Douluo: Ruo Tuo Save Me

After Zhong Tian failed to figure it out, he stopped thinking about it and focused on protecting his son.

Suddenly, a pair of blue, semi-transparent wings over a meter long grew from Zhong Li's back.

The wings had no patterns to speak of. They looked as though they were formed from air currents.

Zhong Tian, who was standing guard, jumped in fright, thinking something else had gone wrong.

But after taking a closer look, the corner of his mouth twitched. After spending a day with Zhong Li, he was practically becoming a crooked-mouthed Dragon King... His mouth kept twitching again and again.

"Should I say this brat is lucky, or should I say something else? Was this why he couldn't make up his mind back then? An External Soul Bone!"

"An External Soul Bone from a Slime—even if it's a pair of wings, what use is it? If it can inherit the ability to absorb elements... Wait, Slimes don't seem to have any other abilities besides absorbing elements..."

Zhong Tian recalled a book he had read as a child, one he had treated as extracurricular reading.

The book recorded stories of Spirit Masters who refused to believe the odds and wanted to gain the ability to absorb elements from Slime Soul Rings.

Slimes were very common soul beasts in certain great forests.

However, these soul beasts reproduced by splitting themselves apart.

Once they split, the original Slime's cultivation would be reduced by half!

The other half of its cultivation would belong to the new individual. This was also why Slimes could never reach particularly high ages.

Even if you killed both at once, you would only obtain two diminished Soul Rings.

Not one of those hopeful Soul Masters, Spirit Masters, or Soul Grand Masters had gained the ability to absorb elements after absorbing a Slime Soul Ring.

When Fire Element Spirit Masters absorbed Fire Element Slime Soul Rings, they only gained tiny fireballs...

Water Element Spirit Masters suffered the same fate.

Spirit Masters of other elements were more or less the same.

As for Slimes in their initial state, they did not even count as soul beasts. Killing them would not produce Soul Rings.

Of course, there were also people unafraid of death who wanted to try something different.

For example, Fire Element Spirit Masters absorbing Water Element Slimes... Only after enough people died did others learn of it and write it down.

Naturally, there were also some oddballs with attribute-less Martial Souls. After absorbing Element Slimes, they gained the corresponding elements. The power was weak, but usable...

(The Slime arc ends here. When the author first finished Genshin Impact, Slimes tormented him for quite a while, especially Ice Element ones. That is why the author bears such a grudge against Slimes!)

One day later

Under Gongsun Li's astonished gaze, father and son returned home at dusk.

After absorbing two Thousand Year Soul Rings, Zhong Li's Soul Power had reached level 29! He was now on par with Tang San and Xiao Wu six years later in the original story.

Those two Slimes had actually come from one Slime that had just split apart, and they possessed the same age. 3,300 years!

Who knew why the original one had possessed such high cultivation.

If Zhong Li had merely absorbed the Soul Rings of dead Wind Element Slimes, it would have been impossible for him to rise to level 29.

All the elemental energy within an Element Slime would rapidly dissipate after it was killed.

After being killed, a Soul Ring of the same level would still appear due to the rules of Douluo Planet.

However, that Soul Ring contained no energy. It was merely an empty shell that looked impressive on the outside.

Would the person who created Douluo Planet's rules replenish the energy lost by a Slime? Of course not!

That was why, after Spirit Masters absorbed Soul Rings dropped by Element Slimes, their Soul Ring skills were weaker than ordinary attacks.

Yet the difficulty of absorbing them was no lower than absorbing Soul Rings from ordinary soul beasts of the same level!

This ruined the reputation of Slime soul beasts so thoroughly that even dogs would shake their heads upon seeing them.

But these two had been directly Sacrificed under the control of the Ruotuo Dragon King, so no elemental energy was wasted.

That was why, after absorbing the two Soul Rings, Zhong Li had not only reached level 29 but also gained two very powerful Spirit Skills.

His Spirit Skills left Zhong Tian unable to understand them, yet deeply impressed! Though both were support skills, they were unexpectedly powerful!

Zhong Tian also learned that the External Soul Bone on Zhong Li's back could not only grant true flight, but truly possessed the ability to absorb elements. It could evolve by absorbing Wind Element energy!

