"Petrified Crabs?"
Hearing this, Zhang Haocheng said, "Since you need them, Zhixing, we can go take a look by the lake tomorrow."
"Sure. Thanks."
Ji Zhixing did not refuse.
After a brief discussion, they decided to head to Stone Lake the next day.
If we can hunt down a Petrified Crab and refine a Stone Skin Gene Potion, I'll be able to try developing the stone skin ability, Ji Zhixing thought expectantly. Then my strength will improve a little, too.
As they talked, a buzz of conversation rose nearby.
"Did you hear? Huang Yu's team hunted dozens of Gene Beasts today!" a classmate said excitedly.
"Dozens? That many?"
"Everyone on their team fused with second-order genes. Of course they're efficient when they work together. But they aren't the strongest-Qi Xingzhou's group is."
"I heard Qi Xingzhou's team joined forces with Yu Zhirou's team today to hunt a second-order Gene Beast, a Blackwater Armored Turtle. After Qi Xingzhou refined it, he even got a bottle of Water Spirit Potion!"
"Water Spirit Potion? That's good stuff!"
Ji Zhixing's interest stirred.
Water Spirit Potion could improve the quality of most water-attribute gene abilities, and could also help develop certain water-attribute gene abilities.
The quality of gene abilities could be improved.
There were two ways to do so: continually using and practicing the ability, or supplementing that practice with Gene Potions.
"A bottle of Water Spirit Potion costs at least tens of thousands of gene coins, right?" Zhang Haocheng shook his head. "They're really lucky."
Just then, footsteps sounded in the distance.
Ji Zhixing looked up and saw a group approaching them.
Leading them was a middle-aged man dressed in a fitted black outfit, his bearing composed. Five boys, all sixteen or seventeen years old, followed behind him.
The middle-aged man approached with the five boys and politely addressed the teachers from Third Middle School. "Hello. I'm Zhou Hang, a teacher from Rain City Middle School. I've also brought my students out for field training. Would it be possible for us to stay here tonight?"
The teachers from Third Middle School quickly went to greet him with smiles. "Of course, Mr. Zhou. No need to be so formal. We should look out for one another when we're away from home."
"Thank you." Zhou Hang nodded, then led his five students to the edge of the clearing and began pitching tents.
The students from Third Middle School watched the five Rain City Middle School students curiously.
"People from Rain City Middle School?"
"I've always heard that even the weakest students at Rain City Middle School fuse with second-order genes. I wonder what genes those five fused with."
Murmurs rose one after another.
In Rain City Base City, Rain City Middle School was like a sacred sanctuary in the eyes of every high school student.
Even Qi Xingzhou and the others who had fused with second-order genes looked at the Rain City Middle School students with envy.
"Let's go talk to them."
Once the Rain City Middle School students finished pitching their tents, Qi Xingzhou considered it briefly, then brought his teammates over.
Seeing this, some of the others gathered around as well.
Before long, they had learned about all five students.
"Holy shit! Did you know? Four of those five fused with third-order genes!"
"Four third-order genes?"
"What about the other one?"
"The other one's even scarier. He fused with a fourth-order Morning Star Rank gene-the sword-feather peacock gene!"
As the news spread, everyone from Third Middle School was stunned.
"A fourth-order gene..."
"Swordfeather Peacock-I've heard of that Gene Beast. Apparently, most cultivators who fuse with the sword-feather peacock gene gain a powerful talent for the sword!"
"Rain City Base City has six or seven million people, but only a little over two hundred fuse with third-order genes each year. At most, a dozen or so fuse with fourth-order genes. I never thought we'd actually run into one."
Everyone turned to look at one of the five.
He was a handsome boy with a serene air. At that moment, he was laughing and chatting with the others, looking no different from an ordinary person.
They heard that his name was Gu Zheng.
Ji Zhixing also glanced at the boy.
Fourth order... Ji Zhixing thought quietly.
His gaze shifted toward another spot in the distance.
There, Chen Ye leaned against a tree, resting with his eyes closed.
