With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the full moon inevitably casts a touch of melancholy upon the heart. A preemptive blessing to all wanderers far from home: may you be happy and healthy. We seek not vast riches; in this life, happiness and contentment are all that truly matter, and that is enough.

……

Subsequently, led by the Cui brothers, the trio arrived at the commercial property rented by the Brightness Guild. The space was not expansive, constructed entirely of grayish-white steel, covering an area of about 600 square meters; this was the main assembly hall for the Guild.

The location was somewhat remote, devoid of any commercial streets nearby. The street before the building held only a scattering of solitary individuals. Ye Chen frowned briefly, then took the lead and stepped inside.

At the Guild entrance stood four guards. Perhaps due to the infrequent arrival of visitors, they appeared rather lax, chatting casually among themselves, cigarettes dangling from their lips, looking quite comfortable.

When the Cui brothers spotted the four men, their expressions darkened. Mindful of Ye Chen’s presence, they cleared their throats lightly. Instantly, the men who had been idly conversing noticed the sound, hastily withdrew the cigarettes from their mouths, dropped them to the ground, and ground them out underfoot. They immediately stood ramrod straight. Upon seeing Ye Chen and the Cui brothers, their faces broke into smiles.

“Welcome back, Brother Cui, bringing esteemed guests,” the four bowed in unison, instinctively glancing at Ye Chen. Their eyes lingered for a moment on the beast-hide robe he wore before quickly darting away.

Cui Cheng shot an awkward glance at Ye Chen and muttered, “Not many people come here usually, so they’ve gotten slack. I’ll discipline them later. Boss Xu and the others are waiting for you in the hall; no need to bother with these minor figures.”

Ye Chen nodded, his expression unchanged, and followed their lead inside.

After they entered, the four guards visibly relaxed their tense postures, exhaling with a sigh, before leaning against the side walls and resuming their low chatter.

Stepping inside, a straight path led from beneath a set of three steps directly into the main hall. Flanking this hall were two side chambers designated for entertaining honored guests. The three structures formed an embracing shape around a small open area in the center. The entire building was constructed of metal; any component could be altered at will—raising a metal wall from the floor or adding steps was effortless, requiring no manual labor.

The three proceeded to the hall. Cui Fu walked ahead, pushing open the large main door and gesturing Ye Chen inside.

Ye Chen stepped in. The hall was brightly lit, centered by a rectangular metal table around which sat seven or eight figures. Among them were two women. One was plain in appearance, her hair tied in a braid, dressed in coarse cloth; the armor plating, fashioned from the shells of insect-monsters, was affixed to her chest, back, and shoulders, offering some defense.

The other was sultry, clad in a fiery red skin-tight suit, her skin pale. A soft black leather armor covered her, while her lower body was encased in tight black shorts that emphasized her curves, making her quite striking. However, what drew gasps of pity was a shocking gash across her exquisite, beautiful oval face—a visible testament to how closely she had once brushed with death.

The remaining men were either powerfully built with rugged features, or handsome and refined, though the occasional flash of coldness in their eyes betrayed the smiles fixed on their lips.

Seated at the head of the rectangular metal table were two figures: Xu Tianguo and Huang Tianci.

As Ye Chen walked in, all conversation ceased. Every head turned, their gazes falling upon him—some filled with curiosity, others with coldness or indifference. Xu Tianguo, seated at the highest position, his eyes lighting up, quickly rose and strode toward Ye Chen, exclaiming with excitement, “You’ve finally returned!”

Ye Chen nodded. “I was delayed slightly in the wilds.”

Xu Tianguo laughed heartily. “It’s good that you are back safe. We’ve been waiting for you. Come, take the seat of honor.” With that, he led Ye Chen toward the two uppermost seats, instructing a young attendant standing by to await orders: “Bring another chair over here!”

The young attendant nodded quickly and hurried to fetch a metal chair. His eyes regarded Ye Chen with curiosity; he had never seen Xu Tianguo treat anyone with such warmth.

Ye Chen showed no particular reaction and took a seat unreservedly.

“Boss Xu, is this the honored guest you mentioned?” A handsome young man, leaning back in his chair with one leg crossed over the other, smirked as he looked at Ye Chen.

Xu Tianguo’s face darkened. He glanced at the youth, a sense of helplessness rising within him. In truly peaceful times, such high-ranking members would never act so rudely; they would at least wait until he finished introductions before speaking. But now, the so-called leadership sitting in this hall possessed great power but understood nothing of etiquette, diplomatic interaction, the proper way to shake hands, or the nuances of clinking glasses—they were essentially powerful commoners.

Xu Tianguo cleared his throat and addressed everyone present. “This is Ye Chen, the founder of our Brightness Guild, and a General in the Huaxia Base City. Everyone, welcome!” He then started clapping enthusiastically.

However, none of the others moved. They merely crossed their arms and observed Ye Chen with impassive expressions.

