Leaving the relic, Zhao Xuan reappeared in the dense forest from which he had first entered.
With a thought, he sealed the naturally formed relic entrance behind him, ensuring no other creatures would stumble upon it. Only then did he leave, fully satisfied.
He didn't immediately return to Tongcheng.
Instead, with patience and focus, he completed the other two Tier Three bounty missions he had accepted earlier.
Once both were done, he hurried back to the Tongcheng Ability Users' Guild.
Under Xiao Liu's admiring gaze, Zhao Xuan handed in all three missions one by one.
Since all of them were combat-type missions with fairly high difficulty, the combined reward totaled 420,000 credits.
If this had been before, Zhao Xuan might have been thrilled.
But now?
His perspective had changed.
His wealth had grown.
To him, 420,000 wasn't much anymore.
After completing the paperwork, Zhao Xuan suddenly remembered the amber crystal he had dug out from the desert golem's skull.
He turned to ask, "Xiao Liu, is President Lian in the guild right now?"
"Yes, Mr. Zhao!" Xiao Liu replied quickly. "President Lian just got back not long ago. He should be in his office right now."
"I see."
Zhao Xuan nodded and strode off toward Lian Jie's office.
But the moment he reached the door—
He froze.
From inside, Lian Jie's excited voice echoed through the wooden panels.
"Hello? Lao Bi, it's me—Lian! Haha, no, nothing urgent! I just wanted to let you know—our Tongcheng Guild successfully acquired the Relic Heart of the Mystical Bird Relic!"
A pause.
"What? Hey—hello? He hung up?"
A few seconds later—
"Hello? Lao Wang! What am I calling for? What kind of question is that? Can't an old friend call for a chat? Hahaha! Actually, there is a reason—I just wanted to inform you that you don't have to send your team over in six days. We've already cleared the relic and claimed the heart! Hahaha!"
Another pause.
"Hello? Lao Ji! No, no, I'm not calling to propose a partnership for relic development! Quite the opposite! I just wanted to tell you—the Tongcheng Guild has already cleared the relic trial. You don't need to send anyone anymore! … Hello? Hello!?"
Silence.
Outside the door, Zhao Xuan stood motionless for several seconds, his expression growing increasingly odd.
Up until this moment, he had always regarded Lian Jie as a serious, upright, no-nonsense kind of man—stern and disciplined, rarely smiling.
But now…
Hearing him brag one phone call after another, his tone filled with smug satisfaction, Zhao Xuan couldn't help but mutter inwardly—
So this is the real President Lian… huh?
Turns out you're this kind of man!
He stifled a laugh, then, after making sure there were no more calls, knocked politely on the door.
Knock, knock.
"Come in!"
Lian Jie's deep voice sounded from inside.
Zhao Xuan pushed the door open and stepped in.
The moment Lian Jie saw him, the older man immediately stood up, a bright smile on his face.
But then—
His expression changed sharply.
Before Zhao Xuan could even react—
Whoosh!
Lian Jie's fingers straightened, his hand snapping forward like a spear.
In an instant, he was right in front of Zhao Xuan.
Physical strength wasn't just raw muscle—it represented the harmony of speed, power, and agility.
And Lian Jie's sudden burst demonstrated all three.
Zhao Xuan instinctively responded.
Azure Dragon Fruit!
Iron Body!
Armament Haki!
All activated simultaneously.
The next instant—
Lian Jie's Finger Gun jabbed toward Zhao Xuan's chest—
but at the final moment, the older man twisted his wrist, transforming the strike into a fist instead.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A tremendous force erupted, sending shockwaves through the office.
Zhao Xuan was pushed back seven or eight steps before he could stop himself.
Cracks spread across the wooden floor like spider webs.
"President Lian… what are you doing?" Zhao Xuan asked, confused.
Lian Jie narrowed his eyes, disbelief written all over his face.
"Zhao Xuan, your strength…"
He frowned deeply. "It's far greater than it was this morning."
"Hehe, yes, President Lian," Zhao Xuan scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. "While doing a bounty mission this afternoon, I accidentally discovered a natural relic. It turned out to be a low-tier one, so I cleared its trial and received another relic baptism."
"What?" Lian Jie blinked, momentarily speechless. "You… found a natural relic while doing a bounty mission?"
"And you just… casually cleared its trial?"
For a long moment, the seasoned guild president had nothing to say.
Finally, he let out a slow breath and muttered, "Zhao Xuan… your luck really defies the heavens."
"Heh… yeah, I guess it's not too bad," Zhao Xuan replied with an awkward grin, scratching his head again.
His humble tone didn't hide the glimmer of pride flickering in his eyes.
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