While Yu Tianheng cultivated, winds and clouds stirred across the Douluo Continent. During that time, an event shook the entire continent.
Tang Hao, son of the former Clear Sky Sect master, advanced to Titled Douluo, becoming the youngest Titled Douluo expert in the continent's history. He fought three Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall alone and defeated them, including Spirit Hall's current Pope, Qian Xunji.
After Qian Xunji returned to Spirit Hall, he died from his severe injuries. The Holy Maiden Bibi Dong inherited his position as Pope of Spirit Hall.
To preserve the sect, Tang Xiao, the current Clear Sky Sect master, announced Tang Hao's complete expulsion from the sect and closed the sect off.
When the news broke, the world was shaken.
As another of the Upper Three Sects, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan received far more detailed information than the outside world knew.
Yu Tianheng was no exception; he learned of it as well.
His expression grew slightly grave when he heard the news.
It looks like Tang San has already been born. Fortunately, he's still a baby. He needs to reach six years old before he can awaken his Martial Soul. I have six more years to grow than he does, enough time to put my plans in motion.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang was also in a daze when he heard the news. In the end, he decided to leave the sect and travel.
But Yu Yuanzhen refused to allow it. Yu Xiaogang quarreled with him, and the furious Yu Yuanzhen promptly announced that Yu Xiaogang was expelled from the sect and could never return without his permission.
On the day of his departure, rain poured from the sky, but Yu Tianheng still came in person to see Yu Xiaogang off.
"Uncle, this is for you." Yu Tianheng handed Yu Xiaogang a cloth bag. Besides some clothes and daily necessities, it contained some money: roughly a hundred Gold Soul Coins, as well as the hundred Silver Soul Coins the system had given him. Yu Tianheng had saved it all up over this period. He had no worries about food or drink at home and had little need for money, so he decided to give it all to Yu Xiaogang.
"Thank you!"
Yu Xiaogang was deeply moved as he took the bundle. In the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the only person who truly did not look down on him as trash was the nephew standing before him.
Yu Tianheng nodded. "Uncle, things haven't been peaceful on the continent lately, so be careful. If you run into trouble you can't resolve, write and tell me. I'll find a way to help."
"And if you find a place to settle down, don't forget to write and tell me."
"All right." Yu Xiaogang did not refuse his nephew's kindness.
"You must cultivate hard too. I'll be waiting for the day your name shakes the continent." Yu Xiaogang patted Yu Tianheng on the shoulder and spoke earnestly.
Yu Tianheng nodded in agreement. After accompanying Yu Xiaogang part of the way, he returned to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
A year and a half passed quickly.
During that time, Yu Tianheng remained in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, quietly cultivating the Innate Skill.
Thanks to the cultivation art, his cultivation speed was several times faster than that of his peers.
To avoid arousing suspicion, Yu Tianheng used most of the Innate Power he cultivated to improve his martial arts. Even so, his Martial Soul cultivation still advanced one level every two or three months on average.
He was still much faster than others.
After finishing a day of cultivation, Yu Tianheng returned to his residence and opened the Heavenly Mandate System's character status panel.
Name: Yu Tianheng Age: 8 Affiliation: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan Realm: Soul Master level: level 19 Power Attack System Soul Master; martial arts realm: Flesh Refining Realm, fifth stage Skills mastered: Thunder Dragon Claw Cultivation arts mastered: Innate Skill, Tyrant Dragon Body Tempering Art Heavenly Mandate points: 0 Inventory: empty
"Looks like it won't be long before I can go out and hunt a Soul Beast to obtain my Second Soul Ring," Yu Tianheng said mildly as he looked at the status panel.
In a small tavern thousands of miles away, Yu Xiaogang received a letter from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. The sender was naturally Yu Tianheng.
Apart from him, no one in the vast Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would have written to Yu Xiaogang.
After taking the letter, Yu Xiaogang immediately opened it and began to read.
Beside Yu Xiaogang, a young-looking man leaned over. He had a somewhat shrewd appearance.
"Xiaogang, who's that letter from? Don't tell me it's your girlfriend?" the shrewd young man teased.
Yu Xiaogang rolled his eyes at him. "Flender, don't talk nonsense. What girlfriend would I have? This letter is from my nephew. You know perfectly well that over the past year, he's sent me a letter every so often to ask how I'm doing."
Flender waved a hand. "Come on, why are you getting so worked up? I was only joking with you."
"Still, your nephew cares about you quite a bit. He writes and sends you things every so often. Anyone who didn't know better might really think he was your own son."
Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang smiled faintly. "He's my own nephew. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he's half a son to me."
"Let's see what your nephew wrote." Flender leaned his head over.
Helpless, Yu Xiaogang could only read it with him.
The contents of Yu Tianheng's letter were simple. The first half contained greetings for Yu Xiaogang, the middle raised certain questions about cultivation, and the final passage concerned some matters within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Unlike in the past, Yu Tianheng had not written about clan affairs this time. Instead, he had written an interesting story he had heard through the grapevine.
"Uncle, my older cousin (Yu Tianxin) and I have been getting along well lately. We often cultivate together and sometimes spar. We're both friends and rivals. Then one day he suddenly told me something, and I thought it was interesting enough to share with you."
"My cousin said Second Grandpa (Yu Luomian) was quite the womanizer. When he traveled outside in his younger days, he fell for a courtesan. I heard her surname was Liu. They later had a child, a daughter. Doesn't that mean the two of us have gained another aunt, and you've gained a younger cousin, Uncle? Unfortunately, because the woman was a courtesan, Second Grandpa didn't dare bring the girl back to acknowledge her ancestors and return to the clan. He's always kept her outside and hasn't let her take her father's surname, Yu. Instead, she took her mother's surname, Liu."
"Come to think of it, it's no great matter. I wouldn't mind having another aunt, and I imagine you wouldn't mind having another younger cousin either, Uncle?"
The letter ended there.
After reading it, Yu Xiaogang was a little stunned.
He had spent so long in the clan, yet this was the first he had heard of such a thing.
Flender, who was beside him, sneered. "As expected of a great clan. You have plenty of nasty habits."
Yu Xiaogang could only smile helplessly at that. Though the matter was somewhat dishonorable, the man was a clan elder, so Yu Xiaogang was in no position to comment too much.
He could only grumble about it inwardly.
Do I really have a younger cousin with the surname Liu?
Yu Xiaogang could not help wondering.
Still, he probably would not have much chance of meeting her.
Yu Xiaogang put away the letter from Yu Tianheng, then personally wrote a reply and sent someone to deliver it to him thousands of miles away.