Douluo Continent: Simulating Douluo Dalu III, Targeting Tang San

"Looks like it thinks we're prey too." Watching the Ice Jade Borer Spider move with its strange, twisting gait, Gong Yu found it funny and immediately summoned his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul. A golden presence surged out, and the advancing spider abruptly stopped in its tracks.

"Quick, put away the presence of your Golden Dragon King Bloodline, or it'll run away! How many Soul Beasts in this world can withstand the pressure of the Golden Dragon King Bloodline's presence?" Na'er grew anxious at once. She was afraid Gong Yu would scare the spider away and leave her with nothing to play with.

"All right, then. I'll just have to watch from the side without stepping in. But be careful, Na'er." Gong Yu smiled awkwardly and let Na'er have her fun. But when he recalled how he had thought of her as a burden earlier, he felt a little ashamed. As it turned out, he was the burden now.

"Got it." Na'er nodded. Holding her spear horizontally, she had no horse to spur on; instead, she stepped into an ethereal footwork pattern that even Gong Yu couldn't see clearly and headed straight for the Ice Jade Borer Spider.

The Ice Jade Borer Spider saw a human daring to challenge it, and not even the one who had released that powerful presence earlier. How outrageous! If she dared challenge it, she had better be prepared to become food.

It charged straight at Na'er. When the two were still about four or five meters apart, the Ice Jade Borer Spider leaped and pounced at her.

Na'er spun the Silver Dragon Spear around her waist, then tilted the shaft and flicked it upward, sending the Ice Jade Borer Spider flying.

Na'er leaped after it, rising even higher than the spider. Gripping her spear, she swung it down onto the spider's back, smashing it into the ground.

The Ice Jade Borer Spider crashed into the ground, leaving a small crater. But its entire body, including its most vulnerable belly, was covered in scales. Though the impact shook it painfully, it suffered no serious injuries.

Na'er landed as well, but she had barely found her footing when the Ice Jade Borer Spider sprang from the crater and pounced. At the same time, it spat out a snow-white web that gave off a white chill, as though it had been woven from threads formed of cold itself.

Na'er raised an eyebrow and swept the Silver Dragon Spear across the incoming web.

The web split in two. Na'er then spun her spear and thrust several times at the Ice Jade Borer Spider as it pounced, before it could land.

A series of clinks rang out. With each impact, an ice-jade-like Spider Spear fell to the ground.

Only after all eight Spider Spears had fallen did Na'er withdraw her spear and step back several paces, clearing the spot where the Ice Jade Borer Spider was falling.

The Ice Jade Borer Spider crashed into the ground again, leaving another small crater. This time, having lost all eight Spider Spears, it could no longer get up, but that didn't stop it from letting out angry squeaks.

"Brother Yu, come over here!" Na'er called to Gong Yu, who had been watching from nearby. She had only just thought of calling him Brother Yu; after all, she couldn't keep addressing him as "you" forever.

"You called me Brother Yu just now. I like it, so keep calling me that from now on." Gong Yu walked over and gently stroked her short silver hair.

"Mhm." Na'er nodded her little head, then suddenly heard the Ice Jade Borer Spider still squeaking incessantly beside her. She immediately picked up the Silver Dragon Spear and jabbed it back and forth into the spider several times, knocking out all the sawlike fangs in its mouth.

Gong Yu swallowed hard beside her. Na'er seemed a little violent to him now. Could the descriptions of Na'er I read in the book have been false?

The Ice Jade Borer Spider glared at Na'er with several pairs of big, round eyes. If looks could kill, it would have gladly stared her to death.

"Still glaring at me like that? Believe it or not, I'll poke all your eyes out too." Though the Ice Jade Borer Spider was clearly no longer dangerous, Na'er still threatened it.

As if it understood her, the Ice Jade Borer Spider immediately stopped glaring at her.

Then Na'er changed as if she were a different person and said to Gong Yu with a grin, "All right, Brother Yu, you can kill it and absorb its Soul Ring now."

Gong Yu swallowed hard again and asked, "Na'er, you're a Soul Beast too, and the supreme ruler of Soul Beasts at that. Why are you so ruthless to your own kind?"

Na'er said, "I'm a dragon, and it's a spider. We aren't the same kind. Besides, Soul Beasts that haven't reached two hundred thousand years of cultivation aren't even qualified to know I exist. Also, in the Soul Beast Realm, spider-type Soul Beasts are among the kinds we hate most."

