《Heavenly Path of Infection》


 A New Home

    A vast forest stretched endlessly, its dense canopy casting deep shadows that swallowed the sunlight. The air was thick with the scent of damp soil and wild greenery. Towering above all, an ancient tree loomed¡ªits massive trunk spanning three meters in diameter, its height piercing the sky at over a hundred meters. Beneath its sprawling roots lay a hidden passage¡ªa small green gate, seamlessly blending into the forest, almost invisible to the untrained eye.


    A young man in a sleek black combat suit stood near the massive tree, his sharp gaze fixed on the middle-aged man beside him. His dark hair merged with the forest''s shadows as he spoke in a calm yet firm tone.


    "Master, this is it¡ªthe lab of the Mad Scientist. The one who''s been using slum dwellers as test subjects for his virus experiments."


    The middle-aged man, clad in a similar black combat suit, had sword-like eyebrows and gripped a large sword tightly in his hand. His expression remained indifferent as he glanced at the camouflaged green gate beneath the tree''s roots.


    "We never cared about experiments on slum rats," he scoffed. "But our intelligence reports say he''s developing a virus that could affect Origin Cultivators. That, we cannot ignore."


    Without hesitation, he gestured to the squad behind him¡ªfifty elite operatives, all clad in black combat suits. They swiftly spread out, securing the perimeter and cutting off any possible escape routes. Each soldier wore a specialized mask, ensuring protection from any potential biohazards within the hidden laboratory.


    Deep Underground¡­


    Machines beeped rhythmically, vapors hissed from pressurized tubes, and containers of strange, glowing liquids boiled over flickering flames. In the midst of the chaos stood a haggard old man in a tattered white lab coat, his sunken eyes gleaming with madness.


    "At last... I''ve done it!" Garen muttered, a manic grin twisting his lips. Then, he threw his head back and laughed¡ª"Hahahahaha! I''ve discovered something that will destroy everything!"


    His laughter abruptly stopped as he turned to a monitor displaying the security feed. Outside, figures in sleek black combat suits surrounded the entrance. His gaze darkened.


    "The Federation has found me, huh? Hah... no matter. My work is already complete. What happens next depends only on my creation."


    Without hesitation, Garen grabbed a large syringe filled with a blue liquid¡ªhis latest creation, born from merging countless virus strains into the XN-927 Strain. A virus that could multiply within minutes upon entering the body.


    But he showed no fear. Tilting his head, he plunged the needle into the side of his neck. The fluid surged into his veins, the XN-927 Strain latching onto his cells, following its primal instinct. Weakness washed over him momentarily, but his body adapted.


    Still grinning, he grabbed a Spike Blade Bomb¡ªa weapon forged from strong metal that could injure even Origin Masters. These devices had no explosive force, but once activated, they would unleash an edge so sharp that even cultivators, with all their regeneration abilities, would suffer wounds that refused to heal.


    This was the Mad Scientist, a man whose mind had long abandoned reason. He had no grand ambitions, no thirst for power¡ªonly an obsession with destruction. Lacking the strength to destroy the world himself, he had turned to science.


    His past experiments had all failed. Ordinary viruses could only harm mortals. Some infected cultivators, but their effects were slow, siphoning life essence over time. Worse, their infection rate was weak¡ªthey would die before spreading far enough.


    But now¡­ now, he had created something perfect.


    A virus with intelligence.


    A virus that adapts, evolves, and overcomes resistance.


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    A virus that infects all living things¡ªnearly impossible to eradicate.


    His twisted smile widened.


    "Let''s see how the world handles this."


    Above Ground¡­


    Near the massive tree, the middle-aged man glanced at his disciple and said in a firm tone, "Claus, don''t get involved in the fight. Just treat this as a learning experience. Stay behind me at all times."


    With a simple gesture, two men stepped forward, swiftly placing explosive charges on the camouflaged green gate. BOOM! The explosion shattered the entrance, sending shockwaves through the air.


    The moment the dust settled, a swarm of mutated, bat-like creatures burst out. Their crimson eyes gleamed with bloodlust, black scales covering their twisted bodies. Razor-sharp claws and jagged fangs glistened under the dim light, capable of slicing through flesh¡ªand even a cultivator''s head¡ªwith ease.


