Chapter 454: Fusion Cultivation Technique

The system genes have been continuously evolving, transforming from a square chip held by players into an octagonal magic core structure. After developing through various eras, they finally matured, with all their safety hazards, advantages, and disadvantages becoming clear.

"This era has passed; it's the perfect time to begin cultivating."

Sitting in the living room, Xu Zhi began to organize his thoughts. No matter how times changed, his original intention remained steadfast. The purpose of these figures in the sandbox was to help him deduce cultivation systems and pave his own path to cultivation!

"Each world has its own unique system, requiring corresponding talents and bloodlines to cultivate. These extraordinary bloodlines can be called genetic talents," Xu Zhi pondered aloud, then commanded, "Intelligent sub-brain, integrate with the magic core gene!"

A mechanical voice replied:

"Integrating."

"Please wait!"

"This integration will significantly alter the body and transfer brain structure, resulting in intense pain!"

A numb, tingling sensation began to spread.

The pain grew increasingly severe! Sweat beaded on his forehead as an unimaginable agony shot through his mind, as if it were being torn apart. If one were to make a comparison, it felt like someone was stirring his brain matter with a straw and sucking out his marrow.

An unending torrent of excruciating pain assaulted him!

Although Xu Zhi knew this gene modification was different from previous ones, involving his brain—which already stored sixth-order spiritual power from his cultivation—it felt akin to hollowing out his mind, transferring all his thoughts and sixth-order spiritual power into the magic core. Yet, he had not anticipated such extreme pain.

Excruciating, ceaseless pain, an intense agony that surged wildly, almost causing him to faint. After an unknown period, Xu Zhi struggled to his feet, drenched in sweat and blood. He dazedly checked the time, muttering, "Only just over ten minutes have passed, but it felt like half a century."

He felt a sense of relief, like someone who had just survived a catastrophe. Fortunately, as a seventh-order Celestial Emperor in body cultivation, his brain's spiritual power was only at the sixth-order wizard level, making the transfer relatively easier. Otherwise, if he had been a seventh-order Celestial Emperor Wizard with immense spiritual power, he wondered what state he would be in now.

"It's a blessing in disguise that my Dao cultivation hasn't broken through to the seventh order yet," he mused, "allowing me to 'move house' while my brain's spiritual power was still weak." He took a deep breath, silently sensing his body. The world seemed entirely different. His thoughts became faster, and his memory incredibly clear. He had transformed into another form of life, no longer reliant on a flesh-and-blood brain, but now a magic core system lifeform.

"Bring up the gene chain," Xu Zhi said calmly.

Soon, a translucent blue virtual screen appeared before him:

1. Human Gene (Immortality Talent: 12 hours of dormancy daily)2. Evil Eye Gene3. Magic Cube Gene4. Magic Core Gene5. Empty

"A four-gene lifeform now," he mused. "I am already a pseudo-insectoid heroic lifeform on the same level as the Phoenix and Medusa." He lowered his gaze, silently observing the screen. "It's developing so fast! Now, without even realizing it, I'm just one gene slot away from being full."

Genes are the foundation of life and are not directly linked to life realm. Simply put, he now possessed four extraordinary bloodlines, granting him extremely strong combat power within the same realm. Moreover, many powerful extraordinary systems that had developed could not be cultivated without the corresponding extraordinary bloodlines.

He got up and took a shower, wiping away the blood and sweat. As he rinsed himself with the showerhead, he looked at himself in the mirror, feeling only a dizzying heaviness in his head. He shook his head; his brain felt like a sloshing tank of water—heavy, surging, and surprisingly elastic. "My brain matter is softening," he murmured. "It no longer stores memories; instead, it has become a cushioning white fluid, protecting the magic core, preventing concussions, and absorbing impacts during combat. Although the magic core system still has brain matter, its function has completely changed, acting like an airbag. What a peculiar magic core lifeform." Perhaps it was precisely this transformation that provided a more perfect vital force for survival.

At this moment, Xu Zhi truly, intuitively felt the novelty of a magic core system organism. His brain was no longer a weakness. Even extreme actions like inserting a finger into his temple and stirring would leave him unharmed. In a sense, Xu Zhi had become zombie-like, possessing terrifying vitality akin to a zombie. He had no vital points left other than his brain core. He could even transfer his consciousness to possess other bodies and utilize "resolve"—as long as the will of his brain's magic core was strong enough, he could unleash the potential to push his body's cells to their limits and break through genetic constraints.

"Truly unique."

Xu Zhi returned to the windowsill in the living room and sat down. Bright sunlight streamed onto the exquisite Huanghuali wood table. He picked up a pen and began to write and draw in a notebook, starting to organize his thoughts from the past few days.

"Two and a half months have passed, and I've transformed myself into something less and less human," he wrote. "And my vitality is growing increasingly tenacious. The magic core will be my only fatal weakness, as it stores my consciousness, soul, and spiritual power. Combined with the bodily vitality bestowed by the Nine Revolutions True Body, this level of vitality means that, among all Celestial Emperors observed so far, no one—except the Cthulhu Evil God—can kill me."

Xu Zhi put down his pen and reread the passage. It felt oddly like the diary of a mad scientist or a supervillain.

"Cultivating three major gene systems simultaneously," he continued. "The wizardry of the Evil Eye gene has merged with the magic core gene. The spiritual power cultivated by the brain wizard has entered the magic core, forming a mental world within it. Meanwhile, in my lower abdomen, there is another material world from the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art."

"A virtual world exists in my brain, living in fantasy, with countless beings providing spiritual impetus for my consciousness."

"A material world exists in my lower abdomen, living in reality, with countless beings providing vital energy for my physical body."

"One virtual, one real; one higher, one lower; one for the physical body, one for the Dao. These two worlds, each governing the body's material and spiritual aspects, perfectly command the body. The genes and systems within me seem to have formed an incredibly perfect complementary system. Is this destiny? Or coincidence?"

He thought for a moment, then picked up his pen again and wrote:

"This system should be more complete than Caroline's singular system."

"Perhaps," he continued, "by nurturing sentient beings in both the material and spiritual planes, and having them provide physical and spiritual power respectively, I can transform into an indescribably powerful, perpetually moving existence. This must be the true ultimate cosmic cultivation method!"

"These three genes, coupled with the dormancy and longevity granted by the immortality gene, are simply flawless."

Xu Zhi sat upright in his chair, pen in hand, continuously organizing everything about himself. He was quite satisfied with reaching this stage in just over two months. "Now, if I don't switch out any of my current genes, I have only one empty gene slot left until I'm full," he mused. "What gene will I choose for that last slot?"

He took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, then slowly closed the notebook and placed it in a drawer.

"Now that I have the magic core," he thought, "it's time to program the systems and processes for my brain." He closed his eyes and began programming. Although there was already a material world in his lower abdomen, creating a spiritual world in his brain using the "Death God Eternal Life" path was not yet within his current capabilities, as his spiritual power was only at the sixth-order wizard level.

Only after breaking through to the seventh-order Celestial Emperor in Dao cultivation could he even begin to tentatively create a small virtual online game world.

"The gains are already immense, and there's still a long way to go. I'll wait until I break through to the Dao Cultivation Celestial Emperor realm," he thought. Half a day later, Xu Zhi's expression calmed. However, when he thought of Dao cultivation, he remembered that his opportunity to comprehend the Dao Heart lay with Hermes.

Xu Zhi stood up and looked out the window. Now, the Three Realms had also fallen into complete turmoil. The first bizarre deity had appeared.