Having taken the Narcissus Jade Muscle Bone, Dugu Yan's skin was fairer than snow, with a faint blush on her cheeks and a jade-like luster.
Though still young, she already possessed a beauty that could topple a kingdom.
When she saw Yu Tianming, who had grown significantly taller and now radiated a chilling aura, she almost didn't recognize him.
Leaning her slender body against the doorway, she fiddled with her pale, jade-like fingers, hesitating to speak.
In the distance, Yu Yuanzhen smiled and said to Yu Tianming, "After sensing your aura, I had someone inform Yan Yan, Tianxin, and Tianheng to wait for you in the manor. Yan Yan must've gotten anxious and run outside to wait for you."
The three of them walked up to Dugu Yan.
Seeing his granddaughter, even the normally stern face of Dugu Bo softened as he whispered, "Yan Yan, how come you're speechless now that you've seen Tianming?"
Dugu Yan didn't reply. She just stared intently at Yu Tianming.
Seeing this, Yu Tianming stepped forward and smiled. "It's been two years. You don't recognize me, or did my killing intent scare you?"
Still silent, Dugu Yan suddenly threw her arms around his arm and choked up, "I thought… I thought you wouldn't make it back. I thought I'd never see you again."
Yu Tianming patted her head gently, teasing her, "But I'm back, aren't I? If I hadn't returned, you wouldn't have to return the betrothal gift Grandpa gave you."
The current Dugu Yan was no longer the bold and unrestrained girl from the original story.
Though she'd met many people and broadened her horizons during her time at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, she still turned bashful in front of the one she liked.
As soon as Yu Tianming mentioned the "betrothal gift" again—two soul bones gifted by Yu Yuanzhen—her cheeks flushed red, and she stopped crying, simply holding onto his arm in silence.
As if drawn by the commotion, two young men in blue walked out from the sect master's residence.
They looked quite similar—both tall with sharp features. One was about 1.9 meters tall, the other close to 1.8.
They were none other than 13-year-old Yu Tianxin and just-turned-11 Yu Tianheng.
Yu Tianheng rushed up when he saw Yu Tianming, saying excitedly, "Brother Tianming! You've changed so much in two years—you're almost as tall as Grandpa now. And you have this... this chilling aura. You scared me a bit."
Yu Tianming smiled gently, "My aura may have changed, but give it some time, and I'll be back to my usual self."
Yu Tianxin arrived a step later than Tianheng and looked at Yu Tianming, whose arm was still held by Dugu Yan. He smirked teasingly.
"I thought Yan had just stepped out for air, but turns out she snuck out alone to wait for you."
Not sure how to respond, Yu Tianming changed the topic. "Looks like your soul power has improved a lot, Tianxin. In a few years, you might break through to Soul King."
Hearing this, Yu Tianxin's teasing smile faded slightly, and he said with a touch of bitterness, "I'm only at Rank 45. Still quite far from Soul King. Compared to most, I'm considered a genius—but with you, the gap just keeps growing."
"You're overestimating me," Yu Tianming replied. "In the past two years, I've only advanced two ranks. We're not far apart."
Yu Tianxin looked surprised. "This is prime cultivation time. Why waste two years on an adventure? Isn't that a waste of precious training time?"
Yu Tianming only smiled without answering.
After all, at just eight and a half years old, he was only Rank 23. But in the span of two and a half years, he had consumed many immortal herbs, absorbed three soul rings beyond his limit, and reached Rank 50 at age eleven.
As Yu Tianxin pointed out, it was his fastest growth period—but Yu Tianming had his reasons for leaving.
Now that he'd entered the mid-to-late stages of cultivation and his pace was slowing, he—just like Tang San—needed to head to Slaughter City to obtain the Death God Domain and improve his combat strength.
Slaughter City was also the perfect place to consolidate the rapid growth he had gained and make up for his lack of battle experience.
More importantly, he had bigger things to do in the years ahead. There would be no chance to go to Slaughter City later.
Though countless thoughts swirled in his mind, Yu Tianming only said aloud, "The place I went this time is actually quite suitable for Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit Masters. You two might consider going in the future."
The two were Yu Tianming's successors in the sect's line of succession and had long known what kind of place Slaughter City was.
Upon hearing this, both of them shook their heads rapidly. "Forget it. With our strength, wouldn't going there be suicide?"
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon spirit didn't provide passive buffs like Ghidorah. Instead, each part of the body that underwent dragonization granted one unique dragonization skill—but those couldn't be used in Slaughter City.
Its advantage over ordinary beast spirits was that dragonization gave them a deeper level of bestial transformation, making their bodies tougher than average Soul Masters, but it was far from overwhelming.
The Clear Sky Sect, on the other hand, had numerous self-created skills—such as the Grand Xumi Hammer, Clear Sky Nine Techniques, and the Wild Wind Splitting Hammer Technique—all usable in Slaughter City and thus more advantageous.
"I'm not telling you to go now," Yu Tianming said. "Once you're Soul Sages and can fully dragonize, with a few soul bones as backup, then you'll be ready. It'll be easy for you to pass Slaughter City by then."
He thought to himself: 'By the time they reach Rank 70, I'll probably be a Titled Douluo. Even if they can't make it through, I could always go in and pull them out. Wouldn't that be great?'
Yu Yuanzhen's eyes gleamed when he heard this, muttering, "If Tianxin and Tianheng both acquire the Death God Domain, then wouldn't the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect have three Death Gods? In a few years, once they're powerful enough, we'll have the Blue Lightning Trio—far surpassing the Clear Sky Twin Stars of old."
Dugu Bo chimed in, "Tianxin's already Rank 45 at 13, and both Tianheng and Yan Yan are at Rank 36. In a few decades, our sect will have four Titled Douluo. There are only a dozen or so Titled Douluo on the continent—if that happens, we'll hold nearly half of them!"
"Sure, there are only a dozen or so publicly known Titled Douluo, but who knows how many are hiding in the shadows. Still, if Tianming and the others become Super Douluo, our sect would be unrivaled on the continent."
The two old men grew more and more outrageous, talking as if the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect already stood at the very peak of the world.
Yu Tianming couldn't help but cut in, "Grandpa, when are we heading to Heaven Dou City to visit Yue Xuan?"
(End of Chapter)
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