My Gene Evolves Infinitely

Lu Yuan flipped his right hand and drew a black light alloy sword from his Battle Mark Space. The sword blade reflected a dim glow under the blazing sunlight.

Lu Yuan crouched low, cautiously approaching the Ash Stone Beetle. When he was about to reach it, the beetle, gnawing on the rocks, suddenly paused. Its two antennae twitched before it turned around.

On seeing Lu Yuan, it froze.

Lu Yuan was also taken aback. This little creature was surprisingly sensitive.

They locked eyes, and after a moment of silence, the Ash Stone Beetle let out a squeak and charged at Lu Yuan on its eight small legs.

The beetle, about the size of a small dog and reaching up to Lu Yuan’s knees, had a menacing maw that looked quite terrifying. After all, this was a bug, and Lu Yuan, in his previous life on Earth, had never seen such a large one outside of sci-fi movies.

With his strength, Lu Yuan was not worried.

As the Ash Stone Beetle lunged forward, it opened its fierce maw to bite at Lu Yuan’s calf.

Lu Yuan’s training in military boxing and sword techniques included evasive manoeuvres. With a sidestep, he easily dodged the beetle’s lunge.

He swung his black light alloy sword, striking the beetle on its head.

Ka!

The sword hit felt like striking rock, making a dull sound, and got stuck in the beetle’s head.

This was a stark contrast to the bow and arrow’s effectiveness he had seen from the Catkin archer.

Lu Yuan realized this must be the difference between genetic armaments and ordinary weapons. Being poor, he couldn’t afford a genetic armament, but what could he do?

The beetle, angered by the attack, let out a piercing screech, writhing madly. The force nearly made Lu Yuan lose grip on his sword.

As the blade pulled free from the wound, the beetle lunged at him again. The distance was so close that Lu Yuan could see the gaping maw snapping shut.

He jumped back sharply.

Ka!

The beetle’s mandibles snapped shut right where Lu Yuan had been standing. The scare had Lu Yuan breaking out in a cold sweat.

Encountering a monster in reality was nothing like reading about it in posts!

The power packed in the small body of the Ash Stone Beetle was slightly stronger than his.

Was this the kind of monster found in the Land of Origin?

Fortunately, he hadn’t ventured here right after awakening; otherwise, he’d likely have died unceremoniously.

The injury made the Ash Stone Beetle furious. Seeing Lu Yuan dodge, it charged at him again. Its attack pattern was predictable, and with some experience, Lu Yuan could now easily avoid its assaults.

While dodging, he managed to inflict several more wounds on its head.

After slashing the beetle five times, Lu Yuan’s sword finally pierced through the thick shell on its head, penetrating deeply into its brain.

The Ash Stone Beetle squealed, its body fell to the ground, and its eight legs twitched in the throes of death.

Dead.

Lu Yuan looked at the deceased beetle and let out a relieved breath.

This life-and-death struggle was far different from practising martial arts in a dojo; sweat beaded on Lu Yuan’s forehead.

Fortunately, as a creature devoid of intelligence, it wasn’t too difficult to overcome.

At that moment, a white glow emanated from the dead beetle’s body. The light coalesced into a white crystal the size of a thumb in front of it.

Lu Yuan’s eyes lit up, and he smiled.

This was one of the most attractive aspects of the Land of Origin. The crystal was a Spirit Crystal, formed from the life energy of a dying monster.

Not only was the Spirit Crystal easy to absorb, but it also served as a fundamental unit of currency in transactions among various races, holding significant value.

Almost every monster dropped a Spirit Crystal, the only variation being in quantity.

For a weak creature like the Ash Stone Beetle, dropping a single crystal was the maximum.

Lu Yuan had read about this in posts for newcomers.

Such a small Spirit Crystal, an Apprentice Level Gene Warrior could absorb in roughly ten minutes to half an hour, which was equivalent to several hours, or even a day’s worth of cultivation for an average person.

Lu Yuan picked up the Spirit Crystal.

He thought about it; he had no other immediate use for the crystal, so he decided to absorb it first to see the effects.

However, he must first find a safe place. After all, being immobile for ten minutes can be quite dangerous.

First, he should handle this Ash Stone Beetle.

Using the alloy sword, he cut off a thick slab of Grey Stone Armour from the beetle’s back.

This material can be sold outside for forging, so it has some value. After storing the Grey Stone Armour, the beetle no longer held any value to him, so he left the area.

Before long, he found a secluded cave under a rock desert and entered it.

Sitting down inside the cave, he took out the Spirit Crystal he had kept earlier.

Following the instructions he saw in a post, he held the Spirit Crystal in his hand and started the Spiritual Qi guiding technique.

