Xue Qinghe spoke first, "I've long heard that the prodigy of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is a rare mutated spirit with innate full soul power. Truly invincible among peers."
Yu Tianming's heart skipped a beat—who had gone around giving him such an exaggerated title? He quickly replied, "The world is vast, and powerful soul masters abound. How could I dare call myself invincible?"
Xue Qinghe smiled slightly. "Forgive me for asking, but what level is your soul power now, Brother Tianming?"
Yu Tianming thought to himself: if Xue Qinghe really is Qian Renxue in disguise, then with her innate level 20 spirit power, she should be over level 30 by now. If she had spirit bones, she might even be at level 40.
No matter how he looked at it, Xue Qinghe's smile seemed too meaningful. So he replied humbly, "I'm dull by nature. I've only just passed level 20."
"To be just ten years old and already have over level 20 soul power—if that's dull, then I must be the dullest of all," Xue Qinghe said with a chuckle.
"As the crown prince, there's no need for you to be personally involved in everything, Brother. Soul power is just a number."
As they spoke, the two arrived at a garden. Rare spirit beasts in iron-barred cages growled and roared as Xue Qinghe approached.
With a wave of his hand, a lavishly dressed servant arrived carrying a silver tray stacked with exotic, freshly washed fruits. Kneeling on one knee, the servant respectfully raised the tray to Xue Qinghe's hand level.
Xue Qinghe picked up a fruit and casually tossed it into a pen holding a bird-like spirit beast resembling an ostrich. He glanced at Yu Tianming and said, "Swans can never compare to dragons. Without strength, you're doomed to be manipulated."
Seeing this, Yu Tianming also picked up a fruit that resembled a strawberry—something even ordinary nobles might never see. He bit into half, then tossed the rest into the pen, replying calmly:
"Even those with strength still get caught up in worldly affairs. True freedom is hard to come by."
Xue Qinghe laughed again. "You have great insight, Brother Tianming. One day, you'll surely lead the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to new glory."
"When that day comes, the two of us, working together, will restore Heaven Dou's greatness and bring prosperity to all its people."
As they walked and talked, their discussion flowed from soul power to clans, and from clans to politics. Every time Xue Qinghe voiced an opinion, Yu Tianming echoed it in agreement.
It was like Boya meeting Ziqi, two kindred spirits united by sound. They spoke with such passion that it seemed they were ready to swear blood brotherhood like Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei. But how much of it was genuine? That was hard to say.
As dusk approached, Xue Qinghe said, "Father has arranged a banquet tonight to welcome the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Let's attend it together."
"Then I'll trouble you to lead the way, Brother."
Under the bright lights of the palace, the two walked back unhurriedly. When they arrived at the main hall, the banquet had not yet started.
Yu Tianming made his way through the crowd and saw Xue Ye, Yu Yuanzhen, and a refined man with elegant features chatting together.
The man looked to be around thirty, graceful and composed, standing at about eight feet tall. Despite being slightly shorter than Xue Ye and Yu Yuanzhen, his presence stood out the most. He was clearly the world's number one support-type soul master—Ning Fengzhi.
Upon seeing him, Xue Qinghe immediately stepped forward and bowed. "Disciple pays respects to Teacher."
"No need for formalities, Qinghe," Ning Fengzhi replied. "This must be the prodigy of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
Yu Tianming felt a bit speechless at hearing that title again. I haven't even fully matured yet, and my reputation is already attracting attention. One of these days, it might attract assassins instead.
Despite his thoughts, he didn't hesitate. He mirrored Xue Qinghe's bow. "Greetings, Sect Master Ning."
"No need for courtesy. Thunder Crown truly has a fine grandson." Ning Fengzhi removed a ring from his finger and handed it to Yu Tianming. "A small gift from me. From now on, just call me Uncle Ning."
Yu Tianming took the chance without hesitation. "Thank you, Uncle Ning."
Ning Fengzhi then pointed to a playful little girl in the arms of an elderly man nearby. "I have a daughter, very dear to me. You may consider her your little sister—take good care of her."
Though Ning Rongrong had yet to awaken her spirit, Ning Fengzhi and the two Titled Douluo with him clearly adored her. Even here at the banquet, the two mighty Douluo were playing with a little girl.
Seeing this, Emperor Xue Ye chimed in, "I too have a daughter, Xue Ke. If you're interested, Tianming, I can make the engagement official right now."
Xue Ye wasn't sure if Ning Fengzhi truly intended to marry off his beloved daughter, but he knew that his own daughter wouldn't be much help to the Heaven Dou royal family after her spirit awakening. It was better to pull the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan onto their side now.
Both Thunderclap Academy and Blue Tyrant Academy were within Heaven Dou's borders, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan already showed subtle leanings toward the empire.
But Yu Yuanzhen didn't want to make such open political moves. He quickly said, "The children are still young. Let's wait and let them decide when they're older."
Ning Fengzhi also nodded in agreement. "I think the Thunder Crown is right. Let's leave this to the future."
Xue Ye chuckled and stroked his beard. "You're right, of course. That was presumptuous of me."
The three elders chatted pleasantly, looking every bit the cordial hosts and guests.
Meanwhile, Yu Tianming was snacking on pastries off a servant's tray, fiddling excitedly with the ring in his hand. It wasn't that he was inexperienced with luxury, but Ning Fengzhi's gift was extravagant.
Unlike the Twelve Bridges Moonlit Night box Grandmaster gave Tang San—which had 12 cubic meters of space—this ring, though compact, had a full 27 cubic meters of storage. And tucked away in a corner was a mountain of gold soul coins—nearly five million by his rough estimate.
With just this gift, Yu Tianming wouldn't have to worry about money for twenty years. So this was the wealth of the world's richest sect—utterly terrifying.
As the elders talked and drank, Yu Tianming sipped juice off to the side. The noble kids held no value to him, and Uncle Ning's overwhelming generosity had made him giddy like a child, just like little Ning Rongrong.
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The next morning, Ah Zhu and Ah Zhi woke Yu Tianming.
"You're up late today, Young Master. Did you forget we're heading to Blue Tyrant Academy?" Ah Zhu reminded him.
Ah Zhi teased from the side, "I heard Emperor Xue Ye wanted to marry off his daughter to you last night. Were you too excited to sleep?"
Though the two maids hadn't attended the banquet, somehow they still picked up on the gossip.
Yu Tianming didn't mind. As he got dressed, he casually replied, "It was just small talk."
His real focus was on the Blue Tyrant Academy he'd dreamed of for so long, where he would finally meet his famous yet never-before-seen aunt—Liu Erlong.
Still teasing, Ah Zhi added, "You might think it was a joke, but Emperor Xue Ye wasn't joking."
Ah Zhu chimed in too. "If the Young Master and Princess Xue Ke were to marry, then our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan would be tied to the Heaven Dou royal family."
As the two gossiped, Yu Tianming finished dressing and set off for Blue Tyrant Academy.
(End of Chapter)
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