His entire body swiftly expanded, nearing 2.5 meters in height, his muscles as taut as iron blocks, powerful strength surging through him.
The small briefs shielding his private parts were stretched taut, bulging veins throbbing underneath his skin.
"Fierce Bear, strength nearly doubled, defense almost increased by half," Li Ming panted heavily, yet felt a sense of exhilaration as if shaking off some restraints, eager to smash everything to smithereens.
His gene development progress had reached 70%, which had started to decelerate again after crossing 60%.
But now, Li Ming was flush with resources, having spent six thousand points of metal energy to upgrade the two E-grade detection devices on his person to D-grade Genetic Radiation Devices, each enhancing the development progress by 100%.
Excluding the [Thunderclap Body Tempering], the total development enhancement had reached 500%, which translated to Level 10 in potential development, so his rate of development was still not slow.
His energy level, nearing 90E was, after all, from a top-tier Elemental gene seed, which naturally surpassed ordinary gene seeds within the same level.
The double boost from the Fierce Bear form, the regular enhancement from Armored Four Arms, plus the double boost from [Charged Strike].
In total, that was a fivefold increase, making his burst energy level nearly reach 500E, already touching the standards of a D-level Life Form.
After familiarizing himself with the transformation for a moment, his body quickly shrank back down. Glancing at the time, he thought, "Better rest up, the assessment is tomorrow."
"Bro Li, Bro Li, wake up, we’re going to be late!" Ge Hong woke him early in the morning, the plump boy seemingly very excited.
"It’s only five o’clock, why the rush?" Li Ming got ready to see everyone already geared up to go.
"We should get there early to avoid the lines," Ge Hong said, grinning.
"My development progress has reached 100% at F-grade; I might even contend for the key training class," Zhang Huaiyuan said, which was a development of the past two days.
Although he initially needed more time, inspired by Li Ming along the way, everyone had been focusing on their training, and he did not want to be outdone.
There were several times when he couldn’t persist, but with no one else to talk to, he simply gritted his teeth and continued; now, he was thankful for his past self’s efforts.
The others were also filled with anticipation.
The University of Science and Technology monopolized an entire island, spanning a vast area.
In early October, the sky was originally somewhat overcast, with a tendency to rain, but the University of Science and Technology specifically dispersed the clouds, leaving a very clear sky.
Upon arrival at the island’s edge, the driver of the hovering car that brought them shouted, "A future bright and beautiful!"
They waved back at the driver and turned to face what lay before them, all somewhat wide-eyed with surprise.
Wherever their eyes landed, people were everywhere, the clamor reaching for the skies.
"This... are there really this many people with ten thousand?" Ge Hong couldn’t help but say.
"Look at the crowd, media reporters, students’ parents, and older students – add them all up, and that’s a lot of people," came the response.
The academy had no gates, only a crystal pillar suspended in the heavens, projecting holograms to direct people around its base.
Across the academy, numerous aircraft-like vehicles shuttled back and forth, presumably internal transport.
Long queues had already formed beneath the crystal pillar to register names. Among the tight mass of people, city guards clad in full armor, their expressions stern, mostly F-grade beings, mingled.
"Nuo Xing is here! She’s really in our cohort!" Ge Hong shouted excitedly, looking at a figure not too far away.
That figure stood tall and elegant, a pale blue long dress trailing to her ankles, her waist slender and graceful, her side profile delicate as she stood there quietly.
A few women gathered around her, enclosing her in the center, yet not driving others away.
"Who’s that guy? Smiling so lasciviously, and how come he can talk to Nuo Xing?" Ge Hong suddenly ground his teeth.
Ji Ya rolled her eyes, "Where’s he lecherous? He’s so handsome with blond hair and blue eyes, very gentlemanly."
"Roth, an E-level life form, his grandfather was once one of the three members of the Blue Star Presidential Committee," Wang Bing added, "It’s said that his development speed exceeds 90%, he must be the most formidable guy in our cohort."
Roth was speaking with Nuo Xing, appearing like acquaintances, conversing amicably.
The group queued up, and it wasn’t long before it was their turn. Naturally, Li Ming couldn’t simply register with a recommendation letter in hand, as he had already contacted the University of Science and Technology, and his information was on record.
"Li Ming, a mech, right?" The staff member in front of him looked up in apparent surprise.
They entered the school, where separate areas for assessment were clearly demarcated. Holographic caution lines enclosed each area, with stands designated for each specialization.
The group split up, with Li Ming following the directions to find the mech stand.
"Uh..." In the vast seating area, only a few dozen people were sparsely seated. As he arrived, they cast measuring glances at him, then quickly averted their eyes.
"Not really a crowd..." He shook his head and found a spot to sit.
"Hey..." A somewhat familiar voice sounded beside him, and when Li Ming looked up, he couldn’t help but be surprised.
"Call me sister; I’m several years older than you." Xu Wei rolled her eyes and sat down beside him with ease, tucking her skinny jeans into her black thigh-high boots.
Not far away, a young man stood laden with bags, presumably an accompanying staffer, looking their way.
Xu Wei complained, "Why didn’t you contact me when you arrived, and you didn’t reply to messages? It was only after I reached out to Xiao Yutou that I found you lot."
"Oh, I had messages on silent," Li Ming replied, leaving Xu Wei speechless, who then sighed, "Just my luck, your article can’t be published just yet."
She ran her fingers through her hair, feeling resigned, "I was thinking once the whole affair of the Starshine Company on Silver Grey Star blew up, triggering some buzz, I would ride on that momentum to release it. After stirring some public opinion, the University of Science and Technology might show some bias in your favor."