When Lin Rui arrived at the physical testing center behind Mingde University, he saw his classmates all lined up in front of a large device that was three meters tall and twelve meters wide, exuding a strong sci-fi vibe.
The first subject of the practical assessment was spiritual power testing.
The expressions of Lin Rui's classmates varied, some excited, some anticipatory, some anxious, and some disheartened.
His close friend Wang Sen was among them.
This was a chubby-faced youngster with a somewhat slick demeanor, now winking at him.
Lin Rui's test number was 1. When he stepped into the line, he heard a crisp female voice from behind him, "Why didn't you participate in the practical simulations these past few days, Lin Rui?"
Lin Rui immediately looked back.
Standing behind him was a girl with a neutral appearance and demeanor, her short hair jet-black and her gaze sharp.
This girl, named Wang Linna, was one of Lin Rui's academic rivals.
Since their admission, the first and second ranks had been alternated between the two of them, with the chubby boy constantly in third place.
Lin Rui, with a cold expression, withdrew his gaze, "I was busy, no time."
Based on some videos from the smart terminal, Lin Rui and Wang Linna didn't have a good relationship, so there was no need to be pleasant toward her.
But Wang Linna was relentless, "You know, I've already implanted the top-grade artificial meridians. Are you afraid to compete against me, afraid you'll lose?"
She shook her head dismissively, "You underestimate me. I wouldn't take advantage of you. I hope we encounter each other in this practical assessment; I'll show you the progress I've made over the last month."
Wang Linna actually admired Lin Rui quite a bit. This guy had no family tutor, didn't attend any martial arts cram schools, couldn't afford monthly gene enhancement injections, and his meridians were only second-grade quality, yet his performance always managed to stay among the top of their class, nearly equal to hers.
However, she was certain her scores could surpass Lin Rui's this year.
Lin Rui just rolled his eyes.
His absence from the practical lessons was actually because he was afraid of exposing his true abilities.
Since Wang Linna persisted in thinking that way, he let her be.
Right at that moment, the staff near the large device spoke up, "Eight o'clock sharp; the assessment begins. Please, student number 1, enter the testing device and remember, once inside, to remove all upper garments, and ladies, please be aware, I mean all upper garments."
Lin Rui immediately walked into the entrance of the device.
Inside the spiritual power tester, there was an enclosed space. As soon as Lin Rui stepped in, the door behind him automatically closed.
He took off his shirt and quietly waited inside, watching some indicator lights flicker with fluorescent light around him.
About a minute later, he heard an electronic synthesized voice, "Testing complete! Spiritual power 153, lieutenant class. Your score has been sent to the city education center. Please proceed to classroom 3321 to participate in the next phase of the practical assessment."
Lin Rui was slightly pleased.
Lin Rui's original body had been tested just one month ago, and at that time, his spiritual power was only 112.
This must be benefiting from copying the Grandmaster-level Red Thunder Pilaster technique,
Yesterday, after he had copied that martial art, he felt his spiritual power and True Qi had significantly progressed.
However, without specific tests, Lin Rui could not be certain.
Lieutenant class spiritual power was now sufficient for meridian implantation.
The bodies of Tianji Star people contain twelve meridians and eight loops revolving around the central Dantian in the chest and abdomen, very similar to the ancient Chinese meridian system.
Lin Rui had only implanted the 'Dantian' and 'Meridians', but not the 'Loops' yet.
His family was so poor it was barely making ends meet, struggling to supply the proteins and calories Lin Rui needed for his daily martial training, let alone consider 'artificial meridians'.
Just as Lin Rui left through another door of the device, Wang Linna entered from the entrance.
She quickly removed all her clothes and stood stark-naked inside the machine.
A moment later, she too heard an electronic synthesized voice, "Testing complete! Spiritual power 123, lieutenant class. Your score has been sent to the city education center. Please proceed to classroom 3321 to participate in the next phase of the practical assessment."
Wang Linna's eyebrows lifted slightly, a touch of joy appearing in her eyes.
"I want to check my spiritual power ranking."
The electronic voice sounded again, "In the list of all assessments completed in this session, your score is currently 421st in the city, 14th within the school, and 2nd in your class."
Wang Linna's pupils contracted slightly, staring in disbelief toward the exit.
She was the second in class to start the test, which meant Lin Rui's spiritual power score had actually surpassed hers?
Impossible!
Although Lin Rui's 'Dantian' was of top-grade quality, the quality of his 'Meridians' was only second-grade.
With his daily training of spiritual power and True Qi, how could he possibly compare to her, who had implanted top-grade loops and whose Dantian and Meridians were also top-grade?
Lin Rui had already reached classroom 3321.
This classroom, heavily invested in by the school, was a specially large space featuring rows of combat simulation terminals, each two meters tall and over a meter wide.
Lin Rui found his designated terminal according to his test number, and settled into the seat shaped like a massage chair.
Soon after, other students who had completed their spiritual power tests began to trickle in.
Wang Linna sat next to him.
This girl, for some reason, just kept staring at him as soon as she entered the classroom.
Seeing this, the chubby Wang Sen found it strange and sent him a message.
Quirky Youth: It's weird, why is Wang Linna always staring at you? This tomboy couldn't possibly have a crush on you, right?
