"It’s impossible for a person to do something beyond the scope of their understanding. I knew perfectly well that there was no way I could replicate the third skill like I did the first two. So, I gave up. I didn’t even try to copy it!

"But if I didn’t follow Zhao Yuanyi’s orders, he certainly wouldn’t have let me go. So I understood that I had to find a way to trick the Zhao father and son..."

Reaching the crucial point, Feng Boyi suddenly paused. He looked at Su Ze listening intently, at the curiosity and confusion on his face, and said smugly, "I chose another method: a transplant!"

Su Ze’s pupils contracted involuntarily, and his heart suddenly began to race. It was as if he had just grasped something crucial.

A transplant?

A transplant!

"What did you transplant?!" His fingers tightened without him realizing it, crushing the burning cigarette butt in his hand. He didn’t even feel the glowing tip searing his skin.

A strange smile played on Feng Boyi’s lips. "I transplanted whatever I wanted to, of course. The two of you are completely identical. Even if I were to cut you both in half, swap the pieces, and stitch you back together, your bodies wouldn’t have any rejection."

"In fact, I actually tried it. Unfortunately, the reassembled body only smelled foul on one side. The flaw was too obvious, so I abandoned that idea."

’This lunatic!’

Su Ze’s emotions were in turmoil. He now understood just how insane this greasy, fat old man before him was. He might be a genius, but he was also a madman.

He was capable of anything. So-called "science" was merely a tool for him to achieve his goals; he wasn’t constrained by any sort of morality.

’A man like this is dangerous. Leaving him alive would be a disaster. I have to kill him the first chance I get...’ For the first time in his life, Su Ze wanted to kill someone with such conviction!

Su Ze took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "And then what? What did you ultimately transplant?"

Feng Boyi didn’t answer directly. Instead, he posed a question. "Did you know? An evolver’s body isn’t actually that important. For some evolvers with powerful regenerative abilities, I could destroy their entire body, leaving only their head, and they’d still be able to recover. They would even return to their peak strength, with every single one of their skills intact."

Su Ze replied, "Of course. All skills are encoded in the genes. What makes an evolver truly powerful is their genetic makeup."

Feng Boyi nodded. "All skills are encoded in the genes. Which is why, at the time, your genes and Zhao Lingxiao’s were not completely identical. Zhao Lingxiao’s genes contained the Bloodline Crystal skill, but yours didn’t. His genes also carried the foul stench of a Tainted One, which yours also lacked."

"Actually, for evolvers, organ transplants are fundamentally impossible. The rejection between organs from different evolvers is far too strong. Fortunately for you, you were Zhao Lingxiao’s clone to begin with, so you wouldn’t experience any rejection when receiving his organs."

"However, even transplanting some of Zhao Lingxiao’s organs into you wouldn’t enable you to master his third skill, because an organ transplant can’t alter your genes."

At this point, Feng Boyi lit another cigarette, took a drag, and said excitedly,

"And here’s the best part!

"I discovered that Zhao Lingxiao’s body still contained undigested extract! He had absorbed Princess Zhuzhi’s extract but hadn’t had time to fully digest it!

"An organ transplant can’t change your genes, but the Evolutionary Material within an extract can. And so... I transplanted his heart, which contained a portion of that undigested Evolutionary Material, into you!

"If you don’t believe me, you can cut open your chest and smell your own heart. See if it doesn’t carry a certain stench."

Su Ze stood as if struck by lightning, completely stunned.

The truth coming from Feng Boyi’s mouth was far beyond anything he could have imagined.

It was so shocking he found it hard to accept.

’Even though this all happened before I transmigrated here...’

’So that’s where my Divine Grace of Evolution skill came from.’

’So I have the heart of a Tainted One.’

Feng Boyi seemed extremely satisfied with Su Ze’s shocked expression; it gave him a great sense of accomplishment. He didn’t disturb Su Ze, just smoked quietly. Only after he’d finished another cigarette did he press, "I’ve answered your questions. Now it’s your turn to tell me: what exactly is the effect of that skill I transplanted into you?"

Snapping out of his trance, Su Ze returned to his senses.

He didn’t answer Feng Boyi’s question. He had gotten the answers he wanted, and now, he had no intention of revealing any more of his secrets to this lunatic.

Feng Boyi didn’t get angry. He simply said, "Answer my question, and I’ll throw in another piece of information that’s very important to you as a bonus."

"What information?"

"Do you think the Bloodline Crystal skill you acquired is complete?" Feng Boyi countered.

’The Divine Grace of Evolution skill... incomplete?’

’It’s true,’ Su Ze thought. ’If you could replicate a Bloodline Crystal skill just by growing a clone and transplanting an organ, you could mass-produce them, even if it was a bit convoluted.’

Su Ze pretended to hesitate for a moment before saying, "The skill I inherited from Zhao Lingxiao is called Divine Grace of Evolution. Its effect allows me to freely choose which skill I acquire when absorbing an extract."

"A powerful effect. But how do I know you’re not lying to me?"

"I get the exact skill I want from every vial of extract I absorb. I even acquired a Flying Skill on my first try. That shouldn’t be hard to verify."

Feng Boyi finally nodded. He didn’t ask Su Ze to demonstrate, apparently believing his words. He sighed in admiration. "Worthy of a Divine Skill Prototype from a Bloodline Crystal. Truly powerful. With a skill like that, you can freely create the perfect skill combination for yourself."

"I’ve answered your question. Now tell me, what’s so incomplete about my Divine Grace of Evolution skill?" Su Ze asked.

Feng Boyi spoke unhurriedly. "In my youth, I had the good fortune to study a Bloodline Crystal. Not the Shepherd King’s, of course. Compared to ordinary extracts, Bloodline Crystals have many unique properties."

"First, the skill from a Bloodline Crystal is guaranteed to be absorbed. Its priority is higher than any other skill. Initially, a Bloodline Crystal is just that—a crystal. It contains only a single skill. However, after it’s absorbed by an evolver and then made into an extract, it doesn’t matter how many other skills are in that extract. Whoever absorbs it will inevitably acquire the Bloodline Crystal’s skill."

Su Ze had heard this from Feng Bqing before, so he already knew. He pressed on, "What other properties does it have?"

Feng Boyi continued, "Second, a Bloodline Crystal cannot be lost or destroyed. Even the most powerful Saint-rank being cannot destroy one. Fire, lightning—it’s all useless. A Bloodline Crystal is indestructible."

"Then what if it’s absorbed by an evolver, but that evolver dies and no extract is made from them? Would the Bloodline Crystal disappear as the corpse rots away?" Su Ze asked after a moment of thought.

"No," Feng Boyi said firmly. "The Bloodline Crystal will precipitate out of the body, reverting to its original crystalline form. Even if the corpse is cremated, the crystal will reform itself within the flames."

"So a Bloodline Crystal will form from Zhao Lingxiao’s corpse!" Su Ze exclaimed.

Feng Boyi looked at Su Ze with an amused expression. "To be precise, an *incomplete* Bloodline Crystal will form, because part of it is still inside you."

"The reason I say your Bloodline Crystal skill is incomplete is this: only by absorbing an entire, intact Bloodline Crystal can one master the complete version of its skill."

"You probably can’t tell right now, but once you reach a higher evolutionary level—maybe the Butterfly Stage, maybe Saint-rank—one day, you might suddenly find that your Bloodline Crystal skill has stopped working."