"There's a problem—no, a huge problem!"
At the bottom of the lake, in front of the ruin entrance, Zhao Xuan's eyes flickered violently.
"Could it be that back in the Lingyin Mountain Range, inside that berserk bear's cave… there wasn't just one divine stone stalactite?"
As the thought surfaced, scenes from the past replayed in his mind—memories of being hunted by that sixth-rank berserk bear, fleeing desperately into its cave.
But no matter how hard he tried to recall—
No matter how deeply he searched his memories—
He could not find even the slightest trace of a second stalactite.
"Forget it, forget it. I'll deal with this ruin first and think about it later."
"With that golden rat's loose mouth, and its obsession with cactus flowers, squeezing information out of it will be ridiculously easy."
"Still… come to think of it, that rat must already have nearly thirty or forty cactus flowers by now, right?"
"That won't do."
"I need to control the speed at which it gets cactus flowers. Otherwise, one day it might feel like it has enough and stop caring about one or two flowers—then I won't be able to get it to obediently help me find ruins anymore."
"Yes. I must control it."
With that decision made, Zhao Xuan stepped straight into the ruin rift before him.
At the same time—
Inside the desert spatial ruin.
The golden rat, its head buried deep in a pile of cactus flowers and sniffing blissfully, suddenly felt a wave of malice wash over its body.
Its entire form shuddered.
Whoosh!
In the next instant, it vanished from its spot and reappeared dozens of meters away.
Clutching the cactus flowers tightly to its chest, its round eyes widened as it vigilantly scanned the surroundings.
Only after confirming that it was completely alone inside the desert ruin did it finally relax.
Then—
Once again, it buried its head into the cactus flowers, inhaling greedily with a look of intoxication.
Meanwhile.
"This ruin… is no ordinary place."
Standing before an enormous ancient city, Zhao Xuan frowned deeply.
Since transmigrating into this world, every ruin he had encountered had been a primitive ruin—ruins that had never been extensively developed by intelligent life.
But this one?
This was clearly different.
Zhao Xuan was not reckless.
When facing a special-type ruin like this, he became especially cautious.
He circled the city walls once in their entirety before stopping at a tightly shut city gate.
From a distance, he saw a large group of people waiting silently before the gate.
Men and women.
Different faces.
Some with black hair and black eyes, others with blond hair and blue eyes.
But Zhao Xuan was certain of one thing—
They were not natives of the ruin.
Why?
Because they were wearing modern, industrialized clothing from the outside world.
Completely incompatible with the ancient architectural style of the mysterious city behind them.
"Wait—no. That's not right."
Zhao Xuan's gaze sharpened.
"If they're not natives and they're from the outside world… how did they get in?"
"I didn't see anyone else on the island."
Confusion rose in his heart.
After a brief pause, Zhao Xuan quietly moved closer.
He did not approach fully.
The moment his Observation Haki could barely cover a few of them, he stopped.
His intention was simple—eavesdrop and gather information.
Unfortunately—
The instant his Observation Haki brushed against a blond, blue-eyed man in his early twenties, that man abruptly turned his head and looked straight toward Zhao Xuan's hiding place.
"Come out."
The Westerner's voice was icy.
"Are all you Easterners this unpunctual? Ninety-nine of us waited over two hours for you. And when you finally show up, you sneak around like a thief?"
As his words fell—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Everyone waiting at the city gate turned their gazes toward Zhao Xuan.
"I've been discovered!"
"What sharp perception!"
"No—Observation Haki! His Observation Haki is incredibly strong—Grandmaster level!"
Zhao Xuan's heart jumped.
At that point, there was no reason to hide anymore.
He stepped out of the forest openly.
Since he had already been exposed.
Since he had already been called out.
Since he had already been locked onto by someone with Grandmaster-level Observation Haki—
There was no point continuing to hide.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Zhao Xuan strode forward in full view of everyone.
The moment he appeared—
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
"Z-Zhao Xuan?!"
"How is it him?!"
"Wasn't the final slot for the Life City Ruin supposed to go to that shrine maiden from Eastern Sea Japan? How did it become Zhao Xuan?"
"Zhao Xuan? Who's that?"
"The monster from this year's Kyushu national examination! The guy who crushed sixteen foreign prodigies single-handedly! You forgot already? A few days ago, a one-hundred-billion bounty appeared on Tianxing Island's black market—for him!"