"Is that so? Looks like I misunderstood and lumped all Soul Beasts together as the same kind." Gong Yu scratched his head awkwardly, then took out a dagger and stabbed it into the Ice Jade Borer Spider's lower jaw. Like the Mandala Snake, its weak point was its lower jaw.

Before long, the Ice Jade Borer Spider died, and a purple Soul Ring quickly formed above its corpse.

Gong Yu looked at Na'er and said, "I'll start absorbing the Soul Ring now. Sorry to trouble you to stand guard for me, Na'er."

Na'er nodded and said, "Go ahead and absorb it without worrying, Brother Yu. I'll stand guard for you."

Gong Yu nodded too, then sat cross-legged and summoned his golden Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul with a thought. He pressed the middle and index fingers of his right hand together and drew the Ice Jade Borer Spider's Soul Ring over to settle around him. Then he circulated the Quanzhen Great Dao Song and began absorbing the energy in the Soul Ring.

Whether because the Ice Jade Borer Spider had suffered so terribly at Na'er's hands or because Gong Yu's body was strong enough, his absorption of the Soul Ring, which was over three thousand years old, went exceptionally smoothly. It was almost as if the spider were willingly offering him its Soul Ring and throwing in something extra.

So Gong Yu needed only ten short minutes to absorb the Soul Ring.

After successfully absorbing it, however, he spent another half hour or so familiarizing himself with the Soul Ring and consolidating his cultivation.

Feeling that he had more or less consolidated his cultivation, Gong Yu opened his eyes and rose from his cross-legged position.

Na'er walked over and asked Gong Yu with a smile, "How do you feel, Brother Yu?"

"I feel great. Watch closely. Second Soul Skill, Ice Web Restraint!" As he spoke, Gong Yu brought out his Martial Soul, and two Soul Rings emerged and pulsed around him. His Second Soul Ring flashed, and the golden Blue Silver Grass transformed into an ice web that bound a nearby tree.

But it was no ordinary ice web. Once it bound the tree, densely packed ice spikes grew from its threads and pierced the trunk, inflicting ice-attribute frost damage as well.

Chapter 27: Heaven Dou City

Night fell, and the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena bustled as it did every evening.

Crowds began gathering from all directions.

As the most traditional form of entertainment and the one most beloved by the public, the arena drew large audiences every day.

The wealthy could enjoy themselves to the fullest here, while even commoners with little money could watch Soul Master matches.

The Great Soul Arena offered inexpensive ticket packages specifically for commoners, so people who could afford the necessities of life were willing to come and watch Soul Masters compete. After all, merely seeing Soul Masters was enough to satisfy the vanity of most commoners.

Of course, because they bought cheap tickets, they could only watch ordinary Soul Fighting matches.

The truly thrilling Soul Fighting matches were certainly expensive.

Heaven Dou City never lacked wealthy people willing to spend lavishly. With betting venues run by the Great Soul Arena as well, Soul Fighting was also a place where the rich and noble secretly competed against one another.

After absorbing his Second Soul Ring and leaving Sunset Forest, Gong Yu traveled with Na'er for two hours before finally reaching Heaven Dou City.

They had come to Heaven Dou City mainly to make money. After Gong Yu and Na'er had dinner, the two went to the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.

It was Gong Yu's first time in a place like this. To tell the truth, he didn't much like the noisy atmosphere, but this was where he could make money!

Gong Yu and Na'er each put on a mask and entered the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena.

Gong Yu first registered at the sign-up desk. He picked up a form at the counter, which required his name, age, birthplace, Martial Soul, and other information, then received his initial Iron Soul Badge.

Registration also required a fee of ten Gold Soul Coins per person.

Gong Yu gave himself the nickname "Little Rabbit Slayer" and registered under it.

Once registered, he signed up for a match, then went to the betting area and put all his Gold Soul Coins on himself to win.

"What a shame. A person can only fight one match a day." After placing his bet, Gong Yu returned to Na'er and remarked with some disappointment, "If I could fight a few more, I could probably make tens of thousands of Gold Soul Coins a day for sure."

Hearing him, Na'er asked, "Brother Yu, do you want to fight more matches?"

"It's not that I want to fight. I just want to make money for sure." Gong Yu shook his head and explained, "I don't trust betting on other people because I can't guarantee they'll win. Only if I enter the ring myself can I guarantee a win, and only by winning for sure can I make money for sure."

Gong Yu had at least that much confidence. As he was now, he could fight Soul Elders above his rank without a problem; no one below the Soul Elder level was a match for him.

