Chapter 53: Powerful Ability

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Powerful Ability

"Let’s try it!"

Ji Zhixing got out of bed, planted his feet on the floor, and took a deep breath.

With a thought, he connected with the Three-inch Stone Monkey gene. At the same time, he drove his Genetic Source Power, surging it throughout his entire body according to the operation method he had just comprehended.

A bizarre power surged from his Gene Aperture, instantly spreading to his limbs and bones.

His body began to shoot up.

Bones stretched, muscles expanded, and his skin pulled taut. He was like a sapling nourished by spring rain, growing madly in an extremely short period.

1.83 meters, 1.9 meters, 2 meters, 2.2 meters, 2.5 meters... It wasn’t until he surpassed 2.7 meters that he felt the momentum of his growth stop.

His head almost touched the ceiling.

Everything in the room seemed to have shrunk. The bed looked like a stool, and the doorframe was significantly shorter.

"Is this Gigantification?"

Ji Zhixing was quite excited, looking down at his hands.

His originally normal-sized palms had now become the size of palm-leaf fans. His fingers were as thick as carrots, and beneath every inch of his skin lay explosive power.

He could feel that his weight and strength had grown proportionately with his size. The Genetic Source Energy within his body burned madly like floodwaters released from a dam to maintain this massive state.

But the clothes on his body weren’t as lucky.

His T-shirt tore completely at the shoulders, leaving sparse strips of cloth hanging on him. His pants burst open entirely, with shredded fabric scattered on the ground. His underwear was barely hanging on, but even that was in a precarious state.

Ignoring his ruined clothes, Ji Zhixing willed the pale blue Tide Listening Rod to materialize out of thin air in his hand.

Genetic Source Power surged and poured into the shaft.

A miraculous thing happened. As a piece of Genetic Equipment he had completely refined, the Tide Listening Rod actually thickened and lengthened along with his body!

The originally two-meter-long staff grew to over three meters and became as thick as a bowl. It fit perfectly in his grasp, and that feeling of blood connection remained.

"Refined equipment really can change along with me," Ji Zhixing nodded secretly in his mind.

He had read in textbooks that equipment refined by the Genetic Furnace would form a deep connection with the Cultivator. When a Cultivator used certain abilities that could change their body size, their equipment would change accordingly.

Ji Zhixing lowered his head to pass into the living room. Holding the Tide Listening Rod, he swept it horizontally. The shaft cut through the air, emitting a dull, whistling sound.

Under his massive size, the sound of the tides became even deeper and heavier, like muffled thunder rolling through the room, making the window glass tremble slightly.

"This sense of power... is too strong!"

He felt the surging power within him, feeling as if he could smash a wall with a single punch.

However, he also noticed that maintaining this Gigantification state consumed his Genetic Source Energy extremely fast, draining it away like flowing water. With his current cultivation, he estimated he could only maintain it for three to five minutes.

"Retract!"

With a thought, he retracted the Gigantification ability, and his body slowly shrank back to its original size.

His clothes hung on him like tattered strips of cloth, drooping loosely. He looked down at his wretched state and shook his head.

"I need to buy a suit of Genetic Battle Armor that can adapt to my bodily changes," he thought. "Otherwise, my clothes will burst open every time I use Gigantification, making it impossible to fight freely. I can’t exactly fight people naked."

He tore off the tattered strips from his body, threw them into the trash can, and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

Hot water cascaded over him, washing away his sweat and fatigue. He dried himself, changed into clean clothes, and returned to his room to lie down.

Developing the Gigantification ability had consumed too much mental energy, leaving his head groggy, but he couldn’t sleep.

He stared at the ceiling, tossing and turning over his future path in his mind.

"Almost there," he muttered. "I have the Innate Staff Heart, I have Stone Skin, and now I have Gigantification. With all three abilities gathered, the only thing left is to wait for the Three-inch Stone Monkey gene to evolve."

He closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into his body, looking at the Gene Aperture that had fused with the Three-inch Stone Monkey gene.

