Heading to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan

The Nine Dragon Mountain Range was the location of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's base.

While called a clan base, it was more akin to a city built against the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain lay a bustling, miles-long commercial district where restaurants, teahouses, weapon shops, herb stores, and Soul Tool shops stood side by side. Merchants and soul masters from all corners of the land wove through the crowds, their cries of peddling and haggling rising in a constant chorus.

Above the mountainside lay the core area of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, where pavilions and palaces were stacked layer upon layer, exuding a magnificent aura. The clan leader's residence at the very peak looked like a coiled giant dragon, overlooking the entire mountain range.

With a permanent population exceeding one million, it was one of the most prosperous regions in the northern Heaven Dou Empire.

On the second floor of a tavern in the town at the foot of the mountain, a youth sat by the window, leisurely eating roasted meat.

He appeared to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, with short blue hair, a handsome face, and a pair of deep, spirited eyes.

A large platter of golden, glistening roasted soul beast ribs sat on the table. He gripped a bone in one hand and a wine cup in the other, his mouth smeared with grease, looking thoroughly content.

Two strange little animals were sprawled beside the table.

One was entirely golden, chubby, and possessed a pig-like nose and large ears; it was gnawing vigorously on a meat bone larger than its own head.

The other was entirely silver-white, equally chubby with a pig nose and large ears; it held a cup of fruit juice in its front paws, sipping it in small mouthfuls, its glass-like eyes squinted into crescents in a display of pure enjoyment.

These were none other than Little Gold and Little Silver, having shrunk their bodies back to their original forms.

After five years of growth and evolution, the two Luo Sanpao could now freely control their physical forms.

In battle, they could transform into giant dragons over ten meters long, while in daily life, they could shrink to the size of puppies, reverting to that adorable, naive appearance from years ago. In Yu Tianlong's words, "It's more convenient for mooching meals this way."

However, Yu Tianlong's mind was not on the roasted meat at this moment. His ears twitched slightly, his attention entirely focused on the conversation of the soul masters at the neighboring table.

"Have you heard? The Three Sects Grand Competition is about to start! And this time, it's being held right here at our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect!"

"No kidding, who doesn't know that? It's a grand event for the Upper Three Sects held every five years. The last one was hosted by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and this time it's our turn as the hosts."

"I heard that for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi will lead the team himself. That kid is only sixteen this year, right? They say he's already a four-ring Soul Ancestor! With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul, he's the number one support-type—the reputation is well-deserved!"

"The Clear Sky Sect isn't doing too badly either! The Clear Sky Twin Stars, Tang Hao and Tang Xiao, are both at the peak of the Soul King realm. Especially that Tang Hao—I heard he's already touched the threshold of the Soul Emperor realm, and his Clear Sky Hammer is known as the number one tool martial soul in the world!"

"Heh, all these geniuses you're talking about don't compare to our clan's True Dragon—Young Master Yu Xiaogang!"

"That's true! A fifty-five-level Soul King at thirteen—this speed is a rare existence in the history of the entire continent! Plus, his martial soul, Luo Sanpao, is said to have evolved to a shocking degree with terrifying combat power! In this competition, the Young Master will surely shine!"

"Exactly! Our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect has produced a True Dragon; the geniuses of the other two sects will have to step aside!"

The more they spoke, the more excited they became, as if Yu Xiaogang had already won the championship.

Yu Tianlong listened, a meaningful smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"The Yu family's True Dragon... Heh, that title is certainly loud." He took a bite of the roasted meat, chewing it slowly while calculating in his heart, "A fifty-five-level Soul King—the progress is indeed rapid. It seems Yu Yuanzhen has poured the entire foundation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect into him. However..."

A hint of coldness flashed in his eyes: "A genius piled up with my bloodline—is he even worthy of being called a True Dragon?"

He set down the bone in his hand, picked up a napkin to wipe his hands, and gazed out the window toward the towering main peak of the Nine Dragon Mountain Range.

The Three Sects Grand Competition occurred every five years, with the Upper Three Sects taking turns to host.

This time, it just happened to be the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's turn to host. By then, the core disciples of the Clear Sky Sect and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would all gather here, and even Martial Soul Hall would send people to observe.

It could be said that this was one of the top-tier grand events in the soul master world of the entire Heaven Dou Empire.

His original plan had been to sneak into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, find an opportunity to cripple Yu Xiaogang, and then retreat unscathed. But after hearing this news, he changed his mind.

"Sneak in and participate in the competition." Yu Tianlong tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his eyes flashing with thoughtful light, "On the competition stage, in front of the Clear Sky Sect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Martial Soul Hall, to defeat Yu Xiaogang fair and square and expose the true faces of Yu Yuanzhen and his son... that is much more interesting than acting in the shadows."

However, the problem arose—under what identity would he participate?

In the official records of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, he, Yu Tianlong, had been a "dead" man for five years, and one branded as a "traitor" at that.

If he registered for the competition using his real identity, he would likely be captured by Yu Yuanzhen's men before he even stepped onto the stage.

"I need to change my identity..." Yu Tianlong rubbed his chin, falling into deep thought.

Disguising his identity to sneak in wasn't difficult; he had the immortal herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well to alter his aura, and after five years of growth, his appearance had changed significantly. With a bit of camouflage, even acquaintances might not recognize him.

But the problem was that the entry quotas for the Three Sects Grand Competition were limited. Each sect had a fixed number of spots, and a sect recommendation was required. As an "outsider," he had no qualification to participate.

"Unless..." Yu Tianlong suddenly thought of a possibility, "I participate as a rogue cultivator and earn a spot through the qualifying tournament."

Although the Three Sects Grand Competition was nominally an internal event for the Upper Three Sects, to demonstrate their magnanimity, each competition opened a small number of spots to outstanding young soul masters outside the three sects, determined through a round of qualifying matches. While these spots were few, they did exist.

"However, to participate as a rogue cultivator, I need a guarantor..." Yu Tianlong frowned, then relaxed, "As for a guarantor, Senior Dugu should be able to do it. He is a Title Douluo, after all, and a person of status in the Heaven Dou Empire; being a guarantor is more than enough for him."

Yu Tianlong thought about many things, but he still felt that if he used the rogue cultivator method, the pace would be too slow.

He would take it one step at a time and see if there were any opportunities to sneak in.

"Little Gold, Little Silver, are you done eating? If you are, it's time to go." Yu Tianlong stood up and called out.

"Luo!" Little Gold quickly stuffed the last piece of meat into its mouth, its cheeks bulging like two buns, swallowed with effort, and then jumped onto Yu Tianlong's shoulder.

"Luo~" Little Silver drank the last of the fruit juice at a leisurely pace, licked its mouth, and then elegantly jumped onto his other shoulder.

Yu Tianlong paid the bill, walked out of the tavern, and looked up at the towering main peak of the Nine Dragon Mountain Range, a cold, sharp light flashing in his eyes.

"Yu Xiaogang, enjoy your final moments of glory."

"When the competition begins, I will send you a grand gift."