"Tianming," Yu Yuanzhen suddenly said, "test your innate Soul Power."
"Yes, Grandpa."
Only then did Yu Tianming rein in his draconic might and control his Martial Soul as he returned to the ground.
As he passed Yu Xiaogang, his steps paused briefly. "Second Uncle, don't get too obsessed with theory. Strength is the foundation."
At those words, Yu Xiaogang's face turned livid. The notebook in his hand had already been squeezed out of shape.
There was nothing wrong with Yu Tianming's words, but to Yu Xiaogang's ears, they sounded so mocking that his pride took a blow.
Did he not know that strength was the foundation?
Did he want to cling to theory?
With a Luo Sanpao Martial Soul that had only half a level of innate Soul Power, what could he do?
Without the sect and the resources his father, Yu Yuanzhen, provided, Yu Xiaogang could never even have become a level 29 Soul Grandmaster!
With half a level of innate Soul Power, whether an ordinary person could even become a Soul Master was an open question.
"You...!"
Yu Xiaogang looked at Yu Tianming, about to reprimand him, only to find that he did not know what to say.
"Hmm?"
Yu Tianming turned around, and his Valstrax Martial Soul moved with him. Bolstered by a surge of scarlet energy, its draconic might grew even stronger.
"Second Uncle, what is it?"
Yu Tianming smiled "kindly."
"N-no... nothing."
Feeling that terrifying draconic might, Yu Xiaogang's hand shook, and his notebook fell straight out of it.
Yu Tianming reached out to catch the notebook and glanced at it. Written across it in large letters were the words "Unknown Martial Soul, Failed Mutation."
"Second Uncle."
Yu Tianming handed the notebook back, his voice calm yet ringing with conviction. "Theory is meant to explain reality, not force reality to conform to theory. You've become obsessed."
Yu Xiaogang shuddered all over. Those words struck his heart like a heavy hammer.
Trembling, he took the notebook back, only to discover that a scorch mark had appeared on that page at some unknown point-in the exact shape of Valstrax's tail blade.
Afterward.
Yu Tianming paid Yu Xiaogang no further attention and approached the presiding elder to test his innate Soul Power.
As he reached the testing crystal ball, the Valstrax Martial Soul's six wing limbs trembled slightly behind him, giving off a metallic hum.
The instant Yu Tianming pressed his palm against the crystal ball-
Boom!
A dazzling radiance shone forth, illuminating the entire hall. The light inside the crystal ball grew brighter and brighter until it filled it completely.
"Innate full Soul Power! Level ten!"
The presiding elder's voice was excited. "This is true innate full Soul Power!"
The hall instantly erupted.
Yu Yuanzhen burst into laughter, his voice shaking the nine heavens. "Good! Good! Our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has finally produced another peerless genius!"
Innate full Soul Power.
It had been a very long time since a prodigy of this caliber had appeared in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Yu Minghe could not stop the corners of his mouth from rising, his eyes filled with pride.
Yu Tianheng rushed forward in even greater excitement and threw his arms around his younger brother. "Tianming, this is wonderful!"
Yu Tianzhi also came up close and shouted excitedly, "Brother Tianming, you're amazing! You actually have innate full Soul Power!"
Everyone from Yu Luomian's branch wore stiff expressions. None of them felt happy for Yu Tianming; they only felt that things had become even harder for their branch.
Fifth Elder Yu Mingfeng pulled his still-trembling grandson along and quietly retreated to the very back of the crowd.
"Innate full Soul Power..."
Yu Xiaogang stared blankly at the crystal ball.
His eyes held three parts shock, two parts disbelief, and five parts jealousy.
Damn it! They're both mutated Martial Souls, so why is my innate Soul Power only half a level while he has innate full Soul Power?
Thinking of his own Luo Sanpao Martial Soul, Yu Xiaogang felt his jealousy grow even stronger.
"Young Sect Master, might I ask what your Martial Soul is...?"
The presiding elder's voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention.
