Chapter 10: Refining, Basic Staff Technique

Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Refining, Basic Staff Technique

Ji Zhixing walked out of the office building. Just as he stepped onto the campus path, he saw a familiar figure waving at him.

"Zhixing! Over here!"

It was Liu Qifan. The guy had mentioned earlier in the car that he had ultimately chosen to fuse with the Ironback Wolf gene.

Ji Zhixing walked over briskly.

Liu Qifan smilingly punched him in the shoulder. "So? What did Teacher He want with you? He didn’t want to chew you out for picking the Three-inch Stone Monkey gene, did he?"

"No," Ji Zhixing shook his head. "Teacher He helped me apply for a piece of Genetic Equipment to assist in developing my abilities."

"Genetic Equipment?" Liu Qifan’s eyes widened, his face full of envy. "You’re so lucky! We just fused our genes, and you already get to use Genetic Equipment?

"Sigh. We both fused with Tier One genes, but you’re already about to develop a new genetic ability while I haven’t even heard the voice of my gene yet. Your dual-core genetic aperture is just too badass."

Every piece of Genetic Equipment was exorbitantly priced. Like Ji Zhixing, Liu Qifan came from an average background. If they wanted Genetic Equipment, they practically had to rely entirely on themselves.

"Don’t get too excited. It’s only a loan, and I can only use it for a month," Ji Zhixing explained.

"That’s still badass!" Liu Qifan smacked his lips. "Right, where are you heading next? Going home together?

"The school gave us three days off to familiarize ourselves with the power of being official Genetic Cultivators. We come back in three days, and I hear the training will officially start."

"I need to swing by the armory first to pick up the equipment," Ji Zhixing said.

"Let’s go, I’ll come with you!" Liu Qifan immediately replied. "I might as well take a look at this Genetic Equipment and feast my eyes."

Chatting, the two made their way toward the school’s armory.

"My first piece of Genetic Equipment..." Ji Zhixing thought to himself. "I wonder what it’ll be like."

The armory was a three-story building with a designated teacher standing guard at the entrance. Ji Zhixing stepped forward and gave his name. The teacher flipped through the registration log and nodded. "Ji Zhixing, right? Teacher He already registered for you."

With that, he turned and walked into the storeroom, emerging a moment later with a long staff.

"This is prepared for you," the teacher said, handing the long staff to Ji Zhixing.

Ji Zhixing was slightly taken aback. "Sir, didn’t they say I could choose one?"

The teacher glanced at him and said flatly, "If you want to master a Tier One Two-Star Staff Technique, this long staff is the most suitable for you. Just take it."

Ji Zhixing accepted the staff without further protest. He knew that the school lending him a piece of equipment was already a massive favor to Teacher He. If he wasn’t allowed to choose, so be it.

He looked down at the staff in his hands. It was entirely black and two and a half meters long. It felt slightly heavy in his grasp, its surface adorned with faint patterns that gave it a coarse, matte texture to the touch.

"Thank you, sir," Ji Zhixing said, putting the staff away.

The teacher waved a hand dismissively and lowered his head to continue reading his documents.

The two boys walked out of the armory.

Liu Qifan’s face was plastered with envy. "Zhixing, hurry up and refine it! Try it out! I haven’t even seen what it looks like to refine Genetic Equipment yet."

Ji Zhixing nodded. With a thought, he immediately activated the genetic furnace within his body. An invisible force emanated from him, enveloping the long staff in his hands.

The staff gave a gentle tremble before turning into a faint glimmer of light, sinking directly into his body and vanishing from sight. He sank his consciousness inward and looked at the genetic furnace. In the hazy gray Furnace Space, the black staff hovered silently.

At Ji Zhixing’s command, the Eight Trigrams Map on the inner walls of the furnace suddenly lit up and began to slowly rotate. Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui—the eight trigrams each bloomed with differently colored lights, shrouding the long staff.

HUM...

The staff quivered gently as a hazy halo rippled across its surface. The halo grew brighter and brighter, as if resonating with the power of the furnace. Ji Zhixing could clearly feel a peculiar connection forming between himself and the staff. That connection grew deeper and tighter by the second.

"My genetic furnace is different from others. Refining the Three-inch Stone Monkey gene increased its compatibility with me. Now that I’m refining Genetic Equipment, I wonder if there will be any changes?"

Ji Zhixing waited quietly. It didn’t take long for him to finish refining the long staff.

The staff hovered silently in the Furnace Space, emitting a warm, mellow glow. Meanwhile, a flood of information rushed into his mind—the cultivation method for basic staff techniques, various methods of exerting force, and fundamental moves like cleaving, sweeping, thrusting, and lifting. Everything was as clear as if it had been permanently carved into his memory.

More importantly...

He raised his hand. With a single thought, the long staff instantly materialized from within his body, appearing right in his grasp.

At that moment, a bizarre sensation washed over him. He distinctly felt that a profound bond had been forged between him and the staff.

"This feeling..." Ji Zhixing’s eyes flickered.

He had heard people say that after refining a piece of Genetic Equipment, it would establish a connection with the user, making it incredibly handy to wield. But the connection he was sensing right now seemed far deeper than anything he had ever heard of.

Holding the staff, he felt an indescribable sense of intimacy. It was as if this long staff had become a natural extension of his own body. He could clearly perceive every inch, every fraction of it.

At the same time, a thought stirred in his mind, and the details of the staff clearly appeared in his consciousness.

[Black Long Staff

Tier: One

Quality: One-Star

Ability: Basic Staff Technique

Refining this staff automatically grants the cultivation method for basic staff techniques.

While wielding this staff, the user can execute Tier One One-Star basic staff techniques and accelerate their mastery of them.]

"Tier One One-Star..." Ji Zhixing silently muttered to himself.

He knew that Genetic Equipment, much like genetic abilities, was divided into tiers and star ratings. The Stone Heart ability inherent to his Three-inch Stone Monkey gene was a Tier One One-Star ability. It belonged to the weakest tier.

However, basic staff techniques were the foundation of all staff martial arts. If he mastered the basics first before finding a Tier One Two-Star Staff Technique to cultivate, he would yield twice the result with half the effort.

For him, this black long staff was indeed highly suitable.

Ji Zhixing took a deep breath, gripped the staff, and gave it a casual swing.

WHOOSH!

A sharp sound of cutting wind rang out as the long staff carved a perfect arc through the air. The movement was fluid and natural, surging with penetrating force. It was as if he had practiced staff techniques thousands of times; there was an inherent flawlessness to it, without the slightest hint of stiffness.

"So this is the Tier One One-Star basic staff technique!" Anticipation swelled in Ji Zhixing’s heart. "Since I can’t jump straight into cultivating a Tier One Two-Star Staff Technique, I’ll master this basic technique first!"

Watching from the side, Liu Qifan’s eyes lit up. "Zhixing, that staff technique...?"

"It’s the staff’s ability," Ji Zhixing smiled. "Holding this staff allows you to automatically grasp Tier One One-Star basic staff techniques."

"Badass!" Liu Qifan was green with envy. "I wonder when I’ll be able to get a piece of Genetic Equipment too."

Ji Zhixing smiled and retracted the staff back into his body. "Let’s go. Time to head home."

The two left the school side by side, heading toward Tingyu Garden.