Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 380 Test Results, Final Round

After nearly an hour of repeated testing and careful examination and evaluation by the worshippers using their soul power, the conclusions were presented to Xu Jiawei:
First, let's talk about attribute and soul power amplification.

For Soul Emperor-level Metal-attribute Soul Masters, the combined increase in Soul Power, Attack Power, and Defense Power is about 40%. For Soul King-level Tiger-type Martial Soul Masters, the increase in Martial Soul Strength and Physical Attributes is even more significant, with a combined increase in Combat Power of about 50%, and the addition of powerful Metal Sharpness characteristics.

Secondly, the evolution chart seems to be able to stimulate the potential deep within the martial soul's origin that matches the characteristics of the soul bone, enabling the martial soul to undergo a benign and controllable directional evolution.

The evolution chart created by the ten-thousand-year-old soul bone is also effective for targets at the Soul Douluo level, with an increase of about 10%-15%. The effect decreases as the level increases, but it is still considered incredibly powerful.

Ultimately, based on the Soul Masters' assessment, the increase in power was directly linked to the quality of the Soul Bone and the Soul Master's own Martial Soul potential. Using a higher-age, more compatible Soul Bone as the core would undoubtedly result in a more powerful effect.

The training ground was silent, save for the heavy breathing. Everyone was stunned by the data.

A ten-thousand-year-old soul bone was exchanged for four "divine artifacts" that could reliably increase the overall combat power of high-level soul masters by 10% to 30%. These were more than just soul tools; they were practically a catalyst for the rise of the Star Luo Empire's national strength.

"Your Majesty!" A trusted general in charge of the Imperial Soul Master Legion stepped forward excitedly. He was one of the figures Xu Jiawei intended to replace the White Tiger Dai family in power within the Star Luo Empire. His voice trembled slightly.
"If this item can be mass-produced and equipped in our Empire's elite Soul Master legions, especially the ace legions with concentrated metal and tiger/leopard martial souls... our army's overall combat strength will experience a qualitative leap. It will be enough to lay the foundation for victory in future national wars."

Another retainer looked intently at Xu Jiawei: "Your Majesty, this boy Gula... his value is immeasurable. Since he can create this item, he must possess special soul guidance technology. If we can get this person..."

He didn't say what came next, but the meaning was clear—control or imprisonment, to force him to reveal his technical skills!
Xu Jiawei raised his hand, stopping the murmurs. His eyes were deep, and his fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne.

Xu Jiawei spoke slowly, his voice carrying the majesty of an emperor and a hint of barely perceptible coldness.

"Do you really think that a young genius who can create such a heaven-defying soul tool and remain unfazed in the face of assassination attempts by a Title Douluo and the pressure from the royal family wouldn't have a backup plan? Would Shrek Academy just sit idly by and watch us harm their core disciple? Moreover, he is currently our only way to obtain more evolution tables!"

He surveyed the entire room and said in a deep voice, "One soul bone in exchange for four amplifiers, the Empire has already made a huge profit. We need to look further ahead. He needs seeds, soul bones, metals... The Empire can afford to provide these."

"Using resources to acquire tangible equipment that can be immediately converted into combat power is much wiser than risking a complete break with Shrek Academy, or even losing everything, to pursue that elusive core technology."

Most importantly, a soul tool needs a soul bone as its core. Even if the Star Luo Empire has accumulated a lot of soul bones over the past ten thousand years, at most they can be divided and used to arm one or two large armies, and can be passed down. There is no need to make enemies with Gula for this.

Xu Jiawei stood up, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, and made his final decision: "Issue my decree: open the royal treasury and outer treasury, and do everything in our power to collect all the exotic plant seeds that Gula needs."

"At the same time, select all metal-attribute soul bones from the Imperial Treasury that are over 10,000 years old and suitable for strengthening tiger and leopard-type martial souls, prioritizing quality, and the quantity... tentatively set at twenty pieces. Entrust Jiu Jiu with completing the next batch of evolution tables transaction with Gula as soon as possible."

Twenty ten-thousand-year-old soul bones can be exchanged for at least eighty evolution tables!

This number caused the worshippers and generals present to gasp in shock, but then their eyes gleamed with fanaticism.

If this can be achieved, the elite Soul Masters of the Star Luo Empire will experience an unprecedented collective leap forward.

In their eyes, Gula had completely transformed from a genius who needed to be won over into a "super soul tool supplier" whose needs had to be met with all their might and who had to be firmly bound to them with resources.

Meanwhile, back in his room, Gula was looking at the remaining core component of the Saber-Biting Tiger Soul Bone on the table, along with a pile of high-grade rare metals of far superior quality to those used by the royal family.

