Chapter 40: You Want to Trade for My Dragon Essence, Yu Xiaogang? Do You Even Deserve It?
Despite the bickering among top-tier forces in the livestream room, Lin Yu never once considered giving up the Dragon Essence.
Even though his Chaos Green Lotus martial soul couldn't evolve with it,
The Dragon Essence's effects—strengthening the body, extending lifespan, and increasing cultivation—were too tempting to ignore.
After all, this treasure was likely even rarer than the most precious immortal herbs on the continent. How could he trade it away so easily?
[Lin Yu: @Qian Daoliu, @Xue Ye, @Dai Tianfeng—sirs, your offers are generous, and I thank you. But as I said before: I don't like putting my fate in someone else's hands. I prefer to earn what I want through my own effort. So I must decline your deals—apologies.]
Lin Yu was polite.
Although Qian Daoliu, Emperor Xue Ye, and Emperor Dai Tianfeng were all sincere in their offers,
Accepting any of them would require meeting in person and handing over the Dragon Essence to someone from Spirit Hall, the Heaven Dou Empire, or the Star Luo Empire.
And who could guarantee that once his real identity was exposed,
They wouldn't try to take advantage of his current lack of strength?
After all, Lin Yu was still just a level-10 soul master.
Even though he had the Chaos Green Lotus martial soul, the Wind and Thunder Wings soul bone, and the Everlife Technique, his escape power was decent—but his combat power was fatally lacking.
And he couldn't yet separate himself from human society.
If people from these factions discovered who he was and targeted him,
He might end up spending his entire life on the run—and Lin Yu had no desire for that outcome.
Until he had both the ability to hide his identity and the strength to defend himself,
He absolutely would not expose himself.
He had no choice.
He had already claimed three livestream rewards, with more sure to come.
He was practically a walking "treasure vault"—with no way to protect himself.
Trusting his life to others' morality? That would be stupid.
Sigh… what a pity.
Seeing Lin Yu's reply, Qian Daoliu in Spirit City, Emperor Xue Ye and Dai Tianfeng mid-argument, as well as their imperial officials, could only sigh in disappointment.
Clearly, they had no chance at the Dragon Essence anymore.
However, Lin Yu's response actually made these top-tier leaders admire and respect him even more.
Such a young man, yet already so cautious!
If he could maintain that mindset while continuing to benefit from the livestream's rewards,
He was bound to become one of Douluo Continent's future apex beings!
Most of them believed Lin Yu was being careful—which is why he refused to trade the Dragon Essence.
But not Yu Xiaogang.
To him, Lin Yu's words revealed something else—a glimmer of hope for negotiation.
Yu Xiaogang believed Lin Yu's emphasis on "earning things through effort" meant he wasn't interested in power, but in personal growth.
And if Lin Yu wasn't power-hungry, then a trade was possible.
After all, Yu Xiaogang had spent decades compiling his martial soul theory notes, soul beast encyclopedias, and cultivation guides—
Priceless knowledge to any soul master without a powerful background!
Especially for someone like Lin Yu!
And above all—Yu Xiaogang desperately needed the Dragon Essence.
If there was even the slightest chance, he wouldn't give up.
[Yu Xiaogang: @Lin Yu — Please, trade your Dragon Essence with me. I'm willing to offer all my life's knowledge: my martial soul theory notes, my soul beast compendium, and cultivation records. I'll give you everything in exchange!]
After posting his offer, Yu Xiaogang waited nervously.
But when Lin Yu saw that Yu Xiaogang dared to @ him and propose a trade using plagiarized and worthless theories...
He was stunned—then laughed in disbelief.
Seriously? This guy… shameless to the core?
Your so-called "research" is just stolen notes from Spirit Hall, plus some warmed-up motivational nonsense.
And you still have the nerve to offer them for a treasure like Dragon Essence?
Unbelievable.
Lin Yu understood what Yu Xiaogang was thinking.
Clearly, he saw the potential for his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's degenerated martial soul—Luo Sanpao—to be restored with the Dragon Essence.
But if you come begging like this, Yu Xiaogang...
I'm not going to miss this opportunity to slap you down.
As for Yu Xiaogang's theories, Lin Yu didn't care.
Maybe the soul beast compendium had some value, but since it was stolen from Spirit Hall—
And Lin Yu planned to join Spirit Hall eventually—
Why would he need second-hand scraps from a thief?
So to this pathetic fraud of a man, Lin Yu had no reason to hold back:
[Lin Yu (coldly): Yu Xiaogang, I honestly admire you—you're ugly, but boy do you dream big.]
