Sage of Humanity

"The final question," Huang Zhen slowly opened his mouth, "where did you obtain this pattern, young friend?"

"Before I was trapped in Banlan, I was exploring the Star Abyss and chanced upon it on a desolate planet," Lu Ye spoke the words he had long prepared. After all, such things could not be verified, so he could say whatever he wanted, "Perhaps it is the remnant of some stellar space."

Unexpectedly, Huang Zhen slowly shook his head, "It cannot be a remnant of any stellar space."

Lu Ye did not know why he was so certain, "Why is that?"

Huang Zhen said, "The remains in the stellar space wouldn't involve such a level. This pattern... can be considered a Dao Runes."

"Dao Runes!" Lu Ye was astonished, "Lord Huang, are you sure this is Dao Runes?"

"Naturally." Huang Zhen nodded.

Zi Ying, who was pale beside him, slowly spoke, "Lu Ye, you must know, that cultivators like us at the Dao Fusion level will have some knowledge of the Path of Spirit Runes because Dao Runes, in a sense, are a type of spirit runes. They are just higher-level spirit runes, able to withstand and condense the impact of Dao force, unlike spirit runes. This is the simplest way to distinguish Dao Runes from spirit runes."

If put this way, then the As-Close-As-Siblings derived from the Talent Tree is indeed Dao Runes.

Immediately, Lu Ye thought of something, "Then can I use this Dao Runes as a foundation to advance to Dao Fusion?"

The key to advancing to Dao Fusion is Dao Runes, something every Dao Fusion must go through. Unfortunately, due to the difficulty of engraving Dao Runes, many 9th Dao cultivators remain stuck.

He had intended to observe and comprehend the mysteries of Dao Runes at the Dao Runes Pavilion on the home planet when needed, only to find one on his own.

"Of course, now that you have the 9th Dao cultivation, it is indeed time to start considering advancement," Huang Zhen smiled at Lu Ye, "Young friend, would you consider coming to my Huang family? If you're willing, we can discuss the terms."

Yan Yong hastily interjected, "Lord Huang, my Yan family already proposed this, but he did not agree."

"No rush, take your time to consider. You can come to the home planet to find me any time you have thoughts," Huang Zhen said.

"Lord Huang, you're representing the Military Affairs Office this time, not the Huang family," Yan Yong added.

Huang Zhen remained unfazed, "I am indeed here on behalf of the Military Affairs Office, but I am also a Huang family member."

The old guy is truly shameless... thought Yan Yong, who quickly looked at Lu Ye, "Consider the Yan family as well when you think about it. Yan Hong constantly talks about you, considering you his lifelong friend after the previous battle. If he weren't in seclusion resonating with the giant ant, he would have certainly come to see you this time."

"Alright, let's not say much," said Huang Zhen, holding the jade slip, "Since you were prepared, I'll accept this Dao Runes on behalf of the Military Affairs Office. Whatever you want, feel free to ask, and we will try our best to satisfy it."

He then adopted a businesslike posture.

Talking to a smart person is easy; Lu Ye offered this marvelous Dao Runes, and naturally, the Military Affairs Office couldn't let it go unrewarded.

The only thing Lu Ye needed now, besides Dao Bones, was no longer available.

He immediately said, "Then I hope that before I advance to Dao Fusion, the Military Affairs Office can provide me with some Dao Bones every month."

This request did not surprise Huang Zhen; after a slight pause, he nodded, "Okay, the Military Affairs Office can provide you with a hundred pieces of Dao Bones every month."

Lu Ye frowned slightly, frankly, this number seemed a bit low.

The Yan family offered two hundred pieces every month.

As if sensing his thoughts, Huang Zhen said, "The Military Affairs Office is part of the battle alliance and differs from noble families; the demand for Dao Bones is huge, and a hundred per month is the utmost I can authorize. If you join the Huang family, I can promise three hundred pieces per month on behalf of the family."

Even at this moment, he didn't forget to draw him in once more.

Lu Ye remained silent but could see the sincerity in Huang Zhen's demeanor.

"A Gold Guard Token and some Dao soldier materials, perhaps," Zi Ying, holding a warm tea beside him, suddenly spoke, "This time, Lu Ye led a group and made great contributions in the battle against the Blood Cloud. He is already a Silver Guard, and though this merit isn't enough for a promotion to Gold Guard, it shouldn't be a problem as long as Lord Huang agrees."

Huang Zhen was utterly surprised that Zi Ying was helping Lu Ye negotiate terms, and turned to her in surprise, "Fellow Daoist Zi Ying wants to spread her branches?"

He knew Zi Ying's temperament; she was a solitary person with no close acquaintances and never tried to recruit anyone.

Now that she was so concerned about Lu Ye, someone who had just Entered the Path, Huang Zhen naturally had suspicions.

Zi Ying continued holding her warm tea, "That wouldn't be impossible!"

Huang Zhen looked at her earnestly but saw nothing much until he finally said, "The Gold Guard Token is no problem, but the Dao soldier materials..."

Zi Ying replied, "It's not like he needs it now; when Lu Ye advances to Dao Fusion, he can collect it. The DAO Runes' value should be apparent, Lord Huang, surely it should be at least valuable as a Dao soldier's material?"

