New Move, Growth!

You're Bulbasaur!

Qing Mu's words were like a ray of sunlight, dispelling the clouds of gloom in Bulbasaur's heart and immediately lifting its spirits.

That was right—it was Bulbasaur, a one-of-a-kind existence in this world!

"Da Na, Da Na~"

Bulbasaur immediately pointed its Vine Whip at where the wooden board had originally been placed, indicating that it wanted to try again.

Seeing this, Qing Mu smiled slightly. That was more like it.

Although Bulbasaur was his martial soul, it possessed its own intelligence and could not be treated like an ordinary martial soul.

If he could not ignite Bulbasaur's passion for becoming stronger, then even if Qing Mu forced it to train, the result would only be twice the effort for half the reward.

From the moment Qing Mu learned that Bulbasaur could not possess him, but could comprehend moves, he understood that his future path would inevitably resemble that of a Pokémon Trainer.

Bulbasaur was not merely his martial soul—it was also his future battle companion. What he had to do was reach the pinnacle of the world together with it.

Soon, after Qing Mu placed the wooden board back in its original position, two vines suddenly extended from Bulbasaur's neck and instantly pierced through the board once again.

Qing Mu immediately stepped forward to inspect it and found that the two new holes were both within the circles he had drawn. Though they still had not hit the bullseye, at least they had not missed the target.

Qing Mu then gave Bulbasaur a thumbs-up and said, "You've improved!"

"Da Na~"

Upon hearing Qing Mu's words, Bulbasaur's confidence surged. It unleashed Vine Whip after Vine Whip, and before long, the wooden board Qing Mu had set up was riddled with holes.

Seeing this, Qing Mu immediately had the servants bring several new wooden boards and continued training Bulbasaur's Vine Whip move.

Qing Mu also had Bulbasaur rest from time to time. His current level was still too low, and the moves were not powerful enough yet. Even with Ingrain helping, it could not sustain such a frequent rate of move usage.

However, the benefits were obvious as well. Through repeated target practice, Bulbasaur became increasingly proficient with Vine Whip.

In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.

"Crack~"

Watching Bulbasaur's Vine Whip pierce through the bullseye of a wooden board thirty meters away, Qing Mu nodded.

Being able to accurately hit a bullseye thirty meters away meant that Bulbasaur's control over Vine Whip had at least reached the proficient level. It was more than usable in actual combat.

Just as Qing Mu was about to step forward and praise Bulbasaur, he suddenly felt something within his body seem to boil. Then, the total amount of soul power in his body increased considerably.

Feeling the additional soul power within him, Qing Mu froze. Had he reached level six?

According to Qing Mu's original estimate, even if he cultivated diligently, it would take at least three months for him to reach level six.

Yet only half a month had passed, and he had already reached level six. It was far faster than he had anticipated.

"How did I level up so quickly? That shouldn't be possible."

After pondering for a moment, Qing Mu's eyes flickered as he thought of a possibility.

Could it be because he had been diligently training Bulbasaur's Vine Whip move during this period?

After thinking it over, Qing Mu felt that this was the only possibility. After all, he had not consumed any heavenly treasures lately. Relying solely on his nightly cultivation, there was no way he could have gone from level five to level six in just one week.

After figuring out the reason, Qing Mu smiled. "Leveling up through training—this is so Pokémon."

But then Qing Mu thought to himself, since training Bulbasaur could raise his level, and at a rate far faster than meditation, why should he go through the trouble of meditating all night?

Wouldn't it be better to use that time to train Bulbasaur more?

What was more, training Bulbasaur could also increase its move proficiency, killing two birds with one stone.

Thinking of this, Qing Mu's heart swelled with excitement. If he could maintain that rate of improvement, then not to mention those geniuses with Innate Soul Power of seven or eight—would even geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power be unable to match him?

As expected, the Bulbasaur martial soul was the strongest!

Just as Qing Mu was reveling in his excitement, a strange change occurred on Bulbasaur's side.

The commotion around Bulbasaur naturally caught Qing Mu's attention. When he looked over, he was instantly stunned by Bulbasaur's current condition.

Bulbasaur's body had visibly grown a full size larger than before, and the aura it radiated had also strengthened dramatically. Clearly, Bulbasaur was now far more powerful than it had been in the past.

Once he came back to his senses, Qing Mu immediately understood the reason for Bulbasaur's transformation.

"This is the Growth move! I never expected Bulbasaur to comprehend it so quickly," Qing Mu said in surprise.

Growth was a status move in Pokémon. Its effect was to increase a Pokémon's physical attack and special attack by fifty percent, or by one hundred percent under sunny weather!

Furthermore, this move was not a one-time effect. It could be used repeatedly and stacked, with the maximum increase reaching three hundred percent.

In an environment like Douluo Continent, a move like this could absolutely be considered among the strongest.

The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda could be called the continent's number one support-type martial soul merely by increasing all attributes by eighty percent, while Bulbasaur's increase could reach three hundred percent!

Though it did not enhance all attributes, a three-hundred-percent increase in attack was still enough to elevate Bulbasaur's strength to an entirely new level.

"Da Na!!"

At that moment, Bulbasaur used Vine Whip. Two vines, each a full size thicker than before, shot out abruptly and instantly pierced through the three wooden boards Qing Mu had placed to the side one by one. Their immense power even drove them into the castle's stone wall.

Moreover, because Bulbasaur had only just learned Growth and could not yet perfectly control its power, the three wooden boards exploded directly under its attack. Scattered pieces of wood immediately left the scene somewhat of a mess.

Qing Mu, however, did not mind at all. He quickly walked over to Bulbasaur and congratulated him, "Congratulations on learning a new move."

"Da Na, Da Na~"

Bulbasaur was also extremely happy—not only because he had grown stronger, but even more because he would be able to protect Qing Mu better in the future.

Afterward, Bulbasaur released his Growth state, and his body slowly returned to its original size.

Since Bulbasaur was still Ingrained, Qing Mu could not pick him up. Still, Qing Mu skillfully crouched down and stroked Bulbasaur's head.

Bulbasaur narrowed his eyes, enjoying Qing Mu's touch. The setting sun shone upon them, casting two long shadows that were closely entwined.