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Faced with the thunderous praise of countless people, Ye Lan pressed his hands down, signaling for silence. Only then did the cheers finally subside.
"Senior Di Tian, please continue," Ye Lan said.
Di Tian nodded and spoke solemnly, "Ye Lan's method for clearing the Abyss Dungeons is simple: kill every single Abyssal creature at the exact same time!!"
"What?! Is that even something a human can achieve?!"
"Could it be... has the Hall Master truly become a God?!" Feng Xiaotian asked, his voice shaking with shock.
"How is that possible? If my idol had become a God, he would have sunk the entire Abyssal Plane long ago!" Huo Wu retorted instantly.
"That makes sense. I don't see any divine phenomena surrounding the Hall Master; he likely hasn't ascended yet," Osler analyzed, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"At this point, I'd believe anything that happens to Captain Ye," Yu Feng added.
Yu Tianheng sighed helplessly. "Sigh, the gap just keeps widening. I'm just glad I had the chance to spar with him back then; otherwise, I wouldn't even be qualified to stand on the same stage as him now."
The titled knights weren't the only ones stunned; many Titled Elders felt the same. Dugu Bo burst into a loud laugh. "Hahaha! That's my grandson-in-law for you!! Look at how well-matched he and my Yanyan are!"
Yue Guan couldn't help but roll his eyes, wishing he could spontaneously produce a granddaughter of his own on the spot.
Once the commotion died down, Qian Daoliu inquired, "Brother Di, even if we know the method to clear the dungeons, it seems impossible for others to replicate. To kill every creature simultaneously—aside from Ye Lan, that task is simply insurmountable."
The crowd nodded in agreement, their gazes shifting back to Di Tian.
Di Tian spoke, "Correct. Aside from Ye Lan, no one else possesses the means to wipe out all the monsters at once. However, based on the clues Ye Lan gathered in Abyss Dungeon No. 8, and the subsequent investigations conducted by the Snow Empress, Ye Lan, and myself, we have found a workaround. If we clear the dungeons in order—from the lowest level to the highest—we can prevent the Abyssal creatures from constantly respawning."
"Of course, this is currently a hypothesis that has yet to be fully verified. But according to the evidence Ye Lan found, this method is almost certainly the key."
Ye Lan took over the conversation. "Senior Di Tian is correct. I have called this meeting today because I intend to clear Dungeons No. 0 through No. 7 before I reach the Titled Douluo rank. In other words, we will conquer every dungeon below the Spirit Saint level."
Realization dawned on everyone. Ye Lan had already found the solution to the Abyssal invasion and was now moving into the tactical deployment phase.
At that moment, everyone realized they had entered the "Trust Ye Lan" phase once again. No matter what crisis they faced, the one who always provided the ultimate solution was their reliable Temple Master, Ye Lan!
Bibi Dong spoke up, "Xiao Lan, just tell us what to do! To stop the Abyssal invasion, the entire Douluo Empire will move according to your will!"
Ye Lan nodded. "Simply put, we will conquer the dungeons one by one, starting from No. 0 and working our way up to No. 7."
"Having already cleared Abyss Dungeon No. 8, the pressure on the front lines should have lessened significantly. Therefore, while maintaining our current defensive lines and internal stability, we will systematically eliminate the remaining dungeons."
"With every dungeon cleared, the rate at which the Douluo Star is being swallowed will drastically decrease. There are ten dungeons in total; once we clear five more, the pressure of being consumed will shift back onto the Abyssal Plane itself!"
Listening to Ye Lan's analysis, the dread regarding the fate of their world began to lift. Ye Lan was their backbone; as long as he was there, any predicament could be overcome.
Ye Lan continued, "First is Abyss Dungeon No. 0, the Spirit Scholar-level dungeon. The most numerous enemies there are low-level monsters like Goblins and Evil Murlocs."
"These creatures are insignificant individually, but they are incredibly cunning. They excel at swarming tactics and ambushes. Intelligence indicates that the terrain of Dungeon No. 0 is a Dark Grotto—the visibility is poor, making it extremely difficult to clear."
"Furthermore, as you all know, Spirit Scholars are either six-year-old children who have just awakened their spirits or commoners with very weak spirits. In our system, spirit rings provide the bulk of a combatant's power. A Spirit Scholar without a ring is barely stronger than an average person."
Hearing this, the crowd realized the difficulty. Facing frenzied Abyssal monsters, could the Spirit Scholars of the Douluo Continent truly succeed?
