Am I really that famous?

Although Bai Yuan saw the two of them whispering to each other, he could not hear what they were actually saying.

"Have the two of you made your decision? Still not interested in purchasing my clearance bundle?" Bai Yuan rubbed his hands eagerly, looking forward to them buying his package.

Xiyan was still not ready to buy the clearance bundle, but after listening to Qingyan's words, he suddenly weighed his options.

Xiyan stepped closer to Bai Yuan and asked in a low voice, "If I truly become the first person to leave this place without purchasing the clearance bundle, will there be any extra reward?"

Bai Yuan froze for a moment, not expecting Xiyan to ask such a question.

A deep sense of amusement washed over him. The corners of his mouth curved into a smile as he asked, "This extra reward you speak of—do you want me to give it to you, or are you expecting the instance itself to provide it?"

"Naturally, I mean you, sir."

Upon hearing Xiyan's words, Qingyan's face turned pale. She took a step behind Xiyan, gently tugged at the corner of his jacket, and whispered, "I already told you he is not someone to mess with. Have you got a death wish?!"

Xiyan patted Qingyan's hand reassuringly, then turned back to Bai Yuan. "I know that a gentleman of your standing must be extraordinarily wealthy and influential, so surely you wouldn't be unable to produce a mere extra reward like this? Or perhaps... you are afraid of losing?"

"Hahaha! Losing? I haven't lost a single time in my entire life, and I've been quite curious to know what losing tastes like. You are certainly an interesting person. Tell me, what kind of extra reward do you want?" Bai Yuan's interest in Xiyan grew intensely.

Standing behind Xiyan, Qingyan felt as though she could drop dead at any second. Xiyan did not realize how terrifying Bai Yuan was, but she did.

Young as Bai Yuan appeared, his abilities rivaled even those of the City Lord. Moreover, his temperament was exceedingly eccentric; he showed no interest whatsoever in power or money, and even the Bai family had no idea where he might wander off to.

His moods were entirely unpredictable. If he took a notion to kill someone, he could be laughing and chatting with them one second, only to crush their windpipe the next.

His erratic personality was completely on par with that infamous Isabella in the main city.

Xiyan was oblivious to all of this.

That was why Qingyan was breaking out in a cold sweat on his behalf behind his back.

"As for the clearance reward..." Xiyan paused deliberately, then looked at Bai Yuan with a smile and asked, "May I ask you a question first before we discuss the reward?"

"Go ahead."

"How long have you been here selling these clearance strategies, sir?" Xiyan asked.

Bai Yuan frowned, puzzled as to why he would suddenly bring this up. But since he had already agreed, he answered honestly, "Half a year. Why do you ask?"

"Half a year. That's quite a long time. My desired reward is simply this: Mr. Bai, can you tell me what truly makes this instance different from all the others? I mean the fundamental difference."

Xiyan's words instantly commanded Bai Yuan's full attention. Shedding his previous casual demeanor, he asked with a stern expression, "Why are you asking this? An instance is just an instance, what difference could there be? The only fundamental difference is the difficulty rating."

Though Bai Yuan's words seemed dismissive, he did not refute Xiyan's question. There was even a faint trace of anticipation lurking within his tone.

What was he anticipating?

Xiyan felt a deep curiosity stirring within him regarding the origin of the Land of Survival, and the man before him might just hold some clues.

"This is the reward I want. Surely you must know something about it, sir. So, do you accept or not?" Xiyan sidestepped Bai Yuan's question and posed another one instead.

"It is not entirely out of the question to grant you this reward. However, you must understand that I have never lost in my life. Should anyone ever defeat me, I might just kill them to preserve my unbroken record."

Bai Yuan's words were a naked threat, a test to see whether Xiyan would back down in the face of danger.

For all these years, he was truly the first person to dare propose such a thing to him.

There were many survivors who sought to probe the origins of the Land of Survival, but most of them met silent, unseen deaths. Even those with higher abilities who attempted an investigation did so with the utmost stealth and secrecy.

The reward Xiyan was asking for now was clearly linked to investigating the origin of the Land of Survival. Judging by Xiyan's attitude, he had likely already guessed Bai Yuan's identity.

To have guessed his identity and still dare to speak to him in such a manner—well, his courage was certainly commendable.

"Kill me? I doubt you would do that, sir. After all, people like me who wish to seek out the origin must be quite rare. Aren't you staying here for the very same pursuit of the origin, sir? Otherwise, why else would you linger in this place?" Xiyan said with a smile.

Listening to their conversation, Qingyan was convinced that once she returned to the main city, her good-for-nothing City Lord father would surely execute her.

After all, the subject these two were discussing was strictly forbidden in the main city. While it was never explicitly written down, any survivor with even a sliver of experience knew better than to ever bring it up.

Anyone caught discussing this matter would be seized and taken to the main city. As for the outcome, outsiders might remain in the dark, but Qingyan knew all too well.

All those who were captured would be used as experimental subjects by the City Lord himself. And what kind of experiments the City Lord was conducting was something Qingyan, despite being his daughter, knew absolutely nothing about.

The City Lord had once warned her that there were certain matters—even as the City Lord's daughter—she had no business delving into deeply, because if anything went wrong, even the City Lord could not protect her.

At the time, Qingyan had been in a rebellious phase against her father. She had remembered his words, but never took them to heart, simply because she had no interest in such affairs.

...

Hearing Xiyan's words, the smile on Bai Yuan's face widened until he finally let out a hearty laugh. "You really are an interesting fellow. What is your name?"

"Xiyan." Xiyan had no intention of hiding his identity from Bai Yuan; if it were exposed later, the consequences would be far graver.

"Oh?" Bai Yuan looked slightly surprised upon hearing his name. "I didn't expect you to be Xiyan."

Although Bai Yuan's reaction was within Xiyan's expectations, he was still shocked. Had his reputation already grown this widespread? Did every person of any background happen to know who he was?

"You know me, sir?" Xiyan asked, feigning surprise while knowing the answer full well.

"I just happened to hear about you from a friend," Bai Yuan replied.