The next stage of the assessment was rather ordinary, following standard procedures that made the audience sleepy with no excitement.
Those who advanced to the next round naturally cheered, while those who were eliminated looked dejected.
The tension only mounted during the combat stage, and although teachers were present, an injury to a student was always a troubling matter.
Li Ming didn’t stay on the platform the whole time, opting instead to wander around.
"Ming bro." Zhang Huaiyuan greeted him excitedly, panting after just finishing a duel.
"I made it into the key training program." It was apparent he struggled, but his vastly superior development progress still provided him a significant advantage.
"Not bad," Li Ming praised.
Zhang Huaiyuan chuckled, "If it weren’t for your guidance during training, I would have barely missed it."
He stood there, with many people glancing his way frequently.
Shortly after, Liang Long also came over, his expression excited as he clenched his fists.
Only the two of them made it into the key training program, while Wang Bing and Ge Hong failed to qualify, Ji Ya and Yang Yu were far behind.
Ji Ya, who was carefree, wasn’t particularly bothered, but Yang Yu appeared somewhat downcast.
"Ming bro, you’re really amazing," Ge Hong exclaimed sincerely, his cheeks flushing with pride.
"Haha..." Li Ming laughed, "Just lucky, I guess. In the future, you can text me if you need anything."
Ge Hong showed no particular reaction, but the eyes of Zhang Huaiyuan and Liang Long brightened.
With Li Ming’s current status, his prospects were sky-high.
Although they would likely cause no serious trouble, having Li Ming’s support meant more stable days ahead.
"Professor Wu asked me to accompany him to the lab. Let’s head back to the hotel and pack up first."
The sun set in the west, and the final assessment results were out, with Li Ming dominating the top spot.
The rankings of the others were more or less as most had predicted beforehand, with Roth in second and Zhao Jingang in third.
The dean announced the results and after a speech, let everyone disperse. Their dormitories had been assigned and were ready for occupancy.
The group from Silver Grey Star walked together back to the hotel in silence to pack their belongings, mainly because Fang Biao was with them.
This large and imposing man incited an indescribable fear in the group, a natural reverence lower life forms feel towards higher life forms.
"Are you... really not staying in the dormitory?" Yang Yu asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, Professor Wu asked me to stay at the lab," Li Ming replied as he gathered his clothes and leftover nutrient serums.
"Then where should I find you later on?" Yang Yu asked tentatively, looking down.
"Just come to the lab, I’ll send you the location later," Li Ming replied nonchalantly, "text me if you need anything."
"Let me... see your star network ID," Yang Yu said quietly.
"Oh." Li Ming felt somewhat baffled, handing over his smart terminal.
After fidgeting with it for a while, Yang Yu perked up again.
"Then don’t silence your device anymore," Yang Yu returned the device.
"Hmm..." Li Ming pondered; he hadn’t silenced it, but sometimes he kept the smart terminal in his Control backup slot.
"Bro Fang," Li Ming suddenly spoke, turning to Fang Biao who was as imposing as a wall beside him, who quickly responded, "What is it?"
Fang Biao couldn’t afford to underestimate Li Ming anymore, as he had captured the top spot in the opening assessments with extraordinary potential.
"Could you add her as a friend? In case she needs me and can’t find me, she could contact you," Li Ming requested.
"No problem," Fang Biao nodded, and Yang Yu became even happier.
After saying their goodbyes, Li Ming followed Fang Biao to the arriving hovercar and proceeded to Professor Wu’s private lab.
On a small island not far from the University of Science and Technology, buildings were tightly packed, with two tall structures particularly prominent.
Devices hanging above glowed dimly, the semi-transparent metal bridges between them flowed with blue halos, resembling energy transmission pipes.
Fully armed security personnel patrolled the area, their eyes sharp, not typical employees.
This place had special security regulations; even law enforcement couldn’t enter without permission.
After disembarking from the hovercar, Professor Wu had already received the message and came over to welcome them personally.
He seemed eager as he took Li Ming’s bags after he got out of the car.
"Come, follow me," he led Li Ming to the laboratory area between the two tall buildings.
While walking, he said, "I’ve already authorized you; you can come and go as you please here."
"The development training area is in the east, cafeteria on the left, rest area to the northwest..."
He continued introducing as they moved through the metal corridor, the alloy doors along the way kept closing and reopening.
The researchers they encountered showed utmost respect to Professor Wu, stopping to let them pass, some even appearing fearful.
Another door opened, leading to a polygonal transitional space where several metal corridors converged, and people occasionally passed through.
Passing through, they proceeded further deep into the lab until another security door revealed a heavy grey-white alloy door.
This place had multiple layers of protection; fingerprint and iris scans were just basic measures, and seemingly, only Professor Wu could come here.
With a decompression noise, white mist seeped from the crevices as they entered a pitch-dark room.
With a "buzz," the lights turned on, brightening the dark room like daylight, with several large machines in the center and high-pressure storage tanks containing bubbling green liquid.