** CHAPTER 06: FAMILY TRAINING **
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The first ray of sunlight pierced through the treetops of the tall pines, casting a soft glow over the spacious courtyard of one of the elders' residences in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Dew still glistened on the fresh grass, and the morning air carried the faint scent of the nearby forest. At the center of the courtyard, a smooth stone area rested in silence, marked by countless past training sessions.
In one corner of the courtyard, a figure of serene elegance gently swayed in a wooden rocking chair. Zi Ji calmly flipped through a plain-covered book, her violet eyes scanning the pages with ease. Her long purple hair fluttered softly in the gentle breeze, subtly reflecting the morning light. Even immersed in her reading, there was a silent presence in her gaze—as if nothing around her escaped her notice.
Nearby, Gu Yuena sat cross-legged on the grass in complete silence. Her silver hair softly caught the morning's glow, while a faint, almost imperceptible aura of silver spiritual energy flowed around her.
At the center of the courtyard, Yu Zhenhai stood with his arms crossed, gazing at the morning sky with a calm expression. Despite being fifty-eight years old, his appearance remained youthful and imposing. His long black hair danced in the wind, while his dark eyes, intense as lightning about to strike, scanned the courtyard with focus. He wore a dark blue robe embroidered with silver dragons, and his firm posture clearly displayed the mastery of an experienced cultivator. As a level 89 Spirit Douluo, he was just one step away from becoming a legendary Titled Douluo.
He clapped his fists together once, and his voice echoed firmly through the courtyard:
"Xiao Long! You brat, you're late. It's past training time."
Almost instantly, the door of the house opened with a soft creak. Yu Tianlong emerged shortly after, wearing light dark-blue training clothes. His white hair with black-tipped ends swayed in the morning breeze, and his golden eyes gleamed as he faced the imposing figure in the center of the courtyard. He walked with steady steps, adjusting his wristbands, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips.
"Calm down, old man… I'm coming."
His calm and determined tone contrasted with the slight smile on his lips. It was a subtle provocation, but laced with intent. Zhenhai crossed his arms, returning a firm smile.
"Insolent brat…"
He took a step forward, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"Take off those weights. Your sister told me she taught you a new technique… and she asked me to go hard on you today."
"What?" Tianlong turned his head toward the grass, where Gu Yuena was still meditating with her eyes closed. The moment he looked, he saw a faint smile appear on her lips.
"You… you…" Tianlong muttered, furrowing his brow with an indignant look.
Zhenhai let out a short laugh before speaking again:
"That's why, today, I'll use my martial soul. And three skills."
He paused for a moment, his eyes now fixed on Tianlong.
"Are you ready?"
Seeing that his father wasn't joking, Tianlong quickly removed all the weights from his body. He felt so light he almost seemed to float. His muscles relaxed, but his eyes gleamed with determination.
"I'm ready," Tianlong said firmly.
Zhenhai smirked, and in the next instant, he murmured:
"Silent Darkness Domain."
In moments, a dark and silent aura spread around them. Like a shadowy mist swallowing the surroundings, the sunlight was dimmed, and the world seemed to fall completely silent.
Quickly, a black dome-shaped barrier began to form, isolating the courtyard from the outside world.
But before the domain could fully close, a lazy and menacing voice cut through the air.
"If you destroy too much of my courtyard… both of you will sleep in the forest again tonight."
Zi Ji didn't even lift her eyes from her book. Still reclining in the rocking chair, she turned another page as if nothing had happened.
Tianlong swallowed hard and said:
"Better be careful, then…"
Zhenhai clicked his tongue and shook his head with a carefree smile.
"You're still scared of a woman's threats? Hmph… Then you'd better not even step into this field."
Tianlong raised an eyebrow, returning the provocation.
"And you're not afraid of Mom's wrath?"
Zhenhai let out a short laugh.
"That… of course not…"
The pause at the end of his sentence made it clear it was an blatant lie.
Before Tianlong could respond, Zhenhai raised his hand, and the atmosphere changed in an instant. The light around them darkened, as if the shadows were swallowing the air.
"Enough talk!"
With a sharp snap, a colossal presence took form in front of Zhenhai.
A dragon as black as night emerged from the shadows, its deep obsidian scales reflecting only the faintest light. Glowing orange eyes burned like embers about to explode, fixing on their target with cutting intensity. Its silhouette exuded an overwhelming pressure, not derived from Zhenhai's current spiritual power.
It was the pressure of a supreme martial soul manifestation, an almost divine entity dominating the space around it.
The legendary Dark Sacred Dragon had awakened.
Amid the crushing pressure spreading through the courtyard, the immense creature let out a muffled roar, like distant thunder. In the next instant, the dragon partially retracted behind Zhenhai, merging into his back like a living shadow.
