I told you to change your skills, and you changed them into a nuclear explosion immortal?

"Sit down, don't be shy."

Inside the dean's office.

The old man sat down in the chair with a smile, gesturing for Lu Yun to sit down as well.

Lu Yun didn't stand on ceremony and sat down on the sofa opposite him with a smile.

"I know you have a lot of questions, so you go first."

Lu Yun looked at the teacup that had suddenly appeared in front of him. He didn't move, but looked at the old man with a serious expression.

"Should I call you Dean Qi, or Minister Qi? Or perhaps, the head of the Qi family? Director Qi's father?"

The old man was not surprised by Lu Yun's words; on the contrary, his smile deepened.

"It seems you guessed it. That's right, Qi Zhaolin is my second son, but I am not the head of the Qi family. The head of the family is my eldest brother."

Lu Yun nodded.

"I knew something felt off. Did you send him to follow me at the burial site that day?"

Yes and no.

The old man paused.

"I believe you've already guessed that we know some secrets about you, or rather, we've guessed."

"But don't worry, everything we've done for you is for your protection. We won't do anything as despicable as you think."

"Of course, the investigation into you ended at the burial site. We will not delve into your secrets any further. This is out of respect for you and also out of protection for you."

"At the same time, you don't need to worry about others investigating your information. In other words, you can still keep a low profile, but you don't need to be careful in everything you do."

Seeing Lu Yun nod, the old man smiled.

"You did very well today. You acted when you needed to, although I know you didn't use your full strength."

Sure enough, the old man was forcing him to show off.

Lu Yun pursed his lips, somewhat speechless.

"You don't seem to really understand what you're backing right now."

Seeing Lu Yun looking at him, the old man unusually suppressed his smile.

"Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Qi Huanyu. I am the Deputy Minister of the Strategic Development Center and Reserve Talent Department of the Dragon Kingdom (a top-secret organization), the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Vermilion Bird Army in the Abyss Battlefield, the leader of the Dragon Roar Group, and the Dean of the Imperial Capital Academy."

"Of course, these are the ones that are public knowledge."

The old man paused for a moment, then slowly smiled and said.

"As for how to address me... they all call me Old Qi, you can too."

Qi Huanyu's words were all aimed at elevating Lu Yun's status. The "they" that came out of his mouth could not possibly be of low status, which showed that he had placed Lu Yun on an equal footing with him.

But Lu Yun was honestly quite surprised when he heard this string of titles.

He originally thought the old man was just a dean, but now it seems that the dean position is the least important one to him.

However, this is only what is on the surface.

"I can also tell you that the reason it's a deputy is because it's the only deputy."

"There are people above Zhaolin, but above me... there are only a handful."

The old man's somewhat indifferent gaze surprised Lu Yun, but he wasn't stupid; the old man definitely wasn't saying these things to show off.

"I believe you're telling me all this not to tell me how amazing you are."

Qi Huanyu nodded appreciatively.

"Yes, you are now a member of the Dragon Office, but I would like to give you two more options."

Lu Yun was stunned for a moment.

"Aren't you from the Dragon Office?"

Qi Huanyu smiled.

"I do know their minister, but I really have no connection with the Dragon Office."

No wonder it's neither yes nor no. It seems that Qi Zhaolin's tracking of him was at the behest of both him and the head of the Long Office.

Lu Yun pondered for a moment.

"So what choices do you want to give me?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Huanyu's smile widened.

"First, join the Vermilion Bird Army. With your strength, you will surely achieve something within three years. However, the downside is that resources are limited and there are no special privileges. Everything depends on your own efforts."

"Secondly, join the Dragon Roar Group to specialize in new secret realms and various leaderboards. The downside is that you will be very busy and you will likely not have much time to rest. You will also face pressure from various parties and the risk of being assassinated."

"Of course, joining the Vermilion Bird Army is also dangerous, after all, the Abyss Battlefield is where you face an endless army of demons."

"Both choices are for the sake of winning glory for the country, there is no difference between them, the battlefields are different, the honors are different, that's the only difference."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yun immediately understood.

Joining the Vermilion Bird Army means going to the battlefield.

Joining the Dragon Roar Group means competing with other countries for secret realms and rankings.

Both of them were fighting for their country's glory, only the battlefields were different, but the dangers were almost equal.

Lu Yun thought about it, but still had many doubts in his mind.

"May I ask first, what exactly does 'specializing in new dungeons and leaderboards' refer to?"

Qi Huanyu said with a smile.

"You're from the Dragon Office. Zhao Lin should have told you that the Dragon Office handles unusual events in various places. Sometimes it's about the incidents, sometimes it's about the people involved. It's quite complicated, but it's relatively easy. After all, although the Dragon Kingdom is vast and rich in resources, there are very few things that other places can't handle."

"The Dragon Roar Group is different. They don't need to deal with those complicated matters. They only need to conquer the new secret realms that appear and be the first to clear them before the strong people from other countries. Of course, there are also all kinds of rankings."

"For example... the Tower of Gods."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yun understood everything.

No wonder he said that joining the Dragon Roar Group would involve public pressure and the risk of assassination. Such a thing, which involves plundering benefits while also damaging the fortunes of other countries, is indeed hated.

However, at this moment, Qi Huanyu suddenly said something.

"You have good speaking skills."

"..."

This is because they saw that they had talked Qian Jiayu to the point of vomiting blood, and they wanted them to become trolls.

