Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 417 The Power of Love, Registering for the Competition

As time went by, with Shrek Academy's top-notch medical resources and Huo Yuhao's own formidable recovery ability, his injuries healed at an astonishing speed.

Although it will take some time before he fully recovers, he has gradually regained some of his mobility.

At the same time, he devoted a great deal of energy to the construction of the Tang Sect's Soul Guidance Hall.

With the advanced knowledge he gained at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy and his unique application of spiritual power, the Tang Sect Soul Guidance Hall, under his leadership, began to get on the right track. Relying on Shrek Academy's connections, it also took on some business in customizing and repairing soul tools, showing good momentum for development.

That day, Xiao Xiao enthusiastically invited Gula to visit the Tang Sect's newly built Soul Guidance Hall and training ground.

Gula gladly went there and happened to see Huo Yuhao fighting Jing Ziyan, who came from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy and had now joined the Tang Sect, in the Soul Arena.

Huo Yuhao appeared to remain motionless, yet an invisible and intangible yet incredibly sharp mental attack was unleashed. Before Jing Ziyan could even mount an effective defense, she let out a muffled groan, her eyes instantly glazed over, and she staggered backward as Huo Yuhao's condensed ice sword rested against her neck.

Gula raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Even though Jing Ziyan underestimated her opponent and did not defend herself fully, Huo Yuhao's ability to subdue a Soul Emperor with such a casual strike, given that he was not fully recovered, was terrifying in terms of both the quality and quantity of his spiritual power and the skill he displayed.

Huo Yuhao was about to explain the key points of the attack to the Tang Clan members who were watching when he caught a glimpse of Gula and Xiao Xiao arriving out of the corner of his eye. He smiled and stopped talking at the right moment.

Gula stepped forward and said with great interest, "Go on, why did you stop talking when you saw we were here? I'd like to hear the secrets of your new trick."

Huo Yuhao also laughed heartily when facing Gula, his expression a mix of friendly banter and pre-tournament competitive spirit:
"Gura, this is one of my trump cards that I'm planning to use to ambush people in the tournament... oh no, I mean to defeat my enemies. How can I easily expose it to you, my next formidable opponent?"

Gula smiled noncommittally, his gaze deep, as if he could see through appearances. He pointed out directly: "An extremely powerful and extreme application of mental will."

"It seems to use some kind of strong 'emotion' as an anchor and amplifier, greatly enhancing the penetrating power of mental fluctuations and their active interference with the soul. It's a clever, but also dangerous, approach."

He understood immediately; no wonder Rong Nianbing, the future God of Emotions, had taken a liking to him.

The "Three Wonders of Hao and Dong" that Huo Yuhao comprehended from his extreme longing and love for Wang Dong'er, although still in its rudimentary form, have already shown their potential and embarked on the right path of using emotions to drive spiritual power. With continued refinement in the future, they will surely shine brightly.

Huo Yuhao's face immediately showed undisguised surprise.

He hadn't expected Gula to have such sharp eyesight, seeing through the core secret of his new ability at a glance.

This was indeed an advanced method of spiritual application that he unexpectedly comprehended during the inhuman pain of the previous bone transformation, in order to persevere and constantly recall every moment with Wang Dong'er. Under the obsession with extreme love and protection, he unexpectedly comprehended.

He tacitly accepted Gula's judgment and said with a wry smile, "As expected, I couldn't hide it from you."

After chatting for a while and exchanging some cultivation insights, everyone dispersed to prepare for the upcoming competition.

The day of departure soon arrived.

To demonstrate the Tang Sect's "independence and autonomy," the Shrek Academy team and the Tang Sect team will depart separately for Mingdu.

Although Gula believed that the Tang Sect was inextricably linked to Shrek Academy from top to bottom, this claim of "independence" was somewhat self-deceptive.

Gula made the arrangements.

He created a clone with half the strength of his original self, which traveled alongside the Shrek Academy's main team.

Meanwhile, his true form quietly departed and joined the "Natural Gate" team, which was established by his other avatars within the Douling Empire, and they traveled together.

The "eight" participants from the Natural Gate competition were actually all transformed from Gura.

