Don't Bully My Young Miss

## Dormitory 112

Lu Yuan, Si Tingfeng, Maige, and Yang Ping were having dinner together.

Through the window, voices drifted up from the street below — a pair of Gene Warriors passing by in conversation.

"Did you hear? The Aier Mechanical Ruins are opening."

A nostalgic look settled across Si Tingfeng's handsome face. "By my count, the timing adds up. Nearly five years, and I hadn't even noticed."

He let out a quiet sigh. "It's a shame. Back when I was First-rank, the ruins hadn't opened yet — and I could hardly put my breakthrough on hold to wait for them. Now that I'm Battle Master rank, the door's closed to me. I never did get to see inside."

"I wonder," he said, with a slight smile, "which of our Talent Camp's First-rank students will come out of it with the biggest haul. I imagine some of them have already started forming parties on the school forum."

Maige thought for a moment. "The strongest First-rank warriors right now, apart from Lu Yuan, are probably Baris from the Mad Dragon Family and Lu Wei from the Lu Clan. They enrolled nearly half a year before Lu Yuan, so their Body Technique training should be at a decent level by now. If I remember right, last month's combat power rankings had both of them closing in on the top hundred."

"Baris is ranked 104, Lu Wei at 156," Si Tingfeng confirmed. "For first-year students, that's genuinely impressive."

Maige glanced over curiously. "Senior Tingfeng, at that level — do you think they can pull in a decent haul?"

Si Tingfeng shook his head, smiling. "Hard to say. Depends on their luck."

Yang Ping's eyes lit up. He was straightening in his seat, about to speak — when Si Tingfeng's expression shifted, something complicated moving through his gaze.

"There's one thing worth knowing," Si Tingfeng said. "The Aier Mechanical Ruins is the most closely watched First-rank ruins zone on all of White Cloud Continent — and humans aren't the only ones going in. Elves, Gnolls, Kamans, Cat-kin... every race sends its First-rank warriors there. The density of prodigies is staggering. The competition will be brutal."

Yang Ping's enthusiasm dimmed a little.

"And with that many races converging in one place, some genuinely monstrous individuals are inevitable." A quiet, weighty tone entered Si Tingfeng's voice. "People who simply cannot be measured by any normal standard. The last time I entered those ruins, I ran into a Gnoll — at First-rank — who could kill a Second-rank peak Boss Grade Feral Beast outright. Every place he appeared, everyone else in the area had to scatter immediately."

Silence fell over the table.

The piece of meat on Yang Ping's chopsticks slid off and dropped back to the plate. He stared. "A First-rank warrior who can kill a Second-rank peak Boss Grade Feral Beast?! What kind of monster *is* that?!"

Maige was equally stunned.

*Must be someone carrying an ancestral gene,* Lu Yuan thought. *That kind of individual operates on an entirely different plane.*

"In that run, there were two like that," Si Tingfeng added. "No telling if this time will have any."

A heavy pressure settled over Lu Yuan. Yang Ping's face had gone stiff.

Seeing their expressions, Si Tingfeng smiled and waved a hand. "Don't worry too much. The ruins are vast. As long as you stay alert, you won't normally stumble across anyone like that — they head straight for the core zone. Just don't be too greedy, and don't reach for resources beyond what you can actually handle. At your level, you should still be able to walk away with something solid."

Yang Ping rallied. "Senior is right! I, Yang Ping, am a genius of the Red Maple Empire! Maybe not in the absolute top tier among First-rank warriors, but I'm solidly in the upper ranks. Worst comes to worst, I'll just keep a low profile!"

Maige rolled his eyes. "Listen to yourself. There are plenty of people weaker than you in there — what are you even scared of?"

"Senior Maige," Yang Ping protested, "do you really enjoy jinxing your juniors like this?"

Maige grinned. "Ha! Just making sure your head doesn't swell. Look at how steady Lu Yuan is. Take notes."

Yang Ping: "..."

He deflated briefly, then thought of something. "Brother Yuan, actually — Min'er and Lin Wei reached out to me at noon. The three of us were thinking of teaming up and wanted to ask if you'd join us."

Lu Yuan paused. "I already promised a friend I'd go to the ruins with her."

