Fifteenfold Gene

Virtual Universe, Rainy Mountain.

Heaven and Earth Region, Luliduo's residence.

Luliduo stared at the ceiling, her eyes unfocused.

Beside her, Qianshui wore a worried expression, her eyes glistening with tears. She rambled on without pause. Ever since Gaido had told her what had happened to Li Dui, she had rushed straight to Luliduo's place—and she had barely stopped talking since.

"That brat. He always says how safe and comfortable he is. Well, look at him now. He's in serious trouble, isn't he?"

"This is driving me crazy!"

"Why hasn't he replied to my messages? That bastard. What if something really happened to him? Luli, has he replied to you?"

Luliduo shook her head without a word.

Aboard the spaceship.

The regrets and resentment Li Dui had carried for so long vanished in an instant.

Happiness had come far too suddenly.

Though this wasn't a Clone Secret Technique, the bodies it created were puppets in essence. They couldn't exist independently; without a soul infused into them, they were lifeless objects.

Even if a sliver of one's soul was infused, the main body still had to split off its consciousness to control them. If the main body died, no matter how many puppet bodies remained, they would be useless. They would all perish at once.

Clone Secret Techniques were different. The extra bodies were real bodies that could unleash their full power at any time. Each was another self, linked by thought. They could cultivate, comprehend laws, and grow stronger. If any clone died, another could be used to reform it.

But Li Dui was extremely satisfied with this technique. He couldn't care less whether they counted as clones or not.

This was amazing. Did I need clones to help me cultivate?

My main body could just keep a low profile. I'd find somewhere to hide and cultivate in silence. My puppet bodies could run around wherever they liked; they weren't afraid of dying. Wouldn't that be like treating the real world as a Virtual Universe?

Several ways to keep a low profile flashed through Li Dui's mind. His laughter echoed through the cabin.

"Master, you have 1,000 unread emails."

Xiao Le's voice interrupted Li Dui's daydreaming.

"1,000?" Had everyone gone crazy?

"Open them," Li Dui ordered.

His inbox appeared on the spaceship's screen.

There were emails from all kinds of people. It seemed that when he'd suddenly gone offline, everyone had assumed he'd run into a life-or-death crisis.

Gaido and the others competing alongside him, along with dozens upon dozens of others, had sent over 200 in total.

Hong: 71.

Thor: 116.

Luliduo: 237.

Qianshui: 366.

"Uh..." A warm feeling spread through his heart. They cared about me this much?

It wasn't surprising that Qianshui, who loved padding her messages, had sent so many. But this was ridiculous. It hadn't even been that long, and she'd sent 366?

And Luliduo, who usually couldn't be coaxed into saying more than a few words, had sent him so many messages too.

But Li Dui really didn't feel like logging into the Virtual Universe right now. He'd forgotten all about the competition.

He sent a group reply to his friends, letting them know he was safe. He said he still needed to focus on the real world for now, so he wouldn't be competing.

He replied to Hong and Thor separately.

Then he sent a voice message to their group chat of three: "Luli~ Shuiniu. I'm not dead, so don't worry. I struck it rich! We'll get that E-class package next time!"

"E-class my foot! Stop talking! If you need to run, then run. If you need to hide, then hide," Qianshui replied at lightning speed. She'd misunderstood. Seeing that Li Dui still hadn't logged into the Virtual Universe, she thought he was still in danger. And here he was, bragging—she wanted to bite his head off.

"Your safety comes first." Luliduo sounded relieved.

Li Dui laughed and said no more.

This Innate Secret Technique had come right after he'd been acknowledged by the Origin Law of Space.

The requirements for using its first stage were to reach the Law Comprehension of a King-level Immortal.

That made it obvious that the Primal Universe had bestowed this technique because of that.

To the powerful beings of the universe, the comprehension of a King-level Immortal was nothing special. The Primal Universe surely wouldn't bestow a technique just for that.

So it could only be because I'm still at Universe Rank.

I'm truly at Universe Rank, not a Special Lifeform. Apart from the threefold gene level I gained through Xueluo Crystals, my body has nothing special about it.

So it must be that, while at Universe Rank, I was acknowledged by the Origin Law of Space and reached King-level Immortal comprehension in a single law. Only then did the Primal Universe bestow this technique, Li Dui mused.

Universe Rank, acknowledged by the Origin Law of Space—is that really so difficult? More difficult than reaching Perfect Gene? Li Dui wondered.

How could he know? He was like a man who'd eaten his fill, oblivious to the hunger of others. A Universe Rank expert lived for only 100,000 years. So what if they were a genius? The benchmark for geniuses in the Human Race was the thirteenth level of the Heavenly Bridge. Even that was usually achieved with the help of all kinds of factors. The eighteenth level of the Origin Law of Space? Not even in his dreams.

Throughout the countless Reincarnation Eras of the Primal Universe, there had been all kinds of defiant lifeforms. There were even plenty of Universe Masters with naturally Perfect Gene. But no Universe Rank expert had ever reached King Level through their own comprehension.

This technique was no ordinary one.

First, it wasn't one of the many specks of light. That alone set it apart.

Second, this technique could be used as soon as one reached a certain level of Law Comprehension.

That meant it favored those with high Law Comprehension. If you were capable of reaching that level of law early, you could use it right away. You didn't have to wait until you reached the corresponding rank.

The third stage was where its true depth lay. But that was far beyond him, so there was no need to think about it yet.

One bite at a time. He should focus on what he could use right away.

The first stage of the technique.

Five puppet bodies, each with 20% of his own physical strength.

"I have threefold genes now, so 20% would be... Wait, no." Li Dui slapped his forehead.

"Idiot," he scolded himself. He took a Xueluo Crystal out of his Space Ring.

Without the slightest hesitation, he fused it into his body.

The only thing holding back the fusion of the Hula Hoop was time.

The fourth crystal. Success.

Again. Out of habit, he disconnected the Hula Hoop. He didn't feel right unless each new Xueluo Crystal came with a clash of wills.

After a while, the Xueluo Crystal burst out of Li Dui's chest.

He stared thoughtfully at the crystal on the ground.

The mental assault was indeed stronger than the one from the third crystal. But it was only a little stronger, not enough to give Li Dui the tempering he wanted.

It seemed his will had broken through an entire major level last time. Was breaking through in will really that easy?

Earthling bloodline was truly formidable in this regard. That was all he needed; he wasn't trying to claim the Star Tower anyway, Li Dui mused.

In truth, Li Dui was starting to find the temptation of creating puppet bodies hard to resist.

Since he wasn't concerned about tempering his will anymore, there was nothing left to consider. Time to cheat.

The fifth crystal.

The sixth.

The seventh.

The fifteenth crystal.

He activated Blood Luo Power, reaching fifteenfold genes.

What a powerful feeling. It was unlike the power of laws—more direct, more tangible, and more likely to inspire confidence.

He could start creating puppet bodies now. He took a deep breath, removed his armor, sat cross-legged, and began performing the Secret Technique of Puppet Body of Self.

A small bulge slowly rose on Li Dui's exposed spine, no bigger than a bean.

The tiny lump seemed alive, throbbing slowly.