The middle-aged man immediately snapped back to attention, masking his awkwardness with a subtle smile. He then meticulously began counting the blood-red jade pieces on the table. Though his power allowed him to gauge the exact number with a cursory glance, he chose instead to pick up and calculate each piece individually.

Sensing the potent killing intent radiating from the jade, he harbored no doubt—these were all genuine articles!

Before long, the count was complete: a total of 23,200 Spirit Points!

"We welcome your return anytime," the middle-aged man said, feeling a sheen of sweat break out on his skin. Only after the transaction was finalized did he let out a long breath, stand up, and extend a hand toward Ye Chen with a warm smile.

Ye Chen briefly shook the hand, nodded, and left the Mission Hall immediately. As he emerged from the elevator, the seven or eight men and women inside the hall who were turning in missions all turned their heads to stare, their eyes holding a measure of surprise.

Ye Chen's expression remained cold as he swiftly exited the hall. Instead of returning to the villa, he headed to the adjacent Personnel Department hall. Upon entering, he was escorted by a maid to an office door. Through the glass panel, he could see a stunning woman reclining on the office chair, crossing her long, pale legs as she idly examined her fingernails.

Ye Chen knocked lightly before pushing the door open.

"It's you?" The beautiful woman lifted her eyelids, a hint of surprise crossing her face when she saw Ye Chen. "What brings you here?" The Personnel Department was the most leisurely division in the entire Genius Hall.

Personnel was only required to process paperwork when a genius requested a transfer or when a new genius was accepted. Such events—transfers or new admissions—happened so rarely, perhaps once every few centuries, that working there daily was essentially just passing the time.

"I'm here to transfer departments," Ye Chen stated, walking up to the desk and placing his Genius Medal down with a flip of his hand.

"Transferring departments?" The beautiful woman seemed surprised, then relaxed. "Are you not accustomed to living here and want to return to the Second-Grade Genius Hall?"

There were generally two types of transfers: the first was promotion, which required a directive from a superior. The second type was at the genius's own discretion, which automatically moved them down to the next lower grade division.

Ye Chen replied flatly, "I'm going to the Supreme Genius Hall. Please make it quick."

The beautiful woman froze momentarily, then stammered, "To the Supreme Genius Hall?"

Ye Chen frowned slightly. "Check the personnel transfer logs yourself."

The woman snapped back to attention, quickly placing her hand on the virtual mouse pad and tapping a few keys. She immediately pulled up the required information.

"It really is!" The beautiful woman exclaimed in astonishment.

Ye Chen frowned. "Hurry up."

The woman tore her gaze from the computer, staring at Ye Chen with shock. "How is this possible? How long has it been, and you've already reached a ten-million-fold amplitude?"

Ye Chen shot her a glare heavy with killing intent. "Quickly!"

The beautiful woman finally regained her composure and quickly said, "One moment, I'll be right on it." She then rapidly tapped a few keys on the keyboard with practiced fingers. A red light shone from a recognition slot next to the computer, enveloping the Genius Medal. After a moment, the words "APPROVED" appeared on the screen.

"Done!" The beautiful woman clapped her hands and smiled. "I've adjusted your clearance to that of a Supreme Genius Hall member. You just need to go there to redeem your medal and the virtual system chip."

Ye Chen nodded, snatched his Genius Medal, and turned to leave.

"Hey!" The beautiful woman suddenly called out.

Ye Chen paused, turning his head slightly. "What is it?"

"Leave a virtual ID number. We can hang out tonight if you're free," the beautiful woman purred, giving him a seductive look.

Ye Chen rolled his eyes with annoyance. "120!" He dropped the number for the mental civilization emergency ambulance before walking straight out of the office.

The beautiful woman stood there, bewildered. "120? What kind of ID is that? Aren't virtual IDs supposed to start with letters and characters?"

Leaving the Personnel Hall, Ye Chen returned directly to the villa. He called out to Little Black and Kaba, packed his belongings in the room, and then headed straight outside the villa to summon his Rune Ship.

Swish!

The Rune Ship floated out of the rune space, its black-and-gold hull radiating an evil aura, covered in cannon barrels. Ye Chen turned to face the dozen or so male and female servants standing respectfully at the villa entrance. "I am going to the Supreme Genius Hall. You all stay here for a few days; someone will come to notify you and assign you to other geniuses. Your wages will continue to be paid."

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in surprise, staring at Ye Chen in shock.

"Master, you are going to the Supreme Genius Hall?"

"Are you leaving?"

"Please don't go! Take me with you; I don't want to leave you, Master."

For a moment, they all pleaded. After interacting with him, they knew that although Ye Chen was cold in temperament, he wasn't ill-tempered or fond of making trouble. As long as they didn't commit a major error, he wouldn't nitpick the small details; even if someone spilled tea, he would only give a faint glance and say nothing more.

They rarely encountered a master like this, and their hearts were filled with respect.

Ye Chen waved his hand. "Stay here."

"Master!"

"Master, please don't go!"

"Let me follow you!"

All of them looked distraught, pleading intensely.

