Battle Master, Lord Grade Gene: White Jade Spirit Body

Amy's words snapped Lu Yuan back to attention.

He turned to find her staring at him with wide-eyed astonishment.

He gave a small smile. "I really don't know — I just had a feeling, like something was over there."

"A feeling?"

Amy blinked. "You're really something else, Lei Feng. I can't believe you get feelings like that."

"Maybe I'm just naturally gifted," Lu Yuan said.

Amy slid him a sideways look of disdain. "Pfft~ So full of yourself!"

Lu Yuan spread his hands in total innocence.

*He did own the Evolution Cube, after all — a system that could evolve genes and apparently detect Aier Core Fragments too. If that didn't count as naturally gifted, what did?*

Not that he was about to tell Amy any of that.

"Well, quickly — feel around for any more Aier Core Fragments!" Amy leaned forward with eager eyes. "If we find another one, we can both break through."

Lu Yuan glanced at the Evolution Cube, which had settled back to its steady rotation around his Gene Chain, and gave a slight shake of his head. "Nothing else."

Disappointment crossed Amy's face, but she recovered quickly. "Then keep that one for now. We'll see if we can find another later. If not, we'll have to check other Floating Cities."

"Sure," Lu Yuan agreed.

The two returned from the alley and rejoined Lin Xixi's group.

"My Lady, where did the two of you go?" Lin Xixi asked with a puzzled look.

"Just had a look around," Amy said brightly. "And we happened to pick up an Aier Core Fragment while we were at it."

Lin Xixi blinked, then broke into a delighted smile. "Really? My Lady, your luck is incredible!"

"Hmph, hmph~ But of course~" Amy laughed, thoroughly pleased with herself.

Lu Yuan rolled his eyes. "All right, are you all packed up? Let's get moving."

"Yes!"

Over the next seven-plus hours, Lu Yuan and his group finished clearing the remaining sections of the western district and the entire southern district. Their haul was substantial — considerable quantities of both grades of Enhanced Spirit Power Gene Fluid, along with numerous Gene Armaments and Transcendent Genes. Better yet, they found a second Aier Core Fragment while sweeping through the south.

One fragment each. Both Amy and Lu Yuan now had what they needed to break through to Second-rank.

With all four districts cleared, the group made their way to the three-thousand-meter tower at the heart of the Floating City. The core zone was compact, and they arrived quickly.

A circular plaza roughly a hundred meters wide ringed the tower's base. No Mechanical Guardians patrolled it.

The group circled around and found the entrance — and stopped.

Standing before the gate were six enormous figures, each over five meters tall.

Both Lu Yuan and Amy stared, struck silent.

"Six Chief Grade?!" Amy couldn't hold back the cry.

A muscle twitched at the corner of Lu Yuan's mouth. *How are we supposed to fight that?*

Three, maybe even four Mechanical Chiefs — with their newly equipped Chief Grade armor and weapons, they might have scraped through. But six was a different matter entirely.

Among everyone Lu Yuan knew, only Yeye could single-handedly take down six Mechanical Chiefs. Amy might have had a shot as well — if the Emerald Scythe's deadly poison hadn't been rendered useless against mechanical life.

Still, in Lu Yuan's estimation, Amy fell a step below Yeye in raw power. He suspected Amy's Tianrao Purple Vine was a Lord Grade Transcendent Gene, while Yeye's inherited gene had probably surpassed even Lord Grade.

He studied the six guards for a moment, then spoke. "Let's play it safe. We break through first, then come back. After the breakthrough, six First-rank Mechanical Chiefs won't be much of a threat."

Amy nodded in agreement, a smug smile tugging at her lips. "We really are lucky — two Aier Core Fragments from a single Floating City. Otherwise we'd never get inside this tower at all."

Lu Yuan glanced at her sideways.

*He was the one who found the Aier Core Fragment. Why was she acting so pleased with herself?*

"Oh, right — Lei Feng, have you prepared your Second-rank Transcendent Gene?"

"Already sorted," Lu Yuan said with a smile.

His "preparation," naturally, didn't involve actually having a Transcendent Gene on hand. He'd just evolve one on the spot.

Amy nodded. "Good. Then let's find a room and go into seclusion."

Lu Yuan surveyed the area and pointed to a five-hundred-meter building nearby. "That one. We've already cleared the entire core zone — there shouldn't be any danger."

