Douluo Continent: Simulating Douluo Dalu III to Pit Tang San

Time flew, and three months passed in the blink of an eye. Gong Yu had basically gained one level every month, and with the increase in Soul Power he had gained from absorbing his last Soul Ring, he had now reached level 25. Na'er had reached level 18, while the other eight girls had all reached level 10.

Gong Lan, Gong Qianqian, and Gong Niuniu had reached level 10 a month earlier. Gong Yu had then told them to hold back and wait for the other girls' Soul Power to catch up, so they could all go to the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt for Soul Rings together.

A month later, the remaining five girls had also raised their Soul Power to level 10.

So, on this day, Gong Yu hired two carriages and took everyone to the Soul Hunting Forest.

Early the next morning, they arrived at the gates of the Soul Hunting Forest. Gong Yu led the nine girls to the entrance and presented his token, and they were allowed through without trouble.

After entering the Soul Hunting Forest, Gong Yu said as they walked, "Don't spread out too much, and don't go running around out of curiosity. Especially you, Xiao Xue. You can do whatever you like at home, but you're not allowed to fool around in the Soul Beast forest.

"The forest is very dangerous. There are lots of fierce Soul Beasts, and if you're not careful, they could kill you."

"I... I understand, big brother. I won't fool around." It was the first time Gong Xue had seen Gong Yu look so serious, and she understood how serious the situation was.

Gong Yu nodded, satisfied with Gong Xue's attitude. "Good. Then let's head deeper into the forest. The sooner we find suitable Soul Rings for you, the sooner we can go home. Once you've absorbed your Soul Rings, you'll be real Soul Masters."

Along the way, they saw plenty of Soul Beasts of all sizes, but most were only ten-year beasts or had just reached the hundred-year level. They didn't find any suitable ones, so they continued onward.

An hour later, Gong Yu finally spotted something.

"It's a Golden Iron Birch Tree about six hundred years old. Gong Xiao, your Soul Ring is here." Gong Yu stared at the Golden Iron Birch Tree ahead and said to Gong Xiao, "Your Martial Soul is a bamboo staff, and it needs to be harder. This Golden Iron Birch Tree is one of the hardest woods in the world, so it's perfect for you."

Na'er spoke up. "Brother Yu, that Golden Iron Birch Tree is about six hundred years old. Will second sister really be all right absorbing it?"

Of the girls, Gong Xiao was seven, a year younger than Gong Lan, so she ranked second.

Gong Yue was third, the girl with the cabbage Martial Soul.

Gong Qianqian was fourth, and her Martial Soul was cold Qi.

Gong Xi'er was fifth, and her Martial Soul was a pink rose.

Gong Niuniu was sixth, and her Martial Soul was the Nine-Colored Amethyst Lamp.

Gong Miaomiao was seventh, and her Martial Soul was a chrysanthemum.

Ever since Gong Miaomiao had heard from Gong Yu that there was a kind of Martial Soul called a Body Martial Soul, however, Gong Xue had often teased her, saying her Martial Soul was a Body Martial Soul.

Gong Xue ranked eighth, and her Martial Soul was a Fire Kite.

Gong Na'er, the Silver Dragon King's human side, ranked ninth. She was both the ninth sister and the young madam.

In response to Na'er's question, Gong Yu said, "There shouldn't be a problem. They've all cultivated the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill too. You've practiced it yourself, so you should understand how powerful it is. They've all reached the intermediate stage of the first level, so absorbing Soul Rings under a thousand years old won't be difficult."

Chapter 29: Gong Xiao's Decision

Girls were naturally suited to cultivating Dragon Elephant Prajna as well. Otherwise, the Golden Wheel Dharma King wouldn't have wanted to take Guo Xiang as his disciple even up to his death, hoping she would inherit his legacy.

Before teaching the girls around him to cultivate Dragon Elephant Prajna, however, Gong Yu had worried that they might all turn into muscle-bound brutes. Girls who turned into muscle-bound brutes really wouldn't look very good.

