Li Qing's interest deepened.

  He felt like a natural creator of biological evolution, akin to the Cell Civilization. To him, gene sequences were like building blocks in a child's hands or programming code in a computer, allowing him to explore various temptes.

  Before him y three useful primordial gene temptes:

  1. Amphibious Sprinkler Car

  2. Sea Giant

  3. Maritime Fortress

  These undoubtedly held the potential to evolve into mythical creatures like Giant Dragons, Tidal Giants, and Giant Monster Isnds. Regardless of their specific abilities, he could at least give them physical forms, even if they were outwardly strong but inwardly hollow.

  Li Qing began studying the books written in gene script and prepared bird cell samples, hoping to enrge the Amphibious Sprinkler Car into a finger-sized Giant Dragon.

  But after three grueling hours, he realized his technical skills were insufficient.

  He already possessed the basic embryonic life form. The next step should have been simple: scaling up the size by multiplying cells. However, as the cell count increased, the structure became unstable and colpsed.

  Repeated experiments all ended in failure.

  Instead, the constant microsurgical work left his brain severely fatigued.

  These cells were like bricks used to build a house. A simple, haphazardly designed brick house might stand, but a hundred-story skyscraper would inevitably colpse without a reinforced steel structure.

  Li Qing had originally pnned to use lightweight bird bone cells to support the fleshy mass, like skewers holding meat together. He envisioned stitching them together to create a structure that could even fly. But the technology simply wasn't up to the task.

  After several failed attempts, Li Qing finally understood:

  "They currently have a popution of six trillion, a thousand times that of Earth. Even a single branch of their fish-like civilization requires five to six billion people working simultaneously on genetic engineering projects. Their entire popution functions as scientists, dividing tasks and colborating like a massive, ultra-efficient supercomputer with trillions of processing units."

  "Even after merging with the spirit superpower, enhancing my intelligence and wisdom, I'm still just one person."

  It was like trying to develop a massive, 500-gigabyte video game. Could anyone casually pull that off without hundreds of programmers divided into specialized teams working for years?

  There was no way he could manage it alone.

  Scientific research shouldn't be taken lightly. Many groundbreaking discoveries by top scientists take over a decade of dedicated study.

  "What? You're saying seventy billion top scientists colborated on a single project, with perfect consensus, like a cluster of brain cells forming a unified consciousness? And they finished it in a single day?"

  "Never mind, then."

  The more Li Qing thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

  My superpower isn't about intelligence or small size. My greatest advantage is the ability to create a popution far exceeding Earth's in a single burst!

  With no popution limit, how terrifyingly fast could a civilization explode?

  But that "advantage" was also a death sentence.

  I can control them, but only a tiny fraction. The rest are disobedient and might even turn against me, trying to seize my superpower and repce me. The rger the popution, the faster I'd die.

  Regardless, Li Qing immediately abandoned any thought of self-reliance.

  This wasn't just a matter of internal competition; it was fundamentally impossible to keep up. It would be far faster to steal the Atabians' achievements.

  He needed to target their accumuted civilization's foundation!

  Li Qing set aside his Giant Dragon research, decring it a failure.

  But he wasn't one to give up easily. He sensed the Mental Guardian Corps he could control.

  As expected, another batch of creatures died upon entering, creating new openings for control.

  Li Qing immediately activated his eyes, focusing directly on the mite-sized Giant Dragon.

  One second.

  Two seconds.

  Seventy seconds.

  Whoosh!

  The primordial Giant Dragon, a patchwork of stitched-together cells, came to life.

  These Frankensteinian abominations, still fundamentally single-celled bacteria, could indeed undergo Awakening.

  "Ah..."

  "Oh... Who... are you..."

  Simple pulses of consciousness rippled outward.

  Li Qing briefly introduced himself and tossed the Atabian corpses to the creatures. "Study these thoroughly and strive to transform yourselves into Giant Dragons."

  He described the Giant Dragon's abilities, then sealed them in test tubes with culture medium, leaving them to their own devices.

  Though their numbers were meager and genetic reconstruction would likely be slow, having something was better than nothing.

  Exhausted from his tasks, Li Qing colpsed onto his bed, sprawling face-up, and took a long afternoon nap.

  Forget it. These biological evolution experiments aren't contributing much to my own growth. I'd be better off hitting the gym.

  At two in the afternoon, Li Qing decisively left his home and headed to a fitness center.

  Li Qing's appetite remained voracious, his body slowly bulking up, and his superpower growing stronger with each passing day.

  Since the mind stemmed from the body, a healthy physique would undoubtedly accelerate his progress.

  Though his savings weren't substantial, he still splurged on a high-end gym. He figured earning money wouldn't be difficult in the future, and he could easily cover his expenses for the next two or three months.

  "Yes, I'd like a male trainer, preferably in a private space where there are fewer women," Li Qing stated clearly at the gym's front desk, his logic impeccable.

  Strenuous exercise could trigger hormonal surges, potentially drawing unwanted attention—especially from fungal-skinned women.

  "No problem," the beautiful receptionist replied, giving Li Qing an odd look.

  Such impressive composure... What a shame he's... like that.

  Do people usually join high-end gyms for the premium equipment?

