Yu Yuanzhen looked at Long Qianming, who was laughing wildly, devoid of all decorum, like a man possessed, then at Yu Xiaogang, who was so sensible and considerate of the clan's greater interests. Comparing the two only made him angrier.
Why were they both his biological sons, with similarly worthless detached Martial Souls, yet their personalities were worlds apart, at opposite extremes?
After calming himself, Yu Yuanzhen sat back down.
"Since Xiaogang has said so, test this Yu Qianming's Soul Power."
Standing below in the great hall, Long Qianming watched the father and son sing in harmony, especially Yu Xiaogang. Although they rarely interacted, Yu Xiaogang's hypocrisy had already shown itself.
Testing Innate Soul Power was not strictly necessary. Anyone who had awakened a Martial Soul could sense whether Soul Power existed within their body. Yet Yu Xiaogang had given him the chance to have his Soul Power tested. Honestly, on that account, he actually felt a little more grateful toward him.
But that was all!
Long Qianming placed his right hand on the Soul Power testing ball. Under everyone's gaze, the crystal ball emitted a different blue glow. Its light was faint, yet brighter than a certain someone's.
"Innate Soul Power, rank two!"
"Innate Soul Power, rank two? How is that possible?"
Having returned to the crowd, Yu Xiaogang listened to the clan elder announce the result and stared wide-eyed at the Soul Power testing crystal ball. In an instant, his composure completely shattered.
Why? How could a worthless older brother who had never been acknowledged since childhood, had few cultivation resources, and never paid him any attention in the library have Innate Soul Power that was actually, actually higher than his?
The Soul Power testing crystal ball had to be malfunctioning. A faulty reading, surely it was a faulty reading?
Impossible, absolutely impossible?
In his despair, Yu Xiaogang's thoughts took a turn, and delight immediately filled him. Both their Martial Souls were worthless detached Martial Souls, and his own Soul Power was even lower than his brother's.
Then he could offer him substantial benefits and use him as a test subject for detached Martial Souls. Perhaps in the future, he would find an entirely new path of development for Soul Masters and become the foremost theoretical Grandmaster on the entire continent.
At that moment, Long Qianming looked at the crystal ball's brightness. His smile deepened as he said with a bitter smile,
"Innate Soul Power, rank two. That's enough."
The children who had been preparing to mock his low Innate Soul Power fell completely silent at that bitter laugh and his piercing gaze. A faint look of fear even appeared on their faces.
"Shut up! You're a piece of trash with only rank-two Innate Soul Power, yet you dare say it's enough? The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has no need for someone as complacent and conceited as you!"
Burning with rage, Yu Yuanzhen hurled a pouch containing fifty Gold Soul Coins heavily before Long Qianming and angrily drove him away.
"You worthless wretch with no desire to improve! Take this money and get out of the clan! I never want to see you again."
"You're not worthy of giving me money, and I certainly don't need your filthy money-"
Long Qianming swiftly picked up the money at his feet and hurled it at Yu Yuanzhen with all his strength.
To him, the feud had already been set when Yu Yuanzhen refused to save someone in mortal danger and allowed his wife to humiliate him. His money was bound to be dirty.
Although the pouch did not hit Yu Yuanzhen, this was the first time he had ever suffered such humiliation.
And at the hands of his own unfilial son, no less. Yu Yuanzhen rose in fury and shouted at Long Qianming, who had turned to leave,
"Stop right there, boy! Did I give you permission to leave?"
At that moment, the atmosphere in the great hall on the clan leader's peak was one of drawn swords and bent bows, as though a fight might erupt at any moment.
The other clan elders in the hall looked at Long Qianming in surprise. They all remained silent, watching the spectacle of father and son falling out.
After all, their quarrel was a family matter. These elders were merely outsiders. How could they interfere at will?
The many children present all looked terrified. This piece of trash actually dared treat the clan leader like this. Merely expelling him was already an act of tremendous mercy on the clan leader's part.
As Long Qianming was leaving with his back to Yu Yuanzhen, his head seemed to turn 180 degrees as he looked diagonally behind him. In his bloodshot eyes lurked a sinister gleam, an interweaving of a hawk's stare, ferocity, brutality, and resentment.
