"You're welcome." Santai's voice carried a hint of a smile. "It was just a small effort. You fought beautifully in that battle; the data models almost fried Southern Dipper's servers."
As soon as she finished speaking, the figure sitting bolt upright opened his mouth.
A calm, waveless male voice without any emotional fluctuation echoed in the round-table conference hall.
"Santai, please refrain from using hyperbole. The server load remains within the safe threshold."
Although no dissatisfaction could be heard in his tone, one could clearly sense his defensiveness.
"Sorry about that, shouldn't have doubted your models." Santai looked around and asked curiously, "Where is Kongchen? Is he late? He's actually late?"
"Kongchen had an impromptu mission, and Boss Zero Sum is occupied," said a suddenly illuminated holographic figure, his voice that of a mature man. "I will be hosting this meeting. Greetings to all newcomers and veterans, I am Beidou."
Chen Guan cast his gaze toward the figure named Beidou.
Beidou.
Chen Guan silently repeated the codename in his mind.
The second-in-command of the Source Return Group, someone who was at least at the eleventh tier even at his weakest.
White Tiger's strength was unquestionable; what kind of person could overpower him?
Since Beidou's identity was clear, the other silent person was undoubtedly Long Ao.
Chen Guan shifted his gaze over.
He could feel that even through an impenetrable layer of fog, Beidou's eyes fell on him and the other newcomer.
"Welcome to the group, you two." Beidou's voice was steady and emotionless, possessing just a sliver more warmth than Southern Dipper's, making it sound less mechanical. "Black Tortoise, Vermilion Bird, from today onwards, you are members of the Source Return Group. I apologize; due to certain circumstances, this meeting—though not quite a face-to-face one—was delayed for quite some time."
Chen Guan remained silent, but the other holographic figure gave a muffled response. "Mhm."
It was indeed Long Ao's voice.
"During this period, I have prepared ability assessments and potential predictions for both of you, mapping out your subsequent growth paths." Beidou spoke at a moderate pace.
"Southern Dipper, the data."
"Received."
That bolt-upright figure, Southern Dipper, spoke.
A pale blue light screen materialized above the round table in front of him, with countless data streams cascading down like a waterfall.
"Vermilion Bird, aptitude rating: one hundred percent."
Southern Dipper paused for a moment before continuing his analysis in a flat, straightforward tone.
"To save time, skipping the fluff. Summary: a flawless piece of uncut jade, but requires meticulous carving. Growth time is to be determined; won't be of any use in the short term."
The figure in Long Ao's direction visibly twitched, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately held back.
Everyone present was a ruthless monster; he had to endure it.
Southern Dipper's screen shifted and the data refreshed. This time, the target changed to Chen Guan.
"Codename: Black Tortoise, aptitude rating: zero percent."
Zero?
This word caused a ripple of reaction among everyone present, except for White Tiger.
Santai's swaying hologram froze, and Beidou's gentle gaze shifted.
"Explain." Beidou's voice remained calm.
"Potential cannot be modeled," Southern Dipper answered promptly. "Black Tortoise's combat data contains massive logical faults. According to Santai's records, he sustained lethal damage far exceeding his own threshold multiple times, yet his vital signs did not vanish; instead, he recovered to peak condition within a short period."
"The rest of his combat data is even more bizarre. Therefore, based on my database, there are three possible explanations."
"One, he possesses a top-tier superpower. Two, he carries a rule-level life-preserving artifact. Three, he is not human."
"Lastly, this final rating of zero percent originated from Boss Zero Sum."
A brief silence descended upon the conference table.
Chen Guan's heart remained as still as water. Southern Dipper's analysis was highly precise, but it was ultimately blocked by the barrier of worlds.
He would never be able to account for the system, an otherworldly anomaly.
As for saying he wasn't human, that didn't seem entirely wrong either. He was an alt-account avatar; he truly wasn't human.
"Ahem." A soft cough broke the silence. It was White Tiger.
He spoke lazily, with a hint of teasing, "Southern Dipper, you need to fix this habit of yours. Stop treating your colleagues like experimental materials and secretly insulting them. Our Source Return Group doesn't care about origins; as long as you can fight, that's all that matters. Right, Beidou?"
Beidou didn't respond immediately; he seemed to be pondering.
After a moment, he finally spoke, "Southern Dipper, continue."
Southern Dipper, entirely unfazed, continued, "Summary: an extremely dangerous and highly efficient executioner. Adept at utilizing all available resources, including himself. It is recommended not to interfere with his direction moving forward, allowing him to grow freely. We only need to provide intelligence and logistical support."
Upon hearing this evaluation, even Santai let out a light, breezy whistle.
"Whoa, Southern Dipper, you actually gave someone such a high evaluation? Even I didn't get that back in the day."
"It is a matter of fact. You possess top-tier growth potential but lack the necessary qualities. Excessive empathy is your fatal flaw," Southern Dipper stated concisely.
Santai pursed her lips, wanting to retort but not knowing where to begin.
Southern Dipper was right.
She knew it herself; whether in her past identity or her current one, her overly abundant emotions were a burden.
"Um..." A voice drew the attention of the entire room.
It came from Long Ao.
He continued, "What is an aptitude rating?"
Chen Guan wanted to give Long Ao a thumbs-up; he had wanted to ask the same question.
"Simply put, you can understand it as compatibility. The fact that we are sitting here today is mostly due to destiny."
"You might find it hard to believe, but I had already noticed you as early as when you were born. I just never intervened in your growth until Jiangcheng, when you needed our assistance."
Beidou didn't keep them in suspense.
Someone like Chen Guan, with a flat zero percent, was indeed rare. This meant he originally had absolutely no connection to Black Tortoise, which was a first.
White Tiger interjected, "Of course, only someone like you with a hundred percent perfect compatibility gets this kind of treatment. People like me with low aptitude ratings, nobody cares about."
Santai nodded in deep agreement. "Vermilion Bird, kid, your big sis here is also perfectly compatible. If I didn't happen to like the ideals here, I wouldn't have joined even if they set a trap for me."
"This... Miss Santai, you just mentioned, your ideals are..."
This was what Long Ao had never been able to figure out: what exactly were these powerful eccentrics with vastly different personalities gathering together to do.
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
