Reactions From All Sides, 500 Million Annual Salary

The moment Lu Yuan's group stepped into the plaza, hundreds of Gene Warriors turned to look.

Zhuo Ming ducked his head slightly and couldn't help whispering, "There are so many powerful people here. And a lot of them seem to be staring at you, Yuan-bro."

Lu Yuan had already picked up on the attention. He gave a small laugh. "So what if they stare? It's not like it'll cost me anything."

Gelin glanced around the plaza, a smile on his face. "It's only natural they'd take notice of Lu Yuan. Earning a nickname at his age — that isn't something you see every day."

As the gazes swept across Zhuo Ming, Gelin, and the rest of the group, they invariably paused on Lu Yuan. The moment they caught sight of his Black Iron Body, more than a few pairs of eyes sharpened with a flicker of wariness.

Every cluster of people spread across the plaza belonged to a different faction, and the figures at the front of each one were quietly studying Lu Yuan while murmuring to those at their sides.

Gelin spoke up. "Lu Yuan, should we head over to the human side? Things could get chaotic once the ruin opens — better to have our own people close."

Lu Yuan nodded. "Agreed. Let's go."

The group moved toward the human faction's section of the plaza.

**Human Zone**

A gaunt man with deep purple-black hair studied Lu Yuan from a distance and spoke in a measured tone.

"Is this the human talent who's been making a name at the market lately? Has anyone made contact? Which country is he from?"

Beside him, a black-haired youth shook his head.

"We've completed an investigation. Lu Yuan's time in Sandy Rock Palace amounts to less than two weeks of real-world time. But within that window, the beasts he's been hunting have grown progressively stronger — a clear indicator that his own advancement has been extraordinarily rapid. From this we can infer his Spirit Crystal absorption speed is well above average. Eyewitnesses who've seen him fight report his Gene Battle Technique appears to be an elite-rank Guardian type with an exceptionally powerful defensive output. On the whole: a rare talent."

"Awakened this year, then..."

The black-haired youth glanced at Lu Yuan again and nodded. "Almost certainly. My guess is that before Sandy Rock Palace, he was operating in areas like Gray Rock Forest and the Hundred Flower Oasis. With that level of defense, the creatures in those zones couldn't have posed much of a threat to him. If his cultivation speed has held consistent from the beginning, he couldn't have Awakened more than a few months ago."

He paused. "As for background — we've only just assembled a rough file. He doesn't appear particularly close to any other Gene Warriors, but we can't rule out that he's a young scion from a major family on an independent training run. No contact has been made yet."

The purple-haired man's eyes narrowed. He gave a slow, measured nod.

"Good call. Keep watching. If he maintains this pace, Battle General rank is all but inevitable — possibly higher. Worth approaching at the right time." His gaze swept across several positions around the plaza. "Move quickly. Other factions are watching him too."

"Yes, My Lord. I'll see to it immediately."

**Gnoll Zone**

A powerfully built gnoll stood apart from the others — towering, clad in jet-black battle armor, a massive axe slung over his back that was nearly as tall as a man. He fixed his gaze on Lu Yuan and spoke slowly.

"Is that the 'Black Knight,' Lu Yuan? The one racking up kills every day?"

Beside him, a lean gnoll in leather armor nodded with a grin.

"Yes, My Lord. His cultivation speed is fast. He can't have Awakened long ago."

"Has he been investigated?"

"Yes. We've built a file on him."

The burly gnoll kept his stare on Lu Yuan. After a long moment, one corner of his mouth curled into a cold smile.

"Find an opportunity and put him down once. The conflict between humans and us is heating up — another great war is coming before long. Human talents: suppress every one you can. Don't let him grow unchecked."

"Understood."

"Arrange it soon. Other factions are watching him too."

"Yes, My Lord. I'll handle it immediately."

**Cat-kin Zone**

A cat-kin woman with long white hair immediately drew the eye — her figure striking in leather armor, her face strikingly beautiful. She glanced once at Lu Yuan and looked away without apparent interest.

She frowned slightly and turned to the cat-kin youth beside her.

"Have the news about the ruin been spread?"

The youth nodded. "Already done, Leader."

"Can Her Highness Yeye make it here in time?"

The youth's expression turned uncertain. "Her Highness said... she came across a boss-tier Gale Hawk. Said it looked like it might taste good, so she went after it."

"..."

The white-haired cat-kin woman said nothing.

A beat later, the youth couldn't quite contain a look of admiring reverence. "As expected of Her Highness! Just recently Awakened and she's already hunting boss-tier beasts. Under Her Highness's leadership, the Empire is certain to rise even higher!"

