Douluo: I have too many clones

Chapter 821 Cai Xukun vs. Xu Lizhi

Inside the Mingdu Grand Gymnasium, the referee's calm and powerful voice resounded throughout the arena: "Group 3: Round 9, Match 1, Cai Xukun vs. Li Zhi, the competition is now officially starting!"

With this announcement, a duel that most viewers considered a foregone conclusion began.

Why is it said to be a foregone conclusion? Naturally, it's because of the special circumstances of the third group!

The second group, where Nan Fusheng was located, was called the lucky group because it had the fewest titled Douluo.

The sixth group, where the big white goose is located, is known as the group of death because it has the most titled Douluo.

The third group, because of the existence of an "overpowered monster," was dubbed the "Group of Despair."

This "overpowered monster" who put immense pressure on the other contestants in the third group was none other than Cai Xukun, one of the four current Spirit Transmission Envoys from the Spirit Transmission Tower.

With a cultivation level of 98 Super Douluo, he was among the top-tier contestants in the entire tournament. The fact that such strength appeared in the third group caused the other contestants in the same group to collectively lament: "There's simply no way to compete with this!"

The stands were already enveloped in a frenzied atmosphere.

"Kun Kun! Kun Kun! We love you!"

"The Kun Lovers are here! Everyone else, disperse!"

"Go Kun Kun! You must defeat that fatso on the other side!" Passionate shouts rose and fell as countless young girls held up carefully crafted flags and banners, fully demonstrating their support and admiration for Cai Xukun.

Cai Xukun was already handsome and outstanding. His level 98 soul power cultivation, the noble status of the Spirit Transmission Envoy, and the popularity he had accumulated as a streamer in the past had already gathered a huge fan base for him.

Since participating in this conference, he has continued to expand his influence with an impressive record of eight wins out of eight. The combination of newly accumulated fans and existing supporters has made him one of the most eye-catching figures at this conference.

Facing the surging cheers and enthusiasm from the stands, Cai Xukun smiled calmly and waved to the audience.

"ah--"

This simple gesture alone elicited excited screams from the fans, and the cheers at the scene grew louder and louder, almost lifting the roof off the entire arena.

"Gu..."

On the field, Xu Lizhi, who was facing Cai Xukun across the field, unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva. The clear sound of his Adam's apple bobbing was particularly faint in the noisy environment.

However, although his eyes revealed an undisguised tension, he showed no sign of backing down.

Compared to Cai Xukun's perfect record of eight wins, Xu Lizhi suffered three losses in eight battles. The three losses were all due to his opponents being Title Douluo. Even if he had won today's match, he would still have been ineligible for the top ten.

Frankly speaking, given the situation, his best course of action should have been to surrender, but he straightened his back and stood resolutely in the center of the ring, his gaze fixed firmly on Cai Xukun.

If the opponent were any other contestant, Xu Lizhi, being a food-type Soul Master, might choose to avoid the fight.

After all, food-type Soul Masters are at a disadvantage in direct combat, so even if they lose, it's not shameful. But right now, his opponent is someone from the Spirit Pagoda, which makes it impossible for him to take the step of surrendering.

Even though his opponents knew nothing about his true identity, and even though none of the tens of thousands of spectators knew that he was a disciple of Shrek Academy, Xu Lizhi still chose to stand firmly on this stage.

This persistence does not stem from recklessness, but from the legacy he carries—he is one of the contemporary Shrek Seven Devils, and the closed-door disciple personally taught by the Light and Dark Douluo Long Yeyue.

……

The moonlight was exceptionally clear the night before the match, and Long Yeyue quietly appeared at Xu Lizhi's residence.

When this highly respected Light and Dark Douluo learned that his disciple would be facing off against members of the Spirit Pagoda the next day, he made a special trip to have a long talk with Xu Lizhi that was enough to change his mindset.

Unlike typical teachings, Long Yeyue did not preach empty platitudes. Instead, she recounted the legendary past of the first and second generations of Shrek Seven Devils in a calm tone, with particular emphasis on the deeds of their ancestors, Tang San and Huo Yuhao.

Long Yeyue mentioned that when Tang San's ancestor was cultivating in his early years, his extraordinary talent was inadvertently exposed, which immediately alerted the evil Spirit Hall.

While Tang San was still at the fourth-ring Soul Master level, the Spirit Hall actually dispatched two Title Douluos, along with thousands of Soul Masters whose cultivation level was at least Soul Venerable, to lay a trap and launch an encirclement and annihilation.

To ordinary people, this would undoubtedly be a certain death situation—for a Soul Master to face such a lineup is almost like a lamb entering a tiger's den.

