"Twelve segments?"
"First rank, twelve segments?"
The President of the Evolvers Association was a bit taken aback.
It wasn't the concept of a first rank twelve segments that shocked him.
While the evolving capabilities of a first rank twelve segment Evolver were indeed powerful, even in the entirety of Dongning City, they would rank among the top tiers.
However, the President himself had an extraordinary background, and having ascended to his position, he had even encountered true second-rank Evolvers.
What astonished the President was the fact that Lin Yuan, upon registering for the first time, had already achieved the strength of a first rank twelve segments.
It’s important to know that the evolution of an Evolver’s strength requires a gradual process.
It's not possible to be first rank today and jump to second rank tomorrow.
The Universal Human Alliance maintains extremely strict standards when it comes to the classification of Evolver ranks.
The energy fluctuation within a second rank Evolver is at least a hundred times that of a first rank Evolver.
Such a significant gap is challenging to bridge within a short time.
Yet here was Lin Yuan, registering with a first rank twelve segments right on his first visit.
The President had two hypotheses regarding this.
One possibility was that Lin Yuan had been holding back.
Perhaps he had become an Evolver a long time ago but refrained from registering, waiting until reaching the stage of first rank twelve segments.
However, this wasn't very likely.
Given the Alliance's control over Evolvers, an unregistered Evolver revealing their power without authorization would face repercussions.
Even if Lin Yuan managed to avoid punishment through the privileges of a second-class citizen, the President would have at least been informed.
There was no way such a significant piece of information could remain hidden.
The second hypothesis was that Lin Yuan's evolution talent was unusually terrifying, achieving first rank twelve segments in just a few years or even less than a decade.
First rank Evolvers, with the longevity extension technologies provided by the Alliance, can easily live for five hundred years, making a few years seem insignificant.
The President inclined towards this second hypothesis.
In contrast to the President's calm analysis, Zhu Qianqian, standing nearby, was slightly wide-eyed.
Oh my! This is a twelve-segment Evolver.
Zhu Qianqian, having worked here for nearly two years, had never seen a twelve-segment Evolver.
In a place like Dongning City, a first rank twelve segments Evolver was somewhat akin to a ceiling, their numbers similar to second-class citizens, hardly someone you could encounter casually.
And this twelve-segment Evolver appeared to be Lin Yuan, who seemed no different from an ordinary person.
This contrast made Zhu Qianqian feel incredulous.
To think, according to the official standards, a single strike from a first rank twelve segments Evolver has the power to destroy a skyscraper.
Imagining such immense power contained within Lin Yuan’s body left Zhu Qianqian in disbelief.
"Let's go."
"Time to meet Mr. Lin."
The Evolvers Association President needed only two breaths to decide.
He resolved to personally head to the assessment room to await Lin Yuan's emergence.
Initially, the President had merely intended to meet Lin Yuan to establish a connection.
But after evaluating Lin Yuan's formidable evolution talent, the President realized he needed to lower his stance slightly.
In the assessment room, Lin Yuan opened his eyes and rose from the virtual reality chamber.
"What a pity," Lin Yuan shook his head slightly.
After defeating his twelfth opponent, the assessment space had then created an opponent of a second-rank level.
Lin Yuan hadn’t exited but wanted to gauge the gap between himself and those second-rank Evolvers.
The result was evident.
Lin Yuan only lasted three moves before being defeated.
"Second rank…" Various sparks of insight flashed through Lin Yuan's mind.
With his heaven-defying comprehension ability, he slowly began to understand the path forward, gleaning insights into the essence of becoming second rank from a single battle with a second-rank Evolver.
If word got out, countless Evolvers might bash their heads against the wall in exasperation.
Compared to Lin Yuan, it felt as though they had lived their lives in vain.
For Lin Yuan, however, this was all quite ordinary.
Under the influence of his heaven-defying comprehension, he was always in a state of enlightenment.
Even without fighting against second-rank Evolvers, achieving understanding of the second-rank realm was inevitable; it was just a matter of time.
"The direction is clear; I should breakthrough within five years."
A smile appeared on Lin Yuan's face.
Coming to the Evolvers Association proved worthwhile, not only registering but also clarifying his future path.
Lin Yuan pushed open the door and saw Zhu Qianqian standing outside with a middle-aged man.
"Mr. Lin, this is our President," Zhu Qianqian promptly introduced.
"President?" Lin Yuan looked at the middle-aged man.
The President of the Evolvers Association was definitely a major figure, likely ranking in the top five of all Dongning City.
"My surname is Liao," the middle-aged man approached with a warm greeting.
"Titles like President are meaningless. I'm just a few years older than you, Mr. Lin. If you don't mind, you can call me Brother Liao."
