This person was none other than Spirit Kite Douluo, a Titled Douluo under Bibi Dong who had only recently broken through.
Yin Zhang sensed her aura for a moment and realized that she didn't match any of the well-known Titled Douluos he remembered.
Could she be one of those lesser-known Titled Douluos from the original story who were never described in detail? he thought.
After a bit of reflection, that seemed to be the only reasonable explanation.
With Yin Zhang's current status and strength, he already had a clear picture of the Titled Douluos belonging to the Hall of Worship faction.
Aside from the seven Consecrated Elders—each with spirit power no lower than level ninety-seven—there were Tang Zhen, Devil Bear Douluo, Ghost Leopard Douluo, She Long, and Ci Xue.
That made twelve in total.
Among them, seven were at least level ninety-seven, while the remaining five had lower spirit power. Of those, Tang Zhen, Devil Bear, and Ghost Leopard were the strongest, all at level ninety-three.
As for the Supreme Pontiff Palace…
Aside from Bibi Dong herself, along with Gui Mei and Yue Guan, Yin Zhang didn't know much about the other Titled Douluos on that side.
However, it was easy to infer that after Bibi Dong became a Titled Douluo, all the original Titled Douluos of Spirit Hall—aside from Gui Mei and Yue Guan, who chose to follow her—had sided with the Hall of Worship.
The remaining Titled Douluos under the Supreme Pontiff Palace faction must have all broken through in recent years.
Their spirit power likely capped at around level ninety-two, with most hovering at level ninety-one.
After all, once one reached the Titled Douluo realm, advancing even a single level every few years was something worth celebrating.
Under Bibi Dong, aside from Yue Guan and Gui Mei—those two perennial monsters—the other Titled Douluos had relatively weak foundations.
In the original timeline, several of them died during the Soul Hunting Operation launched by Bibi Dong against the Upper Three Sects and other major forces in the Spirit Master world.
Both the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had lost Titled Douluos during that operation.
As for Spirit Kite Douluo, Yin Zhang knew very little about her.
Before his transmigration, the Douluo anime hadn't yet reached the Soul Hunting Operation arc, and the original novel only briefly mentioned those Titled Douluos who perished, without elaboration.
Yin Zhang had no intention of avoiding her.
Sooner or later, he would have to deal with the Titled Douluos under Bibi Dong anyway. Since he had encountered one now, he might as well take the initiative and test the waters.
If nothing else, I can ask Nana about her later, Yin Zhang thought.
[Spirit Kite Douluo
Real name: Yuan Qiqi
Age: 49
Martial Soul: Blazing Spirit Kite
Cultivation: Level 91 Attack-Type Titled Douluo
Status: Newly promoted Titled Douluo under Bibi Dong
Background:
When she was young, she fell in love with a neighboring boy. Later, that boy married another woman. Heartbroken, she joined Spirit Hall and cultivated with single-minded devotion, eventually becoming a Titled Douluo.
Hidden desire: She longs for an older-woman–younger-man romance.
Choices detected:
One: "Turns out she's an older sister lacking love—and she longs for a younger man? Then I definitely can't miss this!"
Strike up a conversation and gradually win her over to prepare for sidelining Bibi Dong later.
Reward: Yuan Qiqi's favorability +60%
Two: Approach Spirit Kite Douluo to prepare for future cleanup of the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
Reward: Favorability +50%
Three: Challenge Spirit Kite Douluo and defeat her to demonstrate strength to Bibi Dong.
Reward: Favorability +40%]
Yin Zhang was momentarily stunned.
Yuan Qiqi… so that's her name.
Keeping an eye on her movements, he quickly skimmed through the system's information, the three choices, and their rewards.
All three options increased favorability—sixty percent, fifty percent, and forty percent respectively.
But the key lay in the choices themselves.
The first option was clearly the most advantageous.
A direct sixty percent favorability boost.
As for the so-called older-woman–younger-man romance…
With their age difference, Yuan Qiqi was old enough to be his mother.
She could even be Qiangu Yunying's mother—after all, Yunying was only twenty-one, while Yuan Qiqi was forty-nine.
But that wasn't an issue.
Plenty of Douluo fanfictions featured romances with Bibi Dong at fifty or sixty years old. By comparison, this was nothing remarkable.
Moreover, Yuan Qiqi was a female Titled Douluo—an extremely rare existence.
Reaching the Titled Douluo realm at forty-nine spoke volumes about her talent.
After a brief moment of thought, Yin Zhang made his decision.
[Selection successful.
Reward obtained: Yuan Qiqi's favorability increased by 60%.]
In an instant, Yin Zhang felt a subtle tremor ripple through his body, as if some unseen connection had been formed.
So this is the effect of favorability increasing… he thought.
He stepped forward.
Before he could get close, however, Spirit Kite Douluo sensed someone approaching her with clear intent.
She frowned slightly and turned around.
The moment her gaze landed on Yin Zhang, the wariness in her heart vanished without a trace.
Instead, a faint sweetness welled up within her chest.
Naturally, she concealed this subtle emotional shift almost instantly and calmly sized him up instead.
To her surprise, she felt… satisfied.
The image of an older-woman–younger-man romance she once entertained had gradually seemed unrealistic as her age and strength increased.
Yet now, standing before her, was a young man who could practically be her son.
Yin Zhang's keen mental force caught the change in her gaze, and he immediately decided to keep things subtle.
He cleared his throat and said politely,
"Hello, beautiful lady. My name is Yin Zhang. May I get to know you?"
He had almost blurted out something ridiculous, but thankfully corrected himself in time.
Spirit Kite Douluo found his slight awkwardness unexpectedly amusing.
At the same time, she instantly recognized his identity.
Yin Zhang.
The disciple of the Second Consecrator of the Hall of Worship, Golden Crocodile Douluo.
The genius hailed as possessing the greatest aptitude in Spirit Hall's history.
Only twelve years old, yet already a Spirit King.
One of the individuals most likely to ascend to godhood in the future.
The favorability in her heart rose yet again.
Covering her mouth, she chuckled softly.
"You're calling me 'sister'? Do you know who I am—and how old I am?"
She smiled teasingly.
"I'm forty-nine this year. Old enough to be your mother. If we were ordinary people who married young, I'd even be old enough to be your grandmother."
Yin Zhang simply smiled.
Waving his hand casually, he replied,
"That's fine. Maybe we can just chat."
The look in Yuan Qiqi's eyes became even more intriguing.
She didn't refuse.
The two of them soon arrived at a wine shop in the southern district of Spirit City.
They chose a quiet private room, ordered some desserts, and began talking.
"I forgot to introduce myself earlier," Yuan Qiqi said with a smile. "My name is Yuan Qiqi."
Yin Zhang nodded lightly.
"Mhm. Then I'll say it properly—my name is Yin Zhang. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise."
Yuan Qiqi looked him over and asked tentatively,
"You're so handsome. Don't you already have a girlfriend?"
Yin Zhang nodded calmly.
"I do. But she doesn't mind."