Chapter 13: 3 Days

Chapter 13: Chapter 13: 3 Days

"Stone Skin Genetic Serum...

"Gigantification Genetic Serum..."

Returning home while his mother was cooking, Ji Zhixing used her phone to enter these keywords into the search bar. Soon, rows of information popped up.

[Stone Skin Genetic Serum: A Tier One genetic ability development serum. It assists Genetic Cultivators in unlocking the Stone Skin ability, enhancing skin defense power. Price: 10,000 Gene Coins per bottle.]

[Gigantification Genetic Serum: A Tier One genetic ability development serum. It assists Genetic Cultivators in unlocking the Gigantification ability, increasing strength as the body enlarges. Price: 100,000 Gene Coins per bottle.]

He read through the listings one by one, his brow furrowing deeper with each line.

"Gigantification Genetic Serum, one hundred thousand Gene Coins a bottle..." Ji Zhixing took a deep breath.

One hundred thousand.

His father worked at a moving company, and his mother was a stocker at a supermarket. Their combined monthly income was only five or six thousand. One hundred thousand Gene Coins would take their family a year and a half of saving without eating or drinking.

"The Stone Skin Genetic Serum is cheaper, but it still costs ten thousand Gene Coins," Ji Zhixing thought, shaking his head. Ten thousand Gene Coins was also an astronomical figure to him. "Besides, I don’t just need one or two bottles. Even if my compatibility with the Three-inch Stone Monkey gene is incredibly high, it’s impossible to unlock these two genetic abilities with just a couple of bottles."

Ji Zhixing knew this very well. He searched a bit more and found discussions online mentioning people who had used dozens of bottles of the Gigantification Genetic Serum and still failed to unlock the ability. Dozens of bottles meant millions of Gene Coins.

"I need to make money!" A strong urge surged in his heart.

As a Genetic Cultivator, the fastest way to make money was to head out of the city and hunt Gene Beasts. The wilderness outside the city was boundless, teeming with roaming Gene Beasts. The carcasses of these beasts could be refined in a Gene Furnace, which had a chance of yielding various items: Genetic Serums, Genetic Equipment, and even External Genes that could grant Genetic Cultivators additional abilities. Refining just one of these could sell for a substantial amount of money.

"But..." Ji Zhixing quickly calmed down. "With my current strength, leaving the city is too dangerous."

He knew his own limits. He had fused with the Three-inch Stone Monkey gene, which had thin Gene Source Energy. Going out of the city with such a level of strength meant he wouldn’t just struggle to hunt Gene Beasts—he’d be lucky to make it back alive.

"The best approach is to cultivate for a while longer and then form a team to leave the city," Ji Zhixing thought. "When the time comes, I can ask Liu Qifan and a few other classmates to team up. There’s strength in numbers, and it’s much safer."

He temporarily set aside his thoughts of making money, deleted his search history, and put down the phone. Standing up, he walked over to the window and looked at the sky outside.

"Worrying about money won’t help right now. The most important thing is to perfect my staff technique and build a solid foundation."

Over the next few days, Ji Zhixing spent almost all his time cultivating. Every morning before dawn, he would get out of bed, head downstairs, and practice his basic staff techniques in the open space below his building.

Chop, sweep, tap, flick, smash, deflect, intercept, lock, thrust, hook, parry, block...

Stance by stance, over and over again. Except for meal breaks, he practiced until late into the night every single day. Over the course of three days, his staff technique became increasingly proficient under his relentless training. The feeling was akin to a rough stone being chipped away bit by bit until it became perfectly smooth and round.

Three days later.

Ji Zhixing stood in the open space, gripping a standard wooden staff. It was an ordinary ash wood staff he had bought at the market for a small sum.

"Let’s test this out."

He took a deep breath, gripped the staff with both hands, and began executing his basic staff techniques.

"Chop!"

The long staff rose high and slashed down fiercely, carving a sharp arc through the air.

"Sweep!"

"Tap..."

He executed each move seamlessly and naturally, without the slightest hint of stiffness.

"I did it!"

After finishing a full set of his staff technique, Ji Zhixing’s eyes lit up. He stopped and looked at the ordinary wooden staff in his hands, a wave of joy rising in his chest.

Right now, wielding this standard wooden staff felt no different than using that black long staff. His movements were just as fluid, and his force generation was just as precise. As long as he willed it, he could channel most of his body’s strength into the staff. The previous stiffness was completely gone.

"Three days. For three whole days, I practiced every single day. A thousand times? Two thousand times? Probably more," Ji Zhixing thought. "Now, even without using Genetic Equipment, I can skillfully execute basic staff techniques."

If he told anyone about this speed, few would believe him. After all, basic staff techniques were equivalent to a Tier One One-Star genetic ability. This meant he had mastered a Tier One One-Star ability in just three days.

"A one hundred percent compatibility rate really makes a difference," Ji Zhixing thought. "The Three-inch Stone Monkey has the potential to unlock the Innate Staff Heart ability. Since I have one hundred percent compatibility with it, it means I possess this potential too.

"I have more talent for staff techniques than ordinary people.

"However, mastering basic staff techniques is only the beginning. To unlock the Innate Staff Heart, I must master a Tier One Two-Star Staff Technique.

"There are some videos of common Tier One Two-Star Staff Techniques online, but practicing just by watching videos is too slow. I still need to find a way to get more support from the academy."

Ji Zhixing knew that the main reason he had mastered the basic staff techniques so quickly was the black long staff that had felt like an extension of his own body.

"Let’s keep practicing," Ji Zhixing thought. Gripping the wooden staff tightly, he began a new round of training. Although he had already mastered the basic staff techniques, more practice could only benefit him.

At dusk, he put his staff away and went home. Pushing the door open, the aroma of a home-cooked meal greeted him.

"You’re back? Go wash your hands and come eat," Zhang Yulan called out, poking her head out of the kitchen.

Ji Zhixing nodded, went to the bathroom to wash his hands, and sat down at the dining table. Three dishes and one soup were laid out: braised pork, stir-fried greens, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a bowl of seaweed egg drop soup.

This kind of meal had become the norm over the past few days. Clearly, his mother knew that with his intense daily cultivation, he couldn’t afford to lack nutrition. He didn’t refuse her kindness and ate large mouthfuls of meat. If his nutrition couldn’t keep up, his body would break down, and his cultivation results would be severely compromised.

"Once I make some money, I’ll definitely give Mom and Dad a better life," Ji Zhixing thought silently.

Monday morning.

Ji Zhixing and Liu Qifan met at the entrance of Tingyu Garden and walked toward the school together.

"Zhixing, do you know where I went these past three days?" Liu Qifan looked ecstatic, eagerly showing off.

"Where did you go?" Ji Zhixing asked.

"I went to my uncle’s house. Under his guidance, I’ve completely mastered the Ironback Wolf’s three genetic abilities." Saying that, Liu Qifan stretched out his right hand.

His palm rapidly writhed, the skin turning coarse while the nails grew long and sharp. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a ferocious wolf claw. His entire arm also sprouted dense fur—stiff, grayish-brown wolf bristles that covered his forearm and extended all the way into his sleeve.

"Iron Back, Wolf Sprint, and Wolf Claw." Liu Qifan smugly waved the wolf claw. "I’ve mastered all three abilities. You definitely won’t be a match for me in our promised spar!"