Douluo: I have too many clones

Chapter 774 Gu Yuena: What the hell is this?

The elimination rounds of the Spirit Pagoda Silver Dragon Princess's martial arts tournament for marriage finally began amidst great anticipation.

After several rounds of rigorous assessments, half of the participants have been ruthlessly eliminated from the team.

However, all the participants who went through the Trial of the Ten Thousand Beasts Platform, regardless of whether they ultimately advanced, still vividly remember that unique experience.

In the Beast Platform, they all gained their own opportunities and growth to varying degrees, whether it was the improvement of their soul power, the transformation of their soul spirit, or the deepening of their understanding of combat.

Therefore, even those Soul Masters who were eliminated did not harbor any resentment towards the Spirit Pagoda. On the contrary, this valuable experience at the Beast Platform changed their impression of the Spirit Pagoda considerably, and they even felt a sense of gratitude.

In the minds of most Soul Masters, the Spirit Pagoda, besides its lofty status, is more like a "vampire"—the price of Soul Spirits is staggeringly high, and the cost of the Spirit Ascension Platform is astronomical.

Especially for low- to mid-level Soul Masters, it is often difficult to afford. However, this martial arts tournament for marriage has shown them a different side of the Spirit Pagoda.

Those attending this conference were all mid-to-high-level Soul Masters with six or more Soul Rings. At their level, financial difficulties were rare. Their primary concern was breaking through bottlenecks, improving their cultivation, and going further on the path to becoming a powerful being.

The reality and stability of the Federation society have long since subtly established an ironclad rule: a Soul Master's cultivation level directly determines their status, identity, and income within the Federation.

The stronger one's cultivation, the more likely one is to stand at the top of the pyramid and become a "superior person" whom everyone looks up to.

What truly captivated the Soul Masters at this martial arts tournament was undoubtedly the Beast Platform. The platform's ability to limitlessly enhance Soul Spirit cultivation was like a ray of dawn in the darkness, offering countless Soul Masters a glimmer of hope to break free from their shackles.

This is why even high-level Soul Masters who have been eliminated rarely choose to leave Mingdu. They all harbor a glimmer of hope, wanting to see what generous prizes the Spirit Pagoda will offer in the later stages of the competition, and even more so, wanting to witness the final outcome of this grand event.

As the brilliance of the Beast Arena became too dazzling, the attention given to Silver Dragon Princess Gu Yuena, the core of the martial arts contest for marriage, quietly decreased among many Soul Masters.

After all, there are thousands of Soul Masters participating, but only one will ultimately win the favor of the Silver Dragon Princess. Without top-tier cultivation and strength, one doesn't even deserve a second glance from her.

Everyone knew that to make it into the final top ten and have the chance to be chosen by the Silver Dragon Princess, one had to have at least the strength of a Title Douluo.

The knockout stage officially begins today and will consist of four rounds of competition.

Compared to the more refined round-robin tournament that follows, the competition in the knockout stage will undoubtedly be more intense—the prizes for each round won will be upgraded, enticing every participant to give it their all.

The Spirit Pagoda's massive financial loss has already been noticed by all Soul Masters.

Having experienced the gifts from the Beast Platform, they were even more confident in the prizes offered by the Spirit Pagoda. Everyone was eager to seize the initiative in this grand event and obtain treasures that would help improve their own strength.

Therefore, all the Soul Masters who were about to step onto the field were eager to try their skills, their eyes burning with fighting spirit.

As the first round of elimination, it also had the largest number of participants in the entire competition, and it would take a full five days just to complete all the matches.

With over 1,600 participants, there will be more than 800 matches, spread over five days, meaning there will be more than 160 matches every day.

At this time, the Mingdu Stadium was already bustling with noise.

The Federation’s largest stadium was meticulously prepared, with ten playing stands neatly arranged inside. It would be impossible to accommodate such a large-scale event if the venue were not so vast.

Each arena is square, with sides exceeding one hundred meters in length, and is surrounded by the highest-level energy shield, capable of withstanding the full force of a Title Douluo-level collision, ensuring the safety of spectators and competitors.

Before the competition, the Spirit Pagoda had already announced the competition rules—but the so-called "rules" were that there were no rules.

