Douluo: I have too many clones

Chapter 791 Xin Nan and Bei Miao

"This goose is indeed extraordinary!"

Inside the rest area, Tang Wulin's gaze was fixed on the back of the white goose, a barely perceptible ripple flashing across his eyes.

The battle ended so quickly it caught everyone off guard. From the moment Lu Xingyu summoned his martial spirit and gathered his soul power to launch an attack, to the giant white goose's lightning-fast counterattack, the entire process took less than two minutes.

In just over a hundred seconds, a dignified Title Douluo suffered a crushing defeat in such a disheveled manner—he didn't even have time to summon his battle armor before the outcome was decided.

Most of the spectators on the sidelines believed that Lu Xingyu's defeat stemmed from momentary carelessness. He underestimated this seemingly docile white goose, which led to his defenses being breached in a rush, resulting in the embarrassing situation of losing a few feathers on his head.

But Tang Wulin saw things more deeply. She clearly realized that this was by no means a lucky coincidence, but rather stemmed from an absolute, almost crushing, suppressive force.

She couldn't help but recall her brief encounter with the giant white goose at the Beast Platform. Back then, its seemingly casual strike had easily pierced her proud dragon scale defenses, and the sheer power of its attack still left her with lingering fear.

Based on this, if the white goose had harbored even the slightest malice, Lu Xingyu would not simply be missing a few feathers from his head; he would likely already have a shattered skull and be in critical condition.

There are three main reasons why this big white goose is so difficult to deal with:

First, there is its indestructible body. Because it is made of metal, its hardness is unparalleled.

Secondly, it has extremely high elemental resistance.

Thirdly, and most incredibly, is its exquisite ability to manipulate elements.

To be honest, Tang Wulin still can't understand why a creature forged from metal could have such powerful elemental manipulation abilities. Is that reasonable?
The body's hardness and super elemental resistance can be explained by the special rare metal used in its forging—perhaps a metal that has never been recorded before and contains special energy, which endows it with these properties.

However, the existence of the ability to manipulate elements completely exceeds the scope of common sense.

Although Master Zhenhua often said that forging metal is creating life, even if metal has intelligence, it still needs to rely on the existence of a Soul Master to exert its combat power.

How exactly does a piece of unmanned, forged metal like the giant white goose resonate with the elements of heaven and earth? And how can it precisely manipulate these elements and transform them into offensive power?

Like her father's trident, without anyone controlling it, it's at most just a heavy stick.

After much thought, Tang Wulin could only attribute it all to the mysteries of Heavenly Forging. After all, she hadn't yet reached that level, so it was normal for her not to understand its secrets.

……

"The second match of Group Six, Xin Nan versus Qian Gu Zhang Ting, is now officially beginning!"

The referee's voice, amplified by the soul-guided device, resounded throughout the arena like a thunderclap, pulling Tang Wulin's scattered thoughts back from the previous shocking duel.

She took a deep breath and refocused her gaze on the competition platform below. Two figures were already poised to attack in the center of the field, and the air was filled with a tense atmosphere as if a storm was brewing.

The moment the referee's arm fell, the two contestants on the stage almost simultaneously completed their Martial Soul Possession. The powerful fluctuations of their soul power spread outwards like invisible giant waves, eliciting gasps from the audience in the stands.

Qian Gu Zhangting lowered his body slightly, and with a clench of his right hand, a long staff made of pure silver and engraved with a coiled dragon pattern appeared in his palm. It was his proud martial spirit - the Coiled Dragon Staff.

Six black and three red spirit rings circled around him, their colors alone drawing gasps of admiration from the audience.

Although it wasn't the first time I'd seen it, every time this Spirit Master unleashed such a powerful spirit ring, it was still breathtaking; it was truly incredibly powerful.

"drink!"

Xin Nan was engulfed in raging flames. These were not ordinary flames, but dark red flames carrying scorching heat waves, as if they were about to ignite the air itself.

A giant dragon phantom with two wings slowly unfurled behind him, its scales as dazzling as rubies. Each wing flap brought forth a scorching wave of air; this was his martial soul—the Flame Dragon.

Nine spirit rings also rose up, all of them a deep black, yet none were inferior in any way.

It should be noted that a ten-thousand-year spirit ring is already the ultimate goal pursued by many spirit masters throughout their lives, and having nine ten-thousand-year spirit rings is enough to place one among the top powerhouses.

Although slightly inferior to the six black and three red of Qian Gu Zhang Ting, this lineup has already proven that Xin Nan is no ordinary team.

