Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 377 The Deal: Three Forces Take the Stage

The Evolution Chart's earth-shattering debut was like a boulder thrown into a seemingly calm lake, the ripples instantly sweeping across the entire Star Luo City and spreading to a wider continent.

The most uneasy were the evil spirit spies lurking in the shadows of Xingluo City.

An angelic martial soul possessing ultimate fire is like a Damocles' sword hanging over their heads, and now this sword is showing the potential to evolve into ultimate light.

That supremely yang and holy light, which purifies all evil, is their nemesis, penetrating to the very marrow of their bones.

Several evil soul masters, hidden in the corner of the audience, were ashen-faced. Their fingers trembled as they crushed the soul tools in their arms. They turned and left, sending the alarm about the increasing threat of the Angelic Successor back to the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters as quickly as possible.

The threat of the Ultimate Light is more than ten times more terrifying than when Gula simply possessed the Angelic Martial Soul.

Meanwhile, the hotel where Shrek Academy was staying instantly became the center of the storm.

Representatives from various academies, soul master families, and even the empire came one after another to visit, ostensibly to congratulate Shrek Academy on its advancement, but in reality, they wanted to find out the details of that heaven-defying soul tool.

As the team leader, Wang Yan was overwhelmed and tried everything he could to keep most of the visitors out, using excuses such as "the students need to rest" and "the academy's secrets cannot be disclosed".

He knew full well the saying that possessing a treasure is a crime, and that Gula's possession was enough to trigger a bloodbath.

However, Wang Yan's shield could not stop the truly heavyweight figures.

For example, there were figures at the Title Douluo level, but these people were secretly blocked by Xuanzi so that they wouldn't disturb Gula.

However, there were still some people whom Xuanzi couldn't personally stop.

Princess Xu Jiujiu of the Star Luo Empire, accompanied by the empire's chief healer, "visited" the injured students. Everyone knew their true intentions were not what they seemed, but who doesn't put on a show in their dealings with others?

She specifically requested to see Gura. Her status and the favor she had done for him in helping to acquire Moon Gold led Gura to agree to meet with her.

The atmosphere inside the reception room was subtle.

Gula, however, was in no hurry. He sat calmly and personally brewed a pot of tea, which he then poured for Xu Jiujiu.

"Gula, let's not beat around the bush." ​​Xu Jiujiu didn't even glance at the teacup, getting straight to the point, her beautiful eyes fixed on the seemingly simple evolution watch on Gula's wrist.

"That soul tool... could you tell us its creator? The Empire is willing to pay a price to obtain the relevant information."

She adopted a humble posture, but the assertiveness and determination of an imperial princess were still clearly discernible in her words.

Gula remained calm, and out of respect for Moon Gold, he didn't completely brush it off: "The author, of course, is the author himself."

After a long while, a look of joy appeared on his face. Gula was only a Soul Master, which meant that the threshold for Soul Tools was extremely low!

"Are you willing to trade the relevant blueprints? The royal family is willing to pay a high price to acquire them! Even a ten-thousand-year-old soul bone is negotiable!"

Gula stared at her strangely for a long time, making her feel uncomfortable, but she forced herself not to show any disgust.

"What are you thinking!"

Gula chuckled, "You think the Evolution Chart is so powerful? It uses specific soul bones as 'keys' and energy sources, combined with special soul guidance arrays, to guide and amplify the power hidden deep within the martial soul's origin. Essentially, it's about tapping into the martial soul's own potential, not creating something out of nothing."

Xu Jiujiu frowned slightly. This explanation was too general. The key was the "special soul guidance array" and the "guidance method".

Moreover, she already had a bad feeling.

"That 40,000-year-old Bright Unicorn Soul Bone from before?"

"Not bad!"

Gula revealed a playful smile, "The stronger the martial soul, the higher the requirements for the soul bone needed to unleash its potential."

"Take my Angel Martial Soul as an example. Without enhancing the fire attribute or the Martial Soul itself, and only guiding the potential of the light attribute, it would require a top-tier light attribute soul bone that is 40,000 years old. Only the strong can use this thing."

"However, the soul bone is just a starting point, so a complete soul bone is not necessary. For example, the Light Unicorn Soul Bone was divided into six pieces by me, and one of them was used to create the evolution chart."

After a moment of silence, Xu Jiujiu, initially worried but then delighted, changed his strategy: "In that case, could the Star Luo Empire commission you to customize a batch of 'evolution tables' for the empire? Name your terms."

"Commission?"

Gula's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, and he shook his head decisively, "You can't give me what I want."

This is no exaggeration. Gula doesn't even care about a 100,000-year-old soul bone. The Star Luo Empire couldn't possibly provide what he needs, and besides, he doesn't want to be controlled by others.

