Yu Tianheng's mouth twitched. As the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Clan leader's direct heir, he just couldn't accept losing like this.
He threw his head back and let out a furious yell. "Third Soul Skill, Thunderous Fury!"
A flood of lightning erupted around him. In seconds, his power just shot up—lightning doubled, soul power jumped by half. He thrashed against the vines holding him, trying everything to bust free.
But it was pointless. Those Black Jade Divine Bamboo-powered Dark Blue Silver Emperor vines gripped him like iron shackles. He pulled, twisted, and strained, but nothing budged.
"I don't believe this!" His voice sounded desperate, almost childish.
Yin Xuan stood nearby, just watching. Guys like Yu Tianheng—they're born lucky, never really crushed. If you don't knock them all the way down, they bounce right back, thinking it's not over yet.
You have to let them feel it.
So Yin Xuan didn't even bother interfering as Yu Tianheng roared again.
"First Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Claw!"
"Second Soul Skill, Thunderous Might!"
Yu Tianheng blasted out two more soul skills. His attack power spiked another sixty percent, even without transforming. If he'd gone full dragon form, those soul skills would've made him twice as strong—or more. Born monsters, really.
Yin Xuan wondered if Dugu Yan's martial spirit could turn her into a dragon too, but for now, he kept quiet.
Electrical arcs danced all over Yu Tianheng, then exploded into lightning arrows whipping out in every direction. They sizzled with paralyzing power.
But that was all. The black vine didn't even flinch.
Yin Xuan was blunt about it. "Your clan has some secret dragon transformation move, right? If you know it, just use it now."
Yu Tianheng glared, frustrated. "Let me go first!"
Hung midair in a big, embarrassing T-shape, he looked miserable. Being stuck like this wasn't just painful—it was humiliating.
Yin Xuan replied, calm as ever. "If you can't break out of those vines, transforming is pointless. In a real fight, nobody stops to chat. They just end you."
He raised his arm—and his first spirit ring flashed, dark golden light streaking through the air. A two-meter-long spear, black-blue and cold, appeared inches from Yu Tianheng's face.
Yu Tianheng's face fell. "I really hate this. I've still got so much more to show…"
Yin Xuan didn't even bother answering. He just let the vines do their work, draining Yu Tianheng's soul energy and sapping his strength. In no time, Yu Tianheng went chalk pale, his power flickering out until his last skill faded and he sagged in the air.
"Why am I so tired…" he whispered.
With a thought, Yin Xuan yanked the vines back. Yu Tianheng smashed down, breath knocked clean out of him.
A second later, that spear hovered by his cheek, the cold edge biting his skin.
Yu Tianheng spoke, voice thin. "Fine, I give up. I didn't think you were holding back. You're really something…" He forced a weak smile, adding, "Don't worry—I won't talk about this to anyone but Yanzi."
Yin Xuan sheathed the spear. He was done here, leaving Yu Tianheng limp and drained in the dust.
"There's always someone stronger…" Yu Tianheng muttered, more to himself than anyone. He remembered his grandfather's promise: that he'd be the most talented student at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Right now, it just sounded hollow. The world? Way bigger than he thought.
That Shadow Demon Grass… what a terrifying martial soul. Even the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus couldn't shake it.
Time slipped by. Two and a half years vanished—Yin Xuan and Dugu Yan both broke through to level 40.
But now, Yin Xuan had a real problem: choosing his fourth spirit ring.
The Blue Silver King and Ah Yin had explained things to him—ever since, he'd set his sights on the part of the Blue Silver Emperor bloodline locked inside Tang San.
But Tang Hao kept hovering around Notting Academy, so Yin Xuan didn't even want to get close. If he made a move near Tang San, Tang Hao would be on him in a heartbeat.
So getting a core bloodline from Tang San? Out of the question.
Still, the truth about your own natal spirit ring is simple—it's the best you can get: even better than a god-given ring, far beyond any regular spirit beast's rings.
Yet, if you don't absorb some ring, you stop advancing. All that cultivation time, gone.
He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't just throw away his prime years hoping for a miracle.
Meanwhile, in Sunset Forest, Dugu Bo had leveled up again—past sixty years old, and now at level 93. Not bad. If he made it to level 95 before eighty, he might push even further.
Thanks to Ice-Fire Dragon Snake Fruit and Earth Dragon Golden Melon, he was nearly unstoppable. Qirong Tongtianju wasn't the greatest fit for him, but it still made a difference.
Farther in the forest, a thousand-year-old Thunderous Prison Vine let loose bursts of power—lightning scorched everything for a hundred meters. Dark clouds brooded overhead; thunder clapped so often, it sounded like the world was ending.
Plant-type spirit beasts don't last long. Most self-destruct between 20,000 and 50,000 years. Thunder Hell Vines are rare—finding one past 50,000 years is almost unheard of.
Yin Xuan thought out loud, "These ten-thousand-year Thunderous Hell Vines get smart. If they get strong enough, they can even form a thunder pool."
If he didn't need his natal spirit ring, this would be the obvious fourth ring to grab.
Dugu Bo just grinned, cocky. "Doesn't matter how strong—it's just another ten-thousand-year beast. And I'm level 93, Title Douluo!"
Dugu Yan rolled her eyes. Since hitting level 93, her grandpa had gotten much more smug.
Just as Dugu Bo gathered himself to fight, Yin Xuan froze.
A voice buzzed in his mind, foreign and old. "You… you carry the Blue Silver Grass' emperor blood!"
Yin Xuan's heart skipped. He shot out a hand—"Wait! Let me talk to it first!"
Dugu Bo frowned. "What's going on?"
"Just wait," Yin Xuan said. He squared off, meeting the Thunder Prison Vine's gaze, not speaking first.
"It is the Blue Silver Emperor's power… but in human form. You're here for my spirit ring, aren't you?"
Yin Xuan didn't deny it. "Yeah. I came for your ring."
Silence stretched. Then the Thunder Prison Vine said, calm as anything, "You won't need to fight me. I'll sacrifice myself for you."
Yin Xuan blinked in surprise. Why would it do that?
The answer was blunt. "I'm injured. I'll die in the next tribulation anyway. Better to offer myself to you."
Yin Xuan hesitated. "Will your soul vanish after?"
The vine's answer was vague. "Maybe, maybe not. Doesn't matter now. Let's begin."
True to his word, the Thunder Prison Vine started its own sacrifice, while thunderclouds overhead faded away.