Ye Chen frowned. At this moment, a young man stepped out from the crowd of servants, approached Ye Chen with a complex expression, bowed his head, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed three times heavily before earnestly saying, "Master, please allow me to follow you. I know your habits, and I can certainly take excellent care of you over there!"

The others seemed to have an epiphany, and they all followed suit, kneeling down. A chorus of sobs rose up around them.

Ye Chen cast them a look that was half exasperated, then waved his hand. A gentle power lifted everyone into the air. "Pack your things, everyone. Get on the ship!" Saying this, he turned and walked toward the Rune Ship.

Everyone froze, looking at each other in disbelief. Xiao Mo was the first to recover and shouted loudly, "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and pack your luggage!"

Everyone snapped back to reality, cheering quickly, and rushed back into the villa. In just a few minutes, they emerged carrying their bags, rushing toward the Rune Ship hovering in mid-air, and lined up to enter the hatch.

Upon entering the ship, they saw an exquisitely luxurious main hall, decorated with elegant simplicity. The lighting was dazzling, and the walls were adorned with purple-gold, exuding nobility and beauty.

Everyone bent over, cautiously looking around.

Little Black stood by the doorway and smiled. "You all should go to the passenger cabin next door. The environment there is also good, but the Boss doesn't like crowds."

"Yes!"

"Thank you!"

Everyone quickly queued up and headed toward the adjacent passenger cabin. Once everyone was aboard, the hatch slowly sealed shut.

Whoosh!

The Rune Ship's propulsion engine roared to life, humming faintly, and it shot away toward the distance, shrinking into a tiny speck of light on the horizon.

"The Supreme Genius Hall is located on Mount Wuji, south of the Imperial Capital!" Ye Chen relayed the address to the Green Rune Elder. The elder immediately connected to the Imperial Capital's public satellite system, switched to the aviation channel, swiftly located Mount Wuji, and steered the ship directly toward it.

South of the Imperial Capital.

Mount Wuji spanned an area of 9,000 kilometers, surrounded by vast plains under a boundless, clear sky. The mountain towered majestically, immense in scale, covered in dense green foliage. Ornamental spirit beasts roamed its slopes, and thousand-foot waterfalls cascaded down, their spray sparkling. A large river circled the base of the mountain; its water was pure and constantly purified. Under the extraction power of water-lifting instruments, this river water flowed upward toward the summit.

Water flowing toward the heavens.

Mount Wuji was divided into three tiers: the foothills, the mid-mountain area, and the peak. At the base were several clusters of wooden structures, an ancient-style square, and winding paths layered with fallen leaves.

The structures in the mid-mountain area were slightly more numerous, forming small settlements, though some were built individually in secluded spots. The buildings at the peak were scarcer, only three or four scattered sparsely across the terrain.

The Rune Ship tore through the distant sky and approached Mount Wuji. Three hundred kilometers above the mountain, the airspace became restricted.

The Rune Ship's radar displayed a solid block of crimson. It immediately descended, flying at an altitude of about 100 meters until it reached the foot of Mount Wuji, where it stopped beside the great river.

Ye Chen stepped off the Rune Ship and, with a wave of his hand, stored it back into the rune space. He then walked across a metal bridge built alongside the river and soon reached the other side, where a mountain gate stood. Beyond it was a winding path that ascended through the dense forest.

Guarding the mountain gate were over a dozen mechanical warriors, each two zhang tall, their bodies a deep purple-gold, bearing a massive energy gem on their chests and war blades strapped to their backs.

Beside these mechanical warriors stood several armored fighters, their skin azure blue and their eyes emerald green, standing one zhang tall—these were beings from an evolved civilization.

"Who goes there!" A mechanical warrior scanned Ye Chen, took a large stride, and blocked his path, speaking in a low tone.

Ye Chen flipped his hand, pulled out the Genius Medal, and presented it to the mechanical warrior.

Two red beams shot out from the warrior's crystal-like eyes, scanning the Genius Medal. After a moment of analysis, it retracted its gaze, stepped aside to clear the path, and respectfully stated, "Please enter!"

Ye Chen retrieved his medal and walked straight in.

Following the mountain path, he soon arrived at the square at the base of the mountain. From a distance, he saw a series of jet-black buildings with an ancient, austere style, standing amidst the peaks with a touch of bleak grandeur.

On the stone steps outside one of these buildings sat a small boy, resting his chin in his hands, staring blankly into the distant blue sky.

Ye Chen moved and approached him.

Sensing the sound, the boy drew his gaze back from the distance and looked at Ye Chen. Curiosity flickered in his eyes, which were as black and bright as gems. "Who are you?"

Ye Chen paused slightly. Throughout his advancement in the Genius Halls, everyone he met carried a faint air of arrogance, combined with the fortitude born from long years of martial arts dedication. But this boy before him had eyes that were purely black and bright, so unsullied by the world that he seemed wholly unsuited to be a member of the Supreme Genius Hall.

"I am newly promoted," Ye Chen replied, glancing at him. "Are you a member here?"

The little boy nodded, grinned, showing two rows of white teeth, and said, "Hello, my name is Mickey, and I'm a member here!"