Gene Theft

Chapter 20: Gene Theft

The slender figure was naturally Chen Lin. Having successfully broken through to the Xiantian realm, he was finally able to briefly manifest a human form.

Suddenly, his tightly shut eyes snapped open. The pupils within flashed with a strange, deep crimson glow, eerie and intense, before shifting back to black and white a moment later.

Chen Lin exhaled a breath of turbid air and reined in the violent spiritual energy within his body. He lowered his head and slowly extended his hands, staring at the human palms he now possessed, falling into a brief silence.

Nearly half a year had passed since his rebirth into this world. He had finally evolved from a weak, savage beast into a human form. The process left him feeling deeply moved, but he had no time for sentimentality; as if remembering something, he hurried out of the room and into the courtyard.

There was a well in the courtyard. Chen Lin drew a basin of clear water, placed it before him, and gazed into it.

His body was naked, lean, and taut with muscle. His facial features were sharp and well-defined, his expression deep and cold. A sense of wild, unbridled arrogance and an inviolable aura seemed to have been born with him.

"This..."

Chen Lin was stunned. This appearance was exactly the same as his previous life, as if it had been carved from the same mold.

He was incredibly shocked, but more than that, he felt a great sense of relief. After all, the Demon Race usually possessed terrifying and bizarre appearances; even when they transformed into humans, they were often crude and ugly. That he could retain his former appearance made Chen Lin feel incredibly fortunate.

He returned to the room and took out a small bag made of gray silk. With a thought, he retrieved a set of cyan robes and put them on.

This was a Storage Bag. Every newly initiated disciple was gifted one by the sect's guide. The bag could store items, and the rewards for being a registered disciple were kept inside. Although it only had five cubic meters of space and was considered a low-grade storage bag, it was sufficient for Chen Lin's current needs.

Just as he finished changing into the robes and before he could contemplate anything else, the Guide's numb, icy voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

"Ding!"

"Contractor's main quest completed: Break through to the Xiantian realm within three months. Current progress: Complete. The system is issuing rewards. Do you wish to receive them now? Yes/No."

"Yes."

Chen Lin felt a flicker of joy and chose "Yes" without hesitation.

A flash of light appeared before him, and two glass containers filled with a verdant liquid materialized, accompanied by three ordinary-looking beans that resembled silkworms.

Chen Lin knew these were the mid-grade Gene Serum and the Senzu Beans from the "Dragon Ball" world. Before he could study them closely, the Guide's icy voice sounded once more.

"The contractor has completed the first main quest. The system is granting a special reward: the contractor may randomly draw one Dharma Artifact. Do you wish to begin the draw now? Yes/No."

Dharma Artifacts were operated simply by using spiritual energy. While Xiantian-stage powerhouses possessed spiritual energy, they could not circulate it freely. It was like a child possessing strength but not knowing how to use it skillfully to defeat an adult; Dharma Artifacts used special formations inscribed upon them to release spiritual energy, achieving effects identical to spells and divine abilities.

Dharma Artifacts possessed various wondrous uses and astonishing power, suitable for experts at the Xiantian and Pihai stages.

Above Dharma Artifacts were Spirit Artifacts. Spirit Artifacts possessed sentience and were connected to the owner's mind; they could erase a living soul's consciousness and seal it within the artifact, granting even greater power. Beyond Spirit Artifacts were the special Life-Bound Soul Artifacts, Treasure Artifacts, Spirit-Connecting Treasure Artifacts, and so on.

"Yes."

Chen Lin clicked "Yes" without hesitation. Anything that could enhance his strength was always welcome.

"Drawing... Draw complete."

"Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Dharma Artifact: Void Spirit Mother-Son Sword."

"Void Spirit Mother-Son Sword, Grade: Peak. Composed of five swords: the Mother sword is the core, and the Son swords are auxiliary. When combined with formations and spirit stones, it can instantly deploy a 'Void Formation' to trap enemies within. Affected by the formation, the target will immediately experience hallucinations (effects depend on the target's cultivation). It can also deploy a 'Spirit Formation' for the user to gather surrounding spiritual energy for cultivation or healing. Main God's evaluation: An auxiliary Dharma Artifact, even more valuable than an ordinary Spirit Artifact."

