Chapter 25: A True Genius, Sword Feather Peacock Gene

Chapter 25: Chapter 25: A True Genius, Sword Feather Peacock Gene

"Petrified Crabs?" Hearing this, Zhang Haocheng said, "Since you need them, Zhixing, we can go to the lakeside and take a look tomorrow."

"Alright. Thanks a lot."

Ji Zhixing didn’t refuse. After a brief discussion, the group decided to head to Shi Lake the following day.

"If I can hunt Petrified Crabs and refine the Stone Skin Gene Potion, I can try developing the Stone Skin ability," Ji Zhixing thought with anticipation. "My strength will also increase a bit by then."

As they talked, murmurs drifted over from a short distance away.

"Did you guys hear? Huang Yu’s squad hunted dozens of Gene Beasts today!" a student exclaimed excitedly.

"Dozens? That many?"

"Everyone in their squad has fused with a Tier Two gene. Their efficiency is naturally high when they work together. However, they aren’t even the strongest. That would be Qi Xingzhou’s team."

"I heard Qi Xingzhou and Yu Zhirou’s squads teamed up today to hunt a Tier Two Gene Beast, a Profound Water Armor Turtle! After Qi Xingzhou refined it, it actually yielded a bottle of Water Spirit Potion!"

"Water Spirit Potion? That’s good stuff!"

Ji Zhixing’s heart stirred. Water Spirit Potions could be used to improve the quality of most water-attribute gene abilities, and they could also assist in developing certain water-attribute gene abilities. The quality of gene abilities wasn’t static; it could be upgraded. There were two ways to do so. The first was to constantly use and practice the ability. The second was to use Gene Potions for assistance.

"A bottle of Water Spirit Potion costs at least tens of thousands of Gene Coins, right?" Zhang Haocheng shook his head. "They’re really lucky."

Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from afar.

Ji Zhixing looked up to see a team walking toward them from the distance. Leading the group was a middle-aged man in a black martial arts suit, exuding a steady and composed aura. Following behind him were five teenagers, all around sixteen or seventeen years old.

The middle-aged man led the five teenagers closer. He looked at the teachers from Third High School and politely said, "Hello, everyone. I am Zhou Hang, a teacher from Yu City Middle School. I’m also here to supervise my students’ practical training. I wonder if we could camp here with you for the night?"

The teachers from Third High School quickly stepped forward to welcome him. They smiled and replied, "Of course. There’s no need to be so polite, Teacher Zhou. We should look out for each other while out in the wild."

"Thank you." Zhou Hang nodded. He led his five students to the edge of the clearing and began setting up their tents.

The students from Third High School all stared curiously at the five students from Yu City Middle School.

"People from Yu City Middle School?"

"I’ve always heard that the worst students at Yu City Middle School still fuse with Tier Two genes. I wonder what genes those five have fused with."

Murmurs rose and fell among the crowd. In Yu City Base City, Yu City Middle School was like a holy land in the eyes of all high schoolers. Even Qi Xingzhou and the others who had fused with Tier Two genes looked at the group from Yu City Middle School with envy in their eyes.

"Let’s go over and chat." Seeing that the group from Yu City Middle School had finished pitching their tents, Qi Xingzhou thought for a moment before leading his squad over.

Seeing this, several others also crowded around. It didn’t take long for information about the five students to be dug out.

"Holy shit! Did you guys know? Out of those five, four have fused with Tier Three genes!"

"Four Tier Threes?"

"What about the last one?"

"The last one is even more terrifying. He fused with a Tier Four Morning Star-grade gene—the Sword Feather Peacock gene!"

As the news spread, everyone from Third High School was shocked.

"A Tier Four gene..."

"Sword Feather Peacock... I’ve heard of this Gene Beast. It’s said that Cultivators who fuse with its gene usually gain powerful Sword Dao talent!"

"Out of the six to seven million people in Yu City Base City, only a little over two hundred can fuse with a Tier Three gene each year. As for Tier Four genes, there are at most a dozen a year. I can’t believe we actually bumped into one."

The crowd’s gazes collectively shifted toward one particular person among the five. It was a handsome teenager with a nonchalant aura. Currently, he was chatting and laughing with the others, looking no different from an ordinary person. Word going around was that his name was Gu Zheng.

Ji Zhixing also glanced at the teenager.

