The Red Maple Talent Camp

Amy nodded.

"I... I did see the Mirage Dragon," she said. "It was enormous — gold and green, really frightening to look at. And so cruel!"

Adams's expression stayed grave. He spoke slowly, weighing each word.

"The Mist Forest's fog period has existed since the distant past. Strong fighters from every race across White Cloud Continent have tried to pry open its secrets. But even Battle Emperors — even Battle Saints — have died inside. Every one of those powerful beings said it was a Mirage Dragon that killed them. Yet in all that time, they could only catch the barest fragments of the creature through the mist. No one has ever once seen a Mirage Dragon in its entirety."

Amy looked at him curiously. "Great-grandfather, is there a problem with seeing the Mirage Dragon?"

Adams nodded slowly.

"But little Amy — you saw it. Almost everyone among the powerful believes the Mist Forest conceals a great relic, or perhaps an inheritance left by some ancient expert. Perhaps you have a chance to uncover those secrets."

Amy's eyes went bright with surprise.

Gwen spoke up quietly from beside her. "Grandfather, at the time, Amy was not alone. There was a young man with her — and that man also saw the Mirage Dragon's full form, not just Amy."

Adams's attention sharpened immediately. "A man?"

He turned to Amy, something cold flickering beneath the surface of his calm. "Did he mistreat you? Tell great-grandfather, and I'll make sure there is nothing left of him."

Amy waved both hands frantically. "No, no, nothing like that! He actually saved me! I was surrounded by Gnolls and Kamans — if it weren't for him, I might have died even earlier."

The tension drained from Adams's face. He chuckled. "Ah — so he's little Amy's savior. Our family has always believed in repaying kindness. Do you know his name? How old is he? Great-grandfather would like to properly thank him."

Amy thought for a moment. "His name is Lei Feng. He looked about my age — maybe a year or two older. And of course I know our family's tradition, so I already told him that if he ever runs into trouble, he can come find me." She smiled. "Oh, and he's also heading to Tianrao City."

"Lei Feng," Adams repeated quietly.

He considered this for a moment, then smiled and reached over to ruffle Amy's hair.

"When you arrive in Tianrao City, make contact with this Lei Feng. Get to know him, and look into him carefully. Since he may be connected to the Mist Forest's secrets, do your best to stay on good terms with him."

Amy nodded. "Understood."

"If he's willing to join Tianrao City when the time comes, have him reach out to your mother. But don't force it if he has no interest."

Gwen was silent for a moment. "We don't know what lies hidden in the Mist Forest. But with a Mirage Dragon standing guard, it can't be ordinary. Whether little Amy or this Lei Feng is the key to uncovering it — that's still unclear. The fact that both of them could see the Mirage Dragon in full... it may be a turning point."

"Exactly," Adams said. He patted Amy's head once more. "Now — stop dwelling on it. With your current strength, running into a Mirage Dragon again would be pointless regardless. Build yourself up first, then think about the rest."

He glanced at the hour. "You died in the Land of Origin, and that always weighs on the spirit. It's late. Go rest."

Amy smiled. "All right, Mom — let's go home."

She turned and walked out of the courtyard.

Once Amy was gone, Adams's tone shifted — quieter, more measured.

"This kind of speculation only passes between those with genuine power. After all, no Battle Sovereign or Battle Emperor would want it publicly known that they died in a place like the Mist Forest."

"Gwen," he said, "what do you think?"

Gwen considered carefully before speaking. "We don't know what secret the forest holds. But with a Mirage Dragon as its guardian, it must be something extraordinary. Whether little Amy or this man called Lei Feng is truly the key — we can't say yet. But the fact that both of them could see the Mirage Dragon clearly... that opportunity is real. We should handle it carefully."

Adams nodded. "When Amy reaches Tianrao City, make sure she connects with him. Investigate, and try to cultivate the relationship. We'll see where it leads."

## That Same Night — Slum District, Xili City

Back home, Lu Yuan washed up and lay down on his bed.

He laced his fingers behind his head, staring at the dim ceiling. His eyes moved restlessly as he replayed the battle in his mind.

*That was too close.*

Xue Ren had been frighteningly strong — peak Battle Master Rank, perhaps even brushing the threshold of Battle General. That first strike alone had nearly ended things. If Xue Wang hadn't thrown himself in the way, Lu Yuan might not have survived.

And at the end, the Soul-Devouring Orb's spiritual assault. The Moonstone had barely been enough. Without it, that attack would have broken him.

*This isn't enough. Far from it.*

The real world was not the Land of Origin. Death here was permanent. There were no second chances.

He needed trump cards for every tier — something for Battle Masters, something for Battle Generals. If possible, even countermeasures against Battle Venerables and Battle Kings.

