Chapter 5: Selecting Genes

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Selecting Genes

"Fierce Tiger Gene?"

Ji Zhixing approached the metal platform displaying the Fierce Tiger Gene. He slightly stimulated the genetic acupoints within his body, and instantly, one of them lit up to a tenth of its full brightness.

This indicated that his compatibility with the Fierce Tiger Gene was around ten percent.

As for his other genetic acupoint, it only emitted a faint glimmer, estimated to be a mere one or two percent. It was absurdly low.

"Ten percent at most," Ji Zhixing sighed inwardly. "It’s too low."

Just as he was about to walk away, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Ji Zhixing, Huang Yu, Yu Zhirou, you three can head straight up to the second floor," Homeroom Teacher Ms. He Yanbing called out. "The Tier Two gene samples are all on the second floor. The rest of you will pick your genes on the first floor. Don’t wander off."

"Yes, Ms. He!" Huang Yu and Yu Zhirou responded, their faces brimming with excitement.

Ji Zhixing’s heart sank. "The second floor? Tier Two genes? I only have a Tier One Genetic Acupoint. What am I supposed to do on the second floor?"

However, he had no way of refusing. Since the homeroom teacher had called him out in public, he couldn’t very well say no. He had no choice but to follow the others up the stairs.

"I’ll sneak back down to the first floor later when she isn’t looking," Ji Zhixing thought as he walked. "There are so many Tier One genes down there. Hopefully, I can find one with a compatibility of over fifty percent."

The layout of the second floor was almost identical to the first. In the spacious hall, metal platforms were arranged in an orderly fashion. Ji Zhixing scanned his surroundings. Besides the three of them, there were over a dozen others who had come up to the second floor. But among this group, a teenager wearing the First High School uniform was actually being led by a teacher toward the third floor.

"Who is that?"

"Why is he going to the third floor?"

"That’s Cui Wencheng from our First High School. He’s going to the third floor because he awakened a Tier Three Genetic Acupoint, of course."

"A Tier Three Genetic Acupoint? He’s that incredible?"

The dozen or so students on the second floor all revealed looks of envy.

"We can’t compare to that!" Huang Yu also shook his head with a sigh.

"Let’s not overthink it and just pick our genes first. If we find ones with high compatibility, we might still be able to advance to Tier Three in the future," Yu Zhirou said as she walked straight up to the metal platforms, stimulating her genetic acupoints to closely sense her compatibility with the various gene samples.

"Right, let’s pick our genes first!" Huang Yu agreed and walked over as well.

"Since I’m already up here, I might as well try," Ji Zhixing thought. He stepped up to the nearest platform and gently stimulated his genetic acupoints.

There was absolutely no reaction. Inside the platform rested the Ironclad Rhinoceros Gene. His genetic acupoint didn’t light up with even the faintest glimmer.

"Just as I thought," Ji Zhixing mused, unsurprised. "It’d be a miracle if I could sense a Tier Two gene."

He quietly moved on to the next display. This one housed the Storm Wolf Gene. He stimulated his genetic acupoint, but the result was the same dead silence.

"Expected." His expression remained indifferent as he continued walking.

After passing seven or eight platforms in a row, his genetic acupoints remained completely dormant. Not even the weakest ray of light flickered.

"I can’t contract a single one of these Tier Two genes," he thought, gritting his teeth slightly. Yet, he knew this was inevitable. After all, he only possessed a Tier One Genetic Acupoint. "Forget it. Let’s not waste any more time here."

He looked up and saw Huang Yu standing in front of a Lightning Leopard Gene, his face beaming with joy. Yu Zhirou was also deeply focused on sensing a gene at another platform. Their attention was entirely captivated by the gene samples; they had no time to notice him.

Taking a deep breath, Ji Zhixing walked naturally toward the staircase and quietly slipped back downstairs.

The first floor was still bustling with activity. His classmates had dispersed across various zones to choose their genes.

"I absolutely cannot let Ms. He catch me."

From a distance, he spotted Ms. He Yanbing talking to a few students on the other side of the hall. He lowered his head slightly and casually veered off toward the most secluded corner.

"I need to hurry." He began walking past the metal platforms, stimulating his genetic acupoints to test his compatibility.

The Wild Boar Gene.

He slightly stimulated his genetic acupoints. Of the two, one lit up just over a tenth of its capacity, while the other showed almost no reaction.

"Less than fifteen percent," Ji Zhixing shook his head and sighed inwardly. "Too low. If I fuse with this gene, what kind of future could I possibly have?"

He kept moving.

The Gray Wolf Gene.

This time, the situation was slightly better. The light emitted by his genetic acupoint was somewhat brighter than before, but the improvement was limited.

"Still not good enough." Ji Zhixing withdrew his senses and stepped toward the next display.

The Gibbon Gene.

He stimulated his genetic acupoint, and instantly, one of them lit up to over a third of its capacity.

"This is roughly thirty-nine percent, right?" he thought, feeling a hint of joy. This was the highest compatibility he had encountered so far. But he quickly calmed himself. "Thirty-nine percent is still a bit low. There’s still time; I should keep looking."

He stood before the Gibbon Gene, hesitating for a couple of seconds.