The Spirit Pagoda clearly states that all the power possessed by any Soul Master, whether it be Soul Skills, Soul Tools, or Mechs, is part of their personal strength and can be freely used in the competition without any restrictions.

The only standard for victory or defeat is to defeat the opponent.

However, on this arena, which is only a hundred meters square, it is extremely difficult to use mechs in combat. The mechs' massive bodies are difficult to maneuver and move around in the limited space, making them easily put on the defensive.

But this is something we can't do without. The conditions of the venue are what they are, so the Soul Masters have to adapt to it. There's no way to make the venue adapt to the Soul Masters.

Nan Fusheng has always been lucky; his match was scheduled directly for the first day of the knockout stage.

The opponent was a six-ring Soul Emperor, but Nan Fusheng easily defeated him with his strength.

With a single mental shock, the opponent collapsed to the ground, unable to get up. The entire battle lasted less than five seconds.

This is quite normal. Although there are more than 1,600 participants in this competition, more than 90% of them are Soul Emperors, so the probability of encountering a strong opponent is really not high.

……

As Nan Fusheng finished his match and walked back to the players' tunnel, a man dressed in black robes appeared in front of him without warning.

The black robe was wide and enveloped the entire person, obscuring their face; only a strange aura could be sensed.

Before Nan Fusheng could react, a fair and jade-like hand suddenly reached out from under the black robe and precisely grabbed his wrist.

The force seemed gentle, but it carried an irresistible power. Then, the man in black pulled him and ran quickly towards a secluded direction deep inside the passage.

Although Nan Fusheng had doubts, he didn't struggle too much. The two walked through several dimly lit corridors and finally entered a room in a corner of the gymnasium.

"boom!"

The door slammed shut with a dull thud. Almost simultaneously, Nan Fusheng was gently pushed by a force, staggered back a few steps, and finally sat down on the ground.

"Let's talk this out calmly, there's no need to resort to violence."

Nan Fusheng raised his head, looking at the figure still shrouded in black robes, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Gu Yue, if you want to see me, just say so, and I will come to you. There's no need to be so mysterious and sneaky." He had already guessed the other person's identity from their figure, their unique hand, and the familiar aura from just now.

"Hmph~" The man in black robes snorted softly, his voice clear and melodious, yet carrying a hint of barely perceptible reproach. "That's because you don't know how famous I am now. If other people saw me holding your hand and walking around, you'd be in big trouble."

As she finished speaking, she slowly raised her hand and removed the hood from her head and the black robe from her body. In an instant, a cascade of long, silver hair cascaded down, shimmering softly in the dim light of the room.

Her stunningly beautiful face was exposed to the air, exuding a cool and noble air. She was none other than the absolute protagonist of this martial arts contest to find a husband—Princess Gu Yuena, the Silver Dragon.

Nan Fusheng sat cross-legged on the ground and asked, "Gu Yue, what do you want to see me about?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuena raised an eyebrow slightly, her tone carrying a hint of feigned reproach: "Is it okay that I can't come to you?"

"No, no, no, I had no such intention." Nan Fusheng immediately put on a bright smile and said sincerely, "I am overjoyed that the Silver Dragon Princess, who is the focus of everyone's attention, has taken the initiative to come. Of course, I would welcome her with open arms and would be more than happy to do so."

"You're so glib." Gu Yuena glared at him lightly, but a barely perceptible smile flashed in her eyes. She then took out a necklace from her sleeve and handed it to him, saying, "This is for you."

It was a slender silver chain, its delicate strands gleaming softly in the light.

Below the silver chain hangs an oval pendant—it is actually a small scale, about the size of a pigeon egg, with a dazzling silver color and its surface covered with layers of fine patterns, the flow of the patterns seeming to contain some kind of mysterious rhythm.

Anyone who sees it can easily recognize that it is a rare silver dragon scale.

Nan Fusheng reached out and took the dragon scale pendant. The moment his fingertips touched the scales, he could feel a warm and profound energy fluctuation.

He already guessed the origin of the scale, but pretended not to know and asked curiously, "What is this? It looks very special."

