Boom!!
The deafening explosion echoed throughout Heaven Dou City, reaching even the imperial palace.
The Heaven Dou Emperor, who had been peacefully asleep, was jolted awake by the thunderous blast.
"Guards! Someone, report immediately! What happened?"
Within moments, his attendants rushed into the palace.
"Investigate at once," the Emperor ordered. "Find out what caused that explosion."
It wasn't just the Emperor who reacted.
Every major noble house and influential family within Heaven Dou City immediately dispatched their own people to investigate the source of the disturbance.
An explosion powerful enough to shake the imperial capital was enough to alarm everyone.
---
Meanwhile, the culprit behind the explosion hovered in the sky.
Yu Xiaogang flapped his dragon wings while breathing heavily.
"Whew... that almost drained all of my spirit power in one go."
He looked down at the enormous cloud of dust rising from the training ground.
Despite his exhaustion, excitement filled his heart.
After all...
He had created the Spirit Bomb entirely by himself.
"So what if it consumes a huge amount of spirit power?"
"Unless someone is a Titled Douluo or at least a Spirit Douluo, no one would walk away from that attack unharmed."
"For someone who's only on the verge of becoming a Spirit Ancestor, isn't that more than enough?"
Landing on the shattered training ground, Yu Xiaogang immediately noticed that the entire arena would have to be rebuilt after such a devastating explosion.
Looking toward the still-rising dust cloud, he eagerly waited for his father's evaluation.
---
Nearby, Bibi Dong stood frozen.
Her mouth hung open in complete disbelief.
"That..."
"An attack of this magnitude..."
"Was actually released by someone at roughly the same rank as me?"
"How is that even possible?"
Her mind went completely blank.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't think of any words to describe what she had just witnessed.
If Yu Xiaogang knew what she was thinking, he would probably give her the perfect explanation.
"That's cheating."
Only that single word could accurately describe everything happening before her eyes.
---
Compared to Bibi Dong's overwhelming shock, the Grand Elder remained much calmer.
He had long understood the true nature of Yu Xiaogang's First Spirit Skill.
Attacks of this scale weren't completely unheard of on the Douluo Continent.
However, Spirit Masters capable of unleashing such destructive power were almost always Spirit Saints or stronger.
Even then, attacks of this level usually came from an eighth or ninth Spirit Ability.
At the very least, they required an extraordinarily powerful sixth Spirit Ability.
Regardless, they were all high-level techniques.
Yet Yu Xiaogang had achieved a similar level of destructive force using only his First Spirit Skill.
Its unique characteristic—where its power increased according to the user's total spirit power—was simply outrageous.
---
As the dust slowly settled, Yu Yuanzhen's figure gradually became visible.
He remained in his Martial Soul Possession state, though his appearance was far from dignified.
His robes had been torn to shreds.
His blue-gold dragon scales were covered with dirt and debris.
Seeing his father's disheveled appearance, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help grinning.
"Whew..."
"Father..."
"How was my attack?"
Yu Yuanzhen looked up at him with an expression that mixed annoyance and admiration.
"It was very powerful."
Those three simple words instantly brought a triumphant smile to Yu Xiaogang's face.
Watching his son smile despite being completely exhausted, Yu Yuanzhen didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.
Deep inside, he was incredibly proud.
His son had exceeded every expectation.
But as a father...
He couldn't help feeling a little frustrated.
Normally, fathers effortlessly defeated their sons during training.
They would calmly point out mistakes and encourage them to continue improving.
How harmonious.
How satisfying.
So why...
Was his own son turning him into the one struggling to keep up?
---
Looking at Yu Xiaogang's exhausted condition, Yu Yuanzhen knew the battle had to end.
The previous attack had consumed nearly all of Yu Xiaogang's spirit power.
Continuing the fight now would simply be bullying someone who could no longer defend himself.
There was no point in that.
"Still..."
"I've gained a good understanding of your Martial Soul Possession."
Thinking this, Yu Yuanzhen retrieved two clean robes from his storage soul tool.
After changing clothes, he deactivated his Martial Soul Possession and walked toward his son.
"That's enough for today."
"I've learned everything I needed to know."
Yu Xiaogang nodded.
As soon as he dismissed his Martial Soul Possession, brilliant light surrounded his body.
The glowing dragon spirit separated from him before shrinking back into the small dragon's original form.
"Awoo..."
The tiny dragon staggered weakly into Yu Xiaogang's arms before curling up and immediately falling asleep.
Yu Yuanzhen raised an eyebrow.
"Just how much spirit power did you consume to tire it out like this?"
Yu Xiaogang scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Well..."
"I got a little carried away."
"I basically used up every bit of spirit power I had."
"I just wanted to see how large I could make the Spirit Bomb."
"So..."
"I accidentally emptied my reserves."
Yu Yuanzhen sighed.
"In that case..."
"This technique is more of a spectacle than an actual combat skill."
"In a real battle, it has almost no practical value."
His reasoning was simple.
A technique that consumed all of one's spirit power in a single attack was simply too risky.
If the attack failed to defeat the opponent...
The user would become completely helpless.
Yu Xiaogang nodded regretfully.
"You're right."
"It really isn't practical."
"The Douluo Continent has no method of gathering spirit power from others."
"Everything depends entirely on my own reserves."
"And one person's spirit power is always limited."
---
Tap... Tap... Tap...
As father and son discussed the shortcomings of the technique, the Grand Elder and Bibi Dong approached.
"Sect Master, are you alright?"
The Grand Elder asked immediately.
Although he was fairly certain Yu Yuanzhen hadn't been seriously injured, Yu Xiaogang's attack had been frightening enough that he wanted confirmation.
Yu Yuanzhen waved dismissively.
"Don't worry."
"With Xiaogang's current strength, it'll be quite some time before he can truly injure me."
Even as he said those words, however, he couldn't shake a feeling deep within his heart.
That day...
Might arrive much sooner than he expected.
The Grand Elder smiled with relief.
"I'm glad you're unharmed."
He then shifted his attention toward Yu Xiaogang.
"Now that your sparring match has concluded..."
"I'd like to hear both of your thoughts."
His eyes moved between father and son with obvious curiosity.
"I'm especially interested in understanding exactly what is happening with Xiaogang's Martial Soul."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)