Instantly, the Spirit Crystal transformed into wisps of Spiritual Qi, which he started absorbing. It passed through the mist and finally integrated into his gene chain, lighting up a small section of it—almost equivalent to an hour’s worth of diligent cultivation.

He had just closed his eyes when he opened them again, somewhat confused as he looked at the powder of the Spirit Crystal in his hand, struggling to process what just happened.

Was it gone?

Just like that?

Wasn’t it supposed to take at least ten minutes?

Did he have a problem with his perception of time?

He felt a bit foolish. He realized that his experience didn’t match what was described in the posts.

Previously, they said sensing and absorbing Spiritual Qi would take days, yet he absorbed it the moment he closed his eyes.

Now, they mentioned absorbing a Spirit Crystal should take at least ten minutes, but he absorbed it in the span of just a few breaths.

After thinking about it, he felt relieved.

It made sense, considering his first experience absorbing Spiritual Qi was instantaneous, requiring no preparation time at all.

“Am I not uniquely talented?”

He mused, feeling a bit pleased with himself.

Wait a second…

At that moment, he was struck by an idea, lighting up his eyes.

Others need ten minutes to absorb a Spirit Crystal, and they must gather them and find a safe place to do so.

But his case was different. It only took him one or two breaths.

Does that mean he could hunt monsters and absorb the Spirit Crystals they drop simultaneously?

If so, wouldn’t his growth rate be much faster than others?

Moreover, the Spiritual Qi in Spirit Crystals could replenish any that he used.

Currently, he doesn’t need to consume much Spiritual Qi, but later, when he starts using gene techniques, he’ll need a lot of it.

Could this mean he could continuously use and replenish Spiritual Qi simultaneously?

A perpetual energy machine?

Suddenly, several ambitious ideas come to mind.

“Is my talent really that incredible?! It must be!”

Proud of his realization, he calmed his excitement and left the cave, ready to continue hunting.

With one battle under my belt, he now had a rough understanding of his current strength.

Handling one Ash Stone Beetle was easy, two were manageable, but three might be too much.

He continued searching for prey, specifically targeting lone Ash Stone Beetles. Luckily, Ash Stone Forest is vast, with plenty of these beetles around, and many are isolated.

In just over an hour, he encountered seven solitary Ash Stone Beetles.

After defeating them and absorbing their Spirit Crystals, the Spiritual Qi he gained was comparable to a full night of intensive training.

This rate of cultivation was about ten times faster than before!

‘And this is just the beginning. As my strength increases, the speed at which I can hunt Ash Stone Beetles and improve will only accelerate.’

Swoosh!

In several encounters, he thrust his sword into the heads of solitary Ash Stone Beetles. He expertly collected the Spirit Crystals from the ground and cut off more Grey Stone Armour.

Just as he was about to start absorbing another Spirit Crystal, two Gnolls saw Lu Yuan and were momentarily stunned. They quickly tightened their grip on their weapons, glancing around warily. However, once they realized there was no one else around, their gazes toward Lu Yuan turned sinister.

“Take a look at what we’ve found! A lone Human!” one sneered.

“Human, what should we do with you, I wonder?” teased the other.

Lu Yuan watched the two slowly advancing Gnolls, his brow furrowed slightly. He had anticipated such situations might occur. After all, in this mixed and chaotic place, the possessions of fallen Gene Warriors could drop out of their Battle Mark Space, and opportunistic theft was not uncommon.

That’s why Lu Yuan had opted to hunt in secluded areas. He knew very well that his current strength was no match for those who had been awakened longer than him.

“Hehe, Human, just stand still and don’t move. My blade is quick and it won’t hurt much,” said one Gnoll with a sleazy grin, brandishing his long blade.

The other Gnoll, smiling even more grotesquely, added, “I’d actually prefer if you put up a fight, it makes it more fun.”

Lu Yuan faced the two Gnolls with a smile, “My friends are just around here. Are you sure you only have two people?”

Hearing this, the Gnolls hesitated, their steps faltering as they cast dubious looks around them. “Your friends…”

As one Gnoll was still speaking and looking towards Lu Yuan, he realized that Lu Yuan had already sprinted away several meters.

Infuriated, one Gnoll shouted, “Damn Human! How dare you trick us!”

“Chase him! Kill him!” commanded the other.

Lu Yuan, looking back at the chasing Gnolls, smirked, “I’ll remember you guys! Just you wait!”

Damn it. Lu Yuan felt frustrated. Observing the Gnolls’ equipment, he knew he stood no chance in a fight. When you can’t win, you run. He hadn’t expected the Gnolls to chase him as tenaciously as dogs.

At that moment, Lu Yuan’s predicament seemed overwhelming.