(Friendly reminder: This story follows the manhua (comic) version of the Douluo storyline. Some plot elements may differ from the original novel. If anything seems unclear, please refer to Mu Da's comic for reference.)
"Bzzzt—"
A low rumble of thunder seemed to echo through the air.
"Thunder Dragon… Crushing Fist!"
Yun Yibai's voice rang out low and firm within the Soul Arena. As he shouted, his first and second soul rings lit up in response, flashing with brilliant light. Fierce arcs of lightning coiled around his right fist like living serpents, golden electricity crackling and surging wildly.
BOOM!
With an earth-shattering crash, Yun Yibai's fist, charged with thunderous might, slammed straight into his opponent's chest like a bolt of divine wrath. The force of the impact sent the opponent flying several meters into the air, before he crashed back down with a heavy thud — unmoving and unconscious.
"Victory! Thunder Dragon wins again with overwhelming force!"
The announcer's voice roared through the arena, trembling with excitement and respect for Yun Yibai's sheer power.
"Hahaha! I knew it! I bet on the right guy!"
A spectator jumped up, pumping his fists in triumph, face glowing with joy.
"Damn it! That Ghost Soul guy was supposed to be a Level 29 Grand Soul Master with thirty straight wins! And he still lost to a Level 28?!"
Another spectator cursed bitterly, face dark and twisted with frustration.
"Ha! Ever heard of attribute suppression? You couldn't even figure that out? No wonder you lost your bet."
The first man scoffed, eyes full of mockery.
"What did you say, bastard?! Looking for a fight?!"
The losing bettor jumped to his feet, eyes wide with rage.
"Brute."
He talked tough, but his body betrayed him — he instinctively stepped back.
After the match, Yun Yibai walked calmly to the front desk of the Heaven Dou City Grand Soul Arena. As soon as the receptionist saw him, she straightened up and smiled respectfully.
"Honored Silver Soul Badge holder, Mr. Thunder Dragon — this is for you."
She held out a gleaming gold card with both hands, its surface catching the sunlight and shining brilliantly.
Yun Yibai accepted it, gently stroking the card with his fingers.
This was a Gold Soul Card, a status symbol that represented a stored value of over 10,000 Gold Soul Coins. Only those with such wealth were eligible to own one. And Yun Yibai — a boy not even twelve years old — had already reached that level of fortune.
"Level 28 versus Level 29. Not a bad payout."
He smiled faintly, confidence flickering in his eyes. He definitely cared about the betting rewards.
"Didn't think they'd start suppressing me after I hit a 14-win streak."
He mused silently, lips curling slightly.
But he didn't particularly care. His current winning streak had only just begun. Before this, his record at the Heaven Dou Grand Soul Arena had been mixed — wins and losses both — though he had still maintained a higher win rate overall. Otherwise, he wouldn't have qualified for the Silver Soul Badge.
"I have a question — does your arena accept requests for goods?"
Yun Yibai turned to the receptionist. His voice was calm, with a hint of magnetism.
She blinked, slightly caught off guard, but quickly returned to her professional smile.
"Of course, honored guest. What are you looking for?"
"Sea Soul Beasts."
"Sir… we're in Heaven Dou City. Both the Eastern Sea and the Western Coast are extremely far from here. Sea Soul Beasts… that's practically impossible—"
"I wasn't finished."
Yun Yibai gave her a calm, sidelong glance.
"M-my apologies!"
The receptionist quickly bowed her head. Though she worked at the Grand Soul Arena, she was just an ordinary person.
"I'm looking for something specific — a rare, gel-like substance found in the brains of cetacean-type Sea Soul Beasts."
"Oh~ you mean whale gel, sir?"
Recognition flashed across her face.
"Oh? You're familiar with it?"
Yun Yibai raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Yes, sir. Whale gel has always existed — it's known as a potent yang-aligned tonic, renowned for boosting vitality… and other effects. It's especially popular among the upper class. Supply can't keep up with demand."
"If you need it, we can absolutely keep an eye out for you."
"Much appreciated," Yun Yibai replied, then turned to leave.
"Honored guest!"
The receptionist suddenly called out to him.
Her face flushed red as she looked at him, and then — with a hint of shyness — she gently slipped one of her shoulder straps down.
"If you'd like, sir… I'm willing…"
Her offer wasn't driven by money — she simply found Yun Yibai incredibly attractive. He just happened to hit every point on her aesthetic checklist.
"Tiger back, wasp waist, mantis legs" — that was the best way to describe his physique.
"..."
He knew it. He just knew asking for whale gel would lead to a misunderstanding.
Yun Yibai ignored her completely, acting as though nothing had happened.
He calmly pulled out a purple soul card — worth 1,000 Gold Soul Coins — and handed it over.
"This is a deposit. Keep it with your records."
"Please try your best to find whale gel from a thousand-year-class soul beast. As for the final payment, I'll compensate you separately."
It wasn't that he had an iron will — it was more like his standards were just that high.
Strictly speaking, Yun Yibai belonged to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, but he wasn't from the main bloodline.
His mother came from a branch family of the clan. Although her Martial Soul was also the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, her talent was mediocre — she had only just recently broken through to the Soul Ancestor level. She served as a mid-tier manager within the sect. In terms of status within a top-tier soul master family, she was merely passable.
His father was a high-level Soul Elder with a Lightning Wolf Martial Soul. His talent wasn't much better than Yun Yibai's mother. He had previously been a disciple of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect but now served as a sect steward.
Their position within the sect was… awkward.
Many of the sect's younger talents had already surpassed them in soul power.
The only reason they retained any status was due to family connections. After all, even as a branch member, Yun Yibai's mother was still of the Blue Lightning bloodline — and could pass on the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul.
When Yun Yibai awakened his Martial Soul, he had partially inherited his mother's bloodline.
Calling it the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon wouldn't be inaccurate — but it wasn't exactly the same.
Perhaps due to the stronger soul beast lineage on his mother's side, his Martial Soul leaned toward the dragon species, and its lightning was a distinct golden color. Beyond that, the specifics were unclear.
Yun Yibai had definitely gotten lucky.
Had his dragon bloodline not awakened strongly enough, his Martial Soul might have ended up as a hybrid — something like a "Thunder Wolf Dragon."
He was born with innate soul power of level 7 — a solid talent, if not extraordinary.
Among his peers, there were still two true prodigies from the main branch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan:
Yu Tianheng — born with innate soul power of level 9
Yu Tianxin — born with innate soul power of level 8
They were fraternal twins — the golden children of the clan.
Yun Yibai was one year younger than Yu Tianheng, currently eleven years old and already a Level 28 Grand Soul Master.
While his talent earned him decent treatment within the sect, he was still far beneath the likes of Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin in the eyes of the clan.
In a rigid bloodline-focused clan like the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, not being part of the main line always meant being one step behind.
Even so, Yun Yibai had always stood out.
While other children played, he trained.
While others rested, he kept going.
That determination and discipline didn't go unnoticed — it earned him a bit more attention and a few more resources from the sect elders.
But all of that changed when he absorbed his first and second soul rings.
From that moment on, all those expectations… vanished into thin air.