Premonition

The moment Lu Yuan appeared, Amy's eyes lit up and she waved at him with enthusiasm.

"You're here, you big liar!"

Yeye offered a quiet smile.

Small White, who had been bickering with Wang Lingling a second ago, instantly forgot her argument. Her face broke into an expression of fervent, worshipful delight.

"Young Master Lu, you've arrived."

Beside her, Wang Lingling glanced over with a dry "Hmph~~"

"You're here so early?" Lu Yuan said with a smile.

Amy's eyes sparkled. "Of course!" she chirped. "We're going to the Upper Layer of the Land of Origin, after all!"

"..."

Seeing her barely-contained excitement, he was at a loss for words. *It's not like this is a school field trip. What's she so worked up about?*

Wang Lingling wore her usual gentle smile. She glanced at Amy and said, "Miss has been looking forward to this since last night."

"..."

*Good grief. She really does think it's a field trip.*

Embarrassed by the remark, Amy's cheeks flushed faintly pink. She puffed out her cheeks, shot Wang Lingling a glare, then quickly swung her large eyes toward Si Tingxue and Rebecca nearby, clearly hunting for a change of subject.

"Xiao Xue, Rebecca — you both look so tired. Didn't sleep well? Are you excited about the Upper Layer too?"

"..."

"..."

Feeling the eyes of the group on them, both women experienced a guilty twinge. Si Tingxue looked away, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks. "...A little, I suppose," she said lightly.

Beside her, Rebecca gave an awkward laugh. "Yes! Definitely!"

It wasn't as if they could admit that Lu Yuan had kept them up all night and left them thoroughly exhausted.

Flanking him on either side, both Si Tingxue and Rebecca reached out simultaneously and gave his waist a discreet pinch.

The corner of Lu Yuan's mouth twitched. *Is this some kind of innate female instinct? Why do they all do the exact same thing?*

"Oh!" Amy shot Wang Lingling a triumphant look. "See! It's not just me who's excited!"

Wang Lingling glanced at Rebecca and Si Tingxue. Something flickered through her dark eyes — a brief flash of surprise — before she turned to Lu Yuan, a warm smile settling onto her face.

Lu Yuan caught her expression and felt a prickle of unease. *Did she figure it out? Her instincts really are sharp.*

Hearing Amy's declaration, Wang Lingling withdrew her gaze and turned back to her young mistress with a fond, indulgent look. "You're absolutely right, Miss."

"What's with that look?" Amy narrowed her eyes. "I feel like you're hiding something from me."

"I'm not hiding a thing from you, Miss."

Wang Lingling's smile remained gentle. After all, the one keeping secrets wasn't her — it was A-Yuan.

Still... she hadn't expected that Lu Yuan had already gone *that far* with both Si Tingxue and Rebecca.

*Proximity, I suppose. They did have the advantage in that regard.*

*Hmm... should I find some excuse to get Miss to bring A-Yuan back to Tianrao City for a while?*

*Then there would be all sorts of opportunities to let things develop naturally.*

Then she thought of Amy's hopeless naivety and felt a headache forming. *Asking Miss to seduce someone... what was I dreaming?*

She was starting to regret how thoroughly she and Lord Wenge had restricted Amy's exposure to adult knowledge growing up. The result was that even now, while Amy had a basic understanding of such matters, the mere thought of them left her paralyzed with mortification.

*At this rate, getting Miss to bring A-Yuan home is a complete fantasy.*

*If that doesn't work... Lord Adams, perhaps?*

*Knowing A-Yuan's personality, if Lord Adams personally invited him to stay over, he definitely wouldn't refuse.*

*Right. She could work behind the scenes, coach Miss a little, and at that point she herself might also be able to...*

Even for someone of Wang Lingling's composed temperament, following that train of thought to its natural conclusion brought a faint pink flush to her cheeks.

*She had plenty of theoretical knowledge, of course. In practice, she was no different from Miss.*

Forcing herself to be honest, she admitted that even if an opportunity landed squarely in front of her, she probably wouldn't actually have the nerve to take it.

That realization was vexing. When had she become so irresolute? *That wasn't like her at all.*

*Well... when the time came, she'd send Miss in first and observe from a safe distance.*

Her expression remained perfectly serene while, in the privacy of her own mind, she quietly plotted how to hand her young mistress over to the wolves.

Amy, having heard Wang Lingling's denial, simply gave a small nod and didn't press further.

The quietly tense Lu Yuan let out an almost imperceptible breath of relief.

Then he caught himself. *Wait — what was I even nervous about?*

Both Lord Adams and Sister Gwen had given their blessing. So had Elder Li Xinghai and Elder Si Qi.

