It had been six full days since Zheng Zha successfully reached Foundation Establishment. Including the two days he and Chu Xuan were unconscious, only one day remained before their next descent into the horror film world. These six days had not been idle for the team. On the second day after Zheng Zha awoke, Chu Xuan followed suit. The very first thing this man did upon regaining consciousness was to collect Zheng Zha’s genes for study. Judging by his focused expression, research into genetics was clearly not a matter of a day or two for him.

“...That is essentially the basic situation.”

“There is an altered mitochondrion along the gene chains. The structure of this mitochondrion is as if it were a gene that had unlocked its own genetic lock; it too has evolved...” Chu Xuan stated, holding up a large stack of documents for the group. “It’s quite fascinating. If this is the case, then cultivators truly are walking a different evolutionary path from the Sages. This difference exists not only in external scientific fields but internally as well…”

Among the group, only Xiao Honglu seemed to follow clearly; the rest appeared to be hearing but not comprehending. However, Chu Xuan was unusually patient this time: “The mitochondria within the human body possess their own set of hereditary genes, distinct from the genes used by humans. To put it broadly, one could even consider mitochondria as a distinct form of life parasitizing the human body—though this is just a way of phrasing it. Back in the real world, I once heard several hypotheses regarding mitochondria. The most outlandish theory suggested that mitochondria might have once been living organisms billions of years ago, back when the planet was populated only by unicellular life or even more primitive amino acid-based entities. These organisms consumed each other, and one massive cell, possessing an extremely potent ability to devour, may have engulfed some fundamental chloroplast-like cells. This organism might have undergone a mutation, and those chloroplast cells were not digested. Instead, they formed a symbiotic relationship with this giant cell. The implication of this hypothesis is that mitochondria are the genetic remnants of those chloroplast-like cells.”

Chu Xuan paused here, then picked up another document. “Sages achieve evolution by unlocking their own genetic locks. Cultivators, however, base their evolution on controlling mitochondria. Their fundamental evolutionary paths are different, which perhaps explains the standoff during the Primordial Era. And Foundation Establishment, it seems, means allowing the dormant mitochondria to also evolve, at least to a stage capable of adapting to True Essence Power and Demonic Power... Any insights?”

Zheng Zha responded with a bitter smile, waving his hand dismissively. “Mitochondria, genes—just tell me in plain language: when am I getting the cultivation techniques? Right now, my primary offensive method is still just slamming True Essence Power against Demonic Power. Don’t you think such a crude approach dishonors the term ‘cultivation’?”

“That is your problem,” Chu Xuan sneered. “Judging by your descriptions of your fights against the Replicant, the level at which you both understand combat is entirely different. While there is a saying about overpowering skill with brute force, that is no excuse for you to treat combat techniques crudely. So-called powerful attributes or skills derive their degree of might from how they are utilized. For instance, Cheng Xiao’s Southern Cross Waterfowl Fist—if you had the same level of Genetic Lock unlocked, the same physical prowess, and the same techniques as him, you might not necessarily be his match, nor would you necessarily be able to independently create a method for using a wind blade. I have given you the cultivator physique and the key to unlocking its power. How you grow stronger and how you counter the Replicant is now your challenge!”

Zheng Zha was so thoroughly rebutted he was nearly speechless. After a long silence, he mumbled, “But, but this cultivator physique only allows me to use True Essence Power and Demonic Power. Apart from that one move I tested in the practice room, I genuinely cannot think of any technique to improve my strength.”

“...Mortal wisdom,” Chu Xuan continued his cold laughter. He snapped his fingers, and a minuscule, dazzling sphere of light appeared on his fingertip. He then squeezed this orb hard. With a sharp bang, a violent blast of air forced everyone present to shut their eyes. When they opened them, Chu Xuan’s Gauss pistol was pressed firmly against Zheng Zha’s temple.

“Hold still. There is no such thing as an absolutely powerful attribute or technique. What is considered ‘powerful’ is merely defined differently based on the method of usage. If this still hasn't given you a hint, then think more deeply about how the Replicant uses Black Flame. That’s why I said your understanding of combat is on a completely different level from his. Although you closed the gap through brute force, to defeat him... you must cross this chasm. I’ve given you the key; how you use it is up to you. That move you tested in the practice room was merely scratching the surface!”

(Even saying that, what exactly does this ‘different level’ mean?)

Carrying this doubt, Zheng Zha entered the simulation machine several more times to fight the Replicant. By this point, the simulated Replicant was no longer his opponent; even using only ‘Annihilation’ he could defeat this Black Flame Replicant. However, this Replicant was from a very, very long time ago. After such a span, the Replicant had surely grown to an unknown degree. Moreover, the original Replicant clearly hadn't been using his full strength, so this simulation could hardly be taken seriously.

(But the Replicant really is terrifyingly strong. Even with my current power, I still have to be wary of that black flame. It seems to possess life, protecting the Replicant while simultaneously harming enemies. What a dreadful technique... Wait, this Black Flame... Could this be what Chu Xuan meant?)

A sudden realization struck Zheng Zha. He suddenly grasped Chu Xuan’s meaning. Yes, in terms of energy manipulation, he was far, far behind the Replicant. Even during Resident Evil II, the Replicant’s utilization of energy had reached a terrifying level. The so-called power was simply defined differently based on its application.

