Chapter 00039: Geng Qianxing's Unease
# Geng Qianxing's Unease
Chapter 39
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 39: Geng Qianxing's Unease
Puhai Martial Arts Square.
Today marked the beginning of the second round of assessments.
Compared to the first round, which had two million participants, the number of people waiting in the square had drastically decreased.
Only three hundred thousand were taking part in the second round, a mere fraction of the previous number.
The area designated for the second round of assessments had been reduced, while the space for spectators had expanded significantly.
Unlike the first round, Geng Qianxing and his three students from Yujiang University had become the center of attention in the waiting area.
They were still in Assessment Zone 38, but this time, their arrival drew the gaze of everyone present.
Although Li Wanran's ranking had dropped to third and Fang Chong's to seventh after the first round, they remained the most eye-catching figures in the square.
The second round assessed the potential growth level of one's genes.
This round took longer and was also elimination-based.
However, compared to the first round, this one was the real deal.
While the first round had whittled down two million participants to three hundred thousand, the second round had a staggering elimination rate of thirty to one.
By the end of this round, only ten thousand would advance to the third round.
This brutal elimination rate highlighted the harshness of the admissions process for the top ten academies on Blue Star.
The reason for such a high elimination rate was that the potential growth level of one's genes was even more critical than gene compatibility.
High gene compatibility merely indicated the ability to fuse with a specific gene, but it said nothing about how far one could grow after fusion.
Some individuals might have near-S-level compatibility, but after fusing with an alien gene, their progress stagnated.
In other words, they couldn't continue to grow after the fusion.
Such individuals could only remain at the level of gene-powered individuals and never advance to become gene cultivators.
The top ten academies on Blue Star invested heavily in their students, so they naturally wouldn't settle for someone stuck at the level of a gene-powered individual.
Only those with high growth potential could become gene cultivators and even reach the level of a ninth-level gene cultivator.
High-level gene cultivators were the ultimate goal of the top ten academies.
On Earth, a ninth-level gene cultivator was considered the pinnacle, equivalent to the peak of the innate martial realm.
This concept of growth potential differed from the self-created gene growth ability that Ding Huan had developed.
The growth potential recognized by the top ten academies or Earth's gene cultivation community referred to the ability to continuously improve one's strength after fusing with an alien gene.
This improvement didn't include the enhancement of the fused alien gene's abilities but solely focused on the individual's own strength.
Of course, as a gene cultivator's strength increased, the abilities of the fused alien gene would also improve slightly.
However, this improvement was limited and something Ding Huan dismissed outright.
To Ding Huan, growth wasn't just about advancing from a first-level gene cultivator to a second or third level after fusing with an alien gene.
That was the most basic expectation.
If one couldn't even achieve that, what was the point of fusing with an alien gene?
Beyond this basic growth, Ding Huan believed that as his cultivation level increased, the attribute abilities of the fused alien gene would also improve.
Attribute abilities referred to the skills derived from the fused alien gene, which became part of the individual's own capabilities.
The first round of assessments had involved twenty participants at a time, with each session lasting only a few minutes.
In contrast, the second round had ten participants per session, with each session lasting twenty minutes.
Due to their top rankings in the first round, Yujiang University's team was among the first to be called for the second round.
"Teacher Geng, we're going in," Fang Chong said.
Along with the other two, they were among the first batch of examinees called.
Despite their S-level compatibility scores in the first round, they were still nervous about the second round.
Geng Qianxing waved them off.
"Go ahead, relax. Just think about where you started. There's nothing to be nervous about."
Fang Chong couldn't help but inwardly complain.
Teacher Geng's words were a bit harsh.
Couldn't he be more comforting? Any other mentor would have been fully focused on their students, especially after such an impressive performance in the first round.
But Geng Qianxing was an exception.
His mind wasn't on his students at all; in fact, he seemed distracted.
Besides worrying about Ding Huan, he was also concerned about his endurance gene potion.
Over the past few days, he had been repeatedly questioned by various high-ranking individuals about Ding Huan's past, whereabouts, and usual activities.
As for Ding Huan's background, Geng Qianxing had only recently learned the truth.
He had never imagined that Ding Huan was the rightful heir to the Baiyu Group.
It was common knowledge that Ding Jie had seized the Baiyu Group.
After all, who didn't know that Ding Jie was Ding Baishan's adopted son, while Ding Xiaotu was Ding Baishan's biological son? An adopted son driving out the true heir and taking over the Baiyu Group—no one said it openly, but the whispers were impossible to silence.
No wonder Ding Huan had warned him not to purchase the Sailu gene.
It seemed there really was something wrong with it.
Geng Qianxing couldn't calm down.
