Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 321 Dai Tianling's Deep Worry
The competition is in full swing.

The Shrek Academy team displayed formidable strength, advancing triumphantly in both individual and two-on-two matches, with frequent victories. Gula's individual tournament journey, in particular, was remarkably smooth.

His number 666 seemed to possess some kind of lucky magic, as the opponents he encountered in the draw were only of average strength in the preliminary and semi-final stages. Facing these opponents, Gula displayed an astonishing composure.

He was never in a hurry to end the battle.

Often, after his opponent releases their martial spirit and launches an attack, he will stand quietly in place, his silver eyes calmly observing the various soul skills and martial spirit characteristics displayed by his opponent, as if he were appreciating a performance that has nothing to do with him.

Whether it's offensive, agile, control, or defensive, whether it's a beast spirit, weapon spirit, or elemental spirit, as long as it's a type he hasn't explored in depth, he will give the opponent ample time and space to demonstrate their abilities.

The opponent's attacks landed on the invisible barrier around him, either easily neutralized by the domain or casually brushed aside by him.

He is like an insurmountable mountain, unmoved by the rushing streams.

He would only raise his hand slightly, or flick his finger, or wave his sleeve, or sometimes just concentrate his gaze, and a highly refined soul force would strike precisely at the opponent's weakest point.

"Thump," "Boom"...

The opponent was easily defeated and knocked away, losing all fighting ability.

One strike! Only one strike!
Whether the opponent is a fourth-ring, fifth-ring, or even a one-word battle armor master, they cannot last a single move against him. The only difference lies in how long he allows the opponent to "perform."

This absolute power, this almost artistic control and effortless grace he displayed in battle, earned him increasing attention.

Although he came from Douluo Continent and was an "enemy" of the young soul masters of the Star Luo Empire, strength itself was his passport, especially in the Star Luo Empire where individual heroism was prevalent.

In the Star Luo Stadium, Star Luo spectators began to cheer for "Number 666," especially the young Soul Masters who admired the strong, who were attracted by this power and mystery.

His handsome and dashing appearance, along with his otherworldly aura, has earned him many female fans.

However, Gura didn't care at all.

The cheers or hostility from the stands were like a gentle breeze to him.

His gaze was more focused on opponents with rare martial souls or unique abilities, but unfortunately, until he easily made it into the top 16 of the individual competition, he did not encounter a single martial soul or soul skill that truly caught his eye and was worthy of his serious attention.

Outside the arena, Gula's plans are also underway.

He dispatched Bo Xi. This incarnation, possessing all of Gura's memories, participated in the equally grand secondary profession competition held simultaneously by the Star Luo Empire—a competition encompassing four categories: forging, design, manufacturing, and repair—supported by Gura's vast knowledge base and design concepts.

Bo Xi's performance was nothing short of amazing. His divine-level martial soul, Wave-like Water, endowed him with stability, precision, and tireless qualities far beyond that of ordinary people. He wielded his hammer like the wind on the forging platform, calculated like lightning in front of precise blueprints, and was like the most precise mechanical arm in front of the complex soul-guided core array.

He advanced with astonishing speed and quality, demonstrating champion-level strength in all four events.

The secondary professional masters of the Star Luo Empire were all shocked by this burly, taciturn young man whose skills were unbelievably superb.

Bo Xi's name quickly spread throughout the side-career community, making him the biggest dark horse and the hottest new star.

Gula had anticipated this.

He wasn't worried about Bo Xi's identity being exposed. At worst, he would just die once. If all else failed, he could use time-locking techniques to remotely support Bo Xi as a rescue mission if necessary.

He cares more about the result. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Bosi has a high probability of winning all four titles.

Once he demonstrates such astonishing value, the Star Luo Empire's official authorities, especially those forces that crave technology and talent, will inevitably extend an olive branch.

This is exactly what Gula wants. He will go along with it and let Bo Xi "accept" the Star Luo Empire's offer of service, so that he can stay on this continent legitimately.

Bo Xi will become an important pawn he has planted in the core technology circle of the Star Luo Empire, continuously acquiring information and resources.

Meanwhile, Gura himself was also having a great time on another battlefield—the mech competition.

He repaired and enhanced the giant ape mech that he had "picked up" from the rebels.

This mech itself is quite good, at the Black level, but it is severely damaged, and some of its technology is inferior to that of Shrek Academy and the Federation.

Under Gula's skillful hands, not only was the performance restored, but key parts were also optimized and upgraded. The power core's output became more stable and powerful, the joint transmission became more flexible, and the outer armor's soul power defense was also upgraded to a higher level.

Piloting his revamped black giant ape, Gura stepped onto the arena of the mecha competition. Mecha combat tests not only the hardware performance of the mecha, but also the pilot's reaction speed, tactical awareness, and precision in controlling the mecha itself. And this is precisely Gura's forte.

