Douluo: My Clone Is Groudon

"Wait."

Yu Xiaogang interrupted Gu La, his tone urgent. "You've categorized soul mutations so meticulously—do you already know the cause of these variations?"

"Huh?" Xiao Wu glared at Yu Xiaogang. At such a critical moment, why interrupt?

"More or less," Gu La replied. "Take Master Yu, for example. Your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul underwent a malignant mutation, yet you were able to form a spirit fusion skill with two others, creating the legendary Golden Iron Triangle."

Gu La was particularly interested in Luo San Pao's Golden Holy Dragon bloodline—it was authentic dragon lineage, second to none on the Douluo Continent.

"In my view, spirit fusion skills allow soul masters to harness the resonance between their martial souls, drawing out a trace of the essence of their martial souls and unleashing power beyond their limits."

"One could even say that, in most cases, the manifestation of a spirit fusion skill is at least an advanced version of one of the martial souls involved in the fusion."

Gu La paused before asking, "Would you mind letting me examine your martial soul?"

Yu Xiaogang was surprisingly compliant this time. "Go ahead."

He summoned his martial soul, Luo San Pao—a fluffy creature resembling both a pig and a dog. It wagged its tongue and scurried around on the ground.

Gu La activated his Divine Appraisal Eye and carefully examined Luo San Pao, confirming his suspicions. He now had full confidence in what he was about to say.

"Master Yu, your spirit fusion skill is called the Golden Holy Dragon, and it's light-attribute, correct? And none of your teammates have light-attribute martial souls."

A flicker of surprise passed through Yu Xiaogang's eyes. He hadn't expected Gu La to know about his reputation, but he couldn't quite piece it together.

"That's right. One of them has a fire-attribute pseudo-dragon martial soul, and the other has an Owl martial soul."

"Then there's no doubt."

Gu La gave a restrained smile, his small frame exuding an aura of wisdom as if standing atop a mountain of intellect, radiating brilliance that made Yu Xiaogang feel inadequate.

"As I understand it, your spirit fusion skill is led by you, Master Yu. Neither of your teammates possesses a light attribute, so who provides the light-attribute essence of the martial soul?"

Yu Xiaogang finally understood, his eyes widening in realization. "It's… me!"

He found it hard to believe, looking at Luo San Pao with a complex expression. "So Luo San Pao possesses light-attribute dragon lineage, but its mutation was incomplete, preventing me from breaking through to level twenty-nine."

"Then… Gu La, do you have a way to help me solve this problem?"

At this moment, Yu Xiaogang seemed to forget his earlier resentment toward Gu La, his demeanor almost humbled.

Gu La shrugged. "Of course. Since the light-attribute dragon lineage is incomplete, the solution is to hunt dragon-type spirit beasts to serve as soul rings. Ideally, a light-attribute pseudo-dragon, up to the Soul King stage, would cause Luo San Pao to evolve dragon characteristics."

Pain flickered across Yu Xiaogang's face as regret overwhelmed him, as if he'd fallen from heaven to hell. "But my first two soul rings are from ordinary spirit beasts, leaving me unable to break through further."

"It doesn't matter. There are still two other methods."

Gu La spoke conservatively. Under the scrutiny of the Appraisal Eye, there were over a dozen ways to complete Luo San Pao's bloodline. He only mentioned two because they were the simplest.

"Two more methods?!"

Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, and Xiao Wu exclaimed in astonishment. The more they learned, the more they realized how difficult it was to alter one's bloodline.

Tang San looked at Gu La with admiration, though he didn't even realize it. Both born in Holy Spirit Village, Gu La's vast knowledge left him feeling like he was gazing up at an unattainable peak.

Yu Xiaogang was utterly convinced. Gu La was a genius in martial soul theory unlike any he had ever seen. His desire to advance his martial soul surpassed his pride, and he lost his usual composure:

"What are the two methods? Tell me—I'll repay you someday!"

"Alright, then I won't hold back."

Gu La naturally wasn't doing this out of charity. "The first method: Luo San Pao is a rare external martial soul capable of feeding itself. You can feed it dragon blood, which will gradually alter its bloodline."

"What do you feed it now?"

Yu Xiaogang suddenly realized something, followed by intense embarrassment. He muttered awkwardly, "I thought Luo San Pao was a pig, so I've been feeding it… white radishes."

Gu La clicked his tongue twice and shook his head.

He said nothing, but his silence spoke volumes.

Tang San and Xiao Wu both felt embarrassed for Yu Xiaogang.

Without pressing further, Gu La added, "Martial souls are closely tied to their soul masters. If your martial soul underwent a failed mutation, it's likely due to your own bloodline not meeting the standard. Therefore, when feeding Luo San Pao dragon blood, you should consume some as well. This dual approach will ensure no mishaps occur."

Xiao Wu's expression grew complicated. She opened her mouth as if to say something but remained silent. Clenching her fists, she lowered her gaze, staring blankly at the Blue Silver Grass.

Yu Xiaogang nodded solemnly. "I will."

Having glimpsed a ray of hope for breakthrough, he wasn't about to let any opportunity slip by. He had already decided to invite his friend Flender to help him, and if necessary, he could call upon Liu Erlong as well.

Noticing Xiao Wu's dejected demeanor, Gu La immediately guessed she was sympathizing with her own kind. Patting her on the head, he said to Yu Xiaogang:

"Dragon-type spirit beasts are rare, and those suitable for you are even rarer. It's best not to directly hunt them. Instead, periodically collect some dragon blood. Avoid unnecessary slaughter. Oh, and when you obtain dragon blood, set aside a portion for me."

After all, dragon-type spirit beasts were tough and resilient. Gu La wanted to experiment with making dragon blood energy cubes, removing the bloodline components while retaining the physique-enhancing properties to aid in physical conditioning.

"Alright." Yu Xiaogang agreed without hesitation. Light-attribute dragons were scarce, and though he considered himself highly intelligent—second only to Gu La—he wouldn't commit the foolish act of killing off resources.

Seeing how receptive Yu Xiaogang was to advice, Gu La nodded slightly, even feeling his earlier animosity toward him diminish.

Xiao Wu stared at Gu La, lost in thought.

Did he discover my identity? When? Was he advising Master Yu to avoid killing spirit beasts for my sake?

Xiao Wu's mind was in turmoil, but Gu La, unaware of the impact of his casual words, continued:

"The second method is more challenging: seek out dragon-type soul bones. In my estimation, fusing with a thousand-year dragon-type soul bone might provide bloodline power equivalent to years of consuming dragon blood."

"However, the downside is obvious. Soul bones are exceedingly rare, and if limited to light-attribute soul bones, the number becomes even smaller. So this method is more of an aspiration, serving as a supplementary option."

In truth, Gu La also wanted to try another method: mimicking Ash and Greninja's bond evolution. Through Aura, they achieved a heart-to-heart level of intimacy, allowing for a temporary purification of bloodline and gradual enhancement of bloodline concentration.

However, bonding with an old man in such a way tested Gu La's tolerance too much. At the very least, it would need to be a beautiful girl, so he didn't even bring it up.

"Soul bones are indeed rare, but I'll keep an eye out."

Yu Xiaogang wasn't disappointed. In fact, he had once considered using soul bones to break through his bottleneck. Unfortunately, even as the son of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's leader, he couldn't justify wasting a soul bone on someone deemed useless.

And when his future seemed bleak, he lacked the confidence to deserve a soul bone.

Besides, even if he obtained one, his combat ability wouldn't be enough to protect it.

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