One moment he was worried about Ding Huan, the next about himself.
He regretted not heeding Ding Huan's advice to delete all the data related to the endurance gene potion from his notebook.
Now that his notebook had been confiscated, would he be able to keep the endurance gene potion? And even if he couldn't, would he be taken away, as Ding Huan had warned?
...
At the same time, Ding Huan had returned to Puhai.
As he had anticipated, Puhai was teeming with outsiders.
No one paid him any attention, and certainly no one would investigate him.
Ding Huan didn't head straight for a gene lab.
As long as he was in Puhai, renting a gene lab would be a simple task.
For Ding Huan, the first order of business was to secure some funds.
He still had a few million in his bank account, but he was certain that the moment he used his card, his location would be exposed to the Gene Alliance.
Ding Huan walked into a gene herb shop.
In this era of widespread genetic mutations among various species, many rare and exotic plants and animals had emerged.
As a result, gene herb shops had sprung up, dealing in all sorts of mutated materials, whether from mutated gene beasts or mutated gene herbs.
These shops collected such materials, which were then purchased by gene labs, gene experiment enthusiasts, or universities.
Ding Huan carried a large bag, and the moment he entered the shop, the staff knew he was there to sell gene herbs.
In these chaotic times, most herb dealers came dressed like this.
"What herbs are you selling?" the young shop assistant asked with a smile.
He knew that solo herb dealers were no ordinary individuals.
Ding Huan thought of the precious herbs in his bag, especially the unused mutated bayou.
That single piece of bayou was worth a fortune.
But he quickly realized that this wasn't Changyi Continent.
If he brought out these herbs, the shopkeeper might not even recognize them, let alone understand their value.
With this in mind, Ding Huan said, "I have something very valuable. Is the boss here?"
"Boss, a customer wants to see you," the young man called out.
Hearing this, a woman in her thirties emerged.
She smiled at Ding Huan and said, "Let's have some tea inside."
Ding Huan followed her to the backyard, where a man and a woman were already seated, sipping tea.
The woman was very hospitable, offering Ding Huan a seat and pouring him a cup of tea.
She then asked with a smile, "Brother, what treasures do you have to sell?"
Ding Huan took out a cloth bundle and placed it on the table.
"Boss, take a look at this."
Seeing how casually Ding Huan handled the bundle, the woman and the others didn't pay much attention at first.
But when the boss opened the cloth, all three were stunned.
After a moment, the man exclaimed, "Is this a demon core?"
The two women remained silent, their eyes fixed on Ding Huan.
The boss, in particular, had been in the herb business for years but had never seen anyone bring in a demon core from a gene beast.
"Are you selling this demon core?" the boss asked, her voice trembling with excitement.
No matter how high Ding Huan's asking price was, she was determined to acquire it.
Ding Huan immediately realized he had underestimated the value of the demon core.
It wasn't that he didn't know its worth, but he understood that what Earth called a "demon core" was actually just a demon nucleus.
Calling it a demon core was an overstatement for a third-level black ape.
True demon cores existed on Changyi Continent, but even there, he had only seen one from a distance at an auction, never touching it.
On Earth, this was recorded as a demon core, so he treated it as such.
Originally, he had planned to sell it, but now he changed his mind.
Not because the demon core was too valuable, but because he could tell from their reactions that it was worth at least ten million.
He couldn't have the money transferred to his bank account, so he could only take cash.
But ten million in cash? He couldn't possibly carry that much.
"No, I'm short on funds right now. I'd like to use this demon core as collateral and come back for it later. Is that possible?" Ding Huan said earnestly.
Collateral? The three were taken aback.
If he wanted to use it as collateral, why not go to a pawnshop?
Ding Huan smiled awkwardly.
"The thing is, pawnshops have too many complicated procedures. There are some things I can't really disclose..."
He hesitated for a moment, then seemed to make a decision.
"I lost a lot of money in the herb business and now owe the bank. They're keeping a close eye on me. If I pawn this at a pawnshop today, the bank will seize it tomorrow."
Ah, they understood now.
In these times, bankruptcies were common, and those unable to repay their debts to the bank were countless.
"How do you want to do this?" the boss asked, somewhat disappointed that Ding Huan wasn't selling the demon core.
Ding Huan replied, "Just write me a receipt stating that the demon core is stored here, and give me five hundred thousand in cash. As for the fee, you can decide."
"If you're willing to trust me, then it's no problem," the boss said without hesitation.
Ding Huan owed the bank money, so wanting cash made sense.
As for the demon core, even if it wasn't hers, just having it in her shop would instantly elevate its status.
(That's all for today's update.
Goodnight, friends!)
(End of Chapter)