Chapter 52: Successful Development

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Successful Development

Three days later.

Ji Zhixing sat cross-legged on his bed, holding the final bottle of the golden gigantification potion in his hand. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the stopper and downed the pale golden liquid in one gulp. As the potion reached his stomach, a familiar, soothing warmth surged through his entire body.

Two hours later.

Ji Zhixing slowly opened his eyes. A flash of exhaustion crossed his gaze, and he let out a soft sigh. "Still not working."

Over the past few days, the feeling that he was on the verge of unlocking the gigantification genetic ability had grown increasingly intense. It felt as if he was separated by a paper-thin veil—one he could easily pierce—yet he was always just a tiny bit short. Every single time, he thought he would succeed in the next second. And every single time, he fell short by a hair. This time, he had used up his very last bottle of gigantification genetic potion, and he had still failed.

"I was so close..." Ji Zhixing shook his head, thinking he could only wait until tomorrow to buy another bottle and try again. As the thought crossed his mind, his head grew heavy, and a deep wave of lethargy washed over him. He collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep within seconds.

The next day.

Ji Zhixing didn’t cultivate as he usually did. Instead, he lay in bed, opened his phone, and aimlessly scrolled through short videos. "I need to relax," he thought to himself. "Being too tense will only backfire."

His supply of Earth Spirit Liquid was completely depleted, and his cultivation had already reached the Tier One Peak. However, since his Three-inch Stone Monkey gene had not yet evolved, he couldn’t advance to become a Tier Two Genetic Cultivator for the time being.

"Tier One Peak..." He stared at his own reflection on the phone screen. "Almost there. Once the genetic evolution is complete, it won’t be long before I advance."

Compared to others, he had truly stumbled upon a heaven-sent fortune. Take Zhao Qing, for instance—she had integrated a Tier Two gene, yet even after spending a full year at Yu City University, she had failed to advance to a Tier Two Genetic Cultivator.

As he pondered, he continued swiping through the videos. The content was a diverse mix—some showed thrilling footage of Genetic Cultivators hunting genetic beasts, while others documented the mundane daily lives of ordinary people. As he scrolled, his gaze suddenly locked onto the screen.

In the video, several familiar figures stood triumphantly at the gates of Yu City University, proudly declaring that they would soon be attending the prestigious school. These figures were none other than his classmates from other classes at Yu City Third Middle School who had successfully integrated Tier Two genes.

"Yu City University..." Ji Zhixing turned off his phone and sat up. "I’ll definitely get in too."

Right around noon, he finally got up and left his house. The sunlight was a bit glaring, so he squinted before hailing a cab to Nanshan Avenue. The streets were bustling with pedestrians. Navigating the familiar route, he arrived at the same potion shop he had visited before.

The female clerk recognized him and asked with a smile, "You again? Do you still need the gigantification genetic potion? How many bottles this time?"

"Just one."

He swiped his card and paid, watching a hundred thousand genetic coins vanish from his account. Staring at the bottle of pale golden liquid in his hand, he thought silently, "I have to succeed this time." If he failed again, his final hundred thousand genetic coins would be utterly wasted.

After purchasing the potion, he hailed another cab by the roadside. "Sir, take me to the Old Place BBQ near Yu City Third Middle School."

Yesterday, he had arranged to grab a meal with Liu Qifan, Zhang Haocheng, Luo Yongguang, and Xie Jia. As the car wove through the streets, Ji Zhixing watched the cityscape blur past the window, and his mind gradually settled. "Whether I succeed or not, I should catch up with my friends first."

The Old Place BBQ.

As Ji Zhixing walked into the restaurant, he spotted Liu Qifan and the others already seated at a corner table.

"Zhixing! Over here!" Liu Qifan waved.

He walked over and took an empty seat.

"Come on, let’s have a toast first!" Zhang Haocheng raised his glass. "To our successful graduation!"

The group clinked their glasses. Amidst the swirling smoke of the grill, they ate and chatted comfortably.

"Zhixing, lately I’ve been heading out with my uncle’s squad to hunt genetic beasts," Liu Qifan said with a grin, taking a bite of his lamb skewer. "Even though we’re only operating on the outskirts, the haul has been pretty decent."

Zhang Haocheng and Luo Yongguang nodded in agreement.

"Old Luo and I also joined a veteran hunting squad," Zhang Haocheng added. "We’ve learned quite a lot."

