Douluo: My Clone Is Groudon

"Just a casual remark. Before I have the ability to protect myself, Iaj's identity cannot be exposed."

Gu La took out an advanced ball containing medicinal herbs. "Since the start of the semester, the number of days we've been in class is less than the number of days we've taken off. This time, I'll go alone. You stay at the academy."

Tang San knew that Gu La had inherited many skills and nodded. "Then be careful. Take this with you."

He pulled out a set of wrist-mounted crossbows and explained, "This is a hidden weapon I crafted. Triggering the mechanism fires arrows. If used unexpectedly, it has the potential to kill a Soul Elder."

"Alright, I'll take it."

Curious, Gu La strapped on the wrist crossbow. His wrist was enveloped, and though he felt slightly uncomfortable, it served as a perfect ace up his sleeve to compensate for his lack of killing power.

Tang San smiled. "Be careful. When you return, I'll have another surprise for you."

"I'll look forward to your surprise."

Gu La wondered what the surprise might be—another hidden weapon or perhaps a new secret technique from the Tang Sect?

He shook his head inwardly. Whatever it was, Tang San's willingness to share with him meant that he already considered Gu La one of his own.

In the future, Gu La could treat Tang San even better.

Gu La waved his hand. "I'm leaving. Help me ask the principal for leave."

With a flick of his sleeve, he dashed out of the garden like the wind.

"Huh? Me ask for leave?"

Tang San lost his usual composure and muttered helplessly, "You might as well let me sell the medicine instead. Now I have to endure Principal Li's nagging again."

With no other choice, he reluctantly headed toward the principal's office to request leave for Gu La.

---

Three days later, Shenmu City.

This was one of the eighteen main cities of the Tian Dou Empire and the location of the Plant Academy. One-third of the city's soul masters specialized in plant-based martial souls. Everywhere you looked, lush greenery filled the streets, and vibrant trees lined the roads.

Outside Shenmu City, the land stretched wide and flat, but not far away were endless mountain ranges. Due to its central position on the continent, it was home to the most comprehensive medicinal herb market and served as a crucial grain-producing region in southern Tian Dou.

After paying the entrance fee, Gu La walked into Shenmu City. Behind him loomed a towering hundred-meter-high wall. The streets bustled with people, shoulder to shoulder, and the aroma of medicinal herbs masked the stench of sweat.

Stopping a passerby dressed as a merchant, Gu La's eyes glowed faintly blue as he used his psychic powers to plant a suggestion: "Which apothecary in Shenmu City is the most trustworthy? And who backs them?"

The merchant's impatient gaze met Gu La's, and his eyes glazed over, becoming vacant. He slowly replied, "All the major guilds are honest. I've never heard of anyone cheating customers."

Gu La smacked his forehead. It was his paranoia acting up again—he had assumed the worst about people and forgotten that these guilds were legitimate businesses. They wouldn't cheat customers casually, at least not over the herbs he was selling.

To be safe, he asked, "Among the guilds with the best reputations, who's offering the highest acquisition price recently?"

"The Seven Treasures Guild, Spirit Hall Guild, Shenmu Guild, and Seven Saints Guild. Their prices are similar… they… they…"

The merchant's expression contorted as if the question touched upon a sensitive topic.

Gu La frowned. His psychic abilities weren't strong enough yet—hypnotizing an ordinary person couldn't last long. He increased his psychic output, finished asking his question, and then erased the merchant's memory of their encounter.

Afterward, Gu La turned and left.

The merchant stood there, scratching his head. "What was I trying to do just now? Why can't I remember?"

Unable to recall what had happened, the merchant shrugged it off and returned to the bustling street.

---

After visiting several guilds, Gu La settled on the Seven Saints Guild.

If safety were his primary concern, he should have chosen the Seven Treasures Guild, which was backed by an auxiliary-type sect.

But since the guilds had reached an agreement to control herb prices, if he wanted to sell at a higher price, he needed to negotiate with someone flexible.

The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect wasn't particularly desperate for herbs—they only bought them to avoid falling behind others. In reality, their demand for Bone-Fortifying Ointment wasn't high.

At least until they recognized the benefits of physical strength for soul power cultivation, they wouldn't spend heavily to compete with the Spirit Hall for herbs.

As for the Spirit Hall, they had too many people to support and would need to control costs. Plus, with their immense power, they wouldn't offer a high price.

The Shenmu Guild was a local player—it was safer not to risk dealing with them.

The Seven Saints Guild might sound unfamiliar, but mention the Seven Saints Alliance behind the continent's major arenas, and almost everyone in the Douluo Continent would recognize it. The alliance consisted of seven noble families, each wielding at least an advanced martial soul. Thanks to their dominance in the arena business, their wealth was beyond description.

If not for the fact that the seven families couldn't fully unite, they could easily replace any two of the lower four sects with the soul masters they'd recruited through the arenas. However, overthrowing the top three sects remained impossible.

The Seven Saints Guild was a subsidiary of the Seven Saints Alliance, with most of its branches located near or within the major arenas.

Gu La gathered information along the way and eventually found the Seven Saints Guild outside a major arena.

The guild occupied over a thousand square meters in the city center. Stepping inside, Gu La saw a spacious shop adorned with exquisite decorations.

The pale golden walls exuded opulence, contrasting elegantly with the understated furniture and sofas. A faint floral fragrance made visitors feel as if they were in a garden, while plant-type spirit beasts trapped in wooden crates at the corners produced fresh air.

"Sir, what may I assist you with?"

Upon seeing the disguised Gu La, a woman in a cheongsam stepped forward, bowing slightly. Her chest jiggled slightly as she spoke in a soft, alluring voice.

Decadent, so decadent.

Is this what a noble-run guild looks like? Gu La had certainly learned something today.

"I have a batch of herbs that can produce six thousand portions of Bone-Fortifying Ointment. What price can you offer?"

Gu La had kept a thousand portions of herbs, enough for three people to use for a year. Once they were used up, he planned to wait for herb prices to stabilize before repurchasing.

The cheongsam-clad attendant was startled. Working at the guild required her to have a rough understanding of various item prices. Recently, the famous Bone-Fortifying Ointment had soared in value, with a single portion fetching nearly a hundred gold coins. Keep in mind, this was just the daily dosage for soul masters below Soul Elder rank!

Soul Elders and Soul Ancestors consumed two portions daily, while Soul Kings consumed three. The higher the cultivation level, the more ointment was required.

Soul masters' insatiable pursuit of strength had caused a shortage of herbs related to Bone-Fortifying Ointment. Most available herbs had already been purchased and processed into ointments.

New herbs wouldn't appear on the market until next year's harvest. Relying on scattered herbs collected by herbalists wouldn't meet the demand.

The attendant became even more enthusiastic. "Please, sir, have a seat and enjoy some tea."

She bent over to pour tea for Gu La, but unfortunately, he didn't spare her a glance, unlike previous customers who had ogled her.

The female attendant smiled, her gentle lips curling upward. "All the major guilds have agreed that the purchase price for herbs used in Bone-Fortifying Ointment is ten gold coins per portion."

"However, given the large quantity you're offering, I'd like to befriend you. On behalf of the guild, I'll offer you eleven gold coins per portion. What do you think?"

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