"Tsk, tsk. That's First-Order Two-Star Gene Equipment for you." Liu Qifan walked over, looking enviously at the Army-Breaking Staff in Ji Zhixing's hand.
He thought Ji Zhixing had only managed to perform that staff technique with guidance from the Army-Breaking Staff.
Ji Zhixing came back to his senses. He offered no explanation, only a smile.
"Let me see if this Petrified Crab will give us anything good." Zhang Haocheng eagerly stepped forward, ready to refine the Petrified Crab's corpse.
"Wait, Zhang. Let me refine this one."
An idea stirred in Ji Zhixing's mind, and he called Zhang Haocheng to a stop.
If his gene furnace really did boost potion drops, he could only make use of that advantage by refining more beasts.
He paused, then added, "Let me refine a few more of the Petrified Crabs we hunt next, too. When we hunt other Gene Beasts later, you can have my turns."
"Sure. You need the Stone Skin Potion anyway." Zhang Haocheng blinked, then waved a hand, unconcerned.
The others nodded as well.
To them, it made little difference which Gene Beast they refined.
They took turns anyway. If Ji Zhixing refined a few extra Petrified Crabs this time, he could simply refine fewer of the other Gene Beasts they hunted next time.
Besides, Petrified Crabs yielded Stone Skin Gene Potions, a type of Gene Potion with relatively limited applications. One could be bought for ten thousand Gene Coins.
If anything, Ji Zhixing was losing out a little by choosing to refine Petrified Crabs.
"Thanks." Ji Zhixing nodded, crouched down, and pressed his hand against the Petrified Crab's corpse.
With a thought, the power of his gene furnace spread out, enveloping the entire corpse.
The next second, the Petrified Crab turned into a streak of light and was drawn into his body.
Ji Zhixing closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into his gene furnace.
Within the gray, misty furnace space, the Petrified Crab's corpse floated silently.
At his mental command, the eight-trigram patterns on the furnace's inner walls suddenly lit up and began rotating slowly.
A few minutes later, the refinement was complete.
He swept his consciousness over the space, and his heart abruptly tightened.
Three items had appeared inside the furnace.
Two of them were the usual pair of Gene Source Stones.
The other was a small white bone vial, its surface lustrous as jade, containing a milky-white liquid.
This is... Ji Zhixing's heart jolted. A Stone Skin Gene Potion!
As he stared at the little vial, his heart skipped a beat.
A Stone Skin Gene Potion!
A Gene Potion that could help him develop the stone skin ability!
It actually dropped? Uncontrollable elation surged through Ji Zhixing.
He drew a deep breath, forcing down his excitement.
This luck is almost too good, Ji Zhixing muttered inwardly.
The first time he refined an Iron-Feather Mountain Chicken King, he had gotten an Origin Force Gene Potion.
Now, after refining a Petrified Crab, he had gotten a Stone Skin Gene Potion.
That drop rate was absurdly high.
Ji Zhixing silently thought, The first time could have been good luck, but getting another drop right afterward isn't quite normal.
My gene furnace might really have an extra bonus when it comes to producing Gene Potions.
If that's true, I'll be able to make money much faster than other people. Developing gene abilities will be much easier, too.
He opened his eyes.
"How did it go?" Zhang Haocheng asked when he saw that Ji Zhixing had finished refining.
Ji Zhixing shook his head and held out his hand. A Gene Source Stone appeared in his palm. "Still just one Gene Source Stone."
Since his gene furnace was special, different from everyone else's, he could no longer tell them everything honestly.
He understood the principle of keeping one's wealth out of sight.
"It's fine," Luo Yongguang reassured him. "If one try doesn't work, we'll try a few more times. It's still early today. Let's keep luring them out."
"Right!" Liu Qifan clapped his hands. "Lure a few more up here, and we'll get our chance!"
They all chimed in, comforting Ji Zhixing.
They also knew that getting no drop was normal.
Not just once-even dozens, hundreds, or more attempts without a drop were perfectly normal.
If Gene Potions dropped that easily, they wouldn't sell for so much.
"Let's keep going." Ji Zhixing smiled and put away the Gene Source Stone.
The five of them returned to the lakeside, picked up stones, and continued throwing them into the lake.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Stone after stone landed in the water, sending up sprays.
The lake remained calm, with only rings of ripples spreading across its surface.
Hopefully we can lure a few more up, Ji Zhixing thought silently. One Stone Skin Gene Potion probably won't be enough to help me develop the stone skin ability. I need more.
He pondered as he threw stones.
Not far away, the two teams from Class Two and Class Three were also still luring crabs.
The sun climbed higher, and before they knew it, noon had arrived.
Sunlight beat straight down, and the lake reflected a dazzling glare. They found a patch of shade beneath the trees by the lake, sat down to rest, and took out the food and water they had brought for a simple meal.
"We only lured four up all morning." Liu Qifan took a bite of flatbread, his words muffled. "This is way too inefficient."
"That's already pretty good," Zhang Haocheng said lazily, lying on a rock. "Didn't you see those teams from Class Two and Class Three? They only lured out two or three all morning."