After careful thought, he had ultimately decided to teach them, but he wouldn't teach them the whole thing, only the first six levels at most. Beyond the sixth level, they could only depend on their opportunities. Some people spent their whole lives practicing and only reached the seventh or eighth level!

Moreover, Dragon Elephant Prajna had to be cultivated step by step; it couldn't be mastered quickly. Trying to break through with a shortcut could easily give rise to inner demons. Once those appeared, the cultivator would go mad, and in that madness, they might sever their own meridians and die.

As Gong Yu understood it, this meant their spiritual power was too weak to control the explosive growth in strength that came from cultivating the skill to a profound level. So when practicing it, one couldn't neglect the corresponding increase in spiritual power.

Of course, the Buddhist school held that the corresponding Buddhist teachings were needed to resolve the problem. But, to put it plainly, Buddhist teachings concerned the spiritual plane, so understanding it as spiritual power wasn't wrong either.

Now, when Na'er pointed out that the Golden Iron Birch Tree was at least six hundred years old, the girls' expressions all grew solemn.

None of them had ever attended school, but ever since Gong Yu had bought them, he had taught them plenty. Having lived two lives, Gong Yu was barely qualified to be a primary school teacher, so besides teaching the girls to cultivate, he naturally taught them to read and write and passed on basic knowledge.

Since they had begun studying, the girls had also learned the approximate age range that marked a Soul Master's limit when absorbing a first Soul Ring.

Gong Yu immediately released his Soul Rings. His first Soul Ring was unmistakably purple, though he didn't reveal the matter of his Soul Spirit for the time being.

After seeing Gong Yu's first Soul Ring, everyone except Na'er looked shocked.

Once their shock had passed, Gong Yu said, "It's not impossible to absorb a Soul Ring beyond the usual age limit. As long as your body and spiritual power are strong enough, there's no problem. But Soul Rings under ten thousand years old don't demand much spiritual power.

"That's because Soul Beasts under ten thousand years old rarely develop intelligence. Generally, only Soul Beasts that reach ten thousand years develop intelligence, so their remnant souls attach themselves to their Soul Rings. When a Soul Master absorbs one, they launch a spiritual attack on the Soul Master. That's why absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring demands correspondingly greater spiritual power."

After saying this, Gong Yu withdrew his Soul Rings, looked at Gong Xiao, and continued, "Of course, the choice is still yours. Gong Xiao, your Martial Soul is very ordinary. That's inherited, and it can't be changed.

"So, if you want to make up for the difference between your Martial Soul and other people's, you can only rely on external means to strengthen it and reduce its shortcomings. But I won't force you to choose. If you want to go further down the path of a Soul Master, I believe you'll make the best choice."

Gong Xiao thought for a while, roughly half a minute, then gritted her teeth. She seemed to have great difficulty making her decision. "I've decided. I want this Golden Iron Birch Tree's Soul Ring."

"Good." Gong Yu nodded, looking gratified. "I knew you'd choose to absorb its Soul Ring. It's just that this Golden Iron Birch Tree is too tough. It'll be a little difficult to kill."

A bitter smile appeared on Gong Yu's face as he spoke. Even an ordinary iron birch tree couldn't be chopped down with knives or axes. As a Soul Beast, it was even harder, and this was a Golden Iron Birch Tree, a mutated iron birch Soul Beast that had absorbed too much of the metal element.

At that moment, Na'er said, "Brother Yu, the bloodline in your body can suppress the metal element."

Gong Yu thought about it. That's right. The Golden Sacred Dragon King, one of the Nine Great Dragon Kings, inherited its power and control over the metal element from the Golden Dragon King portion of the Dragon God. So naturally, the Golden Dragon King Bloodline can suppress the metal element too.

