Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 423 The Top Eight, Xu Tianzhen
Gula had no interest in the power struggles and shady schemes within the Sun and Moon Empire.

Amidst a complex array of gazes, a mixture of fear, hatred, and a barely perceptible, instinctive admiration for strength, he stepped off the ring.

No matter how unwilling the audience may be, they must admit that the absolute strength displayed by the figure on stage and the godlike appearance were both top-notch in the world.

The yearning and awe for the strong that is etched in their genes makes them unconsciously worship and admire them. Even if they resist rationally, they find it difficult to completely control their emotions.

Who hasn't dreamed of becoming such a strong person when they were young?
Gula returned to the Shrek Academy rest area, seemingly closing his eyes to rest, but in reality, his consciousness had quietly switched to the incarnation of Du'an, who possessed a divine position.

Combining the fragmented insights about faith and divine status he had gained from Yun Ming, he was now fully analyzing the complex yet immense power of belief he had just collected, attempting to uncover the mysteries between faith and divine status.

The competition continued, but after Shrek Academy's overwhelming dominance, the audience felt that the subsequent Soul King level battles were rather dull, like a simple side dish served after a delicious meal, unable to stir up much excitement.

Meanwhile, at the Underground Soul Master Competition, Gura's clone has successfully entered the top six, just one step away from the finals.

The Soul Master Tournament entered its sixth round, and Shrek Academy faced off against the Tang Sect, which shared the same origin.

In the Tang Sect's rest area, Huo Yuhao shook his head and said to his teammates, "We concede this round. Gula is a very serious person, or rather, self-centered. He won't hold back when he encounters us. It's better to conserve our strength and wait until my injuries have mostly healed before the finals, then we can have a showdown with him."

Upon hearing this, a hint of resentment flashed across Wang Dong'er's face. Her seventh spirit ring was also at the 100,000-year level, but Huo Yuhao had temporarily disguised it as black using a simulation spirit skill to lull the Sun Moon Team into a false sense of security.

She couldn't help but say, "Yuhao, if I activate my Martial Soul True Body, I should be able to hold off Gula for a while. Can't you take this opportunity to deal with the rest of Shrek Academy before helping me?"

Huo Yuhao glanced at Wang Dong'er with a puzzled look. This was indeed one of the backup tactics he had devised for the finals, but...

"Dong'er, have you thought about what would happen if Gula chose to play the individual match first? We wouldn't even have a chance to participate in the team match."

Wang Dong'er was stunned. She was proud to the core and didn't think anyone her age could truly suppress her except for Huo Yuhao, but she overlooked the rules of the individual competition.

Left with no other choice, she could only shut her mouth and acquiesce to Huo Yuhao's decision.

Therefore, Tang Sect strategically conceded defeat in this round, ultimately advancing as the second-place team in their group.

Shrek Academy advanced as the top team in their group without any surprises.

The round-robin tournament quickly came to an end, and the list of the top eight was released.

The four teams that finished first in their group were: Shrek Academy, Snow Demon Sect (Body Sect), Holy Spirit Sect (Holy Spirit Cult), and Natural Gate.

The second-place teams in the group are: Tang Sect, Xingluo National Academy, Mingdu Soul Master Academy, and Tianlong Sect.

The Aojian Sect, which was originally expected to advance as the top team in the group, was unlucky. In the round-robin tournament, they encountered the Natural Sect (the "Hanging Sect"), whose entire team was playing exceptionally well. The opponent defeated them seven times in a row, and the team members were seriously injured. They lost to the Star Luo Royal Academy and lost even the chance to compete for second place in the group. They were directly eliminated.

That afternoon, the organizing committee arranged the draw ceremony for the quarterfinals at the hotel.

Gula was the first to go on stage as Shrek Academy's representative. When he reached for the lottery box, almost all the team representatives below held their breath, fearing they would be drawn against the "Great Demon King" team.

Gula casually drew a lot and showed it to the referee. The opponent was—Mingdu Soul Master Academy.

"Oh?"

Gula raised an eyebrow. It was the second-ranked Soul Master Academy in the Sun Moon Empire.

The crowd below the stage, especially those from teams outside the Sun Moon Empire, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then cast gloating glances at the Mingdu Soul Master Academy.

Shrek Academy is planning to sweep through all the academies of the Sun Moon Empire along the advancement path!

Following that, the other matchups were also determined by drawing lots in turn:

Upper bracket: Shrek Academy vs. Mingdu Soul Master Academy.

Natural Gate vs. Heavenly Dragon Gate.

Lower bracket: Snow Demon Sect vs. Tang Sect.

Star Luo National Academy vs. Holy Spirit Sect.

Gula frowned slightly as he looked at the match schedule.