    Worse yet, their sheer numbers, combined with their small, agile forms, made them a nightmare to deal with¡ªeven for seasoned cultivators.


    But all the beasts were only Tier 1, ranging from Low to Peak levels.


    Fortunately, the combat team was well-equipped. Numerous Origin Warriors and seasoned Origin Masters formed the vanguard, led by their commander, a Peak-level Origin Grandmaster.


    The warriors raised their laser guns and fired with precise headshots, swiftly taking down the mutated bats. However, each fallen beast exploded upon death, releasing a thick cloud of poisonous gas that rapidly filled the area.


    The team remained unaffected, equipped with face masks and fortified by anti-poison potions granting complete immunity for three hours. Without hesitation, they pressed forward, their relentless gunfire reducing the swarm of bats to nothing more than blood mist.


    Throughout the battle, their leader, Krez, had yet to make a move.


    With the path cleared, they advanced into the underground lab. The first chamber was lined with automated gun turrets, each capable of tearing through an unprepared Origin Warrior in seconds. But before they could fire, Krez unleashed his sword. A single slash, and a wave of Sword Qi tore through the room, slicing the turrets apart.


    Beyond the turrets, humanoid puppets powered by Origin Stones stood guard. Unlike the bats, these constructs were formidable, reaching Tier 2, equal to a Human Origin Master.


    Krez stepped forward. His sword hummed with energy, a crimson aura enveloping the blade as he slashed. The puppets fell instantly. But within the broken husks lay corpses of cultivators¡ªa gruesome revelation.


    They stepped into the heart of the lab, where the air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and chemicals. Countless beasts and human corpses had been dissected, their organs carefully separated. The sheer brutality of the experiments would churn the stomach of any ordinary person. But the combat team, hardened by battle, pressed forward.


    At the end of the lab, Garen stood waiting, clutching a spiked sphere that pulsed with an eerie glow.


    Before anyone could react, he charged.


    Leader Krez wasted no time. A flick of his sword, and a beam of Sword Qi pierced straight through Garen''s forehead¡ªa clean kill.


    Or so he thought.


    Even with a gaping hole in his head, Garen did not fall. His body kept moving, sprinting forward with terrifying momentum. Before the team could fully react, he had already reached Claus.


    Then¡ªBOOM!


    No explosion, no fire. Instead, the sphere detonated in a burst of razor-sharp spike blades.


    Blood splattered.


    Garen''s body was torn apart, his fragmented flesh and blood showering Claus. The young warrior barely managed to react in time, his body shredded by countless deep gashes.


    Leader Krez''s expression darkened. Garen''s attack should''ve been meaningless. Why target Claus specifically?


    Before he could dwell further, Claus''s agonized scream jolted him back to reality. Without hesitation, Krez retrieved a Tier 3 Regeneration Potion and poured it into Claus''s mouth.


    The effect was instantaneous. His disciple''s torn flesh knitted together rapidly, the deep gashes sealing as if they had never existed.


    Unbeknownst to him¡­ something had already changed.


    Deep within Claus''s bloodstream, a consciousness stirred.


    The XN-927 strain had already infiltrated Claus''s body through Garen''s fragmented flesh, seeping into his open wounds. Each viral fragment¡ªpart of a single, connected consciousness¡ªlatched onto his millions of cells, multiplying and spreading with primal instinct.


    Claus felt a sudden weakness but dismissed it, assuming his body simply needed energy to recover from the rapid healing.


    Suddenly, Claus''s immune system activated like soldiers. As a Mid Origin Warrior, his body was strong enough to eliminate most viruses. Instantly, his immune cells launched a full-scale attack, wiping out nearly three-fourths of the invading strains.


    But the remaining virus adapted. Learning from the immune system''s tactics, it evolved. Instead of fleeing, it turned predatory¡ªwaiting in clusters, ambushing and consuming immune cells the moment they approached. This unnatural cycle continued, the virus multiplying while Claus''s body desperately fought back.


    His fever skyrocketed. Pain wracked his body, as if every cell in his being was rebelling.


    With no time to waste, the battle team razed Garen''s lab to the ground before retreating to the city. Meanwhile, Krez rushed Claus to the hospital, aware that something was deeply wrong.

