GXI3 Advanced Tester

Zhang Miaoran's reaction was fairly normal. Her little face reddened like an apple, the tips of her ears burning as she lowered her head and unconsciously twisted her fingers.

But the best friend standing beside her looked as if she had seen a ghost, her face full of question marks.

"Is that something Your Highness Zhe could say?"

"Why is he so practiced at this?"

"Which scumbag corrupted him?"

"Impossible!"

"I'm Your Highness Zhe's true ten-year veteran fan!"

Zhou Zhe shifted his gaze toward her. "You're Miaoran's best friend, right?!"

This girl gave Zhou Zhe a very strange feeling.

It was neither the usual goodwill nor malice, but something like the fervor of a believer beholding a deity, or an obsessive fan seeing their idol.

That was right!

Fervor!

Zhou Zhe shook his head, unwilling to dig into it. "Time is precious. Let's skip the small talk and get straight to the point."

"To gain mastery over extraordinary power, talent alone is not enough. You also need to work hard enough."

"You must uncover the strongest driving force deep in your heart—the strength of will that will sustain your cultivation!"

Having said that, Zhou Zhe called over an assistant. "Take them for a comprehensive assessment first, then have them fill out an apprentice information form."

In truth, neither of those was a necessary step.

The comprehensive testing equipment had been acquired by Mentor Lin Ye from who knew where. It had a somewhat sci-fi feel to it and could test one's cultivation aptitude, though it was neither comprehensive nor particularly accurate.

As for filling out the apprentice information form...

It was purely because Zhou Zhe had completely forgotten Zhang Miaoran's best friend's name.

"Her surname was Hu, right?"

"No, it should be Fu!"

They were classmates, after all. Asking someone their surname and given name to their face would be rather awkward!

The female assistant was like an emotionless task-execution machine. She immediately accepted the order without the slightest delay and led the two away for testing.

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhe activated his multitasking Self-Configuration. While slowly working his way through Elementary Planar Cryptography, he searched for other suitable exchanges.

He still had 25 Gladiator Points left!

For most ordinary Cosmic Gladiators, that was nearly the number of points they could earn only through a life-and-death battle.

Used properly, they would surely bring about a tremendous increase in his overall strength!

Swift Wind Pavilion, Comprehensive Testing Room.

Zhang Miaoran and Chang Hanshan entered the silver-white metal pods, brimming with a sci-fi aesthetic, one after the other. Rays invisible to the naked eye pierced through their cells as data streamed rapidly across the external display screens.

"You two little sisters are quite lucky."

The female assistant spoke gently. "This is the GXI3 Advanced Tester."

"There is only one in the entire country. Even many powerful and influential people have to queue up for appointments, and slots are hard to come by."

"You should know that when Master Zhou had his aptitude tested back then, he used an ordinary ZIE9 Model."

"It was originally installed at the capital headquarters and was only transported here a few hours ago."

She had originally thought that Zhou Zhe had ordered someone to transport this tester over to support the alliance plan between Swift Wind Pavilion and the Supernatural Affairs Department. Now, however, it seemed she had missed the mark.

It was mainly for that girl named Zhang Miaoran.

"The results are out."

The female assistant directly transmitted the electronic documents to Zhou Zhe's office computer, then printed the paper copies and handed them to Zhang Miaoran and Chang Hanshan.

Zhang Miaoran: Spirit B+, Endurance C+, Strength B-, Agility B. Elemental Affinity: Wood B, Wind C.

Overall Rating: B

Evaluation: Has some potential for training, but investing excessive resources is not recommended.

"I really am... so mediocre."

The girl in the gray dress looked at the document in her hands, her expression despondent.

Yet her best friend Chang Hanshan, standing beside her, decisively pinched her cheek and thrust her own aptitude analysis report before her eyes, looking heartbroken. "Could you have a little ambition!"

"Do you think a B-grade talent is low?"

"See that? I only have D-minus aptitude!"