*If it came out, I'd just tell them straight: I want them all. Simple.*

*Insufferably arrogant.jpg*

While Lu Yuan was lost in thought, Yeye walked over and held out a piece of bright green melon — already nibbled at one corner. "Amy gave it to me," she said softly. "It's a sweet melon. Very sweet."

Seeing Yeye watch him with hopeful eyes, Lu Yuan couldn't help smiling. He took a bite. "It really is."

Yeye gave a small nod. Her dark cat ears twitched, and her tail swayed once. She happily resumed eating, looking quietly pleased.

Beside them, Small White looked as though all the joy had been drained from her existence.

Like Wang Lingling, she too had noticed something different about her own princess — and like Wang Lingling, she had pieced together exactly what Lu Yuan had clearly already done with Si Tingxue and Rebecca.

She had been meaning to warn Yeye. To urge her to act quickly before some unscrupulous scoundrel got there first.

When she saw Yeye approach Lu Yuan on her own initiative, Small White had felt a flicker of relief. *At least the princess is a step ahead of Miss Amy.*

But then... *this* was the extent of it?

Watching Yeye contentedly munch away at her melon, Small White was completely floored.

*Your Highness — someone is ransacking your future right out from under you, and you're just sitting here eating fruit?!*

*Is the melon really that good?!*

Her expression gradually darkened. She needed to find a moment to sit down with the princess and lay out the full picture — to make her truly understand just how critical the situation had become.

*The princess needed to make her move. Soon. Bring Young Master Lu back to the Empire!*

*That way, when the time eventually came, she could follow the princess there too...*

At that thought, Small White's eyes filled with iron resolve, the look of someone steeling herself for the greatest trial of her life.

While Small White was deep in her private deliberations, Lu Yuan smiled and said aloud, "Since we're all here, let's head out."

Everyone nodded.

They entered the teleportation hall, made their way to a private room, and Lu Yuan initiated the transfer. All of them arrived together in the teleportation hall of Sky-Mending City.

Stepping out of the room into the main hall, they were greeted by a steady stream of beings from races none of them had ever laid eyes on. Eyes widened all around, expressions bright with curiosity.

Amy was the most captivated of all — her large eyes shining, she kept letting out soft, wondering exclamations at nearly every turn.

"This is the teleportation hall of Sky-Mending City," Lu Yuan explained with a smile. "Every race in the Human Race's territory — from every star domain — passes through here when transferring to the Upper Layer of the Land of Origin."

"This includes *every* race within the Human Race?" Rebecca murmured. She stole a glance at a humanoid creature with a head like an octopus, then quickly looked away, her voice tinged with disbelief.

Lu Yuan gave a slight nod. "They're not so different from those in the White Cloud Star Domain, really. Everyone here is just a Gene Warrior."

Everyone nodded.

He led the group out of the teleportation hall.

The sheer grandeur of Sky-Mending City — its vast streets, its teeming crowds, and above all the terrifying Spatial Rifts tearing across the sky — left Si Tingxue and the others wide-eyed with shock.

Amy peppered Lu Yuan with questions at every step, unable to contain her curiosity.

As he answered them and pointed out the sights around them, Lu Yuan reached out through his Communication Crystal to contact Li Qinghe's group of three.

Before long, a sleek black warship swept in overhead and touched down at the roadside. Li Qinghe and her two companions stepped out.

Li Qinghe stowed the warship, and Lu Yuan waved them over.

Spotting his group, all three brightened at once and walked over with warm smiles.

Li Qinghe draped an arm around Lu Yuan's shoulder and poked his cheek. "Yuan-didi! You've already broken through to Battle Emperor?! How can you possibly be this fast?!"

Shuangyue, beside her, pouted slightly and nodded along. "Seriously. We've been working hard, and we haven't been lacking for resources either — Jade Sovereign Flowers and everything. So why is the gap this enormous?"

Lu Yuan took Li Qinghe's hand, gave the question genuine thought, and said, "Maybe I'm just more talented?"

Honestly, his Spirit Power absorption speed was simply beyond compare. Ten thousand Eighth-tier Spirit Crystals absorbed per hour — who could even imagine that? Not even a War God could manage anything close. All of it was the Evolution Cube's gift to him.

Though Lu Yuan felt he was stating a plain fact, everyone present — except Yeye — rolled their eyes at him in unison.

"You terrible little brother," Li Qinghe huffed. "All you do is make people feel bad!"

Lu Yuan spread his hands, the picture of innocence. *He hadn't said anything discouraging at all.*

Li Qinghe then turned to scan the group, her gaze eventually settling on Yeye and Small White.

