Yu Tianlin's Terrifying Strength After Leaving Seclusion

Far away in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Tianlin had no idea that he had already come under Spirit Hall's notice. After returning to the clan and bidding farewell to Yu Tianxin and the others, he entered deep cultivation.

More than a year was neither particularly long nor particularly short.

In the back mountain of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's grounds, the cultivation chamber beside the Thunder Pool had remained sealed for an entire year. Aside from Qing Luo, who delivered meals every day, and Yu Yuanzhen, who occasionally stopped outside the door to sense the fluctuations of Soul Power within, no one approached that stone door.

His experience of being intercepted and hunted by Pufferfish Douluo outside Suotuo City that night had made Yu Tianlin understand one thing: thirty-ninth-level Soul Power was nothing before a Title Douluo. He had survived this time only because Dugu Bo arrived in time. But what about next time? What if more than one Title Douluo came next time? He could not rely on others to save him forever. Strength—only his own strength was truly dependable.

The stone door slowly opened, and Yu Tianlin walked out of the cultivation chamber. The noon sun made him squint slightly. He had grown more than half a head taller than he had been a year ago, his shoulders had broadened, and much of the youthful air had faded from his face, replaced by a steadier, more restrained temperament.

His eyes held the calm of someone who had weathered worldly trials, deeper than before. Standing at the chamber entrance, he took a deep breath and walked outside.

The Martial Arts Arena echoed with the roar of colliding soul skills.

Following the sound, Yu Tianlin soon saw Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng sparring in the center of the Martial Arts Arena. Two Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon figures twisted and circled through the air, lightning scattering in every direction as dragon roars rose and fell.

A circle of people stood around the edge of the Martial Arts Arena. Lei Dong leaned against the weapon rack, Lei Jiu sat on the Thunder Drum as if it were a stool, and Lei Li stood at the very edge with his arms folded. Qing Luo and Dugu Yan sat side by side on the stone steps, while Ye Lingling stood quietly beside Qing Luo. Yu Xiaolou sat cross-legged at the front.

Yu Tianxin forced Yu Tianheng back with a Thunder Dragon Claw and was about to pursue when his peripheral vision caught the figure at the entrance. He paused, withdrew his martial spirit, and smiled. "Out of seclusion? It's really hard to see you. Over the past year or so, you only showed yourself when you went to hunt soul rings."

Yu Tianheng also withdrew his martial spirit, turned around, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and nodded at Yu Tianlin.

Everyone beside the Martial Arts Arena turned their heads in unison. Qing Luo had already risen and hurried over.

"Young Master."

Qing Luo stopped before Yu Tianlin and looked him over from head to toe. Her fingers twitched, but in the end, she only said softly, "I'll get you some water."

Yu Tianlin noticed that the fluctuations of Soul Power around her had become far more condensed than before. He nodded to Qing Luo, then turned to the others. "I wonder how much your strength has improved during the year or so I was in seclusion."

"Thanks to the cultivation method you gave us, I've reached level forty-nine," Yu Tianxin said. "Tianheng is level forty-eight."

Yu Tianheng nodded in confirmation.

Lei Dong wore a lazy smile. "Level forty-six. The range of my Thunder Spider Silk can now cover the entire Martial Arts Arena."

Lei Jiu cut in, saying that both he and Lei Li had reached level forty-four.

Dugu Yan lazily said that she had reached level forty-six.

Ye Lingling said gently that she had reached level forty-five.

What surprised Yu Tianlin most was Qing Luo. Yu Xiaolou rushed to answer, "Brother Tianlin, Sister Qing Luo is already level thirty-seven! Her cultivation speed is simply unbeatable."

Qing Luo returned carrying a cup of water. She handed it to Yu Tianlin and said softly that Yu Xiaolou was exaggerating.

Yu Xiaolou finally reported his own level: thirty-three.

After hearing everyone's reports, Yu Tianlin silently calculated. When they had left Suotuo City a year ago, the team's combat strength had ranged from Soul Elder to Soul Ancestor, enough to confront desperate all-Soul-Ancestor criminals like the Ferocious God Team head-on.

Now, Lei Dong, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling had all broken through level forty-five, while Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng were nearing the threshold of level fifty. Such a rate of improvement would be considered astonishing anywhere on the continent.

Yu Tianheng walked up to Yu Tianlin and looked at him seriously. "Tian Lin, we've all stated our levels. What level are you now?"

Yu Tianlin looked around, the corner of his lips curling slightly. "Allow me to keep you guessing for now." He crooked his fingers at Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng. "You two, how about giving it a try?"

Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng exchanged a glance. An eager smile appeared on Yu Tianxin's face. "Tianheng, he wants both of us to take him on."

Yu Tianheng had already begun releasing his martial spirit. The phantom of a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon appeared behind him as lightning crackled across his shoulders. "Then we'll take him on together. Let Tianxin and me see how strong you are now."

The three walked to the center of the Martial Arts Arena. Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng stood side by side, two Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon phantoms winding through the air above them. Their lightning reflected off one another, and their presence was overwhelming.

Yu Tianlin stood opposite them, his hands hanging naturally at his sides. "Elder Brothers, you make the first move."

Yu Tianxin attacked first. His martial spirit possessed him instantly, and he transformed into a human-shaped bolt of lightning charging straight ahead. Yu Tianheng followed close behind, unleashing Thunderous Force from the flank. One attacked from the front and the other from the side, their coordination flawless.

Yu Tianlin released his martial spirit.

The phantom of the Prison-Suppressing Azure Dragon slowly solidified behind him. Emerald-like dragon scales glimmered with a cold, secluded sheen beneath the noon sunlight. Its dragon eyes faintly appeared as a vast, majestic aura erupted outward from him. Several old trees at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena were pressed down by that aura, their branches and leaves bowing low.

Five soul rings rose from beneath his feet: purple, purple, black, black, black. The five rings slowly revolved around him.

The aura of a level fifty-three Soul King erupted without restraint.

Yu Tianxin's charging figure abruptly halted in midair. Yu Tianheng's soul skill stopped dead less than three paces from Yu Tianlin. The two Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon phantoms simultaneously let out low, mournful cries. It was submission to a true dragon from the depths of their bloodline.

The people around the Martial Arts Arena saw this and fell into dead silence.

The Martial Arts Arena was so quiet that only the rustling of wind through the old trees remained. Five soul rings slowly revolved around Yu Tianlin, and the Soul King's aura weighed upon everyone like a mountain. Yu Tianxin and Yu Tianheng stood frozen across from him, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon phantoms coiling behind them. Yet their dragon roars were clearly much deeper and weaker than before. Submission to a true dragon from the depths of their bloodline was not something willpower alone could completely suppress.

Yu Tianxin took a deep breath, gathering Soul Power around his fists once more. His expression was far more solemn than before. The relaxed ease of testing his opponent had vanished from his eyes, replaced by the gravity of going all out. He exchanged a glance with Yu Tianheng, and the two nodded at the same time.

"Tian Lin, we will use all our strength in this battle." Yu Tianxin's voice was not loud, but it was firm.

"Just what I wanted." Yu Tianlin raised his right hand in an inviting gesture.