"Twelve ranks?"
"First Rank, twelve ranks?"
The president of the Evolver's Association was somewhat bewildered.
He wasn't surprised by the concept of First Rank, twelve ranks itself.
Although Evolvers at First Rank, twelve ranks are powerful, even in the whole Dongning City, they belong to the highest tier.
But the president of the Evolver's Association had an extraordinary background and had reached his position by seeing even true Second Layer Evolvers.
What shocked the president was that Lin Yuan had the strength of First Rank, twelve ranks the first time he came to register?
It is known that the transformation of an Evolver's strength requires gradual progress.
It's impossible to jump from First Rank to Second Layer overnight.
The Cosmic Human Alliance has extremely strict standards for categorizing the strengths between ranks of Evolvers.
The energetic fluctuation inside a Second Layer Evolver compared to a First Rank Evolver differs by more than a hundredfold.
This large disparity is hard to bridge in a short time.
And Lin Yuan had the strength of First Rank, twelve ranks the first time he came to register.
Upon this, the president of the Evolver's Association made two speculations.
One is that Lin Yuan is very reserved.
He became an Evolver long ago but just didn't come to register, holding back until now, holding back until he achieved the strength of a First Rank, twelve ranks.
This possibility is not very likely.
Given the Human Alliance's control over Evolvers,
An unregistered Evolver who recklessly reveals his strength, if discovered, would be subject to punishment.
Even if Lin Yuan, with his Second-tier citizen privileges, were to be exempted from punishment, the president of the Evolver's Association would still have been informed.
It's impossible that he remained completely unaware until now.
The second speculation was that Lin Yuan's Evolutive Talent was terrifyingly exceptional.
From First Rank, first rank to twelve ranks, it might have taken just a few years or less than a decade.
With the Human Alliance's life-extending technology, a First Rank Evolver can easily live five hundred years; hence, several years don't count as much.
The president of the Evolver's Association leaned towards the second speculation.
Compared to the president's calm and analytical thinking,
Zhu Qianqian beside him was slightly agape.
Good heavens.
This was a twelve-rank Evolver.
She, Zhu Qianqian, had been working here for nearly two years.
It was her first time seeing a twelve-rank Evolver.
In a place like Dongning City, a First Rank, twelve-rank Evolver was considered the ceiling, comparable in numbers to Second-tier citizens, and not someone you could just see casually.
And this twelve-rank Evolver looked no different from an ordinary person like Lin Yuan.
This contrast made Zhu Qianqian feel even more incredulous.
To know, according to the official published standards of a First Rank, twelve-rank Evolver's combat power, a single strike could destroy a building tens of meters tall.
Thinking of such immense power contained within Lin Yuan's body made Zhu Qianqian perceive it as unfathomable.
"Let's go."
"Let's go meet Mr. Lin."
The president of the Evolver's Association only took two breaths to think.
He decided to go to the assessment room in person and wait for Lin Yuan to appear.
Initially, the president just intended to meet Lin Yuan and foster good relations.
But now, after deducing the terrifying Evolutive Talent of the other party, the president felt he needed to lower his stance a bit.
...
The assessment room.
Lin Yuan opened his eyes and got up from the Virtual World Cabin Slot.
"Too bad."
Lin Yuan shook his head slightly.
After defeating his twelfth opponent, the assessment space spontaneously materialized an opponent of Second Layer caliber.
Lin Yuan did not exit but wanted to see how much difference there was between him and those Second Layer Evolvers.
The result was evident.
After only enduring three moves, Lin Yuan was overwhelmed.
"Second Layer..."
Flashes of Spiritual Light suddenly raced through Lin Yuan's mind, and under the boost of his Against-Heaven's Understanding, he slowly began to comprehend the path forward.
Just through a single battle with a Second Layer Evolver, he began to comprehend the essence of Second Layer. If this were known, it's hard to say how many Evolvers would be dumbfounded.
Compared to Lin Yuan, most other Evolvers might as well have not existed at all.
But for Lin Yuan, this was common.
Under Against-Heaven's Understanding, Lin Yuan was constantly in a state of Sudden Enlightenment,
Even without battling a Second Layer Evolver, figuring out the Realm of Second Layer was inevitable, merely a matter of time.
"The direction is roughly there; in no more than five years, I should be able to break through."
A smile appeared on Lin Yuan's face.
His visit to the Evolver's Association truly proved worthwhile.
Not only did he casually register, but he also illuminated the path ahead.
Snap.
Lin Yuan pushed the door open.
He saw Zhu Qianqian and a middle-aged man standing outside.
"Mr. Lin, this is our president..."
Zhu Qianqian immediately began to introduce.
"The president?"
Lin Yuan looked at the middle-aged man.
The president of the Evolver's Association, undeniably a big shot, probably ranked among the top five in all of Dongning City.
"My surname is Liao."
The middle-aged man stepped forward, warmly speaking.
"Forget the formalities of president or not; I'm merely a few years elder than Mr. Lin. If Mr. Lin doesn't mind, you can simply call me Brother Liao," Mr. Liao said warmly.
The two chatted for a while.
Lin Yuan then got up to take his leave.
Mr. Liao personally escorted Lin Yuan to the door.
...
The next day.
Lin Yuan returned home.