"I don’t plan on becoming an Adventurer," Xie Jia said softly, taking a sip of her juice. "I’ve been studying various professional subjects lately to see if I can get into a regular high school and become a teacher."

"Being a teacher is great. It’s stable," Zhang Haocheng replied.

"Yeah, my family wants me to have some stability too." Xie Jia lowered her head for another sip of her drink and smiled. "Besides, I have no real interest in hunting genetic beasts. Living a peaceful life is enough for me."

Listening to their plans, Ji Zhixing couldn’t help but reflect that everyone had their own path to walk. Right now, as recent graduates, they could still gather for barbecue. But in a few years’ time, who knew what their circumstances would be? Yet regardless of what the future held, at least in this moment, they could sit together, eat, and talk about what lay ahead.

"What about you, Zhixing?" Zhang Haocheng looked over at him. "How have things been lately?"

"I’m still trying to get my gene to evolve," Ji Zhixing replied calmly. "If it succeeds, I’ll recommend myself for admission to Yu City University."

Hearing this, the group nodded in unison.

"Then here’s an early toast to your success!" Liu Qifan raised his glass. "Your talent is way higher than ours. You’ll definitely make it."

"I believe in you too!" The other three quickly chimed in.

Ji Zhixing could tell that their encouragement was genuine. However, even the friends who knew him best likely didn’t expect that he intended to enter Yu City University *this year*. He didn’t mention that part. There was no point in boasting before the deed was done. He simply raised his glass, clinked it against theirs, and downed his drink.

After the meal, the group left the restaurant, preparing to go their separate ways.

"Let’s hang out again some time, Zhixing!" Zhang Haocheng said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Sounds good. We’ll catch up soon."

Just then, a group of people approached from the distance. Ji Zhixing looked up and recognized them as the students from Yu City Third Middle School who had successfully integrated Tier Two genes. Among them were Huang Yu and Yu Zhirou, with Qi Xingzhou and several others trailing along.

Spotting him, Huang Yu offered a cheerful greeting. "Haha, Ji Zhixing! I didn’t expect to run into you here. I was worried sick for a long time when you went missing back then, but luckily I heard you made it back in one piece."

"I was just lucky," Ji Zhixing smiled and nodded in response.

Meanwhile, upon seeing Ji Zhixing, Yu Zhirou’s expression shifted slightly, and she averted her gaze. A moment later, however, she seemed to recall something and turned her eyes back, staring straight ahead as if he didn’t even exist. Following the incident last time, she had felt a twinge of guilt. But over the past few days, she had reaffirmed her initial rationale. She was about to attend Yu City University, meaning she was destined to exist on a completely different level than Ji Zhixing. There was no need for her to fret over whether she had offended him.

Ji Zhixing merely glanced at her before looking away.

"I’m heading out. Let’s keep in touch," he said to Liu Qifan and the rest. Liu Qifan was off to meet his uncle and wouldn’t be walking back to the neighborhood with him.

"Yeah, let’s keep in touch."

The friends parted ways. Ji Zhixing went straight to his room upon returning home. He closed the door, took a deep breath, and banished all distracting thoughts from his mind. The brief encounter on the street hadn’t left so much as a ripple in his heart.

"Now is the most critical moment."

Having adjusted his mindset, Ji Zhixing willed the newly purchased gigantification genetic potion into his hand, popped the stopper, and poured it down his throat. As the potion settled in his stomach, that familiar wave of warmth surged once more. His consciousness sank, and he again felt himself transform into the Three-inch Stone Monkey.

The monkey squatted on a bluestone, radiating a faint golden light. Its body began to shoot upward. Three inches... four inches... five inches...

Over and over again.

Ji Zhixing immersed himself completely in this sensation. He felt the precise trajectories of his genetic source energy, the subtle changes within each individual cell, and the profound metamorphosis of growing from something minuscule into something gargantuan.

"This time... I will definitely succeed!" he roared in his mind.

Time ticked by, second by second. The monkey activated the gigantification ability time after time. Ji Zhixing’s consciousness fused flawlessly with the primate’s. He forgot everything—the passage of time, the outside world, everything. Only one thought remained in his mind.

Master this ability! Completely master it!

An unknown amount of time passed.

Suddenly, Ji Zhixing’s body jerked violently. "Did I... succeed?"

He could feel it. In that very moment, the thin veil that had been holding him back had finally been pierced. A brand-new sensation welled up in his heart. It was the feeling of having absolute control over his own body, of being able to expand his size at will.

He had finally attained true comprehension.