Chapter 1 "Old He, don't set your expectations too high. It's good enough to have new recruits."

A captain beside him shrugged.

The burly man clicked his tongue, looked at the students, and introduced himself with his hands on his hips, "You greenhorns better remember this. I'm He Zhifei, a Level 4 Esper, a sergeant major. I've served multiple tours of duty and am a seasoned captain."

With him taking the lead, the other captains introduced themselves one after another, mostly Level 3 and Level 4 Espers.

He Zhifei looked stern and shouted, "I've read your files. Honestly, almost none of you stand out. I'm very disappointed! If I were to grade you, you'd all fail! The academy students these days are just getting worse and worse each year!"

Zhou Jing inwardly curled his lip.

The way he put it was just like saying, "You're the worst class I've ever taught." He was definitely trying to intimidate them.

Shen Xinqin smiled from the side, "Alright, stop scaring them. They're mostly freshmen here. What impressive figures could there be? Since you've all come to observe them, you must be interested in them."

"That's right, young people these days are smart. Old He, your methods are outdated."

A captain named Huang Zhuo said with a chuckle.

This man had squinted eyes, looking like two slits.

He Zhifei snorted and didn't speak.

Huang Zhuo looked at everyone and said with a smile:

"Let's not waste time. We're here today to observe you and select new recruits for our respective teams. You're still in school now, so of course you can't be of use yet. We're looking at your potential. As long as you meet our required standards by graduation, we'll invite you to join our teams... as long as we haven't died in the line of duty."

The students couldn't help but look at each other, unsure how to respond.

Shen Xinqin coughed and reminded them:

"Joining a suitable Explorer team is an important matter for recruits. If you're picked by a seasoned team and have someone to guide you, it'll be easier for you to accumulate merits and advance faster. So, if you can get an invitation promise from one or more established teams before you graduate, it'll be very beneficial for your future.

Moreover, not all seasoned teams have openings at all times. Since these captains are interested in you, it's your opportunity, and you'd better take it seriously."

Hearing this, a student asked curiously, "What happens if we don't get picked by a team?"

Huang Zhuo took over the conversation and explained with a smile:

"If recruits aren't pre-selected by a team, they'll either be assigned to new sergeant majors along with other unselected recruits to form temporary teams, and they might be kept by the captain if they perform well. Or they'll be directly commanded by the Otherworld outposts and become the most basic executors, responsible for some unimportant but time-consuming basic tasks... Of course, it's more likely that they'll have to wait a long time before they can go on duty after being unselected, and if they consistently perform poorly, they'll eventually be transferred to clerical or other positions."

Zhou Jing raised an eyebrow.

This format seemed similar to a talent show. As long as some Explorer teams took a fancy to them, they would be tracked and monitored during their schooling, and they would directly join the team after graduation, with a smooth career path.

If they weren't selected, the road to promotion would be rough.

However, he didn't really care, as long as the assigned team wasn't too bad, he could accept it. Because whether he joined a team or not, he was confident in his rapid promotion with his own special abilities—which was also one of the reasons he decided to join the Explorer Bureau.

At this moment, He Zhifei said impatiently, "Alright, let's get straight to the point. Let's finish the assessment quickly. I hope this isn't a waste of time."

Huang Zhuo nodded, his expression turning serious, and said:

"We know your abilities. We've all seen the files, but we need to witness the actual situation with our own eyes. So today's assessment is divided into two parts: a practical test and a written test. Follow us."

The group followed the captains and walked for a while in the corridor, arriving at a spacious indoor training ground.

Staff members were already waiting there. After exchanging a few words with the captains, they pressed a few buttons on the console.

With a clatter, the ground in the center of the training ground split open, revealing five hexagonal openings. Five mechanical soldiers with different equipment rose from them.

"When Explorers serve in other worlds, they often face complex environments and unknown enemies, so they need to be proficient in melee combat against multiple opponents... The practical test is very simple. Try to last longer against the five mechanical soldiers or destroy them. We'll be watching your performance."

Huang Zhuo explained.

Hearing this, the students were eager to try.

Soon, a student was called up to the stage and unleashed his ability to fight against the five mechanical soldiers, but he quickly fell into a bitter battle.

