Feeling the gazes of everyone, Bei Bei smiled gently and explained candidly:
Everyone, please don't misunderstand. I have no relationship with the Heavenly Dragon Gate. Although we both possess the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, our lineages are not the same. Our branch originates from the Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong from ten thousand years ago, while the Heavenly Dragon Gate is a Legacy left behind by another branch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Over the past ten thousand years, although our two branches share the same origin, we have developed separately and have had little interaction.
Everyone suddenly understood. So, even though they both possessed top-tier Dragon Martial Souls, there were different lineage systems within them.
While they were talking, they had already arrived at the massive and heavy city gate of Dragon City.
The cold metal doors were engraved with simple dragon-shaped patterns, exuding an air of solemnity and majesty.
At the city gate, soldiers wearing thick padded armor and exuding sharp auras were on guard, strictly inspecting the pedestrians passing by.
Sensing the unmasked, powerful Soul Power fluctuations from Zhang Lexuan and her group, especially the unfathomable auras of the Inner Court members, the soldiers' expressions became exceptionally respectful, and after a brief inquiry about their origins, they quickly let them through.
Stepping into the interior of Dragon City, a unique city atmosphere mixed with the scent of daily life, the chill of ice and snow, and faint fluctuations of Soul Power rushed towards them.
As an important city near the Extreme North Land, Dragon City had Soul Masters from all over the continent gathering there year-round.
They were either there to hunt for Soul Beasts unique to the Extreme North Land or to search for rare ice-attribute minerals and medicinal herbs, making this city full of the atmosphere of adventure and opportunity.
Therefore, the guards at the city gate were long accustomed to foreign Soul Masters. As long as it was confirmed that there was no obvious malice and that they followed the rules, they generally would not cause much trouble.
Moreover, with the Heavenly Dragon Gate and the Earth Dragon Gate, two major Sects, guarding Dragon City, ordinary Soul Masters dared not cause trouble there. Even if conflicts occasionally occurred, they were often quickly quelled by the law enforcement teams of the two major Sects.
After entering the city, a city landscape completely different from Shrek City appeared before everyone's eyes.
The streets were wide, and the buildings on both sides were mostly made of heavy stone, with a rugged and sturdy style. Most of the windows used double or even triple-layered structures to withstand the severe cold.
The streets were bustling with pedestrians, most of whom were wearing thick fur clothing. The proportion of Soul Masters was significantly higher than in ordinary cities, and the air was filled with a complex scent mixed with the coldness of ice and snow, the mellow fragrance of strong liquor, and the unique Evil Qi on the bodies of Soul Masters.
Zhang Lexuan was clearly no stranger to this place. She led the group through several main roads, arrived at a relatively quiet yet still bustling street, and stopped in front of an imposing building.
This building was called 'Dragon Slumber Residence' and was a quite famous hotel in Dragon City, mainly catering to traveling Soul Masters.
The hotel's exterior maintained Dragon City's rugged stone-masonry style, but the gilded plaque hanging at the entrance and the lamp posts on both sides burning with soul tool flames highlighted the class of its interior.
Pushing open the heavy solid wood door, a wave of warmth immediately enveloped everyone, forming a sharp contrast with the icy world outside.
The interior decoration of the lobby was not extremely luxurious, but it had a steady and grand atmosphere of its own. Wall tapestries depicting giant dragons and icy mountains hung on the walls, a fireplace burning with blazing flames dispelled all the cold, and the furniture was mostly dark solid wood, appearing heavy and warm.
The receptionist was a middle-aged Soul Master with sharp eyes and not-weak aura. Seeing Zhang Lexuan and her group, especially after sensing their extraordinary aura, he immediately put on a warm and cautious smile.
Welcome to Dragon Slumber Residence. Do you all need accommodation?
Zhang Lexuan nodded: 'Arrange a few adjacent rooms for us. They need to be quiet.'
Alright, please wait a moment.
The receptionist quickly checked, 'There happen to be four premium rooms on the same floor, adjacent and quiet, meeting your requirements.'
Zhang Lexuan efficiently completed the check-in procedures and paid the fees.
The cost of staying at the Dragon Slumber Residence was not cheap, but for the Inner Court Disciples of Shrek Academy, it was naturally not a problem.
After receiving the keys, Zhang Lexuan began to assign the rooms:
'Ma Xiaotao and I will share one, Ling Luochen and Xi Xi will share one, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Caelus, you three will share one, and Jiang Nannan, Gu Yuena, and Ye Guyi, you three will share one.'
The group had no objections to this arrangement.
Everyone took their keys and found their rooms.
The interior of the rooms looked even more comfortable than the outside. The floor was covered with thick animal skin carpets, the walls had soundproofing soul tool runes, and the warm soul tool heating made the room feel like spring.
Each room was spacious enough and equipped with an independent bathroom, with complete facilities.
Caelus followed Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi into their room.
Xu Sanshi couldn't wait to sprawl out on a bed by the window, letting out a long sigh:
'Finally, I can get some good rest. Traveling continuously is really exhausting.'
Bei Bei was more composed. He checked the room's environment and smiled gently at Caelus:
'Junior Brother Caelus, you've worked hard on the road. Don't be reserved here; if you need anything, just say so.'
'Okay.'
Caelus nodded in response and scanned the room. He was not picky about accommodation conditions, and since this room was a multi-person suite where everyone had a separate bedroom, the conditions were much better than the Outer Court dormitory.
'Everyone, rest and adjust first. In one hour, gather in my room to discuss the next action plan.'
After settling down, Zhang Lexuan's voice rang out from the soul tool communication device.
The short rest period began, and everyone seized the time to recover the Soul Power and energy consumed during the days of travel, preparing for the upcoming mission.
After the rest time, Caelus and the other five Outer Court students gathered in Zhang Lexuan's room as instructed.
The Inner Court senior sisters had clearly already conducted a preliminary discussion.
As novices with no mission experience, the six of them, including Caelus, consciously sat to the side to listen, learning how the Inner Court Disciples analyzed situations and formulated plans.
Zhang Lexuan pointed out the difficulties they were currently facing:
'Dragon City has a large population flow and complex, intertwined forces, and our target is extremely good at hiding. We have limited manpower, and trying to find them in such a huge city is like looking for a needle in a haystack.'
Her gaze swept across everyone.
'Therefore, we must make use of the power of local forces. The Heavenly Dragon Gate and the Earth Dragon Gate have been rooted here for many years, with eyes and ears everywhere, and they are most sensitive to the movements within the city and the changes in the Extreme North Land. Obtaining information from them is the most direct and effective way.'
After discussion, Zhang Lexuan made the grouping decision:
'I will take Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and Jiang Nannan to visit the Heavenly Dragon Gate. Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochen, and Xi Xi, you take Caelus, Gu Yuena, and Ye Guyi to the Earth Dragon Gate. We will act separately, which will be more efficient.'
Ma Xiaotao did not object to this arrangement, just glanced at Ling Luochen, seemingly unhappy about acting together with this 'ice cube.'
Although the plan had been set, everyone did not set off immediately.
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