Ye Chen smiled faintly, his eyes flashing with profound light. "After you left, Little White Rabbit abandoned me and was taken away by a mysterious Little White Wolf. Before leaving, this Little White Wolf gave me a piece of bloody skin. I didn't know what it was for, but now I realize that Little White Rabbit must have known I had the Superman Mode, capable of fusing multiple Superman genes, and wanted me to devour the Little White Wolf's gene to become my fourth Gene Beast!"

Bai Yijun murmured, "Such a thing occurred."

Ye Chen took her small hand and led her to the training room. Soon after, the old man with the green talisman was muttering as he held a gene test tube and arrived at the training room. Upon seeing Ye Chen, his resentful expression immediately turned into a smile. He chuckled, "Brother Chen, I knew this bloody skin wasn't from an ordinary beast. It seems Brother Chen is about to strike it rich again! Congratulations, congratulations. When I first followed you, I knew you would surely make a name for yourself. Now it seems that’s true. Look how handsome, elegant, and imposing you are..."

"The thing?" Ye Chen interrupted him.

The old man with the green talisman chuckled again, presenting the test tube obsequiously. "Brother Chen, the moment I saw you, I knew you were a good person. Look how rosy your complexion is; you must be having great luck lately. This little subordinate is willing to follow you to the death. Being by your side to listen to your teachings is a blessing in three lifetimes for me. To be able to exert myself for you is due to the accumulated virtue of my ancestral graves. To be illuminated by your magnificent radiance is the greatest happiness of my life..."

Ye Chen took the bottle, stroking it lightly, and said calmly, "If you have something to say, just say it."

Seeing his stratagem fail, the old man with the green talisman didn't mind. He rubbed his hands and chuckled, "You see, you are already so strong, so brave, so great, so handsome..." Noticing Ye Chen's frown, he quickly stopped, coughed, and flattered, "Brother Chen, since you are so wonderful, this little brother following you shouldn't look shabby, right? When you have a moment, could you just move your finger and transform my old den into a Dao Artifact too?"

Ye Chen examined the gene test tube. "It will happen sooner or later."

The eyes of the old man with the green talisman lit up. He then straightened up, cleared his throat, and put on a righteous, noble expression. "Brother Chen, this isn't for myself; it's so I don't bring shame to you. When you ride your Rune Spaceship in the future, if people see such a heroic figure riding such a dilapidated thing, won't they mock you for being too poor and stingy, thus embarrassing you..."

"You should leave first," Ye Chen waved his hand.

Knowing Ye Chen's nature, the old man with the green talisman said no more, sighing, "Then you must remember, don't forget."

Ye Chen waved his hand.

The old man with the green talisman turned and walked to the door, saying mournfully, "You absolutely must not forget..."

Seeing that there was nothing unusual with the test tube, Ye Chen waved. "I know."

Only then did the old man with the green talisman leave. Just as Ye Chen was preparing to fuse the genes, he suddenly turned back, poking his head in from the doorway. "Brother Chen, you absolutely must not forget, okay..."

Veins popped on Ye Chen's forehead, and the hand holding the gene test tube trembled slightly. He almost drew his knife and started slashing wildly.

Seeing the murderous look on his face, the old man with the green talisman flinched, tucked his neck in, and ran off into the distance.

Bai Yijun giggled, her laughter as pleasant as silver bells. She rose and walked to the door, pushing the training room door shut.

Bang!

A thud sounded outside the door.

"What was that noise?" Bai Yijun's expression was peculiar.

"Don't worry about it." Ye Chen took a deep breath, opened the gene test tube, aimed it at the blood vessels inside his body, and injected the contents. He immediately urged the power within his body to surround and pull the genes from the test tube, mixing them with the cells in the blood, and integrating them with the genes of his internal organs.

Bang!

The gene test tube bottle fell to the ground, rolling a few times but not shattering. Ye Chen was covered in sweat, his eyes tightly closed in pain, his teeth grinding so hard his gums almost bled. He was drenched in cold sweat, his complexion alternating between flushed red and deathly pale—it was worrying to behold.

Bai Yijun was startled and quickly walked back over. Looking at Ye Chen tossing and turning on the alloy bed, hugging his knees and biting his teeth so hard, she felt an indescribable worry. "Is it serious? Does it hurt a lot?" She reached out her slender hand to gently stroke Ye Chen’s arm, taking out a soft silk cloth to wipe the sweat from his brow.

Ye Chen’s eyes were bloodshot. The excruciating pain throughout his body far surpassed the fusion of talent genes from the great civilizations before. He could feel the genes, bones, and cells within his body rapidly breaking down, then regrouping, then breaking down again, and regrouping again...

This cycle repeated endlessly, making his entire body feel as if it were being fried in hot oil. The pain was unbearable, impossible to describe even with being cut by a thousand blades. The agonizing sensation caused the veins on his forehead to twitch one by one. He felt the urge to scream a tearing sound from his throat but couldn't utter a single word, curled up in the bed, suffering immensely.

