Li Qinghe

Lu Yuan stared somewhat dumbfoundedly at the spirit qi particles dancing within his consciousness. After a moment of silence, he carefully followed the method of the Spirit Qi Guiding Art and tried absorbing them.

The moment he did, all the spirit qi particles seemed drawn by a magnet, rushing toward Lu Yuan and merging into his body.

Within his consciousness, the spirit qi particles passed through the white mist and merged into the double-helix Gene Chain.

The light emitted by the double-helix Gene Chain had originally been rather dim, but gradually, the light at its very bottom began to shine brighter.

As the Gene Chain brightened, Lu Yuan began to feel warmth spreading through his body. His brow swelled slightly, and his mind seemed to grow more energized.

The sensation delighted Lu Yuan.

Based on what was happening, spirit qi tempered the Gene Chain, and the Gene Chain in turn nourished his body and mind.

That seemed right.

The problem was that his speed of absorbing spirit qi appeared to be far faster than what the Spirit Qi Guiding Art described.

According to the Spirit Qi Guiding Art, people with good talent generally needed three to five days for this process, while those of ordinary talent might need ten days to half a month.

He had succeeded the instant he closed his eyes. What kind of talent was that?

Could it also be because of the Evolution Cube?

Lu Yuan looked at the deep-blue cube spinning in circles and felt a surge of joy.

As expected of me!

Just then, Lu Yuan's consciousness suddenly swelled, splitting off a small space.

This space had initially been only the size of a fist, but as it continuously absorbed spirit qi, it grew larger and larger.

Eventually, it reached roughly one cubic meter in size.

Though the small space was completely empty, Lu Yuan could sense his connection to it.

Instinctively, he realized what this space was.

Wasn't this the space mentioned in that earlier post, created by the Gene Battle Tattoo after absorbing the first wisp of spirit qi?

But according to the post, opening up this space was supposed to be difficult.

Lu Yuan had never expected it to be so easy for him. Everything had simply fallen into place.

It was just a little small.

When the space stopped growing, Lu Yuan opened his eyes.

He saw a ray of morning light spilling in through the window and froze for a moment.

He picked up his phone and checked the time.

6:34.

It was already morning?!

He had clearly felt as though only a few minutes had passed. He had not expected so much time to have gone by.

The problem was that he still felt extremely alert, even better than after a high-quality night's sleep.

Was this the effect of spiritual power?

That was kind of amazing.

Lu Yuan got up, washed up, and left his room.

The moment he opened the door, he saw a woman entering through the front door. She wore a tight red dress, delicate makeup, and had a pretty face with a pair of bright, beautiful eyes.

When she saw Lu Yuan, she broke into a radiant smile.

"Little Brother Lu Yuan, are you heading to class?"

Lu Yuan nodded. "Yeah, Qinghe Jie. Did you just get off work? You must be tired."

"Hehe, perfect. I bought a few extra buns. Want to take them and eat them on the way?"

Li Qinghe laughed brightly and raised the bag of buns in her hand.

Warmth stirred in Lu Yuan's heart, and he smiled.

"Qinghe Jie really does buy extra every day."

Lu Yuan had moved out of the orphanage and come to live here a year ago.

Li Qinghe had lived here even longer than Lu Yuan. For a weak and helpless girl living alone in the slums, life was naturally extremely difficult.

To survive, she had to give nearly everything.

Yet to Lu Yuan, Li Qinghe was a genuinely caring older sister who looked after him.

In the original owner's memories, after learning that Lu Yuan was an orphan with very little monthly living expense, Li Qinghe bought extra breakfast every morning and brought it back for him when she returned.

She also often told Lu Yuan what to watch out for in this area, what to avoid, and what not to provoke.

If not for Li Qinghe, Lu Yuan might not even have survived until now.

The original owner had been deeply grateful to Li Qinghe.

After becoming an orphan, she had been one of the few sources of warmth in Lu Yuan's heart.

The original owner had always wanted to help Li Qinghe, but unfortunately, he could barely support himself, much less help someone else.

Lu Yuan suddenly thought of something. He was now a Gene Warrior. Before long, he would move away from here. When that time came, he could help Li Qinghe find a good job and take her away from this chaotic district as well.

Seeing the smile on Lu Yuan's face, Li Qinghe paused, a strange glint flashing through her eyes as she studied him.