President Liao spoke enthusiastically.
After some conversation, Lin Yuan eventually excused himself to leave.
President Liao personally escorted Lin Yuan to the door.
The next day, Lin Yuan returned home.
“Tomorrow, be a bit more affable. Even though you're an Evolver now, don't act too aloof. These are all relatives. Even an Evolver needs social skills; you never know when you might need help from them,” his mother, Lu Qiong, advised while preparing food.
"I understand," Lin Yuan replied, quickly devouring his sister's cake, then eyeing the nearby large bag of snacks.
Tomorrow's family banquet would bring together Lin Yuan's distant relatives to celebrate his achievement as an Evolver and offer a chance for everyone to catch up.
Of course, Lin Yuan remembered this.
His father, Lin Shoucheng, had mentioned it a few days earlier.
"Hey, Old Lin, should we reserve a few tables at the Starry Hotel?" Mother Lu Qiong hesitated.
Their hesitation stemmed from the fact that the Starry Hotel was one of the top hotels in Donghai City, and reserving even a table there could cost the equivalent of several months of Lin Shoucheng’s salary.
Lu Qiong was understandably reluctant.
"Reserve, we must do it at the Starry," replied Father Lin Shoucheng without a second thought.
"This time, Uncle Nian has specially invited Lin Hao, the secretary to some director here in Dongning City. We can’t afford to lose face for Xiao Yuan."
"Lin Hao?" Mother Lu Qiong was a bit stunned.
With Lin Hao's social status, he was practically on a different level from their family.
Lin Shoucheng usually never had a chance to even meet Lin Hao.
Yet, due to Lin Yuan’s achievement as an Evolver, they managed to invite this esteemed figure.
"Then we must reserve at Starry," Lu Qiong agreed.
In her simple mindset, if Lin Hao was willing to come, they should naturally offer a proper reception.
Spending extra money was well worth it.
In a luxurious villa in Dongning City, Chu Shiyu stood with his head lowered.
Seated before him was a bearded man.
“You sought out information about your classmate and ended up getting a warning from the Goddess of Wisdom’s main consciousness?” The bearded man's expression was serious, asking once more.
“Yes. I didn’t mean to, Grandfather,” Chu Shiyu replied, frightened, his face pale and legs trembling slightly.
The man before him was none other than the founder of the Chu Group.
Today, he had unexpectedly summoned Chu Shiyu over to inquire about the warning from the Goddess of Wisdom.
Chu Shiyu could only answer truthfully.
“It doesn’t matter if it was intentional or not. The fact that your classmate is protected to such an extent by the Goddess means he has a complex background. Even if you didn’t target him, if he took 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, and he couldn’t afford to be careless.
The severity of the situation exceeded initial assumptions.
After all, it was the Goddess of Wisdom who ruled over the entire Universal Human Alliance! Even high-ranking figures like Star Lords were cautious, let alone the Chu family.
"Okay," Chu Shiyu braced himself and responded.
Elsewhere, in another estate, Huo Qingyao stood straight, engaged in a video call with a stern-faced man in military attire.
“Your classmate might have already been placed on the Goddess’ special observation list,” the man calmly said. “He’s bound for great success.”
"Great success," Huo Qingyao muttered, shrinking back slightly.
Such praise from his Uncle meant that Lin Yuan's future achievements might far exceed the confines of Dongning City.
“You really know how to stir up trouble,” the man said. “No matter, I’ll go with you to smooth things over. Whatever your classmate's future, first mend the ties between you two. Making exaggerated claims about recruitment lists is seen as reckless by anyone with a bit of perception. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to apologize. No need to befriend him, just avoid enmity.”
At the Evolvers Association, President Liao sat contemplatively.
Soon, his secretary entered.
“Did you find out anything about Mr. Lin's background?” President Liao inquired.
“President, Lin Yuan’s information is locked by the Goddess of Wisdom, and I didn’t dare delve further for fear of repercussions,” the secretary reported.
“Locked by the Goddess?” President Liao's expression was serious.
For the Goddess of Wisdom to specifically shield a citizen’s information, even if they were a second-class citizen, seemed implausible without reason.
“We couldn’t investigate Mr. Lin, but we did get information on his parents. They are locals of Dongning City and have no ties elsewhere,” the secretary suddenly mentioned.
"So, Mr. Lin is also a local?" President Liao mused.
“Do you mean?” The secretary, understanding the implication, asked.
“It remains to be seen, but I’ll have to ask him directly. Clear my schedule for tomorrow; I will personally visit Mr. Lin's home for a detailed conversation,” President Liao instructed solemnly.
(End of chapter)