Douluo: My Clone Is Groudon

The orange-red sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled shadows on the training ground.

Dai Mubai's golden hair fluttered in the surge of soul power. The instant his second soul ring lit up, the White Tiger Light Wave shot forward with a sonic boom, spanning over ten meters.

At the time of his second ring breakthrough, Oak's papers had not yet been published, so his soul rings were largely unchanged from the original storyline.

"Second Soul Skill—Darkness Curtain!"

Zhu Zhuqing's figure blurred into a streak under the setting sun. Her cat claws carved out eight violet arcs, and with her supreme control, the Shadow Claw detached from her body like sword energy, slicing through the White Tiger Light Wave at the edge of the Darkness Curtain from a meter away.

The Darkness Curtain not only enhanced her cultivation speed in dark environments but also amplified all dark-attribute soul skills while weakening light-attribute ones when activated manually.

Since the Shadow Claw relied on shadow attacks, it too benefited from this amplification.

Dai Mubai's pupils suddenly contracted into vertical slits as the phantom of the Evil Eye White Tiger roared behind him, head thrown back.

"White Tiger Protective Barrier!"

The Shadow Claw was blocked by the white shield, its remaining force dissipating to reveal Zhu Zhuqing's pair of cat claws, which vanished back into the black curtain in the blink of an eye.

Having lost sight of his target, Dai Mubai swung his fist instinctively.

"Why must it come to this?" Dai Mubai couldn't understand. Weren't they supposed to be a shared destiny? 

His voice trembled: "If you think your thousand-year second ring can defeat me, I'll tell you—you're dreaming!"

With a sudden burst of level 29 soul power, Dai Mubai, honed in the Grand Spirit Arena, believed his combat experience wouldn't fall short of Zhu Zhuqing's. Moreover, the White Tiger martial soul excelled in both offense and defense; the Netherworld Spirit Cat wouldn't be able to break through in the short term.

What greeted him was a sudden surge in soul power fluctuations.

The shadow beneath Zhu Zhuqing's feet suddenly came alive. She remembered Gu La's teachings: if she couldn't land a decisive blow, she could reveal her trump card.

Within the Darkness Curtain, Zhu Zhuqing pressed a button, and a mechanical voice echoed across the training ground under the setting sun.

"Mega Evolution Sequence Confirmed. Codename: Umbra Cat·Ω!"

The phantom of the Netherworld Spirit Cat twisted and swelled under the moonlight. Its pitch-black tail transformed into shadows, and the Darkness Curtain expanded and distorted accordingly.

Martial Soul: Shadow Cat King!

The shadows enveloped nearly half the training ground. Dai Mubai realized his White Tiger Protective Barrier was dissolving within the shadows, melting away like spring snow under intense sunlight.

He completely lost track of Zhu Zhuqing's whereabouts. Shadows surrounded him on all sides, and the faint light attribute of the White Tiger Light Wave couldn't illuminate the dense darkness.

"Mega Evolution Device! How could you possibly possess such a treasure?"

Amidst his disbelief, Dai Mubai felt a tinge of envy and jealousy. "No wonder you dared to challenge me. Let me see how much stronger you've become after Mega Evolution!"

"White Tiger Light Wave!"

A golden pillar of light surged skyward but shattered upon touching the pseudo-shadow domain, gradually dissipating into nothingness. In the thick shadows, the attribute suppression reversed—now darkness dominated light.

In Gu La's eyes, Zhu Zhuqing resembled a dark elf, gracefully leaping through the shadows, beautiful yet deadly. She silently approached Dai Mubai from behind.

Shadow Strike!

The Shadow Claw broke through Dai Mubai's defenses. The golden light melted away upon contact with the claw's shadow. He staggered backward, blood spurting from his throat and splattering onto the weeds, blossoming into a shocking spray of crimson.

Dai Mubai's expression grew hazy, his gaze unfocused: "Even with a seven-level difference in soul power, how could I lose?"

