Chapter 110 - 109: Next Step, Destruction and Vitality of Thunder, Binding

Chapter 110: Chapter 109: Next Step, Destruction and Vitality of Thunder, Binding

Ji Zhixing closed his eyes. His consciousness sank into his Gene Aperture, listening to the information transmitted by the evolved Five-Colored Willow Variant Tree gene.

Under the one hundred percent compatibility, that information was clearly visible in his consciousness, emerging line by line.

"Five-Colored Willow Variant Tree..." he silently muttered the name, experiencing the changes brought by the gene’s evolution.

First was the self-healing ability. The Basic Self-Healing ability, originally only of 1-Star quality, had now been directly upgraded to 2-Star quality, becoming a 2-Star Intermediate Self-Healing ability.

However, he guessed this wasn’t solely due to the gene’s evolution; it likely also had to do with the three bottles of potion he had just refined. The life force contained within those three bottles was too dense. Not only did it stimulate the Willow Tree gene and force it to complete its evolution ahead of schedule, but it also conveniently elevated his self-healing ability by a whole tier.

"Intermediate Self-Healing ability. Not bad," Ji Zhixing noted, feeling satisfied. With the Intermediate Self-Healing ability, his recovery speed had definitely increased significantly.

He continued to listen to the rest of the information.

The Root of the Earth ability remained unchanged, still at 3-Star quality. The Five-Colored Spiritual Light ability was also still at 3-Star quality. Neither of these two abilities had been upgraded during the gene’s evolution, nor had he acquired any new abilities, leaving Ji Zhixing feeling slightly regretful.

"Next..." His consciousness delved deeper, capturing more information from the depths of the gene.

This time, it was information regarding its next evolution.

"Thunder Silence Willow Variant Tree gene," Ji Zhixing murmured inwardly. After the Five-Colored Willow Variant Tree gene evolved again, it would become the Thunder Silence Willow Variant Tree gene—a Tier 3 gene.

"If I want it to continue evolving..." He listened carefully, firmly memorizing every piece of information.

"First, I need to upgrade my current Intermediate Self-Healing ability to a 3-Star Advanced Self-Healing ability," Ji Zhixing thought, his expression shifting repeatedly as he processed the requirements. "Secondly, I need to let the Five-Colored Willow Variant Tree gene absorb lightning-attribute power, allowing it to complete a process from annihilation to rebirth.

"The order of these two steps cannot be reversed.

"In other words, I must first develop the Advanced Self-Healing ability before I can let the Five-Colored Willow Variant Tree gene absorb the lightning-attribute power.

"At the same time, after absorbing the lightning power, I need to comprehend the mysteries of lightning’s destruction and vitality to master a lightning-attribute gene ability of at least 4-Star quality.

"Furthermore, during the process of absorbing the lightning power, I must upgrade the Advanced Self-Healing ability to a 4-Star Ultimate Self-Healing ability.

"This is going to be a bit difficult."

"Especially the lightning attribute..." He took a deep breath.

The power of lightning was famously known for being berserk and violent. Attempting to absorb lightning-attribute power, while simultaneously comprehending the mysteries of destruction and vitality to master a 4-Star ability, would absolutely not be an easy feat.

However, he also knew that he was already much better off compared to others. At least the path he had to take was clear. This was something many other Cultivators could not achieve after their genes reached their limits.

He opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

"How is it?" Xiao Mingyue asked immediately upon seeing him finish his cultivation. She leaned forward slightly, her eyes full of anticipation.

"It worked." Seeing Xiao Mingyue’s expression, Ji Zhixing nodded at her. "The Willow Tree gene has already evolved into the Five-Colored Willow Variant Tree gene."

"Tell me quickly, what are the changes?" Xiao Mingyue’s eyes lit up.

Ji Zhixing did not hide anything. He told her all about the benefits he had gained after the gene’s evolution and the abilities he needed to develop for the next evolution. He spoke in great detail without holding anything back. If it were anyone else, he wouldn’t have been so specific, but Xiao Mingyue’s help had been far too immense; he truly couldn’t justify keeping secrets from her.

"Thunder Silence Willow Variant Tree gene?" Xiao Mingyue’s eyes brightened slightly after hearing this.

She hadn’t expected that Ji Zhixing would actually receive the next stage’s gene information the moment he completed his evolution. Under these circumstances, as long as he had sufficient resources, Ji Zhixing would generally be able to complete the gene’s evolution without needing to grope around blindly like others relying on luck.

"Your current self-healing ability is 2-Star quality. Upgrading it to a 3-Star Advanced Self-Healing ability will be very simple." Xiao Mingyue looked at Ji Zhixing and said earnestly, "I can help you achieve this. I still have a lot of that potion here."

Ji Zhixing faltered slightly. This time, he felt a bit hesitant. He had already received far too many benefits from Xiao Mingyue. Now, she wanted to provide him with more resources to help him develop the Advanced Self-Healing ability... Although he was thick-skinned, he still knew when enough was enough.

Seeing his expression, Xiao Mingyue fell silent for a moment, seemingly hesitating over something. A moment later, she took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

"Let me tell you about my situation as well." Her voice was a bit softer than usual.

Ji Zhixing raised his head and looked at her.

