At night, in the dorm room.

Lin Zichen sat cross‑legged on the bed, performing his fourth body tempering.

To hit his goal of five temperings before sophomore year, he tempered whenever he had time.

He didn’t know how long had passed.

He opened his eyes slowly, exhaled a deep, stale breath, then willed open his tempering progress bar to check.

[Fourfold Skin Tempering: 12%]

‘Only twelve percent… The efficiency was a bit slower than during the third tempering. But not by much, still acceptable.’

“Xiao Chen, can I come in?”

A sweet voice from outside the dorm door belonged to Shen Qinghan.

Before Lin Zichen could reply, she used Spiritual Power to open the door from a distance and walked straight into the room.

The two of them didn’t stand on ceremony. If she wanted to come in, she came in.

“Why didn’t you dry your hair after your shower?”

He looked at Shen Qinghan and seeing her damp hair, couldn’t help saying so.

Shen Qinghan slipped off her slippers and sat on the bed, “I wanted to, but the dorm doesn’t have a hair dryer so I can’t even if I want to.”

Hearing that, Lin Zichen realized the dorm really did lack a dryer.

In this tiny single room, appliances were pitifully few.

“Then I’ll use Vitality to dry it for you.” (TL: Vitality can also be thought of as energy but vitality makes more sense on my end lol.)

He set his hand on her hair, willed out threadlike heat from his Vitality and slowly evaporated the moisture from the strands.

A bit over two minutes later.

Most of the moisture was gone from her hair.

It no longer clung together damply.

Instead, each strand fell smooth and silky, looking supple and pleasing to the eye.

“You dried my hair, so as payback I’ll make you feel good.”

Shen Qinghan smiled.

Then she gently pushed Lin Zichen down, swept the bangs from her forehead back behind her ear and bent to tenderly attend to him.

He said nothing, closing his eyes to quietly enjoy it.

* * *

About half an hour later.

She finished, crawled up and lay on him, smiling, “Feel good?”

“Good.”

Lin Zichen looked perfectly satisfied.

Twirling the strand that had slipped from behind her ear, Shen Qinghan’s voice turned syrupy, “I made you feel good, shouldn’t you give me a reward?”

He poked her soft cheek, smiling, “That was payback for drying your hair. Why do you still want a reward?”

“I just do.”

She cooed coquettishly.

He squeezed her pert butt and chuckled indulgently, “Then get up, I’ll fetch your reward.”

“Is there really a reward?”

Delighted, she sat up.

Lin Zichen sat up too, took the backpack from the bedside, pulled out an exquisite little vial and handed it to her.

“Here, your reward.”

“Aren’t these the ten Advanced Vitality Pills you won today?”

“Yeah, all yours.”

“Don’t, keep some for yourself. Why give me all of them?”

She didn’t take the vial.

The reward she wanted had just been a kiss, she had never meant something so valuable.

Though she and Lin Zichen weren’t outsiders and had grown up together as childhood sweethearts, she couldn’t in good conscience accept a million’s worth of Advanced Vitality Pills.

At most she would take one, then slowly make it up to him in their daily life.

In short, she wouldn’t freeload off Lin Zichen or let him take a loss.

Their give and take had to be equal.

Knowing what she was thinking, Lin Zichen said gently, “I don’t need Advanced Vitality Pills. A few laps on the track and the Vitality I gain equals a pill’s effect, so giving them to me would be a waste.”

“Then give them to Aunt Xin and Uncle Sheng.”

“My parents are ordinary people and can’t withstand the potency of Advanced Vitality Pills.”

He stuffed the vial into her hand, met her eyes and said earnestly, “Don’t worry about owing me. We’re family, your good is my good, alright?”

With him saying that, Shen Qinghan had no reason to disagree. She pressed her lips together and accepted the vial.

In her heart she resolved to repay Lin Zichen elsewhere later, letting him earn it back with interest.

Composing herself, she leaned in and pecked his cheek, smiling sweetly, “Thank you, sugar daddy, for the allowance. Hanhan will serve you even better from now on.”

