After the individual tournament finals, the three-day break passed in the blink of an eye, and the finals of the doubles tournament and the group stages of the team tournament arrived in quick succession.
First, let's talk about the doubles tournament. Gu Yuena and Na'er's team, Wu and Xu Xiaoyan's team, and Mo Hentian and Ye Xinglan's team all advanced to the top 32. Among the three teams from Monster Academy, Long Yue and Dai Yun'er's team had to withdraw due to Long Yue's severe injuries, so they were temporarily replaced by Wind King Lin San. Dai Yueyan and Su Mu's team withdrew because Dai Yueyan couldn't participate, while Hua Lantang and Ye Zhi's team didn't even make it to the finals.
To preserve the dignity of the Star Luo Empire and Monster Academy, the tournament organizers once again resorted to underhanded tactics, placing the three teams from Shrek Academy in the upper bracket and the lone remaining team from Monster Academy in the lower bracket. This ensured that Monster Academy would at least secure a runner-up position.
After several rounds of matches, Lin San and Dai Yun'er's team indeed made it to the finals, where they faced Wu and Xu Xiaoyan's team.
Despite the organizers' shameless manipulations, which forced the three Shrek teams to face each other twice in internal matches, Wu and Xu Xiaoyan's team—the one Star Luo officials least wanted to see succeed—still managed to reach the finals.
In the doubles finals, Xu Xiaoyan didn't even take the stage. Though Lin San and Dai Yun'er summoned their battle armor at the start of the match, they were still humiliatingly defeated by Wu's Nether White Tiger.
Wu and Xu Xiaoyan's team successfully claimed the doubles championship, thoroughly embarrassing the Star Luo royal family.
The team tournament that followed was even easier. With Monster Academy's team missing two key players—Long Yue and Dai Yueyan—and unable to field a full roster, they withdrew outright.
Led by Jing Shaoyu, Shrek Academy's team effortlessly secured the team tournament championship.
Thus, Jing Shaoyu and his companions swept all three major championships of this year's Continental Advanced Soul Master Youth Elite Tournament.
The fact that the most prestigious titles were all claimed by outsiders sent public opinion in Star Luo City into an uproar. But none of that concerned Jing Shaoyu. With the tournament concluded, it was time for him to prepare for his journey to Dragon Valley.
Several days after the tournament ended.
"Go and get ready. The Tang Sect will come to pick you up soon," Cai Yue'er said to Jing Shaoyu.
"Understood." Jing Shaoyu nodded, grasping her meaning, then went to gather the girls and inform them of the news.
In Jing Shaoyu's room, he looked at the assembled girls.
"Everyone, I may have to part ways with you for a while," Jing Shaoyu said, his expression somber.
"Part ways? Why?" The girls were stunned, and Na'er immediately clung to his arm.
"Big Brother, where are you going? Na'er wants to come with you!" she declared firmly.
"Yeah, me too! I'm coming as well!" Xu Xiaoyan chimed in.
Jing Shaoyu sighed helplessly and patted Na'er's head. "Be good, don't be stubborn. I'd love to take you all with me, but this is a Tang Sect mission. I can't just bring extra people along!"
"The Tang Sect?" Gu Yue exclaimed in surprise. "How is the Tang Sect involved? You haven't even joined them, have you?"
"Exactly, Brother Xiaoyu, what's going on here?" Xu Xiaoyan also asked curiously, looking puzzled.
Wu Siduo and Mo Hentian craned their necks to stare at him, while Ye Xinglan wore a thoughtful expression.
"I can only say this was requested by my teacher. I don't know the specifics, just that it's a secret realm exploration mission," Jing Shaoyu shook his head helplessly.
"Teacher?!" Gu Yue and Na'er exclaimed simultaneously.
"It was the request of the Sea God Pavilion's master, saying it was to increase my interaction with the Tang Sect," Jing Shaoyu explained. "Moreover, the invitation was personally delivered by the Tang Sect's Battle Hall master. I couldn't refuse."
"Ah, this!" The group exchanged bewildered glances.
"Alright then," Na'er said dejectedly, "Brother, how long will you be gone? When will you return? Will you still come home with us?"
"No more than three months," Jing Shaoyu reassured her. "Don't worry, I won't miss our trip home together."
"That's good!" Na'er visibly brightened.
"Sigh! So that means there'll only be six of us left. Without Brother Xiaoyu around, it'll be so boring!" Xu Xiaoyan lamented.