"If I really can’t find anything better, I’ll have to choose this one," he concluded. "Also, it seems I really do have a higher compatibility with ape and monkey genes."

He memorized the location and continued his search. Next, he examined a few more gene samples.

The Bobcat Gene had a compatibility of around twenty percent.

The Green Wolf Gene barely reached twenty percent.

The Wild Horse Gene didn’t even hit fifteen percent.

Just as he was about to move on in search of more primate genes, a surprised voice called out from beside him.

"Ji Zhixing? Why are you on the first floor? Weren’t you supposed to go up to the second floor?"

Ji Zhixing turned to look and saw Zhang Haoceng. The half-bald classmate, who had shaved a stubborn donkey silhouette into the hair above his right ear, was staring at him with a puzzled expression.

"I was curious, so I came down to take a look," Ji Zhixing replied in a flat tone. "How is your selection going?" he asked in return, attempting to change the subject.

Zhang Haoceng immediately grimaced and pointed at the donkey silhouette on the side of his head. "I’ve been searching for ages. The one with the highest compatibility for me is a Wild Donkey King Gene, sitting at forty-six percent."

"Your compatibility is that high?" Ji Zhixing shot him a surprised look.

A Wild Donkey King Gene? It actually suited him quite well.

"A forty-six percent compatibility is indeed very high," Ji Zhixing thought to himself.

The compatibility between Genetic Cultivators and various genes generally fell below fifty percent. It was exceedingly rare to break the fifty percent mark. Forty-six percent was already exceptional.

"Sigh, it’ll have to do." Zhang Haoceng waved his hand dismissively. "I’ll keep looking. If I can’t find anything else, I’ll just have to go with that Wild Donkey King Gene."

Watching his retreating figure, Ji Zhixing felt a slight pang of anxiety. "Zhang Haoceng won’t snitch to the homeroom teacher, will he?" He then relaxed. "Probably not. Everyone is busy picking their own genes; who has the time to be a busybody?"

Ji Zhixing withdrew his gaze and marched on.

"From now on, I’ll focus mainly on ape and monkey genes," he decided. "The Gibbon Gene gave me thirty-nine percent, which proves I’m naturally suited for this type."

He began consciously seeking out primate genes across the platforms.

The Gorilla Gene.

He stimulated his genetic acupoint, and it immediately lit up.

"A thirty-five percent compatibility? Not bad, but still worse than the gibbon."

Ji Zhixing noted the location and pushed forward.

The Langur Gene.

The light emitted this time was weaker, hovering just above thirty percent.

"Too low." Ji Zhixing shook his head and approached the next stop.

The Golden Snub-nosed Monkey Gene.

Arriving at another platform, he stimulated his genetic acupoints once more. One of the acupoints lit up to about forty-five percent of its capacity.

"A forty-five percent compatibility?" Ji Zhixing’s eyes brightened slightly.

The Gibbon Gene primarily offered a strength bonus, whereas the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey Gene provided a boost in agility. However, he didn’t stop. He continued onward, eager to see if he could find something even better.

The Macaque Gene.

An acupoint lit up to forty percent.

"Around forty percent." Ji Zhixing shook his head.

Just as he was about to walk away, he caught sight of another platform tucked away in a corner from the corner of his eye. It had been obscured by a pillar, so he hadn’t noticed it before.

Ji Zhixing walked over.

The Cave Monkey Gene.

He stimulated his genetic acupoint. Instantly, an acupoint illuminated to half its full brightness!

"This..." Ji Zhixing’s eyes lit up. "A fifty percent compatibility?"

He hastily read the description displayed on the platform.

[Name: Cave Monkey Gene]

[Tier: Tier One]

[Description: A small primate that lives in deep mountain caves. It has a petite build, with adult individuals growing to merely a foot tall.]

[Primary Abilities: Dark Vision, Enhanced Agility.]

[Primary Advancement Paths: Cave Monkey King Gene, Shadow Cave Monkey Gene...]

"A foot tall?" Ji Zhixing frowned slightly. "It’s that small?"

He carefully reread the description, his hesitation growing with every word.

The Cave Monkey Gene’s primary abilities lay in dark vision and enhanced agility. But its physical frame was far too diminutive. An adult individual being only a foot tall meant that after fusing with this gene, the raw combat power it would provide him would undoubtedly be pitifully weak.

"Even though the compatibility is as high as fifty percent, the gene itself is just too weak," Ji Zhixing debated internally. "The initial combat boost it can provide will definitely fall short compared to the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey."

He stood before the Cave Monkey Gene, his brows tightly knitted.

"Should I choose a weak gene with high compatibility, or a stronger gene with slightly lower compatibility?" he wondered. "A high compatibility makes future advancements easier, but if I’m too weak in the early stages, I won’t be able to venture out and gather resources at all. Keep looking!"

He hesitated for quite a while before finally gritting his teeth and resuming his search. "Who knows, I might find one with an even higher compatibility."

Ji Zhixing continued onward. Along the way, he bumped into a few more classmates. Each time, he used curiosity as an excuse to brush them off. Fortunately, everyone’s minds were occupied with selecting their own genes, so no one probed further.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, Ji Zhixing halted his steps, stopping in front of another metal platform.