“You little minx, your mouth is getting naughtier.”

Lin Zichen pinched her cherry lips and teased her.

Shen Qinghan pushed him down again, lay on him, gazed into his eyes and asked softly, “So do you like it?”

“I do.”

He nodded honestly.

She smiled, brought her lips to his ear and murmured even more softly, “Daddy, Hanhan can be even flirtier~”

Then she lowered her head, using her soft lips to please him.

She knew very well that right now there wasn’t much she could help Lin Zichen with.

The only thing she could do was provide emotional support as his childhood sweetheart.

And now and then make him feel good with her not‑so‑skilled service.

* * *

The next day, five in the morning.

Dawn hadn’t broken yet.

Lin Zichen got up, washed and went next door to wake Shen Qinghan.

After she washed up, they ate breakfast in the cafeteria, then headed to the pre assigned area to assemble.

When they arrived, there weren’t many people there yet.

Only seven.

They were Ma Xiwei, the five from the military district and the pretty Kyoto University freshman girl.

As for the five from the Machine God Group, not a single one had shown up.

At the moment, the five young soldiers were enthusiastically chatting up the two girls, clearly wanting to get acquainted with the two beauties.

Ma Xiwei was aloof and paid the five little mind.

The Kyoto girl by contrast was much warmer, chatting and laughing with them.

“Morning!”

Seeing Lin Zichen arrive, a dark‑skinned young soldier greeted him with a smile.

He was the same one who had wanted to spar with Lin Zichen yesterday, named Zhao Yuanzhong.

“Morning.”

Lin Zichen answered politely.

Zhao Yuanzhong, easygoing as ever, came up and asked curiously, “You two together, are you siblings or a couple?”

At his question, the other four soldiers and the Kyoto girl all turned to look.

Clearly, they all cared about the relationship between Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan.

Before either could answer, the aloof Ma Xiwei spoke up, “They’re an engaged couple, so don’t get any ideas.”

At that, the others looked regretful.

The five soldiers regretted that Shen Qinghan was taken.

The Kyoto girl regretted that Lin Zichen was taken.

Zhao Yuanzhong looked at Lin Zichen and laughed awkwardly, “Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mean anything by it, I was just curious.”

“I know.”

Lin Zichen gave Zhao Yuanzhong an easy out.

Teenage boys, everyone understands. See a pretty girl and you want to meet her.

Those little thoughts are practically transparent, easy to see through at a glance.

“I heard the younger generation in your military all enter the Source Site to train?”

Sensing the awkwardness, Lin Zichen smoothly shifted the topic and asked Zhao Yuanzhong.

He had always been curious about the Source Site and now that he was here at the military district, he wanted to learn more.

“Barely.”

“Barely?”

Lin Zichen was puzzled.

‘Either you’ve been or you haven’t, what does barely mean?’

Zhao Yuanzhong explained, “The military has garrisoned cities inside the Source Site. Young soldiers like us whose Biological Level is still at the Ordinary Stage sometimes get assigned to work inside the city, but we can’t leave it. Setting foot in the city counts as entering the Source Site, but if you can’t leave the city you can’t experience the raw competition outside. Going in is almost like not going in at all. To truly enter the Source Site, unless your level reaches Advanced, it isn’t happening. Ordinary beings can’t withstand the realm‑force repulsion. You can only stay within the city, moving under the protection of the city barrier.”

“Realm‑force repulsion?”

It was Lin Zichen’s first time hearing the term, so he quickly asked, “What is realm‑force repulsion?”

Zhao continued, “When Earthlings enter the Source Site, an invisible force drives them back. It isn’t very strong, but it has a big effect on those below Advanced.”

Then he smiled, “And yes, I know your next question. Do Aberrant Beasts on Earth suffer realm‑force repulsion? The answer is yes and their repulsion is even stronger. In fact, a lot of beasts on Earth are weakened by it. They’re stronger inside the Source Site. Against humans, they’re almost invincible at the same tier. Otherwise, with equal Biological Level, how do you think Earth’s gene fusers can defeat beasts that are the source of genes?”

