Mystical Journey

Other peak-level Two Hearted Disciples like them among the Big Three Sects had already started to find themselves teachers in advance. They were already booked as disciples for some of the Inherited Level Three Hearted teachers in the inner circle.

There were constant conflicts within the sect, and for a peak-level elite disciple like March who was sure to reach the Three Hearted level, he would naturally already have decided who he wanted as his teacher. And that teacher was a powerful Energy Machinist in the Scarlet Snow Sect, who was known as the Giant Region General.

These millennia-old monsters from the past generation were all extremely powerful and secretive, and that naturally included the three Great Elders. The Three Great Elders were all at the Non-falling Level on the surface, but naturally, a true sect would not show off exactly how deep their powers ran. So for old Energy Machinists like the Giant Region General, nobody knew exactly how strong they were. One thing was for sure, they were definitely at the Inherited Level or higher.

“I have finished choosing.” By then, Wade had completed his choice, and his body instantly changed into a flash of light that shot into the sky, as he vanished from the spot.

Only then did March and Nora back down from their conflict, and turn back to their selection wheels.

Just then, Garen was looking at the wheel before him unblinkingly. The moment he saw the wheel, a voice appeared in his heart, telling him that his results were the worst, so he could only choose from a variety of the lowest-grade gene transplants and other items.

He was fully aware that he had used trickery to win, the right way was probably to beat the black people constantly. The longer he lasted, and the more black people appeared, the higher his score would be. Instead, he had defeated the black person with a trick from the very start.

After he saw the scoring rubric, he knew that he would not have many choices.

He looked at the wheel in front of him.

The large jade-white wheel was almost as tall as he was, and it was divided evenly into ten portions. There was a different symbol carved into each one.

Out of the ten, only the one at the very top had a gene transplant.

‘Red Eagle Gene: it can reach a maximum of five levels, a low-grade gene, the maximum boost would be to increase one’s speed by two levels. Stackable with secret method techniques.’

Garen was not very tempted by this gene transplant, he knew this thing was something you could only have transplanted once in a lifetime, so it must not be taken lightly. Although most average-income Energy Machinist could not afford the transplant, those who could afford it were certainly all prodigies and rich heirs. If he ever entered those circles later, he would be at a severe disadvantage with such a low-grade gene. Not only would he not be as strong as others, this boosting effect would even be instinctually suppressed should he ever encounter a higher-level eagle-type gene.

That was why he did not make that choice even though he knew that gene transplants were extremely rare.

He moved his gaze away and looked at the other items. The others were all some powerful single-use items, or information about rare techniques, there was even the production method of a powerful Energy Machine Imprint. Of course, techniques were just that, they were useless without the materials, and it went without saying that these were ridiculously difficult.

“Kid, you better think it through.” Suddenly there was a voice by Garen’s ear, it was the invigilator.

Garen looked at the invigilator, and saw that he was indeed looking this way, his gaze friendly.

The voice continued to speak by his ear.

“Even if the gene transplant is the lowest-grade one, it would still have an enormous effect on your body, by giving your body a one-time overall increase. Putting aside the high-grade ones, even if the low-grade ones mean that one day you might encounter a better one that would suppress you, you have to consider, what kind of people would be able to get gene transplants? You have to know, even for March and the others, their choices are not all that different from yours. They all got the lowest-grade genes.”

“They got the lowest grade?” Garen was slightly moved, he thought the others would get much better ones, but to think they all got the same lowest-grade gene transplants.

“The gene transplant is a strengthening transplant without any side-effects, it can instantaneously increase the qualities of an Energy Machinist’s body, and at the same time, it can give the Energy Machinist a decent natural ability. You would have a huge advantage over Energy Machinists who had never had a gene transplant. At first, you shouldn’t have had this opportunity, this is a special reward to you for being able to defy expectations and pass the second stage at this age. Don’t miss it,” the invigilator continued to explain to Garen.

Garen looked at the other items and objects carefully, these included a very tempting mega-combination of gene modification liquids, some precious information regarding a low-level secret method, the production process for a high-level Energy Machine Imprint, as well as some rare materials that could modify and upgrade the biochemical pool and the experimental platform. These were all rare items that he could not even hope for, but he believed that the invigilator would not harm him without any valid reason, since they did not have any sort of conflict of interest.

“I choose…” He reached out his hand, and still pointed at the Red Eagle Gene at the very top in the end.

The instant his finger touched it, Garen’s vision blurred, and he suddenly felt weak, as though a large electric current was flowing into his body through his fingers. The current was not strong, but it brought an incomparable sense of numbness and dizziness.

His consciousness sank suddenly, and he instantly fainted.

*******************

Whoosh!

Outside the Spirit Mothership, March, Nora, and Wade had split into three groups, and were floating in the air on their flying platforms, facing off against each other.

“You win this round, but next time, hmph!” Nora hmphed coldly, and led the remaining few people away. Of the people he had brought, there were only a few left, so he would surely be punished when he went back, and he hated March for that. They were well and truly enemies now.

