For the moment, no one paid attention to Dugu Bo's complicated emotions or the fact that he was beginning to question whether he was dreaming.
At this point, the Grand Elder was entirely focused on another matter.
Yu Xiaogang's refusal to absorb the Spirit Bone.
After several rounds of persuasion, the old man had nearly exhausted every argument he could think of, yet Yu Xiaogang remained completely unmoved.
The more the Grand Elder tried to convince him, the calmer Yu Xiaogang became.
In the end, it was Yu Yuanzhen who finally stepped forward and ended the argument.
"Enough, Grand Elder," Yu Yuanzhen said helplessly.
"Xiaogang has always been independent. Once he makes a decision, nobody can force him to change his mind."
Hearing this, the Grand Elder almost coughed up blood from frustration.
How could there be such a father and son pair in this world?
Others would desperately fight for a sixty-thousand-year Skull Spirit Bone.
Yet these two were casually discussing whether to give it away.
From Yu Yuanzhen's perspective, however, his son's behavior was not surprising at all.
Ever since Yu Xiaogang absorbed a thousand-year First Spirit Ring at less than ten years old, Yu Yuanzhen had understood exactly what kind of personality his son possessed.
Determined.
Stubborn.
And frighteningly resolute.
Back then, even many adult Spirit Masters would not have dared attempt such a reckless feat, yet Yu Xiaogang had endured it through sheer willpower.
A child capable of that level of determination would never waver once he truly made up his mind.
The Grand Elder still looked unwilling.
"But this is a sixty-thousand-year Skull Spirit Bone!"
His voice trembled with disbelief.
Do you understand what that means?
On the entire Douluo Continent, countless Titled Douluo would lose sleep over such a treasure.
Yet Yu Xiaogang rejected it without hesitation simply because he believed it lacked compatibility.
Seeing the Grand Elder's reaction, Yu Yuanzhen could only smile bitterly.
"To be honest," he said, "I actually think Xiaogang's reasoning makes sense."
"A Spirit Bone that suits the user is always the best choice."
"Xiaogang possesses a light-attribute dragon Spirit. This Medusa skull bone simply isn't compatible with him."
These words were not merely spoken to comfort Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Yuanzhen genuinely believed them.
After absorbing his own Spirit Bone earlier, his understanding of compatibility had deepened significantly.
The reason he had advanced directly to Rank 96 after absorption was because the Spirit Bone matched him perfectly.
It originated from a thunder-attributed Spirit Beast, making it highly compatible with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit.
The synchronization between Spirit Bone and martial spirit had been extraordinary.
In fact, after the absorption process ended, Yu Yuanzhen vaguely felt as though his martial spirit itself had evolved slightly.
Because of this experience, Yu Yuanzhen found himself believing more and more in Yu Xiaogang's theories regarding Spirit evolution.
Unfortunately, the Grand Elder nearly exploded after hearing those words.
The father was ridiculous.
The son was even more ridiculous.
One refused to absorb a priceless Spirit Bone because of "compatibility."
The other simply supported him without question.
What kind of father behaved this way?
Normally, a powerful father should guide his son carefully—teach him cultivation, plan his future, and help him grow stronger.
But Yu Yuanzhen?
As long as Yu Xiaogang said something, he immediately agreed.
The Grand Elder genuinely felt exhausted.
Fortunately, he still did not know the full extent of Yu Xiaogang's recent gains.
If he learned that Yu Xiaogang had already gifted a fifty-thousand-year Spirit Bone to Bibi Dong and planned to use numerous low-level Spirit Bones as experimental materials, the old man's heart might truly fail on the spot.
Finally, after a long silence, the Grand Elder gave up completely.
"Fine!"
"I don't care anymore!"
He waved his sleeves angrily.
"When you regret this decision in the future, don't come crying to me!"
Yu Xiaogang merely smiled calmly.
Then he looked toward Yu Yuanzhen.
"In that case," he asked, "why don't we give this Spirit Bone to Elder Dugu?"
The moment those words were spoken, everyone turned toward Dugu Bo.
Including Dugu Bo himself.
For a brief second, he almost thought he had misheard.
Me?
A sixty-thousand-year Skull Spirit Bone… for me?
Yu Yuanzhen noticed Dugu Bo's stunned expression and curled his lips slightly.
"If we don't give it to Elder Dugu, who else would be more suitable?"
"After all, this Spirit Bone came from the same Spirit Beast that provided the spirit ring."
To tell the truth, Yu Yuanzhen had briefly considered giving the Spirit Bone to the Grand Elder or another elder within the sect.
Perhaps it could help one of them break through to the Titled Douluo realm.
But after thinking carefully, he realized Dugu Bo was actually the most suitable choice.
Thanks to the Medusa spirit ring, Dugu Bo's martial spirit had already evolved from the Jade Phosphor Serpent into the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor.
That evolution alone had greatly increased his potential.
