Encounter at the Evolutionary Association

Water Moon District, Residence Number Thirty-Two.

Underground training room.

"There wasn't much pressure now."

Lin Yuan sat cross-legged, his eyes deep as he pondered inwardly.

After entering the Carefree Realm in the Martial Arts World,

he had sensed an unseen pressure.

It was like a beached whale, leaving his entire body unbearably uncomfortable.

Yet now, he felt nothing of the sort.

"Was it because of the difference in the worlds' limits?"

Lin Yuan guessed inwardly.

The Martial Arts World's upper limit was obviously far below that of the Main World.

That much could be seen from the enormous difference in the flow of time.

Lin Yuan had reached the unprecedented Carefree Realm. In the Martial Arts World, he might have approached its true upper limit,

which would invite the world's suppression and rejection.

But in the Main World, even if he was not merely at the starting point,

he was still a vast distance away from the world's true upper limit.

At the very least, Lin Yuan knew that the truly powerful Evolutionaries within the Universe Human Alliance could easily cross the stars with their physical bodies and destroy planets with a flick of their fingers.

Over two million years of the Star Sea Calendar, Human Civilization had emerged from its Mother Star, swept aside alien races in every direction, and occupied vast, boundless starfields.

Aside from the unified coordination of the three Ultimate Intelligent Goddesses,

the overwhelmingly powerful individual Evolutionaries had also made indelible contributions.

Having recovered all his strength, Lin Yuan took a moment to adapt before connecting his consciousness to the Virtual World.

Over the past few days, whenever he was not refining the Advanced Nutrient Solution, Lin Yuan would occasionally enter the Virtual World to explore.

Azure Wave Star's Virtual World, Living Area.

Lin Yuan appeared on a street.

People passed by from time to time.

Occasionally, several figures gathered on benches in the corners, chatting idly.

At a glance, there were no fewer than several dozen figures on this residential street.

Lin Yuan had long since grown used to it.

Although ordinary people did not have permission to connect to the Virtual World,

Azure Wave Star had a population of fifty billion.

Even if only one Second Level Citizen emerged from every five hundred thousand citizens, Azure Wave Star would still have more than one hundred thousand Second Level Citizens.

In fact, a Second Level Citizen generally emerged from every two or three hundred thousand people. The true number of Second Level Citizens on Azure Wave Star was already approaching three hundred thousand.

And that was only Second Level Citizens. Evolutionaries likewise had permission to connect to the Virtual World.

The number of Evolutionaries far exceeded that of Second Level Citizens.

After all, there were many paths to becoming an Evolutionary: normal means, abnormal means, mutation, inheritance, and so on.

Of course, Evolutionaries were numerous only in comparison to Second Level Citizens.

Compared with ordinary citizens, Evolutionaries were still exceedingly rare, with only one appearing among several thousand people on average.

Lin Yuan casually entered a bar in the Living Area, sat in a corner, and ordered a mixed drink.

"This sensation..."

Lin Yuan took a sip, a hint of amazement appearing on his face.

If he had not clearly sensed his body outside, Lin Yuan would have almost believed that he had entered the real world.

"No wonder the Goddess of Wisdom restricted access to the Virtual World."

"Such vivid sensory simulation must rely on massive servers. If everyone could connect, the cost would be terrifying."

After sitting in the bar for a while, Lin Yuan exited the Virtual World.

"Now that I've recovered my strength, I should go to the Evolutionary Association as soon as possible, register officially, and obtain an Evolutionary Certificate."

The Universe Human Alliance kept strict control over Evolutionaries. Even Unranked Evolutionaries had to register as soon as possible.

With that in mind, Lin Yuan immediately contacted the city's Evolutionary Association and booked a registration appointment for the next day.

For an official organization like the Evolutionary Association, it was best to make an appointment in advance.

The next day.

Lin Yuan went home.

Over the past few days, Lin Yuan had not stayed at home, using the excuse that he had become an Evolutionary and needed to receive official training.

