Gwen: Something Seems Off About My Daughter

After kicking Yang Ping aside, Lu Yuan smiled and asked:

"Anything else you need, Senior? I have Boss Grade, Chief Grade, and Lord Grade Transcendent Genes here, along with Boss Grade, Chief Grade, and Lord Grade Gene Armaments, First and Second-rank Talismans, psionic bombs, gene serums, Mechanical Puppets, rare natural treasures — the works."

He casually produced over a dozen violet orbs of light. Every single one of them was a Second-rank Lord Grade Gene Armament or Transcendent Gene.

The corners of Maige and Si Tingfeng's mouths twitched in unison.

Maige couldn't hold back. "A-Yuan, are you running a wholesale operation for Lord Grade Gene Armaments and Transcendent Genes?!"

Even he had never seen a dozen Second-rank Lord Grade Gene Armaments laid out in front of him at once.

Lu Yuan just smiled. "I can't use any of these anyway. Wouldn't selling them off for credits make more sense?"

Si Tingfeng was quiet for a moment, then spoke.

"A-Yuan, with this much to offload, you'd be better off posting in the school's trading forum. Maige and I can't buy nearly this much between the two of us."

Maige's mouth pulled to the side. "I've been grinding missions for months, saving up credits for a gene evolution serum. I'm down to barely twenty thousand now — and I'm earmarking that for a Third-rank armament down the line. I literally cannot afford a single thing you've got here."

Lu Yuan thought it over. "Then I'll just put it all up on the trading forum and see how many takers I get."

Si Tingfeng smiled. "Don't worry about that. Given how rare what you're offering is, you'll have no shortage of buyers. As long as your prices don't run higher than the school platform, most people will come to you."

Lu Yuan nodded, making a mental note to do it later.

Just then, Si Tingfeng spoke again.

"Oh, right — today's September thirtieth. Last day of the month. You and Yang Ping haven't gone for your virtual space power ranking test yet, have you? If you don't go before the deadline, you'll miss the board this cycle."

The reminder hit Lu Yuan. He'd genuinely forgotten today was the end of the month.

He'd originally been eager for the credits tied to the Battle Power rankings, but with a haul like this, that modest payout held a lot less appeal than it used to.

Still, the ranking test wasn't optional. School policy required every student to test once a month barring special circumstances — it was how the academy tracked cultivation progress.

Beside him, Yang Ping's eyes lit up at the words.

"Right! It's the last day — we have to go! I need to rack up some credits so I can buy stuff from Brother Yuan later."

Maige fixed Yang Ping with a wicked grin.

"Little Ping, not to burst your bubble, but at your current level you'd probably rank outside the top five hundred and pull maybe ten credits. You can't afford a single thing A-Yuan is selling, you know."

Yang Ping went rigid. The look on his face was that of a man who had lost all will to carry on.

"Senior Maige, is there any chance — any at all — you could spare my feelings just this once?"

Maige grinned shamelessly. "I'm doing you a favor. Knowing where you stand is the first step to working harder. Look at A-Yuan — already Second-rank. He's almost caught up to me."

Si Tingfeng cut in with quiet precision.

"A-Yuan has Lord Grade genes engraved. Maige, you have Chief Grade. If we're being honest… you might not be able to beat him anymore."

Maige: "…"

And so the number of broken hearts grew by one.

Si Tingfeng shook his head. "Let's go. None of us have done our power ranking test either. We'll all go together."

The four of them left the dormitory building and made their way toward the Virtual Combat Training Hall.

Out in the dormitory district streets, Lu Yuan noticed clusters of students heading the same direction — more than he'd seen in a single day since arriving at the school.

The entire Talent Camp had fewer than a thousand students, yet he'd run into more of them today than in his entire month here.

The reason was simple: the Battle Power rankings updated once a month, so most students pushed their cultivation to the very last day before testing, squeezing out every last bit of improvement. The difference between a few extra ranks could mean hundreds of credits.

Lu Yuan had been thinking exactly the same way until recently.

As students drifted toward the training hall in twos and threes, a teenager with close-cropped dark amber hair passed by alongside a friend. His gaze swept carelessly to the side — then locked onto Lu Yuan.

He stopped dead, eyes wide, the rest of him completely frozen.

"Wallis? What's wrong?"

His companion noticed and looked at him, puzzled.

The boy called Wallis stared, then pointed at Lu Yuan, his voice jumping with excitement.

