23: Blessing: Monkey Spirit

Xu Le was a bit dazed: "Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

Li Yang was taken aback: "Weren't you trying to get back together with Xiang Ying?"

"Get lost!" Xu Le rolled his eyes wildly.

"It's good that you aren't. Hehe, you now have an SSS-rank Phoenix, and your Little Dog looks pretty badass too. That slut is only S-rank..."

Li Yang gave a sheepish laugh and deleted the message he had half-edited.

Brother Le valued friendship and loyalty. He didn't want to say something that would make Xu Le think he had a chance and turn him into a simp again; that would be a grave sin... The next day.

7:55 AM.

Xu Le arrived at the dungeon entrance five minutes early.

At this moment, the area outside the dungeon was packed with people. Even though only the first three to complete the dungeon would receive a buff, countless professionals had rushed over to join the excitement.

What if a stroke of luck hit them?

Besides, the drop rate of a new dungeon was far higher than others.

Li Yang came running over eagerly, his face full of joy.

He knew Xu Le's strength well. Since even the Level 40 Silverback Demon Wolf dungeon only took 78 seconds, the chances of snatching the first clear for this dungeon were very high.

"Hello, Mr. Xu!"

"President Chu is busy with social engagements and cannot receive you personally, so I have been sent to express her apologies."

"This Dungeon Priority Card is a small token of President Chu's appreciation. Please do not refuse it."

A beauty wearing a qipao walked over gracefully. Her voice was gentle and soft, like a clear spring flowing over stones, and she exuded a myriad of charms.

Li Yang, who was still a virgin, immediately felt his throat go dry and became restless. He didn't dare look at her face; her body was too prominent, and he feared losing face with a nosebleed; her legs were too fair and tender, and he feared his imagination would run wild... "Then thank President Chu for me." Xu Le took the card, chatted for a few more moments, and sent the beauty away.

Only then did Li Yang, his face flushed and eyes burning, watch her departing figure with a sense of loss.

"Brother Le, I feel like I'm in love."

Xu Le: "...That's just spring arriving for you."

"What do you mean?"

"All things are awakening, and animals are entering their breeding season..."

Li Yang suffered a social death.

He looked around, trying to change the subject. When he saw the Dungeon Priority Card, he became so excited he started stuttering.

"Dun... dungeon..."

"Yeah!" Xu Le nodded directly, otherwise who knew how long he'd be stuck on that word.

"This is awesome!" Li Yang jumped up.

Only a hundred Dungeon Priority Cards could be made for each dungeon. Their sole purpose was to allow entry three seconds before the dungeon officially opened, enabling a scramble for the first three first-clear buffs.

Xu Le patted Li Yang's shoulder to calm him down when he suddenly noticed a look of disdain. Turning back, he saw Xiang Ying nonchalantly turning away to speak to a young man beside her.

The young man wore a mocking smile and pulled Xiang Ying closer by the waist: "Do you know Bingbing?"

Who is Bingbing?

Xu Le was confused.

"Your acting is good, and your taste isn't bad either! Bingbing is indeed the most popular reception manager at Chenghui Mall."

Only then did Xu Le realize the beauty from before was named Bingbing.

However, hearing the young man's mocking tone—especially putting 'popular' and 'reception' together—it sounded like there was a deeper meaning no matter how one heard it.

"Bullshit!" Li Yang flared up. Having his fresh love insulted like that, he couldn't hold back.

The young man's face turned ashen. Born of noble status, he had never been subjected to such blunt and vulgar insults.

Xiang Ying frowned deeply and scolded sharply: "Li Yang, this is Young Master Tang Wei, the third son of the Tang Family's main line and an SS-rank Lightning Warlord. Please be a person of quality. Don't speak with such filth, making it seem like your school and parents never taught you anything."

The Tang Family.

One of the four major Aristocratic Families of the Ninth District.

They controlled the commercial, military, and political power of the Ninth District.

