"Xie Jun."

The man with a cold temperament and steady gaze approached Lu Yuan and introduced himself.

Lu Yuan nodded slightly, smiling as he responded, "Lu Yuan."

His gaze, however, then slid down to the small, square, silver-grey box Xie Jun was carrying.

Xie Jun noticed Lu Yuan's gaze, glanced at the items Lu Yuan had bought, and said indifferently, "This is a special supply box we customized for this operation. It's much better than the basic resource pack you bought.

In fact..."

Xie Jun paused, as if to explain specifically to Lu Yuan, "Truly top-tier Secret Realm teams never use such resource packs. Each supply item is decided according to the mission plan. This makes it more targeted and avoids occupying space with useless items."

"I see."

Lu Yuan's expression was one of 'realization', as if he had just learned something new.

However, he didn't have any specific plan for entering the Crow God's Secret Realm this time. His approach was to go with the flow and adapt as he went, so the basic resource pack was actually more suitable for him.

Seeing Lu Yuan's humble demeanor, Xie Jun's expression softened slightly before he continued, "Song Cong has informed me about your situation.

After discussing with the other team members, we decided to allow you to join.

However, there are some points to note. Before inviting you to join, we need to make sure you understand them."

Lu Yuan nodded, politely saying, "Please go ahead, Captain Xie."

"First, because you are joining temporarily, we cannot give you a substantial share of the final reward. We can only offer you three percent of the total team earnings at most..."

After stating the first condition, Xie Jun immediately observed Lu Yuan's reaction.

Seeing that Lu Yuan's expression remained unchanged, he was slightly surprised.

This was the condition he felt would be most difficult for Lu Yuan to accept, so he deliberately stated it first. He had expected Lu Yuan to be dissatisfied, but to his surprise, Lu Yuan calmly accepted it.

But on second thought, it made sense. Given Lu Yuan's powerful background—enough for Song Cong to owe him such a significant favor—and his achievement of reaching S-level at seventeen through Pure Martial skills alone, he certainly wasn't lacking in resources. The very point Xie Jun worried most about was likely the least of Lu Yuan's concerns.

Thinking this, Xie Jun relaxed slightly and continued, "

Second, you don't need to do anything during the entire operation. The only thing you need to do is ensure your own safety and try to keep up with our team.

Third, once in the Secret Realm, all your actions must follow my commands. You cannot engage in any personal activities without my permission.

Fourth,...."

Xie Jun detailed each condition, but Lu Yuan's demeanor never wavered.

He just quietly watched him.

Xie Jun, surprised that this 'Crown Prince' with such a strong background was so agreeable, stated his concluding terms while extending the supply box he was holding. "Welcome to our Secret Realm team, Divine Blood."

"No, thank you."

As soon as Xie Jun finished speaking, he saw Lu Yuan gently shake his head in rejection.

His hand holding the box froze in mid-air, and the smile on his face gradually faded, eventually giving way to a calm expression.

"Is there a problem?"

"Too many problems."

Lu Yuan thought for a moment, then said, "There are so many, I wouldn't know where to begin. So..."

He gave Xie Jun a polite smile and said apologetically, "I think it's best I don't join and hold you all back."

Xie Jun's face remained expressionless as he quietly watched Lu Yuan.

"Are you sure?"

Lu Yuan nodded with a slight smile, saying nothing.

Xie Jun fell silent for a moment, the hand offering the supply box slowly retracting. Finally, he said, "In that case, you can explain it to Song yourself."

With that, he nodded at Lu Yuan and turned to leave the management center lobby.

Lu Yuan squinted as he watched Xie Jun depart, a faint sense of regret in his heart.

Originally, considering Zhou Ling and Song Cong's kind intentions, he wasn't averse to teaming up for a dungeon run. But this Xie Jun seemed to regard him as a freeloader aiming to leech off the team. Not only were the profit-sharing terms harsh, but he also laid out a long list of restrictive rules. Lu Yuan worried that once inside the Secret Realm, he might even have to ask for permission just to use the restroom. So... it was better to just forget it.

"True experts always solo dungeons; they don't need teammates, let alone someone to carry them... Well, teammates like Lord Tong are an exception."

Lu Yuan mused idly as he unpacked the resource pack he had just bought in the lobby, checking each item.

Before a sleek, dark-black Fly Shuttle, Xie Jun's four teammates stood at the shuttle hatch, casually chatting as they waited.

Soon, Xie Jun's figure appeared in their field of vision.

The others stopped their conversation and looked at Xie Jun.

Seeing the supply box in his hand and no one behind him, they couldn't help but ask, "Where is he? Why didn't you bring him?"

Xie Jun casually handed the supply box to a nearby robotic butler and replied calmly, "He found our conditions too harsh and refused."

Several of them brightened up, and one even clapped their hands with a laugh.

"It's best if he doesn't come. I really don't want to be looking after some young master in the Secret Realm."

The others also showed expressions of relief and agreement.

Someone couldn't help asking Xie Jun, "Then how will you explain this to Song?"

Xie Jun, unconcerned, replied lightly, "For a newcomer entering a Secret Realm for the first time, the standards I listed were already quite lenient.

If he doesn't accept them, there's nothing I can do.

I'll find another opportunity to repay Song's favor. This time... let's just forget it."

"Smart move, Xie."

Someone gave Xie Jun a thumbs-up with a laugh. "Song Cong actually expected our whole team to act as nannies for the guy.

What a lovely thought. Why didn't he do it himself?

Next time I see him, I'll have to set him straight."

"Exactly," another agreed.