The deeper reason is that if he accepts such a commission as a Shrek Academy student, the academy's higher-ups will inevitably get involved and take a share, and he hates this kind of constraint.

Xu Jiujiu's face darkened slightly. As an imperial princess, when had she ever been rejected so bluntly? But facing Gula, she felt only a surge of resentment.

However, just as she was about to turn and leave, a thought flashed through Gula's mind like lightning:
"Not much. I'm not here to show off; my purpose is to establish a network of faith power! What do personal likes and dislikes matter?"

"If I could become a 'divine craftsman' like Zhenhua, spreading some of the soul guidance technology to future generations, pushing soul guidance technology to new heights, and actively spreading some of its ideas, all the soul masters on the continent would look up to my name! At that time, wouldn't the power of faith be endless?"

His eyes brightened slightly as he saw another, wider road.

"Wait," Gula called out to Xu Jiujiu, who was about to leave.

After a long pause, he turned around in confusion.

“I can create evolution charts for you,” Gura said calmly, yet with an undeniable weight. “But the conditions must be as I say.”

"Tell me!" Hope rekindled in Xu Jiujiu's eyes.

"First, the Star Luo Empire must exert all its strength to collect all known and unknown plant seeds on the continent that are either strangely shaped or endangered. This is a necessary condition, and there is no room for negotiation."

"Secondly, as the core of the evolution table, I must keep at least one piece of the Soul Bone after it is split."

"Third, you shall provide all the rare metals required for manufacturing, in quantities a hundred times greater than what I have requested." "Fourth, the technology may be shared, but you shall not interfere with my manufacturing process or demand technical details."

After listening for a long time, a hint of joy first appeared on her delicate face, but it was quickly replaced by deep astonishment and anger:
"Gula! Don't you think you're being too greedy? A hundred times the amount of rare metals? And you want to split the soul bone too? This is outrageous!"

Gula shook his head, his eyes sharp as knives, unyielding: "I don't think so. Because the core of this technology—the construction of the soul-guiding array, the energy guidance path, and the 'key' to resonate with the martial soul's origin—is only mastered by me. Moreover,"

He paused, his tone brimming with confidence, "You can rest assured about the dismantling issue. I know a thing or two about the methods the Sun Moon Empire employs, and perhaps... I'm even better at them. Trying to replicate through dismantling? Even a level ten Soul Master wouldn't stand a chance!"

The biggest hurdle is the amount of Mega Energy he stores, and once the Evolution Table is disassembled, the energy will disappear. There aren't any sophisticated instruments in Douluo Continent that can detect it right now.

Xu Jiu gazed at Gula's calm yet absolutely confident eyes, his heart torn between two conflicting emotions.

The conditions are outrageously harsh, but the strategic value shown by the evolution chart is simply too great. If this item could be equipped on the top-tier Soul Masters of the Empire, their overall combat power would experience a qualitative leap.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the princess's pride and dissatisfaction: "...This matter is of great importance, and I need to report it to my elder brother, the Emperor."

"Please go ahead." Gula gestured for him to proceed.

Xu Jiujiu left the hotel with mixed emotions and headed straight for the palace.

Inside the imperial study, she told Emperor Xu Jiawei about Gula's conditions in detail.

After listening, Xu Jiawei did not react with the same anger as Xu Jiujiu; instead, he fell into deep thought. His fingers lightly tapped the imperial desk, and after a long while, he slowly said:

"The conditions... are indeed harsh. But Jiu Jiu, you must understand that the strategic significance of a Soul Tool, which can significantly enhance a Soul Master, especially one that may reach the ultimate attribute, far exceeds those resources."

"If we can master it, even if it's just a finished product, it will be a major trump card for our Star Luo Empire to counter the Sun Moon Empire's advantage in soul guidance. This deal is worthwhile."

Xu Jiujiu said unwillingly, "But his attitude is really bad, he is arrogant and no one is worth befriending."

Xu Jiawei smiled slightly, revealing his imperial mind: "It's normal for geniuses, especially those who wield disruptive power, to have some temper. If he were to flatter and fawn, I would suspect his motives."

"As long as he can keep his promise, the Empire can afford to provide some resources." He changed the subject and asked, "Is there any possibility that this person can be recruited into my Star Luo?"

After a long while, recalling Gula's distant and indifferent gaze, he shook his head without hesitation: "It's as difficult as climbing to the sky. He seems to have no interest in power, only in his own strength and... those strange seeds. What a strange hobby, collecting even ordinary seeds, and every kind of them."