  No, it's because these exclusive facilities typically boast teams of stunningly attractive male and female trainers. That's their competitive edge—men seeking female trainers, women seeking male trainers. But there are always those with specific preferences... Men who specifically request muscur heartthrobs.

  Li Qing ignored the curious stares from onlookers. Soon, he walked into a private room with his male fitness trainer.

  At that moment, Susan emerged from the adjacent room, accompanied by a beautiful Yellow Race female trainer. She noticed Li Qing and cast a knowing gnce as he and the muscur trainer entered the room.

  So that's how it is, Susan thought to herself.

  With her striking beauty and supermodel physique honed through years of exercise, most men couldn't tear their eyes away from her at first gnce. Yet Li Qing had deliberately avoided looking at her face and body when they first met.

  Susan smiled knowingly, recognizing a kindred spirit. She paid it no further mind.

  Li Qing finished his workout as dusk settled. After returning home and eating dinner, it was past seven. He carried the ultraviolet mp to Ning Guochang's former residence, a few hundred meters away.

  Unlocking the door, he set the UV device on the floor and approached to check on Ning Guochang.

  What he saw startled him.

  This time, there was no movement, only the same deathly stillness. Why hadn't Ning Guochang managed to develop any countermeasures against the ultraviolet radiation in a full day?

  In truth, Li Qing had been too compcent.

  The initial popution of five to six trillion had been decimated, leaving just over one trillion survivors. This staggering 80% popution loss naturally slowed their evolutionary rate.

  Another factor was the difference in difficulty.

  What is alcohol?

  It's a substance that most organisms' skin can easily ignore, even using it as a disinfectant when applied topically. For a popution of six to seven trillion, evolving alcohol-resistant skin in a single night was routine; failing to do so would have been downright absurd.

  Ultraviolet radiation, however, was a different beast entirely.

  Developing resistance to high-intensity UV radiation isn't something just any organism can achieve. In fact, virtually no naturally occurring life on Earth can withstand it. Even humans exposed to such radiation quickly develop cancer.

  As Li Qing's researcher friend had warned, "This stuff is lethal!"

  "Finally, you're slowing down. Since you can't handle it, let's try another wave."

  Li Qing showed no mercy.

  He casually finished them off and went back to sleep.

  The next few days followed a monotonous routine:

  Global annihition.

  Global annihition.

  Currently, Li Qing only had UV radiation and alcohol at his disposal. He hadn't bothered seeking new methods of destruction—he was broke, Asian, and acquiring other resources would be difficult. Besides, discovering new weapons might only accelerate their evolution.

  Li Qing pnned to defeat magic with magic, allowing the vanguard of Familiars within to crumble from within. He would eliminate them, seize control, and cim the entire empire as his own. That was the only sting solution. Constantly devising new methods of world destruction to counter their relentless evolution would be a fatal mistake.

  Well, ultimately, it all comes down to a ck of resources.

  Over the next few days, Li Qing focused on researching superpowers and working out at the gym. He ran into Susan again, and after spending several days together, they gradually grew closer and became friends.

  During their conversations, she would even fsh a coquettish smile from her bacteria-ridden face, caress her golden hair intertwined with the bck Fungal Swarm, and deliberately shake her ample, honeycomb-textured chest—clearly trying to gauge Li Qing's reaction.

  But Li Qing only distanced himself further.

  Susan immediately found him peculiar, confirming her initial suspicions. Little did she know, Li Qing found her even stranger.

  Even her grandmother seemed somewhat attracted to me—the primal, genetic urge of life itself. Yet Susan remained unaffected, treating me as an ordinary man, Li Qing mused inwardly.

  He specuted that her lesbian orientation might be the reason. Some research suggested that such individuals aren't psychologically deviant but rather genetically predisposed to their sexual preferences.

  She was likely immune to Li Qing's influence precisely because she was attracted to women—perhaps even genetically predisposed to be.

  After sorting through his thoughts, Li Qing realized she wasn't a threat or interested in him romantically. He rexed and struck up a conversation, and she responded warmly, acting like they were old friends with shared interests.

  Before long, they were working out together. Susan enthusiastically offered to be Li Qing's personal trainer, and they became good neighbors and friends.

  After all, her family was truly wealthy and well-connected. Networking with her could be advantageous; she could become his own Doraemon prototype, someone who might help him acquire useful things in the future.

  "I'll introduce you to my girlfriend sometime," Susan said as she drove Li Qing home in her sports car. "She's Yellow Race. My grandmother mistakenly assumed I had a thing for Yellow Race men and took it upon herself to set us up."

  "But my girlfriend is seriously ill—she has terminal stomach cancer," Susan sighed. "She's been clinging to life for years, and my mother sees this as an opportunity to swoop in. I apologize for being rude during our first meeting."

  Li Qing found her story intriguing. This woman was genuinely devoted, unwavering in her support for her terminally ill girlfriend.

  Yet the mention of stomach cancer gave Li Qing pause.

  He got out of the car and headed home.

  It was now the sixth day since the ultraviolet radiation had begun.

  He witnessed a world-altering transformation.

  Through the gss window, beneath the ocean's surface, a mesmerizing underwater kingdom had emerged: coral reefs, seashells, schools of fish, vast green forests of seaweed, and handsome mermen wielding bone tridents—a living fairy tale.