"My Elemental Affinity is just D-grade water as well, and aren't I still alive and kicking?"

Zhang Miaoran raised her head and glanced at it.

Chang Hanshan: Spirit A, Endurance E, Strength E-, Agility E. Elemental Affinity: Water D

Overall Rating: D-

Evaluation: Extraordinary potential is extremely low. Aside from strong spiritual power, she is good for nothing—a stiff, frail Muggle. It is recommended that she be abandoned outright.

"There is no shortage of miracles in this world!"

The Muggle best friend was utterly undeterred. Patting her own papaya-sized conscience, she said with boundless energy, "As long as we believe in ourselves, work hard, and persevere, we might not end up inferior to those S-grade favored children of heaven!"

"We're good sisters who have shared life-and-death bonds!"

"Even if you don't believe in yourself, you have to believe in me, who believes in you!"

After that torrent of words from her chatterbox Muggle best friend, Zhang Miaoran suddenly saw the light.

Compared to her sunny, optimistic best friend, she immediately felt a little ashamed of herself.

The gap in their mindsets was simply too great!

Could someone like her really end up with Zhou Zhe?

Chang Hanshan was practically a roundworm in Zhang Miaoran's stomach. One look at her expression, and she immediately knew what she was thinking. "Are you stupid? When it comes to love, you have to take the initiative! Once you miss this village, there won't be another inn!"

"You only have someone like me, an unparalleled best friend!"

"If it were some other plastic sisterhood, they probably wouldn't even tell you this. Nine times out of ten, they'd secretly snatch Your Highness Zhe away!"

???

Your Highness Zhe?

Zhang Miaoran was utterly bewildered.

Chang Hanshan's expression turned somewhat strange, and she changed the subject with the swiftness of the wind. "Ah! Enough of that. Let's go find 'Teacher Zhou' first!"

"The terrace nearest the water gets the moonlight first! Learn as much as we can!"

"I'm telling you, in any world, extraordinary knowledge is the most precious thing!"

"Not every powerhouse has Your Highness Zhe's... Zhou Zhe's breadth of heart, willing to impart this knowledge selflessly!"

Zhang Miaoran nodded blankly, cutely, feeling that her mind was in a bit of a mess.

All this time, her best friend had been relatively introverted, and Zhang Miaoran had always taken the lead between them.

She did not know when it had begun, but Chang Hanshan's personality had changed drastically. She had become livelier and more cheerful than before, and confidence shone from every inch of her, making her exceptionally dazzling.

The female assistant, who had been quietly waiting nearby, received a message on her phone at that moment.

After reading the text, she said, "You should both know the way back and forth by now. Master Zhou has assigned me other work."

"If you have any questions, you can contact me directly through the Myriad Heavens Forum."

The message she had just received had naturally been sent by Zhou Zhe.

Zhou Zhe felt that the female assistant was responsible for too many matters. Future assessments for new apprentices would be handled by Coach Li Shanhe instead.

As for her, she was to begin handling liaison work with information companies.

The Myriad Heavens Forum, casually created by "Dao," was convenient and fast. It required no external hardware, had no signal issues, and there was no possibility of secrets being stolen.

People could communicate and share intelligence on the Myriad Heavens Forum anytime and anywhere. Its chat and group creation functions were also extremely comprehensive.

Once the Myriad Heavens Forum was released, not only Earth's information industry giants, but those of many other civilizations would likely suffer a tremendous blow!

Either they transformed and made other products, or they went bankrupt. There was no third option.

"Okay!"

Chang Hanshan happily responded, grabbing Zhang Miaoran's little hand and running toward Zhou Zhe's office.

Halfway there, she seemed to think of something and spoke somewhat embarrassedly. "Ranan, I have a friend who's Your Highness Zhe's... ah, Zhou Zhe's ten-year veteran fan. She especially admires Zhou Zhe and wants his autograph..."

Zhang Miaoran narrowed her beautiful eyes at her, as wary as a cat guarding its food. "This friend you're talking about—is she you?"