And then, as if propelled by the very essence of darkness, the elder's body surged forward in a flash, his right fist enveloped in dense shadows, shooting with brutal speed and force toward Tianlong's face.
Tianlong barely had time to react. His instincts screamed. His eyes gleamed golden, reflecting the danger, and by pure reflex, he activated one of his created techniques:
Observation Haki.
In the blink of an eye, he visualized the flow of the attack, the exact trajectory of the incoming strike. But there was no time to dodge. His body moved on pure reflex as a second technique was activated:
Armament Haki.
With an almost imperceptible snap, his arm was coated in a metallic black armor, as if the very essence of steel had emerged from his skin. He crossed his forearms in front of his face, assuming a defensive stance, bracing to take the blow head-on.
BOOM!
The impact came like thunder splitting the skies.
The strike hit his protected arms with overwhelming force, pushing him back as if he were a projectile. His body was launched like an arrow, carving a hole in the stone ground before rolling several times and stopping just near the trees at the edge of the courtyard.
"Good reaction," Zhenhai smiled with pride. "As expected of my son."
With a hoarse groan, Tianlong slowly stood, shaking the dust off his body. His arms still trembled with pain from the impact.
"Tch…" He grumbled, spitting out some dust. "Crazy old man, you didn't even let me activate my martial soul."
Zhenhai let out a dry laugh, shrugging.
"Do you think an enemy on the battlefield would wait for that too? If you're alive long enough to activate it, that's already a victory."
Tianlong huffed with disdain, already knowing he'd say that.
"Fine, then…" His golden eyes narrowed. Without further words, he activated his first martial soul.
Immediately, two purple rings appeared beneath Tianlong's feet, spinning silently with an intense aura. Right behind him, his martial soul took form.
A great dragon with white scales materialized, its body outlined by delicate golden patterns running across its chest, wings, and tail. Its wings opened lightly, revealing thin membranes interwoven with golden threads, and its pale mane flowed gently down its neck. The creature's golden eyes gleamed for a moment—steady, silent, and menacing.
This was his first martial soul.
The Divine Dragon Of Creation
The moment the dragon's aura stabilized, Yu Zhenhai felt a slight pressure on his body. His muscles seemed to lose a fraction of their usual strength, and his draconic lineage wavered for a brief moment—as if something subtle was physically pressing him.
"Hmph… It's just a slight weakness. That won't do much," he murmured, narrowing his eyes slightly.
With a single gesture, he activated his first skill:
1st Spiritual Skill: Claw of the Dark Emperor.
Shadows concentrated around his right arm, shaping into a black claw extending from his fingers like living blades. His physical aura exploded, distorting the air around him and cracking the ground beneath hisfeet. In the blink of an eye, he surged forward, a blur of brute force, delivering an upward hook aimed precisely at Tianlong's chin.
The young man reacted on instinct. He flexed his legs and leaped, rising into the air with ease. Zhenhai's fist passed through where his head had been a second before, leaving a trail of cutting wind.
Still airborne, Tianlong saw the dark gleam tear through the space before him—Zhenhai's energy claws had been unleashed as shadowy beams, pursuing him in the air.
His golden eyes flashed quickly:
Observation Haki.
With time slowing in his perception, Tianlong visualized the future trajectories of the claws. His body spun with calculated precision, dodging to the side in midair.
But, as if he had anticipated the dodge, Zhenhai was already waiting there.
With a fist arcing in a curved strike, aimed directly at Tianlong's abdomen, now defenseless.
With no time to escape, Tianlong quickly activated Armament Haki and his spiritual skill:
1st Spiritual Skill: Celestial Impulse.
In an instant, white scales gradually covered his body, fitting like living armor, while golden patterns emerged in smooth lines across his arms, chest, and back. His muscles tensed, his senses sharpened, and a steady aura of power began to emanate from him. At the same time, Armament Haki coated his torso with a dark, firm layer, further reinforcing his defense at the moment of impact.
In the next instant, Zhenhai's punch collided with his abdomen in a dry, deafening impact—a metallic sound echoed through the courtyard, as if he had struck a steel wall.
The force of the blow launched Tianlong backward with violence, and he hit the ground after covering several meters, dragging his feet as the soil gave way under his weight. Still, he held firm. His arms trembled, a bead of sweat ran down his temple, but his breathing remained steady.
Yu Zhenhai kept his eyes fixed on the boy, assessing him with a serious gaze, and said:
"Not bad defense... But is that all you can do?"
"Tch... I was just testing the limits of my defensive skills," said Tianlong, looking at his abdomen, seemingly unharmed after taking such a blow.
