"Different? Can you be more specific?"

Qi Xinzhu struggled to understand what Lu Luo meant by "different." How exactly was it different?

Faster? Stronger? Lu Luo seemed strong enough already. All he needed was to continue developing steadily.

As Qi Xinzhu pondered, her face turned red!

Lu Luo, on the other hand, was in a somewhat confused state himself. Having just broken through, he only had a vague understanding of his current situation.

"I can't be too clear about the specifics! But I can be sure that something has definitely changed. For example, like this!"

FWIP!

Lu Luo's finger abruptly extended into a tentacle, shooting out with fierce Steam Qi He that pierced the wall!

"Lu Luo, your tentacle..."

Qi Xinzhu stared in amazement at the hole in the wall. It was perfectly clean, demonstrating the incredible precision of Lu Luo's tentacle attack.

"Hmm, I guess it means I can now extend my limbs as part of my body, and they can use my power too."

If there was one major difference from his previous breakthroughs, it was that Lu Luo's Devourer could finally be used in battle. This was a qualitative transformation—and a quite significant one at that.

Lu Luo imagined himself flying through the sky, shouting, "I am the World-Devouring Core!"

Damn, that feeling, that sheer presence! Tsk!

"Lu Luo? Lu Luo? Why are you drooling?"

Because he's daydreaming—and it's the particularly pathetic kind.

"Eh, nothing, it's nothing."

Lu Luo reined in his emotions and began to examine his attribute panel, gaining a preliminary understanding of his current status.

[Essence of Life has increased to: Fifth Tier]

[Doomsday Disc World entries +1, Doomsday Disc spin count +1]

Host: Lu Luo

Occupation: Second Path

Form: Exotic Species

Strength: 200

Agility: 200

Constitution: 200

Energy: 144,132

Sequence Value: 4,130

Qi Apertures: 18

Talents:

Sequence S-02 Devourer LV3

Sequence S-04 Fusioner LV3

Sequence S-07 Summoner LV1

Sequence S-11 Observer LV3

Sequence A-00 Faithless

Sequence B- Word Curse

Sequence C- Seed

Sequence D- Affinity of Light

Domain: Extreme

Most of the attribute panel was normal, except for an additional 100,000+ Energy. For Lu Luo, whose attributes had already reached 200, this wouldn't significantly increase his stats, but at least it was sufficient for crafting items and the like.

Besides the increase in Energy, there weren't many other changes. He had gained an additional Exotic Species form and a new domain power: Extreme.

[Domain: Extreme]

Effect 1 - Extreme State: Consume power from the Doomsday Disc World, the power of rotation, and Doomsday Factors to enter the Ultimate Extreme State.

Effect 2 - Devourer: In the Extreme State, assume the Devourer form.

Introduction 1: Your domain is yourself. You cannot control anything else, but you can control yourself!

Introduction 2: The Devourer is the one who devours the world's core.

Lu Luo knew that after this breakthrough, he had thoroughly acquired the characteristics of an Exotic Species. Or rather, he could now indeed be considered one. He finally had his own Domain, but it was different from those of ordinary Lord-rank Exotic Species.

Most Lord-rank Exotic Species' Domains are closely linked to their own territories, possessing area-specific traits, like Ganmu of Rotten Valley or the Mother-Child Water Mongoose of the Mother-Child Marsh. His Domain, however, was himself—a significant difference. Just as the introduction stated: he couldn't control anything external, only himself.

This was an excellent state, and Lu Luo was quite satisfied. He was eager to try it out immediately, but after considering the cost, he decided against it.

To put it bluntly, he was still poor!

After acquiring the Exotic Species form, Lu Luo felt a sense of inner completeness.

How to describe this feeling?

Truly satisfying.

"Xinzhu, let's go down for a meal."

Qi Xinzhu shyly looked at her tattered clothes, then at Lu Luo, who was still naked. How could they go downstairs like this?

"Um, you turn around first. I need to change."

"We're practically an old married couple. What's with the modesty?"

"Just turn around!"

"Don't hide!"

"Huh?"

...

The two lingered in the room for an hour, and who knows what questionable things they were up to. Normally, changing clothes wouldn't take an hour, right? But they managed to drag it out that long. It wasn't until noon that they finally changed into new clothes and casually strolled downstairs to eat.

Qi Xinzhu kept her head down, blushing silently. Lu Luo, however, acted completely natural, greeting Qi Lin as if he owned the place.

