Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 373 The Soul Master's Fortress Tactics
The moment these outrageous words were uttered, the rest area fell silent.

Huo Yuhao's pupils contracted slightly. He knew Gula's strength and personality well; this man would never stoop to boasting.

"Touch a Soul Emperor? This... how is this possible! Even the power of extreme attributes has its reasons; soul power is fundamental. Crossing three levels is impossible..."

A storm raged within him, and his resentment towards Gula for refusing to join the Tang Clan was temporarily overshadowed by immense shock.

Gula's credibility was astonishing, and for a time no one refuted him.

The others were even more dumbfounded. Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Xiao Xiao, He Caitou, and even Wang Yan all gathered around, curiously examining the inconspicuous "watch".

Xu Sanshi couldn't help but ask, "Gula, where did you buy this treasure? Do you have any more? I'm not short of money!" His eyes lit up; who wouldn't want something so good?

Gula shook her head: "You can't buy it outside. I made it myself."

"You did this yourself?!" Huo Yuhao exclaimed in surprise, his expression incredibly complex. He felt... this should have been his line.

“Hmm,” Gula said matter-of-factly, “It’s just a soul tool, it’s very simple, isn’t it?”

Huo Yuhao: "..."

He felt a lump in his throat, and was speechless. Simple? You call something that can amplify an ultimate martial soul, allowing a Soul Master to challenge a Soul Emperor, simple?!

Wang Yan was filled with doubt. "The academy's records show that Gula is an orphan... This soul tool is obviously extraordinary. Where did he learn such terrifying soul tool skills? This must be reported to the academy."

He suppressed his shock and pressed on, "Is this soul tool really so effective? It can actually amplify the ultimate martial soul? As far as I know, the ultimate attribute itself has already reached the extreme value of the plane, and it should be extremely difficult for external forces to interfere."

"More or less." Gula's answer was still concise, but it left everyone in disbelief. If Gula weren't one of their own, they would have dismissed it as nonsense. Even so, they didn't completely believe it.

Wang Yan clapped his hands: "Alright, let's stop discussing soul tools. Today is the first day of the round-robin tournament. The rules allow us to choose one-on-one, three-on-three, or seven-person team battles, which correspond to different points."

Wang Yan looked at Gula: "Gula, you might have to work hard today. Your strength is comparable to a Soul King, and you can reliably score points for us in one-on-one battles. We will choose one-on-one battles, and we need you to go. Please hold on for a few more rounds."

“No problem.” Gula nodded in agreement, taking the opportunity to practice against his opponent and relax.

and……

"The audience's fervent worship... isn't it the rudimentary form of the power of faith? It's a pity that it's inconvenient to switch Du'an's martial soul, otherwise we could definitely reap a wave of benefits."

Beibei, as the captain of the reserve team, went to draw lots, and their opponent was Yunluo Advanced Soul Master Academy.

The Yunluo team's morale was noticeably low when they saw that their opponent was Shrek Academy.

In the first one-on-one match, they sent out a female student who looked quite capable. Her martial soul was a pair of gleaming willow-leaf blades, and her soul rings were two yellow and two purple. She was clearly a four-ring Soul Master with level 45 soul power.

When Gula calmly walked onto the stage and revealed his one yellow and two purple spirit rings, a murmur of understanding arose from the audience.

"That's more like it. It's normal for Shrek Academy's geniuses to have two purple and one yellow."

"Exactly! Those six red ones yesterday were ridiculous! It must have been a trick!"

"But Yunluo is a Soul Master, while Shrek's student is only a three-ring Soul Master. It's going to be tough..."

However, when the golden-red sun angel spirit, exuding holy majesty and with its six wings outstretched, slowly emerged behind Gula, the entire Soul Arena instantly fell into an eerie silence!

What followed was an even bigger uproar!
"Heavens... Angelic Martial Soul?!"

"My God! Shrek Academy actually has a user of the Angelic Martial Soul?!"

"The ultimate nemesis of evil spirit masters! How dare they let him show himself now?!"

"It's over! Those lunatics from the Holy Spirit Cult will probably go berserk and try to assassinate him once they get their hands on him!"

"What is Shrek Academy thinking? They should have hidden him until he was a Title Douluo before releasing him!"

In the VIP section, Emperor Xu Jiawei of Xingluo also frowned, his eyes filled with incomprehension and a hint of worry.

