Investment, Summoning Lightning

The next morning, in an open clearing, Yu Hengqing and Dugu Yan stood facing each other, having assumed their combat stances.

"I'll count to three, and then you two start today's sparring! Remember, stop when you've made your point; don't strike at vital areas, and don't let this damage your friendship!"

Yu Hezai stood to the side, emphasizing safety to the two of them. It was one thing to get injured, but if it damaged their rapport, that would be the real trouble!

"One, two, three!"

As Yu Hezai swung his left hand down, Yu Hengqing raised his right fist, wreathed in golden thunder, and charged toward Dugu Yan.

Watching the fist close in, Dugu Yan did not dodge; instead, she unleashed her soul skill, attacking Yu Hengqing with full force.

"Bang!"

Their fists collided; Yu Hengqing retreated one step, while Dugu Yan retreated three.

"It seems you've been training very hard lately, Senior Sister!"

"You're not so bad yourself, Junior Brother! Your strength has clearly improved a lot compared to before!"

As she spoke, Dugu Yan used her soul skill again. Red mist swirled around her, and as her eyes turned crimson, she charged at Yu Hengqing once more.

Fist against fist, leg against leg, Yu Hengqing and Dugu Yan clashed repeatedly.

However, Dugu Yan's physical constitution simply could not compare to Yu Hengqing's, which had been reinforced by Whale Glue.

After their third exchange, Dugu Yan, exhausted, deactivated her martial soul avatar and stood in place, gasping for air.

"I can't go on. Let me rest for a bit, and we'll go again once I've recovered!"

"Mm, that works out well, I'm tired too!"

Yu Hengqing wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to walk toward a nearby chair.

"Little Qing, with your strength, there's no need for you to go to Heaven Dou Royal Academy to 'play house,' is there?"

Dugu Bo toyed with the Nine-Section Jade crawling on his hand, asking the newly seated Yu Hengqing with some curiosity.

For someone from a top-tier family like Yu Hengqing, attending an academy meant for spoiled nobles was a waste of time, especially since his current strength already surpassed his peers.

"My old man told me to go see if Heaven Dou Royal Academy has a training program that suits me."

"A training program? Can't a Title Douluo like him train you himself? I suspect he just wants you to go to the academy to make more friends!"

Hearing this, Dugu Bo, who was feeding a dried mouse to the Nine-Section Jade, burst into laughter.

If Yu Yuanzhen wanted to, he could go to the Heaven Dou Academy at any time to get materials to teach Yu Hengqing; Xue Ye would be more than happy to have Yu Yuanzhen owe him a favor.

"That's not a bad thing either, otherwise I wouldn't have met Senior Sister Dugu Yan."

Yu Hengqing also picked up a piece of dried mouse and fed it to the Nine-Section Jade coiled around Dugu Bo's hand.

"Do you like it?"

Watching Yu Hengqing feed the Nine-Section Jade, a thought occurred to Dugu Bo.

"I have no use for it; my combat style isn't suited for using poison."

Yu Hengqing watched the Nine-Section Jade swallow the dried mouse in a few gulps and shook his head, refusing Dugu Bo.

"Don't be in such a hurry to refuse. Take these poisons; you never know when they might come in handy."

Dugu Bo took the blue pouch from his waist and tossed it into Yu Hengqing's hands.

"This is a Ruyi Treasure Bag; it can hold living things. I don't usually have a use for it, and rather than letting it gather dust with me, it's better for you to use it."

Inside the Ruyi Treasure Bag lay a pile of sealed poisons, but the most eye-catching items were several jade boxes containing medicinal herbs.

Yu Hengqing understood that Dugu Bo was preparing to bet everything on him.

Since that was the case, Yu Hengqing naturally couldn't refuse; the sincere allegiance of a Title Douluo was something one could only hope for, not demand.

"Then this junior thanks you for your trust, Senior Poison Douluo!"

Yu Hengqing bowed respectfully to Dugu Bo before hanging the Ruyi Treasure Bag at his waist.

"Go, go, go! Suddenly becoming all formal—you're disturbing my peace!"

Dugu Bo glared at Yu Hengqing and lay back on his chair, continuing to deduce the Soul Core method that Yu Hengqing had taught him the previous night.

