The soldier stationed at the gate, after recording Lin Ran's information, immediately saluted him respectfully:
"Officer Lin Ran, Black Dragon Abyss Armed Fortress welcomes you!"
Lin Ran was startled by him and quickly returned a military salute in the same manner before walking into the fortress.
He hadn't expected that his cheap corporal status would be quite useful...
After all, it wasn't easy for many who joined the army to obtain even a basic military rank.
The fortress was bustling at this moment, with various vendor cries echoing continuously.
"Small instant recovery potions! Selling cheap for 5,000 Dragon Coins a bottle!"
"Gan Ling Fruit, a fruit with special effects, a specialty of Black Dragon Abyss, only 10,000 Dragon Coins to take home!"
"Freshly forged, Silver-grade magic-infused equipment that increases physical and magic resistance by 10% each, starting bid 5,000,000! Come and grab it!"
"Young Dark Night Wolf cub caught on the second level of Black Dragon Abyss, with the potential to be raised into a battle pet. Those interested, come and negotiate quickly, price is affordable and negotiable!"
"..."
It had to be said that compared to selling items directly on online auction houses, this kind of hawking method was far more effective.
And crucially, items bought on outside auction houses couldn't be delivered directly into one's hands.
But here, they could be obtained immediately.
Moreover, the prices at the fortress stalls were often lower than the market prices outside.
Therefore, a large number of awakened individuals particularly enjoyed browsing these friendly markets.
Besides those buying goods, there was also a large group of awakened individuals shouting about forming teams.
"Currently recruiting for a temporary four-person squad. We have a DPS and a tank, just need one healer-type awakened individual! Requirement: combat power above 15,000."
"Veteran seven-person Grizzly squad, all Silver equipment, total amplification 160%, led by a Tier 4 A-grade talent awakened individual. Seeking a tank-type awakened individual, preferably Tier 3 or above!"
"Tier 3 B-grade talent DPS awakened individual, ability is frost, can also control. Total amplification 110%, combat power 23,560. Looking for a team, personal goal is Snow Wolf Fur. Those who need it, add me!"
"..."
Since the forbidden zones were fraught with danger, apart from a very few daring lone wolves, the vast majority of awakened individuals opted for group formations.
After all, more people meant more support, and at the same time, they could build their reputation, perhaps eventually becoming a captain of a regular team.
If that were the case, hunting near Black Dragon Abyss would be much more comfortable.
However, Lin Ran himself was an all-rounder and possessed the spatial skill Divine Might for self-preservation, so he naturally didn't need others to help him.
If there were people around him with poor self-preservation abilities, they would only become a burden to him.
With no intention of forming a team, he walked directly to the entrance of Black Dragon Abyss, preparing to explore it first.
But just then, a familiar voice suddenly called out from behind him:
"Lin Ran?!"
Lin Ran was stunned and turned his head, then saw Xu Sheng, the sunny young man he had seen earlier in the conference room.
Xu Sheng was surrounded by a large group of awakened individuals, clearly members of his Jiangdong Xu family.
Seeing Lin Ran's gaze, Xu Sheng flashed his signature sunny smile again:
"Brother Lin, are you also here for practical combat training!"
Lin Ran nodded:
"Yes, I feel I can improve faster this way."
Xu Sheng glanced left and right at Lin Ran, confused:
"But, I don't see your teammates?"
Lin Ran smiled:
"Because I plan to go by myself."
Xu Sheng was shocked:
"You, a Tier 1 awakened individual, plan to go to Black Dragon Abyss alone?!"
"That's too risky!"
"You know, even the outermost layer of Black Dragon Abyss often has fierce beasts with combat power exceeding 10,000, or even 20,000!"
"If you were targeted by such a fierce beast, it would be difficult to escape."
"What if you encounter a beast horde..."
Lin Ran waved his hand dismissively:
"It's alright, I'm quite sturdy myself, and I have some means and items for self-preservation, so it won't be too risky."
Xu Sheng suddenly realized:
"Oh right! I almost forgot you had the Natural Spiritual Body talent, after seeing you instantly kill Zhao Xiong and your fight with Luo Qingyan in the arena..."
"Having the Natural Spiritual Body does indeed make it much safer."
Lin Ran's battle with Luo Qingyan in the arena had already gone viral on Yan University's forum shortly after it ended.
Even students from higher grades marveled at the incredible skills of the two.
As for Lin Ran, who performed even more spectacularly, he was beginning to be deified.
This mysterious bloodline ability, unknown to anyone, was truly terrifying.
Lin Ran and Luo Qingyan, who held the copyright, also earned considerable Dragon Coin income from traffic royalties, which was an unexpected bonus.
After saying this, Xu Sheng suddenly changed the subject:
"However, the existence of the Natural Spiritual Body does not mean invincibility..."
"For a peerless prodigy like you, even if there is a slight possibility, I will not let you take the risk."
"If you were to meet with an accident, it would undoubtedly be a great loss to our Yan University!"
"No! It would be a great loss to our Dragon Country!"
"Therefore, please accept these two items! Do not refuse!"
"This can be considered my Jiangdong Xu family's contribution, and my contribution as Xu Sheng, to our Yan University and our Dragon Country!"
Saying this, Xu Sheng handed a well-preserved scroll and a white orb to Lin Ran.
Lin Ran was slightly taken aback and quickly scanned the attributes of the scroll and the orb.
[Emergency Evasion Scroll]
[Category: One-time Item]
[Quality: Diamond]
[Item Effect: Upon use, the user's physical and magic resistance will increase by 100% for 10 seconds; after 10 seconds, the user will be teleported to a pre-set location; maximum linear teleportation distance is 25km. The scroll cannot be used beyond this range.]
[Holy Light Barrier]
[Category: One-time Item]
[Quality: Diamond]
[Item Effect: Upon use, creates a defensive light barrier with a radius of 10 meters, capable of blocking all external attacks until its defensive energy or duration is depleted, lasting for 30 minutes.]
Two one-time Diamond-grade items for survival?!
Looking at the items in his hands, Lin Ran could only marvel at the formidable foundation of wealthy families.
Among various grades of one-time items, survival-type items were the most precious.
After all, who wouldn't want some trump cards to escape certain death?
If these two items were to be sold, measured in Dragon Coins, the value of each would be at least in the hundreds of millions.
And likely far more than one hundred million...