"Tier Four..." Ji Zhixing thought silently. He shifted his gaze to another direction in the distance. Over there, Chen Ye was leaning against a tree, resting with his eyes closed. The Blood River Asura gene that Chen Ye had fused with was also a Tier Four Morning Star-grade gene.

Ji Zhixing withdrew his gaze. "I wonder when I’ll be able to evolve my Three-inch Stone Monkey gene to Tier Four."

He stood up.

"Zhixing, what are you doing?" Liu Qifan blanked.

"Practicing the staff," Ji Zhixing said as he walked to an open space. With a mere thought, the Breaking Army Rod appeared in his hand.

"Damn, Old Ji, aren’t you tired?" Liu Qifan’s eyes widened, even changing how he addressed him.

Zhang Haocheng was also dumbfounded. "We’ve been running around all day, and you aren’t going to rest?"

"I’m alright. I’ll practice a little longer," Ji Zhixing replied. He began to execute the Eight Strikes of the Breaking Army.

Shattering Void.

Earth Shaker.

Startling Thunder.

Stance by stance, he practiced repeatedly. During today’s battle against the Iron Feather Pheasant King, he had grasped the sensation of integrating his will into his strikes. Although it was still unstable, he had found the right path. What he needed to do now was to continuously practice and stabilize this sensation until he completely mastered the Eight Strikes of the Breaking Army.

"This guy..." Liu Qifan shook his head. "He really goes all out."

The rest of the class also cast sideways glances. Everyone was exhausted from the long day, so Ji Zhixing’s decision to practice his staff technique at a time like this certainly drew attention.

"Is he seriously expecting his gene to evolve?"

"He’s probably just unwilling to accept reality. After all, he used to be on the same level as Huang Yu and Yu Zhirou."

Some students muttered under their breath.

"Ji Zhixing."

In the distance, Qi Xingzhou glanced at Ji Zhixing practicing his staff. Shaking his head, he asked Yu Zhirou and Huang Yu, "Do you guys believe he awakened a Tier Two gene aperture?"

"That’s what he said himself." Yu Zhirou shook her head. "But as for the exact details, no one else knows."

Qi Xingzhou chuckled but didn’t press the matter. It was true that genes could evolve. However, he refused to believe that Ji Zhixing could hear the voice of his gene right after fusing with it. After all, even he, who had fused with the Tier Two Blue Frost Ice Vine gene, had only heard his gene’s voice recently after months of cultivation. And even then, it had been blurry and indistinct.

"Why, is he famous?" a voice rang out.

Qi Xingzhou turned his head, only to see Gu Zheng, the student from Yu City Middle School who had fused with the Sword Feather Peacock gene.

Qi Xingzhou smiled and recounted the story of how Ji Zhixing had claimed to awaken a Tier Two gene aperture, only to end up fusing with a Tier One gene, treating it like an amusing anecdote.

"I see." Hearing this, Gu Zheng shook his head. His gaze swept past Ji Zhixing before quickly withdrawing. Someone like that wasn’t worth his attention.

However, in the distance, another gaze remained fixed entirely on Ji Zhixing. Chen Ye leaned against a tree, staring at the figure swinging a staff in the clearing. He wore a slightly stunned expression.

"Is this a Two-Star Staff Technique?" he thought.

His knowledge was broader, and his discernment far exceeded that of ordinary people; even some teachers couldn’t compare to him. While others couldn’t gauge the depth of Ji Zhixing’s staff technique, he saw through it at a single glance.

"This guy is only a hair’s breadth away from mastering this Two-Star Staff Technique," Chen Ye thought, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

The last time he saw Ji Zhixing practicing the staff in Tingyu Garden, he recognized that Ji Zhixing had a talent for staff techniques. But how long had it been since then? Merely a dozen days. Not only had Ji Zhixing mastered the foundational staff techniques, but he was now on the verge of mastering a Tier One Two-Star Staff Technique as well?

"This rate of progress..." Chen Ye watched silently. "It’s too fast."

In the clearing, Ji Zhixing was completely immersed in his own world.

Shattering Void!

Earth Shaker!

Startling Thunder!

Indomitable Forward!

I Am Invincible...

Stance after stance, he practiced tirelessly. Gradually, he noticed his success rate improving. From initially only being able to fuse his will into two or three out of ten strikes, it became four or five. Then, it became six or seven. Furthermore, his rate of improvement was accelerating, like a geyser erupting once he grasped the proper technique.