"Rumble… rumble…"
The heavens themselves seemed to split apart. Dark clouds churned endlessly above the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, black as ink.
"Roooaaarrr…"
Bolts of lightning as thick as water barrels crashed down, blinding, shaking mountains, splitting the soil. Gusts roared, lifting dust and rock until visibility shrank to mere meters. Lower-ranked spirit masters cried out in alarm, forced to release their Martial Souls just to endure the wind.
"What in the hell is this weather…" Yu Luomian muttered, his complexion pale.
"This… this kind of anomaly hasn't appeared in a thousand years." Yu Yuanzhen's voice was hushed. His aged eyes gazed upward as thunder rumbled across the clouds. Behind the endless black essence, he could faintly sense the raw power of lightning accumulating inside. This was… an omen.
In the Delivery Chamber
Inside a chamber, Liu Erlong ground her teeth, her slim hands clawing deep into her bed sheets. Sweat drenched her hair, her face flushed with agony.
"It hurts! Damn it—it hurts!!" she snarled between clenched silver teeth.
Childbirth hurts harder than battle.
Every scream seemed to merge with the thunder pounding heaven and earth.
Outside: A Nervous Father
Meanwhile, in the outer corridor, a certain man sat in the corner, back against the wall, jug tipped high.
"Tons… tons… haah…"
Wine flowed into his mouth without pause. His figure, swaggering yet strangely rigid, betrayed serious nerves.
The disciples of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect looked at Lu Yuan as if he were a monster.
Their princess was laboring at this very moment. His own woman was in danger, birthing his child. And what was Lu Yuan doing? Drinking!
"Is this man really the father?!" someone whispered in disbelief.
"He's still… calm enough to drink?"
But the truth was, Lu Yuan wasn't calm at all. The midwives had forbidden him entry, telling him to wait outside. So he drank—not for fun, but to bury his panic. Lightning storms above, Erlong's screams in his ears, the restless shouts of midwives darting inside—it all gnawed at him.
He needed the wine to keep his hands from shaking.
The Cry of Life
Suddenly—
"Craaaack!"
A bolt of divine thunder slammed down, tearing the world white. The entire sect shuddered under it.
And then came a piercing new sound:
"Waaaah!"
A baby's cry.
Time froze.
The doors opened. A midwife rushed out, holding a tiny bundle in trembling arms. Behind her exhausted voice rang the announcement:
"Mother and son are safe!"
For a brief moment, silence. Then relief exploded into cheers.
Lu Yuan shot forward, stopping dead when the bundle was held to him.
"This is…" Yu Yuanzhen's eyes sharpened suddenly.
For just an instant, a black line had shimmered across the infant's forehead. It flashed, gone in a blink—but he had seen it clearly.
A dragon mark.
The Sect Leader's breath caught. "Dragon pattern…"
Recorded only in the oldest tomes, symbol of power and destiny. And now, appearing—on a newborn child? He had felt an aura stir with it, ancient and dangerous.
This child… was no ordinary child.
A Father at Last
"Cute… looks like me!"
Lu Yuan's anxious heart finally settled as he peeked down at the baby's wrinkled little face. His hands froze, uncertain. He had faced Title Douluo, torn open fortresses, stared death head-on. Yet holding his own son?
He had no experience. What if he squeezed too hard? What if he dropped him?
"Have you chosen a name?" Yu Yuanzhen asked, recovering slowly from his shock.
"Lu Xiaoyu," Lu Yuan blurted instinctively, gaze never leaving the child.
The name had been chosen by Liu Erlong beforehand—casual, without layered meaning. Just playfulness.
Drawing a deep breath, Lu Yuan summoned his spirit power, forcing the alcohol haze from his body. Then, carefully, almost reverently, he stretched out his arms.
The onlookers gasped, bracing for disaster. He was still swaying on his feet, his grip uncertain, his face flushed from drink. Could he really hold a fragile newborn?
And yet—
The instant the child reached his arms, Lu Yuan's hold became steady as stone. One might even say… like a man holding his sword.
