Chapter 57

Evolver’s Association, twenty-third layer.

The shattered ‘glasses’ fell to the ground.

Zong Bai and Lü Xiguang couldn’t help but their expressions changed.

They knew Cao Rong’s personality well; he was fearless of both heaven and earth.

Since he had just agreed to test Lin Yuan’s strength, it was unlikely that he would back out halfway.

Unless…

Zong Bai and Lü Xiguang exchanged a glance.

As Evolvers with highly developed brains, several speculations quickly formed in their minds.

Combat Power Glasses were the latest scientific achievement of Heiwu Star. Although they were not yet perfected and could malfunction or explode,

if that were the only issue, Cao Rong certainly wouldn’t have displayed such trepidation.

It was very likely that before the glasses exploded, Cao Rong saw something through them.

“It’s best not to offend this person.”

In the blink of an eye, many thoughts surfaced in Zong Bai’s mind, and he immediately took a step forward, his face breaking into a warm smile, “Mr. Lin, the three of us have been waiting here for you for a long time.”

“It is I who have arrived late,” Lin Yuan replied, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes.

His gaze swept over the fragments of ‘glasses’ scattered on the ground without leaving a trace.

Just now, he had vaguely sensed a weak ‘feeling of being watched.’

It must have originated from these broken glasses.

However, this ‘feeling of being watched’ was very faint.

At most, it could slightly perceive part of Lin Yuan’s strength.

As for his real trump cards, they were hidden inside his body.

Unless he unleashed his full power, they would be very difficult to detect.

“This way, please. Mr. Liao has specially prepared food from other planets, which can be somewhat helpful to Evolvers like us…” Zong Bai said enthusiastically.

Lü Xiguang also showed a smile on his face.

“I wonder what exactly did Cao Rong see?” Lü Xiguang’s gaze occasionally swept over the distraught Cao Rong.

If Lin Yuan were not present, he would probably have eagerly asked by now.

At the dining table.

Lin Yuan took a sip of the wine in front of him.

“Good wine.”

Lin Yuan commented with appreciation.

His comment on the wine, of course, referred to more than just the taste.

As the wine went down his throat, it began to slowly improve his body; an ordinary citizen who drank this wine could probably extend their life by three to five years.

Even Lin Yuan’s already strong physique could feel a slight boiling of his blood and Qi.

“This wine is called Tianzhi Wine, a treasured collection of Brother Zong. If it weren’t for Mr. Lin’s visit, we wouldn’t have had the pleasure,” said Lü Xiguang, unable to hold back his words.

Tianzhi Wine, even for First and Second Layer Evolvers, was a luxury item.

The price of a pot of Tianzhi Wine on the market ranged from five to ten million Yuan, and Lin Yuan’s glass of Tianzhi Wine was valued at half a million.

It was worth the salary of an ordinary citizen’s decades of work for just one sip of this wine.

Of course, the reason Tianzhi Wine was so expensive was, first, because of its delicious taste.

Second, it was due to the slight enhancement to one’s physique it provided.

Zong Bai had sneakily brought this pot of Tianzhi Wine from home.

He stored it in the Evolver’s Association, wanting to savor it slowly.

He wouldn’t have been willing to bring out the Tianzhi Wine if it hadn’t been for realizing the importance of Lin Yuan and if Cao Rong’s recent acts hadn’t potentially caused some misunderstanding.

Following that.

The few exchanged conversations for a while.

Lin Yuan also gained some understanding of Zong Bai and the other two.

Zong Bai was pursuing an Evolutionary Path called ‘Mind Power Sorcerer.’

Controlling mind power, capable of killing from a distance.

The ‘Mind Power Sorcerer’ Evolutionary Path was one of the more widely spread Evolution Paths within Human Civilization.

It fundamentally involved continuously developing one’s mind power to then influence reality.

Mastering this Evolution Path to the Fourth or Fifth Rank could, with just a thought, cause a volcanic eruption or movement of the Earth’s crust, scenes of natural disasters.

Lü Xiguang, however, was a Bloodline Evolver, with all of his abilities stemming from his own bloodline.

Lü Xiguang’s bloodline quality reached the Second Layer.

Nonetheless, even as a Bloodline Evolver whose cultivation difficulty was lower than that of other Evolver paths, advancing from the First to Second Layer was not an easy feat.

Additionally, the concentration of Lü Xiguang’s bloodline was not very high.

He had been stuck at the twelfth segment of the First Rank for over a decade.

Interacting with Zong Bai and Lü Xiguang had been quite beneficial for Lin Yuan.

As they chatted face to face, Lin Yuan’s gaze swept over the others. His Against-Heaven’s Understanding occasionally provided feedback, granting Lin Yuan some enlightenment.

Specially, Zong Bai’s ‘Mind Power Sorcerer’ Evolution Path insights could entirely complement the Martial Path Evolutionary Path. After all, the so-called mind power was essentially the power of the soul, a kind of psychic force.

An hour later.

Lin Yuan exchanged Virtual World citizen numbers with Zong Bai and the others before excusing himself to leave.

