Douluo; Zhongli Adventures in Mortal World with Paimon

Dugu Yan was truly surprising. Even though she was a Control System Soul Master, her close-combat abilities were also exceptionally powerful!

This was the benefit of martial soul evolution.

The Jade Phosphor Dragon, after all, it was still a dragon-type martial soul.

Yet, she was still no match for Tang San...

Her soul skills couldn't inflict significant damage on Tang San, and her close-combat abilities were no match for the mighty Clear Sky Hammer. Losing was only a matter of time.

The members of the Heaven Dou Royal Team Two had faces as dark as charcoal, but they didn't say much.

If they faced Shrek in the finals, they would reclaim their honor.

Individually, they weren't Tang San's match, but in a group battle? That was another story.

"Heaven Dou Royal Academy versus Shrek Academy. Shrek Academy wins."

With this victory secured by Tang San, there was no suspense left for who would take first place in the advancement competition.

Likewise, second place was almost certainly going to the Heaven Dou Royal Team Two.

Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, the advancement competition came to an end.

Without any rest, the teams that participated in the competition were personally led by the Crown Prince, "Xue Qinghe," along with five hundred Royal Knights, to be escorted to Spirit City.

Within the military, the Royal Knights were the most elite cavalry.

Five hundred knights against several thousand soldiers wouldn't pose much of a challenge.

However, the ones they were protecting were all soul masters, with the weakest among them being at the Soul Elder level!

If something really happened, who was protecting whom? That was hard to say.

Every team heading to Spirit City had at least one Soul Emperor or even a Soul Douluo as their team leader.

With more than ten such teams, even if a Titled Douluo arrived, they wouldn't necessarily be able to leave unscathed.

Unless it was a large-scale ambush.

For the most part, these five hundred Royal Knights were more of a representation of the Heaven Dou Empire's prestige.

"Qinghe, how much longer until we reach Spirit City?"

Paimon asked listlessly.

With such a large group, their travel speed was naturally slow.

They had already been on the road for half a month, and she had no idea how much farther they still had to go.

Hearing this, "Xue Qinghe" thought for a moment before replying, "About half a month more."

At this pace, it would indeed take at least another half a month to reach Spirit City.

This showed just how far Heaven Dou City was from Spirit City.

Even among "non-normal" people, it still took more than a month to travel!

"That long?!"

Paimon slumped weakly onto her chair, her eyes looking empty.

"Elder Yue Guan prepared a lot of delicious food for you..."

Fortunately, there were no outsiders in the tent.

Otherwise, if "Xue Qinghe" said this, it might stir up a storm.

Upon hearing this, Paimon instantly perked up, eagerly looking forward to arriving at Spirit City sooner.

Although she could fly and didn't need to walk, such a dull and boring journey was truly no fun at all.

In the original timeline, this was the period when Yu Xiaogang went to Spirit Hall to find Bibi Dong, and Bibi Dong ordered Tang San's assassination.

However, due to certain reasons, this Bibi Dong had no such intentions.

The journey had been entirely smooth and unimpeded.

"As expected of Paimon, mention food, and she stops complaining."

"Xue Qinghe" thought to herself while shifting her gaze toward Zhongli.

"Guest Elder, the reason why this tournament is being held in Spirit City is that my grandfather wishes to meet you."

"As the Grand Worshipper of Spirit Hall, his duties prevent him from leaving the Worship Hall easily, so he had no choice but to arrange things this way."

"I hope you will understand."

Hearing this, Zhongli nodded. He had already been well aware of this matter.

He just didn't know what Qian Daoliu wanted to see him for.

"Since the Grand Worshipper has arranged this, he must have his reasons."

Zhongli responded calmly.

Xiao: "???"

Seeing Zhongli's composed reaction, "Xue Qinghe" finally relaxed.

She was worried that the old man's actions might offend Zhongli.

Even more, she feared that Zhongli would develop a negative impression of Spirit Hall because of it.

To let something this trivial cause Zhongli to think poorly of Spirit Hall would be a case of losing too much over too little.

"Grandfather is a good person. He likely just wants to chat with you."

"He hasn't left the Worship Hall in many years, and the people he can converse with are just as few."

"For someone as knowledgeable as you, Grandfather would certainly admire you greatly."

"Xue Qinghe" spoke incessantly, as if she were bringing her "boyfriend" home to meet her family, eagerly praising her family and assuring him not to be nervous.

Listening to "Xue Qinghe," Zhongli felt that something was amiss, though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what.

In all his years, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

Rubbing his chin, unable to figure it out, he decided not to dwell on it.

When the time came, everything would become clear.

Time passed quickly.

Another half a month later, the grand procession from Heaven Dou finally arrived outside Spirit City.

The journey had been uneventful, with no incidents whatsoever.

Forget assassination attempts, not even a single bandit showed up.

Bandits: We may be reckless, but we aren't idiots.

As for those with real strength, they were well aware that the strongest person in the world was traveling with this group.

Without an army of at least one hundred thousand, how could they dare make a move?

Without any surprises, the convoy arrived outside Spirit City.

The Royal Knights did not enter the city; instead, they set up camp outside.

The participating teams, meanwhile, entered Spirit City according to Spirit Hall's arrangements.

To prevent conflicts between the Heaven Dou and Star Luo teams, they were placed at opposite ends, one in the west and the other in the east.

The moment Zhongli and Paimon entered Spirit City, a familiar figure appeared before them.

"Welcome, Lord Martial God and little Paimon, to Spirit City!"

Yue Guan greeted them with a beaming smile.

If it were anyone else, he wouldn't have personally come to receive them.

But Paimon was different.

As for Zhongli? Well, he was just tagging along.

Zhongli was undeniably powerful, but that didn't concern Yue Guan much.

Paimon, however, was different, she was his kindred spirit, his dearest friend!

Only by personally welcoming her could he express the joy in his heart.

"Grandpa Yue Guan, long time no see!"

Paimon rubbed her hands together, her eyes widening with anticipation.

She hadn't forgotten what "Xue Qinghe" had mentioned earlier.

Paimon didn't realize that "Xue Qinghe" had spoken casually and had no idea if Yue Guan had actually prepared anything.

But as it turned out, she had guessed correctly!

Yue Guan had long since gathered all the delicacies of Spirit City, especially various prepared dishes.

Every time he visited Heaven Dou City, he regretted not being able to bring fresh food for Paimon.

Cold food lost its flavor, and for someone as meticulous as him, a Titled Douluo striving for perfection, there could be no compromises!

"Lord Martial God, little Paimon, please do me the honor of visiting my humble abode."

"I have prepared fine food and wine, awaiting your arrival."

While Yue Guan didn't particularly care about Zhongli, he owed him a great debt.

Ghost Douluo was his closest brother, and Zhongli had saved his life.

Thus, Yue Guan did not fear Zhongli. Instead, he was deeply grateful.