Ji Zhixing leaned against a tree trunk and ate in silence, making calculations in his mind.
I refined all four Petrified Crabs from this morning, but apart from the first one dropping a Stone Skin Gene Potion, the other three only gave me Gene Source Stones.
Four Petrified Crabs got me one Stone Skin Gene Potion and eight Gene Source Stones. That's actually an astonishing haul.
But I can't keep doing this. I can't refine everything we hunt myself, and hunting Petrified Crabs really is inefficient.
He finished eating and stood up. "Let's go. We'll switch targets this afternoon."
"Switch targets?" Liu Qifan paused. "We're not luring crabs anymore?"
"Right." Ji Zhixing nodded and smiled. "Petrified Crabs are too hard to lure out. We only got four all morning, and I refined every one. This afternoon, I need to help you guys hunt."
The others exchanged looks and nodded.
"All right, we'll look for something else this afternoon." Zhang Haocheng rolled over and got up.
The five packed their things, left the lakeside, and began searching elsewhere for Gene Beasts.
Zhao Qing followed the five of them, occasionally exchanging a few words.
Their luck that afternoon was quite good.
They searched around the town and encountered several lone Gene Beasts along the way.
Working together seamlessly, they quickly killed the beasts one after another.
Refining those Gene Beasts, however, still yielded nothing worthwhile.
As evening approached, the setting sun slanted low in the west.
The five were about to return to camp when a familiar call suddenly came from ahead.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck!"
"Iron-Feather Mountain Chickens!" Liu Qifan's eyes lit up.
They immediately crept closer.
Through a broken wall in the town, they saw five Iron-Feather Mountain Chickens foraging in a clearing ahead.
One was particularly large, with a striking tuft of scarlet comb atop his head. It was an Iron-Feather Mountain Chicken King!
"Five!" Zhang Haocheng drew a breath. "Two more than last time."
Ji Zhixing swept his gaze over the flock, rapidly weighing their options.
Five, with one king. Almost the same lineup as last time, just with two more ordinary ones.
We killed three last time. We should be able to handle five this time.
He said quietly, "Charge straight in. We'll take down one ordinary Iron-Feather Mountain Chicken first, then use the old plan. I'll hold off the king while the four of you finish the remaining three as quickly as possible."
The others nodded.
"Go!"
The five rushed out from behind the ruins and charged straight at the flock.
Startled, the Iron-Feather Mountain Chickens broke into chaos.
They quickly reached the closest Iron-Feather Mountain Chicken and killed it in a few swift blows.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck!"
Seeing this, the Iron-Feather Mountain Chicken King immediately charged in fury.
"Stop right there!"
Ji Zhixing rushed straight at him, raised the Army-Breaking Staff high, and smashed it down!
Shatter Space Form!
The strike landed on the wing the king swept toward him, producing a dull thud.
The king was jolted a step backward, then lunged furiously at Ji Zhixing.
Meanwhile, Xie Jia used Vine Entanglement, Luo Yongguang held firm with his shield, and Liu Qifan and Zhang Haocheng brought saber and spear down together, quickly killing another Iron-Feather Mountain Chicken.
With two Iron-Feather Mountain Chickens dead in quick succession, they all relaxed a little and immediately met the remaining two.
Shatter Space!
Shatter Space!
Shatter Space!
Fighting the Iron-Feather Mountain Chicken King, Ji Zhixing unleashed the Shatter Space Form again and again.
He poured his willpower into every strike.
Though the Iron-Feather Mountain Chicken King was strong, he could not defeat Ji Zhixing in short order.
As Ji Zhixing performed the Eight Army-Breaking Staff Moves, they felt increasingly fluid, increasingly natural.
That will to advance without ever turning back grew clearer and stronger in his heart.
Without realizing it, he became completely immersed in the battle.
His eyes held only the chicken king.
His heart held only the staff in his hands.
This feeling...
Finally, at a certain moment, he felt that he no longer needed to deliberately focus his consciousness. As he swung his staff, that army-breaking intent arose naturally and flowed into it.
Thud!
His staff crashed down onto the king's wing, driving the enormous wing downward.
The king cried out in pain.
I've done it! Wild joy surged through Ji Zhixing.
He could clearly feel that he had finally mastered the Eight Army-Breaking Staff Moves completely.
"Zhixing, we're coming!"
The voices of Liu Qifan and the others reached him.
Ji Zhixing glanced out of the corner of his eye. All four ordinary Iron-Feather Mountain Chickens lay dead, and his four teammates were charging over.
"Good!"
He answered, then quickly joined forces with the four of them to surround and kill the Iron-Feather Mountain Chicken King.
"Whew!" Liu Qifan panted heavily. "Another five! We really struck it rich this time!"
Ji Zhixing said nothing.
According to the gene information I heard, I can develop the innate staff heart ability as long as I master a First-Order Two-Star Staff Technique. Now it should work, right?
He put away the Army-Breaking Staff and carefully checked for any changes within himself.
Before you continue