Yu Xiaolong nodded. He felt that something seemed off about his son, Yu Tianheng, but he could never quite put his finger on what it was. After giving it some thought, he decided not to concern himself with it.
Instead, he reached out and stroked Yu Tianheng's head. "Tian Heng," he said earnestly, "you'll turn six in three months. When that time comes, you'll attempt your Martial Soul Awakening."
"Your status is exceptional. You're a direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and the clan leader's eldest grandson in the direct line. I hope you can successfully awaken the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, the top-tier Martial Soul passed down through our family for generations. Don't disappoint your grandfather."
At this, Yu Xiaolong could not help thinking of his younger brother, Yu Xiaogang. He had been naturally gifted, but unfortunately, fate had not favored him. His Martial Soul had undergone a malignant mutation during its awakening, becoming a Trash Martial Soul. His Soul Power could only remain at level 29 for the rest of his life, and he would never be able to break through. He had become a piece of trash everyone in the clan ridiculed, and even being the clan leader's own son could not spare him from it.
As his elder brother, he was heartbroken, but there was nothing he could do. On the Douluo Continent, the strong had always been supreme. Without enough strength, one was bound to be ridiculed.
As for his father, as clan leader, he too had to obey the clan rules and could show no favoritism. In truth, he was also in great pain, and over the years, it had been a long time since anyone had seen him smile.
Hearing Yu Xiaolong's words, Yu Tianheng could only nod vigorously. "Father, I'll do my best."
Yu Xiaolong patted Yu Tianheng on the shoulder, offered a few more words of encouragement, and then left. As leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Yuanzhen usually cultivated his Soul Power in seclusion and rarely took part in clan affairs. Thus, Yu Xiaolong, his eldest son, had taken on that responsibility. He was extremely busy and rarely had the chance to make time to visit Yu Tianheng.
Yu Tianheng was even a little secretly pleased about this.
That way, no one could keep an eye on him, and he could better conceal the secrets of his transmigration and the Heavenly Mandate System.
After watching his father, Yu Xiaolong, leave,
Yu Tianheng wandered around the grounds of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan for a while.
After lunch, Yu Tianheng returned to his room, locked the doors, and began to cultivate.
Generally speaking, one could not cultivate before awakening a Martial Soul. Even if one tried sitting in meditation, one's Soul Power would not improve in the slightest.
But that applied to ordinary people, not him.
He had a cultivation technique at his disposal, so of course he could try cultivating.
Yu Tianheng promptly sat down cross-legged and began practicing the cultivation technique that had come with the system, the "Innate Skill," which was of the profound grade. It was comparable to the Mysterious Heaven Skill cultivated by the protagonist, Tang San.
In a courtyard somewhere in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan,
five-year-old Yu Tianheng stood in plain-colored training clothes, his little face taut and his expression focused. He spread his feet shoulder-width apart, slowly raised his hands into a particular posture, and began cultivating the Innate Skill.
At first, Yu Tianheng's movements were still somewhat awkward. His arms trembled slightly, and his breathing was somewhat uneven.
But he gritted his teeth and did his best to calm himself. Following the technique's instructions, he focused his attention on his abdomen, trying to sense that faint, almost imperceptible trace of Innate Qi.
Time slowly passed, and fine beads of sweat appeared on Yu Tianheng's forehead, sliding down his cheeks. Just as he was about to reach his limit, a faint, warm current of Qi quietly stirred within him.
Delighted, Yu Tianheng focused even harder on guiding the current of Qi, slowly circulating it through his meridians.
As the Innate Qi circulated, Yu Tianheng felt warmth spread throughout his body, and his somewhat tired body gradually filled with strength. His gaze grew more resolute, and his movements became more fluid. His small figure gave off an air of unwavering determination in the courtyard.
Outside the courtyard, a gentle breeze rustled the leaves, as though cheering Yu Tianheng on. Yu Tianheng, meanwhile, was immersed in cultivation, constantly exploring the mysteries of the Innate Skill.
And so, Yu Tianheng secretly cultivated the "Innate Skill" day and night.
Before long, three months had passed.
Early one morning, Yu Tianheng rose from bed.
Today was a day of extraordinary significance to him, for it was not only his sixth birthday but also meant that he was about to undergo his Martial Soul Awakening.
After getting up, dressing, and washing,
Yu Tianheng summoned the system and checked his status panel.
Name: Yu Tianheng Age: six Affiliation: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan Realm: Martial Soul not yet awakened; Martial Dao: fourth level of Skin Refining Mastered skills: none Mastered cultivation techniques: Innate Skill (second level) Heavenly Mandate points: 0 Inventory: empty (30 slots)
After three months of arduous cultivation, Yu Tianheng's strength had improved somewhat.
He had discovered that even without awakening a Martial Soul, he could still cultivate. What he cultivated, however, was not the Soul Master profession, but the Martial Dao.
The Martial Dao was divided into nine realms: Skin Refining, Flesh Refining, Sinew Refining, Bone Refining, Organ Refining, Marrow Cleansing, Heavenly Human, Martial Saint, and Human Immortal. Each realm was divided into nine levels, corresponding to the nine realms from Soul Master to Titled Douluo.
For example, his current realm was the fourth level of Skin Refining, which corresponded to a level 14 Soul Master.
In other words, even without undergoing his Martial Soul Awakening, Yu Tianheng was now strong enough to fight a Soul Master whose cultivation had reached level 14.
It had to be said, this was an extremely astonishing discovery.
But he did not know whether it was because of the cultivation technique or the system that he could cultivate the Martial Dao. If he taught the technique to someone else, would that mean others could cultivate the Martial Dao as well?
If he had the chance in the future, he could give it a try. If it worked, this continent would undergo a great upheaval.
After dismissing the system panel, Yu Tianheng followed a guard toward the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's Awakening Square.
Sunlight fell on the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's ancient and stately Awakening Square. The surrounding buildings were etched with the marks of time, every brick and stone telling of the clan's glory.
Clad in plain clothes, Yu Tianheng stood straight in the center of the square. Though his figure was somewhat small and thin, his expression was composed and calm.
Before him, the clan's highly respected elders stood in a row. Dressed in magnificent robes, they wore solemn expressions, their gazes fixed on Yu Tianheng, their eyes filled with concern and high expectations.
These people were all among the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's upper ranks. Even the weakest among them was at the Soul Emperor level, and there was no shortage of Soul Saints above level 70 or Soul Douluo above level 80.
But for the moment, there was only one Titled Douluo, the strongest among them: the current leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, who was also Yu Tianheng's grandfather, Yu Yuanzhen.
At that moment, Yu Yuanzhen stood at the front in a blue robe, his hands clasped behind his back. His presence was extraordinarily imposing; without showing anger, he commanded respect.
Today was Yu Tianheng's awakening ceremony, and his grandfather Yu Yuanzhen had made a rare departure from seclusion to come and watch, hoping that his grandson would undergo a perfect Martial Soul Awakening.
Beside Yu Xiaolong stood a man who looked to be under thirty, his face somewhat pale.