Chapter 31: Equipment Dropped

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Equipment Dropped

On the small boat, Gu Zheng stood at the bow with his hands clasped behind his back, his calm gaze fixed in the direction of Lake Heart Island.

At the stern, a boy’s ears twitched slightly. Suddenly, he smiled. "Gu Zheng, those guys from Third High School are saying we’re impolite."

"Let them talk." Gu Zheng didn’t even turn his head, his tone flat.

He would be heading to Yu City University soon. As for those Cultivators who had only fused with tier-one genes, he figured he would only interact with them for the next couple of days. After they parted ways this time, given the disparity in their levels, they would likely never cross paths again. The same went for that guy with the decent talent for staff techniques.

The small boat carved a wake across the lake’s surface, gradually vanishing into the mist.

By the lake, Ji Zhixing retracted his gaze.

"Stop looking at them," he said, turning back to Liu Qifan and the others. "Let’s keep luring the Petrified Crabs."

"Alright!"

The group agreed. They gathered rocks from a distance and circled Shi Lake, constantly shifting their positions as they threw the stones into the water.

SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!

Rocks plunged into the water, kicking up sprays and sending ripples echoing across the surface of the lake.

Time slowly trickled by. Before long, several other squads from Third High School arrived at Shi Lake. The teams greeted each other before tending to their own business.

"Zhixing, over here!" Liu Qifan suddenly called out.

Ji Zhixing turned to look and saw Xie Jia standing by the shore, having just hurled a large rock. The water’s surface was still undulating.

The next moment, the water abruptly exploded!

A blue-gray Petrified Crab surged out of the water, its eight legs scuttling rapidly as it lunged straight for the shore.

"Fall back! Lure it further away!"

The group immediately retreated with practiced ease, leading the Petrified Crab away from the lake. Luo Yongguang took the vanguard with his shield, while Xie Jia’s vines burst from the ground to entangle the crab’s legs.

Ji Zhixing gripped his Yellow Stone Rod tightly, not rushing to strike. He waited until Luo Yongguang had firmly blocked the Petrified Crab and Xie Jia’s vines had fully bound it before charging forward.

Void-Shattering Stance!

The long rod was raised high before fiercely smashing down. Bolstered by the Innate Staff Heart talent, the strike was immensely heavy and powerful. Carrying an indomitable momentum, it ruthlessly slammed into the Petrified Crab’s head.

THUD!

With a muffled thud, the Petrified Crab’s body sank heavily, and its flailing pincers slowed down.

"Nice!" Liu Qifan’s eyes lit up.

Ji Zhixing didn’t stop. Following his first strike, he unleashed another.

Void-Shattering!

Void-Shattering!

Void-Shattering!

He delivered five consecutive strikes, each imbued with Army-Breaking Will, and each landing on the exact same spot. The Petrified Crab’s head caved in, its carapace completely shattered. Its eight legs twitched a few times before it collapsed to the ground, entirely motionless.

"Is this the power of the Innate Staff Heart talent stacked with a Two-Star Staff Technique?" Liu Qifan looked on with a face full of envy. "That’s way too fierce! You smashed it to death in just five strikes!"

Zhang Haoceng also sighed in awe. "The last time we fought one, it took the five of us surrounding it and beating on it for ages."

Ji Zhixing smiled without saying a word, stepping forward to collect the Petrified Crab into his Genetic Furnace.

"I hope it drops another bottle of Stone Skin Genetic Potion," he thought silently.

He closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness into the furnace. The Eight Trigrams Map rotated, enveloping the corpse.

Several minutes later, the refinement was complete. Ji Zhixing swept his consciousness over it and felt a pang of disappointment. Inside the Furnace Space, there were only two additional Genetic Source Stones. Other than that, there was absolutely nothing else.

"Only Genetic Source Stones again," he murmured, shaking his head and opening his eyes.

"How is it?" Liu Qifan asked.

"Just Genetic Source Stones." Ji Zhixing reached out his hand, revealing a Crystal Stone floating in his palm.

"Let’s keep going." Zhang Haoceng patted him on the shoulder, offering no words of comfort. The group had gotten used to not getting any good drops over the past few days.

Ji Zhixing nodded, storing away the Genetic Source Stone. The group resumed luring crabs.

