Chapter 178 - 152: Evolution Complete, Tier 3 Thunder-Silent Willow Tree Genes

Chapter 178: Chapter 152: Evolution Complete, Tier 3 Thunder-Silent Willow Tree Genes

"Ji Zhixing is back!"

"He really came back riding a cloud! Even though it looks a lot smaller, that thundercloud is definitely the Thundercloud Treasure Land I saw earlier!"

"How on earth did he do it? Did he actually subdue that Thundercloud Treasure Land?"

In the Dead Wood Regeneration Forest, the crowd looked up at the approaching thundercloud in the sky, their voices rising and falling in heated discussion. Those who had only heard the rumors were now even more profoundly shocked to see Ji Zhixing standing on the thundercloud with their own eyes.

"Retract!"

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Ji Zhixing steered the thundercloud and landed on a clearing at the edge of the Dead Wood Regeneration Forest.

The moment the thundercloud touched the ground, he willed the Purple Gold Thundercloud to shrink. He drew it into his Genetic Acupoint, letting it settle at the feet of the Ten-foot Stone Monkey. Unlike other Genetic Equipment, this exotic treasure, the Purple Gold Thundercloud, was extremely special. After being refined by him, it could not only be stored in the Genetic Melting Furnace but also shrunk and drawn into a Genetic Acupoint.

"Phew, finally back." Xu Cheng let out a long breath, feeling incredibly secure with his feet on solid ground. He touched his scorched hair, thinking that he needed to find something to make it grow back once they returned.

"Xu Cheng, Qingqian, thank you so much for today," Ji Zhixing said as he turned to the two.

"Thank us for what? What little we did was nothing. We just tagged along to watch a grand show." Xu Cheng waved his hand dismissively.

"Exactly," Jiang Qingqian agreed with a smile. "Besides, being able to witness you subduing that thundercloud, attacking that Twisted Forest, and driving Cao Zhenxing and his two companions back to the Dead Wood Regeneration Forest... we’ll be able to brag about this for a year once we’re back at school."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Xu Cheng and Jiang Qingqian returned to their respective tent areas. They had been exhausted by the day’s events and needed a good rest.

Ji Zhixing and Xiao Mingyue walked together toward Bai Yuan’s location.

Bai Yuan was leaning against a dead tree, resting with his eyes closed. Hearing their footsteps, he opened his eyes, saw it was Ji Zhixing and Xiao Mingyue, and gave a slight nod.

"Teacher Bai," Ji Zhixing called out.

He and Xiao Mingyue then brought out the ice-attribute Treasure Pearl they had obtained today, along with the black soil they had dug up from beneath that giant tree.

He then asked Bai Yuan, "Teacher Bai, I was wondering how many points we can exchange these for if we turn them over to the school?"

Bai Yuan looked at the treasures the two had obtained, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He first picked up the ice-attribute Treasure Pearl, examined it for a moment, and gave a slight nod. "This is an Extreme Cold Ice Soul Pearl. It’s of good quality and can be exchanged for five million points.

"These black soils aren’t very useful to most people, but they are quite rare," he continued, frowning slightly as he examined the soil. "To a small minority, they are excellent treasures. They can be exchanged for six million points.

"Do you want to exchange them?" Bai Yuan looked up at the two.

"Yes, we’ll exchange them," Ji Zhixing said immediately, feeling a surge of joy.

Neither of these items was of any use to him. Being able to exchange them for eleven million points was already a fantastic deal. Combined with the Illusion Spirit Pearl he had previously handed over to the school, the total number of points he had amassed had reached thirteen million.

"Teacher Bai," Ji Zhixing said after a moment’s thought. "In addition to handing over these two treasures, I’d also like to exchange points with the school for a third-rank staff weapon, ideally one that comes with a thunder-attribute staff technique."

He was now a third-rank Genetic Cultivator, and the Nine-Tiered Tide Rod he used was only a second-rank staff weapon, which was starting to hinder his combat prowess.

