Wrong Edition

Lin Shen finally sensed what Wei Wufu meant by the flow of power. It was like water seeping and flowing through sand.

That power flowed through his body, washing over his flesh, bones, and internal organs. It was as though he was not made of flesh and blood, but of sand, with a fine liquid constantly permeating and coursing through him, carrying away the impurities within his body and slowly expelling them.

"It worked... I can still cultivate..." Lin Shen looked at the Gene Mutation Technique that had restored his confidence. The cover bore the words "Theory of Evolution," one of the five foundational Gene Mutation Techniques.

"As long as I can cultivate, it's fine. I'll practice the 'Theory of Evolution' first. Once I get used to the feeling of power flowing, practicing other Gene Mutation Techniques should yield twice the result with half the effort." After discussing it with Wei Wufu, Wei Wufu also felt Lin Shen's idea was feasible: practice the "Theory of Evolution" first, then move on to other Gene Mutation Techniques.

Wei Wufu had read the "Theory of Evolution" before. When he looked over the copy Lin Shen had gotten from Third Brother, he discovered several errors.

Strangely, after Wei Wufu corrected those mistakes, Lin Shen could no longer sense the flow of power within his body.

But when he practiced using that erroneous version, the sensation returned.

"Strange!" Even Wei Wufu found it exceedingly bizarre. He checked again and again, certain that he had remembered correctly. Lin Shen's copy of the "Theory of Evolution" was indeed wrong in many places.

"It's only meant as a transition anyway. Wrong is wrong—it shouldn't have much impact." Lin Shen continued practicing the incorrect version of the "Theory of Evolution," and the results were surprisingly excellent.

After Lin Shen became proficient, he tried practicing the secret technique Wei Wufu had taught him again, but it still did not work.

He also tried the "Theory of Talent," but that worked even less.

"Could it be that I truly have no fate with the Fire Seed on Bai Shenfei?" Lin Shen felt somewhat melancholy. His plan to gain both the woman and the fortune was likely going to fall through.

Lin Shen tried every Gene Mutation Technique he could find once more, but the result remained the same. Aside from that misprinted "Theory of Evolution," he could not sense the flow of power while practicing any Gene Mutation Technique.

Yet the cultivation effects of the misprinted "Theory of Evolution" were unexpectedly good. After only a few days of practice, the duration of Steel Body had increased greatly, and even the duration of Super Gene Evolution had been extended somewhat.

Humans were originally creatures of flesh and blood. Using Steel Body through gene mutation not only consumed a tremendous amount of energy, but also placed such an excessive burden on the body that Steel Body could not be maintained for long.

Thus, ordinary Gene Mutators, even those at the Crystal Gene Level, could not remain in combat form at all times. In everyday life, they maintained the state of ordinary humans.

All kinds of Gene Mutation Techniques could extend the duration of Steel Body; it was merely a question of whether the effect was strong or weak.

The greatest advantage of the five foundational Gene Mutation Techniques was their stability. Their effect on extending duration was fairly good as well, but none was as pronounced as the "Theory of Evolution" Lin Shen practiced. Just a few days of cultivation had extended it by a great deal, leaving even Wei Wufu somewhat surprised.

"Since none of the other Gene Mutation Techniques work, I can only cultivate the 'Theory of Evolution.'" Lin Shen could still accept this outcome.

Although he could not cultivate those secret or special Gene Mutation Techniques, fortunately the effects brought by the "Theory of Evolution" were not bad, and its later sections would be easier to find.

If he cultivated the "Theory of Talent," there were not even any subsequent sections. He would have to create them himself, which was far too troublesome.

"What a pity that Bai Shenfei and I have no fate." Lin Shen knew his chances of catching up to Bai Shenfei were probably slim, so he formally put matchmaking on the agenda.

Now, Lin Shen had to cultivate the "Theory of Evolution" every day, learn combat techniques from Wei Wufu, and make time to search for Fire Seeds that might appear. He simply had no time for romance. Arranged dates were undoubtedly the most time- and cost-efficient way for him to quickly carry on the Lin Family line.

To that end, Lin Shen even spent quite a bit of money on matchmakers. Yet whenever the girls in the base heard they were being introduced to Lin Shen, each shook her head like a fan, unwilling even to meet him.

Lin Shen was utterly helpless. He had long been mentally prepared for such a situation. If not for this, Lin Shen, who bore the weighty responsibility, would not still be unmarried. After all, marriage laws no longer existed in this era, and there were plenty of people who married at seventeen or eighteen.

Lin Shen had height, a spirited and handsome appearance, and money as well. Though he did not participate in managing the Lin Family businesses, the allowance Eldest Sister gave him each month was already a considerable sum to ordinary people.

The reason no girl was willing to go on a blind date with Lin Shen was because he had a former girlfriend known throughout Blackbird Base—Lu Qing of the Lu Family from Asgod Base.

Asgod Base was one of the stronger nearby bases. The Lu Family's strength surpassed that of the Qi, Wang, and Lin Families combined.

