# Chapter 288: Kunlun Mountain Foot! Yulong Town
Jiangnan directly dialed Red Dragon's number with one call!
"Brother Long! Dracula's people might be making a move!"
Red Dragon: "What? Are you okay? Are you injured?"
Jiangnan: "Don't worry, I'm in Jingdu! If they dare make a move here, they're asking for death!"
"I just noticed some small moves..."
Red Dragon gritted his teeth: "Dracula's people are spread all over the world, deeply rooted, with a massive organization, and well hidden. It's hard to root them out! Damn it..."
"I'll pay extra attention on my end! You need to be careful! It's dangerous carrying Mila with you!"
Jiangnan toyed with the metal bean: "Brother Long, don't worry. Just letting you know!"
"Oh, and help me look into a person named Leng Yan. I want all her information!"
Red Dragon: "Alright! Do you need me to take her out?"
Jiangnan grinned: "No need!"
It was hard enough to find a lead!
If they took out Leng Yan now, who knows how Dracula would strike next?
That would put them at a disadvantage!
Right now! With the metal bean in hand!
The initiative was in Jiangnan's hands!
After hanging up, Jiangnan returned to the party!
Xia Yao's eyes were red, but she was putting on a good act!
Leng Yan gave Jiangnan an awkward smile but didn't approach.
Jiangnan was happy to have some peace!
He swept his gaze around and spotted Ning Youyou standing in front of a fruit platter!
She had used a toothpick to eat all the mango chunks inside!
Now she was looking for the next platter!
Jiangnan was curious and couldn't help but walk over.
"Hey! Youyou!"
Ning Youyou looked up, her eyes flustered: "Sout... South God?"
Her pretty face blushed.
Ah~ he called me Youyou!
He actually called me Youyou...
"You were amazing during the day!"
Ning Youyou blushed even more, her voice timid: "I lost the match. Aren't you angry?"
Jiangnan looked carefree: "It's nothing serious, not like it was a ranking match!"
"I'm actually more curious about your ability. I've never seen anything like it before. It's incredible!"
Ning Youyou smiled bitterly: "Incredible? I'm about to lose my mind!"
"It's not as amazing as you think. I only have that one talent skill, and it's pretty useless!"
"I don't have suitable skills to absorb either..."
"Besides, there's the probability issue, you know? Even with a 99% chance, you could miss all 100 sword swings!"
Jiangnan was stunned!
Then how did I get hit with just one swing? How unlucky am I?
"And it consumes a ton of spiritual energy! If the match had gone on a bit longer that day, I wouldn't have been able to hold out..."
Jiangnan didn't feel disappointed; instead, his eyes lit up: "Does your ability work on Gold-tier opponents?"
Ning Youyou blushed: "It does, but my spiritual energy might run out after one use..."
"It doesn't work on opponents two levels higher than me."
Jiangnan chuckled happily, looking at Ning Youyou like he'd discovered a treasure!
An evil plan started brewing in his mind!
Hehe?
Ning Youyou was frightened by Jiangnan's stare!
Just then, Mu Qing ran over and quickly shielded Ning Youyou behind her.
"Don't you dare mess with my Youyou! You player!"
Jiangnan's face darkened.
Great!
Another one blaming Xia Yao!
"Any interest in working together during the ranking tournament?"
Mu Qing was startled. She hadn't expected Jiangnan to suggest cooperation.
Although they won the match, Mu Qing knew it was pure luck.
There was no doubt that Jiangnan's team was the strongest.
But Wang Yan walked over and said: "South God, you should worry about yourself first."
"The difference in spiritual energy density between the first and second tiers is huge! You'll fall far behind!"
"By then, we won't even be on the same level anymore. There doesn't seem to be any need for cooperation."
Jiangnan raised an eyebrow: "Oh? You seem pretty confident."
Wang Yan shrugged: "Some opportunities, once missed, are gone forever."
Ning Youyou hid timidly behind, looking apologetic.
Jiangnan grinned: "Trust me, there will be opportunities."