"No problem," Bai Yuan agreed with a nod. "I remember our school has a staff weapon that comes with the Third-rank Five-star Thunderous Thousand Jin Staff Skill. I’ll give it to you tomorrow morning.

"This staff weapon is worth five million points. If your Nine-Tiered Tide Rod isn’t damaged, the school can recycle it for two million points. If you’re willing, you’ll only need to pay three million points."

"Deal!" Ji Zhixing’s eyes lit up, and he agreed without hesitation.

For him, trading in the old for the new was definitely a good deal. After all, once he obtained a third-rank staff weapon, the Nine-Tiered Tide Rod would be useless to him. With a thought, he retrieved the Nine-Tiered Tide Rod from his Genetic Melting Furnace and handed it to Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan took the long staff, gave it a quick look, and put it away. He waved his hand. "Alright, you may go. Just come to me tomorrow morning to pick up your equipment."

Ji Zhixing and Xiao Mingyue immediately took their leave, heading toward the area where they usually pitched their tents.

"The Thunderous Rod..." Ji Zhixing thought to himself.

When he had previously exchanged for the Nine-Tiered Tide Rod in the Blood Beast Secret Realm, he had seen a second-rank staff weapon called the Thunderous Rod. At the time, that staff weapon required thunder-attribute power to unleash its true strength, so he hadn’t chosen it.

He hadn’t expected to end up obtaining this staff technique anyway. And it was even the third-rank Thunderous Rod Technique.

"Ji Zhixing!"

Suddenly, as the two were walking toward the clearing to pitch their tent, a voice sharply called out to them.

Ji Zhixing turned around and saw that the person who had called him was none other than Cao Zhenxing.

Cao Zhenxing stood a short distance away. He had changed into a new set of Dark Gold Battle Armor, though his face was still rather pale. His gaze was fixed coldly on Ji Zhixing, anger burning in his eyes.

"What is it?" Ji Zhixing asked, his tone flat.

Cao Zhenxing glared at him coldly. "I’ll remember what happened this time. Next time we’re outside, you’d better not run into me.

"You relied on that thundercloud to throw your weight around this time. Now that the thundercloud has less than a tenth of its original power, let’s see how you’re going to act tough!"

Ji Zhixing glanced at Cao Zhenxing, then said calmly, "Can you fly?"

Cao Zhenxing froze, his face instantly turning incredibly ugly.

Fly?

Unless he broke through to the fourth-rank Morning Star level or possessed special Genetic Equipment, he would never be able to fly using his own power.

"You can’t even fly, so why are you running over here spouting all this nonsense?"

After saying that, Ji Zhixing ignored Cao Zhenxing and turned to leave with Xiao Mingyue.

"You!"

Cao Zhenxing breathed heavily, choked by Ji Zhixing’s retort, his chest heaving violently. He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking loudly, yet there was nothing he could do.

Because he really couldn’t fly. And Ji Zhixing could.

"Damn it!" Cao Zhenxing turned away resentfully, determined that he must absolutely get his hands on a piece of flying Genetic Equipment.

"So tired."

Working together, Ji Zhixing and Xiao Mingyue quickly set up their tent. Upon entering, he let out a sigh.

He had reaped a massive harvest today, but he was also genuinely exhausted.

"Lie down, I’ll massage your head," Xiao Mingyue said, looking at him with a smile.

"No need," Ji Zhixing said, shaking his head. "I’m going to refine that Demon Wood Heart right now to see if I can get my Five-Colored Mutant Willow Tree gene to evolve."

He had been looking forward to this for far too long.

"You should recover first," Xiao Mingyue suggested. "You can refine a bottle of Spiritual Power recovery potion first, then lie down and rest for a bit. Once you’re fully rested and your condition is back to its peak, it won’t be too late to refine the Demon Wood Heart."

Hearing this, Ji Zhixing thought about it and realized she had a point.

The Demon Wood Heart was precious. It would be a shame if its refining effects were diminished simply because he wasn’t in optimal condition. Taking her advice, he lay down and consumed a bottle of Spiritual Power recovery potion.