For the next few days, Yu Hengqing spent his mornings sparring with Dugu Yan, his afternoons learning how to use poison from Dugu Bo, and his nights cultivating at that snail's pace.

"According to the weather, there should be thunder today. Little Qing, are you ready to draw the lightning?"

After Dugu Bo escorted Dugu Yan out of the Star Dou Forest, he returned to Thunder Valley to accompany Yu Hengqing in completing his God Trial.

"I'm ready. Second Cousin has already provided me with a full supply of healing medicine, so you don't need to worry about me at all, Senior!"

Yu Hengqing, who was busy organizing his things, raised a hand and gave Dugu Bo an "OK" sign.

Sure enough, about an hour later, the sky suddenly turned pitch black.

Yu Hezai, who had just returned from hunting, saw this and hurriedly dropped his prey, rushing over to find Yu Hengqing without a moment's delay.

"Little Qing, the intensity of today's thunderstorm might far exceed the last one. Are you sure you want to draw the lightning? If the storm goes out of control, those medicines won't be enough to fully heal your injuries."

Yu Hezai knew the power of the thunderstorm, and he knew exactly how effective the medicine he had brought was.

"Don't worry, Second Cousin! I'll only draw three bolts of lightning, then I'll retreat immediately. I absolutely won't do anything unnecessary."

As he spoke, Yu Hengqing removed Yu Hezai's hand from his shoulder and walked out of the tent.

"Alright, that kid Yu Hengqing knows his limits; we just need to provide him with a safety net."

Dugu Bo's voice rang out at the right moment. Watching Yu Hengqing walk into the clearing, Yu Hezai could only nod in agreement.

"Leiyi, circulate your Cangming Lightning now! If I fail to defend against the strike in a moment, I'll need you to step in with the Cangming Lightning."

While speaking to Leiyi in his mental space, Yu Hengqing circulated the Cangming Lightning within his body, forming a Thunder Armor across his skin.

"Fine, then increase the concentration of lightning within your body now!"

Inside the mental space, Leiyi, his arms wreathed in Cangming Lightning, fully unleashed his perception to scan for the weak points in Yu Hengqing's Thunder Armor.

"Spirit Avatar!"

Yu Hengqing opened his eyes, golden lightning flowing through his pupils as the power of thunder within him grew increasingly dense.

The thunderclouds in the sky seemed to sense this, their rate of condensation accelerating sharply; within mere seconds, visible bolts of lightning were rolling through the clouds.

"Leiyi, get ready, I'm going to start drawing the lightning!"

The lightning power within Yu Hengqing's body seemed to reach a certain limit, overflowing directly onto his skin as golden electricity danced through his upright hair.

From a distance, Yu Hengqing now carried a hint of a Super Saiyan.

In an instant, the lightning from the clouds seemed to be drawn toward Yu Hengqing, striking his body in a flash.

Fortunately, thanks to the buffer provided by the armor formed from the Cangming Lightning, this bolt did not cause Yu Hengqing much trouble.

The first bolt felt like a mild electric shock, leaving his body with a momentary tingling sensation.

"Come again!"

Yu Hengqing once again circulated the lightning power within him, making it far more intense than the surrounding energy, effectively turning himself into a human "lightning rod."

The thunderclouds in the sky had finished brewing their power and gave Yu Hengqing no chance to catch his breath; the second bolt struck before him in the blink of an eye.

"BOOM!"

Whether the thunderclouds had secretly strengthened it or not, the power of this bolt was clearly thirty percent greater than the last!

Consequently, the Thunder Armor on Yu Hengqing's body lost its previous pristine appearance, instantly being torn in several places.

Fortunately, with Leiyi's assistance, these tears were repaired the moment they were made.

"Leiyi, you were right; as long as I can keep my injuries under control, weathering three bolts is my best option."

"But now, I have a pile of medicinal herbs on me, so I can definitely increase the number of bolts I take."

After several days of instruction from Dugu Bo, Yu Hengqing had learned how to prepare healing medicine, meaning he could fully manage to consume medicine while resisting the lightning!

"Fine, if you can't hold on, I will disperse the lightning power within your body."