Isolated Instruction

In a brand-new learning environment.

Lan Junxian's grand declaration left Jiang Qian with countless questions.

"So you mean I'll be joining Wanzhong Group, not the official Special Affairs Center?"

Lan Junxian shrugged helplessly.

Jiang Qian sorted through his thoughts. "And a considerable number of Wanzhong Group employees are License Holders hidden among ordinary people? Wanzhong Group is the stronghold of orderly License Holders."

"That's right."

Jiang Qian's understanding had been overturned once again.

Who would have thought that this thriving corporate giant, the high-paying employer countless elites fought desperately to join, had emerged under the promotion of the License Holder authorities?

He still remembered the scene when Wanzhong Group came to Jinping University for campus recruitment.

Even at a top-tier university like Jinping University, its selection standards were astonishingly strict. Many fresh graduates regarded getting into Wanzhong Group as their ultimate goal.

And even more students had to rack their brains and pull out all the stops just to secure an internship there. They had to fight their way through the "written test—group interview—second interview—third interview—cross interview" HR selection process, eliminating countless competitors before they might catch the hiring department's eye.

Anyone who could step into the Wanzhong Building's work area and receive an employee badge—even if they were a rookie—was an elite rookie chosen from a hundred!

But there were exceptions.

According to Lan Junxian, if you were fortunate enough to receive certification from the Super-Species World and obtain an Identity Card, then even if you had never finished elementary school, had been collecting trash the night before, and possessed less knowledge than the air in the universe... Wanzhong's HR would still respectfully tell you, "Come to work tomorrow!"

Surprised?

An Identity Card was Wanzhong Group's ticket through the door.

That was also the real reason why, despite Wanzhong Group's formidable overall strength, idiots could often be found within it.

Jiang Qian silently organized the new knowledge he had received.

Then, with an innocent expression, he asked Lan Junxian, "So the East Sea Special Affairs Center isn't planning to take me anymore?"

That sentence clearly stabbed Lan Junxian right in the heart... He was suffering!

"No, no, that's not it! I racked my brains trying to transfer you to East Sea, but from headquarters to every major branch, there are simply too many people eager to recruit you! Headquarters keeping you in Jinping and assigning you to the grassroots level may also be a way of balancing everyone's expectations..."

Lan Junxian did his best to calm the pain of losing such talent and analyzed the matter rationally.

"This may be a good thing for you too. Hidden Dragon... You're still only First State. Exposing yourself to the center of the storm too early could bring unnecessary trouble."

"Looking at it this way, the higher-ups at headquarters do value talent. This arrangement is an effective form of protection for both your abilities and your potential."

Jiang Qian listened with rapt attention.

Hidden Dragon...

That was the Super-Species player ID he had chosen for himself. In the future, he would enter Evolution Dungeons in the Super-Species World under that name, sharing glory and disgrace with it.

He had not thought much about it when he named himself, but now it happened to align perfectly with his current survival strategy.

Of course, staying in Jinping also perfectly suited Jiang Qian's original expectations.

Prosperous metropolises like the capital and East Sea were certainly tempting, but he wanted to remain closer to home.

"All right! Men shouldn't be so sentimental." Lan Junxian patted Jiang Qian on the shoulder. "I'm your buddy, after all. If you run into any confusion at Wanzhong later, call me anytime."

At that moment, Ye Xiaojing, who had remained silent at the side, stepped forward and handed over a business card.

Jiang Qian accepted it and examined it carefully. It listed Lan Junxian's position and rank within Wanzhong Group, along with his phone number.

"Besides serving as deputy director of the East Sea Special Affairs Center's Action Department, the boss is also a specially appointed senior training expert for Wanzhong Group."

"Among License Holders, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who understands the Super-Species World better than the boss."

After saying that, Ye Xiaojing calmly stepped back to the side and watched coldly.

Jiang Qian carefully put away the card. "Thank you, Teacher Lan."

"No need to thank me. You're the talent I personally picked..." Lan Junxian waved a hand, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and walked toward the projection screen. "Time is tight, so let's skip the pleasantries. Class begins."

Just as he did in university lectures, Jiang Qian sat upright and listened attentively.

This one-on-one lesson continued until late into the night.

Following the structure of the seven states of energy, Lan Junxian focused on the traits and evolutionary abilities of License Holders from First State through Third State.

Due to time constraints, his introduction to Noble Cards and Divine Cards only covered the basic concepts.

He did not delve too deeply into knowledge Jiang Qian had no immediate use for.

In short:

First State: Cognitive Form was the beginning of a Super-Species, signifying limitless possibilities.

Under the fusion of Super-Species genes, one's physical attributes—strength, speed, and recovery—were all significantly enhanced.

At this stage, divine bestowment would lift one corner of its mask, allowing the License Holder to glimpse the many possible powers of their Identity Card. In accordance with the License Holder's own will and desire to explore, those abilities would gradually manifest and strengthen.

Jiang Qian's Poison Resistance and Spirit Vision had rapidly developed during his encounter with the Peacock Spider and his battle against the Spider Cocoon.

