Father and Son

Yu Yuanzhen stared blankly at his eldest son.

What had gotten into him?

What had happened to him all these years away from home?

What he'd said just now hadn't even been that harsh! He'd shown incredible restraint. If he hadn't, he would have torn that bullshit theory to shreds.

Just hearing "There are no useless spirits, only useless spirit masters" made him cringe!

But Xiao Gang didn't seem to realize that the saying insulted him. He actually looked proud of it.

For a moment, Xiao Gang felt like a stranger to Yu Yuanzhen. His son had always been somewhat selfish, arrogant, and insecure, but never to this extent.

He had gone mad chasing fame, desperate to make a name for himself.

So mad he couldn't see the holes in his bullshit theories or the way everyone else was laughing at him.

He was even willing to oppose his own father in public over those theories! To argue back and humiliate him before everyone!

Yu Yuanzhen stood there, his shock and bewilderment slowly giving way to bitter amusement, then anger.

"Ah, what a fine eldest son I have! I'll have to beat some sense into him today. I can't let this go on, or he'll bring even worse trouble upon himself!"

Yu Yuanzhen gave a crooked, self-mocking smile.

"You wretch! How dare you speak to me like that!"

At his father's rebuke, Yu Xiaogang flinched instinctively and nearly dropped to his knees.

But countless leaders were watching. He couldn't show weakness, not even before his own father.

He forced his trembling legs to steady and glanced around at the crowd.

Then he looked at Dong'er and Qian Xunji, whose face was full of encouragement and approval. His resolve hardened!

This meeting was his chance to make his name! His chance to become a true, respected Grandmaster!

If he could prove his theories before all these major powers today, win their recognition and respect, perhaps even their admiration...

Then he could have everything he wanted!

Fame! Status! Respect! Adoration! And his Dong'er!

So!

I, Yu Xiaogang,

Absolutely!

Absolutely!

Will not submit to my father's tyranny!

With everything settled in his mind, Yu Xiaogang found his courage.

His legs stopped shaking. His fear vanished. Watching his father seethe, he even felt like laughing.

Everyone, Yu Yuanzhen included, saw the change in him, and some of their contempt and dismissal faded.

Could this Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang actually know something?

Why else would he be so confident?

Yu Xiaogang gave a disdainful smile.

"Yu Yuanzhen, I respect you as my father, and I don't want to embarrass you. So I suggest you sit down right now. Don't disgrace yourself or the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan in front of all these people.

"This is your chance. I hope you take it. Otherwise, you and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan may become the laughingstock of the entire continent!"

Yu Yuanzhen shook with rage. This bastard had addressed him by his full name in front of everyone! And dared to threaten him!

Bastard! Bastard! He was mad! They had all gone mad!

Yu Yuanzhen had always had a fierce temper. He'd already spent half the day swallowing his anger and had restrained himself again just now to spare Xiao Gang some dignity. Yet his fine eldest son had become so deranged that he was no son at all!

If so many people hadn't been watching, he would have slapped his son unconscious, dragged him back to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, locked him up, and found him a wife so he could get to work making grandchildren.

And if he refused...

What a joke. How could a mere rank-29 Soul Grandmaster refuse him? He'd comply whether he liked it or not! Yu Yuanzhen could always deal with him behind closed doors!

"Xiao Gang! This is your last chance! Sit down, and I'll spare you some dignity in front of everyone!"

"Impossible! I'm the one sparing you embarrassment! You sit down first!"

"Fine, fine! It seems I raised a dog all these years! No, an ungrateful wolf!"

"You dare call me ungrateful?! Yu Yuanzhen, just wait! Sooner or later, I'll lead the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to greatness again! Only I can bring it to the pinnacle of the continent!

"As for you, retire and wait to die! I'll prove myself to you!"

"Fine, fine! Then I'll tear your bullshit theories apart myself! I may not specialize in theory, but I still know more than a little Soul Grandmaster like you!

"First, which of your first, third, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, and tenth points isn't common knowledge among spirit masters? Did you really need to publish a theory telling people what color a Spirit Ring is at a given age? Do you think every other spirit master is an idiot?

"Do you think a rank-90 Soul Douluo wouldn't know the color of a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring? That he'd kill a Pig by the roadside and absorb its white ten-year Spirit Ring instead?

"Do you think everyone is as stupid as you?! Were the Titled Douluo born before you just absorbing Spirit Rings at random? Taking whatever they came across, the way a dog like you bites everyone in sight!

"Or is everyone here only able to avoid absorbing the wrong Spirit Rings because they read your theories?! Should I thank you for not absorbing the wrong ones myself? Thank you for teaching me while you were still in your mother's womb!

"Then there's your second point: 'There are no useless spirits, only useless spirit masters!' What utter bullshit!

"By your logic, if your Pig Spirit isn't useless, then you must be the useless one, still a Soul Grandmaster in your thirties. And if you're useless, how dare you call yourself a Grandmaster of theory?!

"So which is useless, you or your Pig Spirit?!

"As far as I'm concerned, both are useless! You and your Pig Spirit are a disgrace to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan! A disgrace to me, Yu Yuanzhen!

"And then there's your fourth point, the age of Spirit Rings one can absorb! You only give this supposed upper limit. I don't even know where you got it.

"But everyone knows that each person's capacity to withstand a Spirit Ring's age is different. Those with stronger constitutions can handle older rings, while those with weaker constitutions must settle for younger ones.

"Support-type spirit masters, for instance, generally can't take a first Spirit Ring older than three hundred years. If they followed your crude theory, who knows how many would explode and die!

"And if combat-type spirit masters with stronger constitutions followed your upper limits exactly, who knows how much potential they'd waste! Take, for example..."

Yu Yuanzhen had meant to use Bibi Dong as an example, but he caught himself in time. Doing so might offend her. Instead, he snorted heavily and glared at Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang had been left reeling by Yu Yuanzhen's words.

His mouth fell open, and his whole body trembled.

"No... Impossible! There can't be anything wrong with my theories! That's just sophistry! Nothing but sophistry! I'm the one who's right! I'm right!"