Lin Bai withdrew his gaze and discreetly retrieved the Ruyi Qiankun Spear.
In reality, no matter how much he wanted to keep a low profile, he couldn't.
During his second period of enlightenment, some Soul Masters tried to take advantage of the situation to launch a sneak attack, but attempting to ambush a Spiritual Master was simply wishful thinking. His mental warning instinctively marked any approaching malicious targets and eliminated them.
At this moment, there were five or six corpses lying around Lin Bai, their blood flowing to his feet, staining the soles of his shoes red and sticky—a sight that would terrify even the most timid.
He frowned, gently stepped over the blood puddle, wiped the blood off his hands in the dirt, deactivated his Light and Dark Demon Body skill, and asked, "It's over. Have they decided what to do next?"
This was the first time Flander had seen Lin Bai use his full strength, and he was genuinely amazed. To be able to survive unscathed in a melee between Soul Masters of the fifth ring and above while multitasking was truly remarkable. Some of their attacks seemed quite threatening to him; he was truly a formidable young man.
"They're still talking in the sky. They'll probably come up with a solution soon, but we'll likely be in a rather awkward situation then,"
Flander said frankly. Without a Title Douluo as a backer, not killing them was already the best outcome.
Lin Bai nodded, equally helpless. Even if he found the answer now, he couldn't prevent the Title Douluos from exploring the dungeon. Using his divine spark to go back in time wouldn't help. As long as the dungeon wasn't closed, nothing he did could stop the adventurers from entering.
"Lin Bai, to be honest, why is your head a dragon head? It looks so majestic. Ours are either chicken heads or monkey heads, which are kind of funny and ugly,"
Ma Hongjun tilted his head, looking Lin Bai up and down, somewhat indignant. He also had a Phoenix Martial Soul, yet even the dungeon seemed to favor him.
"Uh..."
Lin Bai was taken aback, not expecting Ma Hongjun to focus on this. He shook his head. "This has nothing to do with me. It's caused by the dungeon. From my observation, the type of transformed beastmen is related to their Martial Soul."
"Alright, my Martial Soul is clearly a Fire Phoenix,"
Ma Hongjun emphasized again.
Oscar was already used to this; he was the most frustrated one. Ma Hongjun's red bird head had a certain dashing air, while his chicken head was utterly rustic, making him look like a complete country bumpkin.
While they chatted, the battle in the sky ended. Sword Douluo, along with Blazing Sun Douluo, finally reached a conclusion with Chrysanthemum Douluo, representing the Spirit Hall.
They descended twenty meters into the air, spotless and serious. Chrysanthemum Douluo, who frequently handled such matters, spoke first.
"This instance will be led by the Spirit Hall, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, and Clear Sky School in developing the strategy. The rest can search for clues, but they must share them with us, or they will bear the consequences."
Without beating around the bush, the strong had the right to be blunt. Chrysanthemum Douluo, though not outwardly masculine, was actually high above, looking down at all the Soul Masters below, directly stating the decision of the three major forces.
Each instance represented enormous profits; even if they wanted to win people over, they wouldn't gamble with the completion rewards.
The Shrek Academy members all looked grim, but they could only swallow their anger, heads bowed, not daring to utter a sound. The combined might of the four Title Douluos was enough to make most of the Soul Masters lose their will to fight and become unsteady on their feet, let alone compete for the rewards.
Offering a carrot and stick, Yue Guan's expression softened, and he said, "As a clue to sharing the rewards, once someone of ours clears the level, we will tell you how to do it, allowing you to break the beast transformation curse and obtain a share of the reward."
Upon hearing this, the resistance of many adventurers immediately subsided. They already had little chance of being the first to clear the dungeon, and this meant that aside from sharing their discovered clues, they could practically complete it effortlessly.
"However!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo's tone shifted: "No one is allowed to slack off or be lazy, or don't blame us for being impolite. Furthermore, those who provide key clues for clearing the dungeon will receive some compensation from us, and we will also provide guidance on martial soul cultivation."
The adventurers who had been hoping for a lucky break immediately became serious and abandoned their thoughts of reaping the benefits without effort.
Some, however, had their eyes light up. They figured they wouldn't be able to keep the rewards after clearing the dungeon anyway, so they might as well exchange them for the compensation and guidance from a Title Douluo.
Lin Bai gritted his teeth inwardly. Wasn't this just making them work without pay, risking their lives at any moment, and all they got in return was a guaranteed reward? He couldn't stand it.
However, he didn't lash out. Instead, he genuinely hoped that under the supervision of the Title Douluo, they could clear the dungeon faster.
Within a day, he could turn back time and choose a safe time to clear the dungeon, and the Title Douluo couldn't do anything to him.
After making their decision, the four Title Douluos returned to their respective groups. Lin Bai secretly regretted that he couldn't reveal the existence of the Star Titan; otherwise, he would have loved to watch them fight to the death.
"Let's go try the method we came up with earlier."
Flander exhaled a sigh of relief, shook his head, and smiled bitterly. He had always known the principle of the strong ruling the weak, so he wasn't discouraged. Looking at the dejected students, he thought for a moment and said,
"Don't be discouraged. With your talent, you all have the opportunity to become Title Douluos in the future. The battles between the academy and the Soul Arena are ultimately just sparring. Once you leave the academy, you will eventually realize the true nature of the world where the weak are prey to the strong."
"Flander is right. You don't need to be too discouraged. Youth is your greatest talent. Don't be fooled by the large number of people in this dungeon. In fact, other dungeons have shorter opening times and don't cause much of a stir. Many dungeons are cleared by people outside of Soul Master factions,"
Yu Xiaogang said, sharing his data collection results on the dungeon.
"Although the sample size is small due to the short timeframe, I'm certain that the members of large, organized groups are ultimately a minority. Dungeon openings are random, and most rewards will fall into the hands of smaller factions and ordinary Soul Masters. This is one of the key reasons why several Title Douluos value this dungeon."
Yu Xiaogang's prediction was indeed encouraging. Although those dungeons that were cleared had nothing to do with them, it was still better than having them taken by the Spirit Hall and the Three Upper Sects. Dai Mubai's expression, however, became
even more grim. The Star Luo Empire had a large population and its national strength surpassed that of the Heaven Dou Empire. The chances of encountering a dungeon by chance were high; perhaps a new Title Douluo would emerge. His decision to escape seemed to have been a mistake.
No.
Dai Mubai quickly shook his head. If he hadn't come to Shrek Academy and encountered Oscar, he wouldn't even have had the chance to obtain a hidden profession. Besides, what's done is done; it's best not to overthink it.
He walked at the front of the group, his eyes flickering as he looked at Lin Bai, who remained composed. If he couldn't defeat Davis himself, finding a few companions with the potential to become Title Douluos and getting the elders to acknowledge his existence was also a viable solution.