I've also recently started a new translation, please check it out and show your support! Douluo: AFKing to Become a God
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As the golden claw's gleam carved out the final streak of light on the arena, Tang Wulin panted as he retracted his martial soul.
"Thank you for the match."
This battle had been difficult for Tang Wulin, but in the end, he had emerged victorious.
A wave of gasps rippled through the ranks of second-year students. Those who had initially underestimated him now looked at him with newfound respect. Shrek Academy only recruited once every three years—if they lost to these juniors, they would forever become a laughingstock in their class!
As Gu La's robes billowed and settled, he stepped into the center of the arena. The ripples of soul power still lingering at the hem of his robe hadn't yet dissipated. He pointed at the ten students across from him:
"All of you, come at me together. I want to fight all ten."
His calm words were like a stone dropped into a lake, stirring a massive reaction among the second-year students.
"Arrogant!"
"Outrageous!"
"Talking big won't save you from biting your tongue off!"
The students of Shrek Academy were indignant, itching to jump into the fray and beat Gu La senseless to defend the academy's honor.
Ya Li's eyes flickered with confusion. Was Gu La truly a reincarnated god? If so, why was he bullying those weaker than him?
She couldn't understand the reasoning behind it, but she nodded to the proctor, approving Gu La's request to take on all ten opponents.
The ten young fighters, led by Yuanen Yehui, climbed onto the stage together. Although Yuanen had yet to break through to the rank of a four-ringed Soul Ancestor, her top-tier Titan Great Ape martial soul firmly established her as the strongest of the second-years.
"Both sides release your martial souls… Begin!"
The proctor announced the start of the battle. On one side of the arena stood ten students, unleashing a dazzling array of martial souls that made the space feel cramped.
Especially imposing was Yuanen Yehui, whose Titan Great Ape possession caused her to grow to a towering height of three meters. She stood like a small mountain on the stage, exuding an overwhelming aura of ferocity.
"The honor of Shrek will not be trampled by you!"
Zhou Hanqiu, the Flaming Lion soul master, was the first to explode into action. His fiery red mane crackled under the surge of soul power.
The other nine fighters spread out instinctively, forming a coordinated array. The arena above them lit up with the interweaving glow of various soul rings, while frost and flames etched distinct boundaries on the slate floor.
Gu La activated his Celebi martial soul, its translucent wings appearing fragile against the massive Titan Great Ape. Yet, his agile form showed no fear whatsoever, completely disregarding the ten opponents before him.
Gu La raised a finger and flicked it, condensing soul power into semi-solid seeds.
Leech Seed! x 10
The vibrant parasitic seeds moved deceptively fast. Dozens of emerald-like seeds transformed into streaks of light, spreading out like a giant net enveloping the ten fighters.
The students of Shrek Academy were battle-hardened and quickly recognized the parasitic seeds as some kind of parasitic-type soul skill. They tried to evade or actively destroy them.
For instance, Zhou Hanqiu, now fully possessing the Flaming Lion, unleashed roaring flames in an attempt to incinerate the seeds. However, the essence of Ultimate Wood possessed a divine quality—its vigorous vitality could not be burned away instantly, even by Ultimate Fire, let alone ordinary flames.
Moreover, the seeds, being semi-solid prior to parasitizing, were even harder to intercept prematurely.
Before Zhou Hanqiu's crimson flames could fully coalesce, one of the seeds pierced through his wall of fire, unfurling into vines amidst the flickering tongues of flame. To his horror, the vines began siphoning his soul power, causing his once-mighty flames to dim within their green veins.
Yuanen Yehui, despite her massive size, was far from clumsy and excelled in speed. However, her large frame ultimately worked against her, leaving her unable to dodge in time.
Deciding to go on the offensive, she slammed her fists into the ground, causing the stage to crack in a spider-web pattern.
First soul skill: Titan Strength!
Her three-meter-tall Titan true form launched into the air using the recoil, her right leg whipping out with a deafening boom that tore through the air.