"Ahem!" At that moment, Ye Xinglan suddenly coughed, drawing everyone's attention.
Wu Siduo asked, "Xinglan, why are you coughing?"
"Not six—five!" Ye Xinglan revealed a pleased smile. "If I'm not mistaken, the mission Shaoyu mentioned is the same one I received from the Tang Sect's Battle Hall."
"What?!" The group gasped in surprise. Xu Xiaoyan quickly pressed, "Since when? Xinglan, you've been hiding this so well!"
"Hiding? I only got the news the day before yesterday!" Ye Xinglan rolled her eyes. "I wasn't even a Battle Hall warrior before this. I was only promoted as an exception before leaving Douluo."
"If that's the case, then it's not bad!" Jing Shaoyu understood now and smiled. "Seems like Xinglan will become the Tang Sect's leader in the future."
"Ah, I suddenly regret not joining the Tang Sect!" Xu Xiaoyan wailed in frustration.
"Joining the Tang Sect wouldn't have helped. Both Xiao Mo and I are members, and we're in the same boat as you," Wu Siduo and Mo Hentian exchanged a bitter smile.
"Alright, don't be like this. It's just an unimportant mission. I'll take good care of Shaoyu for you," Ye Xinglan said with a smug grin, clearly enjoying her advantage.
The other girls glared at her with envy and resentment, their hearts unbalanced at the thought of Ye Xinglan monopolizing Jing Shaoyu for the next few months.
"Don't be like this," Jing Shaoyu said with a helpless smile. "After I leave, Gu Yue will be the team leader. Listen to her, understand? Once Xinglan and I complete the mission, we'll regroup with you."
The girls wanted to say more, but Cai Yue'er and Wu Zhangkong's arrival interrupted them.
"Finished your discussion? Let's go. The Tang Sect representatives are already here," Cai Yue'er said impassively.
"Jing Shaoyu, Ye Xinglan, take these communicators. Contact us once your mission is complete," Wu Zhangkong handed them two devices and instructed.
"Alright, Teacher Wu." The two of them simultaneously took the communicators and replied.
"Gu Yue, Na'er, Xiaoyan, Duoduo, Xiao Mo, Xinglan and I will head out first." Jing Shaoyu waved at the reluctant group of girls before leaving the room with Ye Xinglan, following Cai Yue'er.
The girls watched his departing figure with eyes full of reluctance.
Both sides thought this was merely a brief farewell, but little did they know that when they met again, the circumstances would be entirely different.
Outside the Star Luo Grand Hotel, a black sedan belonging to the Tang Sect was parked by the roadside. Cai Yue'er escorted Jing Shaoyu and Ye Xinglan to the entrance before stopping.
"Go ahead." Without hesitation, Jing Shaoyu and Ye Xinglan walked straight to the black sedan, opened the door, and got in.
"Hello, I'm the person in charge of this Dragon Valley operation. You can call me Black One." Before the two could even settle into their seats, the car started moving. A man wearing a black mask in the front passenger seat turned to look at them.
Judging by his voice, the man codenamed Black One was likely middle-aged.
"Hello," Jing Shaoyu responded calmly, while Ye Xinglan had already instinctively put on a white mask.
"Here, make sure to wear this." Black One handed over a golden mask and said, "From now on, your codename is Gold Two."
Jing Shaoyu took the golden mask and noticed its material resembled the golden Soul Fighting Token in his hand. A thought struck him, and upon hearing his codename was Gold Two, he instinctively asked, "Why not Gold One?"
"...Gold One is in the Sea God Pavilion." Jing Shaoyu could clearly sense Black One's exasperation—his question had indeed been rather thoughtless.
"Black One, what's my codename?" Ye Xinglan quickly asked.
"White Nine," Black One replied before falling silent.
Jing Shaoyu and Ye Xinglan exchanged a glance and politely refrained from further questions.
Before long, the two followed Black One to the Soul Fighting Hall in the Tang Sect's Star Luo City headquarters, where they met the other twenty-eight participants of the mission.
They took their places at the end of the line while Black One strode to the front and began detailing the mission.
Black One raised his hand, and a white glow enveloped the Soul Fighting Hall. He then clapped his hands, pulling the attention of all the White-level Soul Fighters away from Jing Shaoyu. His golden mask was quite intimidating.
In the Soul Fighting Hall, masks represented one's rank and strength—white masks for White-level Soul Fighters, yellow masks for Yellow-level. But a golden mask like Jing Shaoyu's? This was their first time seeing one.