"That — isn't that him?! The human lord from the Battle Net post! He's one of ours?! He goes to the Red Maple Talent Camp?!"

His voice, pitched higher than intended, carried. Students nearby turned, curious.

When they saw who he was pointing at, a ripple of stunned recognition swept through the crowd.

"That's actually him? No one knew who he was — and he's been here this whole time?!"

"Are you serious? We've had someone like *that* at our school? That's insane!"

Those who hadn't seen the Battle Net post looked around in confusion.

A girl with delicate features tugged on her friend's arm. Her friend was staring at Lu Yuan with barely contained excitement.

"A-Yu, who is that? Why is everyone going crazy?"

The girl called A-Yu snapped back to herself.

"He's the guy I told you all about — the handsome one who lured those King Grade geniuses to their deaths in the Aier Mechanical Ruins! I can't believe he's our junior!"

Both girls' eyes went wide, and they trained their curious stares on Lu Yuan without any attempt to be subtle.

The commotion was impossible to miss. The four of them felt every eye in the crowd.

Si Tingfeng smiled slightly. "Looks like quite a few people read that Battle Net post. You're famous now, A-Yuan."

Maige swept his gaze over the cluster of staring faces and laughed.

"Heh. It won't be long before everyone on Great Qi Star knows it was you."

The original post hadn't named Lu Yuan, but it had his face. Now that someone here had identified him, the news would spread fast.

Lu Yuan felt a twinge of helplessness. He'd braced himself for it during his chat with Qinghe that morning — but still, this was faster than he'd expected.

Before he could dwell on it, Wallis and his friend walked over.

The amber-haired boy smiled. "Hey, junior. I'm Wallis — Wallis Maxie. Third year. Great to meet you."

"Senior," Lu Yuan returned easily. "I'm Lu Yuan."

Wallis turned the name over in his head. *Lu Yuan… surname Lu? I can't think of any Battle Emperors or Battle Sovereigns in the Empire with that surname.*

His eyes brightened.

"I don't suppose Junior Lu Yuan has joined a family yet?"

Lu Yuan's brow lifted. *Recruitment already?*

He hadn't even opened his mouth when Si Tingfeng's expression cooled by a degree.

"Wallis. The Maxie Family has never been known for subtlety, but isn't this a bit rushed?"

Wallis Maxie glanced over, and for just a fraction of a second something sharpened in his gaze before he smoothed it into a smile.

"Why, if it isn't the Third Prince. Has Junior Lu Yuan already joined the Si family?"

Si Tingfeng looked at Lu Yuan briefly. "He hasn't."

"Then why shouldn't I make my pitch? Junior Lu Yuan — the Maxie Family is a Battle Emperor household. With your talent, our ancestor would personally oversee your development. And, ah—" He flashed the kind of grin that needed no explanation. "—my sister is quite the beauty."

Lu Yuan's mouth twitched. *He's pulling the beauty trap on me?*

*Please. If that worked, he'd just join Qinghe's Li family.*

He smiled politely. "I appreciate it, Senior Wallis, but I only just enrolled. I'd rather not tie myself to any family right now — maybe after graduation."

A flicker of disappointment crossed Wallis's face, but he recovered smoothly.

"Fair enough. We're all at the Talent Camp anyway — let's stay in touch."

"Absolutely."

Lu Yuan smiled, and Wallis moved on.

What followed was an endless parade of the same. One after another, Talent Camp students came forward — men and women alike, almost all of them heirs to major Red Maple Empire families or powerful financial consortiums.

It made sense. Gene Warriors who had already grown strong tended to pass stronger aptitudes to their children. Even without inheriting top-tier genes directly, their bloodline gifts ran deeper than any ordinary person's.

At the Talent Camp, scions of powerful clans and corporate dynasties made up a substantial portion of the student body.

Now that Lu Yuan's name was on everyone's lips — a Second-rank cultivator already engraving Lord Grade genes, on top of a record of hunting King Grade geniuses to their deaths — every last one of them wanted to get close.

It took a while before the stream of well-wishers finally thinned. Lu Yuan let out a weary breath.

Maige watched him with a lopsided grin. "Worn out already? This is just the beginning. Once your name really spreads, the offers you'll be getting are going to be genuinely tempting."

He chuckled. "My family, the Clark Family, is only a Battle King household — otherwise I'd be trying to snag you myself."

Lu Yuan gave him a long-suffering look.

