Clone Ascension

Evan didn’t remember how he left the smoking room.He didn’t remember walking back to his seat.He didn’t remember the faces around him, or the voices, or the stage.

The academic conference continued as if nothing had happened, but every sound felt distant—thin, hollow, like cicadas buzzing behind glass. His mind filtered everything out. He sat among the crowd like a ghost, staring at nothing, his thoughts scattered and weightless.

One conversation with Dr. Boyi Feng had shattered the ground beneath his feet.

A clone.A stolen heart.A tainted organ.An incomplete divine‑tier ability.

He didn’t know what to do next.

“You look pale. Are you alright?”

Prince Atago of the Great Desert Kingdom leaned closer, concern in his eyes.

“Oh… I’m fine. Just a bit stuffy. I’ll take a walk.”

Evan stood and slipped out of the conference hall. The corridor outside was empty, quiet, and dimly lit. He paced back and forth, hands in his pockets, mind racing. He always thought better when he walked—each step helping untangle the knots in his thoughts.

“First, I need to confirm whether Dr. Feng was telling the truth. I’ll have to ask Yvonne when we get back. If there’s a flaw in his evolutionary logic, she’ll find it.”

He didn’t think Dr. Feng had a reason to lie.But caution was survival.

“If everything he said is true, then I have two problems:

“One, I have a Stenchmarked heart. Can it be cured?

“Two, my Evolution’s Grace is incomplete. I need to find a way to restore it.”

He took a deep breath.

Even if Dr. Feng hadn’t lied, the old man clearly had his own agenda.

The first problem wasn’t urgent. Even if he truly carried a Stenchmarked heart, it didn’t affect his body—only his mind. It was disgusting, yes, but manageable. And although the stench of the Stenchmarked was said to be incurable, Evan refused to believe in absolutes. With enough evolutionary power, anything was possible.

Besides, he wasn’t a true Stenchmarked.He only carried a transplanted heart.That alone made him easier to cure than the real thing.

The second problem, however, was far more serious.

“How do I complete Evolution’s Grace?”

The only way was to absorb the full bloodline crystal.But he had no idea where the remaining fragment was.

The rest of the crystal was inside Liam Zhao’s corpse.

But what happened to that corpse?

Was it buried?Cremated?Extracted?

He knew nothing.

If Liam Zhao had been buried, the remaining bloodline crystal should have already re‑formed inside the grave.If cremated, the crystal would have appeared on the spot—and someone must have taken it.

To find the truth, he would have to trace Liam Zhao’s corpse.But the Shepherd Nation was forbidden territory for him.He had no connections there, no channels, no way to investigate.

Evolution’s Grace was the foundation of his strength.He would never give it up.

If he ever had the chance—if he ever had the power—he would search for the missing crystal.

“Looks like I’ll have to wait until I’m stronger.”

His thoughts drifted to the two key figures in this mess: Elias Zhao and Arden.

“Elias Zhao probably doesn’t know the truth. He’s cunning, but his evolutionary level is too low. Anything involving bloodline crystals is far above his reach.”

But Arden…

Evan frowned.

Nothing about the Shepherd King made sense.

The bloodline crystal originally belonged to Arden. He had spent years searching for someone who could absorb it. He had pampered Princess Seraphine after she succeeded. He clearly valued the crystal deeply.

So why, after Liam Zhao absorbed Seraphine’s extract, did Arden suddenly stop caring?

He could have killed Liam Zhao and waited for the crystal to re‑form.He didn’t need a trial.He didn’t need a clone.He didn’t need to wait.

With his authority, he could have done anything.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

Unless…

“Unless Arden already retrieved the remaining crystal.”

The thought chilled Evan.

“If I were him, holding a damaged bloodline crystal, I would want to complete it. And he knows about me. It wouldn’t be hard for him to guess that the missing fragment is inside my body.”

That alone was enough reason for Arden to target him.

“But it still feels too simple…”

A shiver ran down Evan’s spine.

He felt like he had already stepped into Arden’s game board.He had once sworn to stay far away from the Shepherd Nation.But now, it seemed inevitable that he would one day walk into that country.

For Evolution’s Grace.For the bloodline crystal.He would have to go.

And Arden—that old fox—was surely waiting with something prepared.

Thinking too much was pointless.Strength was the only cure for fear.

As long as he became strong enough—strong enough to crush ten Shepherd Kings with one punch—no scheme could touch him.

He steadied his breathing.

Dongli was fertile ground for his growth.He had to seize this opportunity and rise as quickly as possible.

…

Evan didn’t return to the conference hall.He waited in the corridor until the academic exchange finally ended.

Linwood Royal Academy hosted a banquet afterward, inviting all participants. Evan had no appetite. He forced down a few bites, then left early with Wendy Lewis.

On the way back to the hotel, Wendy asked, “How did it go? Did you get what you wanted?”

Evan nodded. They entered her room, and he recounted everything Dr. Feng had told him, word for word.

