Douluo; Zhongli Adventures in Mortal World with Paimon

Yu Xiaogang may not be dead, but he is currently living a fate worse than death, indistinguishable from being truly gone.

If it weren't for Yu Yuanzhen arranging for someone to take the now-broken Yu Xiaogang out of the Spirit Arena, he might have perished there in despair.

At present, the only person he could possibly take revenge on is Flender. As for anyone else, he has no means of retaliating for now.

To call it revenge is, in essence, a matter of pride.

As the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan is one of the three upper clans, the clan leader's son suffering such humiliation demands action. If Yu Yuanzhen did nothing, how could he maintain his authority and prestige?

To establish authority, he must take revenge.

Killing a mere Spirit Saint would be revenge, sure, but...

It would carry the stigma of bullying the weak while avoiding the strong.

Thus, he needed another way to express his fury.

Avenging one's child is only natural.

"You crippled my son's legs. I won't take your life, but I will cripple your legs in turn!"

After much deliberation, this was the compromise Yu Yuanzhen arrived at.

It reflected both his responsibility as a father and his magnanimity as the leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

Upon hearing this, Flender gave a bitter smile but still nodded.

This outcome, perhaps, was already the best he could hope for.

"Lord Thunder, please, go ahead."

Flender did not resist. He was just a mere Spirit Saint, and not even in his prime condition. How could he possibly resist?

The Shrek group fell into a heavy silence. Ma Hongjun, hiding in the shadows, was crying uncontrollably.

If it weren't for his big mouth, none of this would have happened.

Qin Ming wouldn't have died, Yu Xiaogang wouldn't have been exposed, and none of the others would be in this predicament.

His teacher, Flender, wouldn't be about to lose both his legs.

All of this... it was all because of his wretched mouth!

But Xiao Wu, hidden in the shadows, wasn't thinking about these matters.

Even the situation with Tang San and Tang Hao was momentarily set aside.

The 100,000-year-old right arm spirit bone from Du Bafang reminded her too much of a certain "younger brother."

The name of its spirit skill also carried the Titan name.

At this moment, Xiao Wu faintly felt that things weren't as simple as they appeared.

But at the same time, she also found it extremely odd.

Perhaps others hadn't discovered her true identity, but as a Level 99 War God Douluo, Zhongli definitely should have.

Yet, with a 100,000-year-old transformed spirit beast right before him, why wouldn't he act against her and instead hunt a 100,000-year-old Titan Giant Ape?

It didn't make sense!

"Could it just be a coincidence?"

Until she saw the Titan Giant Ape herself, Xiao Wu couldn't confirm whether it had truly fallen.

After all, the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Blue Bull Python were practically inseparable. To kill them would be exceedingly difficult!

Even someone like Bibi Dong would need to separate them before daring to hunt her mother...

Those who possessed 100,000-year spirit rings were not limited to Du Bafang and Zhongli.

There was also Tang Hao!

If Zhongli, Du Bafang, and Bibi Dong had obtained their 100,000-year spirit rings through hunting, it was merely a matter of opposing sides.

But Tang Hao... the origin of his 100,000-year spirit ring was unjust.

According to what others had said before, it was highly likely that Tang Hao tricked the Blue Silver Emperor into having a child, then orchestrated events for her to sacrifice herself!

Such methods sent chills down Xiao Wu's spine, even as a 100,000-year transformed spirit beast.

"That's why he left Tang San—because he discovered my identity!"

"And so, he's lurking in the shadows."

"Clear Sky Douluo..."

"No wonder, no wonder His Highness the War God didn't attack me."

"No wonder even Sword Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan also didn't strike me!"

Xiao Wu wasn't stupid. After carefully reflecting, she finally pieced together the whole story.

The moment Tang Hao appeared, all the previously incomprehensible matters suddenly became clear to Xiao Wu.

"Does Brother San know about this?"

This was now the primary question occupying Xiao Wu's mind.

The Next Day

Today marked the official start of the preliminary rounds for the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament.

Yesterday had been the opening ceremony, during which only the first match of the first round was held.

The Royal Academy Team Two and Shrek Team had served as the exhibition teams for the opening, so neither had matches scheduled today, giving them a chance to rest.

In the early morning, all of Heaven Dou City seemed shrouded in an inexplicable gloom.

"Zhongli, why do they all look so... strange?"

Paimon scratched her head as she asked, evidently struggling to find the right words.

It seemed like the more powerful someone's background was, the graver their expression appeared today.

"Something big must have happened last night," Zhongli said, stroking his chin, his face a mask of "confusion."

He claimed he knew nothing of the events, hadn't shown up, and certainly hadn't intervened personally.

"What happened last night?"

Paimon's eyes widened, her curiosity piqued. For a moment, she remembered the supposed purpose of their journey.

"Should we go investigate?"

Unlike the Traveler, Zhongli didn't seem particularly keen on doing quests.

This was why Paimon's suggestion carried a tentative tone.

To be honest, after spending so much time with Zhongli, Paimon had almost forgotten the meaning of their journey.

Now, with food, drink, and shelter secured—and no need to worry about money—adventuring seemed to have lost its purpose.

In Teyvat, one could always take on tasks from the Adventurer's Guild, completing them for rewards.

While Douluo Continent lacked such a guild, it did have mercenaries akin to those in Sumeru.

These mercenaries also took on jobs for pay.

At the entrances to some spirit beast forests, one could find plenty of them.

But asking a powerhouse like Zhongli to help Spirit Masters or Grand Spirit Masters hunt spirit beasts, collect materials, and earn golden spirit coins... something about that felt entirely out of place.

Hearing Paimon's suggestion, Zhongli shook his head, his expression calm.

"After breakfast, we still need to watch the tournament matches at the Spirit Arena."

"Today's schedule is packed. We don't have the time for anything else."

"Then what about tomorrow..."

"Tomorrow is the second round of matches."

Paimon froze, realizing Zhongli had a point.

Tomorrow was the second round, the day after that was the third round, and the tournament wouldn't end until a month later.

"???"

"Oh, right, we really don't have much free time this month," Paimon muttered, patting her head as if the realization had only just dawned on her.

At that moment, two young men entered the breakfast shop.

They were dressed in Blazing Academy uniforms and sat down with heavy expressions, not noticing Zhongli and Paimon in the corner.

"The teacher already told us," one of them said.

"Who would've thought... the Empire... cough cough..."

The young man paused mid-sentence, realizing that some topics were best left unsaid in the imperial capital.

Even if they were going to talk about it, it had to be in a secluded place or behind closed doors.

"Shrek Academy is basically finished. Who would've thought their teacher would be so stubborn, choosing death over surrender?"

"Isn't that just stupid?"

"Maybe some people see it as stupid, but what if it happened to you one day?"

"Good point..."

"Oh, and about Heaven Dou Imperial Academy..."

"The Education Commissioner there faced Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Douluo, with the determination to die!"