Time ticked by, and it was soon noon. Throughout the morning, their luck had been rather poor. They had only managed to lure out three Petrified Crabs. After Ji Zhixing refined them, they all yielded nothing but Genetic Source Stones. Not a single bottle of potion had dropped.

"This luck..." Ji Zhixing sighed inwardly, but there was nothing he could do.

The group found a patch of shade to sit under, taking out their dry rations and water for a simple meal.

"Let’s change spots this afternoon," Ji Zhixing said as he took a bite of a biscuit.

The others nodded in agreement.

BOOM!

Right then, a tremendous explosion echoed from the direction of Lake Heart Island, making everyone’s ears ring. Immediately after, the ground trembled. The lake water churned violently, sending towering sprays into the air.

"What’s going on?" Ji Zhixing and the others changed expressions. They sprang to their feet, staring toward Lake Heart Island. However, due to the sheer distance, they couldn’t see anything.

"Something might have happened." Zhao Qing’s expression was grave. "Come on, let’s head back to the camp immediately!"

CROAK!

CROAK!

The moment Zhao Qing spoke, water splashed wildly on the lake’s surface ahead of them. Over a dozen Giant Footed Frogs leaped out of the water in a panicked frenzy, scrambling desperately for the shore.

These Giant Footed Frogs were roughly the size of ordinary wild dogs. Their entire bodies were vibrant green, and their hind legs were thick and powerful. They usually hid in the water. Even if someone threw rocks at them, they would only flee; they never dared to come ashore.

"Are those Giant Footed Frogs?" Liu Qifan’s eyes lit up.

Giant Footed Frogs were an incredibly weak type of genetic beast. The group had seen them before, but they had never hunted one. To think that this anomaly had actually startled the horde of Giant Footed Frogs onto land.

"Senior?" Liu Qifan and the rest looked at Zhao Qing.

Zhao Qing cast a glance toward Lake Heart Island. After that initial explosion, the island had fallen completely silent, which brought her a measure of relief.

"End this quickly!" she commanded.

"Got it!"

Hearing Zhao Qing’s approval, the group immediately swarmed forward, charging toward the Giant Footed Frogs that had fled ashore. Seeing the humans charge at them, the Giant Footed Frogs were terrified into scattering in all directions. However, their speed was completely outmatched by Ji Zhixing and the others.

Liu Qifan activated Wolf Sprint. Moving like the wind, he slashed with his blade, taking down a frog with every strike. In the blink of an eye, he had already hacked down two of them.

Ji Zhixing rushed over, his Yellow Stone Rod lashing out with Sweeping a Thousand Troops!

WHOOSH!

The long rod swept through the air with a howling gust of wind. Three Giant Footed Frogs were sent flying away, landing on the ground motionless.

The others also struck ruthlessly. Luo Yongguang swatted one away with his shield, Zhang Haoceng skewered one with his spear, and Xie Jia ensnared one with her vines before finishing it off with her sword. In less than half a minute, the group had slaughtered the dozen or so Giant Footed Frogs.

BOOM!

Right then, another massive explosion echoed from the direction of Lake Heart Island.

"Let’s go, we can’t stay here anymore!" Zhao Qing’s expression tightened.

Realizing something was wrong, the group immediately gathered the corpses of the Giant Footed Frogs. Ji Zhixing was allocated one as well. With a thought, he deposited it into his Genetic Furnace.

"Move!" Zhao Qing urged.

Refining their loot on the move, the group quickly followed Zhao Qing toward the camp. They had no idea what was happening on Lake Heart Island, but it was better to be safe than sorry; returning early was the most prudent choice.

Their pace was brisk, nearly jogging as they hurried back. As he ran, Ji Zhixing split off a sliver of his consciousness to channel his Genetic Furnace and refine the Giant Footed Frog. He didn’t dare operate it at full capacity, so the process was significantly slower than usual. It wasn’t until they were nearing the camp that the refinement was finally completed.

He swept his consciousness across the Furnace Space, his footsteps suddenly faltering.

"This is..."

Inside the Furnace Space, aside from the two newly produced Genetic Source Stones, there was an additional item. It was a pendant.

The pendant wasn’t large—only about the size of a thumb. It possessed a translucent, amber-like hue, and the faint silhouette of a frog could be seen inside. The frog was curled up in a serene posture, as if it had fallen fast asleep.

"Is this..." Ji Zhixing’s heart trembled. "...Genetic Equipment?"