Seeing him in such a state, Bai Yijun felt both anxious and pained, wishing desperately that she could endure this torment instead of him. She cursed inwardly that the pain could not be transferred, otherwise, she could help share the burden. She was consumed by anxiety, only able to gently caress Ye Chen's skin, trying to help alleviate the pain, whispering softly with breath like a gentle breeze, "Don't be afraid, I am here. Don't be afraid, it will be alright, it won't hurt much longer. You must hold on, don't give up. This little bit of pain cannot defeat you. I will be right beside you..."

This gentle voice, like a stream of spring water flowing into Ye Chen's heart, actually lessened the searing pain within him slightly. His eyes bloodshot, he looked up at the exquisitely beautiful woman before him with crimson pupils. Suddenly, his mind overheated, and without knowing how, he lunged forward, pinning her delicate body beneath him, gasping as he gazed at the beautiful face so close at hand.

This beautiful girl’s clear eyes were looking back at him in the same way.

Then, she slowly closed her eyes and whispered softly, "Will this make you feel better?"

Ye Chen’s mind was boiling with blood, his consciousness nearly submerged. All sorts of frantic thoughts flooded his mind. He bit his lip until it broke, and blood flowed into his mouth. In his heart, there was only this beautiful woman before him, those eyes etched into his soul...

"No, no!" Deep within him, a desperate and frantic voice seemed to be screaming.

He suddenly let out a heaven-shaking roar, scrambling up from Bai Yijun. He unleashed a long cry toward the sky, a sound that made the room tremble slightly, causing several metal and glass cups to shatter. These cups were ten times harder than bulletproof glass on Earth, yet they burst from the sheer force of his shout! The intense pain reached its peak, tearing through his entire body. In his haze, Ye Chen had the illusion that his flesh and blood were peeling away. The excruciating pain felt like his heart was being torn to shreds, yet for some unknown reason, after the event just now, a surge of anger seemed to rise in his heart, forcing him to stand motionless, allowing the violent agony to shred his flesh and blood, yet he stood firm like a towering mountain.

After a long while, the intense pain gradually subsided. Ye Chen, weak and exhausted, fell backward, crying out to the sky. A fragrant breeze enveloped him as he was caught. Bai Yijun slowly lowered his body, letting his head rest upon her lap. Tears filled her pretty face, and she choked out, "Why are you being so foolish? If you had done that just now, I wouldn't have blamed you..."

Ye Chen tried to force a smile, but the moment the corner of his mouth twitched, the pain shot through his entire body. He couldn't help but gasp, then managed a bitter smile. Looking at the delicate face so close, his eyes softened. "I cannot act recklessly while I am ill and do such a thing to you. That would make me worse than a pig or a beast. If I am to do it, it must be honorably, when I am lucid..." With that, his vision went black, and he fainted.

He didn't know how long he had been unconscious. He felt like he walked in darkness for countless ages before seeing a sliver of white light. He opened his eyes, and the first things that met his gaze were Bai Yijun's delicate face and a slight look of delighted surprise. His heart warmed instantly. He felt surrounded by fragrance, as if in a dream—he couldn't tell if he had just woken from a dream or if he had only just entered one now?

Bai Yijun said with joy, "You're awake."

Ye Chen felt a warmth in his heart. "How long was I out?"

Bai Yijun replied, "Only six days. Are you hungry? I’ll get you something to eat. Although you don't strictly need to eat right now, some rare fruits would be good for your body and speed up recovery." As she spoke, she started to move to lift Ye Chen from her lap to get things.

Ye Chen let out a pained groan, his brow furrowed, his face twisted in agony.

Bai Yijun was startled. "Are you alright?"

Ye Chen opened one eye stealthily to peek at her, moaning, "It’s nothing major, just that my body aches, and I can't move."

Bai Yijun urgently asked, "Where does it hurt? Let me see."

A smile crept across Ye Chen's lips. He took her slender hand and moved it to his chest. "It hurts here."

Bai Yijun was initially anxious and prepared to touch the spot, but then Ye Chen’s hand suddenly sprang to life. She glared at him playfully, "You’ve learned bad habits; daring to pretend to be hurt."

Ye Chen declared righteously, "I’m not pretending; it genuinely hurts."

Seeing how serious he looked, as if he weren't lying, Bai Yijun couldn't help but ask, "Is it not healed yet? What do we do? Is there any way to stop the pain?"

"There is," Ye Chen replied.

Bai Yijun quickly asked, "What way?"

Ye Chen said honestly, "Let me kiss you once."

Bai Yijun’s cheeks flushed. "How can that cure heart pain? Don't be ridiculous."

Ye Chen countered, "Of course, it can. These past two days, you’ve been watching over me constantly. My heart aches for you, and I want to kiss you once. That way, I’ll feel much better."

Bai Yijun gave him an annoyed look. "If there’s nothing wrong, get up quickly. The connection point in the Rune Space is about to be completely corroded by electromagnetic waves."

Ye Chen was stunned for a moment, then quickly stood up. "Follow me." He led the way out of the training room, looking at the corroded space connection point outside. A fist-sized hole was vaguely visible, through which he could see the clearing outside. Electromagnetic waves were radiating in from this small opening, causing half of the Rune Spaceship’s functions to shut down.