After the party, Ye Ye wanted to drag Jiangnan to her place to hang out.
But Jiangnan was too tired and declined.
After all, they had a long trip tomorrow.
The next morning!
At Jingdu International Airport!
All 240 contestants boarded the plane, heading straight to the northwest!
There, at Kunlun Mountain, was where the Spirit Pool was located!
After a series of transfers, they arrived at Yulong Town at the foot of Kunlun Mountain by 4 PM.
It was already autumn, and the mountain foothills were covered in gold.
Looking up, towering snow-capped mountains reached into the clouds, framed by a blue sky and white clouds—a magnificent sight.
Yulong Town wasn't large, with a population of a few hundred thousand, and transportation wasn't very developed.
But because of the large nuclear power plant and the Kunlun Spirit Pool,
it was still considered prosperous.
Inside the hotel lobby!
President Chen Xuan was reading out the rules!
"Spirit Pool cultivation: 15 days. Positions in the pool will be allocated according to the previously divided tier teams!"
"The Spirit Pool only opens for 15 days each year! This is a rare opportunity!"
"I urge all contestants to seize this excellent chance! Do everything possible to raise your rank!"
"Every star rank increase counts as 10 points! These points will be added to your team's total score and count toward the ranking tournament evaluation!"
Jiangnan was stunned!
He didn't expect the ranking tournament to use a point system!
Even improvements from Spirit Pool cultivation were counted!
Talent was also factored in!
No wonder they had the tier battles earlier—
allocating limited resources to the stronger contestants.
Survival of the fittest, huh?
"After Spirit Pool cultivation, everyone's strength will have grown considerably!"
"Then, you'll enter the Yulong Spirit Ruins for a two-week beast hunting operation!"
"Also known as the 'BOSS Battle' you all talk about!"
"Because all the spirit beasts in the Yulong Spirit Ruins are at least Gold-tier!"
Jiangnan's eyes widened: "What?"
Heavens!
A bunch of Silver-tier fighters going up against Gold-tier spirit beasts?
Those were nightmare-level opponents!
The only reason they'd successfully crossed the Sahara back then was that Jiangnan's teammates were Gold and Platinum tier!
And they'd used tricks to avoid direct fights!
But now they were supposed to hunt Gold-tier spirit beasts?
No wonder they called it a BOSS Battle!
Wu Liang's face turned serious: "The Yulong Spirit Ruins! A true Gold-tier spirit ruin!"
Jiangnan's scalp tingled: "Are you kidding? What if we run into a Platinum-tier beast? We'd all be dead!"
He still remembered how terrifying Platinum-tier spirit beasts were.
Zhong Yingxue shook her head: "Impossible. The Yulong Spirit Ruins are also known as the Platinum Ranch!"
"Every so often, professional teams clear out any spirit beasts that have evolved to Platinum-tier."
"To maintain the spiritual energy density! To limit the growth of the Yulong Spirit Ruins!"
"Many of the Platinum-tier spirit beads circulating on the market come from here. That's why it's called a ranch."
Jiangnan swallowed hard!
This was insane!
The power of the national machine was truly terrifying!
This Yulong Spirit Ruins had become a Platinum spirit bead production site!
Chen Xuan continued: "Any spirit beads obtained will also be counted as points!"
"A Gold one-star spirit bead counts as 1 point, nine-star as 9 points, all added to the team's total score!"
"To prevent cheating, before entering the Spirit Ruins, all contestants must hand over any Gold-tier spirit beads they have on them. The Association will hold them in safekeeping!"
"Jiangnan, our staff will inspect your Alternate Dimension later!"
All the other contestants were speechless.
Only Jiangnan could receive such special treatment...
"During the competition, there are no rules! Except one: no deliberate killing! The Spirit Ruins are not a lawless place!"
"The entire process will be monitored and recorded by the Heavenly Eye System, with professional teams overseeing and providing rescue!"
Jiangnan's eyes lit up!
No rules? That made things interesting!
They could steal from others! And cooperate with other teams!
How they played was entirely up to them!