Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect furrowed his brows and clenched his fists, only to helplessly loosen them again.
He was a Support-type Spirit Master and simply couldn't face Yu Xiaogang head-on. As for the disciples of the other sects, not one of them dared to speak up.
Watching the crowd fall silent, Yu Xiaogang's smile grew wider and wider.
The feeling was wonderful. He was the star of the stage, the center of everyone's attention, an invincible king.
But just as he was about to revel in the cheers of victory, a calm voice shattered the silence.
"I'd like to see just how powerful the True Dragon of the Yu Family is."
The voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the venue. Everyone froze, then turned to look toward its source. A youth wearing a bronze mask was slowly walking out from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's ranks.
His steps were steady and resolute, as though each one had been precisely calculated. His gaze was as calm as still water, without the slightest trace of nervousness or fear.
It was Yu Tianlong.
The entire venue erupted.
"That rogue cultivator? Has he lost his mind?"
"He did perform pretty well earlier, but that's Yu Xiaogang! Even Tang Xiao lost to him. Isn't he walking to his death?"
"His courage is admirable, but the gap in strength is plain to see. I doubt he'll even withstand one move."
"Is there something wrong with that guy's head?"
Ning Fengzhi was stunned too. He quickly grabbed Yu Tianlong by the sleeve and urgently whispered:
"Brother Tianlong, have you gone mad? You saw Yu Xiaogang's strength yourself. Even Tang Xiao lost! If you go up now, won't you just humiliate yourself? I know you're strong, but Yu Xiaogang is far too powerful. You don't have to prove yourself right now!"
Yu Tianlong stopped and glanced back at Ning Fengzhi. A soft laugh came from beneath his mask. "Brother Ning, do you trust me?"
Ning Fengzhi froze. "I..."
"If you do, just watch." Yu Tianlong gently freed his sleeve from Ning Fengzhi's grip, turned around, and continued toward the arena.
Ning Fengzhi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.
Watching Yu Tianlong's straight-backed figure, a strange feeling welled up inside him. Could it be that he really would create a miracle?
On the arena, Yu Xiaogang watched the bronze-masked youth step up one pace at a time. He was briefly taken aback, then grinned, showing a row of white teeth.
"Interesting. You're the first person today to challenge me of your own accord. You've got guts."
"I wouldn't call it courage. I just want to see how powerful the legendary True Dragon of the Yu Family really is." Yu Tianlong stood still, facing Yu Xiaogang from a distance. His voice was so calm that he could have been discussing the weather.
"You'll see." Yu Xiaogang's lips curled into a cruel smile. "But fists and feet don't have eyes. If I happen to hurt you, don't blame me."
"Don't worry, I won't blame you," Yu Tianlong said coolly. "Because you can't hurt me."
The declaration set the venue roaring again.
"What a huge mouth he has!"
"Who does he think he is? Even Tang Xiao lost. What gives him the right to act so cocky?"
"I don't think he knows what the word 'death' means!"
Yu Xiaogang's smile turned cold too, and a flash of anger crossed his eyes. "I hope your skills are as sharp as your tongue."
"Yu Xiaogang, it's been a few years, and you've really grown, haven't you... So this is how arrogant you've become?"
Yu Tianlong suddenly spoke.
Yu Xiaogang froze.
"What do you mean? Who are you?"
He was starting to panic. This young man in front of him knew him, yet he had no recollection of the other at all. And there was something about him that Yu Xiaogang found deeply irritating.
Yu Tianlong didn't answer. He simply lowered his hand, then, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, raised his left hand and gently removed the bronze mask from his face.
Beneath the mask was a young, handsome face. Short blue hair, deep-set eyes, and a faint, icy smile at the corners of his lips.
The instant Yu Xiaogang recognized that face, his pupils contracted sharply, and his body stiffened as if struck by lightning.
His lips moved, but no sound came out. Only after a long moment did he force a few words from his throat, his voice hoarse and trembling. "Yu... Tian...long..."
"Long time no see, cousin." Yu Tianlong smiled slightly. His smile held five parts iciness, three parts mockery, and two parts killing intent. "It's been five years. How have you been?"
The moment Yu Tianlong removed his mask, Yu Xiaogang's face turned as pale as paper.
His pupils contracted violently, and his body trembled uncontrollably, as though he were looking at the most unbelievable sight in the world.
Impossible... Absolutely impossible... That person was already dead... Dead in the Star Dou Forest Core Area... Without a trace of his remains... How could he still be alive... How could he be standing here...
"You... are you human or ghost?" Yu Xiaogang's voice was hoarse, and he could barely hide his fear.
Yu Tianlong smiled faintly. In the sunlight, the smile seemed especially blinding. "It's been five years, and you can't even recognize my voice, cousin? Or do you have a guilty conscience and not dare acknowledge me?"
Their conversation spread through the venue via Soul Power, and every word rang out clearly. Everyone in the stands froze, then burst into even louder discussion.
"Cousin? This Yu Tianlong just called Yu Xiaogang his cousin?"
"Could he really be from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? How come I've never heard of him?"
"Yu Tianlong... That name... I think I've heard it somewhere..."
"I remember now! About six or seven years ago, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan really did have a prodigy named Yu Tianlong! He had innate full Soul Power and Twin Martial Souls, and was hailed as the True Dragon of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!"
"That's right, I heard about him too! But then, for some reason, he suddenly vanished without a trace. After that, Yu Xiaogang appeared out of nowhere..."
"What's going on here? Didn't they say Yu Tianlong was a traitor who'd been expelled from the clan?"
"Looks like things weren't that simple..."
On the high platform, Yu Yuanzhen's expression turned terrible as well.
He stared at the blue-haired youth on the arena, gripping the armrest so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Impossible... Absolutely impossible... He'd watched Yu Tianlong flee into the Star Dou Forest Core Area with his own eyes. Even he hadn't dared venture deep into that place. How could a child who'd been completely spent have survived?
But that face, those eyes, that bearing... It was exactly the same Yu Tianlong he remembered from five years ago, only more mature and more powerful. He'd returned. He really had returned.
Yu Yuanzhen took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He couldn't panic. Absolutely not. So what if Yu Tianlong had come back alive?
He was only thirteen. No matter how talented he was, how much could he have grown in five years?
Xiaogang, on the other hand, was already a fifty-first-level Spirit King, and had the Clan Inherited Spirit Bone to bolster him. There was no way he would lose.
On the arena, Yu Xiaogang gradually recovered from his initial shock.
He gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay calm, then coldly looked at Yu Tianlong. "I don't know what you're talking about. I did have a cousin named Yu Tianlong, but he died five years ago. You just happen to look like him. There's no way you could be him."
"Oh? Is that so?" Yu Tianlong chuckled. He didn't rush to expose him, merely speaking in an unhurried tone.
"Then let me ask you something—where did your Golden Luo Sanpao come from? You should know perfectly well what it was like before, shouldn't you?"
Yu Xiaogang's expression changed again.
"Your Luo Sanpao was originally an ordinary, pale-gold Luo Sanpao, as timid as a mouse, too afraid to face even a Hundred-Year Soul Beast. But after it swallowed a trace of blood from my Golden Luo Sanpao..."
"It changed. It grew stronger and fiercer until, in the end, it evolved into the Golden Sacred Dragon you see now."
Yu Tianlong's voice wasn't loud, but every word rang clear, hammering into Yu Xiaogang's heart. "Am I right, cousin?"