"What is Shrek Academy up to? How could they expose such a precious Soul Master seed to the sunlight so easily?"

In a corner of the audience, several cold, sinister gazes were fixed on Gula, filled with deep-seated hatred and greed, before silently disappearing into the crowd. The news was being relayed to the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters at top speed.

The match was not delayed by the audience's discussions; with the referee's command, the battle began.

Gula looked at the female Soul Master opposite him, who was standing ready for battle, with a hint of regret in his eyes: "Why...why weren't you stronger?"

This kind of opponent doesn't even inspire him to use the evolution table to test basic functions.

The Female Soul Sect member felt greatly slighted, her eyebrows furrowing in anger: "Arrogant!"

With a sharp cry, she moved like lightning, her twin blades transforming into an impenetrable silver net of light, tearing through the air as they enveloped Gulala.

His knife skills were ruthless and cunning, clearly showing that he had been immersed in this art for many years.

Unfortunately, under the gaze of Gula, who had already reached the "Sword Soul" realm and comprehended the three realms of earth, stars, and sky, this seemingly sharp net of blades was full of flaws.

Gula didn't even move a step. The longsword formed from golden flames in the hand of the Sun Angel spirit behind him simply moved forward slightly, seemingly casually!
"Ding!"

A crisp sound of metal clashing!

The countless sword shadows vanished instantly!
The tip of the longsword, burning with golden flames, had somehow already firmly planted itself an inch in front of the Female Soul Sect's throat.

The icy sharpness and the scorching holy aura made her stiffen, and cold sweat instantly soaked her back.

quick! too fast!
It happened so fast that most viewers didn't even see what was happening.

The entire arena fell silent for a moment, then erupted in deafening cheers.

"Instant kill?!"

"My God! He only used one sword strike?!"

"Angel Martial Soul, it truly lives up to its name!"

Gula sheathed his sword, and the angel's soul dissipated.

He remained silent, thinking to himself, "Those who wield knives... their skill level is too low. In front of me, it's like a child waving a stick, completely effortless." He shrugged, as if he had done something insignificant.

Seemingly enraged by Gula's attitude, the Yunluo team was determined to deplete Gula's soul power in the ensuing battle. They successively dispatched five team members, ranging in strength from Soul Master to Soul Grandmaster, most of whom were Soul Masters with strong survival abilities, and adopted tactics of hit-and-run, delaying, and attrition.

Gula was delighted. He could take this opportunity to further refine the fusion of his newly comprehended Sky Realm and swordsmanship in actual combat, using only basic sword moves and movement techniques, without using soul skills.

He moved with the ease of a stroll, his figure elusive and unpredictable. Each strike of his sword precisely targeted the gaps in his opponent's moves or their weak points in defense, sending one opponent after another off the stage with minimal cost.

Six consecutive losses!

The Yunluo team still refused to admit defeat. Their captain, a tall and composed young man, finally stepped onto the Soul Battle Stage.

"Yunluo Advanced Soul Master Academy, Situ Yu, Level 5 Soul Master, Five-Ring Soul King."

Situ Yu's voice carried a solemnity mixed with a hint of confidence.

He looked at Gula, whose breathing was still steady but who was clearly exhausted from six battles, and said in a deep voice, "Your strength and swordsmanship are astonishing. However, with a two-ring difference in soul power, plus the depletion from continuous battles, you are no match for me!"

Gula assessed his own condition. Situ Yu's judgment was correct; with only the soul power and stamina of a Soul Master, six battles had indeed taken a toll.

If you rely solely on swordsmanship and basic soul skills, your chances of winning against a Soul King in full condition with unknown methods are indeed not high.

however……

Before Situ Yu finished speaking, he quickly retreated, and at the same time, one after another, soul tool components that shimmered with metallic luster seemed to come alive, rapidly covering and assembling on his body.

Shoulder-mounted soul-guided cannons, arm-armored soul-guided rays, chest-mounted energy gathering cores... In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a humanoid soul-guided artillery platform armed to the teeth, with the dark muzzles locked onto Gula a hundred meters away.

Fortress tactics!

The Soul Master's favorite and most frequently used tactic is to suppress the enemy with pure firepower while protecting himself with a sturdy metal shell.

