The Deal

"I want to make a deal with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."

Seeing Yu Yuanzhen's expression, Jiang Baiyu slowly voiced his proposal:

"Clan Leader Yu, I want to make a deal with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

"As you've seen, this Cauldron Grotto-Heaven rests on those two dragon eggs. Thanks to its unique laws of nature, every spirit herb and resource grown here is infused with the breath of the Primordial True Dragon. They would be of great benefit to your Blue Lightning Dragon Descendants.

"I can supply the Blue Lightning Family with a portion of what the grotto produces in exchange for resources and support from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. What do you say?"

Yu Yuanzhen came to his senses, his eyes lighting up. After a moment of careful thought, he asked, "Resources won't be a problem. But what kind of support do you mean?"

Tempting as Jiang Baiyu's offer was, Yu Yuanzhen still had to consider what it would mean for his clan.

"Don't worry. I may need to improve some seeds later to put my Great Dao into practice. When the time comes, I hope the Blue Lightning Family will publicly back me."

Relieved, Yu Yuanzhen nodded firmly. "The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan accepts. To be honest, spiritual treasures infused with the essence of a True Dragon are exactly what our clan has been searching for."

Jiang Baiyu nodded slightly and set out the next step:

"I still have urgent matters to attend to. Once my grandfather Su Wu and I have gone to Spirit Hall and secured his Titled Douluo rank, I'll visit your clan's ancestral grounds. We can discuss every detail of the deal then. How does that sound?"

"Excellent! I'll await your visit at the ancestral grounds." A rare smile appeared on Yu Yuanzhen's face. The solemn atmosphere eased, and the two talked with growing warmth.

With everything settled, Yu Yuanzhen and Yu Tianheng said their farewells. Blue lightning crackled around them once more as they prepared to return to the clan.

Just then, a dark-green figure stepped forward and blocked their path.

"Old Poison, what's the meaning of this?" Yu Yuanzhen asked.

The one blocking them was none other than Dugu Bo.

"What do I mean?" His face twisted fiercely. "Old Dragon, you had the nerve to send your grandson after my granddaughter. We need to settle that score."

His usual faint smile was gone. Soul Power erupted from him, whipping his black hair about without a breath of wind. Billowing dark-green poison mist swept outward like a fog from hell.

Yu Yuanzhen looked somewhat embarrassed. That had indeed been his intention, but—

"Your Eminence Dugu, my feelings for Yan are genuine! Heaven and earth can bear witness. There was no scheme!" Yu Tianheng, who had remained silent until now, spoke up despite the pressure bearing down on him.

"Of course not! Otherwise, would I have let a fool like you near my Yan?" Dugu Bo shot the young man an exasperated look. "Well, Old Dragon? Your grandson is acceptable in my eyes. Come on, have a fight with me, and we'll call it settled. How about it?"

An enormous dragon silhouette surged skyward behind him. Its emerald scales gleamed with a dark, poisonous light as its aura swelled. The Poisonous Nether Prison Dragon had revealed its complete martial soul form.

Its oppressive draconic might swept across the sky, laced with bone-eating venom, and bore down hard on Yu Yuanzhen.

"Oh?" Yu Yuanzhen raised an eyebrow at Dugu Bo's aura. "True, what I did wasn't exactly honorable. I heard you'd cured your poison long ago, but now it seems even your martial soul has evolved. Perfect. Let's spar."

As he spoke, he pushed Yu Tianheng aside and drove his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul to full power. Lightning exploded around him as he hastily resisted that terrifying draconic pressure. Shock surged through him. Something's wrong. This Old Poison's martial soul is every bit as good as Tianheng's now.

"Let's take this outside the academy." Poison mist churned around Dugu Bo as he set off first.

"If you insist, Old Poison, I suppose I'll have to oblige." Yu Yuanzhen flashed after him in a streak of lightning.

"Want to go watch?" Jiang Baiyu asked. Yu Tianheng nodded. Su Wu lifted them both with Soul Power and followed the two men.

By the time they reached a stretch of woodland outside the academy, the two were already locked in battle. Trees caught in the crossfire had snapped; others crackled with electric arcs, while some had withered under Dugu Bo's poison.

Above them, countless phantom poison dragons faced off against blue lightning. The two terrifying forces collided, and fierce winds swept through the grass and trees.

Su Wu flicked his hand, summoning the Jade-Green Nine-Jointed Bamboo. A soft green light flew from the staff and enveloped the affected trees, clearing away the aftermath of the two Titled Douluo's battle.

Locked in combat with Dugu Bo, Yu Yuanzhen sensed his opponent's Soul Power and could not help crying out in shock, "Level ninety-five!" Yu Yuanzhen had become a Titled Douluo many years before Dugu Bo, yet he had only reached level ninety-five himself. Dugu Bo had barely been cured of his poison, and already his Soul Power had caught up.

Nor was that all. Even without Soul Power, the immense strength radiating from Dugu Bo's body was no weaker than his own, despite his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul. Looking at him only strengthened Yu Yuanzhen's resolve to work with Jiang Baiyu. Dugu Bo's tremendous improvement had to be connected to him.

"Well, Old Dragon? How does my martial soul compare with your so-called greatest beast martial soul in the world?" Dugu Bo asked, relishing Yu Yuanzhen's shock.

"You've grown strong quickly, Old Poison. But don't underestimate my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon!" Hearing the smugness in Dugu Bo's voice, Yu Yuanzhen sent an even fiercer blast of lightning at him.

"Bring it on!" Dugu Bo shouted. Poison mist gathered around him as he charged Yu Yuanzhen in turn. Lightning and poisonous light clashed again and again overhead, each impact ringing out like thunder.

Before long, the two broke apart.

"Not bad, Old Poison. You're almost my match in close combat." Yu Yuanzhen's expression was grave, though he also felt a flicker of delight. Dugu Bo's greatest threat was not his physical strength, but his unpredictable, deadly poison. And the granddaughter of such a formidable man had fallen for Yu Yuanzhen's grandson.

"Enough, Old Dragon. One last move, and we stop there. How about it?" Dugu Bo said. The poison mist around him grew almost solid, slowly forming a fierce, imposing dragon. Green light flashed in its eyes as its aura soared.

"Fine!" Yu Yuanzhen clenched his fists. The arcs around him condensed, and dragon scales slowly spread over his body as his aura surged. It was Dragon Transformation!

Lightning danced across him, and the force of his presence drew dark clouds over the woodland.

They charged at each other. Thunderous booms shook the air, and after a few dozen exchanges, both men pulled back.

The poison mist slowly receded. Dugu Bo returned to his casual manner, the corners of his mouth lifted high in a thoroughly smug grin.

Yu Yuanzhen dismissed his martial soul. His breathing was slightly labored, and he regarded Dugu Bo with newfound gravity.

Dugu Bo had clearly gained the upper hand in that clash. The Soul Core in his dantian never stopped working, and his Soul Power soon began to recover. Yu Yuanzhen, by contrast, had plainly spent a great deal of his.

Tension lingered between the two men.

"Grandpa!" a voice cried out. It was Dugu Yan, who had hurried over after hearing the news.

Her cry broke the tension at once. Dugu Bo glanced at the anxious Dugu Yan, then at Yu Tianheng. An amused smile spread across his face as he broke the silence:

"Come to think of it, Old Dragon Yu, we old fellows have had our fun fighting. It's time we talked about the youngsters."

Every gaze turned to Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan.

Dugu Bo folded his arms and said slowly, "My Yan and your Blue Lightning Family's Yu Tianheng are in love. What does the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan have to say about that?"