Chapter 43: Unexpected Harvest

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Unexpected Harvest

In Yu City Base City’s Tingyu Garden, on the fifth floor of Building Three.

Zhang Yulan didn’t cook when she woke up this morning. Instead, she went downstairs and bought some breakfast.

Ji Guodong sat at the table, gripping his chopsticks, staring blankly ahead.

Ji Zhiyu sat across from him. With her head bowed and her small hands resting on her knees, she sneaked occasional glances at her parents.

"Eat up," Zhang Yulan said, her voice a little hoarse. "You still have to go to school later."

Yesterday afternoon, the school buses from Yu City Third Middle School had returned. The school summoned all the students’ parents to inform them about the results of the training exercise. An Otherworldly Secret Realm had appeared, triggering a riot among the genetic beasts. Twenty-three students were dead, and seventeen were missing.

Ji Zhixing’s name was on the missing list.

After finishing her meal, Ji Zhiyu put on her backpack to leave for school. Reaching the door, she looked back and whispered, "Mom, my brother will definitely be okay. He’s so strong. He’ll definitely come back."

Zhang Yulan looked at her daughter and forced a smile. "Yes, your brother will definitely be okay."

The door closed, leaving the apartment in heavy silence.

In the underground water cave.

Ji Zhixing squatted on the rocky beach, squeezed together with over a dozen Giant Footed Frogs. He looked at the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale resting in the depths of the water cave, feeling a profound sense of helplessness.

The behemoth had its eyes closed, its breathing slow and long. Occasionally, its tail twitched, stirring up a cloud of sand and mud.

"I’ll stop thinking about it for now," he told himself. "I’ll take it one step at a time."

Finding a spot to sit down, he focused his mind, extracted a drop of Earth Spirit Liquid, and began to refine it.

One drop, two drops, three drops...

After an unknown amount of time, he opened his eyes and glanced into the depths of the cave. The Land-Traveling Ancient Whale lay there, half its back exposed above the water, completely motionless as if it were asleep. Its eyes were closed, its slow breathing causing its body to rise and fall rhythmically.

Ji Zhixing’s eyes flickered with thought. Instead of immediately trying to slip away, he stood up, took out his Yellow Stone Rod, and gave it a gentle swing. The long rod cut through the air, producing a faint whistling sound.

He stopped and stared at the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale, only to see it instantly open its eyes and look right at him.

"This guy..." he muttered.

A chill ran down Ji Zhixing’s spine. He felt incredibly thankful that he hadn’t chosen to just make a run for it. Taking a deep breath, he didn’t stop moving. Under the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale’s watchful gaze, he began to execute the Rock Staff Technique.

Unmoving Rock.

He held the long rod horizontally in front of him, his feet rooted to the ground, as steady as a boulder.

Gathering Stones into a Mountain.

He swung the long rod, every move and stance steady and weighty, as if he were piling up stones to build a mountain. Each strike carried the force of a thousand pounds, yet remained composed and restrained.

Towering Peak...

He practiced it over and over again. He noticed that the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale stared at him for a while before closing its eyes, ignoring him once more.

"It took me more than half a month to master the Breaking Army Staff Technique," he thought. "Now that I’ve awakened the Innate Staff Heart talent, I wonder how long it will take to master the Rock Staff Technique."

After practicing for an indeterminate amount of time, Ji Zhixing’s arms grew sore and swollen, his stamina failing to keep up. He propped the Yellow Stone Rod on the ground and stopped, panting heavily. The Land-Traveling Ancient Whale remained motionless on its stomach, occasionally opening its eyes to glance at him before closing them again.

The water cave was very quiet, save for the sound of the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale’s breathing and the occasional croaking of the Giant Footed Frogs.

He put away the Yellow Stone Rod, walked to the edge of the rocky beach, and sat down. After eating a little food, he extracted another drop of Earth Spirit Liquid and resumed refining.

"The effects of the Earth Spirit Liquid are so much better than the Source Power Genetic Potion," he thought silently, closing his eyes and leaning against a rock. "At this rate, it won’t be long before I reach Tier One Peak."

He refined the liquid drop by drop. Whenever he felt tired, he leaned against the rock and fell into a deep sleep.

Time lost its meaning in the cave; only the glowing stones on the ceiling illuminated the space. The Giant Footed Frogs huddled in the corners, occasionally letting out a RIBBIT or two before quickly quieting down again. The Land-Traveling Ancient Whale lay in the depths, its breathing rising and falling as if it would never wake up.

After who knew how long, Ji Zhixing was jolted awake by the sound of rushing water. Opening his eyes, he saw that the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale was moving.

Its massive body swayed in the water as it swam slowly toward the cave entrance. The water churned, producing loud SPLASHES. Reaching the entrance, the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale suddenly stopped and looked back at him.

Its gaze was impassive, but Ji Zhixing understood its meaning perfectly.

"Do you really have to be this suspicious of me?" he grumbled inwardly.

With a sigh of resignation, Ji Zhixing stood up, walked to the edge, and leaped into the water. Only after seeing him enter the water did the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale resume its outward journey. Its enormous body passed through the water tunnel, casting a giant shadow in the darkness.