…

Twenty-third layer, inside a room.

Zong Bai and the others returned here after seeing off Lin Yuan.

“Indeed, not simple…”

Zong Bai frowned as he thought for a while, then spoke.

The “not simple” he referred to naturally meant Lin Yuan.

If at the beginning he had been cautious because he couldn’t figure out Lin Yuan’s strength, as well as because of Cao Rong’s behavior,

then after having a discussion with Lin Yuan, he naturally had other thoughts in his mind.

Putting other things aside, Zong Bai clearly perceived that Lin Yuan had an exceptional understanding of the nature of Evolution Paths.

When asking about his own Psychic Evolution Path, every question Lin Yuan asked was something Zong Bai had pondered without answer, even having to consult Higher-Rank Evolvers with great effort to barely resolve.

But Lin Yuan sorted it out in a few words.

Keep in mind, the Evolution Path that Lin Yuan cultivated was not that of a Psychic.

Without having studied it, yet already grasping the gist and even occasionally offering insights that greatly benefited Zong Bai.

“Cao Rong, what on earth happened to you?”

“What was that just now?”

Lü Xiguang nodded in agreement, at the same time turning to look at Cao Rong beside him.

At this moment, Cao Rong was unusually silent.

“Mr. Lin’s combat power…”

Upon hearing this, Cao Rong’s face showed a look of fear.

Indeed, it was combat power… Zong Bai and Lü Xiguang both confirmed in their hearts.

They had previously speculated that Cao Rong was affected by having seen Lin Yuan’s combat power through combat strength glasses, hence his behavior afterward.

“How much combat power does Mr. Lin actually have?”

Lü Xiguang immediately asked.

“My combat power is only one thousand, but Mr. Lin’s combat power is at least ten thousand,”

Cao Rong’s voice trembled slightly, “No, it’s over ten thousand.”

The combat strength glasses had exploded from overload after detecting a combat power of ten thousand.

Hence Cao Rong believed that Lin Yuan’s combat power was definitely more than ten thousand.

“Over ten thousand combat power…”

Zong Bai and Lü Xiguang suddenly took a deep breath.

This was indeed the combat power that a true Second Layer Evolver would possess.

Even most Second Layer Evolvers couldn’t reach this level of combat power.

“Mr. Liao didn’t say that the people invited this time were about the same level as us…” Lü Xiguang muttered to himself.

They had one thousand; Lin Yuan had ten thousand, no, over ten thousand.

How is that similar?

“The combat strength glasses shouldn’t be mistaken,”

Cao Rong added from the side.

If the combat strength glasses had exploded upon seeing Lin Yuan without capturing any data,

it would have been possible that there was a fault with the glasses themselves, as they were a new type of technological product and the possibility of malfunction cannot be discounted.

But the fact that the glasses exploded after capturing the general data of Lin Yuan’s combat power due to being over the limit, this only indicated that the glasses’ configuration was inadequate, yet the information captured was not problematic.

“What are you thinking about?”

Seeing the two fall silent, Zong Bai suddenly laughed.

“Isn’t it a good thing that Mr. Lin is so strong?”

Zong Bai asked in return.

Facing the upcoming tournament, the stronger one’s power, the higher the ranking one could achieve, and even if one couldn’t squeeze into the top three thousand, they could still receive Mr. Liao’s personal compensation.

“Indeed, it’s a good thing.”

Lü Xiguang and Cao Rong exchanged a glance, their eyes suddenly lighting up.

They instantly realized that for them, Lin Yuan was a formidable pillar; clinging to him might allow them to climb dozens of ranks in the tournament.

Evolver’s Association, thirtieth floor.

After leaving the twenty-third floor, Lin Yuan didn’t return to the Shuiyue Residential Complex.

Instead, he went to the thirtieth floor, planning to meet Mr. Liao in person.

In addition to getting acquainted with the three teammates for the upcoming tournament,

Lin Yuan had another purpose in coming here personally.

“How did it go?”

“Zong Bai and the others didn’t give you a hard time, did they?”

Mr. Liao asked with some concern.

He naturally knew about the personalities of Zong Bai, Cao Rong, and the others.

He understood that it wouldn’t be easy for Lin Yuan to integrate with the group.

But there was also nothing he could do about it; as the chairman of the association, he had the authority to allow Lin Yuan to join, but he couldn’t force Zong Bai and his group to be without objections.

“It’s all right.”

“That pot of Tianzhi Wine was quite good,”

Lin Yuan remarked casually.

He had a very favorable impression of this wine.

If it weren’t too expensive, he would consider buying a few cases.

“Huh?”

“Since when has Zong Bai become so generous?”

Mr. Liao’s face showed shock.

He had also coveted that pot of Tianzhi Wine for a long time, but Zong Bai had never offered him a drink.

Yet with Lin Yuan, just after a single meeting, it was brought out?

“Mr. Liao, another reason for my visit is to ask for your assistance with a matter,”

Lin Yuan didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to the point.