On the way home, Doris kept reminding Yuan of every little thing he needed to know about cultivating Genetic Origin Energy.
Unlike usual, when his mother started nagging, Yuan didn't get annoyed. He listened patiently.
Instead, he reassured her. "Don't worry, Mom. We've been learning all about cultivation and martial techniques since elementary school. I'll be fine."
"All right, all right. You always have an answer for everything! Just remember, even if you can't break through as a Spirit Reader, that's okay."
"We've saved up enough over the years to help you break through to Earth Rank as a warrior... Just don't take any risks..."
Yuan grabbed a bottle of soda and sat on the sofa in his bedroom, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders.
His parents had worked hard all these years to help him break through. He never said it aloud, but he'd always understood.
"Good thing I have the talent to become a Spirit Reader. If I break through, I can save the family a lot of resources."
"Once I reach Earth Rank, life will be easy. I could get a little job with the Tribal Council and settle down with a wife and kids. That wouldn't be bad."
After daydreaming, Yuan set down his drink, put on the Bluetooth earpiece from the table, and said softly, "Tuya, turn on the computer and log into the Martial Arts Hall website."
"Of course, Master!" a simulated electronic female voice replied from the air.
Tuya was Yuan's virtual assistant, named after the Tuya Black Hole that shone over the land.
A virtual display appeared in front of Yuan.
Keeping his hands folded, Yuan used his thoughts, transmitted through the Bluetooth earpiece, to quickly enter his verification details on the display.
The electronic voice chimed repeatedly. "Verification complete. Welcome, Citizen Yuan Stone!"
"I'd like to apply to study the Gene Origin Energy Cultivation Method and the Basic Guide for Psychics!"
"Verifying your information. Your age meets the requirements. Warrior talent: C-. Spirit Reader talent: C+. You meet the standards. Submitting your application. Please wait..."
"Important reminder: Do not share the relevant cultivation methods with anyone below Apprentice First Order or under twelve years of age. Attempting to cultivate them without meeting these requirements may be fatal!"
Yuan grumbled inwardly, You could grab any bloodsucking bug on Dongyuan Planet, and it might be at Apprentice Level 3. Where would you even find someone below Apprentice First Order?
But he kept a serious expression and said, "I've read and understood."
"Application approved!"
The virtual screen displayed a list of available cultivation methods:
<Gene Origin Energy Cultivation Method—Basic Guidance>
<Gene Origin Energy Cultivation Method—Cultivation Guide>
Basic Guide for Psychics—Object Control
Basic Guide for Psychics—Illusions
Basic Guide for Psychics—Beast Control
Yuan gazed excitedly at the lines of gilded text on the screen, considering how to train next.
If he became a Reserve Warrior in the Reserve Flying Star Rank (Star Rank) training class and chose the Genetic Warrior path, he could select a weapon such as a saber, spear, sword, or halberd.
Spirit Readers, regardless of their specialty, mainly attacked with throwing knives, Flying Shuttles, and the like.
Ordinary people only needed to practice hand-to-hand combat and reach Earth Rank. They generally didn't need to train with additional weapons.
"If I didn't have the talent to become a Spirit Reader, then with the abundant Universe Energy on Dongyuan Planet, reaching Apprentice Level 9 would be easy."
"But reaching Earth Rank in the limited time before my body starts to decline would be all but impossible. I'd have to rely on external resources..."
"So for now, I need to get started with Genetic Origin Energy cultivation and reach Apprentice Level 9 as a warrior as quickly as possible, so it can nourish my Spiritual Force."
"My total Spiritual Force is pretty pathetic. It's just a thin, scattered mist. But as long as I train its strength up to Apprentice Level 9..."
"I can follow the Basic Guide for Psychics and break through to Earth Rank as a Spirit Reader more easily than a warrior could. That, in turn, should help my warrior strength break through the bottleneck."
"I'm so lucky! I didn't meet the requirements to become a 'warrior,' but I still have a sliver of hope of reaching Flying Star Rank!"
"That means a lifespan of more than six thousand years!" Yuan knew the odds were slim, but he couldn't help longing for it.
"People with the talent to become warriors who don't want to become one call people like me 'the chosen ones.' Hahaha!"
Yuan opened the <Gene Origin Energy Cultivation Method—Basic Guidance> and read through the detailed explanation.
"As humans mature, their genes continuously improve. Once they reach a certain level, they can absorb energy from the universe and incorporate it into every cell in their bodies."
"During this process, their genes, bones, cells, blood, internal organs, skin, and everything else will continuously evolve and grow stronger!"
"Because Dongyuan Planet is rich in Universe Energy, this enhancement happens passively until a person can actively cultivate at the age of twelve."
Before and after the Great Nirvana, Earth's method for cultivating Genetic Origin Energy was the Five Hearts Towards Heaven Cultivation Method.