"I see!" Once she understood, Na'er said, "I know a little method that can temporarily change your appearance, Brother Yu!"

Gong Yu's eyes lit up. "Really? Then hurry and teach me! That way I can fight a few more matches, try to earn over a hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins in two days, and then go back to Nuoding City."

"Okay." Na'er giggled, reached out, and tapped Gong Yu between the eyebrows. Information entered his mind, and she said, "The only drawback is that this method uses quite a bit of spiritual power. At your current level, Brother Yu, you should be able to use it five or six times a day!"

Gong Yu nodded. "Enough, that's enough. I only need to change my appearance when I register. I wear a mask in the ring, and no one's going to lift it to look at my face. Still, just in case, I'll have to prepare a few more masks and sets of clothes later."

While waiting for his turn, Gong Yu immersed himself in the method of changing his appearance that Na'er had taught him. It was simple enough, and he learned it in a few minutes.

After waiting another ten minutes or so, it was finally Gong Yu's turn.

When they entered the arena to the host's announcement, they received little applause.

"Next is the first one-on-one Soul Fighting match in our sixth Soul Fighting Arena. Our contestants are two Soul Grandmasters: the Tool Soul Master 'Little Rabbit Slayer,' who possesses the tool Martial Soul Blue Silver Grass, and his opponent, the Battle Soul Master Meng Meng, who possesses the Beast Martial Soul Cat Rabbit and has already won five matches in a row.

"Will Soul Grandmaster Meng Meng continue his glorious streak and claim a sixth consecutive victory, or will the newcomer, Tool Soul Master 'Little Rabbit Slayer,' emerge victorious? Let's wait and see. Now, please welcome the two Soul Grandmasters!"

There were few cheers from the spectators. A handful occasionally called Meng Meng's name, but most seemed uninterested.

A tall, slender figure soon stepped onto the Soul Fighting stage. She was a girl about 1.7 meters tall and looked to be fifteen or sixteen.

As soon as she stepped onto the stage and saw Gong Yu, she said fiercely, "I hate your nickname. I'm going to teach you a lesson in a moment."

It was no wonder she reacted that way. Her Martial Soul was a Cat Rabbit, a Soul Beast born from the union of a feline Soul Beast and a rabbit Soul Beast, while Gong Yu's nickname just had to be "Little Rabbit Slayer." So she picked a fight with him as soon as she came up.

Gong Yu smiled calmly. "Wait until you can beat me before you say that!"

"Both sides, please reveal your Martial Souls." The host's voice rang out again.

Meng Meng immediately used Martial Soul Possession. Her Martial Soul was something that looked neither like a cat nor a rabbit, and was a little ugly. Two Yellow Soul Rings then rose from beneath her feet and pulsed around her.

Gong Yu, however, stood motionless, doing nothing. He didn't even summon his Martial Soul.

Seeing this, Meng Meng frowned and said, "Bring out your Martial Soul, or you won't even have a chance to strike."

Gong Yu said, "There's no need. My Martial Soul is Blue Silver Grass, and it's everywhere. It's not as if you've never seen it. Let's just start fighting. Besides, I don't need my Martial Soul at all to deal with the likes of you."

"What did you say?" The Soul Grandmaster called Meng Meng flew into a rage on the spot. "Fine, you don't need your Martial Soul, right? Then I'll grant your wish."

With that, Meng Meng rushed at Gong Yu at tremendous speed.

As she was about to reach him, Meng Meng's First Soul Ring lit up. She used her first Soul Skill and immediately created three clones.

The four figures flashed past one another several times, making it impossible to tell which three of the four Meng Mengs were clones and which was the real one.

The four Meng Mengs darted about, then closed in on Gong Yu from four directions.

It seemed Gong Yu would be kicked down by the four Meng Mengs, but as they came within reach, he grabbed one of them by the lower leg and slammed her against the stage two or three times, just as he had done to Xiao Wu last time.

How could Meng Meng withstand such a brutal way of fighting? She promptly said, "I surrender."

The host finally reacted and hurried onto the Soul Fighting stage, announcing loudly, "Tool Soul Master 'Little Rabbit Slayer' wins! His record is one win and zero losses. Meng Meng's record is five wins and one loss. Master 'Little Rabbit Slayer,' please register your points after leaving the stage."

Gong Yu nodded.

Meng Meng walked over and asked, "How did you know which of the four figures was really me?"

"The real one had a shadow, dumbass!" With that, Gong Yu left without looking back.

