Newcomer Tournament

Time flies.

Before we knew it, the first semester of freshman year was drawing to a close.

As December drew to a close, the weather turned cold.

That day, Lin Zichen didn't go to the research institute; instead, he chose to train his body in his dormitory.

When it reached 4 p. m.

The body quenching process is complete.

Lin Zichen slowly opened his eyes, a smile appearing on his lips.

The Secondary Body Tempering is complete!

Without the aid of Biological Attribute, the strength of his physical body alone is enough to rival that of Advanced Tier 1 expert.

If we take into account Biological Attribute such as Natural Selection, Gregarious Animal, and Rapid Self-Healing, Lin Zichen felt that his strength was at least at the Advanced Tier 2 level.

"Xiao Chen, I've successfully completed my First Body Tempering!"

Shen Qinghan, who was standing to the side, suddenly shouted excitedly, her pretty face full of a smile of excitement.

Lin Zichen stared at her in disbelief, finding it a bit too outrageous.

How long has it been since she began practicing the Blood Tempering Technique?

It seems like it's been less than three months?

Is this all it takes to achieve mastery of First Body Tempering?

That's an exaggeration...

After being shocked for a while, Lin Zichen calmed himself down and said happily for Shen Qinghan:

"Your special physique is even more remarkable than I imagined. You can demonstrate extraordinary talent in anything related to water, or even anything that has just a slight connection to water. Your future is very promising."

"This is all thanks to the times I wet my pants and got teased when I was a kid, so it has to be really tough."

Shen Qinghan smiled and said.

But as soon as she finished speaking, she frowned slightly and said, "Xiao Chen, didn't you say that after First Body Tempering, Biological Rank would evolve to the ordinary Tier 9? How come I'm only at the Ordinary Rank 6?"

This question touched on a blind spot in Lin Zichen's knowledge.

He, Song Yuyan, and Liu Chuanwu all achieved First Body Tempering, after which their Biological Rank evolved to the ordinary Tier 9.

Because of these three examples, he assumed that after First Body Tempering, the Biological Rank would evolve to the ordinary Tier 9, and one would obtain a powerful physical body.

However, judging from Shen Qinghan's case, this rule seems to be wrong.

I thought about it and considered it for a while.

Lin Zichen quickly came up with the answer.

He explained to Shen Qinghan, "I roughly know what happened."

"Under normal circumstances, those who can cultivate the Blood Tempering Technique are people with extremely high blood and qi strength, that is, people with extremely high physical talent."

"Those with high physical talent will also receive a greater boost from practicing Blood Tempering Technique."

"Conversely, those with low physical talent will see less improvement from practicing Blood Tempering Technique."

"You belong to the category of people with low physical talent. The reason you can cultivate the Blood Tempering Technique and do it so skillfully is entirely due to your powerful Blood Control ability."

"Simply put, your Blood Control ability is very strong, even stronger than mine, but because the strength of your blood and qi is not high enough, the strength of your physical body after tempering is also not high."

This explanation is logical, well-founded, and convincing.

Shen Qinghan said somewhat dejectedly after hearing this, "According to you, does that mean I'll never be able to catch up with you?"

I'm a cheat code user; what if you catch up to me?

Lin Zichen reassured him, "You're only a little weaker than me in terms of physical strength. You can find another way to catch up, such as developing your still mysterious superpower."

"That's true, I was too impatient."

Shen Qinghan smiled sweetly, her mood improving considerably.

The next day.

Lin Zichen got up early and went to the research institute he hadn't visited for several days to conduct in-depth research on opening Aperture with Song Yuyan.

I spent the whole morning researching, but made no progress.

To be precise, there has been absolutely no progress since I joined the Heavenly Human Pavilion.

"How exactly do I open these Aperture?"

Song Yuyan was somewhat discouraged, her face full of worry, and her enthusiasm for research had almost plummeted.

Lin Zichen pondered for a moment, then said, "Do you think it's possible that one needs to temper their body five times before opening their Aperture?"

Song Yuyan shook her head. "It's best not to. If one has to temper their body five times before opening their Aperture, then the Blood Tempering Technique's universality Body Tempering Method is too poor, and it simply cannot be spread."