"Good morning, Dad. No work today?"

Qi Lin's fingers trembled on his teacup. Their relationship was already acknowledged, but why did he suddenly have this overwhelming urge to pummel Lu Luo?

Endure it! Hold back!

"Today is my regular day off. Besides, it's no longer morning."

Lu Luo glanced at the clock, which was nearly at twelve, and chuckled awkwardly. "Ah, haha! Civil servants get days off? Life in the Inner Ring is really comfortable! Back in our Fourth Ring, we were all on the 697 grind. It was tough."

697? Tough? Is he talking about work? Qi Lin hesitated for a moment. "Lu Luo, what do you mean by 697?"

Seeing Qi Lin's expression, Lu Luo guessed his father-in-law wasn't very familiar with the previous working conditions of people in the Fourth Ring.

"697 means exactly what it says! Work starts at 6 in the morning, ends at 9 in the evening, seven days a week. Commonly called 697."

Qi Lin was slightly shocked. He knew about the Inner Ring's capitalists exploiting Outer Ring laborers, but he hadn't imagined the work intensity was this outrageous. 697—wasn't that just asking for people to break down? That was far too much.

"Is the workload really like that? How could people in the Fourth Ring possibly endure it?"

"There's no need for me to lie to you about this, Dad. If you don't work, you starve. And if you don't do the job, someone else will. People living in the Fourth Ring don't have many choices."

Lu Luo spoke the truth; the Outer Ring indeed used to be in that 697 state.

"Is everyone like that? I mean the workers."

Qi Lin still found it hard to believe.

"Yes, the majority of laborers work at that intensity. And their wages are only enough to cover basic food and water."

Lu Luo's words made Qi Lin nod silently.

If that were truly the case, then the hearts of the Fourth Ring's residents had probably long since turned away from the Inner Ring. Their desire to break away from the Inner Ring was indeed understandable.

Then, a glimmer of hope flashed in Qi Lin's eyes. "You said it *used* to be like that. What about now?"

Just waiting for you to ask! Lu Luo smiled. "Now, I've slightly changed their working hours, from 697 to 996. They get half an hour for meals at noon and in the evening. They only need to work eleven hours a day, and they get one day off each week. Plus, in terms of purchasing power, I've increased their wages more than fourfold. Not bad, right?"

Lu Luo briefly explained the current labor policies of the Circular. Such changes made Qi Lin nod repeatedly in approval.

"Not bad. These changes are indeed more humane. I didn't realize you, young Lu, were such a compassionate business leader!"

"I don't deserve such praise. In the Fourth Ring now, this work system is actually called the '996 blessing,' and everyone is quite satisfied. This is the result of everyone's collective effort, not just my achievement."

To think 996 is considered a blessing... The people of the Wasteland are truly pitiful!

"Mm, this is good. A good deed that benefits the region."

Seeing Lu Luo and her father so engaged in conversation, Qi Xinzhu finally raised her head at the dinner table.

Once again, there were delicious dishes, and after several rounds of drinks, the small talk wound down. Qi Lin finally brought up the main topic for the day.

"Young Lu."

"Hmm?"

"This afternoon, you're going to the Luo Family to meet Bai Yuetong's father, right?"

Lu Luo straightened up slightly, knowing that what was coming next was probably his father-in-law's advice regarding his journey to the Inner Ring.

"Yes, I will be leaving today, and the next step should be to visit the Luo Family. Do you have anything you wish to tell me?"

"I do have some things to say to you."

Qi Lin slowly picked up his teacup and took a steady sip before falling silent.

Lu Luo didn't rush him. Meanwhile, Fang Jing patted Qi Xinzhu on the shoulder. "Come on, wash the dishes."

Qi Xinzhu paused, then quickly understood her mother's intention. "Oh, okay!"

Once the two women had left, Qi Lin finally spoke.

"Lu Luo, Luo Xuemin is a man driven by interests, and he deeply loves his daughter, Bai Yuetong."

"You mean, Dad...?"

"Someone who is driven by interests and loves his daughter shouldn't be particularly difficult for you to handle. The Luo Family has considerable power. His invitation to you must be because he recognizes your potential. So, passing this 'test' with the Luo Family shouldn't be too hard for you."

Lu Luo nodded. Qi Lin's analysis was spot on. He had already had many discreet interactions with the Luo Family before. Their relationship was fairly good, and this meeting in the Inner Ring should further develop it.

