Douluo: I am the True Master

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As Ye Wen's spiritual power increased, his control over his martial soul and soul skills became increasingly refined. 

Once, while out and about, he encountered a Soul Douluo and, feeling reckless, decided to show off all sorts of flashy movements right in front of him. Relying on his resurrection ability, Ye Wen fearlessly tested the limits, but the Soul Douluo didn't notice a thing.

This was the confidence that allowed Ye Wen to bring Ah Yin along on this trip. As long as they stayed under the cover of his Void Mimicry, avoided those who clearly looked like powerful individuals, there would be no risk. If things got dangerous, he could simply pull Ah Yin into his Void Space and escape using Void Mimicry. 

Fighting wasn't necessarily his strongest suit, but when it came to running away—hmph, everyone in this Douluo world was just a bunch of amateurs compared to him.

Both Ye Wen and Ah Yin were at the prime age of 18. This time, their journey to hunt for the sixth soul ring was more like a vacation. They traveled leisurely, enjoying the sights and exploring the world.

Their destination was close to the sea, so much of their time was spent traveling. After about a month, they finally arrived at the section of the Star Dou Great Forest where their target resided.

The air here was humid, and a thin layer of white mist blanketed the dense forest.

"It really is an environment that toads would love," Ah Yin remarked sarcastically.

Ye Wen surveyed the area, then furrowed his brows after a moment. He had scanned the place with Void Mimicry. While the forest appeared to be a heavenly paradise, the mist contained poisonous gases and other subtle components. 

Ordinary people who inhaled too much of it would easily fall unconscious, and even soul masters would suffer poisoning if they weren't careful for too long.

Ah Yin also sensed the forest's conditions and frowned. 

"There are many poisonous spirit beasts here. No wonder this place is so sparsely populated. Living here for a long time would make anyone sick, even if they weren't already." 

"Exactly," Ye Wen agreed. "But this also makes it easier for us to act."

"I've found that toad. Hmm, its aura… it seems to have more than 60,000 years of cultivation," Ah Yin said, surprised.

Spirit beasts judged each other's strength not by external features, as humans did, but by their auras.

Hearing this, Ye Wen was delighted. If this spirit beast hadn't been so rare, he wouldn't have lowered his requirements. A stronger soul ring and soul skill were always better.

"How many years?" Ye Wen asked.

"Hmm…" Ah Yin furrowed her brows, focusing intently. Given the vast distance between them, sensing such a ten-thousand-year-old spirit beast king through ordinary Blue Silver Grass was quite difficult.

"Eighty thousand… no, its aura feels somewhat unstable. It should be between 79,000 and 80,000 years. It seems to have consumed some kind of heavenly material, making its current cultivation unstable."

Upon hearing this high level of cultivation, Ye Wen's expression darkened. Spirit beasts with 80,000 to 90,000 years of cultivation could rival newly minted Title Douluo-level experts.

If it were only a 60,000- to 70,000-year-old Battle Drum Toad King, Ye Wen was confident he could take it down with ambush tactics and some medicinal assistance, as spirit beasts in that range were equivalent to human Soul Sages or low-level Soul Douluo. 

It all depended on the species—just as humans relied on the quality of their martial souls.

And the Battle Drum Toad was undoubtedly a top-tier spirit beast.

It possessed strong toxicity and an innate ability called Void Roar Cannon, which directly affected the enemy's internal organs, leaving them severely weakened. Combined with its exaggerated jumping ability, most ordinary spirit beasts were as good as dead once it targeted them.

And that wasn't all—the Battle Drum Toad's defense was incredibly exaggerated. The skin of a thousand-year-old Battle Drum Toad could rival ordinary rocks, and even a regular ten-thousand-year-old one was comparable to the Thousand-Pound Ant King Ye Wen had previously hunted. And this one, with the qualifications to be called a king, would have even more absurd defenses.

"This is troublesome. A monster like this is beyond what we two can handle," Ye Wen said, scratching his head in frustration.

What should he do?

