Niu Changchun slowly ascended the stairs, his spacious blue robe quite rare in the Outer City, though somewhatmon within the city walls. Outside the city walls, it was easy to get dirty.


    But for this very reason, the originally handsome Niu Changchun was made to look refined and schrly, if not quite on par with Tao Yu, at least quite impressive.


    Further bolstered by his Level S talent, this caused three of the female Pioneers on the scene, save for the freckled one, to show a glint of admiration in their eyes.


    And as Niu Changchun began to speak, he naturally seemed to be the center of attention, effortlessly stealing the spotlight that originally belonged to Lin Chao.


    Standing beside him, Tao Yu also slightly raised his eyes, noticing that the other''s spiritual fluctuations were somewhat scattered. He was starting to practice the Meditation Technique, but hadn''t yet subdued his thoughts and had not entered the gateway.


    Almost as soon as Tao Yu thought this, Niu Changchun spoke with a slightly apologetic tone,


    "Sorry, I just went to the Inner City to learn the Meditation Technique from a great master, and I''ve only just obtained the Visualization Diagram. I haven''tpletely mastered it, so it might be a bit ring. Please don''t mind it."


    Hearing this, Tao Yu couldn''t help but twitch the corner of his eye.


    Good grief, who asked you...


    ring?


    Tao Yu nced at Niu Changchun''s expression. Since he hadn''t entered the gateway, it wasn''t like how Tao Yu was when he had just seeded.


    Yet Niu Changchun''s attitude of unting his gains still garnered a round of ttery.


    "The Meditation Technique? Brother Niu is really on his way to skyrocketing sess. As far as I know, even in the Inner City, the Meditation Technique is quite rare, and the Visualization Diagram needs to be directly imprinted by a meditation master, which takes a toll on the caster."


    The previously rugged-looking Zhang Lei, who had suggested they keep things internal, now totally got Niu Changchun''s intention to unt and started to build upon it, telling the other Outsiders of modest backgrounds just how incredible this thing was.


    "Haha, you tter me too much; it''s not so exaggerated. It''s a pity that Young Master Sun and Miss Sun aren''t skilled in this; otherwise, they might have personally taught it to me. s, although they seem rather aloof on ordinary days, they don''t discriminate against us..."


    Niu Changchun''s eyes shimmered with a hint of yearning as he spoke somewhat absent-mindedly.


    Tao Yu could understand that admiring look; the allure of the rich young mistress was like a poison. He could easily remain unaffected by various trials in the Outer City.


    But she often could send him into a fantasy with just one or two gestures.


    But hearing Niu Changchun''s words, Tao Yu couldn''t help but feel a bit amused.


    In fact, over this period, that little rascal Sun Shiqing had already be capable of passing on the Visualization Diagram; their growth rate was truly impressive.


    Sun Shiyu might be suffering from a psychological shadow, but Sun Shiqing seemed to be purelyzy.


    He had bluffed this fellowpletely.


    And although the siblings did seem somewhat aloof during their first meeting, without any sense of superiority, there was a clear sense of distance.


    But upon getting to know them better, it turned out they were quite easygoing. The wealthy miss didn''t seem to regard him as a man, casually slinging an arm over his shoulder or flicking his forehead when discussing the Meditation Technique.


    She had no idea how attractive she was, nor how hard it was for him to stay disciplined.


    However, Tao Yu thought it made sense; he had made the initiative to contact them based on his unique insights into the Meditation Technique.


    Perhaps all Niu Changchun had was the initial aloofness from their first meeting.


    As Tao Yu reminisced and zoned out, Niu Changchun and the otherspleted their first round of interaction.


    Then, seeming to consider his words, Niu Changchun said,


    "However, the approachability of those of higher status is not an excuse for one to frivolously unt their name. I''ve recently heard some unfavorable rumors..."


    Having said this, he nced at Tao Yu, who was the most visually appealing person present, as if considering how to broach the subject.


    Tao Yu too felt the other''s conflicted emotions, which seemed to be about him.


    There was a faint mix of hostility, though not pronounced enough toe to blows or even harsh words—just in annoyance.


    This made Tao Yu raise an eyebrow and casually inquire,


    "Oh? What sort of unfavorable rumors?"


    Seeing Tao Yu joining the conversation, Niu Changchun quickly continued,


    "It''s like this, upon my return, I heard that someone has been casually raising the banner of esteemed individuals, leveraging the rewards from a mission to misuse their names; this isn''t right."