"Then, Dad, what do you think I should be cautious about when dealing with the Luo Family?"

"Cautious about what? Your outlook on the grand scheme of things and your predictions for the future—be reserved about these two aspects."

Qi Lin's reminder somewhat surprised Lu Luo, as he had originally planned to discuss these matters. "Why hold back on these?"

"Lu Luo, while we are both parents, there's a big difference between us and Luo Xuemin. Luo Xuemin comes from a genuine Inner Ring established family. What he carries on his shoulders isn't just about himself and his daughter; he also has to be responsible for his entire clan. He's part of the Council families, and his family's roots are deep in the Inner Ring. This means he can't act as freely as we can.

The future of the Inner Ring and the development of the Outer Ring are critical. Ultimately, the distribution of power within the Alliance is also closely related to his family. Normally, Luo Xuemin, or rather, the Luo Family, would not allow the Outer Ring to stand as an equal rival to the Inner Ring. Do you understand?"

Lu Luo wasn't stupid. Qi Lin spoke plainly, and after a moment's thought, he nodded earnestly. "Thank you for the reminder, Dad. I really hadn't considered that."

Qi Lin nodded. Aside from Lu Luo's tendency to have too many women, he was very satisfied with his abilities.

It's not easy for a daughter to find such a capable man whom she also genuinely likes. But this man tends to overdo things sometimes, which is really frustrating! Having too many women is an indelible stain! I just hope he can treat Qi Xinzhu better in the future.

"Lu Luo, with your abilities, even if I hadn't reminded you, you should be able to handle the Luo Family with ease. What truly deserves your attention, and perhaps requires extremely careful handling, is the Church!"

Lu Luo sat bolt upright again. "Please speak, Dad. I'm all ears."

"The Church is different from the Council. The Council's power is currently fragmented. With the recent issues in the Fourth Ring, no one will expend too much effort on a relatively unimportant young man like you. But the Church is different; it has already been centralized under the control of the Judgment Chief. And the Judgment Chief is someone with an extremely strong desire for control. Naturally, she will be the one to decide on matters concerning her daughter. Your relationship with Bai Yuetong might mean one thing to Luo Xuemin. However, to Judgment Chief Bai Qingshuang, it signifies something completely different."

"Then Dad, what do you think I should do?"

"No one can help you with this. The Judgment Chief has a peculiar personality, and no one knows what she's thinking. However, one thing that seems certain is that the Judgment Chief places great importance on the Pope. And the Pope was Xinzhu's teacher. Their relationship is very complicated. So, Lu Luo, I think you need to handle these relationships carefully and do your best to protect yourself."

Qi Lin's words were somewhat veiled, but Lu Luo understood the implication.

To protect myself... did that mean giving up Dumb Hair? Although it wasn't said explicitly, that seemed to be the gist. But could I really give up Dumb Hair?

Lu Luo hung his head, silent.

Qi Lin seemed to sense some of Lu Luo's inner turmoil and couldn't resist reminding him again, "Lu Luo, you are smart and excellent. You should be aware of the gravity of the situation. You're young, only 21, and your potential is limitless. If the future unfolds as you predict, you will have many more opportunities. Even if it means giving up something now, you'll have the chance to reclaim it later. So, there's no need for you to rush..."

The old man has a point, don't you think?

There was no denying that Qi Lin had a point. A very good point. In the face of danger, compromising and retreating are the common choices for any rational person. But when faced with such a decision personally, can one truly be so rational?

Could Lu Luo really give up on Dumb Hair? Could he develop his strength in the Outer Ring for a few years, and then, once powerful enough, return to the Inner Ring to take Bai Yuetong back? It sounded reasonable, but could their feelings truly endure that?

If he left Dumb Hair in the Inner Ring, what might happen to her over those years? Would she fall for someone else? Would she be coerced?

Even if Dumb Hair herself never wavered, what about himself? If he left Dumb Hair for years, would his determination to win her back remain? If he gave up on Dumb Hair once for safety, would he do it a second time? A third? If he abandoned Dumb Hair, would he later abandon Gu Fangyi, Zhou Kai, or even Qi Xinzhu?

They say mature people are those who constantly compromise. Lu Luo felt that if it truly came to that, it would be unbearable.

At this thought, Ludie's last words to him involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

Your women are extraordinary. To make them ordinary, you yourself must become even more extraordinary! For example, become the King of the Wasteland!

"If I become the King of the Wasteland, will all this crap go away?"

Yes.

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