Pit the Battle Drum Toad King against another equally powerful spirit beast and reap the benefits? That wasn't realistic. Even ordinary beasts had territorial boundaries, let alone a spirit beast nearing 100,000 years of cultivation. Only the presence of a supreme heavenly material could provoke such a conflict.

Kite the Battle Drum Toad King from a distance? No, spirit beasts at this level had extremely sharp senses. If the distance for Gravity Slash was too great, its power would diminish.

Setting traps with high-powered explosives could seriously wound it, but the Battle Drum Toad King wasn't a burrowing animal—it wandered around. Moreover, the air here was too humid, requiring moisture-proofing for gunpowder. Unfortunately, Ye Wen hadn't brought enough materials, so this method was also unfeasible.

For a moment, Ye Wen was stuck in anxiety. With his current equipment, there was no way to kill this thing.

"What weaknesses does the Battle Drum Toad have? Its vision is basically 360 degrees, with no blind spots. Its surface defense is impenetrable.

Shit! Why did I think of hunting it without preparing properly?" Ye Wen lamented, frowning in frustration.

Seeing Ye Wen so troubled, Ah Yin could do nothing but shrug helplessly.

Suddenly, Ye Wen's attention was drawn to a distant spirit beast. Its smooth, pinkish skin and stout, round body gave it a cute, clumsy appearance. However, its face resembled that of a middle-aged man, complete with rough tusks.

"That's a Big-Mouthed Hippo."

These spirit beasts traveled in groups, including several newborns that looked even pinker and cuter.

Though their appearance was endearingly ugly, Ye Wen was disgusted by the behavior of one Big-Mouthed Hippo. 

Normal creatures defecated in lumps, but several of these hippos released their waste explosively, splattering it everywhere.

Ah Yin, accustomed to human living standards, clearly noticed this scene and made a face of disgust.

"Ew~ Did these hippos get diarrhea? This is too gross, Brother. Let's move further away before the wind blows the smell over."

Without waiting for Ye Wen's response, she pulled him away.

At that moment, a flash of inspiration struck Ye Wen's mind.

"Brilliant! No matter how absurd the Battle Drum Toad King's surface defense is, its insides remain vulnerable. 

Even if I can't make a poison lethal enough to kill it instantly, no one said poisons have to be fatal. 

Hehehe—Prepare to feel the malice of humanity, Battle Drum Toad King—hehehehe."

Over the next few days, Ye Wen began wandering through the forest. After all, he hadn't brought the materials needed to create such a despicable poison.

He also needed to understand the Battle Drum Toad King's habits, as any unforeseen changes during battle could be disastrous.

To increase their chances of success, Ye Wen even caught a thousand-year-old Battle Drum Toad in this forest. The se spirit beasts had similar habits from birth to ten thousand years, though their strength increased exponentially.

Thanks to the forest's naturally toxic and misty environment, ordinary soul masters wouldn't come here to hunt for soul rings. There were no settlements within a thousand miles—unless someone had a death wish.

Thus, the forest nurtured a large number of high-year medicinal herbs. Unfortunately, this world's understanding of medicine was shallow; otherwise, these herbs would have been depleted long ago.

Battle Drum Toads weren't picky eaters, but they seemed particularly fond of preying on spirit beasts with strong vitality.

Knowing this, Ye Wen went to great lengths to capture a thousand-year-old Green Pouch Beast—the same type that had given him his first soul ring. This spirit beast had no other strengths, but it was excellent as bait due to its life-giving properties.

He sprinkled a powder that attracted spirit beasts on the Green Pouch Beast's fur and stuffed its stomach with medicinal herbs. Thanks to the Green Pouch Beast's rumination trait, these herbs wouldn't harm it and would temporarily enhance it.

Ye Wen released the thousand-year-old Green Pouch Beast into the area where the Battle Drum Toad King usually hunted. Still reeling from being captured by humans, the confused Green Pouch Beast returned to its forest home.

Unconsciously chewing on some tender Blue Silver Grass, it barely had time to process what was happening before a tremendous force yanked it off the ground and pulled it toward something.

"Baa—!!!"

A piercing scream echoed through the forest. The Green Pouch Beast never expected to escape one predator only to fall into another's clutches.

