Chapter 69: Developing 3 Genetic Abilities in 4 Days

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Developing 3 Genetic Abilities in 4 Days

Ji Zhixing walked through the gates of the base city without looking back.

Behind him, Gu Zheng’s gaze bored into his back like nails, but he didn’t stop or quicken his pace, simply walking in unhurriedly.

It was as if the person standing behind him wasn’t a genius who had fused with a Tier 4 gene, but merely a passing breeze.

Traffic shuttled through the streets of the base city. He raised a hand to hail a taxi, opened the door, and got in.

"Nanshan Avenue."

The driver acknowledged, and the car merged into the traffic.

Ji Zhixing leaned back in his seat, watching the scenery rapidly recede outside the window, lightly tapping his fingers on his knee twice.

He had just visited Nanshan Avenue yesterday, buying twenty bottles of Source Power Genetic Potions in one go. But this time, he came because he had made a decision.

"Even if I develop the Weeping Willow gene’s basic self-healing ability now, it won’t be of much use to me for the time being," Ji Zhixing thought silently, his gaze falling on his blurry reflection on the car window. "Although the Root of the Earth and the Five-Colored Spiritual Light abilities are quite useful, they’re too difficult to develop.

"Developing these two abilities requires too many resources, which I probably can’t afford right now.

"Therefore, developing the Staff Soldier Stone Monkey’s Rock Body genetic ability first is undoubtedly the most cost-effective choice for me."

The car soon stopped at the intersection of Nanshan Avenue.

Ji Zhixing paid the fare, got off, and familiarly made his way to the genetic potion shop he usually visited.

"You only have Stone Bone gene development potions? No Stone Tendon or Stone Muscle development potions at all?"

However, after entering the shop and stating what he wanted to buy, he received astonishing news.

"Stone Tendon and Stone Muscle genetic potions are quite rare, and not many people need them. So it’s not just us; most potion shops don’t have them either," the clerk explained.

Ji Zhixing frowned slightly.

Left with no choice, he could only shake his head, leave the shop, and head to other places to ask. As a result, he asked several potion shops in a row, but the answers he received were almost identical.

They had Stone Bone gene development potions. But none of them had Stone Tendon or Stone Muscle gene development potions.

He stood by the street, his brow furrowed tightly.

Just as he was about to walk further down, he caught a glimpse of a reflection in a glass door not far away. A black sedan slowly pulled over to the side of the road. The door opened, and a familiar figure stepped out.

Qin Xiaoran.

Ji Zhixing paused slightly, his gaze lingering on Qin Xiaoran for a moment before shifting to the signboard of the mall the man had just entered.

Radiant Mall.

"I wonder if Radiant Mall has these potions. I’ll go take a look," he thought.

Ji Zhixing walked over.

Most of the Gene Coins in his hand were earned from Radiant Mall. Therefore, every time he came to Nanshan Avenue, he rarely visited it. Spending the money he earned from Radiant Mall back at the same place always made him feel a little weird.

But since he couldn’t buy Stone Tendon and Stone Muscle genetic potions anywhere else this time, he naturally didn’t mind checking it out.

The mall was brightly lit and bustling with people. He walked straight to the genetic potion section.

"Excuse me, do you have the development potions for the Stone Bone, Stone Tendon, and Stone Muscle genes? How much are they?"

The attendant behind the counter immediately revealed a professional smile.

"Of course. Stone Bone genetic potions are sold here for 30,000 Gene Coins a bottle. The Stone Tendon and Stone Muscle genetic potions are 20,000 Gene Coins a bottle."

Ji Zhixing felt a wave of relief, but his face remained impassive. "I’ll take ten bottles of each."

"Alright, please wait a moment."

The attendant turned to fetch the potions. Ji Zhixing stood in place, lightly tapping his fingers on the counter twice.

A moment later, three boxes were placed in front of him, the potions neatly arranged inside.

He swiped his card and paid. Seven hundred thousand Gene Coins evaporated instantly, leaving only three hundred thousand in his account.

"I hope these genetic potions will be enough," he thought. "Based on my previous experience, developing the Gigantification ability took fourteen bottles of genetic potions.

"But the Gigantification ability I developed was of 3-star quality.

"The Stone Bone, Stone Tendon, and Stone Muscle abilities are each 2-star quality. Plus, with my experience developing the Stone Skin genetic ability, ten bottles of each should suffice."

He stored the potions into his Genetic Furnace. His gaze swept toward the nearby area selling Genetic Equipment, paused for a moment, and then withdrew.

He still had the Tide Listening Rod in his hand, which Mr. Sun Dajun had borrowed from Yu City Third Middle School and lent to him. It was fine for short-term use, but relying on it indefinitely wasn’t a real solution.

"I’ll wait a bit longer," he told himself. "Once I break through to Tier 2, I’ll directly buy Tier 2 Genetic Equipment. If I buy Tier 1 now, I’d just have to resell it in a few days. It’s too much trouble."

He took a step and headed out.

Meanwhile, not far away, the doors of the mall’s private elevator opened, and Qin Xiaoran walked out. Sweeping his gaze around, he happened to catch sight of Ji Zhixing’s retreating back as he exited the mall.

"What a coincidence," he thought.

He was slightly stunned. He hadn’t expected to run into Ji Zhixing again.

Seeing that Ji Zhixing had already blended into the crowd on the street outside, Qin Xiaoran didn’t call out to him.

The mall manager beside him noticed Qin Xiaoran’s expression. Struck by an idea, he took out his phone and quickly sent a message.