Ji Zhixing trailed behind, muttering in his mind, "Where is it going? Foraging? Or patrolling its territory?"

Upon exiting the water cave, the surroundings brightened.

The Land-Traveling Ancient Whale surfaced, exposing its grayish-white back as it swam lazily through the lake. It moved slowly, as if taking a stroll. Ji Zhixing followed behind it, occasionally breaking the surface for a breath of air.

The Frog Pendant only allowed him to stay submerged for twenty minutes, but every time he left the water, the timer would reset.

The Land-Traveling Ancient Whale swam for a while before suddenly stopping. It opened its massive maw and took a powerful gulp. The surrounding small fish and shrimp, along with the lake water, were sucked right into its mouth. It closed its jaws, squeezed the excess water out through its gill slits, and with a gulp of its throat, swallowed the food.

It continued swimming, stopped again, and took another gulp. It was as if it were snacking on treats.

Ji Zhixing kept following it, but his gaze swept back and forth across the lakebed.

"Petrified Crabs!"

He spotted several Petrified Crabs resting on the rocks at the bottom of the lake, their bluish-gray shells blending almost perfectly with the surrounding stones.

"Let’s see if I can hunt one," he thought.

Spurred by the idea, he immediately swam toward the crabs. The Land-Traveling Ancient Whale gave him a fleeting glance but ignored him, continuing to swim forward.

Ji Zhixing swam right above one of the Petrified Crabs. With a thought, he summoned his Yellow Stone Rod, gripped it with both hands, and brought it down fiercely with a Void-Shattering Stance.

SMASH!

The long rod churned the water and slammed into the crab’s head, producing a muffled thud. The Petrified Crab stumbled from the blow, but it quickly recovered, waving its massive pincers as it charged at him.

Ji Zhixing dodged in the water and unleashed the Breaking Army Staff Technique. Underwater, his combat prowess was inferior to what it was on land. But bolstered by his Innate Staff Heart talent, the Breaking Army Staff Technique struck with three-star power, allowing him to narrowly fend off the Petrified Crab’s attacks.

In the distance, the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale turned its head. It looked at him, then at the menacingly flailing crab.

It opened its mouth, and a stone sphere shot out.

BAM!

The stone sphere smashed into the Petrified Crab, instantly pulverizing its carapace. The Petrified Crab’s eight legs twitched a few times before it stopped moving completely.

Ji Zhixing froze for a second. Staring at the mangled remains of the Petrified Crab, he quickly swam over and stored the carcass into the Genetic Furnace.

"It’s actually perfect that it was smashed to pieces," he thought. "Otherwise, with that Red Iron Ore already in my Genetic Furnace, there’s no way I could fit such a huge Petrified Crab."

He waved at the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale to express his thanks. The creature ignored him and continued swimming forward.

As Ji Zhixing swam along, he diverted a sliver of consciousness to activate the Genetic Furnace and refine the Petrified Crab.

A few minutes later, the refinement was complete. Two Genetic Source Stones appeared in his Genetic Furnace, but other than that, there was nothing.

"No drops," Ji Zhixing thought, shaking his head. However, he wasn’t discouraged.

His gaze continued scanning the lakebed, and he soon discovered a new target. This time, he didn’t hesitate. He charged straight at the largest Petrified Crab.

"I wonder if the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale will help me again this time?" Ji Zhixing wondered.

Without hesitation, he closed in on the Petrified Crab and ruthlessly brought his rod down. The Petrified Crab was momentarily dazed, but it instantly launched a counterattack. The next moment, however, a backward blast from the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale instantly smashed it to a pulp.

"It actually worked?"

Ji Zhixing’s eyes lit up. He immediately collected the carcass and refined it. Unfortunately, the result was still no drops.

"What rotten luck!"

Sighing, Ji Zhixing sought out another one.

Third one, no drops.

Fourth one, no drops.

By the fifth one, he had just lured the crab out and landed a single blow. Before he could strike it a second time, the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale spat a stone sphere over and blasted the crab to pieces.

He swam over, collected the corpse into the Furnace Space, and began refining it.

A few minutes later, as his consciousness swept across the Furnace Space, his heart skipped a beat.

Inside the Furnace Space, alongside two Genetic Source Stones, sat a small white bottle. The bottle was as smooth and warm as jade, containing a pale gray liquid.

"Stone Skin Genetic Potion!"

Ji Zhixing’s eyes sparkled, a wave of ecstasy welling up in his heart.

"I got a drop!"

Kicking off the lakebed with a frog leap, he quickly caught up to the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale.

"Am I basically being kept as a pet by the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale now? But if the opportunity arises, I definitely still need to escape. It’d be even better if I could take some Earth Spirit Liquid with me when I leave."

He glanced at the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale swimming leisurely ahead, suddenly feeling that this creature wasn’t so terrifying after all.

Seemingly sensing his gaze, the Land-Traveling Ancient Whale looked back at him for a moment before turning away and continuing its forward swim.