Chapter 14: Level One Gene Cultivator

Ding Huan returned to Yujiang University again; upon hearing "Washing Knife Society," he knew he wouldn't get any answers from them.

Ding Huan had heard the name "Washing Knife Society" in his past life—it was a sizable organization that took on any black job as long as the money was right.

He had no grudge against the Washing Knife Society; the people they sent to capture him were clearly acting on someone else's behalf.

What pleased Ding Huan was that since he eliminated the two men tailing him, no one disturbed him for the next three days.

After three days of cultivation, Ding Huan could clearly feel a thread of internal Qi coalescing within his body.

Indeed, having a gene spiritual root made a world of difference—back in his past life, he had to fuse three genes before even beginning gene meditation, and it took him seventeen years to become a Level One Gene Cultivator.

Based on his experience, with this rate of internal Qi condensation, he would need at most one month to become a Level One Gene Cultivator.

This was still due to Earth's insufficient Yuan Qi; if he were on the Changyi Continent, he might need only a week.

……

The tallest building in Luohe City was Luo Huan Tower.

On the top floor of Luo Huan Tower lay one of the Washing Knife Society's three bases.

At this moment, twenty-one people sat around an oval conference table, the atmosphere thick with menace.

"How did Dong Gu and Li Changqi die?" asked a bald man seated at the head of the table.

His name was Yuan Youzhen, one of the three vice-chairs of the Washing Knife Society—his status ranked just below the society's chair, Chen Changsheng.

The conference room fell into an eerie silence; those familiar with Yuan Youzhen knew this was the prelude to slaughter.

In the era after Earth's transformation, when gene beasts ran rampant, human lives were worthless.

Daily, gene beast rampages and human-eating incidents erupted everywhere; returning to the peace and order of the old world was nearly impossible.

Six years ago, after one of the Washing Knife Society's men clashed with a beast-hunting team and had both hands severed, Yuan Youzhen wiped out the entire team.

That wasn't the worst of it—the worst was that two members of that team were from Luohe City; Yuan Youzhen didn't just kill them all, he also slaughtered every single family member of the team in Luohe City.

Given Yuan Youzhen's nature, with two of his men dead, how could he not be enraged to the point of madness?

A young woman stood up, speaking respectfully: "According to our three-day investigation, Dong Gu and Li Changqi likely ingested Shi Gen'ai Gene, and the gene serum failed to integrate with their bodies, causing death."

"How could they have gotten Shi Gen'ai Gene?" Yuan Youzhen frowned.

"I haven't uncovered the details yet, but the surveillance cameras in their residence were deliberately destroyed," the woman replied before sitting down.

"So you're saying they were murdered? Was it Ding Xiaotu?" Yuan Youzhen's voice dripped with malice.

A middle-aged man spoke up: "It's very likely they were killed by someone else—I think it's highly unlikely to be Ding Xiaotu."

"Ding Xiaotu is just a student—he wouldn't even think to disable the cameras, and he lacks the capability."

"Heh, it's also possible Dong Gu and Li Changqi destroyed the cameras themselves. Maybe they got hold of Shi Gen'ai Gene and wanted to leave the Washing Knife Society, so they wiped the cameras, planned to fuse the gene, and vanished."

"They just didn't expect the fusion to fail—and died." Another person added.

The conference room fell into brief silence; low-ranking members wanting to leave the Washing Knife Society was common, since any member who obtained a top-tier gene serum like Shi Gen'ai was required to surrender it.

"Fengyu, you investigate this. Until we find the truth, the case regarding Ding Xiaotu is suspended," Yuan Youzhen said, his voice laced with killing intent.

Everyone knew there were only two possible reasons for the two Washing Knife Society members' deaths: first, Ding Baishan's hidden forces had intervened—a possibility too remote.

Ding Baishan was merely the founder of Bai Yu Group, an ordinary man—how could he have hidden forces? If he truly did, Ding Jie would have been eliminated long ago.

The most likely scenario was that Dong Gu and Li Changqi obtained the Shi Gen'ai Gene serum but refused to surrender it, so they destroyed the cameras intending to fuse the gene and flee.

Once fused, they would immediately escape Luohe City; by destroying the cameras, they created the illusion they had been abducted.

……

"Boom!" Ding Huan felt a barrier inside him shatter, and an endless stream of power surged forth.

Already a Level One Gene Cultivator? Ding Huan clenched his fists in excitement.

In his past life, he didn't become a Level One Gene Cultivator until he reached the Changyi Continent and struggled for nearly twenty years.