However, with his extraordinary wisdom and courage, Tang San's ancestor ultimately caused the arrogant Spirit Hall army to suffer a crushing defeat.

Following that, Long Yeyue continued to recount the experiences of Lingbing Douluo Huo Yuhao: In the same realm of the Four Realms, Huo Yuhao was feared by the Sun Moon Empire because of his extraordinary talent, and the other party even sent a Limit Douluo to try to eliminate him.

However, due to Huo Yuhao's ingenious plan, this Limit Douluo could only return empty-handed in the end.

At this point, Long Yeyue suddenly chuckled and casually mentioned that when she was a four-ring Soul Master, she had once defeated a five-ring Soul King in a head-on battle.

Xu Lizhi still vividly remembers the shock he felt at that time. A Soul Master could defeat two Title Douluos and a thousand Soul Venerables, and a Four-Ring Soul Master could escape unscathed from a Limit Douluo—these feats sounded like something out of a fairy tale.

If he hadn't known that his master was always strict and would never joke about such a thing, he would have almost thought he had misheard.

Long Yeyue did not pause, and continued to tell an even more astonishing legend:

During his time as a Soul Douluo, Tang San's ancestor faced the Sea God Douluo Poseidon, the high priest of Sea God Island and a level 99 Sea God Douluo, when he underwent the divine assessment. With his various tricks, Tang San, despite his Soul Douluo cultivation, fought this peak expert for as long as an incense stick's time.

Ten thousand years ago, Huo Yuhao's ancestor, with his seventh-ring cultivation, faced the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King Di Tian during a beast tide, ultimately forcing this beast god to retreat.

Getting carried away, Long Yeyue added with a smile that when she was a Soul Douluo, she once used her "astonishing charm" to make a Limit Douluo named "Old Bei" obey her every word.

Although he sensed a hint of personal agenda in his master's words, Xu Lizhi astutely grasped the core meaning. He pondered for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Master, do you expect me to face Cai Xukun head-on tomorrow?"

A slightly strange smile appeared on Long Yeyue's wrinkled face: "That's not it. Teacher is just speaking from the heart. Although Teacher doesn't dare to hope to cultivate a god like 'Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang,' he does hope to become an existence like Dragon God Douluo Mu En."

"Ryuji, you are my last disciple. I'm saying this to make you understand that you must maintain your integrity when facing power and not lose your courage just because your opponent is strong. If you feel that you are not up to the task in tomorrow's battle, it is okay to surrender."

Seeing the "sad but expectant" look in his master's eyes, Xu Lizhi had already made up his mind. He solemnly promised, "Even if I cannot win, I will never let my opponent pass easily."

"Good, good, good! You truly are my good disciple!" Upon hearing this, Long Yeyue smiled as brightly as a child. That heartfelt joy strengthened Xu Lizhi's resolve.

……

Pulling his thoughts away from last night's long conversation, Xu Lizhi refocused his gaze on Cai Xukun opposite him. He took a deep breath, slowly raised his hands, and eight dazzling spirit rings suddenly rose from beneath his feet, swirling with a captivating light under the spotlight—purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red!

A soul ring configuration of three purple, four black, and one red is already extremely powerful for an 81-level Soul Douluo.

Xu Lizhi's round face and small eyes were now filled with determination, showing no trace of his previous tension.

Level 81 and Level 98 represent a gap of seventeen levels, almost an insurmountable difference in strength.

But nourished by the "chicken soup for the soul" that Long Yeyue told him, Xu Lizhi felt no fear, only a burning fighting spirit: he could win.

Tang San's ancestor was able to fight against a Title Douluo with the Soul Master rank, and Yu Hao's ancestor was able to face the Beast God with the Seven Rings rank. Why can't Xu Lizhi create his own miracle on this arena?

"Besides, Sister Xinglan must be watching this match, and I absolutely cannot let her down!"

Thinking of Ye Xinglan, Xu Lizhi's fighting spirit soared like a raging fire.

He suddenly raised his hand, and as his soul power surged, a bloodthirsty red bean bun emitting a faint red light appeared in his palm. He then stuffed it into his mouth without hesitation.

Perhaps he was too eager, he forgot to chew and swallowed the whole bun, even showing a strange expression on his face.

"How big of a voice does that take to do..."

Xu Lizhi inwardly complained, feeling a lump in his throat that made him uncomfortable. But the next moment, the effects of the Bloodthirsty Red Bean Bun had already kicked in, and scalding energy instantly flowed through his limbs and bones, making his blood seem to boil at that moment.

At the same time, points of light appeared on Xu Lizhi's body, and his deep purple battle armor emerged.

Indeed, his battle armor was deep purple, its profound color seemingly capable of swallowing all light, and its energy was contained within, without any attribute-based energy being released outwards.

