Douluo: Divine Dragon Pattern Staff

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Recently, Li Luochen hadn't been focusing on cultivation. Although he could continue accumulating spirit power despite reaching a bottleneck, he was still young, and overloading his meridians with too much spirit power would be harmful.

This was why soul masters universally agreed that they should immediately obtain a soul ring upon reaching a bottleneck. A soul ring not only broke through the bottleneck but also prevented excess spirit power from damaging their meridians.

Since Flender hadn't returned to the academy yet, it seemed he was still searching for a suitable soul beast. Though Flender could fly, his speed wasn't as fast as a Swift-tailed Swallow, but his eagle-like reconnaissance abilities made him well-suited for the task. However, Li Luochen's requirements were somewhat strict, so it would take time to find the right match.

Finding a wind-attribute dragon-type soul beast close to 423 years old was proving quite difficult.

Finally, after ten days, Flender returned. He left behind a map and went straight to his room to rest.

The map marked the location of a Wind Azure Dragon in the Barak Kingdom's cultivated soul beast forest. The dragon was just over four meters long, with two sharp spikes on its neck.

It was exactly around 420 years old. As a hundred-year-old soul beast, the Wind Azure Dragon couldn't yet fly—most dragon-types only gained the ability to fly once they reached the thousand-year mark. Thus, Flender had returned exhausted and collapsed into bed.

The other teachers at the academy were more than capable of helping Li Luochen subdue the soul beast.

Li Yusong took the map and rushed to find Lu Qibin and Zhao Wuji. Lu Qibin was a control-type Spirit Emperor, while Zhao Wuji's gravity compression skill made him highly suited for hunting soul beasts.

"Hahahaha, Xiao Chen, leave it to your Uncle Zhao. With him here, there's no way your soul ring is escaping."

Zhao Wuji slapped Li Luochen on the shoulder with his usual carefree demeanor. In his younger days, Zhao Wuji was the type to start fights at the slightest provocation, but now that he was older, his temper had mellowed somewhat.

However, Li Luochen liked Zhao Wuji's straightforward personality—it suited his temperament. He disliked scheming because it was exhausting, and too much scheming could warp one's mindset.

Though Li Luochen was far from achieving a state of pure innocence, he could still strive for clarity of mind and focus on his true intentions.

"Alright! Uncle Zhao, let's get going."

Li Luochen set off with his grandfather, Zhao Wuji, and Lu Qibin toward the Barak Kingdom's cultivated soul-hunting forest.

By the next morning, they finally arrived at their destination—the Barak Kingdom's soul-hunting forest.

In Li Luochen's mind, a forest should have been filled with the essence of nature—serene, tranquil, with fresh air and few people. 

But the sight before them, at least near the outskirts of this hunting forest, felt more like a bustling marketplace.

Outside the forest, rows of buildings—or rather, shops—lined the area. Shouts of vendors echoed everywhere, and simple dirt paths crisscrossed the landscape, creating a noisy and chaotic atmosphere.

'These people are probably temporary teams formed to hunt soul beasts for extra income. Only in a cultivated hunting forest like this would such a setup exist. In places like the Great Star Forest, these kinds of markets would likely be much farther away.'

As the group approached the outer edge of the forest, they encountered a massive steel fence encircling it. On the side facing the forest, countless sharp spikes protruded outward. The fence stood over ten meters tall and looked incredibly sturdy.

Outside the fence, a hundred soldiers patrolled. They were clad in full-body iron armor and carried spears, presenting a disciplined and imposing military presence.

Lu Qibin pulled out a token. The token was pitch black, its material unknown, with three symbols engraved on it: a downward-pointing sword in the center, flanked by a hammer and a dragon.

Upon seeing the token, the leader of the soldiers immediately allowed them passage.

From Li Luochen's perspective, the three symbols likely represented the Seven Kill Sword, the Hao Tian Hammer, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.

It was reasonable for Lu Qibin, a Spirit Emperor-level powerhouse, to possess such a token. After all, unlike Zhao Wuji, who was more of a troublemaker, Lu Qibin was a serious figure.

"Alright, Xiao Chen, let's hurry and find that Wind Azure Dragon."

Li Yusong examined the map. The Wind Azure Dragon's location was deep within the hunting forest, requiring about half a day's journey.

However, with one Soul King and two Spirit Emperors present, there was absolutely no danger in the hunting forest. Even the oldest soul beasts in this forest wouldn't exceed two thousand years in age.