Gong Yu nodded, stepped forward, and directly unleashed his bloodline suppression. In an instant, the Golden Iron Birch Tree, over ten meters tall, began to wilt. Then a tree eye the size of a fist opened where its trunk met its roots. Gong Yu immediately wedged a piece of refined gold into the eye to keep it from closing for the moment.

Gong Yu looked at Gong Xiao. "Gong Xiao, come here and stab your dagger into the tree eye. Its heart is inside, and that's its weak point. Stab the heart, and it'll die."

Following Gong Yu's instructions, Gong Xiao took a short dagger from her Soul Tool, walked over, and plunged it into the tree eye, piercing the heart inside.

The Golden Iron Birch Tree trembled a few times in struggle, then fell completely still. Afterward, a deep yellow Soul Ring condensed above it.

Gong Xiao immediately sat down cross-legged, drew the Soul Ring over herself, and circulated the Quanzhen Great Dao Song, beginning to absorb the Soul Power within it.

Everyone withdrew to one side to stand guard for Gong Xiao.

Gong Yu then called Gong Lan aside. "Lan'er, I'll teach you a method now, a way to communicate with Blue Silver Grass. Sit down cross-legged."

Gong Lan did as he said, and Gong Yu continued, "Summon your Martial Soul, then try to use your mind to sense the Blue Silver Grass around you through your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul. Treat that Blue Silver Grass as your eyes.

"Think about it. There's Blue Silver Grass everywhere in the forest. If every blade became your eyes, wouldn't your field of vision become vast and wide? You could even observe the slightest movements.

"So try communicating with the Blue Silver Grass. You've absorbed the essence of the Blue Silver Emperor's sap, so you could be said to possess the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline. Before a new emperor appears, you could be called their heir, so they should listen to you."

Gong Yu wasn't actually certain whether the method would work. Little Scumbag in the book had only managed to communicate with Blue Silver Grass this way with difficulty after reaching level 40 and practicing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Heart Separation Control.

Just as Gong Yu thought Gong Lan couldn't do it, however, he sensed a fluctuation in her spiritual power. It seemed that while communicating with the Blue Silver Grass, her spiritual power had directly risen to a new level.

"How lucky. Spiritual power realms are much harder to break through than Soul Power realms. I didn't expect her to break through under these circumstances," Gong Yu said approvingly as he watched Gong Lan from the side.

Na'er nodded too. "She is lucky, but eldest sister's spiritual power was already on the verge of a breakthrough. All she lacked was an opportunity, and today's circumstances gave her just that."

Gong Yu agreed. "That's true, but everyone's spiritual power is quite good. Haven't you noticed? The Quanzhen Great Dao Song I taught you cultivates spiritual power and Soul Power together, so it's only natural that everyone's spiritual power is relatively strong among their peers."

Na'er was surprised. "Really? The skill you taught us can increase spiritual power too? How come I didn't notice?"

Gong Yu rolled his eyes at Na'er. "That's because your spiritual power was already very high. You started high and progressed slowly, so you couldn't feel it."

Na'er was embarrassed. She naturally understood what Gong Yu meant. Her spiritual power was the Silver Dragon King's spiritual power, which had reached the Divine Origin Realm; she simply hadn't released it for the time being. And precisely because its realm was so high, her perception of small increases in spiritual power was indistinct.

Gong Yu continued, "Do you remember the line, 'Circling swiftly atop the Niwan'? Niwan refers to the Niwan Palace, also called the upper dantian or the sea of consciousness. Every time you circulate your Soul Power, doesn't it circle once inside your sea of consciousness? That's equivalent to striking against it, so it naturally has the effect of increasing your spiritual power."

Chapter 30: The Girls' Soul Rings

After Gong Yu and Gu Yuena had chatted for a while, Gong Lan slowly woke up nearby.

Gong Lan quickly came to Gong Yu's side and said, "Young master, I did it. I can share the vision of the Blue Silver Grass around me, but I'm still weak, so I can only share the vision within three or four li at most. Any farther, and my spiritual power can't bear it."

