Douluo: My Clone Is Groudon

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Yue Guan accepted his mission and withdrew, tasked with collecting medicinal herbs across the entire continent while keeping it as covert as possible to secure the largest share of the profits. There was still much to be done.

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Nuding Academy

Gu La swallowed a mouthful of Bone-Fortifying Ointment. A burning sensation surged from his stomach up through his esophagus, spreading throughout his muscles and bones. Soon, his skin turned crimson, resembling a boiled lobster.

The Viridian Force within him channeled natural energy, working alongside ambient spiritual energy to temper his body. As Gu La shifted into various poses, waves of energy rippled around him.

Nearby, Tang San and Xiao Wu were also training, the only difference being that their physical capabilities couldn't match Gu La's. At regular intervals, they had to leave the gravity field to avoid hindering their growth or damaging their internal organs.

All three wore blue crowns on their heads. As the ointment took effect, it drew in small amounts of ambient energy, and Tang San's first soul skill could convert some of this into life force without consuming soul power. 

Though the amount was small, Gu La had Tang San maintain his first soul skill continuously to prevent any lingering injuries.

Xiao Wu, prideful by nature and spoiled with love since childhood, lacked perseverance deep down.

After gritting her teeth and enduring for half an hour, she felt she had reached her limit. Her muscles began twitching involuntarily, and even with the ointment, she couldn't continue her exercises.

Even with the aid of the drug, cultivation still depended heavily on innate talent. For soul masters with poor aptitude, even ample supplies of the ointment allowed only limited daily training.

Unless an auxiliary-type soul master helped replenish stamina, it was difficult to recover exhausted muscles. They had no choice but to stop and rest until recovery.

"Two training fanatics."

Xiao Wu muttered, dragging herself out of the gravity field. Instantly, she felt lighter, as if the air itself had become lively.

She sat cross-legged on the ground, meditating and channeling a cultivation method to draw in ambient energy, converting the essence of hundred-thousand-year soul beasts into human soul power.

After transforming into human form, the soul beast essence within her was sufficient to sustain her cultivation up to the seventh ring, Soul Sage. Diligent practice simply accelerated the process.

During this time, the Bone-Fortifying Ointment acted as a catalyst, even making the lazy Xiao Wu irresistibly addicted to the feeling of rapid progress.

Of course, her desire to surpass Gu La played a part too.

She thought Gu La didn't know, but in truth, he saw right through her little schemes. Since she wasn't slacking off, he chose not to expose her.

Half an hour later, Tang San, bolstered by the Xuantian Technique, also reached his physical limit and exited the gravity field.

[You led your Pokémon through a grueling training session. Points +23.]

A fleeting smile crossed Gu La's lips before vanishing.

Training Pokémon couldn't do without daily exercise.

This was the system's long-term task, rewarding points based on the growth feedback of the Pokémon. Upon significant milestones like evolution, there would even be surprise rewards.

Xiao Wu waited impatiently for Gu La to finish his training, finally blurting out, "Are we done training for today? Can we eat now?"

Gu La nodded, taking out the noon energy cubes and dividing them into two portions, handing them to Xiao Wu and Tang San. "Eat up. I specially tailored the flavors for you both."

"Gu La is the best!"

Xiao Wu cheered, instantly forgetting how much she disliked Gu La pushing her during training.

With lightning speed, she grabbed the energy cube, hopped onto a chair, and began savoring it slowly.

Tang San was more reserved but couldn't resist the taste of the energy cube either.

Especially since Gu La's energy cubes were customized to their attributes, effectively accelerating their soul power growth, making them highly appealing.

Energy cubes specifically suited to different Pokémon types were a domain only mastered by experts with time and ability. The two of them had truly hit the jackpot.

Of course, Gu La didn't lose out either.

[Your Pokémon completed a feeding activity. Points +8.]

One feeding session yielded few points, but with three meals a day, the accumulation added up to a significant number.

Now that berry cultivation was on track, the points earned from selling seeds left plenty remaining, enough to cover the trio's daily needs.

Ignoring the notification, Gu La ate his portion of the energy cube and switched to his Celebi martial soul.

He opened his equipment tab, and a translucent petal-like flower appeared before his eyes—a pale pink flower resembling a crystalline gemstone.

[Time Flower: Celebi-exclusive equipment]

[Grass-type and Psychic-type move power increased by 30%. Negative status effects removed upon leaving the battlefield. Psychic-type weaknesses disappear in forests and grassy terrains.]

This was the one-star equipment effect. At two stars, when Celebi used transformation-type moves in areas with lush vegetation or grassy terrain, it would recover 10% of its vitality.

At three stars, under the same conditions, Psychic-type moves would gain an additional 30% power boost.

For the same species of Pokémon, having exclusive equipment made all the difference—it was like becoming a completely different creature.

Gu La also discovered that focusing on the Time Flower while training his psychic abilities had a multiplier effect.

"My current telekinesis can lift about 500 kilograms, far weaker than my physical punch of over a thousand kilograms. But with the Time Flower, catching up is just a matter of time."

"Later, when my physical strength hits a bottleneck, it'll hold me back. I need to exchange for the Grassy Terrain TM as soon as possible."

Gu La's eyes gleamed. The Grassy Terrain wasn't just crucial for utilizing the Time Flower; standing in Grassy Terrain would also restore HP, allowing him to train fearlessly.

As another Grass-type technique, Gu La also wanted to see if Tang San could learn Grassy Terrain under his guidance.

If possible, he had a randomly acquired Synthesis TM to teach Tang San after mastering it himself.

Gu La gazed at the cloudless cerulean sky—the effect of Groudon's Drought ability. It was a perfect match for the Synthesis move, turning Celebi into an unkillable powerhouse.

As for Celebi's ability, before evolving, it had "Filter," which reduced super-effective damage by a quarter, adding some durability.

(T/N: This is the author's own addition. Celebi only has 'Natural Cure' as its ability)

"Filter" was a fairly average ability, but its true potential would emerge after evolution.

Gu La knew worrying wouldn't help, so he paid it little mind.

He lowered his gaze and murmured:

"It's almost time. After pushing Tang San and Xiao Wu for another week of training, I should have enough points to exchange for the Grassy Terrain TM."

"The Time Flower requires ten equipment vouchers to upgrade to two stars. That must take priority."

"Once it's upgraded, switching between my two martial souls under clear skies, using Synthesis once will fully restore my vitality. No lingering injuries will remain. I can train without worry, balancing the growth of my physique and psychic abilities."

If possible, Gu La would prefer to exchange for an exclusive skill. Grassy Terrain was merely an additional effect of offensive moves.

Unfortunately, he lacked the necessary skill vouchers and would have to wait several years to publish more papers. For now, he had to make do with standard moves.

After one last glance at the Time Flower, Gu La finished lunch and began his daily meditation.

Psychic abilities grew stronger with frequent use—a path no less viable than soul power cultivation. Gu La persisted in his training.

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