Douluo: My Clone Is Groudon

"Huh? What's wrong with that? A soul master's cultivation doesn't change, so the power of their soul rings won't change either!"

"I know all this. You can't possibly not know it, Gu La!"

Xiao Wu rebutted Gu La, a smug smile on her face.

Gu La shot her a look as if she were an idiot. "Heh, only someone as naive as you would think that way."

Fuming, Xiao Wu gritted her teeth and contemplated kicking Gu La.

Ignoring her, Gu La continued, "Soul skills are derived from soul rings and don't change, meaning they're tied to the martial soul itself. Naturally, they can be further developed. Treating soul skills as mere techniques is putting the cart before the horse."

"For example, my first soul skill: Gravity Control."

"Control-type soul skills are extremely rare and require the soul master to develop and utilize them to maximize their potential."

"A simple gravity field is just the most basic application."

"The essence of Gravity Control is the increase in gravity multiplier and range as soul power levels rise—it's an absolute dominion over earth-attribute elements."

As he spoke, Gu La unleashed his purple-black soul ring, releasing a gravity field that flattened all the Blue Silver Grass and surrounding vegetation.

"The gravity field can be confused for a domain-type soul skill, but it consumes soul power and doesn't enhance oneself or weaken enemies. Therefore, it can't truly be classified as a domain skill."

"When facing powerful opponents, the gravity field's effects are limited. Enemies can quickly adapt to it and even attack from outside its range."

"So, I plan to further develop my first soul skill—controlling gravity to compress inward from all directions, creating both control and damage."

"I've used this technique before, but it was a simple four-directional compression: up, down, left, and right. That's only four times the intensity of basic gravity control. In my vision, this multiplier should reach at least fourteen times the gravity of the gravity field!"

"At my current limit of gravity control—within a 24-meter radius—I can exert 24 times normal gravity."

"Multiplying that by fourteen, even when applied from different directions (which reduces effectiveness slightly), and considering it can't be used continuously, it'll still be a devastating move, capable of rivaling the power of a ten-thousand-year soul skill."

"Sss…"

Tang San gasped. "If that's the case, wouldn't that mean once you become a Title Douluo, you could create thousands of times normal gravity, easily killing ordinary soul masters whose physical bodies aren't exceptionally strong?"

Zhu Zhuqing's bright eyes sparkled as she gazed at Gu La with admiration. Compared to him, her fiancé was less than a hair's worth—not just in terms of cultivation talent but also wisdom and knowledge. The two weren't even comparable.

After Tang San's explanation, Xiao Wu understood the terrifying potential of Gravity Compression. But admitting she was wrong was out of the question. She stuck her tongue out at Gu La instead.

Tang San's eyes burned with fervor as he looked at Gu La, as though trying to melt him with his gaze.

"So that's how you develop a soul skill! But my first soul ring is a healing-type soul skill. How do I develop it?"

Tang San was stumped and turned to Gu La with a questioning look.

Gu La thought for a moment before replying with a smile, "You can research how to forcibly convert soul power during battle. Cast your healing soul skill on your opponent, forcibly converting their soul power into life force. This will drain their soul power, defeating them without engaging in direct combat."

Tang San's mind was suddenly enlightened. He got it!

"What a sneaky move!"

Xiao Wu imagined herself losing all her soul power—how could she even fight then? Just thinking about it made her realize how troublesome such a soul skill would be.

What's more, Tang San's healing soul skill was a locking-type skill, making it hard to dodge. One would have to wait until the Blue Silver Crown fell onto their head before breaking it.

But who would dare use a soul skill to dismantle something as resilient as a tough grass hat? This gave Tang San plenty of room to maneuver.

Gu La shared some additional ideas with Tang San, leaving him to study them slowly.

As for the ability to forcibly convert soul power, it would likely require Tang San to awaken his Blue Silver Emperor bloodline and gain the Blue Silver Emperor's Devouring Talent before he could fully develop this technique.

Gu La transmitted these hints to Tang San telepathically. Tang San nodded in understanding, smiled faintly, and calmed himself. He prepared to focus on his training, determined to evolve his martial soul as soon as possible.

"What about me? What about me? How do I develop my soul skills?"

Xiao Wu clung to Gu La, pressing him for answers.

Gu La rolled his eyes. "Finish the first phase of your training, and then I'll tell you."

Zhu Zhuqing pursed her lips, suppressing her inner excitement. Without asking any questions, she requested insect-attracting incense from Gu La and went off to begin her training.

Gu La started his own training while Xiao Wu reluctantly left. The garden filled with the sound of whistling winds.

---

Tian Dou Imperial Palace

Eastern Palace

Xue Qinghe, disguised as the crown prince of Tian Dou Empire (Qian Renxue), had resumed her female attire inside the palace.

Her skin was as white as snow, her nose straight, her phoenix-like eyes slightly slender, and her perfectly proportioned features left no doubt that she was a stunning beauty.

"Elder Ci (Porcupinefish Douluo), it's been half a year. Haven't you finished screening all suspicious individuals within Tian Dou territory yet?"

Standing before Qian Renxue were two elderly men—both Spirit Hall elders and Title Douluos. They had been ordered by Grand Elder Qian Daoliu to disguise themselves as stewards to protect their young master, Qian Renxue.

"Young Master, the Tian Dou Empire has sixteen main cities, thirty-six large cities, and over a hundred medium and small cities. We still can't rule out the suspicion of some duchies. There are too many candidates matching Oak's characteristics, and Oak himself is incredibly elusive, leaving us with few clues. It'll take more time to identify him."

Porcupinefish responded.

The reason they believed Oak was from the Tian Dou Empire was that although the same writing system was used, there were subtle grammatical differences between the Tian Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire.

This minor flaw was obvious to someone like the "Tian Dou Crown Prince," who viewed the Star Luo Empire as an imagined enemy.

After Oak published his paper on Bone-Fortifying Ointment, Qian Renxue meticulously studied it word by word for three months. Eventually, while interrogating a Star Luo spy, she realized this loophole.

Knowing it would be inconvenient to use the Spirit Hall's resources directly, she informed her adoptive father, Emperor Xue Ye.

After discussing secretly, father and son decided to mobilize the resources of the Tian Dou Empire to help her track down Oak's whereabouts and bring him under their control.

"It's fine. I was just curious and wanted to ask."

Qian Renxue's expression remained unchanged. After Oak published his theory on martial soul evolution, her regard for him rose even higher—to the point where obtaining him had become essential.

"Ultimate martial souls instinctively compress soul power after level thirty."

"No wonder… Even though I haven't slacked off in my cultivation while in Tian Dou City, despite having an innate soul power level of twenty, I've only reached the Soul Emperor stage."

After reading the paper, Qian Renxue finally understood that her martial soul, bestowed by a God, had become an Ultimate Holy, semi-Ultimate Fire and semi-Ultimate Light, God-tier martial soul.

Thus, her cultivation speed inevitably slowed down.

This realization eased her mind. She knew the importance of soul power levels and the expectations placed on her by her grandfather, Qian Daoliu. She didn't want to disappoint him.

Since it wasn't her fault, she felt much lighter and could now focus on preparing her grand scheme to usurp the throne.

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