Shuiyue Residential Complex, Residence Number 32.
Underground training room.
"Now, there isn't any sense of oppression..."
Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, his eyes deep, thinking to himself.
In the Martial World, after he had stepped into the Free and Unfettered Realm,
he had sensed an oppression coming from the unknown.
It felt as if he were a beached whale, uncomfortable all over.
But now, he felt none of that.
"Is it because of the different limits of the world?"
Lin Yuan speculated in his mind.
The upper limit of the Martial World was clearly much lower than that of the Main World.
This could be seen from the great disparity in the flow of time.
Lin Yuan had reached an unprecedented level, the Free and Unfettered Realm,
In the Martial World, perhaps approaching the real limit,
he would be suppressed and repelled by the world.
But in the Main World... even if it wasn't a start,
he still had a long way to go before reaching the true limit of the world.
At least Lin Yuan knew that those truly powerful evolvers in the Cosmic Human Alliance
could easily traverse the starry sky with their physical bodies and extinguish stars in the blink of an eye.
In the two million plus years of the Starry Sea Era, human civilization had been able to step out of their mother planet, sweep away different species from all directions, and occupy vast and boundless domains,
not just because of the unified scheduling by three ultimate intelligent Goddesses of Wisdom,
but also through the indelible contributions of extremely powerful individual evolvers.
...
Having restored all his strength, Lin Yuan quickly adapted and then connected to the Virtual World.
These past few days, aside from refining "advanced nutrition fluids,"
Lin Yuan would occasionally enter the Virtual World to explore.
Cang Lan Star Virtual World, residential area.
Lin Yuan's figure appeared on a street.
People passed by him from time to time.
In the corner, the seats occasionally gathered a few figures who chatted leisurely.
At a glance, this residential street had at least dozens of figures.
Lin Yuan was no longer surprised by this.
Although it was said that ordinary people did not have access to the Virtual World,
the population base of Cang Lan Star reached as high as fifty billion.
Even if one second-level citizen emerged from every fifty million citizens, the total number of second-level citizens on Cang Lan Star would exceed a hundred thousand.
In fact, one second-level citizen generally emerged from every two or three hundred thousand people; the true number of second-level citizens on Cang Lan Star was nearing three hundred thousand.
And this was only the second-level citizens. Evolvers also had access to the Virtual World.
The number of evolvers was far greater than that of second-level citizens.
After all, becoming an evolver could be achieved through various means: normal, abnormal, mutated, inherited, and so forth.
Of course, while the number of evolvers was high relative to second-level citizens,
compared to regular citizens, evolvers were still extremely rare, averaging one in several thousand.
Lin Yuan casually entered a bar in the residential area, sat in a corner, and ordered a mixed drink.
"This tactility..."
Lin Yuan took a sip, his expression slightly amazed.
If he wasn't acutely aware of his external body, Lin Yuan might have thought he had come to the real world.
"No wonder the Goddess of Wisdom restricts access to the Virtual World."
"Such clear sensory simulation must be built on a giant server, and if everyone could connect, the cost would be terrifyingly high..."
Lin Yuan sat in the bar for a while, then exited the Virtual World.
"Now that my strength is restored, I should go to the Evolver's Association right away, to register and get my Evolver's Certificate."
The Cosmic Human Alliance closely regulates evolvers; even those not yet advanced must register as soon as possible.
Thinking this, Lin Yuan immediately contacted the local Evolver's Association in the city to schedule his registration for the following day.
For official organizations like the Evolver's Association, it is best to make an appointment in advance.
...
The next day.
Lin Yuan returned home.
In recent days, using the excuse that he needed to receive training for becoming an evolver, Lin Yuan hadn't stayed at home.
At the dinner table, his mother Lu Qiong seemed to remember something and said, "Xiaoyuan, aren't you an evolver now? Old Lin loves to show off and has already mentioned it in the family group."
"A few relatives heard about it and want to organize a family banquet to get together and celebrate, and to see you..."
"That family group..."
Lin Yuan glanced at his father, Lin Shoucheng.
In the interstellar era, the concept of family clans had long since diminished, but social niceties remained.
Lin Yuan becoming an evolver was a major event that transcended class barriers, far more significant than getting admitted to any top university.
Being admitted to a top university didn't guarantee standing out. Millions graduated every year, but how many actually found satisfactory jobs?
But evolvers were different; even just starting evolvers were highly sought after by numerous corporate conglomerates with high salaries.
If one day he happened to advance further as an evolver, it would be like a carp leaping through the dragon's gate.
Previously, Lin Yuan's family was just an ordinary one, rather insignificant among relatives, but now that Lin Yuan had become an evolver, everything had changed.
No one could guarantee that they wouldn't need the help of Lin Yuan, the evolver, someday.
Sometimes, asking for help wasn't shameful; what was shameful was not having anyone to ask for help.
"Mr. Nian had helped me before, he wants everyone to gather, and I couldn't refuse..."
Father Lin Shoucheng gave a rueful smile.
He had merely boasted a bit in the group chat; little did he think someone would actually take it seriously.
"It's ok, I'll be there for the family banquet."
Lin Yuan knew what his parents meant; they were just worried he might be too busy to attend.
If Lin Yuan, the protagonist, weren't there, what would be the point of holding the banquet?
"Family banquet?"
"What family banquet?"
"Will there be good food?"
His sister, Lin Yi, suddenly perked up, her eyes twinkling as she asked.
...
After dinner, he left home.
Lin Yuan planned to go to the Evolver's Association to collect his certificate.
Before he had walked far, Lin Yuan received a phone call.
"Is this Mr. Lin Yuan?"
The voice on the other end was a careful female voice.
"It is."
Lin Yuan nodded.
"I'm from the Evolver's Association. Mr. Lin Yuan, you applied for registration today..."
"At the time, I didn't realize Mr. Lin Yuan was a second-tier citizen, so I didn't make it clear. According to the association's rules, any second-tier citizen coming in must be picked up personally..."
The female voice on the phone was almost frantic.
In Dongning City, the second-tier citizens were few and all known by the president of the association, who dealt with their affairs directly.
She, a minor staff member, had never dealt with second-tier citizens.
When she received Lin Yuan's application yesterday, she was busy with other matters and didn't think much about it. But when inputting Lin Yuan's citizen number this morning, she was shocked to find out he was a second-tier citizen.
Because of this, her supervisor noticed and inquired if the second-tier citizen had any special requirements, insisting that they be fully accommodated.
"It's alright,"
Lin Yuan shook his head.
It hadn't cost him anything.
"Where is Mr. Lin now? I'll send someone to pick you up immediately…"
The woman on the phone finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that if Lin Yuan had been unhappy with her service, she would undoubtedly have been fired the next day, and the reason would have been included in her record.
At that point, no corporate group would be willing to hire her, as taking a light view of a high-ranking citizen was a serious infraction anywhere.
"I am currently at…"
Lin Yuan hesitated, then decided to reveal his location.
Having someone pick him up was convenient and would also save him some cab fare.
After hanging up, Lin Yuan found a nearby coffee shop to wait.
However,
it wasn't long before.
a voice suddenly came from the side.
"Lin Yuan, what are you doing here?"