Chapter 8: Choosing the First Soul Ring.
"Boss, from now on, we're your little brothers. If you point east, we'll never dare to go west."
Although their voices weren't very synchronized, their respectful attitude was genuine.
As they spoke, they secretly glanced at the large pit beside them.
[Waiting for you to findpockmarked face]
[They had just been pulled out of the pit by the group.]
At this moment, they had no intention of reneging on their promise; they were completely subdued by Yu Xiaolie.
The pockmarked-faced one was the quick-witted one, and he was the first to praise Yu Xiaolie:
"Second Young Master is indeed extraordinary. With just a meager amount of soul power, he managed to beat us to a pulp."
The remaining outer disciples weren't fools either; with one person taking the lead, they all followed suit and flattered Yu Xiaolie.
Yu Xiaolie raised his chin, signaling them to go about their business.
"Okay, boss, then we'll go complete the task assigned by the elders."
Yu Xiaogang was clearly stunned by the battle just now: "Xiaolie, you're actually so powerful! How did you manage to get the beast souls to cooperate with your battle?"
Yu Xiaolie briefly explained the use of Luo Sanpao, but Yu Xiaogang clearly didn't take it much to heart. He said excitedly,
"With this kind of strength, my brother and I might be able to reclaim the position of heir."
Hearing this, Yu Xiaolie smiled enigmatically: "Big brother, I think you're overthinking it."
Yu Xiaolie walked leisurely towards the palace, while Yu Xiaogang followed behind him with a limp, somewhat smug.
Behind a tree out of their sight, the figure of their second grandfather appeared.
Yu Xiaolie, that kid, has surprised me again.
...
The rumors within the sect were quickly confirmed: the young master's wife was indeed pregnant.
A year later, Yu Yuanzhen's third son was born.
Yu Xiaolie inwardly grumbled, "My older brother and I were just diagnosed with useless martial souls, and my father, at my grandfather's insistence, has to start training again. That's incredibly efficient."
However, he wasn't dissatisfied with his younger brother's birth. After all, the sect needed a future heir, and even if a newcomer was given special attention, it wouldn't hinder his own cultivation.
But Yu Xiaogang was different. Ever since he learned of his mother's pregnancy, he had been filled with anxiety.
Even when his adorable younger brother came to ask for a hug, he would quickly walk away with disdain, as if he would be plagued by a plague if he didn't walk slowly.
The appearance of new hope also meant that resources and attention began to shift. The beast meat provided to the two brothers, Xiaogang and Xiaolie, within the sect became noticeably coarser.
For Yu Xiaogang, who was used to a life of luxury, this obvious favoritism made him even more depressed.
The only solace he found was that he wasn't the only one disappointed; after all, he had a younger brother with even weaker soul power.
Seeing the dwindling supply of beast meat, Xiao Lie, who specialized in martial arts, was probably suffering even more than he was.
Reality once again shattered his understanding —as soon as Yu Xiaogang arrived at the back mountain, he saw Yu Xiao Lie and his underlings having a barbecue party.
In just one year, Yu Xiao Lie, through a combination of kindness and severity, had built a small gang of over ten people within the sect.
He called himself their leader, and whenever he had free time, he led them in cultivation, hunting, and self-sufficiency.
The lack of resources clearly didn't affect him; on the contrary, the lack of attention made him live even more freely.
Although they ate meat and chatted like bandits, the smiles on their faces were undeniable.
Yu Xiaogang stood there for a long time, still unable to muster the courage to join them.
Masters are always lonely. Although he wasn't yet worthy of being called a master, as long as he cultivated diligently, he would definitely have a chance to reach the peak in the future!
Yu Xiaogang kept encouraging himself in his heart, even starting to brainwash himself.
...
In the council hall.
"Last time, I didn't say anything when the supply of beast meat to Xiao Gang and Xiao Lie was reduced, but this time, I absolutely refuse to agree to the reduction in the supply of pills!"
The elders attending the meeting were somewhat bewildered, after all, they couldn't remember the last time they had seen the sect's second-in-command, Yu Yuanhai, so angry.
The elder in charge of resource allocation patiently explained, "Second-in-command, the sect leader has already agreed to this matter. For the sake of the third young master's growth, reducing the resources for the two elder brothers is unavoidable." "Besides, in the past, similar situations in the sect have always been handled according to this rule."
Yu Yuanhai was truly angry. He slammed his hand on the table and angrily rebuked,
"Don't talk to me about rules! Xiao Gang and Xiao Lie are also descendants of the Yu clan. How do you know they can't achieve great things in the future?"