Firm, balanced, safe.
The disciples' jaws dropped.
So steady?!
Mother and Son
"Little Pepper," Lu Yuan murmured softly, stepping into the room where Liu Erlong lay weak but radiant. "Look—our child."
Erlong's tired eyes shone as she gazed at the tiny face. "So cute. Looks like you."
For the first time, the fiery-tempered woman's features melted into pure tenderness, the glow of motherhood lighting her from within.
Lu Yuan looked at her—red-eyed, hair plastered with sweat, yet smiling so beautifully with their child in her arms—and for once, he had no words. Just gratitude. Just quiet awe.
Days of Chaos
The following days were nothing short of disaster.
Lu Yuan and Liu Erlong tried their best. But both were utterly clueless first-timers.
They didn't know how to change nappies. They didn't know how to feed properly. They panicked at every hiccup, erupted at every cry. Their grand "battle strategy" to raise a child ended quickly with both defeated on the ground while Lu Xiaoyu wailed loudly for food.
In the end, the task had to be turned over fully to the experienced nurses and midwives.
"I can kill a Contra, but I can't win against a baby," Lu Yuan grumbled bitterly, earning a glare from Erlong.
Chamber of Deputies: Ambitions Spark
Meanwhile, in the Sect Chamber, Yu Yuanzhen, Yu Luomian, and the elders gathered again. Their topic was not victory or shame—but the dragon mark.
"Sect Leader," one elder spoke gravely, "did you truly see the legendary mark on Lu Yuan's boy?"
Yu Yuanzhen nodded heavily. "Not only saw—I felt it. The power it radiated when it glowed was incredible."
Gasps echoed around the chamber.
"A child born already marked with dragon pattern… He must awaken a Dragon Martial Soul!"
"This is a blessing for our Blue Lightning Sect."
"We must try to keep him here, to nurture him. This child could be the opportunity we've waited centuries for."
Excitement swept the elders.
But another elder hesitated. "Sect Leader, Liu Erlong's Martial Soul mutated when she was young. Even if the child inherits her traits, it may not be ours. What if it is not the Tyrant Dragon?"
"You're too rigid!" a supporter sneered. "Don't forget—two years ago, Ning Fengzhi's daughter ate a rare herb. Her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda mutated into nine colors, creating a chance to break past its limit! Lu Xiaoyu could be such an existence for us."
A chorus boomed:
"I agree!"
"I agree!"
Yu Yuanzhen narrowed his eyes. Their intent was clear—they wanted to tie this child tightly to the Blue Lightning Sect's future, raise him here, brand him theirs.
"Normal children," Yu Yuanzhen mused, "are tested and trained after six years old. If needed, we could treat our sect as his academy. Our mastery of dragon martial souls surpasses any other. If Lu Xiaoyu's power truly is what we suspect, I would spare all resources on him."
The elders murmured in unanimous approval.
The Push
"Then… who will be the one to persuade Lu Yuan?" Yu Yuanzhen asked, gaze sweeping the chamber.
Immediately, all heads turned.
"The second master should go," one elder volunteered smoothly.
"Yes, after all, he's the grandfather. Who else has the position?"
"I second this. The bond of blood is undeniable."
Voices piled together, pushing the responsibility like a mountain onto Yu Luomian's shoulders.
Bang!
He slammed the table, furious.
"Why's it always me?! First I get tied up, then beaten, and now you want me to persuade that lunatic again?!"
The elders coughed, murmuring amongst themselves. "I heard you've been… avoiding Lu Yuan these days. Surely you're not frightened?"
"What joke is this?! Me? Afraid of a brat like him?!" Yu Luomian barked, though his stiff face betrayed guilt.
Yu Yuanzhen calmly clapped him on the shoulder. "Second brother, no one but you fits. You are the best choice."
"Dage, I—"
"Everyone here agrees. We all believe in you."
Yu Luomian's lips quivered. His vision darkened.
Everyone believed in him? More like everyone was dumping the dirty work on his head!
--
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