It relied heavily on talent, but its advantage was that it could be practiced even where Universe Energy was scarce. The strong had deliberately promoted it throughout the universe, which was how Earth Humans had found it in the ruins.
This <Gene Origin Energy Cultivation Method—Basic Guidance>, passed down from an immortal, could be practiced easily wherever energy was abundant. It was perfectly suited to the people of Dongyuan Planet.
The rest described cultivation techniques and precautions. Yuan read it carefully several times, until he knew it by heart, then followed the instructions.
He sat cross-legged, pressed his palms together, closed his eyes, and focused. He imagined the Universe Energy that existed everywhere as water.
He was like a sponge in the water, trying to soak it into his body.
"Keep the body relaxed, let it happen naturally. Keep the mind still, as calm as a mirror-smooth lake."
Yuan had good self-control. Gradually, he settled completely, and even his mind grew quiet.
The silence was absolute. His breathing became almost imperceptible.
"Once you can 'sense' it, absorbing it is easy."
One minute, two minutes... ten minutes!
At last, Yuan vaguely sensed waves of strange energy passing through his whole body. It gathered especially at the soles of his feet, the centers of his palms, and the Baihui point at the crown of his head, each surge eagerly trying to enter his body.
Energy seeped from areas of high concentration into areas of low concentration.
"It took me almost ten minutes just to sense water while standing in it!" Yuan shook his head and muttered in dismay.
"So this is Universe Energy." Yuan concentrated, imagining himself as a sponge soaking up water. His mind naturally sent out one thought after another: absorb Universe Energy.
As a result, the soles of his feet, the centers of his palms, and the Baihui point at the crown of his head began absorbing energy faster.
It was like a water pipe: its "diameter" limited how quickly Universe Energy could flow into his body.
As the Universe Energy entered his cells, it was quickly absorbed by the mitochondria inside them, which released a strange energy that was then rapidly absorbed throughout the cells.
Every cell immediately began to undergo earth-shattering changes. His DNA blueprint shifted subtly, and his cells began to divide, one becoming two.
Yuan's body kept changing, from his outer skin, muscles, and bones to every cell deep inside him.
Even his genes changed slightly. This was the evolution of life, an optimization of his genetic makeup!
At the peak of Apprentice Level 6, he reached Apprentice Level 7, then the peak of Level 7, and then Level 8! After that, the surge in his strength began to slow. His cells had reached a new state of energy saturation.
From then on, his cultivation wouldn't bring such explosive growth.
Deep within his brain.
In a part of his brain Yuan couldn't perceive, Universe Energy continued pouring in, reaching even deeper into his mind. The strength of his Spiritual Force rose little by little,
The purple crystal he had forgotten about suddenly gave off a strange pulse and greedily absorbed the excess Universe Energy.
As a result, his Spiritual Force stopped increasing once it reached Apprentice Level 5.
Yuan ended his cultivation and opened his eyes. He stood and ran through a set of punches, quickly adapting to his increased strength.
Under Dongyuan Planet's terrifying gravity, human bodies were already extremely strong. Someone at Apprentice Level 8 could jump only a few dozen centimeters higher than someone at Apprentice Level 6.
Next came his Spiritual Force! Yuan could clearly feel a strange power extending from his mind, trying to move the cup on his desk.
He tried for ages, but the cup didn't budge.
"Is my Spiritual Force really that much weaker than I expected?" Yuan couldn't help complaining about his Spirit Reader talent.
"Right, I can look inside my Consciousness Sea now. I'll see what's changed in there and estimate my strength as a Spirit Reader."
Yuan sat cross-legged again, pressed his palms together, and entered a meditative state. Energy still surged, trying to enter his body, but his body was like an overflowing pool and couldn't absorb any more for the moment.
"Huh? My head..." Yuan sensed a great deal of Universe Energy flowing into his brain. As he focused his mind there,
his whole soul seemed to shudder. Then Yuan was astonished to discover that his consciousness had entered a mysterious place.
The place was boundless, with endless mist swirling through it. At the center of the mist sat a dark purple crystal.
The sharply faceted crystal slowly rotated, claiming most of the Universe Energy that flowed in. Only a little remained in the mist of this mysterious place.
What is this thing? Yuan was full of questions. Wasn't Spiritual Force supposed to look like golden mist? At higher concentrations, it might even become liquid or form a solid sphere.
Its color was usually some shade of gold, depending on how pure the force was. What was with this purple color and strange shape?
Without even checking the strength of his Spiritual Force, Yuan quit cultivating again, intending to look up what the purple crystal was.
He opened his eyes and sat there in a daze for a few seconds. A little confused, he wondered, What was I just going to look up?
???
Unable to make sense of it, Yuan could only sit cross-legged again and resume cultivating.
In the Consciousness Sea, Yuan stared at the purple crystal and fell into thought. He guessed that during his second talent assessment, when he had first entered his Consciousness Sea, he had seen this crystal.
But after leaving the Consciousness Sea, he had forgotten about it.
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