Chapter Seventy-Eight: Cellular Memory

Life grafting cannot be used to extract life from oneself and graft it onto something else.

This was the true reason why, once Ji Yu began to enhance himself, there was no turning back.

Now, standing three meters tall, his entire body knotted with earth-yellow muscles, each gentle step he took pressed a deep pit into the soft soil beneath the bamboo sea.

His skull had grown, making his head appear even more massive, while his hair, wildly proliferating, hung thick and heavy down to his waist.

At this moment, Ji Yu’s transformation bore no trace of humanity.

With his terrifying appearance, he strode deeper and deeper into the heart of the bamboo sea.

Here, where the bamboo grew dense, wild creatures began to appear in greater numbers—mostly birds, but also the occasional scorpion or centipede.

Birds darted through the air above the bamboo.

At the first glimpse of Ji Yu, this monstrous creature, the birds were instantly drawn to him.

Yet, instead of fear, many of them chattered and fluttered down, perching naturally on the unknown beast that Ji Yu had become.

Thus, a bizarre scene unfolded: upon the back of an unknown monster, dozens of birds had settled.

A monster and birds together?

Alas, there was no audience to witness this fantastical vision.

Nor did Ji Yu desire any spectators; he continued, absorbed in his own experiments.

Though his form had changed beyond recognition, an urgent impatience simmered within him. Yet, at moments like this, Ji Yu felt himself grow strangely calm.

It was difficult to describe the sensation. If anything, it seemed he had drifted into a trance-like state—ambiguous, neither fully here nor there.

In this state, Ji Yu pressed onward.

His enormous hands brushed the bamboo. Even as he crossed from the bamboo forest into a sea of trees, the behavior remained habitual.

An hour passed.

Ji Yu’s body swelled to a fearsome height of three and a half meters.

At this moment, he awakened a new trait—though one of little consequence.

[Trait: Burst of Strength (Intermediate)] (In a single instant of focus, you can unleash triple your usual maximum strength. Each use leaves you weakened for a time; the specifics depend on your current condition.)

This trait had manifested when Ji Yu’s constitution reached ten, but it was not what he sought.

He did not let its appearance disturb his state of mind; instead, he clung to his visualization.

He imagined himself shrinking, his body returning to a smaller form.

And so time flowed on.

After another two hours, Ji Yu’s height had reached a terrifying four and a half meters.

His appearance was even further removed from anything human.

Even his coccyx had sprouted a bony tail, and the surface of his skin gleamed with a dark metallic sheen.

When the breeze stirred, his abundant hair lifted and fluttered, resembling steel wire.

Benefiting from the life essence drifting around him, the birds that had gathered on his head and shoulders now showed subtle signs of growth as well.

But compared to Ji Yu, their progress was insignificant.

He was now near the upper limit of a constitution of 25, yet still, the trait he desired had not emerged.

But lost in his self-hypnosis, Ji Yu was oblivious to his current state, persisting in the act of life grafting.

It was not until he felt his body could no longer change, not by the smallest degree, that he finally roused himself from the trance.

When he opened his eyes, his vision had broadened; his ears caught every subtle sound.

As for his strength—

Ji Yu raised his hand, staring at the impossibly broad palm, clenching it before letting it fall open again.

His constitution had reached its limit.

The remaining life essence he shared among the birds hopping about his head and shoulders.

“It seems that traits cannot be awakened by will alone,” Ji Yu sighed.

Yet, he felt little disappointment.

For what he desired, the game had granted him.

[Created with care, dedicated to serving the player]

[Congratulations, player, through your own efforts, you have reached the secondary limit of life status.]

[Special reward: Trait – Cellular Memory]

[Trait: Cellular Memory (Advanced)] (Every stage of your physical growth and transformation is recorded by your cells. If you wish, you can even revert your body to an infant form.)

(Note 1: Adjusting your body via cellular memory consumes a great quantity of life force and causes some cellular damage. Please ensure you have sufficient life force before activating this trait.)

(Note 2: Adjusting your form will affect your abilities; please experience and discover the specifics yourself.)

Cellular memory—a trait that seemed of little practical use, yet its classification as advanced by the game hinted at a deeper significance.

To freely grow or shrink—could such an ability truly be called simple?

Paired with life grafting, this trait could multiply Ji Yu’s combat capabilities several times over.

But Ji Yu cared little for martial prowess.

His greatest concern now was that he could finally return to a normal human state.

With a faint sigh, Ji Yu began to attune himself to the changes wrought by cellular memory.

He started the journey back through the bamboo sea to where he had left his two packs—inside were clothes he could wear once he returned to his original form.

He walked on, using life grafting as he went, while employing cellular memory to adjust his body as he wished.

Step by step, his monstrous form, taller than a single-story building, shrank visibly.

By the time he returned to where his travel bags had fallen, he had nearly regained his human shape.

Now, Ji Yu checked his personal status.

[Player Status]
[Good]
[Life Level: 2]
[Constitution: 24.99 (Limit 5)] ×5
[Height: 1.82 meters (Limit 2.5 meters)] ×2
[Age: 26 (Limit 150)] ×2
[Trait 1: Vigorous Vitality (Intermediate)]
[Trait 2: Affinity with Nature (Intermediate)]
[Trait 3: Heightened Awareness (Low)]
[Trait 4: Life Grafting (Advanced)]
[New Trait 1: Burst of Strength (Intermediate)] (In a single instant of focus, you can unleash triple your usual maximum strength. Each use leaves you weakened for a time; the specifics depend on your current condition.)
[New Trait 2: Cellular Memory (Advanced)] (Every stage of your physical growth and transformation is recorded by your cells. If you wish, you can even revert your body to an infant form.)