Seeing how confident Yu Xiaogang was, Yu Yuanzhen felt a little anticipation mingle with his earlier impatience.
After all, he had fathered a son late in life. Yu Xiaogang had only been born after he became a Titled Douluo.
After cultivating to the rank of Titled Douluo, he felt that his bloodline had reached its peak, even faintly showing a trace of evolution.
Though it was extremely faint, Yu Yuanzhen had indeed sensed it. Unfortunately, his potential was insufficient, and he feared he would never be able to evolve his martial soul in this lifetime.
Yu Yuanzhen had placed that hope in his son, Yu Xiaogang. After all, the boy had been born after he became a Titled Douluo, so his bloodline surely could not be too poor.
Perhaps his son would have a chance to evolve his martial soul?
Yu Yuanzhen did not know what the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul would become if it evolved again.
But he had great expectations for Yu Xiaogang and had nurtured him with all kinds of resources since childhood.
At that thought, a little worry crept back into Yu Yuanzhen's heart, because his son had been far too pampered.
His body training was always two days fishing and three days drying the nets, and he climbed out of every medicinal bath almost as soon as he got in. Who knew how much effect those years had actually had?
Beside him, Yu Luomian was already looking thoroughly impatient, dissatisfaction coloring his tone.
"Elder brother, since Xiaogang is here, let's stop dawdling. We all still have plenty of business to attend to."
Yu Yuanzhen nodded slightly at that, tossing out the Awakening Stones he had put away earlier and setting up the Awakening Formation.
"Xiaogang, step into the center of the formation."
Yu Xiaogang turned to glance at Yu Luomian, knowing that his second uncle was very dissatisfied with him, but he could not be bothered to argue with him.
Once he awakened his martial soul, he would surely become the young clan master. Yu Luomian was still his second uncle, after all, and he, Yu Xiaogang, would still respect his elders.
With that thought, Yu Xiaogang walked into the Awakening Formation with his chin raised, and Yu Yuanzhen activated his soul power.
A gentle energy entered his body, and Yu Xiaogang felt something within him awaken.
Immediately afterward, discomfort swept through his body. The agonizing pain throughout him was unbearable, and sweat kept seeping from his forehead.
"Roaaar!"
A dragon's roar came from within Yu Xiaogang, and an enormous phantom began to appear around him.
The dragon-shaped phantom was pale gold. An invisible pressure spread in all directions as it raised its head and roared again.
"Roaaar!"
Yu Luomian and the elders beside him felt their martial souls being suppressed, even the soul power within them growing somewhat sluggish.
Their expressions changed sharply at the sight, and they looked up at the enormous dragon-shaped phantom.
"What martial soul is this?!"
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon doesn't look like that, does it?"
"This draconic pressure-I can feel it suppressing my martial soul! What on earth is this?"
As Yu Yuanzhen gazed at the enormous dragon-shaped phantom, he was so excited that his entire body trembled.
Even with his strength as a Titled Douluo, he could feel his martial soul being somewhat suppressed. This was a difference in rank!
What did that mean?
His son Yu Xiaogang's martial soul was stronger than the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. This was definitely martial soul evolution!
His younger brother and those elders had always been dissatisfied whenever he used resources on Yu Xiaogang in the past. Just look now!
People always said to take the long view. Surely his younger brother and those elders now understood his painstaking efforts!
In the future, their Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan might well have two Titled Douluo in one family!
Yu Yuanzhen was incomparably excited. He was just about to shout, "Martial soul evolution!" when Yu Xiaogang cried out before him.
"Aaagh!"
Yu Xiaogang screamed, unable to hold on, and collapsed to the ground with his face twisted in pain. Instinctively, he began wailing loudly, just as he had during his medicinal baths.
"Aaagh! It hurts too much! Father, stop it! I can't take it! It hurts!"
Yu Yuanzhen: "???"
Yu Luomian: "???"
Yu Xiaogang kept convulsing on the ground, his face contorted in agony and his body unable to move. Otherwise, he would already have rolled out of the Awakening Formation.
As Yu Yuanzhen watched, the delight on his face froze on the spot. He felt utterly humiliated.
Seeing this, Yu Luomian was furious at his failure to live up to expectations. Equally humiliated, he barked, "Shut up!"
"A martial soul awakening cannot be interrupted! You have to endure it today! Otherwise, I'll fucking beat you to death!"
With such a majestic, imposing dragon-shaped phantom, his martial soul had to surpass the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, yet Yu Xiaogang was actually behaving like this.
So many clan children were watching, and here Yu Xiaogang was, making a spectacle of himself?
Yu Luomian was practically ready to explode with rage.
At the same time, he felt jealous. Someone as cowardly as Yu Xiaogang could actually possess such a powerful martial soul. It was fucking unfair!
Yu Yuanzhen's brows knitted tightly as he looked at his son curled into a ball on the ground and reprimanded him.
"Xiaogang, you have to hold on!"
Had this been one of his medicinal baths, he would have softened and let Yu Xiaogang out, but a martial soul awakening was different.
A martial soul was far too important.
Yu Xiaogang was still howling, pleading incessantly with Yu Yuanzhen without a shred of backbone.
"It really hurts! Aaagh! I don't want to awaken my martial soul anymore! Stop it! I'm begging you, Father! Aaagh! Please!"
Just then, the dragon-shaped phantom suddenly began shrinking. The gold rapidly faded from its body, and in an instant, it shrank into a purple creature.
Yu Xiaogang felt all the pain vanish from his body. Drenched in sweat, he lay on the ground with a bewildered expression.
Did Father hear my pleas and actually interrupt my martial soul awakening?
Wait, then my martial soul...
Would he have no martial soul from now on?
Panic filled Yu Xiaogang at the thought, and he could not help blaming his father inwardly.
Just then, he suddenly noticed a purple, piglet-shaped creature approaching him.
"Oink, oink."
The purple creature drew close to Yu Xiaogang, making affectionate noises as it tried to nuzzle him.
"Where did this piglet come from?!"
Yu Xiaogang cursed and stood up, raising his foot to kick the purple creature. The kick struck it squarely in the kidney and sent it flying.
"Oink!" The purple creature immediately shrieked. Its body was forced to dissipate in midair, turning into a wisp of purple smoke that returned to Yu Xiaogang.
"Aaagh!"
Yu Xiaogang felt a sharp pain in his kidney. He screamed again, his body spasming as terror filled him once more.
Why does it hurt again? Is my martial soul awakening still not over?
This time, however, the pain soon eased. Holding his kidney, Yu Xiaogang straightened up, then suddenly noticed how quiet his surroundings were and felt puzzled.
Yu Luomian and the elders stared at Yu Xiaogang in the Awakening Formation, their faces as black as the bottom of a pot.
The clan children watching nearby also stared at Yu Xiaogang with wide eyes and slightly open mouths, their gazes filled with the bewilderment of having everything they knew overturned.
"That's Yu Xiaogang? The clan master's son?"
Someone could not help laughing, lowering their voice to ask a fellow clan member beside them.
"I suppose so? So he's actually this weak?"
"To think the clan master's son can't even endure a little pain. This really is..."
"I heard the clan master spent plenty of resources on him. Who knew he was gold and jade on the outside, but rotten stuffing within!"