The entire surgery lasted nearly three hours.
By the time Dr. Forefinger completed the implantation of the Stellar Energy Network, Lin Zhen had already fainted from the excruciating pain.
Dr. Forefinger’s assistant then moved him into the laboratory’s treatment pod for recovery.
It wasn’t until the next morning that Lin Zhen slowly woke up.
But before he could even get familiar with the Stellar Energy Secret Art, Dr. Forefinger demanded that he immediately begin the Ability Development Test.
Based on Lin Zhen’s performance during the Ability Development Test, Dr. Forefinger suggested several feasible development directions, asking him to try each one in turn.
So, while the other trainees were still recovering from their wounds, or relaxing and taking advantage of the rare pause in the training camp—
Lin Zhen had already quietly set foot on the path of ability development.
And unbeknownst to even himself, the continuously operating All-Cycle Secret Art was persistently stimulating his Stellar Energy bloodline, causing his Stellar Energy Index to rise at a shocking speed.
He even believed that all of this was thanks to the doctor’s guidance, which made him much more enthusiastic about participating in the experiments.
***
Seven days after the assessment ended.
Yun Ruoxi’s injuries had almost fully healed. She waited until there was nobody else in the treatment room, then climbed out of the pod and changed into the clean trainee uniform placed by the side.
“Finally, I can move around again.”
The blue-haired girl hopped lightly on bare feet twice, feeling the novelty of regaining control over her body.
She shook her head and tried to lift herself with telekinesis.
Although her Stellar Energy Index had dropped to 50, it was still easy—just that both speed and strength were nearly ten times weaker than before.
Stellar Energy Index 199 and 50 might look like only a four-fold difference.
But the reason it’s called the Stellar Energy Index, rather than Stellar Energy Combat Power, is because the power of a Stellar Energy user doesn’t grow linearly, but leaps exponentially.
In the upper right corner of Yun Ruoxi’s view, the anime episode played on.
While Lin Zhen was still undergoing ability development.
The production team, using Lin Zhen as a mouthpiece, explained to the audience how Stellar Energy users are ranked.
There are a total of seven levels for Stellar Energy users.
A Level 1 Stellar Energy user has an index between 10 and 200, and the strongest can reach the level of “blasting a street.”
Level 2 is 200 to 1000.
At this level, the strongest are capable of “blasting a city.”
Level 3 is 1000 to 3000, and a full-powered strike could even destroy an entire continent.
It could be said that the gap between each level is like a chasm—it’s almost impossible for the weak to overcome the strong.
Thus, among Stellar Energy users, there’s a saying:
When it comes to combat power among Stellar Energy users, ability is only one part; the gap in Stellar Energy Index matters even more.
That’s why, back then, even though 0001 had powerful abilities, she still couldn’t do anything to Yun Ruoxi, who only had telekinesis.
***
In the Stellar Energy user system, numbers matter far more than technique.
Yun Ruoxi slowly floated toward the dormitory, quietly activating the All-Cycle Secret Art along the way.
Her All-Cycle Secret Art was the stabilized version.
Although it didn’t have the flashy extra abilities Lin Zhen would later develop in the story—
It was, in turn, much more covert.
As long as she actively shut it down, not even instruments could detect it.
So she wasn’t afraid of being found out by the others in the training camp.
Back in the dorm, Yun Ruoxi first jumped onto bed 319 and thrashed around for a while.
Consider it venting the lingering frustration in her chest.
To be honest.
The moment 319 suggested joining forces with her, Yun Ruoxi really did believe her for a split second.
After all, what if—just what if—the jealousy behind 319’s actions hid some twisted affection for her?
But in the end, it was really only for a split second.
In the face of her Ultimate Acting, 319’s self-righteous disguise stood no chance.
Yun Ruoxi clearly caught the malice in the other’s eyes, so she simply went along with it and played her part.
“The sixth episode starts right where the fifth one left off, so the overall plot shouldn’t be too different from the rough outline.”
Yun Ruoxi entered the bathroom, washing up while sorting out her thoughts.
“According to the original outline, episode six is a transition, mainly showing the trainees’ lives in their second year after awakening, then leading into the end-of-year Class Battle…..”
Class Battle.
Thinking of this event, the girl’s eyes sparkled.
In the original plot, this storyline wasn’t very long, but its importance was no less than the annual assessment.
Because during the Class Battle, Lin Zhen not only made a name for himself, but also started preparing for his escape for the first time.
You could say—
The sixth episode was the watershed of season one of “Stellar.”
The first six episodes focused on Lin Zhen’s life in the training camp, and the next seven episodes were all about how Lin Zhen escaped.
Yun Ruoxi tilted her face up, letting the hot water run over her cheeks.
Her damp blue hair stuck to her smooth back.
Amid the rising steam, her thoughts became ever clearer, and her plans gradually took shape.
***
Ten days after the assessment.
All trainees who had passed had fully recovered, so the training camp resumed operations after its brief pause.
They were summoned to the cafeteria by Instructor Behemoth.
Unlike the noisy atmosphere of the previous assembly, this time everyone was noticeably quieter—it was clear they still hadn’t gotten over the life-and-death battles with their friends.
After all, not everyone awakened abilities in the end, and quite a few truly had blood from their companions on their hands.
Even the always lively Aili was unusually quiet.
Though she still clung to Yun Ruoxi’s side, her face showed a deep, indescribable conflict.
It was as if she wanted to say something, but didn’t dare.
Yun Ruoxi felt rather helpless at her behavior.
Before the line entered the cafeteria, she pulled Aili into a corner and asked, “Xiao Ai, why have you been frowning this whole time? If something’s on your mind, you can talk to your sister about it.”
As soon as she finished speaking—
The display in the upper right of Yun Ruoxi’s vision suddenly switched, showing the two girls in the corner.
There, the blue-haired girl stood before the blond girl, who was a full head shorter, carrying herself with the helpless yet indulgent air of an adult.
The blond girl, on the other hand, looked like a child who’d done something wrong and didn’t dare lift her head.
「AiXi CP!」
「Here we go, here we go, classic big-sis and little-sis combo.」
「Waited six or seven minutes for this, finally seeing Xiao Xi again. Seriously, how can I live a day without Xiao Xi!」
「Lao Xi looks so relaxed, not affected at all by her rampage in the last assessment—」
「She’s grown, not just in strength but mentally too.」
So…was it really that easy to get screen time now?
Yun Ruoxi showed no outward reaction, but inside, she was a little astonished.
This might be the easiest time she ever got screen time—she’d just been chatting with Aili and somehow slipped into the spotlight.
In the past, she’d have to pull off all sorts of crazy antics and stick close to Lin Zhen to get noticed!
It really is… different now!
Yun Ruoxi sensed the change, her heart surging.
It seemed like she really had…
Truly become an indispensable character in “Stellar.”
Suppressing the rush of emotion, she lifted a gentle smile and waited for Aili’s reply.
She’d thought Aili was in a bad mood because she was scared during the annual assessment, or maybe because Yun Ruoxi herself had hit her.
But the first thing Aili said left her stunned.
“Big sis… I—I’m sorry!” Aili kept her head down, crystalline tears streaming from the corners of her eyes.
“Those things I said during the assessment… they were too selfish. I really did you wrong!”