"Be a bit more courteous tomorrow. Although you are now an Evolver, you shouldn't appear too indifferent. They are all relatives. Even as an Evolver, you need to understand human networks; you might need those relatives' help in the future..."
Lin Shoucheng's mother, Lu Qiong, reminded him while cooking.
"I understand," Lin Yuan replied.
After swiftly finishing the cake his sister made, Lin Yuan turned his attention to the large bag of snacks beside him.
The family banquet was set for the next day, when distant relatives of Lin Yuan would come to congratulate him on becoming an Evolver and to take the opportunity for a gathering.
Lin Yuan naturally remembered this. A few days earlier, his father Lin Shoucheng had mentioned it to him.
"Hey, Old Lin, should we book a few tables at the Fanxing Grand Hotel?"
His mother, Lu Qiong, asked hesitantly.
The reason for her hesitation was that the Fanxing Grand Hotel was one of the highest-standard hotels in Donghai City, and booking a table there cost as much as several months of Lin Shoucheng's salary.
Lu Qiong really hesitated to spend that much.
"Book it, we should definitely book at Fanxing,"
Lin Shoucheng answered without a second thought.
"This time, Mr. Nian has specifically invited Lin Hao. He's the secretary of a certain bureau director in Dongning City. We can't let Xiaoyuan lose face."
Lin Shoucheng continued.
"Lin Hao..."
Lu Qiong seemed a bit dazed.
With Lin Hao's social status, he was in a completely different class from their family.
Usually, Lin Shoucheng didn't even have the chance to meet Lin Hao.
Unexpectedly, due to Lin Yuan becoming an Evolver, they had managed to invite this significant figure.
"Then we really should book at Fanxing,"
Lu Qiong nodded in agreement.
In her simple view, since Lin Hao was willing to make time to come, they should naturally host him well.
Spending a bit more money was appropriate.
...
Dongning City.
In a luxurious mansion.
Chu Shiyu stood there with his head lowered.
In front of him sat a bearded man.
"You went to gather information on your classmate, and you were warned by the main consciousness of the Goddess of Wisdom?"
The bearded man asked with a serious expression, repeating his question.
"Yes."
"Grandfather, I didn't do it on purpose..."
Chu Shiyu's face turned pale, and his legs trembled slightly.
The bearded man sitting before him was the founder of the Chu Corporation.
He had suddenly called him over today to inquire why he had been warned by the Goddess of Wisdom.
Chu Shiyu could only answer honestly.
"Whether it was intentional or not is not important. To be protected by the Goddess of Wisdom to this extent, your classmate must be someone significant."
"Although you didn't target him specifically, if he takes it to heart, it could spell trouble."
"Tomorrow, I will take you to visit your classmate's home,"
the bearded man decided firmly.
It was not without reason that he was so cautious; the severity of the situation had exceeded his expectations.
This was the Goddess of Wisdom, who reigned over the entire Cosmic Human Alliance! Even someone as high-ranking as a Star Lord would tread carefully, let alone the Chu Family.
Regarding anything related to the Goddess of Wisdom, one could never be too cautious.
"Okay, okay..."
Chu Shiyu braced himself as he responded.
...
In another estate.
Huo Qingyao stood upright, video communicating with a man in military uniform whose face showed authority.
"The Goddess of Wisdom... Your classmate is probably now on the Goddess' priority watchlist."
"He's bound to have significant developments in the future,"
the man in military uniform slowly said on the other end of the video call.
"Significant developments..."
Huo Qingyao gulped.
Hearing such high praise from his uncle indicated that Lin Yuan's future achievements would not be limited by merely Dongning City.
"You really know how to cause trouble,"
"Well, I'll make a trip for you."
"Regardless of what developments your classmate will have in the future, first, you two need to smooth things over."
"The other day, you boasted about manipulating the conscription list, which to anyone with slight discernment, sounded utterly boastful."
"Tomorrow, I'll take you to apologize to him."
"We're not seeking friendship, but at least we shouldn't foster enmity,"
the man in the military uniform said on the video call.
...
At the Evolver's Association.
Mr. Liao sat in his chair.
Soon, his secretary walked in.
"Have you figured out the background of that Mr. Lin?"
Mr. Liao looked up and asked.
"Chairman, Mr. Lin Yuan's personal information is blocked by the Goddess of Wisdom, and I did not dare to continue investigating, fearing consequences,"
the secretary directly stated.
"Blocked by the Goddess?"
Mr. Liao's face turned serious.
For the powerful Goddess of Wisdom to specifically block information about a citizen was unlikely, even if he were a Second Rank citizen. There must be other reasons.
"However, while I couldn't find out more about Mr. Lin Yuan, I did manage to learn about his parents,"
"Mr. Lin's parents are natives of Dongning City, having no significant ties elsewhere,"
the secretary suddenly mentioned.
"So, Mr. Lin is also from Dongning City?"
A glint of sharpness passed through Mr. Liao's eyes.
"What does the Chairman imply?"
Seeing this, the secretary immediately guessed something and couldn't help but ask.
"Whether it can be achieved or not, I still have to ask in person."
"Let's cancel all the plans for tomorrow. I will personally visit Mr. Lin's home to have a detailed discussion,"
Mr. Liao said gravely.