The old instructor was witty and knowledgeable, and during the entire class, hardly any student's attention wandered.
Chu Ran listened with great satisfaction.
Beyond the textbook content, the old instructor shared many stories of his own explorations of Divine Tombs and tips for using Creations, which were extremely useful for someone like Chu Ran who had transmigrated midway.
When the bell rang, the old instructor had just finished his last sentence.
He turned off the projector and said cheerfully, "Alright, now it's time for us all to rest."
With a ding, Chu Ran looked down at her Light Brain. Instructor Li had sent a message asking her to come to the physical training room now.
Chu Ran picked up her bag and got up, leaving the classroom.
The physical training room was at the far west end of the training institute, diagonally opposite the teaching building.
On the training ground, senior students were running with weights. As Chu Ran passed by, she could hear the instructor yelling at them.
The physical training room of the Third Training Institute was quite spacious.
Instructor Li was standing at the door waiting for her.
When he saw Chu Ran, he quickened his pace and whispered a warning before entering, "Don't trust those people from the research institute too much."
Chu Ran nodded and walked into the physical training room with a calm expression.
The research institute personnel were checking the instruments they had brought, occasionally bending down to record data. They wore white lab coats, some with the Rising Sun badge pinned to their chests, exuding a strong elite academic aura.
Hearing footsteps, the lead researcher turned his head toward the door.
Chu Ran raised an eyebrow slightly. It was Charlie An.
Charlie An waved at her and glanced at Instructor Li.
Chu Ran walked over, and Instructor Li followed closely, not leaving.
The tall, thin researcher beside Charlie An frowned at this, displeased. "Unaffiliated personnel can leave now. The first round of tests will last six or seven hours. Afterward, we'll arrange someone to escort her back. You don't need to stay here."
It's precisely because it'll take so long that I have to stay.
Instructor Li rolled his eyes internally but maintained a serious expression, speaking politely yet firmly: "I'm staying on Commander Lei's orders. After all, this is your first time at the Third Training Institute. If there are any needs, I can provide assistance promptly."
The tall, thin researcher's expression darkened further. "What do you mean? Do you think we're going to conduct some forbidden tests on her?"
Instructor Li sneered inwardly. Quite self-aware.
With a polite but insincere smile, he said, "Haha, of course not. I'm just following orders."
The tall, thin researcher squinted, staring at Instructor Li without a word.
Sensing the tension, the researchers with the Rising Sun badges stopped their work and began moving toward them.
Charlie An calmly looked around and said evenly, "Instructor Li, there's no need to be so tense. The researchers from Central Star respect the rights of every Federation citizen. They came here to resolve Chu Ran's issues as quickly as possible. Facing the Zerg threat, no intelligent person would do anything to harm human interests."
He looked at Chu Ran. "I'm the project lead. If you have any questions, you can contact me directly. After all, we exchanged contact numbers in the cemetery."
"Senior Andeke, Instructor Li may be a bit blunt, but he certainly means no harm. Commander Lei assured me just yesterday that he would fully cooperate with the Central Star Research Institute's project arrangements," Charlie An said with a smile to the tall, thin researcher, pausing briefly before adding jokingly, "My sister also said that if something goes wrong with this project, she'll skin me alive. Haha, you know her temper."
"Since it's our first meeting, let's all relax a little," Charlie An said in a gentle, calm tone. "Time is tight, so let's start the tests now."
The tall, thin researcher shot Charlie An a deep look, then turned to adjust the equipment. Instructor Li walked to a corner, ready to quietly observe.
Charlie An looked at Chu Ran. "We'll start with a spiritual power test."
He led Chu Ran to the leftmost instrument. "After sitting down, lean back against the chair. When you put on the helmet, after a while, you'll feel a pinprick sensation in your nerves. At that point, raise your hand to signal, but don't take off the helmet until the pain becomes unbearable. Then remove it immediately."
Once Chu Ran had the helmet on, Charlie An looked at her seriously and repeated, "The moment the pain becomes unbearable, take off the helmet immediately. Don't push your limits. Do you understand?"
Chu Ran nodded.
Inside the helmet was endless darkness.
Her mind went blank, yet it was unusually active. Her consciousness was like waves crashing against a cliff—constantly flowing, constantly breaking, never ceasing.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shattered the illusion of the coastline.
Chu Ran instinctively raised her hand.
Then the pain grew like a snowball rolling downhill, pounding her brain.
It seemed as if voices were shouting endlessly, "Stop! Stop!"
Chu Ran's body began to tremble involuntarily, and the nerve pain seemed to spread inward.
Should she take off the helmet?
Amidst the pain, Chu Ran vaguely recalled Charlie An's words.
But she had a feeling she hadn't reached her limit yet!
Beside the instrument, Charlie An watched the rapidly changing numbers with a serious expression.
The tall, thin researcher stood behind him, speaking meaningfully, "Looks like she didn't get your hint. But then again, once someone gains power, they naturally want to give it their all."
Charlie An recorded the data without turning around, speaking unhurriedly, "Yu Mei doesn't know you're here, does she, Senior?"
The tall, thin researcher's expression darkened, and he let out a cold laugh. "She has no say in the Andrew Family's affairs."
"Is that so? I heard from my sister that not long ago, your family wanted to hire Yu Mei as an exclusive Creation master for the Andrew Family," Charlie An paused deliberately, "but Yu Mei didn't agree."
The tall, thin researcher stared intently at Charlie An. "Even your sister wouldn't dare to offend the Andrew Family."
Bzzz—
The instrument let out a delighted electronic sound. "Congratulations, the test subject's spiritual power potential has reached SS-level!"
Charlie An immediately fell silent and quickly looked at Chu Ran.
Chu Ran had already removed the helmet, her forehead drenched in sweat. Her complexion was pale, but her mind was still clear.
"Impossible!" The tall, thin researcher's pupils contracted. "Even before her Spiritual Power Destruction, her innate spiritual power level was only S-level!"
"The top experts of the Human Federation were all present back then. Their judgment couldn't have been wrong! Even the Divine Fruit can at most stimulate S-level spiritual power!"
Charlie An ignored the clown's outburst and quickly dialed his sister's number. "Sis, Chu Ran's spiritual power potential is SS-level. I need you to get me the original records of the residual potion components from after her complete Spiritual Power Destruction!"
"The potion she drank might not be the God Summoning Society's Deathly Silence Decoction!"
Everyone in the training ground heard the instrument's congratulatory announcement and swarmed over.
Instructor Li, relying on his physical fitness, called Lei Jianguo while bypassing more than a dozen people and squeezing his way to Chu Ran's side, blocking her directly. "What's going on?! Why did I hear an SS-level announcement?!"