However, her gaze was fixed on the secret court assembly within the Star Luo Imperial Palace. Seeing Xu Jiawei make his decision, a glint of shrewdness flashed in Gula's eyes:
"They're smart enough to keep the deal going."

He raised his head, his gaze continuing to look into the distant future. "After the finals, I should go to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye in this time and space to harvest the source of immortal herbs and help the Golden Ancient Tree accumulate its foundation. Although they are all duplicate immortal herbs, they are still 100,000-year-old immortal herbs, so they should be of some use."

……

Three days later.

Xingluo Square was bustling with people.

The finals of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Battle Tournament have finally begun.

However, unlike the suspenseful and highly anticipated atmosphere of previous finals, this time, almost all the audience's attention was focused on the golden-haired boy in the center of the Shrek Academy team, who had a calm expression and seemed to be surrounded by an invisible radiance.

Gula's presence was like an insurmountable mountain, casting a shadow over the entire arena.

His earth-shattering "Sun Angel" martial spirit, with its ultimate fire and ultimate light, had already made its debut in Star Luo City through the evolution table.

Faced with absolute power, tactics, teamwork, and even the Soul Guidance Technology that the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy is so proud of all seem pale and powerless.

Almost no one believed that Shrek, with Cooler, would let the championship glory that had been passed down for thousands of years slip away.

On the Sun Moon Academy side, the atmosphere was so heavy it was almost frozen.

Before the match, Jing Hongchen personally analyzed tactics for them countless times, trying to find Gula's weaknesses or exploitable gaps.

However, all the deductions ultimately point to the same despairing conclusion: any long-range soul-guided firepower is like a snowflake thrown into a raging fire before it can even get close, in the face of that supremely yang and hot, all-purifying field of light and flame.

Close combat? Who could get close to that "angel" radiating the heat and divine light of the sun? That would be pure suicide.

Looking at her most prized grandson and granddaughter, and the undisguised pressure on the faces of the other team members, Jing Hongchen could only let out a soft sigh:
"The outcome of the competition... may already be decided. But as Soul Masters, as the future of Mingde Hall, your value lies not in the victory or defeat of this battle."

He patted Xiao Hongchen on the shoulder, his eyes encouraging, "The important thing is what you can see, learn, and feel in facing such opponents! Put down your burdens, go all out, and show your own brilliance!"

Xiao Hongchen pursed his lips and nodded vigorously. He understood his grandfather's words, but the pride etched into his bones would never allow him to admit defeat without a fight. In his eyes burned a flame of unwillingness and stubbornness.

"Both teams, enter the field!" The referee's voice resounded throughout the stadium.

Shrek Academy: Gula, Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Beibei, Xu Sanshi, He Caitou, Xiao Xiao.

Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy: Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and five other core members.

The moment the match began, the Sun Moon Academy team unleashed a breathtaking burst of soul tool light.

Xiao Hongchen was at the very front, and the phantom of his martial spirit, the Three-Legged Golden Toad, flashed past behind him.

As a rare metal-controlling Soul Master, his Soul Skills are mostly Soul Power Amplification type. Instantly, more than fifteen Soul Guidance Devices, each with a different shape and radiating powerful Soul Power fluctuations, appeared around him.

Such a number of soul tools are impossible for an ordinary person to control simultaneously, but under Xiao Hongchen's exquisite metal control soul skill, all the cannons instantly locked onto the Shrek group, and the soul power light frantically condensed.

The other team members also released their respective soul tools at the same time, forming a dense network of firepower.

Only Meng Hongchen, with her Crimson-Eyed Ice Toad Martial Soul emanating a chilling and eerie aura, attempted to find an opportunity to control it. However, when her gaze fell upon Gula, that chill was instantly melted away by the invisible light and heat emanating from him, rendering her poison completely useless.

Faced with this terrifying barrage of firepower, enough to instantly cripple a Soul Emperor, the Shrek Academy members remained remarkably calm.

Gula stepped forward, the evolution watch on his wrist flashed slightly, but he did not activate the evolution of his martial soul. The six-winged angel phantom in front of him, radiating scorching light and holy aura, had already appeared, just like the true form of the Sun Angel martial soul!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only an invisible domain, purely woven from ultimate light and ultimate fire, quietly spreading out from Gura's center.

A fiery, purifying aura, seemingly capable of melting everything, permeated the air.

Boom boom boom boom—!
The soul-guided rays, soul-guided cannonballs, and shockwaves unleashed by Sun Moon Academy... the moment they entered that field of light and flame, it was as if they had crashed into an invisible, burning wall.

Violent explosions rang out continuously at the edge of the arena, flames soared into the sky, and turbulent energy currents raged, causing the entire arena's protective shield to vibrate.

However, not a single ray of that ferocious firepower, powerful enough to tear steel apart, could penetrate that seemingly thin field of light and flame, and harm the Shrek members in the slightest.

