Early the next morning, Yu Tianming and Yu Yuanzhen arrived at a secret chamber within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Inside, a large yellow-furred rat, about the height of an adult's calf, was bound with chains around its neck and limbs. This was the second soul ring Yu Tianming had long awaited—the Lightning Rat, a rare rodent-type soul beast with a trace of dragon blood.
The Lightning Rat's fur was sleek and shiny, and it was plump and well-fed—clearly cared for meticulously by the clan.
The chains restraining it were forged from Lightning Iron Ore, with the ends grounded to neutralize its powerful Lightning attacks. As a result, it looked no different from a regular giant rat, easily managed by a few Soul Masters despite being close to 900 years old.
Having been raised for a year, the Lightning Rat was unafraid of humans and calmly continued eating from its food trough, completely unaware its life was about to end.
Yu Yuanzhen raised his hand and used the Yu clan's ancestral first soul skill—Lightning Dragon Claw. A flash of blue lightning shot out, and the feeding Lightning Rat convulsed and collapsed on the ground.
The soul ring configuration of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was, in many ways, highly efficient. Take the first soul skill, Lightning Dragon Claw—it could fire lightning claws at long range, be attached to one's arms for close combat, and even had a paralyzing effect.
One soul skill provided offense, melee, and control. Compared to something like Blue Silver Bind, it was practically divine.
Yu Yuanzhen nudged the rat's twitching body with his foot and chuckled. "Look at this plump, glossy fur. We really put a lot of effort into raising it. It's slightly over the optimal age limit for a second ring—you'd better be careful when absorbing it."
"I understand, Grandpa." Yu Tianming pulled a dagger from his storage soul tool and, with practiced ease, stabbed it into the Lightning Rat's eye, twisting it. Within seconds, the rat stopped twitching, and a yellow soul ring slowly rose from its body.
Having absorbed one soul ring before, he now sat down cross-legged without hesitation. With his martial spirit invoked, he drew the soul ring toward himself with his soul power.
He had chosen the Lightning Rat as his second soul ring because several ancestors of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had reliably obtained a special soul skill from this type of beast—Lightning Domain. Although it had "domain" in its name, it wasn't a true domain.
Its effect resembled electromagnetic induction, forming a detection range spanning several kilometers, significantly enhancing perception within a few meters around the user.
While the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan pursued pure destructive power and dismissed the Lightning Rat due to its inferior dragon lineage, Yu Tianming aimed for a more balanced development. To do that, his early soul ring configuration had to cover his weaknesses.
All martial arts in the world are unstoppable—only speed is unbeatable. The first soul skill ensured he could advance or retreat at will. The second, with electromagnetic sensing, let him detect enemies and prevent ambushes.
He understood how outrageous Tang San's hidden weapons were. In this Xuanhuan-style world, the strongest could still fall to martial arts-world equipment. I won't end up like Qian Renxue. I need a safeguard against Tang San.
Two hours later, Yu Tianming opened his eyes, full of joy. He was now a level 22 Grand Soul Master. Whether due to his Ghidorah martial spirit or not, the ring's effect was even better than expected.
The Lightning Rat's soul ring granted him perception within a hundred meters even without activating the soul skill. When the second skill was used, everything within several kilometers projected directly into his mind.
It wasn't visual—more like a divine perspective, letting him observe his surroundings without any blind spots. The closer something was, the clearer he perceived it. Just like Enel's Mantra from One Piece, he thought.
Yu Tianming couldn't help but laugh out loud. With the second ring, his physical attributes had also improved. He felt like Superman now. If I fought Yu Tianxin again, he'd never hit me. If I went back to my past life, I could dodge bullets with ease.
Seeing Yu Tianming so excited, Yu Yuanzhen teased, "Seems like you got a decent soul skill. Why don't you show your grandpa?"
"Grandpa, go ahead and try attacking me."
Amused, Yu Yuanzhen curled his finger and flicked it lightly. A nearly transparent blue soul force shot toward Yu Tianming.
Yu Tianming actually closed his eyes and slightly turned his body, letting the soul force graze past his shoulder.
Seeing this, Yu Yuanzhen launched a few faster soul-force blasts. Yet with his second soul skill active, Yu Tianming weaved and dodged like he was in bullet time, avoiding them all.
Eventually, as the attacks grew faster, his reaction time couldn't keep up with his perception. A few blasts struck him, leaving bruises on his body.
Yu Yuanzhen finally withdrew his hand and clapped, satisfied. "Not bad. With your speed and reflexes, only a three-ring Soul Elder could hurt you. With your flying ability, even a four-ring Soul Ancestor would struggle to stop you if you caught them off guard."
"All thanks to Grandpa for picking the Lightning Rat so carefully."
"You little rascal, instead of sweet-talking me, how about focusing on improving your strength?" Though he said that, Yu Yuanzhen couldn't hide the smile on his face.
People often said grandparents loved the next generation more. Though he was a stern and upright patriarch, he still doted on his most talented grandson.
"For years, I've trained hard in the clan. Now that I can defend myself, I want to go to the Star Dou Forest to help Ah Zhu get her second soul ring. Do you have any advice, Grandpa?"
Yu Yuanzhen stroked his white beard and said, "Take your Second Grandpa with you. He's been busy with clan affairs for the past two years. This will protect you and give him a bit of a break."
Before I'm fully grown, having a Soul Saint with me is perfect, thought Yu Tianming happily.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan near Heaven Dou City had close ties with the Heaven Dou royal family. The Clear Sky Clan, based in the Star Luo Empire, had an ambiguous relationship with its royal family.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was located in the east of Douluo Continent, between the two empires, remaining politically neutral.
The Star Dou Forest, located in the center of the continent, wasn't far from the Blue Lightning Clan. Since only Yu Tianming could fly, he, Yu Luomian, and Ah Zhu had to take a slow carriage ride.
Unlike controlled environments where even thousand-year soul beasts were rare, the Star Dou Forest was massive—almost the size of the Barak Kingdom—spanning both empires. Two-fifths lay in the Heaven Dou Empire, three-fifths in the Star Luo Empire.
Because the Lightning Forest lacked suitable fire-attributed soul beasts for Ah Zhu, and the Star Dou Forest was closer, they chose to go there.
Bored during the ride, the trio chatted to pass the time. Yu Tianming, remembering that Liu Erlong had built Blue Tyrant Academy near the Sunset Forest—close to the Ice-Fire Yin-Yang Well—asked Yu Luomian tentatively:
"Second Grandpa, I heard you have a pretty talented daughter?"
(End of Chapter)
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