"I, Zygarde, am not cheating!"
"Our strength comes entirely from hard work and sweat!"
Not only Little Soft, but even Z2, who was still fighting, spoke righteously through telepathy.
What are you two trying to prove in front of me, your Trainer?
Bai Mu subconsciously rolled his eyes.
"Wait… so that's how it is!"
A sudden flash of insight struck him.
"Yes—exactly!"
"Pokémon players are simply superior to Spirit Masters!"
Bai Mu was visibly excited as he finally realized where the real difference lay.
One had to understand that Pokémon ranks and Douluo ranks were fundamentally different systems.
Ignoring all "external" factors such as Effort Values, Individual Values, Spirit Bones, and spirit rings, and looking purely at how rank affected strength—
A Spirit Master's growth curve was closer to an exponential curve.
The higher the rank, the greater the increase in power with each level.
For a Titled Douluo, every single level gained resulted in a massive leap in strength.
Likewise, the gap between a Rank 80 quasi–Spirit Douluo and a Rank 81 Spirit Douluo was enormous due to a realm breakthrough.
Pokémon, however, were completely different.
If rank alone was considered, a Pokémon's growth curve was almost a straight line.
In other words, the strength gained per level was roughly the same.
The difference between Zygarde at Rank 80 and Rank 81 was nearly identical to the difference between Rank 99 and Rank 100.
What did this mean?
Even if a Pokémon and a Spirit Master both reached Rank 100, before that point, a Pokémon of the same rank would always be stronger than a Spirit Master.
And the lower the rank, the more obvious this advantage became.
A Rank 40 Zygarde, with Attack and Speed maximized, could theoretically possess stats surpassing those of a Rank 100 Zygarde.
Of course, reality was not as absurd as the games.
Zygarde, after becoming a Martial Soul incarnation, was no longer a pure Pokémon.
Even so, this was enough to demonstrate its terrifying potential from another angle.
Its mechanics were maxed out, and its raw stats were completely outrageous.
"No wonder Dugu Bo, a glass-cannon Titled Douluo, can't deal with Zygarde."
His strongest poisons and petrification were nullified by Safeguard, while his full-powered attacks were blocked by Protect.
Mechanically, he was completely suppressed.
Stat-wise, his speed and strength couldn't compare to a Zygarde boosted by maxed-out Dragon Dance.
Who could he even complain to?
Reality was exactly as cruel as that.
At this moment, Dugu Bo was in utter misery.
It felt like an adult holding a water gun being constantly harassed by a child wielding a nail gun.
As the battle dragged on, his spirit power was rapidly drained, while Zygarde remained as energetic as ever.
A heavy weight settled in Dugu Bo's heart.
"Should I… retreat?"
The thought of escape surfaced in his mind.
But just then—bang!
In a brief moment of carelessness, Zygarde was struck by a powerful tail sweep from the Jade Phosphor Serpent.
"Ah—!"
A pained roar escaped instinctively as its massive body was sent flying uncontrollably.
In an instant, it suffered serious injuries.
"Wait—its defense is this weak?!"
Dugu Bo, who had been preparing to retreat, felt his snake-like pupils light up.
He had nearly believed Zygarde was truly invincible.
The truth was simple: Dragon Dance only boosted Speed and Attack—it provided no increase to Defense.
Even if Zygarde's offense could threaten a Titled Douluo, its defense was still pitiful.
It was already fortunate that it hadn't been killed in a single strike by the Jade Phosphor Serpent.
"So it was discovered after all."
Bai Mu wasn't surprised.
In a battle between two serpentine beings, injuries were unavoidable.
The fact that Zygarde could suppress Dugu Bo, a Titled Douluo, was already an unexpected bonus.
"This is more than enough."
His original plan had only been to let Z2 test its full combat power.
At worst, Z2 would be dispersed, and Bai Mu himself would be severely injured as the Spirit Master.
With Jungle Healing, he wasn't afraid of that outcome.
"That's enough, Z2. Find an opening and withdraw."
With his goal achieved, Bai Mu's voice echoed within Zygarde's mind.
"Use Double Team and Extreme Speed."
"Got it!"
Z2 responded.
In the next moment, the enormous white serpent flickered, and dozens of identical serpents appeared throughout the valley.
Immediately after, all of them transformed into streaks of white light, shooting off in different directions.
"Trying to run? You think you can escape?!"
"Vile creature—die!"
Dugu Bo's distorted laughter echoed across the sky.
The Jade Phosphor Serpent hovered proudly high above as its eighth and ninth spirit rings flashed in succession.
"Time Stagnation!"
A strange ripple spread instantly, freezing every Zygarde midair as if time itself had stopped.
"Jade Phosphor Divine Light!"
Dozens of green pillars of light shot into the sky, blasting toward every Zygarde.
The power was so terrifying it could flatten mountains and split peaks apart.
Whoosh!
The light pierced through every Zygarde without exception.
Wait—every one of them?
The Jade Phosphor Serpent froze.
The ones he destroyed were all fakes?
Then where was the real one?
Just as confusion set in—whoosh!
A white-and-green streak of light suddenly shot upward from the valley.
Boom!
The speed was so extreme it produced a deafening sonic boom.
"How is it there?!"
The Jade Phosphor Serpent was stunned.
By the time he reacted and tried to pursue, Z2 had already vanished into the horizon.
It was as if it had never existed.
"Damn it! Damn it!! Damn it!!!"
Dugu Bo dismissed his Martial Soul True Body and descended back into the valley.
Staring at the devastation, he trembled with fury, releasing poisonous mist in a violent outburst that turned everything within ten miles into a lifeless zone.
Meanwhile, the true culprit, Bai Mu, recalled Z2 elsewhere and quietly returned to Heaven Dou City.
He wasn't worried about his identity being exposed.
First, Dugu Bo barely knew him—they had met only once, and Dugu Bo had never seen Zygarde's Dragon Hound form.
Second, Bai Mu never showed himself, issuing commands from afar.
Third, no one knew that Zygarde could transform into a Z-Serpent.
And even if someone did—so what?
"As everyone knows, my Zygarde is black. After transforming, it becomes a black serpent."
"That vicious white serpent was clearly just a wild Spirit Beast. What does it have to do with a kind, honest person like me?"
"Don't ask me—I don't know. I'm really not familiar with it! My Martial Soul is just Little Soft!"
He firmly refused to acknowledge any connection with Z2.
"Killing Dugu Bo really isn't easy."
Bai Mu fell into deep thought, though he wasn't surprised.
He was only Rank 40. Wanting to kill a Titled Douluo at this stage was unrealistic.
But what about after obtaining his fourth and fifth spirit rings?
By then, Zygarde would surely awaken Thousand Waves and Core Enforcer.
And more importantly—
"As long as I obtain that thing and gain a powerful enhancement move, a mere Dugu Bo can be crushed with ease."
A cold glint flashed in Bai Mu's eyes.
If his next plan succeeded, his gains would be no less than when he stole the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum and the Yearning Heartbroken Red last time.
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