Lin Zichen nodded, agreeing.

The two chatted about opening Aperture for a while, then stopped and started talking about random gossip.

Song Yuyan was mainly talking, and Lin Zichen was listening.

They say that a certain leader's private life is terrible; he's married, but he still cheats on his wife with other men at school every day.

They say that one of the mentors is a simp, sending her gifts every day, and no matter how she refuses, he keeps pestering her.

Lin Zichen wasn't interested in any of that.

After listening politely for a while, he quickly asked, "By the way, Sister Yan, how many Credit do I have stored with you now?"

All the high-level off-campus missions he did in the past were done with Song Yuyan.

Considering that he was currently just a Freshman and had no ability to complete advanced tasks to obtain a large number of Credit, he stored all the Credit he obtained after splitting the credits 50/50 on Song Yuyan's tutor account.

"Didn't you calculate it yourself?" Song Yuyan asked, looking surprised.

"Without."

"You trust me so much, aren't you afraid I'll embezzle it?"

"Sister Yan, you're not that kind of person."

"Haha, thank you for believing me. It feels so good to be believed in."

Song Yuyan smiled and continued, "Your Credit stored on my tutor's account now total a total of 2400."

2400 Credit?

Myriad Poison Mongoose meat costs 20 Credit per pound, enough to buy 99 pounds to unlock the catalog.

Thinking it over, Lin Zichen said, "Sister Yan, I'd like to buy 99 jin of Myriad Poison Mongoose meat. Could you please place an order for me in the Credit Mall and select the research institute as the delivery address?"

Why did you buy so much Myriad Poison Mongoose meat?

"It's not convenient to say."

Are you sure you want to buy it? If so, I'll place the order for you.

"Sure."

"Then I'll place the order."

Song Yuyan opened the Credit Mall and ordered 99 jin of Myriad Poison Mongoose meat, spending 1980 Credit.

About half past four in the afternoon.

The meat of the Myriad Poison Mongoose has arrived.

Lin Zichen carried the meat away from the research institute and returned to his dormitory.

As soon as the dormitory door closed, he couldn't wait to touch the meat of the Myriad Poison Mongoose in the express delivery box, a thought flashing through his mind: Devour!

[You have devoured a large amount of the Life Origin of the "Myriad Poison Mongoose"]

[Myriad Poison Mongoose Image Gallery: 100%]

The moment the text message appeared, a jet-black Myriad Poison Mongoose gradually emerged from the Void, hunting a colorful, strange snake in the grass.

This strange snake is highly venomous, its venom glands filled with terrifying neurotoxins; a single drop could kill thousands of elephants on Earth.

However, this venomous snake, despite biting the Myriad Poison Mongoose than ten times during its battle, failed to incapacitate it and was ultimately eaten by the Myriad Poison Mongoose a spicy snack.

Then, two lines of text slowly appeared in the Void.

[You have successfully unlocked the Myriad Poison Mongoose Atlas and gained the Biological Attribute - Immunity to All Poisons]

[Immunity to All Poisons: Your poison resistance is greatly increased]

The attribute description is only eight words long, very simple and straightforward.

The fewer the words, the bigger the matter.

Similarly, the less information provided, the stronger the Biological Attribute.

Soon, Lin Zichen went to the school's living area and bought a HuaXshi spray package.

In his past life, he would always get diarrhea if he ate this.

In this life, I also eat and then defecate every time.

Now that it has the Biological Attribute of being "Immunity to All Poisons," let's see if it will still cause diarrhea after eating it.

After buying the Splatoon package, Lin Zichen went into the pharmacy and bought a box of anesthetic.

It's called an anesthetic, but it's actually a biological neurotoxin.

Let's see if [Immunity to All Poisons] can provide immunity.

Back in the dorm.

Lin Zichen poured himself a glass of water, sat down, and took the neurotoxin with anesthetic effects.

I ate it, and I'm perfectly fine.

I ate the Splatoon meal again, and sat there until bedtime, but my stomach didn't grow any food.