He had originally hoped to face the Holy Spirit Sect in the semifinals and "enjoy" this feast of evil soul masters.

The Holy Spirit Sect is currently in the lower half of the bracket, while the Natural Sect is in the upper half. This means that if he wants to confront the Holy Spirit Sect, he must first hope that the Holy Spirit Sect can defeat the Tang Sect, which is quite unpredictable.

"I should have cheated a little," Gula thought to himself. "But it's not too late now."

On a level unseen by the public, Gura quietly activated the power of time.

A barely perceptible golden pattern flashed deep within his eyes. A portion of the characteristics of his Martial Soul True Body was activated, and a thought containing specific information was sent back to the "past"—the moment he had just reached out to draw a lot—following the thread of time.

A tiny causal link is shifted, and reality is skewed accordingly.

To everyone else, the lottery results seemed to have shifted slightly, or perhaps it was just an illusion.

However, when Zheng Zhan, the Unbreakable Douluo, confirmed and announced it again, the matchup had changed:

Upper bracket: Shrek Academy vs. Mingdu Soul Master Academy.

Star Luo National Academy vs. Holy Spirit Sect.

Lower bracket: Snow Demon Sect vs. Tang Sect.

Natural Gate vs. Heavenly Dragon Gate.

The positions of the Natural Gate and the Holy Spirit Sect have been swapped!
The Natural Gate has moved to the lower half of the bracket and will face the winner between the Tang Sect and the Snow Demon Sect in the semifinals; while the Holy Spirit Sect has moved to the upper half of the bracket and will face Shrek Academy in the semifinals if they defeat the Star Luo National Academy!

Gula nodded in satisfaction. That looks much better now.

The others were initially taken aback, but then they understood and looked in the direction of the Holy Spirit Sect with gloating eyes.

These evil spirit masters acted cruelly, which had long aroused the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people. However, due to their strength and the ambiguous attitude of the Sun Moon Empire, no one dared to speak out.

Now that they are about to face the "monster" Gura, everyone can't help but look forward to seeing how Gura will "deal with" these evil beings.

Although Zheng Zhan, the Unbreakable Douluo, felt something was amiss, he couldn't detect any trace of soul power interference and could only announce: "The draw is over, and the quarterfinals will officially begin the day after tomorrow!"

Gula led the team back to their room. A moment later, there was a knock on the door. Standing outside were Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong'er, and Bei Bei.

Gula opened the door, his gaze sweeping over the three faces, especially over Beibei's anxious yet expectant eyes, and he instantly understood their purpose. He said directly, "No need to say more. I will show mercy to Tang Ya and try my best to free her from control."

He didn't mention any reward. What the Tang Clan could offer—whether resources, cultivation techniques, or Tang Clan hidden weapons—didn't hold much appeal for him. He had even already acquired the Eight Extraordinary Meridians section of the Xuan Tian Gong.

However, after thinking for a moment, he added before the three thanked him, "As for the reward... after the match, Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, each of you give me some of your blood. I'm a little interested in studying the evolution process of your martial soul bloodlines."

Beibei's words of thanks, which were already on the tip of her tongue, suddenly caught in her throat. She agreed with a wry smile, "Okay, I'll try to persuade Sanshi."

The price was nothing to him and Xu Sanshi; it was just a depletion of their energy, which they could recover after a period of rest. If it could save Xiaoya, he would be willing to pay any price.

After the three left, Wang Dong'er was still somewhat indignant, muttering under her breath, "Is Gula even one of our Shrek Academy members? We asked him to save Senior Tang Ya, and he actually wants payment..."

Beibei shook her head, seemingly more open-minded: "It's nothing. It's probably better for us not to owe anyone favors. I feel that Gula is the kind of person who... doesn't like owing others, and doesn't like others owing him. He's quite unique, sticks to his principles, and lives a very carefree life."

Huo Yuhao nodded slightly, not thinking there was anything wrong with Gula's actions.

Saving Tang Ya had nothing to do with Gula in the first place. The fact that Gula was willing to help was already a favor. Asking for some "research materials" in exchange was perfectly reasonable.

……

The competition was held as scheduled.

In the first match of the quarterfinals, Shrek Academy faced off against Mingdu Soul Master Academy.

Gula enters the arena alone.

There were no strong individuals in this academy who could make him take them seriously. The only thing that piqued his interest was the Sun Martial Soul inherited from the royal family of the Sun Moon Empire by the opposing captain.

This is a top-tier elemental martial soul. Unfortunately, within the Douluo Continent system, elemental martial souls that are not related to the dragon race have limited strength. Furthermore, since it is not a beast martial soul, its physical attributes are a major weakness.

