Crimson Research Institute.
Gene Division.
Wei Wei was dressed in a brand-new Crimson uniform, her rimless glasses perched on her nose as she busied herself at the laboratory workstation.
Lying on the experiment table in front of her was a three-year-old boy, his eyes tightly shut as he slept.
She was extracting blood samples and running detailed examinations on the boy's body.
On the other side of the room, Feng Qi and the Mist Lord sat on the sofa in the corner, quietly waiting for Wei Wei's results.
Feng Qi was still hesitant about the Mist Lord's proposal to cultivate a domain creature warrior.
The case of Ling Zhan was a painful precedent.
If the boy grew up, he might not become humanity's savior—he might turn into a future threat.
But he also felt that the Mist Lord's argument had merit.
As long as the boy developed emotions toward humans during his upbringing, even if he eventually learned the truth about his origins, he was unlikely to turn against humanity.
Through the old woman's explanation, Feng Qi had gained further insight into the boy's background.
The boy had been found two years ago, near the Hero's Cemetery in Star City's southern district.
It was Qingming Festival, and just before dawn, the old woman had set out to visit the cemetery.
Along the way, she discovered a half-naked boy hanging from a tree, staring at her with bright, curious eyes.
She had no idea why the boy's parents abandoned him, but from the moment she laid eyes on him, she felt a deep affection, as if it were fate.
Her husband and sons had all died on the frontlines, and this visit to their graves… felt like destiny's way of giving her a new family member.
So, she brought the boy home and raised him herself.
The old woman considered investigating the boy's true origins, but every time the thought crossed her mind, she hesitated.
She feared losing him.
Because of this selfishness, the boy never had an official identity—he was not registered in Star City's citizen records.
Aside from that, Feng Qi also learned that the boy's name was Zhang Daowen.
The old woman had chosen the name for a reason.
She did not want him to follow the path of martial arts.
Her husband and sons had all died because of martial training—all of them had joined the frontlines and perished in battle.
She hoped the boy's future would be different—that he would abandon the path of war and pursue knowledge instead.
When the old woman mentioned the name Zhang Daowen, Feng Qi felt a strange sense of familiarity.
It was as if he had heard this name before.
But no matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn't remember where.
It was not recorded in Star City's historical database, nor had he encountered any related information in his previous research.
And yet… the name still felt oddly familiar.
His mind was still recovering from the chaotic aftereffects of the Demonic Blade's memories, so he decided not to dwell on it too much.
"Still feel like the name is familiar?"
The Mist Lord seemed to notice his thoughts and suddenly asked.
"Yeah… It's like I've heard it somewhere before."
"Could it be that he's a historical genius recorded in the Star City database? Maybe this boy was supposed to leave a major mark in human history. Think carefully."
After a moment of silence, the Mist Lord continued:
"Based on his original trajectory, he shouldn't have practiced martial arts. Maybe he was supposed to be a researcher—someone working in a cultivation techniques institute or another scientific field."
Feng Qi fell into deep thought once more.
He had reviewed the records of geniuses from the past century, yet he found no mention of Zhang Daowen.
"Forget it. Maybe I'll remember when I'm not thinking about it. Or maybe I've never heard of him before, and this is just my mind playing tricks on me."
Hearing this, the Mist Lord didn't push further.
Both of them turned their attention back to Wei Wei, who was still busy with her examinations.
A few hours later, Wei Wei finished the tests, picked up the physical examination report, and walked over to Feng Qi.
She handed him the report and smiled.
"The test results are in. His bloodline potential is at least a hundred times greater than that of an ordinary human. In fact, we don't have the technology or equipment to determine his upper limit."
Feng Qi's heart pounded.
A growth potential that was over a hundred times greater than a normal human—what did that mean?
It meant that if a human cultivated for a hundred days, the boy would only need one day to achieve the same results.
And this was just the surface-level difference—the actual gap was likely even larger.
Bloodline potential didn't just affect physical strength.
It influenced intellect, spiritual talent, and overall combat capability.
As Feng Qi flipped through the report, Wei Wei picked up a cup of water from the coffee table, took a sip, and continued:
"I also ran a simulation test. If we tried to cultivate a human bloodline using the Blood Refinement Technique, it would take at least 3,000 years of continuous generational efforts to produce someone with this level of innate potential. And that's only if we have unlimited resources and ensure that each generation surpasses the last."
