Because he had lost his bet with Zhou Tong, Dugu Yan had gradually grown distant from him, while her relationship with Zhou Tong had grown closer and closer.
This left Yu Tianheng furious.
But Yu Tianheng had never found a good opportunity, and besides, he wasn't confident he could defeat Zhou Tong.
So lately, Zhou Tong had been trying to find a way to solve this problem.
He had gone into seclusion to cultivate and find ways to improve his strength. Now, at last, his strength had surged, and he could go test himself against Zhou Tong.
However.
When he saw Dugu Yan and Zhou Tong acting affectionately, chatting and laughing together, the flames of anger and resentment in his eyes immediately blazed brighter.
"I have to find a way to defeat Zhou Tong."
"I'll win Dugu Yan back."
He recalled how Zhou Tong had utterly defeated him the last time they competed in Heavenly Lightning Body Tempering.
Now his strength had risen again, and his confidence was restored.
He believed he could win back some face.
At that moment, Yu Tianheng strode forward and came to stand before Zhou Tong.
He raised his chin slightly, his expression challenging.
"Zhou Tong, I heard your strength has improved a lot lately. I'd like to ask you for a match."
"Whoever loses will withdraw from the next team captain selection. How about it?"
Zhou Tong looked at Yu Tianheng. So it was his old nemesis. Since he wanted to make a fool of himself, Zhou Tong would be happy to oblige.
"Just as you wish!"
At that moment.
Yu Tianheng's words immediately stirred up a thousand waves. Everyone's eyes fell on Zhou Tong and Yu Tianheng, and quite a few people began whispering among themselves.
"Zhou Tong, who's that guy?"
"Seems to be a commoner Soul Master. Looks like there's bad blood between them."
"I think Zhou Tong and Yu Tianheng competed in Heavenly Lightning Body Tempering before, and Yu Tianheng got crushed."
"So he's here for revenge."
"Even the son of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's sect master has his embarrassing moments."
"But I heard Yu Tianheng is a Soul Elder, hailed as the rising star of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
"Anyone who can make Yu Tianheng wary can't be ordinary."
As plenty of people discussed it, their gazes shifted to Zhou Tong.
They saw that Zhou Tong's face looked very young—he seemed to be only about ten—and they all sucked in a sharp breath.
"This Zhou Tong looks no more than ten. I doubt he's even broken through to Soul Grandmaster."
"He dares to challenge Yu Tianheng and fight him one-on-one?"
"Is this kid crazy?"
"Is he looking to get beaten?"
"And Yu Tianheng, why pick on a junior?"
"Even if he wins, it won't be an honorable victory."
"Don't jump to conclusions. Maybe Yu Tianheng will hold back."
The crowd's comments reached Yu Tianheng's ears. A smug smile touched his lips as he looked down at Zhou Tong and spoke with feigned magnanimity.
"Zhou Tong, I know you're young."
"I won't bully you."
"I'll suppress my Soul Power to your level and give you a chance at a fair fight. How about it?"
As he finished, Yu Tianheng lifted his head and stood with his hands behind his back, trying to show everyone how magnanimous and broad-minded he was.
Hearing this, everyone nodded in approval, taken in by Yu Tianheng's act.
But Zhou Tong simply laughed, unfazed.
He spoke calmly.
"Your Soul Power Level isn't much higher than mine. There's no need."
"If you really want to challenge me, then show some sincerity."
His words caused an uproar among everyone present.
How was that possible? Zhou Tong was only a ten-year-old boy, yet he had the strength of a Soul Elder?
That was simply too shocking.
Could Zhou Tong be lying?
A ten-year-old with Soul Power above level thirty?
That was unheard of.
Yu Tianheng was stunned, too. He hadn't expected Zhou Tong to have become a Soul Elder.
That couldn't be!
He was only ten!
"Zhou Tong, stop pretending. How could you possibly be a Soul Elder?"
"Don't worry. I can suppress my Soul Power to Soul Grandmaster level and fight you fairly. I won't bully you."
Yu Tianheng spoke calmly.
He simply didn't believe Zhou Tong could be a Soul Elder.
The others echoed his disbelief. They couldn't believe Zhou Tong could have become a Soul Elder, either.
Seeing this, Zhou Tong chuckled. He didn't argue; instead, he released the Soul Power within him.
In the next moment, a surging wave of Soul Power burst from his body. Three Soul Rings—one yellow, one purple, and one black—rose slowly from beneath his feet and hovered before him.
Everyone gaped in astonishment at the sight.
"A thousand-year Second Soul Ring, and a ten-thousand-year third Soul Ring!"
"What kind of monster is he?"
"Impossible!"
"Absolutely impossible!"
"In all the history of the continent, no one has ever heard of a thousand-year Second Soul Ring."
"Let alone a ten-thousand-year third Soul Ring."
"How did Zhou Tong manage it?"
"Am I seeing things?"
"No, it's real."
Zhou Tong's Soul Rings set off an uproar in the crowd.
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath, hardly daring to believe their eyes.
Bone Douluo stared at Zhou Tong's purple and black Soul Rings in astonishment, unable to come back to his senses for a long while.
"Old Poison, is this the monster you took in?"
"How did he manage it?"
"A ten-thousand-year third Soul Ring?"
Ning Fengzhi stared at the Soul Ring and sucked in a sharp breath of astonishment.
"It was just good luck."
Dugu Bo stood tall, his chest puffed out, and spoke with pride that he could barely conceal.
In the crowd, the charming Ning Rongrong stared at the Soul Rings on Zhou Tong's body, her little mouth hanging open in shock.
As the daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Rongrong had seen countless geniuses, but she had never thought much of them—no one was better than her.
But seeing Zhou Tong today had truly shaken her. She had never seen a Soul Master this terrifying.
"You-you-you... How did you do that?"
"I don't believe it."
"What kind of trick did you use to fool everyone?"
The most shocked person of all was Yu Tianheng.
He stammered in astonishment, unable to believe his eyes.
"Believe it or not, it's up to you."
Zhou Tao spoke calmly, his expression unruffled.
"Are you going to fight or not?"
"If you want to compete, then put something on the line."
Zhou Tong didn't let him keep spinning out his thoughts.
He didn't want to reveal too much about his secrets.
"A wager?"
"What do you want to wager?"
Yu Tianheng furrowed his brow, feeling wary. He feared Zhou Tong might ask for something outrageous.
At this, Zhou Tao's lips curled in the faintest smile as he named the wager he wanted.
"I heard the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is best at tempering the body with lightning. If I win, I want your Heavenly Lightning Body Tempering method, along with the recipes for the medicinal aids and anything else related."
"You understand what I mean, right?"
At these words, Yu Tianheng's expression changed at once.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had been passed down for generations, and over time had developed a complete method of Heavenly Lightning Body Tempering, along with many medicines that aided body tempering. They helped clan members minimize the damage from heavenly lightning as much as possible while cultivating.
But these were the clan's secrets, and could not be shown to outsiders lightly.
Before you continue