A two-thousand-year-old soul beast posed no threat to Zhao Wuji and Lu Qibin.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, a gray wolf suddenly leapt out of the bushes.

"Xiao Chen, this is your first lesson. This gray wolf is a ten-year-old soul beast. Go and test your skills against it."

Zhao Wuji watched the gray wolf, intending to give Li Luochen his first lesson. After all, soul beasts weren't ordinary animals—they possessed far greater strength.

"Alright!"

Li Luochen summoned his Dragon Pattern Staff and stepped forward. The ten-year-old gray wolf didn't possess much intelligence, only primal instincts. It didn't attack immediately, instead circling around to look for an opening.

Li Luochen observed the gray wolf coldly. He didn't plan to make the first move—he lacked combat experience, so attacking first might expose many weaknesses. Waiting and striking later suited him better.

After two minutes of standoff, the gray wolf finally lost patience and charged, leaping toward Li Luochen.

'Here we go!'

Li Luochen smirked. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He dodged to the left, avoiding the gray wolf's charge, then swung his Dragon Pattern Staff at the wolf's waist.

"Awooo—"

The gray wolf stumbled under the blow. The waist was a vulnerable spot for wolves. Though the Dragon Pattern Staff didn't yet have any soul rings attached, it weighed fifty jin, and the force of the strike exceeded a hundred jin.

{T/N: 1 jin = 500g = 1.1lbs, therefore 50 jin = 250kgs = 551.15lbs}

Seizing the advantage, Li Luochen flicked the staff, lifting the gray wolf into the air. As it fell back down, he delivered a powerful strike to its head.

*Thud—*

The gray wolf's skull shattered, and a white soul ring emerged.

"Phew—feels alright."

Li Luochen muttered to himself.

"Huh? Alright? Xiao Chen, if this is what you call 'alright,' what hope do ordinary people have?"

Zhao Wuji sighed helplessly. This kid was being too modest. When he was at level ten, he couldn't possibly have defeated a soul beast so decisively and sharply.

"Hoho, don't rush, Old Zhao. In my opinion, this test went perfectly. Xiao Chen waited patiently, struck accurately and decisively when the opportunity arose, and showed no hesitation. This is exactly the kind of little prodigy we should cultivate."

Lu Qibin stroked his goat beard and chuckled.

"Hahahaha, Old Lu, Old Zhao, our precious grandson Xiao Chen is truly outstanding."

Li Yusong, who rose from humble beginnings as a civilian soul master, knew firsthand how difficult it was to hunt for soul rings without help. His first soul ring had been from a ten-year-old soul beast, representing his lack of support. Fortunately, he later met his current friends, with whom he founded the academy and helped each other hunt soul rings.

He had only one remaining family member—his grandson. He was determined to ensure that Li Luochen obtained the best soul rings possible and graduated with the optimal soul ring configuration.

The four of them continued walking and chatting as they headed toward the Wind Azure Dragon's lair. Along the way, several hundred-year-old soul beasts appeared, but they were all driven back by Zhao Wuji's overwhelming presence as a Spirit Emperor. Li Luochen also got a firsthand sense of the terrifying might of a Spirit Emperor.

It was vast, powerful, and endlessly intimidating. If a Spirit Emperor was already this fearsome, how much stronger must a Title Douluo be? After all, this was a realistic world, free from plot conveniences or data errors made by the original author.

After about half a day of travel, they finally arrived at the Wind Azure Dragon's lair. The imposing presence of Zhao Wuji and the others startled the Wind Azure Dragon, which roared angrily and charged out of its nest.

The Wind Azure Dragon had green scales covering its body, walked on four legs, and had small dragon wings on its forelimbs. Once it reached a thousand years, the wings would fully develop, allowing it to fly. On its forehead was a crystal-like green protrusion.

Its body was just over four meters long, with two sharp spikes on its neck, indicating it was around 420 years old—right at the upper limit for a first soul ring.

"That's it. Its age is exactly at the limit for a first soul ring. Xiao Chen, wait here while I subdue it first. Vigorous Vajra Bear, attach!"

"Second soul skill: Vigorous Vajra Palm!"

Zhao Wuji unleashed a powerful palm strike that hit the Wind Azure Dragon directly. The dragon immediately collapsed, covered in injuries. The battle was over almost as soon as it began.

"Xiao Chen, hurry! It's still barely alive. Attack the crystal-like protrusion on its forehead—that's its weak point."

Zhao Wuji quickly grabbed the Wind Azure Dragon, realizing he had gone a bit too hard and severely injured it.

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