"Good. Then finding Soul Beasts from now on is up to you." Gong Yu nodded in satisfaction. "Although you can only observe an area of three or four li, it's still much more convenient than searching for Soul Beasts aimlessly like this."

"Mm-hmm." Seeing that Gong Yu was pleased, Gong Lan smiled sweetly and added, "I found a Soft Bone Rabbit up ahead. I estimate it's around six or seven hundred years old."

Ling Yun's eyes lit up at that. "A Soft Bone Rabbit? It isn't suitable for the others, but it would suit Gong Yue. Her cabbage Martial Soul follows a support path. Given the Soft Bone Rabbit's characteristics, she should get a good support skill after absorbing it."

Hearing Gong Yu say this, Gong Yue asked curiously, "Young master, what characteristics does a Soft Bone Rabbit have?"

Gong Yu said, "Well, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit will generally awaken skills like Teleportation and Invincible Golden Body. Younger Soft Bone Rabbits should have those abilities too, but they may not have awakened those latent abilities because they haven't reached the right age."

Gong Yue asked, "Then if I absorb a Soft Bone Rabbit's Soul Ring, could I get a support skill like that?"

"Theoretically, yes, but it's hard to say whether the chances are high or low." Gong Yu looked at Gong Yue and, seeing her stir, asked, "What do you think? Do you want to hunt the Soft Bone Rabbit Gong Lan mentioned?"

Gong Yue nodded. "Yes, young master. I want that rabbit's Soul Ring."

"All right." Gong Yu agreed. "Once Gong Xiao finishes absorbing her Soul Ring, we'll go take a look and help you hunt it. And we can have rabbit meat for dinner while we're at it."

"Great, great! Rabbit meat for dinner!" At the mention of food, Gong Xue, who had been silent all this time, immediately grew excited and slurped up her saliva.

Seeing this, everyone laughed.

About half an hour later, Gong Xiao slowly opened her eyes. Although she had absorbed a Soul Ring over six hundred years old, the process had gone smoothly, and she hadn't suffered any powerful Soul Power impacts along the way.

This made Gong Yu think that a six-hundred-year Soul Ring seemed a little too young for the girls. But finding suitable Soul Beasts of roughly the right age in the Soul Hunting Forest was difficult to begin with, so he hadn't set his requirements too high.

When Gong Xiao woke, Gong Yu walked over and asked, "How did it go, Gong Xiao?"

The other girls gathered around as well.

"I'm not sure, but I feel like my Martial Soul has changed," Gong Xiao replied, then summoned her Martial Soul.

Her Martial Soul had originally been a green bamboo staff, but what appeared before everyone now was a golden bamboo staff.

"Your Martial Soul actually mutated." Gong Yu rubbed his chin. "It probably inherited the Golden Iron Birch Tree's metal-element ability and hardness. Go try your Soul Skill."

Gong Xiao nodded and walked to one side. The Soul Ring beneath her feet flashed, and she called softly, "Golden Strike!"

She swung her staff, smashing a block of adamantine rock nearly three meters tall, two meters in front of her, to pieces. The force from where the bamboo staff struck spread over a radius of two and a half meters.

Gong Yu nodded in satisfaction. "That's already very powerful for a first Soul Skill. Even a three-ring Soul Master probably wouldn't dare take that strike without using their third Soul Skill."

"Is it really that strong?"

Gong Xiao scratched her head. She had never fought anyone before, so naturally she didn't understand how strong her Soul Skill was. Although the Golden Iron Birch Tree had strengthened the bamboo staff's hardness, smashing an adamantine rock nearly three meters tall with one blow wasn't something an ordinary Soul Skill could do.

"Second sister, look at the rock you smashed. Don't you know how strong you are?" Gong Xue trotted over to pick up a piece of the broken rock and held it out to Gong Xiao.

Gong Xiao scratched her head awkwardly. "I don't know. I only know that this Soul Ring made me stronger."