He knew that his low-level Armament Haki alone wouldn't be enough to withstand that strike. That's why he activated his first skill, which greatly increased his physical strength and defense and, moreover, provided a progressive boost every 30 seconds, where all his power—strength, speed, and defense—was doubled. This surge continued until he reached the limit of 5 minutes.
Yu Zhenhai, seeing that his son had now activated his first skill, knew he could no longer maintain the same pace. He was familiar with the effects of the technique—every thirty seconds, Tianlong doubled his physical strength, speed, and defense. In just a few minutes, his power would surpass any reasonable expectation for someone with only two rings.
"If I wait, he'll turn into an even bigger monster..." he thought, his eyes gleaming with determination.
In an instant, Zhenhai vanished, charging straight forward with relentless aggression. The air around his body warped due to the pressure of his movement, as if he were tearing through the wind in his assault.
Tianlong, seeing his father approaching, didn't hesitate. He raised one hand, quickly concentrating one of his elements in his palms: the light element.
A small golden sphere formed, spinning rapidly and emitting a soft hum.
He launched it like a projectile, aiming at Zhenhai's chest.
His father merely laughed at it:
"Your aim is still weak, kid!"
He tilted his body to the side, dodging with ease. But at the exact moment the sphere passed him, it abruptly expanded, exploding in a blinding and deafening flash.
BOOM!
An explosion of pure light spread across the courtyard, dazzling everything for a few seconds. Zhenhai instinctively raised an arm to shield his eyes, gritting his teeth.
"Damn it... that was a trap!"
But in that brief moment of blindness—precious seconds—Tianlong had already launched himself into an all-or-nothing attack.
A blood-red aura emerged from his skin, like steam rising from molten metal. It was the Dragon's Blood Essence, activated with his life force, drastically amplifying his raw power.
At the same time, without hesitation, he directly opened the Third Gate of the Eight Inner Gates.
Gate of Life—Open!
Immediately releasing even more latent energy from his muscles. Veins bulged beneath his skin as an overwhelming energy accumulated in his body. His skin turned red and seemed to vibrate with the compressed force.
Now, with Armament Haki active, his 1st Spiritual Skill boosting his endurance, the Dragon's Blood Essence burning, and the Third Gate open, he was temporarily at the level of a rank 41 Ancestral Spirit.
His golden eyes blazed with ferocity.
And then, with both hands thrusting forward like steel pistons, he unleashed another self-created technique:
"ROKUGAN!!!"
His two fists positioned in front of Zhenhai's body and, simultaneously, released a brutal shockwave—invisible but devastating. The air split, space trembled, and the pressure caused the surrounding trees to bend violently.
But Zhenhai was no ordinary man.
The moment he felt the pressure of the attack approaching, he activated a Spiritual Skill:
2nd Spiritual Skill—Night Dragon's Carapace!
Black scales and spikes violently sprouted from his body, forming a living armor that pulsed with dark energy. The spikes rose like blades, vibrating with corrosive power. The Rokugan collided against this living barrier—the shockwave was partially absorbed and distorted by the carapace, which retaliated instantly.
"BOOOOM!!!"
Spikes exploded from the armor directly toward Tianlong in response to the impact. The boy shouted as deep cuts appeared on his arms and shoulders, blood splattering into the air. The force of the Rokugan still pushed Zhenhai back 10 meters, his feet leaving grooves in the ground—an impressive feat.
Zhenhai looked at his chest. The armor had cracked slightly where the blow had struck.
"...You managed to push me back," he said, a glint of surprise and respect in his eyes. "And cause cracks in my armor. Not bad, Xiao Long."
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he gave a faint, proud smile, for in this fight, he was only using strength comparable to a rank 51 Soul King. And his son, with that attack, had truly managed to injure him.
He looked at Tianlong, who seemed to have paid a high price for it as well.
By striking with such force, combining a spiritual skill with three simultaneous techniques, Tianlong's body began to crack from within. Microfractures formed in his muscles and bones, while blood dripped from his arms, still extended in the attack stance.
Seconds later, he fell to his knees, panting, his body trembling under the weight of the excessive use of vital energy and the backlash from the spikes, his eyes still burning gold despite the visible signs of imminent exhaustion.
Zhenhai coughed dryly, wiping the blood from his chin with the back of his hand.
"An attack comparable to a rank 41 Ancestral Spirit Master, huh... Looks like I won't have to worry about you leaving the clan's domains in the future," said Zhenhai, with pride and relief, knowing that Tianlong was only at rank 27, and his self-created techniques could still be improved.
"Old man, you didn't think you'd beat me using only your two spiritual skills, did you?" asked Tianlong with a smile, standing up with difficulty.