The blood river asura gene Chen Ye had fused with was also a fourth-order Morning Star Rank gene.
Ji Zhixing withdrew his gaze. I wonder when I'll be able to evolve the Three-Inch Stone Monkey Gene to fourth order.
He stood up.
"Zhixing, what are you doing?" Liu Qifan asked, taken aback.
"Practicing my staff." Ji Zhixing walked to an open space. With a thought, the Army-Breaking Staff appeared in his hand.
"Holy shit, Ji, aren't you tired?" Liu Qifan's eyes widened, and even his way of addressing him changed.
Zhang Haocheng was stunned as well. "We've been running around all day. You're not going to rest?"
"I'm all right. I'll practice a little longer." As Ji Zhixing spoke, he began performing the Eight Army-Breaking Staff Moves.
Shatter Space.
Earth-Shaking.
Thunderclap.
He practiced each move over and over.
During his battle with the Iron-Feather Mountain Chicken King that day, he had found the feeling of infusing his will into his moves. It was still inconsistent, but he had found the way in.
What he needed now was constant practice to stabilize that feeling and fully master the Eight Army-Breaking Staff Moves.
"This guy..." Liu Qifan shook his head. "He really pushes himself."
The others in their class also turned to look.
Everyone had spent the whole day wearing themselves out. Ji Zhixing practicing his staff technique now certainly drew attention.
"Does he really expect to evolve his gene?"
"He probably just can't accept it. After all, he used to be on the same level as Huang Yu and Yu Zhirou."
Some classmates whispered among themselves.
"Ji Zhixing."
In the distance, Qi Xingzhou glanced at Ji Zhixing practicing his staff, then shook his head and asked Yu Zhirou and Huang Yu, "Do you believe he awakened a second-order gene aperture?"
"That's what he said." Yu Zhirou shook her head. "But no one else knows what really happened."
Qi Xingzhou chuckled and said nothing more.
Genes could indeed evolve.
But he did not believe Ji Zhixing could hear his gene's voice immediately after fusing with it.
After all, even he, who had fused with the second-order blue frost ice vine gene, had cultivated for several months before hearing his own gene's voice only recently.
And it was still indistinct.
"What, is he famous?"
A voice rang out.
Qi Xingzhou turned to see Gu Zheng, the Rain City Middle School student who had fused with the sword-feather peacock gene.
Qi Xingzhou smiled and recounted, as an amusing anecdote, how Ji Zhixing had once claimed to have awakened a second-order gene aperture, only to fuse with a first-order gene.
"I see." Gu Zheng shook his head, letting his gaze sweep over Ji Zhixing before withdrawing it.
Someone like that was not worth his attention.
Yet another gaze in the distance remained fixed on Ji Zhixing.
Leaning against the tree, Chen Ye watched the figure swinging his staff in the clearing, his expression turning slightly stunned.
Is that a two-star staff technique?
His knowledge was broader and his perception far sharper than most people's-even some teachers could not match him. Others could not gauge the depth of Ji Zhixing's staff technique, but he saw it at a glance.
He's only a hair away from mastering this two-star staff technique. A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Ye's eyes.
The last time he had seen Ji Zhixing practicing his staff at the Rain-Listening Garden, he had recognized his talent for staff techniques.
But how long had it been?
Barely a couple of weeks.
Not only had Ji Zhixing mastered the basic staff technique, he was now close to mastering a First-Order Two-Star Staff Technique as well?
This rate of improvement... Chen Ye watched silently. It's too fast.
In the clearing, Ji Zhixing was completely immersed in his own world.
Shatter Space!
Earth-Shaking!
Thunderclap!
Unstoppable Advance!
Invincible Presence...
He practiced one move after another, over and over.
Gradually, he noticed his success rate improving.
At first, he had only been able to infuse his will into two or three out of every ten strikes. Now, it was four or five.
Later, it became six or seven.
And his progress kept accelerating, erupting like a geyser now that he had grasped the knack.
Before you continue