Douluo: Divine Dragon Pattern Staff

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After more than half a month of cultivation, Li Luochen couldn't help but reflect. If he had relied solely on meditation to cultivate his spirit power, it would have taken him several months to reach level ten.

His spirit power of eight and a half levels was considered excellent, though it still fell short compared to those with full innate spirit power. If he focused purely on cultivation, Li Luochen was confident he could become a Spirit Elder by the age of twelve. However, after reaching that rank, his progress would inevitably slow down.

Now, he needed to think about how to obtain his first soul ring. His Dragon Pattern Staff was dragon-related—could absorbing the soul of a dragon-type soul beast cause the staff to evolve into something like a Coiling Dragon Staff? Or even something greater?

"I remember that the Dragon God, the sovereign of all soul beasts, possessed nine elemental attributes and an incomparably powerful physical body. Could I refine my Dragon Pattern Staff in a similar way?

Wait… isn't this just asking for trouble? Who am I compared to the Dragon God? I shouldn't aim too high. Nine is the ultimate number, which I can't achieve, so let's settle for seven instead—after all, I can only absorb nine soul rings.

The seventh soul ring grants the True Body of the martial soul and doesn't count toward elemental attributes. Moreover, the seventh soul ring depends on its lifespan, while the ninth soul ring could be from a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast. Ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts are rare and highly sought-after treasures. As long as the attributes aren't too mismatched, the quality and lifespan of the soul ring matter more than its specific attribute."

Another issue arose: what if something went wrong during the absorption of attributes? For example, if he absorbed a light-attribute dragon-type soul ring and then tried to absorb a dark-attribute one, wouldn't that cause a catastrophic explosion?

Historically, there was a failed case involving a dual martial soul user whose second martial soul exploded during soul ring absorption, likely due to conflicting soul rings and their body being unable to handle the strain. Troublesome indeed.

Balancing the seven elements was crucial. Hmm… perhaps I should start by absorbing dragon-type soul rings with non-conflicting elements, like fire and water. Light and dark, on the other hand, might destroy me outright.

The seven elements correspond to the Seven Elemental Gods: fire, water, earth, wind, light, darkness, and space.

For space, finding a dragon-type soul beast like the Thorn Dragon or another space-attribute dragon species wouldn't be too difficult. For light, the Golden Earth Dragon King seemed like a good candidate—these were all part of Li Luochen's preliminary plans.

He initially wanted to find an earth-attribute dragon-type soul beast for his first soul ring. Earth represented vastness, inclusiveness, and balance between yin and yang. But a hundred-year earth-attribute soul ring wouldn't be able to balance out thousand- or ten-thousand-year soul rings.

Sigh… this was giving him a headache. Perhaps earth should be postponed. How about hunting for a wind-attribute dragon-type soul beast instead? Wind didn't seem to conflict with other attributes and would likely increase his speed—a critical factor for a Tool Soul Master in the early stages.

Besides, since all the soul beasts he planned to absorb were dragon types, dragons were known for their strength. This wouldn't be inferior to absorbing purely strength-based soul rings. If possible, he might even pick up a piece of spirit bone, like the Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone—it could prove useful.

The path he was taking was somewhat dangerous. The Blue Silver Emperor could enhance his vitality, and vitality was inclusive of all things—perhaps it was worth a try. But Tang Hao was probably still a Spirit Douluo at this point, and there was no news of him yet on the continent.

Forget it—I'll worry about that later. Li Luochen opened 'The Compendium of Soul Beasts' and began searching for wind-attribute dragon-type soul beasts. Wind Azure Dragon, Wind Demon Dragon, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and Storm Dragon—all were wind-attribute dragon species.

{T/N: Ayo? Slipped it in and thought we wouldn't see it? Smh}

However, there likely wouldn't be any dragon-type soul beasts in the royal Hunting Soul Forest. The Sunset Forest or the Great Star Forest might have some.

