Unaware of the "wonderful" future awaiting him, Yu Xiaogang finally nodded under Yu Yuanzhen's expectant gaze.
It was only a friendly spar with his father. There was nothing to fear.
Yet, for some reason, the moment he agreed, a sudden chill ran down his spine.
"Was that just my imagination?"
Scratching his head, Yu Xiaogang quickly dismissed the strange feeling.
Now that he had successfully broken through to Rank 40, his next priority was obtaining his fourth spirit ring.
Coincidentally, the Grand Elder also planned to acquire his ninth spirit ring, allowing them to accomplish both tasks during the same journey.
"So," Yu Yuanzhen asked, "have you decided what kind of spirit ring you want for your fourth ring?"
Yu Xiaogang fell silent for a moment before answering.
"I think I'll continue following the same direction as before—Dragon-type Spirit Beasts with the Light attribute."
"However, I don't think I need to insist that the Spirit Beast must be dragon-type."
"If I encounter a Spirit Beast with an exceptionally powerful Light attribute, even if it isn't a dragon, I'd still consider it."
After careful consideration, Yu Xiaogang believed it was best to continue following the path suggested by the God of Destruction.
After all, it was a cultivation path personally recommended by a god.
At the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about wasting his talent.
As long as he continued down this road, the only thing that could limit his future achievements would be his own potential.
There was another reason for his decision.
After absorbing so many dragon-type spirit rings, Xiao Long's weakened foundation—caused by Yu Xiaogang's innate Rank 1 Soul Power—had largely recovered.
The most obvious evidence was Xiao Long's dramatic increase in size after obtaining its third spirit ring.
Furthermore, Xiao Long had now absorbed a piece of Crimson Blood Amber.
The blood that formed this treasure originated from a dragon-type Spirit Beast over one hundred thousand years old.
Such an extraordinary treasure was more than enough to compensate for Xiao Long's previous deficiencies.
"So from now on," Yu Xiaogang continued, "the primary factor when choosing spirit rings will be the strength of their Light attribute."
"If they're dragon-type as well, that would be even better."
Yu Yuanzhen nodded approvingly.
He understood exactly what his son meant.
Yu Xiaogang wanted to specialize in the Light attribute until it eventually evolved into the legendary Ultimate Light, just as the God of Destruction had described.
That was a wise decision.
At the very least, it proved that his son wasn't blindly arrogant.
Throughout his life, Yu Yuanzhen had met countless talented people who believed only in themselves and ignored the advice and experience of their predecessors.
Almost all of them eventually paid a heavy price for their arrogance.
Thinking about those people, Yu Yuanzhen couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
"Even my son, with all his talent, still values the experience of those who came before him."
"Yet those fools, who aren't even half as capable as him, still think they know everything."
"They truly don't know the immensity of heaven and earth."
Afterward, father and son continued discussing future spirit ring plans.
During the conversation, Yu Xiaogang summoned Xiao Long once more.
The little dragon entered the secret chamber.
Nearby, Yang Lie—who had mostly recovered from his injuries—summoned his Martial Soul and began refining the second piece of Crimson Blood Amber.
As the crimson treasure slowly melted inside the furnace, Yang Lie's heart ached.
Only now did he truly understand how priceless the Crimson Blood Amber was.
It had directly raised the Young Sect Master's spirit power by five levels while simultaneously improving his innate talent.
A treasure capable of enhancing both cultivation and talent...
Such a heaven-defying item actually existed.
"If only I had something like that..."
He swallowed hard.
The moment the second piece of Crimson Blood Amber appeared, Yang Lie's eyes practically turned green with envy.
Of course, envy was one thing.
Actually stealing it was another.
Even a fool understood the value of such a treasure.
Items capable of improving a person's talent were comparable to Spirit Bones.
Every Spirit Master knew exactly how valuable a Spirit Bone was.
It wasn't something someone like him could ever hope to possess.
Still...
"I really want it..."
On the surface, Yang Lie calmly maintained the fire with complete concentration.
Inside, however, his heart was already crying, screaming, and rolling around in despair.
Time quietly passed.
Night gradually descended.
Fortunately, Spirit Masters rarely relied on sleep.
Years of cultivation had taught them to replace sleep with meditation.
Unless they were completely exhausted, a single meditation session not only restored their energy but also improved their cultivation.
It truly accomplished two things at once.
At dawn, a powerful pressure suddenly erupted from deep within the residence.
The Grand Elder was the first to awaken.
His expression immediately became serious as he turned toward the source.
After realizing the pressure originated from the secret chamber where Xiao Long was refining the Crimson Blood Amber, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Xiaogang..."
"Xiao Long... this pressure..."
He looked at Yu Xiaogang with obvious shock.
The fact that even he could feel this pressure was astonishing.
Yu Xiaogang's own cultivation was nowhere near strong enough to affect him.
That meant the pressure could only be coming from Xiao Long itself.
That was the truly unbelievable part.
The Grand Elder possessed one of the strongest Beast Spirits—the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon—and was already a Quasi-Titled Douluo.
For someone at his level to feel suppressed by the aura of a Rank 40 Spirit...
What level had Xiao Long's Martial Soul reached?
Even Yu Yuanzhen hadn't possessed such overwhelming spiritual pressure before his Martial Soul evolved.
Could it be that Xiao Long's quality had already reached a level comparable to Yu Yuanzhen's evolved Martial Soul, despite Yu Xiaogang being only Rank 40?
Yu Yuanzhen had also awakened because of the commotion.
After hearing the Grand Elder's observations, he rubbed his hands together excitedly before grinning at his son.
"If that's really true..."
"Then you've truly held Xiao Long back all these years."
"A Martial Soul whose quality surpasses even the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was nearly ruined because of your innate talent."
"Fortunately, you managed to restore its true potential."
"Otherwise, if you had taken even one wrong step..."
"Xiao Long might have remained nothing more than a little pig-like Martial Soul forever."
Yu Xiaogang rolled his eyes.
"...Father, if you don't have anything nice to say, you really don't have to say anything at all."
He had never met another father who enjoyed reopening his own son's old wounds so much.
Still...
As unpleasant as Yu Yuanzhen's words were, they were undeniably true.
His own weak talent had once dragged Xiao Long down.
Fortunately, he had never given up.
Step by step, he had restored everything that had been lost.
With that thought in mind, Yu Xiaogang turned toward the secret chamber.
Although the walls blocked his view, it felt as though he could already see Xiao Long inside.
"The previous evolutions..."
"No."
"Everything up until now has merely been restoring Xiao Long to what it was originally meant to be."
He smiled faintly.
"Perhaps..."
"Tonight is the true Martial Soul Awakening that should have belonged to Xiao Long from the very beginning."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)