Chapter 22: Almost Burned Yu Xiaogang Alive
Both Liu Erlong and Qi Tian sensed someone approaching.
Since Qi Tian was in the middle of absorbing a soul ring, anyone daring to intrude now was nothing short of a provocation.
He didn't bother confirming who it was—without hesitation, he unleashed his soul skill, Fire Dragon's Breath.
A deafening roar echoed as a pillar of scorching flame erupted in the direction of the disturbance.
"Luo Sanpao, be careful! Ah—! Flender, save me!" Yu Xiaogang's miserable scream echoed through the forest.
"What terrifying flames! Xiaogang, retreat! I can't block that either!"
Flender grabbed Yu Xiaogang and darted backward. As an agility-type battle soul master, his speed wasn't lacking, and he managed to pull Yu Xiaogang out of the danger zone just in time.
Unfortunately, Luo Sanpao wasn't so lucky. The poor creature was instantly engulfed by Liu Erlong's Extreme Fire, its body collapsing back into martial soul form and retreating into Yu Xiaogang's body.
But the residual fire-attribute energy followed along, igniting Yu Xiaogang himself—he dropped to the ground, rolling and screaming in agony.
Within moments, his skin flushed red like a boiled shrimp, smoke curling from his robes.
Fortunately, Liu Erlong's attack came from only a hundred-year soul ring. Yu Xiaogang, being a Grandmaster-level soul master, managed to barely resist it—otherwise, he would have been roasted alive on the spot.
"It's them?" Liu Erlong gasped in surprise.
Qi Tian frowned. "I didn't know it was Yu Xiaogang and his group. If I'd realized, I wouldn't have attacked first!"
When he walked over, he found Yu Xiaogang curled on the ground, his teeth clenched as he desperately endured the rampaging fire energy Luo Sanpao had carried back. He couldn't even speak.
Although Fire Dragon's Breath came from a mere two-hundred-year ring, with the Extreme Fire enhancement and Qi Tian's breakthrough, the power was far beyond ordinary.
After absorbing the Earth King's soul ring, Qi Tian's bottleneck had shattered. The soul power increase from the immortal herb he'd taken earlier had also fully erupted—his cultivation surged to Level 46.
With that kind of soul power, even a low-level skill could unleash terrifying might.
Qi Tian snorted coldly. "So it's you? Don't you know that disturbing someone during soul ring absorption is forbidden?"
Flender gave an embarrassed smile. "That… was our mistake."
"We sensed powerful energy fluctuations nearby and came to investigate. If we'd known Miss Liu was cultivating, we would've waited outside."
In truth, it was entirely Luo Sanpao's fault. Yu Xiaogang had ordered it to track Liu Erlong's aura—but the silly creature charged ahead too fast and barged into Qi Tian's absorption zone. No wonder Qi Tian retaliated.
After a long moment, Yu Xiaogang finally managed to suppress the invading fire energy, though his face was deathly pale and his robes soaked in sweat. Fear lingered in his eyes.
If not for Flender's timely pull, he would have perished right there.
Still, he dared not voice a complaint. Luo Sanpao had intruded first, after all.
Having just been expelled from his family, Yu Xiaogang had joined the Spirit Hall and lived comfortably atop the Ivory Tower—he'd never experienced the harshness of the real world.
Only after years of wandering the continent would he come to understand the unwritten rules of strength and survival.
Enduring the pain, Yu Xiaogang struggled to sit up and said weakly, "Miss Liu… I came to return your jade token."
He retrieved a jade plaque from his storage tool, Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, and handed it toward Qi Tian—it was the same one from before.
Seeing Qi Tian remain expressionless, Yu Xiaogang quickly added, "Miss Liu, I didn't know your relation with my second uncle back then. Please forgive my words."
"You… must be my second uncle's daughter, right? Why not return to the clan with me? Acknowledge your ancestry and take back the Yu surname?"
Yu Xiaogang was clever. From Liu Erlong's surname alone, he had already deduced much about her background.
Yu Xiaogang had never met this girl before, but from her surname and demeanor, he quickly deduced that Liu Erlong must be his second uncle's illegitimate daughter.
If he could help Liu Erlong return to the family and acknowledge her lineage, she would surely feel grateful. With that bond established, he might even have the chance to develop a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with her.
Qi Tian's calm voice echoed in Liu Erlong's mind through spiritual transmission:
"Erlong, do you wish to return and recognize your ancestry?"
Liu Erlong hesitated for a moment. Truthfully, she had cultivated to this level entirely through her own strength; she had no interest in rejoining one of the so-called "Upper Three Sects."
Yu Luomian had never raised her—instead, his choices had brought endless suffering to her and her mother.
To be honest, she'd rather call Qi Tian her father than acknowledge Yu Luomian as one.
At least Qi Tian had saved her mother's life and helped her strength grow by leaps and bounds.
After consuming the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, she could clearly feel the drastic transformation in her martial soul's flames. The explosive surge of soul power she felt after absorbing her soul ring earlier was also the result of that immortal herb.
All of this—every improvement, every blessing—was granted by Qi Tian. This was a kindness she would remember for the rest of her life.
"Benefactor… what do you think I should do?" Liu Erlong asked softly.
Qi Tian thought for a moment before replying,
"Your martial soul has already mutated into a Fire Dragon. Even if you acknowledge your ancestry, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's training methods won't help your cultivation much."
He gave a faint smile.
"Just look at Luo Sanpao—if it weren't for that rigid reliance on outdated training experience, Yu Xiaogang might have found a way to help it evolve long ago."
"Still, my suggestion is this: ask your mother first. If she still holds feelings for your father, you can follow her wishes and return. But if she doesn't… then do whatever your heart tells you to."
Liu Erlong nodded. "Benefactor, your words make sense. I'll ask my mother when I return."
"If she wants to see him, I'll go once. But if she doesn't… I'll let the past stay buried."
She sneered lightly. "That Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan produced someone like Yu Xiaogang—their internal harmony must be a joke."
Liu Erlong was straightforward and hot-tempered; she despised political scheming and petty infighting. Returning to that clan would only mean endless disputes and underhanded plots.
More importantly, she could tell that Qi Tian didn't like Yu Xiaogang or Flender.
And since her benefactor disliked them, she disliked them too.
Qi Tian nodded. "Very well. I'll turn him down then."
He took the jade plaque from Yu Xiaogang and said flatly,
"I'll accept this. It belonged to my mother, and I'll return it to her myself."
"As for recognizing my ancestry—forget it. I've cultivated on my own all these years and reached over rank forty. If I went back to your clan, I'd probably end up like you—nearly thirty years old and still stuck at rank twenty-nine."
His words were sharp and direct.
Yu Xiaogang's already pale face turned an even ghastlier shade, humiliation written all over it.
At the same time, he was utterly shocked—Liu Erlong looked only seventeen or eighteen, yet she was already over rank forty?
Such terrifying talent was rare even among the great sects. If she continued at this pace, she might truly break through one day and become a Titled Douluo, a figure renowned across the continent.
If he could form a Martial Soul Fusion Skill with her, wouldn't he also gain that fame and glory?
Swallowing his pride, Yu Xiaogang forced a bitter smile and explained,
"Cousin, you misunderstand. My stagnation isn't due to laziness—it's because my martial soul mutated in a harmful way, preventing me from breaking through rank thirty."
"With your talent, you'll never suffer the same fate."
He said the words with forced humility, but deep down, envy and ambition twisted in his heart.
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End of Chapter