Li Luochen decided to go ask his grandfather or other teachers if they knew of any suitable wind-attribute dragon-type soul beasts with appropriate lifespans. After all, he had no intention of attempting to absorb a higher-level soul ring without experience—that would be suicide unless he had some kind of cheat. Moreover, he was specifically targeting dragon-type soul beasts. Could dragon souls really be treated the same as ordinary soul beasts?

Three years had passed, and Li Yusong was now 51 years old. His cultivation had slowed significantly, but over these three years, he had managed to advance one level. He was now just one step away from level 60—the threshold of a Spirit Emperor—and felt that he might break through soon.

"Grandpa, are you here? Oh, you are! Grandpa, guess what—I've reached level ten. I'm ready to hunt for my first soul ring!"

Li Luochen entered the place where Li Yusong resided and announced his news.

"Oh? Really? That fast? I thought you'd need at least a month. Luckily, I already prepared something for your soul ring. In the Hunting Soul Forest of the Barak Kingdom, there are a few four-hundred-year-old Lonely Bamboo plants that would make an excellent first soul ring for you."

Li Yusong had prepared early for his grandson's soul ring. Lonely Bamboo was a resilient plant-type soul beast, and absorbing it would greatly enhance the toughness of the Dragon Pattern Staff.

"No, Grandpa, I don't want to absorb Lonely Bamboo. I want to absorb a wind-attribute dragon-type soul beast…"

Li Luochen explained his thoughts to his grandfather, Li Yusong.

"You're absolutely right, Xiao Chen. While Lonely Bamboo is good, our Dragon Pattern Staff isn't an ordinary staff—it has dragon attributes. My fifth soul ring came from a nine-thousand-year-old Earth Dragon soul beast.

I'm confident that even though my fifth soul ring is only a thousand-year one, it's not inferior to some ten-thousand-year soul rings. Dragon-type soul beasts are indeed well-suited for our family's Dragon Pattern Staff. Alright, I'll go talk to Principal Flender and see if we can find a wind-attribute dragon-type soul beast."

Li Yusong left to consult Flender. Flender's Owl martial soul excelled in flight and reconnaissance, making it perfect for locating soul beasts. After all, his little genius deserved special attention.

Li Luochen returned to his own courtyard, summoned his martial soul—a crimson-red staff with black hoops at both ends and intricate dragon patterns along its length—and began playing with it.

Who hadn't idolized the Great Sage Equaling Heaven as a child? Back then, if he'd had such a staff, the fields of rapeseed flowers within a few miles would have been doomed.

Li Luochen performed a series of staff techniques. The staff was known as the "ancestor of all weapons" and the "foremost among weapons." Even without formal training, one could swing it around effectively—it was practical, especially for someone like Li Luochen, who was a transmigrant.

Playing with the staff—it was almost ingrained in his soul.

Though Li Luochen didn't know any formal staff techniques, his grandfather Li Yusong had created a set of Dragon Pattern Staff techniques. Li Luochen practiced them occasionally, but ultimately, he aimed to create a set of staff techniques uniquely suited to himself.

Relying solely on others' techniques wouldn't allow him to forge his own path.

In his previous life, the most famous staff techniques were those of Shaolin, which included moves like thrusting, splitting, blocking, piercing, sweeping, deflecting, lifting, hooking, jabbing, stabbing, twisting, chopping, spinning, pressing, twisting, and flicking.

However, Li Luochen intended to follow a bold and powerful style. Absorbing dragon-type soul beasts would undoubtedly provide a significant boost to his abilities.

After all, the Douluo Continent was once a plane under the domain of the Dragon God in the Divine Dragon Realm. Across many planes, dragons were always versatile and powerful.

Absorbing dragon-type soul beasts might allow his Dragon Pattern Staff to evolve further. Dragons were renowned for their strength. Even mighty creatures like the Titan Ape and the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear, upon reaching adulthood, could rival dragons. Dragons had always been the backdrop of legends.

So even if his elemental attributes didn't align perfectly, overpowering everything with sheer force wasn't impossible. In truth, Li Luochen had ambitious dreams. Though he sometimes doubted himself, he wanted to refine his Dragon Pattern Staff into a unique divine weapon that belonged solely to him.

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