His thoughts drifted to the Evolution Cube's strange reaction when he had first looked upon the Mirage Dragon — that tremor of activity. The same thing had happened when it came into contact with the Soul-Devouring Orb, as if it had drawn something in.

*What exactly is the Evolution Cube? Where did it come from?*

He turned the question over and arrived nowhere.

A wave of exhaustion washed through him without warning. He'd already died coming out of the Land of Origin, then been thrown straight into another brutal fight. He was bone-tired.

*Rest first.*

He closed his eyes.

## The Following Days

With the Light Gate still under repair, Lu Yuan spent the next several days at home, using Spirit Crystals to Temper his Gene Chain. Without a Gravity Room to accelerate absorption, his cultivation crept forward at a glacial pace. He told himself to think of it as a holiday — better than nothing.

The problem was always resources. Cultivation demanded Spirit Crystals. Gene evolution demanded even more. Everything cost money. For a Battle King Rank powerhouse, ordinary currency meant nothing — Spirit Crystals were the real measure of wealth. And no matter how he ran the numbers, he never had enough.

*I'll just have to keep grinding through the Land of Origin.*

## Five Days Later — Slum District

Li Qinghe stood on the street with a cigarette between her teeth, both hands stuffed in the pockets of her jeans.

"By the way, little brother," she said. "Since things here have mostly wrapped up — I'm heading back to the capital. You're coming with me."

Lu Yuan paused, then smiled and nodded.

"I need a few more days to finish up here. Should be ready to leave in three to five days."

"Understood."

Then something shifted in Li Qinghe's expression — a gleam entering those sharp eyes of hers.

"Oh, and you don't need to bother with the college entrance exams. I'm planning to put you forward for the Red Maple Talent Camp. With your abilities, you'll pass the entry assessment without any trouble."

Lu Yuan blinked. "The Red Maple Talent Camp? What's that? I've never heard of it."

Li Qinghe clearly loved this. She savored his bewildered expression for a moment before answering.

"Think of it as a Warrior Academy — except it's where the true geniuses of the Red Maple Empire actually go. Your big sister graduated from there herself."

"You graduated from there too?"

"Of course. Every Gene Warrior who comes out of that place ends up at Battle King Rank at minimum. Top-tier talent across every field in the Empire."

Lu Yuan's eyes widened.

"The finest teaching staff in the entire Empire is concentrated there. Regular instructors are Battle Kings. Senior instructors are Battle Sovereigns. Even Battle Emperors drop in occasionally to offer guidance. And on top of that, the Talent Camp's resources are the richest in the Red Maple Empire, bar none."

Lu Yuan's breath caught. "Battle Kings and Battle Sovereigns as everyday instructors? Battle Emperors actually come to teach?! That's insane."

Li Qinghe smirked. "Not insane — that's what it looks like when you're developing the Empire's finest. So, little brother. Want to go?"

"I still have college entrance exams coming up."

"You don't need them." She held his gaze, that smug smile fully deployed. "Say 'good sister,' and I'll put in the recommendation."

The corner of Lu Yuan's mouth twitched.

*Good sister? What kind of nonsense is this?*

He had pride. He had dignity. He was a decent young man with a clean conscience. This was genuinely humiliating.

But for a shot at the Talent Camp...

"...Good sister."

"Ha! What a good boy~"

Li Qinghe burst out laughing and reached over to pinch his cheek.

Lu Yuan stared flatly at her gleeful expression. He had nothing to say.

Li Qinghe blew a slow smoke ring and turned the conversation to the Mist Forest.

"The fog period in the Mist Forest has existed since the distant past," she said. "Powerful fighters from every race on White Cloud Continent have tried to explore its depths. But even Battle Emperors — even Battle Saints — have perished inside. Every single one of them claimed it was a Mirage Dragon that killed them. And yet they could only ever catch fragments of the creature through the mist. No one has ever seen a Mirage Dragon in its entirety."

Lu Yuan frowned. "I've never come across any of this on Battle Net."

"Because this kind of speculation only circulates among those with real power. No Battle Sovereign or Battle Emperor would want it publicly known that they died in a place like the Mist Forest." Li Qinghe exhaled. "The prevailing theory among the upper ranks is that the forest hides some enormous relic — or perhaps an inheritance left by an ancient powerhouse. One of the great unsolved mysteries of the continent."

"So you think I might be able to find the relic the Mirage Dragon guards?"

"Hard to say." She tilted her head. "Maybe. Since no one's ever seen the Mirage Dragon clearly before, you're already in territory no one has mapped."

"That makes sense," Lu Yuan murmured.

He rubbed his temple. A headache was quietly building.

He thought back to the moment he had first laid eyes on the Mirage Dragon — the Evolution Cube's odd vibration. And before that, the same restless activity when it came into contact with the Soul-Devouring Orb, as if drawing something in.

