White Cloud City, the Prodigy Rankings

Sensing the uneasy silence hanging over the room, a faint smile softened the stern face of the gray-haired Headmaster as he spoke:

"I hear there are some promising seedlings among the recent new students?"

The words broke the tension like a valve releasing pressure, and the weight in the room visibly lifted from everyone's expressions.

Elder Yu smiled warmly and said:

"There are indeed. Si Tingxue of the Si family, for one — Innate Lord Grade, she Awakened half a year ago and already broke through to Third-rank just over half a month ago. Her combat power is practically unmatched among Third-rank Lord Grades."

"Oh? Third-rank in half a year — the younger generation never ceases to impress. Is this Si Tingxue the younger sister of Si Tingyu?"

The gray-haired Headmaster turned with a smile toward Si Tingyu, who sat perfectly upright with a look of solemn attentiveness.

Si Tingyu's golden-red eyes flickered briefly. She gave a small nod. "Yes, Headmaster. Tingxue is my full-blood younger sister."

"That explains it."

The Headmaster chuckled softly. "With Tingyu's talent, I'd expect nothing less from her sister."

Si Tingyu replied with complete earnestness: "Headmaster, I believe my own talent is fairly average. Whatever I've achieved has been through hard work compensating for my shortcomings."

The Headmaster: "…"

Elder Yu: "…"

Everyone else: "…"

The entire room stared at Si Tingyu's utterly sincere face, and more than a few nearly choked.

*Does she have some fundamental misunderstanding of what 'average talent' means?*

Elder Yu's mouth twitched. He cleared his throat and spoke:

"Right — there's also another young one worth noting. Quite remarkable, actually. He was recommended by that girl Qinghe. His name is Lu Yuan. His background is ordinary, but his talent is staggering. He Awakened only three short months ago, just broke through to Second-rank, and has already inscribed a Lord Grade gene. During this recent opening of the Aier Mechanical Ruins, he managed to lure and eliminate two Innate King Grade prodigies — one from the Green Demons and one from the White Frost Race. Quite the surprise."

The Headmaster's eyes lit up, and he nodded with a smile.

"This Lu Yuan — I've heard of him. He's the one behind all the commotion on the Battle Net today, isn't he? Impressive indeed… and it turns out he was recommended by that little Qinghe. Her eye for talent is as sharp as ever."

A middle-aged man with short red hair spoke up from the side with a grin:

"Elder Yu's information is slightly out of date. Just this afternoon, Lu Yuan went in for his Combat Power Test — his very first attempt — and ranked 25th. Hard to believe, honestly."

"What?"

The room stirred.

Everyone present was among the Talent Camp's highest leadership. Aside from the few young talents with limitless potential — like Si Tingyu herself, who was a Battle King — the rest were all Battle Sovereigns or above. They paid some attention to the Combat Rankings, but not obsessively so, and as a result most of them were only now hearing of Lu Yuan's first-test result.

A ripple of surprise moved through the room.

Only Si Tingyu's gaze shifted slightly — she had been following this since it happened and already knew.

"Hmm… ranked 25th on his very first test? This kid is something else. Goes to show that prodigies with innate inherited genes aren't necessarily stronger than those who Awakened the conventional way. If he keeps this up, his future is bright indeed."

The Headmaster smiled, murmuring thoughtfully.

"For promising material like this, the upcoming mission may well serve as the perfect whetstone. Let's keep a close eye on them."

Everyone exchanged glances and nodded.

Late that night, Lu Yuan's Light Gate was repaired. He could enter the Land of Origin again.

A flash of white light, and his body materialized before a towering city wall.

One look was all it took to recognize it as Red Maple City.

He wasn't surprised. When you exited the Aier Mechanical Ruins, you reappeared somewhere in the general vicinity of where you'd entered. Lu Yuan had originally gone in through a grassland not far from Red Maple City, so surfacing nearby was only natural.

He didn't walk straight into the city.

Instead, he closed his eyes and focused inward.

In moments, he became aware of a faint, invisible thread running through his consciousness — reaching out into the void, its far end beyond perception.

Lu Yuan opened his eyes, a quiet gleam of excitement crossing his face.

*Sure enough. The Aier Mechanical Ruins have recognized me as their master.*

Through that invisible thread, he could enter the ruins at any time he chose.

He exhaled slowly, steadying the swell of excitement in his chest.

Then he retrieved his Communication Crystal and contacted Amy.

They had agreed to divide the remaining treasures.

The crystal flickered with white light, and Amy's delicate, doll-like face appeared within it.

"Big Liar! You're out? I'm in Red Maple City's teleportation hall right now — where are you?"

Lu Yuan glanced at his surroundings. "I'm at the base of the city wall. Wait there for me — I'll be right over."

"Oh, hurry up then!"

Amy gave a quick nod.

