"If I join your guild..."
"...what happens when I beco stronger than everyone in it?"
Lin Yi’s calm voice hung in the air.
For a mont, the forest clearing fell completely silent.
Then—
Long Tianyu suddenly burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!"
His deep laughter echoed across the trees like rolling thunder.
The golden-armored Dragon Knight looked at Lin Yi with visible amusent.
"You brat..."
He wiped the corner of his eye slightly as if he had just heard sothing genuinely entertaining.
"Are you implying that one day you’ll beco stronger than ?"
His gaze sharpened slightly, "Do you even know who I am?"
Lin Yi remained calm.
Of course he knew.
The system panel had already revealed everything.
Level 189.
One of the strongest hunters in the entire region.
The National Guardian of Jianghe City.
Long Tianyu crossed his arms and looked down at Lin Yi with interest, "Confidence like that is a treasure these days."
Most rookies trembled when they stood before soone of his status.
They begged for opportunities.
They chased recognition.
But this young man...
He was already talking about surpassing everyone.
Long Tianyu laughed again, though this ti it was softer.
"You’ve got guts."
Lin Yi didn’t respond imdiately, Instead, he lowered his gaze slightly as if thinking deeply.
He began to replay the dragon knight exact words, My guild is called Heavenfall Guild. It’s the strongest hunter guild in Jianghe City. We handle high-level dungeon raids, dinsional rift suppression, and frontier patrols. At the end of this month, the guild will hold a showcase event, an opportunity, once each year, when the guild only recruits freshn and allow them to demonstrate their abilities.
I’d like to invite you. You join Heavenfall Guild, and I’ll personally write a recomndation letter one strong enough to send you directly to a Regional Elite Academy.
This was not a small decision. Joining a top guild was sothing countless hunters dread of, especially an organization like Heavenfall. Even veteran hunters fought for a re chance to enter its ranks, but Lin Yi knew sothing others didn’t: His 1000X amplification. This alone ensured his future path was destined to be different from everyone else’s.
He then slowly began to analyze the situation in his mind.
If he accepted the Dragon Knight’s invitation, several things would happen imdiately.
First, he would receive a direct recomndation. A recomndation from Long Tianyu himself carried enormous weight and could easily open the doors to a Regional Elite Academy. Those institutions were far beyond Jianghe Hunter Academy; they trained the true elites of humanity.
Among them stood one academy above all others: Heavenly Phoenix Hunter Academy.
It’s a legendary institution that produced countless high-level hunters, where even reaching the entrance exam was considered a massive achievent. If Lin Yi joined Heavenfall Guild, entering Heavenly Phoenix might not be impossible.
But then another thought surfaced: the academy tournant. The elimination rounds would begin soon, with the finals taking place at the end of the month. That tournant wasn’t just a simple school competition, it was a stage where talented hunters displayed their abilities and reputations were born. If Lin Yi accepted the guild invitation today, he would likely leave the academy system entirely, aning he would miss the tournant finale, the rewards, and the opportunity to stand on that stage.
Lin Yi didn’t crave endless fa, nor was he obsessed with attention. But once in a while, standing at the center of glory wasn’t such a bad thing.
There was also the issue of guild hierarchy. Heavenfall Guild was powerful, but power ca with structure:
Veteran hunters.
Senior teams.
Leadership chains.
Even if Lin Yi joined, he would still be the newest and weakest mber—at least for now.
And if a powerful monster appeared...
Who would claim the kill?
The veterans.
If a rare resource was discovered...
Who would take it?
The senior mbers.
Even if Lin Yi fought bravely, his achievents might simply be absorbed into the guild’s collective glory.
A mighty hunt could easily beco...
Just another mission report.
Lin Yi slowly exhaled, his gaze lifting again. Long Tianyu was still watching him patiently, seemingly genuinely curious about what the young man would decide.
"Senior Long," Lin Yi spoke calmly.
Long Tianyu raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"I understand the value of your invitation," Lin Yi continued. "That recomndation alone could change the future of many hunters." The Dragon Knight nodded slightly; that much was obvious. Lin Yi paused for a mont before adding, "But I have sothing I still want to do."
Long Tianyu leaned forward slightly. "And what would that be?"
Lin Yi’s eyes were steady. "The academy tournant."
For a brief mont, the Dragon Knight looked surprised. "You want to stay for a school competition?"
Lin Yi nodded. "Yes."
Long Tianyu studied him carefully. Most ambitious hunters would abandon such trivial things imdiately—why waste ti fighting students when the real world awaited? Yet Lin Yi’s reasoning was different.
"If I leave now," the young man spoke again, "my path will always begin under soone else’s banner." Long Tianyu didn’t interrupt as Lin Yi continued calmly. "Your guild is strong and your hunters are powerful, but if I join today, my achievents will belong to Heavenfall Guild."
"I don’t dislike guilds, but if I’m going to stand sowhere, I’d rather stand there with my own na first. Senior Long, if I want to join a guild one day... I might simply create one myself."
The Dragon Knight stared at him, then slowly began smiling again, with genuine amusent. "HAHA! That’s quite the ambition."
A freshman talking about forming his own guild would be considered arrogant by most, but Long Tianyu had lived long enough to recognize that greatness often began with outrageous thoughts. He tilted his head slightly. "So, you’ve made your decision?"
Lin Yi nodded calmly. "Yes." He clasped his hands respectfully in a traditional show of respect. "Senior Long, I appreciate your invitation. But... I must calmly decline."
The words were simple, but their aning was enormous. The Dragon Knight looked at him quietly for several seconds, then he sighed. "Well, that’s a rare answer." Most hunters would beg for such an opportunity, yet this young man refused it without hesitation.
Long Tianyu finally laughed again. "You know sothing, kid?" Lin Yi looked at him as the Dragon Knight pointed toward the distant horizon. "Jianghe City is small. The world outside is much bigger." His expression beca slightly more serious. "If your confidence survives long enough, maybe we’ll et again on a different battlefield. Until then... survive."
His golden armor flared with dragon-like energy. Without another word, the Dragon Knight stepped back into the swirling Nightmare dungeon. The rift slowly began to close behind him, and within seconds, the forest returned to silence.
Lin Yi stood alone in the clearing, looking toward the place where the Dragon Knight had disappeared. Then, he slowly turned toward the deeper wilderness, his grip tightening slightly around the Abyssfang Blade.
"Guilds..." he murmured softly, a faint smile appearing on his face. "If I ever build one... it won’t be small."
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