Gong Xue was speechless. "Second sister, I really give up. You don't even understand your own Soul Skill. How could we know it better than you?"

"I guess that makes sense. I'll learn more about my Soul Skill later." Rebuked by eighth sister, Gong Xiao immediately blushed.

Gong Yu stepped in to smooth things over. "All right, all right. You can each learn about your Soul Skills later. We should keep moving. The rest of you still haven't gotten your Soul Rings! Now let's go hunt that Soft Bone Rabbit for Gong Yue. Gong Lan, lead the way."

"All right," Gong Lan replied. She walked ahead, and the others followed.

A little over ten minutes later, they found the Soft Bone Rabbit. With Gong Yu's help, Gong Yue killed it.

Gong Yue then began absorbing its Soul Ring. By the time she finished, it was already dark, so everyone found a relatively safe place nearby to spend the night. The Soft Bone Rabbit, which weighed over a hundred jin, became their dinner that evening.

After absorbing her first Soul Ring, Gong Yue had also gained a good support Soul Skill.

With her first Soul Skill, anyone who ate a little of her cabbage leaf could gain the ability of intangibility for two seconds. There was a time limit, however: they could only eat it once per hour.

In the intangible state, they were unaffected by any attacks. Physical attacks, Soul Power attacks, and spiritual attacks would all have no effect. Though it lasted only two seconds, it was an excellent lifesaving skill in an emergency.

After a night passed, they set out again early the next morning.

That morning, Gong Lan obtained her Soul Ring. She hunted a Mamba Silver-Banded Snake nearly eight hundred years old. The Soul Skill she gained needed no introduction: it was an entanglement-type skill, though its poison was much stronger than Little Scumbag's.

Next, Gong Xue hunted a Blazing Flame Eagle about six hundred years old and gained her first Soul Skill, Flame Wing Slash. She could fly into the sky and beat both wings toward a target, sending out two blades of flame.

In the afternoon, Gong Xi'er hunted a Pink Lady about eight hundred years old and gained her first Soul Skill, Pink Devour. It released a scent that covered a ten-meter radius and caused hallucinations. At the same time, anyone within its range would have their Soul Power devoured.

Gong Miaomiao absorbed the Soul Ring of a Light Griffin about seven hundred years old and gained her first Soul Skill, Holy Light Slash. It turned her chrysanthemum's petals into several blades of light that could attack a group or a single target. In addition, her chrysanthemum Martial Soul unexpectedly awakened a healing skill called Holy Light Healing.

At this point, only Gong Qianqian and Gong Niuniu had yet to obtain Soul Rings. Their Martial Souls were of somewhat high quality, however, so they had to consider their choices carefully.

Chapter 31: Three-Legged Frost Toad

During the night, a chill swept over them, and a croaking sound rang in Ling Yun's ears. He immediately woke from his cultivation.

"Wake up, everyone! Wake up! Something's happening!"

Gong Yu first went over and shook Na'er awake. The two of them were the strongest there, and if something really happened, they would have to do the fighting.

The other girls could barely be counted as fighting strength too, but honestly, it was hard to say just how capable they were. So Gong Yu didn't ask them to contribute in a fight; it would be enough if they could protect themselves.

After waking Na'er, the two of them went to wake the others.

Once everyone was awake, Gong Yu said, "Did you hear the croaking?"

The girls all shook their heads. Only Na'er remained silent. She too felt that something was wrong with their surroundings. In the middle of summer, the temperature had changed far too much at night.

Gong Yu felt he had asked for nothing, so he continued, "Look at the plants on the ground, especially the Blue Silver Grass. There's frost on the leaves."

"What's wrong with frost?" Gong Xue poked out her little head and looked left and right. Seeing everyone looking at her strangely, she said, bewildered, "What? Is there something wrong with what I said?"

Gong Lan immediately said, somewhat exasperated, "Dummy, it's summer! Even if it's late summer, it's still summer. How could there be frost?"