"This is a dragon scale of mine, a gift for you, as a token of my protection," Gu Yuena explained simply, then urged, "Try wearing it and see if it fits."

More accurately, this dragon scale is not an ordinary scale, but her reverse scale.

Dragons have a reverse scale; touching it will enrage them and kill them. This is an ancient saying. The reverse scale is the most important and the most vulnerable part of the dragon race, carrying the core aura and power imprint of the dragon race.

Since the failed assassination attempt on Tang Wulin, the dragon scale that she received when she was still Gu Yue has been discarded by the Sea God Tang San.

Tang San did this because he was worried that she would be able to locate Tang Wulin's position through the aura of the Reverse Scale, which would be detrimental to him.

After retrieving the reverse scale, Gu Yuena thought long and hard before finally deciding to give this scale, which was of great significance to her, to Nan Fusheng.

In this way, through the close connection between her own body and the reverse scale, she can perceive Nan Fusheng's condition to a certain extent;
If he encounters danger, the senses transmitted through the Reverse Scale will allow her to know immediately, and she can even use the spatial power contained within the Reverse Scale to teleport directly to his side.

Upon hearing this, Nan Fusheng immediately put on the necklace. As the Reverse Scale touched his skin, a strange sensation washed over him. All the elements in the world seemed to become incredibly familiar in an instant.

Even more astonishingly, a faint seven-colored light slowly emanated from the silver reverse scale. As the light flowed, it seemed as if countless stars were flickering within it, mysterious and magnificent.

Nan Fusheng could clearly feel that this reverse scale was emitting a strong pulling force, as if it wanted to break through the obstacles on the surface of his body, merge into his body, and form a closer connection with his soul and his bloodline.

Just as this sense of fusion grew stronger, a strange light flashed in Nan Fusheng's eyes. The light was deep and complex, as if it contained some unknown decision.

"boom!"

A muffled thud suddenly rang out.

The next instant, the silver dragon scale that was pressed against his chest and trying to merge with him was suddenly blasted away by an invisible force, tearing his clothes in an instant and turning into a silver streak that shot straight toward him.

With a soft "plop," the oval-shaped scale pierced into the hard wall without any resistance, leaving a deep bullet hole on the smooth wall that perfectly matched the shape of the scale, with even a faint energy fluctuation remaining at the edge.

The whole process was as fast as lightning, from the moment the scales moved to the moment they were embedded in the wall, it was only a short instant.

The room fell silent instantly, with only the lingering glow of iridescent light in the air and the clear bullet hole in the wall silently telling the story of what had just happened.

Nan Fusheng looked down at the torn fabric of his clothes, then looked up at the scale embedded in the wall. His brows furrowed slightly, his tone tinged with confusion and uncertainty: "This...that scale...it seems to be repelling me?"

"How can it be?!"

Gu Yuena's voice suddenly rose, a clear look of disbelief flashing in her eyes. This reverse scale was connected to her mind and had long been given her complete tacit approval; it should have merged into Nan Fusheng's body without any hindrance.

When she gave the Silver Dragon Reverse Scale to Tang Wulin, he possessed the bloodline of the Golden Dragon King, which was the same as but opposite to her Silver Dragon King power. That's why her reverse scale couldn't be integrated and could only exist as a pendant.

But Nan Fusheng was just an ordinary human soul master, with neither special bloodline conflicts nor power that contradicted the dragon race.

Logically speaking, Ni Lin should be able to easily merge with him and establish a stable connection, so why is there such a strong rejection reaction?

"Fusheng, don't resist." Gu Yuena stepped forward quickly, her fingertips twitching slightly. A gentle spiritual force enveloped the Reverse Scale in the wall, and with a gentle pull, she removed it intact.

She placed the silver scale on Nan Fusheng's chest again, and at the same time, a surge of powerful spiritual energy emanated from it, carefully guiding the primordial power within the scale, attempting to forcefully bring about fusion.

She refused to believe that with her personal guidance and the suppression of any potential resistance through her mental power, this rebellious creature would still be able to integrate.

Then, in Gu Yuena's mental perception, the phantom images of a monocle and a key suddenly appeared in Nan Fusheng's body.

Gu Yuena (_): "What the hell is this thing?"

(End of this chapter)