Douluo: My Clone Is Groudon

Ning Rongrong's eyes sparkled with excitement as she fantasized about her martial soul evolving, shocking her father so much that he would let her do whatever she wanted—sleep as long as she pleased.

"Hehe..."

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Gu La had gained experience raising young girls and could tell exactly what Ning Rongrong was daydreaming about. Without mercy, he shattered her fantasy:

"Martial soul evolution isn't something that happens overnight. Especially for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, which has a stable heritage—it won't evolve easily unless there's a major change or extraordinary opportunity."

"For now, follow the instructions in the newspaper and look for astral attribute soul rings. By the time we meet again, I should have found a way to help your martial soul evolve into the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda. You can start thinking about how you'll thank me."

Gu La wasn't sure if anyone was eavesdropping on Ning Rongrong, so he didn't go into detail. Even when Ning Rongrong tried to wheedle more information out of him with her cute antics, he didn't reveal any further clues.

"Let's get back to business. Find some paper and a pen, and write down the soul power pathways I'm about to describe. Then pass them on to the disciple with the arm martial soul so he can try cultivating."

Gu La rattled off a series of meridian and hidden meridian locations, all discovered through his mastery of Aura after achieving perfect control over his body. These pathways were far more detailed than even the Xuantian Technique.

Of course, Gu La only provided the meridians for the right arm, which wouldn't be particularly useful for other soul masters.

But for a soul master whose martial soul was their right arm, expanding these meridians could increase their soul power capacity by at least fifty percent, further increasing their chances of eventually condensing bloodline energy.

"Isn't this ever going to end? These pathways are so complicated—I can barely keep up."

Ning Rongrong pouted and complained, rubbing her sore wrist. It was exhausting.

As the young mistress of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda Sect, Ning Rongrong had received basic drawing instruction. On the Douluo Continent, knowledge of the body's meridians was relatively advanced, so she knew she was sketching a meridian map.

However, some of the finer details were hidden in obscure corners of the blood vessels and meridians, making them difficult to depict accurately.

Her artistic skills weren't up to the task of capturing these intricate pathways precisely. She had to supplement her drawings with written descriptions, and sometimes even draw multiple angles to fully capture the specific locations of the meridians. The process was incredibly challenging.

"Rongrong, hang in there a little longer. You don't want to disappoint your father, do you?"

At these words, Ning Rongrong let out a soft huff, but newfound determination surged within her. With renewed patience, she focused her attention and persevered until she finished drawing all the meridians.

"Just one arm? Will it really work?"

Ning Rongrong voiced her doubts. Though young, she already understood a great deal—especially that soul master cultivation involved circulating soul power throughout the entire body.

These "lines," once soul power flowed through them, resulted in more significant improvements compared to when soul power passed through internal organs. This was a closely guarded secret of the various sects.

It was also the origin of each sect's advanced meditation techniques.

"Of course it will work."

Gu La replied decisively. "But Rongrong, you must tell him that this is a trade. I'll help him develop his Body martial soul, but once he achieves some results, he'll have to do me a favor in return."

Ning Rongrong was curious. "What kind of favor? Can't you tell me now? And are you really Mr. Oak? How do you know so much about martial souls?"

The little girl, who had initially been completely skeptical, was now half-believing, half-doubting.

"Haha, you'll find out someday—but not now."

Gu La left her hanging and chatted a bit more before ending the call amidst Ning Rongrong's playful complaints.

Golden sunlight bathed his face as Gu La put away the communicator. Stretching lazily toward the sun, he took a deep breath of fresh air, feeling refreshed.

Zhu Zhuqing's cat ears twitched slightly. Unfortunately, Gu La had used his psychic powers to dampen the sound of their conversation, so she couldn't make out what they were saying. Noticing Gu La glance at her, she quickly resumed her exercise routine.

Gu La smiled faintly. Curious, fond of fish—she really was like a cat.