Huang Zhen nodded, "Very well, let it be so then." He turned to Lu Ye, "In the future, when you advance to Dao Fusion and want to nurture a Dao soldier, come find me."

"Thank you, Lord Huang."

Huang Zhen smiled, "You should thank your Lord Governor."

He stood up while speaking, "Now that things are settled here, I shall return. Young friend, please consider what I have just said carefully."

Lu Ye certainly knew he was referring to the pull from the Huang family.

Moments later, Huang Zhen and Yan Yong leapt away.

Zi Ying and Lu Ye watched them depart.

After their figures disappeared, Zi Ying spoke, "Although the Military Affairs Office wields significant power, the benefits it can offer are not extensive; what Huang Zhen provided is already his limit."

"Thank you, Lord Governor." Lu Ye clasped his fist in gratitude.

To be honest, the two benefits Zi Ying managed to secure later didn't really matter to him. The Gold Guard Token, for instance, was merely a means to get discounted items in the future. The Dao soldier's material might be rare and precious to others, but he also didn't need it.

Since his promotion to the Dao Realm, the Boulder Mountain Saber had been a Dao soldier, but he has focused on honing his strength without nurturing it.

Thus, the most practical benefit from his meeting with Huang Zhen was the monthly allocation of one hundred Dao Bones...

Zi Ying waved her hand, signaling him not to mind, and then said, "Speaking of Dao Fusion, I do not recommend advancing based on that Dao Rune. Although you can succeed, it wouldn't really benefit you much. Of course, if you intend to lead battles, then that Dao Rune would be a wise choice."

"Before promoting to Dao Fusion, I plan to visit the Dao Runes Pavilion on the home planet."

"A wise decision!" Zi Ying nodded, "So where are you planning to go next?"

A few days ago, Lu Ye had come to resign, but Zi Ying persuaded him to stay. Now that the battle zone is tentatively settled, she knew Lu Ye would soon depart.

"No specific destination yet," Lu Ye replied honestly. Although he had inspected the star map and identified several potential battle zones, he hadn't decided on one.

"If you don't have a destination... would you like to join Falcon?" Zi Ying asked, "With your abilities, you can certainly join."

"Falcon?" Lu Ye looked puzzled.

"It's a special organization jointly established by our Human Race Battle Alliance and the Giant Race. It's independent of all systems and directly reports to the Military Affairs Office. The recruitment standards are extremely rigorous, requiring elites with power of the 12th Dao or above. Yan Hong is a member of Falcon."

Lu Ye raised his eyebrows, expressing interest.

Zi Ying continued, "The main task of Falcon is to traverse various battle zones and hunt down enemies possessing Dao artifacts. You should know, Dao artifacts are incredibly difficult to craft and thus extremely valuable. So, while hunting down enemies, you can seize Dao artifacts as spoils, and exchanging them yields considerable rewards."

"Can they be exchanged for Dao Bones?" Lu Ye asked.

"Certainly." Zi Ying nodded, "To exchange for Dao Bones, you'll have to privately negotiate with the noble families. They are very interested in acquiring Dao artifacts. I've heard even a low-grade Dao artifact can be exchanged for one hundred Dao Bones, while a top-grade one fetches eight hundred."

Lu Ye's eyes shone brightly yet felt a pang of regret.

He recalled the Blood Race he killed some time back, and the severed claw Dao artifact — it valued at eight hundred Dao Bones!

"Yan Hong came last time seemingly to hunt a Blood Race member with a Dao artifact, but he didn't succeed."

Could Yan Hong's target have been the owner of that claw?

"If I don't join, can I exchange captured Dao artifact spoils for Dao Bones with the noble families?" Lu Ye asked.

"Of course you can." Zi Ying nodded, "Aren't you acquainted with Yan Hong? You can contact him when the time comes, the Yan family would certainly be willing to exchange with you."

Zi Ying chuckled and continued, "I know what you're thinking; however, joining Falcon grants access to their dedicated intelligence team, which collects information on Dao artifact holders across regions. This is far more efficient than roaming aimlessly in search."

Lu Ye understood then that joining Falcon would indeed be a better choice.

"Falcon doesn't impose any constraints; initially a group of Dao artifact holders formed it themselves. Later, it came under the radar of the Military Affairs Office, which provided some support. Therefore, you don't need to worry about any inconvenience upon joining; Falcon is devoid of any mandates, and while it belongs to the Military Affairs Office, they seldom intervene in Falcon's internal matters. Otherwise, Huang Zhen would have mentioned it to you."

"How do I join?" Lu Ye had made up his mind.

"Head to the Hall of Battle Merits, there's someone specifically there to assist in a corner."

"Understood." Lu Ye nodded, then solemnly bowed to Zi Ying, "Thank you, Lord Governor, for your care!"

Though his stay at Blue Water was brief, he truly received much support from Zi Ying, filling Lu Ye's heart with gratitude.

Zi Ying sipped her tea without lifting her head, "Go now, and swiftly advance to Dao Fusion!"

"Take care, my Lord!"

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!