In moments, the screams faded into silence.

The Battle Drum Toad King stood eight meters tall, its skin a deep indigo color. Its large eyes had the characteristic horizontal slit structure of toads. 

With every breath, its massive cheek pouches inflated dramatically, emitting a low, drum-like hum.

From afar, Ye Wen observed the scene and thought to himself, "This size confirms it—a Battle Drum Toad King with 80,000 years of cultivation."

After a long while, the Battle Drum Toad King remained calm and composed, sitting still as ever.

"Strange. Those laxatives were all thousand-year-level materials. Even an 80,000-year-old Battle Drum Toad King should have started experiencing abdominal pain by now. Yet its breathing remains steady. Could it have a strong resistance to diarrhea?"

Realizing that all his efforts might have been wasted, Ye Wen grew frustrated.

If it came to it, he would have to postpone hunting the Battle Drum Toad King.

Just as Ye Wen was about to give up, the Battle Drum Toad King, who had been sitting calmly like Mount Tai, suddenly wrinkled its normally placid eyes and began trembling involuntarily.

Seeing this, Ye Wen was overjoyed.

The original plan was for Ah Yin's resilient Blue Silver Emperor to restrain a 50,000- to 60,000-year-old Battle Drum Toad King while Ye Wen delivered the killing blow from the sidelines. 

But now, facing an 80,000-year-old Battle Drum Toad King with profound cultivation, letting Ah Yin move first might alert it.

So the plan changed. Ye Wen activated his fifth soul skill, Void Barrier, and silently ascended into the sky.

Looking down at the Battle Drum Toad King, now writhing in pain from diarrhea, Ye Wen grinned maliciously.

"As long as a living being needs to eat, drink, and excrete, its actions will be greatly hindered when suffering from abdominal pain and diarrhea. 

Even the greatest martial artists, boxing champions, or fitness enthusiasts of my past life would be taught a lesson by a sickly weakling after consuming a dose of croton oil."

Under normal circumstances, Ye Wen's use of Void Barrier to ascend would have been detected by the Battle Drum Toad King. But now, tormented by diarrhea, it was too preoccupied with its own suffering to notice its surroundings.

At this moment, it felt as if its butt no longer belonged to it. A sense of weakness spread throughout its body. Though the thousand-year-level laxative herbs weren't enough to kill it, they left it severely weakened.

Battle Drum Toad King: (°﹃°) Abababa

"You have no one to blame but yourself for eating indiscriminately. 

Self-created soul skill—Gravity Slash, go!"

Having gathered energy in the air, Ye Wen launched the swords from *Gravity Slash* directly at the Battle Drum Toad King.

When the Battle Drum Toad King heard the ear-piercing roar of the attack, it tried to dodge but found its legs bound by Blue Silver Grass that had quietly wrapped around them, preventing it from escaping immediately.

"Croak~!"

A deep groan of pain escaped the Battle Drum Toad King as Ye Wen's Gravity Slash caused it immense suffering.

But as the king of its species and a battle-hardened spirit beast, it quickly adjusted its state. Despite dozens of swords embedded in its back, some even piercing its body, its movements remained agile.

It swiftly retreated into the nearby dense forest, clearly aware that its enemy was attacking from the shadows. If it didn't hide well, its fate would be grim.

But alas, its opponents were Ye Wen and Ah Yin.

In areas with Blue Silver Grass, Ah Yin was practically cheating with map hacks. Now wielding the offensive soul skill *Blue Silver Overlord Spear*, she had become an assassin extraordinaire.

Using the cover of Blue Silver Grass, Ah Yin stealthily approached the Battle Drum Toad King from behind and delivered a devastating blow, piercing a bloody hole through its body before quickly retreating into hiding.

The Battle Drum Toad King could only unleash its innate ultimate skill, Void Roar Cannon, in helpless rage.

Wherever the attack landed, trees were shattered into pieces. If it hit an ordinary person, they would likely be turned into a bloody mist. This ability was precisely why Ye Wen wanted to hunt it.