Wade had always remained impassive, and no one knew what he had chosen. Seeing as Nora had left, he also nodded at March politely, and led his complete team from the Nine Owl Sect away as well.

Now, only Wade and the rest were left waiting beside the Mothership.

“Where’s that kid’s gene liquid?” March was seriously annoyed, he was extremely mad that he still could not grasp that last chance he had. Thinking back about Garen, that kid who showed him no face, he asked them now.

Yiling shook her head.

“He still hasn’t come out.”

“Not yet? Looks like he’s chosen the gene modification, that idiot, even we only got the lowest-grade modification, he’s in last place, what kind of gene could he have to choose?” March let out a breath contemptuously. “Too bad he didn’t choose anything else… Forget it, Yiling, you stay back with a few others, and sell the things afterward. We’ll take half of the profits. Everyone else, let’s go.”

He turned around and flew away.

The only ones who stayed back were Yiling, Joey, and two other Energy Machinists, waiting for Garen to come out. Garen had made March lose face, so no matter what, they owed him a beating to get their reputation back.

Besides, he had that gene modification liquid worth ten million there.

Watching as March and the others disappeared into the horizon, Yiling looked at Joey, slightly wary of the other two who had stayed back. The other two paired up, standing away from them.

“Are you sure that Garen is just a rookie? How did he pass the second test?” She was slightly spooked.

“There must be some reason behind this mistake. Hehe, shall we do it the regular way?” Joey chuckled dastardly, lowering his voice.

“It’s been a long time, have you tested it?” Yiling asked in a small voice, glancing at the two Energy Machinists in the distance warily.

“No problem, I even recorded some info from Nora a few days ago, since he never activated his energy field. How else do you think Senior Brother March managed to ambush Nora’s group? If I hadn’t secretly sold that info to March, the winner would still be up in the air,” said Joey with a chuckle.

“You have to be extra, extra careful, we’re relying on this to make it big, nothing must go wrong with it!” Yiling was rather dissatisfied with the way Joey was using it flagrantly.

“Got it, got it, relax, nothing will go wrong.”

Joey took out a small item that looked like a black button. Silver light flashed past its surface, but it was extremely inconspicuous. If you did not look carefully, you would not notice a thing.

This was a miraculous thing he and Yiling had found in some ruins once, and they had risked their lives to obtain it — the Memory Recording Device.

It could record the memories of any living creature unprotected by a force field extremely inconspicuously, and even Nora, at the peak of Level Five, fell for this trick, earning Joey a decent sum. The two of them had just been regular Energy Machinists, but they relied on this to amass a large amount of resources, constantly upgrading themselves until they reached their current level.

“When that kid comes out, shine this on him for a try. Any strange Energy Machinists who defy expectations would always have their secrets, and yet don’t have the power to protect their secrets, are the easiest resources to farm.” Joey was clearly an old hand at this.

“You be careful, just make sure those two don’t notice.” Yiling nodded lightly.

“Relax, we won’t get discovered,” said Joey with a low laugh.

*******************

Opening his eyes slowly, Garen felt as though he had been run over by a giant truck. Every inch of his body hurt, and he felt completely weak. He could not even move if he wanted to.

He looked up at the sky, this was still the same silver ball plaza as before, but instead of standing, he was now lying down.

“The transplant was successful, come again next time. I won’t deduct anything from you,” the invigilator’s voice said by his ear. The old man’s face appeared in the corner of Garen’s vision, and he was looking down at Garen, as though observing something.

“Not bad, not bad, the modification was very successful. Although your body has been modified by all sorts of radiation, the two types do not interfere with each other, so don’t worry, it won’t affect your original plan. But those modifications of yours are way too low-level, other than increasing your regenerative powers, they’re completely useless,” said the invigilator contemptuously.

Garen’s heart settled, and he knew that the invigilator had not seen through how powerful his Living Secret Technique was, assuming it was just a radiation modification. Thank goodness for that.

He opened his mouth and tried to speak, but he did not even have the strength for that.

“Now you have the Red Eagle modification, don’t underestimate it just because it’s low-grade, it’s one of the most useful ones among the economical genes on the Mothership. If March, Nora or Wade had this option, they would have eventually chosen this for sure. Although the Red Eagle is a low-grade gene with the upper limit being five levels, it increases the best stat, speed, and by two levels too. Of course, you can’t get the two-level boost from the very start, you will still need to perfect and grow with it, and you’ll reach two levels within a hundred years or so. This boost is about the same as a middle-level gene, but a middle-level gene needs two or three hundred years before you can even think of reaching the peak. Compared to many middle-level genes, the Red Eagle is just slightly weaker in increasing your average stats, but the boost is about the same, at about one or two levels. And a middle-level gene costs at least a billion crystals, kid, you struck gold!”

The invigilator chortled.

It was just one or two levels, after all that, of course Garen knew that this thing was the very lowest grade, but it was still better than nothing.

Garen could only blink in thanks, by now he naturally knew that this old man had helped him somehow. Although he did not know why the invigilator would help him, it was clear that he had no ill intentions.