He stowed the crystal and broke into a run toward the city gate.

Before long he had paid the entry fee, passed through, and was sprinting toward the teleportation hall.

Just then, a cool, clear voice rang out from nearby:

"Lu Yuan?"

He slowed and turned to look — and found himself facing Si Tingxue's signature blue hair and her characteristic composed expression. Beside her were a few other young men and women, who were now studying him with undisguised curiosity.

Over the past month, while Lu Yuan had been at Si Tingyu's residence practicing force-deflection techniques, Si Tingxue had stopped by almost every single day. The two of them had crossed paths often enough to exchange greetings, even sharing a few meals together at the Si household — not quite friends, but familiar acquaintances.

He walked over with a smile.

"Si Tingxue? Didn't expect to run into you here."

Si Tingxue gave a quiet nod, looking at him steadily. "Mm. Just out of the ruins?"

"That's right. Heading to White Cloud City for a bit."

She didn't ask why. She simply hummed in acknowledgment.

"I heard you accomplished something significant in the ruins. Good harvest — congratulations."

"Thanks."

At that moment, a pretty girl with short black hair beside Si Tingxue widened her eyes and looked at Lu Yuan with open curiosity.

"So you're the Lu Yuan who tricked two Innate King Grades into a trap?! That's incredible! People are even talking about you here in White Cloud City, you know. Who knows — you might just make it onto the White Cloud Continent's Prodigy Rankings!"

"Prodigy Rankings?"

Lu Yuan blinked. He'd never heard of it.

"You don't know about them? The rankings are tied to the Land of Origin itself — it's a White Cloud Continent-wide system. Anyone who makes the Prodigy Rankings gets special privileges at the Land of Origin's native cities: discounts on all kinds of facilities, and even perks at the Auction House. The rankings only list young prodigies below Battle Venerable, and they're split into an overall ranking and several sub-rankings. If you ask me, you've got a real shot at making the Battle Master sub-ranking someday, Lu Yuan."

The girl beamed as she explained.

Lu Yuan was genuinely taken aback. "Something that good actually exists?"

A flicker moved through Si Tingxue's eyes as well, and she gave a slow nod.

"It does. But getting on the Prodigy Rankings isn't simple. Even just for the Battle Master sub-ranking, every single person listed has inscribed King Grade genes."

The corner of Lu Yuan's mouth went flat.

*That's absurd.* They were expecting someone with Lord Grade genes to compete against King Grade gene holders?

*Dream on.*

Even with everything he had, he wasn't confident he could take on a King Grade gene user while he himself was still running Lord Grade genes.

He had to conclude that whoever was out there discussing his chances was, frankly, far too generous.

Still, the Prodigy Rankings had piqued his interest.

A spot on the rankings meant discounts and privileges at facilities across the Land of Origin — that was genuinely appealing.

If the Gravity Room came with a discount, he could save a mountain of Spirit Crystals.

If Auction House privileges were included on top of that, the savings would be even greater.

*Something to look into once I'm in White Cloud City.*

A thought occurred to him, and he said:

"Oh, right — the school's special mission. Do you know about it, Si Tingxue?"

She nodded. "Mm. We were notified earlier. We'll be heading out in two days."

Lu Yuan nodded, then smiled.

"Good to know. I should get going, then."

Si Tingxue gave her quiet nod. "Mm."

He said his goodbyes and walked off toward the teleportation hall.

Watching his retreating figure, a handsome black-haired youth standing beside Si Tingxue let something subtle shift in his expression.

"Si Tingxue, is that kid a student from your Red Maple Talent Camp? Lord Grade and dreaming about cracking the Prodigy Rankings — even just a sub-ranking? That's a bit... wishful thinking, don't you think?"

The girl with the short black hair shot him a look.

"How do you know unless he tries? What if he actually pulls it off? He baited and killed Innate King Grade prodigies inside the Aier Mechanical Ruins. Could you have done the same?"

"I…"

The black-haired youth's expression darkened. He had no answer.

He genuinely couldn't have done that.

Si Tingxue didn't join the argument. She spoke in her usual level tone:

"Let's go. Time is pressing."

She turned and walked toward the exit. The other three hurried after her.

Lu Yuan reached the teleportation hall shortly after and spotted Amy waiting at the VIP channel entrance.

Wang Lingling was with her, wearing her perpetual soft smile.

*Only I know that smile hides a scheming heart — always nudging Amy one way or another. Unlike some people, who are completely upfront about everything.*

Amy had also appeared in the Battle Net post about the King Grade ambush. Thanks to her striking looks, she had actually drawn even more attention than Lu Yuan — after all, who could resist a girl who was both impossibly adorable and terrifyingly powerful?