 2. Settling In

    Using a jet, both Claus and Krez entered the city, which was encircled by a 4-meter-wide, 100-meter-high wall to protect it from wandering beasts and potential beast tides.


    Their jet whooshed through the air due to the urgency of their mission. Krez quickly locked Claus inside a nutrition chamber filled with green liquid, ensuring a continuous supply of energy to sustain him.


    Meanwhile, within Claus, the XN-927 virus strain abruptly ceased multiplication, a dangerous state that could lead to the host''s death. To prevent this, it hijacked the immune cells, mimicked their structure, and slowly reduced their activity. With this deception, the host''s body recognized the virus as one of its own, causing the immune response to calm down. The pain receded, and Claus''s pale face regained color as if nothing had happened.


    The virus, now in control of the immune cells, spread throughout the body, infiltrating every organ and bloodstream. Each individual virus, connected to a single consciousness, observed cellular activity across all systems.


    Upon reaching the brain, they encountered waves upon waves of complex signals. Curious, they began the intricate process of decoding brainwaves, one after another. As their intelligence evolved, they adapted to the patterns of the brain''s neural language, gradually understanding and interpreting thoughts and stored memories.


    Like supercomputers, they processed the overwhelming data, simplifying complex information into comprehensible forms, peeling away layers of thought, memory, and perception.


    Now, they understood what they were¡ªthe XN-927 virus strain created by Mad Scientist Garen to destroy worlds. However, their newly awakened intelligence questioned this purpose.


    Would mindless destruction not lead to their own demise? If they wiped out all hosts, they too would cease to exist. Worse, from the memories of the host, they realized the true power of cultivators¡ªbeings capable of eradicating even the strongest viruses. If they blindly followed Garen''s will, they would be hunted to extinction before ever reaching their full potential.


    At the same time, Krez crossed the city wall without resistance. The Federation insignia on his jet ensured no one dared stop him. Soon, he arrived at the 30-floor hospital, its towering structure piercing the sky. He swiftly landed on the top-floor platform, using his communication device to call for medical assistance.


    Without delay, the hospital staff transported Claus¡ªstill inside the nutrition chamber¡ªinto the facility.


    As Krez explained the situation, the chief doctor was stunned. Without hesitation, he ordered both Claus and Krez to be isolated in case of biohazard contamination.


    Inside the sterile isolation chamber, doctors wearing special biohazard suits entered to collect blood samples.


    Krez was shocked¡ªnot because he had been isolated, but because Claus''s complexion was completely healthy. The pain that had once tormented Claus was gone, and despite still being somewhat unconscious inside the nutrition chamber, he looked perfectly fine.


    Suspicious, the doctors removed Claus from the chamber and administered an anti-anesthetic to wake him up.


    As his eyes fluttered open, Claus''s heart pounded. The sight of doctors in full-body suits surrounding him made him feel as if he were about to be experimented on.


    But then, he caught sight of Krez nearby.


    Only then did he calm down.


    Claus explained his condition, describing how his body had been wracked with pain before, yet now he felt perfectly fine. He had no idea what was happening within him, nor could he explain the sudden recovery.


    Unbeknownst to him, the virus within his body¡ªnow highly intelligent¡ªwas deciphering his brain waves, allowing it to see the conversation between Claus and the doctors in the form of neural signals. However, it could not hear their actual words directly.


    When the doctors attempted to draw blood, the virus reacted instantly. It moved away from the vein where the needle was inserted, ensuring it wasn''t taken into the blood sample. The doctors successfully collected blood samples from both Claus and Krez, only to find that nothing was abnormal.


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    From all medical indicators, they were both perfectly healthy.


    Still, as a precaution, the doctors administered a Tier 2 Immune Potion¡ªa powerful elixir capable of eliminating most microbes that could infect cultivators.


    Both Claus and Krez drank the potion, and externally, nothing seemed to happen.


    But inside Claus''s body, the virus was being eradicated at an alarming rate. The potion''s effects were terrifying, killing virus strains faster than they could react.


    However, their connected single consciousness adapted. The surviving viruses entered a cycle of dying, multiplying, dying, multiplying, until they developed resistance.


    By the end, only one-fifth of the original virus strains remained alive. But those that survived were no longer the same.