When he mentioned the heart transplant, Wendy’s brows tightened slightly. But as an evolutionary scientist, she accepted the information far more calmly than he had.

When he finished, she said, “Verifying Dr. Feng’s claims is simple. Once we’re back, I’ll remove a small piece of your heart tissue and examine it.”

Evan grimaced. “That sounds… unpleasant.”

“You won’t feel a thing,” she assured him. “And you don’t need to worry too much. You’re not a true Stenchmarked. I don’t smell anything on you. Even if your heart carries the taint, it won’t spread to your body. It’s not urgent.”

“I know. It’s just… gross.”

He hesitated, then asked, “If I remove the heart entirely and regenerate a new one using a regeneration core… would that get rid of the stench?”

Wendy considered it. “It’s possible. A true Stenchmarked can’t be cured—their genes carry the rot. But you’re different. The heart doesn’t belong to you genetically. The stench is in Liam Zhao’s genes, not yours. Your genes are not identical.”

She added, “Just like bloodline crystal abilities can’t be copied through cloning, the Stenchmarked rot can’t be copied either. Transplanting his heart didn’t change your genes.”

“So yes, I think it’s worth trying. Even if it fails, it’s a direction.”

Evan nodded. He would try it once they returned to Dongli. At worst, he would waste a regeneration core—he could always form another.

Wendy continued, “Dr. Feng said your Evolution’s Grace is incomplete. What do you think? If it’s truly incomplete, you should have felt something wrong.”

Evan collapsed onto the sofa, thinking hard.

He had.

There were many things about Evolution’s Grace he didn’t understand.Many anomalies he had always attributed to the ability.

He listed them:

Choosing abilities freely when absorbing extracts.Passive skill upgrades.The mysterious shadow behind him.His unusually fast digestion of extracts.

But none of these effects were things he could consciously sense from the ability itself.

If Evolution’s Grace truly had these functions, he should have been able to feel them.

So he had doubted it before.He had even wondered if these anomalies were benefits of being a transmigrator.

But what if these abilities were incomplete—unstable—flickering—because the bloodline crystal inside him was incomplete?

It was possible.

But one thing didn’t fit.

Liam Zhao should have had the complete version.Yet from Liam’s memories, he had never known Evolution’s Grace had any effects beyond “one extra extract per stage.”

Evan shared his thoughts, omitting anything related to transmigration.

Wendy said, “Your guess might be right. Your Evolution’s Grace may be incomplete, causing some functions to be uncontrollable. Another possibility is that your ability truly only has one effect—and once you reach Saint‑tier, it will suddenly stop working.”

She paused. “Or both could be true.”

Evan frowned.He couldn’t accept either outcome.

He was a transmigrator.Having a cheat was basic human rights.A half‑broken cheat?Unacceptable.

In his mind, Evolution’s Grace was supposed to grow stronger the further he advanced. After learning that Saint‑tier evolvers only gained one new ability per stage, he understood how powerful his ability truly was.

Below Saint‑tier, the advantage wasn’t huge—four extracts versus three.

But at Saint‑tier?Two extracts versus one?

That was exponential.

And now he was being told it might stop working?

Impossible.

But for now, it was only speculation.

“We’ll see when the time comes,” Evan said firmly. “If Evolution’s Grace really is incomplete, then once I reach Saint‑tier, I’ll go to the Shepherd Nation myself.”

As long as Arden hadn’t completed his fifth evolution, Evan refused to believe he couldn’t defeat him.

Wendy placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Don’t burden yourself. When you reach Saint‑tier, I’ll help you. Aunt Yun will help you. Dongli’s strongest will help you. You’re not alone.”

Evan exhaled softly. “I know. Thanks.”

He changed the subject. “The conference is over. We’re heading back tomorrow morning?”

“Tomorrow morning,” Wendy said. “Dr. Adrian Linwood, the top evolutionary scientist of Linwood Continent, will give the closing speech at Linwood Royal Academy. After that, we return home.”

“Dr. Linwood? Who is he? Why is everyone waiting for him to give a speech?”

Wendy smiled. “He’s not just the continent’s number one evolutionary scientist. He’s also a five‑time evolved Saint‑tier sovereign.”

Evan coughed. “Ah. A great man indeed. Very admirable. Very… humble.”

…

Meanwhile, at Linwood Royal Academy, Dean Raymond Whitlock had just finished sending off the banquet guests when Director Samuel Grant hurried toward him.

“Dean Whitlock!”

Whitlock frowned. “Director Grant, whatever it is, tell me tomorrow. I have something important to attend to.”

“It’s about Adrian Talbot’s death!”

Whitlock stopped walking.

Adrian Talbot.That name had haunted him for weeks.

Last month, during freshman field training, Adrian—though not a freshman—had joined the new students in the Bloodsoil Forest. He never returned.Nor did the two freshmen with him.Nor the Cocoon‑tier instructor assigned to protect them.

And now Grant had something new to report.