——————

“I see now. But to reach that level... will I really master it before the final battle? There isn't enough time...”

The next day was the entry into Perfect Storm. Early in the morning, the group gathered in the Main God Plaza. What struck them as strange was that not only was Chu Xuan absent, but Zheng Zha was missing as well—a truly rare occurrence.

Not long after, Zheng Zha and Lori emerged from their room. Even stranger to the others, Zheng Zha now sported a pair of dragon wings on his back. Although he hadn't fully entered the Hidden Dragon Transformation state, these wings indicated he had unlocked the mid-stage of the Fourth Level of the Genetic Lock.

“Uh, Zheng Zha, did last night’s sparring get a little too intense, pushing you into the mid-Fourth Level?” Cheng Xiao asked with a teasing smirk.

Zheng Zha couldn’t help but offer a bitter smile. Honestly, he found the appearance rather bizarre, bordering on an imitation of the Replicant, but he had no choice. To achieve the level Chu Xuan spoke of, the prerequisite was stabilizing his physical condition in the semi-Hidden Dragon Transformation state. Only with this level of physical endurance could he meet the requirements. Second was accumulating a massive reserve of True Essence Power and Demonic Power. Although he could now generate both, the efficiency was extremely low, given he was only at the Foundation Establishment cultivation level. Therefore, using the Demonic Ring to convert between True Essence Power and Demonic Power remained more efficient.

As the others chatted and laughed, they inquired about the origin of Zheng Zha’s appearance. Zheng Zha made no secret of it, explaining his current efforts to test some new techniques.

“I have no choice. To use this technique, my physical condition must be maintained at least at this semi-Hidden Dragon Transformation level, and I have to keep it constant, otherwise the True Essence Power and Demonic Power I release will be wasted,” Zheng Zha explained with a wry wave of his hand.

The others grew curious. Zhang Heng and a few others immediately asked what the technique was. Zheng Zha frowned, unsure how to explain it. He beckoned to Cheng Xiao. “It’s too complicated to explain; I’ll just show you what it is. Cheng Xiao, attack me. Remember, use the real Southern Cross Waterfowl Fist.”

Cheng Xiao didn't refuse. He jumped up, flipped over Zheng Zha’s head, and brought down the Southern Cross Waterfowl Fist toward Zheng Zha’s shoulders. A sharp sound of air tearing followed. Then, a brilliant light erupted from Zheng Zha’s shoulders. Cheng Xiao, still mid-air, was immediately flung over ten meters away, landing on the floor and groaning incessantly.

“See? That’s basically the idea. It’s like the Replicant’s protective Black Flame, except I haven’t developed a specific cultivation method for it, so I have to substitute it with True Essence Power and Demonic Power,” Zheng Zha waved his hand. “‘Explosion,’ ‘Annihilation,’ even ‘Primordial Chaos’ and ‘Heaven Opening Earth Splitting’—these are states I must enter during combat. In summary, I have very few techniques in normal fighting. Besides those three desperate moves, I also need methods for standard combat. Back in the practice room, I managed to make a tiny fraction of True Essence Power and Demonic Power collide. Even that minuscule collision generated astonishing destructive power. The crucial part is that I now have the cultivator physique, allowing me to utilize these two energies flexibly... I layered them across my body surface: True Essence Power about two millimeters outside the skin, and Demonic Power about one millimeter inside. As soon as I’m attacked, these two energies collide to generate a counter-force. The harder the opponent attacks me, the greater my counter-force.”

“And it’s not just that...”

Zheng Zha suddenly threw a punch. A brilliant light flashed from his arm to his fist, and a spiraling vortex of energy shot out with that simple strike toward a distant metal wall. Hitting a target about twenty meters away, it blasted open a trench-like crater nearly half a meter wide.

“I can make the True Essence Power and Demonic Power collide in a spiral pattern, or I can do this: inject both energies into the target and make them collide internally...” With a hiss, Zheng Zha placed his palms on the steel plate. As brilliant light flared at the center of his palms, nothing happened immediately. But one second later, Zheng Zha lightly touched the surface; that section of steel plate had completely disintegrated into dust, and the steel several meters deep inside was utterly pulverized by the shockwave.

“These are just preliminary attack techniques I’ve figured out. Paired with the extreme speed of Primordial Chaos or Heaven Opening Earth Splitting, even the Replicant version of me couldn’t evade or defend against these moves... But it’s still not enough. Power is merely defined differently by how it’s used. True Essence Power and Demonic Power should have even stronger applications. After this battle, before the final confrontation, I will train diligently and challenge the Replicant me in my strongest state!”

As he spoke, Zheng Zha took several deep breaths. His current condition wasn't optimal. Primarily, he wasn't accustomed to keeping the Fourth Level of the Genetic Lock permanently active, as this damaged the body. Even maintaining it halfway caused significant fatigue for his physical constitution. He truly wondered how the Replicant managed to sustain that state constantly...

“...Alright, next is the second-to-last battle: Perfect Storm. Our sole objective is to capture the opponent’s mental power controller alive. Following that, our Central Team will enter the final battle as the most perfect unit to challenge the Demon Reincarnation Squad for that ultimate position!” Jumping up...