Zhong Li gave it a name: Wind of Wings.

After Zhong Tian recounted everything that had happened over the past two days to Gongsun Li in full detail, she too became a crooked-mouthed Dragon King...

After dinner, the three sat on stools, while an exquisitely crafted large iron box rested on the table.

As Zhong Tian looked at the large iron box, he fell into his memories.

Gongsun Li knew what Zhong Tian was thinking and did not disturb him.

Zhong Li, meanwhile, roughly guessed what it was. It should be a Soul Bone of exceptionally high quality!

Nearly an hour passed before Zhong Tian finally emerged from his memories.

"Son, your grandfather gave me this when I broke through to Soul Emperor. Back then, he said I was a genius the family had not seen in a hundred years, and he hoped I would break through to Title Douluo as soon as possible. At the time, I believed him. I was even quite pleased with myself!"

"Do you know? Your grandfather had already broken through to the Title Douluo level at the age of thirty-nine. I'm thirty-eight this year, and only level 78."

"Our Zhong Family possesses seven supreme inherited Soul Bones. In terms of quality, I dare say they are not much inferior to the Angel God Divine Armor within Spirit Hall. Three are Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones, while the other four are dragon-type Soul Bones over ninety-five thousand years old."

"This one is one of the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones..."

"Second Uncle, you've been following Ali and me for six or seven years, haven't you?"

"When did you brat become able to sense me?"

"When my son picked up that Soul Bone. I wasn't certain at first, but when those two Wind Element Slimes Sacrificed themselves, you were truly panicking!"

"And you have the nerve to say that! The Chosen One was nearly ruined by you. How could I not be anxious?"

"Then what about my son?"

"I don't know anything. The family only knows that your son, Zhong Li, possesses a Mutated Emerald Martial Soul and Innate Full Soul Power. You have no idea how those old men, despite their age, argued until their faces turned red. Saying things like his Martial Soul wasn't the Dragon Gallbladder Spear, so there was no possibility of a second awakening..."

"Thank you, Second Uncle. I..."

"Enough. I raised you myself, brat. Oh, right—if my grandson fails to find a top-grade right leg bone in the future, bring him to me. Remember, it must be the very last step, when he only lacks the right leg bone. You know I'm afraid of pain... I'm counting on him to replace it after he succeeds..."

How could an aristocratic family that had truly endured for thousands of years without falling apart be filled with internal scheming? So long as one of them had a chance to become a god, forget removing a right leg Soul Bone—even if it were a head Soul Bone, they would sit down and die on the spot for you to take it.

The Gatekeeper Was Still So Arrogant

The Gatekeeper Was Still So Arrogant

Nuoding Academy was a Soul Master Primary Academy in Nuoding City.

A handsome and elegant child dressed in the everyday clothes of the Hall of Rebirth stood not far from Nuoding Academy's gates.

Such clothing had never appeared on Douluo Continent before. The child had designed it himself.

That child was none other than Zhong Li. As for why he was wearing the Hall of Rebirth's everyday attire? Because it looked cool!

He had even designed a set of Morax Divine Attire!

After Zhong Li wore that design once, Zhong Tian discovered it and insisted on having a set himself. Gongsun Li had not withstood the temptation of Divine Armor either...

Even the old man hiding in the shadows was tempted! After returning to the family, he decided to propose making the outfit the family's inherited ceremonial attire!

Surely no one could refuse, right? After all, it had been designed by one of their own. There was nothing wrong with making it the family's inherited attire.

Just as he expected, once he took out the copied "Divine Armor" modeled after Zhong Li's set, his proposal was unanimously approved.

The outfit was simply too suitable for Spirit Masters who used spears. It was not merely suitable—it had style...

Of course, they could not wear it normally. Their family needed to keep a low profile. Only at major family gatherings, ancestral ceremonies, and other important events could they wear it.

Thus, at later family gatherings, a group of cloaked figures would look at one another in speechless silence... Matching outfits were not scary. The uglier one was the more embarrassed one would be.

Zhong Li still did not know that his idea had been freeloaded off.

He had refused his parents' request to escort him to school. At a little over six years old, he was already a mature Spirit Master.