He knew deep down that even without using the Mega Evolution device, Zhu Zhuqing's ability to fuse a thousand-year soul ring made her physical prowess unmatched. In a prolonged battle, he would inevitably lose.

Using the Mega Evolution device was simply Zhu Zhuqing's way of securing a quicker, more decisive victory.

Thus, he fell into confusion. Was the gap truly this vast? Could even the disparity in soul power be bridged?

Zhu Zhuqing emerged from the shadows, retracting her claws and turning to leave. Behind her trailed a long, slender phantom of a cat's tail. On her wrist, the metallic shell of the Mega Evolution device refracted a kaleidoscope of colors.

Gu La gestured for Tang San to treat Dai Mubai's wounds.

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass coiled around Dai Mubai's forehead, weaving an intricate blue crown. Within the glowing blue healing aura, the deep wounds visible to the bone began to heal at a visible pace.

But there were scars Blue Silver Grass couldn't touch—for instance, the shattered pride in Dai Mubai's eyes as he gazed at Zhu Zhuqing.

The blue-silver crown shimmered red under the setting sun, contrasting beautifully with the surrounding green grass.

"The match is over. Zhu Zhuqing wins."

Gu La officially announced the result, delivering another blow to Dai Mubai's wounded pride.

"Little Bai, don't be disheartened."

Gu La patted his shoulder, offering comfort.

Dai Mubai looked up, his eyes filled with confusion. Little Bai? Oh, he meant me.

"It's okay to be weak for now. Just work hard during the upcoming special training. I believe in you."

Though Gu La expressed confidence, he didn't hand over an Ultra Ball.

He still needed to evaluate Dai Mubai. If he proved unworthy, Gu La would recruit other soul masters to replace him.

It would be a waste of the superior bloodline of the Netherworld White Tiger—a super martial soul. The Evil Eye White Tiger was a subordinate form of the Netherworld White Tiger, and evolving it would be far easier than evolving the Netherworld Spirit Cat.

"Big Brother Dai, you need to pull yourself together!"

Ma Hongjun came over to console Dai Mubai. "I'm still counting on you to take me to sleep…"

"Shut up!"

Dai Mubai clamped his hand over Ma Hongjun's loose lips, but it was too late. Zhu Zhuqing, who had heard plenty of noble scandals in the Star Luo Empire, didn't slow her steps, her gaze growing even more disdainful.

"Ah, forget it."

Dai Mubai sighed. Zhu Zhuqing looked down on him, and he wasn't about to grovel. Rising to his feet, he regained his composure, his gaze toward Gu La now tinged with burning determination.

He understood the Netherworld Spirit Cat martial soul well enough to know that Zhu Zhuqing's strength was undoubtedly due to Gu La's training. With the hope of regaining his pride through training, he spoke:

"Gu La, how will we train? I'll give it my all."

He wanted to reclaim his pride—at the very least, he wouldn't let a mere woman trample him underfoot.

Ma Hongjun grimaced. He didn't want to train either, but thinking of Flender's "humility" before Gu La and Zhu Zhuqing's overwhelming power despite being lower-leveled, he added: "Count me in too."

Oscar recalled the intense training process he had witnessed earlier and hesitated. "I'm an auxiliary-type soul master. Do I have to undergo special training too?"

Ma Hongjun immediately draped an arm over Oscar's shoulders. "Of course! Xiao Ao, you're not getting out of this. Relax and train with us. Hehe, having you at the bottom makes me feel better already."

Oscar's face turned black with exasperation as he pushed Ma Hongjun away but didn't refuse the training.

"The special training starts tomorrow at dawn."

Gu La turned, his figure ghost-like as his voice faded into the distance: "If you can't keep up, you can quit anytime."

He needed to go back and study whether spending money on Pokémon-style special training would earn him additional rewards…

There was no helping it. Their rapid progress was built on energy cubes and spirit herbs and medicine.

But until the three demonstrated their resolve and willpower, Gu La wouldn't squander resources on them recklessly.

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