Lu Yun twitched his lips, taking it as a compliment.

But to be fair, in my past life I was at least a master at protecting my ancestors' graves with my keyboard, so being a little troll isn't a big problem.

However, on the other hand, this old man is indirectly giving me power, endorsing me, and clearly intending to be my protector. To put it bluntly, this is an equivalent exchange.

Although he knew that even if he said he wouldn't choose, the old man wouldn't say anything, it was still a matter of national importance.

He considers himself not a good person, and even a selfish one, but when it comes to matters of national importance, he still wants to make a contribution.

Moreover, making this decision wasn't without its benefits; although it was dangerous, it could also improve him.

Whether it's levels, equipment, or skill books, he believes he can gain more from both the battlefield and the secret realm than he would have as a lone wolf.

To put it bluntly, he was just following the routine, going to the dungeons to grind monsters, and joining was just a change of scenery.

He is so powerful now, and he will only become more powerful in the future. Danger will naturally come to him on its own, and this will not be subject to his will.

Besides, bringing glory to the country is a matter of honoring one's ancestors.

Thinking of this, Lu Yun nodded and looked at Qi Huanyu with a serious expression.

"Only children make choices. I'm an adult, I want it all."

Qi Huanyu raised an eyebrow, not expecting him to say that.

"Actually, you don't need to make a decision now, because your level is too low. You're not even level 150 and have completed your fourth job advancement, so you can't participate in these things at all."

Lu Yun twitched the corner of his mouth and smiled somewhat awkwardly.

"Um... I'm level 149..."

"puff!!!"

Qi Huanyu nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood, his eyes widening instantly.

"What did you say? You're level 149???"

Seeing the huge difference in Qi Huanyu's appearance before and after, Lu Yun was a little confused.

"Yeah, level 149, just 38% more experience needed to reach level 150."

Qi Huanyu's eyelids twitched, and his expression changed repeatedly.

He stared intently at Lu Yun, and after a long pause, he realized that his behavior was quite uncharacteristic, and his persona was almost ruined.

He quickly composed himself and spoke with mixed feelings.

"What a prodigy..."

"Kids your age are still struggling to get a second turn, and you're about to get a fourth turn."

"Anyone with hands can do it."

"..."

Qi Huanyu's veins bulged so much he almost lost control again.

"Alright, since that's the case, you've gotten the hang of it, but you won't be able to handle joining two factions."

"I know, so I joined first, and I'll go wherever I'm needed."

"Alright."

Qi Huanyu nodded, and then two tokens appeared on the coffee table in front of Lu Yun.

One is engraved with the Vermilion Bird and is dark red all over.

A five-clawed golden dragon, entirely black in color, is carved with a roaring expression towards the sky.

"You can activate this token at any time after you complete your fourth job advancement."

Seeing Lu Yun pick up the token, examine it for a moment, and then put it away, Qi Huanyu thought for a moment and said.

"Being cautious and prudent is never wrong, after all, there's always someone better."

"Although I know that a few words won't dispel your concerns, I'll give you a guarantee today."

"Later, I will announce to the public that you are my seventh disciple and also my last disciple. Whether it's the Qian family or the ten major families, I will protect you. You will no longer need to endure it. Of course, I also know that you are not the kind of person who can endure it. I just hope that you understand that you are no longer that helpless orphan."

Lu Yun was taken aback, not expecting him to say that.

Admittedly, his kindness towards him stemmed from valuing his potential, but kindness is kindness, and Lu Yun could sense that.

"Okay, thank you."

At this point, Lu Yun paused.

"teacher."

Upon hearing this, Qi Huanyu laughed again.

"Good child, you have a lot to do. Let's take it one step at a time. I don't ask anything of you, nor do I want to know your secrets. I just want you to live according to your own ideas."

Lu Yun opened his mouth, it would be a lie to say he wasn't moved. This old man was definitely one of the few who genuinely cared for him.

"Alright, that's all I have to say. When the remaining nine secret realms open, you can lead your team to participate if you wish. Do you have any other questions or needs?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Yun's mind stirred and he replied.

"Nine secret realms?"

Qi Huanyu paused for a moment, looked at him carefully, and then nodded thoughtfully.

"For some reason, not only the top ten legendary secret realms this year, but many other secret realms have also encountered problems. Which one do you want to go to?"

He obtained the Elf Heart, and only needed four more to complete the quest. But judging from his tone, it seemed that the other secret realms, like the Elf Forest, had also been invaded.

However, there's no need to rush to complete the exclusive quests. The higher your level, the better the level and attributes of the exclusive weapon you'll get.

"Hmm...we'll talk about that when it opens. Before that, I need to find a place to upgrade to the fourth job advancement."

Qi Huanyu nodded.

"That's easy, I'll take you to upgrade."

Lu Yun's expression stiffened, and for some reason, he felt that these words were somewhat familiar.

"Um... can I upgrade it myself...?"

"???"

"You're too slow..."

"???"

"I'm afraid you'll hold me back and waste my time."

"??????"

Qi Huanyu shuddered with anger, slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and threw something at Lu Yun.

"Here you go! Your golden reward!"

"You little rascal! This old man is going to level you up today!!!"

"Whoosh!"

As the scene before him blurred, Lu Yun was stunned by the sight of the surrounding scenery.

"Wait, where did I get this from? Is it still in China?"