My Gene Evolves Infinitely

Lu Yuan watched with astonishment as the Spiritual Qi particles danced around in his consciousness. After a moment of silence, he carefully followed the instructions from the Spiritual Qi Guiding Technique to absorb the particles. As he did so, all the particles seemed magnetically attracted to him, rushing towards him and merging into his body.

Within his consciousness, the Spiritual Qi particles passed through a white mist and integrated into his double helix gene chain. The light emitted by the gene chain, which had been dim, started to brighten significantly at the base.

As the gene chain grew brighter, Lu Yuan felt his body warm up, a slight pressure building at his forehead, and his mental state improving. This experience brought him a pleasant surprise.

Based on what was happening, it seemed that the Spiritual Qi was refining his gene chain, which in turn nourished and strengthened his body and mind.

However, Lu Yuan was concerned about the speed at which he was absorbing the Spiritual Qi—it seemed much faster than described in the Spiritual Qi Guiding Technique. According to the technique, people with good talent typically need three to five days to complete this process, while those with average talent might need ten days to half a month.

He had just closed his eyes and already succeeded; what level of talent did this imply? Could this also be due to the effects of the Evolution Cube?

Lu Yuan glanced at the swirling blue cube, feeling elated.

“Truly a talent worthy of me!” he thought.

Suddenly, his consciousness expanded, and a small space formed. Initially the size of a fist, it grew larger as it continued to absorb Spiritual Qi, eventually reaching about one cubic meter in volume.

Although this newly formed space was empty, Lu Yuan could feel a connection to it. His instincts told him this was the space mentioned in the post he had read—the one that opens up upon absorbing the first wisp of Spiritual Qi.

Developing this space was supposed to be difficult, yet for Lu Yuan, it happened effortlessly, as naturally as water flows along its course. The only drawback was that the space was a bit smaller than he hoped.

When the space stopped expanding, Lu Yuan opened his eyes. A ray of morning light streamed through the window, prompting him to pause in surprise.

He checked his phone—it was 6:34 AM. Was it morning already? It felt like only minutes had passed. Despite the time, his mental state was excellent, better than after a good night’s sleep. Was this the effect of spiritual power? Impressive.

Lu Yuan got out of bed, washed up, and left his room. As he opened the door, he saw a woman in a tight red dress with finely applied makeup and a friendly smile entering the building.

“Lu Yuan, are you heading to class?” she greeted warmly.

Lu Yuan nodded, “Yes, Sister Qinghe, just finished work? Thanks for your hard work.”

“Hee hee, just right, I bought some extra buns today. Why don’t you take some for the road?” Li Qinghe offered, lifting the buns she was carrying.

Lu Yuan felt a warmth in his heart, smiling, “Sister Qinghe, you always buy extra, don’t you?”

A year ago, Lu Yuan had moved out of the orphanage and started living here. Li Qinghe, who had been living here longer, faced many challenges as a vulnerable single woman in a rough neighbourhood. She had to make many sacrifices to get by.

Yet for Lu Yuan, Li Qinghe was a caring elder sister figure who often looked out for him. Knowing his financial struggles as an orphan, she would buy extra breakfasts to share with him and frequently advised him on how to stay safe in the neighbourhood.

Without Li Qinghe’s kindness, Lu Yuan wasn’t sure he would have survived this long. In his heart, he was profoundly grateful to her—she was one of the few sources of warmth in his life since becoming an orphan.

His original self had always wanted to help Li Qinghe, but he was struggling to support even himself, let alone others. Now that Lu Yuan was a Gene Warrior, he realized that soon he would be moving from here. When that time came, he could truly help Li Qinghe by finding her a good job and taking her away from this chaotic neighbourhood.

Seeing the smile on Lu Yuan’s face, Li Qinghe paused, a curious glint in her eyes as she sized him up. Lu Yuan, puzzled, asked, “What’s wrong?”

Li Qinghe smiled, “It’s just that you seem a bit different today, Lu Yuan. You didn’t smile like this yesterday.”