Within the Gene Aperture, the phantom of the Three-inch Stone Monkey was expanding and contracting, seemingly breathing with a rhythm, as if nurturing something. It felt like a seed sprouting, about to grow vigorously.

"Gene evolution isn’t accomplished overnight," Ji Zhixing thought silently. "But the prerequisites have already been met. Now, I just have to wait. It won’t take too long—usually, it finishes within a few days."

He calculated the days. Before the new students officially started classes at Yu City University this year, he could completely allow his gene to complete its first evolution.

Rolling over, he buried his face in his pillow and fell into a deep sleep.

...

The next day.

When Ji Zhixing woke up, his spirit had recovered significantly.

After eating breakfast, he hailed a cab and headed to Nanshan Avenue again.

He still had 100,000 gene coins on hand, plus a piece of Genetic Equipment he had obtained from Liu Qing. With a thought, he took the short saber out of the Genetic Furnace and took a look.

[Wind-Cutting Short Saber

Tier: Tier One

Quality: Two Stars

Ability: Wind-Cutting

Refining this equipment grants the Wind-Cutting ability. A single slash can cleave through wind resistance and gain the wind’s assistance, making the blade’s speed even faster.]

He had already refined this saber over the past few days and obtained its information. He had even tried it a few times.

The blade was very fast and felt weightless in his hand. When he slashed out, the wind seemed to part automatically, making the blade noticeably faster than a regular saber.

"Tier One, Two Stars. The quality is quite good." Ji Zhixing put the saber away. "But I don’t use sabers, so there’s no point in keeping it. I’ll sell it for money. Hopefully, I can buy a suit of clothes suitable for me to use."

He had checked online; similar equipment could sell for around 100,000 gene coins.

Soon, he arrived at Nanshan Avenue. It was as bustling as ever.

Ji Zhixing asked for prices at a few shops that bought equipment. Finally, he sold the Wind-Cutting Short Saber for 95,000 gene coins.

"Let’s see if there’s any Genetic Battle Armor suitable for me."

After selling the Wind-Cutting Short Saber, he had money in hand again, which gave him confidence as he looked around.

"What’s going on over there?"

As he wandered along the street, he suddenly noticed a large crowd gathered at the entrance of a major shopping mall in the distance, looking extremely lively. Curious, he walked over and found that the mall was hosting an event.

A massive electronic screen stood at the entrance of the mall, with red text scrolling across it:

[Glory Challenge Tournament]

[Rules: Cultivators who have fused a Tier One gene can participate in the challenge by paying 10,000 gene coins.]

[Reward: For every person defeated, the participant will receive a 50,000 gene coin voucher, which can be used to purchase any item in this mall.]

[Note: After defeating an opponent, participants are not allowed to rest and must immediately proceed to the next round until they are defeated or voluntarily forfeit.]

"I didn’t expect to run into an event like this..." Ji Zhixing raised an eyebrow.

There were quite a few similar events in the Yu City Base City. However, he had only heard about them or seen them online before; he had never actually seen one in person. This was his first time seeing one in reality.

But almost all of these events restricted participation to Tier One Cultivators who had fused a Tier One gene, because ordinary venues simply couldn’t withstand the power of higher-level Cultivators. And ordinary malls hosted these events precisely to attract the attention of low-level Cultivators.

In the Yu City Base City, Tier One Gene Cultivators made up the largest population and formed the biggest consumer group.

"Tier One Gene Cultivators..." Ji Zhixing’s eyes flashed. "My cultivation has already reached Tier One Peak. I’ve mastered the three staff techniques—Army Breaker, Boulder, and Tide Listening—and developed the three abilities of Innate Staff Heart, Stone Skin, and Gigantification.

"Among Tier One Cultivators who have fused a Tier One gene, there probably aren’t many who can be my match, right?

"A 10,000 entry fee, and I earn 50,000 for winning one match. If I can win a few matches, I’ll have the money to buy my equipment. Should I give it a try?"