"Hahaha, you still have the energy to talk?" laughed Zhenhai, slowly advancing toward him when, suddenly:
The third purple ring glowed beneath Yu Zhenhai's feet.
"Then let's finish this quickly, Xiao Long," he said with a fierce smile as a suffocating pressure began to spread around him.
3rd Spiritual Skill—Abyssal Dragon's Collision.
A vortex of black energy formed around his body. The nearby shadows began to stir, as if responding to his call. Then, with a dry boom, a pair of draconic wings made of darkness sprouted from his back. A single flap of the wings raised dust and leaves around him before his body vanished in a sudden dash.
High in the skies, Zhenhai's silhouette blended with the darkness. The aura around him grew even denser. It was as if the sky itself held its breath.
"Take this head-on, Tianlong!"
Zhenhai dove into the attack.
A black missile plummeting from the heavens, enveloped in pure darkness. The pressure of his advance tore the air in visible waves. Even before the impact, the ground below began to tremble, as if bracing for the blow to come.
Tianlong watched calmly, his eyes steady.
"What a powerful skill..." he murmured, seeing the black missile approaching.
But then, he closed his eyes.
For a moment, everything within him fell silent.
And then, the darkness around began to bend toward him, as if something deeper and ancient was awakening.
Behind Tianlong, a new presence manifested.
A colossal dragon with black scales, marked by fine golden lines running across its chest, wings, and tail. Its wings unfurled lightly, revealing dark membranes interwoven with golden threads. Its pale mane fell softly, and the creature's golden eyes gleamed with seriousness.
His second martial soul had appeared.
The Divine Dragon of Destruction.
Tianlong raised one hand.
"Let's see if your third skill is stronger than the second skill of my Divine Dragon of Destruction."
2nd Spiritual Skill—Veil of Annihilation.
A single black draconic wing formed behind him and swiftly projected in front of him to shield him, thick and solid as an iron wall.
Zhenhai collided directly against it.
BOOM!
The impact sounded like contained thunder, but there was no explosion. The wing absorbed the force of the attack at the moment of collision. A second later, the energy returned with double the intensity, launching Zhenhai backward as if he had been struck by his own fury.
Tianlong remained steady as part of the spiritual energy from the attack was absorbed by the wing and flowed back into his body. A faint glow crossed his skin as small wounds healed, and his aura became more stable.
Zhenhai fell, rolling across the ground before planting his feet and standing with a slight choke. He coughed dryly and wiped a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Great... you finally decided to use your second martial soul."
Until then, in their father-son battles, Tianlong had always relied solely on the Dragon of Creation. This was the first time he revealed the strength of his secondary martial soul.
Tianlong took a deep breath, his aura stabilized by the absorption.
"Your attack was good, but not enough."
Zhenhai laughed, rolling his shoulders.
"That skill... its reflection doesn't seem as brutal as the second skill of your Dragon of Creation, does it?" observed Zhenhai, still recovering from the impact.
"That's true," Tianlong replied naturally. "That one reflects the attack with five times the force. This one, only double."
He paused briefly, his eyes attentive, as if analyzing his own words.
"But this one has a difference—it absorbs part of the attack's energy, converts it into healing, and even strengthens my spiritual energy reserve."
As he spoke, Tianlong looked at his palm, feeling the flow of energy circulating in his body. A faint glow ran through his fingers.
"This is... I just broke through to rank 28."
Zhenhai raised an eyebrow, surprised for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Hoo... then I guess we can end the training for today."
He took a step back, dissipating his aura.
"Silent Darkness Domain, disperse."
All the darkness around slowly faded, revealing the clear morning sky and the courtyard... or rather, what was left of it.
And then...
A sharp, soft, and yet menacing voice whispered in Zhenhai's ear.
"Zhenhai."
He froze. A shiver ran down his spine.
"D-darling?" he replied, already knowing something was wrong.
"I said..." the voice was now firm, "for you two not to destroy my courtyard again. And look at what you've done."
Zhenhai tried to explain, with a tense smile.
"This... was a... small miscalculation."
But Tianlong had already crossed his arms, pointing with his chin:
"I warned Dad to take it easy, Mom. But he said he's not afraid of your wrath."
"You traitor!" exclaimed Zhenhai, pointing at his son with indignation.
Zi Ji approached, her eyes narrowed, a cold smile on her lips.
"Zhenhai... is that true?"
"Wait, wait, you heard that?!" he looked around, desperate. "The patriarch! It must be an emergency! I'm off!"
In an instant, he vanished into a shadow.
Silence.
"Zhenhai..." Zi Ji's voice echoed through the clan, icy as a winter wind.
That day, the entire Tyrant Dragon Clan heard the scream that pierced the heavens—a scream that would make even hundred-thousand-year beasts tremble in fear.
.....