Super Gene

Han Sen walked to the banks of the river under the guise of fetching water, but he really wanted to perform a test.

He still had two waterdrops left to use, but the tree had spent its first waterdrop over the course of two days. Using the two waterdrops directly wouldn’t be viable long term.

Han Sen wanted to look around for a few geno plants, to see if the black crystal would be willing to absorb their lifeforce.

The geno plants that could be found in the lands around the shelter were already owned, so he couldn’t use those.

But Qu Lanxi said that the river was called Jade-Scale River, and its source resided someplace in Thorn Forest. Geno plants would most certainly live on the banks of such a river.

That being said, they’d only be normal geno seeds. And since they weren’t cared for by others due to their lack of fruit, they wouldn’t be missed.

Han Sen pretended to go get water so he could take a look at the wild geno plants.

Han Sen took the bucket and kept walking. He was still injured, though, and he knew he’d have to be careful to avoid exhausting himself too much. For company, he summoned Meowth.

It wasn’t long before he found himself standing on the banks of the jade-like river. The Jade-Scale River was four meters wide, and its water flow was mellow. There were many plants skirting its banks.

Most of these were just everyday, natural plants, and not geno plants, however.

Although Han Sen was unsure which ones were geno plants, he was still able to use his senses to identify them by their lifeforce signatures.

Even the lowest tier geno plants were far more lively than normal, wild plants.

Han Sen followed the river up, with Meowth down by his feet in pet status.

"Meowth, if I knew things were going to be this tough, I would have brought Princess YinYang. They may not be able to fight very well, here in the Third God’s Sanctuary, but they could at least chat with me. They could even massage me!" Han Sen spoke to Meowth because Meowth was the only person that could talk to him, right now.

"Meow." Meowth answered Han Sen, and seemed to agree with what he said.

Han Sen was surprised by the response he received, and he felt as if Meowth was smarter than before. Previously, he had never given a single response.

But Meowth was from the First God’s Sanctuary, so its strength and intelligence was severely limited.

The reason Han Sen brought him was not because he was powerful or smart, though. It was because of his sentimentality towards the pet. Meowth had been with him for so long, and he cherished his company more as time went on. He couldn’t ever imagine leaving him behind.

Before long, Han Sen was able to find a plant that looked especially strong. He squatted to give it a better examination.

It looked like a vegetable, growing near the river. It had eight long, serrated leaves coming out of its top. The roots were short, but stout. Across its middle, a few pretty flowers bloomed.

"This must be a normal geno plant," Han Sen thought, as he brushed the leaves with his finger. Then, he looked at the black crystal in his Sea of Soul. "Black crystal, perform your miracle once again. Everything depends on you now, after all. You got me into this predicament, so you can get me out!"

As Han Sen prayed, the black crystal moved. It became a black hole, and it absorbed the lifeforce of the plant without reprieve.

Within a second, the plant had dried up entirely. It was like it had been uprooted and left to wilt under the scorching sun for a few days straight.

"It works!" Han Sen was glad, as he looked at the black crystal’s changes.

When the black crystal returned to normal, its body formulated another drop of water. Unlike before, though, this waterdrop was much smaller than the others. It was only one-third the size of the others, and energy it absorbed seemed to correspond with that, also.

Han Sen, however, was merely satisfied in the knowledge that this seemed to work. It did not matter how much energy he received right now.

In a joyous mood, Han Sen carried on his search for more geno plants. No creature or spirit needed such plants, so there were plenty for the taking.

Han Sen walked three miles and managed to find five plants, all in all. The black crystal absorbed each of their lifeforces and created five waterdrops.

Their sizes were all different, and the biggest was only half as big as the one from the Ink-Sword Tree.

"Strange. What is going on? The lifeforces of all these plants are similar, so why do the waterdrops differ in size?" Han Sen was unsure.

It was still early in the day, so Han Sen continued his search for more plants.

He walked another three meters and found a watervine near the river. It was purple in color, and it was about one meter long. When the wind blew, the water would submerge the vine.

The watervine was by no means outstanding in appearance, but Han Sen could sense its lifeforce. It was far stronger than the other five plants he had discovered, and it was special, too.

"Is this an ordinary-class geno plant?" Han Sen was thrilled at this discovery. When he approached the vine, however, Meowth suddenly engaged its battle mode. He meowed towards the water, as if he was warning Han Sen.

Han Sen took the warning and stopped moving. Then, he stared at the watervine. He had been injured, and his senses were weaker than they should have been. But after careful observation, he noticed another lifeforce near the vine. It was more powerful than any super creature he had seen in the Second God’s Sanctuary.

Han Sen, seeing this shadow near the watervine, saw that it was about the size of a fist. If you didn’t look closely, you’d believe it was the shadow of the watervine itself.

He noticed it was something alive, and judging from its shape, it was like a toad that was hiding in mud.

But Han Sen was very alarmed by its lifeforce.