Chapter 4: Entering the Gene Bank

Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Entering the Gene Bank

Early the next morning, as the first pale light of dawn crept across the horizon, Zhang Yulan was already up and busy. Faint sounds drifted from the kitchen, and soon, the aroma of fried eggs wafted into the room.

Ji Zhixing had actually slept lightly all night and woken up early. Taking a deep breath, he sat up and began to dress. His school uniform was washed to the point of fading, but it was spotless. He carefully smoothed out the hem and packed his student ID, identification papers, and other necessary documents into his backpack.

When he stepped out of his bedroom, breakfast was already laid out on the table. There was plain congee, steamed buns, fried eggs, pickled vegetables, and a small portion of braised meat specially saved from last night. At his usual seat sat a glass of warm milk.

"Zhixing, hurry up and eat while it’s hot." Zhang Yulan had dark circles under her eyes, clearly having not slept well either, but her face was full of smiles.

Ji Guodong was already seated at the table, silently eating his congee. Seeing Ji Zhixing come out, he glanced up and used his large, rough hand to push the dish of pickled vegetables closer to his son.

Ji Zhiyu, having finished washing up, also came over. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the fried eggs, but she quickly and restrainedly looked away, sitting down obediently to eat her congee.

"Zhiyu, this is for you," Ji Zhixing said, placing a fried egg into his little sister’s bowl.

"Brother, I don’t want it. You eat it..."

"One is enough for me," Ji Zhixing interrupted, lowering his head to eat his congee.

In this era, ordinary people lived difficult lives. Ji Guodong and Zhang Yulan were both regular folks who had never awakened their Gene Apertures. One sold his physical labor at a moving company, while the other stocked shelves at a supermarket. Their income was meager.

Breakfast was finished in silence. His parents didn’t eat much, their gazes frequently landing on him. His sister took small bites of her egg, occasionally stealing a glance upward. The only sound was the soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks, exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

After the meal, the family of four went downstairs together.

The residential compound was already bustling with early risers. Many were discussing the commotion from the previous night, their tones filled with lingering fear and profound reverence for Guardian Envoy Xiao.

"Yulan, taking Zhixing to select his gene?" A familiar neighbor walking by with a grocery basket let her gaze sweep over Ji Zhixing before beaming brightly. "Zhixing awakened a Tier-2 Gene Aperture! Once he becomes an Official Genetic Cultivator, your family is going to strike it rich!"

"Zhixing has always made us proud." A proud smile broke across Zhang Yulan’s face as the fine lines at the corners of her eyes smoothed out.

Ji Zhixing’s throat bobbed, but he didn’t reply.

Upon waking up this morning, he discovered that his Gene Furnace had completed its transformation. Inside the furnace, a complete Eight Trigrams Map was slowly rotating. The eight trigrams—Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui—flickered on and off, radiating an indescribably profound Dao resonance. However, he still had no idea what this fully transformed Gene Furnace actually did or if it would be of any help to him right now.

"Zhixing!" A shout rang out from the distance. Liu Qifan appeared at the intersection, waving at him.

"Dad, Mom, I’m heading out," Ji Zhixing said hastily, a look of relief washing over his face. Staying with his family right now, bearing the weight of their expectations and care, felt incredibly heavy.

"Do your best!" Ji Zhiyu tilted her small face up and waved vigorously.

"Mm." Ji Zhixing nodded, turned around, and walked briskly toward Liu Qifan, temporarily putting the sight of his family seeing him off to the back of his mind.

After meeting up with Liu Qifan, the two walked side by side toward school. Along the way, Liu Qifan couldn’t hide his excitement and talked much more than usual. He repeatedly weighed the pros and cons of several Tier-1 genes and couldn’t help but fantasize about the future. Ji Zhixing responded absent-mindedly. Seeing his friend distracted, Liu Qifan assumed he was just nervous, offered a few words of comfort, and then fell silent.

