"Stop with the poetry!"
Seeing everyone's lack of seriousness, Wang Ba slammed the table, "Quick, think of a way, what should we do now?"
Hu Dali said, "Old Wang, calm down."
"Calm down! How do you expect me to calm down!"
Zhao Wuji pressed his shoulder: "I can arrange something."
"Arrange? Do you perhaps know some bigwig who can provide useful information?" Wang Ba seemed to grab onto a lifeline.
Zhao Wuji shook his head: "No, I can just reserve an empty bed in the hospital. If we lose consciousness, maybe we can save ourselves."
Wu Sun laughed foolishly: "Hey, Leader Zhao, even if we fail, if we can retain consciousness, it means we passed, right?"
"What kind of Secret Realm Ah Q are you!"
Wang Ba felt like everyone was acting out of sorts. He turned to Li Rui: "What do you think?"
"Me?"
Li Rui came back to his senses, "I hope the hospital bed that Leader Zhao reserves has a pretty nurse."
Wang Ba felt completely numb, as if he was the only one actively trying to come up with a solution in the whole world.
At this moment, Wen Yan, frowning, spoke, "Xiaorui, how can you think like that!"
Exactly, thinking about a pretty nurse at a time like this!
Brother Ba was screaming internally, feeling he found a kindred spirit.
"I have studied nursing too; am I not as pretty as those other nurse sisters!"
Is the focus really about who's prettier!!! Wang Ba felt like he was the only normal person.
...
Day by day passed, and Li Rui attended training at Guotong Mansion every night. Now, less than twenty-four hours remained until entering the Demon Wind Temple dungeon.
"Got it! Got it!"
Wen Yan, wearing a floral mid-length dress and flip-flops, clattered in, "I heard it from the Profound Spirit Association; eight years ago, someone entered the Demon Wind Temple Secret Realm! Previously, when seeking advice, that team was handling present-folding, so they didn't get our request for help."
Wang Ba, Wu Bing, and Wu Sun all gathered around.
"So? Did you get any useful information?"
Wen Yan seemed to have jogged up the stairs, taking several gulps of water before continuing: "It's a survival-type dungeon."
Survival dungeons, the main task is to stay in a designated area long enough. The only goal is to ensure your survival, no puzzles to solve, no monsters to fight.
This also means the environment in the dungeon is usually very hazardous.
"Anything else?"
Wang Ba asked, "What is it like in there, is it survival by combat or by environment?"
Wen Yan subconsciously rubbed the glass of cold water: "I don't know. That four-person team only lasted five minutes inside, I mean five minutes in dungeon time, then they were wiped out."
She forced a smile: "At least their souls remained intact, so maybe Xiaorui won't have an issue."
No.
Li Rui thought to himself, if the soul's survival depends on luck, I'll most likely be in trouble.
...
Baili Association Donglin Province Chapter.
Wu Mengying sat on the couch in the reception room, opening a PDF file on her phone, information sent to her by Wang Ba.
"Xiaowu, why the serious face?"
An older man sitting across from her chuckled and asked; there were several people in the room, about the same age as Wu Mengying, except for the one occupying the main seat, who was the provincial head for Baili Association, a 75-level high-ranking Secret Realm agent, the pinnacle of power and status among those present.
Wu Mengying shook her head slightly, "Chairman Song, are you aware of what happened with Li Rui a few days ago?"
"Heheh, you mean the kid who beat up the puppet? I know, I even wrote a poem for him."
The old man named Song looked relaxed, like a worldly sage, but thinking of that poem, others' expressions turned a bit weird.
Wu Mengying said, "The Demon Wind Temple is a ten-star dungeon. Earlier, someone in our organization sought out information from the Profound Spirit Association, and it's said this dungeon is perilous."
Chairman Song sighed: "I discussed with several vice chairmen, this dungeon's difficulty is immense, a 1-5 level dungeon mostly entered by newcomers with little experience."
He scanned everyone present with his eyes: "Previously, in the four major organizations, barely anyone drew this dungeon, so it went unnoticed. We can use this Li Rui as a point of observation to give us a heads-up. But Xiaowu, I advise you to be prepared to let go."
Wu Mengying hesitated but eventually said: "I want to use the Spirit Embrace Branch to help stabilize his soul."
"Sister Wu, is it worth it? He's just a newcomer, and the Spirit Embrace Branch is a Legendary level material," someone next to her questioned.
Everyone here was a person of authority, they considered only gains and losses.
Wu Mengying said: "There's something different about that kid; I don't know why, but I have a feeling he'll turn out extraordinary."
Most wouldn't take the intuition of non-prophetic professions seriously, voicing their objections, with the core thought being to follow destiny.
Some supported her, thinking it's just a material, although precious, not a loss they couldn't bear, and it was worth a gamble.
Throughout the process, Chairman Song remained noncommittal; when the debate grew heated, he stepped in to halt it.
"Alright, Xiaowu will decide on Huangliang Chapter's matters, everyone else should mind their own affairs. That topic stops here, now report your discussions on the significant rise in present-realm overlaps."
Compared to this, the provincial head of Donglin Province had much more to worry about—a newcomer, especially one likely to stumble at the first dungeon, wouldn't occupy much of his thoughts.
Unless that spirited young fool could bring him a tiny bit of astonishment.
...
Ten minutes remained until Li Rui entered the Demon Wind Temple. Wang Ba and the others stood nervously around the chair.
Today, even the heads of previous trainings had shown up.
Originally, they didn't have much expectation for this newcomer. Only Wang Ba, through persistent persuasion, managed to get them to spare some time to teach him their experiences.
However, having taught him, a bond was formed; naturally, these training heads hoped the person they guided would clear this ten-star dungeon.
"Remember what I said!"
Hu Dali said robustly, "Don't fear high-star dungeons. Limit Black Star numbers, think more, trigger as few random and hidden events as possible, completing the main line is the goal, got it?"
Li Rui, lying on the chair, saluted: "Understood, sir!"
The two shared some tacit understanding, exchanging a smile.
Soon, the timer on the imprint reached its end; Li Rui felt that familiar drowsiness, and under everyone's gaze, he entered his first official dungeon.
Ten-star, Demon Wind Temple.