Chapter 63: Preparing to Fuse the Second Gene

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Preparing to Fuse the Second Gene

"Is this a gigantification ability?"

"What did his Three-inch Stone Monkey gene evolve into? It doesn’t look like an ordinary Tier-Two stone monkey-type gene..."

"What an intense aura! Just standing there gives me a sense of oppression. Is this guy’s gene really Tier-Two and not Tier-Three?"

Seeing Ji Zhixing’s transformation, the few new students who had been whispering amongst themselves were all dumbfounded, subconsciously taking a half-step back.

Sunlight spilled over Ji Zhixing’s rapidly expanding body, casting a long shadow. As that shadow draped over them, they actually felt the illusion of being targeted by a ferocious beast.

Meanwhile, accompanied by the dense CRACK CRACK of his popping bones, Ji Zhixing’s height surged to two point seven meters in the blink of an eye.

The Golden Chapter worn on his chest burst with a dazzling golden light that enveloped his clothes, dyeing them with a layer of gold. His clothes then enlarged along with him, clinging tightly to his body and stretching slightly with the rise and fall of his chest muscles. From a distance, it looked like a naturally formed suit of Golden Battle Armor, gleaming brightly in the morning light.

"Stone Skin!" Ji Zhixing willed it, activating the ability.

Instantly, a grayish-white horny layer emerged from beneath his skin, like rocks protruding from the earth’s crust. It quickly covered his arms before spreading to his shoulders and chest.

This layer was much thicker than before his gene evolved, and its color had shifted from light gray to dark gray. Rough textures even surfaced on it, making it seem as if he were wearing a natural armor of rock.

He looked down at his hands and clenched his fists. His knuckles let out dull CRACK CRACK sounds, yet they remained highly flexible. Rather than restricting his agility, the stone skin acted like a second layer of skin, contracting and expanding freely at his command.

"Breaking Army Staff Technique." With a thought, genetic source power surged into the shaft of the Tide Listening Rod. The two-meter-long weapon instantly expanded to over three meters in length and became as thick as a bowl, exuding a heavy sense of oppression.

Void Shattering! Gripping the rod with both hands, he stomped his foot and twisted his waist. The three-meter-long giant rod swung high before violently smashing down with an indomitable momentum.

BOOM!

The air was torn apart with a sharp howl. As the wind from the strike swept across the ground, dust billowed across the testing field.

Earth Shaking! Ji Zhixing flipped his wrists, sweeping the long rod horizontally. The weapon traced an arc, bringing with it a gust of wind so powerful it felt corporeal as it crashed into the ground. A dull rumble echoed, as if a massive hammer were truly pounding the earth.

Thunder Shock!

Breaking Army...

Move after move, Ji Zhixing gradually hit his stride.

The three-meter-long giant rod danced in his hands like a soaring dragon, every strike carrying an unstoppable force. The long rod swept out like a rainbow, churning the air from all directions and forming a visible vortex of air currents.

Soon, he had flawlessly executed all eight strikes of the Breaking Army Staff Technique from start to finish.

"What... what is going on?" A freshman who had previously questioned Ji Zhixing swallowed hard, his voice dry. "If I’m not mistaken, that should be the Tier-One Two-Star Breaking Army Staff Technique, right? But with the power of his strikes, I’d believe it if you told me it was a Three-Star Staff Technique!"

"He should be about the same age as us, right? We’re still bitterly training our basic common genetic abilities, and he’s already mastered a staff technique to this degree?" Another new student wore a similarly bitter expression, whatever trace of superiority he previously harbored completely wiped away.

"Damn it! Since when were common genetic abilities so easy to train?"

"Are all those who can evolve their genes this kind of monster?"

The surrounding freshmen, almost all of whom had fused with Tier-Two genes, exchanged blank stares after witnessing the strength Ji Zhixing had just displayed. They all saw shock and an indescribable sense of defeat in each other’s eyes.

Ji Zhixing retracted his rod and stood tall, resting the weapon on the ground as he panted slightly. Although this demonstration had consumed a considerable amount of source power, he could feel the Staff Soldier Stone Monkey gene rejoicing within his body, as if the Staff Soldier Stone Monkey itself were thrilled to finally unleash its abilities to the fullest.

Ji Zhixing turned to look at Yang Manni. "Teacher Yang, do I need to demonstrate any other staff techniques?"

Yang Manni waved her hand and said with a smile, "That will do. It’s more than enough."

Ji Zhixing nodded. With a thought, he deactivated the gigantification ability.

His body slowly shrank back to its original size like a deflating balloon, accompanied by a dense barrage of CRACK CRACK sounds from his retreating bones. The Golden Battle Armor faded away, and the grayish-white stone skin sank back beneath his flesh. He put away the Tide Listening Rod and walked back to Yang Manni, his breathing having already steadied.

"Badass!" A tall new student was the first to react, giving a thumbs up with sheer admiration in his eyes. "Brother, with this strength of yours, I feel like you’re not much worse than those guys who fused with Tier-Three genes."

"For a gene like the Three-inch Stone Monkey, which is widely considered trash, to evolve to this level is simply a miracle! How did you do it?"

"Also, how did you practice your staff technique? You shouldn’t be much older than us, right? Did you start training in the womb?"