Si Tingfeng thought for a moment, then offered mildly:

"A-Yuan, if you'd rather not be bothered, why not join the Si family? We have Battle Emperor strength, and as Red Maple royals, once you're under our banner, no one will keep coming to your door."

Lu Yuan's expression flattened. "Tingfeng, I'll pass. I'm not looking to join any family right now. And even if I were — Qinghe wouldn't sign off on it."

That gave Si Tingfeng pause. Something clicked. A wry smile tugged at his mouth.

"Right — Li Qinghe is your older sister. I forgot. If it ever came to it, you'd go with the Li family, not us. Never mind. Let's go get tested."

Meanwhile, deep within the Algaibi Family compound in Tianrao City, a courtyard heavy with trailing vines lay quiet in the still air.

Amy was seated inside a pavilion. Across from her sat a middle-aged man of striking looks, dressed in white robes — Adams Algaibi, the Tianrao Battle Emperor. Beside them was Amy's mother, Gwen Algaibi.

A holographic projection floated before Adams, displaying the Battle Net post.

Adams studied the images, the corner of his mouth curving into a satisfied smile.

"Worthy of my little Amy. Trapping King Grade geniuses and bringing them to ruin — that's no small feat."

Amy's face lit up with undisguised pride. "Of course! I'm incredible! One of them — that Bai Lin — I personally blew him up!"

Adams gave an indulgent nod. "With Amy's gifts, you'll surpass your great-grandfather someday, I have no doubt."

Amy was practically glowing.

Then Adams shifted gears, smiling casually.

"By the way — the other young man in there, is that the Lei Feng you mentioned before?"

Amy faltered. "Him? He's nothing but a big liar. Hmph! He told me his name was Lei Feng — it's actually Lu Yuan!"

She pouted, clearly aggrieved.

Adams and Gwen exchanged a glance. Neither was particularly bothered. In the Land of Origin, using a false name was common enough to be unremarkable.

Adams's gaze returned to the projection, thoughtful.

"His strength doesn't look ordinary. And entering the central Floating City — was that because of him?"

Amy's expression brightened right back up, and she nodded eagerly. "Yeah, he's pretty strong. Weirdly strong. I have no idea where he found whatever it is that lets him control mechanical life. And when we needed to get into the central Floating City — the outer area still had its shields up, but we could walk straight through while everyone else was locked out. Oh, and he was the one who found the Aier Core Fragment too—"

She rattled on, reeling off one remarkable thing after another about Lu Yuan's abilities, her voice carrying the unmistakable ring of someone showing off on another person's behalf.

As she listened, Gwen's expression shifted, slowly, into something unreadable.

*This daughter of mine…* she thought. *Something really does seem off.*

She tugged a careful smile onto her face and asked, almost in passing:

"Amy? What do you actually think of Lu Yuan as a person?"

Amy blinked. Then her nose wrinkled, and she said with great feeling:

"He is an absolute liar, and I cannot stand him!"

Gwen and Adams looked at each other. The peculiar expression on both their faces deepened.

Adams turned his attention elsewhere, smiling quietly to himself.

"The Mirage Dragon sighting, and now this display in the Aier Mechanical Ruins… that boy is keeping secrets." A pause. "Amy, next time you enter the Land of Origin, tell him that your great-grandfather would like to meet him."

Amy stared, genuinely taken aback.

"Great-grandpa? You want to meet Lu Yuan?"

Then a look of sharp wariness settled across her face.

"You're not going to pick on him, are you?"

Adams's mouth twitched. *My little angel has… changed somewhat.*

He said gently, "Why would your great-grandfather want to pick on him? I'm simply curious about an exceptional young person. Humble origins, only Second-rank, yet already engraving Lord Grade genes — a talent like that, if sustained, will almost certainly reach Battle Emperor. And perhaps… there is even a sliver of hope he reaches Battle Saint."

Gwen went very still. A flicker of shock crossed her face. "He could become a Saint?"

Amy's eyes went wide. "That liar is *that* impressive?!"

Adams smiled. "A sliver of hope — nothing more. Becoming a Battle Saint is no simple thing."

He knew that better than anyone. He himself had spent tens of thousands of years as a Battle Emperor, and he had yet to so much as glimpse the threshold of Sainthood.

But what Lu Yuan had shown him was enough to catch even his eye — and he was not easily surprised.

Amy gave a small, thoughtful nod.

"Understood. I'll tell him next time."

"Good."

Adams smiled and nodded once.