Chapter 44: Sunflower

Gu La indeed didn't know that sunflowers could mutate, but he disliked Tang San's tone. He spoke seriously:

"Are you sure you can find a mutated sunflower with the right age?"

Tang San hesitated for a moment and replied, "The book says that sunflowers like to grow on sunny slopes. The higher up, the more vibrant the sunflowers are. They shouldn't be too hard to find."

"If I really can't find a mutated sunflower, I've prepared a few backup options: Light-Storing Toads, Fluorescent Grass, Sun-Facing Flowers…Though their compatibility might be lower, they're abundant and easier to locate."

Gu La glanced at Xiao Wu and said to Tang San, "A soul ring is a lifelong matter for a soul master. How could I let you settle for less? Since you've already decided, we'll go look for the mutated sunflower."

If all else failed, they still had Xiao Wu, a native of this world, who likely knew the general range where sunflowers grew.

"It seems you've learned a lot from Master Yu. Tell me, after I helped him solve his martial soul issue, isn't it reasonable for me to read a few of his books?"

Gu La had originally been too lazy to read books, but seeing Tang San's knowledge surpassing his was unacceptable—he intended to maintain control over the future team's leadership.

Otherwise, who was the trainer, and who were the Pokémon?

"Uh, it should be fine."

Tang San paused. "Although the teacher doesn't say much, I know he actually holds you in high regard. Besides, knowledge is priceless. Passing it on is always a good thing."

Xiao Wu clenched her fists nervously and looked at Gu La. "You're always exercising your body, meditating to cultivate spirit power, training your mental strength, and occasionally writing papers. If you start reading books too, will you still have time to make energy cubes for us?"

Tang San was startled. Xiao Wu was right—after experiencing the benefits of energy cubes, he wasn't willing to switch to other food.

He suggested, "Why don't you skip it? After all, barring any accidents, we'll always hunt for souls together in the future. If I read the books, it's as if you've read them too, right?"

Gu La stroked his chin and nodded in agreement. "Time is indeed a bit tight, but it's not a problem. Lately, I've been trying to do other exercises while training my body, and I'm close to succeeding."

"Dividing attention between two types of training will decrease efficiency somewhat, but four hours of exercise can be compressed into three. The freed-up time can be used for reading. A few years will be enough to finish reading Master Yu's collection."

In just one year, Gu La had awakened Aura, becoming an Aura Guardian and unlocking his physical potential.

As a form of energy, Aura was much simpler to control than coordinating all the muscles in the body, greatly increasing training efficiency.

Gu La's next goal was to achieve cultivation while walking, sitting, standing, and lying down. Ideally, he wanted to train his psychic powers, soul power, and Aura simultaneously.

Actually, Aura was best trained alongside Fighting-type Pokémon.

Both Tang San and Xiao Wu were compatible with the Fighting-type, but Gu La had tried and found that neither could learn Aura from another world.

Perhaps one day, obtaining a technique disc related to Aura might allow one of them to learn it, but for now, there was no way.

A hint of envy flashed in Tang San's eyes. He could also divide his attention, but dividing attention between two types of cultivation was an entirely different concept.

The latter was dozens of times more difficult—constantly diverting attention to manage two different energies without making mistakes for even an hour or two was clearly beyond ordinary capabilities.

"In that case, when we return, I'll talk to the teacher. He will surely agree for you to read his books."

"Mm."

This was just a minor matter. Gu La continued, "Lately, I've had a hypothesis. Most soul masters seem capable of obtaining the kinds of soul skills they desire."

"Therefore, it can be inferred that soul skills are influenced by the soul master's will, manifesting as different abilities."

"For example, the first few soul rings of prominent families often carry identical soul skills. Beyond seeking specific spirit beasts, the generations of inherited suggestions must also play a role."

"When you fuse your soul rings, you can think ahead about what kind of soul skill you want and then fuse the soul ring accordingly."

This idea stemmed from Gu La's ability to choose his own soul skills.

On the Douluo Continent, there were phenomena where willpower, such as sword intent, influenced combat power. Strong willpower could naturally influence soul skills as well.

After Gu La explained his hypothesis, Tang San thought deeply, recalling some martial arts grandmasters from his previous life who infused their techniques with spiritual power, making every move incredibly potent.

"It makes sense. I'll give it a try when the time comes."

Xiao Wu, bored, rested her chin on her hand and gazed out the window at the scenery.

She could condense her own soul rings and choose the soul skills she possessed as a spirit beast without needing to worry about such things.

But ever since Gu La mentioned the development path of the Soft Boned Rabbit, she had been torn about whether to change the path her mother had taken.

Spirit beasts transforming into humans didn't need to hunt for soul rings before reaching Soul Sage level. However, if they weren't satisfied with their soul skills, they could expend their essence to replicate soul rings from spirit beasts with similar attributes.

This method was troublesome and required hunting spirit beasts, which was very dangerous for transformed spirit beasts without protection. But Xiao Wu knew that Gu La would protect her, leaving her conflicted.

Was it truly acceptable to hunt spirit beasts for her own strength?

Xiao Wu was confused.

---

Five days later, Star Dou Forest.

Gu La put on a black robe, posing as an adult soul master, constantly emanating psychic powers. Anyone could see he wasn't someone to be trifled with, so no one dared to approach and cause trouble. The three entered the forest smoothly.

Under Xiao Wu's subtle guidance, they arrived at a steep cliff covered with a vast expanse of golden sunflowers. At a glance, it resembled a golden ocean, shimmering brilliantly under the sunlight.

Tang San was overjoyed, not expecting such good luck. "Such a vast sea of sunflowers! We're bound to find a mutated sunflower."

Gu La nodded and cautioned:

"Be careful. Sunflowers gather sunlight and can emit energy beams. They can also unite to pool their energy to fend off enemies. Combined, these sunflowers can force even ten-thousand-year spirit beasts to retreat."

"We'll search the outskirts for mutated sunflowers. Once we find one, dig it up immediately. Try not to release soul skills and avoid provoking the sunflowers' hostility."

Tang San acknowledged the advice. In reality, Gu La was the main force in their soul hunting. Only he had the ability to directly confront thousand-year spirit beasts. Tang San and Xiao Wu could only rely on nimble footwork to support him.

The three quietly approached the sunflowers.

Tang San lowered his voice. "The petals of normal sunflowers are golden on both sides, but the underside of mutated sunflowers' petals is white-gold. Pay attention to distinguish them."

"After reaching the thousand-year mark, a sunflower has forty-nine petals. Every hundred years, it gains an additional petal, and the flower base grows larger. First, determine the size of a three-thousand-year-old flower base—it will make searching much easier."

Gu La nodded slightly, feeling even more convinced that he should take a look at Master Yu's collection of books.

The knowledge taught in elementary academies was nowhere near as detailed as what Tang San had described. To understand the habits of sunflowers, one had to borrow books from the library after class.

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