Several other freshmen also crowded around, asking questions all at once, their eyes full of respect. In a world where strength was everything, Ji Zhixing’s recent performance had earned their utmost respect.

Ji Zhixing smiled and casually replied, "I was just lucky enough to be able to evolve my gene."

It truly was luck. If he hadn’t encountered the Otherworldly Secret Realm and obtained the Red Iron Ore, it would have been highly unlikely for him to evolve the Three-inch Stone Monkey gene this year.

"Luck is a part of strength too!" someone exclaimed.

Yang Manni glanced at the freshmen, her tone returning to the strict authority of a teacher. "Alright, go do what you need to do. What does it look like, all of you crowding around here? You’ll have plenty of time to chat once the semester starts."

She turned and began walking back, waving at Ji Zhixing. "Come with me. I’ll help you with your enrollment procedures."

Ji Zhixing nodded and followed her.

"I forgot to ask his name. I wonder which class he’ll be assigned to. With that kind of strength, it’d be great if he ended up in ours."

"Yeah. If he gets put in our class, it’d be awesome to team up with him when we enter the secret realm after school starts."

After Ji Zhixing left, the freshmen stood there, discussing him animatedly. Even other new students who had seen the display from afar hurried over to ask what had happened. Gasps of amazement periodically arose from the crowd.

Yang Manni walked at a steady pace. She glanced sideways at him, her gaze carrying a hint of inquiry. "Your other gene aperture hasn’t fused with a gene yet, right? I saw on your profile that it’s listed as blank."

"Not yet," Ji Zhixing nodded.

"It’s for the best that you haven’t," Yang Manni nodded, her tone turning solemn. "Since you haven’t, there’s no rush. We have some teachers at Yu City University who are quite experienced in this field of research.

"Once the semester begins, you can seek them out for a consultation. Perhaps they can help you choose a gene that pairs well with the Staff Soldier Stone Monkey gene."

Ji Zhixing paused slightly, knowing this was Yang Manni’s goodwill.

He shook his head and said, "Thank you, Teacher Yang. But that won’t be necessary. I already have a target for my other gene.

"I’ve tested it before, and it has a very high compatibility with me."

Yang Manni’s footsteps faltered for a second as she turned her head to look at him. "Oh? What gene are you planning to choose? Tell me about it."

Ji Zhixing didn’t hide anything and revealed his choice.

"You want to fuse a Tier-One gene?" Yang Manni stopped walking and turned to face him, a bit of confusion in her eyes. "Your file states that you’ve awakened a dual-core Tier-Two gene aperture. Are you sure you want to choose a Tier-One gene?"

"I’m sure," Ji Zhixing nodded.

Yang Manni looked at him for a few seconds before her tone became earnest. "If you choose to fuse a Tier-Two gene, you could even skip ahead and enter the elite class upon enrolling.

"You should know that the benefits of the elite class are completely different from those of the regular classes.

"If you enter the elite class, putting aside all other perks, you can immediately redeem one million gene coins’ worth of resources from the school every single semester.

"The class you’re in dictates your future resource allocation and your speed of development. I advise you to think this through very carefully before making a decision."

Ji Zhixing’s heart skipped a beat.

He knew that freshmen at Yu City University were divided into three tiers. The regular classes were for students who had fused with Tier-Two genes. The elite class was for students who had fused with Tier-Three genes. There was also the genius class. However, only the dozen or so geniuses who had fused with Tier-Four and Tier-Five genes could enter that class.

Before this, he only knew that students in different classes received different treatments, but he genuinely hadn’t known exactly what those differences entailed.

"One million gene coins’ worth of resources," he thought silently. "I only have a little over a million right now, and that was earned from risking my neck in the arena.

"But just by entering the elite class, without having to do anything at all, the school would give me one million gene coins’ worth of resources every semester. What a pity...

"What a pity that both of my gene apertures are Tier-One, and have been from the very beginning."

He took a deep breath and looked at Yang Manni. "Teacher Yang, I still choose the gene with high compatibility. If I wait until my second gene evolves to join the elite class, that should still be fine, right?"

Yang Manni looked at him and shook her head. "You certainly are confident."

"My choice was right before, which allowed the Three-inch Stone Monkey gene to evolve into the Staff Soldier Stone Monkey gene. I believe this time will be no exception," Ji Zhixing said with absolute certainty.

Yang Manni stared at him for several seconds before nodding. "Alright. It’s your decision to make."

The two continued walking forward.

Ji Zhixing trailed a half-step behind her, his gaze sweeping over the students on the sports field. These students of Yu City University were scattered around—some practicing their genetic abilities in special training zones, some sparring, and others chatting in small groups of twos and threes.

They all looked quite ordinary, but Ji Zhixing knew that even the weakest among them had fused with a Tier-Two gene. Pluck any one of them out, and they would be a top-tier existence back at Yu City Third Middle School.

From today onward, however, he would stand on the exact same level as them. He would even be able to surpass them, bit by bit.

"I’ll go fuse my second gene tomorrow," he thought silently. "Once the fusion is complete, I’ll figure out a way to evolve it. As long as I evolve the second gene to Tier-Two, I’ll be able to enter the elite class. I can’t just throw away a million worth of resources like that."