I Want to Drop Out!

The sky over Hailan Star was a vast expanse of azure in the early morning.

"Pryson went back to Tianhe Prison headquarters last night, even turned down Old Henry's dinner party." Poseidon brought Guding a piece of news about Pryson first thing in the morning.

"Any other news?" Guding didn't care much about the information on Pryson. As he had said, the two of them had settled their grudges and were done with each other. If the other party still insisted on targeting him and his friends, then he would have no choice but to send those video files to the top brass of the Federation, completely ruining his reputation.

"There's one piece of news you might be interested in. It came in early this morning and hasn't been confirmed yet." There was a hint of anticipation in Poseidon's voice. "The rumor says that the ruler of the Feimei Cosmic Kingdom paid a secret visit to our Longteng Cosmic Kingdom a few days ago, and the two rulers have been in preliminary discussions about opening up to each other."

"Are you sure it's the Feimei Cosmic Kingdom?" Guding found it hard to believe. The Feimei Cosmic Kingdom was different from the Longteng Cosmic Kingdom—it was a top-tier five-star cosmic kingdom. The Longteng Cosmic Kingdom, where Guding was, was merely a two-star cosmic kingdom, completely mismatched in strength. Typically, five-star cosmic kingdoms rarely dealt with those below four stars; they were the supreme overlords of the cosmic kingdoms. With gods backing them, they held overwhelming authority over any kingdom below five stars.

As for two-star cosmic kingdoms like Longteng, they usually existed by attaching themselves to some three-star cosmic kingdoms. Three-star cosmic kingdoms, in turn, relied on four-star ones. If the Feimei Cosmic Kingdom truly wanted to establish diplomatic relations, it would be enough to communicate directly with the four-star cosmic kingdom governing Longteng. For long-term cooperation, it wouldn't be unusual for a four-star kingdom to hand over jurisdiction of a few two-star kingdoms.

A five-star cosmic kingdom taking the initiative to visit a two-star one—such a thing had never been heard of before.

"Is this news reliable?" Guding asked further.

"Not sure. The access level for inter-kingdom diplomacy is too high; I can't hack into it yet." This was the first time Poseidon admitted to Guding that there was something he couldn't do.

Guding was taken aback. Since meeting Poseidon, he had almost believed the other was omnipotent. Now he finally realized there were things even Poseidon couldn't accomplish.

"You need to improve your strength as soon as possible. The higher your gene level, the more permissions you'll unlock. I estimate that once you reach the tenth-level gene body, the Longteng Cosmic Kingdom will hold no secrets for me." Poseidon's words left Guding speechless.

The tenth-level gene body was far too distant for Guding. Even someone like Uncle Kane, with a bounty in the hundreds of millions, was only at the sixth-level gene body. And a sixth-level gene body could already land a position as a Federation Colonel in the Longteng Cosmic Kingdom.

Thinking about this, Guding felt a bit depressed. "I don't even know when I'll break through to the second-level gene body. My cell index is already at 19 points, but my gene level still hasn't advanced. At least practicing Ultimate Body Arts every day strengthens my cells. Normal people usually break through their gene level once their cell index exceeds ten points."

"Your gene situation is... special." Poseidon seemed hesitant to speak.

"Do you know something?" Guding sensed from Poseidon's tone that he might know something about his genes.

"Your genes are in a locked state, and it's a double lock. One is a genetic lock you were born with, and the other is a sealing lock deliberately added by someone later." Poseidon had actually detected Guding's abnormality from the very beginning. "In fact, the main reason I chose you as my master is this genetic state of yours."

"Is having my genes locked a good thing?" Guding frowned slightly. He wasn't too concerned about the genetic lock he was born with. What bothered him was the later sealing lock. Growing up, he only had his father as family, so that sealing lock was probably added by him. "Dad must have had a reason for doing this... It's fine. I'll find him and ask him face to face!"

"The innate genetic lock only appears in people born with extremely powerful genes. Usually, such people have ancestors who were gods or similarly powerful beings. If a descendant experiences genetic atavism and inherits certain traits from a god's genes, they are born with this lock. If the lock isn't broken before adulthood, the terrifying power hidden in the genes will not only shatter the lock automatically but also cause the gene chain to break or even collapse. In that case, the descendant will die within three days without a cure."

"As for the acquired genetic seal, in the near-ancient era, it was also an extremely powerful technique. The one who applied it, even if not a god, was likely infinitely close to godhood," Poseidon continued. "Acquired genetic seals are usually placed by elders to temper descendants who have awakened powerful abilities in their genes. The purpose is to make them train steadily and avoid relying too much on their special abilities, which would lead to neglecting cultivation. Such seals are generally not very strong; once the descendant's strength exceeds the seal's capacity, it will automatically unlock."

"So, even if my comprehensive cell index exceeds the threshold, if the genetic lock isn't removed, I still can't break through to the second-level gene body, and I'll never awaken my abilities?" Guding frowned. If his gene level couldn't advance, his ability awakening would keep getting delayed. Humans only had a chance to awaken special abilities when their gene level advanced.

"Without removing the genetic lock, you can't advance to the second-level gene body," Poseidon confirmed. "However, those born with a genetic lock are guaranteed to gain an ability once it's unlocked, and the ability they obtain will be incredibly powerful."

"I won't think about it too much for now. Time for morning exercise, then breakfast." Guding got out of bed. Morning jogging was a daily routine for him. Although the effect on his current cell strength was minimal, it was still a good habit—one his father had forced on him back then.

After stepping out and jogging a short lap, Poseidon's voice suddenly rang out. "Guding, that news from this morning is true!"

"Which news?" Guding asked casually.

"The news about the Feimei Cosmic Kingdom's ruler visiting. The Longteng ruler just issued a statement: the Feimei Cosmic Kingdom has officially opened interstellar routes to the Longteng Cosmic Kingdom." There was a hint of excitement in Poseidon's voice.

"So, from now on, Longteng's interstellar pirates don't have to go around three three-star cosmic kingdoms and one four-star cosmic kingdom. They can enter the Cosmic Sea directly through the Feimei Cosmic Kingdom's five-star route?" Guding's eyes lit up. "I've decided. I'm buying a Young Eagle and setting off right now!"

"You haven't graduated yet, have you?" Poseidon reminded him, sensing Guding might have forgotten something.

"Yeah, I'll go handle the withdrawal procedures later." Guding gave a startling answer without hesitation. "Actually, the courses at the military academy are basically over. I already had enough credits to graduate half a year ago. And I never planned to go to the Advanced Military Academy anyway. Whether I get that diploma or not doesn't matter. If the new route hadn't opened, waiting a few more months to set off would've been fine, since many have already traveled the paths ahead. But now that the new route is open, I want to leave immediately and explore this uncharted path. I can't afford to fall behind!"

(Uh, update's late again... This chapter bridges the previous and next parts. I thought a lot while writing and got a bit stuck. I just saw that Jimo also tipped. The writing circle is really small, but as a small-time nobody, I mostly only know fellow writers online. I've actually met and had meals with only a few friends in the circle, and Jimo happens to be one. He's a great guy and introduced me to Fenghuo and Duanqiao. Everyone should have heard of his "Endless Sword Outfit." Oh, and he recently started a new book, "Unrivaled Demon Master." Fantasy readers shouldn't miss it~)