Sovereign Grade Gene — Great Solar Spirit Body

Before inscribing Shadow Legion, Lu Yuan planned to evolve some of his other Transcendent Genes first.

Shadow Legion was, after all, an Emperor Grade Transcendent Gene. Inscribing it without preparation would be asking for trouble if something went wrong.

When it came to Gene Inscription — something that touched on one's very life — no amount of caution was ever too much.

Lu Yuan left the Training Hall and returned to his rented apartment.

He made his way to the bathroom, stripped off his clothes, and settled cross-legged in the bathtub.

He had already loaded a fresh batch of Spirit Crystals into the Evolution Cube — roughly fifty million Sixth-tier Spirit Crystals in total.

His remaining reserves still sat at around three hundred million Sixth-tier Spirit Crystals.

The Evolution Cube pulsed with a faint blue radiance. With a single thought, Lu Yuan directed that blue light into the Earth Spirit Body.

Spirit Power drained from the Evolution Cube at a ferocious rate. His Gene Chain began to shift, and his body changed with it. Searing agony tore through him — cracks split open across his skin, blood gushing forth in jets, a rapid-fire **crack crack crack** filling the air as his bones broke one after another. His body swayed, and the sheer force of the pain wrenched a low, muffled groan from deep in his throat.

It was far more intense than anything he had endured in previous evolutions. His mind went white — consciousness all but scoured away by raw, undiluted pain — yet despite it all, his spirit remained stubbornly awake throughout the process, and no matter how bad it got, he simply could not lose consciousness.

*Blacking out right now might actually be a mercy.*

His Gene Chain kept shifting, the evolution pressing relentlessly on. Lu Yuan lost all track of time.

How long it lasted, he couldn't say. Eventually the pain subsided, and his entire body was encased in a thick shell of dried blood.

The blue radiance within him had faded to the faintest glimmer. The evolution was nearly complete, and the pain along with it.

Before long, the blue light vanished entirely. His Gene Chain stilled. Lu Yuan felt an incomparably powerful force rise from the Gene Chain itself — welling up from the deepest core of every cell, flooding into every limb and bone.

That force was so immense it rivaled the combined strength of his other four Emperor Grade genes put together.

Lu Yuan shifted slightly, and the shell of dried blood cracked apart, revealing the flawless, marble-sculpted lines of his body beneath.

He clenched his fist. A flicker of genuine shock crossed his face.

*So this is what a Sovereign Grade gene feels like.*

A single evolution, and the leap in his own strength was already dramatic.

If he evolved the other four Emperor Grade genes as well... wouldn't he be able to grind a Battle Sovereign into the dirt without breaking a sweat?

That was, of course, assuming the Battle Sovereign had only inscribed Emperor Grade genes. One who had inscribed Sovereign Grade genes themselves was an entirely different matter.

Lu Yuan drew a slow breath, reining in his wandering thoughts, and turned his focus to the information on the newly evolved gene.

**Sovereign Grade Gene: Great Solar Spirit Body**

Compared to the Earth Spirit Body, the Great Solar Spirit Body was stronger across the board — a comprehensive, all-encompassing enhancement. He had already felt the boost firsthand. Once activated, in addition to a massive increase across all attributes, Lu Yuan's Spirit Power would carry the scorching, overwhelming heat of a sun.

At the same time, when absorbing sunlight, the Great Solar Spirit Body granted extraordinary regenerative capability — not just for injuries, but for Spirit Power and physical stamina as well, all recovering at a remarkable rate.

At night, without sunlight, the regeneration was considerably weaker — but it still surpassed what the Earth Spirit Body had provided.

The inherited knowledge encoded in the Great Solar Spirit Body also encompassed the application of stellar gravitational forces, along with mastery over rock and metal. His control over stone and metal had improved enormously; even a casual strike utilizing those forces, he estimated, now carried the power of a Lord Grade Combat Technique.

It was absurdly strong.

Furthermore, his enhanced command over gravitational force let him manipulate the gravity field of an entire area far more easily. He guessed he could now push a region's gravity to over a hundred times its natural level.

For powerful Gene Warriors, that degree of gravitational increase might not seem decisive in isolation — but in combat, small variables could add up. Think of it as a handy little trick to pull out at the right moment.

All things considered, the Great Solar Spirit Body was everything a Sovereign Grade gene ought to be.

Lu Yuan exhaled slowly, steadying his excitement. He washed himself off, rinsing away the cracked shell of dried blood.

Then he decided to go find something good to eat and replenish his energy. He had lost a lot of blood, and he was genuinely hungry.

Just as he was about to head out, he paused and reached for his Communication Crystal.

It was flickering steadily with white light.

He raised an eyebrow and connected the call. Amy's adorable face appeared in the crystal — and she launched straight in the moment she materialized:

"You big liar! Your ranking on the Prodigy Rankings — it's — aiyah!!"