She already knew Si Tingxue, Rebecca, Amy, and Wang Lingling well enough. The only unfamiliar faces were Yeye and Small White.

"You two must be Yeye and Small White," she said with a bright smile. "I'm Li Qinghe — you can call me Sister Qinghe. From now on, we'll be guiding your training in the Upper Layer."

Yeye glanced at Lu Yuan, who smiled and nodded. "Just follow Sister Qinghe's lead."

"Mm. Sister Qinghe."

Only then did Yeye address her by the name.

Li Qinghe's mouth curved into a slight pout. She sent Lu Yuan a private message: *"You terrible thing — you've got her completely under your thumb!"*

*???*

*He hadn't done anything. He was entirely innocent.*

"Since they're all here," he said aloud, brushing off the teasing, "Sister Qinghe, Mentor, Sister Shuangyue — I'll leave them in your hands."

Shuangyue grinned. "Don't worry. We won't let your little sweethearts come to any harm~~"

Si Tingxue and Rebecca's cheeks both went pink. They couldn't speak for the others, but for themselves, "sweethearts" now applied in the fullest sense of the word.

Si Tingyu noticed the odd reactions from her younger sister and Rebecca, and a brief look of puzzlement crossed her face — but she didn't dwell on it, chalking it up to them simply not being used to Shuangyue's teasing.

"Well then, come along with us," Li Qinghe said cheerfully. "I'll take you on a tour of Sky-Mending City first, then we'll venture outside to broaden your horizons."

"Thank you, Sister Qinghe~~" Amy chimed in, ever sweet-tongued.

The moment she had stepped outside and seen the terrifying expanse of Spatial Rifts clawing across the Upper Layer's sky, she had been itching to go explore.

Lu Yuan watched them go without a trace of worry. He had already condensed Life Spirits for each of them — even if something went truly wrong in this place, they could be revived.

Which left him nothing to worry about.

Beyond that, he had equipped each of them with a generous supply of trump cards, plenty of single-use Saint Grade Talismans included. Even against a Battle Saint, they wouldn't be left entirely at their opponent's mercy.

After they departed, he thought for a moment, then went to the Auction House to collect the Spirit Crystals from his recent sales. He evolved a fresh batch of treasures to put up at auction, then made his way to Sky-Mending City's Gravity Room and settled in to cultivate.

His plan was to exhaust all his Jade Sovereign Flowers before heading out into the field to earn Merits.

He had redeemed a thousand flowers with Merits, and earned another six hundred from his Emperor Rankings campaign — sixteen hundred in total.

For cultivation purposes, he naturally used the evolved versions, each one worth one hundred thousand Eighth-tier Spirit Crystals.

Tempering all his Saint Grade Transcendent Genes to peak proficiency had consumed barely over five hundred flowers. With the remaining thousand-odd, he estimated he could bring Cosmic Body all the way to peak proficiency as well.

*Gravity Room.*

After his breakthrough, his Spirit Crystal absorption rate had climbed once again — a full ten thousand Eighth-tier Spirit Crystals per hour now.

A pity he still couldn't evolve external items not bonded to his Gene Chain to Divine Grade. If he could push the Jade Sovereign Flowers that far, his cultivation pace would improve further still.

Ten thousand Eighth-tier Spirit Crystals per hour was equivalent to a thousand Ninth-tier Spirit Crystals.

Even as he cultivated, he could already sense the scale of the task ahead: bringing Cosmic Body to full Tempering Proficiency would require approximately six million Ninth-tier Spirit Crystals.

At his current pace — twelve hours of cultivation per day, absorbing twelve thousand Ninth-tier Crystals daily — that still came out to roughly five hundred days.

In Land of Origin time, that was. In real-world terms, it would be little more than two months.

He was genuinely satisfied with that. These were Divine Grade Transcendent Genes, after all. For any other Gene Warrior — even a War God — fully tempering a single Divine Grade gene would take thousands of years, without exception.

A few months? There was nothing to complain about.

With nothing pressing on the horizon, he settled into cultivation without a second thought.

Time flowed on, and months slipped quietly by.

Cosmic Body's Tempering Proficiency climbed steadily. His Jade Sovereign Flowers dwindled one by one.

Then, without warning, Lu Yuan's eyes snapped open.

In his pupils, a ring had appeared — black and white intertwined, revolving slowly, radiating an aura of deep and inscrutable mystery.

*Wheel of Fate. Premonition.*

In the midst of cultivation, a vision of events yet to come had blazed before him with sudden, vivid clarity.

It jolted him out of his meditative state entirely.