The Nine Dragon Mountain Range, where the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was based.
Though it was called the clan's base, it looked more like a city built against the mountains.
At the foot of the mountain, bustling streets stretched for several miles. Restaurants and teahouses, weapon shops, medicine stores, and Soul Tool shops stood row upon row, while merchants and Soul Masters from all over the land streamed through them. Shouts of vendors and the haggling of customers rose and fell without pause.
Above the mountainside lay the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's core territory. Palaces and pavilions rose in layer upon layer, imposing and magnificent. The clan head's residence at the very summit looked like a coiled giant dragon, gazing down over the entire mountain range.
More than a million people lived here year-round, making it one of the most prosperous areas in the northern part of the Heaven Dou Empire.
On the second floor of a tavern in a small town at the foot of the mountain, a young man sat by the window, leisurely eating roast meat.
He looked about thirteen or fourteen, with short blue hair, handsome features, and a pair of deep, lively eyes.
The table was piled high with golden, glistening Soul Beast ribs. He gripped a bone in one hand and held a cup of wine in the other, eating with grease all over his mouth, utterly at ease.
Two strange little animals were sprawled beside the table.
One was golden all over and chubby, with a pig's snout and big ears. It was clutching a bone with a piece of meat bigger than its head and gnawing away enthusiastically.
The other was silver-white and equally chubby, with a pig's snout and big ears. It held a cup of fruit juice in its front paws and sipped it in tiny mouthfuls, its glassy eyes narrowed into crescent moons in blissful enjoyment.
They were Little Gold and Little Silver, who had shrunk down and returned to their original forms.
After five years of growth and evolution, the two Luo Sanpaos could now control their forms with ease.
In battle, they could transform into giant dragons over ten meters long. The rest of the time, they could shrink to the size of puppies and return to their old, adorably goofy forms. As Yu Tianlong put it, "It makes mooching meals easier."
But Yu Tianlong's mind wasn't on the roast meat just then. His ears twitched slightly, his attention fixed on the conversation between several Soul Masters at the next table.
"Have you heard? The Three Sects Grand Competition is about to begin! This time, it's being held at our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect!"
"Obviously. Who hasn't heard? It's the Upper Three Sects' grand event, held once every five years. The last one was hosted by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, so now it's our turn."
"I heard Ning Fengzhi will personally lead the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's delegation. That kid's only sixteen this year, right? They say he's already a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor! A Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul—the best support type there is, and well deserved!"
"The Clear Sky Sect's no slouch either! The Clear Sky Twin Stars, Tang Hao and Tang Xiao, are both at the peak of the Spirit King rank. Tang Hao especially—word is, he's already touched the threshold of the Spirit Emperor rank. And his Clear Sky Hammer is hailed as the finest Tool Spirit in the world!"
"Heh, all those geniuses you mentioned still can't compare to our Yu Family's True Dragon—Young Master Yu Xiaogang!"
"That's true! A fifty-fifth-rank Spirit King at thirteen—such speed is a rarity even in the history of the entire continent! And they say his Martial Soul, Luo Sanpao, has already evolved to an astonishing degree. Its combat power is incredible! The young master's sure to steal the show at this competition!"
"Of course! Our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect has produced a true dragon. The geniuses from the other two sects can get in line!"
The more the men talked, the more excited they became, as if Yu Xiaogang had already won the championship.
Listening to them, Yu Tianlong's lips curled into a meaningful smile.
"The Yu Family's True Dragon... Heh, quite a grand title." He took a bite of roast meat and chewed slowly, considering the matter in silence.
"A fifty-fifth-rank Spirit King. He's certainly improved at an astonishing pace. Looks like Yu Yuanzhen poured the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's entire fortune into him. But..."
A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "A genius built up with my bloodline thinks he deserves to be called a true dragon?"
He set down the bone in his hand, picked up a napkin, and wiped his fingers. His gaze turned to the towering main peak of the Nine Dragon Mountain Range beyond the window.
The Three Sects Grand Competition was held once every five years, with the Upper Three Sects taking turns as hosts.
This time, it was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's turn. The core disciples of the Clear Sky Sect and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would all gather here, and even Spirit Hall would send people to watch.
It was one of the grandest events in the entire Soul Master World of the Heaven Dou Empire.
His original plan had been to sneak into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, find a chance to cripple Yu Xiaogang, and then get out unscathed. But after hearing this news, he changed his mind.
"I'll sneak in and compete." Yu Tianlong tapped his fingers lightly on the table, a thoughtful glimmer in his eyes.
"On the competition stage, in front of the Clear Sky Sect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Spirit Hall, I'll defeat Yu Xiaogang fair and square and expose the true faces of Yu Yuanzhen and his son... That'll be much more interesting than sneaking around."
But that raised the question: what identity could he compete under?
According to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's official records, Yu Tianlong had been "dead" for five years—and branded a "traitor" at that.
If he entered under his real identity, Yu Yuanzhen would probably have him seized before he even set foot on the stage.
"I'll need another identity..." Yu Tianlong rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
It wouldn't be hard to disguise himself. He had Immortal Herbs from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well that could alter his aura, and his appearance had changed considerably over the past five years. With a little disguise, even people who knew him might not recognize him.
But the problem was that the Three Sects Grand Competition had a limited number of slots. Each sect had a fixed quota, and contestants needed a sect's recommendation. As an "outsider," he wasn't eligible to compete at all.
"Unless..." Yu Tianlong suddenly thought of a possibility. "I enter as an unaffiliated cultivator and earn a slot through the preliminaries."
Though the Three Sects Grand Competition was nominally an internal event for the Upper Three Sects, they opened a handful of slots to promising young Soul Masters from outside the three sects to demonstrate their magnanimity. The contestants for these slots were chosen through a round of preliminaries. There weren't many, but the slots did exist.
"But if I compete as an unaffiliated cultivator, I'll need a sponsor..." Yu Tianlong frowned, then relaxed again.
"As for a sponsor, Senior Dugu should do. He's a Titled Douluo, after all, and a respected figure in the Heaven Dou Empire. Acting as a sponsor would be well within his means."
Yu Tianlong thought it over, but still felt that entering as an unaffiliated cultivator would be too slow.
He'd take things one step at a time and see if a chance to sneak in presented itself.
"Little Gold, Little Silver, are you done eating? If so, we should get going." Yu Tianlong stood and called to them.
"Luo!" Little Gold hastily stuffed the last piece of meat into its mouth. Its cheeks bulged like a pair of buns as it struggled to swallow, then it leaped onto Yu Tianlong's shoulder.
"Luo~" Little Silver finished its last sip of fruit juice at an unhurried pace, licked its lips, then gracefully hopped onto his other shoulder.
Yu Tianlong paid the bill and left the tavern. He looked up at the towering main peak of the Nine Dragon Mountain Range, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Yu Xiaogang, enjoy the last of your glory while you can."
"When the competition begins, I'll give you a present you'll never forget."