The carriage quickly entered deep into main city of Naqueser, one of the most strategic locations of the HuaXia empire, from where the State of Marquis Long operated.
As the horse moved through the pale purplish clouds, people flying with various different spirit beasts, and vehicles made way for the carriage, unwilling to cause conflict.
However, Long Tian was indifferent to such treatment. The only thing that mattered to him was the speed itself. Apollo had the ability to go beyond the speed of sound, making him an excellent choice for travelling back and forth.
He stared at the city from the above the clouds. The large black and white buildings cast long, dark shadows over the smaller buildings around them.
Small mechanical vehicles busily sped across the spacious black roads, while vehicles and spirit animals of immortals could be seen flying around.
The people below, especially the children, kept looking at the horse and the white chariot.
A ten-year-old boy sitting on a train terminal stared at the chariot with envy.
“How does it even fly without wings? Laws of physics, what a bunch of bullshit!"
An older boy sitting beside him replied.
“Spirit beasts can use Qi to defy the laws of physics, just like immortals.”
He looked proud of himself for having this knowledge. His third uncle, Bai Wang, was an immortal. Whenever he visited, he would tell him the tales of the world of immortals.
“One day, I am going to become immortal and buy one of those for myself.”
The malnourished kid declared after a while, still looking at the sky wistfully.
*Click*
“Jiang Han, even if you become an immortal, there’s no way you can get a dragon-back horse. Only the Long clan rear them.”
The older kid clicked Jiang Han's forehead, making fun of him.
“Ow Ow Ow. You are no fun, Huang Ming. Men have to dream big.”
Jiang Han complained in indignance, while Bai Ming only laughed in response.
*************
The laboratory was located close to the gigantic walls that encircled the entirety of Nasaqer, far away from the Long Manor. In order to go there with normal transportation, it would take at least a couple hours.
Apollo took off in front of an old, two-story building right on the outskirts of Naqueser. A large wall could be seen standing proudly in the distance, extending as far as the eye could see. The colony seemed peaceful in comparison to the large city.
The area only had a few houses beside the main road, the number of houses got sparser and sparser after that.
“6 minutes and 23 seconds, you have gotten faster.”
The horse snorted and propped its head up, as if saying, “Off course.”
“Pick me up later"
It nodded and took off in the sky again, vanishing within seconds.
A 3-year-old dragon-back horse can already do this.
Long Tian looked towards the two-story house. Its rough, off-white walls bore the weathered marks of time, with stains and patches of plaster peeling away in places. The overgrown grass beneath added to the desolate atmosphere, as if the place had been abandoned long ago.
Moving forward, he retrieved a key from his white overcoat.
*Clink*
From inside, the house appeared much more ordered and neat.
The room itself was quite small. A fridge and a pair of old wooden couches sat beside the right wall, while a black wooden table with a bookshelf sat in the back.
*Thud*
He grabbed himself a drink from the antique freezer that looked like it had been through multiple generations. The fridge belonged to his grandmother. After her death, his mother kept the fridge in one piece, refusing to replace it even after it got tattered and outdated. He continued the same tradition.
*Click*
Igniting the chimney, he sat on the couch with a bottle in his hand. Bargard Jixen, a signature wine produced by Riveria. Despite being a normal wine, it is ranked 998 among all the heavenly drinks.
Fortunately, it has no Qi, or this bottle alone would have cost more than 10 spirit jades.
Sipping on the cold velvet wine slightly eased his throbbing temples. The intense combination of sweetness and sourness tingled his taste buds.
He stared at the massive photograph in the middle of the wall. A beautiful brunette woman in maroon was cradling a kid. Her wavy, voluminous brown hairs were separated by a small, twisted butterfly hairpin into two parts. She starred at the child in her hand with unending gentleness.
After reminiscing for a while, he stood up and grabbed a book from the shelf above the black table, revealing a switch behind. The whole table automatically moved to the left, revealing a small passageway,
……..
Gleaming stainless-steel counters lined the spacious white room in front of him, each equipped with advanced instruments that couldn't be found anywhere else in the empire. A sharp, rancid smell of acetyl alcohol overpowered the earthly smell of the petri dishes.
A large, black monitor hung from the walls, displaying complex data analysis in real-time. No outsider seemed to know that one of the best laboratories in the empire was built here.
“Young Master Long.”
Haider flashed a hearty smile at Long Tian, carrying a batch of tubes in his hands. His bald head gave off an impeccable shine.
“Yes, Haider. By the way, did Feng Huan send the solution?”
“Yes, Sir! The solution you asked for has been sourced. We can now start assembling it.”
An energetic Haider replied back in a booming voice, flashing his perfect white teeth. Long Tian always wondered how Haider maintained this cheerful energy after virtually staying inside the lab all day.
“Alright, let’s begin.”
A square glass tank with intricate compartments was sitting in the middle. Beside it, a pair of red and black cables sat silently with a few other gleaming steel parts of varying sizes. Long Tian quickly assembled the machine with unparalleled expertise.