Di Tian stepped forward. "Spirit beasts with less than ten years of cultivation are considered Spirit Scholar-level and can enter Dungeon No. 0. Moreover, spirit beasts grow rapidly; in eight or nine years, they can reach the strength of an adult wild beast."
"If we deploy millions of spirit beasts with under ten years of cultivation, we should be able to clear Dungeon No. 0 completely. To stop the Abyssal invasion, the Spirit Beast clan is willing to accept this sacrifice!"
The crowd looked at Di Tian with admiration. They knew that after clearing the dungeon, very few of those millions of spirit beasts would survive. The Spirit Beast clan was essentially prepared to sacrifice an entire generation for the cause.
Seeing the resolve in Di Tian's eyes, Ye Lan waved his hand. "Senior Di Tian, I understand your determination. However, we do not need such a heavy sacrifice for the zero-rank dungeon."
"Ye Lan, do you have a better way?!" Di Tian asked excitedly.
"Indeed. While Spirit Scholars are weak in the spirit master system, Dungeon No. 0 is the mandatory first step. However, Spirit Scholars aren't the only ones who can enter."
"Xiao Lan, do you mean... deploying the army?" Bibi Dong guessed.
"Exactly!" Ye Lan nodded. "While a commoner army lacks spirit power, a fully armed soldier is significantly more powerful than a child who has just awakened a spirit."
The attendees' eyes lit up, praising Ye Lan's ingenuity. In the face of the Abyssal invasion, they had naturally assumed it was a "Spirit Master's War." Commoners were often seen as a liability that needed protection from the spatial rifts, which was part of why the front lines were so strained.
"This is not just a war for Spirit Masters! This is a war for the entire Douluo Plane and the entire Douluo Empire!!"
"I believe that if we call upon them, our brave soldiers will charge forward without hesitation!"
Ye Lan paused before adding, "Of course, we aren't sending them to their deaths. We are sending them into the zero-rank dungeon to slaughter those Goblins! We will show those disorganized Abyssal monsters the terrifying power of a fully mobilized human society!"
"Tai Shan, Lou Gao!" Ye Lan called out.
The two master smiths immediately stepped forward and knelt on one knee. "Tai Shan and Lou Gao await your orders!"
"Starting today, the Construction Department will ready the armory. Provide every soldier entering Dungeon No. 0 with full-body enclosed armor! I want them to be impervious to any blade, spear, or arrow!"
"Yes!! Hall Master!!" Tai Shan and Lou Gao accepted the command with solemn faces.
Ye Lan continued, "Issue an emergency recruitment order for the Abyssal invasion immediately. Select the best from the former Heaven Dou and Myriad Beast Empire forces. Focus on recruiting those with natural Herculean strength and robust physiques."
"To ensure our soldiers have the stamina to move freely, provide them with spiritual herbs, food-type spirit master products, and Whale Glue. We must enhance their physical constitutions to the absolute limit. Even without spirit power, their physical strength must at least rival that of a Great Spirit Master!"
"The Hall Master is wise!!!" everyone shouted in unison.
They could already imagine the scene: Goblins with crude stone spears and wooden arrows facing a tide of Douluo soldiers clad in heavy black armor. It would be a massacre. The armored soldiers would be a living nightmare for the Goblins; if a soldier died, it would likely be from exhaustion rather than an enemy's strike.
Ye Lan moved on, "Next are Dungeons No. 1 and No. 2. These will be cleared primarily by Spirit Masters and Great Spirit Masters."
"Although these ranks lack many rings, even man-made rings at these levels are mostly hundred-year rings. They don't offer a significant advantage against the Abyss. These levels also face the same issue as the zero-rank: those with powerful spirits are too young, and those who are older often have weak spirits."
"Furthermore, from Dungeon No. 1 onwards, the Abyssal monsters' strength surpasses what a commoner soldier can handle. While we could use numbers to overwhelm them, the casualties would be too high. I do not wish for the Douluo Empire to become a kingdom of widows."
The crowd was moved by Ye Lan's compassion.
"Ye Lan, is there no better way? Is there even time to train low-level Spirit Masters?" Qian Renxue asked.
Di Tian spoke again, "With the Spirit Soul system, low-level Spirit Masters could obtain ten-thousand-year rings. However, the number of ten-thousand-year spirit beasts is limited. Still, to clear the dungeons, we must boost our combat power as much as possible."
Everyone looked to Ye Lan, waiting for his solution.