Through continuous experimentation, Ye Wen had realized that calling his Void Mimicry martial soul "Void Cloth" was incorrect. It should be called a Space Martial Soul, a conceptual martial soul. Its existence wasn't a summoned Void Cloth but an inherent alternate dimension.

By hunting different spirit beasts, Ye Wen gained various space-related abilities. Through soul rings, he had acquired skills like disguise, survival, research, mutation-based storage, and defense. He had even created offensive soul skills like Gravity Slash.

As an auxiliary martial soul, the Space Martial Soul had been developed by Ye Wen to an incredibly high level. 

However, its lack of offensive power was becoming apparent. Though Ye Wen looked down on Tang San's hidden weapons, he couldn't replicate something like the Buddha's Wrath Lotus, capable of instantly killing a Title Douluo, under the current circumstances. Black powder was feasible, but introducing it would plunge this world into chaos.

After all, black powder was simple technology. Once analyzed by the myriad types of soul masters, this fantasy world could easily turn into a firearms-dominated one.

Thus, constrained by these limitations, Ye Wen lacked absolute offensive power.

As for space-based offensive abilities, the ones Ye Wen could think of were Spatial Slash, Spatial Oscillation, and Black Hole Crush.

But to be honest, while spatial turbulence occasionally occurred outside Douluo Star, the planet's own space was quite stable. Even Title Douluo couldn't tear apart Douluo Star's space.

This was why Douluo was often called the "Fantasy Sewer." In other fantasy worlds, later stages involved shattering the heavens and earth, but here, even gods couldn't break city walls—it was laughable.

Therefore, the only spatial combat ability Ye Wen could currently develop was Spatial Oscillation.

And as for spirit beasts with oscillation abilities, they were exceedingly rare. Ye Wen had searched for a long time before finding the Battle Drum Toad. Because it was difficult to hunt and offered little benefit to other soul masters, few knew of its existence.

If he successfully obtained the Battle Drum Toad's Void Roar Cannon soul skill and combined it with the spatial attributes of his Void Mimicry, there was a high chance he'd gain a Spatial Oscillation soul skill.

The strongest representative of Spatial Oscillation was undoubtedly the world's strongest man.

Whitebeard—Edward Newgate.

A man who dared to shatter the world's strongest violent organization with his bare hands.

At this moment, the Battle Drum Toad King was in terrible shape. It couldn't believe such sneaky humans would keep ambushing it while it suffered from diarrhea.

But it had to be said—it was indeed a top-tier spirit beast. Even after sustaining such severe injuries, the Battle Drum Toad King remained agile, and some of its wounds had already begun to heal.

The Battle Drum Toad King frantically scanned its surroundings, trying to find the humans who had wounded it. But despite searching for a long time, it found nothing except constant harassment.

"Croak—"

Its low growl indicated its extreme displeasure.

Though its wounds were healing, the discomfort in its body was uncontrollable. Its intestinal contractions made the Battle Drum Toad King extremely irritable.

Seemingly resolved to something, the Battle Drum Toad King began gathering energy throughout its body.

Ye Wen noticed this abnormality and, fearing the Battle Drum Toad King might cause trouble, kept a close eye on it.

Mudslide Dodge Oil~

The Battle Drum Toad King leaped in one direction, clearly not interested in fighting but intending to flee.

As the saying goes, "As long as the green hills are there, one need not worry about firewood." Few spirit beasts that reached this level were foolish. They cared nothing for human honor—survival was their fundamental instinct. Any spirit beast that stubbornly fought when it knew it couldn't win had long since died out.

"Not good! It's trying to escape!"

Ye Wen realized the Battle Drum Toad King's intent and tried to intercept it but found himself too far away, having kept his distance to avoid its Void Roar Cannon. Now it was too late to stop it.

But at that moment, the previously inconspicuous Blue Silver Grass once again restrained the Battle Drum Toad King, preventing it from escaping.

Its powerful leap was interrupted, and despite its massive weight, the Battle Drum Toad King was stuck mid-air before crashing to the ground.

Golden-veined Blue Silver Grass emerged from the dense forest, tightly binding the Battle Drum Toad King.

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