Remote attacks are completely ineffective!
"As expected... it won't work?" Xiao Hongchen's pupils contracted, and he clenched his teeth.

But he didn't stop. He pushed his metal control soul skill to its limit, and recharged more than a dozen soul tools to launch a second round of saturation attacks. He didn't believe that his opponent could maintain such a powerful domain indefinitely.

Just then, Gula moved.

Light condensed in his hands, materializing into two blazing white longswords made purely of extreme fire.

With a swift movement, as if teleporting, he ignored the soul-guided firepower that was still exploding fiercely at the edge of the domain and appeared directly in front of Xiao Hongchen. His speed was so fast that all the spectators gasped.

"Your opponent is me." Gula's calm voice clearly reached Xiao Hongchen's ears amidst the deafening explosion.

The twin swords swung without any fancy moves, only pure speed and power, carrying with them the extreme heat that could incinerate everything. Xiao Hongchen was horrified. His metal control soul skill instantly transformed into defense, and his fifth soul skill flashed, turning his body into liquid metal. In this form, he was immune to eighty percent of physical attacks.

At the same time, more than a dozen soul tools frantically combined and transformed in front of him, attempting to construct layers upon layers of defensive barriers.

Unfortunately, faced with such extreme numbers, his defense seemed so pale and powerless.

With a whoosh and a whoosh, the longsword of ultimate fire slashed through, and the soul tool shields made of top-grade alloy were melted and cut through instantly, like a hot knife cutting through butter.

The terrifying heat even caused the broken edge to melt and drip instantly. Xiao Hongchen was forced to retreat repeatedly, looking disheveled. If it weren't for his strong soul power and extremely fast reaction, which allowed him to narrowly avoid vital points several times, he would probably have been seriously injured and eliminated in an instant.

At the same time, the rest of the Shrek team also moved.

Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix cried out, its raging flames hurtling straight towards the left flank of Sun Moon Academy. Her sixth spirit ring shone, and the Phoenix Meteor Shower was unleashed.

Dai Yueheng, possessed by the White Tiger Vajra Transformation, tore through the air with his claws, launching a powerful attack on the right flank. Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, the veteran duo, worked in perfect harmony, with the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Xuanming Turtle Shield providing alternating cover, their offense and defense seamlessly integrated.

Meanwhile, everyone had cigars dangling from their mouths, smoke billowing from them. Xiao Xiao, transformed into a blue phoenix, hovered in the air, her clear phoenix cry accompanied by a shower of vibrant green wood energy, rapidly restoring her teammates' depleted soul power and healing their injuries.

Although the other members of Sun Moon Academy had excellent soul tools, they were quickly overwhelmed by the combined strength and perfect support of Shrek Academy's top fighters. Their formation was broken and they could only hold on with their soul tool shields, and signs of defeat were already evident.

The situation on the field was almost entirely one-sided. Shrek was unstoppable, steadily seizing victory step by step.

"No, I'm not reconciled!"

Xiao Hongchen was cleaved away by Gula's sword and crashed heavily into the protective shield at the edge of the arena, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Looking at his teammates who were being completely suppressed, and at the seemingly invincible Gura, his pride was ignited and transformed into utter determination.

He suddenly looked at his younger sister, Meng Hongchen, who was also struggling to hold on. Their eyes met in the air, and they instantly understood the determination to do whatever it took in each other's eyes.

"The dream begins now!"

"elder brother!"

Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen simultaneously let out a shout and rushed towards each other without regard for anything else. Brilliant soul power light shot up from their bodies and instantly merged together.

A terrifying energy fluctuation, far exceeding the level of the two Soul Kings, suddenly erupted.

"Soul Fusion Skill - Love in the Mortal World!"

The dazzling red and gold light engulfed a corner of the arena.

As the light faded, a strange giant toad, enormous in size and radiating a crimson-gold metallic luster, appeared in the center of the arena.

Its eyes are as deep as ink, but when it looks at Gula, a golden luster, exactly the same as that of the Crimson-Eyed Ice Toad, suddenly shines in the depths of its pupils.

The Soul Fusion Skill unleashed by the Hongchen siblings, who are at the Soul King level, is already infinitely close to that of a Soul Saint.

The giant toad let out a deep, thunderous roar, its enormous tongue flashing like a crimson lightning bolt, carrying terrifying power and a strange energy of intertwined ice and fire, as it suddenly swept towards Ma Xiaotao, who was suppressing the other members of the Sun and Moon team.

Ma Xiaotao was engrossed in the fight when Phoenix Meteor Shower shattered an opponent's soul guide shield. Caught off guard, she only had time to use her phoenix wings to protect herself.

boom--!
With a loud bang, Ma Xiaotao was struck as if by a heavy hammer. She groaned as the tongue, which contained immense force and strange ice and fire power, was violently slapped away. She tumbled several times in the air before barely managing to regain her balance. Her blood was churning and her face was pale.