In his room, he had secretly left behind that dragon-type Soul Bone and instructed Zhong Tian in a letter to cultivate properly and do something useful...

"This brat actually dares lecture me! When you come back, I'll definitely teach you a proper lesson."

Holding the Soul Bone Zhong Li had picked up during their first soul hunt, Zhong Tian spoke with a smile as he grumbled.

At that moment, something amusing was happening at the gates of Nuoding Academy.

A plainly dressed old man and a similarly plainly dressed little boy were stopped by the gatekeeper.

Zhong Li thought the plot had begun! He watched from the side, but the more he watched, the stranger things seemed...

"Where did these beggars come from? Don't you see what kind of place this is? Get lost! Don't stand here blocking the way..."

The gatekeeper spoke arrogantly to the old man and child, his mockery impossible to miss.

His voice was also rather loud, attracting a group of onlookers eager for gossip.

The old man did not react much after hearing him, but the child's face filled with anger.

"Little brother, we're from Dog Village. This is my grandson, and we're here to enroll! Please make an exception. This is my grandson's Martial Soul certificate."

Though he had been called a beggar, the old man ignored it and politely spoke to the gatekeeper.

"Oh, oh, oh, what Dog Village! That's hilarious! A dog wants to produce a Wolf! You want to enroll in a Soul Master Academy? Why don't you just fly into the sky!"

The gatekeeper snatched the Martial Soul certificate, did not even look at it, casually threw it onto the ground, and stomped on it twice.

Zhong Li was stunned as he listened. Tang Hao had not taken Tang San to Holy Spirit Village? Why had they gone to Dog Village instead?

And this gatekeeper's attitude was so damn deserving of a beating! How had he managed to grow this old?

With an attitude like that, it was no wonder Tang San wanted to kill him in the original story.

Though the gatekeeper did not deserve death, who could tolerate this if it happened to them? Some arrogant protagonists would have already killed the gatekeeper to vent their anger. (This isn't excusing anything. In Douluo 1, from a first-person perspective, Tang San behaved normally before going to Slaughter City, and he treated his friends well. He gave away Immortal Herbs without hesitation. He only did Dugu Bo a little wrong. But in that situation, he did not dare tell Dugu Bo the effects of the Immortal Herbs... What if...)

Zhong Li saw the old man's exposed hand beneath his sleeve trembling slightly! As for the child, he looked as though he wanted to kill that gatekeeper.

"You!"

The old man was truly angry this time. His family had declined, and he had lost the wealth he once possessed as a noble.

Time had also worn away his former domineering nature. Now, he could even get along well with commoners he had once looked down upon.

The gatekeeper's repeated provocations had pushed his anger to the brink of eruption.

"Something's wrong. This old gentleman is definitely a Spirit Master, and a... Soul King? Did I mistake them for someone else?"

Zhong Li had been enjoying the show, thinking this was the beginning of the academy arc.

Only after the old man slightly released his Soul Power, combined with their earlier conversation, did he realize that he had mistaken them for someone else!

Seeing that things were not right, Zhong Li quietly retreated behind the crowd. When a Soul King lost his temper, it was no trivial matter.

What if he stood too close and was accidentally injured by a Spirit Skill?

He was not afraid of a Soul King now. If they truly fought, it was still uncertain who would live and who would die.

There was simply no need. If it had nothing to do with him, he would stay out of it!

Besides, this gatekeeper deserved a good beating...

The old man protecting Zhong Li from the shadows—Zhong Tian's second uncle and Zhong Li's second granduncle—was very satisfied with Zhong Li's conduct.

At six years old and level 34, Zhong Li was an unparalleled genius unlike any seen throughout the ages. No, he should be called a monster! He should have been young and reckless at this age.

Yet he was excessively mature and steady, neither arrogant nor impatient. He even felt Zhong Li was far too mature and composed!

He did not resemble a six-year-old child at all. Every gesture and movement of his increasingly resembled those old men in the family who were over a hundred years old.

He had completely forgotten that he himself was already over seventy.

"Pick it up and wipe it clean! This matter..."

Before the old man could finish, the gatekeeper cursed:

"Heh heh heh, and you want me to pick it up? Who do you think you are? You old fool, you're courting death!"

Gatekeepers should not laugh like that!