Even then, it was superficial—he had no gene spiritual root back then.

This life, he became a Level One Gene Cultivator in just twelve days—two-thirds faster than he'd estimated.

Ding Huan looked at the oily grime seeping from his skin, took a long breath, and finally felt he had the means to protect himself.

Next, he needed to select some genes to fuse.

The power of the Golden Ape and the Illusory Eye gene were absolute must-haves—but his current strength was insufficient to obtain them.

Beyond that, his first priority was injury recovery ability—there were too many plants and animals capable of regeneration.

But Ding Huan immediately ruled out plants—they differed from spiritual root genes.

The gecko's limb regeneration was legendary, but compared to the planarian, it still fell short.

The next moment, he eliminated the planarian—it could regenerate from any injury, even split into multiple segments, each becoming a new planarian.

Yet it made Ding Huan feel strangely uneasy—not because the creature looked disgusting.

Gene fusion had nothing to do with the animal's physical form; survival of the fittest applied—if the gene ability was useful, it was fine. But Ding Huan's subconscious deemed the planarian unsuitable for cultivators.

Another option was the fire lizard—its regeneration ability was equally monstrous.

Ding Huan decided to research the fire lizard's injury recovery gene—it was crucial for him.

"Ding Huan…" came a fervent call from outside; Ding Huan recognized it as Geng Qianxing.

He opened the door, and Geng Qianxing rushed in—much more presentable now than his messy lab appearance.

At least his face was clean and his hair neatly cut.

"You have no idea how busy I've been these past few days—students have started arriving. Come with me to check on the ones taking the assessment."

Although Principal Tan had personally appointed Geng Qianxing as the proctoring teacher, he had no idea where to begin.

"Alright, wait a moment," Ding Huan said. Having become a Level One Gene Cultivator, he had no intention of continuing to hide at home.

Half an hour later, Ding Huan, bathed and dressed in clean clothes, arrived at the assessment class with Geng Qianxing.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say Yujiang University was now entirely serving this one assessment class.

After all, if even one student entered the Top Ten Starblue Academies, Yujiang University was guaranteed survival.

But Ding Huan knew very well that if he did not lead this examination team, not a single person from Yujiang University would qualify.

Following Geng Qianxing into the classroom, Ding Huan saw a group of students gathered together chattering loudly.

"Teacher, you're way too slow—we've been waiting over half an hour for you to show up," said a long-haired youth, clearly dissatisfied.

Moreover, the chatter in the classroom showed no sign of dying down.

Geng Qianxing felt deeply embarrassed—he was, after all, a teacher, yet these students clearly held him in no regard.

He knew well that every one of these students came from an influential family.

Those with only modest connections could never secure a spot for the Blue Star's Top Ten Academies' recruitment examination through Yujiang University.

"Teacher, just hand us the qualification documents right now—we can all go home, right?" added another girl.

Ding Huan finally understood: these students had never expected to gain any examination skills from Yujiang University, nor did they respect Yujiang's teachers at all.

Their sole purpose for being here was to obtain the Blue Star's Top Ten Academies' qualification certificate and leave.

"I'll handle it," Ding Huan patted Geng Qianxing on the shoulder—he had plenty of ways to deal with these brats.

"I know everyone sitting here is here for that one qualification certificate."

"I'm not trying to discourage you, but just because you're sitting here doesn't mean you've already secured the certificate to take the Blue Star's Top Ten Academies' examination…"

Ding Huan's words instantly silenced the classroom, which had been so noisy just moments before.

The students sitting here all believed securing a spot in the Blue Star's Top Ten Academies' examination was a foregone conclusion—how could it not be guaranteed yet?

Ding Huan spoke calmly, "You should know how many people covet these twenty examination qualification certificates. Your family's influence may be strong, but that doesn't mean there aren't others with even stronger connections."

At these words, even the long-haired youth fell silent and sat up straight.

He understood: Ding Huan spoke the truth. His qualification might be secure—but what if it wasn't?

"I'm standing here to tell you all that both I and Teacher Geng are highly proficient in genetics and genetic cultivation."

"If you're willing to stay and undergo our pre-examination training, listen carefully to what I say next…"

Ding Huan paused, then continued, "Of course, if you're unwilling to undergo our training, you may leave now."

"Your examination qualification certificates won't be taken away—you'll receive them later, as the certificates aren't available right now."

After Ding Huan finished speaking, he saw nearly everyone rise and walk out of the classroom.