“I see.”

Lin Zichen nodded, having learned a good deal he couldn’t get from books.

Seeing his look of only just understanding, Zhao Yuanzhong asked puzzled, “Your elders never told you this?”

“No.”

Lin Zichen shook his head.

He didn’t tell Zhao that his parents were ordinary folks who knew nothing about the Source Site—not even that it existed.

They chatted idly for a while.

As time went on, the remaining participants in the special training arrived one after another at the playground.

Altogether there were twenty people.

The four forces—the military district, Shanhai University, Kyoto University and the Machine God Group—had five each.

At 7 a.m. a man leapt down from the rooftop of a building in front and landed with a thud before everyone, kicking up a great cloud of dust.

When the dust settled.

Before their eyes stood a camouflage‑clad man who looked a bit over thirty.

Lin Zichen willed a sense out and checked his Biological Level.

Very high.

Advanced Tier Six.

At the two top universities, that was solid dean‑level strength.

Specifically the deans of the two strongest faculties, the Evolution Academy and the Mechanical Academy.

“Is everyone here?”

The man swept a glance over the scattered group and asked in a ringing voice.

Zhao Yuanzhong answered just as loudly, “Reporting, Instructor, everyone is present!”

He was the squad leader among the five from the military district.

He wasn’t the strongest, merely the most proactive.

After Zhao answered.

The man nodded, then introduced himself for those who didn’t know him, “I’m Lu Tianrong, your instructor for this special training. You can call me Instructor Lu.”

With that brief intro, he began ordering the people before him, “Starting with the five from the military district, report in with a simple self‑introduction in order!”

As soon as he finished.

At the head of the five, Zhao Yuanzhong started reporting in.

“Military District, Zhao Yuanzhong!”

The four behind him followed.

“Military District, He Yancheng!”

“Military District, Liu Ruihe!”

“…”

After the military finished, the others took their turns one after another.

“Machine God Group, Mo Yanwei!”

“Machine God Group, Zhang Kai!”

“Machine God Group, Zhu Shishi!”

“…”

“Kyoto University, Qin Chuan!”

“Kyoto University, Gao Mu!”

“Kyoto University, Shangguan Yueying!”

“…”

“Shanhai University, Lin Zichen!”

“Shanhai University, Li Moyu!”

“Shanhai University, Shen Qinghan!”

“…”

As voices rang out, Instructor Lu had already etched each corresponding face into memory.

After roll call ended.

Lu Tianrong said to everyone, “I won’t waste words. You’re here to take part in special training and improve yourselves. Now I’m going to form temporary squads, four in total. Once we’re done you will immediately begin the entry assessment. When the entry assessment is over, that’s when the real special training starts.”

With that, he wasted no time and began randomly assigning people to squads.

“Luo Yongjian of Shanhai University, head over to the Machine God Group. Shangguan Yueying of Kyoto University, go to Shanhai University. He Yancheng of the military district, you go to Kyoto University. Zhang Kai of the Machine God Group, join the Shanhai University squad. Zhao Yuanzhong of the military district, you go to Shanhai University.”

“…”

In about two minutes, Lu Tianrong had reshuffled all four squads.

Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan were lucky, not reassigned to other squads and remained together on Shanhai University’s team.

But their original three teammates were all transferred out.

They were replaced by Shangguan Yueying (the girl) from Kyoto University, Zhang Kai from the Machine God Group and Zhao Yuanzhong from the military district.

Lin Zichen could see Instructor Lu’s logic for the squads.

Make sure each team was mixed enough.

One from Shanhai, one from Kyoto and ones from the Machine God Group and the military district as well.

It certainly wasn’t arbitrary, there had to be a specific purpose.

For now that purpose was unknown.

Lin Zichen figured it had to do with coordination, testing the ability to work as a team with unfamiliar people.