Of course, that referred to the three families before they had been badly weakened. Now, they were even less capable of comparing with the Lu Family.

Blackbird Base and Asgod Base were not very far apart, and trade between them was frequent. Once, Lu Qing had accompanied her family to Blackbird Base to open a shop and stayed there for several years. Somehow, she and Lin Shen caught each other's eye, and they quickly became a couple.

When Lu Qing left Blackbird Base, she had declared that whoever in Blackbird Base dared touch Lu Qing's man would bear the consequences.

The problem was that Lin Shen had long since broken up with Lu Qing, but no one in Blackbird Base knew that. Even when Lin Shen said so, no one believed him. Instead, they suspected that he could not endure loneliness and wanted to start a clandestine romance while Lu Qing was away.

Lin Shen truly had no solution. He could hardly go find Lu Qing, drag her to Blackbird Base, hold a press conference, and publicly announce that she had already broken up with him, could he?

"Fifth Brother, when will Third Master and Fourth Master return?" An old man found Lin Shen, who was practicing combat techniques with Wei Wufu, and asked in great agitation.

"Uncle Lei, when did you get back? Where's Eldest Sister?" At the sight of the old man, Lin Shen could not help feeling delighted.

Uncle Lei handled the accounts for the Lin Family and had always stayed by Eldest Sister's side. Since Uncle Lei had returned, Eldest Sister should have returned as well.

"We ran into trouble at Asgod Base. The mistress and the goods have both been detained..." Uncle Lei said urgently. "Fifth Brother, tell me quickly—when exactly will Third Master and Fourth Master return? This cannot be delayed. If it drags on any longer, the mistress will be in trouble."

"Uncle Lei, take it slowly. What exactly happened?" Lin Shen's expression darkened, but he still soothed Uncle Lei.

Uncle Lei hurriedly gave him the rough outline. Eldest Sister had taken goods to Asgod Base to sell. There had originally been no problem; the sales channels had all been established long ago, so they only needed to transport the goods there.

After delivering the goods, they also needed to purchase a batch of goods at Asgod Base to bring back. They could not make the trip empty-handed.

The problem arose while they were collecting the goods. Eldest Sister had purchased a batch of loose goods, and nothing unusual had been noticed at the time. But when they carefully inventoried them afterward, they discovered there was actually a Mutation Egg among them. Naturally, this discovery delighted them beyond measure.

Who could have expected that not long afterward, the person who had sold Eldest Sister that batch of goods would come back and demand a return?

They were all in business. The transaction had been voluntary, the money and goods long since settled cleanly. Naturally, there was no reason to return anything.

That man had not actually come to request a return of his own accord. The Xu Family had learned about the Mutation Egg, captured him, and forced him to come demand the goods back.

Naturally, Eldest Sister refused. The Xu Family then directly detained both her and the goods.

Fortunately, Eldest Sister had recognized the situation early and sent someone ahead to deliver the Mutation Egg back to Blackbird Base. That was why they had failed to get their hands on it.

Xu Tiange had released Uncle Lei so that he could notify the Lin Family to bring the Mutation Egg in exchange for the hostage.

Lin Shen had heard of the Xu Family. At Asgod Base, apart from the Lu Family, there was the Xu Family. Their strength far surpassed that of the Lin Family.

"Where is the Mutation Egg?" Lin Shen asked in a low voice.

"I already asked around earlier. Everyone said the person who delivered the Mutation Egg never returned. I don't know whether something happened on the road or whether something else occurred." Uncle Lei said anxiously, "Fifth Brother, when exactly can Third Master and Fourth Master return? Only by asking them to intervene can this matter be resolved."

"Uncle Lei, rest and eat something first. Once you've rested, we'll go to Asgod Base." Lin Shen had originally planned to make a trip out and see whether he could find a Fire Seed in another base, while also going on another blind date.

Now that this had happened, he could make a trip to Asgod Base instead.

"Fifth Brother, what use would it be for you to go to Asgod Base? Third Master and Fourth Master need to go." Uncle Lei was so anxious that he spoke without thinking. After realizing it, he hurriedly explained, "Fifth Brother, I didn't mean it that way. You know the Xu Family's strength. If Third Master and Fourth Master step forward, they might still show them some favor..."

"Uncle Lei, I understand what you mean. But I don't know when Third Brother and Fourth Brother will return. Saving Eldest Sister is urgent. We'll go to Asgod Base first and assess the situation. At the very least, we can't leave Eldest Sister there all alone, with no one to rely on." Lin Shen said blandly.

"But..." Uncle Lei wanted to say more, but Lin Shen cut him off.

"No buts. Uncle Lei, if you're tired, you can stay here and rest for now. I'll go first by myself," Lin Shen said.

"If Fifth Brother truly insists on going, this old man will lead the way for you." Seeing that Lin Shen had made up his mind, Uncle Lei could only grit his teeth and say so.