These five mechanical soldiers had considerable armor defense, were tough and durable, and were equipped with different weapons and combat logic, with different styles. Some used firearms for long-range combat, some engaged in close combat, and some even used AI to predict the opponent's movements and use traps to control them. Their combined combat power was not bad.

For freshmen who had just entered the school and had little experience, this mechanical soldier squad was a formidable enemy.

Before long, several students were defeated, with varying lengths of time of resistance.

When it was Wu Fan's turn, he lasted the longest. His Mimic ability had extremely high learning ability, but he was ultimately defeated due to insufficient destructive power and exhaustion.

The captains seemed quite interested in his performance, and each took out a tablet to write and draw, recording something.

Soon it was Lin Kun's turn. His ability was full of destructive power. After transforming into a muscular little giant, he withstood the siege and blasted the mechanical soldiers one by one. Although he was a little injured, he was currently the only student who had destroyed the mechanical soldiers.

The captains were quite appreciative, nodding and recording.

After solving his opponents, Lin Kun couldn't help but raise his chin at Zhou Jing, showing off.

Zhou Jing ignored him and went straight to the stage, facing five new mechanical soldiers.

"Do you need weapons?" the staff member asked from afar.

"No need."

Zhou Jing waved his hand, but he didn't take a knife, deciding to fight empty-handed to show off a little.

The next moment, the five mechanical soldiers activated and charged over.

"Tu Tu Tu—"

A series of specially made bullets shot towards him.

Zhou Jing had already identified the trajectory, dodging nimbly and swiftly, and met a mechanical soldier who was approaching him in close combat.

Swish!

The unsharpened battle blade in the mechanical soldier's hand fell head-on.

Zhou Jing slightly shifted his body, taking the lead to slip into the mechanical soldier's embrace, causing the battle blade to miss.

At the same time, his hand stuck to the mechanical soldier's chest armor and shook it hard.

His palm suddenly bloomed with dazzling electric flames.

Zzz—Boom!

The close-combat mechanical soldier flew out, its chest armor dented, sparks of electricity flashing all over its body, emitting thick black smoke. It was scrapped in one move.

Since inheriting the power of the Elementalist wizard tier 3 that Bill had granted him for free when he became eternal, Zhou Jing's attributes had all climbed to the second tier. Everything about him was strong, and all of his stats were outstanding among the new students.

With an energy attribute of 60+, he converted the electrokinesis of the Different Blood Warrior into a martial arts aura. His frontal destructive power was equally outstanding. He no longer had to use rapid attacks to cause damage like before.

These mechanical soldiers were just tools for testing the freshmen. Their combat power was not at the same level as him at all.

In just over ten seconds, Zhou Jing traversed the entire field, scrapping all five mechanical soldiers like chopping vegetables. His efficiency was not only a notch higher than Lin Kun's, but he was also unscathed.

Seeing this, Lin Kun couldn't help but slump his face.

Huang Zhuo's eyes lit up, "This kid is good. His combat power is obviously a level higher than others."

"Strange, he's much more powerful than the file records... Although he's a student, he seems to be improving too fast." A captain next to him said in surprise.

The record of Zhou Jing's battle achievements in the file still remained at the performance of the freshman competition. After he obtained Bill's power conversion, he had not fully revealed it because he had not participated in other activities, so the file was not updated.

Many captains were quite interested in Zhou Jing, but they did not come over to talk to him at this time, and each made a record.

Because there were few people, the practical assessment was quickly completed.

Everyone then came to an office to take a written test.

The form of the written test was to complete a paper.

Everyone didn't know what the test was about, but they were all shocked when they took the paper and saw the contents clearly.

Huang Zhuo explained in a timely manner, "Before serving, a qualified Explorer needs to fully understand the target Star Realm... Given that you are all freshmen, you have basically only taken popular science courses for the first two months, so today's written test only examines the Star Realm information mentioned in class, which is the plane that is about to intersect. Answer as much as you can."

Hearing this, the faces of many students turned bitter.

The Explorer popular science course introduced the situation of the Star Realm that was about to intersect, but no homework was assigned, and there was no requirement to memorize it.

Therefore, they all listened to it as a story, and they didn't care about it. They forgot everything after listening to it.

Now they actually want to test these things... Why didn't they remind them in advance? They were completely unprepared!

Unlike the others, Zhou Jing's expression was subtle.

The content of the test paper was actually all kinds of questions related to the Great Xia Dynasty.