    After all, he was still an eighteen-year-old youth. Perhaps given a reminder, his reason understood, but he still couldn''t resist taking a subtle jab.


    At this moment, the others nearby also detected an underlying message in the conversation. However, they were unclear about the specifics and also fell silent, quietly awaiting an oue.


    "I think, perhaps we need to rify something. Just like me, although I too have received a reward, I never mention it frequently, and I always present myself as approachable and down-to-earth to others. All this talk of being valued and appreciated is nothing but empty words..."


    Niu Changchun began to promote himself as if he were the temte for others to follow.


    After a brief pause, he then turned to Tao Yu and asked,


    "So, Brother Tao, what do you think?"


    With that said, everyone else understood that Tao Yu was probably the one pulling strings behind the scenes.


    Such a matter did not really involve picking sides. Even Zhang Lei looked somewhat indifferent.


    Haven''t they themselves would have taken this opportunity to wave the big banner? Us Outsiders with no strong foundations need banners like this to ward off many troubles. They would say it seems improper to mention it every time they met someone, but then they felt like they were missing out if they didn''t mention it every other encounter.


    And there you go again, saying you haven''t shown off, but since you arrived, it''s been brought up every three sentences. We wouldn''t have known about it if you hadn''t brought it up yourself...oh dear...


    But this was the sort of thing that was better observed from the sidelines. Everyone here was a genius with Grade A talent or above; they would give Niu Changchun a wide berth, but certainly wouldn''t stoop to being sycophants.


    Joking aside, with Grade A talent, if they were to be sycophants, they''d at least align themselves with Inner City geniuses or even directly serve under Floating City''s nobility.


    The reason everyone was gathering now was more about mutual assistance, making friends andworking, not offending each other.


    Better to have no achievement than to make a mistake.


    So, no one else took a stance, simply staying on the sidelines to watch the drama unfold.


    "I think... let''s eat."


    Tao Yu pointed to the dishes on the table and felt somewhat speechless in his heart.


    After being cut off once by the base, he thought about unting his achievements more obviously to avoid future troubles.


    Since his return, he had mentioned it numerous times to his family, practically whenever he met someone.


    Who would have guessed he''d encounter someone like this?


    Well, banner or no banner, one would face different issues either way, right?


    Tao Yu''s response made Niu Changchun''s expression stiffen. You really came here just to eat?


    But after being called out like that, he didn''t have much ground to argue.


    After all, he had paid to have everyone here, and no one else had taken a stance; it was not possible for him to do something unterally that would cause displeasure—that would be too much of a loss.


    "Exactly, well said, let''s eat, let''s eat."


    While saying this, he pped his hands and ordered,


    "Bring out the dishes."


    As dishes after dishes of exquisite food were served, the atmosphere ramped up once again.


    Even Zhang Lei and Zhao Yan had only dined here once or twice at most, while for others it was their first time tasting such fare.


    Niu Changchun, being from Gourmet Fort himself, wasn''t the most experienced, but he was quite articte in introducing the dishes.


    "This serving of prime beef is from livestock bred using Yuan Force in the old agglomeration zones. The meat is not only tender and delicious, but also very beneficial for one''s Qi-Blood energy. If one could insist on incorporating it into their regr training diet, the effects on their training would be significantly enhanced. It''s just a pity that it''s too expensive..."


    "This bowl... is just a pity that it''s too expensive."


    "...too expensive."


    "...expensive..."


    Niu Changchun''s introduction was quite good, emphasizing all the features, but every few words he hinted at the cost, as if he wanted to suggest he had spared no expense.


    Tao Yu also started to eat without any distractions, and the food really was excellent. While the Outer City might appear dreadful, this high-end dining location was top-notch in taste.


    Thanks to the special ingredients, the vors were even better than some of the delicacies he had tasted in his previous life.


    Moreover, most of the food indeed had effectsparable to Qi-tonic Soup or even surpassed it. After eating their fill, they would be able to go back and practice their punches with vigor.


    It''s just a pity that the cost-performance ratio was still a bit low. Today was a free feast, but if he had to pay for it himself, he wouldn''t be willing to splurge—at least not for now. Isn''t Qi-tonic Soup fragrant? After doing the math, these were even more expensive than the convenient Qi Replenishing Pills...