Douluo: My Clone Is Groudon

Gu La chuckled softly. This was precisely why he hadn't stopped Tang San from giving the ointment to Xiao Wu.

Being so greedy for food yet unwilling to exercise meant she would have to endure several hours of discomfort as her body processed the medicinal effects—a small punishment with a big lesson, teaching her not to call him a stingy miser.

Xiao Wu tried to endure, but the effects of the next two doses of ointment gradually kicked in. Under the influence of ambient spiritual energy and the medicine, her muscles became incredibly active.

In this state, it was difficult to calm her mind enough for meditation, meaning she couldn't accelerate the consumption of soulpower. The only option was physical exercise.

This formula did indeed increase a soul master's capacity to handle higher-level soul rings, making it quite valuable. However, its effectiveness was limited to before reaching the Soul King stage. After that, the ointment's impact on ten-thousand-year soul rings was negligible—like a drop in the bucket.

Unless one was willing to use the ointment consistently for fifty or sixty years, it might slightly increase the threshold for handling ten-thousand-year soul rings.

But aside from the immense effort required, the sheer cost of such prolonged use would be enough to make even the top three sects cringe.

"Compared to whale glue, the efficiency is much lower, but the upper limit it adds is significantly higher. Is it because of the ambient origin energy from the world that reduces the restrictions? Or does the process of training weaken the limitations?"

"Interesting."

Lost in thought, Gu La flipped to a new page in his notebook and promptly recorded his insights.

As for how he knew the ointment's limits, it was because the system had already recognized the ointment he created as a "special potion," usable by Pokémon.

Since Gu La didn't have any Pokémon, he decided to try it on himself first.

"Ahh, I can't take it anymore!"

Xiao Wu, drenched in sweat from the heat, couldn't resist jumping around to release the medicinal energy coursing through her body. Her eyes turned red as she glared at Gu La, recalling the memory of being soundly beaten, then shifted her gaze to Tang San.

"Xiao San, let's fight!"

Before Tang San could respond, Xiao Wu charged forward, using her soul skill to unleash all her strength and vent her frustration.

"Wait!"

Tang San's warning came too late. Xiao Wu had already rushed forward, and behind him was the stove—he was about to be knocked into it by her reckless charge.

Gu La put down his pen, his purple soul ring glowing as he thrust his palm horizontally. Gravity, which should have been pulling downward, instantly changed direction, pushing Tang San out of harm's way.

"Go ahead, Tang San. Have a good practice session with Xiao Wu."

Watching the two engage in combat, Gu La smiled faintly and lowered his head again to organize his paper.

---

Three days later.

On the road from Nuoding City to Xin Ya City, a carriage moved swiftly along the path. Inside, a somewhat heated discussion could be heard.

"Xiao San, remember to compare prices among different merchants. Don't let them cheat you—try to check their reputation beforehand to avoid wasting time."

Gu La instructed, while a faint shadow of his clone flickered beside him.

After more than ten days of school, Gu La had fully absorbed and replicated the experience of using Double Teams from his Groudon avatar.

If there were such a thing as skill proficiency, Gu La's Double Team technique would likely have reached the level of mastery. He could now maintain the clones for extended periods, making them indistinguishable from reality.

For up to ten seconds, they could easily deceive soul masters below the rank of Soul Conqueror without issue.

In battle, these clones were enough to confuse enemies. More importantly, the clones now possessed a physical form, allowing them to hold objects.

Thus, Gu La decided to collect his royalties.

Tang San still looked conflicted, feeling it was too risky. "We still have five hundred gold coins left after our experiments, which should be enough for now. Why don't we wait for Father to come back before collecting the royalties?"

"No."

Gu La rolled his eyes. "Uncle Tang left precisely so we wouldn't rely on him. Besides, this is the royalty for my research paper—why shouldn't I claim it?"

He patted Tang San on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I've got this under control. Look how skilled my clones are getting—they'll definitely be fine. You and Xiao Wu go contact the herbalists and prepare to stockpile medicine. I'll handle the payment when I get there."

This was a plan Gu La had devised long ago: to collect his royalties from the Spirit Hall and stockpile related herbs in advance. Once the paper was published, the price of medicinal herbs would inevitably rise.

By that point, whether selling them or using them to make medicine, they would make a fortune.

Xiao Wu had already been convinced by Gu La and chimed in to persuade Tang San. "Yeah, yeah! Then we'll make a ton of money—buy whatever we want, eat whatever we want!"

"Hehe." Xiao Wu thought of the custom-made energy cubes Gu La had promised her, and she grinned foolishly, nearly drooling.

Outvoted two to one, Tang San—who also desperately needed gold coins for poison-making and crafting hidden weapons—had no choice but to trust Gu La. "Alright, just be careful."

Gu La nodded reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'll deliberately reveal my Double Team ability. As long as the Spirit Hall wants to continue studying my martial soul theories, they won't dare attack me."

Besides, the Double Team was merely his overt trump card. His true ace was the Time Travel ability.

Gu La could peek into the future to anticipate events. If the Spirit Hall acted unreasonably and attacked him, he wasn't without means to retaliate—after all, there was plenty of time for revenge.

---

Xin Ya City

A city slightly larger than Nuoding City, known for its strongest resident being a five-ring Soul King. More importantly, Xin Ya City was a transportation hub, bustling with a complex mix of people. It was nearly impossible to track someone down here.

Gu La parted ways with Tang San and Xiao Wu. The two weren't weak, and as long as they were cautious, ordinary merchants wouldn't dare attack two six-year-old soul masters. Moreover, Tang San carried hidden weapons, which could severely injure even a mid-level soul master if they underestimated him.

Approaching the Spirit Hall, Gu La draped himself in a floor-length black robe, levitating through telekinesis and gravity manipulation. His psychic powers concealed his soul power fluctuations, making him resemble Tang Hao in appearance.

As Gu La approached the Spirit Hall, the two guards trembled upon seeing the towering figure in black, as if startled.

Gu La paused momentarily, quickly deducing that if no one else had recently visited the Spirit Hall in a black robe, it must have been Tang Hao who had left a lasting psychological impression on them during a prior encounter.

Using telekinesis, he adjusted his vocal cords to sound deeper and more mature: "Step aside."

"Please, go ahead!"

The guards dared not obstruct him, holding their ceremonial silver spears and stepping aside, fearing they'd collapse if they delayed another moment.

Gu La entered the Spirit Hall, and immediately, a Spirit Hall steward noticed him. Before the steward could inquire, a wave of "pressure" settled over him, combined with Gu La's psychic disguise of an imposing aura. It felt exactly like encountering a genuine high-level soul master.

"I'm here to collect my royalties."

"You… are Senior oak?"

The young steward, barely in his twenties, couldn't discern the difference in spiritual pressure and immediately believed Gu La's disguise.

Wiping away cold sweat, he dared not show any disrespect. Treating Gu La with utmost humility, he bowed deeply and gestured for him to follow: "The elder has been waiting for you. Please, follow me."

"Mm."

Gu La retracted his gravity and psychic powers, following the steward up the stairs.

At the turn of the staircase, Gu La silently activated his Double Team skill, swapping positions with his clone.

As the clone ascended the stairs, Gu La switched to his Celebi martial soul and used Space-Time Travel. In the blink of an eye, he had already stepped outside onto the streets near the Spirit Hall.

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