Evolving infinitely from ground zero

The motorcycle pulled up to a secluded building and stopped.

It’s called secluded because the building is situated next to the back mountain of the school.

Surrounding it were only trees, no other buildings.

Above the entrance to the building hung an eye-catching signboard—Pure Human Research Institute.

Lin Zichen guessed that the Pure Human Research Institute was probably an abbreviation for the Pure Blood Human Research Institute.

Song Yuyan casually parked the bike to one side, turned to Lin Zichen, and said, “Come on, I’ll show you around first, then I’ll take you to the dean.”

After dropping that remark, she strode toward the inside of the institute.

Lin Zichen followed closely behind, taking in the surroundings as he entered.

This Pure Human Research Institute was a bit different from what one might expect of a research facility.

The lighting inside was quite dim.

It lacked the array of sophisticated high-tech equipment that one might have envisioned.

All there was, were corners piled with all sorts of old and unwanted items.

It looked like a large storeroom.

But upon closer inspection, those so-called “old items” in the corners actually resembled antiques of great research value.

Soon, they entered a brightly lit hall.

Inside was a television, a computer, sofas, a massage chair, and even a bed, giving off a homely vibe.

Upon reaching this hall and breaking her silence, Song Yuyan began to explain, “This is the institute’s living and leisure area. When research gets dull, you can come here to rest and relax.”

“The big room we just passed by is the institute’s storage area, where we keep all kinds of things that we’re not currently researching. It looks rather messy, but everything there is valuable.”

“Further inside is the research area, where everyone cooperates with the dean on research most of the time.”

Song Yuyan, speaking as she stopped in front of a refrigerator about two meters tall, grabbed a bottle of drink and tossed it to Lin Zichen, saying, “Anything in the fridge was bought with our budget, feel free to take whatever you want to eat or drink.”

After that, she closed the refrigerator door and set off into the depths once more, walking with long strides and saying, “Come on, I’ll take you to the research area to get acquainted with the place.”

Lin Zichen opened the drink and took a sip, then quickly followed.

Once he entered the research area, he looked around.

Then he realized, it was not much different from the storage area they had initially passed through.

It was just as cluttered, with old items everywhere, not a single piece of the high-tech equipment he’d imagined in sight.

“Sister Yan, why does the institute feel so empty, I haven’t seen a single person?”

Seeing that the storage area, the living and leisure area, and the research area were all deserted, and he had not seen anyone else since they had arrived, Lin Zichen couldn’t help feeling puzzled.

Song Yuyan explained with a wry smile, “The Tianren Pavilion has always been unpopular, the school gives us very little funding, so we can’t support many people.”

“Also, after many years of research into the Pureblood Human Path, there’s been no significant progress, and many people have lost patience and chosen to give up, gradually leading to the decline of the Tianren Pavilion, so now there are very few people.”

“Of course, that’s just one reason.”

“The main reason is the dean thinks that Tianren Pavilion doesn’t need too many people, a few geniuses are enough; otherwise, too many people would only distract his attention.”

“So now Tianren Pavilion only consists of the dean, you, me, and three fourth-year martial arts students. Beyond that, there is no one else.”

“Even if there are others, they are the ones with poor commitment, those who come in full of passion and then can’t endure the challenges and choose to leave.”

Song Yuyan didn’t hide the desolation of the Tianren Pavilion at all, and chose to tell the truth, “In short, there are very few people who can stay for a long time, and you might leave due to the hardship after half a year yourself.”

After hearing this, Lin Zichen felt somewhat baffled.

So few people in the Tianren Pavilion?

Then what about those people who came to recruit with Liu Chuanwu during the summer holidays?

Could they have been outsiders brought in by Liu Chuanwu just to put on a show?

Lin Zichen thought about it and concluded that this was probably the case.

After all, Liu Chuanwu came to recruit talent; if he had come alone, it would have looked too unimpressive and not conducive to recruitment.

At this thought, Lin Zichen suddenly felt deceived.

In the time right after his college entrance exams ended, the Tianren Pavilion was often featured in the news, continually boosting its presence, giving the impression it was a major organization.

But now, the whole organization had only six long-term members, including himself.

Such trickery!

Lin Zichen shook his head, feeling somewhat disappointed in the scale of the Tianren Pavilion.

However, he didn’t really care that much.

As long as he got the triple benefits promised, everything else was irrelevant.

“Dean, I’ve brought Zi Chen!”

After giving Lin Zichen a tour around the institute, Song Yuyan finally stopped in front of a basement door, knocked on the door, and shouted loudly.

She shouted so loudly as if she was afraid that Liu Chuanwu inside might not hear her.

Soon, the door to the basement opened.

Liu Chuanwu stood at the door with a messy head of hair, dark circles under his eyes, and smiled at Lin Zichen, saying, “Zi Chen, you’re here. Come on, I’ll show you around and help you get familiar with the institute.”

Song Yuyan interjected, “No need, Dean, I’ve just taken him around already.”

Liu Chuanwu replied, “Is that so? Well, come on in, let’s sit down inside and have a good talk.”

Lin Zichen followed Song Yuyan inside, carefully observing his surroundings.

The research room was messy, filled with books, jars and vessels, and even stone steles and other items. They all looked very ancient, as if unearthed from graves.