Restriction

This was a restriction commission.

They required a highly skilled Beginner Producer to accompany them into ancient ruins, help lift the restrictions encountered along the way, and would reward them with a Five-Star Recipe upon completion of the mission.

"Restrictions..."

Chen Feng looked it up online and immediately understood.

In terms he could understand, a restriction was essentially a password lock sealed with Blood Essence.

Within ancient ruins, after certain Mutated Beasts died, their Blood Essence would seep into the ground. Over the years, it evolved into special spiritual patterns, forming these peculiar restrictions. Any area covered by a restriction was impassable. Forcing one's way through would trigger a backlash from the Blood Essence's power, which was extremely dangerous.

Only Gene Producers could unseal restrictions while in the Multi-dimensional State!

"So that's how it is."

Chen Feng fell into thought.

Checking the time, he saw that the interview was scheduled for today. Chen Feng decided to go take a look.

He knew just how lacking his own abilities still were. He might not be able to handle a restriction of this level, but as long as there was even the slightest chance, he could not give up.

This was a Five-Star Recipe!

If he could obtain it...

Chen Feng clenched his fists.

Following the address, Chen Feng arrived at Hall 23 on the seventh floor. The interview had already begun. Many Beginner Producers stood below the stage, while several young men with imposing auras stood upon it. From the faint presence radiating from them, it was clear that they were E-Class Gene Warriors!

"E-Class..."

Chen Feng frowned slightly.

It seemed their requirements would definitely be high.

"Quiet!"

The young man at the head of the group onstage pressed down with his hand.

The hall quickly fell silent.

"My name is Xu Fei."

The young man nodded in satisfaction. "Thank you all for arriving on time. We'll be exploring ancient ruins this time and need a Gene Producer to assist us, which is why we commissioned the Gene Association to hold this interview. Due to limited conditions, we can only select one Beginner Producer."

At this point, he paused slightly. "The strongest one."

Whoosh!

The atmosphere in the hall immediately grew tense, and every producer looked at the others with hostility.

This was a Five-Star Recipe!

Unlike the recipe data taught by the Gene Association, ordinary recipes were sealed inside chips and could be traded before being opened! Even if they did not study it themselves, they could sell it for a great deal of money! It would be enough to support many people in raising their production level by several stars.

Chen Feng narrowed his eyes and watched quietly.

"Today's interview is also very simple."

Xu Fei took out an ancient disc covered in blood-red cracks. The red Blood Essence at its center flickered with a scarlet red glow like an eye.

"This is a Restriction Disc. Inside is a drop of ancient Blood Essence, forming a restriction beyond your current level. You don't need to complete it. Each person will have two minutes. Within the time limit, whoever collects the most effective genes will be the final winner."

After Xu Fei spoke calmly, he asked, "So, who will go first?"

"I will."

One person stepped forward first and declared proudly, "I, Huo Shi, have explored with others before. When it comes to breaking restrictions, I'm definitely more proficient than the rest of you."

With that said, he walked before the Restriction Disc, closed his eyes slightly, and entered the Multi-dimensional State as a faint glow flickered around him.

"Buzz—"

Chen Feng watched with his own eyes as the patterns on the disc began to emerge. Among the hundreds of marks spread across it, faint lights began to illuminate one after another.

Ten, twenty, thirty...

Finally, it came to an abrupt stop at ninety. Huo Shi awoke, and the glow on the disc's restriction silently vanished, as though it had never appeared.

"Ninety. Not bad."

Xu Fei praised him, and the man stepped down smugly.

After that, the others went up one after another. Thirty, fifty, twenty, eighty... there were all sorts of results, but none surpassed Huo Shi.

"What a bunch of weaklings."

Huo Shi was immensely pleased with himself.

"Is ninety the strongest?"

Xu Fei frowned slightly and exchanged glances with several friends. With the recipe reward they had offered, how had they only attracted producers of this level? Taking someone of this caliber with them into the ruins would be rather difficult.

"A matter of time."

"If we can work at it for two days, we'll definitely find the best one."

Zhou Ling, the only woman on the team, reminded them.

"That's true."

Xu Fei nodded. "Then it'll be him."

"Your name is Huo Shi, right?"

Xu Fei glanced at him. "Since you're the strongest..."

However, just then, Chen Feng suddenly stepped forward. "Excuse me, may I give it a try?"

The hall instantly fell silent.

"And you are?"

Xu Fei looked over.

"Beginner Producer, Chen Feng."

Chen Feng introduced himself.

"Let me see your certification data."

Xu Fei nodded. This was the most basic part of an interview. Chen Feng needed to disclose part of the data from his Digitization Panel for Xu Fei to review.

"Alright."

Chen Feng sent over his certification data.

Xu Fei glanced at it and immediately froze. "One-Star?"

The entire hall fell silent before erupting into laughter.

One-Star?

Was this kid here to amuse them?

