Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Gravity Training, Sparring with Tang San
After returning home, Gu La cooked a pot of sweet potato porridge, ate it to satisfy his hunger, and then closed the door behind him as he headed out of the village.
It was noon, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys in the village. The streets were empty.
As Gu La walked along, not needing to worry about pedestrians, he summoned his martial soul.
"Martial Soul Possession."
With that thought, the Groudon martial soul enveloped him. Gu La's body, originally just over a meter tall, suddenly expanded. His skin turned red and took on a rocky texture, becoming thick and sturdy.
The most significant changes were in his hands, which materialized into Groudon's claws—sharp talons harder and sharper than swords or blades, capable of effortlessly tearing through metal and rock.
Gu La recalled the memories shared by his split self and awkwardly adopted a fitness pose. He focused his energy, concentrating deeply.
After about three seconds, crimson soul power flowed through his body, tightening his muscles and filling the spaces between his cells with a special protective structure formed by energy.
This manifested in Gu La as a flash of red light, his muscles slightly bulging, enhancing both his strength and defense.
It was a bodybuilding technique—consuming energy to strengthen muscles, increasing physical attack and defense. In the Pokémon world, this was considered a basic strengthening move.
Having confirmed his hypothesis, Gu La wasn't surprised.
"Just as I thought, even after Groudon became a martial soul, it can still use the moves it learned. But I only have the memories—I've never practiced them myself. To master them, I'll need to train my body to develop muscle memory through the martial soul."
"Moreover, just like how Pokémon have level restrictions when learning moves, my soul power limits me too. I can't use overly powerful moves like Flamethrower, Earthquake, or Precipice Blades right now."
Gu La understood this clearly, but he had plenty of time to train.
Activating the gravity field, Gu La manipulated the gravity to evenly press against every inch of his muscles and skin, attempting to use Gravity Control to strengthen his physique.
A god-tier martial soul was indeed powerful, but if he were to become arrogant like Qian Renxue, neglecting daily cultivation and failing to deeply explore his potential, he would eventually squander his talent, allowing others to catch up and surpass him.
Gu La wouldn't fall into the trap of arrogance. Using the knowledge imparted by the title "Breeder," he trained while adjusting his regimen based on his own condition.
The god-tier breeder techniques encompassed most of the knowledge and skills from the Pokémon world, especially everything related to Pokémon. The principles could be adapted for human use with minor adjustments, making them directly applicable.
Compared to tangible rewards like skill discs and TMs or Viridian Power, Gu La believed that the comprehensive cultivation knowledge was the most precious reward—it would save him from taking many detours.
"The fighting techniques of Fighting-type Pokémon, honing muscles and strengthening the body. Psychic techniques to enhance Viridian Power and energy control, training secrets from Giovanni of the Ground-type… "
Gu La, thanks to his split self, had long mastered multitasking. While training his body, he also practiced meditation techniques.
These weren't the meditation methods of the Douluo Continent, but rather those of the Pokémon world, used by Psychics to train and enhance their psychic abilities. These techniques could even reach the point of predicting the future and altering reality.
Gu La didn't know if Groudon had latent psychic potential, but as a Pallet Town Physique owner and a soul master/Pokémon hybrid, his mental power was undoubtedly strong, giving him a high probability of developing psychic abilities.
"Psychic powers, Viridian Power, combined with my inner potential and the Fighting-type Aura Force—it's almost like the essence, energy, and spirit from wuxia novels. Even without a martial soul, I could still become a trainer capable of punching Kyogre and kicking Rayquaza."
Gu La set an ambitious goal.
[Detected Host's soaring determination. Mission unlocked: Become a Psychic, become an Aura user!]
[Reward: 1000 Shop Points, Legendary Pokémon Exchange Coupons x2.]
Gu La glanced at the panel and saw the rewards, feeling no excitement—just a slight urge to laugh.
Just looking at the system's name told him the game was extremely pay-to-win.
Every week, dozens of pay-to-win items rotated, constantly backstabbing players. All kinds of suffocating mechanics were designed to make players spend money.
Even as a V7 player, Gu La found it frustrating—he had to grind for a full year's worth of rewards just to exchange for a modified Pokémon released two years ago.
The Legendary Pokémon Exchange Coupons sounded impressive, but realistically, you'd need at least forty or fifty coupons to accumulate a powerful legendary Pokémon. With evolution stones, it could take eighty or ninety coupons just to get a true legendary.
And that was just a nerfed version—you'd need to exchange for exclusive skills and equipment to get the complete form. Who knows when they might release another evolution stage?
"Still, two Legendary Pokémon Exchange Coupons would be enough to exchange for a regular Gardevoir. Should I exchange for one?"
Gu La felt a bit tempted.
But upon further consideration, his split self already had plenty of ordinary Pokémon. If he wanted to see Gardevoir in person, he could wait until Groudon's injuries healed.
At that point, what Pokémon couldn't he meet?
Sweat dripped down Gu La's forehead as he gazed at the distant sky. "For Gardevoir! Work hard!"
His shout startled a flock of birds as Gu La sprinted up the mountain, leaping like a frog to the summit. After using Viridian Power to heal himself, he sat cross-legged to practice the Xuan Tian Technique.
---
One month later.
Back Mountain.
Tang San, gifted in martial arts, quickly mastered the Disorderly Wind Splitting Hammer Technique. After hearing about Gu La's gravity training method, he made it a point to train with Gu La every day.
Today, Tang San had a different idea.
"Brother Gu, we've never sparred since becoming soul masters. Let's have a match today?"
Tang San knew Gu La was stronger than him, but battles weren't decided solely by strength. If it were just a matter of raw power, there wouldn't be so many contradictions in the world.
Gu La raised an eyebrow, sizing up Tang San's slim frame. Even though Tang Hao had ensured Tang San's nutrition this month, his body was still slender.
In contrast, Gu La, who could draw energy from the earth to grow, was much sturdier than his peers. Looking about ten years old, he was taller than Tang San by a head—they weren't even in the same weight class.
"You sure about this?"
After a brief pause, Tang San felt a hint of disdain and his competitive spirit flared. Dissatisfied, he retorted, "Don't look down on me. My teacher taught me several self-created soul skills. It's not clear yet who will win."
"Heh."
Gu La chuckled lightly, tossed aside his sweat towel, and pointed to the nearby grass. "Alright, but don't go crying if you lose."
Tang San remained silent, preparing himself seriously, determined to show Gu La what he was capable of.
"Here I come!"
Gu La took a step forward, leaving a shallow depression beneath his foot, and shot forward more than ten meters in an instant.
Tang San used his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps, his movements ghostly and unpredictable, like fluttering leaves, dodging Gu La.
While retreating, Tang San's hands turned a jade-like color. Moving to Gu La's side, he struck out with a palm.
Xuan Yu Hand (Mysterious Jade Hand).
Gu La seemed to have anticipated this, raising his arm to block. A layer of red soul power coated his arm as he deflected Tang San's palm, then swiftly closed the distance and threw a punch.
The fighting techniques he practiced were concise and efficient, combining strength and speed to their utmost.
Tang San hadn't expected Gu La's reaction speed to surpass his own. By the time he realized it, it was too late to dodge, forcing him to summon his Blue Silver Grass martial soul.
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