Qian Gu Zhangting wore a seemingly relaxed smile, but a hint of seriousness flashed deep in his eyes. He knew all too well that the opponent before him was no one he could easily manipulate.

Xin Nan is not a member of the Spirit Pagoda, and he would show no mercy to her. Even with absolute confidence in her own strength, Qian Gu Zhang Ting would never be careless.

His fingertips gently caressed the warm, smooth object in his arms. It was the ancient clan artifact bestowed upon him by his great-grandfather: the Soul-Capturing Token. The cool touch seeped through his clothes, instantly calming the slight ripples in his heart.

Qian Gu Zhangting gripped the Panlong Staff tightly in his right hand and slowly raised it, the tip pointing straight to the sky. A majestic aura of "a long staff to the heavens, who can contend with it" arose spontaneously. At this moment, his figure seemed to be lifted by an invisible force, revealing a bit of the heroic spirit of fighting against heaven and earth.

"Flaming Knife!"

Xin Nan's voice, accompanied by a wave of intense heat, rang out, and a long sword engulfed in flames appeared out of thin air in his hand. The blade shimmered with a fusion of metal and fire, clearly a masterpiece forged by a top-tier master craftsman.

Immediately afterwards, a dazzling light burst forth from his body, and a set of three-word battle armor covering his entire body quickly took shape. The surface of the armor was covered with dragon scale-like patterns, and the flame patterns on it were lifelike. It was his three-word battle armor - "Fire Dragon".

The moment the battle armor was activated, Xin Nan's aura surged once again. He stomped his feet on the ground and shot towards Qian Gu Zhang Ting like an arrow. His blazing blade, accompanied by a whistling sound that tore through the air, drew a brilliant arc of fire, aiming straight for his opponent's face.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The clang of metal clashing and the deafening sound of a violent explosion rang out almost simultaneously.

The Blazing Blade and the Coiled Dragon Staff clashed violently in mid-air, flames and staff shadows intertwining. Each collision unleashed a devastating energy shockwave, cracking the arena floor and scattering rubble and sparks.

The two figures blurred into afterimages on the arena, sometimes darting about at high speed, sometimes colliding suddenly, their movements as fast as lightning, making it impossible to see the specific details of their moves.

Unlike the previous one-sided crushing victory against the big white goose, this duel was now a close and evenly matched contest, with the two exchanging sharp and fierce attacks. The energy fluctuations generated by the collision of their soul powers spread out like ripples, making the spectators on the sidelines watch with bated breath, yet unable to help but hold their breath, afraid of missing any exciting moment.

"The Flame Dragon Martial Soul..." Tang Wulin looked at the two people fiercely fighting on the arena, and a hint of nostalgia unconsciously appeared in his eyes. "It is somewhat similar to my grandmaster's Crimson Armor Dragon Martial Soul."

After calming her thoughts, her gaze sharpened again: "However, since it is a dragon-type martial soul, its threat to me is limited."

Aside from the Dragon God and the Silver Dragon King, the Golden Dragon King bloodline's suppression of dragon-type martial souls is unparalleled.

Information about Xin Nan flooded Tang Wulin's mind: Xin Nan, a native of Mingdu, thirty-eight years old, the tenth War God of the War God Hall, and a level ninety-three titled Douluo.

She clearly remembered a remarkable experience recorded in the files investigated by the Tang Clan.

Xin Nan's martial soul was not born as a fire dragon; it was originally a sub-dragon species, the earth fire dragon.

Although he had decent talent for cultivation, he was by no means a prodigy. At the age of thirty-three, his soul power had only just reached level sixty-seven, a progress that could only be considered mediocre in the world of soul masters, where geniuses abound.

However, the turning point also occurred when he was thirty-three years old.

Unbeknownst to him, Xin Nan's soul power broke through three levels in just one year, and he successfully advanced to the seventh-ring Soul Saint at the age of thirty-four.

Even more shockingly, his martial soul underwent a fundamental mutation at this time, leaping from a sub-dragon species, the Earth Fire Dragon, to a true dragon species, the Flame Dragon.

Since then, Xin Nan's cultivation speed has skyrocketed. In just four years, his soul power has increased by twenty-three levels, and he finally broke through the level ninety mark, becoming a titled Douluo, a model of a middle-aged man's comeback.

If that were all, it might only be considered a case of accumulating strength before unleashing it, an inspiring exception. After all, there are occasional cases in the world of Soul Masters where extraordinary encounters lead to mutations in their Martial Souls and a significant increase in their strength.

