Chapter 8: Dealing With It

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Dealing With It

The conversation between Ji Zhixing and He Yanbing caught the attention of quite a few students.

When they saw the halo of light at Ji Zhixing’s Dantian, they froze for a moment before bursting into an uproar.

"A dual-core Genetic Acupoint!" a girl from Ji Zhixing’s class exclaimed. "He actually awakened a dual-core Genetic Acupoint? He’s too good at keeping secrets! After all this time, he hasn’t breathed a word about it!"

"A dual-core Genetic Acupoint! That’s a one-in-ten-thousand talent. By fusing two core genes, he’d be practically invincible among his peers!"

"Did you guys hear that?"

Another boy wearing the Third High School uniform stared with wide eyes. "Ji Zhixing fused a Tier One gene? Didn’t he awaken a Tier Two Genetic Acupoint?"

"What an absolute waste! A dual-core Genetic Acupoint, and a Tier Two one at that, yet he fused a Tier One gene? And a trash gene like the Three-inch Stone Monkey?"

"Exactly! What a waste! A dual-core Genetic Acupoint, completely ruined!"

Various discussions rose and fell around them. Countless gazes landed on Ji Zhixing—some were shocked, some envious, some bewildered, and others secretly shook their heads in pity.

He Yanbing stared blankly at the halo of light at Ji Zhixing’s Dantian, momentarily speechless. After a long while, she finally took a deep breath, her gaze complex as she stared at him. "Your second Genetic Acupoint... is it also a Tier Two Genetic Acupoint?"

Ji Zhixing nodded. "Yes."

"Go!" He Yanbing pointed toward the second floor, her voice raising an octave. "Go up to the second floor and contract a Tier Two gene right now!"

Ji Zhixing sighed inwardly. As expected, Teacher He wasn’t going to let this go. He looked at her expression—one of deep frustration over his failure to meet expectations—knowing she had his best interests at heart. But his hands were truly tied. After all, he had only awakened a Tier One Genetic Acupoint. There was absolutely no way he could fuse a Tier Two gene.

"Teacher," Ji Zhixing said earnestly, "please give me some time. If my Three-inch Stone Monkey gene cannot evolve, I’ll definitely fuse a Tier Two gene next time."

"Next time?" He Yanbing’s chest heaved with anger. "Do you mean to say that if your Three-inch Stone Monkey gene does evolve, you still want to fuse a Tier One gene next time?"

"Teacher, when I was choosing my gene just now, my second Genetic Acupoint also reacted to a gene, and the compatibility was over seventy percent." After explaining this, Ji Zhixing paused before adding, "Also, I’ve already heard the voice of my gene."

"What?" He Yanbing was stunned.

Ji Zhixing spoke slowly, "I already know the next evolutionary path for the Three-inch Stone Monkey gene."

"You heard the voice of the gene?" He Yanbing looked astonished.

The surrounding students also began murmuring again.

"He heard the gene’s voice so quickly? Didn’t he just finish the fusion?"

"He’s gotta be lying, right? When my brother fused his gene, it took him three whole months before he heard its voice for the first time!"

"If the compatibility is high, you really can hear the gene’s voice faster. Didn’t he just say he had a seventy-two percent compatibility with this gene?"

"Even so, that’s way too fast! Hearing it right after fusion? What kind of speed is that!"

At this moment, a middle-aged teacher walked over after hearing the commotion. "Teacher He, what’s going on?" he asked, glancing at Ji Zhixing.

He Yanbing took a deep breath. Suppressing her emotions, she asked, "Ji Zhixing, you said you heard the voice of the gene. So, what is the evolutionary path of your Three-inch Stone Monkey?"

Ji Zhixing didn’t hide anything. "The Staff Soldier Stone Monkey."

"Staff Soldier Stone Monkey?"

Both He Yanbing and the middle-aged teacher were taken aback. The surrounding students exchanged bewildered glances.