"Huh?" Yang Ping blinked. "Who is she? Is she from Talent Camp?"

"No. Someone I met in the Land of Origin."

Yang Ping was taken aback. Disappointment flickered across his face.

"What a shame," he muttered. "I was really hoping the four of us could go together."

Dinner wound down. Everyone drifted off to their own rooms for the night.

The Aier Mechanical Ruins had become an inescapable topic. Lu Yuan had browsed the school forum on his Light-Brain and found exactly what Si Tingfeng had predicted — several posts looking for party members, all of them active. The Battle Net was the same story. When he went to Si Tingyu for his training sessions, she had brought the ruins up in passing. Li Qinghe had mentioned it too. Even the Future War Gods Group was buzzing with it.

He wasn't surprised. The ruins opened once every fifty Origin Time years — roughly five real-world years. Of course it would dominate every conversation.

Among his old classmates, Wang Xiangxiang had just managed to break through to First-rank and secured a spot at the capital's Gene Warrior Academy — no small achievement. Cao Yan had gotten into a top-twenty academy. The others had ended up at more ordinary institutions. When word had reached them that Lu Yuan had left his former school and transferred into what was genuinely considered the Red Maple Empire's premier concentration of talent, the messages had poured in — envy, congratulations, and cheerful demands to "let me ride your coattails."

During this period, Lu Yuan had also kept in casual contact with Amy. She had already inscribed her second Transcendent Gene, and her power had grown by an enormous margin.

The moment Lu Yuan materialized from the Land of Origin, he took out his Communication Crystal and called her.

Light flickered through the crystal. Amy's image appeared.

"Lei Feng! Have you been keeping up with your training? I'm already nearly at First-rank peak — my combat power has shot way up since the Mist Forest!"

*Amy's cultivation speed is faster than I expected,* Lu Yuan thought, genuinely caught off guard. *She's close to First-rank peak already.*

Even now, he wasn't entirely sure he could beat Amy in a direct fight. She had evolved a Chief Grade gene, after all. How could someone with a foundation like that be anything other than formidable?

He thought it through. Amy was from a Grand Emperor Family — the cultivation resources available to her were on a completely different tier from his. That said, his Spirit Power absorption speed almost certainly outpaced hers. Given enough time, that advantage would compound.

He let the worry go.

"Aier Mechanical Ruins?" he asked. "What's that?"

A beat of silence.

Amy stared at him. "You don't *know* what the Aier Mechanical Ruins are? When did you come out of isolation? It's a massive ruins world — the remnant of a lost mechanical civilization, packed with treasures. High-tech Inheritance Crystals, gene serums, spirit-energy weapons, Mechanical Warriors... it has everything. It only opens once every fifty Origin Time years, and each opening lasts twelve days. Only First-rank Gene Warriors can enter. Every single time, people walk out loaded with resources."

The word *resources* hit Lu Yuan like a match to dry kindling. His eyes lit up immediately.

*Resources. He was desperately short on resources.*

"Really?" he said. "You can genuinely get a lot from in there?"

Amy saw the skepticism in his expression and immediately puffed out her cheeks. "Of course it's true! Would *this Young Miss* lie to you?"

"I believe you, I believe you." Lu Yuan coughed once. "I was just surprised, that's all. So — you want me to go with you?"

"Exactly!" Amy crossed her arms. "Since only First-rank warriors can enter, I naturally need powerful teammates. Even if you're a bit below me right now, Lei Feng, you're still no pushover. Together, we'd be absolutely unstoppable!"

After a moment's thought, Lu Yuan nodded. "Alright. Let's go together when the time comes."

Amy smiled. "That's settled, then. Keep working hard — don't slow down!"

"Sure."

He ended the call and returned to his training.

## Real World — September 28th

Lu Yuan stood outside the Training Hall, watching Gene Warriors come and go. A group of them passed nearby, mid-conversation.

"Did you hear? The Aier Mechanical Ruins are opening."

*He and Amy as a team — that should be a formidable combination in there.* Still, the pressure was real. He wasn't even the undisputed top talent within the Red Maple Empire. Going into a competition where every race on White Cloud Continent sent its finest First-rank warriors — there was no room for complacency.