Quirky Youth: No, wait, looking at her expression, it's like you did something to offend her. Come on, be honest, what did you do?
Lin Rui's lips twitched, and he responded with his mind.
Gu Ying Tiandao: Scram!
'Gu Ying Tiandao' was his current screen name.
Lin Rui found it quite juvenile and somewhat embarrassing, planning to change it after a while.
Afterward, Wang Sen sent another message, but Lin Rui was already too lazy to entertain this guy.
He directly opened the video library of the smart terminal, reviewing the life experiences of "himself" from the past.
About thirty minutes later, all thirty-two students in the class had finished the check.
Just as everyone was seated, three teachers in military uniforms walked in.
The chief examiner, a middle-aged man wearing a federal major's uniform, had a stern face.
His gaze swept coldly across the classroom, "The Alien Body assessment will start in three minutes. Please take your seats according to your numbers and put on your deep dive helmets.
Before the assessment, check if your virtual terminal and helmets are intact. If the terminal is damaged or the system reports an error and cannot start, inform the examiners immediately."
Lin Rui had already carefully checked the virtual terminal in front of him.
When he put on the deep dive helmet, the back of his seat slowly reclined, putting Lin Rui's body in a semi-reclined position.
As the virtual terminal activated, Lin Rui's vision went black instantly.
The next moment, he found himself on a stage.
The stage, about fifty meters in diameter, was made of long, ten-meter long horizontal stones, surrounded by black void on all sides.
Lin Rui knew this world was simulated by computer programs, but the horizontal stones under his feet felt quite real.
He then looked down at his own body.
It was about 2.4 meters tall, about two heads taller than the current human beings on Earth.
Both the limbs and the attire resembled those of ancient Chinese people.
There were no mirrors here, so Lin Rui couldn't see his own facial features, but they probably resembled those of East Asians in the Earth Federation.
—This was what the people from Tianji Star looked like.
The Alien Body that Lin Rui would control in the future looked like this.
The so-called 'Alien Body' was a hybrid of Tianji Star people created by biologists combining human and Tianji Star people's DNA, controlled by human will and thoughts.
Humans controlled Alien Bodies to arrive on Tianji Star to carry out various exploration and scientific research tasks.
They regarded themselves as 'Alien Body Walkers,' but the Tianji Star people called them 'Heavenly Demons from beyond their domain'.
The Earth Federation built fourteen mega base cities on many satellites of Tianji Star, and only the most talented armored martial artists in these cities could get the Alien Body license to become Alien Body Walkers.
Alien Body Walkers held a very high social status and belonged to the most profitable profession of this era, a shortcut for ordinary people to climb up the social ladder.
At that moment, Lin Rui's opponent also appeared on the stage.
However, what Lin Rui looked at first was the 'Combat Assessment Instructions' projected in front of him.
Lin Rui had already understood the rules of the assessment.
In summary, there were only three points.
1: The combat assessment is a ranking battle, opponents are randomly assigned from ranks close to one's own battle record.
2: Each battle lasts for five minutes. If the battle cannot be concluded in five minutes, the winner is decided based on both sides' combat scores.
3: The ranking battle ends after four hours, and the final scores are determined by each individual's victories and accumulated combat scores.
After choosing to agree with his thoughts, Lin Rui looked at his opponent.
It happened to be his classmate.
The name displayed above his head—Anderson Wodder.
Anderson also looked over, his face darkening slightly, "Lin Rui?"
This virtual world was incredibly realistic, even Anderson's emotions were fully displayed.
Anderson then chuckled awkwardly, "Look at my luck, it's terrible! Rui, considering we've been classmates for so many years, can you—"
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The stage suddenly emitted three warning beeps and a burst of red light enveloped Anderson.
Anderson was unable to speak anymore.
His recent remarks about cheating had resulted in him being muted by the system.
Yet Anderson's eyes still watery, looked at him with a plea.
Unfortunately, Lin Rui's heart was as hard as stone.
As soon as the battle started, Lin Rui dashed forward and finished Anderson with a single strike.
Recently, Anderson's performance in class ranked around 20th; the old Lin Rui might have taken about a minute to take him down.
But now, his Red Thunder Saber was of Grandmaster level, ending the fight instantly.
The duration of each battle influenced Lin Rui's combat scores significantly, and these scores decided his overall ranking.
Lin Rui, striving to get into the top 100 of the city to secure the school reward, how could he afford to hold back in the first battle?
Moreover, future Alien Body companies also looked at their combat performances in this assessment.
Lin Rui wouldn't let Anderson go; their relationship wasn't that good either.
In the following seven battles, Lin Rui resolved each one with extreme speed.
The longest fight didn't last more than fifteen seconds.
He took a moment to check his ranking, currently 142nd in the city of the ninth base.
Lin Rui was secretly astonished; he had resolved the fights very quickly.
Including the waiting and preparation time, it took ten minutes for seven battles, yet he had just made it into the top 150 in the city.
The ninth base city had only nine Alien Body Colleges, yet it was a place full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
Just then, another slender figure appeared before Lin Rui.
Lin Rui looked at the name above the opponent's head—Wang Linna.