After registering at the counter, he collected his winnings from the betting area, then went straight to the spectator section and found Na'er.

Not long afterward, Gong Yu changed his appearance and registered for several more matches. Each time, he bet all the money he had and doubled it. After five or six matches, he had made more than thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins.

He did much the same the following evening, though he didn't dare bet too much for fear of drawing attention. In any case, he made another hefty profit that night.

Over the two evenings, he earned more than two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, so on the third morning, he and Na'er set off straight back to Nuoding City.

Chapter 28: She's the young madam?

Two days later, Gong Yu and Na'er returned to Nuoding City.

As soon as they entered, Gong Xue ran over and asked Gong Yu whether he had brought her a present. But before he could answer, Gong Lan twisted her ear and pulled her away.

Gong Yu found it amusing, but he was used to Gong Xue's mischievousness and didn't pay it much mind. Instead, he thought it was good for her to be happy every day like this. At least it would help her forget those bad memories from before.

He only worried that her strong side was an act. After all, she had been abandoned by her family and suffered so much at the hands of human traffickers. That kind of pain couldn't be forgotten just because she wanted to forget it.

Upon reaching the hall, Gong Yu asked Gong Lan to call everyone else over.

Once everyone had gathered, Gong Yu said, "I bought Soul Tools for all of you. They can be used to store things, just like the one your eldest sister has. They're hard to find. I searched all over Heaven Dou City before I found one for each of you."

They really were hard to find. On the Douluo Continent in this era, Soul Tools were rare, and storage Soul Tools were rarer still among them. They were also terribly expensive.

He had bought each of the seven girls a Soul Tool Ring. The seven Soul Tools each had three cubic meters of space and had cost seventy thousand Gold Soul Coins, nearly a third of the money he had won betting over two days.

As soon as Gong Yu finished speaking, Gong Xue scampered over. "Really? Big Brother, you're the best! You know, every time I saw Sister's ring that could store things, I was so jealous I could die. Now I finally have one too! I want the blue one."

Gong Yu patted Gong Xue's head with a faint smile and gave her the blue one. He handed the rest out one by one, and when he reached Gong Lan, he said, "Lan'er, you already have one, so I didn't buy you another. But... here, take this black gold card."

After accepting the black card, Gong Lan asked, "Young Master, what is this black gold card?"

"With this gold card, you can deposit and withdraw money at any bank in the Heaven Dou Empire," Gong Yu explained patiently. "There are ten thousand Gold Soul Coins in the account. Eight thousand are spending money for the eight of you, one thousand each, and the remaining two thousand are for our living expenses in the near future."

The girls were all young and came from poor families. In the past, they had been fortunate just to eat their fill at home and had barely even handled Copper Soul Coins, much less seen a gold card.

"Young Master, a thousand each is too much. We couldn't possibly spend that much."

Gong Lan wasn't as naive as the younger girls. She understood the value of a Gold Soul Coin, and many poor families couldn't earn a thousand Gold Soul Coins in a lifetime. So when Gong Yu said he was giving them a thousand each, she accepted it uneasily.

Gong Yu knew Gong Lan felt pressured holding so much money for the first time, so he said, "If you can't spend it, save it for now. You'll be able to spend it in the future. Besides, your spending will only increase from now on, so you all need to gradually learn to get used to this kind of life."

Gong Yu insisted on giving it to her, so Gong Lan had no choice but to accept it for now. But when she saw Na'er beside him, she asked, "Young Master, we all have spending money. Why doesn't Na'er?"

Gong Yu then explained Na'er's situation to them. Of course, most of what he said was made up.

The girls listened with great interest. In the end, Gong Xue was the first to speak. "I never would have guessed, really! I thought you were going to be our ninth sister, but instead you've become the young madam, and I'm the youngest again."

Everyone laughed at that. Only Na'er stood to the side with a bright red face and said timidly, "I'm still your ninth sister."

Gong Xue added, "Hmph, that's more like it. You're still our ninth sister, so I'll still have to protect you from now on. But... hehe, you'll have to sleep with Big Brother from now on, because the beds in our room only have space for eight people."

Gong Yu was delighted when he heard this. He secretly gave Gong Xue a thumbs-up and thought, What a great assist! Feelings built by sleeping together from childhood are the real thing.

Just look at Little Scumbag: he slept with a rabbit all his life and never got tired of it, and even after she died, he chased after her to find her.

And so everyone happily decided that Na'er would sleep with Gong Yu from then on.