They all wore simple, ancient-style masks, exuding a pure and harmonious natural aura. They did not use any shortcuts such as teleportation, but instead proceeded towards Mingdu at a normal pace.

The prize offered by the Sun Moon Empire for this competition is not a soul bone, but a precious high-level soul tool.

The champion team will receive a level 9 soul tool, the runner-up will receive a level 8 soul tool, and the third-place team will receive a level 7 soul tool.

Level 9 Soul Tools are a national strategic asset of the Sun Moon Empire, unique to this country and nowhere else.

For the Douluo Three Kingdoms, which are eager to develop soul tool technology, this is undoubtedly an irresistible temptation, and they will certainly go all out.

As for Crown Prince Xu Tianran, who was already prepared to launch a war, even if he sent a level-nine soul tool, whether to Shrek Academy or Douluo Continent, they simply wouldn't have enough time to research, imitate, and develop it.

However, if they can win over some sects during the competition and act as spies and agents for the Sun Moon Empire, they will have a significant advantage in the upcoming battles.

Along the way, Gura's eight incarnations also encountered other teams heading to Mingdu to participate in the competition.

His seven incarnations were all handsome men and beautiful women, each with a different temperament—some aloof, some fiery, some calm, and some lively—inevitably attracting attention along the way.

However, since everyone was there to participate in the competition, few people were willing to cause trouble, and the group successfully arrived at the capital of the Sun and Moon Empire.

The streets of Mingdu are exceptionally wide, paved with soul-guided metal and special stone, exuding an atmosphere that combines modernity with soul-guided technology.

Soldiers in standard soul-guided armor patrolled everywhere, orderly but with a chilling atmosphere.

When the eight members of Gula arrived at the registration desk, the official in charge of registration only slightly raised his eyes when he heard the unfamiliar name "Natural Gate" and did not pay any attention to it.

After all, the mainland is vast, and it's not uncommon for some reclusive sects to participate in the competition. After a rough bone age test confirmed that all eight participants were under twenty years old, they were able to register smoothly.

They were not a long-established powerhouse like Shrek Academy, and being a first-time participant with no reputation, they were assigned by the organizing committee to stay on the second floor of the hotel, which had the worst conditions.

Meanwhile, renowned teams like Shrek Academy were housed on the most luxurious top floor. Coincidentally, the relatively unknown Tang Sect was also assigned to the second floor.

Shortly after checking in, Huo Yuhao habitually began his mental scan, relaying the general situation of the hotel and its surroundings to the Tang Clan members.

He said in a low voice, "I use black dots to represent Soul Saints and above, purple to represent Soul Emperors, and yellow to represent Soul Kings... This can roughly determine the strength of each team."

With the terrifying foundation of his million-year-old soul skill, his mental detection was completely silent, without alerting the many powerful figures in the hotel.

"How is this possible!" Xu Sanshi exclaimed in a low voice, "In the room two rooms away, there are four Soul Saint-level and four Soul Emperor-level points of light gathered together! This..."

Beibei's expression turned serious: "Could it be that some of the teachers leading the teams from different colleges are meeting there to discuss something?"

However, the number of eight points of light is exactly the number of people in a standard participating team. If the accompanying teacher is added, the number doesn't match up. It's hard to believe this is a coincidence.

Huo Yuhao's expression turned serious. He concentrated and intensified his detection efforts. His gaze suddenly sharpened, and his face became even more grim: "Their life force... is extremely young. They are definitely contestants!"

"What kind of organization does this person belong to?"

Jiang Nannan frowned in thought, "Even in our Shrek Academy, apart from Gula who reached Soul Saint before the age of twenty thanks to the convenience of the Holy Angel Martial Soul and some fortuitous encounters, there isn't another one like him. How could they have four Soul Saints?"

He Caitou's heart skipped a beat, and he lowered his voice, saying, "Could it be... an evil spirit master?"

If it's an evil spirit master, then rapidly increasing their cultivation level through some wicked devouring secret technique makes sense.

Huo Yuhao shook his head, his tone puzzled: "No, their auras are very pure and natural. Although one of their martial souls has a sinister ghostly aura and the other's martial soul is extremely dark and cold, they are both incredibly pure, without any of the chaotic, filthy, or resentful feeling that evil soul masters have."

