My Honkai Star Rail System Arrived Early

After a while, Ruan Mei slowly woke from her spring slumber. Her delicate lips parted slightly, and she gently tapped her cheeks with her slender fingers as if to clear her head.

"Let's see if Ji Yuan has grasped it yet."

Thinking this, she raised her gaze to look at Ji Yuan.

She saw Ji Yuan leaning back in his chair, eyes closed, legs splayed open and limp, arms hanging powerlessly.

If an ordinary person saw Ji Yuan's current state, they would assume he was asleep and not studying at all. However, Ruan Mei nodded slightly upon seeing him like this.

The scientists of the Genius Society were all lunatics; their thought processes were bizarre, with public nudity and self-harm being common occurrences. Ji Yuan's current state of dormant thought was considered quite normal.

"Is this his way of thinking? A sleeping life scientist?"

Ruan Mei mused inwardly.

At this moment, her communication device signaled. Ruan Mei reached out to open it, and a virtual screen appeared, displaying the image of a petite loli.

She had brown hair, purple eyes, wore a dress, and a beret on her head. However, upon closer inspection of her joints, one could see the connection marks belonging to a puppet.

This was merely a puppet.

And the one controlling this puppet was Herta, the 83rd member of the Genius Society.

Old Zero One brought Ling Jiu Ling Stable

An old fellow whose true age was unknown, lost to the amber epochs.

"Ruan Mei, how much longer until you arrive at my space station?"

Upon seeing Ruan Mei, Herta asked directly.

As a scientific genius, they omitted various formalities during their exchanges, opting for direct conversation.

"My ship had a minor accident, and I'm currently hitching a ride. It will take a few more days to arrive."

"Hmm. Your mechanical ships are always having accidents. Next time, you should use your biotechnology to create a bio-ship."

"I will next time,"

Ruan Mei replied softly.

At this moment, Herta noticed Ji Yuan lying in the chair and looked at Ruan Mei with a questioning gaze.

"Why do you have someone on your ship? Is this a new experimental subject you plan to test?"

"No, he's not an experimental subject."

Ruan Mei walked behind Ji Yuan, leaned down, and gently cupped his cheeks as she answered Herta.

"Oh? Is he your assistant? Is there anything special about him?"

Herta's interest was piqued slightly.

"No, he's not an assistant." Ruan Mei shook her head again, and amidst Herta's surprised expression, she spoke:

"If he can pass my test, he will be my helper."

"A helper!?"

Ruan Mei nodded again. "Yes, someone who can help with my experiments, and perhaps even become a member of the Genius Society in the future."

"Is his talent that strong?"

"Yes." Ruan Mei then asked Herta, "You know my introductory textbook, right? How long would it take someone without any foundation to master it?"

Herta pondered for a moment and replied to Ruan Mei, "Although your textbook is introductory, it's considered exceptionally profound in the entire universe. For an ordinary person, even with their entire life, they wouldn't be able to master it. For the mediocrities of the Erudition Society, if you personally taught them, they might learn it in about thirty days. For me, if I were to study it alone, it would probably take three to five days, as it's not my area of expertise."

Pointing at Ji Yuan, Herta inquired, "How long did he take?"

Ruan Mei held up one finger. "Less than one night. He learned my introductory knowledge in less than one night and even cultivated a qualified new life. He also corrected the deficiencies in my previous textbook."

Herta carefully observed Ji Yuan and then seriously evaluated:

"Then he is indeed a person with potential."

"Mhm, so I gave him my experimental material reports and the like, wanting to see if last night's events were just a flash of inspiration or true talent."

"Whether he can stand with us or is one of those mediocre individuals from the Erudition Society will depend on his answer when he wakes up."

Ruan Mei looked at Ji Yuan, whom she was holding, with a scrutinizing gaze, wanting to see what conclusions he would draw upon waking.

"Alright, I'll watch from the side too."

Herta, also curious, did not hang up the call.

Chapter 68: Ruan Mei: I'm Taking Ji Yuan With Me [Second Update]

"Time is up. I haven't been able to teach you much in a hundred hours,"

Virtual Ruan Mei said to Ji Yuan with a tone of regret as she checked the time.