Ye Lan stated calmly, "To solve the problem of these low-level dungeons, I have decided to provide a batch of 100,000-year Blue Silver Grass Spirit Souls. The quantity will be roughly 100,000."
"That's good then... Wait, what?!"
"100,000-year Blue Silver Grass?! And you said... one hundred thousand of them?!!"
Finding a hundred thousand pigs all at once would be difficult enough. But the Hall Master just casually mentioned providing a hundred thousand 100,000-year-old plants.
"Ahem, don't be so surprised," Di Tian interjected. "I can vouch for Ye Lan; he indeed possesses 100,000 such plants." In fact, Di Tian thought to himself, it's likely far more than that. I'd guess at least 500,000.
The Snow Empress saw Di Tian's expression and smiled slightly. She remembered that Di Tian hadn't been nearly this calm when he first discovered the sheer number of 100,000-year Blue Silver Grasses.
With Di Tian's confirmation, the shock in the room reached a fever pitch. 100,000 plants of that caliber? Ye Lan was essentially a walking Titled Douluo-level dungeon himself!
Qian Renxue sent a private spirit transmission: "You stinky Ye Lan, did you and that girl Ye'er have all those together?!!"
"Xue'er, what is going on in that head of yours?! This was only possible with Lingling's help."
"Oh, so Sister Lingling helped. Never mind then," Qian Renxue replied, breathing a sigh of relief.
After explaining to Qian Renxue, Ye Lan looked back at Di Tian. "Transforming the Blue Silver Grass into Spirit Souls will require the help of the Spirit Beast clan. We must rely on your Spirit Soul system."
"The 100,000-year Blue Silver Grass already possesses the ability to sense good and evil. We will select age-appropriate children who have just awakened powerful spirits."
"Furthermore, the children of the various Sect Masters and families who have awakened strong spirits can receive a Blue Silver Grass Spirit Soul, provided they gain the plant's approval."
Di Tian nodded. "I understand. I will assist the Blue Silver Grass in finding suitable partners."
"A 100,000-year Spirit Soul provides five 100,000-year spirit rings and a 100,000-year spirit bone. Even if the user's spirit isn't perfectly compatible, Blue Silver Grass is a gentle, life-type beast; it will still be vastly superior to any hundred or thousand-year ring. Not to mention the spirit bone."
"Tsk tsk," someone whispered. "I wonder how the Abyssal monsters will feel when they face Spirit Masters and Great Spirit Masters draped in 100,000-year rings?"
Ye Lan nodded. "After those Spirit Masters clear Dungeon No. 1 at Rank 19, we will provide them with Spirit Pills and herbs to boost them to Rank 29, allowing them to obtain a second 100,000-year ring. This gives them access to three 100,000-year spirit abilities."
"Most importantly, once a Spirit Soul manifests, it can participate directly in battle. The lower the Spirit Master's rank, the more significant the Spirit Soul's assistance! This will allow us to sweep through Dungeons No. 1 and No. 2."
"Following that, we help them reach Rank 31 for a third 100,000-year ring. We don't have the luxury of time for everyone to reach Rank 39, so we must ensure Spirit Soul distribution covers the Spirit Grandmaster and Spirit Ancestor levels as well."
"With the power of 100,000-year rings and bones, we will completely flatten Dungeons No. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5!!"
"The Hall Master is wise!! Douluo will prevail!!!" the crowd roared.
After some thought, Ye Lan added, "Ensure that those participating in the crusade know this: once the dungeons are cleared, whether the Spirit Soul stays or leaves is entirely up to the Soul's free will. It must not be forced. I have the means to re-cultivate those Blue Silver Grasses back to the 100,000-year level. Therefore, the bones and souls are not necessarily permanent; the Temple will provide compensation such as Whale Glue, Spirit Tools, and man-made rings when the time comes."
Everyone nodded in approval. In the current Douluo Empire, the absolute political standard was free will. No one could be coerced—this was the fundamental principle that had allowed for the liberation of all slaves.
"After that, we face Dungeons No. 6 and No. 7."
"Dungeon No. 6 will be handled by the powerful members of the Spirit Beast clan—such as the Duskgold Dreadclaw Bears, Emerald Ice Scorpions, and Evil Eye Tyrants. These ten-thousand-year spirit beasts can rival Spirit Douluos or even Titled Douluos. Clearing Dungeon No. 6 should be well within their capabilities," Ye Lan concluded.
Di Tian nodded approvingly. "That is an excellent plan."
(End of Chapter)