Shen Qinghan followed Yuan Dongzhi into a testing room.

Not long after, she came back out.

“So fast?” Lin Zichen asked in confusion.

Holding a cotton swab against her arm, Shen Qinghan sat beside him, “They just drew three tubes of blood and told me to wait for the results.”

“Three tubes? That’s way too much—who can handle that?” Li Chuxin said nervously, already feeling uneasy.

Shen Qinghan smiled wryly, “It really was a lot. My arm’s still a little numb.”

He Yu frowned, “that’s strange. Usually one tube’s enough for a retest. Why three?”

While they talked, the supervising teacher came over to ask what was happening, curious why the provincial education leader had called for Shen Qinghan.

Lin Zichen explained that the results seemed abnormal and a retest was needed, though he didn’t go into details.

* * *

Time passed quickly.

Before long, the gene fusion adaptability testing across the entire base finished.

Around the same time, Yuan Dongzhi emerged from the testing room.

Her expression had changed drastically—no longer cold and distant, but excited, even smiling faintly.

“Principal Yuan.”

Seeing her approach, the Shanhai High teacher immediately straightened up and greeted her nervously.

Lin Zichen and the others followed suit.

Yuan Dongzhi composed herself and said to the teacher, “I still have matters to discuss with student Shen Qinghan. Please take the other students back to school. I’ll arrange for her to be sent home later.”

“Yes, Principal Yuan.”

The teacher turned to organize the students who had finished testing—and who weren’t staying for the afternoon’s mechanical modification test—to head back to school.

He Yu and Li Chuxin left with the group.

Lin Zichen stayed behind to accompany Shen Qinghan.

Yuan Dongzhi looked at Shen Qinghan, “Come with me. Let’s talk inside.”

“Okay,” Shen replied softly and followed her into the director’s office.

Lin Zichen waited outside, messaging Zhang Wanxin and Xu Meng to explain that he and Shen Qinghan would be back later.

* * *

Inside the director’s office.

Yuan Dongzhi smiled kindly, “Shen Qinghan, your results are out. All three samples read twenty-one percent.”

Hearing that, Shen Qinghan finally felt the weight in her chest lift.

She’d been terrified that the retest would prove the previous result wrong—that her real score might not even reach ten percent.

Yuan continued, “The results from across the province are in. Your twenty-one percent is unmatched, six points higher than the runner-up. To be honest, if I hadn’t watched the test myself, I wouldn’t have believed it. Until now, the record high was eighteen percent. Many experts believed human adaptability to aberrant beast genes could never exceed twenty.

But your result broke that limit. It’s shocking—and if made public, it would cause a nationwide sensation. However, your score is simply too extraordinary to announce. So I’ve adjusted it to sixteen percent—just enough to stay above the second-place fifteen percent, keeping you as the provincial top scorer.”

Taking a sip of tea, Yuan added, “You’ve probably heard of the Kyoto genius who’s been hyped up for years, right?”

“Yes,” Shen Qinghan nodded.

Yuan set the cup down, “He’s famous across the country, but few know the truth. He’s been targeted by cultists since childhood—constantly attacked and once nearly killed. Only his powerful family connections saved him. If he’d been an ordinary kid with that much publicity, he’d have been dead long ago.

And the so-called ‘mechanical genius girl’ promoted alongside him? The reports claim she suffered from early modification failure. In truth, she was ambushed by cultists—her body was torn in half. If not for Machine God Group’s intervention, she wouldn’t have survived.”

Yuan looked her in the eye, “I’m telling you this because being the provincial top scorer is something to be proud of—but keep it to yourself and your family. Don’t publicize it. Avoid drawing attention and becoming a target, understand?”

“I understand,” Shen said softly.

She’d never heard such hidden truths before.

The news had always seemed transparent, especially on anything involving aberrant beasts. She hadn’t realized how much was kept secret.

The world was far more complicated than it appeared.

Still, she couldn’t understand why attacks by cultists had to be hidden.

Was there something deeper behind it?

She decided to tell Lin Zichen later—he’d know how to make sense of it.

He’d always been her encyclopedia, the one she relied on even more than her parents.

“Alright,” Yuan said, her tone turning serious, “let’s move to the main topic.”

‘Main topic?’

Shen Qinghan sat up straight, tense.

Yuan wasted no time, “Your talent for gene fusion is exceptional. I want to take you as my disciple.”

“What?” Shen stared blankly.

Yuan didn’t elaborate, “As my disciple, you’ll one day do what I did—walk on the waves.”

“This is so sudden… I wasn’t prepared. Can I think about it first?” Shen asked timidly.

She wanted to consult Lin Zichen before deciding.

But Yuan was domineering by nature, “There’s nothing to think about. Being my student only benefits you. From this moment on, you are my disciple. My titles are Minister of the Provincial Education Headquarters and Vice Principal of Shanhai University. You’ll study there in the future.”

After speaking unilaterally, Yuan asked, “Anything you’d like to say?”

Shen opened her mouth but found no words.

Finally, she bit her lip and shook her head, “No…”

Timid and easily led, she accepted without resistance.

“I dislike ceremony,” Yuan said briskly, “A verbal bond is enough. No formalities.”

She took out her phone, “Let’s add each other on WeChat.”

Shen obediently opened her QR code and they exchanged contacts.

Afterward, she felt dazed, unsure what had just happened.

She barely knew this woman, yet had somehow become her disciple. It all felt too hasty.

Yuan then said, “By the way, you’re not my only student. I have another disciple—she joined ten years ago, but she’s around your age. You’ll probably get along. She’s away right now, somewhere without access to technology and won’t return soon. I’ll arrange a meeting when the time comes. I’ll send you her picture.”

Yuan forwarded a photo to Shen on WeChat.

Curious, Shen opened it.

A tall girl with snow-white hair stared coldly at the camera, holding a bloodstained spear. Beneath her feet lay the enormous corpse of an aberrant beast, bigger than an elephant.

The image was striking.

Shen didn’t recognize the beast, but the white-haired girl looked oddly familiar.

A memory surfaced from second grade.

‘Wait… could it be Bai Xue?’

Staring at the photo, Shen Qinghan froze, eyes wide with disbelief.