In the southwest of the Tian Dou Empire on the Douluo Continent, in the Fasinuo Province.
Nuoding City, Holy Spirit Village.
The sun hung high in the sky, and a warm, sunny day had persisted for an entire month.
On the mountain, a sturdy youth with well-defined features lay on a field of Blue Silver Grass, gazing up at the azure sky. He murmured softly,
"It's been a month already—enough time for the village crops to dry."
The youth's name was Gu La. He wasn't originally from the Douluo Continent but instead came from a blue planet far away.
(T/N: The Chinese name for Groudon is 'Gu La Duo', the protagonist's name is literally Grou. No -don lmao)
Bathed in sunlight, Gu La's expression was tinged with melancholy as he squinted slightly. "Six years already."
Before his transmigration, he had been playing a pirated Pokémon mobile game. Just as he clicked the lottery button, a flash of red light engulfed him, and he found himself here.
And something strange must have happened during the transmigration process because half of Gu La's soul ended up stranded in another world—the world of Pokémon trainers and their partners. There, he became Groudon, the Ground Deity of the Hoenn Trio.
At first glance, this should've been a good thing. Despite being mocked for its inability to fly, Groudon is still a genuine Tier-1 god, wielding dominion over the earth and possessing eternal life.
But having only half a soul proved to be a burden for Gu La.
Closing his eyes, Gu La shifted his consciousness into his avatar.
There was no distinction between the main body and the avatar initially, but after reincarnation and the restoration of his fragmented soul, Gu La naturally gained control over both.
Deep within the ancient earth, golden eyes opened, revealing an endless expanse of crimson magma. Sensing the weariness deep within his soul, Groudon sighed deeply, sipped some magma to soothe his throat, and sank back into slumber.
Back on the Douluo Continent, Gu La opened his eyes. His calm and steady gaze returned to the lively gleam of a youth, as if everything before had been an illusion.
He could feel it—his soul had entered the wrong world. But now, it was a fact that couldn't be changed.
Gu La had no choice but to accept reality.
He turned to look toward the mountaintop, where Tang San was training in the Xuan Tian Gong technique.
Over the past six years, Gu La had been preparing for the future by frequently helping Tang San. He provided him with food, clothing, and even instilled in him the values of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness.
However, Tang San showed no intention of teaching Gu La the Xuan Tian Gong technique, shattering Gu La's plan to let Groudon learn it in hopes of restoring his soul.
Still, Gu La didn't hold any resentment toward Tang San for being ungrateful.
Tang San was also a transmigrant, and the Xuan Tian Gong was his greatest secret—one he hadn't even shared with his father, Tang Hao. How could he possibly teach it to a friend he'd only known for a few years?
If he couldn't obtain the Xuan Tian Gong, Gu La still had a backup plan.
That plan was to ascend to godhood in the Douluo Continent, transforming his soul into a divine soul, and then using the faint connection with his other self to heal the stranded part of his soul.
Though netizens from his previous life often joked about the Douluo Continent being a "fantasy sewer," it did have its merits. One of them was how relatively easy it was to ascend to godhood.
As long as one's awakened martial soul wasn't too terrible, they could improve their innate talents through the opportunities available on the Douluo Continent. By maintaining a good relationship with Tang San, they could gain access to heavenly herbs and eventually hitch a ride when Tang San ascended to godhood.
Regardless of how annoying Tang San's later "Tang Family Continent" might become, he was still decent to those who were useful to him.
Gu La hadn't yet awakened his martial soul, but he was confident he would ascend to godhood because he already knew what his martial soul would be.
Without a doubt, it would be the "Groudon" martial soul.
For six years, his clone (soul's other half), Groudon, had spent most of its time repairing its soul through deep slumber. Even the unconscious traces of power that leaked out were enough to bring tremendous changes to Gu La.
When he was younger, Gu La had felt something inside him being devoured by Groudon's energy. If he wasn't mistaken, it was likely his original martial soul.
Based on the faint feedback at the time, his original martial soul had been rather ordinary, easily crushed under Groudon's primal essence.
Of course, according to the classification of martial souls on the Douluo Continent, the Groudon martial soul would at least qualify as a god-tier martial soul. It was perfectly normal for such a powerful martial soul to devour a weaker one.
Afterward, Gu La discovered that he had gained the ability to control clear weather.
Whenever he wanted, regardless of whether it was pouring rain or snowing heavily, he could change the nearby weather to clear skies.
This was the defining ability of Groudon—Drought. It transformed the weather into clear skies, and without external interference, Gu La could now sustain it for up to a month.
For the past two years, there had been no sudden downpours in Holy Spirit Village, sparing the villagers from the misfortune of not being able to harvest their crops in time. This was Gu La's way of repaying Jack, the village chief who had taken him in.
As the sun climbed higher, Gu La decided it was time. He rose and headed up the mountain, finding Tang San practicing under the morning purple clouds.
"Xiao San, it's time to go. Today's the day we awaken our martial souls. Don't keep Brother Tao waiting too long."
Gu La called out from afar.
"Coming!"
Tang San responded from the mountaintop and quickly ran down. His steps were light and agile, like a deer bounding through the forest. Before Gu La could finish hearing his reply, Tang San was already standing beside him.
A fleeting flicker of envy passed through Gu La's eyes.
His body had been remodeled by Groudon's primal essence, granting him strength and defense comparable to a Soul Master. Unfortunately, he didn't know how to utilize it properly, so all he could do was bash things around with brute force, kicking up dust like a stampeding herd of wild bulls.
Tang San pretended not to notice the envy in his friend's eyes. Influenced by Gu La, he had learned some principles of life, such as gratitude and empathy.