Although the mission only required a Beginner Producer and had no rank requirement, wasn't it a bit much for a novice who had just entered the field to take on this mission?

How strong could a One-Star producer possibly be?

"You're competing with me for work with that?"

Huo Shi, who had been worried just moments ago, rolled his eyes wildly. Producers these days really were...

"Sorry."

Xu Fei gave a bitter smile. "At that level, I'm afraid..."

"Keep reading."

Chen Feng smiled.

"Oh?"

Seeing Chen Feng's calm expression, Xu Fei continued reading. When he saw that Chen Feng's personal certification listed him as the creator of the "Wood Bear Gene - Battle" formula, his expression finally turned serious. To possess a formula he had researched himself while still only a Beginner Producer? That level of ability...

Only then did Xu Fei look seriously at Chen Feng.

He knew that some producers liked to drill into a single line of research and would never switch formulas until they had thoroughly understood it. The young man before him seemed to be that kind of producer?

Even if he was only One-Star!

Xu Fei had heard a little about what had happened between Chen Feng and Professor Tao some time ago. He had never expected the person at the center of that incident to be standing before him. Chen Feng...

Xu Fei pondered for a moment. "Alright, give it a try."

"Thank you."

Chen Feng nodded slightly.

At this moment, fame proved its worth.

The expressions of the people around them grew somewhat strange. What exactly was written in this young man's credentials that could make an E-Class Gene Warrior regard him so highly?

"This guy..."

Huo Shi's eyes turned uncertain. Had they really encountered some peerless genius?

Whoosh!

Chen Feng stepped forward without a change in expression. His hands hovered above the disc, and he instantly entered the Multi-dimensional State.

Boom!

A blaze of light exploded before his eyes.

Countless streams of genetic light emerged around him.

Against the dark, empty backdrop, the ancient disc grew enormous, and the patterns upon it became exceptionally clear. Chen Feng could easily sense that every pattern and every mark required a specific gene to activate it. Only after activating all the genes could this seal be opened.

So this was a seal?

Chen Feng fell into thought.

One second...

Two seconds...

Ten seconds...

Chen Feng carefully studied this so-called restriction.

Meanwhile, seeing that Chen Feng had not made a move for so long, the surrounding Producers could not help but laugh.

"Sure enough, One-Star is still One-Star."

"Beginner Producers these days are really too arrogant."

Everyone mocked him.

Lacking strength was not scary. Lacking strength and still coming here to steal business—that was your fault.

"I really was overthinking it."

Huo Shi openly sneered. He had thought this guy might have some trump card, but after all that, he really was just a rookie.

"This trash wants to compete with me for business?"

Huo Shi laughed his ass off.

Xu Fei watched silently.

Twenty seconds.

Thirty seconds.

One minute.

The markings on the Disc showed no reaction whatsoever.

That meant that within the one-minute time limit, Chen Feng had not activated a single one! He had not even found a single gene! At this level...

"A complete newbie?"

Xu Fei sighed. It seemed he had misjudged him.

It looked like Chen Feng's ability to produce the Wood Bear Mutation Gene had truly just been luck.

He had already given up on him.

The other team members were waiting to see a joke as well.

However, no one expected that at that moment, the patterns on the Disc would suddenly begin lighting up wildly at an unbelievable speed.

Ten!

Twenty!

Thirty!

In just eight seconds, the number of illuminated patterns soared to eighty.

"How is that possible?"

Huo Shi was stunned.

Eighty activated in eight seconds? How could a Beginner Producer possibly do that?! What kind of luck and speed did it take to be that fast?

"Luck, it must be luck!"

Huo Shi consoled himself.

However.

The next second, his heart sank.

The shining light on the Disc continued.

Ninety!

One hundred!

Chen Feng surpassed him without any suspense.

"How is that possible?"

Huo Shi was dumbfounded. "He only knows one gene formula... He's a complete newcomer with only One-Star production skill. How could he be this strong?!"

It was not just him. Everyone was frightened, because the dazzling red light continued.

Two hundred!

Three hundred!

On the ancient Disc, every pattern gradually lit up at an unbelievable speed, until it was completely activated at one minute and fifty-five seconds.

"Buzz—"

Red light blazed as brilliant radiance bloomed from the Disc.

"Crack!"

The sealed Disc suddenly opened wide.

It opened!

It had actually opened!

Everyone was stunned. The Disc's Restriction had actually been broken by Chen Feng!

"Holy shit."

Huo Shi was dumbfounded, his mouth wide enough to fit an egg. What kind of Monster was this? He was only at the One-Star Producer level, yet he possessed such heaven-defying ability?

Was he supposed to let anyone else live?

"Good, good, good!"

"I knew I wasn't wrong about you!"

Xu Fei was ecstatic. Even he had not expected that among Beginner Producers, someone could actually undo this Restriction! As for Chen Feng being only One-Star...

Who cared?

They did not need Chen Feng to fight.