But Tang Wulin frowned slightly, sensing that things were probably not so simple.

Her gaze swept almost imperceptibly over the other people in the rest area. They were also dressed in the attire of the Temple of War, and their auras were calm and composed, clearly indicating that they were all Soul Masters with considerable strength.

If Xin Nan were the only one in this situation, it could perhaps be explained as an "exception".

The problem is that, according to the information she has, the experiences of the other four contestants from the Temple of War here are strikingly similar to Xin Nan's—they all suddenly experienced a surge in strength at some point in time, and even their martial souls underwent varying degrees of mutation.

It may be accidental for one person to break through, or perhaps a coincidence for two, but when five people in the same faction experience similar situations, there must be an unknown secret hidden behind it.

"Could it be that the Temple of War has made new research findings?" Tang Wulin couldn't help but feel a little more solemn and worried.

The strengthening of the War God Temple, as the core combat power of the Federation, is generally a good thing, but for the Tang Sect, it may not be good news. The rise and fall of the Federation's power often affects the balance of power among various parties.

If the Temple of War were to acquire a method to mass-produce powerful individuals, it would undoubtedly disrupt the existing order, and the invasion of the other two continents would likely be brought back to the agenda.

Just as Tang Wulin's thoughts were wandering among various speculations, the battle on the arena had quietly come to an end.

In the arena, Xin Nan's Fiery Dragon Martial Soul still burned with blazing flames, but its offensive was clearly showing signs of fatigue. The continuous high-intensity collisions had consumed a large amount of his soul power, and the light of the Fiery Dragon phantom had dimmed somewhat, with the flapping of its wings becoming increasingly sluggish.

Meanwhile, Qian Gu Zhang Ting, relying on the defensive bonus and soul power sustain provided by his three-word battle armor, was steadily controlling the situation. Each swing of the Panlong Staff carried an increasingly heavy force, as if to completely crush his opponent's will.

"boom--"

A deafening roar exploded in the center of the arena. Qian Gu Zhang Ting concentrated all his soul power into the Panlong Staff, and the giant dragon phantom on the staff roared fiercely, sweeping out with the force of breaking wind and splitting rocks.

Xin Nan gripped the Flaming Blade horizontally and parried with all his might. The moment the blade collided with the staff, he felt an immense force surge through his arm, causing his tiger's mouth to split open and the Flaming Blade to nearly fly out of his hand.

The illusory dragon of flames let out a mournful cry, and was shaken away inch by inch by this enormous force, the dark red flames receding like a tide.

Xin Nan staggered back several steps, finally unable to hold on any longer, and knelt on one knee on the arena, his chest heaving violently, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. His "Fire Dragon" battle armor was covered in cracks and its luster was dim, clearly indicating that he had lost the ability to fight any longer.

"Ho—ho—"

Qian Gu Zhangting leaned on his dragon-patterned staff, panting heavily. Beads of sweat trickled down his face, but his eyes shone with an astonishing light. He slowly straightened up, raising the staff high. The golden dragon phantom at the tip of the staff once again raised its head, as if proclaiming victory.

Although the battle was far more difficult than anticipated, victory ultimately belonged to him. Cheers erupted from the Spirit Pagoda supporters on the sidelines; he nodded slightly, accepting this belated praise.

"Next match, Yu Longyue will face off against Bei Miao. Please come to the stage, both of you."

The referee's voice rang out at the right time, shifting the focus of the match to the next game.

Tang Wulin took a deep breath, suppressing all her doubts about the Temple of War, and stood up from the rest area. She straightened her clothes and stepped steadily onto the arena, each step seeming to resonate subtly with the ground.

Across from them, a man dressed in black was already waiting.

Bei Miao had a cold and stern face, and his eyes were as deep as a cold pool. He was surrounded by a faint mist of water vapor, clearly indicating that he was also a Soul Master skilled in elemental manipulation.

The two faced each other from a distance, their invisible auras colliding in the center of the arena, as if tiny ice crystals were quietly condensing in the air.

The referee walked between the two players, raised his right hand, and shouted, "Five, four, three, two, one—the match begins!"

The moment the word "begin" fell, Tang Wulin unhesitatingly activated the soul power within his body. The surging energy flowed like a river, instantly sweeping across the entire arena's spiritual energy.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she uttered a low, clear syllable: "Mystic Ice Dragon Soars!"

A great battle has broken out once again!

(End of this chapter)