*Is that connected somehow?*

No answer came. He let it go for now.

## Five Days Later — Xili City Airport

Li Qinghe and Lu Yuan arrived at the Xili City airport.

It was Lu Yuan's first time at an airfield, and he looked around with quiet curiosity. The planes here were unmistakably futuristic — shapes ranging from wide flat discs to sharp-edged triangles, their profiles honed to angles that looked almost aggressive.

Given the constant threat of Feral Beasts in the wilderness, aircraft were built from specialized materials capable of withstanding attacks from Battle Venerable and Battle King Rank entities. That engineering drove the cost of a single plane into the stratosphere. Even the cheapest economy seat started at one million Red Maple Coins. For most ordinary people, flying even once in their lifetime was a fantasy.

As for Li Qinghe and her Night Watchmen contingent from the capital — they were traveling by private jet. Not remotely comparable to commercial aircraft.

In the VIP lounge, seven people were already waiting. The moment Li Qinghe walked in, all seven rose to their feet.

Lu Yuan spotted two familiar faces and did a double-take.

One was the tall, powerfully built Franming. The other was Xue Wang, wearing a loud floral shirt and a pair of sunglasses.

"Brother Ming?! Old Xue?! What are you two doing here?"

Franming grinned wide at the sight of him.

"Surprise, little Yuan! Allow me to formally re-introduce myself — Franming, captain of Squad Four, Team Two of the Red Maple Night Watchmen Headquarters."

Six voices rang out in unison: "My Lord!"

Franming's massive frame jolted. He snapped to attention in an instant. "My Lord! Present!"

Li Qinghe, cigarette still between her teeth, hands still in her pockets, gave a slight nod. "Mm."

"Brother Ming — you're under Sister Qinghe's command?"

Franming slid a glance toward Li Qinghe and let out a short, strained laugh. He nodded.

He looked over at Xue Wang with a grin. "Little Xue, this is nothing — there's plenty more ahead. Play it cool."

Xue Wang nodded eagerly.

Lin Hong patted Xue Wang on the shoulder from the side, adding the same encouragement with an easy smile.

Lu Yuan turned to Xue Wang and clapped him on the shoulder. "Congratulations. What about your father?"

Xue Wang's smile quieted. "He's already been buried alongside my mom."

Something moved briefly in Lu Yuan's chest, though he kept his expression easy.

Then Franming leaned over and draped an arm around Lu Yuan's shoulder, voice dropping to a murmur.

"Hey, little Yuan — you and Xiao Wang are friends, and I've had my eye on you for a while. What do you say about joining our squad? We don't normally take Warrior Rank. Battle Master is our floor, and even that's a stretch. I'm making a special exception here, purely because it's you. Think about it — you'd be a Night Watchman. Act first, report later."

Li Qinghe glanced at him sideways.

She exhaled a slow smoke ring. "Do you want to die?"

Franming's entire body flinched. He straightened up instantly. "No! My Lord, I absolutely do not!"

"Then stop wasting everyone's time."

"Yes, My Lord!"

Lu Yuan watched Franming's expression — pale, miserable, the face of a man who had learned his lesson — and found himself at a complete loss for words.

They walked through the corridor and stepped out onto the tarmac.

A deep-black triangular aircraft waited on the airstrip, its profile sharp and predatory as a hawk poised to strike. Lu Yuan stared at it, genuinely impressed against his will.

"Is that a Nighthawk Type 5?!" Xue Wang's voice leapt with excitement.

Franming lit up. "Heh — I've done some reading on these things. The Nighthawk Type 5 is one of the most advanced aircraft the Red Maple Empire has ever produced. Wingspan 44.23 meters, length 50.21 meters. The hull can take a direct hit from a King Grade Feral Beast head-on. Top speed can approach Emperor Grade. And it's equipped with laser cannons capable of taking down King Grade Feral Beasts. The price on Battle Net? Six hundred thousand fifth-rank Spirit Crystals. I honestly never thought I'd live to board one."

Six hundred thousand fifth-rank Spirit Crystals. At the standard one-to-ten exchange rate between ranks, that was equivalent to six hundred billion Zero-Rank Spirit Crystals. Convert it to Red Maple Coins and the number ceased to have any meaning.

For a Battle King Rank powerhouse, ordinary currency was irrelevant — everything was measured in Spirit Crystals. But even by that standard, a machine like this transcended ordinary value.

Li Qinghe gave Franming a sideways look. "Looks like you've done your research."

"The Night Watchmen are good at one thing," Franming said, grinning. "When it comes to official business trips, everything is arranged perfectly."

Li Qinghe scanned the group. "Everyone's here. Let's move."