At the dinner table, his mother, Lu Qiong, seemed to remember something and said, "Xiao Yuan, didn't you become an Evolutionary? Old Lin loves showing off, so he mentioned it in the relatives' group chat."

"Several relatives heard about it and wanted to hold a family dinner so everyone could get together, celebrate, and see you while they were at it."

"That relatives' group chat?"

Lin Yuan glanced at his father, Lin Shoucheng.

In the interstellar era, the concept of clans had long faded, but social ties and obligations remained.

Lin Yuan becoming an Evolutionary was a major matter of crossing social classes, far more reliable than getting into some Higher Academy.

Getting into a Higher Academy did not mean one would necessarily make something of oneself. Every year, millions of students graduated from Higher Academies, but how many ultimately found satisfying jobs?

Evolutionaries were different. Even an Unranked Evolutionary would find plenty of companies and conglomerates willing to offer high salaries.

If he was fortunate enough to become a Ranked Evolutionary in the future, it would be like a carp leaping over the dragon gate.

Lin Yuan's family had originally been an ordinary one, neither important nor unimportant among their relatives. But now that Lin Yuan had become an Evolutionary, everything was different.

No one could guarantee that they would not need to seek help from Lin Yuan, an Evolutionary, in the future.

Sometimes, asking for help was not embarrassing. What was embarrassing was not even having someone to ask.

"Uncle Nian helped me before. He wanted everyone to get together, so I couldn't refuse."

Lin Shoucheng wore a bitter smile.

He had only bragged a little in the group chat. Who would have thought someone would actually step forward?

"It's fine. I'll attend the family dinner."

Lin Yuan knew what his parents meant. They were simply worried that he might be busy and unable to attend.

If Lin Yuan, the central figure, was absent, what would be the point of holding the family dinner?

"A family dinner?"

"What family dinner?"

"Will there be good food?"

His younger sister Lin Yi immediately perked up, blinking her large eyes as she asked.

After eating, Lin Yuan left home.

He planned to head to the Evolutionary Association and collect his certificate.

Before he had walked very far, Lin Yuan received a call.

"May I ask if this is Mr. Lin Yuan?"

A female voice on the other end asked somewhat cautiously.

"This is he."

Lin Yuan nodded.

"I'm from the Evolutionary Association. Mr. Lin Yuan applied to register today yesterday."

"At the time, we did not know that Mr. Lin Yuan was a Second Level Citizen, so we failed to explain clearly. According to Association regulations, any Second Level Citizen coming to handle business must be assigned dedicated transportation."

The woman on the other end sounded as though she was about to cry from anxiety.

There were only so many Second Level Citizens in East Ning City, and all of them knew the Evolutionary Association President. Whenever they came to handle business, they went directly through the president.

How could a minor employee like her ever have encountered a Second Level Citizen?

When she received Lin Yuan's application yesterday, she had been busy with other matters and had not paid it much attention. It was only when she entered Lin Yuan's citizen identification number that morning that she discovered he was a Second Level Citizen.

The matter had even drawn the attention of her supervisor, who asked what this Second Level Citizen needed and instructed her to satisfy his requests as much as possible.

"It's fine."

Lin Yuan shook his head.

He had not suffered any loss anyway.

"Then where is Mr. Lin now? I'll immediately send someone to pick you up."

The woman on the other end finally sighed in relief. If Lin Yuan took issue with her service attitude, she would undoubtedly be fired the very next day, and the reason would be entered into her records.

At that point, no company or conglomerate would be willing to hire her. After all, disregarding a high-ranking citizen crossed the line anywhere.

"I'm currently at..."

Lin Yuan hesitated for a moment before telling her his current location.

Having someone pick him up would be convenient, and it would save him the taxi fare.

After ending the call, Lin Yuan casually found a coffee shop by the roadside and waited.

However.

Not long afterward.

A voice suddenly came from beside him.

"Lin Yuan, why are you here?"