Xu Tianguo looked somewhat embarrassed and explained to Ye Chen, “The schedule was too tight, and we couldn't arrange a proper welcoming party. I apologize.” Ye Chen shook his head. “It’s fine. You’ve worked hard during this time.”

Xu Tianguo nodded awkwardly and sat down.

At this moment, the young man who had spoken earlier smiled broadly at Ye Chen. “I never expected the founder of our Guild to be a General from the Base City. A pleasure to meet you!”

“Heh heh…” Another rather handsome youth, radiating confidence, leaned back lazily in his chair and eyed Ye Chen. “Tell me, Founder, are you a full General or a Lieutenant General? Don’t tell me you’re just a Major General, hehe.”

Ye Chen nodded slightly. “You guessed correctly.”

Everyone was slightly stunned. They hadn't expected Ye Chen to remain so composed and conversational in the face of such provocation, and they couldn't help but frown slightly.

Xu Tianguo’s face flushed with shame. He said to Ye Chen, “I’m sorry, this is all my fault; they speak without restraint.”

“It’s alright.” Ye Chen patted his shoulder. “You’ve done very well. Establishing the Guild and even tapping into the commercial market in just over ten days exceeded my expectations.”

Xu Tianguo managed a wry smile.

Seeing that Ye Chen showed no anger, the others lost interest. Some shot him looks of faint disdain before turning their attention back to themselves, examining their palms, filing their nails, or leaning back with their hands behind their heads, legs crossed, eyes half-closed in comfort.

Ye Chen acted as if he noticed nothing. He turned his head to Xu Tianguo and asked, “How many members does the Guild currently have?”

Xu Tianguo looked at Ye Chen’s unperturbed face, and for some unknown reason, his heart trembled slightly. He quickly replied, “Currently, we have 6042 ordinary members, most of whom are common folk. Those who have reached Level 1 Warrior status number 1280. Level 5 Warriors total 82. And those at Level 10 are only 16.”

Ye Chen nodded and inquired, “How are member positions allocated?”

Xu Tianguo answered truthfully, “Those below Level 1 are ordinary members. Moving up, Level 3 is a third-tier member, Level 5 is a second-tier member, and Level 10 is a first-tier member. Everyone present here is Level 15 or above, belonging to the Hall Master class.”

Ye Chen pondered for a moment. “Have you raised the recruitment standards?”

Xu Tianguo offered a bitter smile. “Not yet; I was planning to discuss this matter with them.”

Ye Chen waved his hand. “There’s no need to waste time on that. Just do as I say: only recruit those who can exert the combat power of a Level 10 fighter single-handedly. I will improve the benefits and increase the rewards later.”

Xu Tianguo was surprised. “You have the funds?”

Ye Chen nodded.

“Heh heh…” From the side, the handsome youth leaning back in his chair suddenly let out a laugh. Xu Tianguo frowned. “Zhou Gao, what are you laughing at?”

The man named Zhou Gao chuckled and looked mockingly at Ye Chen. “I’m laughing at your arrogance. What do you think you are? Requiring an individual to exert Level 10 combat power—who can achieve that? You’re speaking nonsense!”

Xu Tianguo choked, then fell silent. He himself could not meet that standard; based on his combat experience, achieving Level 7 combat power with individual strength was already exceptional.

At that moment, Ye Chen suddenly turned his head toward the man called Zhou Gao. “Who told you to laugh?”

Zhou Gao froze for a second, then sneered coldly. “Do I not even have the right to laugh? You’re just a lapdog for Huaxia Base City, a mere Major General. What right do you have to manage us?”

The others nodded in agreement, looking at Ye Chen with scorn. Having reached their level, their personal strength was formidable; few were willing to submit to another’s control.

“Right…” Ye Chen slowly savored the word a few times, then stood up. He stepped onto the rectangular metal desk, and under everyone’s gaze, he walked step by step toward Zhou Gao. He stood on the desk directly in front of Zhou Gao, looking down from a superior height, his expression cold. “You are unconvinced?”

Zhou Gao remained seated, watching Ye Chen standing on the desk before him. His smile slowly faded. He said coldly, “Don’t think that just because you founded the Guild, we have to obey your orders!”

“If that is the case, what use are you to me?” Ye Chen’s gaze grew increasingly icy as he uttered the words lightly. Then, he stomped his foot, flipped over, and swung his leg toward Zhou Gao’s head.

Zhou Gao was greatly shocked, not expecting Ye Chen to resort to physical action. However, a cold smile quickly formed in his mind. In terms of physical constitution, he had reached Level 20, compounded by rich combat experience; even many Base City Major Generals were no match for him. He jerked his head back, narrowly evading the kick. He touched the ground with the tip of his foot and slid back several yards. Just as he steadied himself and prepared to counterattack, Ye Chen materialized ghost-like directly in front of him, reaching out to grip his throat. The move was swift as lightning; before Zhou Gao could react, his throat was clamped, and his body was lifted into the air.

……

Time for food first = = Consider it lunch; I must eat. Next update around 9 o’clock - -