"The sect's rules require every disciple's Martial Soul and innate Soul Power to be recorded. Even the young sect master is no exception," the presiding elder explained, afraid that Yu Tianming might misunderstand.
"Tianming, that is indeed the case."
Yu Yuanzhen spoke at just the right moment. "But if you don't want to say, that's fine too."
Hearing this.
Yu Tianming smiled slightly and said with ringing conviction:
"Grandpa, there's nothing to hide. My Martial Soul is called Valstrax!"
"Valstrax?"
Everyone present felt that the name was rather strange when they heard it.
"All right, today's Martial Soul Awakening ceremony ends here." Yu Yuanzhen's majestic voice echoed through the hall. "You may all leave."
Yu Yuanzhen swept his gaze over everyone.
It lingered a little longer on Yu Luomian's branch, the warning in it speaking for itself.
Then he patted Yu Tianming's shoulder affectionately. "Tianming, you've had a tiring day. Go back and rest first. Early tomorrow morning, Grandpa will personally take you to hunt for your first Soul Ring."
Yu Tianming nodded obediently. "All right, Grandpa."
As they walked out of the hall, sunlight spilled over True Dragon Mountain's stone steps.
Yu Tianming took a deep breath, feeling the surging fluctuations of Soul Power within him.
"Tianming!"
At home, their mother, Mu Qingling, had already been waiting in the courtyard for quite some time. Seeing the father and his two sons return, she immediately came forward to greet them.
"How did it go?"
"Mom, my little brother has innate full Soul Power!" Yu Tianheng answered before anyone else could.
Yu Minghe also nodded with a smile.
"That's wonderful! Tianming, you're amazing!" Mu Qingling was delighted and surprised at the news.
Yu Tianming smiled and linked his arm through his mother's. "Mom, let's talk inside."
Once they returned indoors, Mu Qingling personally cooked a lavish spread of dishes.
At the table, Yu Minghe recounted the details of the awakening ceremony. When he reached the part about Yu Tianlin's insolent remarks, the chopsticks in Mu Qingling's hand snapped with a crack.
"That Yu Tianlin!"
Powerful Soul Power fluctuations emanated from Mu Qingling as she said angrily, "The fifth elder certainly has a 'fine grandson'!"
"Mom, it's all right."
Yu Tianming placed a piece of meat in his mother's bowl. "I already taught him a lesson."
Mu Qingling was no ordinary person. Her talent and Martial Soul were both quite good. Though she was two years younger than Yu Minghe, her cultivation was already approaching Soul Saint.
It was just that after marrying Yu Minghe, she rarely used force.
"Don't worry. If the fifth elder dares to play any tricks, Father won't let him off."
Yu Minghe reassured her.
"Mm." Mu Qingling nodded.
That night, Yu Tianming came to the backyard.
Beneath a sky full of stars, he summoned his Valstrax Martial Soul again.
"Roar-"
A deep draconic roar echoed through the night.
Its six wing limbs spread fully, gleaming with a cold metallic luster in the moonlight.
Yu Tianming could clearly feel that, unlike an ordinary Soul Master's Soul Power, what Valstrax brought was a special energy as scarlet as fire.
"This is... Dragon Power?"
Yu Tianming tried to control this power. The scarlet core in Valstrax's chest suddenly lit up, and a stream of scarlet energy flowed through his meridians and throughout his body.
With a casual wave of his hand, a nearby rock was instantly blasted into fine powder!
"What incredible power!"
To his delighted surprise, Yu Tianming discovered that this Dragon Power was several times stronger than ordinary Soul Power.
Moreover, as he breathed in and out, the scarlet core in his chest seemed to form some kind of resonance with heaven and earth, continuously absorbing the primordial Qi of heaven and earth.
Just as he was immersed in this wondrous sensation, he suddenly noticed something unusual.
"This is..."
Yu Tianming discovered that the scarlet Dragon Power within him was continually gathering at his chest, as though nurturing something.
Furthermore, every time the scarlet Dragon Power flowed through his meridians, it strengthened his body.