*Resources are on the line. Full effort. No room for error.*

*With the next half year of Origin Time, if he pushed hard, the Seed of Nature gene could reach 70% tempering. That alone would be a significant leap forward.*

He thought of Yeye. He thought of Amy. Both were exceptional — and even now, a fight against Amy was far from a guaranteed win. She'd since inscribed a second Transcendent Gene; her power had surged enormously. Amy came from a Grand Emperor Family. Materials beyond Spirit Crystals, rare natural treasures — she'd have access to all of it, in ways he could barely imagine.

Yet his Spirit Power absorption speed exceeded hers. Over time, that would matter.

He let it settle and moved on.

His thoughts were still drifting when a luxurious carriage rolled up to the front of the Training Hall, drawing a ripple of curious stares from passersby.

The window swung open. Amy's exquisitely lovely face appeared in the frame.

"Lei Feng! Get in — we can't be slow about this!"

Lu Yuan was startled out of his thoughts. He glanced around and found that most of the pedestrians nearby had their eyes fixed on him.

A pretty girl calling your name was never bad for the mood. He kept his expression appropriately composed.

Under the collective gaze of the street, he climbed into the carriage.

Inside, both Amy and Wang Lingling were waiting.

Amy sat beside Wang Lingling, those big, bright eyes fixing Lu Yuan with frank scrutiny. "Lei Feng! Have you seriously been training? Where is your strength right now? I'm already nearly at First-rank peak — my combat power compared to back in the Mist Forest is like night and day!"

She leaned forward slightly, a smug glimmer in her eyes. "I could definitely beat you with ease now."

*She really might,* Lu Yuan thought. He genuinely wanted to say he'd grown a great deal stronger too — but he held back.

He looked at her and smiled instead. "As expected of Amy. Truly impressive. I'll be counting on you heavily when we get inside the ruins."

Amy immediately put her hands on her hips and positively glowed with self-satisfaction. "Hmph! Naturally, since I'm this incredible, there's nothing for it. Just stay close to me in there!"

Wang Lingling, seated beside her, rubbed her temple slowly. Her expression was one of long-practiced, fond resignation.

*Does this boy think she doesn't see what he's doing?* she thought. *One compliment and Young Miss completely loses her bearings. I know this technique better than anyone — I use it on her myself all the time. I need to keep a close eye on this one. Can't let Young Miss be led astray.*

Wang Lingling's gaze slid toward Lu Yuan. It was a quiet look — not unfriendly, but carrying a certain weight.

"Miss Lingling," Lu Yuan said immediately, face the picture of innocence. "I swear I've been wronged. I was genuinely paying Amy a compliment."

Wang Lingling regarded him calmly. "Mr. Lei, please don't take advantage of our Young Miss. She has a very sincere nature."

Amy shot upright. "What?! *This Young Miss* doesn't need anyone looking after her! If anything, *I* should be the one looking after *Lei Feng*!"

Wang Lingling turned to Amy unhurriedly. "Young Miss, your strength is beyond question. But as a leader, one cannot personally handle every situation. You need someone willing to go ahead and take the brunt for you. Mr. Lei's talent and power make him an ideal deputy."

Amy considered this seriously. Then she nodded, slowly. "...Lingling, you make a good point."

Wang Lingling looked back at Lu Yuan. "I'll have to trouble you to look after our Young Miss, Mr. Lei."

"Don't worry," Lu Yuan said, smiling. "I'll take good care of Amy."

Amy immediately whirled around again. "I said I don't need —"

"Young Miss," Wang Lingling said smoothly, "a capable leader always has someone go ahead to test the waters. Mr. Lei is exactly suited to that role."

A short pause. Amy thought it over carefully.

"...Lingling, you really do have a point."

Lu Yuan: "..."

He stared at Wang Lingling with a slow blink of faint, helpless disbelief.

*She's even more practiced at this than I am.*

Wang Lingling caught his expression and gave him a quiet, unreadable smile.

*Because she's the one who usually does the flattering.*

That evening, Lu Yuan took a long, slow breath. His expression settled into something still and resolute.

He entered the Land of Origin.

*Resources were waiting. There was no margin for error — and no reason to hold back.*