Top-tier professionals emerged from them in an endless stream, and their connections even spread to the other eight districts, much like the Aristocratic Families of ancient times in Xu Le's previous life.

Li Yang was so angry he was fuming, breathing like a bull, but he didn't dare respond.

He had backbone.

But behind him were his parents, relatives, and friends.

He couldn't let a moment of impulsiveness implicate his Family.

Xu Le, however, was not afraid. He clapped and cheered: "Student Xiang Ying really knows how to introduce people; even her insults are so unique. And Young Master Tang is even better, praising women behind their backs—how cultured!"

The faces of both individuals immediately darkened. Even an idiot could hear such obvious sarcasm.

Xiang Ying's delicate face twisted with rage, veins bulging on her forehead.

Wasn't this slandering her as a gold-digger who valued the Tang Family's status? How could a person be so shameless?

She forced herself to stabilize her emotions and tried to speak in a calm tone: "A thief sees everyone as a thief."

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Xu Le clapped. "No wonder Young Master Tang said Bingbing is the most popular reception; so that's why!"

"You're the fucking bitch!" Tang Wei's composure broke. He pulled a Lightning Spear from his inventory, ready to stab Xu Le to death.

In his entire life, Tang Wei had never suffered such an insult!

*Whoosh...*

The crowd erupted!

The dungeon's white light flared intensely as it officially opened.

"Xu Le, right? I'll remember you!" Tang Wei snorted coldly. Without waiting for Xu Le's response, he hurriedly used his Dungeon Priority Card and escaped into the dungeon.

Xu Le took Li Yang and entered the dungeon together after selecting the Abyss difficulty.

In the middle was a five-meter-wide road, flanked by two mountains at about a 30-degree incline, covered in dense crowds of monkeys.

Xu Le released his four contracted beasts.

The Little Yellow Chicken flew out with a "whoosh," immediately releasing nine Clones and began carpet-bombing the area with "Meteor Fire Rain."

Next came the hundred-plus Clones of the Little Dog, responsible for finishing off low-health enemies and stragglers.

As usual, the Little Black Snake went to find the Monkey King, preparing to use the Elephant Swallowing skill directly.

Xu Le used a Mental Shock on the Monkey King from afar, crippling it so the Little Black Snake could digest it faster.

However, the Monkey King didn't end up dying in the Little Black Snake's mouth; it was hit by the Little Yellow Chicken's "Flame Shockwave" and fell first.

[Experience +8000]

[Experience +8000]

...Compared to the Contaminated Zone, dungeon experience was halved.

But since there were many monsters, the total experience gained was still a bit over 1.26 million.

Having been grinding monsters in the Contaminated Zone recently, the little ones' coordination had become more seamless, and their combat efficiency was higher.

[Ding! Congratulations to the player for successfully clearing the Valley Demonic Monkey dungeon on Abyss difficulty.]

[Clear time: 1 minute 08 seconds. You have surpassed 100% of challengers. Overall evaluation: SSS.]

[Congratulations to the player for being the first to clear Abyss difficulty. You have received a blessing—Monkey Spirit. Do you wish to make your ranking public?]

[Congratulations to the player for receiving the corresponding clear rewards: 20,000 Credits. This has been deposited into your account; please check your balance.]

"Anonymous!"

After making his choice, Xu Le turned his gaze to the blessing.

[Monkey Spirit] When performing a basic attack, there is a 10% chance to attack an additional time. Cooldown: 30 seconds.

The effect of this blessing was average, and it wasn't boosted by his talent. A 30-second cooldown was too long; it was more symbolic than anything.

No wonder those who came were all young people. If the blessing were truly miraculous, those Level 80 or 90 big shots probably wouldn't miss this opportunity.

Wait, that's not right.

It's more likely that once a dungeon is established, such information wouldn't be leaked out.

Li Yang also received a blessing, but he wasn't as happy as before and remained silent.

Seeing Xu Le about to leave the dungeon, he finally spoke the words he had been holding back for a long time.