Lu Yuan was a little puzzled. "What is it?"

Li Qinghe smiled.

"I just think Little Brother Lu Yuan seems a little different. You wouldn't have smiled like that yesterday."

Lu Yuan came to a realization, understanding that he had changed a little too much.

Li Qinghe lived in the slums and had seen all kinds of people. She was probably quite sensitive to such things.

He smiled.

"I actually ran into something good."

"What good thing?"

"I awakened as a Gene Warrior yesterday. I feel like my life might become different, so I'm planning to make some changes."

Li Qinghe froze upon hearing that, then revealed a delighted smile.

She stepped forward and patted Lu Yuan on the shoulder.

"Congratulations, Little Brother Lu Yuan! You'll be an important person from now on!"

"It's still too early to say that, but I definitely won't be staying in the slums much longer."

"Mhm, leaving this place would be good."

Li Qinghe nodded repeatedly.

Lu Yuan looked at Li Qinghe and smiled.

"Qinghe Jie, when the time comes, I'll find you a good job and take you away with me."

Li Qinghe paused, took out a pack of cigarettes from her chest, skillfully picked one out, lit it, and took a drag.

Supporting her right hand with her left, she exhaled a cloud of white smoke and looked at Lu Yuan with a smile.

"What? You don't look down on your big sister?"

Lu Yuan answered seriously.

"I'll remember in my heart who treats me well and who doesn't. Qinghe Jie is the only person here who has treated me well."

Lu Yuan had inherited the original owner's memories. Although he had no particular feelings for Li Qinghe, he regarded her as an older sister who cared for and looked after him.

If he could help, he naturally would.

Li Qinghe fell silent for a moment, then smiled and ruffled Lu Yuan's hair.

"There's no point talking about it yet. We'll discuss it when the time comes. Take the buns and get to class. Don't be late. Your big sister doesn't know anything about Gene Warriors, so handle it yourself. Safety first."

"I'll be going, then."

Lu Yuan helplessly fixed his mussed hair, took two buns, and left.

Li Qinghe looked at the tightly shut door and fell silent for a moment. She stubbed out the cigarette in her hand, then picked up a bun and held it between her teeth.

She walked to Lu Yuan's door. After standing there for a moment, she narrowed her bright eyes, took a step forward, and passed straight through the door into Lu Yuan's room, while the door behind her remained tightly shut.

Li Qinghe took a bite of her bun and looked around. Then she glanced at the old laptop and Lu Yuan's three-step plan on the desk for entering the Origin Land.

She walked over, gave it a look, and smiled.

"The antisocial little brother has really grown up."

She shook her head, stepped through the door again, returned to the living room, and went back to her own room while eating her bun.

Lu Yuan had not actually gone to class.

Though the original owner had been withdrawn, he was quite intelligent, and his academic grades had always ranked near the top.

As expected of my previous self!

Lu Yuan therefore did not need to spend more effort on academic classes. He had already asked his homeroom teacher for leave and planned to focus entirely on improving as a Gene Warrior for the coming period.

His homeroom teacher naturally understood and agreed without hesitation.

For the next two months, Lu Yuan could skip class whenever he wanted.

Today, he was heading to the mall.

That was right. He needed to prepare the necessities for this adventure into the Origin Land.

Having provisions in hand kept one from panicking; having money worked the same way.

Holding the more than five thousand Red Maple Coins in his card, Lu Yuan felt as if he owned the entire world. Even his stride carried a touch of swagger.

Wearing his best clothes—his school uniform—Lu Yuan strode into the mall and began shopping.

The purchasing power of Red Maple Coins here was slightly stronger than the beloved yuan from his previous life, though not by much.

Five thousand was not actually all that much money.

Fortunately, Lu Yuan was only buying ordinary items.

Military compressed biscuits, energy bars, filling bread, and bottled water.

Insect repellent, deodorizer, rope, and other wilderness survival supplies.

Lu Yuan had originally intended to buy a sleeping bag and a tent, but considering that he would only be inside for twenty-four hours in total, he decided to save where he could.

Sleep was for the dead. If he was alive, he could sleep after coming out.

Yet even these miscellaneous items had cost him around a thousand.

Lu Yuan was left with only four thousand.

With that money, Lu Yuan headed to the Alloy Weapon store in the mall.