Sect Leader's Mansion, Council Hall.
Yu Yuanzhen sat at the head of the table. Before he could even speak, an old man with sparse hair, a face etched with deep wrinkles, but a fairly healthy complexion—one who clearly lived a life of comfort—spoke up with a face full of rage.
"This is absolutely preposterous! A mere child, daring to run wild in our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!"
"Yu Luomian, how could you let him leave so easily!"
"Our clan's reputation has been dragged through the mud."
This man was Yu Zhenhuan, the person with the highest seniority currently in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family, one generation above Yu Yuanzhen and his brothers.
Seeing this old fossil starting to pull rank again, Yu Luomian had no choice but to endure it. However, before he could respond, Yu Yuanzhen took over the conversation.
"Second Uncle, the fault for this matter lies with me as the clan leader. I shall reflect on it!"
Seeing that Yu Yuanzhen had taken all the responsibility upon himself, Yu Zhenhuan naturally couldn't say anything more. The sect's only Title Douluo could not be suppressed by mere seniority, not to mention that he also had a prospective Title Douluo as an in-law. He could only relent.
"The clan leader does indeed need to reflect. But the most pressing matter is how to handle the aftermath of this incident?"
Yu Yuanzhen shook his head and said.
"Cold treatment. This matter ends here."
As soon as these words left Yu Yuanzhen's mouth, the various elders below who had not witnessed the scene began to whisper among themselves. Yu Luomian remained silent, while Yu Zhenhuan exclaimed in shock and anger.
"What?"
"That brat from the Yang family caused such a scene in our clan, and we are just going to let him go? Where is our clan's dignity?"
With the senior elder having spoken, some elders not belonging to the sect leader's faction also chimed in.
"Clan leader, our clan cannot be insulted."
"That's right! That kid, and the family behind him, must pay the price!"
"..."
Watching the indignation of the crowd below, Yu Yuanzhen simply said calmly.
"Yang Wudi has broken through to the Title Douluo realm."
Upon hearing Yu Yuanzhen's revelation, the elders in the sect were instantly silenced. They understood the Soul Breaking Spear and knew that this clan's offensive power had always been supreme among their peers. It would be highly unwise to rashly go to war with a Soul Breaking Spear Title Douluo. If anything were to happen to Yu Yuanzhen, their Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan could not bear the consequences.
The pride of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon did not allow these elders to bow their heads, but reality told them that they "had to bow whether they wanted to or not," which made them extremely annoyed. Yu Zhenhuan said with some unwillingness.
"Are we just going to let them off like this?"
Yu Yuanzhen looked at Yu Zhenhuan and the other elders with flushed faces and said in a deep voice.
"So, I would like to ask what ideas you elders have?"
Hearing Yu Yuanzhen's question, the elders of the Yu family began to chatter. Their expressions, usually stiff due to their family heritage, became more animated, but their specific proposals were bizarre.
Some suggested issuing a public condemnation, but this was rejected by other elders; they didn't want this matter to spread, feeling it was shameful. Others proposed commercial sanctions, but their family's business wasn't that large. The Breaking Clan had the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect protecting them, and they were also leaders in the field of medicine themselves; the Yu family didn't have the capability to do that.
Several ideas were proposed, but they ended up rejecting them all themselves. In the end, after thinking it over and finding nothing useful, they decided to turn their focus toward dealing with their own people.
They were very familiar with this aspect, and all sorts of ideas emerged one after another. Some said the Sect Discipline Hall's reaction was too slow and the handling was inadequate, that the current person in charge was incompetent and should be replaced. Others claimed the Sect Intelligence Department's reaction was too slow and they were guilty of negligence, requiring a re-audit. Even more daringly, some suggested impeaching Yu Luomian for letting Yun Ming go and proposed stripping him of his position as First Elder.
When dealing with outsiders who had some strength, they were timid and their brains turned to mush, unable to come up with a feasible plan. But when it came to their own people, they could always find shortcomings from novel angles and then strike with heavy fists, bravely experimenting for the sake of their own faction's bright future.
Listening to the suggestions of these elders, Yu Yuanzhen's face grew darker and darker. Every one of them was calculating their own interests right in front of his face.
At a time like this, these high-ranking and powerful sect elders could still think about infighting and securing benefits for their own side. It was truly something; they were worthy of being the family that could even drive away the "enduring humiliation" Grandmaster Yu.
Yu Yuanzhen sighed inwardly. Having a group of elders so capable of "helping him solve problems" was truly his "good fortune."
Hearing the increasingly intense arguments among the elders, Yu Yuanzhen couldn't take it anymore and interrupted.
"Enough! That's all for today. Let's leave it at that for now!"
As he spoke, he waved his hand to make them leave quickly. Seeing the dark, pot-bottom expression on Yu Yuanzhen's face, the elders led by Yu Zhenhuan knew it wasn't the time to say more and took their leave. Yu Luomian looked at his older brother's unpleasant expression, opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't say anything and exited the hall.
Watching everyone leave, Yu Yuanzhen felt a splitting headache. Working with such a group of vermin who bound his hands and feet, how could the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon ever be great again? He recalled Yun Ming's suggestions and lectures and began to ponder the current situation.
It was hard to judge the other things Yun Ming spoke of, but the situation was indeed different now. The Clear Sky Sect had been wiped out, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's stance was currently very ambiguous. If it were just them alone, continuing to fight against the Martial Soul Hall would definitely be a dead end. Under this landscape, he could only think of two paths: one was to follow Yun Ming's suggestion and submit to the Martial Soul Hall, and the other was to change their neutral stance and cooperate with one of the Two Great Empires.
Originally, according to his thinking, this was a single-choice question; the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan could not collude with the Martial Soul Hall. However, Yun Ming's perspective on the sect had also caused his long-held beliefs to be shaken.
The upper limit of a pure family force was relatively low compared to the empires and the Martial Soul Hall. The only way to break through that limit was to produce supreme powerhouses. Yet, their Yu family hadn't produced a Title Douluo in decades, let alone a supreme powerhouse of the Soul Master World. Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin had talent, but only to the level of Yu Luomian; it was unknown if they could even break through to the Title Douluo realm in the future.
If things continued like this, let alone the upper limit of a family force, once Yu Yuanzhen passed away, the Yu family might not even be able to maintain their status as one of the Upper Three Sects.
Thinking of this, Yu Yuanzhen finally realized the fact that his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was now standing on the edge of a cliff. A flash of determination crossed his eyes, and he murmured.
"It seems the time for change has finally arrived."
Afterward, he stood up and left the Council Hall, heading toward the Sect Intelligence Department. For the final decision between the empire and the Martial Soul Hall, he needed more intelligence on the continental situation to make this choice.
Half a month later.
Heaven Dou City, Breaking Clan Residence.
Today, the Breaking Clan residence was decorated with lanterns and streamers, and the street in front was bustling with carriages. Rare, top-tier carriages—the kind only used by great nobles and high-class soul master families—were parked everywhere outside the residence. It was clear that a grand banquet was being held.
And this banquet was none other than Yang Wudi's Title Banquet.
───────────────
Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader