Now that Zhang Lie was lacking for points again, he intended to sell a piece of information and deal with a set of his stockpiled goods. Thus, when he left the inn, instead of rushing out of the settlement, he lounged near the gates while paying attention to the hunters entering and leaving.

Only when he saw a certain female with her team did he follow them out of the settlement. Once they were out of earshot from any random passersby, he exclaimed in theatrical surprise, "What? How did I manage to achieve a breakthrough with my foundational framework?"

He wasn't speaking very loudly, but the shock and surprise in his voice caused the female and her teammates to glance toward him out of the corner of their eyes. Several of the hunters immediately narrowed their eyes in disdain: after all, they were long past the stage where they had to care about their foundational framework.

However, the female leader seemed to be somewhat interested in the news. "What do you mean by a breakthrough? Surely you haven't managed to go past the tenth stage?"

Zhang Lie panicked and stuttered, "N-No! I must have made a mistake!" His hands shook as he turned rigidly and strode quickly back into the settlement.

The female hunter seemed even more interested after this turn of events. She stopped walking and, amidst her teammates' confusion, followed Zhang Lie back into the settlement.

Beneath his black cloak, Zhang Lie was smiling deviously, but he pretended to be even more panicked when he noticed that the female hunter had followed him back into the settlement. Not knowing what to do, he furiously dashed away.

The female hunter's curiosity was well and truly piqued: what on Earth had happened to this mysterious hunter in black? She chased him into an alley in the Blacksteel settlement.

When Zhang Lie found that he had stumbled into a dead end, he screamed like a little girl. "We're inside the settlement! You'd better not do anything to me!"

The female hunter scoffed. "And what do you think I'd do to you? I'm sure you know why I've been chasing you. Don't worry, we hunters of the Chu clan never bully the weak, and I, Chu Lan, would certainly never do something so demeaning. Tell me about the foundational framework. If I think your information is valuable, I'll pay you points in compensation. What do you think?" 

Chu Lan's face was intent but not unkind, and Zhang Lie knew that he'd picked the right person for this. Of course, he couldn't drop the act now. He shivered and asked, in an exaggerated tone, "Really? Will you really give me points? How many?"

"Well, it'll depend on the value of your information, of course!" Chu Lan replied.

Zhang Lie's face fell. "In that case, isn't it only worth as much as you want to pay me?"

"As I've said, don't worry. Don't you know how honorable Chu hunters are? I can afford to pay you for the information." Chu Lan repeated her guarantee, but Zhang Lie refused to believe her.

"How insincere you are! This information is worth at least five million points, and it's not something I can reveal so easily!"

Upon hearing Zhang Lie's words, one of Chu Lan's teammates, who had followed her back into the settlement, nudged her. "Chu Lan, isn't this fellow a fool? Five million points? You must be crazy! Do you know how much money that's worth? Half a billion dollars! What information could you possibly have that's worth that much?!

Zhang Lie glanced scornfully at the hunter who had spoken, then laughed. "And if I were to say that it's about a breakthrough in your foundational framework that will raise your basic gene capacity?"

Chu Lan gaped. Was it really possible to increase one's gene capacity?! No, there was no way that could be true! And yet the possibility continued to entice her. It was common sense to think that the capacity was fixed at a hundred for every hunter, but… what if the information really were true? This sort of information could really be worth half a billion dollars!

After all, upon advancing to the second realm, a hunter's gene fragments would determine their potential going forward. As a result, the most dedicated hunters would hunt for enough basic, mutated, and superior gene fragments to reach the capacity for all three before advancing to the second realm. The stronger a hunter's foundation, the further they would be able to go.

For instance, quite a few pinnacle- and higher-grade techniques required a certain baseline number of gene fragments to study and use.

If this mysterious man truly did possess information that would allow hunters to raise their gene capacities, then half a billion would be a bargain. After all, this would mean that all the hunters from her clan would have an advantage over all other hunters.

Chu Lan, who had a relatively high position within the Chu clan, could hardly resist such temptation. "Are you sure you're telling the truth?" she asked.

Zhang Lie laughed again. "You think I'm lying? Well, then, I suppose I'll just have to work with another group of hunters instead!"

"Ah, no, wait! We were the first group to talk to you, weren't we? Furthermore, if your information is reliable, then the Chu clan would certainly be willing to pay you more for your trouble. Please, give me a moment. I'll inform the young master about this now, and he'll be personally meeting with you about this transaction. I promise you, the Chu clan will give you a fair price for this information!"

Chu Lan's excitement had spread throughout her body. If this were true, and if they were able to negotiate a deal, then the entire Chu clan would benefit greatly. After contacting Chu Feng, they quickly worked out a meeting place.

Unexpectedly, however, Yun Bing was near the scene, and when she overheard the commotion, she insisted on being part of the negotiations. As a result, the two-party discussion now became a three-party one.

Chu Feng had arranged the meeting at a tavern owned by the Chu clan, in one of the private meeting rooms upstairs. Zhang Lie, Chu Feng, Yun Bing, Chu Lan, and Yun Gang sat facing each other. 

Zhang Lie stared at Yun Bing, not having anticipated this turn of events. The other four hunters were all staring at the mysterious Zhang Lie.

Chu Feng, as the host, was the first to speak up. "Would you be willing to take off your hood now, since there are no outsiders around?"

Zhang Lie immediately shook his head. "No, I can't! You're all from large clans, aren't you? What if you renege on your word before we finish the transaction? What's more, there's no need for me to reveal my identity in this process, is there?"

Seeing how careful Zhang Lie was to keep his identity a secret, the other hunters all felt more confident about the veracity of his information.

After all, to them, the very idea of being able to raise their gene capacity was nothing more than a dream. However, for some reason, upon seeing how careful this hunter was acting, they couldn't help but believe his claims.

Yun Bing even chuckled. "I have to admit that you've gotten me even more curious. How would you like to carry out the exchange?"

He thought for a few moments. "I'll answer three questions about raising one's gene capacity. As long as they don't reveal too much about the secret, I'll answer truthfully. Then, if you're still interested, you can choose to listen on as I explain the procedure. Of course, if you want to do this, you'll have to pay me a deposit.

"Subsequently, I'll help you carry out the process on certain hunters, so you can witness it for yourself. Once all that's over, you'll pay me the rest of the promised fee. Well? If these terms are fine with you, then let's get started."

"In that case, I'll ask the first question! By how much can you raise your basic gene capacity following this method?" Chu Feng very much appreciated Zhang Lie's directness, and he immediately asked the question that was on everyone's minds: how large was the effect?

After all, if this procedure would only raise it by a small fraction, then was it really worth half a billion dollars?

Zhang Lie, having anticipated this question, immediately answered, "Ten fragments. After a breakthrough with your foundational framework, your basic gene capacity will increase by ten. However, these additional ten fragments will provide a greater benefit than even ten mutated gene fragments! Do you all understand what this means?"

The gathered hunters were silent. Ten fragments, only ten fragments, but the fact that these ten fragments were in excess of the usual capacity would cause them to augment a hunter's constitution by more than even ten mutated gene fragments would!

Imagine having ten more mutated gene fragments than your opponent! Unbelievable!

Ten basic gene fragments didn't do much for a hunter's fighting ability, but ten mutated gene fragments gave a noticeable boost, one visible with the naked eye. Every edge mattered, and this advantage could well be decisive.

All four hunters present from the Chu and Yun clans had only one thing on their mind: they had to obtain this information, even if it cost them a billion dollars! It would have severe implications for not just the Yun and Chu clans, but even for the entire world federation and Earth as a whole.

After more than a dozen seconds of stunned silence as the hunters processed this information, they all looked toward Zhang Lie with ardor in their gaze.

Yun Bing was the first to speak. "No wonder you claim that this information is worth more than half a billion dollars. If this really were true, then we would certainly all benefit greatly. But surely there must be some restriction or requirement for this breakthrough? My question is to know what those requirements or restrictions are."