Taking the same style of clothing as the White-ranked fighters from the Battle Hall, along with the mask, Xu Yuan examined them briefly.
He discovered that these clothes and the mask were infused with many special materials, containing intricate formation patterns within.
Finding a spot to change, he put on the outfit and white mask, then made his way to the Battle Hall's main hall.
It wasn't long before everyone gathered.
In total, there were thirty people.
Aside from the thirty White-ranked fighters wearing white masks like Xu Yuan, there was also one Black-ranked fighter wearing a black mask.
"I am Black One, the leader for this mission. I will now brief you on the details." The voice of Black One was deep, and his stern gaze swept across the group.
Xu Yuan subtly sensed that the man was at least a Soul Douluo, but due to the disguising effects of the mask and outfit, it was possible his true soul power level might even be that of a Title Douluo.
Black One spoke in a low tone: "Some of you may have heard legends about the Dragon Valley, but you don't know the specifics. Let me make this clear—whatever you see or obtain inside the Dragon Valley must not be disclosed to outsiders. If you do, at best, all your gains will be confiscated; at worst, you'll be expelled from the sect!"
The corner of Xu Yuan's mouth twitched beneath his mask.
Give me a harsher punishment already!
"This mission is called a survival task. You need to survive in the Dragon Valley for an adequate amount of time to complete the mission. Your reward will be whatever you gain within the valley. Let me emphasize: the longer you stay in the Dragon Valley, the greater the benefits. However, if you leave too early, there won't be any punishment, but you'll miss the only chance in your lifetime to reap the rewards of the Dragon Valley."
Black One's words were somewhat vague, but he repeatedly emphasized the key point: survival duration.
For members of the Battle Hall who had channels to gather information about the Dragon Valley, this was probably redundant.
Clearly, Black One was explaining this specifically for Tang Wulin.
As Black One finished speaking, the other White-ranked fighters visibly grew excited.
"You should also note that your martial souls will be temporarily sealed by the rules of the Dragon Valley. Only those whose cultivation surpasses five rings can use their martial souls, but doing so will result in immediate expulsion from the valley."
"..."
Black One continued with more details, but none of his words touched on the specific opportunities within the Dragon Valley.
Xu Yuan sighed internally.
This is the information gap?
Dai Yun'er knows everything about the dragon souls and dragon clouds, while Tang Wulin has to figure it out on his own.
Even if someone else, not Tang Wulin but another genius without connections, entered the Dragon Valley, they'd likely face the same situation.
As for the Tang Sect's rules about relying on luck and strength—it's all nonsense.
Without being able to use soul power, and without prior knowledge or training, entering the Dragon Valley and figuring things out step by step would lead to extremely few lucky breakthroughs.
After silently criticizing the Tang Sect's system, Xu Yuan finally waited for Black One to finish going over the details.
"Shortly, I'll distribute a Dragon Pearl to each of you. Keep it close to your body and connect with it using your spiritual power. If you sense your life is in danger, stimulate the pearl with your spiritual power, and you'll be teleported out of the Dragon Valley. If your vital signs weaken to a certain degree, the pearl will automatically activate and transport you out."
Xu Yuan's mind stirred.
This must be the result of the Tang Sect's sealing techniques.
He didn't believe that some soul masters below the rank of Soul King could create something like the Dragon Pearl after entering the Dragon Valley.
It was likely created by powerful individuals who sealed their soul power and explored the valley.
Moreover, these so-called "powerful individuals" were likely at the Limit Douluo level. The value of the Dragon Valley justified sending in someone of that caliber to investigate.
Xu Yuan estimated that the Tang Sect had definitely sent people into the Dragon Graveyard within the valley, attempting to retrieve soul bones.
It was unclear how many they managed to bring out or what exactly they obtained.
"Let's move out!"
Black One led the thirty people onto a soul-guided bus. On the bus, Black One distributed the Dragon Pearls, which were numbered. Naturally, Xu Yuan received the number six.
Holding the Dragon Pearl, Xu Yuan connected with it using his spiritual power and carefully examined its principles.
"Alright, the Dragon Pearls and numbers have been distributed. No communication is allowed during the journey. The person sitting next to you will be your partner. Once inside the Dragon Valley, you'll work in pairs, supporting and looking out for each other."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan glanced at the person seated beside him—a petite White-ranked fighter.
The Battle Hall masks were highly effective at concealing identity, not just faces but even eye expressions. Voices were altered by the masks as well. Despite this, Xu Yuan deduced the identity of the person next to him based on their build and subtle mannerisms.
White Seven—Dai Yun'er.
So this is how the Tang Sect arranged things...
Is Dai Yun'er opening up her connections?
Well, this is the Star Luo Continent. As the little princess, with her exceptional talent, it's only natural for the Tang Sect to assign her a strong partner.
As Xu Yuan looked at Dai Yun'er, she turned to look at him as well.
Dai Yun'er let out a soft snort.
She clearly knew who Xu Yuan was.
The Battle Hall fighters wore masks to conceal their identities, but Xu Yuan was an outsider, so whether his identity was concealed or not didn't matter much.
Of course, the Tang Sect hadn't publicized his identity. Aside from Dai Yun'er, who had special channels to learn about Xu Yuan, no one else knew his true identity—or that someone outside the Tang Sect was impersonating a Battle Hall fighter to enter the Dragon Valley.
They traveled on the soul-guided bus until late at night when the bus exited the highway and wound through narrow roads. After several twists and turns, they entered a small town and stopped in front of a three-story building.
Everywhere in the town bore the Tang Sect's insignia, clearly indicating that the entire town belonged to them.
From the moment they entered the town, Xu Yuan sensed unusual spatial fluctuations.
"What unique spatial fluctuations... Is this the fluctuation of a spatial node connecting to a small world?"
If the occasion were appropriate, Xu Yuan would have drawn his spear and thrust it outward already.
He wanted to test whether his Void Piercing Spear Intent could pierce this space and open a passage into the Dragon Valley.
"Rest early. We'll gather at mid-morning tomorrow. You can buy necessary supplies in the town. Departure will be after noon."
"Yes!" The White-ranked fighters responded in unison before disembarking.
BANG!
The sound of a door being kicked open echoed through the hotel hallway.
Xu Yuan forcefully kicked open the door and strode in confidently.
White Seven, aka Dai Yun'er, had entered the hotel first, taken the key, and shut the door, claiming something about avoiding inappropriate contact between men and women.
Without hesitation, Xu Yuan kicked the door down.
Doors along the hallway quietly opened, revealing heads wearing white masks, all turning to look at Xu Yuan.
Tsk!
"What are you doing?!" Dai Yun'er shrieked.
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