However, the translucent butterfly wings on Gu La's back merely fluttered slightly, and his figure appeared like a phantom behind her.
"Too slow."
Gu La tapped his fingertip against the back of Yuanen Yehui's neck, embedding the last seed into her bulging veins.
She was the final opponent. Once she was parasitized, Gu La smiled and raised his hand, revealing the freshly sprouted Six-Sense Pure Lotus seed in his palm.
To cultivate plant avatars, Gu La's own soul power could only provide the initial seed. It was by drawing upon the soul energy of others that he could help the seed establish a foundation akin to a vast ocean, paving the way for a path similar to, yet fundamentally different from, his own.
Within the seed floated a faint human silhouette. Under the nourishment of the ten fighters' soul power, its presence rapidly grew stronger, drawing in spiritual energy from the surrounding environment. In the blink of an eye, it had amassed the equivalent of ten years of cultivation.
Notably, this avatar was the only female incarnation, though what her corresponding timeline looked like remained a mystery.
These thoughts flitted through Gu La's mind in an instant, while only a brief moment had passed in the outside world.
The proctors exchanged whispers. Ya Li's pupils contracted slightly as she watched the lotus seed spinning wildly in Gu La's palm. The extracted soul power condensed into ten points of light between the petals. What shocked her most was the gradually forming feminine silhouette within the seed—what kind of soul skill was this?
"Number five, awaken."
Gu La murmured as he tightened his fingers around the seed. The lotus emitted a crisp shattering sound.
The ethereal figure suddenly opened her eyes, and the vortex of soul power around the arena was instantly sucked into a vacuum. As the avatar stepped barefoot onto the stage, the seed husk transformed into green clothing, and the emerald vines hanging from her ears grew wildly, reclaiming the remaining parasitic seeds.
The Six-Sense Pure Lotus itself was not suited for combat; its nature leaned more toward medicinal herbs, akin to the legendary immortal plants.
Thus, Gu La simply allowed it to manifest directly, awakening its martial soul and making it his overt "fourth soul skill."
Guided by Gu La and the combined soul powers of the ten soul masters, the fifth avatar awakened its martial soul—the Crystal Lotus Heart Lamp.
Its full name was the Pure Jade Green Lotus Purifying Heart Lamp, resembling both wood and fire, yet neither. It was born between the two elements but transcended them—a pure spirit and mind system martial soul.
Perhaps influenced by Yuanen Yehui's Fallen Angel martial soul, the avatar's awakened martial soul gained an additional, wondrous mental attribute, potentially making it the sole mind system martial soul in existence.
Gu La's mind automatically filled with the myriad uses of the avatar's martial soul, momentarily losing himself in thought.
Opportunity!
The third soul ring of Yuanen Yehui suddenly lit up, and a shadow of the giant ape solidified behind her.
Diamond Titan! A soul skill that enhanced all attributes, perfectly suited for the Titan Great Ape martial soul. It had no flashy effects, just unparalleled physical prowess.
While Gu La contemplated the profundity of the avatar, the avatar itself innately grasped the essence of its martial soul. In the instant Yuanen leapt forward, a green lotus-shaped lantern appeared in her hand.
"A soul skill or a real person?"
Yuanen Yehui was perplexed, but her actions were half a step faster than her thoughts.
The shockwave from their colliding fists swept across the air, and her second soul skill released an air cannon, compressing the air into an attack that sealed off the avatar's escape routes.
It was an appropriate response, but the Lotus Lantern Avatar spotted a flaw—Yuanen Yehui was accustomed to using her right arm for close combat and her left arm for air cannons. As a result, the flow of soul power in her right arm lagged slightly behind her left shoulder.
This minuscule difference was negligible in battle, but under the avatar's state of "Mind Lamp," where her heart was as clear as glass and free of distractions, it became glaringly obvious—her thoughts transcended her body, surpassing even her spirit!
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