A hint of regret flashed in Xu Jiawei's eyes, but he did not give up: "It's alright. I will meet him in person after the competition. Such a person, even if he cannot be used by the empire, must never be an enemy, much less fall into the hands of the Sun Moon Empire."

Almost simultaneously with Xu Jiujiu leaving the palace, two powerful forces targeting Gura and the Evolution Table also rushed towards Star City from different directions.

The main altar of the Holy Spirit Church, a gloomy hall.

Vice Leader Zhongli Wu looked at the urgent intelligence report in his hand, especially the words "ultimate light," "six-winged angel phantom," and "ultimate fire." His scarlet eyes erupted with overwhelming killing intent and a trace of barely perceptible fear.

Angelic martial spirits are the natural enemy of evil spirit masters, let alone one that might evolve into the ultimate light. If this child is not eliminated, the Holy Spirit Cult will never have peace!
"Send the order!" Zhongli Wu's voice was like a cold wind from the depths of hell, "Elders Wanhun, Zangyou, and Jiamian, set off immediately and infiltrate Xingluo City!"
Target: Gula of Shrek Academy. Destroy his martial soul and reclaim his soul tool at all costs. If that fails… kill him on the spot!

He knew that Shrek Academy must have powerful protectors, but the three titled Douluo-level evil soul master elders working together were enough to deal with a Super Douluo, create chaos, and carry out a decapitation. This threat had to be nipped in the bud.

Three dark figures, shrouded in a thick aura of death and blood, silently blended into the night, like venomous snakes pouncing on Star Luo City.

Empire of the Sun and Moon, Mingde Hall.

Looking at the earth-shattering scene recorded in the crystal ball after Gula activated the evolution chart, Jing Hongchen's gaze behind the lenses was filled with shock and unprecedented fervor.

As the head of Mingde Hall and a level nine Soul Master, he knew better than anyone how revolutionary the technology contained in that Soul Guidance Device was!

The amplification reaches the ultimate attribute, guiding the Martial Soul into the Martial Soul True Form state. This is simply a "miracle" in the field of Soul Tools!
“Shrek…couldn’t possibly have that kind of technical foundation. That kid must be either behind him or he himself…” Jing Hongchen muttered to himself, making a decision in an instant. He couldn’t wait for the competition to end; he had to contact Gula immediately.

"Master? What brings you here so late?" The head of the teaching department asked, looking at Jing Hongchen, who was all dressed up and ready to go.

"Star Luo City," Jing Hongchen said succinctly, "go see Xiao Meng and the others. The academy is in your hands for now, so make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Yes!" the head of the teaching department immediately replied.

Soon, Mingde Hall's top-of-the-line flying soul tool took off, carrying Jing Hongchen, and transformed into a stream of light that shot straight towards Xingluo City.

Jing Hongchen had only one thought in his mind: no matter what the cost, he had to figure out the secret of the evolution table. If he could understand the principle behind it, his soul guidance technology might usher in a long-awaited breakthrough!

Inside the hotel room, Gura fiddled with the Evolution Table, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Through a fleeting glimpse into the future, he had already "seen" the three forces that were about to arrive: the Star Luo Royal Family's trade delegation, the Holy Spirit Cult's malicious assassins, and the Mingde Hall's curious yet malicious visitors.

"The seed, the soul bone, the metal, the cornerstone of faith are all contained within."

Gula muttered to himself, a calculating glint in his eyes, "The Star Luo Royal Family can serve as my temporary shield and resource provider."

He wasn't worried at all about the Holy Spirit Cult's assassination attempt. His three-word battle armor made him invincible, and besides, he had Xuanzi as his protector. Since Shrek was going to take advantage of him, how could he not put in a lot of effort?

As for Jing Hongchen? He was somewhat interested in this level nine soul master's "technical exchange," perhaps... he could throw out one or two more "bait"?
The following day, after the auction ended, Gula stopped Ling Luochen from attempting to fuse the Ice Jade Scorpion Ice Explosion Technique Soul Bone, telling everyone that only the ultimate ice could tame this thing.

Ling Luochen felt extremely regretful and longed for the ultimate attributes even more, but unfortunately, the difference in the quality of the martial soul was almost impossible to change.

At night, Xuanzi, who was meditating on the top floor of the hotel, suddenly opened his eyes.

With the Gluttonous Divine Ox Martial Soul attached to him, three extremely subtle yet sinister and violent Title Douluo auras, like drops of ink in clear water, were rapidly approaching the hotel area.

The direction... is the floor where the Shrek Academy students live.

"Evil Soul Master, how dare you!"

Xuanzi's hair and beard bristled, and a violent aura erupted from him. He instantly burst out of the room, his sharp cry echoing throughout the entire hotel: "Enemy attack! All students, take precautions!"

(End of this chapter)