“Bring the Tube no 73 from the first freezer.”
Long Tian poured a transparent solution into a beaker, mixing it with the whitish powder Haider brought with him. It quickly transformed into a translucent, viscous, whitish gel. After putting the gel in the tray, the machine was finally ready to go.
Agarose gel electrophoresis. Finding a substitute for agarose has been quite lucky.
“Bring the DNA samples.”
“Here, sir”
Haider seemed to be prepared already, passing a couple of tubes to Long Tian. He watched in wonder as Long Tian extracted the bluish DNA from the tubes labelled ‘Tian’ and ‘Xian’.
“The power supply.”
*Click*
A loud, roaring sound came from the generator. As the electrons passed from the anode and cathode cables to the transparent solution inside, patches of bubbles rose from each side of the machine. Haider watched in wonder as the rows of bubbles went up.
Is inventing a new method so easy? Bah! Only if you are Long Tian.
He stared at Long Tian, trying to peer into his secrets. No one would be able to guess that this skinny, nearly malnourished teenager is one of the best scientists on the entire continent.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Two blue samples slowly separated into several parts.
“What do we call this method, young master?”
“Gel electrophoresis. Can you guess what we are trying to do this time?”
“Probably has something to do with separating DNA sequences.”
Long Tian turned around in surprise, raising his eyebrows with a hint of surprise and appreciation.
“Correct, we are separating DNA genome sequences based on their size. You have come a long way since last year.”
Looking at his own sample, he found it hard to differentiate too much from the results of his past life.
He looked into the genome sequence of his smaller sibling, Long Xian. Unlike him, his step brother is a one-in-a-million prodigy who had already awakened by 5.
It seems like I have underestimated the extent of change. Three of the chromosomes are much bigger in size, and there are parts missing in two. This looks like a translocation case.
He stared at the results with an enigmatic smile on his face. Gaining new knowledge always gave him a huge dopamine boost. Long Tian had to admit that he had a terrible case of addiction. While the other young masters of his age focused on cultivation and women, he ran after this specific feeling.
This particular feeling of wonder that coursed through his entire being anytime he discovered something new, is what he would live and die for.
It's not a mere case of a single translocation! No, this goes far beyond translocation. Xian'er's genes have intermixed completely after awakening. There is even one extra pair of chromosomes. This is insane. How can one's genes reorganise like this after awakening?
Finding women? Taking care of himself? Who cared! All of these were secondary. The only reason he would like to cultivate is to live longer and discover more of the world outside the walls. He wanted to travel to every corner of Raoqen and find out all the peculiarities within this strange continent.
Well, it’s more like one and a half of a chromosome. Is it because he still has not gone through his second awakening?
He widened his eyes at the implication.
Would there be extra chromosomes once he goes through more awakenings?
“This is a world of magic and miracles, after all.”
“Yes, sir, but what did you find?”
Long Tian looked up at Haider, his eyes sparkling with a mysterious glint as he smiled.
"I found-"
Haider raised his eyebrows in anticipation, his ears perking up as he awaited his next words.
“-nothing you need to know right now.”
Haider looked betrayed at the sudden declaration.
“This is unfair, young master! I worked my ass off to find everything. I even went to the black market and had an epic battle that nearly cost me my life."
Long Tian shot a deadpan look at the dramatic Haider, declaring in a monotone voice.
"You probably just had to bargain."
Haider froze like a rabbit that got caught in his lies.
"But-"
“You will know in time. Do not rush.”
“Alright, young master.”
Haider looked disappointed. This enigmatic young master of his only said things in a cryptic manner, and sometimes he would just straight up not explain anything, like right now.
*****
Fei rin stood inside a large flying vehicle. Watching as it passed by the plains and jungle below at an incomprehensible speed.
She stared at the intimidating senior in front of her. Her white braids hung in the air, and a delicate tattoo extended from her neck to her left cheek. She knew that tattoo.
The white dragon clan. One of the four pillars of the empire.
She watched as the young woman was interrogating the dark skinned boy in front.
"Name?"
"Wang Min"
The boy seemed a bit fretful, but he still answered as calmly as possible.
"What stage are you in?"
"First gate middle step, Senior sister"
"Good! Good! For an eighth grade, you have done extremely well."
The braided woman's face lit up with a smile, making Fei Ren think that she was not as bad as she was told.
"Your aspect?"
"Protection"
"Huh?!"
The woman changed her expression, looking annoyed.
"Why did you choose protection as your first aspect?!"
The dark skinned boy was scared, but he still answered firmly, his angular face glowing with a conviction.
"I want to protect the ones close to me."
Fei Rin stared at the back of the senior who was just two levels above her. Would she be able to have that kind of conviction in two years?
She doubted it.
The braided young woman sighed, focusing on Fei Rin.
"And you?"
"Big sister, I am Fei Rin. I just got admitted. I haven’t opened any gates."
The woman's face crumbled even more with each and every word.