The middle-aged teacher turned to look at the metal platform in front of Ji Zhixing. The evolutionary paths displayed on the light screen were perfectly clear: Three-inch Stone Monkey King gene, and Stone Spirit Monkey gene. There was absolutely no mention of a Staff Soldier Stone Monkey.

He Yanbing also glanced at the screen, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Staff Soldier Stone Monkey? It’s not on there," a student whispered.

"I’ve never heard of that kind of gene, either."

"Could he have heard it wrong?"

He Yanbing looked at Ji Zhixing, her gaze filled with doubt. "Are you sure?"

"I’m sure." Ji Zhixing met her gaze with unwavering determination.

He Yanbing stared at him for a solid three seconds before finally opening her mouth to let out a helpless sigh.

She felt a complicated mix of emotions, thinking, "A dual-core Genetic Acupoint, yet he just had to choose the hardest path. A weak gene like the Three-inch Stone Monkey wanting to evolve? Easier said than done!"

However, she found it hard to say anything more. Gene fusion was, inherently, a Cultivator’s own choice. As a teacher, she could guide and advise, but she could not forcibly interfere.

"Forget it." He Yanbing waved her hand, her tone carrying a hint of resignation. "As long as you’ve thought this through yourself. Remember what you said: if the Three-inch Stone Monkey gene cannot evolve, you must fuse a Tier Two gene next time."

Ji Zhixing felt a wave of relief and nodded. "Thank you, Teacher."

The middle-aged teacher shook his head from the sidelines. He cast a glance at Ji Zhixing, his eyes filled with a trace of pity, before turning and leaving.

Seeing that the spectacle was over, the surrounding students also dispersed, though a few still threw occasional backward glances at Ji Zhixing, whispering among themselves.

Over an hour later.

All the students had finished selecting their genes. Some were joyous, while others felt regret. But regardless, this gene fusion journey had finally come to an end.

The group boarded the school bus and began their return trip to the school.

On the bus, Huang Yu and Yu Zhirou squeezed into the seats next to Ji Zhixing. Huang Yu looked at him with a complicated expression, opening his mouth but not knowing what to say.

Even though he and Yu Zhirou had been on the second floor picking out genes when the incident occurred on the first floor, they had heard about it afterward. The news of Ji Zhixing awakening a dual-core Genetic Acupoint, as well as his choice of the Three-inch Stone Monkey gene, had already spread to everyone present for the gene selection.

"Zhixing..." Huang Yu finally managed to squeeze out a sentence. "You really kept us in the dark! A dual-core Genetic Acupoint—something this massive, and you didn’t say a single word?"

"It was a big deal before, but after I chose the Three-inch Stone Monkey gene, it’s not a big deal anymore," Ji Zhixing replied naturally. "Right now, I’m afraid to even guess how many people are gossiping about me, saying I wasted my talent."

"And you can still be this calm?" Huang Yu looked completely baffled.

"Because I genuinely believe that genetic compatibility is more important." Ji Zhixing looked at Huang Yu, his tone serene. "And I truly did hear the voice of the gene inside my body."

Huang Yu was at a loss for words. Genetic compatibility was indeed important, but the textbooks all stated that if one could fuse a high-tier gene, they should always do so. Now, unless Ji Zhixing fused a Tier Two gene into his second Genetic Acupoint, the gap between their power levels would probably only widen in the future.

"The dual-core Genetic Acupoint is real, but a Tier Two Genetic Acupoint..." Yu Zhirou, sitting not too far away, cast a glance at Ji Zhixing but didn’t say anything aloud.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that Ji Zhixing wouldn’t be so unwise as to choose a Tier One gene while fully knowing that a Tier Two gene was countless times stronger. Unless what he awakened wasn’t a Tier Two Genetic Acupoint at all.

If that were truly the case, she feared that the future Ji Zhixing would never be able to catch up to her and Huang Yu.