This teaching session was very short, and the gap between Ji Yuan's talent and hers was significant. Virtual Ruan Mei felt that time was up before she could say much more. She could only hope for another opportunity to meet him and then explain the rest.

"Um, I'm really sorry."

Although Ji Yuan felt he had made great progress, it was clear it wasn't enough to satisfy virtual Ruan Mei. Seeing her expression and recalling the total of six hundred hours of instruction, Ji Yuan felt extremely embarrassed.

Virtual Ruan Mei didn't say anything, only urging Ji Yuan to leave quickly.

Ji Yuan bid farewell to Virtual Ruan Mei and immediately exited the virtual space.

His consciousness gradually returned to his body, and Ji Yuan felt his head being cradled. A faint scent of osmanthus wafted into his nostrils, incredibly pleasant.

He quickly opened his eyes and found his head cradled in Ruan Mei's embrace.

Across from him and Ruan Mei, a brown-haired loli puppet image was present.

What was going on? Ji Yuan was a bit confused.

Before Ji Yuan could process it, Herta spoke first, "I am Herta, you may know my name. Ruan Mei mentioned your talent is considerable, and I'd like to see your skill level."

Herta!?

Ji Yuan instantly recalled the identity of this loli. He hadn't forgotten that he had instructed Tingyun to flee towards Herta Space Station. Now, the owner of Herta Space Station's image appearing before him made him unavoidably surprised.

However, she was a member of the Genius Society, just like Ruan Mei, so it was highly probable they knew each other. It was normal for him to see her here.

"Ji Yuan, have you finished thinking? Can you give me the answer I want?"

Ruan Mei's embrace around Ji Yuan became gentler, and she whispered sweetly into his ear.

Ji Yuan didn't know what was happening; his defensive equipment showed no reaction whatsoever in front of Ruan Mei. Was this the difference in their power? Even if she wasn't as strong as Phantylia, she probably wasn't far off.

"Of, of course. After reviewing Ms. Ruan Mei's achievements, I've gained a bit of insight."

Ji Yuan quickly broke free from Ruan Mei's embrace and answered her. Being held like that made him extremely uncomfortable. His heightened sense of danger made him worry that if he didn't answer correctly, Ruan Mei might just take his head off.

Ruan Mei clasped her hands together at her lower abdomen, her eyes looking at Ji Yuan expectantly for his answer.

The Herta puppet, on the other hand, crossed her arms and said to Ji Yuan, "Your demeanor is too soft, not at all like someone who could discuss with us. I hope your conclusion isn't the same as those mediocrities from the Erudition Society."

Actually, I'm even worse than those 'mediocrities' from the Erudition Society.

Ji Yuan thought to himself, but his hands moved swiftly. His mind raced, recalling the formula for Ruan Mei a hundred years in the future that he had previously been rewarded with, and he picked up a pen and paper to write it down.

The time for this lesson was too short; Ji Yuan hadn't had a chance to learn anything more. Since he hadn't fully grasped everything yet, he decided to take the safest route.

A formula for Ruan Mei a hundred years in the future.

[Imaginary Remnants, Core of Ice, Feather of Fire...]

Ji Yuan finished writing quickly.

Herta wasn't very familiar with life sciences and didn't understand the formula at all. She simply turned to look at Ruan Mei, trying to gauge her reaction.

Ruan Mei's gaze didn't acknowledge Herta; instead, her eyes were fixed intently on the formula Ji Yuan had written.

After Ji Yuan finished writing the formula, he looked at Ruan Mei, anticipating her response.

Upon reading Ji Yuan's formula, Ruan Mei closed her eyes, her brow furrowed slightly as she began to ponder.

Seeing Ruan Mei's expression, the puppet's face showed an expression of surprise. She turned to look at Ji Yuan and said very seriously, "What you've written has made her fall into deep thought. In all the years I've known her, I've never seen this. Now, I'm starting to agree with what Ruan Mei said."

"You truly are a genius!"

"I dare not accept such praise."

Ji Yuan quickly waved his hands.