Amy slammed her eyes shut. Her face turned crimson, and she slapped both hands over her eyes. "You pervert!"

Lu Yuan: *...?*

Behind Amy, Wang Lingling's face peeked into view.

She took one look at Lu Yuan and smiled — gentle, composed, the corners of her lips curving upward.

"Ah-Yuan has a nice physique."

Lu Yuan blinked, then looked down.

He still wasn't wearing any clothes.

An awkward expression crept across his face.

Fortunately, the Communication Crystal only captured him from the upper chest and above.

Still — Amy, those fingers over your eyes... the gaps between them were way too wide. He could clearly see those big purple irises watching him.

As Lu Yuan caught Amy's wide, unabashedly curious gaze, a vein threatened to throb at his temple.

It seemed Wang Lingling's educational campaign on the facts of life had gone rather smoothly.

The old Amy would have announced, without hesitation, that a man whose exposed body had been seen deserved to die on the spot.

He stifled the comment.

"I just got out of the bath," he said with a grin. "Give me a second — I'll put some clothes on."

Wang Lingling smiled warmly. "No need to rush on our account. Why not angle the crystal a little lower?"

Lu Yuan: *!!*

*So this is the real Wang Lingling.*

He laughed. "How about you come take a look in person, Lingling? Free to touch — for you, at least. Anyone else, I'd have to charge."

Wang Lingling's smile froze. Then her eyes narrowed. "Really? Tell me where you are. I'll come right now."

That stopped him cold. He cleared his throat. "Cough — I was joking. Let me get dressed."

Fair enough. With Wang Lingling's scheming nature, there was no telling whether she'd secretly record the whole thing. A video like that floating around? He'd never live it down.

Wang Lingling smiled serenely. Amy, meanwhile, looked almost disappointed.

Lu Yuan nearly choked. *Disappointed about what, exactly?!*

He bit back the retort, repositioned the Communication Crystal so it couldn't capture him, and quickly changed.

"Alright," he said once he was dressed. "What did you need, Amy?"

Amy blinked as the original purpose of her call came rushing back.

"Right! Your ranking on the Prodigy Rankings disappeared. What happened? Lots of people are talking about it."

Lu Yuan paused. Right — after breaking through to Battle King Rank, his name would have vanished from the Prodigy Rankings. The Rankings only tracked those below Battle King.

He had been sitting at rank one, with countless eyes on him. The moment his name disappeared, it was bound to set people talking.

"Because I've already broken through to Battle King Rank," he said with a smile.

Amy's eyes went wide. "That fast?! I'm still at peak Battle Venerable... and I work so hard."

She puffed her cheeks in vague indignation.

Even Wang Lingling looked genuinely surprised.

"Just broke through," Lu Yuan said. "I'm planning to take it easy for a bit. Want to come out, both of you?"

Amy's eyes lit up. She glanced at Wang Lingling.

Wang Lingling smiled. "If Ah-Yuan comes to find Amy himself, the Lord of Tianrao will certainly not refuse — he'll practically roll out the welcome mat."

At that, Amy's cheeks went faintly pink.

Lu Yuan felt a twinge of awkwardness. He knew exactly how enthusiastic Adams got whenever he showed up.

Ever since he'd claimed rank one on the Prodigy Rankings, the Algaibi Family, the Li Family, the Si Family, and even Rebecca's Harold Family had apparently been quarreling constantly over him. Every one of them wanted him to come stay with their family — understandably so, given that he genuinely got along well with the young women of each household.

As a result, Li Qinghe had basically stopped going home.

Si Tingyu and Si Tingxue were in an even more awkward position. Si Qi had such a domineering nature that she was practically ready to order the two sisters to drag Lu Yuan back with them by force. Both were left thoroughly dazed by the whole situation — especially Si Tingxue, who hadn't spoken to Lu Yuan in several days.

Lu Yuan maintained his innocence.

Rebecca was as carefree as ever, but since she had been spending time with Si Tingxue, she hadn't been in much contact with him lately.

Amy was in a similar boat. The last time Lu Yuan had dropped by during a break in training, Adams had found out within moments and had nearly cornered him on the spot to ask when he planned to start looking for a wife. The position was simple: if Lu Yuan was interested, an engagement with Amy could be arranged immediately.

Wang Lingling could be included in the dowry, of course.

Both Lu Yuan and Amy had been mildly bewildered at the time. Wang Lingling, for her part, had just smiled with her usual warmth, looking utterly unbothered.

Lu Yuan understood the reasoning. His rank one on the Prodigy Rankings displayed talent that was simply extraordinary, and several Battle Emperors were perceptive enough to recognize that his relationships with their daughters were genuine. They would not have resorted to such aggressive tactics otherwise.

Still, all of it had put him and the girls in a somewhat awkward position.

A beat of silence passed. Lu Yuan scratched the back of his head and laughed.

