A Latent Mutation

"Genetic modification affects human nature and can even warp a person's normal mind. To keep climbing higher, one must stabilize the mind and even eliminate that influence before advancing!"

"That influence has always been there, and it keeps growing stronger. It accompanies us through almost every Sequence stage, but it's hard for us to notice!"

"If we can't eliminate it, our minds will slowly descend into chaos."

"You guessed right. The elderly Sequence Holders you saw could no longer suppress the beastly nature brought on by genetic modification with their own consciousness, and so they lost their normal minds!"

"Their bodies are still alive, but their consciousness has fallen into a disadvantage in the struggle!"

"Just like the beastly nature they once suppressed, their human consciousness is mired in chaos and can hardly regain clarity. It's very difficult for them to return to normal."

"Song Xianzhong... he's on the edge of chaos. After cultivating the first chapter of Mental Strengthening, he might have around three years of normalcy. If he can enter the second chapter, perhaps he'll have four or five!"

"But Mental Strengthening can't stop the onset of chaos. As we keep strengthening our own consciousness, the beastly consciousness that warps the mind grows stronger too."

"You should remember what happened when I broke through to the Seventh Sequence. That almost drove me into chaos..."

Genetic research had produced blood serums compatible with humans. These serums could draw out human potential, while the gene fighting techniques developed alongside them amplified that potential.

Others studied genetic longevity, seeking to continually renew the body's cells and maintain their proliferation and renewal over the long term.

Still others extended their theoretical deductions, constantly expanding the paths humanity could take forward through the Sequences.

The Tenth Sequence represented humanity's perfect vision of