He wasn't accustomed to being called a genius, especially since he knew he was far from it.

"It would be better if your temper was as big as your talent," Herta said, clearly displeased with Ji Yuan's current meekness. She looked at Ruan Mei and said, "If I were in your situation now, I would kick Ruan Mei's butt hard with my foot and then question her if I truly have talent."

"Yes, you have a great deal of talent."

Ruan Mei opened her eyes at that moment and replied.

She looked at Ji Yuan, then immediately went to grab the experimental materials. Soon, all the experimental materials Ji Yuan had written down appeared in her hands. Ruan Mei picked up the materials and began to prepare them.

Her expression was extremely focused. Ji Yuan felt that if he really kicked her in the behind at that moment, Ruan Mei wouldn't react at all.

Suppressing this thought, Ji Yuan watched Ruan Mei's actions.

Initially, Ruan Mei was calm and steady, adding the ingredients slowly. However, her speed gradually increased. Ji Yuan could even see afterimages of Ruan Mei's movements; he couldn't discern her actions at all.

Finally, a burst of white smoke exploded, engulfing Ruan Mei's figure.

After a moment, a transparent sphere appeared in her hand. If not for the slight vibration, Ji Yuan would have thought it was a balloon filled with water.

"This is the new creature you've devised. The proportions used in your formula perfectly solve the problem I've been struggling to understand: life's continuation and its potential for growth. Previously, I would imbue creatures with certain traits before cultivation, and even with self-development, they were confined to prescribed paths with little room for change."

As she spoke, Ruan Mei poked the new life form: "This new creature you've created can perfectly absorb the traits of any given item and integrate them to expand its abilities."

She then tossed a piece of flame into the new life form's body. The creature swallowed the flame. It then began to roll rapidly, escaping Ruan Mei's hand and tumbling several times on the ground. After rolling several times, a tube appeared on top of its head, and fire spewed out from it.

Herta raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Its potential for growth gives my stalled experiments a chance to move forward," Ruan Mei said, grabbing Ji Yuan's hand and showing no intention of letting go.

Stalled experiments?

Hearing Ruan Mei's words, Ji Yuan immediately thought of her significant achievement a hundred years in the future.

Creating Emanators in place of the Aeons.

Herta thought the same as Ji Yuan at this moment. She asked Ruan Mei, "Has your plan to cultivate an Emanator progressed with the new life form he devised?"

"Yes," Ruan Mei nodded directly.

"All my previous experiments failed. Those new life forms couldn't withstand the Emanator's power and all died prematurely. But this current new life form has given me new ideas about cultivating life's resilience. I can research further down this path, and it will greatly advance the experiment."

Her tone was calm, but her speaking speed was increasing. At the same time, Ji Yuan could clearly feel her grip on his hand tightening. Ji Yuan's hand was starting to hurt.

Ji Yuan could clearly see the fervor beneath her calmness and the madness beneath her composure.

The formulas Ji Yuan had provided were given by Ruan Mei after she successfully cultivated an Emanator, each containing Ruan Mei's successful experience. Now, seeing the formula after her success, some parts that Ruan Mei didn't understand instantly became clear.

"Can I learn knowledge from you now?"

Ji Yuan asked Ruan Mei again.

"Of course."

Ruan Mei released Ji Yuan's hand and carefully caressed him, as if touching a piece of exquisite porcelain.

"Ji Yuan, I will teach you all the knowledge I possess. From now on, you will be my only student. I hope that one day, you can get the chance to meet the Erudition Aeon and become a full member of our Genius Society."

She nodded seriously, this time completely acknowledging Ji Yuan as her student.

"Mhm, you are the first life science expert that Ruan Mei can still benefit from."

Ji Yuan was overjoyed upon hearing Herta and Ruan Mei say this.

A member of the Genius Society was now going to be his teacher.

If he stayed close to Ruan Mei, could his life be saved?

Closing the communication with Herta, Ruan Mei once again took Ji Yuan's hand and walked towards the outside of the ship.

Once outside, Ruan Mei said to Ji Yuan:

"Let's go, we'll go meet your leader."