Douluo; Zhongli Adventures in Mortal World with Paimon

"What?"

Liu Erlong was utterly stunned. She never expected Tang San to make such a request!

It wasn't an impossible task, but it was one that could very well ruin Tang San's life!

A competition—was it really worth going to such lengths?

"Tang San, think this through carefully. Once you absorb the spirit ring, there's no turning back," Liu Erlong cautioned, deeply concerned that Tang San might be walking down a dangerous path.

"Teacher Erlong, I've thought it through carefully," Tang San replied with determination.

"I know exactly what I'm doing, and I have reasons why I must do this."

"My father once told me: use the hammer in my left hand to protect the grass in my right."

"But look at the situation now!"

"The grass in my right hand has become weak and broken because of my poor decisions and the lies of vile people."

"It's too fragile!"

"I must train the Clear Sky Hammer…"

Tang San spoke resolutely.

He couldn't afford to lose anymore—nor did he want to.

"But to absorb a spirit ring, your physical strength must meet the requirements. With four or even five spirit rings, can your body handle the strain?"

This was Liu Erlong's main concern. Spirit Masters with twin martial souls often exploded and died when cultivating their second martial soul. Why? Because their bodies weren't strong enough to endure the immense energy.

This truth had only been widely understood after Zhongli's theories were published.

"Teacher Erlong, I've studied the Martial God Douluo's theories and regard them as gospel," Tang San explained confidently.

"I've been forging since childhood, and after all these years of physical training, absorbing a few thousand-year spirit rings won't be a problem."

Tang San had already made up his mind. No matter how much Liu Erlong tried to dissuade him, his resolve would not waver.

Seeing that her words were of no use, Liu Erlong finally nodded.

"Fine. Let's go and call Old Zhao..."

As if remembering something, Liu Erlong's expression grew dark, but she eventually sighed and said, "I'll ask my father to help as well. That will make things much faster."

"Are you truly prepared to absorb multiple thousand-year spirit rings in one go?"

"Yes, I've made all the necessary preparations!" Tang San replied firmly, nodding.

Time passed, and the group soon arrived at the Sunset Forest.

The team consisted of Liu Erlong, Zhao Wuji, Yu Luomian, and Tang San.

Yu Luomian's expression was somewhat peculiar as he looked at Tang San with a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

Tang San was going to add spirit rings to his second martial soul at this point in time? Did he truly understand how powerful the Clear Sky Hammer was?

"This is his choice. He specifically asked for my help!"

Yu Luomian muttered to himself.

Help? Why wouldn't he help? Even if Liu Erlong weren't involved, he'd still assist Tang San in such an endeavor.

If Tang San's spirit rings were all thousand-year rings, wouldn't that be incredible?

"Tang San, say no more!" Yu Luomian declared.

"The three upper sects share a common bond. Even if Erlong weren't involved, I'd still help you!"

"Now tell me, what kind of spirit beast do you need?"

"Don't worry. I'm well-versed in the attributes the Clear Sky Hammer needs for its spirit rings."

Liu Erlong, Zhao Wuji, and Tang San: "…"

Knowing what Yu Luomian was thinking, none of them could argue against him.

How noble, this "common bond!"

"Thank you, Second Master Yu," Tang San said, bowing slightly.

Though Tang San knew Yu Luomian's intentions weren't entirely pure, he had no choice but to express his gratitude.

After all, Yu Luomian was helping him now.

"I need spirit rings from spirit beasts with ages ranging between 5,000 and 7,000 years. For the third and fourth spirit rings, I hope they can be between 7,000 and 9,000 years."

Hearing this, Yu Luomian didn't hesitate. He nodded and headed deeper into the Sunset Forest.

With his peak Spirit Douluo-level strength, he could roam the forest freely as long as he didn't disturb its most fearsome rulers.

This was precisely why Liu Erlong had brought him along.

Zhao Wuji's injuries hadn't fully healed. He could only guard Tang San, but he wasn't capable of capturing spirit beasts.

Liu Erlong also headed into the depths of the forest, leaving Zhao Wuji and Tang San behind.

This arrangement had been discussed beforehand.

Since this wasn't a training exercise, capturing a few thousand-year spirit beasts was relatively simple for them.

After a while, Yu Luomian encountered a Dark Gold Bear that was over 5,000 years old.

"???"

"The Dark Gold Bear may excel in attack, but its defense is even stronger. Clearly, it's not suitable for the Clear Sky Hammer!" Yu Luomian said unconvincingly, then bypassed the bear and continued searching.

In the God Realm.

With a loud bang, the table in front of the God Shura shattered. He glared at Yu Luomian with rage, his fists clenching tightly.

He could control the movement of spirit beasts, but he couldn't control Yu Luomian's despicable intentions!

"Damn it!"

Taking a deep breath, the God Shura glanced at Liu Erlong and had an idea.

Liu Erlong soon encountered the same Dark Gold Bear.

"???"

"The Dark Gold Bear excels in defense. Its attack is decent, but its defense is its defining strength. If no better offensive spirit beast can be found, this will have to do," Liu Erlong thought.

She also bypassed the bear and ventured further.

The God Shura: "…"

This time, he was speechless.

Liu Erlong had no ulterior motives—she genuinely thought this way.

After all, a top-tier spirit beast like the Dark Gold Bear would still provide a better offensive ability than an ordinary high-grade beast.

Too bad these ignorant humans didn't understand this truth.

A while later, Yu Luomian came across a 5,000-year-old Earth Brute Bull, which filled him with joy.

The Earth Brute Bull wasn't a top-tier spirit beast, but it was a high-grade one with strength as its main attribute.

It was just right—not too good, not too bad. Tang San wouldn't have a reason to refuse it.

With that, Yu Luomian immediately summoned his martial spirit and attacked the Earth Brute Bull.

After a brief battle, he subdued the bull and returned to Tang San with it half-dead.

Meanwhile, Liu Erlong found a 6,000-year-old Titan Giant Bear, the same species as Zhao Wuji's martial spirit.

This kind of beast was strong in both strength and defense, with exceptional talent for power.

When Yu Luomian returned with the Earth Brute Bull, Tang San was momentarily stunned.

"Could it be that Yu Luomian really isn't trying to sabotage me?"

Tang San recognized the bull and thanked Yu Luomian before killing it and sitting cross-legged to absorb its spirit ring.

He didn't dare waste time, as there was still a competition tomorrow. The faster he absorbed the ring, the better.

Yu Luomian quickly returned to the forest to search for more strength-type spirit beasts.

About an hour later, Tang San opened his eyes just as Liu Erlong returned with the Titan Giant Bear.

"Thank you, Teacher Erlong!"

Fortunately, Tang San didn't know what the two had encountered. Otherwise, his gratitude might not have been so sincere.