The captain who took the stage from the Mingdu Soul Master Academy was none other than Princess Xu Tianzhen, who was disguised as a man and had a flat figure, so her disguise was quite successful.

She looked at Gula with a mixture of naivety and provocation: "Hey! I heard your martial soul isn't a pure holy angel, but rather called a sun angel? Is there any difference?"

Gula could sense the relatively pure source of solar energy within his opponent, so he wasn't in a hurry to start the match and casually replied:

"Essentially there is no difference. The difference lies only in the main attribute bias and the depth and purity of understanding and mastery of the power of the sun."

Xu Tianzhen snorted coldly, a sly glint in her eyes: "They all say you're immune to my solar attack, but I refuse to believe it! Do you dare stand still and try to take one of my attacks?"

She unleashed her Sun Martial Soul, and the temperature around her began to rise. The Martial Soul, representing the Sun and Moon Royal Family, caused a stir in the audience.

Gula smiled, seeing through the other party's little scheme: "Your attempt to provoke me is boring. However, I will grant your wish."

He didn't even summon his martial spirit; he just stood there casually, waiting for Xu Tianzhen's attack.

Xu Tianzhen was naive, but not stupid; he could see that Gula's confidence stemmed from absolute strength.

But she still wanted to try, not to verify the rumors, but because... the "destiny" between the Sun Martial Soul and the Sun Angel, coupled with Gula's impeccable appearance and strength, gave her a bold idea—

She wants Gula to be her husband! If Xu Tianran knew that his only sister was so "unrestrained," he would probably have a splitting headache.

"Second Soul Skill: Sun Condensation! Sixth Soul Skill: Sun Gaze!"

Xu Tianzhen dared to attack the possessor of the ultimate martial soul, naturally because he had something to rely on.

Her sixth spirit ring came from an extremely rare spirit beast called the "Sun Worm," and she was even the king of the worms. Obtaining it was extremely difficult, requiring a search in a dangerous area comparable to the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest, which shows how much she was favored by the royal family.

This soul skill's effect is similar to one of Gula's soul skills, capable of highly condensing the power of the sun to form a highly penetrating ray.

When unleashed by her, a Soul Emperor, the power was comparable to a full-force attack from an ordinary Soul Saint.

The intense, concentrated rays of sunlight struck Gula precisely, who neither dodged nor avoided them.

As the light faded, Gula remained standing in the same spot, his clothes still intact.

He shook his head and commented, "The energy concentration is acceptable, but unfortunately the purity is insufficient; it's mixed and not refined."

Because of Groudon's spirit, his fire resistance was already close to being immune to fire-type laws. Xu Tianzhen's solar power was not even enough to "warm" him up.

Seeing this, Xu Tianzhen helplessly dispersed her martial spirit and pouted, "You really are a monster! No wonder you came from Shrek Academy."

She abruptly changed the subject, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Gula's face, her gaze filled with a hazy, adoring intensity: "Hey, do you have a girlfriend? What do you think of me?"

The audience was stunned, and the other contestants were speechless. The scene changed so quickly—the arena had instantly turned into a blind date? And the referees weren't doing anything about it?

Zheng Zhan: "..."

What could he do? If neither side made a move and they just chatted, he couldn't very well declare one side the loser.

Gula was amused by the girl's bluntness and shook his head.

He could sense that this princess was simple-minded and might be one of the few "normal people" in the Sun Moon Royal Family whose minds had not been corrupted by power and intrigue.

He answered directly, "I have a girlfriend, and we love each other very much. Ms. Xu, do you still want to continue the competition?"

Pointing out the surname indicates that he guessed Xu Tianzhen's identity.

Hearing these words in the distance at Shrek's rest area, Xiao Xiao felt as sweet as if she had drunk honey.

Jiang Nannan and Wang Dong'er, who were standing nearby, also cast envious glances. How romantic it was to confess one's love in front of tens of thousands of people!
Huo Yuhao and Xu Sanshi, sensing the gazes behind them, exchanged wry smiles. They couldn't learn this kind of "romance," and without a good opportunity, trying to imitate it would only seem awkward and out of place.

Xu Tianzhen snorted, a hint of disappointment flashing across her face, but she still pretended to be nonchalant and said, "This young lady doesn't care either! We're not competing anymore, we concede!"

Mingdu Soul Master Academy conceded defeat directly, and Shrek Academy advanced to the semi-finals without bloodshed.

On the high platform, Xu Tianran snorted coldly, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible relaxation:

"That Gula is smart enough! My royal sister is not someone he can even dream of!"

As for whether he had, deep down, considered the pros and cons and the possibility of a marriage alliance for a moment, only the deep-thinking regent himself knows.

(End of this chapter)