Flander stood up, took out spare clothes, and changed. It was just dawn, and the air was thick with condensation, forming a thin fog that enveloped the plateau.
"The main quest isn't urgent. We need to find a way to stay awake at night; that might be the key to breaking the curse."
Flander looked at Lin Bai, wanting his opinion.
Lin Bai pondered for a moment and said, "The tribes on the plateau are scattered; searching would be a waste of time. Perhaps we should find an orc to guide us."
"Good idea, let's do that. Let's eat something first, then we'll set off to find the orc tribe."
Flander rubbed his stomach, feeling incredibly hungry.
Lin Bai felt the same way. It seemed the beastification curse also increased appetite; perhaps the curse was still absorbing the energy of the cursed.
The two dried the moss on the ground, sat down, and discussed how to clear the dungeon while eating.
They ate quickly, but not long after sitting down, a white vortex suddenly appeared in the sky, and hundreds of streaks of light flew out from it, landing at the location where Lin Bai and Flander had entered the dungeon the day before.
Which direction?
Lin Bai's heart tightened. Thinking back to where he woke up yesterday, he muttered, "The dungeon isn't still open, is it? It seems like more people have come."
Flander swallowed his dry rations, his expression serious. "That's probably it. Dungeons usually have very short opening times. If they're really adventurers, the difficulty of clearing it is probably extremely high. Otherwise, there's no need to send in so many adventurers, more than two hundred in total."
Lin Bai agreed with Dean Flander's speculation. His initial joy at completing the mission immediately turned to utter despair.
Lin Bai didn't think that Chen Xin, who was obsessed with swords, had a chance of finding the Astral Titan sealed below, but if a few more Title Douluos came, someone might discover something amiss.
"This is troublesome."
"Yes, troublesome. Let's go see who came."
The two were lamenting completely different things. Lin Bai was speechless for a moment, then said, "Okay, Dean."
Flander was worried that some people from the academy had also entered the dungeon, especially several students. Under the pressure from Lin Bai and the others, their exploration of the dungeon had progressed quite deeply.
Traveling at full speed, the two arrived at the location where they had entered the dungeon. Other Soul Masters from the first day also came to check. The large group of over a hundred adventurers dispersed, wary of each other.
Lin Bai's gaze sharpened as he saw the three at the head of the group. Their auras were as vast as the sea, only slightly weaker than Sword Douluo.
His premonition had come true; three Title Douluos had indeed entered. Two of them were clearly dressed in their robes: one embroidered with golden chrysanthemums, and the other shrouded in black robes—the Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo from the Spirit Hall.
The remaining one was a middle-aged man with a thick beard, wearing a fiery red robe embroidered with a large hammer, glaring angrily at the Spirit Hall group.
A disciple of the Clear Sky Sect ran over, shouting, "Elder Lieyang!"
Lin Bai raised an eyebrow. The Clear Sky Sect was truly unafraid of the Spirit Hall, daring to send Title Douluos to the dungeon alone. Or perhaps they didn't deserve to do so, otherwise they would be abandoned by the new era.
Flander's gaze swept across the crowd, then suddenly his eyes lit up. He saw Yu Xiaogang and several other students; he recognized their clothes, and they were hiding at the back of the group.
"Lin Bai, come with me."
Flander gently pulled Lin Bai, leading him quietly around the tense center to meet Yu Xiaogang and the others.
"Xiaogang, what brings you all here?"
Flander was puzzled. He had to be careful even to help Yu Xiaogang, protecting his brother's pride, let alone having his students accompany an elder to level up. Yu Xiaogang would never do that.
Yu Xiaogang had transformed into a pig-headed man, his brows furrowed—a habitual gesture he made whenever he thought, but now, paired with his long pig snout, he looked incredibly comical.
"The news's spread everywhere. The thirty-eighth floor dungeon opened and didn't close all night. We heard the news and rushed here."
"One night? That much time has passed outside too?"
Flander exclaimed in surprise. Time usually flows faster in dungeons; he hadn't expected this dungeon to have a 1:1 time flow.
"Also? It seems this dungeon is quite complex. We made the right choice coming here."
Yu Xiaogang nodded, glancing at Lin Bai, wondering why he was with Flander.
Flander knew Yu Xiaogang too well; he could tell what Yu Xiaogang was thinking just by looking at his eyes. He explained, "Lin Bai agreed to join Shrek Academy. Hongjun, you two should learn from Lin Bai from now on."
Ma Hongjun, a red-headed chicken-man, tilted his beak as if he were pouting, and said weakly, "I know."
Dai Mubai, of course, was a white-headed tiger-man. He and Oscar, who was also a chicken-man for some reason, exchanged a glance and both felt the pressure. How could such a monstrous talent be interested in their small temple? Were they even left to live?
They had clearly been cultivating very hard, but they still couldn't see any hope of catching up with Lin Bai.
Flander saw what the three were thinking but didn't care. These kids were just too lazy; Lin Bai would be a good spur to them.
Lin Bai suppressed a laugh. After recognizing Yu Xiaogang, he almost burst out laughing, especially when Tang San turned out to be a blue ape-man, which made him unable to hold back his laughter. He felt that this whole instance had become adorable.
Tang San wasn't in a good mood. He didn't care much about his appearance, but that didn't mean his rigid thinking allowed him to accept becoming an ape.
Yu Xiaogang understood Tang San well and knew his feelings; he himself wasn't happy either. A pig-headed man was worse than a monkey-headed man.
"Brother Flander, you've been here all day, have you found any clues to clear the dungeon?"
Flander's smile immediately froze, replaced by an awkward laugh. "We entered the dungeon just before dark, then lost consciousness, and haven't found any clues yet."
"However, Lin Bai and I are planning to find a guide and explore the depths of the plateau. You've come at just the right time."
"No rush."
Yu Xiaogang shook his head, gesturing slightly to the three people facing off ahead. "Even if we find clues, we might not be able to keep them. Let's see how they decide the outcome first, otherwise, if we get caught in the aftermath of a battle between Title Douluos, we could easily lose our lives."
Flander and Yu Xiaogang had both witnessed the strength of Title Douluos and didn't believe they could escape. Even if they managed to clear the dungeon, they might face repercussions from the Title Douluos afterward.
Flander was somewhat frustrated. This was the principle of "the strong are respected" in the Douluo Continent. They clearly had a chance to clear the level and obtain the rewards, but they dared not act because they were afraid of the Title Douluo.
"Then we might as well just wait for them to clear the level. How can we compete with Title Douluos for the rewards?"
Flander sighed.
Yu Xiaogang's expression remained unchanged, showing no sign of dejection. He glanced at Tang San. If they were truly in dire straits, with Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer martial soul as proof, at least their lives could be saved.
(End of Chapter)