Self-Defense Techniques, Sub-Dragon Meat

"Dad, Dad..."

The call in his ears pulled Yu Tianqing back from his wandering thoughts.

Coming to his senses, Yu Tianqing lowered his head and smiled, hiding the worry in his eyes. "What is it, son? Did you run into something you don't understand while meditating?"

Yu Changge shook his head and looked at Yu Tianqing with utmost seriousness.

"Dad, I've already mastered meditation. I want to truly begin cultivating. I will never give up."

After a pause, he continued, "Does the clan have any teachers proficient in theory? And teachers who can teach close combat? I want to learn from them."

Yu Changge knew very clearly that although he was a transmigrator and now had the support of three Hextech augments, he would never be so arrogant as to think he already understood all the rules of Douluo Continent.

After all, the original novel had only revealed the tip of the iceberg. The habits of different soul beasts and the theoretical knowledge behind Soul Ring combinations, for example, were both immensely vast and complex fields.

Much of the original work had only been skimmed over, leaving him with no particularly deep impression.

But to survive in the real Douluo Continent, theoretical knowledge was absolutely crucial to both staying alive and growing stronger.

Hearing his son's request, Yu Tianqing froze slightly before falling into thought.

He felt that letting his son study some theoretical knowledge was not a bad thing.

Since his son's cultivation ceiling was destined to be low, perhaps if he thoroughly mastered theory, he could become a respected scholar in the future.

He might even remain in the clan as a theory instructor. At the very least, it would be a respectable path.

As for close-combat ability...

Yu Tianqing sighed quietly to himself. Truthfully, he did not have the slightest bit of confidence in it.

His son's Martial Soul was a Pig. Judging by its manifestation, it was undoubtedly a purely External Beast Martial Soul.

The greatest drawback of an External Beast Martial Soul was that it could not undergo Martial Soul Possession like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.

In other words, this Martial Soul provided almost no enhancement whatsoever to the Soul Master's physical abilities.

This had already been proven by Yu Xiaogang.

In a state with virtually no enhancement, it was inferior to even ordinary Weapon Martial Souls in close combat.

Even if his son trained diligently in hand-to-hand combat and learned some close-range killing techniques, what use would those fighting skills be when he faced powerful Soul Masters capable of Martial Soul Possession or thick-skinned, tough-fleshed soul beasts without powerful physical strength to support him?

They would be nothing more than empty flourishes.

Yet when Yu Tianqing met his son's eyes, filled with longing and determination, the words of refusal reached his lips but could not leave them.

In the end, Yu Tianqing sighed, rubbed his son's hair with his large, rough hand, and agreed.

"Fine. Since you want to learn, your old man will naturally teach you everything I know. Over the next few days, I'll make time to ask around the clan and find a scholar proficient in theory to teach you."

Yu Tianqing paused. "As for close-combat techniques, there's no need to seek outside help. Your old man will teach you personally!"

Having received his father's approval, Yu Changge smiled.

By afternoon, the sunlight was just right.

To teach his son, Yu Tianqing deliberately finished all the tasks assigned to him by the clan early and returned to their small courtyard.

A spacious patch of ground had been cleared in the middle of the courtyard. Yu Tianqing wore a neat training outfit, his hands clasped behind his back as he stood as steady as a mountain.

"Changge, come here," Yu Tianqing said.

Yu Changge quickly walked before his father, steadied himself, and looked at Yu Tianqing with focused eyes.

Looking at his son, Yu Tianqing spoke sternly. "Your Martial Soul is special. It cannot possess your body and provide attribute enhancements, so your physical foundation will be much weaker than that of Beast Martial Soul Masters at the same level."

"To make up for this disadvantage, I'll teach you a self-defense technique: Dragon Roaming Rock-Crushing Hand!"

"This body-art technique is fierce and domineering. Not only can it be used for self-defense and fighting enemies, but more importantly, practicing it will temper your physical strength."

"After your daily body-art training, your mother will prepare a special medicinal bath for you. Train your muscles, bones, and skin externally, absorb medicinal power internally, and keep at it day after day."

