At a thought from Lu Yuan, the Evolution Cube that had been rotating around the Gene Chain suddenly began to flicker with a deep blue light.
The deep blue light shone onto the Gene Chain, and the Gene Chain that had already stabilized underwent another tremendous change.
This change was even more intense than when it had first been inscribed.
Lu Yuan's muscles, bones, organs, and every other part of his body seemed to be torn apart and reforged.
Intense pain followed, leaving Lu Yuan's mind blank from the agony.
Evolution began.
Time passed. Who knew how long it had been? Just as Lu Yuan was nearly unable to endure the soul-piercing pain, the deep blue light slowly faded, and the pain gradually disappeared.
The deep blue glow of the Evolution Cube also dimmed considerably, and the cube itself looked somewhat transparent.
It had originally stored energy for evolution. There had been some energy left before, but most of it had now been used up.
As for how to recharge it, he only needed to use spiritual energy.
As the pain gradually faded, a powerful force surged from deep within Lu Yuan's body.
The same comfortable feeling he had experienced during the Gene Ascension appeared again.
Evolution complete.
No creature's will appeared.
After all, the creature's will within this Extraordinary Gene had already been destroyed by Lu Yuan earlier.
That was another piece of excellent news for Lu Yuan.
From now on, when inscribing genes, he could simply choose a quality he could guarantee he could fully inscribe, then evolve it afterward. There would be no danger at all.
Thinking of this, the corners of his lips lifted into a smile.
Wonderful!
The sensation of ascension lasted for a while before finally fading. Instinctively, Lu Yuan understood what the evolved Extraordinary Gene was.
Black Iron Body.
It mainly enhanced his physical defense and strength, while also slightly improving his agility and explosive power.
Compared to the ordinary quality Petrification Skin, Black Iron Body offered more comprehensive improvements and even increased agility.
Not only that, the enhancement in every aspect was nearly twice what it had been before!
That was twice the enhancement after being boosted by Beetle Claw!
One could imagine just how much stronger an Elite Quality Extraordinary Gene was than one of ordinary quality.
Even Elite Quality was this powerful. How terrifying would Extraordinary Genes beyond that be—boss genes, leader genes, lord genes, and even king-level genes?
Just thinking about it made Lu Yuan look forward to them.
Unfortunately, the energy within the Evolution Cube was insufficient to evolve his current Extraordinary Gene again.
And even if he wanted to evolve it, his current physical body was unable to withstand another evolution.
If he wanted to evolve again, he guessed he would have to temper his Gene Chain further and strengthen himself before he could do so.
Still, he was already very strong now.
With an Elite Gene and Elite Armament, he could practically swagger through a newcomer area like Graystone Forest!
Lu Yuan felt that he could now take on a Black-Striped Graystone Beetle alone without any problem.
Thinking of the Black-Striped Graystone Beetles reminded Lu Yuan of the two from before.
He wondered how they were doing now. Should he go say hello?
Lu Yuan considered it and decided it was possible. He left the sheltered spot and returned the way he had come.
Previously, Lu Yuan would have had to tread carefully if he wanted to walk atop the Gobi cliffs.
But after his massive increase in strength, the fierce winds atop the Gobi cliffs felt like a gentle breeze brushing his face. He could walk or even run there with ease.
The windblown sand that had once stung Lu Yuan's skin now felt like gentle little hands massaging his face.
It left Lu Yuan with mixed feelings.
I may have become stronger, but it seems my skin has gotten thicker too.
Lu Yuan sped up and ran toward the previous area.
Before long, he returned to that U-shaped Gobi area.
The moment he drew close, Lu Yuan sensed lingering warmth.
It was the residual heat left after the wall of fire had gone out.
Lu Yuan looked down and then froze.
The two Black-Striped Graystone Beetles on the ground were already dead. Their corpses had been processed, and their valuable shells had been removed.
Clearly, they had encountered opponents earlier.
He had originally planned to deal with the two Black-Striped Graystone Beetles himself, but someone had beaten him to it.
They were probably Gene Warriors attracted by the flames they had seen earlier.
Lu Yuan relaxed slightly and felt somewhat fortunate.
Luckily, he had run quickly before. Gene Warriors were different from Black-Striped Graystone Beetles; they were much smarter.
With the intelligence of Gene Warriors, they would probably have noticed something suspicious atop the Gobi cliffs. If Lu Yuan had stayed here earlier, he might have been discovered.
Since the Black-Striped Graystone Beetles were already dead, Lu Yuan naturally had no intention of lingering.
He climbed down from the Gobi cliffs. As he passed the Black-Striped Graystone Beetle corpses, he gave them another glance before casually finding a passage and leaving.
Before long, Lu Yuan came across two Graystone Beetles gnawing on rocks beneath a stone pillar.
His eyes lit up.
Time to test his current strength.
The Beetle Claw longsword appeared in Lu Yuan's hand as he walked toward the two Graystone Beetles.
When he came within around twenty meters of them, both Graystone Beetles paused and turned to look at Lu Yuan.
Then they let out shrill chirps and charged at him.
Looking at their savage mouthparts, Lu Yuan no longer felt the nervousness he had when he first encountered Graystone Beetles.
As the Graystone Beetles approached, he swung his longsword, and black sword light swept across them.
