Duoluo Dalu: Hail Hydra

The summons came early in the morning. A servant knocked on their doors, informing them that their father, Yu Yuanzhen, wanted to see them in his office.

Xiaotian stretched lazily, blinking away sleep. "Ah, the grand audience. The moment of truth. You ready, Xiaogang?"

His twin brother, ever the nervous one, adjusted his robes. "What do you think he'll say?"

"That we're embarrassing the clan, of course. And that we have one last chance to prove ourselves before we get kicked into the outer sect like unloved stepchildren." Xiaotian grinned. "Relax. If we get exiled, I have a backup plan. We become wandering beggar-scholars. You recite philosophy, and I pickpocket."

"...Please don't."

Xiaotian faked a yawn. "But, dear brother, this is why I'm here. Worry not, for I have plans upon plans."

Xiaogang sighed. "That's what worries me."

Inside their father's office, the atmosphere was thick with authority. Yu Yuanzhen sat behind an expensive desk, his imposing figure framed by the huge bookshelves and banners of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. His piercing gaze swept over his sons as they entered, lingering for just a moment longer on Xiaogang.

"Sit," he ordered. His voice was deep, steady, and carried the weight of command.

The twins obeyed, Xiaotian relaxed in his chair. Xiaogang sat upright, back stiff as a board.

Yu Yuanzhen studied them both before exhaling. "This is your last chance."

Xiaogang tensed.

"I will arrange for you both to hunt for your first spirit rings," their father continued. "If you prove yourselves worthy in combat, if you return with a useful spirit ring and show talent in fighting, you will be acknowledged as proper heirs of this clan. If not… you will be sent away."

The words were blunt, but there was something in Yu Yuanzhen's expression that softened the blow. He wasn't a heartless man. No matter how much he valued the clan, these were his sons. There was something similar to regret in his eyes, though his pride wouldn't allow him to voice it out loud.

"Father, we won't disappoint you," Xiaotian, smelling a chance, said with a confident grin. "We've already chosen our targets."

Yu Yuanzhen raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Xiaotian leaned forward. "For me, the Void Eye Snake. A sneaky little thing, hard to catch, but worth it. Its abilities align with my nature."

Xiaogang followed his lead. "And I will go for the Thunderquill Hawk. It's a strong aerial beast with lightning affinity, which will help refine my spirit."

Yu Yuanzhen nodded slightly. "Reasonable choices, but the Void Eye Snake is not easily found. You are aware of this?"

Xiaotian smirked. "I've done my research. It appears in specific locations at rare intervals. I plan to set a trap at one such spot."

His father studied him. "And you know what ingredients are required?"

Xiaotian inclined his head. "Yes. The only thing left is purchasing them, and from what I know, everything we need can be found in Skywater City."

For the first time in the conversation, Yu Yuanzhen's lips twitched, as if suppressing a smile. "You've planned this well."

"Of course," Xiaotian replied smoothly. "I am, after all, my father's son."

Yu Yuanzhen gave him a long, unreadable look before nodding. "Prepare yourselves. You leave soon. One of my guards will accompany you. Do not disappoint me."

As they exited the office, Xiaogang let out a breath. "That went better than expected."

"Obviously," Xiaotian grinned. "Now, let's get ready."

Back in their rooms, they started packing. Xiaotian tossed simple robes into a bag before throwing a glare at Xiaogang, who was debating over which embroidered outer robe to take.

"No fancy robes," Xiaotian said. "We're going to hunt spirit beasts, not a noble tea party."

Xiaogang sighed but complied. "Fine."

They also snuck in a flask each, filled with melted whale rubber. Further research had shown that the whale rubber was only a thousand years old, meaning it could only increase the absorption limit of a spirit ring by that much.

Xiaotian patted his twin on the shoulder. "Remember to convince our esteemed bodyguard to hunt a spirit beast around or above 500 years old, and then we use the whale rubber before absorbing the ring. That way, we can avoid any suspicions from the bodyguard and still, push our limit safely."

Xiaogang nodded. "Got it."

The gang arrived at the clan entrance, looking solemn like a group of elders sending their grandchildren off to war.

Mou San folded his arms and nodded. "Take care, Young Masters."

Meng Kong gave them a thumbs-up. "Yeah, and get a cool spirit ring. I want to brag about you guys."

Yu Hou'er sighed dramatically, hands on his hips. "We're all leaving in two days too, you know. We'll be strong when we return."

Xiaotian smirked. "Of course. When you guys return, I'll make sure to look down on you from my higher cultivation realm."

The gang groaned in unison.

"Ugh, I can already hear you lecturing us."

"If you start with 'back in my day,' I'm throwing you in the river." Si Lin adjusted his glasses.

Xiaotian laughed, waving them off like a benevolent overlord. "Then I shall make sure to start every sentence that way."