"Long-range suppression from a hundred meters away, let's see how you get close!" A hint of confidence flashed in Situ Yu's eyes. This was his greatest asset as a Soul Master.

A gasp rippled through the audience. The Soul Master had created distance in the one-on-one duel, unleashing his full power, posing a significant threat to the Soul Master.

Looking at the dense array of cannon muzzles, Gula showed no fear, but rather a hint of anticipation. This was getting interesting. Estimated the strength a Soul Master should display, Gula made his move, using his Soul Ring for the first time.

"Third Soul Skill, Angel Possession!"

Golden-red light instantly enveloped his entire body, and huge fiery wings suddenly unfolded on his back. Gula soared into the air, hovering there, looking down at the Soul Guidance Cannon turret below.

"Come on," Gula's voice carried a hint of excitement.

“Boom boom boom boom—!”

Without any hesitation, Situ Yu unleashed a barrage of intense light from all the cannons, unleashing a dense network of fire that instantly covered the airspace where Gula was located.

The audience was on the edge of their seats!

Gula in the air was like a petrel darting through a storm. The golden-red aura of the angel he possessed fluctuated violently under the impact of energy, but his figure was unusually agile.

Each flap of his sacred white wings created a powerful airflow, which, combined with his exquisite movements that blended seamlessly with the ethereal beauty of the sky, allowed him to navigate and dodge through dense soul-guided rays with incredible precision.

If there was no way to avoid it, the angel sword in his hand transformed into a golden-red lightning bolt, striking the most vulnerable point of the energy attack with perfect precision.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Pfft!"

The soul-guided ray was detonated, and the energy blast was shattered. The explosion's flames and scattered energy fragments intertwined in the air, creating a breathtaking scene.

Situ Yu's forehead was covered in sweat. He was highly focused, frantically pushing his soul power outwards and constantly adjusting the direction of the cannon.

But Gura's speed and predictive ability far exceeded his expectations; it was as if his opponent could anticipate his attack trajectory.

Moreover, something was wrong with that sword; its destructive power against energy was too strong, as if it were restraining him. Seven or eight out of ten of his attacks either missed or were defeated.

But how could that be? His soul power has no attributes, so it's impossible for it to be countered.

Instead, he was more concerned about another of Gula's advantages.

"Damn it, how could his mental strength be so strong?! How could his sword predict my attack trajectory so accurately?!"

Situ Yu was anxious, and the dual depletion of his soul power and mental energy made him feel dizzy.

Gula fought with increasing gusto, his mastery of the Sky Realm becoming more refined under the pressure he put on himself, and his judgment of the energy nodes of the soul tool attacks becoming more and more accurate.

Like a burning golden meteor, he surged upstream against the soul-guiding storm, constantly closing the distance between himself and Situ Yu.

Finally, in a brief moment when Situ Yu's soul power shifted and his firepower had a brief pause,

Gula's eyes flashed with a sharp light, "Now!"

The enormous, divine wings suddenly folded and flapped backward, transforming the entire being into a golden-red arrow. With speeds several times greater than before, it tore through the air, instantly breaking through Situ Yu's final defensive defenses. The angel's sword, carrying a judgmental majesty, stopped before Situ Yu's brow.

The scorching heat hit him, and Situ Yu froze instantly, his eyes filled with disbelief and deep frustration. The light from the soul-guided cannon on his body quickly dimmed.

The entire arena fell into a deathly silence.

The referee's voice rang out with a resounding boom: "Shrek Academy wins the one-on-one arena match!"

After a brief silence, the area where Shrek Academy was located, as well as the stands supporting Shrek, erupted in deafening, almost dome-lifting cheers.

"Gura! Gura! Gura!"

"Angel! Invincible!"

"Long live Shrek!"

Gula slowly sheathed his longsword, and the fiery wings on his back gradually retracted amidst cheers.

He felt the considerable amount of soul power depleted within him, yet he didn't unseal it. He savored this rare feeling of weakness, and felt the warm touch of the evolution watch on his wrist. A satisfied smile curved his lips.

"Warm-up complete. Yunluo Academy is still lacking. The age limit of twenty and only one Soul King. The power of this evolution chart... I really want to find a worthy opponent to test it out soon."

His gaze seemed to pierce through the cheering crowd and land in the direction of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Guidance Academy's rest area.

(End of this chapter)