Both poisonous creatures were successfully neutralized by the Biological Attribute [Immunity to All Poisons].

One evening a few days later.

Administration Building.

Principal's Office.

Lin Zichen accompanied Shen Qinghan here for her second injection of Exotic Beast genes.

Before the injection, Yuan Dongzhi first examined Shen Qinghan's body to see how the Deep Blue Jellyfish King gene in her body was doing and whether she was suitable for the injection of the second Exotic Beast gene.

The examination completely baffled Yuan Dongzhi.

Shen Qinghan's Biological Rank is actually as high as the Ordinary Rank 6?

What's going on?

When I fused her with the Deep Blue Jellyfish King's genes last time, wasn't she only a regular Tier 2?

How could it have evolved to Ordinary Rank 6 in such a short time?

Yuan Dongzhi steadied himself and asked Shen Qinghan with a puzzled look, "Qinghan, how did your Biological Rank evolve to the Ordinary Rank 6?"

"Um... I practiced the Blood Tempering Technique, and I just completed First Body Tempering a few days ago, and then my Biological Rank evolved to the Ordinary Rank 6."

Shen Qinghan said weakly.

She hadn't told Yuan Dongzhi that she had practiced the Blood Tempering Technique, fearing that Yuan Dongzhi would blame her for keeping it a secret if he found out now.

At this moment, Yuan Dongzhi was shocked to learn that she had practiced the Blood Tempering Technique.

They were almost speechless.

His face was filled with disbelief.

Yuan Dongzhi couldn't understand how Shen Qinghan such weak Qi and blood, could cultivate the Blood Tempering Technique!

Also, shouldn't First Body Tempering Technique be equivalent to a regular Tier 9?

How come my little apprentice is only Ordinary Rank 6 disciple?

I finished thinking about all of this in a few brief seconds.

Yuan Dongzhi looked at Shen Qinghan, puzzled, and asked, "How did you do that?"

Shen Qinghan weakly explained, "It's about using the Deep Blue Jellyfish King's water control ability to regulate the blood and qi within the body to temper it, and then..."

"It's that simple?"

"Yes, it's that simple..."

"This is absolutely unbelievable!"

Yuan Dongzhi felt like she was dreaming; it all seemed so unreal.

After thinking for a moment, she came to a conclusion and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, it's probably because your constitution is rather unique."

"Whether it's the unprecedented 21% Gene Fusion compatibility, the incredible Gene Enslavement ability, or the ability to cultivate Blood Tempering Technique, it's mostly related to your physique."

"Your physique is too strong; you will surely become humanity's greatest fighting force in the future."

Humanity's highest fighting force?

Shen Qinghan listened with a dazed expression, unable to believe that she would actually have such a powerful day.

Yuan Dongzhi looked at Shen Qinghan, and the more she looked, the more unreal it seemed.

If Shen Qinghan hadn't been completely devoid of Source Power, she would have suspected that Shen Qinghan was Exotic Human.

The eldest disciple, Luo Qianxue, is Exotic Human with a very special physique, much like Shen Qinghan.

More than ten minutes later.

Yuan Dongzhi stopped worrying about Shen Qinghan's special constitution and began injecting her with Exotic Beast genes.

There are five Exotic Beast genes.

One branch contains the metallic gene of the Golden-Winged Demon Butterfly, which possesses powerful hallucinogenic abilities.

One branch is a wood-attribute Other Shore Flower Insect gene, possessing a powerful camouflage ability.

One branch is a water-based, Living Dead Slug gene, possessing powerful self-healing abilities.

One branch is the fire-attribute Hellfire Lizard gene, possessing powerful burning abilities.

One branch is an earth-attribute Armored Earth Dragon gene, possessing powerful defensive capabilities.

Yuan Dongzhi wanted to test Shen Qinghan's Gene Enslavement ability to see if she could enslave multiple Exotic Beast genes at the same time, and whether she could enslave Exotic Beast genes with different attributes at the same time.

"Qinghan, I'm going to insert it."

"Um."

