"How about you change your request?" Wei Wen said, sounding somewhat guilty.
"Not even a Wood Bud Crystal?" Chen Yuan sounded disappointed.
"What do you mean, not even a Wood Bud Crystal? Do you think they grow like cabbages?" Wei Wen shot Chen Yuan a glare and said irritably, "Do you even know what a Wood Bud Crystal is for before asking for one?"
"I do. A Wood Bud Crystal can allow an Advanced War God to break through to the Planetary Level." Chen Yuan blinked innocently. Of course, he knew how precious Wood Bud Crystals were, but he had to pretend otherwise. "Didn't various countries find quite a few Wood Bud Crystals in the ruins ten years ago? Are they really that precious?"
What he meant was that since quite a few had once been discovered on Earth, Wood Bud Crystals should not be all that rare.
"That was an exception. As you said, they were found in ruins. To Earthlings, they are irreplaceable treasures." Wei Wen patiently explained, "You need to understand that even Star Level powerhouses would fight until their heads bled over a single Wood Bud Crystal in the universe."
"So-called Star Level powerhouses are beings who surpass the Planetary Level."
"And on all of Earth, apart from the Luo Family, not a single person has reached the Star Level." Wei Wen looked at Chen Yuan helplessly. "Now do you understand just how precious Wood Bud Crystals are?"
"I understand." Chen Yuan nodded repeatedly. "So even you don't have any, Inspector?"
"I... Hmph, of course I do." Since he had already boasted, how could Wei Wen back down? Besides, he really did possess a Wood Bud Crystal.
But as he spoke, Wei Wen looked at Chen Yuan and suddenly fell into thought.
If this kid could really defeat Luo Hai, giving him a Wood Bud Crystal... did not seem impossible.
Wei Wen knew that Luo Hai had been taught by a Universe Level powerhouse. His foundation was terrifyingly solid, and both his saber technique and movement technique had reached the Perfect Level. His force output was as high as 5.5 times.
As for Chen Yuan, his force output was only three times. Although he had grasped Conception, it would still be difficult for him to make up for the gap in strength.
Thus, in Wei Wen's view, Chen Yuan would already be doing well if he could barely hold on against Luo Hai. Winning? That was nearly impossible.
"So what if I agree? This kid still can't beat Xiao Hai." Wei Wen stroked his chin as he calculated. "Besides, if he really does win... then he must be an unparalleled genius. Using one Wood Bud Crystal to befriend such a genius wouldn't be a loss."
"Let's call it an investment." With that thought, Wei Wen said to Chen Yuan, "I can agree to give you a Wood Bud Crystal, provided you can truly defeat Luo Hai."
Chen Yuan had not expected Wei Wen to actually agree. Having held little hope, his eyes immediately lit up, and he nodded hard. "Good! Just watch tomorrow."
Wei Wen then brought Chen Yuan back to Yangzhou City and arranged for him to rest at his home.
Early the next morning, Wei Wen took Chen Yuan to the castle where the Luo Family lived. What had once been Yangzhou's most prosperous West Lake Villa neighborhood now belonged entirely to the Luo Family.
"Mr. Wei." At the entrance to the castle, a bald, thick-lipped man had long been waiting. He bowed slightly, then let his gaze fall on Chen Yuan. "Is this the Earth genius Mr. Wei found?"
"That's right." Wei Wen casually patted Chen Yuan on the shoulder. "Di Fan, what do you think of him? Can he beat Luo Hai?"
"He has a faint Wind Artistic Conception... On Earth, he would count as a genius, but in the universe, he would be very ordinary." Di Fan carefully examined Chen Yuan, then shook his head. "With this level of strength, he won't last ten moves against the young master."
"Oh?" Hearing that assessment, Wei Wen's heart sank. He knew Di Fan's strength well: a Universe Level Ninth Rank powerhouse. His judgment would naturally not be wrong.
However, Wei Wen glanced at Chen Yuan again and found that his expression remained calm, as though Di Fan's assessment had not stirred him at all.
Wei Wen secretly shook his head and decided to let him try anyway. "No matter what, I've brought him here. We should at least give it a try."