Xiao Mingyue didn’t avoid his gaze as she continued, "The gene I fused with is quite special. It requires me to choose a person to bind to. Only when that person’s cultivation level increases will my cultivation level increase along with it."

Ji Zhixing’s pupils contracted slightly. He had never heard of such a gene before.

"The reason I remained at Tier 1 before was because I hadn’t chosen anyone to bind to," Xiao Mingyue said calmly. "The reason I suddenly broke through to Tier 2 in the secret realm was because, in a moment of impulse that night, I chose to temporarily bind myself to you."

Ji Zhixing looked stunned.

"That night..." An image flashed through his mind. That night, in the Blood Beast Secret Realm, the two of them made a pact. After he declared that he could definitely evolve his gene to the Glory rank, Xiao Mingyue had extended her fist and gently bumped it against his. Then, the very next day, her mood had noticeably changed. It wasn’t until he broke through to Tier 2 that she became happy again.

"So you don’t need to feel burdened." Xiao Mingyue looked at him and smiled. "By helping you now, I’m also helping myself. Only when you become stronger can I become stronger too."

Ji Zhixing opened his mouth, unsure of what to say for a moment. It took him quite a while to fully digest and absorb this information.

"And!" Xiao Mingyue looked at him, suddenly sitting up straight. "You must remember, you are not allowed to tell anyone about my situation. No one at all!"

"Alright, don’t worry." Ji Zhixing nodded solemnly. "I won’t tell a soul."

Xiao Mingyue nodded in satisfaction, finally relaxing as she leaned against the back of the sofa.

"That’s good." She paused before continuing, "However, my ability to help you is also limited. For the Advanced Self-Healing ability, I can provide you with resources to help you develop it quickly. But if you want to comprehend a lightning-attribute ability and absorb lightning-attribute power, we’ll have to figure out another way."

At this point, she sighed softly in her heart. If she were still at home, she would have plenty of ways to obtain all sorts of resources. But she wasn’t at home right now; she had come to Yu City. That meant she could no longer ask her family for resources. Moreover, she couldn’t ask her second uncle for them either. Otherwise, if her second uncle found out she had chosen Ji Zhixing—a Cultivator who currently only had two fused Tier 2 genes—he would probably rush over immediately and drag her right back home.

"It’s fine," Ji Zhixing nodded. "You’ve already helped me enough."

He was very content. Xiao Mingyue truly had helped him enough.

"By the way." At this, he hesitated for a moment before looking into Xiao Mingyue’s eyes. "Today, in front of the Underground Blood Ginseng, what you said to me..."

"What did I say? Why don’t I remember?" Hearing this, Xiao Mingyue immediately stood up. She walked toward her bedroom, turning her head to flash a smile at him. "It’s getting late. Hurry up and go to sleep."

After saying that, she walked straight into her bedroom, her steps light and brisk, without looking back.

She hadn’t lied to Ji Zhixing earlier. She really had chosen a temporary binding. However, if this kind of temporary binding wasn’t severed, it would grow deeper and deeper as time passed. Ultimately, even she wouldn’t be able to sever it, and it would turn into a permanent binding.

But she had always been this kind of person. Once she made a choice, she wouldn’t easily give up. If binding with Ji Zhixing initially was a moment of impulse... then during these ten days in the Blood Beast Secret Realm—chatting with Ji Zhixing every night, fighting together for the Weapon Order, breaking into that giant snake’s lair together... all of it had made her increasingly resolute in her choice.

Watching Xiao Mingyue’s retreating figure, Ji Zhixing shook his head slightly and didn’t press the matter further. He stood up and returned to his own bedroom.

Lying in bed, he stared at the ceiling, his mind churning with thoughts.

"Binding..." He silently repeated the word. Xiao Mingyue had chosen to bind herself to him. This meant that from now on, their destinies were, to a certain extent, intertwined. Only when he became stronger could she become stronger.

Ji Zhixing shook his head. He couldn’t quite figure out just what kind of gene Xiao Mingyue had fused with for it to be so extraordinary. Other than that... he thought back to earlier in the day—the sentence he had deciphered from reading Xiao Mingyue’s lips. And then, he thought about Xiao Mingyue’s possible family background.

"Tomorrow, I’ll go find Teacher Yang and join the elite class," Ji Zhixing mapped out his upcoming plans in his mind, item by item. "After joining, I’ll be able to receive one million points. To the current me, every single point is immensely useful.

"Next will be the Gigantification ability and the Unmoving Stone Heart ability.

"Gigantification requires Blood Crystals. I still have plenty of those on hand, which should be enough, though I’ll need some time to refine them.

"The Unmoving Stone Heart requires Heart Refining Stones. I can put Xiao Mingyue’s pillow to use tomorrow.

"For the Advanced Self-Healing ability, Xiao Mingyue said she can provide the resources.

"As for the lightning attribute..."

He pondered it for a moment but lacked any solid leads for now. He still had some points on hand; perhaps he could try redeeming something from the school later. However, the specifics would have to wait until he successfully developed the Advanced Self-Healing ability first.

With that thought, he temporarily suppressed the idea.

"One step at a time."

He rolled over, closed his eyes, and soon fell into a deep sleep.