Lu Yuan suddenly understood that his change was noticeable. Li Qinghe had lived in the slum for a long time and was sensitive to the nuances of people here.

He responded with a smile, “Actually, I came across some good news.”

“What good news?” she asked.

“I awakened as a Gene Warrior yesterday. I feel like my life might change, so I’m planning to make some changes.”

Upon hearing this, Li Qinghe’s eyes widened in surprise, and then she broke into a delighted smile. She stepped forward and patted Lu Yuan on the shoulder, “Congratulations, Lu Yuan! You’re going to be someone important!”

“Now, that’s not certain yet,” Lu Yuan replied, “but one thing’s for sure — I won’t be staying in the slums for much longer.”

“That’s good to hear,” Li Qinghe nodded emphatically.

Lu Yuan looked at her and said warmly, “Sister Qinghe, when the time comes, I’ll find a good job for you too, and take you with me.”

Li Qinghe was momentarily taken aback, then she took a cigarette from her pack, lit it expertly, and took a deep drag. Holding the cigarette in her left hand, she exhaled a plume of smoke and looked at Lu Yuan with a smile, “Really? You wouldn’t mind taking your sister with you?”

Lu Yuan replied earnestly, “I remember who treats me well. Sister Qinghe, you’re the only person here who’s been kind to me.”

Lu Yuan, who inherited the memories of his predecessor, may not have had special feelings for Li Qinghe, but he saw her as a caring sister who had looked out for him.

Li Qinghe was silent for a moment before rubbing Lu Yuan’s hair affectionately, “Well, let’s not count our chickens before they hatch. Take these buns and get to class. Don’t be late. I don’t know much about Gene Warriors, just be safe, okay?”

“I’m off then,” Lu Yuan said, as he adjusted his tousled hair and took two steamed buns before leaving the apartment.

Li Qinghe watched the door close behind him, then extinguished her cigarette, grabbed a bun, and took a bite. She walked to Lu Yuan’s door, paused, and then with a squint of her eyes, she stepped through the door into Lu Yuan’s room. The door remained shut behind her.

Chewing on her bun, she looked around the room, and glanced at the old laptop, and the documents detailing Lu Yuan’s plans to enter the Land of Origin. She chuckled, “The reclusive little brother has really grown up.”

Shaking her head, she stepped back through the door, returned to the living room, and continued nibbling on her bun as she went back to her room.

In reality, Lu Yuan hadn’t gone to class. Although his former self was reclusive, he was smart and always scored well in academic subjects. Proudly reflecting on his predecessor, Lu Yuan felt no need to focus on academic classes anymore. He had already taken leave from his teacher, planning to devote the coming days to enhancing his skills as a Gene Warrior, a decision his teacher understood and agreed to without objection.

Over the next two months, Lu Yuan could skip classes whenever he needed. Today, he was headed to the mall. Indeed, he needed to prepare the essentials for his upcoming venture into the Land of Origin. Having money felt reassuring.

With over five thousand in his pocket, Lu Yuan felt like he owned the world. His walk even carried a swagger. Dressed in his best outfit, which was his school uniform, Lu Yuan strode into the shopping centre to begin his purchases.

The purchasing power of the Red Maple Coin was slightly stronger than the beloved Yuan of his previous life, although not by much. Still, five thousand wasn’t a lot, but it was a start.

Fortunately, Lu Yuan purchased only some basic items.

Military compressed biscuits, filling bread, and barreled water for sustenance. Outdoor essentials like insect repellent and deodorant.

Originally, Lu Yuan had planned to buy a sleeping bag and tent as well, but considering the total time inside would be only 24 hours, he decided to save where he could.

Sleep is for the dead; if he’s alive, he can sleep when he gets out.

However, just these items alone cost him about 1000 Yuan. That left Lu Yuan with only 4000 Yuan remaining.

With this money, Lu Yuan headed to the alloy weapons store in the mall.