Chapter 413 - 12: Soul Search and Knowledge

Back in the room.

The air behind Zhu Ju rippled like the surface of water, and a dazed figure appeared.

Zheng Feiyang!

One of the three supervisors of the Celestial Wealth Commerce Association’s security department.

A Mid-Level Martial Artist!

Zhu Ju hadn’t killed him directly. Instead, he had used a Secret Technique to hide him and bring him back to his residence.

The secrets hidden within the mind of a mid-to-high-level leader from the Commerce Association were far more valuable than the man himself.

Kill him?

Too much of a waste.

"Soul-Capturing and Soul-Seizing!"

With a single outstretched hand, wisps of black smoke rose from the tips of Zhu Ju’s five fingers.

The black smoke twisted in mid-air like lithe, swimming snakes, then rushed into Zheng Feiyang’s eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, straight into his skull.

The ’Martial Artists’ of this world didn’t possess complete Spiritual Secret Techniques, so in theory, they shouldn’t be able to resist Soul Capture Magic.

In fact, it was the exact opposite.

Zhu Ju had previously attempted to use Soul Search on Zheng Feiyang, but to no avail. He was forced to bring him back to his residence to continue.

’Genetic modification has strengthened the human neural network, and with it, their resistance to Spiritual Secret Techniques.’

’A Wizard who has advanced by taking an Advanced Gene Enhancement Potion has mental fortitude comparable to a Dao Foundation Cultivator...’

As the Secret Technique probed deeper, nerves as thick as steel rebar entered his perception.

At this strength, not even a hallucinogen that induces extreme euphoria would be able to faze him.

Hallucinogen Water was a relatively common addictive drug on the market.

One drop.

It could drive hundreds of people into a frenzy, leaving them forever addicted.

But even if a full syringe was injected directly into Zheng Feiyang’s body, it would be impossible to elicit a strong reaction. This was the power of genetic modification.

Human?

From a cellular level,

a Martial Artist could barely still be considered human, while a Martial Artist of a higher station had long since transcended the category of "human."

Fortunately, Zhu Ju had plenty of methods. The Secret Techniques of the Joyful Sect were like two opposing forces, one hard and one soft, constantly plucking at Zheng Feiyang’s neural network until the hardened steel became soft enough to wrap around a finger.

This method would turn Zheng Feiyang into an imbecile, and some of his hidden secrets would become difficult to uncover.

But.

It was enough!

As time passed, fragments of memories appeared in Zhu Ju’s mind.

’Min Dong... was actually Zheng Feiyang’s illegitimate son. This Advanced Gene Enhancement Potion was originally meant for him, but he died. Since ’Wuh Tian’ was the only one from the Demon Hunting Team to return alive, Zheng Feiyang grew to hate him.’

’As it happened, the head of the finance department was seeking a potion for his own daughter, so he simply sold Wuh Tian out.’

’Oh!’

Zhu Ju raised an eyebrow.

’This guy had a secret stash of several million hidden from his wife.’

’The Hex Family!’

Zheng Feiyang came from an ordinary background. The reason he was able to become a Martial Artist and the security supervisor for the Celestial Wealth Commerce Association was because he married a daughter of the Hex Family.

The Hex Family was one of the major shareholders of the Celestial Wealth Commerce Association, a top-tier family in all of Funeng City, possessing immense resources. That was the real reason for his success.

But it was obvious.

Zheng Feiyang didn’t like his wife.

That explained the illegitimate son and the secret stash of money. However, none of this mattered to a dead man.

Zhu Ju shifted his focus, and memories concerning Martial Arts and Demon God Believers surfaced.

Unfortunately.

These memories were incomplete.

Especially regarding the Demon God Believers, Zheng Feiyang himself probably didn’t know much, only that such beings threatened the Safe City, that they must be reported upon discovery, and that the Safe City would spare no effort to eradicate them.

*

*

*

Early in the morning.

Wuh Qing had prepared a lavish breakfast.

Knowing that ’Wuh Tian’ liked sweets, she had specially prepared a sweet soup in advance, pairing it with soft flatbreads and snacks, making for a very appetizing spread.

Wuh Ping, who had been busy all night, had also cleaned the house, ironed clothes, and prepared the day’s leather shoes and tie.

