Chapter 25 - 23: All Laws Return to the Ancestral Principle

Who had poisoned him? He had only returned to this world for a short few dozen days, during which he had been very cautious. It seemed unlikely that someone could poison him without his noticing. The only possibility was Ji Chunfu, the nanny in his household, that woman and his daughter Fu Mei were up to no good. He also had a real estate certificate on him; the house was his, but after he left the Baiyu Group, Ji Chunfu, the nanny, had sold the house. How could Ji Chunfu possibly sell his house without Ding Jie's consent? It looked like this woman had always been working for Ding Jie, always keeping an eye on him. In his previous life, he really had been too foolish. No wonder in his last life he had spent all his energy and nearly all his income on improving his cultivation, yet he could not advance it. After two hundred years, he had been only a fourth-level gene cultivator. During that time, he had used the Antidote Gene, but it seemed there was no detoxification, nor had he detected the presence of poison. He guessed the poison had been in his body for too long, seeping in until it had become part of him. Previously, he had always attributed his inability to advance his cultivation to his poor aptitude, even though resources piled upon him made no difference. It was only after he no longer had the ability to purchase Genetic Potions that he began to study various gene knowledge and make his own Genetic Potions. If there was any chance, who would want to waste so much time in the laboratory? Now he understood, he had been afflicted with an unknown chronic poison, it was not because of his poor aptitude. With Ji Chunfu's capabilities, it was absolutely impossible to get such poison; it must have been given by Ding Jie. Recently, he had been striving to improve his strength and avoiding others' attempts to sabotage him, without the time to consider this woman. He hadn't expected her to be hiding so deeply. When he had the time, he would deal with those two women. They ate his food, lived in his house, and even took the salary given by his old man, all the while double-crossing him. After the poison in his body was removed, Ding Huan cultivated for an entire night. After one night, Ding Huan opened his eyes, feeling completely refreshed. Before, when circulating the Luo Shijin, there had always been an indescribable feeling, as if though the Cycle was moving smoothly, it would suddenly stutter. While entering meditation was easy, it seemed he could never fully immerse his body and mind in the Cycle. Once the poison was gone, after practicing the Luo Shijin, Ding Huan felt a difference. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but one night of cultivation had improved him more than a whole week of previous efforts. The Genetic Dao was within reach, Ding Huan clenched his fist. From now on, he would step by step forge his own abilities and, someday when he left Earth again, Ding Huan would be the one calling the shots. Next, he planned to extract the healing gene from the Six-Horned Fire Lizard. Having had experience with gene extraction from the golden-faced rough-tail monkey, Ding Huan felt even more adept this time. In just one day, he extracted a recovery gene that could be integrated with his body. Ding Huan did not intend to use this kind of genetic potion. One reason was that he had developed his own body attribute genetic abilities using Alien Gene skills as templates. Not simply creating genetic potions and then integrating them into his gene chain. The second reason was that he still wanted to find the Two-Horned Fire Lizard. If he really found the Two-Horned Fire Lizard, then he could use the method of making the Antidote Gene to also transform the healing gene into one of his abilities. Ding Huan sighed, if he were still on the Changyi Continent, having created such a gene, he would have integrated it immediately, one hundred percent. In his previous life, he went about increasing his power like a headless fly. He would integrate any gene he encountered, and practice any good Martial Arts Technique that came his way. Without planning, without a mentor. He never stayed still for a moment... The end result was not only did he fail to resolve the poisoning, but he was also oblivious to it. His cultivation was a mess, utterly chaotic. Having lived over two hundred years, he was only a fourth-level gene cultivator with no prospect of advancement. Now he understood, even if he integrated more Alien Genes, he probably could not step into the fifth level of gene cultivation. He spent his entire life madly increasing his strength, never living a day in peace, and in the end, he still perished by someone's hand. Fate gave him another chance, and he created his own unique method of gene fusion, transforming Alien Gene skills into his own capabilities. That was the correct way to start cultivation. With the integration of the Antidote Gene into his body, Ding Huan could not feel at all that he had integrated a new gene. This was no longer just the extraction and integration of the golden-faced rough-tail monkey's Antidote Gene, but an innate Antidote Ability within his body. When he practiced the Luo Shijin, and as his cultivation level increased, this antidote ability should also improve. This was a completely different path from integrating Alien Genes. Gene integration merely gave you similar gene skills; the level of ability these gene skills granted at the moment of integration was the level they would likely always stay at. That is to say, even if your strength reached a tremendously powerful level, these gene skills might still be at the level they were when you integrated them. A genetic cultivator who had reached Foundation Establishment, yet whose antidote gene was still at a level equivalent to a level-one Genetic Beast's resistance to poison, would definitely hold back his cultivation progress. This kind of innovation and progress thrilled Ding Huan immensely and also greatly expanded his imagination. If he weren't a gene cultivator, but instead had started out with a Spirit Root, could he now, with the help of this gene, forge new meridians? Hmm, it should