Gene potions are a fusion of ancient Earth's Western alchemy and interstellar pharmaceutical technology, a system entirely distinct from traditional alchemy. Every trade has its own mysteries! Gene potions rely on a scientific method, using various instruments to harmonize medicinal properties, activating spiritual particles to produce astonishing effects. But alchemy is different. Chinese philosophy emphasizes harmony between heaven and humanity, believing all things have spirit—every blade of grass and tree is a product of nature's creation. Alchemy evolved from herbalism into an art of creation, a technique for generating life. A pill, round and smooth, symbolizes the unity of all things, representing the cosmos and holding infinite mysteries. Every mature pill is a living entity. To successfully refine a pill, one must not only master alchemical techniques but also possess a pill furnace. A pill furnace has three legs, two ears, and eight openings. The two ears symbolize the sun and moon, the three legs represent heaven, earth, and humanity, and the eight openings correspond to the eight trigrams and eight directions. When paired with specific alchemical methods, it can seize the wonders of nature, granting pills their miraculous effects. But pill furnaces were rare treasures even in the era of ancient cultivation. Now, in the interstellar age, with millennia of change and loss, where could Feng Lin find a suitable one? Without a pill furnace, his alchemical skills became a useless art—a dragon-slaying technique born in the wrong era. Feng Lin could only lament quietly, attempting to simplify alchemy and merge it with gene potions, continuously refining the crystallization pharmaceutical technique. His initial attempt had modest success, showing great potential. Using alchemy to brew gene potions was like using a dragon-slaying technique to kill snakes—overkill, yet remarkably effective. Feng Lin had no choice but to indulge in this extravagance. If he could perfect this crystallization pharmaceutical technique, it might become his unique gene potion method, paving a brilliant path as a gene pharmacist. Feng Lin began experimenting, while others also studied the crystallization technique. Though those people were geniuses in the gene potion field, Feng Lin wasn't worried. Even he, the creator, hadn't perfected it—how could they? If they had that ability, they'd have cracked the secrets of ancient divine medicines long ago! Why would they trail behind him, eagerly studying his crystallization technique? Clearly, they couldn't! With alchemy in his arsenal, Feng Lin believed perfecting the crystallization technique wasn't far off. And indeed, it was true. Recalling his earlier experience with crystallization alchemy, he gradually deduced and integrated alchemical methods, forming a preliminary framework—only experimentation remained. But seeing those egg-headed researchers, Feng Lin held back, suppressing his impulse. If he revealed a mature crystallization technique, wouldn't he become an egg-head like those inferior white researchers? Feng Lin felt he might have overdone it and quietly thought about leaving. Now that he had acquired alchemy—the ancient divine art of pill-making—mastering it would make becoming a gene pharmacist a breeze, and even surpass that. His goal at Giant Pharmaceutical was perfectly achieved, even exceeded. There was no need to stay in this eerie place, risking further danger. But now that he was in the core Earth Core Lab, leaving wasn't easy. Feng Lin wisely stayed put, waiting for an opportunity. Five or six days passed in a flash. The Earth Core Lab was already a classified department, and as the new team leader, Feng Lin's treatment was vastly different. His current residence was luxurious, with a state-of-the-art training room and various high-end instruments. Feng Lin finally measured his body's precise data: punch force 7.8 tons, 100-meter sprint in 1.98 seconds, breaking the 7-ton punch and 2-second sprint barriers. Giant Pharmaceutical now provided him with daily cultivation supplements of a different caliber—perfect-quality advanced life potions. Upon drinking one, Feng Lin immediately felt the difference. Using the method of refining essence into energy, his gene potential surged rapidly. Unfortunately, now that he was in the true core department, he was under invisible surveillance, unable to casually go out and absorb stellar energy to awaken other psychic genes. Feng Lin focused entirely on tempering himself, quickly raising his gene potential back to 701%, with vitality reaching 23.2. He had previously added 300% gene potential to the Stone Monkey gene. Now, adding 700% more, his potential plummeted back to a pitiful 1%. Conversely, the Stone Monkey gene silently evolved from 1 to 2. Feng Lin immediately felt the change: his body grew stronger, waves of heat surged from the depths of his marrow, soaking his meridians like a warm spring, strengthening them until they resembled steel cables—slender yet bursting with explosive power. His blood burned like magma, churning violently. Using his mental power to observe himself, he achieved the miraculous effect of internal vision, seeing every muscle fiber robust as rock, tough as steel wire. His bones took on a jade hue, with fine, metallic-like patterns. Stone body, iron bones—truly stone body, iron bones. His skin was tough as jade; a light tap produced a zither-like resonance, impervious to blades and spears. More remarkably, Feng Lin discovered every cell in his body was perfectly round and whole, seamless, with no gaps—a leak-proof form that no energy could penetrate. Stone Monkey Gene: Stone Body, Iron Bones; Immense Strength; Impervious to Blades and Spears; Immune to Water and Fire. With each gene enhancement, these four abilities clearly grew stronger. As he continued adding points, the abilities would likely keep strengthening until they reached their limit. At this point, Feng Lin found his vitality had surged to 32.4, breaking the 30-point barrier. This was the power of a mutated primal gene—each point added a massive boost to vitality. Vitality was now measured in whole units, no longer in tenths, increasing by 9.2 in one go. Unfortunately, gene potential was becoming harder to obtain. Just as he was fretting, he soon found a solution: Embezzlement! As the Earth Core Lab team leader, he had unlimited access to herbs and potions. Feng Lin regularly took potions home under the guise of research, and as long as he occasionally leaked progress on the crystallization technique, the egg-headed researchers were overjoyed, never suspecting a thing. By consuming these life-enhancing potions, his gene potential skyrocketed. Ten more days passed, and Feng Lin had accumulated enough potential to enhance the Stone Monkey gene by one more point. His abilities grew again, with vitality reaching 41.4, though the increase slightly diminished to 9.0. Prolonged use of potions led to resistance, reducing their effectiveness until they became useless. In just a week, Feng Lin had at least doubled in strength, yet his appearance remained unchanged. That was the terrifying aspect of gene enhancement: with enough potential, one could grow indefinitely without bottlenecks. Days passed, and Feng Lin lay low, occasionally showcasing progress in the crystallization technique to appear busy and lull his monitors into complacency. Meanwhile, his cultivation steadily advanced, with gene potential nearing 1000% again. He silently awaited an opportunity to leave Giant Pharmaceutical. Then, one day, while pretending to be busy in the Earth Core Lab, a violent tremor shook everything. Feng Lin looked up in shock to see the Martian core churning wildly, flames surging skyward, as if some terrifying entity was rampaging within, ready to break free. Beep! Beep! Beep! The underground base erupted with alarms. A squad of Giant Pharmaceutical soldiers plunged into a hidden tunnel leading deep into the core, vanishing from sight. It seemed there was another secret space within the core. "What is that?" Feng Lin asked his assistant. It was the Japanese egg-head named "Matsushita Kijin," who bowed obsequiously, his face full of flattery, and squeaked, "That's the company's greatest forbidden zone—the Core Ruins!"