[The livestream already exposed you. Your soul master and soul beast theories were all stolen from Spirit Hall.]
[Tell me, who helped you "research"? A failure like you could never have gathered that data on your own.]
[What, you think you're the hero of the Star Dou Forest? You ever even been there?]
[Using stolen knowledge as trade goods… shame on you.]
[Tch! You shameless clown—keep your trash theories and get lost!]
You…!!!
At Nuoding Academy, when Yu Xiaogang saw Lin Yu's brutal response—tearing down all his self-respect in front of the entire continent—
He shook with rage.
Though he'd braced himself for this possibility, the humiliation still hit like a hammer.
Blood surged up his throat. With a "Pfft!" he vomited a mouthful of blood—
And fainted on the spot.
[Liu Erlong (furious): How dare you talk about Xiao Gang like that?! Even if his theories came from Spirit Hall, he still spent years compiling and refining them! Isn't that how all knowledge is built?]
Ugh… Liu Erlong, the eternal bootlicker.
Seeing her jump to Yu Xiaogang's defense again, Lin Yu was speechless.
[Lin Yu (mocking): I'm supposed to respect that? He stole other people's work and added his own garbage theories—like that laughable "soul ring absorption limit." Or the line "There are no useless martial souls, only soul masters who don't know how to cultivate."
Great line. So why hasn't he proved it himself?
Oh, that's right—because he IS a failure. Never mind then!]
…
Lin Yu wasn't Flender—he wasn't going to indulge Liu Erlong's nonsense.
And since she didn't know who he was, what could she possibly do to him?
So he fired right back without hesitation.
But just as he finished tearing into Liu Erlong—
A message from an unfamiliar name suddenly popped up and @mentioned him.
(END CHAPTER)
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Chapter 41: Is the Deep Sea Demon Whale King Truly Evil?
[Demon Lord: @Lin Yu — Young friend Lin Yu, I am willing to trade all the treasures in my treasury for your Dragon Essence. This includes over three tons of Deep Sea Heavy Silver, a block of 300,000-year-old Ocean Core Marrow, a full set of 200,000-year-old Nine-Colored Jade Coral, and three 100,000-year-old soul bones from sea soul beasts!]
Deep Sea Heavy Silver? Ocean Core Marrow? Nine-Colored Jade Coral…?
What even are those?
When Lin Yu saw this "Demon Lord" send such a message, he was momentarily dazed.
They sounded… very valuable.
[Qian Daoliu: @Demon Lord — Yeah, right! Who even are you? Deep Sea Heavy Silver is one of the finest deep-sea metals, refined by endless pressure. It's nearly impossible to mine.
Ocean Core Marrow and Nine-Colored Jade Coral are also top-tier marine treasures, usually protected by powerful sea soul beasts—nearly unobtainable. And three 100,000-year sea soul beast soul bones? Please! Don't make it so obvious you're bluffing.]
In Spirit Hall, after failing to strike a deal with Lin Yu,
Qian Daoliu coldly exposed the claims of the so-called "Demon Lord" who was now offering treasures even Spirit Hall didn't possess.
If Qian Daoliu couldn't have the Dragon Essence, he certainly wasn't going to let anyone else get it either.
And the Demon Lord's offer? Too outrageous.
[Demon Lord: I'm not lying. These are all part of the collection I've amassed over many years.]
Calm and concise, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King replied.
[Dai Tianfeng: Let me chime in—Deep Sea Heavy Silver is buried in the deepest parts of the ocean. Normal people can't dive that deep, and even sea soul masters need immense strength to reach it. How'd you mine three tons of it? Don't be ridiculous.]
Dai Tianfeng sneered, joining in to expose the implausibility of the Demon Lord's offer.
Mining three tons of Deep Sea Heavy Silver from the deep sea? Impossible for any human.
As both Qian Daoliu and Dai Tianfeng tore into his claims, the Demon Whale King furrowed his brow.
He hadn't wanted to reveal that he was a soul beast.
After all, humans doing business with humans was easy. But trading with a soul beast? Much more complicated.
But now that he was being challenged like this, there was no point in hiding anymore.
[Demon Lord: When did I ever say I was human?]
[Qian Daoliu: You're… not human?!]
His revelation shocked everyone.
While they knew that soul beasts over 100,000 years could access the livestream room,
Aside from one self-proclaimed million-year-old Skydream Iceworm named "Tianmeng," no other soul beast had ever spoken up.