"We'll stand guard outside," Lin Xixi offered, "so no one disturbs you, my Lady and Mr. Lei."

"Thank you," Lu Yuan said.

The two entered the building and each found a separate room to begin their preparations.

Breaking through was simple enough now that he had the Gene Evolution Fluid.

But first, Lu Yuan took out the Aier Core Fragment — its surface etched with intricate patterns — and prepared to absorb it. Only with the fragment's blessing could he advance his rank within the Aier Mechanical Ruins.

He focused his will, and the fragment dissolved like an activating Gene Armament, becoming a phantom that merged into his body and drifted toward his Gene Chain.

Then something completely unexpected happened.

Just as the fragment neared his Gene Chain, it suddenly transformed into a streak of swirling light — and was pulled straight into the Evolution Cube.

It vanished without a trace.

*...What?*

*What in the world just happened?!*

He stared at the Evolution Cube, still glowing its steady deep blue, and felt his thoughts grind to a halt.

*Come on — this was too much.* Sure, it consumed Spirit Power, but now it was swallowing Aier Core Fragments?! And if the fragment was gone — could he even advance rank anymore?!

Panic began to creep in. Then the Evolution Cube pulsed.

Faint tendrils of deep blue light began spiraling and flickering within it — and in the next instant, his eyes flew open.

Somehow, inexplicably, he felt a new connection form between himself and the Aier Mechanical Ruins. There was no way to put it into words. It was as though, before this moment, he had been a stranger passing through — and now the world itself had quietly opened its doors and let him belong.

*The fragment got swallowed... but its effect still carried through?*

A quiet breath of relief.

But the relief didn't last long.

*Wait.*

Amy had mentioned that Aier Core Fragments were left behind when you exited the Ruins. If the fragment was now inside the Evolution Cube — what would happen at the exit?

His mind filled with question marks. A new worry took root: what if the Evolution Cube itself got confiscated when he left?

Then again, the Evolution Cube could evolve Transcendent Genes. Whatever its true nature, it had to be fundamentally beyond anything the Aier Mechanical Ruins could claim ownership of. There was no way it would get left behind.

After turning it over for a while, he decided that worrying was pointless. He had no way of making the Evolution Cube return what it had swallowed. He'd just have to wait and see.

*Deal with it when the time comes.*

The absorption had gone sideways in an unexpected way — but the end result was what he needed. He could begin.

Lu Yuan produced a vial of Gene Evolution Fluid, its liquid shimmering with deep blue radiance, and drank it down in one go.

Instantly, an immense surge of Spirit Power erupted from within him.

It became a crashing tide — hammering against the Gene Lock above his second Gene Chain.

**Crack... crack... crack...**

Under the relentless assault, the black chains of the Gene Lock began to shatter one by one. As each broke, the white mist shrouding the top of his second Gene Chain slowly dispersed, revealing fresh Gene Chain beneath.

The Gene Evolution Fluid had the power to break ten chains. Lu Yuan only had eight. In short order, every last one was gone.

He had broken through to Second-rank.

The residual Spirit Power seeped gradually into the newly revealed Gene Chain, tempering the sections not yet inscribed with genes. The energy was exhausted before long, leaving only a short stretch tempered — but Lu Yuan wasn't bothered. Once genes were inscribed, the Gene Chain would change and need further tempering anyway.

After breaking through, he felt that deep, fundamental shift within himself — as though his very life had ascended to a higher plane. His core Gene Chain had grown more solid and powerful, now capable of bearing stronger Transcendent Genes. His capabilities had improved across the board.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath, then began pulling out vial after vial of Spirit Power Gene Fluid to charge the Evolution Cube.

Previously, clearing just twelve hundred-meter towers, four five-hundred-meter towers, and one thousand-meter spire had netted him Spirit Power Gene Fluid equivalent to 23.5 million First-rank Spirit Crystals. After sweeping through the Floating City's core zone, his stockpile had grown far beyond that. All told, his various grades of gene fluid were now worth over 120 million First-rank Spirit Crystals — over 12 million in Second-rank terms.

Even among Third-rank Battle Generals, few could claim comparable wealth — let alone among Second-Rank Battle Masters. The great noble family geniuses aside, naturally.

