The entire gathering erupted at once. The elders' faces were filled with relief and delight; some even stood rooted to the spot, unable to believe it.
"This child has such talent! He's a cultivation genius seen only once in a century!" an elder said excitedly.
"With that talent and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, his future achievements will be limitless!" another elder chimed in.
Even Yu Yuanzhen, the patriarch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, who had remained calm until then, looked astonished.
He had expected something like this. Yu Tianheng had successfully awakened the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, so he was certain to have Innate Soul Power, and it wouldn't be too low. Perhaps, like his grandnephew Yu Tianxin, he would have Innate Soul Power as high as rank eight. But Yu Yuanzhen had never imagined it would be Innate Full Soul Power.
This was unbelievable!
Yu Yuanzhen's figure flickered. He crossed more than ten meters in an instant to appear beside Yu Tianheng, swiftly seized his hand, and sent a wisp of his own Soul Power into Yu Tianheng's body.
After examining him, Yu Yuanzhen was certain that his grandson Yu Tianheng had Innate Full Soul Power and a powerful physique far surpassing that of his clansmen.
Yu Yuanzhen was overjoyed. If his position as patriarch hadn't required him to maintain his dignity, he might have burst out laughing on the spot.
Heaven hasn't treated my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan unfairly after all!
It took away one son's talent for cultivation, but gave me a grandson with even greater talent. By that reckoning, I haven't lost out.
Yu Luomian, the second-in-command of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, was the first to recover. He hurried over to Yu Yuanzhen and clasped his hand tightly in both of his own, his face wreathed in smiles and his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "Big Brother, congratulations! Tianheng is the most talented of our clan's younger generation. In the future, he'll surely lead the clan to new heights!"
Yu Tianheng looked at the speaker, his gaze sharpening slightly.
He instantly recalled who the man was.
This was Yu Luomian, the younger brother of his grandfather Yu Yuanzhen, the second-in-command of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and the grandfather of his cousin Yu Tianxin.
He had an illegitimate daughter named Liu Erlong, who would later cause Yu Xiaogang to lose his love a second time, leaving him utterly disheartened.
The Third Elder stroked his beard, smiling until his eyes narrowed to slits. "Patriarch, now our clan can finally hold its head high! Tianheng will surely carve out a great place for himself in the Soul Master World, and our clan's illustrious name will ring even louder!"
The other elders gathered around as well, offering congratulations one after another.
"Congratulations, Patriarch! Having such an outstanding grandson is truly a blessing for the clan!"
"Tianheng is exceptionally gifted and will surely become a great man. Our clan will share in his glory!"
Yu Yuanzhen stood among them, his face still expressionless, but inwardly he was thrilled.
After raising a hand to silence the congratulations, Yu Yuanzhen said, "Tianheng has Innate Full Soul Power and exceptional talent. He's a cultivation prodigy seen only once in a century. Therefore, I've decided to personally instruct him in cultivating his Martial Soul."
At those words, everyone fell silent.
Yu Yuanzhen was the patriarch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, a peerless expert at the Titled Douluo level and one of the handful of people standing at the very pinnacle of the Douluo Continent.
In the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, his word was law.
Even so, he would have to pass his position on to a younger person someday.
But the second generation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had only ordinary talent, with few gifted cultivators among them. The third generation, by contrast, was full of talent and had produced quite a few exceptionally gifted disciples.
The most talented among them was Yu Tianxin, of Yu Luomian's branch of the family.
He was very likely to inherit the position of patriarch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan one day.
But now Yu Tianheng had appeared, his talent a notch above Yu Tianxin's. More importantly, he was Patriarch Yu Yuanzhen's own grandson and belonged to Yu Yuanzhen's branch of the family.
Though they were all members of the same clan, some ties were closer than others. If possible, Yu Yuanzhen naturally wanted to pass the position of patriarch to his own grandson rather than his grandnephew.
For that reason, Yu Yuanzhen had decided to personally train Yu Tianheng, preparing him in advance to take over one day.
After a moment's silence, the elders and the clan's other senior members all voiced their agreement.
Seeing this, Yu Tianheng could hardly refuse and could only accept.
After dismissing the clansmen, Yu Yuanzhen drew Yu Tianheng aside.
"Tianheng, you have Innate Full Soul Power, and your Soul Power has already reached rank ten. There's no need to cultivate through meditation, but if you want to make another breakthrough, you must go hunt a Soul Beast and obtain a Soul Ring before you can advance. Go back and rest today. Tomorrow morning, Grandpa will personally accompany you to hunt a Soul Beast."
"Yes, Grandpa. I'll go back and make some preparations," Yu Tianheng replied.
Yu Yuanzhen nodded, signaling that Yu Tianheng could leave.
After leaving the Awakening Plaza, Yu Tianheng didn't return to his room. Instead, he headed straight for Yu Xiaogang's residence.
He had come to see Yu Xiaogang and find out whether he could reveal some information and try to change his tragic fate, thereby earning Heavenly Mandate Points.
As he approached Yu Xiaogang's residence, a notification suddenly sounded from the system.
"Ding! System mission issued: Yu Xiaogang will soon leave the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and travel the continent. During his travels, he will meet Flender and Liu Erlong and form the Golden Iron Triangle. Liu Erlong and Yu Xiaogang will later fall in love, only to learn that they are cousins. Overwhelmed with anguish and despair, Yu Xiaogang will attempt suicide several times. The host may try to change the course of Yu Xiaogang's life. Reward for success: 500 Heavenly Mandate Points."
The sudden sound startled Yu Tianheng, but he quickly recovered.
He had already wanted to help his poor uncle, but he hadn't expected the system to issue a mission outright.
He could kill two birds with one stone.
Yu Tianheng then knocked on Yu Xiaogang's door.
"Come in!"
Yu Xiaogang's low voice came from inside the room.
Yu Tianheng pushed the door open and entered.
Inside, Yu Xiaogang sat at a desk, surrounded by books on Martial Soul cultivation that filled nearly the entire room.
Clearly, Yu Xiaogang had become so absorbed in studying Martial Soul Theory that he forgot to eat and sleep.
He looked up and was slightly surprised to see that his visitor was Yu Tianheng.
Yu Tianheng stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Yu Xiaogang. "Your nephew greets you, Uncle."
Yu Xiaogang looked dazed for a moment.
Ever since he had awakened a Trash Martial Soul and become a laughingstock of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, no one had treated him so courteously in many years.
Even his most beloved father and his own elder brother, born of the same mother, hadn't come to see him in a long time.
He hadn't expected that, after so long, someone would still remember him.
Yu Xiaogang, who had experienced so much of the warmth and coldness of human relations, was deeply moved.
"Tianheng, it's you. What brings you here? Did you need something from me?"
The visit had come so suddenly that Yu Xiaogang hadn't yet figured out how to talk to Yu Tianheng.