Chapter 24: Family Feast

"Twelve stages?"

"First Layer, twelve stages?"

The president of the Evolver's Association was somewhat perplexed.

It wasn't the First Layer, twelve stages itself that surprised him.

Although an evolver with twelve stages at the First Layer was powerful, and considered top-tier even in the whole Dongning City,

the president of the Evolver's Association had an extraordinary background. To rise to his position, he had seen even actual Second Layer evolvers.

What shocked the president of the Evolver's Association was that it was Lin Yuan's first time coming to register, and he already had the power of twelve stages at the First Layer?

*It should be noted that the evolution of an evolver's power must follow a gradual process.*

*It's impossible to be at the First Layer today and jump to the Second Layer tomorrow.*

The Cosmic Human Alliance had very strict standards for power division among evolvers entering new layers.

Evolvers at the Second Layer had energy fluctuations in their bodies that were a hundred times greater than those at the First Layer.

*Such a large gap would be difficult to bridge in a short time.*

And yet, Lin Yuan already had the power of twelve stages at the First Layer on his first visit to the association for registration.

The president of the Evolver's Association had two speculations about this.

One was that Lin Yuan was very secretive.

*Perhaps he became an evolver a long time ago but didn't register until now, when he reached twelve stages at the First Layer.*

This possibility wasn't very high.

Given the Human Alliance's monitoring of evolvers,

an unregistered evolver displaying their power without authorization would be punished if discovered.

Even if Lin Yuan exempted himself from punishment using his secondary citizen privileges, the president would learn of it.

*There was no way he wouldn't know anything until now.*

The second speculation was that Lin Yuan's evolutionary talent was terrifyingly exceptional.

*He might have advanced from one stage at the First Layer to twelve stages in a few years, or even less than ten years.*

With the Human Alliance's life extension technology, First Layer evolvers could easily live up to five hundred years, so a few years was naturally nothing.

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 slightly opened her mouth wide.

*Oh my God.*

*This was a twelve-stage evolver.*

Zhu Qianqian had been working there for nearly two years,

and it was the first time she had ever seen a twelve-stage evolver.

In a place like Dongning City, a twelve-stage First Layer evolver was already considered the ceiling, with numbers comparable to secondary citizens—not something you could casually encounter.

And this twelve-stage evolver looked no different from an ordinary person—Lin Yuan.

*This kind of contrast made Zhu Qianqian feel all the more incredulous.*

*One must understand, according to the officially published standard combat power of a twelve-stage First Layer evolver, a single blow was enough to destroy a building dozens of meters high.*

*Thinking about such massive power contained within Lin Yuan's body made Zhu Qianqian feel unfathomable.*

"Let's go."

"Go greet Mr. Lin."

The president of the Evolver's Association took only two breaths to think.

He then decided to personally go to the assessment room to wait for Lin Yuan to appear.

At first, the president just planned to meet Lin Yuan and establish a good relationship.

But now, after speculating about the terrifying evolutionary talent of the other party, the president felt he needed to lower his stance a bit.

...

Assessment Room.

Lin Yuan opened his eyes and got up from the Virtual World Cabin Slot.

"What a pity."

Lin Yuan shook his head slightly.

After defeating the twelfth opponent, the assessment space spontaneously condensed a Second Layer opponent.

Lin Yuan didn't exit. He wanted to see how much of a gap there was between himself and those Second Layer evolvers.

The result was obvious.

After just three moves, Lin Yuan was defeated.

"Second Layer..."

Countless insights suddenly flashed through Lin Yuan's mind, and with Against-Heaven's Understanding, he slowly began to comprehend the path ahead.

*Simply through a battle with a Second Layer evolver, he started to grasp the nature of the Second Layer. If this were spread, who knows how many evolvers would bash their heads against the wall.*

*Compared to Lin Yuan, the vast majority of evolvers seemed like they lived like dogs.*

*But for Lin Yuan, this was quite normal.*

*Under Against-Heaven's Understanding, Lin Yuan was perpetually in a state of enlightenment,*

even without fighting with a Second Layer evolver, understanding the Second Layer realm was inevitable, a matter of sooner or later.

"The direction is generally clear, and in less than five years, I can break through."

Lin Yuan's face showed a smile.

This visit to the Evolver's Association was indeed the right choice.

Not only did he register smoothly, but he also became clear about the road ahead.

Slam.

Lin Yuan pushed open the door.

He saw Zhu Qianqian and a middle-aged man standing outside.

"Mr. Lin, this is our president..."

Zhu Qianqian immediately introduced.

"President?"

Lin Yuan looked at the middle-aged man.

The president of the Evolver's Association was undoubtedly a significant figure, probably ranking among the top five in all of Dongning City.

"My surname is Liao."

The middle-aged man stepped forward and said warmly.

"What president or not, it's just a matter of me being a few years older than Mr. Lin. If Mr. Lin doesn't mind, you can call me Brother Liao directly."

President Liao said enthusiastically.

The two chatted for a while.

Lin Yuan then got up to bid farewell.

President Liao personally escorted Lin Yuan to the door.

...

The next day.

Lin Yuan returned home.