Upon hearing this, the Tang Clan members fell silent. They were all the chosen ones carefully nurtured by Shrek Academy, the best among their peers. Now, suddenly discovering that there was a completely unknown team whose strength might far surpass theirs, they couldn't help but feel immense pressure and disbelief.

As the team leader, Beibei knew that she had to stabilize morale and at least inspire everyone's fighting spirit at this moment.

He took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said, "Yuhao, what are your thoughts? What should we do next?"

Huo Yuhao pondered for a moment and said, "First, we need to find out which team they are. Didn't we just encounter Princess Xu Jiujiu's team from the Star Luo Empire?"

"We can leak this information to her and ask her to help investigate the other party's background. It would be best if we could know their martial spirit and abilities in advance."

"After all, a team with four Soul Saints will never reveal its full strength in advance. The more information we have, the greater our chances of winning will be."

Besides this, Huo Yuhao had another plan in mind: by using the intelligence network of Xu Jiujiu and even the Star Luo Empire to spread information about this mysterious and powerful team, other powerful teams would naturally try to test them and wear them down.

Otherwise, relying solely on the Soul Saint's Martial Soul True Body ability, the Tang Sect's chances of defeating him head-on are extremely slim.

“Okay, I’ll go talk to Princess Jiu Jiu.” Bei Bei took the initiative to do the task, straightened her robes, and went out the door.

The atmosphere in the Tang Clan team's room remained heavy as everyone pondered their own countermeasures.

However, Beibei had only taken a few steps out of the room when her gaze was drawn to a figure at the other end of the corridor. She was struck dumb and froze on the spot.

That slender figure was none other than Tang Ya, whom he had longed for day and night and had been searching for!

“Xiao…Xiao Ya?” Bei Bei’s eyes widened, her voice trembling with disbelief and a soft murmur.

The next moment, almost instinctively, he used Ghostly Shadow Steps, his figure appearing like a ghost in front of Tang Ya in an instant, excitedly trying to grab her hand.

However, what responded to him was not the gentle smile he remembered, but cold eyes devoid of any emotion, and a hand wrapped in dark blue vines, carrying a sharp palm wind!
"boom!"

The palm struck Beibei squarely in the chest. Caught completely off guard, he coughed up blood and flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the corridor wall.
"Beibei!"

"Big Brother!"

Upon hearing the commotion, the Tang Clan members rushed out. When they saw Bei Bei lying on the ground, coughing up blood and with a deathly pale face, as well as Tang Ya standing not far away with a cold expression and the old man beside her with a terrifying aura and a sinister face, Zhang Peng, the Scorpion Tiger Douluo, everyone's hearts sank.

Huo Yuhao's pupils constricted as he stared intently at Tang Ya and the old man beside her, a storm raging in his heart: "Holy Spirit Cult!"

Beibei coughed up blood, her eyes filled with pain and disbelief as she stared intently at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure.

Huo Yuhao reacted quickly. He suppressed his shock and flashed in front of Bei Bei, supporting his trembling body without making a sound. At the same time, he secretly released his soul power to stabilize his disordered breathing.

"Senior Brother, calm down!" Huo Yuhao's deep voice, carrying an undeniable calmness, reached Bei Bei's ears. "Teacher Xiaoya looks strange. Her eyes are vacant, and her aura is... She might be under the control of evil magic! Let's go back first!"

His words were like a bucket of cold water poured over her head, bringing a sliver of reason back to Beibei, who was on the verge of losing control.

Yes, his Xiaoya would never look at him like he was a stranger, much less treat him so harshly. She must be being controlled.

While half-supporting and half-carrying Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi gestured to his companions with his eyes. Wang Dong'er, He Caitou, and the others immediately understood. Although they were equally shocked and angry, they quickly escorted the two back to the room, tightly closing the door to shut out the cold gaze of Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng and Tang Ya's emotionless stare.

Back in the relatively safe room, Huo Yuhao quickly gave Bei Bei a healing pill. Seeing his pale face and distraught appearance, he said in a deep voice, "Senior Brother, the most urgent thing is to find out what the Holy Spirit Cult is up to and how to rescue Teacher Xiao Ya. Impulsiveness won't solve the problem."