He had lived there for more than a year, wasn't this walking right into it...

Zhou Jing couldn't help but feel a little worried.

It wasn't that he was afraid of not being able to answer, but that he was afraid of answering too carefully and being pulled over for questioning.

There were not many questions, and everyone only spent half an hour to finish writing.

The captains collected the papers and checked each person's answers, shaking their heads and sighing from time to time, with a look of helplessness.

"This is simply answering randomly. You must not have remembered it in class, right?"

"Did you think that this information is not related to you for the time being, so you are just listening to it as a joke? This is the intelligence that the Explorer Bureau has spent countless manpower to collect. Freshmen are just freshmen, and their attitude is not correct."

Listening to the criticism of their seniors, the students twisted their bodies, quite ashamed.

At this time, the captains saw Zhou Jing's paper and immediately perked up.

"Not bad, there are still people who remembered it. Although there are some mistakes and omissions, it is generally correct... Did you see that? You should all learn from him. Even if it is not required in class, you should seriously treat the information of each world. That's the attitude we want!"

Zhou Jing coughed and excused himself, "I'm just interested in other worlds, so I deliberately remembered a little..."

Huang Zhuo praised, "Very good, you have curiosity. This is the awareness that a prospective Explorer should have, so that you can do this job well in the future."

The corners of Zhou Jing's mouth twitched slightly, and his heart felt strange.

Having obtained the results of the assessment, the captains also had candidates in mind, and they went to their respective favorite targets.

Some people were surrounded by several captains, flattered, while other students were ignored and sat alone, lonely.

Wu Fan had high learning potential, and Lin Kun's ability was powerful, so they were very popular, but Zhou Jing was the one who received the most attention from the captains.

He Zhifei approached, looked at Zhou Jing, and said in a deep voice:

"Among this batch of recruits, only you are barely passable, and I didn't waste my time after all. But you are still far from my standard. My team only accepts elites, and everyone must be useful. I have some requirements. If you can meet them, you will be qualified to join my team after graduation."

"Please speak." Zhou Jing patiently responded.

"First, your graduation grade point average must be in the top ten of this class. Second, my team doesn't lack fighters. Put aside your martial arts and don't bother practicing it. First, go and study an Esper system with technical points, either mechanical or magical. Third..."

He rattled off six requirements, wanting Zhou Jing to adjust his studies according to his needs.

Zhou Jing listened, keeping a smile on his face, but he had already dismissed this person in his heart and did not intend to change his cultivation plan according to his requirements.

He could see that He Zhifei had a high desire for control, even interfering with how he should cultivate. Being this person's teammate would mostly be regarded as a tool.

Noticing Zhou Jing's perfunctory attitude, He Zhifei frowned slightly, a little dissatisfied, and said, "Did you remember what I said?"

"I remembered, but your requirements are too many. I'm not your teammate yet." Zhou Jing smiled.

He Zhifei narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to lecture him.

At this time, Huang Zhuo walked over, interrupting the conversation between the two, and smiled at Zhou Jing, "You are very good. I will continue to pay attention to you. As long as you can continue to maintain this level of care, I will send you an invitation to join the team after graduation... Don't worry, I'm not like Old He with so many conditions. You can practice however you want."

"Thank you." Zhou Jing politely thanked him.

"Hmph." He Zhifei snorted and turned to leave.

Zhou Jing glanced at him, retracted his gaze, and didn't care in his heart.

He was only a freshman, and the current invitations would only take effect in the future, and could not be counted for the time being.

Moreover, he was a popular commodity. This was just the first batch of teams to take a fancy to him after the assessment. There would be plenty of opportunities to cast a wide net in the future, and there would be no shortage of room for selection, so he was not in a hurry to respond to any captain's intentions.

"I'm optimistic about you." Huang Zhuo patted Zhou Jing on the shoulder and encouraged him, "I've seen your file. It seems that your initial potential is not particularly high, but don't be discouraged. As long as you practice diligently, you can still grow to be very strong through hard work... I'm going to serve in a while, and when I come back, I will pay attention to your study progress. Don't let me down."

Zhou Jing nodded and began to think to himself.

This person was going to serve, so he should be traveling to the D19 plane... Maybe his Star Realm Apostle would meet him in the future.

Huang Zhuo smiled and said confidently, "Study hard. If you can join my team, I'll take you to fly."