"Yay, Xiao San, you're the best!"
Xiao Wu happily accepted the bedding but didn't bother looking for a bed. Instead, she entered the Ultra Ball directly.
Since the Pokémon space inside the Poké Ball lacked bedding, it was perfect to supplement Xiao Wu's needs.
Tang San lost a set of bedding, but his expression was full of joy as he made his bed with a smile, much to Gu La's amusement.
When Xiao Wu causes trouble, Tang San will be the one to suffer.
Gu La didn't bother making his bed either. He took out an Ultra Ball and entered it himself.
The scene shifted, revealing an endless expanse of cracked, dry earth. Deep fissures emitted scorching heat from molten magma, and the air carried the smell of sulfur. In the center of this barren land stood a villa, jarringly conspicuous against the desolate landscape.
Gu La's lips twitched slightly. He had suspected it wouldn't be so simple.
The system itself was rigid—how could the environment provided by the Poké Ball be any different? It clearly matched his attributes perfectly.
"Ah well, a simulated artificial training environment like this would cost millions of gold coins annually to maintain in high-level academies."
"This kind of near-natural simulated environment is something even many noble families can't afford to build for their descendants. Free training bonuses are too good to pass up."
Gu La felt that his Groudon, being a god-tier martial soul, was likely an ultimate earth-attribute. After reverting to its primal form, it might even gain an additional ultimate fire attribute.
Ultimate attributes actively compressed spirit power, slowing cultivation speed after reaching the Soul Elder level. Having a portable simulated training environment would help mitigate some of the drawbacks of such attributes.
"I wonder if Groudon's ability to absorb geothermal energy can be used for training."
Gu La pondered this, planning to test the pressure of the earth once his physical strength reached the required threshold.
Hmm, maybe he could even use the pressure of the earth to improve his physique.
"Before that, I need to take care of logistics."
Gu La didn't want to end up with hidden injuries from training. While Groudon was a Legendary, he himself wasn't. He didn't have the earth-like body capable of sleeping in magma, so he needed to proceed cautiously.
Gu La opened the system, and a new home icon appeared on the panel.
Clicking on the home icon brought up a rudimentary game interface. The focus was on the various machines essential for breeders, including the one Gu La needed—the Energy Cube machine.
At a glance, memories surfaced automatically. He then opened the farm function.
In the lush green interface, ten plots of cultivated land appeared, with labels below indicating the seed shop and warehouse.
"Damn! Do seeds really need points to buy?"
Upon reflection, it was probably similar to the game mechanics—harvested berries couldn't be replanted. Gu La couldn't help but curse the system as a greedy merchant.
Grumbling, he purchased the cheapest berry seeds and planted them in the first plot. A timer showed the time until the berries would mature.
Three days.
This duration was certainly longer than in the game but far shorter than the actual maturation time for berries. Gu La could accept that. He planted all the seeds and awaited the harvest.
After finishing, Gu La couldn't resist using points to buy a few berries. He placed them into the Energy Cube machine and followed the steps from memory, manipulating the machine to filter out impurities and purify the berry energy.
With a "hiss," the machine opened, revealing a cube-shaped energy block.
The energy block was semi-transparent green, emitting a fresh berry fragrance. One could faintly sense the abundant energy contained within—it was richer than the Vigorous Vajra Bear meat Gu La had eaten before and much easier to digest and absorb.
"An entry-level energy cube made from common berries, suitable for Pokémon under Level 30 for daily consumption. It can effectively enhance a Pokémon's energy intensity and growth rate."
Gu La clicked the machine button, dividing the energy cube into smaller pieces. He picked one up and ate it.
"Hmm, not bad. Using god-tier energy cube techniques, the first attempt produced a perfect-quality energy cube. No residual impurities remain, and long-term consumption can effectively enhance a Pokémon's attributes and potential. This is the best resource for laying a foundation for novice Pokémon."
Gu La was extremely satisfied. He proceeded to eat three more energy cubes. The ample energy nourished his body, and by lunchtime, he hadn't felt a hint of hunger.
He then spent points to exchange for a bottle of MooMoo Milk. Satisfied and full, Gu La exited the Poké Ball.
No sooner had he steadied himself than Xiao Wu arrived, drawn by the scent. She sniffed the air around Gu La forcefully: "What good stuff did you sneak? I want some too!"
Without hesitation, she reached out to grab some.
Gu La was rendered speechless. Were they that close? He raised his hand and slapped hers down with a resounding "slap." Her fair palm turned red, followed by a burning sensation.
"You!"
Xiao Wu wasn't one to take losses lightly. She raised her hand to retaliate.
As her hand moved, it brushed against the scent of the energy cube. An instinctive reaction caused her stomach to growl faintly.
Xiao Wu's face immediately flushed red.
The dignity of the big sister figure was completely shattered, but fortunately, Wang Sheng and others were tactful enough to pretend they hadn't heard anything.
Tang San couldn't bear to watch anymore. He came over, smelled the aroma, swallowed, and asked, "Brother Gu, do you have any more food? Maybe give some to Xiao Wu?"
"Are you sure? This stuff is pretty valuable."
Gu La pretended to hesitate.
Tang San was momentarily taken aback. He knew that Gu La had received the inheritance of a powerful figure from another continent, and whatever he casually produced was bound to be a treasure.
As much as he liked Xiao Wu, he wouldn't reveal everything upon their first meeting, especially since it belonged to Gu La.
He looked at Xiao Wu and muttered hesitantly, "Let's go to the cafeteria. I've received my Spirit Hall subsidy—I'll treat you."
Xiao Wu pouted, reluctantly sniffing the lingering scent in the air. Reluctantly, she agreed, "Fine, I want carrots."
At this moment, she no longer acted like the big sister figure.
Gu La sneered inwardly, almost forgetting that the girls of Douluo Continent were not only love-struck but also major foodies.
With his god-tier culinary skills, he felt confident he could trick Xiao Wu eight times over without breaking a sweat.
"I'm not eating anymore. You guys go ahead."
Gu La stayed behind, preparing to explore Nuoding City to see what professions could quickly bring in money.
His current sources of points were too limited. The enormous expense of purchasing berry seeds alone would leave him bankrupt in a few months.
Thus, the best solution was to use some medicinal herbs from Douluo Continent to make supplements, partially replacing the role of energy cubes.
Medicinal herbs and pharmaceutical tools required gold spirit coins, and the subsidies weren't nearly enough. He needed another source of income.
"I can manufacture Poké Balls, have master-level massage skills, know beauty treatments, teach skills, swim, dive…"
Gu La: "..."
Why did it feel like these skills were useless? Douluo Continent didn't have that many Pokémon competitions, leaving no place for heroes to shine!
Having lived an ordinary life in his previous existence, Gu La experienced the bittersweet taste of unrecognized talent for the first time. His mood grew somewhat complicated.
Walking through the streets of Nuoding City, he thought that if worst came to worst, he could set up a food stall like Huo Yuhao.
But given Nuoding City's economic level, even the most delicious food wouldn't fetch gold coin prices. Besides, Gu La wasn't the type to grind for hard-earned money.
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