Although the elders did not refute him verbally, they all understood in their hearts that, based on past experience, the two young masters, who possessed useless martial souls, would not be able to exceed level 30 in their soul power in this lifetime.
Seeing everyone remain silent, Yu Yuanhai stood up, tossed out a sentence, "I'll go talk to my elder brother myself,"and rushed out of the room.
The others exchanged bewildered glances, shaking their heads repeatedly.
...
Time flies, and six years passed in the blink of an eye.
A year earlier, when Yu Xiaozhen, the third young master of the Yu family, turned six, the sect held a special awakening ceremony just for him.
Perhaps because the last ceremony was too low-key, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Sect was much more discreet this time.
Even the Heavenly Dou Royal Family only learned of the event through rumors after it had already occurred.
To the sect leader's slight embarrassment, this very fact—the lack of a large gathering of guests—was precisely what yielded such excellent results.
Yu Xiaozhen successfully awakened his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Beast Soul and was even identified as a genius with outstanding Soul Power!
Yu Zhentian was overjoyed and ordered that everyone in the sect be rewarded with a gold Soul Coin.
The "Dragon Scale Soft Armor" he had prepared for many years could finally be given away.
Yu Xiaozhen had indeed worked hard; in less than a year since his Soul Awakening, his Soul Power had reached level 10.
As a celebration, and also to discuss how to choose Yu Xiaozhen's first Soul Ring, Yu Zhentian summoned all the Yu family members within the sect.
Yu Zhentian sat in the main seat, with his son Yu Yuanzhen on his left and his third grandson Yu Xiaozhen on his right.
Yu Xiaolie sat next to his mother, looking at the "Three Generations, Three Zhens" at the head of the table, already understanding his grandfather's thoughts.
The successor to the sect after his father was already decided from the seating arrangement.
He himself didn't care; after all, he didn't have the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Beast Soul, and whether he could succeed as sect leader was none of his concern.
However, his stubborn older brother probably still harbored dreams of leading the sect to greater heights.
He searched everywhere for his brother, only to find that Yu Xiaogang seemed to be absent.
Wasn't it a family meeting convened by Grandpa? What was his brother up to, daring to skip it?
At that moment, someone rushed into the main hall—it was Yu Xiaogang.
"I broke through! I broke through to level 10!"
Ignoring the panting from his long run, Yu Xiaogang couldn't wait to announce his achievement to everyone as soon as he entered.
Unfortunately, neither Grandpa, Father, nor his third brother reacted to his words, and everyone else seemed not to have heard him at all.
His mother, Shen Yao, stood up and waved to him with a smile: "That's great, Xiaogang, come sit next to me."
Everyone's eyes were on him for less than two seconds. Although reaching level 10 seemed like something to be happy about, he was already 13 years old.
The third young master, Yu Xiaozhen, reached level 10 at 7, while he was 13—the difference in aptitude seemed like an insurmountable chasm.
Interrupted midway, Yu Zhentian's expression darkened slightly, but he quickly returned to the topic.
"Then let's do as we discussed before. Yuan Hai, you take some men to escort Xiao Zhen to Sunset Forest to hunt for spirit rings." "
Grandpa, I want to go too!"
Yu Xiaogang and Yu Xiaolie said in unison, both expressing their desire to join the spirit ring hunting team.
Although Xiaogang's cultivation speed was slow, it was understandable that he would go to hunt for spirit rings after reaching level ten. Why was Xiaolie joining in?
Yu Zhentian was also slightly surprised. He turned his gaze to Yu Xiaolie.
"Xiaolie, don't be silly. This operation is not safe. Unless you have an urgent need, you shouldn't go."
"I just want to go and learn some experience."
Yu Zhentian was about to refuse when the Second Master spoke up: "Big Brother, don't you trust me? Don't mention three children, even if three more came, I guarantee I'd bring them back safe and sound."
"In that case, alright then."
...
A few days later, the Blue Lightning Sect team hunting for spirit rings entered Sunset Forest.
The Second Master led the way, and a group of guards tightly protected the three young masters in the middle of the team.
Since Yu Xiaozhen's hunting direction was already determined, Second Master gave Yu Xiaogang and Yu Xiaolie some instructions.
"Xiaogang, your martial soul is relatively weak, so your first spirit ring should ideally be a type that can protect you."
"Xiaolie, you can also think about what spirit ring you'll choose in the future."
He agreed verbally, but Yu Xiaolie had already made up his mind.
After suppressing his cultivation level for so long, he could finally show his true strength.
My first spirit ring, just you wait!
(End of Chapter)