Si Xi gazed at their creation with awe. The gene sequence apparatus, the huge metallic tube, stood vertically as various lights and liquid could be seen flashing from within. Naturally, for her to be standing here so at peace only meant that she had finished the first stage of the task her master gave her. The apparatus had been created and the subject had been submerged within. Now, all they needed to do was wait and watch till the machine did its work and extracted the serum.

Scholars clustered around the metal tube as they inspected, taking down various notes, inspecting performances. Si Xi felt at peace and happy with how far things had progressed. Disappointing the Dean would be unlikely — all she had to do now was wait.

Two entangled figures burst through the walls of the lab. She grimaced in horror. Just when she thought things were going to be smooth sailing from here, something like this just had to happen.

Of the two, she recognized only one — Spark, the high-class specimen the Dean had been working on. As for the other, she couldn't tell, but one thing she knew was that it looked like one of the creations of the Dean, and any creation of the Dean could only be on their side.

If that's so, then where is the Dean? I hope he hasn't come across any troubles. She worried for him. After all, from what she had deduced, Spark must have gone on a mass killing spree, and his core target would most likely be the Dean.

Bang!

A shockwave swept out from the clashing duo, flinging some frail scholars and equipment crashing into the wall. Si Xi frowned, but she didn't panic. She was well aware that the machine they had just constructed was near invulnerable, and that once it set into motion, stopping it would take a strength she wasn't even sure existed in these mortal lands.

Meanwhile, Lu Ming was mirroring her thoughts as relief washed through his mind, bringing him confidence and helping him contain his composure.

Spark thought that just getting here was enough to destroy his extraction apparatus? Sure, that would have been possible if the machine was only half finished. But now? That was an entirely different story.

Right now, even if he decided to leave the fool to do as he wished, destroying that apparatus was impossible… but as a meticulous man, Lu Ming didn't like taking chances, so he was determined to embroil with Spark to the end.

A sharp cutting pain stung from his innards. His internal organs twitched in pain. Lu Ming grunted, forcefully forcing down an emerging mouthful of blood.

His face went dark. He knew what was happening — his body had begun to give in. After all, it had to be noted he had modified his genetics repeatedly in search of perfection. His gene bonds had long been strained, added with the weight of carrying the genetic properties of various races and spirit beasts. Worst of all, here he was fighting a battle with someone stronger, faster, and more efficient at battle than him.

All these put together caused a snowballing effect, leading to his current straits… his heart lurched in fear as his muscles quivered in apprehension. His genetic pool was falling apart!

It was like an overly worn-down bridge which had undergone countless supplications, only for you to barrel through the shaky bridge with a truck…

His fur bristled as, beneath their shadowy grace, the metal dragon scales split and fell off…

But his eyes flickered with conviction. His jaw clenched as he continued with his furious exchange with his foe, not backing down in the slightest. Even if he broke down to mere bones, as long as he was breathing, he would do all in his power to see his dreams come through.

His foe, on the other hand, had long sensed his confidence in the invulnerability of the construct… Spark almost burst into laughter, but he forced it down.

Was there matter that his Will couldn't dissolve? Naturally, he wasn't aware. After all, there might be some strange artifacts and objects that existed beyond his comprehension.

But for this one, it couldn't be classified among them. In fact, his Will had long sneakily come into contact with the structure, and it was indeed quite sturdy. But he ascertained that he could still dissolve it with just a touch.

But he wasn't stupid. He couldn't just go ahead and waltz over. The lunatic would sense something wrong, and when that happened, it was only a given he would be obstructed.

As his lip pressed into a cunning smile, he thought: since he couldn't brute-force it, he just had to make it so he would approach the construct without arousing attention whatsoever. After all, as a battle-born, there were countless schemes and deceits he could conceptualize at a thought.

One had to realize that just because you had the greater power didn't necessarily mean you would win against your foe. There were other factors that could also come into play. Like Spark in this case — he was definitely stronger, but because of the strange means of his opponent, he still couldn't realize victory.

And now, since strength didn't play in his favor, he would just have to turn to his wits.

And so his muscles loosened, his output dwindled, thereby affecting his speed, strength, and regeneration.

Then his opponent Lu Ming noticed. Spark's hits seemed to carry lesser punches, his eerie untraceable footsteps dwindled in motion and weren't so untraceable anymore, and attacks delivered now seemed to have more impact while Spark regenerated less.

As expected of a flawed body. Even mine, the ultimate, is about to break down due to the battle load. It's only natural my opponent couldn't last also. The scholar quickly concluded, feeling more assured.

Proceeding to press further, his attacks became more feral and his strikes more lethal. Every action was made with the same conclusion — to cause the death of his foe.

His abominable figure seemed to embody more of its traits. After all, he was an ultimate creature of battle. Every part of his body was a lethal weapon. It was only a pity though — the owner of the body had a great mind, but it wasn't bred for battle… but for now, that didn't matter.

Whoom!

Another gale of wind swept by furiously, wrecking everything in its path. Only a truck-sized construct stood tall in these turbulent surroundings.

Since the arrival of the battle duo, the storm wreathed from their attacks had long furiously distorted the lab… if it could still be called a lab. Most of the scholars were long dead, their carcasses tossed and turned with the shockwaves.

Behind the construct were a few scholars. These few were the sharpest of the bunch. Immediately they saw the arrival of those two monsters, they picked the most suitable location for shelter.

Among them, Si Xi sat at the extreme end, gazing intently at the battle. The moment she saw the chimera creature gaining an advantage, she couldn't help but be overcome with a sense of glee.

That's what you get when facing the might of the Dean! she cheered inwardly. In her eyes, all creations of the Dean were nothing but weapons to his means. So to her, every victory his creature brought naturally belonged to the glorious Dean.

So what if you're a martial artist? The works of the Dean are far above what your muddled mind can fathom. Even immortals fail to grasp these divine assignments he took upon himself, she chanted with righteous fervor, her eyes filled with dedication and worship.

Like the young essence weavers, everyone mistook Spark for a cultivator, and no one doubted it one bit. It was certain that if they found out he was a mortal just like them, their expressions would be quite interesting to behold…

Suddenly she heard a soft pop noise from the side. Her eyes filled with surprise and excitement. Things are moving faster than expected. The first serum is almost completed. That means the other two will be ready within the next hour…

She poked her head back up and saw Spark being pushed back relentlessly. She was excited for a bit before she seemed to get an inkling of something…

Gazing at the whole thing, even though the chimera had the upper hand, the more she watched, the more she felt something was wrong. Her guts churned as a foreboding feeling of fear crept into her soul. Something wasn't right here… what was it?

It was only after paying attention for a bit that her expression turned strange, her eyes dark. Is it me, or does it look like that guy is getting beat up but always ends up closer to the extraction apparatus? No, her mind played no trick. It was indeed so.

Her expression warped as a punch from the chimera rammed straight into the abdomen of Spark, hurling him right toward the construct they hid behind.

"NO—" her frantic yell was cut short by the thunderclap explosion that followed on Spark's landing.

Booom!

A cloud of dust was kicked up and debris flew unwontedly. The man who delivered the punch froze. Normally, he should be excited about delivering such a blow, but for some reason his heart palpitated, his hair stood on end as he couldn't shake off the feeling that… he had been played.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.