Yu Xiaogang's Luo Sanpao Can Also Devour and Evolve!

At the same time, in a secluded corner of the family Library Pavilion, Yu Xiaogang was buried deep within a pile of yellowed ancient texts.

Spread out before him were several books: Basic Theory of Martial Spirits, Analysis of Beast Martial Spirit Advancement Paths, Compilation of Mutant Martial Spirit Case Studies, and some even older handwritten manuscripts recording various obscure martial spirits.

His eyes were bloodshot and his hair was a mess; clearly, he had been holed up here for several days.

"Devour... evolution..." he muttered to himself, his fingers tracing line after line of text. "Could it be... was I wrong all along?"

At his feet, that pale Golden Luo San Pao lay listlessly, occasionally letting out a low, dejected "Luo."

Yu Xiaogang gritted his teeth and pulled a small piece of dried meat from his pouch.

It was something he had snuck out from the family canteen—a piece of dried meat from a century-old Wind Wolf. It wasn't high-grade, but it was indeed spirit beast meat.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally held the meat out to Luo San Pao.

"Eat," he said, his voice raspy.

Luo San Pao looked up in confusion, glancing at him and then at the meat. It cautiously leaned forward, sniffed, opened its mouth, and took a bite.

Crunch.

The dried meat was chewed up and swallowed.

A faint, pale golden light flickered across Luo San Pao's body. Although it vanished in an instant, Yu Xiaogang saw it clearly!

His pupils contracted sharply!

"It... it really works..."

He slumped into his chair, his face a complex mask of shock, bewilderment, reluctance, and a frustration he didn't want to admit.

Just then, the library door was pushed open.

Yu Yuanzhen walked in. Seeing the ancient texts spread out before his son, the half-eaten piece of spirit beast meat in his hand, and the faint golden glow still lingering on Luo San Pao, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes, quickly replaced by a complex sense of relief.

"You... discovered it too?"

Yu Xiaogang jerked his head up, seeing his father's familiar yet distant face. His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Yu Yuanzhen walked over, looked down at him, and after a moment of silence, spoke slowly: "Devouring spirit beasts to strengthen oneself—this path might truly be the correct cultivation method for Luo San Pao."

He paused, his tone softening with a hint of imperceptible warmth: "Since you've discovered it, don't waste this talent."

Inside the Library Pavilion, the candlelight flickered, casting long, stretched shadows of the father and son against the mottled walls.

Yu Xiaogang kept his head down, his fingers gripping the half-piece of spirit beast meat so hard his knuckles turned white. His voice was muffled, filled with a self-deprecating despair:

"Yes, my Luo San Pao can indeed devour spirit beast meat... but so what? The effect is negligible. It took forever to eat just to gain a tiny sliver of strength. Compared to Yu Tianlong's golden one, it's like heaven and earth! That golden Luo San Pao of his devoured an entire thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear! The whole thing! Not even a bone fragment was left!"

He looked up, his eyes bloodshot and filled with resentment:

"He also has so many resources from the family... ten thousand Gold Soul Coins a month, unlimited high-grade spirit beast meat, free access to mimicry cultivation grounds, and he can browse the Library Pavilion at will! And me? One hundred Gold Soul Coins a month—I have to calculate every penny just to buy a few decent books! How can I compare to him? I will never be able to catch up to him in this lifetime!"

His voice grew louder, ending in a near-shout, a desperate release of pent-up emotion.

Yu Yuanzhen listened quietly, his face devoid of expression. Only when Yu Xiaogang finished his outburst and lowered his head, gasping for air, did he speak, his voice so flat it betrayed no emotion:

"No, you will surpass him."

Yu Xiaogang snapped his head up, his eyes full of astonishment: "What?"

"I said, you will surpass him," Yu Yuanzhen repeated. His tone remained flat, but a light flickered in his deep eyes—a light Yu Xiaogang had never seen before.

It was the resolve of someone who had calculated for a long time and finally decided to show their hand.

"Father... what do you mean by this?" Yu Xiaogang sensed something, his heart rate involuntarily quickening.

Yu Yuanzhen stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at his son. He remained silent for a moment, as if organizing his words or confirming his own resolve. Finally, he spoke, his voice low and clear:

"Why do you think I gave Yu Tianlong so many resources? Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins a month, unlimited high-grade spirit beast meat, free access to mimicry cultivation grounds—do you really think it's because he has talent, that I value him, and want to nurture him?"

Yu Xiaogang was stunned: "Isn't... isn't that why?"

"Of course not," Yu Yuanzhen's lips curled into a cold arc. "Giving him these things is nothing more than fattening a pig."

"Fattening a pig..." Yu Xiaogang repeated the words, his pupils dilating slightly.

"Since his Luo San Pao has the trait of devouring for evolution, then let him devour, let him evolve, and let him cultivate his Luo San Pao to be stronger and stronger."

Yu Yuanzhen's voice carried no emotion, as if he were stating a matter unrelated to himself.

"Once he has cultivated it to a certain level and fully developed the potential of the Gold-Silver Luo San Pao—at that point, your Luo San Pao will devour his. All his efforts will become your wedding dress."

Boom!

Yu Xiaogang felt as if a thunderbolt had exploded in his mind, leaving him dizzy and his ears ringing. He opened his mouth wide but couldn't make a sound, staring at his father with an expression of near-terror.

Devour... Yu Tianlong's Luo San Pao?

The reason his father gave Yu Tianlong so many resources wasn't because he valued him, but because... he was using him as fodder to feed himself?

"This... this..." Yu Xiaogang's voice trembled. "How can this be... he, he is my cousin after all..."

"Cousin?" Yu Yuanzhen chuckled, a smile devoid of any warmth.

"So what? His parents are dead. The family has raised him this far, provided his food and clothing, and given him cultivation resources—we have done our duty. Now, it is time for him to repay the family."

He stepped forward and placed a hand on Yu Xiaogang's shoulder. The pressure wasn't heavy, yet it made Yu Xiaogang feel as if a mountain were pressing down upon him.

"Xiaogang, you must remember: in this world, nothing is more important than strength. Family? Morality? Those are just self-comforts for the weak. As long as you possess absolute power, no one will care how you obtained it. People will only remember your might and bow at your feet."

"But..." Yu Xiaogang wanted to say more, but deep within his heart, a voice told him—his father was right.

He recalled the two majestic Gold-Silver Luo San Pao belonging to Yu Tianlong, and the scenes of them displaying their prowess in the Star Dou Forest.

He remembered how Dugu Bo couldn't stop singing Yu Tianlong's praises, and how everyone in the clan envied and fawned over him... while he, Yu Xiaogang, could only cower in a corner like a rat in a gutter, ignored by all.

If only he could possess that kind of power... if only those two Gold-Silver Luo San Pao were his...

An indescribable craving coiled around his heart like a venomous snake.

"B-but... what if he finds out?" Yu Xiaogang's voice still trembled, but it was no longer out of resistance; he was now considering the feasibility.

"Finds out?" Yu Yuanzhen scoffed.

"He is an orphan with no parents; what does he have to fight us with? Even if he finds out, so what? As long as your strength surpasses his, even if he knows, he will have no choice but to accept his fate. Besides—"