A moment later, a reply popped up on his phone.

The manager glanced at it and whispered, "Mr. Qin, I just asked around. Mr. Ji Zhixing came here this time and bought three types of gene development potions: Stone Bone, Stone Tendon, and Stone Muscle."

"He bought three types of gene development potions?" Qin Xiaoran froze slightly, gazing in the direction Ji Zhixing had left.

"Didn’t this guy’s gene just evolve not long ago? Has he already heard the voice of a new gene so quickly?" He shook his head, finding it somewhat unbelievable.

Ji Zhixing was unaware of all this.

After buying the potions, he hailed a cab by the road and returned straight home. After having dinner and chatting briefly with his family, he returned to his room and closed the door.

"Time to cultivate!" he thought.

Taking a deep breath, Ji Zhixing took out a bottle of the Stone Bone genetic potion, uncorked it, and downed the contents.

As the potion entered his stomach, it dissolved into a current of heat that spread throughout his body. He sat cross-legged, activated the Genetic Furnace, and began the refinement process.

"This feeling..." he muttered inwardly.

Unlike when he refined the Gigantification genetic potion, no images surfaced in his mind this time. However, as the refinement progressed, he felt as though the bones in his body were undergoing a subtle transformation, becoming denser and harder.

When the first bottle was fully refined, he opened his eyes, feeling slightly mentally exhausted and experiencing a dull ache in his bones. But compared to the near-collapse state he experienced when refining the Gigantification genetic potion, this was undoubtedly much better.

"Let’s try again," he thought.

With a stir of his mind, he took out another bottle of potion. But this time, it wasn’t the Stone Bone potion, but the Stone Tendon one. He uncorked the bottle and poured it down his throat.

Instantly, the medicinal power of the Stone Tendon genetic potion began to be refined strand by strand by the Genetic Furnace. After the refinement, his Genetic Furnace quickly released some power, infusing it into his body.

Immediately after, he felt that the tendons connecting his bones and transmitting his strength were beginning to slowly transform under the potion’s effects. He could feel his meridians becoming tougher and more elastic.

But amidst this transformation, he also felt excruciating pain. He squeezed his eyes shut and endured it silently.

An unknown amount of time passed before he finally opened his eyes.

"So tired, so painful!"

Ji Zhixing took a deep breath, yet he still gritted his teeth and persevered.

"Again!" he urged himself.

He took out a bottle of Stone Muscle genetic potion and drank it. According to the genetic information he had received, it was best to develop the Stone Bone, Stone Tendon, and Stone Muscle abilities simultaneously. This would accelerate the speed at which he developed these three abilities.

"Phew!"

As the three bottles of gene development potions were refined one after another, Ji Zhixing let out a long breath.

"Developing three genetic abilities at the same time is really not something a human can endure!" he thought. "Fortunately, I possess the Stone Heart and Stone Skin abilities, and my Genetic Furnace is also different from others.

"Under these circumstances, the effects of me refining the Stone Bone, Stone Tendon, and Stone Muscle gene development potions feel much better than what people online claimed.

"I estimate it won’t be long before I can fully develop all three abilities."

Time passed.

Ji Zhixing maintained his cultivation rhythm every day, taking one bottle of each of the three genetic potions every morning and evening. In addition, he would also refine three bottles of Source Power Genetic Potions daily.

As his cultivation edged closer to Tier 2 day by day and his body grew increasingly stronger, time flew by until it was the final day before Yu City University opened.

That evening, after Ji Zhixing finished dinner, his phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and saw it was Liu Qifan.

"Hello?"

"Zhixing, let me ask you, do you have a conflict with Gu Zheng from Yu City Middle School?" Liu Qifan’s urgent voice came through the phone.

Ji Zhixing frowned. "What’s wrong?"

"Zhao Gang is dead!" Liu Qifan said. "That guy Zhao Gang has been grabbing anyone he can find these past few days, telling them about what Gu Zheng did in that Otherworldly Secret Realm.

"As a result, he went out yesterday and never came back. It wasn’t until today that someone found his body. He died from sword wounds.

"If you really have a conflict with Gu Zheng, absolutely do not go out during this time. It’s best if you stay hidden within the base city," he warned solemnly.

Ji Zhixing remained silent for a moment. He didn’t have much of a relationship with Zhao Gang; the two of them had only briefly exchanged a few words in the Otherworldly Secret Realm. But Zhao Gang’s death still made him sigh inwardly.

"Alright, I understand."

Ji Zhixing hung up the phone and sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze deepening.

"I don’t know if Zhao Gang died by Gu Zheng’s hands, but the enmity between Gu Zheng and me has long been irreconcilable," he thought. "I still need to improve my strength!

"But I’m close!"

These past few days, he had been refining two bottles of each of the three gene development potions every day. Including the day he bought the genetic potions, he had already refined six bottles of each by now.

He was only one step away from a breakthrough. And tonight, he felt the time was ripe.

In fact, he felt that tonight, he could very likely push through and successfully develop the Stone Bone, Stone Tendon, and Stone Muscle genetic abilities all at once!

"Let’s begin!" he thought.

Ji Zhixing took a deep breath and chugged a bottle of the Stone Bone genetic potion.

As the potion entered his stomach, the Eight Trigrams Maps inside the Genetic Furnace spun wildly. He closed his eyes, channeled the Genetic Furnace with all his might, and began to accelerate the refinement of the Stone Bone genetic potion.