He looked at everyone, his eyes sharp: "Compared to the appearance of the Holy Spirit Cult, the mysterious sect's team next door seems less urgent. The Holy Spirit Cult is the common enemy of the continent, and we must spread this news."

After comforting Bei Bei and having Xu Sanshi and others look after her, Huo Yuhao didn't delay at all and immediately went to find Princess Xu Jiujiu of the Star Luo Empire, who lived on a higher floor.

In the lavishly decorated reception room, Huo Yuhao, with a solemn expression, revealed all the information he knew about the Holy Spirit Cult, emphasizing the existence of Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng, and even subtly mentioning the terrifying speculation that Dragon Emperor Douluo, who was on par with Dragon God Douluo Long Xiaoyao, might also be connected to the Holy Spirit Cult.

This news indeed made the well-informed Princess Xu Jiujiu pale with fright, realizing the seriousness of the problem.

"...Therefore, Princess Jiujiu, the Holy Spirit Cult's appearance in this competition must be for something big. We must prepare for it early."

Huo Yuhao concluded, while also taking the opportunity to promote the Tang Clan's Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon once again, "If the borders of the Star Luo Empire could be equipped with the Zhuge Divine Crossbow Cannon of my Tang Clan, we would surely have a better chance of dealing with any potential crises."

Xu Jiujiu was exceptionally intelligent and naturally understood Huo Yuhao's intentions, as well as the value of this information.

She solemnly stated that she would immediately send the message back to China through secret channels and use Xingluo's intelligence network to closely monitor the movements of the Holy Spirit Cult.

As for the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, she also showed great interest. When she learned that ordinary people could operate it after training, she was shocked and placed a large order with the Tang Clan.

Meanwhile, on the top floor of the hotel, in the luxury suite where the Shrek Academy team was located.

Gula's clone was leisurely leaning back in a comfortable chair, savoring the Soul Guiding Juice, a specialty of Mingdu.

As an avatar, he possesses thoughts and memories completely synchronized with Gula's main body. At this moment, he is enjoying a superior environment that is completely different from that of the lower-level Tang Sect, and he appears extremely comfortable.

The team leader, Zhang Lexuan, returned from outside. She had just secretly met with Huo Yuhao and learned the astonishing news that the Holy Spirit Cult had appeared.

Her delicate face didn't reveal much emotion, but her slightly furrowed brows and somewhat heavy steps betrayed her inner turmoil.

She entered the living room, her gaze sweeping over the leisurely Gura clone. She composed herself, walked to his side, and began:

"Gula, you seem quite relaxed? I have some bad news for you."

Gula's clone put down the cup, looked up at her, and still had a faint smile on his lips: "Senior Sister, what's making you so serious?"

Zhang Lexuan lowered her voice and told them that Huo Yuhao's spiritual detection had revealed a team with three Soul Saint-level members, and that the Holy Spirit Cult also existed, making it necessary for Gula, with her Angelic Martial Soul, to know. Her tone was clearly worried.
"...That's the situation. An unknown team with at least three Soul Saints is definitely a huge threat to us. The fact that the Holy Spirit Cult is no longer hiding and is openly standing in the open shows that they are no longer worried about the pressure from Douluo Three Kingdoms and Shrek Academy."

However, after listening, Gula's clone did not show the slightest surprise or tension on his face.

He was well aware that the so-called "mysterious team" was actually the "Natural Gate" created by his true self.

As for the Holy Spirit Cult... they're just a bunch of walking resources.

Seeing Zhang Lexuan's worried expression, he smiled instead, his tone calm yet carrying a strong sense of confidence:

"Don't worry, Sister Lexuan."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the brightly lit, turbulent Mingdu below, saying slowly and meaningfully:

"I will let the world know that there are differences between Soul Saints."

His words were soft, yet they seemed to carry immense weight. A sense of composure and arrogance stemming from absolute strength quietly spread, bringing a sense of peace to Zhang Lexuan, who had been filled with worry.

Perhaps this enigmatic young man truly possesses the trump card to turn the tide.

Zhang Lexuan stared at Gula's back, as if she saw the true form of an angel that blotted out the sky, judging all evil.

(End of this chapter)