"By the time your Soul Power reaches level ten, your physical strength should be enough to support absorbing a First Soul Ring that is two or three hundred years old."

Yu Tianqing had already put the best possible spin on things, and there was some consolation in his words.

He knew better than anyone that Yu Changge's "Pig" Martial Soul provided almost no improvement to his physical constitution.

He had been born with far less attribute support than orthodox Beast Martial Soul Masters.

Among Soul Masters, the currently known limit for a First Soul Ring was just over four hundred years. That belonged to their Clan Head, Yu Yuanzhen.

After all, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul was the continent's number one Beast Martial Soul. Its enhancement of a Soul Master's body was relatively greater.

But with Yu Changge's unusual External Beast Martial Soul, absorbing a four-hundred-year Soul Ring would clearly be extremely difficult and might even endanger his life.

Two or three hundred years was already the safest limit Yu Tianqing had arrived at after careful consideration.

After hearing his father's arrangements, Yu Changge did not feel the slightest disappointment. Instead, he nodded vigorously.

Following Yu Tianqing's instructions, he assumed a stance and began earnestly learning Dragon Roaming Rock-Crushing Hand from his father.

"Keep your punches steady, root your stance firmly, don't rely on brute force, and feel the twist of your waist and abdomen!" Yu Tianqing instructed from the side.

Yu Changge's starting point was indeed somewhat worse than others. Even with the help of the "Level Up" Hextech augment, his cultivation speed would not be especially fast.

But his heart was clear as a mirror. He understood the true nature of his Martial Soul better than anyone!

This was not some mutated, useless Martial Soul at all. It was the juvenile form of the Golden Sacred Dragon!

Its current weakness was only temporary. This supreme bloodline required steady accumulation before a great breakthrough. As long as he continued building his foundation, one day, this little "Pig" would truly evolve into a Golden Sacred Dragon soaring through the heavens!

In the blink of an eye, night fell.

The family of three sat around the dining table. Today's meal was especially lavish, its fragrance enticing.

A large bowl of steaming meat soup sat in the center of the table, emitting an alluring, unusual meaty aroma. The broth was a pale amber color.

With a loving expression, Yu Shuyao picked up a piece of firm soul beast meat from the soup bowl with her chopsticks and placed it in Yu Changge's bowl.

"Changge, hurry and try it. Your mother had someone get this today—it's meat from a Green-Scaled Snake with ten years of cultivation," Yu Shuyao said softly.

Looking at her son, she gently explained, "Although the Green-Scaled Snake is primarily a snake-type soul beast, it can also be considered a Sub-Dragon species."

"Your Martial Soul may have mutated and does not look much like a dragon, but according to the theory of Martial Soul inheritance, your Martial Soul must contain some dragon bloodline."

"This Sub-Dragon meat contains a faint trace of Dragon Clan blood essence. It should be greatly beneficial to both your body and Martial Soul, so hurry and eat."

Yu Tianqing, seated beside them, also put down his chopsticks and agreed. "Your mother is right. Good soul beast meat can not only replenish your strength but also gradually improve your constitution."

"From now on, our family will prepare a serving of high-quality soul beast meat for you every night. We'll make sure to raise you strong and healthy!"

"Once your constitution improves a little, we'll get you soul beast meat with a higher cultivation age."

Yu Changge silently ate the meat in his bowl, savoring its tender, melting texture and delicious flavor. Yet his heart was filled with burning emotion.

He knew that maintaining a long-term supply of soul beast meat containing a special bloodline was no small expense, even for a Soul Saint family.

Yet his parents had not treated him any worse because he had embarrassed himself at the awakening ceremony, nor because his Martial Soul had been mocked by the entire clan as a "Pig."

If anything, because they felt sorry for him, his parents' care and affection had become even more meticulous than before.

The melodramatic trope from the novels he had read in his previous life—being abandoned by one's clan and neglected by one's parents after transmigrating into a worthless good-for-nothing—had not happened to him.