"Very well." Di Fan nodded. "However, the young master is still practicing his saber technique. Please wait a moment."
Di Fan led them to a resting area, then left. Wei Wen moved closer to Chen Yuan and asked in a low voice, "So, how confident are you?"
Chen Yuan answered honestly, "If Luo Hai is only as strong as you described, then I'm fairly confident."
"But if he has cultivated some powerful secret technique, then I can't guarantee anything." Chen Yuan shook his head as he spoke. Seeing Wei Wen deep in thought, he added, "Still, even if I'm not his opponent, I won't be easily defeated."
Wei Wen merely assumed Chen Yuan was comforting himself and smiled. "It's fine. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just give it everything you've got."
The two waited for about half an hour before Di Fan appeared again, followed by a refined-looking youth of sixteen or seventeen.
"Mr. Wei, the young master has arrived." Di Fan bowed slightly, then stood behind the youth.
"Uncle Wei! It's been so long since I've seen you. You never come visit me." The moment Luo Hai saw Wei Wen, he enthusiastically rushed forward and gave him a hug.
"Alright, alright. You're already this old and still acting like this." Wei Wen laughed and patted Luo Hai, signaling for him to let go. Then he pointed at Chen Yuan. "There, the Earth genius you wanted to see. I brought him."
Chen Yuan, now the focus of attention, smiled faintly and introduced himself. "My name is Chen Yuan."
"You're the genius Uncle Wei mentioned?" Luo Hai walked up to Chen Yuan, looked him over from head to toe, and nodded. "My name is Luo Hai."
"How old are you? What's your strength?" Luo Hai asked curiously.
"Intermediate War General." Chen Yuan replied with a smile. "I'm currently nineteen."
"Two years older than me, then." Luo Hai nodded, then added, "But you're only an Intermediate War General? Isn't your cultivation too slow?"
As Luo Hai spoke, he looked toward Wei Wen. Wei Wen calmly added, "Chen Yuan only became a Martial Artist in June this year." The implication was that he had cultivated for only half a year.
Luo Hai gave an "oh" and said nothing further.
"What, do you think he's too weak and don't want to fight him?" Wei Wen seemed to have seen through Luo Hai's thoughts and deliberately asked.
Hearing that, Luo Hai immediately put on a placating smile. "What are you saying, Uncle Wei? How could I refuse to show respect to someone you brought?"
"Uncle Di, get me two Consciousness Induction Helmets, the kind that only connect to the Earth Regional Network. I need them." Luo Hai immediately instructed Di Fan.
"Alright." Di Fan nodded and turned to leave.
"But it's not that I look down on Earth's geniuses." Taking the opportunity, Luo Hai explained, "I know my father, Uncle Hong, and Uncle Lei all came from Earth. That proves Earthlings merely lack resources, not talent."
"The problem lies in resources."
"Uncle Wei, you know that I became a War God Martial Artist when I was young. If not for tempering my foundation, I could have reached the Planetary Level long ago."
"After more than ten years of cultivation, I've learned all kinds of powerful secret techniques." Luo Hai said, "My true strength can't be seen from those superficial figures alone."
"Although I'm currently only at the War God Peak, with force output of just 5.5 times."
"With the secret techniques my teacher taught me, however, my attacks can exceed ten times force output, comparable to a Planetary Level Second Rank."
"And you, Chen Yuan..." Luo Hai turned to Chen Yuan, his tone helpless. "I know you're definitely a genius, but you were born on Earth. You haven't encountered any powerful secret techniques, and you've only cultivated for half a year."
"It's not that I look down on you. The gap between us is simply too large. I'm worried that once our fight is over, the blow you suffer will be too great."
"That's fine." Chen Yuan shook his head. "Just attack as you wish. Being able to witness powerful secret techniques from the universe will be a good thing for me as well."
"Besides, it isn't as though I came unprepared." Chen Yuan smiled. "The Inspector already told me about your situation before I came. I still chose to come because I have a certain degree of confidence."
"Oh?" Hearing Chen Yuan say that, Luo Hai's eyes lit up as well. "In that case, I'll be watching with anticipation."
Before you continue