Feng Qi's hands trembled slightly as he held the report.
Hearing this, Feng Qi's heart surged with emotion.
He finally understood why the Mist Lord valued this mysterious child so much.
Just as the Mist Lord had said, this boy was truly the descendant of a powerful domain race—his innate talent at birth was already beyond the lifelong efforts of weaker races spanning generations.
What did this mean?
If he cultivated using the same techniques, what would take this boy mere months to achieve might require an ordinary person a lifetime of struggle.
At that moment, a sentence the Mist Lord had once said resurfaced in his mind:
"The result of generations of struggle by strong races—how can the weak ever hope to surpass it with just one lifetime of effort?"
"Feels real, doesn't it?" The Mist Lord grinned.
Feng Qi sighed.
"It's like we're all playing in the same game world, but some players activated growth cheats… How are we supposed to compete?"
Hearing this, the Mist Lord immediately gave him a disdainful look.
"Cheating? Who's the real cheater here? You're literally the guy who turned on hacks and then reported others for hacking. At least those guys can still die, while you just reset your timeline whenever you lose… Honestly, the only good thing is that we're on the same team now."
Feng Qi: …
Thinking about it carefully, he realized the Mist Lord wasn't wrong.
After a long silence, Feng Qi lifted his gaze to the boy still asleep on the operating table.
Now that he had confirmed the boy's immense growth potential, the real challenge was deciding how to raise him.
The risks were undeniable, but the potential rewards were massive.
But there was still one thing he didn't understand.
If time had followed its natural course, someone as talented as Zhang Daowen should have become a major historical figure.
Perhaps he had just missed the information.
Or maybe the boy had died young before he could make his mark.
There were too many possibilities.
One thing, however, was clear.
In the original timeline, this child had likely pursued a scholarly path rather than one of battle.
If he had ended up in a frontline domain combat squad, his growth potential would have made him a formidable warrior.
Even if he wasn't as powerful as Mu Qing, he would at least have ranked among the top ten war gods.
But with the old woman raising him, he was never meant to become a frontline fighter.
That was common among parents.
His own parents had been warriors in the "Smash the Domain's Skull Squad", yet they hoped he would enter the Cultivation Techniques Research Institute instead of following in their footsteps.
Becoming a cultivation researcher had once been his goal, too.
So, if he wanted to investigate the boy's future path, this was a good place to start.
Maybe he'd discover something unexpected.
But right now, he had no idea how to raise the boy.
Raising a child… was not something he had ever done.
One thought did occur to him—he could return the boy to the old woman and let her continue to raise him for now.
But after learning the boy was a domain creature, her attitude had changed.
Her husband and sons had died fighting domain creatures. That hatred was buried deep in her heart.
To her, this boy was no longer her family.
She didn't want him to die, but she also wanted nothing to do with him anymore.
Now, the boy was homeless.
"Feng Qi, why don't we keep him at the Crimson Research Institute for now? I'll take care of him until you decide what to do."
Looking at the still-sleeping boy, Feng Qi nodded without hesitation.
He had no clue how to raise him, so leaving him with the Crimson Research Institute was the best option for now.
As for why Wei Wei had called him "Comrade Feng Qi" instead of the familiar "Qi-ge".
That was simply to avoid suspicion in front of the Mist Lord.
The term "comrade" implied shared ideals, a common path, and was often used among members of Dawn.
Addressing each other this way was perfectly normal.
"Mist Lord, what do you think?" Wei Wei turned to him.
"I don't care. If you don't want him, I'll adopt him as my own son and raise him to conquer the world for me."
Feng Qi: …
Wei Wei: …
Turning to the Mist Lord's calm expression, Feng Qi felt utterly speechless.
This guy… was always so straightforward.
Leaving the Crimson Research Institute, Feng Qi returned to the Tiger Soul Research Institute.
The Mist Lord, on the other hand, headed to the military department to continue the Blood Refinement Warriors' training program.
Back in the training room, Feng Qi didn't immediately start his physical training.
There was still one more thing he needed to focus on.
The deciphering of the Flesh Sacrifice technique had reached a bottleneck. Old Wang's progress was slow and painstaking, and the process was incredibly difficult.
If there was anyone in this era who could help Old Wang with this task, there were certainly many geniuses to choose from.
But none of them could provide significant assistance in cracking the Flesh Sacrifice technique.
However, among the geniuses of this era, there was one particularly special person.