"How about I come find you two right now? Just... don't tell Old Man Adams, alright? Otherwise I'll have to make a run for it."

Just picturing Adams's over-enthusiastic welcome made him shudder.

Amy gave a solemn, emphatic nod.

"Lingling and I will sneak out. We'll meet you outside! And not the amusement park this time — the whole place is crawling with great-grandfather's informants!"

The memory still made her indignant. Last time they had gone to an amusement park, someone had snitched, and Adams had caught them practically the moment they walked in. They had barely gotten to enjoy any of it.

Lu Yuan had no objections. He nodded with a grin. "Let's grab something to eat first — I'm absolutely starving."

Lu Yuan stepped out of his residential building.

With a thought, his body rose into the air, transforming into a streak of light as he shot toward the Teleportation Hall.

It was his first time flying since breaking through to Battle King Rank. The sensation of soaring freely through the open sky filled him with a light, uncomplicated joy.

As he passed a military aircraft, several Kaman Gene Warriors inside spotted him and froze.

One of them — a towering figure — stared after him, wide-eyed.

"Was... was that Lu Yuan? The one who defeated Prince Aimen?!"

Another looked uncertain. "It... seems like it?"

"Lu Yuan can fly now — that means he's reached Battle King Rank, right? Humans can only fly once they hit Battle King? So Lu Yuan is already Battle King?! That's fast!"

"I just heard that Lu Yuan's name disappeared from the Prodigy Rankings. People were already guessing he'd broken through — looks like it was true."

The Kaman warriors exchanged glances, visibly surprised.

"Should we contact Prince Aimen? He might want to know."

"Let's hold off. Give the Prince a bit more time to train first."

"Fair enough..."

Their eyes flickered. They had watched the bout between Lu Yuan and Aimen firsthand, and they knew exactly how strong Lu Yuan was. They did not believe the current Aimen could defeat him.

As Lu Yuan streaked through the sky above White Cloud City, quite a few people spotted him. His fame there had grown immense — and once they recognized him, the sight of him in flight immediately sparked surprise. That meant Battle King Rank, achieved already.

It was generally assumed that a genius who cracked the top ten of the Prodigy Rankings would hold their spot for a decent stretch of time. If nothing else, the Auction House's full commission waiver was reason enough to stay — a prodigy with goods to sell could pocket a substantial sum just from the saved fees.

Elite talent naturally needed resources, and most who broke into the top ten came from powerful factions to begin with. But extra savings were extra savings, and who would say no to that?

Yet Lu Yuan had held rank one for barely two real-world months before breaking through. To most observers, that was unusually fast.

Though — he was clearly a genuine genius, and presumably had his own reasons. People didn't dwell on it. It was more a passing curiosity than anything else.

Lu Yuan arrived at the Teleportation Hall and teleported to Tianrao City.

He had been training exclusively in White Cloud City for some time now. The Prodigy Rankings perks applied there — Training Hall discounts, priority access — so he had seen little reason to return to Tianrao City or Red Maple City.

Stepping out of the Tianrao City Teleportation Hall, the passersby around him did a collective double-take, as if they'd seen a ghost.

Then someone cried out.

"Holy — is that Lu Yuan?! Lord Lu Yuan?!"

"The rank one on the Prodigy Rankings?! In the flesh?! I can't believe it!"

The crowd erupted — hushed whispers here, open exclamations there — as heads turned toward him one after another.

Lu Yuan's expression darkened. He had forgotten that he was even more recognizable in a human city than in White Cloud City.

His exploits had been running as top headlines across the Battle Net on Great Qi Star for a long stretch of time. He wouldn't be surprised if the Battle Net journalists could milk his climb to rank one for a full year's worth of stories without running dry.

At this point, there was virtually no Gene Warrior on Great Qi Star who didn't know his name.

In the Future War Gods Group, Wang Xiangxiang and the others had mentioned that simply being his classmates — and staying in occasional contact with him — had caused some powerful Battle Venerables to treat them with unusual deference.

Bear in mind that Wang Xiangxiang and the rest were still only Warrior Rank.

That said everything about how loudly his name now resonated.

Wang Xiangxiang had even teased him in the group chat, urging him to keep working hard so the Future War Gods Group could someday live up to its name and actually have a War God in it.

Lu Yuan had replied that he'd do his best.

Honestly, his prospects didn't feel impossibly distant. Reaching War God rank seemed like it might just be achievable — with the effort he put in, and with a certain Evolution Cube lending a modest helping hand.

It wasn't only Wang Xiangxiang's group, either. Groat and his team had also benefited — having served as Lu Yuan's companions at one point, they had received preferential treatment and had actually risen to the rank of military officers because of it.

Even ordinary civilians with no connection to Gene Warriors at all had heard his name.

The only reason he wasn't drowning in endorsement requests was that everyone knew he was no ordinary person. Otherwise, he couldn't imagine how many brands would be fighting over him.