Chapter 15: 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 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 commissioned by someone else.

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

After three days of cultivation, Ding Huan could clearly feel a thread of internal Qi condensing within him.

Indeed, having a gene spiritual root made a world of difference—last life, he had to fuse three genes before even beginning gene meditation, and after seventeen years, he barely became 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 primordial energy; 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 heavy with menace.

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

He was Yuan Youzhen, one of the three vice-chairs of the Washing Knife Society—second only in status to 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 of Earth's mutation and rampant gene beasts, 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—worse still, two members of that team were from Luohe City; Yuan Youzhen didn't stop at killing them—he slaughtered every single family member of the team in Luohe City too.

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

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

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

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

"So they were murdered? Could it be Ding Xiaotu?" Yuan Youzhen's voice dripped with malice.

A middle-aged man spoke up: "It's very likely someone else killed them—I think it's highly improbable it was Ding Xiaotu."

"Ding Xiaotu's just a student—how would he even think to disable the cameras? And he lacks the capability."

"Heh, it's also possible Donggu and Li Changqi destroyed the cameras themselves. Maybe they got hold of the Shi Gen'ai gene serum 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 ended up dead," another added.

The conference room fell into brief silence; low-ranking members wanting to leave the Washing Knife Society was common—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 involving Ding Xiaotu is suspended," Yuan Youzhen said, his voice laced with killing intent.

Everyone knew: with two Washing Knife Society members dead, there were only two possible causes—the first being the hidden force of Ding Baishan, though this possibility was slim.

Ding Baishan was merely the founder of Bai Yu Group—a normal human—with no hidden power. If he truly had hidden strength, Ding Jie would already be dead.

The most likely scenario was that Donggu 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—unending power surged forth.

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

Last 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 achieved Level One Gene Cultivator in just twelve days—two-thirds faster than he'd estimated.

Ding Huan stared at the oily grime seeping from his skin, took a long breath, and finally felt capable of self-defense.

Next, he needed to select some genes to fuse.

The power of the Golden Monkey 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 with regenerative traits.

But Ding Huan immediately eliminated 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, Ding Huan eliminated the planarian—any minor damage could be instantly regenerated, even if cut into pieces, each segment became a new planarian.

Yet it still felt strange to him—not because the planarian looked disgusting.

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

Another option was the fire lizard—its regenerative 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—Geng Qianxing rushed in; unlike his messy lab appearance, Geng Qianxing now looked much neater.

At least his face was clean, and his hair had been cut.

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

Although Principal Tan had personally appointed Geng Qianxing as the proctor, 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 and cultivate.

Half an hour later, Ding Huan, freshly 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 classroom's chatter did not diminish at all.

Geng Qianxing felt deeply embarrassed—he was, after all, a teacher, yet these students showed not the slightest respect for him.

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

Those with only modest connections could never secure a recruitment examination slot from the Top Ten Academies of Blue Star through Yujiang University.

"Teacher, just hand us the examination 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 hold Yujiang University's teachers in any regard.

Their sole purpose for being here was to obtain the Blue Star Top Ten Academies' examination qualification certificate—and then 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 examination qualification certificate."

"I'm not trying to discourage you, but just because you're sitting here doesn't mean you're guaranteed to obtain the certificate for the Blue Star Top Ten Academies' examination…"

Ding Huan's words stunned the room—moments before filled with chatter, the classroom fell utterly silent.

Every student here had assumed securing a slot for the Blue Star Top Ten Academies' examination was a foregone conclusion—how could it not be guaranteed?

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

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 cannot be issued yet."

After Ding Huan finished speaking, nearly everyone stood up and walked out of the classroom.