"Tomorrow, be a little sweet with your words. Although you are an evolver now, you can't appear too indifferent. They are all relatives, and even as an evolver, you need some worldly wisdom. Who knows, you might need their help someday in the future..."

Mother Lu Qiong said, reminding Lin Yuan while cooking.

"I understand."

Lin Yuan finished his sister's cake in two bites and then set his eyes on the large bag of snacks beside him.

Tomorrow was the day of the family gathering. Lin Yuan's distant relatives would come to celebrate his becoming an evolver and to have a get-together.

Lin Yuan naturally remembered this. His father, Lin Shoucheng, mentioned it to him a few days ago.

"Hey, old Lin, should we book a few tables at Fanxing Grand Hotel?"

Mother Lu Qiong hesitantly asked.

The reason for this was that Fanxing Grand Hotel was one of the highest-standard hotels in Donghai City, and booking a table there was equivalent to several months of Lin Shoucheng's salary.

Lu Qiong really felt it was a bit extravagant.

"Book, certainly at Fanxing."

Father Lin Shoucheng didn't even hesitate before answering decisively.

"This time, Mr. Nian specifically invited Lin Hao, who is the secretary to a director in Dongning City. We can't lose Xiaoyuan's face."

Lin Shoucheng spoke.

"Lin Hao..."

Mother Lu Qiong felt a bit absent-minded.

With Lin Hao's social status, he and their family could be considered two classes apart.

Normally, Lin Shoucheng wouldn't even have a chance to meet Lin Hao.

Unexpectedly, because Lin Yuan became an evolver, this big shot was invited.

"Then indeed, we should book at Fanxing."

Lu Qiong nodded in agreement.

With her straightforward mindset, since Lin Hao was willing to take the time to come, they naturally should host him well.

Spending a bit more money was only right.

...

Dongning City.

In a mansion.

Chu Shiyu stood with his head bowed.

In front of him sat a man with a beard.

"You investigated your classmate's information and ended up being warned by the main consciousness of the Goddess of Wisdom?"

The bearded man's expression was grave as he asked again.

"Yes."

"Grandfather, I didn't do it on purpose..."

Chu Shiyu was pale with fear, his legs trembling slightly.

The bearded man sitting in front of him was none other than the founder of the Chu Corporation.

Today, he suddenly summoned Chu Shiyu to ask why he received a warning from the Goddess of Wisdom.

Chu Shiyu could only answer truthfully.

"Whether intentional or not does not matter in this case. To have your classmate's personal information protected to such an extent by the Goddess of Wisdom means he's no ordinary person."

"Although you didn't target him at the time, if he takes it to heart, it could be troublesome."

"Tomorrow, I'll take you to visit your classmate's home."

The bearded man had made his decision.

*He wasn't exaggerating as things were more serious than imagined.*

*That's the Goddess of Wisdom, reigning over the Cosmic Human Alliance! Even a high-ranking Star Lord has to tread carefully, let alone the Chu Family.*

*When dealing with anything related to the Goddess of Wisdom, extreme caution is warranted.*

"Okay, okay..."

Chu Shiyu replied, bracing himself.

...

In another manor.

Huo Qingyao stood upright, video-communicating with a stern-faced man in a military uniform.

"The Goddess of Wisdom, huh... Your classmate is probably already on the Goddess's priority watch list."

"He will surely make significant strides in the future."

The stern man in the military uniform said slowly on the other end of the communication.

"Significant strides..."

Huo Qingyao shrank back a little.

The fact that he was evaluated like this by his uncle indicated that Lin Yuan's future achievements would far exceed what Dongning City could contain.

"You really know how to stir up trouble."

"Oh well, I'll make a trip for your sake."

"Regardless of what your classmate becomes, first you need to mend your relationship with him."

"That day, you boasted you could alter the conscription list—anyone with a little discernment would see it as utterly boastful."

"Tomorrow, I'll take you to apologize to him."

"Don't seek friendship, but at least don't make an enemy."

The man in the military uniform said through the video communication.

...

Evolver's Association.

President Liao sat in a chair.

Before long,

the secretary came in.

"Have you figured out the background of Mr. Lin?"

President Liao looked up and asked.

"President, Mr. Lin Yuan's personal information is blocked by the Goddess of Wisdom. I didn't dare dig further, fearing it might cause trouble."

The secretary replied bluntly.

"Blocked by the Goddess?"

President Liao's expression turned serious.

*There's no way the Goddess of Wisdom would specifically block a citizen's information, even if he were a secondary citizen, not without reason.*

"However, while unable to investigate Mr. Lin Yuan, I did find out about his parents."

"Mr. Lin's parents are natives of Dongning City, with no connections elsewhere."

The secretary suddenly said.

"So Mr. Lin is also perhaps a native of Dongning City?"

A glint flashed in President Liao's eyes.

"What is the President's idea?"

The secretary speculated immediately upon witnessing this, unable to resist asking.

"To find out if it's possible, I need to ask personally."

"Cancel tomorrow's engagements. I will personally visit Mr. Lin's home to have a detailed conversation."

President Liao said solemnly.