"asshole!"

Anger surged in Ma Xiaotao's eyes, and the ferocious aura of the Evil Fire Phoenix almost spiraled out of control. However, she also clearly sensed the troublesome nature of this fused giant toad, and a direct confrontation would be unwise.

Gula had appeared beside Ma Xiaotao without her noticing. The flaming sword in his hand vanished, and his right hand gently rested on Ma Xiaotao's back.
Ma Xiaotao instantly felt a surge of pure, vast, and extremely yang and powerful fire primordial energy flow into her body.

The restless and unstable evil fire within her body, guided and amplified by this higher-level flame, was infused with boundless vitality, instantly becoming incredibly docile and burning fiercely.

Her aura surged, and the phoenix flames on her body suddenly transformed from purplish-red to a deep dark gold, with the temperature increasing several times over.

"Roar--!"

Sensing a tremendous threat, the Crimson Gold Giant Toad's eyes flashed with golden light, and it once again unleashed its terrifying tongue, imbued with the power of ice, fire, and poison, aiming straight for Gula and Ma Xiaotao!

"Phoenix Roars to the Sky!" Ma Xiaotao roared, and with the amplification of the extreme fire, she pushed her strongest single-target attack soul skill to an unprecedented peak.

A colossal fire phoenix with a wingspan exceeding ten meters, composed entirely of dark golden extreme fire, charged headlong into the crimson-gold tongue with terrifying power capable of incinerating all things.

laugh--!
There was no earth-shattering explosion. To everyone's astonishment, the crimson-gold tongue, imbued with eerie power, melted upon contact with the dark-gold fire phoenix, like ice meeting a red-hot iron, emitting a piercing melting sound.

The terrifyingly high temperature ignored the ice and fire toxins, directly melting, purifying, and turning them into nothingness.

The fire phoenix continued its momentum, crashing heavily into the massive body of the crimson-gold giant toad.

"Ugh——!"

A shrill scream, a mixture of Xiao Hongchen's and Meng Hongchen's voices, rang out.

The giant toad's hard metal body twisted and melted violently in the dark gold flames, and the massive fusion instantly collapsed and disintegrated.

Two figures flew backward like kites with broken strings. They were Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, whose soul power was exhausted, whose martial soul fusion was forcibly broken, and who were severely injured.

They both fell heavily to the ground, losing their fighting ability.

With their Martial Soul Fusion Skill broken and their core combat power severely damaged, Sun Moon Academy's last resistance crumbled instantly. The remaining team members were quickly cleared from the field one by one by the Shrek Academy members' onslaught.

"The match is over! The winner is Shrek Academy!" The referee's impassioned voice, accompanied by a deafening roar of cheers from Star Luo Square, resounded through the sky.

Shrek Academy successfully defended its glory of ten thousand years. At this moment, Gula quietly transformed his martial soul, absorbing strands of faith power, signifying a magical power.

Suddenly he frowned. The amount of faith power was unexpectedly low. It wasn't that his performance was bad, but rather that more people attributed his success to Shrek Academy, which diverted a lot of faith power away from him.

"trouble."

After the competition, Emperor Xu Jiawei of Xingluo personally presented the award to the champion team.

According to the competition rules, Shrek Academy has earned the qualification to enter the Star Luo Empire's royal treasury to select three soul bones.

Led by team leader Wang Yan, the group entered the treasure vault. The dazzling array of rare and precious treasures and the radiant glow of the soul bones were overwhelming. However, the final selection process proceeded without much controversy.

On behalf of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, Dai Yueheng selected a ten-thousand-year-old dark gold bear left arm bone that was suitable for a powerful offensive beast spirit and could greatly amplify strength.

Ma Xiaotao chose a ten-thousand-year-old Crimson Lion King skull containing pure fire-attribute energy, which would help her suppress the evil fire and improve the quality of the flames.

When it came to who would receive the third soul bone, everyone unanimously looked towards Gula. Without his unwavering presence, Shrek Academy would never have won so easily. His contribution was undeniable.

Gula's gaze swept across the treasure vault, finally settling on a soul bone that radiated a thick, earthy yellow light, was shaped like a dragon's claw, and contained the immense power of the earth and the tenacious life force.

“This is it,” Gula said calmly.

Looking at the shape and aura of the soul bone, Wang Yan judged, "A ten-thousand-year-old soul bone with the attribute of light, possessing a remarkable sub-dragon bloodline, it should have been placed outside this treasure vault by the Star Luo Empire."

Gula nodded, knowing that it was the Star Luo Empire's covert attempt to win him over, which was better than nothing.

(End of this chapter)