Douluo: My Clone Is Groudon

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Qian Renxue, Red Orb



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"How's the compilation of data on students from the various soul master academies coming along?"

Qian Renxue reined in her thoughts and turned her attention to another matter.

Although Ultimate Earth and semi-Ultimate Fire were inferior to the Six-Winged Angel martial soul, they still possessed Ultimate attributes and weren't significantly weaker.

Qian Renxue was a person who prioritized benefits above all else. If someone brought enough value, even loyal Title Douluo elders serving her faction could be discarded.

She would stop at nothing to achieve her goals—even vengeance for her father's death could be set aside.

Calm, decisive, and like Bibi Dong, she loved to control everything. However, she was also a conflicted individual.

For example, in the original storyline, when she encountered Tang San, despite knowing he was the son of her father's killer, she still considered recruiting him. During the Tian Dou incident, she even hoped to engage in a fair fight with him.

The conflict between her twisted childhood and the innate fairness and sanctity of her Divine martial soul shaped Qian Renxue's contradictory personality.

Thus, her search for an Ultimate earth soul master wasn't motivated by the belief that she could find Oak through such individuals.

Qian Renxue thought that someone as intelligent as Oak would have long since distanced himself from anyone he had taught about Ultimate Earth.

Her actions were purely aimed at recruiting soul masters with Ultimate attributes under her banner—just like how her grandfather, Qian Daoliu, gathered a large group of Super Douluos to become the bedrock of the Spirit Hall.

Spear Dragon Douluo She Long replied, "Among the data submitted by the various academies over the past three years, there are 1,365 people who awakened high-tier Earth-attribute martial souls. Among them, 133 also possess Fire-attribute martial souls. No soul masters with a thousand-year first ring have been discovered."

"I believe that a thousand-year first ring is too conspicuous. The person might actively hide it, but they can't avoid using their soul skills forever. It's better to wait quietly for them to slip up."

She Long offered his suggestion.

Qian Renxue leaned back in her chair. "I know this well. But I want to find him before the Spirit Hall does."

She was used to competing with Bibi Dong, striving to make achievements to catch her attention.

Unfortunately, without knowing the full story, Qian Renxue's wish was unlikely to come true.

The two Title Douluos remained silent. This was their young master's family affair, and it wasn't their place to comment.

Qian Renxue lowered her gaze, her golden hair draping over her shoulder. A flicker of determination flashed in her eyes. "Keep searching. I refuse to believe he won't come into conflict with others. Monitor intelligence across the regions. If there's any news, report to me immediately."

She Long and Porcupinefish bowed their heads in unison. "Yes."

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Gu La was unaware that Qian Renxue viewed him as a pawn in her rivalry with Bibi Dong.

After devising specialized training plans for the four of them, he busied himself daily with training. Exactly one month after publishing his theory on martial soul evolution, he received his reward.

[+3800 Points, 3 Legendary Pokémon Vouchers, 4 Equipment Vouchers, 4 Skill Vouchers]

(T/N: I think Equipment should be Held Items? Not sure but it seems like it)

The influence caused by the theory of martial soul evolution was immensely profound—nearly four times the rewards he received for publishing the paper on Bone-Fortifying Ointment.

"Adding this to my previous system rewards, I've accumulated enough vouchers to exchange for Groudon's exclusive equipment (held item) and skills."

Gu La went alone to a stream outside the city, opened the system panel, and redeemed the Red Orb. 

(T/N: For some reason the raw text says "Earth Pearl/Orb". I checked the Pokemon Wiki but the Chinese name is also "Red Orb". Now I'm not sure if there's another exclusive held item for Groudon lol. I'll translate it as Red Orb for now.)

Within the system space, a crimson-red pearl appeared. About the size of a fist, its central flame pattern resembled an inverted volcano, radiating immense heat.

Red Orb: Increases the power of earth and fire-type moves by 30%. When equipped by Groudon, it continuously restores stamina and vitality under clear skies.

Such an item could truly be called a divine artifact. Moreover, it could be further upgraded using vouchers, potentially increasing its power by up to 50% and unlocking additional properties.

"I wonder if the system-provided Red Orb can help Groudon's martial soul fully return to its Primal Form."

Gu La took out the Red Orb. Despite its magma-like heat, the pearl was docile in Gu La's hand, its volcanic pattern pulsing with his heartbeat.

A thought crossed Gu La's mind. He brought the Red Orb close to his heart. The crimson pearl melted into a pool of red liquid, seeping into his skin and flowing into his heart.

During the process, the external soul bone, Heart of the Earth, emerged. Its compatibility with the Red Orb was excellent, and the two resonated with each other, forming an energy interaction at his sternum.

The external soul bone gained energy replenishment, its years rapidly increasing: 11,000 years… 28,000 years… 50,000 years… 100,000 years!

In the blink of an eye, the external soul bone reached 100,000 years and continued growing until it enveloped Gu La's entire body like molten armor.

"An unexpected bonus—skipping the growth phase. The Heart of the Earth has now fully merged with me. No, it should now be called the Magma Heart Armor."

Its inherent defensive resistance was enough to withstand attacks from a Title Douluo. Of course, the prerequisite was surviving the reduced attack.

Gu La carefully sensed the changes, his expression peculiar. "It seems I've completely fused with the Red Orb, becoming its external armor. Both can improve together and share certain abilities."

"The most significant ability is the capacity to store fire and earth attribute energy, totaling about twice my current soul power."

Gu La smiled. He had originally worried about not being able to draw earth energy while flying, but the external soul bone now had the ability to store energy. Due to the Red Orb's properties, this stored energy could also restore stamina and heal injuries.

"The affinity for both attributes has become passive. Without summoning the Magma Heart Armor, my control over these attributes' power and precision has improved."

"The flame temperature has risen by over a hundred degrees. It's still seventy or eighty degrees shy of Ultimate Fire. I estimate adding another fire-attribute soul ring or completing the permanent Primal Reversion will achieve Ultimate Fire."

Gu La felt that he could use the Red Orb to activate Primal Reversion and evolve into Primal Groudon.

But just like in the anime, that state placed too heavy a burden on both the Red Orb and Groudon, consuming too much energy to maintain for long.

Gu La mused internally, "I'll need to rely on the game system to sustain the Primal Reversion permanently. Later stages offer special forms like Magma Form and Titan Form."

"The problem is… the Red Orb can only be used by me. If my clone wants one, I'll need to buy another."

Gu La couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. It had taken him a full year just to save up for the base equipment. Upgrading it to its complete form would likely take four to five years, let alone doubling it.

"It seems my future papers will need to include more filler content—or perhaps introduce Pokémon world technology to this world, combining it with soul tools to create an impact lasting thousands of years."

Gu La activated his Drought ability. Under clear skies, no extra light orbs appeared; instead, sunlight bathed him, converting into pure, warm vitality to replenish his consumption.

"The Red Orb, Grassy Terrain, Photosynthesis, external soul bone, and Tang San's healing abilities… It'll probably be very difficult for me to get injured in the future."

Surrounded by a sense of security, Gu La couldn't help but feel like showing off a little.

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