The children around him were all startled and retreated in unison. Seeing such a look for the first time, the silent clan elders also froze in shock.
"Don't you think I'm an eyesore? Then I'll leave. I've had enough of this man-eating Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!"
"Should I one day gain the resolve to soar above the clouds, I'll dare laugh at Huang Chao for being no true man."
"You-"
Although Yu Yuanzhen did not understand the poem's meaning, he could hear that this unfilial son of his was exceedingly arrogant and defiant, with an unstable temperament, and was destined to be of little use in the future. Besides, he had awakened a sickly Martial Soul.
Rather than let him consume resources within the clan and make him feel terrible every time he saw him, he might as well expel him and leave him to live or die on his own.
Blood surged within Yu Yuanzhen, leaving him too furious to speak. After taking a few seconds to ease his anger, he solemnly announced,
"From this day forth, Yu Qianming is stripped of his surname and expelled from the clan. Outside, he must never claim to be a disciple of our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Otherwise, he will be killed. Pack your things and get out!"
"Hahahaha..."
Long Qianming threw back his head and laughed at length. Then his gaze sharpened, and he said coldly and fiercely, "Just what I wanted."
Then Long Qianming strode toward the doors of the great hall with a gait that acknowledged neither kin nor family.
After this incident, news that Yu Qianming had offended the clan leader and been expelled spread throughout the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Night had fallen. At the foot of a small mountain beside the clan leader's peak, Long Qianming returned to his secluded, somewhat dilapidated little house. He closed the drafty door and summoned his Luo Sanpao Martial Soul again.
At this moment, Luo Sanpao was very different from when the Martial Soul Awakening had taken place during the day. It had become extremely active, without the slightest sign of illness. It also nestled against Long Qianming's feet, nuzzling him incessantly in a very affectionate manner.
Long Qianming crouched down and stroked Luo Sanpao gently, and it readily accepted its master's soothing touch.
"Luo Sanpao. No, to be precise, I should call you a pig, or a Sacred Dragon Martial Soul."
Long Qianming remembered that Yu Xiaogang's Luo Sanpao Martial Soul contained a strand of Golden Sacred Dragon bloodline. Although extremely thin, if properly developed after awakening, it would surely evolve into a Golden Sacred Dragon, and a detached Golden Sacred Dragon at that.
As for his black Luo Sanpao, judging by the dark attribute of his mother's bat Martial Soul, its listlessness during the day, and its current frenzied activity, his Martial Soul very likely carried the Dark Sacred Dragon bloodline and was an infant Dark Sacred Dragon.
Then, to make it evolve completely, he could only absorb Soul Rings from dark-attribute dragon or subdragon Soul Beasts. But while dark-attribute Soul Beasts were easy to find, dark-attribute dragon or subdragon Soul Beasts were exceedingly rare.
Moreover, dragon Soul Beasts were far stronger than other Soul Beasts of the same rank. Even if he found one, as someone now cast out of his clan, he would truly find it difficult to hunt and kill it.
Of course, there was a second path: going to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and picking immortal herbs to replenish his Martial Soul's origin power. After all, at this point in time, who knew where Dugu Bo was making his way in the world?
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was an ownerless place. If he had sufficient strength, he could explore it.
With that thought, Long Qianming stopped dwelling on it. After all, these matters were still far too distant. Right now, he could only advance one footprint at a time, with his feet firmly on the ground.
He sat cross-legged and began cultivating using a meditation method he had worked out by combining what he had usually overheard and glimpsed of disciples practicing the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's advanced meditation method with his own knowledge of human acupoints and understanding of meditation methods.
Immediately, a current of air around him began circulating within his body, while Soul Power from the outside gradually poured into every part of him. Cycle after cycle, it formed a thread of Soul Power that belonged to him alone.
Before long, Long Qianming sensed something unusual and suddenly opened his eyes. At that moment, Luo Sanpao was turning into wisps of inky-black Qi at a speed visible to the naked eye, gradually gathering in his hand.
"What is this?"