Outside Southwind City, at the ruins garrison point, Yuan Chenyang wore an ugly expression. The red iron saber in his hand radiated searing cold flames.
The area was a complete mess. Smoking craters dotted the ground, metallic wreckage lay everywhere, and pained wails rang out amid it all.
Logistics personnel moved through the battlefield, searching for the wounded and collecting the dead.
"Another high-tier ruin. There should be plenty of good things hidden inside. Who knows whether it'll be a blessing or a curse." Yuan Chenyang sheathed his saber and looked toward the enormous metal wreckage in the distance, beside which large amounts of overturned construction machinery lay scattered.
An Exploration Guard responsible for logistics approached and reported quietly, "Minister Yuan, there's a message for you from Southwind."
Yuan Chenyang's brows twitched slightly. He headed to the garrison point and pulled up the message. It was from Sun Tai through an official communication channel, and it was very brief:
"Minister, Su Chen has already advanced to a second-tier Profession. Please rest assured. Everything is well."
"Second tier?" Yuan Chenyang's eyes lit up, making his bald head seem even brighter. After calculating the time, he could not help frowning. "More than a month faster than I expected. Does that kid neither eat nor sleep?"
"Alas..." He sighed. How much hardship must Su Chen have endured in the past to become this resilient?
"...At minimum, it's a third-tier ruin. It could even be a fourth-tier, or perhaps a fifth-tier ruin..." A voice suddenly came from behind him.
Who was it!?
Yuan Chenyang's pupils contracted. His body reacted faster than his mind as he turned to attack, but the instant he saw who it was, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly stopped himself.
"...Old Xia, w-why are you here?" Yuan Chenyang's scalp