Wait… Tianmeng… Skydream Iceworm…
Could that "Tianmeng" from earlier really be the same one referred to in the last question?
Suddenly, many people realized in hindsight that they had completely underestimated the Skydream Iceworm because of its low profile and humble speech.
Turns out, it had been telling the truth all along.
[Demon Lord (calmly): My true form is the Deep Sea Demon Whale. You humans once gave me a name—Deep Sea Demon Whale King. If you doubt me, come to the Demon Whale Sea. I'll show you my treasury myself.]
With his identity revealed, the Demon Whale King laid everything bare.
What—he's the Deep Sea Demon Whale King?!
The moment his identity was confirmed, countless faction leaders—Qian Daoliu included—froze in shock.
Even on the continent, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's name was known.
He was said to be a terrifying sea beast who had once challenged the Sea God himself and carved out an ocean no-go zone with his strength alone.
[Qian Daoliu (cold sweat): Hah… to think it's truly the Deep Sea Demon Whale King. I admit my mistake, and you clearly do have the qualifications to own such treasures. As for visiting… that won't be necessary.]
Even as a Rank 99 Titled Douluo, Qian Daoliu knew better.
He might be strong, but going into the sea to challenge a possibly stronger sea soul beast?
That would be suicide.
Especially now—after answering incorrectly and losing two levels of soul power—he was only at Rank 97. Climbing back would take years.
Following that, Dai Tianfeng also backed off with a polite message.
[Demon Lord: @Lin Yu — Human, are you willing to trade with me?]
Having shut down the doubters, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King turned back to Lin Yu.
But before Lin Yu could respond, a new message popped up:
[Bo Saixi (urgent): @Lin Yu — NO!!! Absolutely not! You mustn't trade the Dragon Essence to the Deep Sea Demon Whale King! He is the most evil soul beast in the sea, already at 990,000 years of cultivation, and on the verge of becoming a dragon. If he succeeds, he'll become a million-year beast, and that would be a catastrophe for both the ocean and the Douluo Continent! You'd be a criminal to the entire world!]
Upon seeing Bo Saixi's hysterical warning, Lin Yu frowned.
"Absolutely not"?
Why are you yelling? Do I need your permission to do anything?
Frankly, Lin Yu didn't like the Sea God either.
First, because the Sea God passed his divine position to Tang San—
Who then turned Douluo into the Tang Family's playground. Disgusting!
Second, Lin Yu didn't trust the gods of the Divine Realm.
After all, they were the ones who changed Douluo's rules—forcing soul masters to hunt soul beasts to evolve—just to pit the two races against each other.
Clearly, they were not the "hands-off" rulers the story made them out to be.
They actively manipulated the world.
Not to mention, Tang San died in his battle with Bibi Dong and Qian Renxue.
Yet the gods, who claimed not to interfere, resurrected him by having Ning Rongrong and Oscar inherit divine power and perform a fusion technique.
The hypocrisy!
They talked one way but acted another. Just because they weren't as blatantly disgusting as Tang San doesn't mean they were clean.
Especially the Sea God—he was deeply problematic.
In the novel, Bo Saixi often claimed the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was an evil scourge, kept at bay only by the Sea God's divine presence.
But the Sea God had already ascended.
Bo Saixi, without divine power, couldn't do anything to the Whale King unless he attacked Sea God Island himself.
And yet—he didn't.
Instead, the Whale King stayed in his sea, training quietly. Never once did he go on a rampage.
Yet Tang San, to pass the Sea God Trials, hunted the Whale King, claiming it was justice.
But apart from Bo Saixi's slander, what evidence was there that the Whale King was truly evil?
If anything, it was Tang San who acted like a butcher—killing for divine power and soul bones.
Later, in Legend of the Dragon King, they even claimed the Whale King's ambition was to eat everything in the sea.
What a joke!
Eat everything? Then starve to death? That's just slander for the sake of villainizing him.
If the Whale King and his mate raised a kind-hearted daughter like Lan Fozi,
Could they really be as evil as claimed?
Lin Yu didn't think so.
To him, the Sea God didn't act for the good of the ocean.
He simply wanted to establish a following—both sea soul masters and beasts.
So he made the Whale King out to be a monster.
Fighting that "evil" beast made him look like a savior.
Thus, he gained widespread worship—and ascended as a god.
As far as Lin Yu was concerned, the Whale King had no clear dark history—only the Sea God's accusations.
(END CHAPTER)
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