Lu Yuan and the others' arrival drew the attention of several hundred Gene Warriors in the square.
Their gazes swept over Zhuo Ming, Green, and the others. When they saw Lu Yuan's Black Iron Body, quite a few people showed a hint of wariness in their eyes.
In the human area, a thin, somewhat gaunt man with purplish-black hair sized up Lu Yuan and spoke:
"Is this the human genius, Lu Yuan, known as the 'Black Knight,' who has been killing huge numbers of ferocious beasts every day lately?"
Beside him, a black-haired young man nodded.
"Yes, it's him. We've already created a file on him."
"Has he been investigated?"
"He has. Lu Yuan has only been in the Sandstone Dungeon for a short time—less than two weeks in real time. Yet during those two weeks, the strength of the ferocious beasts he hunted has steadily increased, which shows that his own rate of improvement is extremely fast. From this, we can conclude that his absorption speed for spirit crystals is likely quite high. Moreover, witnesses have seen him fight ferocious beasts. His genetic combat technique is probably an Elite Gene defensive technique, and his defense is exceptionally strong. Overall, he is a rare talent."
The purple-haired man narrowed his eyes and nodded slightly.
"He looks quite young. He should have only awakened recently?"
The young man glanced at Lu Yuan and nodded. "Most likely. I suspect that before coming to the Sandstone Dungeon, he was probably adventuring in areas such as Graystone Forest and the Hundred Flowers Oasis. With his defensive capabilities, the ferocious beasts in those areas likely couldn't threaten him. If his cultivation speed has always been this fast, then he should be a newcomer who only awakened this year."
"Awakened this year..."
The purple-haired man pondered for a moment before speaking.
"He truly is a decent talent. Have we made contact with him? Which country is he from?"
The young man shook his head.
"I only just received his basic information, so I don't know much about his other circumstances. Although he hasn't been seen particularly close to any other Gene Warriors, we can't rule out the possibility that he is the descendant of a major family and is merely training alone at the moment. So we haven't approached him rashly."
"Mm, you handled that correctly. Observe him first. If he can maintain this rate of improvement, reaching Battle General Level will definitely not be a problem. He may even have a chance of reaching a higher level. He is worth contacting."
"That is what I think as well."
"Make arrangements as soon as possible. I'm afraid people from other factions have their eyes on him too."
As the purple-haired man spoke, his gaze swept across several locations.
Those places were gathering spots for various factions. Their leaders were all currently assessing Lu Yuan and speaking quietly with the people beside them.
"Yes! I'll handle it as soon as possible."
It wasn't only the people in the human area discussing Lu Yuan. People in the other areas were discussing him as well.
In the kobold area, a sturdy kobold wearing pitch-black armor and carrying a giant axe as tall as himself looked at Lu Yuan and slowly spoke.
"Is this the talented human who has gained quite a reputation in the market lately?"
Beside him, a slender kobold in leather armor nodded.
"Yes, sir. His cultivation speed is very fast. He should have awakened only recently."
The sturdy kobold stared at Lu Yuan. After a moment, he bared his teeth in a cold smile.
"Find an opportunity to kill him once. The conflict between humans and us is growing increasingly intense. Before long, another major war will probably break out. Suppress their human geniuses whenever possible. Don't let him grow too comfortably."
The slender kobold nodded with a smile.
"I understand."
In the elf area.
Two handsome male elves glanced at Lu Yuan.
"Has that human been investigated?"
"Not yet. I heard he is fairly strong, but there are plenty of geniuses of this level every year. Among our elven race's geniuses this year, there are probably many who are stronger than him."
"Oh, then he isn't worth much attention."
In the catfolk area.
A beautiful catfolk woman with a curvaceous figure, white hair, and leather armor glanced at Lu Yuan before withdrawing her gaze.
She frowned slightly and asked:
"Has the news about the ruins been spread?"
Beside her, a young catfolk man nodded. "Team leader, it has already been spread."
"Can Princess Ye Ye make it here?"
The young catfolk man looked troubled.
"This..."
"Mm? What is it? Princess Ye Ye may have only just awakened, but with Her Highness's strength, if she can come, these ruins will definitely belong to us catfolk."
The white-haired catfolk woman frowned slightly.
"Her Highness said she encountered a leader-level Gale Eagle. It looked rather delicious... so she went after it."
"..."
The white-haired catfolk woman fell silent.
Then a look of admiration appeared on her face. "As expected of Her Highness! She can chase down leader-level ferocious beasts just after awakening. Under Her Highness's leadership, our empire will surely advance even further!"
The young catfolk man nodded with admiration as well.
"Princess Ye Ye's talent is known to all."
"In that case, we shouldn't disturb Her Highness's enjoyment. It is only a small ruin, after all. It truly is nothing to Her Highness."
In an area where the various races mingled, a male catfolk in a blue robe and an armored kobold were also examining Lu Yuan.
The catfolk man raised an eyebrow.
"That skin-darkening combat technique... is that Lu Yuan, the 'Black Knight' who has been killing huge numbers of ferocious beasts every day lately?"