Charging the Evolution Cube was different from Tempering the Gene Chain. Tempering required accounting for the chain's absorption limits — it couldn't take in Spirit Power indefinitely. But what went into the Evolution Cube had no such restriction. No rest needed.

Lu Yuan drank vial after vial, feeding all his Spirit Power Gene Fluid and all his Enhanced Spirit Power Gene Fluid into it, along with a substantial portion of his remaining Enhanced Spirit Power Gene Fluid reserves. By the end, he had kept only 2,000 vials in reserve — equivalent to 20 million First-rank Spirit Crystals.

After pouring over 100 million First-rank Spirit Crystals' worth of energy into the Evolution Cube, it blazed with dazzling deep blue light.

Preparations complete, he began evolving his genes.

The first was Crimson Copper Light.

When Lu Yuan had previously evolved the Boss Grade Rejuvenation into the Chief Grade Seed of Nature, it had cost over 500,000 First-rank Spirit Crystals. Evolving Crimson Copper Light proved nearly twice as expensive — close to one million.

Different genes carried different costs. Each had its own degree of complexity and innate strength, and the price reflected that.

The evolution itself wasn't particularly painful. His body had grown considerably stronger, and a Boss-to-Chief Grade transition was well within what he could handle.

*Chief Grade Combat Technique: Black Obsidian Light.*

The improvement over Crimson Copper Light was immense — every aspect enhanced three to fourfold. And that was only because part of his Gene Chain still hadn't been fully tempered after the evolution.

But this wasn't the ceiling Lu Yuan intended to stop at.

He planned to keep going.

Push a Chief Grade gene further, and it would reach Lord Grade. Given his current physical strength and Gene Chain power, he believed he could bear it.

Lord Grade was high on the scale by any measure. Under the standard progression, a Gene Warrior inscribed Common Grade genes as a Trainee, could achieve Elite Grade at First-Rank Warrior, might manage Boss Grade at Second-Rank Battle Master, and handled Chief Grade at Third-rank Battle General. As for Lord Grade — that required reaching Fourth-rank Battle Venerable just to have a chance.

Even then, it was only a chance.

A typical Gene Warrior following the standard path would work through Common, Elite, Boss, then Chief Grade genes in sequence. By the time they reached Fourth-rank Battle Venerable and attempted Lord Grade inscription, they would face the gene's Origin Will — a force matched to their own tier. Overcoming that with only their previously inscribed genes, supplemented by Gene Armaments and Body Technique training, was a genuine ordeal. In fact, the further along the standard path you went, the harder it became to inscribe genes even at your own tier — because at higher ranks, the power gap between levels only grew wider. Every attempt at same-tier inscription was a life-or-death gamble.

By comparison, anyone capable of inscribing Lord Grade below Battle Venerable was already a formidable genius.

What Lu Yuan was about to do was the equivalent of inscribing Lord Grade as a Second-Rank Battle Master.

Normally, only those who had inherited Transcendent Genes from their ancestors could achieve this. And even among those heirs, not all could manage it — what if the inherited gene simply wasn't strong enough to begin with?

Vast Spirit Power surged into his Gene Chain once more.

The freshly evolved Chief Grade Black Obsidian Light began to transform again.

This time was nothing like the mild, tingling ache before. This time, it was bone-deep agony.

Strong as his body and Gene Chain were, he was still only a freshly broken-through Second-Rank Battle Master. A Lord Grade gene was something normally inscribed at Battle Venerable rank — two full major stages above him. One could only imagine the strain being forced upon his body and Gene Chain.

The only reason he could survive this was that evolution was a gradual process, far gentler than direct Gene Inscription. If he had tried to directly inscribe a Lord Grade gene at his current level, he would have simply exploded.

Vast waves of deep blue radiance poured continuously from the Evolution Cube into his Gene Chain. The evolution was underway.

The Spirit Power within the Evolution Cube drained at a frightening pace. Evolving from Chief Grade to Lord Grade consumed more than ten times the Spirit Power needed to go from Boss Grade to Chief Grade. Where the previous evolution had cost around one million First-rank Spirit Crystals, this one devoured approximately thirty million — some three million in Second-rank terms, or roughly three hundred thousand even in Third-rank terms.

In the depths of searing agony, with an enormous expenditure of Spirit Power, Lu Yuan finally completed the evolution.

*Lord Grade Combat Technique: White Jade Spirit Body.*