That was his former classmate—Xiao Xin.
For someone who always had "challenge" on the tip of her tongue, Feng Qi had a strong impression of her.
Her growth trajectory in history was extraordinary, so much so that Feng Qi even suspected that she might possess a Miracle Item or a fragment of one.
Otherwise, how could she consistently break through her limits whenever she was under pressure?
Back then, he had read an article written by people from the future that claimed his death had dealt a heavy blow to Xiao Xin, causing her fighting spirit to wane and leading her to fall into despair.
If the Sacrificial Timeline had continued, allowing him to develop new cultivation techniques, Xiao Xin would have undoubtedly followed in his footsteps and kept growing stronger.
That was why people in the future believed that Xiao Xin's potential was closely tied to Feng Qi.
Sometimes, Feng Qi couldn't help but wonder—maybe he wasn't chosen by Fate just because of his own abilities.
Maybe the exceptional talents around him were part of the reason, too.
For all he knew, the previous Savior might have been the Narrator itself.
Perhaps it had traveled through history countless times, failed to break through, and in the end, reselected a key historical node, deciding to choose him as the next Savior.
Of course, this was all just his speculation.
Even the clueless Narrator had forgotten the real truth, so how could he possibly know it?
On this Sacrificial Timeline, he wanted to bring Xiao Xin into the Crimson Research Institute and have her help crack the Flesh Sacrifice technique.
But telling her directly obviously wouldn't work.
Xiao Xin was unique. She needed the pressure of competition to unlock her true potential.
The greater the competition, the faster her growth.
If she was given enough pressure, this eccentric girl might just create a miracle, succeeding in deciphering the Flesh Sacrifice technique—something even Old Wang had been unable to achieve.
So before bringing her in, he needed to prepare the groundwork.
Currently, Xiao Xin was studying at Galaxy Academy, with one year left until graduation.
Over the next year, he planned to lay the foundation, giving Xiao Xin enough pressure and fueling her desire to challenge him once again.
With this thought in mind, Feng Qi walked over to the corner of the training room and turned on his computer.
After a brief moment, the desktop interface appeared.
He immediately opened the database and started searching for information.
To ignite Xiao Xin's competitive spirit, he had to showcase his overwhelming growth and make sure she saw it.
The Tiger Soul Research Institute had already begun paving the way for this.
Opening the news section, the screen was flooded with articles about him.
[Star City's Top Genius, Feng Qi, Resurfaces After Years of Silence to Develop a New Cultivation Technique—A Super Technique Said to Enhance Bloodline Potential. The Initial Testing Phase Has Begun!]
[The Star of Star City Still Shines Bright—An Exclusive Analysis of Feng Qi's Latest Cultivation Technique, Brought to You by the Tiger Soul Research Institute!]
[Feng Qi: In This Era, No One Can Crack the Cultivation Technique I Have Developed…]
…
Seeing these news headlines, Feng Qi knew that the Tiger Soul Research Institute had already started building the momentum for him.
This first step was to let Xiao Xin realize the gap between them, as well as the speed of his current growth.
By applying enough pressure, he could move on to step two.
Having been classmates for years, Feng Qi knew Xiao Xin well.
As long as he gave her a little push, this eccentric girl would undoubtedly rise to the challenge once more.
Once Xiao Xin graduated from Galaxy Academy, he would recruit her into the Crimson Research Institute.
That would be the true beginning of the Flesh Sacrifice decryption project.
At that time, he would frame the situation like this—he would be publicly researching the Flesh Sacrifice technique at the Tiger Soul Research Institute, issuing a challenge to all geniuses worldwide.
Meanwhile, after joining the Crimson Research Institute, Xiao Xin would be assigned a task—to crack the Flesh Sacrifice technique and overcome his challenge.
If he handled the details right, then the moment Xiao Xin joined, she would become like an engine fully revved up, completely driven by her competitive spirit.
There was a real chance that she could decipher the Flesh Sacrifice technique.
If she truly succeeded, the contribution to humanity would be greater than developing a hundred five-star-rated cultivation techniques.
A decrypted version of the Flesh Sacrifice technique would greatly accelerate humanity's advancement, exponentially boosting the rate of bloodline potential growth across all humans.
Saying it would be a monumental achievement wouldn't even do it justice.
The plan had already been finalized in the internal meetings.
Now, Feng Qi was simply waiting for Xiao Xin to build up her fighting spirit and challenge him once again.