Gu Zheng and the others might be waiting for me on shore. Ji Zhixing swam through the water, rapidly weighing his options. With all four of them guarding the shore, going up there would be courting death. I need somewhere to hide first.
He looked toward Lake Center Island.
I'll go to Lake Center Island, he decided. The terrain there is complicated, and that was where the commotion first came from earlier. Gu Zheng and the others might not dare go back there.
He kicked out, shooting forward like a frog as he swam toward Lake Center Island.
The lake water was emerald green, with poor visibility, but he could still make out the underwater scenery. As he swam, Ji Zhixing kept a wary eye on his surroundings.
Before long, he spotted several Petrified Crabs clinging to rocks on the lakebed. Their gray-green shells blended almost perfectly with the surrounding stones; without a careful look, they were impossible to distinguish.
Farther away, several Giant-Footed Frogs crouched motionless among the aquatic plants, their large eyes bulging. A few half-meter-long Giant-Toothed Fish poked their heads out of gaps between the rocks, revealing mouths packed with fine, sharp teeth.
So many Petrified Crabs... Looking at the Petrified Crabs sprawled across the lakebed, Ji Zhixing felt a surge of temptation.
What he needed most right now was Stone Skin Gene Potion. In his eyes, these Petrified Crabs were bottles of potion on the move.
But he quickly suppressed the thought.
Now isn't the time, he thought coolly. These Petrified Crabs won't be easy to deal with underwater. I can't properly use my Staff Technique here. Besides, Gu Zheng and the others are still looking for me. Getting tangled up fighting crabs here would be courting death.
I'll get to Lake Center Island first. Once I'm safe, I can figure something out.
He picked up speed, swimming toward Lake Center Island.
Lake Center Island drew steadily closer.
Through the clear water, he could see the shallows beside the island carpeted with fine sand and gravel. A few crooked trees hung over the water, their branches swaying in the wind.
Ji Zhixing raised his head above the water and warily scanned his surroundings. The island was quiet. He saw no one and heard nothing unusual.
He was just looking for a suitable place to climb ashore when something caught his eye.
Farther along the lakeshore, a Blood-Horned Deer was slowly approaching the water with its head lowered.
The Blood-Horned Deer was sizable, its entire body reddish brown and the pair of curved antlers atop its head gleaming dark red. It seemed thirsty, but walked very slowly, glancing warily around as it went.
Ji Zhixing stopped moving, half his body submerged, and watched quietly.
The Blood-Horned Deer reached the lake and paused to observe its surroundings for a while. Only after confirming there was no danger did it lower its head and dip its mouth into the water.
It had barely taken two mouthfuls when the sand beneath its feet suddenly shifted.
The Blood-Horned Deer jerked its head up and tried to retreat. But it was already too late.
The sand beneath its feet seemed to come alive, rapidly forming a whirlpool that held all four of its legs in a relentless grip.
The Blood-Horned Deer struggled in terror, letting out shrill cries, but the harder it struggled, the faster it sank.
Within seconds, the Blood-Horned Deer had been dragged entirely beneath the sand, leaving only a slowly swirling pit behind.
Ji Zhixing's pupils contracted, and his heart gave a violent thump.
Beneath the sand, he could vaguely make out an enormous shape writhing. It was a worm-an astonishingly huge worm. Merely rolling over made the entire patch of sand churn, exposing a glimpse of its body.
Its gray-brown carapace was segmented like a centipede's, but countless times thicker and sturdier.
Then the sand closed over again, and the enormous worm sank out of sight.
A Whirlpool Sandworm! Ji Zhixing's heart tightened, then a surge of delight rose within him.
The textbooks mentioned these sandworms, he thought, swiftly recalling what he had learned. Whirlpool Sandworms are first-order Gene Beasts. They like lurking beneath mud and sand, creating whirlpools to hunt prey that approaches the water.
They're powerful, but once they've chosen a spot, they generally don't move elsewhere.
He studied the sandworm's hiding place. It was not far from the shore, and several large rocks lay nearby.
If I hide near this sandworm for now... Ji Zhixing rapidly weighed the idea. It'll practically be my ally.
Anyone coming from that direction to attack me will have to get past it first.
He carefully swam to shore, climbed out of the water, and found a large rock not far from the sandworm's territory.
The rock was a full two meters tall. Leaning against it would keep him hidden from view.
Ji Zhixing sat down against the rock and let out a heavy breath.
I was damned lucky to make it out alive this time, he thought, a chill running down his back.
First he had been hunted by the Black Eagle, then jumped into the Otherworld Secret Realm, then been forced by Gu Zheng to lure the snakes. After that, he had snatched the hematite, been chased out of the Secret Realm, and finally jumped into Stone Lake...
The world of Gene Cultivators was never going to be smooth sailing.
Ji Zhixing closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Today it's Gu Zheng. Tomorrow it'll be Li Zheng or Wang Zheng. If you're weak, people will always trample you underfoot. If you don't want to be someone else's stepping stone or bait, your only choice is to get stronger. Fast.
He opened his eyes and took a small white bone bottle out of his Gene Furnace.
It was the bottle of Origin Force Gene Potion he had obtained by refining the Iron-Feather Mountain Chicken King on his first day.
Origin Force Gene Potion can restore Source Force, and it can also speed up cultivation.
Ji Zhixing unscrewed the cap. The situation is uncertain, and Gu Zheng and the others could find me at any moment. I can't take my time refining Gene Source Stones. I need to get back into peak condition as soon as possible.
He tipped his head back and poured the potion into his mouth.
The potion was slightly cool on his tongue, with a faint, refreshing sweetness as it flowed down his throat. A moment later, a warm current rose from his stomach and spread throughout his limbs and body.
Ji Zhixing closed his eyes, guiding the current into his Gene Furnace. The eight-trigram pattern inside the furnace slowly rotated, absorbing and converting the potion's potency bit by bit.
In just a few minutes, he felt all the Gene Source Force he had expended recover.
That fast? Ji Zhixing was astonished.
He remembered the textbooks saying that although Origin Force Gene Potion could speed up Source Force recovery, a full recovery generally still took ten to twenty minutes.
Yet he had taken only a few minutes.
Could this bottle of Origin Force Gene Potion be higher quality? Or does Origin Force Gene Potion have compatibility ratings too?
Ji Zhixing was puzzled.
While refining this bottle of Origin Force Gene Potion just now, he had indeed felt an unusual sense of comfort.
Without dwelling on it, he closed his eyes and refined the remaining Origin Force Gene Potion as well, using it to advance his cultivation.
In the early stages of cultivation, Gene Cultivators primarily improved by refining Origin Force Gene Potion, gradually condensing their mist-form Gene Source Force.
Too bad there's so little.
Once he finished refining it, Ji Zhixing felt the abundant Source Force within his Gene Furnace and sighed inwardly. If only I had plenty of Origin Force Gene Potion. If I drank it every day, my cultivation would surely soar.
Before you continue