During his training on Devil's Island years ago, he faced the destructive power that was capable of destroying everything. Not only was he not devoured by it, but he also successfully absorbed it into his body.

Now, although Devil Island has lost contact due to unknown changes, the destructive power it absorbed back then has become increasingly powerful under his deliberate nurturing, using his own body as nourishment.

Holy Spirit Douluo had repeatedly advised him to give up cultivating such violent power, stating that it was subtly eroding his vitality and even causing him to gradually lose his fertility. He said that if he stopped the damage in time, there was still a chance for a turnaround.

But Xu Lizhi never wavered—he longed to become like Oscar, the original Shrek Seven Devils, breaking the shackles that food-type soul masters could only support and possessing the attack power to stand alone.

He didn't want to be someone his companions protected forever, especially when Ye Xinglan needed him. He wanted to step forward himself, not just stand behind her. Therefore, even knowing the Holy Spirit Douluo's good intentions, he could only continue on his own path with a heavy heart.

Interestingly, Master Long Yeyue strongly supported this, even jokingly saying, "As expected of my disciple, Long Yeyue, you must have this kind of 'what the hell' courage!"

With the three-word battle armor donned, Xu Lizhi's spirit and energy instantly soared several levels. He softly chanted an incantation: "The meat in the bun isn't on the pleats."

A small, light steamed bun was tossed into his mouth, and the air around him instantly became light and agile. With a sway of his body, he pounced towards Cai Xukun using the Ghost Shadow Step.

When Xu Lizhi had previously observed Cai Xukun's matches, he had already noticed that this level 98 Super Douluo's fighting style was always simple and direct—sweeping through everything with overwhelming soul power.

He was certain that Cai Xukun would not make the first move against him, an 81-level Soul Douluo. And this was his only chance to break the deadlock.

As Xu Lizhi had predicted, things unfolded as he had. Faced with his attack, Cai Xukun merely wore a calm smile, neither dodging nor retaliating, simply watching him approach quietly.

"It's now!"

Xu Lizhi's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his seventh spirit ring suddenly lit up. A dazzling purple light instantly swept over his entire body, and even his deep purple battle armor emitted a blinding light.

In an instant, the entire sky above the stadium was bathed in this purple light, as if auspicious purple clouds were rising from the east, creating a magnificent and awe-inspiring spectacle that captivated the entire audience.

Immediately afterwards, under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of spectators, a giant steamer with a diameter of over ten meters appeared out of thin air and stood across the arena.

That's right, it's the Steamer—Xu Lizhi's seventh soul skill, Martial Soul True Body!
The next moment, Xu Lizhi's figure disappeared into the steamer, while Cai Xukun was also completely enveloped by the sudden giant steamer, his figure instantly swallowed up.

In mid-air, only that enormous object emitting a faint purple glow remained, like a giant cauldron that had fallen from the sky, engulfing both contestants.

An uproar erupted in the stands, the audience members all dumbfounded: "That's... a steamer? What kind of soul skill is that?"

"Cai Xukun is locked up? He's a Super Douluo!"

"Who exactly is this Li Zhi, that he possesses such bizarre methods?"

In the contestants' rest area, Tang Wulin stared intently at the enormous steamer on the arena, her hands unconsciously clenching into fists. As a close friend of Xu Lizhi, she understood the difficulty of this duel better than anyone else.

"Lizhi's Martial Soul True Form has never been used in previous matches, precisely to catch Cai Xukun off guard at this moment."

She murmured to herself, her eyes filled with worry and anticipation, "Even a Title Douluo would probably not be able to withstand the corrosive effects of being wrapped in a steamer enhanced with the power of destruction."

"So, can I win?" Just as Tang Wulin was pondering to himself, the huge steamer on the arena suddenly underwent an astonishing change.

The once stable purple light began to flicker violently, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the steamer, as if it would collapse at any moment.

The roar inside grew increasingly violent, even accompanied by a harsh, metallic creaking sound, clearly indicating that the situation inside the steamer was undergoing a dramatic reversal.

"boom--"

The next moment, the steamer shattered, and a round, dumpling-like figure plummeted from the sky, landing heavily on the ground. The moment it hit the ground, the earth shook violently!

Cai Xukun stood in mid-air, his posture upright, no different from when he first appeared.

On the ground, a figure appeared in the deep pit, already unconscious. It was none other than Xu Lizhi.

However, he looked truly pitiful. His battle armor was in disarray, with many parts damaged. Even the parts that weren't shattered were covered in dents. It was a truly gruesome sight.

"The winner of the first match in the third group is Cai Xukun!"

"Oh!!!"

The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause, a stark contrast to Xu Lizhi's miserable appearance.

(End of this chapter)