Chapter 29 Being Watched
```
"Don't miss out as you pass by, Level 15 blue rare dagger for trade, looking for an equivalent sword-type weapon~"
"Level 16 Archer, Level 15 blue weapon, looking for a group for the hard mode Level 20 dungeon~"
"Green elite quality and blue rare quality materials available, come if you need them~"
"Equipment exchange, friends in need can come and take a look~"
"Buying Level 15 blue shield, price negotiable~"
...
Various shouts and calls entered Zi Liyuan's ears, leaving him somewhat dazed for a moment.
When he first arrived, the altar square had been bustling with a good number of people, but everything was orderly.
He had not expected that just the time it took to run one dungeon, barely half an hour, the place would have become as lively as a vegetable market.
Especially near the altar, a group of players above Level 15 were either shouting from their stalls, picking through goods on a stand, or discussing with others about teaming up for dungeons.
However, when Zi Liyuan appeared, the area around the altar abruptly fell silent, as if someone had hit the pause button.
After a long while...
"Damn! A Level 24 Necromancer after first job change?!"
"Holy crap! Just a second day after awakening and already Level 24 on first job change? Are we seeing a big shot among our ranks?"
"Big shot, do you have any trash equipment to deal with? I can buy it for ten percent above market price!"
"Young master, do you need a maid to serve tea, massage your shoulders, and warm your bed? I can strike any pose you want~"
"Big shot, need any decorations for your legs? I've been singly-handedly victorious for eighteen years, guaranteed to have superb hand speed and to serve you comfortably~"
...
Just then, like a drop of water in hot oil, the place exploded with commotion, and a flock of newbie players swarmed toward Zi Liyuan.
Several girls with pretty faces even snuck up to Zi Liyuan to covertly get a feel, apparently trying to measure him up.
The more Zi Liyuan listened to what these players were saying, the more something felt off.
There was even a "youngster" with a face full of beard, shyly showing off his hand speed, nearly pissing Zi Liyuan off.
Was he the kind of person that needed these services?
With just a bit less dashingly good looks than the reader lords, if he lay down on the ground, wouldn't those girls clean off and line up to throw themselves at him like lotus wrapping?
Who are they looking down on?
Zi Liyuan kept a cold face, as if oblivious to the group of flirty birds fluttering around him; using his strong physical attributes, he pushed through the crowd and made his way out.
He was certainly not interested in these girls with at most 85-points in looks!
Breaking away from the crowd, Zi Liyuan accelerated his steps, turned into an afterimage, and rushed out of White Crane Academy.
With his triple-digit physical condition, many times that of an ordinary person, when he ran at full speed, he was even faster than cars and other means of transport.
Wanting to avoid a lengthy ordeal that could lead to unnecessary complications, Zi Liyuan just wanted to quickly get to the Goblin camp and take the sealed dungeon with him.
At Zi Liyuan's speed, players in the novice monster zone saw only a fleeting shadow and felt a gust of weird wind before he disappeared from sight.
It was inevitable that someone with an agenda noticed Zi Liyuan's rapid travel, and several shadows moved toward the direction he had gone.
A Level 24 Necromancer, moving so swiftly, must surely possess high-quality equipment, and there might be unexpected gains to be had?
```
In a game-like world, it was still a place of survival of the fittest, where strength ruled supreme.
However, in the Great Xia Empire of Blue Star, the biggest force was the imperial military, so the basic laws still constrained most people.
But out in the wild, with no surveillance, as long as one was careful enough to erase any traces of investigation, even if someone assassinated a country's leader, nobody could catch the culprit.
Every year, after the Awakening Day, the Great Xia Empire would welcome its high-stakes exam. During this time, new professionals would be extremely active; it was also a time when many forces lurking in the shadows would expand and seize benefits.
A solitary hidden profession, and in just a little over two days, had pushed his level to LV24 - he was a talent, and undoubtedly possessed high-quality equipment.
To recruit him into the organization would naturally yield a rich reward.
Even if recruitment failed, killing him would still lead to a windfall, wouldn't it?
Zi Liyuan moved with incredible speed, darting through Wolf Ravine and using his pace to shake off the monsters that blocked his path, quickly entering the mountain range without realizing that a few tails were quietly following him from not far behind.
When he finally arrived at the bottom of the Goblin camp's mountain, he stopped in his tracks and began summoning the Skeleton Army.
The forest terrain was unsuited for the galloping of Skeleton Knights, so this time, he summoned a large number of Skeleton Behemoths.
With Skeleton Behemoths leading the way, he bulldozed forward up the mountain while Zi Liyuan quickly followed suit; beside him were two Shield Combat Skeletons, ten Crossbow Skeletons, and one Clay Stone Demon guardian.
The high school curriculum clearly stated that one must always possess self-preservation methods in the wild and always remain vigilant and extremely careful.
This was the bloody lesson learned by countless professionals!
The rapid increase in strength did not make Zi Liyuan arrogant; on the contrary, it made him even more reverent, reverent of power.
Being only LV24 and already so powerful, what kind of terror would those fourth-stage LV100 powerhouses be?
Could they easily achieve feats like casting city-destroying forbidden curses or moving mountains to fill seas?
Therefore, one should not act rashly but must remain steady!
And Zi Liyuan, summoning an army of more than 170 Skeletons, also gave the tails following him quite a fright.
At the same time, they couldn't believe that a LV24 Necromancer had nearly hit 200 in Spirit—his talent was somewhat frightening!
However, this only made those tails even more tempted.
If a professional with such extraordinary talent could be brought into their organization, the future might see the rise of a new powerhouse within the group.
Since the unification by the Great Qin Dynasty, the Great Xia Empire had occupied the land of the Nine Great Divine Provinces.
Up to the present, having assimilated countless Secret Realms and instances, the territory of the Nine Great Divine Provinces had become vast beyond measure.
Despite the current population of over ten billion in the Great Xia Empire, the development of the Nine Great Divine Provinces had not even reached twenty percent.
Especially after the havoc caused by Wild Boar Skin and the attacks from the Blue Star Coalition of Nations, the modern-day Great Xia Empire's official control had weakened, presenting many vulnerabilities.
Great Xia had always been full of heroes, ambitious individuals, rebels, and traitors.
Furthermore, with the invasion of the game into reality, some professionals, after gaining great power, inevitably started harbouring thoughts that they shouldn't have.
Thus, many hidden underground forces appeared in the Great Xia Empire—some evil, some sinister, some brutal—operating outside the law.
In conjunction with this, the Blue Star Coalition of Nations was covertly nurturing organizations within the Great Xia Empire.
Each year, many talented individuals were either assassinated or kidnapped and brainwashed, joining underground forces or the organizations of enemy states.
This time, because Zi Liyuan did not receive the invitation card from Dragon Academy, he had no choice but to boldly compete for the title of top scholar in the high-stakes exam.
He was leveling up at full force, exposing his power, all to qualify for the assessment to enter Dragon Academy.
As for whether it would attract disaster, that was something he could not worry about for the moment.