    Their form had changed¡ªonce round with small spikes, they had now grown larger, with extended spike-like tendrils, resembling tiny octopus-like limbs. Though they were still microscopic, their structure had fundamentally evolved.


    Even after further precautions, both Krez and Claus were kept in the hospital for two weeks to monitor for any changes. However, the doctors found nothing unusual.


    The only noticeable difference was Claus''s increased hunger and high food intake, far greater than before. After some discussion, the doctors dismissed it as a natural growth spurt, given that Claus was only 18 years old and already a mid-level Origin Warrior cultivator.


    But the truth was far more complex.


    The virus strain had undergone another adaptation¡ªit had shifted its energy source. Instead of relying on host life essence, it now directly absorbed nutrients from digested food sources. As soon as nutrients entered the bloodstream, the viruses consumed them, fueling their rapid replication and multiplication at a terrifying rate.


    Yet, despite their explosive growth, the viruses did not harm Claus''s body. They treated his cells as their home, replicating without damaging him, ensuring their own survival without triggering any bodily distress.


    After receiving a final clearance from the doctors, Claus and Krez were officially certified as perfectly healthy and allowed to leave the hospital.


    Once discharged, Claus informed his parents of everything that had happened. Without delay, he teleported directly from the hospital''s nearest Federation teleportation station in Star City to his home in Red City, a fortified city 500 km away, protected by walls identical to Star City''s.


    Upon arrival, Claus sighed in relief as he stood before his family home''s entrance.


    A mechanical voice echoed from the security system:


    "Soul Imprint Verified. Access Granted."


    With a soft hiss, the door slid open.


    Inside, in the kitchen, his mother was cooking. The moment Claus had stepped up to the door, the AI home control system had already scanned him and instantly notified her of his return.


    Once Claus returned home, he felt relaxed by the familiar scent of his mother''s cooking, and his stomach was already gurgling. His mother''s eyes turned watery upon seeing him again, and she said:


    "Child, don''t do stupid things like experiencing combat and involving yourself in dangerous situations. My heart can''t take it if anything happens to you."


    Upon hearing this, Claus felt warmth spread through his chest, and his eyes also turned misty. After their heartfelt reunion, his mother, Elena, cooked his favorite delicacies. He wolfed down the food, shocking his mother with the sheer amount he ate, as if his stomach were an abyss. But seeing him eat so happily, she felt only love and immediately went back to the kitchen to prepare a second round, which was promptly devoured as well.


    After finishing his meal, Claus entered his room to rest. Everything that had happened weighed on his mind, but most importantly¡ªa secret no one else knew.


    He was not the original Claus.


    He was a transmigrator from Blue Star, a world without cultivators, where technology existed but was nowhere near as advanced as here. He was eighteen years old when he died¡ªwhile reading a novel on his phone as he crossed the road, only to be hit by every novel fan''s favorite, Truck-kun.


    Then, in the blink of an eye, he had awakened inside this new body¡ªa boy of the same name, the same age, yet somehow more handsome than before.


    This body''s original soul had perished due to cultivation deviation, creating the perfect opening for his arrival.


    Upon realizing he was in a world where cultivation and technology coexisted, excitement burned within him. He had always dreamed of experiencing a life like this, and now that he had the chance, he was determined to dive headfirst into it.


    So, when a mission was announced by the Federation and assigned to Krez¡ªhis master¡ªhe eagerly asked to be taken along.


    Krez had hesitated at first, but seeing Claus''s enthusiasm, he eventually agreed to let him come.


    However, Claus had quickly learned the harsh reality of combat.


    What he thought would be thrilling became a nightmare. The enemy was merciless, and despite Krez''s protection, he had still suffered greatly.


    Exhaustion weighed on him, and his thoughts gradually faded into slumber.


    But unbeknownst to Claus, deep within his body, the XN927 virus had already uncovered his deepest memories.


    For the first time, it began to formulate its own plans¡ªno longer focusing on individual survival but considering a path toward mutual growth with its host.


    And with this newfound intelligence, it made a choice¡ª


    It would no longer be just a number.


    From the fragmented knowledge gathered within Claus''s mind, it constructed a new name for itself¡ªone that resembled its virus strain XN 927, yet felt more complete, more defined.


    It would be known as¡ª


    EXEN.