be a Spiritual Network. According to the knowledge from the leather scroll in his mind, in the era when cultivators had Spirit Roots and Spiritual Energy, they practiced Circulation using their Spiritual Networks. Whether it was a Spiritual Network or meridians, if he could create a new one solely for the antidote gene, wouldn't that give cultivators a natural ability? If it were indeed possible, then it would suggest that ultimately everything points to the same destination. His guess was also correct; a Spirit Root is just another type of gene. It's just that the methods and processes used are different, and that's what's meant by "All roads lead to Rome," I suppose. In the future, when encountering cultivators who cultivated with a Pure Spirit Root, he could actually persuade them to give it a try. ... When Ding Huan went to greet Geng Qianxing, Geng and three students were practicing basic Long Fist in the school's Martial Arts Gym. Upon hearing Ding Huan say he was heading to Pujiang first, Fang Chong and the others all wanted to go with him. However, a single sentence from Geng Qianxing dissuaded the three, and Ding Huan agreed—their parents wouldn't agree either. The reason their children were being trained at Yujiang University was that Fang Chong, Li Wanran, and Lv Zi were originally students there. Secondly, training somewhere else wouldn't help them pass the examinations either. It was impossible for their parents to let them go to Pujiang for no reason. Ding Huan made an appointment with Geng Qianxing to meet in Pujiang in two months and then left Yujiang University early. Perhaps because they knew they couldn't do anything to Ding Huan before the assessments at Blue Star Ten Great Colleges were over, the Washing Blade Association didn't bother him after he breezed out of Yujiang University. In the eyes of the Washing Blade Association, Ding Huan's ability to cause trouble was limited to just a couple more months. After leaving Yujiang University, Ding Huan didn't immediately buy a ticket to Pujiang; he went to the Right Source Property Agency instead. In his previous life, after his vision was restored, the Genetic Alliance decided to send him to space aboard a spaceship to test new genetic potions. Since he was tolerant to almost all genes, he was considered Earth's best gene testing candidate. Because of these abilities, Ding Huan had a certain degree of freedom during his last period on Earth. Even though he was still being watched when going out, at least he wasn't being subjected to various genetic potion tests all the time, like when he had just been taken to the Genetic Alliance. It was during that time that Ding Huan learned that his house had been sold by his nanny. It was also then that he realized that the nanny his father had appointed for him had been bought off by Ding Jie early on, always helping Ding Jie monitor him. Now he had to add another fact: the nanny had been poisoning him all along. His house had been his own purchase, since he didn't want to live in the Coastal Plains and wanted to be closer to Luoh River Shangwu University, he bought a house in Upper River Garden. According to the timeline, the nanny would have sold his house around this period. Ding Huan hoped it wasn't too late. If the house had already been sold by the nanny, for now, he would just have to endure it. "I want to sell my house," Ding Huan declared as soon as he arrived at the Right Source Property Agency, tossing his property deed onto the counter without any preamble. "Which property?" a staff member picked up the deed and while flipping through it asked the question, then, without waiting for Ding Huan's reply, exclaimed in surprise, "Upper River Garden?" "An Upper River Garden property?" a manager seated at the back stood up and came over. Properties in Upper River Garden were highly sought after—prime location, excellent greenery, and particularly spacious between buildings. Right next to Luoh River Shangwu University, one of the top-ranking universities nationwide, it made the prices constantly rise. "Manager Xing, indeed it's an Upper River Garden property, Building Five." The staff member handed the property deed over to the manager who came by—this building was known as the king of Upper River Garden, as opening the window gave a clear view of the river above. After checking the property deed, the manager looked at Ding Huan enthusiastically, "The property can be sold; it will need a three-day wait, here..." Ding Huan interrupted him, "I need to sell it and get the money this afternoon, I'll take six million. If it can't be sold today, I'll switch agencies immediately." Six million? The manager's smiling face became serious as he sized up Ding Huan. Ding Huan's property, even at its cheapest, wouldn't go for less than seven million six hundred thousand, eight million was a more realistic price. But he only wanted six million—clearly, something was off. But what does it matter if something's off? They had seen all types of clients in the property business. After contemplating Ding Huan for a long while, the manager suddenly seemed to recall something and blurted out, "Are you Mr. Ding from Baiyu Group?" Ding Huan indifferently replied, "Who I am is not important. What's important is whether you can sell my house today or not." The manager smiled brightly and extended his hand, "Nice to meet you; I am Xing Hai, the manager of the Right Source Property Agency's Heluo branch. Mr. Ding, coming to us was the right choice. In all of Heluo, we are the only ones who can sell your property and get you the money by this afternoon." Ding Huan knew about the influence of the Right Source Property Agency—being able to handle matters both above and below the table. That's precisely why he had come to them. "Mr. Ding, times have changed. While it's possible, getting the money today will still be tough..." Xing Hai said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. He knew well that Ding Huan was now more hen than phoenix; no matter how he addressed him as Mr. Ding. In fact, he was certain that even if he pressed Ding Huan today, Ding Huan would be powerless to do anything. Ding Huan's arrival meant Xing Hai was about to make a fortune.