His body, tempered by Groudon's essence, fused with the gold of life, and imbued with the power of the stars, possesses superhuman coordination, reaction speed, and strength. His mental power is so strong that it can process massive amounts of combat information instantly.

Inside the mecha cockpit, Gura seemed to have become one with the giant ape. Under his control, the bulky mecha displayed incredible agility and precision.

He moves with the agility of a cheetah, his evasions and parries are like those of a ghost. Every strike is as precise and deadly as a scalpel. His opponents' ingenious tactical combinations and tricky weapon attacks are like slow-motion replays in front of him, and he can always see through and counter them easily.

The giant ape's iron fists, accompanied by a piercing shriek that tore through the air, repeatedly blasted and crushed the opponent's mechs. The ferocious power and the exquisite control left all the spectators breathless and stunned.

"Crush! Another crushing defeat!"

"Who is the pilot of this Black Ape? This is terrifying!"

"He seemed to be playing with toys with ease!"

"Definitely a strong contender for the championship! No, isn't the championship already decided?"

As the audience expected, Gula, piloting the black giant ape, swept through the competition with unstoppable momentum, making it into the final round without any suspense, and winning the championship was almost a certainty.

However, when these reports were gathered before Emperor Dai Tianling of Xingluo, the emperor's expression grew increasingly grim.

In the individual competition's top 16, Shrek Academy occupied several spots, among which the boy named Bai Yuan, with his strange Devouring Martial Soul, had already attracted considerable attention in previous matches.

He was said to be a five-ring Soul King, but he only used the Three Heads and Six Arms Soul Skill once. At other times, he relied on his terrifying physical strength and devouring ability to defeat his opponents by sheer force, and his true strength was completely unfathomable.

As for Gula, number 666, he is even more unfathomable. To this day, no one has been able to force out his second move. He seems to possess countless self-created soul skills, and so far he has demonstrated skills including the Star Sword Technique, control of four elements, teleportation ability, and considerable mental strength...

Both were assessed to have peak fifth-ring strength, or even suspected sixth-ring strength, without using their battle armor! These two are undoubtedly strong contenders for the championship.

On the other hand, the trump card that the Star Luo Empire had placed high hopes on, Long Yue of the "Monster Academy," was powerful and known as the "Dragon King." However, when faced with these two mysterious and unpredictable opponents from Shrek Academy, Dai Tianling's heart wavered for the first time—could he really win with certainty?
Looking at the secondary professional competition, the identity of Bo Xi, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, was an all-rounder and was about to sweep all the championships, was questionable. After preliminary investigation, it was only known that he was suspected of smuggling himself from the Xingluo giant ship, and his background was completely blank.

But they were clearly not talents trained by the Star Luo Empire!

On the other side of the mecha competition, the identity of the pilot of the black giant ape that swept through the enemy lines was a mystery to others, but it could not be hidden from Dai Tianling, the emperor. The strength that Gula displayed in controlling the mecha was nothing short of monstrous!
"Aside from the individual championship, which is still somewhat uncertain, the other major championship contenders... don't seem to be from my Star Luo Empire at all?"

Dai Tianling put down the intelligence report, his fingers tapping heavily on the table with a dull thud, his heart filled with complex and indescribable emotions.

This competition was supposed to be a perfect opportunity for the Star Luo Empire to showcase the strength of its new generation to the Douluo Continent, but now it seems to have become a stage for the geniuses of the Douluo Continent to perform. How could he be willing to accept this?
“Your Majesty,” a trusted advisor whispered, “our people have made initial contact with that Boshi.”

"He seems very interested in joining the Imperial Ministry of Industry or the Royal Academy, but he is cautious and seems to be waiting for the right offer. He mentioned that he hopes to obtain higher-level research permissions and resource support for soul tools."

A glint flashed in Dai Tianling's eyes.

Talented individuals, especially those with top-tier talent in secondary professions, are exactly what the empire desperately needs.

Even if their identities are questionable, as long as they can be used by the empire, they are worth recruiting. Their background can be investigated slowly, but talented people cannot be missed.

"allow!"

Dai Tianling decisively ordered, "Satisfy his request. Give him the highest level of authority and resources, and make sure he stays in Xingluo."

"At the same time, continue to investigate his background thoroughly, quickly and discreetly." He paused, then added, "Also, send someone to 'protect' him and prevent him from encountering any 'danger'."

"Remember to be gentle and avoid offending the other person."

"Yes!" The close advisor accepted the order and left.

Dai Tianling stood up, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the brightly lit Xingluo City.

The competition continued, but an invisible pressure had already enveloped his heart. The younger generation of Douluo Continent was more troublesome than he had anticipated.

Shrek… the Spirit Tower… and that mysterious Possy and Gula… this pool is getting deeper and deeper.

He had to do something to turn this seemingly unfavorable situation around. The individual champion, no matter what, must remain in the Star Luo Empire. Long Yue… don’t let me down.

(End of this chapter)