Add to that Wang Lingling's own considerable beauty standing right beside her, and the two of them at the VIP channel entrance were impossible to ignore. The Gene Warriors passing through the teleportation hall kept stealing glances — some more deliberately than others.

Amy spotted Lu Yuan at the same moment and waved, bouncing on her heels.

"Big Liar! Over here!"

Her voice carried, and a number of nearby Gene Warriors turned to look in Lu Yuan's direction. When they recognized him, more than a few faces shifted — quiet murmurs rippled between companions.

He'd been spotted.

Lu Yuan paid it no mind and walked over.

Wang Lingling greeted him with a gentle smile.

"Mr. Lu, thank you for looking after my young lady in the Aier Mechanical Ruins. Without you, I'm not sure she would have walked away with quite so much to show for it."

Amy was immediately indignant.

"What?! Lingling! You're completely underestimating me! I helped too! Don't believe me — ask Big Liar!"

Lu Yuan had long since grown immune to the nickname.

He smiled. "Amy genuinely contributed quite a bit."

"See?!"

Amy shot Wang Lingling a triumphant look.

Wang Lingling smiled warmly and patted Amy on the head. "My lady is amazing."

Watching the exchange, Lu Yuan suddenly remembered the matter of Amy's knowledge gap — the biology question she had raised before. He made a mental note to find an opportunity to ask Wang Lingling about it privately. *The gap really did seem serious.*

At that moment, a sound transmission reached him from Amy:

*"Oh right, Big Liar! Those materials you said you'd show me — where are they?"*

Lu Yuan paused.

*Materials? What materials?*

Then it hit him, and his eyes went wide. He had promised Amy he'd get her information about… making babies.

She actually remembered?

His expression twitched. He transmitted back: "Hold on, not yet. I'll get them to you, I promise."

Amy peered at him with open suspicion.

"Big Liar, you didn't forget, did you?"

"How could I?! I'm not that kind of person! It's just — something like this needs to be handed over when there's no one else around."

Lu Yuan maintained perfect composure.

Amy studied him for a moment, then gave a reluctant nod.

"Fine. I'll trust you one more time. If you're tricking me again, I won't let it slide."

"Absolutely not!"

*Right. I need to figure out how to talk my way around this one.*

Nearby, Wang Lingling caught the odd expressions passing between the two of them. She narrowed her eyes slightly, a flicker of suspicion moving through her gaze.

Then she smiled and said:

"My lady, didn't you have business to attend to in White Cloud City?"

Amy snapped back to the moment. "Right! I need to go see that Yeye. Lingling, you've got to help me with the negotiations!"

Lu Yuan glanced at Wang Lingling with a flash of understanding.

*So that's why she came along — to handle the negotiating.*

No one had said they couldn't bring a representative, so he had nothing to object to.

The three of them entered the teleportation hall. Moments later, the transfer completed, and they stepped out in White Cloud City.

White Cloud City's teleportation hall dwarfed Red Maple City's by a considerable margin.

They walked out of the transport chamber and down a long corridor before finally emerging outside.

Outside the teleportation hall, Lu Yuan swept his gaze across the surrounding cityscape — and felt a jolt of genuine awe.

White Cloud City was vast, almost incomprehensibly so. Everywhere he looked, towering skyscrapers packed the skyline, many of them several thousand meters tall. The streets below and the air above were alive with Gene Warriors of every description: humans, Elves, Cat-kin, Gnolls, and countless other races moving through the same city together.

This was the gathering place of every race on the White Cloud Continent.

And at the very heart of White Cloud City, five enormous golden stone tablets floated suspended in the open air.

When Lu Yuan turned his gaze toward the tablets, they seemed to leap closer — as if they were right before his eyes.

Five rankings.

The Prodigy Rankings. The King Rankings. The Emperor Rankings. The Grand Emperor Rankings. And the Saint Rankings.

The very rankings Si Tingxue's group had mentioned.

The Prodigy Rankings were a leaderboard for the younger generation — listing only warriors below Battle Venerable rank, divided into an overall ranking and sub-rankings. The sub-rankings were further divided into four tiers: Battle Warrior, Battle Master, Battle General, and Battle Venerable. Each — overall and sub alike — capped at one hundred names.

Lu Yuan scanned the overall ranking.

*1st: Yan Liang. Ink-Wing Race. Battle Venerable.*

*2nd: Anastasia. Nightshade Race. Battle Venerable.*

*3rd: Aimen. Kaman Race. Battle Venerable.*

*…*

The moment his gaze landed on the first name, information flowed unbidden into his mind.

For the holder of the overall first-place position: in Land of Origin cities such as White Cloud City, a twenty-percent discount on all purchases. Free use of the Training Hall's Gravity Room and Simulation Room. No commission fee for items sold through the Auction House.

Lu Yuan stared, eyes wide.

*Good grief — the rankings come with perks like* that*?!*

*I want in.*