Douluo; Zhongli Adventures in Mortal World with Paimon

Paimon floated above her chair, swaying slightly in the air with an innocent look in her large, blinking eyes. Her curiosity was palpable as she asked, "Your Holiness, why have you come to see Zhongli? Is something the matter?"

This "Your Holiness," Bibi Dong, was none other than the woman referred to as "that woman" by Qian Renxue—despite being her mother.

Paimon had always struggled to understand this peculiar dynamic. 'Why would a daughter refer to her own mother in such a distant, cold manner? And how could their relationship be so strained?'

Unable to figure it out, she stopped thinking about it for now.

Today, that woman had come to see Zhongli in private. Surely it must be something urgent?

Hearing the question, Bibi Dong nodded slightly. Taking advantage of the time before the dishes arrived, she began speaking to Zhongli.

"Martial God, little Paimon, I do indeed have an important matter to discuss."

She paused for a moment, as though hesitant to reveal her thoughts, her lips parting but no words coming out.

At this time, the All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament's preliminary rounds were underway across the two empires.

The Spirit Hall, of course, didn't participate in such preliminaries, leaving its schedule relatively free.

This lull gave Bibi Dong the opportunity to come to Heaven Dou City.

"Your Holiness, what is it you wish to discuss?"

Paimon leaned in eagerly, her instincts as a mission-accepting expert kicking in. She was always up for a new quest!

Bibi Dong, her expression calm and measured, responded, "Martial God, I believe your strength has already reached the pinnacle of Level 99. All you lack now is the soul rings for your second spirit to ascend to godhood."

Her tone carried a hint of probing, as if testing the waters, yet also a touch of confidence, as though she could see through everything.

Hearing this, Paimon and Zhongli exchanged an awkward glance.

The truth was, they knew their situation better than anyone else.

Paimon wasn't actually a spirit, and Zhongli wasn't some Level 99 Ultimate Douluo.

As for absorbing spirit rings or ascending to godhood—that was pure nonsense in their case.

Seeing their reactions, a subtle smile curved Bibi Dong's lips, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

As expected, everything is unfolding as planned!

"I, too, have twin martial spirits," Bibi Dong said, her tone softening slightly. "And my second spirit still requires a few spirit rings to reach its full potential."

"This time, I've come to propose a partnership with the Martial God."

Her words carried a sense of purpose, yet also a faint tinge of bitterness.

The elders of the Spirit Hall's worship hall were unreliable; otherwise, she wouldn't have to turn to outsiders for help.

'If only my teacher, Qian Xunji, were still alive… If only that incident had never happened… Perhaps he would have fully supported my efforts to acquire a 100,000-year spirit ring.:

But now, such thoughts were meaningless.

Bibi Dong was no saint. She was a genuine schemer, ambitious to her core. She didn't shy away from this fact.

"Cooperate?" Paimon stammered, her small figure shifting uncomfortably.

'Cooperate? How? I'm not even a spirit. How could I help with anything like acquiring spirit rings?'

Bibi Dong nodded earnestly. "Yes, cooperate."

"We can share information. If one of us finds a suitable spirit ring for the other, we prioritize helping each other obtain it. As for spirit bones, we can discuss based on the situation."

Her tone became even more serious. "At present, the Spirit Hall knows the locations of several 100,000-year spirit beasts. If the Martial God is willing to cooperate, I'm willing to first assist you in hunting one to complete your spirit ring."

Such an offer carried weight—she was essentially offering the opportunity to obtain a 100,000-year spirit ring, a rarity even among the strongest.

But as she spoke, Bibi Dong suddenly froze for a moment, as though recalling something.

'Didn't the Body Sect's acting leader already possess a 100,000-year spirit ring as his ninth ring?'

If Zhongli truly needed one, why hadn't he claimed it for himself, instead bestowing it upon a subordinate?

This realization puzzled her deeply.

100,000-year spirit beasts were notoriously difficult to deal with. Even for her, taking one down alone was an almost impossible feat.

Not because she couldn't win in combat, but because such beasts were masters of escape, often inciting beast tides to thwart their pursuers.

This difficulty was precisely why Bibi Dong sought Zhongli's cooperation.

Together, with their combined might, they wouldn't even need Yue Guan or Gui Mei—the two would be unstoppable.

Despite her confidence in her own abilities, she understood her limits. Due to her divine trial, she could only display the power of a Level 98 Spirit Douluo at most, far from being Zhongli's equal.

Yet, she believed she'd brought enough sincerity to the table. Surely Zhongli couldn't refuse her offer?

After all, killing her brought him no benefits and would deprive him of a "genuine" ally for future ventures.

'How could he possibly turn this down?'

Zhongli: "…"

"Shouldn't I be the one worrying about that? If Zhongli were truly a Spirit Master, that is!"

Given Zhongli's understanding of Bibi Dong, he knew there was no chance of cooperation. What if, during the process of absorbing a spirit ring, she stabbed him in the back?

That woman was entirely capable of such an act.

On the Douluo Continent, the only people known for keeping their promises and not using spirit power to suppress others were Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue.

This trait was evident from Qian Renxue's first battle with Tang San, where she deliberately suppressed her power to ensure a fair fight.

Nicely put, it was a display of knightly virtue.

Not so nicely, it was downright foolish!

"Wait a second…"

As if struck by a thought, Bibi Dong glanced at Zhongli, then at Paimon, her mind racing.

'Could it be that Lord Martial God also has certain preferences when it comes to the attributes of spirit rings?'

Earlier today, in the Soul Arena, Lord had presented a theory on enhancing the same attribute for bloodlines and evolving spirits.

If that were true, then it was understandable why he hadn't absorbed that particular 100,000-year spirit ring.

'But what kind of attribute would suit that little creature, Paimon?'

Bibi Dong studied Paimon carefully once more, her mind churning.

Paimon was an incredibly unusual external spirit—the only other known case on the Douluo Continent was Yu Xiaogang's wasteful example.

Yet, Yu Xiaogang couldn't serve as a reference at all.

Unlike Luo Sanpao, Paimon was leagues more advanced. She could think, speak, and even came with innate "flight" and "storage" abilities.

It was downright astonishing!

To give her a 100,000-year space-attribute spirit ring…

Well, that's just wishful thinking.

Space-attribute 100,000-year spirit beasts were so rare that even if all the elders of the Spirit Hall's worship hall mobilized, they might still fail to take one down.

And besides, 100,000-year spirit beasts were incredibly scarce on the Douluo Continent. Where would they even find a space-attribute one?

Better to rest and dream—it's easier to find them in your imagination.

Fortunately, a 100,000-year spirit ring's sheer quality could make up for differing attributes, a unique feature of spirit rings at that level.

Seeing Bibi Dong fall into silence, Zhongli didn't rush her. He leisurely picked up his teacup, savoring the drink.

Let her overthink for a while.

Finally, when all the dishes had been served, Bibi Dong snapped out of her thoughts.

"Lord, what kind of attribute spirit ring do you plan to obtain for Paimon?"