Longevity Serum

This was Lu Zhiyu's second time modifying his own body, so he was fairly experienced by now. After he had created the Longevity Species, the Longevity Serum had essentially cleared its most difficult hurdle. All that remained was working out its success rate and fine-tuning it!

Lu Zhiyu injected the Longevity Serum into his spinal cord. He immediately sensed violent changes taking place within his genes. This time, however, unlike before, the serum wasn't targeting just one part of his body, but his entire body, making the risks much greater.

The Longevity Serum didn't modify a single organ inside the body. It made sweeping changes at the genetic level, altering the species from the very roots of life and turning its life template into that of the Longevity Species.

Such a transformation would have been unimaginable to Lu Zhiyu in the past. The difficulty was terrifyingly high. But after so many life modifications, he had gained a much deeper understanding of the essence of life and the mysteries of genes. The technology behind the Longevity Serum represented the pinnacle of his current abilities!

Lu Zhiyu felt intense pain course through him, from the inside out. Then his nervous system cut off the sensation. He immediately slipped into the Nutrient Pool, his breathing stopping altogether. As his body changed, the liquid in the pool continually supplied and replenished the nutrients he needed.

When Lu Zhiyu climbed out of the Nutrient Pool, he found that he had become much thinner. He seemed far lighter on his feet, and his five senses had grown sharper. His vision was clearer, too. A slight sniff seemed enough to distinguish all kinds of scents in the air.

It was as if he had shed an outer shell and merged with the world around him. Lu Zhiyu knew that these sensations came from the plant genes within him.

Lu Zhiyu got to his feet, but could barely stand steady. Unfamiliar with his body, he found his movements hampered by a disconnect between his mind and his body. Swaying unsteadily, he managed to sit down in the wheelchair nearby.

He used his mental power to control an Ant-Man and have it push him out of the laboratory. It wasn't until he reached the mirror around the corner that he saw what he looked like. He had become much slimmer, his skin as fair as satin. His eyes were softer and more almond-shaped, and his features more delicate. His appearance had changed dramatically. If he had been handsome before, now he was breathtakingly beautiful.

That was right—beautiful, the kind of word used to describe women. Lu Zhiyu was now so stunningly pretty he looked almost bewitching. He had never intended to turn himself into a creature like an Elf. He had only incorporated the longevity genes into his human genes, yet he hadn't expected this result.

Lu Zhiyu stood up and could feel the youthful vitality in his body. He dug his fingernail into his skin, leaving a cut. Crimson blood stood out against his snow-white skin, giving it an almost alluring quality. But in the blink of an eye, the wound began to scab over and heal.

"I really do have such powerful regenerative abilities, and I've inherited the plants' incredible vitality as well. Most importantly, the circulation and metabolism inside my body are now more complete and harmonious. My heart beats more strongly, and my blood carries more energy, in a purer form. It can provide my brain with a better environment and more energy, making my thoughts sharper and faster!"

Lu Zhiyu took stock of his body's condition. Experiencing and observing it firsthand was completely different from studying someone else; the sensations were more subtle and precise. But there was something even more important.

"Sub-Brain, calculate the maximum lifespan of my body based on its current template!"

"Confirmed! Beginning calculations!"

Lu Zhiyu watched the body template in his mind as the environmental simulation accelerated. It wasn't until nine hundred years later that signs of aging began to appear. The simulation continued until a thousand and fifty years had passed, when the body template finally reached the end of its life!

Lu Zhiyu was overcome with excitement. From that moment on, he was no longer an ordinary human, but a true member of the Longevity Species. A lifespan of over a thousand years—human civilization had existed for only a few thousand years, with each generation rising and falling every twenty years. Lu Zhiyu would live through fifty generations. He now had a long life ahead of him to carry out his plans and achieve his goals.

Lu Zhiyu believed that with a thousand years at his disposal, living for ten thousand or even a hundred thousand years would no longer be a problem. One day, even if the universe were destroyed and dimensions collapsed, he would reach that final eternity. Lu Zhiyu knew it might not be that easy, but it meant he could keep living until he grew tired of it!

Lu Zhiyu sat in his wheelchair and began organizing his library and experimental records. Once he had gathered and sorted everything, he carefully stored it away. Then he checked on Yala Continent. The Elf was still in infancy, being cared for by the Ant-Men, and nothing had gone wrong.

After resting for a few days, Lu Zhiyu gradually grew used to his new body. He crossed through the Dimensional Gate and returned to Earth, to the utility room in his home.

The light in the utility room was still on, and the city outside was still bright with lights. Not much time had passed since he left, but he had spent more than a year in the other world.

Every time he returned, Lu Zhiyu felt as if he had been away for a lifetime. This time, the feeling was even stronger, because his appearance had changed so drastically once again. He had already run into plenty of problems using his ID before. Going out with this exquisitely beautiful face would surely cause even more trouble—and draw plenty of attention.

Besides, Lu Zhiyu felt that the further he went, the more resources and money he would need. He had no shortage of ways to get money, but his current identity was a major constraint. Perhaps he could leave the identity of Lu Zhiyu behind and take on a new one, free to roam the vast world and soar through the skies, with no one ever able to uncover his true origins or identity!

But the thought of completely abandoning the name and identity he had used for more than twenty years filled Lu Zhiyu with reluctance. They represented everything he had experienced, as well as his classmates and friends. Thinking of Xia Fan, Wang Yi, Li Wei, Cai Jiajia, and Xiao Le, he realized that changing identities was something he would have to steel himself to do.

It meant severing all ties with his past and drawing a line between himself and everyone he had once known—all his relatives and friends—and never contacting them again. Emotionally, Lu Zhiyu was just an ordinary person. He wasn't the sort who could cut himself off from the world and devote himself entirely to the Way.

In a daze, Lu Zhiyu made himself something to eat, watched some television, then went to take a shower. Looking at himself in the bathroom mirror, at a face that even he barely recognized, he touched his cheek. His features were so beautiful and delicate they hardly seemed human, like an Angel descending from heaven or an Elf emerging from the forest. Even looking at himself, he felt a little captivated.

"I've already become like this. I guess there's no going back now, is there?"