Temporarily setting aside his training, he retrieved an energy cube and fried fish fillet and approached her. "Zhuqing, take a break for a moment. Eat something, then continue your training."

Zhu Zhuqing caught a whiff of the aroma carried by the breeze and couldn't help but swallow nervously. Today, Tang San and Xiao Wu had finished their training and weren't in the garden—it was just the two of them.

"Mm, thank you."

She nodded lightly, murmuring her thanks.

Avoiding eye contact with Gu La, her petite frame—at just under five feet tall—already hinted at the exceptional genetic gifts of the Zhu family. The fusion of her soul ring had accelerated her development.

Sitting on the grass, Zhu Zhuqing nibbled on the energy cube, paired with tree fruit juice. The fried fish fillet, ironically, was the dish with the least energy content.

"Zhuqing, what are your plans for the future? Have you ever thought about living the life you want?"

Gu La sat beside Zhu Zhuqing and lay back on the grass, enjoying the gentle afternoon breeze brushing against his face.

Zhu Zhuqing gave a small shake of her head, her gaze dark and devoid of light. "I don't have the luxury of thinking about the future. For now, I just want to focus on training and hope I can survive—that's enough."

"That's a rather uninspired answer, but I understand where you're coming from."

Gu La spoke earnestly, but Zhu Zhuqing remained unconvinced. She didn't think anyone could truly understand her situation and assumed he was just placating her. Clamping her lips shut, she sulked quietly.

Gu La chuckled, surprised to see Zhu Zhuqing acting so moody.

Whether it was the Viridian Force or Aura, both enhanced his ability to sense emotions in Pokémon. Zhu Zhuqing's subtle mood swings were impossible to hide from him at such close range.

"What I said is true. I'm an orphan. From a young age, I've had to fend for myself. I begged and pleaded to get access to books at the Spirit Hall, which is how I learned about martial souls early on."

"Using the knowledge I gained from those books, I hunted and fished while also training my body. Thankfully, I was naturally strong and managed to persevere until my martial soul awakened, finally giving me a chance to leave my village."

Gu La recounted his experiences, mixing truth with fabrication.

Zhu Zhuqing listened intently. She had always assumed Gu La came from a reclusive noble family—how else could he create energy cubes that were both delicious and beneficial for cultivation? But now she realized he was an orphan.

She felt ashamed of her earlier unfounded suspicions. How could she accuse him of having ulterior motives just because he treated her kindly? They were still so young—it wasn't possible for him to be so mature.

Gu La wrapped up his story quickly, his emotional resonance amplified by his psychic powers.

Tears welled up in Zhu Zhuqing's eyes, though she fought hard to hold them back. Finally, she opened her heart:

"My father wasn't like this before. He used to treat me well. Whenever he returned from the military, he'd make time to spend with me and my sister. My sister and everyone in the manor were kind to me too. That was the happiest time of my life."

"But everything changed after my martial soul awakened... I manifested innate level seven soul power..."

Zhu Zhuqing looked up toward the south, as if gazing at the distant Star Luo City. Her glistening eyes held a fragile beauty that tugged at the heartstrings.

"One day, my father told me he'd arranged a fiancé for me. He wanted me to cultivate feelings with him, with the resolve to kill my sister, compete for the throne, and become empress."

"But I'm five years younger than my sister and six years younger than the eldest prince. There's no way I can catch up."

"My sister began to distance herself from me. My classmates avoided me like the plague, and even the servants in the manor stopped talking or laughing in front of me. My future feels utterly bleak."

Zhu Zhuqing's pent-up emotions erupted, and she could no longer hold back. Sobbing, she poured out the grievances she'd endured over the past year.

After all, she was still just a young girl. To suddenly have her family turn against her and pit her against her beloved sister was unbearably cruel.

Gu La pulled her into his arms, gently comforting her. "Let it all out, it'll be better after you cry it out. I promise you this: I'll give you the power to choose your own path."

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