"…!"
In an instant, expressions turned complex.
Greed.
Caution.
Curiosity.
Suspicion.
At that moment—
A striking woman stepped out from the crowd.
"Zhao Xuan, why are you here? This is the Life City Ruin. With your sixth-rank strength, aren't you just throwing your life away?"
It was Shi Xuefei, who had once traveled thousands of miles to invite Zhao Xuan into Bureau 794.
Holy—!
Big milk cow?!
Zhao Xuan froze.
Those three words flashed uncontrollably through his mind.
As mentioned before—
Shi Xuefei's Observation Haki was a special type capable of mind-reading—but only thoughts related to herself.
The moment "big milk cow" crossed Zhao Xuan's mind, she caught it.
Her expression stiffened briefly.
Then she regained her composure, glaring at him.
"Didn't I tell you to stop calling me that?"
"Cough—!"
Zhao Xuan involuntarily glanced at her… assets and laughed awkwardly.
"Couldn't help it."
"I'll settle that score later."
Shi Xuefei frowned deeply.
"Your strength is too weak. This ruin isn't for you. Or rather, you don't yet have the qualification to explore the Life City Ruin. Leave now—while the gates are still closed."
"Once the gates open, you won't be able to leave."
"Xuefei-jie, what is this place exactly?"
Zhao Xuan ignored her advice and asked instead.
To him, her warning wasn't that alarming.
First—
Everyone here, including Shi Xuefei and the other ninety-eight people, were only seventh-rank.
Second—
After breaking into sixth rank, Zhao Xuan was overflowing with confidence.
He even suspected that he could face some weaker eighth-rank kings head-on.
"The Life City Ruin is a high-tier, low-grade ruin—what we call a seventh-rank ruin."
Shi Xuefei explained quickly.
"It opens once per year. Only one hundred people may enter each time."
"Once the gates open, the entrance seals. Even a ninth-rank spatial ability user can't force it open."
"Every year, one hundred seventh-rank elites enter—yet fewer than half survive and leave."
"The time's almost up. You must leave now."
Zhao Xuan's eyes flickered.
A ruin with over fifty percent mortality—
Yet every nation still sent people?
There was only one reason.
Massive rewards.
"What benefits does this ruin offer?"
"This is not the time to ask that!"
Before she could continue—
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A bell tolled from within the city.
Shi Xuefei's face changed.
"Not good! Zhao Xuan—leave now! In one minute, the gates open! Once they do, you're trapped!"
But—
Before Zhao Xuan could move—
Seven or eight people, led by the blond man, rushed forward and blocked his retreat.
"Hackins!"
Shi Xuefei shouted coldly.
"What are you doing?! Move!"
Hackins ignored her and locked his gaze onto Zhao Xuan.
"You're Zhao Xuan? The one who killed my useless brother?"
"Your useless brother?" Zhao Xuan replied calmly.
"Ulysses. The one you beat to death with your fists during the Kyushu national examination."
"Oh… Ulysses?"
Zhao Xuan shrugged.
"I don't remember. I've beaten too many people to death."
"Don't worry," Hackins snarled. "I'll personally send you to meet him."
"I'll be waiting. If you don't come looking for me later, you're my grandson."
Zhao Xuan's Observation Haki screamed warnings—don't act now.
Otherwise—
Hackins would already be dead.
Silence fell.
Then—
Hackins burst into maniacal laughter.
"You said it yourself, brat."
"I'll kill him no matter what, Shi Xuefei."
Turning back to Zhao Xuan, Hackins sneered.
"I'll be waiting inside."
With that, he led his group through the opening gates.
One by one, the others followed.
Soon—
Only six remained.
"Xuefei, we must go," a handsome swordsman urged.
She handed Zhao Xuan a beast-skin map.
"After entering, go to the marked rendezvous immediately."
"The gate will close in thirty minutes. Anyone left outside will have their life force drained—even inside spatial ruins."
They entered.
Only the swordsman stayed behind.
"You're too weak," he said bluntly.
"This ruin concerns the safety of a ninth-rank emperor of Kyushu."
Zhao Xuan paused.
"Is that true?"
"I swear on the Mu family of the Imperial Capital."
"I understand."
The swordsman handed him a seventh-rank energy bomb.
"Take this. It may save your life."
Then he left.
"Thank you," his voice echoed.
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