Therefore, the focus of evolution at this stage was "plasticity."

At Second State: Heteromorphic Form, the species represented by the Identity Card would begin to manifest.

Physical attributes would be enhanced again, reaching a superhuman level far beyond ordinary humans. One could also develop a single bodily feature related to the Identity Card, such as sharp claws, fangs, armored plating, or wings, for combat, defense, and escape.

The focus of evolution at this stage was "animality."

The more thoroughly one understood the species depicted on the card, the more likely one was to trigger the manifestation and enhancement of its abilities.

In terms of professional expertise, Jiang Qian, a student of the Jinping University School of Life Sciences majoring in zoology and botany, could not have been a better fit!

Naturally, cards involving divine beasts, exotic beasts, or ancient beasts without clear references came with far more uncertainty.

For example, Jiang Qian's own Teng Snake card.

Third State: Fusion Form was an amplified version of Second State: Heteromorphic Form.

Physical attributes continued to improve upon their existing foundation, while the heteromorphic features progressed from a single bodily structure to complex fusions of multiple structures.

At this stage, the many traits of an Identity Card creature could manifest flexibly within the human body.

More combination techniques could be developed during this stage.

When "fusion" reached a certain degree, the divide between the human body and the animal on the Identity Card would grow narrower and narrower until it vanished. At that point, the License Holder would face the Evolution Narrow Gate, advancing from an "ordinary Identity Card" to a "Noble Card."

Those who passed through the Narrow Gate would undergo a qualitative transformation in strength, reaching Fourth State: Perfect Form.

At this stage, License Holders would gain the language and ability to command the species represented by their Identity Card, cultivating and controlling those creatures for production, labor, or even defense against enemies.

Furthermore, Fourth State: Perfect Form License Holders who had newly attained noble status would unlock the special power of the noble stage—"authority." Some called it a miracle that transcended evolutionary ranks.

But there were very few License Holders capable of passing through the Evolution Narrow Gate and obtaining noble status. The overwhelming majority either failed to cross that boundary or died amid brutal competition.

Thus, from First State to Third State, the number of License Holders declined in a linear trend. But from Third State to Fourth State, their numbers suffered a cliff-like plunge! The same was true from Fourth State to Fifth State, and from Fifth State to Sixth State.

It could be said that every advancement beyond Fourth State was an extremely dangerous undertaking. License Holders not only had to push hard in evolution, but also remain exceptionally cautious of degeneration and mutation.

The higher the rank, the fewer the License Holders, and the more drastic the differences in power.

Fifth State: Composite Form was the advanced form of Noble Cards.

Those who reached this stage were all formidable figures, most of them holding important positions and great authority within major organizations.

The abilities of Fifth State: Composite Form License Holders rose another dimension beyond Fourth State: Perfect Form—natural force!

Any License Holder who fully mastered the particular "natural force" of Fifth State could potentially destroy an entire city or even a nation alone.

When a Fifth State License Holder sought to evolve into Sixth State: Divine Office, it meant they had to complete their second transcendence of realms: heavenly tribulation.

The knowledge beyond that was too distant from Jiang Qian, so Lan Junxian did not discuss it.

"Remember, the 'card species' of a License Holder is merely the manifested intention of Super-Species power. It usually has nothing to do with the strength of that power. If you underestimate an opponent because of their card, you're asking for disaster."

Lan Junxian gave him a special reminder.

To make Jiang Qian understand, he gave an example. "There was once a Second State Mutant whose Identity Card was 'mosquito.' He used his sharp proboscis to suck an entire village dry."

Jiang Qian frowned slightly. "I wanted to ask when you were explaining the seven-state energy structure earlier. Are there many Mutants in this world?"

"They're a minority. It's difficult for me to give you an exact proportion, but even so, the potential threat posed by Mutants still consumes a great deal of the orderly authorities' resources." Lan Junxian sighed softly.

"I remember you said that the collapse of an energy structure was the direct cause of mutation. Other than that, what risks should we be aware of?"

Lan Junxian answered in a single sentence. "Energy structure imbalance, mental illness, and excessive evil deeds can all lead to mutation."

That conclusion came only from statistical induction.

The true cause of mutation was still under intensive research and had yet to be determined.

After listening to Lan Junxian's overall explanation, Jiang Qian contemplated it intently for a long while.

"So my task at this stage is to make use of the plasticity of First State: Cognitive Form, thoroughly explore the boundaries of my abilities, and build a solid, stable foundation for my power."

"That's right." Lan Junxian nodded approvingly. "But don't push yourself too hard. You've only just become a License Holder, yet you've already faced life-and-death trials again and again. Your foundation already far surpasses that of ordinary people."

"Next, think carefully about which of your abilities haven't been fully utilized yet. If you have any problems, resolve them all while you're here."

Think? No, what I may need is practical combat training... Jiang Qian had only just formed that thought.

Ye Xiaojing, who had been listening from the side, suddenly stepped forward, her tone cold.

"Kill techniques."

At those two words, a strange gleam flashed through Jiang Qian's eyes.