What kind of Soul Fighter wore a golden mask? A Gold-level Soul Fighter? They'd never heard of such a thing!
Whispers spread through the crowd.
"Silence!" Black One's voice was stern as his gaze swept over them. Everyone instinctively straightened their posture.
"Now that everyone is here, I'll explain the specifics of this mission," Black One said. "Many of you have likely heard the legends about Dragon Valley, but only in passing, without knowing the full details, correct?
So, let me give you a basic overview of Dragon Valley."
But before that, there are some prerequisites that must be clarified. No matter what you see or obtain during this mission, you are absolutely forbidden to disclose it to outsiders! Otherwise, the lightest punishment will be the confiscation of all gains, and the most severe will be expulsion from the sect!"
Such a murderously stern statement made all the White-level fighters tense up, instinctively nodding in agreement—except for Jing Shaoyu, who remained completely unfazed.
What a joke. He wasn't even a member of the Tang Sect—why would he fear the punishment of expulsion?
Hei Yi spoke again: "Next, I'll briefly introduce the Dragon Valley and the details of your mission.
This mission is called a survival mission. As the name suggests, you must survive inside the Dragon Valley for a sufficient amount of time to complete it.
The reward for the mission is whatever you gain within the Dragon Valley. I can only tell you this: the longer you survive inside, the greater the benefits you'll obtain.
If your stay is too short and you fail the mission, there will be no punishment—except that you'll waste the only chance in your lifetime to enter the Dragon Valley."
Hei Yi's words were somewhat ambiguous, but Jing Shaoyu could clearly sense that, aside from Ye Xinglan, the other White-level fighters around him were growing visibly excited.
"Shaoyu… I mean, Jin Er, what exactly is the Dragon Valley? Why are they all so excited?" Ye Xinglan whispered into Jing Shaoyu's ear.
"A minor plane attached to the Douluo World," Jing Shaoyu explained in terms Ye Xinglan could understand.
At that moment, Hei Yi spoke again.
"One thing you must be aware of is that while inside the Dragon Valley, your Martial Souls will be affected by its laws—they will be temporarily sealed. Only if your cultivation breaks through to a certain level can you unlock this seal.
However, doing so will make you feel the rejection of the Dragon Valley's laws, forcibly ejecting you from it. This is also why we only send White-level fighters into the Dragon Valley.
White-level fighters are generally weaker—though it may sound harsh, it's the truth.
As for what exactly lies within the Dragon Valley and what you can obtain, I can't elaborate further due to the Tang Sect's rules. How much you gain depends entirely on your strength and luck.
One last reminder: try to prolong your stay inside as much as possible—your possibilities are limitless! However, if the attacks you endure exceed your limits, you'll be forcibly ejected, so act within your means!
Later, I'll distribute a Dragon Pearl to each of you. Keep it close to your body and connect it with your spiritual power. If you sense a life-threatening danger, stimulating it with your spiritual power will immediately teleport you out of the Dragon Valley.
Additionally, if your vital signs weaken beyond a certain point, the Dragon Pearl will automatically eject you.
That's all. Let's move out!"
Jing Shaoyu and Ye Xinglan followed the others out of the Battle Soul Hall and were ushered by Hei Yi onto a soul-powered bus—a vehicle designed to carry fifty passengers, so thirty people had more than enough space.
On the bus, Hei Yi distributed the Dragon Pearls and mission codenames. Jing Shaoyu and Ye Xinglan were assigned the codenames Jin Er and Bai Jiu, respectively.
The two sat together, whispering quietly to each other.
"Alright, the Dragon Pearls and numbers have been distributed. Let's move out! No talking is allowed on the way. The person sitting next to you will be your teammate for this mission."
"Once inside Dragon Valley, you must work in pairs, cooperating and supporting each other!"
Hei Yi said sternly, and the hushed whispers inside the bus immediately ceased.
Jing Shaoyu and Ye Xinglan exchanged glances, seeing reassurance and smiles in each other's eyes. Since they were paired together, what was there to worry about?
The two then settled down, closing their eyes to rest.
What would they encounter on this journey to Dragon Valley? They would probably see Gu Yue, but without Tang Wulin present, would she be able to achieve her goal and obtain the Dragon God's legacy?
Jing Shaoyu pondered silently, feeling both anticipation and unease.
He could only hope he wouldn't be forcibly left behind by Gu Yue to bury dragons in the Dragon Tomb!
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