1991 Picked Up One Not long after, Yu Jing was driving a flying beast car to Han Sen’s Jade Island. He hauled a whole bunch of xenogeneic genes out of the car. There were twenty-three of them. “Brother Han, what do you need this many xenogeneic genes for? Will they help in the fight against Lone Bamboo tomorrow?” Yu Jing asked Han Sen. “Yes, they will be quite useful. We can sign a contract, and I’ll reimburse you after the exam.” Han Sen moved the xenogeneic genes into his room. Some of those xenogeneic genes were as small as one’s fingertip. Others were as big as a mortar and pestle. All-in-all, they took up half of his entire room space. Fortunately, Han Sen had the technique called Consume. If he hadn’t, eating all of that in one night would have been impossible. After Yu Jing left, he went back to the stone house and began cooking the smallest genes. Han Sen swallowed a small bone. After he did, a weird power went into his own bones, and he heard an announcement: “Earl Gene +1” After proceeding to eat more and more, Han Sen tried the Blood God Mantis mutant gene. He had eaten seventeen pieces, and when his Earl gene tally reached fifty-seven, the mutant gene did not play him the announcement he feared. “I can finally eat it!” Han Sen put the ruby-looking bit into his mouth. He swallowed it, using Consume to digest it. Quickly, a hot flush rushed through Han Sen’s body. Just like the ant queen gene, it circulated on a path through Han Sen’s veins. The mutant gene’s power took a long time to get absorbed. But after a while, he heard an announcement. “Earl class xenogeneic geno art obtained: Red Reaper” Han Sen tracked the energy flow, and suddenly, a reaper of red smoke appeared. It clutched a red scythe. It was just like the reaper that appeared on the mantis before. The Red Reaper did not have a mind of its own. It was just a form of energy wrapped with a master’s control. Han Sen had to control it with his own will, but even so, it was very strong. It was far stronger than the Blood Good Mantis had been. Han Sen checked, and he could see that the body was filled with red mist. When a portion of the body was broken, it could regenerate. It wouldn’t be damaged. “This xenogeneic geno art is interesting.” Han Sen could do two things at the same time, so controlling the Red Reaper would not be difficult. Also, the power it wielded was stronger than Spell. That being said, it could only be used in close-quarters. The Red Reaper’s existence also consumed Han Sen’s own power. Every second it was around cost Han Sen energy, so he couldn’t use it for a very long time. Han Sen was strong, but even he would end up tired after using it for a while. The Earl xenogeneic genes were so big, and Han Sen did not even have the time to eat them. He’d give them back to Yu Jing after the fight the next day. The exam’s popularity was still as hot as it was a few days prior. Many people continued coming, all with the desire to watch Lone Bamboo. No one thought it was extra special today, though. Yu Jing hid himself in a corner and did not show up. He didn’t want to be found by the men he was avoiding. Thousand Feather Crane, Yun Sushang, Yun Suyi, and First Day had come to watch. Yun Suyi’s mind was wracked with conflicted thoughts. Lone Bamboo had come to the exam place. When it was his turn to do battle, he walked forward. Han Sen didn’t do anything particularly eye-catching, and he just walked before Lone Bamboo. Everything seemed to be developing fairly ordinarily. This was what had occurred before every other fight with Lone Bamboo. Seeing Han Sen walk over towards Lone Bamboo, Yu Jing—in the corner—felt beads of sweat form on his forehead and hands. He was more nervous than he would be if he was the one to fight. “The Fenghou pills! Eat them!” Yu Jing, not seeing Han Sen eat the pills, wanted to scream. But Han Sen did not do anything of the sort. He just walked over to Lone Bamboo, and at a distance of ten steps away, he started swinging. Ghost Teeth Knife had purple sword air. It was like a beast that could sunder the air, and it roared as it came before Lone Bamboo. Lone Bamboo had a jade sword on his waist, but he did not draw it. He used his left hand like a knife. The hand looked like jade, and it was swung at Han Sen like a blade. Its aim was the Teeth Knife knife air. Pang! The purple knife air slammed into the invisible knife air in the sky. The power shattered into a number of smaller knives that scattershot the ground. The rocks were cut open by the knife air, and there were far too many impacts across the ground. The ground could not sustain the pressure, and so it cracked. The rocks arose, and they were cut in the air. They were shattered even more. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮 Dong! Amidst the rocks and knife airs, they both started to move. Han Sen had his white Spell armor, while Lone Bamboo wore a jade armorset. Their knife airs kept going against each other quickly. The knife airs were all over the place, and the ground was broken. Even the lines of the arena were flickering. It looked as if they’d break at any given moment. The audience members that were sitting fairly close, started to fall back a bit. Everyone was shocked. No one expected a fight of such magnitude could erupt, without any prior indication. Four Duke class elites landed around the arena. They released power into the ring of battle to stabilize it. Yisha’s student is different. He is almost as impressive as she was.” In Sky Palace, a Sky with white hair observed the events of that arena. His eyes squinted. The eyes of many ordinary students were having difficulty tracking the fight. They saw the power everywhere, but amidst it all, they could not actually see Han Sen or Lone Bamboo. “D*mn! I thought that Han Sen was weak. He was carried into Sky Palace, wasn’t he? How is he so strong?” “Teeth Knife is powerful. It is too strong.” “It is no wonder he was the student selected by Knife Queen. I knew an elite like her would not accept a weak student.” As everyone discussed this, the knife air in the arena dissipated, then vanished. Han Sen and Lone Bamboo were still standing ten steps away from each other. The entire arena had been destroyed, as if an earthquake had taken place. “Teeth Knife is powerful,” Lone Bamboo said. Your knife skills aren’t too shabby, either,” Han Sen answered. “When I was in my 1964th dream, I was a knifeman. I wanted to be number one, and I attacked everyone. I died during a siege. This knife skill is called Picking Up One. I created this during that life,” Lone Bamboo said calmly.