When they arrived at school, the students of the senior year Genetic Preparatory Class had already gathered on the sports field. Everyone’s face bore a mix of excitement and anxiety. After the homeroom teacher took attendance, he led the group onto the waiting school buses.

"Do you guys think the person who fought that Sky Tyrant Dragon Beast yesterday was really Guardian Envoy Xiao?" A group of classmates was heatedly discussing this on the bus.

"It has to be Guardian Envoy Xiao! Aside from him, who else in Yu City could fend off a Glory-tier Gene Beast?"

"If only I could become a Glory-tier Genetic Cultivator in the future..."

"Keep dreaming! Better focus on what kind of gene you can integrate with today!"

The students chattered excitedly, looking forward to the future while fretting over their own compatibility rates. Ji Zhixing took a window seat and cast his gaze outside.

"Zhixing, how about it? Have you decided what gene you want to choose?" A tall, straight-backed boy with short hair turned around from the seat in front.

With him was a pretty girl with a ponytail named Yu Zhirou. The short-haired boy was Huang Yu. They were the other two geniuses in the class who had awakened Tier-2 Gene Apertures, and he was on fairly good terms with them.

"I’m leaning towards avian predators," Huang Yu continued on his own before Ji Zhixing could reply. "Preferably one with wind or lightning attributes. They’re fast and pack a strong punch."

Yu Zhirou also turned around, her voice crisp. "I want to choose a special plant-type gene. It’d be best if it was the Blue Frost Ice Vine gene like Qi Xingzhou’s, but I just don’t know what my compatibility rate will be."

"I don’t have a specific goal. It mostly depends on compatibility. As long as the compatibility rate is high, anything works," Ji Zhixing replied. He looked out at the street scenes flashing past the bus window, his voice somewhat indifferent.

Huang Yu and Yu Zhirou exchanged a glance. Both felt that Ji Zhixing seemed unusually quiet today, weighed down by something on his mind.

"Don’t be too nervous. With your Tier-2 Gene Aperture, even if your compatibility rate is average, your starting point will still be much higher than most," Huang Yu comforted him.

"I hope so." Ji Zhixing managed a faint smile and said no more.

The school bus traversed half the city before finally coming to a halt in a heavily guarded area in the east. High walls, electrified fences, and soldiers armed with live ammunition all highlighted the unique nature of this location.

It was the Yu City Base City Gene Bank.

This place stored the vast majority of known gene samples collected from the base city and its surrounding areas. It was the starting point for countless Genetic Cultivators.

At this moment, students from several other high schools had already gathered in the plaza before the Gene Bank’s main gates. Under their teacher’s guidance, the Third High School group merged into the crowd.

Ji Zhixing looked up at the magnificent silver-white building that resembled a gigantic inverted bowl and took a deep breath.

Once everyone had arrived, the silver-white doors slid open silently. A cold, pristine breeze mixed with the faint scent of energy fluid blew against their faces.

The space inside the Gene Bank was far more expansive than it appeared from the outside. Light shone down from the vaulted ceiling. The floor was made of a matte, dark gray metal that provided a slight bounce underfoot, absorbing all ambient noise. The air was so pure that one could barely sense a speck of dust.

Following the group into the Gene Bank, Ji Zhixing was greeted by rows of neatly arranged silver metal platforms. Transparent sealed capsules were embedded in the platforms, within which various colored glows hovered silently—these were the countless sealed gene samples. Above each platform, a light blue rectangular holographic screen was projected. The screens clearly displayed the names, tiers, primary characteristics, and even dynamic footage of the samples.

Ji Zhixing looked at the platform closest to him.

[Name: Tiger Gene

Tier: Tier-1

Description: The king of forest beasts from the Old Era, mostly inhabiting mountainous forests.

Primary Ability Tendencies: Tiger’s Strength, Tiger’s Roar Intimidation, Tiger’s Claw.

Primary Advancement Paths: Mutated White Tiger Gene, Mutated Black Tiger Gene, Three-Eyed Tiger Cat Gene...]