"Alright, everyone, pack up. Let's prepare for departure."

Xie Jun, his captain's solemn authority returning, said in a deep voice, "Now that our last potential problem is gone, everything will proceed according to the original plan.

We've been preparing for this operation for nearly half a year, and many eyes are on us... I don't want to come out of this disgraced."

"Don't worry, Xie!"

Someone laughed heartily, saying, "With our team's setup, apart from the deepest restricted zone, where can't we go in the Lament Ruins?

This time, we'll push the exploration progress to over eighty percent in one go!

We'll make the jaws of those expecting a spectacle drop!"

"Over eighty percent exploration progress... Dream on!"

"Hehe..."

Amidst laughter and conversation, the team's morale gradually soared as they boarded the Fly Shuttle one by one.

Xie Jun stood outside the hatch for a moment and sent a message to Song Cong.

A few seconds later, seeing the other party's communication request, he thought for a moment, then decisively rejected the call before calmly boarding the Fly Shuttle.

At the entrance of the hall, Lu Yuan was patiently explaining to Uranium Light Knife Song Cong, who had called to inquire about the situation.

"...I don't really care about that bit of profit. The main issue is I enjoy wandering around aimlessly when I have nothing to do. The requirements Captain Xie proposed are ones I really can't meet."

Song Cong, on the other end of the communicator, was silent for a long while after listening. He finally sighed softly and said, "In that case, I'll send you some detailed guides for the Lament Ruins. Be careful when you go in. And... under no circumstances should you enter the unexplored red area within the Lament Ruins. A Flying Bear Level expert once perished there; it's absolutely no joke."

"I understand."

Lu Yuan thanked Song Cong.

Shortly after Lu Yuan disconnected the call, Song Cong immediately sent over several files.

He casually flipped through them, discovering that these files indeed contained far more detailed information than what he had found on the Yellow Bear internal forum.

As he was reading, he suddenly received a notification.

Lu Yuan looked up to see a deep blue Fly Shuttle already stopped in front of him.

He snapped his fingers lightly. The personal drone behind him, carrying his resource pack, obediently followed like a pet as he and it boarded the Fly Shuttle.

Lu Yuan spent over an hour on the Fly Shuttle.

He watched as it flew continuously northward, finally stopping in a desolate, uninhabited Gobi desert.

He disembarked from the Fly Shuttle and immediately spotted another of the same model hovering several kilometers away.

Four or five people were disembarking. Leading them were a man and a woman, both wearing Gold Bear specialized combat protective suits.

The others behind them were Crimson Bear Level.

Probably another Secret Realm exploration team.

As Lu Yuan observed them, they also noticed him.

The two groups didn't interact, merely exchanging glances as a silent greeting.

With his drone pet in tow, Lu Yuan followed the Secret Realm's navigational instructions and soon found a faintly glowing fissure in the nearby desert.

It was about a person tall with very narrow edges; it looked like one would have to enter sideways.

Is this the entrance to the Secret Realm?

Lu Yuan's eyes flashed, a keen sense of novelty welling up within him. The entrance to this Secret Realm really did have the feel of a game dungeon.

He moved slightly closer to the entrance and immediately felt a faint suction pulling at his body.

The members of the Secret Realm exploration team, who had arrived around the same time as him, were already walking this way. Lu Yuan didn't hesitate for long and stepped into the luminous fissure.

WHOOSH—

The experience of passing through the Secret Realm entrance was quite peculiar.

It was somewhat like the sensation of instantly transitioning from being above water to underwater.

Before Lu Yuan could fully savor it, an entirely different world had already appeared before him.

The sky above was a dreary expanse of gray, a muddled swirl of black, gray, and red that created an incredibly turbid and oppressive atmosphere.

Neither sun nor moon was visible.

Lu Yuan gently tapped his earlobe. A light screen materialized on his retinal display, showing the time as 10:23 A.M.

Apart from the extremely weak communication signal, all other functions were normal.

Before entering the Secret Realm, Lu Yuan had learned that most Evil God Secret Realms possessed intense Evil Energy Fluctuations, frequently causing loss of contact with the outside world.

Special items existed that could temporarily establish external contact, but Lu Yuan hadn't purchased any this time.

Lu Yuan relaxed his body, taking in the environment of this Secret Realm.

A faint scent of decay hung in the air, but the auxiliary optical computer indicated the air composition was good and posed no threat to the human body.

Gravity was approximately 1.89 times that of the outside world.

For Lu Yuan, who usually 'bathed' in a 170-times normal gravity environment, this difference was utterly negligible.

Beyond that...

"Death Qi, vast amounts of Death Qi!"

Lu Yuan took a deep breath, his mist-like Spiritual Power spreading outwards. He could clearly perceive...

In this environment, countless wispy, black strands of Death Qi eddied and drifted about like smoke. Moreover, an incredibly faint consciousness seemed to lurk in the unseen depths, continuously calling out to him. This consciousness made his Lv8 Circulation of Death Qi stir restlessly, and even his Death Teller (Extraordinary) panel began to emit a soft glow.

HUUFF—

Lu Yuan exhaled a turbid breath and opened his eyes.

He gazed towards the source of the consciousness, observing quietly for a moment before retracting his gaze.

Never mind.

He shook his head and muttered to himself, "Find a place with many Divine Servants and Divine Envoys of the Crow God, and first, grind to my heart's content!"

He had entered this Secret Realm specifically to upgrade his Death Teller (Extraordinary) panel. Naturally, he would head wherever the monsters were most numerous.

With this in mind, Lu Yuan opened the Secret Realm map and began to examine it carefully.

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