"Lie here." Xiao Mingyue sat above him and patted her lap.

Ji Zhixing paused for a moment, then shifted his head up and rested it on her lap. He certainly wasn’t going to turn down such a good offer.

Xiao Mingyue’s fingers gently pressed against his temples. The pressure was just right—neither too light nor too heavy. Each press carried a warm breath that gradually relaxed his tense nerves.

It wasn’t long before Ji Zhixing fell into a deep sleep under her massage.

"How long was I asleep?"

An unknown amount of time later, Ji Zhixing opened his eyes and immediately noticed that it was completely dark outside.

"About two hours," Xiao Mingyue replied.

"You should have woken me up earlier. Your legs must be numb," Ji Zhixing said as he hurriedly sat up, casting an apologetic look at her.

"It’s fine." Xiao Mingyue rubbed her slightly numb thighs and asked with a smile, "How is it? How do you feel?"

"Full of energy," Ji Zhixing replied.

After sleeping for two hours and feeling the effects of the Spiritual Power recovery potion, his body felt completely refreshed, and his condition had returned to its peak.

"Then start cultivating," Xiao Mingyue said, anticipation shining in her eyes. "I want to see what your Five-Colored Mutant Willow Tree gene looks like after it evolves, too."

"Alright," Ji Zhixing nodded.

He sat cross-legged, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. With a thought, he directly activated the Genetic Melting Furnace and began refining the Demon Wood Heart that was placed inside.

The Demon Wood Heart floated within the Genetic Melting Furnace, entirely emerald green and crystal clear.

As Ji Zhixing drove the Genetic Melting Furnace, the Eight Trigrams Map slowly rotated. Eight-colored light intertwined, enveloping the Demon Wood Heart. As the refinement progressed, wisps of a peculiar aura emerged from the Demon Wood Heart. At the same time, a rich surge of Life Force flowed into his Genetic Acupoint along with that aura.

The phantom of the Five-Colored Mutant Willow Tree gene quivered slightly within the Genetic Acupoint. Its branches swayed, and its leaves unfurled, greedily devouring this aura and the Life Force contained within the Demon Wood Heart.

With every mouthful it devoured, its phantom grew a bit more solid, and its light grew a bit brighter. Simultaneously, the lightning on its branches became increasingly pronounced.

The tiny sparks of electricity that had only flickered occasionally began to grow dense, darting and dancing among the branches and leaves, emitting faint CRACKLING sounds.

Ji Zhixing could sense that his Five-Colored Mutant Willow Tree gene was undergoing a profound rebirth. It felt as if a tree was achieving nirvana amidst the lightning, radiating new vitality from a state of decay.

"Almost there... just a bit more..." Ji Zhixing muttered in his heart as he drove the Genetic Melting Furnace with all his might, accelerating the refinement of the Demon Wood Heart.

Time ticked by minute by minute. Xiao Mingyue sat quietly beside him, her gaze resting on him as she waited in anticipation.

BUZZ!

An unknown amount of time later, the phantom of Ji Zhixing’s Five-Colored Mutant Willow Tree gene let out a sudden buzz and vibrated.

The vibration was intense, transmitting from the Genetic Acupoint and causing Ji Zhixing’s entire body to tremble slightly along with it.

The next moment, the radiant light blooming from the Five-Colored Mutant Willow Tree gene’s phantom abruptly retracted. Following that, a brand-new phantom of a tree slowly materialized.

Its trunk was dark green, with purple-gold lightning patterns faintly visible on the surface. Its branches were much thicker than before, and its foliage was far more lush. Fine sparks of electricity flashed on every single leaf.

The entire tree exuded a unique aura. It wasn’t purely vitality, nor was it purely destruction, but rather a perfect amalgamation of both. The destructive power of the thunder and the regenerative power of life merged flawlessly within this tree.

"The third-rank Thunder-Silent Willow Tree gene. It’s done!"

Ji Zhixing took a deep breath, suppressing the excitement welling up in his heart, and began to listen to the information transmitting from deep within his Genes.