Their charging movements came to an abrupt halt. Their bodies slid past Lu Yuan and collapsed behind him, their little legs twitching incessantly as life left them.
Death.
The corners of Lu Yuan's lips rose into a delighted smile.
As expected of me!
The two Graystone Beetles had once been able to cause him some trouble. He had not expected that, after such a short time, he would be able to kill them so easily.
Lu Yuan picked up the spirit crystals, removed the Gray Stone Armor, then left the area and continued hunting.
Two hours later, in an area of Graystone Forest.
Splat!!
Lu Yuan killed a lone Graystone Beetle with a single slash. He let out a small breath and stepped forward to pick up the spirit crystal.
Just then, Lu Yuan heard footsteps.
His body stiffened as he looked up toward the passage the footsteps were coming from.
The footsteps drew closer, and two kobolds wearing black leather armor and wielding machetes emerged.
One kobold had gray fur all over, while the other had brown fur all over.
They looked somewhat familiar.
The two kobolds were also stunned when they saw Lu Yuan.
The two sides looked at each other, then both broke into brilliant smiles.
The brown-haired kobold wore a savage expression and burst into wild laughter.
"Hahahahaha! Human, didn't expect this, did you? We meet again! Let's see how you run this time!"
Lu Yuan smiled as well.
"I was wondering whether I would run into you two. Looks like my luck is pretty good."
"Running into us is good luck for you? Looks like the Gene Armament you obtained gave you confidence. Your confidence is worthless!"
The gray-furred kobold glanced at the Beetle Claw longsword in Lu Yuan's hand from the corner of his eye, sneered, and approached Lu Yuan with his machete in hand.
The brown-haired kobold advanced alongside the gray-furred kobold.
"Do you not know that the weapons in our hands are also Gene Armaments? Still, we should thank you for bringing us some extra loot."
As the two kobolds approached Lu Yuan, someone passed through a nearby passage and noticed the scene.
It was the group of four handsome elves.
When they saw Lu Yuan confronting the two kobolds, they were all stunned.
"Eh? Isn't that the kid who was chased by the Graystone Beetle swarm earlier? And his two kobold companions?"
The tall, thin elf paused in confusion.
"What are they doing? Are they about to fight?"
The handsome elf took a look before speaking. "Maybe they had an internal dispute."
The corners of his lips lifted into a smile.
"Don't go over yet. Hide first and wait until they determine the victor."
Hearing the handsome elf's words, the other three immediately understood.
"Listen to the boss!"
"Hehehe... Didn't expect to run into an unexpected gain. Not bad, not bad."
"Business has been bad lately. It's not easy tricking newcomers, so opportunities like this are rare."
The four secretly hid behind distant stone pillars and watched Lu Yuan and the two kobolds.
The two kobolds had already launched their charge at Lu Yuan.
Seeing Lu Yuan standing still, the brown-haired kobold grinned viciously.
"Human, it looks like you know you can't escape and are planning to let us kill you! Don't worry, your grandpa here will be quick!"
As he spoke, he had already rushed before Lu Yuan. He raised his machete high and slashed downward at Lu Yuan with incredible speed.
If it had been before, Lu Yuan naturally would have found it difficult to evade such an attack.
But after inscribing the Extraordinary Gene, every aspect of him had improved.
That naturally included his dynamic vision.
Lu Yuan raised his hand slightly.
Clang!
The Beetle Claw longsword easily blocked the machete, producing the ring of metal striking metal.
Lu Yuan's hand did not move in the slightest.
Feeling the rebounding force through his weapon, the brown-haired kobold's hands went slightly numb.
He widened his eyes and stared at Lu Yuan in disbelief.
"You blocked it?! How is that possible?!"
"What's impossible about it?" Lu Yuan smiled faintly.
The gray-furred kobold, who was slightly behind the brown-haired kobold, also contracted his pupils in shock.
Then, a savage expression appeared on his face.
"You can block one of us, but can you block two?"
He suddenly burst forward and swung his machete horizontally at Lu Yuan's waist.
Lu Yuan smiled. His right hand exerted force, and the brown-haired kobold felt a tremendous power strike him, forcing his body backward.
After knocking the brown-haired kobold away, Lu Yuan twisted his wrist and lowered his longsword to block.
Clang!
The Beetle Claw longsword firmly blocked the gray-furred kobold's attack.
"That speed!"
Seeing Lu Yuan's movements, the gray-furred kobold's fur stood on end. The strength Lu Yuan displayed far exceeded his expectations.
The gray-furred kobold immediately wanted to retreat. They were no match for him!
Just then, Lu Yuan's longsword shook again, knocking the gray-furred kobold back a step. Black sword light swept across the gray-furred kobold's throat.
Blood sprayed out. The light in the gray-furred kobold's eyes slowly faded, and his body swayed before collapsing to the ground.
The brown-haired kobold had been about to step forward to help. When he saw the gray-furred kobold fall, he froze.
"Big Brother?!"
He stared fixedly at Lu Yuan, his eyes full of shock.
"How is this possible?! You were being chased by us just moments ago. How did you become so much stronger in such a short time?!"
Lu Yuan looked at the brown-haired kobold, whose fur stood on end all over his body, and revealed a friendly smile as he approached step by step.
"You guess."
Before you continue