The white-haired woman's frown did not ease.

**Elf Zone**

Two handsome male elves looked Lu Yuan over.

"So this is the human talent making waves at the market lately? Any contact made? Where's he from?"

One shook his head. "None yet. Word is he's capable enough — but this caliber of talent isn't exactly scarce. Our own people this year have any number who'd outstrip him."

The other nodded. "The real ones worth watching are people like 'Iron Axe' Kaman, 'Poison Scorpion' Kong Qian, 'White Cat' Ping Xing. Gene Chain tempering above eighty percent, elite genes encoded — those are actual powerhouses. Next to them, Lu Yuan is still far too green."

"If that's all he is, then there's not much reason to pay him any mind."

**Mixed-Race Zone**

In the section of the plaza where the races mingled freely, a cat-kin man in blue robes and a gnoll in battle armor were also watching Lu Yuan.

"Is this the human talent making a name at the market lately?"

The cat-kin man raised an eyebrow.

The gnoll grinned. "Should be him. Didn't expect him to show up here. Quite a few notable Gene Warriors turned out for this one."

The cat-kin man shook his head with a faint sneer. "With that level of strength, daring to come to a ruin — he really doesn't know what fear is. Talents like him have never taken a real loss. Let him get knocked around here. Maybe it'll show him how harsh the world actually is. Ha."

The gnoll agreed with a nod. Both of them turned their eyes toward the sealed bronze gate of the ruin.

Back on the human side, a slim youth in leather armor spotted Lu Yuan's group approaching and broke into a grin.

"Black Knight Lu Yuan? Didn't expect to run into you here."

Lu Yuan glanced at him, mildly surprised, then nodded with a smile. "Hello."

"I'm Liu Xia. This is my team — we're explorers working under the Tianfu Consortium."

Liu Xia made the introduction with easy confidence.

"Tianfu Consortium?" Zhuo Ming's eyes went wide. "As in one of the world's top ten consortiums?"

"So you've heard of us," Liu Xia said, looking pleased. "That's right — Tianfu Consortium is indeed one of the world's top ten."

He turned back to Lu Yuan, his expression shifting into something more deliberate.

"Actually, while I have you — I heard you haven't signed on with any organization yet. How about Tianfu Consortium? I'll put in a personal recommendation. With your talent, I can guarantee the terms would be more than worth your while. Sign on with us and you're looking at a base annual salary of five hundred million. Once your strength grows — Warrior Rank, Battle Master Rank — the number goes up from there."

Zhuo Ming, Gelin, and the rest of the group stared with their eyes as wide as they would go. Liu Xi, Liu Xia's female colleague standing nearby, took one look at their expressions and tilted her head slightly, her smile growing more radiant.

Lu Yuan was a little taken aback himself.

He hadn't expected the number to already be at five hundred million.

When he'd first Awakened, the highest any consortium had dangled in front of him hadn't cleared a million. He hadn't expected it to be at five hundred million now.

Liu Xi watched the stunned silence around her and smiled.

"Other Trainee Rank warriors wouldn't be offered anything close to this, of course — but Lu Yuan is a genuine talent. Naturally it's different."

Gelin and the others felt something twist painfully inside their chests. Some people just stand there doing nothing and pocket five hundred million a year, while the rest of them risk their lives out here hunting monsters — and on a good year, a few million is the ceiling, ten million if they're extraordinarily lucky.

Sometimes the gap between people made the gap between humans and dogs look downright modest.

Zhuo Ming couldn't stop himself from muttering under his breath, "Five hundred million a year — and that's just the floor?! Yuan-bro isn't even past Trainee Rank yet!"

Lu Yuan had already made up his mind long before this conversation.

Working for someone else? Out of the question. No matter what they put on the table.

The Tianfu Consortium's offer was substantial, no doubt about it — but money like that always came chained to your freedom. He hadn't climbed this far just to hand over his independence.

"I'm afraid I don't have any plans to join a consortium at the moment. I appreciate the offer."

A faint shadow of disappointment crossed Liu Xi's eyes, but her smile stayed in place. "No worries. If you ever change your mind, feel free to reach out anytime — Tianfu Consortium has a base in Sandy Rock City."

"Sure."

Though, thinking it through — with his current strength, if he pushed himself, clearing a million a day wasn't out of reach on his own. There was no need to join a consortium.

Just as the exchange wound down, Bertha Wimi arrived at the small plaza with a group of gnolls at her back.

The moment she spotted the ruin, her eyes lit up. A small, eager smile spread across her face.

Then she saw Lu Yuan — laughing and chatting easily with Liu Xi.

Her pupils contracted. Something vicious surfaced across her expression.