Chen Lin was pleasantly surprised. He had completely overlooked the fact that the Guide had mentioned a "set" of artifacts, but now he understood the meaning. In other words, these five swords could be separated; any single one was a peak-grade Dharma Artifact, and when gathered together, they possessed two incredible divine abilities. It was fair to say they were not inferior to a Spirit Artifact.

Satisfied, he stored the artifacts in his bag, but an unexpected event followed immediately.

In Chen Lin's mind, a blood-colored seed suddenly began to rotate slowly. A gas like blood-jade permeated outward, rapidly spreading to the center of his brow. It began to erode from the center of his forehead, instantly covering his entire body. Eerie, overwhelming energy swirled around him like the hellish flames of karma, threatening to burn everything away as if his body were about to be devoured and obliterated!

Caught off guard by this situation, Chen Lin was horrified. Before he could find a way to respond, the Guide's voice echoed in his mind.

"Warning, warning. The contractor has advanced to the Xiantian realm. The bloodline within the body is undergoing an irreversible change. The contractor is awakening a talent ability... The system is re-evaluating the host..."

Awakening a talent ability?

Hearing this, Chen Lin slowly calmed down. The anomaly occurring in his body must be due to the Source Blood seed in his mind.

This bizarre state lasted for half a cup of tea's time before gradually fading away. Finally, the Guide's voice sounded again.

"Awakening complete. The contractor has awakened the talent ability: Gene Theft. The system is re-evaluating the contractor..."

"Contractor status: Good."

"Race: Demon Race."

"Bloodline Grade: Earth Grade (Mutated, can evolve)."

"Talent Abilities: Blood Absorption Healing, Advanced Perception, Gene Theft."

"Growth Stage: Early Xiantian."

"Cultivation Arts: Dao Heaven, Dragon-Elephant Nirvana Art, Shattering Nirvana Finger."

"Gene Theft?"

Chen Lin's eyes widened. He hurriedly checked his status bar and found the talent ability category.

"Gene Theft: (Passive) By consuming the blood of the target, you can obtain superior gene fragments to fuse with your own, with a small chance to acquire the target's talent abilities. System evaluation: The gene completion plan for the most perfect creature in the world; the evolutionary path is unpredictable."

Chen Lin was stunned, followed by a surge of wild joy. This talent ability... it was truly heaven-defying!

"Bang!"

But before he could study the wonders of his talent ability, the courtyard gate was suddenly kicked open by a massive force, sending wooden splinters flying!

Chen Lin's eyes turned cold. He had sensed three not-so-weak auras approaching earlier. At first, he hadn't paid them any mind, assuming they were just passing by, but now it was clear that these three auras were coming specifically for him.

He was deeply puzzled. Having just entered the Myriad Demon Sect, he had not offended a single soul, and he could not fathom why trouble had found him so quickly.

Stepping slowly out of his room, Chen Lin sized up the newcomers.

"So you're that so-called 'Parasitic Soul-Sharing Body' piece of trash?"

There were three of them, led by a tall, thin man with a horse-like face. Dressed in a royal blue robe with a sinister and terrifying expression, he kicked open the courtyard gate with reckless abandon, strolling in as if he were walking through his own back garden.

He stopped before Chen Lin and surveyed him with a scrutinizing gaze, a hint of surprise flickering in his narrow, venomous eyes. "Oh? You've actually taken human form. You must have just broken through to the Xiantian stage. Heh, that's fine; it saves me the trouble of communicating with a beast that can't speak. That makes things easier."

Chen Lin studied them in return, silently activating Advanced Perception. He sensed that all three were Xiantian-stage experts; the horse-faced man possessed the highest cultivation at the middle Xiantian stage, while the two behind him were both at the early Xiantian stage.

Judging by the man's tone, they had not come with good intentions.

"If that is the 'Parasitic Soul-Sharing Body' you speak of... then that would be me. However, I am unaware of what counsel you three might have for me, seeing as you have seen fit to break into my place of cultivation."

With his arms crossed over his chest, Chen Lin's mind raced, though his face remained impassive as he spoke coldly.

"Heh..."

Seeing Chen Lin's fearless, indifferent expression, the horse-faced man felt a surge of anger, though he did not let it show on his face. Instead, he let out a strange, sinister chuckle and fixed his gaze on Chen Lin. "Counsel is too grand a word. Since you've admitted to being that piece of trash, I won't waste any more breath..."