If he also absorbed the matching Medusa skull bone, then reaching the Titled Douluo realm would become almost inevitable.
And there was another important point.
By giving this Spirit Bone to Dugu Bo, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect would further strengthen his loyalty.
Not only that, but it would also send a message to every affiliated force and independent Spirit Master in the world.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect rewarded its people generously.
As long as someone contributed sincerely, the sect would never treat them poorly.
This single action could attract countless talents in the future.
The more Yu Yuanzhen thought about it, the more satisfied he became with the idea.
Thus, he directly agreed.
The moment Yu Yuanzhen spoke, Dugu Bo's heart nearly exploded with joy.
Among everyone present, Yu Yuanzhen's authority was naturally the highest.
But what shocked Dugu Bo most was that Yu Xiaogang's opinion now seemed second only to Yu Yuanzhen himself.
Once both father and son agreed on something, nobody could oppose them.
Sure enough, the Grand Elder only glanced at the Spirit Bone once before closing his eyes.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Unfortunately, his trembling fingers betrayed how painful this decision truly was for him.
As for Lin Lang, he naturally had even fewer objections.
Although he envied the Spirit Bone greatly, he understood his own situation clearly.
First, the Spirit Bone was incompatible with his martial spirit.
Second, he had already obtained a Spirit Bone recently despite contributing very little to the sect.
If he tried to take another one now, even he would feel ashamed.
Thus, no one objected.
Dugu Bo stepped forward carefully.
His hands trembled slightly as he accepted the Spirit Bone.
"Thank you, Sect Master."
"And thank you, Young Master Xiaogang."
His usually cold and sinister voice actually contained sincere gratitude.
Carefully, he stored the Spirit Bone within his robes.
He had no intention of absorbing it immediately.
After all, a Spirit Bone was an unimaginable treasure.
Simply holding it in his hands already felt unreal.
He wanted to properly appreciate it first.
Meanwhile, in the Black World, inside the Sunset Forest…
Dugu Bo stared blankly at the heavenly screen above.
For a long time, he said nothing.
Only after several moments did he finally mutter:
"So… there really isn't much difference between me and my counterpart from the parallel world."
Then his expression became complicated.
"No… actually, he's luckier than me."
"He managed to attach himself to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect."
At first, when Dugu Bo saw Yu Yuanzhen personally leading a hunting team and inviting his parallel self into the sect, he already felt somewhat envious.
However, he originally believed the Medusa Spirit Bone would probably never appear.
After all, the birth of a Spirit Bone involved tremendous luck and uncertainty.
Even slight differences during a hunt could change whether a Spirit Bone appeared at all.
Yet unexpectedly, the Spirit Bone still manifested.
And even more unbelievably…
Yu Xiaogang and Yu Yuanzhen directly gave it to Dugu Bo.
A sixty-thousand-year Skull Spirit Bone.
Just like that.
Even now, Dugu Bo still found it difficult to believe.
At this moment, he began seriously recalling the conduct of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect in his own world.
Although the two worlds differed greatly because of Yu Xiaogang's existence, most people remained fundamentally the same.
That meant the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect in his world likely possessed a similar style of behavior.
Thinking this far, Dugu Bo's expression gradually changed.
He suddenly thought about his granddaughter, Dugu Yan.
And also about Yu Tianheng.
Originally, Dugu Bo did not care too much about the relationship between the two younger generation members.
But now…
Perhaps it was worth considering seriously.
If the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect truly valued its people this highly, then allowing Dugu Yan to marry into the sect might not be a bad thing at all.
At the same time, Dugu Bo was not the only person having such thoughts.
Across the Black World, numerous small clans and independent Spirit Masters were equally shocked by what they had witnessed.
The behavior of the parallel world's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect was simply too attractive.
For weaker factions seeking support, loyalty, protection, and future opportunities mattered greatly.
And now the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect appeared extraordinarily generous.
Powerful.
United.
And willing to reward talent.
To many smaller forces, that combination was irresistible.
Ironically, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect of the Black World had done absolutely nothing themselves.
Yet because of the heavenly screen displaying the actions of their parallel counterparts, their reputation began skyrocketing throughout the continent.
Countless people started viewing the sect in a completely different light.
Even the disciples of the Black World's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect felt confused.
They had not expected their sect's reputation to rise simply by "lying down and doing nothing."
Inside the sect, several elders looked at each other awkwardly.
One elder coughed lightly.
"…Should we take this opportunity to recruit new members?"
Another elder nodded seriously.
"I think we should."
Meanwhile, Yu Tianheng himself suddenly noticed that the way many people looked at him had become strangely enthusiastic.
Especially certain small clans.
Some even secretly approached him, attempting to build relationships.
Yu Tianheng: "...?"
He had no idea what was happening.
But one thing was certain.
Thanks to the parallel world's Yu Xiaogang and Yu Yuanzhen, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's reputation in the Black World had unknowingly risen to an entirely new level.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)