"And what aspect are you planning to choose for your first gate?"
Fei Rin stammered at the question, because she did not really think about it.
"Healing"
Both of the seniors now looked at her in a dumbfounded manner.
*********
Long Tian continued with the analysis, and soon the entire day had passed by.
He finally recalled that he was supposed to go to Feng estate today. However, he saw it was over eight o'clock of night.
Right. Well, tomorrow then.
"Haider, you can leave for today. Make sure to come tomorrow and prepare everything by eight o'clock."
"Alright, young master."
After finishing with the electrophoresis. He went ahead and got into the elevator again. He kept pressing on "close" button in a rhythmic manner.
Twice
Once
Twice
Once
Thrice
Twice
It seemed like a infrequent rhythm at first but the longer you looked at it, the more you could see that it was some sort of password.
The elevator went underground the as the rhythmical pressing of the close button continued.
*Ting*
A earthy, damp smell hit his nose as soon as he entered the room.
The room was quite small in comparison to the one at Long manor. It only had a white board, one small bed, and a reddish black table. The table and the black journals above it are the only similarities among his two rooms.
Long Tian brought out the journals and started scribbling again. He did not return to the manor that night.
....
"How many of the samples have been analyzed?"
Long Tian stared at Haider who seemed too comfortable with all the hassle.
"73 awakeners, 62 cultivators and 130 mortals, sir."
“Continue with the analysis, I have a meeting with Feng Huan.”
“As you wish.”
Haider continued to look at the departing back of Long Tian. Slowly, his face turned pensive as he brought out a white square crystal.
“Speak, Bunny”
An androgynous voice passed through.
“Wednesday, there is an update.”
***********************************************************
"Apollo!”
Going out of the house, he looked around and shouted. He stared at the barely crimson sky for more than 10 minutes.
This dastardly horse went off to play!
A small hint of annoyance could be seen in his brows. He started walking, knowing there was no use waiting. After all, the highway was only half a mile away, and he could grab a ride from there.
The pitch-black, coarse road was smooth and well maintained. Yellow leaves scattered everywhere, reminding him of the spring from the earth he had seen in history documentaries. During his time, the earth barely had any trees, most of them were replaced by artificial algae farms that produced the necessary oxygen.
The lush greenery on the roadside was peaceful and refreshing, bringing him peace of mind. After a while of walking, a small red brick house entered his eyes. As usual, a bald old man sat in a chair on the lawn, his mind wandering off somewhere else as he dazedly stared at the sky.
“Grandpa Ming, how are you doing?”
His dilated eyes below the grey eyebrows slowly refocused on the person in front of him, causing his lips to break into a smile.
“Tian’er, you finally remembered this old man. I thought you had forgotten this old man as well. Come, have a seat.”
Long Tian flashed an embarrassed smile. Whenever he got absorbed in his work, he usually forgot everything around him, including meals and showers, let alone people.
“Sorry for not visiting you more frequently, Grandpa. I have been a bit busy.”
Grandpa Ming flashed a teasing smile at him.
“I know how busy you are.”
Grandpa Ming quickly went inside the house and brought a red container along.
“Come, have a bite.”
Long Tian suspiciously looked at the burned black cookies that emitted a burnt smell.
As usual, anything grandpa Ming makes looks weird
“Thank you, grandpa.”
He looked a bit reluctant as he bit into the black cookies. Soon, a creamy sweetness filled his mouth. The burns added a nice smoky aftertaste to it, giving it a quite addictive flavour.
Heh, the taste is inversely proportional to its looks.
“Let me give you a business idea, gramps. You could make a bank with these.”
“Do you want to see this old man break his back at this age? I have enough savings to pass the rest of my life.”
Despite saying that, Grandpa Ming looked jubilant at the praise, wrinkles around his eyes showcasing his happiness. He quickly went inside the house again to bring out a huge container. Long Tian gaped at the barrel of cookies that was put in front of him.
“Take these along. You probably haven’t fixed your habit of missing meals. Do not have too many of those capsules.”
“Alright, thank you. Grandpa"
Long Tian appreciated the genuine kindness that asked for nothing in return. The old man treated him like his own grandson, and similarly, he genuinely thought of him as a grandparent. Both of them had very few people who genuinely cared for them.
After a bit of chitchat, he stood up and said farewell.
“Tian’er”
Long Tian halted at the small gate and looked back.
“When I die, please take my ashes back to Reverie.”
Long Tian looked back at the melancholic Grandpa Ming.
Gramps has gotten emotional again
“Your vitals are clear, Gramps. Your old bones will last for another few decades. You will last until i become a grandpa myself.”
Grandpa Ming only smiled in response, his expression one of complete enigma as he stared at Long Tian with absolute certainty.
“Just give me your word.”
Long Tian nodded, knowing he could not rationalize with this old man.
“Thank you”
As Long Tian left, Ming Huan whispered in an imperceptibly small voice.
“May Fate be with you.”