After a brief exchange, Yuan Dongzhi picked up the Armored Earth Dragon Gene Reagent and skillfully inserted it into Shen Qinghan's heart, slowly injecting the golden liquid inside.

Throughout the injection, she focused her Mental Power on observing Shen Qinghan's physical condition.

Then, I witnessed something incredible.

The moment the Armored Earth Dragon's genes were injected, they were immediately killed by Shen Qinghan's genes and dissolved into nutrients for complete absorption.

How are you feeling?

"Fine."

Seeing that Shen Qinghan showed no abnormalities, Yuan Dongzhi quickly picked up the Hellfire Lizard Gene Reagent and slowly injected it into her heart.

The result was the same: the Hellfire Lizard's genes were directly strangled and absorbed.

The genes from the Other Shore Flower Insect and the Golden-Winged Demon Butterfly injected later also met the same fate, being strangled and absorbed by Shen Qinghan's genes.

Only the last injected gene from the Living Dead Slug survived and was enslaved by Shen Qinghan's Gene Enslavement.

"Can only water-attribute Exotic Beast be enslaved?"

Yuan Dongzhi murmured something, then said to Shen Qinghan on the bed, "I'll go get a few more water-attribute Exotic Beast genes to try. I'll be back soon."

As soon as she finished speaking, she vanished without a trace.

"Xiao Chen, just like you said, anything related to water suits me perfectly."

Lying on the bed, Shen Qinghan looked at Lin Zichen sitting beside her and said...

Lin Zichen smiled and said, "Indeed."

Not long after, Yuan Dongzhi returned with three different water-attribute Exotic Beast genes and continued to inject them into Shen Qinghan.

This time, the result was somewhat unexpected.

These three different water-attribute Exotic Beast genes, after being injected into Shen Qinghan's heart, were not enslaved by Shen Qinghan's Gene Enslavement, but were directly strangled and absorbed.

Furthermore, during the injection, Shen Qinghan appeared somewhat uncomfortable, saying she felt like she had eaten too much.

In response, Yuan Dongzhi drew a conclusion.

Shen Qinghan's ability to Gene Enslavement has certain limitations.

It can only enslave the genes of water-attribute Exotic Beast.

Furthermore, it can only enslave a maximum of two different water-attribute Exotic Beast genes at the same time.

But she felt that there wouldn't only be two possible upper limits.

However, Shen Qinghan's physical strength or mental strength is currently insufficient, making her unable to simultaneously control more water-attribute Exotic Beast genes.

Once our strength increases, we'll definitely be able to enslave more water-attribute Exotic Beast genes.

After figuring it out, Yuan Dongzhi explained her conclusion to Shen Qinghan in detail, so that she could have a clearer understanding of herself.

Then, he said to Shen Qinghan, "The genes from the Living Dead Slug you just enslaved will give you the ability to secrete a kind of mucus."

"Besides its powerful healing properties, this mucus also has excellent lubricating properties."

"From now on, whenever you and Lin Zichen need to, you can secrete this kind of mucus in the dormitory."

"Oh, I understand, Master," Shen Qinghan said, her pretty face slightly flushed.

Seeing that it was almost time, Yuan Dongzhi told Lin Zichen and Shen Qinghan to go back to their dorm and get some rest.

As the two reached the office door, she looked at them and said:

"By the way, the Newcomer Tournament has been rescheduled for this year; it's now being held in mid-January, at the end of this semester."

"Qinghan, your Biological Rank has already reached the Ordinary Rank 6. I look forward to your performance."

"I hope you can make it into the top five and get the opportunity to participate in the Winter Vacation Special Training Camp."

"Yes, I understand, Master. I will try my best not to disappoint you." Shen Qinghan nodded like a model student.

The Newcomer Tournament has been moved up?

Lin Zichen raised an eyebrow, a slight thought stirring within him.

After completing the Newcomer Tournament and making it onto the Freshman Ranking, you'll be eligible to challenge for the Peak Ranking.

This was originally something that could only be done in the middle of the next semester.

Now that it's been moved up, we can start working on it at the end of this semester.

Climb to the Peak Ranking early and earn Credit early.

PS: I'll update another chapter around 3 PM.