At the clan entrance, their designated bodyguard stood waiting. He was a tall, muscular man with a permanent 'I hate my job' face. His aura screamed discipline and efficiency, but his eyes had the unmistakable look of a man who just wanted to get this over with.

"Young Masters," he greeted respectfully, but with minimal enthusiasm. Clearly, this was just another day at work for him.

Xiaotian leaned in toward Xiaogang. "So, do we call him Mister Bodyguard or Sir Grumpy?"

Xiaogang sighed, rubbing his temples. "Don't antagonize the man responsible for our safety."

Xiaotian smirked. "Fine. I'll wait until after we get our rings."

Their ride was an exquisite carriage drawn by two Thunderhoof Horses. These weren't your average farm horses. These were elite, spirit beast-blooded, high-performance stallions with built-in turbo mode. Once a day, they could activate speed boost and zoom past all traffic like a Formula 1 car.

"Damn," Xiaotian muttered as he climbed in. "Where's the seatbelt? I feel like I need one."

The journey was painfully uneventful. No bandits, no spirit beast attacks, no dramatic betrayals from long-lost cousins. Honestly, disappointing. Who would be dumb enough to attack a carriage with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan emblem? That was like walking into a lion's den with a steak tied around your neck and hoping for a hug.

Xiaotian leaned against the window, staring at the scenery. "This is so boring. If we were in a novel, something big should've happened by now. Where's the plot?"

Xiaogang rolled his eyes. "Be grateful. The last thing we need is unnecessary trouble."

Xiaotian sighed. "Yeah, yeah. But it wouldn't hurt to have at least one cliché young master challenge us for no reason."

A few hours later, they finally arrived at Skywater City. The streets were lively, bustling with merchants, hunters, and spirit masters preparing for their spirit ring hunts. It smelled like capitalism. Everywhere, people shouted about their wares, trying to scam, ahem!, I mean, sell at very fair and reasonable prices.

As they walked through the marketplace, Xiaotian couldn't help but notice a group of Spirit Hall kids strutting around like they owned the place. They were doing what young masters did best: being obnoxious.

One particularly arrogant brat was bullying a merchant. "Do you know who my master is? How dare you sell me inferior goods?!"

Xiaotian sighed. Ah, the classic 'Do you know who I am?' move. Classic young master behavior.

Xiaogang frowned. "We should help."

Xiaotian groaned. "Ugh, fine. But let's be smart about it."

Instead of charging in like a hero, Xiaotian casually strolled near a group of older Spirit Masters and muttered just loud enough, "Wow, look at them. So noble. Definitely not embarrassing their entire faction."

A few of the older cultivators turned to look. Their silent judgment alone was enough to make the Spirit Hall brats pale. Nothing was scarier than disappointing your seniors. They quickly abandoned their bullying efforts and scurried away like rats.

Xiaogang blinked. "That was… effective."

Xiaotian grinned. "My dear brother, sometimes you don't need fists. Just the right words in the right ears."

With that handled, they moved on to actual business, buying the ingredients for their spirit beast trap. Xiaotian had already done the research. The Void Eye Snake was a slippery little bastard with insane senses, meaning it always escaped before you could even see it. But, in a few instances, it had been spotted in specific locations of Sunset Forest.

So, the plan? Set a trap. A beautifully devious, scientifically designed, 100% Guaranteed* trap.

(*: Not Really)

They visited several stores, picking up the necessary ingredients. Paralysis powder? Check. Beast-luring incense? Check. Spirit beast bait? Double-check. A few extra things just for fun? Why not.

All these item names reminds me of the old Pokémon GBA Games. Aaah~ Good times...

As they returned to the inn, Xiaotian grinned. "Shopping for murder supplies is oddly satisfying."

Xiaogang coughed. "Please never say that in public."

That night, in the safety of their inn room, Xiaotian began mixing the ingredients. It was a delicate process, requiring precision, patience, and the ability to not sneeze at the wrong time.

Xiaogang watched from the side. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Xiaotian scoffed. "Brother, do you question a master chef in his kitchen? A blacksmith at his forge? A scammer at his pyramid scheme? No! You let them work!"

Xiaogang sighed. "That last example was concerning."

It took nearly two hours, but the final concoction was ready. Xiaotian held up a vial of a suspicious blue bubbling fluid, grinning. "Behold! The bait of the century."

Xiaogang raised an eyebrow. "And this will definitely work?"

Xiaotian nodded confidently. "Of course! Trust me. When has one of my plans ever failed?"

Xiaogang stared blankly. "Do you want me to list them alphabetically or in order of disaster level?"

Xiaotian waved him off. "Details. That was before the awakening cermeony. I'm a new guy now. Now get some sleep. We've got a snake to catch."

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