the money lost would be nothing to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
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