There's Absolutely No Rivals

It's kind of strange when you think about it.

The so-called "villains" are loyal, uphold justice, repay kindness, and value their promises.

Especially characters like Yue Guan, Gui Mei, and Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo is also considered a "villain"—"ruthless" and "as venomous as a snake."

But after becoming familiar with the protagonist, he transforms from being a "villain."

These characters all share a common trait:

They have ambition, value relationships, and keep their promises!

What about the protagonist group?

"Too scared to cause trouble is mediocrity! But loving trouble, yet cowardly in facing the consequences, only leads to self-destruction. They are hypocrites—filled with misguided passions, unable to discern right from wrong, with spoiled and indecisive personalities."

They correspond respectively to: Dai Mubai, Oscar, Tang San, Ma Hongjun, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing.

With a protagonist group like this, you have to wonder if the consciousness of this world is blind or something.

"Sigh~"

Hearing this, Paimon, who was eating, lifted her head and asked in confusion, "Old man, why do you and that spooky old man have to go through so much fire and pain? Doesn't it hurt?"

As soon as Paimon said this, Yue Guan and Zhongli exchanged a glance and fell silent.

Looking at Paimon's eyes, filled with "wisdom," they found themselves at a loss for words.

Yue Guan had just been expressing his gratitude to Zhongli, saying that he and Gui Mei would do anything for him, even go through fire and pain.

He didn't literally mean they would go through fire or climb mountains of blades.

"Lord, Martial God, if you have time, perhaps you could grant little Paimon one or two spirit rings... preferably ones of 100,000 years from a spiritual beast. Such creatures are hard to deal with, but with me and Old Ghost around, there's no risk!" Yue Guan said, somewhat tactfully.

If Paimon were to gain a couple of 100,000-year spirit rings, she should...probably become a little smarter, right?

Yue Guan thought to himself: 'I say I'm a ruthless killer, and you ask me if my eyes get dry?'

Zhongli stayed silent after hearing this. It wasn't that he didn't want to give Paimon a spirit ring.

Paimon wasn't even a Martial Spirit, so how could she gain a spirit ring?

Scratching his chin, Zhongli pondered the possibility.

If Paimon were to gain a spirit ring, would she really become smarter?

Of course, there was a prerequisite for that—Paimon would need to be a Martial Spirit first.

Humans who obtain spiritual spirit rings and spirit bones don't necessarily become smarter. At least, that was the case with Huo Yuhao.

On the contrary, the more Huo Yuhao cultivated, the less he seemed like himself, almost as if he was being raised by Tang San like a…

Back then, ten-year-old Huo Yuhao, eyes red with anger, asked the godlike Dai Yuhao: "Why didn't you avenge Mom?"

In the original timeline, people like Tang San, Hu Liena, and Bibi Dong, all possessed head spirit bones. Yet, none of them seemed to get any smarter.

With these thoughts, Zhongli, in all seriousness, replied, "Elder Yue Guan, as far as common rationality goes, spiritual spirit rings and spirit bones only enhance a Spirit Master's mental strength."

"They do not improve intelligence or IQ."

"And they certainly cannot make someone who is inherently ignorant suddenly become smart."

Yue Guan was stunned for a moment, casting a confused glance at Zhongli.

As expected from the Martial God, his words were always so precise!

Time passed quickly, and it was now the opening ceremony for the All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament.

In the early morning, the Heaven Dou City Grand Spirit Arena was already packed with people, a sea of humanity.

The crowds weren't in a rush to enter the arena but rather stood outside, cheering on their favorite teams, giving them encouragement, and trying to get close.

For many, this might be the only chance they get, and the audience was making the most of it.

Apart from the fans, the crowd was dotted with noble lords and their offspring.

Since they themselves lacked strength, it was up to talented young Spirit Masters to carry on the family legacy.

Investing in these Spirit Masters, or even convincing them to marry into their family, was a way to secure the family's future.

After all, those who could enter advanced spirit academies were already the pinnacle among ordinary people.

And for someone to stand out among the best and be chosen to participate in the tournament—

Even the weakest of them would surpass 99% of ordinary Spirit Masters.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that these contestants were the future of the Empire.

The crowd buzzed with excitement, everyone wearing expressions of eager anticipation.

"Oh my gosh, it's Skywater Academy!"

"Shui Bing'er is so beautiful!"

"And Xue Wu isn't bad either, she's got an amazing figure!"

The audience discussed the contestants, but most of the comments were friendly exchanges, praising the strengths of each contestant.

The appearance of Skywater Academy indeed gave the audience a visual feast.

Their strength might not be the greatest, but with their team entirely composed of top-tier beauties, their advantage was something no other team could match.

"Divine Wind, Divine Wind…"

"Feng Xiaotian looks so confident..."

At that moment, the sudden appearance of a certain team brought the crowd of tens of thousands to complete silence.

Leading them was a cat-eared girl. Her face was expressionless, as if she never knew how to smile, and she exuded a cold and distant aura.

Every movement she made was filled with elegance, faintly reminiscent of Zhongli's grace.

Her beauty could be described as unmatched in the world. Even Tang Yuehua, hailed as the most beautiful woman in Heaven Dou City, would lose in comparison based solely on looks.

But despite being such a stunning and graceful young woman, her appearance sent a chill throughout the entire venue…

Behind her followed six burly men, each towering with broad shoulders and muscular builds.

Though their faces appeared ordinary, their physiques were truly intimidating, and the aura they exuded instinctively made others avoid them.

As this group stood there, no one in the crowd even dared to breathe too loudly, fearing they might disturb these people.

Only after the group had entered the Heaven Dou City Grand Spirit Arena did the crowd finally exhale in relief.

"The Heaven Dou Royal Team!"

"The Body Sect!"

Wiping away cold sweat from their brows, many felt a chill down their spines from the invisible pressure just now.

After all, this was the Body Sect! Though known as a very reasonable sect, no one actually wanted to hear their reasoning!

Either you had to listen to them reason things out, or you got beaten up and then forced to listen.

No one could out-argue them, and no one could outfight them. There was nothing you could do but lament helplessly.

Inside the Spirit Arena—

"Saintess…"

Before Du Siji could finish his sentence, Xiao Feilian waved her hand dismissively, saying, "Don't mind what others think."

"People fear us because our master is powerful."

"While we enjoy our master's protection, we must also uphold our master's dignity."

Hearing this, the six men nodded subconsciously.

They were well aware of their own limitations.

Without Zhongli, they wouldn't even be guaranteed a spot in the finals—let alone participation in the tournament itself.

"To uphold our master's dignity, the best way is to grow stronger!"

"Only by becoming stronger can we hope to keep pace with our master."

Chi Yu's voice wasn't loud, but it was filled with resolve, and her eyes held a fierce determination.

"Saintess, we will surely win the championship and bring glory…"

"Win the championship? Glory?"

"Aside from those three spirit bones, this tournament holds no other significance!"

"Huh?"

"Remember, if we are to live up to our master's expectations—"

"There must be no rivals standing before us!"