"Not bad."

Zhu Ju, who had been wearing a gloomy expression, gave a rare nod, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"Finally, raising you all these years wasn’t a complete waste."

"Dad."

Wuh Qing bit her lip and said in a low voice,

"Last night, while I was tidying up, I... I saw you brought back two Genetic Enhancement Potions."

"Hm?" The smile vanished from Zhu Ju’s face.

"So that’s why you’re all so attentive today. It’s not out of filial piety at all—you’re just after my stuff!"

’Of course I know about the two Genetic Enhancement Potions. I collected them along with the one million Credit Points.’

"Dad!"

Wuh Ping took a step forward and said,

"I’m about to take the college entrance exams. If I can become a Martial Artist, I’ll have a much better chance of getting into a High-Level Academy. After I graduate from a High-Level Academy, I can earn more money to honor you."

"As long as I take the Genetic Enhancement Potion, I’ll have a great chance of getting into a High-Level Academy."

"Heh..." Zhu Ju sneered.

"A High-Level Academy?"

"Keep dreaming!"

"Dad!" Wuh Ping gritted his teeth and said,

"Just consider it a loan. You’re already a High-Level Martial Artist, so you don’t need this kind of Genetic Enhancement Potion anymore. I’ll pay you back once I’ve earned enough money."

"One Genetic Enhancement Potion costs tens of thousands of Credit Points. What’s a high school student like you going to do to earn that much money?" Zhu Ju asked scornfully.

"Selling your ass?"

Wuh Ping’s face turned pale.

If any outsider had been present, they certainly wouldn’t have believed these were the words of a father to his son.

But in the Wuh Family, this was quite normal.

The foul-mouthed Wuh Tian had said even nastier things.

"No one touches my things!"

Glaring coldly at the two of them, Zhu Ju grabbed a flatbread and stuffed it into his mouth, then stood up and kicked his stool, sending it flying.

"If I find anything missing..."

"One of you will die, or my name isn’t Wuh!"

"Hmph!"

With that, he snorted coldly and slammed the door on his way out.

Jiuzhong High.

One of Funeng City’s high schools.

Unlike other high schools, Jiuzhong specialized in the liberal arts, and as a result, possessed one of the top five libraries in the city.

Using Wuh Qing’s student ID, Zhu Ju proceeded unimpeded, following the signs to the library.

"BEEP..."

Following the machine’s soft chime, rows upon rows of books came into view.

As a precaution,

the Safe City still preserved the original method of document storage: recording knowledge in books.

Of course,

from the perspective of viewing and retrieval, electronic documents and three-dimensional reading were obviously more convenient.

Zhu Ju walked up to an unoccupied electronic screen and tapped it with his finger; numerous book titles appeared one by one.

The Safe City Code of Conduct

The Great Catastrophe

Genes and Treasure Manual

...

The fastest way to understand a world was, naturally, to read its historical documents.

The library was the best choice.

As Zhu Ju’s finger swiped, files and lines of text appeared one after another.

Demon God and World Destruction

?

His gaze flickered as he brought up a rarely accessed document.

Faith... Blessings... Rituals...

"The Demon God seeks to corrupt this world and is very likely the mastermind behind the Great Catastrophe. The believers of the Demon God not only provide it with faith but also sacrifice their own souls and bodies. The faith of the strong is the Demon God’s favorite, and its gifts come at an extremely terrifying price..."

"Only the Treasure Manual, only the genes deep within our flesh and blood, are our hope for survival."

The Treasure Manual!

Genes!

Zhu Ju swiped his finger, and records related to the Treasure Manual appeared one by one.

The Treasure Manual is the greatest creation of this world, containing countless gene fragments within it.

The Human Race,

was born from it.

The Safe City’s infant incubation centers would undergo a baptism from the Treasure Manual every few years.

Scientists adjusted the gene fragments within the Treasure Manual to create successive generations of infants with ever-greater potential.

At the same time,

the genes in the Treasure Manual also showed the strong the path forward.

’Adjusting and perfecting one’s genes to become stronger, supplemented by Martial Skills—that is the path of Cultivation in this world.’

Zhu Ju mused:

’The Body of Ten Thousand Spirits is indeed similar to this, but I still need to run some experiments...’