The kobold grinned. "It should be him. I didn't expect him to come too. Quite a few famous Gene Warriors have shown up this time."
The catfolk man shook his head with some disdain.
"Hmph, that 'Black Knight' had only been hanging around the outer area before. While his defense is commendable, his actual strength isn't that impressive. He isn't worth much attention."
The kobold nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. The ones truly worth watching are Iron Axe Kaman, Poison Scorpion Kong Qian, White Cat Ping Xing, and the others. They are all genuine powerhouses with Tempering Levels above 80% and Elite Genes engraved. Compared to them, Lu Yuan is still far too inexperienced."
"Indeed. He dares come to the ruins with strength like that? He really isn't afraid of death. Talents like him just haven't suffered enough. If he dies and gets sent out this time, it will be good for him to understand the cruelty of reality. Hahaha."
The kobold said, "No need to worry about him. Let's wait for the ruins' gate to open."
The catfolk man nodded, and both of them looked toward the ruins.
When Lu Yuan's group arrived at the square and saw many people looking their way, Zhuo Ming lowered his head slightly and couldn't help exclaiming in a low voice:
"There seem to be so many strong people here! And a lot of them seem to be looking at you, Yuan Ge."
Green looked around and smiled.
"Lu Yuan is powerful. It's only natural that these people would pay attention to him. After all, he earned a title at such a young age."
Lu Yuan had also noticed that quite a few people were observing him.
He smiled. "Let them look. It's not like I'll lose a piece of flesh."
Green said, "Lu Yuan, should we go over to the humans? Things may become chaotic after the ruins open. It will be safer to stay with our own kind."
Lu Yuan nodded. "That's what I was thinking too. Let's go."
The group headed toward the human camp.
A slender young man in leather armor saw Lu Yuan and the others approaching and smiled.
"Black Knight Lu Yuan? I didn't expect to run into you here."
Lu Yuan looked at the young man, paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
"Hello."
"My name is Liu Xia. This is my team. We are explorers from Tianfu Conglomerate."
Liu Xia introduced himself with a smile.
"Tianfu Conglomerate? The Tianfu Conglomerate that is one of the world's ten largest conglomerates?"
Zhuo Ming asked in surprise.
"This little brother knows our conglomerate too? That's right, Tianfu Conglomerate is indeed one of the world's ten largest conglomerates."
Liu Xi raised his head slightly, and his smile became even brighter.
He looked at Lu Yuan and continued.
"By the way, Brother Lu Yuan, I heard you haven't joined an organization yet? Would you consider joining Tianfu Conglomerate? I can recommend you internally. With your talent and strength, I guarantee the compensation won't be low! Once you join, your annual salary will start at 500 million! If your strength improves and you reach Warrior Level or Battle Master Level, it'll definitely be even higher!"
Liu Xi's words made Zhuo Ming, Green, and the others widen their eyes in shock.
"Five hundred million a year! And that's just the starting amount?! Isn't Yuan Ge only at the trainee level?"
Zhuo Ming couldn't help exclaiming softly.
It wasn't just Zhuo Ming. Even Green and the others found it hard to believe.
If they hadn't heard it with their own ears, they never would have believed it.
Was he treating money like it was nothing?!
Seeing their shocked expressions, Liu Xi smiled.
"Other trainee warriors certainly wouldn't receive such a high offer, but Brother Lu Yuan is a genius. Naturally, he is different."
Hearing this, Green and the others felt sour.
Lu Yuan could earn five hundred million a year without doing anything, while they risked their lives adventuring and hunting ferocious beasts, only to make a few million a year. Even the better ones could only make tens of millions.
Sometimes, the difference between people was greater than the difference between people and dogs.
Lu Yuan hadn't expected this either.
The offer was indeed rather high.
When he had just awakened, the highest offer those conglomerates gave him hadn't even reached one million.
He hadn't expected it to become five hundred million now.
However, after thinking about it, with his current strength, as long as he worked a little, earning over a million a day wouldn't be difficult.
There was no need for him to join a conglomerate.
Although Tianfu Conglomerate was offering a lot of money, he would definitely lose a corresponding amount of freedom.
Lu Yuan had already made up his mind not to be a wage slave.
Working for someone else was impossible. No matter how much they offered him, it wouldn't happen.
He smiled and shook his head.
"I don't plan on joining a conglomerate for the time being. Sorry."
A trace of disappointment flashed through Liu Xi's eyes, but he soon smiled. "It's fine. If you change your mind, you can contact me anytime. Tianfu Conglomerate has a base in Sandstone City."
"No problem."
Just as the two were talking, Bertha Vermi arrived at the small square with a group of kobolds.
When she saw the ruins, Bertha Vermi's eyes lit up and she revealed a faint smile.
However, she quickly spotted Lu Yuan chatting and laughing with Liu Xi.
Her pupils contracted, and a savage expression appeared on her face.
"That human?! I didn't expect him to be here too!"
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