However, the worldview formed over thirty years in his previous life wasn't so easily reshaped. Thus, he had never taught Gu La anything.
"Let's go. Once we awaken our martial souls, we'll become soul masters. I've always wanted to leave and see the world."
Gu La was used to Tang San's taciturn nature. Without saying much, he waved and jogged down the mountain.
Perhaps due to Groudon's dominion over the earth, as long as he stood on solid ground, Gu La's stamina recovered quickly.
Running all the way back to Holy Spirit Village, covering several kilometers, Gu La didn't break a sweat. Tang San stared in disbelief, muttering about how absurd it was.
It was precisely this extraordinary trait, combined with his mature demeanor compared to others his age, that allowed Gu La to get along so well with Tang San.
At the center of the village stood a thatched hut, which served as the village's Spirit Hall. Su Yuntao was chatting idly with Chief Jack at the entrance.
Hearing familiar footsteps, Su Yuntao looked up, his stern expression softening slightly. "Little Gu La, hurry up. We're just waiting for you two."
Gu La stopped and greeted him with a smile. "Brother Tao, sorry to keep you waiting. Let's get started."
Gu La often visited the Spirit Hall in Nuoding City to read books, and over time, he became familiar with Su Yuntao. He had even helped him choose his second soul ring, so Su Yuntao treated Gu La like a younger brother.
"Alright, line up and follow me inside." Su Yuntao didn't waste time on small talk. After finishing the awakening ceremony in Holy Spirit Village, he still had to move on to the next village.
Gu La and the children followed him into the thatched hut.
Su Yuntao set up the awakening array and barked, "Lone Wolf, Possess Me!"
"Don't be afraid. Step into the center of the array."
One by one, the children stepped forward to awaken their martial souls, but all of them turned out to be useless martial souls, causing Su Yuntao's excitement to gradually wane.
"Xiao San, you go first."
Gu La deferred politely. Tang San was curious about what kind of martial soul he would awaken, so without hesitation, he stepped into the array.
"Blue Silver Grass—a useless martial soul."
Su Yuntao shook his head in disappointment.
Tang San's heart sank like ice. From Gu La, he had learned the importance of martial souls. Without a martial soul, one couldn't become a soul master, and he wouldn't be able to advance further in the Xuan Tian Gong.
He lost his composure. "We haven't tested my soul power yet!"
"Fine, let's test that…" Su Yuntao didn't think much of it.
Gu La watched silently. He knew Tang San was destined to awaken dual martial souls with innate full soul power. Worrying about him was pointless; he should focus on himself instead.
"Innate full soul power!"
Sure enough, Su Yuntao stared at Tang San in disbelief, his eyes spelling out two words: Seriously, you?
Tang San paid no attention to Su Yuntao, lost in thought as he studied the Blue Silver Grass in his palm.
Suppressing his shock, Su Yuntao gestured. "Gu La, your turn."
Gu La nodded and stepped forward. Su Yuntao channeled his martial soul power into Gu La's body, letting it flow through his meridians.
After a second, the martial soul power hadn't filled Gu La's meridians, and Su Yuntao exclaimed in surprise, "What broad meridians!"
Gritting his teeth, Su Yuntao continued channeling his soul power. Finally, a blazing red light erupted, illuminating the entire thatched hut with a heat hotter than midday sun, scorching his hands.
Su Yuntao hissed and withdrew his hand.
Behind Gu La, a massive red silhouette hovered silently in the air. Its back was covered in molten lava armor, its sides lined with sharp spines, and its claws and tail were menacingly sharp. It exuded power without uttering a sound.
"What… what kind of martial soul is this!?"
Faced with Groudon's terrifying appearance, Su Yuntao stuttered in shock.
Gu La reveled in the surge of power within him, ignoring the mysterious voice echoing in his ears. He spoke honestly, "Groudon."
Su Yuntao's expression twisted. "You named it after yourself? That sounds strange. Change it to something better. Discovering an unknown martial soul—I need to report this to the Spirit Hall."
Gu La tilted his head. He had told the truth.
Ah, no one would understand anyway.
The loneliness of being misunderstood made Gu La sigh. "Then call it Lava Behemoth. Simple and straightforward, right?"
"Mm, that's a good name. A fire-attribute martial soul—it sounds really formidable."
Su Yuntao jotted it down and took out a crystal ball. "Let's test your soul power."
Gu La placed his hand on it, and a warm golden light illuminated the thatched hut. Su Yuntao's astonished shout rang out: "Innate Full Soul Power!"
"Gu La, would you consider joining the Spirit Hall? With your talent, you'll definitely be nurtured as a priority candidate. Becoming an Elder-level Title Douluo in the future won't be a problem. Oh, and Tang San—you can join too."
Su Yuntao's face was flushed with excitement, his hands trembling. He never expected the little brother who came to borrow books at the branch hall to be such a genius.
Gu La waved dismissively. "No thanks, Brother Tao. The Spirit Hall has too many rules—it's not for me. If there's nothing else, I'll head back to familiarize myself with my martial soul."
More importantly, he needed to figure out the system he had just received.
Just moments ago, a translucent panel appeared before his eyes, accompanied by a series of prompts. While his martial soul was awakening, he hadn't had time to listen carefully.
Su Yuntao's excited heart sank. Speechless, he forced a bitter smile and shook his head.
"Alright, you've always been mature beyond your years. I won't try to persuade you. I hope you become an extraordinary soul master in the future."
"I will," Gu La said firmly.
"You little rascal." Su Yuntao chuckled, packed away the awakening stone, pushed open the door, and walked out of the thatched hut.
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Double Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow