Xu Tui currently faced three problems.
The most important was naturally the issue of opening more Gene Points—in other words, cultivation.
Xu Tui urgently needed more systematic knowledge to determine the direction of his cultivation, rather than just relying on luck.
Of course, he was still quite satisfied with how lucky he'd gotten so far.
He was very pleased with his Bean Flicking Divine Ability.
He was eager to start learning.
The second problem was actually the same one Cheng Mo faced—money!
Was Xu Tui short on living expenses?
No.
He hadn't brought a lot of money, but he hadn't brought too little, either.
After paying tuition and accommodation fees, he still had plenty left.
Before Xu Tui left, his dad had mentioned that he'd give him about three thousand yuan a month for living expenses.
That was quite a lot.
It was more than enough to live on.
He'd even have plenty to spare.
But Xu Tui wasn't short on living expenses. He was short on cultivation expenses.
At Huaxia Gene Evolution University, students had to be at least E-grade Gene Liberators before they could attempt a targeted gene mutation and advance to become Gene Mutants.
But Xu Tui clearly wasn't going to advance at E-grade. Nor did he want to.
If possible, he'd much rather advance to become a Gene Mutant after reaching C-grade—or even B-grade—as a Gene Liberator.
That way, his future growth ceiling would be that of a B-grade Gene Mutant, or even a B-grade Gene Evolver.
Here was the problem: to become a C-grade Gene Liberator, he needed seven sets of linked Gene Points, granting him seven different abilities.
To become a B-grade Gene Liberator, he needed nine sets of linked Gene Points, granting him nine different abilities.
On average, each linked set contained sixteen Gene Points. The stronger and more unusual the ability, the more Gene Points it took to unlock.
By that average, unlocking nine linked sets would require around 144 Gene Points.
Xu Tui didn't know what it was like for others.
But he knew his own situation very well.
He could unlock Gene Points on his own, but each one might cost him a bottle of E-grade Energy Supplement Potion.
And he'd heard that the later Gene Points in a linked set were more costly to unlock.
So Xu Tui's initial estimate was that cultivation expenses could easily start at a million yuan.
And that was just for the most basic Energy Supplement Potions.
Xu Tui knew his family's financial situation very well.
His parents had no trouble covering his living expenses.
But he'd have to find a way to cover the costs of cultivation himself.
That was a problem he'd have to deal with for a long time to come.
It was also the first time Xu Tui had faced the harsh reality of money since leaving Jincheng Prefecture.
He'd always thought his parents were a little stingy.
Now, Xu Tui was beginning to understand.
In this world, earning money was hard, and eating shit was harder...
Still, the third problem Xu Tui faced might help solve the second, at least to some extent.
The third problem was the new student entrance assessment at Huaxia Gene Evolution University.
In short, it was a repeat of the Gene Aptitude Test he'd taken before.
Compared to the national Gene Aptitude Test in Jincheng Prefecture, the assessment at Huaxia Gene Evolution University, a top-tier institution, was more accurate and thorough.
The rankings were essentially the equivalent of the scholarships of the past.
In the Gene Great Era, they were now uniformly called student rank benefits.
When Xu Tui had entered the New Student Reception Center, he'd received a handbook that briefly introduced the student rank benefits at Huaxia Gene Evolution University.
Huaxia Gene Evolution University's student rankings were broadly the same as those at other Gene Evolution Universities across the country.
They followed the current mainstream system.
They ranged from F to A.
F was naturally the lowest, and A the highest.
But at Huaxia Gene Evolution University, anyone who received an F rating would be in for a rough time. For new students especially, it would probably mean they were one step away from being expelled.
Each grade above F was divided into three tiers.
For example, a High E-grade rating came with High E-grade student benefits.
A Mid C-grade rating came with Mid C-grade student benefits.
This student ranking system was consistent across the country.
But Huaxia Gene Evolution University's standards for assessment differed from those of other Gene Evolution Universities. In fact, its standards were among the highest.
The benefits, however, were different too.
The higher standards came with extraordinary benefits.
The handbook didn't list the benefits for B-grade and A-grade students, but it did cover those below B-grade.
As it happened, Xu Tui had grown up in Jincheng Prefecture and knew a little about the benefits for students at the best local school, Jincheng Prefecture Gene Evolution University.
For example, a Mid D-grade student at Jincheng Prefecture Gene Evolution University received ten F-grade Energy Supplement Pills a month and one bottle of E-grade Energy Supplement Potion a year.
The total scholarship value for the year was around 19,440 yuan—less than 20,000.
So what benefits did Mid D-grade students at Huaxia Gene Evolution University receive?
Ten F-grade Energy Supplement Pills a month, one bottle of E-grade Energy Supplement Potion, and one bottle of muscle-growth high-enzyme protein potion.
An E-grade Energy Supplement Potion cost 5,000 yuan a bottle. Getting one a month instead of one a year meant ten times the benefits offered by Jincheng Prefecture Gene Evolution University.
And that wasn't even counting the bottle of muscle-growth high-enzyme protein potion, which reportedly sold for over a thousand yuan.
The total scholarship value for a year came to more than 86,000 yuan.
Four or five times what Jincheng Prefecture Gene Evolution University offered.
Xu Tui's dad probably didn't even make that much in a year.
That was why Xu Tui had his eye on the assessment rankings.
Based on the information available, Mid C-grade benefits included twenty F-grade Energy Supplement Pills a month, four bottles of E-grade Energy Supplement Potion, and two bottles of muscle-growth high-enzyme protein potion. Those were the tangible rewards, not counting the benefits of a more functional nature.
Even just those tangible rewards made Xu Tui envious.
They added up to almost 300,000 yuan a year.
That was more than his parents' combined annual salaries!
It was incredibly tempting.
If he could get a Mid C-grade rating and enjoy the corresponding scholarship, Xu Tui felt he could cover about a third of his cultivation expenses.
To get a C-grade rating, he needed to have unlocked at least twenty Gene Points.
Whether he got a Low C-grade or High C-grade rating would depend on how he performed in the other assessment events.
As for B-grade and the even higher A-grade ratings, almost no new students could get them.
"So, the target is twenty Gene Points."
To get that Mid C-grade rating, Xu Tui decided on the spot to make another attempt that night.
But which part of his body should he choose?
He wasn't going to choose a new area.
Gene Points only formed powerful abilities when unlocked as a linked set. Randomly unlocking single points was useless.
Xu Tui had two options.
First, he could keep unlocking Gene Points in his right hand or left Little Leg.
But that choice depended a little too much on luck.
Who knew what kind of Gene Point he'd unlock?
The first time he'd unlocked a Gene Point in his left Little Leg, it had caused a change in his hand. That had already taught him something.
Unlocking a Gene Point in a certain part of his body didn't necessarily enhance that part.
At that moment, Xu Tui suddenly thought of the special body part unique to men, where plenty of Gene Points were distributed. What kind of abilities would those Gene Points affect?
For a moment, Xu Tui's heart leaped.
He wanted to give it a try.
But in the end, Xu Tui calmed down.
It was too important to risk experimenting at random.
It didn't matter if he unlocked some strange ability. But if the part in question ended up disappearing into thin air, that would be...
"Then I'll unlock the Bean Flicking Divine Ability in my left hand."
Xu Tui made his decision.
Many Gene Points in the limbs were mirrored. Unlocking them should affect the same type of ability.
He'd unlock a Gene Point in his right Little Leg and another in his left hand, each corresponding to the Bean Flicking Divine Ability in his right hand.
Then Xu Tui would be able to flick beans with both hands.
If he could find time to make a few alloy beans, that would be even more powerful.
And if he was lucky enough to unlock a Gene Point related to wrist strength someday, he could even pull off a stylish flying-card kill!
Having made his decision, Xu Tui didn't hesitate. He took out a bottle of E-grade Energy Supplement Potion and drank it, then adjusted his breathing and quickly meditated himself into a state of Illusory Internal Vision.
He began unlocking Gene Points on his own.
It was late at night. Here's a toxic treat: pesticide-free green tomatoes from my hometown.
Before you continue