I've also recently started a new translation, please check it out and show your support! Douluo: Seven Kill Shock the World
------------------------------------------------------
Between Gu Yue's slender fingers hovered the crystal-clear Life Gold, its emerald glow flowing like water through her fingertips. The light bathed her silver-white hair in a jade-like halo.
The dense aura of life rippled outward from the gemstone, making the surrounding air feel fresh and sweet.
Gu La gazed at this rare treasure, his golden pupils flickering with an uncontainable fervor. He could feel his body's yearning for the Life Gold—a resonance that originated deep within his soul.
"What?" Gu Yue tilted her head slightly, her amethyst-like eyes glinting with playful curiosity as her silver hair swayed gently with her movements. "Having second thoughts?"
"No, the deal stands," Gu La said, taking a deep breath and forcing himself to look away. He shook his head, pausing thoughtfully before his gaze grew resolute. "I was just thinking… since you've already agreed to give me the Life Gold, perhaps you could help me with one more favor."
"Oh?" Gu Yue raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued. She twirled the Life Gold between her fingers, the emerald glow tracing an elegant arc. Her voice was soft but carried an undeniable pressure.
"What else do you want?"
Gu La met Gu Yue's eyes earnestly. "I need an absolutely safe place to fuse the Life Gold into my physical body and spiritual sea—to evolve my second martial soul, Celebi."
"Celebi?" Gu Yue's eyes flickered, a spark of curiosity igniting at the unfamiliar name.
She cradled the Life Gold in her palm, its emerald light seeping through her fingers. "This is the first time you've mentioned the name of your martial soul. Are your clones… related to time? Why this name?"
Her tone remained calm, but the sharp Gu La detected a hidden intrigue behind her words.
Gu La hadn't expected Gu Yue to focus on this detail and couldn't help but chuckle softly, shaking his head. "Celebi is a legendary forest spirit of time and space. In its mortal stage, it cannot fully unleash its true power."
His expression grew profound. "But with the help of the Life Gold, perhaps I can awaken a fragment of its abilities."
This was a lie. Celebi was no ordinary martial soul—it was a god-tier soul. Without the system's reward of divine beast evolution tokens, not even the Dragon God could guarantee Celebi's evolution.
Gu Yue understood this well and knew Gu La wasn't telling the whole truth. The idea of evolving a god-tier martial soul intrigued her deeply.
She fell silent, her long lashes casting faint shadows on her face.
After a moment, a meaningful smile curved her lips. "How interesting… You want to use the power of Life Gold to trigger an essential transformation in your martial soul?"
Her gaze was piercing, as if trying to see through all of Gu La's thoughts.
"Exactly," Gu La replied calmly, meeting her stare without a trace of guilt. Yet inwardly, he couldn't help but think about the unused Ultra Balls. If he could capture the Silver Dragon King… what kind of reward would he receive?
Catching Groudon, a 1st Class God, had granted him divine cultivation techniques. Surely subduing the god-king-level Silver Dragon King would earn him something monumental—perhaps even a Creation Tablet.
Shaking off these wandering thoughts, Gu La continued:
"But this process might cause massive energy leakage. Any misstep could lead to an energy surge, drawing unwanted attention and jeopardizing our plans."
He tried to suppress the thought, but the idea of capturing the Silver Dragon King kept nagging at him, like a cat clawing at his heart. He couldn't resist stealing glances at Gu Yue.
Facing Gu La's intense gaze, Gu Yue frowned slightly, her slender fingers unconsciously playing with the Life Gold.
She could sense the immense life energy contained within it, identical to the energy of the Lake of Life deep within the Star Dou Great Forest. After a brief moment of contemplation, she lifted her gaze and said:
"Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest lies the Lake of Life, where the life energy is extraordinarily dense." A glimmer of silver flashed in her eyes. "Combined with my spatial barrier, I can ensure no disturbances."
A flicker of relief passed through Gu La's eyes as his tense shoulders relaxed slightly. "Then I thank you."
---
Gu Yue smiled faintly, her silver hair swaying gently in the breeze. "No need to thank me. I'm simply very interested in the evolution of your martial soul."
She paused, her eyes gleaming with depth. "Moreover… if you truly master the power of time and space, we may have opportunities to collaborate further in the future."
In her mind, she already had a long-term plan.
Once she became the Dragon God, she intended to recruit Gu La as her foremost general, alongside Di Tian, to assist her in governing the soul beast race. Gu La's potential was worth her early investment.
Thus, both parties were secretly scheming to subdue the other, yet they conversed amiably, quickly ironing out the details.
Gu Yue even handed over the fist-sized Life Gold to Gu La as her investment.
Gu La accepted it without hesitation, exchanging a glance with Gu Yue. They tacitly avoided discussing who would take the lead in their collaboration.
The two requested leave from the academy. That evening, Gu Yue summoned Di Tian, who had been lurking in the shadows.
The black-clad man stepped out of the void, bowing respectfully to Gu Yue. As Di Tian opened a spatial rift with a wave of his hand, the three of them instantly bypassed the Spirit Pagoda's numerous defenses and headed deep into the Star Dou Great Forest.
In the night sky, the stars dimmed, as if foretelling the unusual events to come.
---
The Star Dou Great Forest, Lake of Life
The emerald lake shimmered under the morning light, its dense life energy condensing into pale green mist that drifted lazily across its surface.
Ancient trees encircled the lake, each trunk requiring ten people to encircle. Their canopies blocked out the sky, allowing only scattered golden light to filter through the gaps.
The air was filled with the unique fragrance of vegetation. Occasionally, crystalline dewdrops slid from leaves, splashing tiny droplets onto the soft moss below.
Gu La sat cross-legged on a smooth slab of green stone by the lakeside, holding the softly glowing Life Gold in both hands.
Golden sunlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy, enveloping him in a hazy halo. Not far behind him, Di Tian and the other fierce beasts stood in a fan formation, their dark golden dragon eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly. Their powerful auras were restrained yet ready to burst forth, forming an invisible barrier.
"Let's begin," Gu Yue said lightly, standing three zhang away from Gu La. Her silver hair moved as if stirred by an unseen breeze, flowing like silk woven from moonlight.
Her slender fingertips shimmered with silver light as countless tiny spatial runes flickered in the air, eventually weaving into a transparent spherical barrier that completely isolated the two of them from the outside world. Even the sound of the wind became muffled within the barrier.
Gu La took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the air infused with the scent of grass and lake water.
He closed his eyes, focusing his mind as his consciousness sank into the system interface. There, he saw the final shard required for Celebi's evolution glowing with an emerald light in the virtual space.
"Exchange complete." As the system's prompt sounded, he felt a warm current spread from his forehead throughout his entire body.
------------------------------------------------------
40+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)