The Arhat of the mortal world, the Bronze Monk of Shaolin!
Feng Lin exchanged courtesies with him, then carefully sized him up.
Shaolin Temple!
In two lifetimes, he was no stranger to that name.
All martial arts under heaven originate from Shaolin.
It was a great martial arts school from the ancient Earth era. Though it had lain dormant for a long time after entering the interstellar age, with the great discovery of mythical genes, ancient cultivation practices were revitalized.
Shaolin Temple, with its profound heritage, successfully integrated mythical gene theory, transforming its seventy-two supreme arts into gene martial arts, and thus flourished once again.
Though this great monk wore a kasaya, he carried technological devices on him, clearly an interstellar human, which meant he understood gene martial arts.
This was something to be wary of!
The facts proved exactly as he had anticipated.
...
Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist!
His wide sleeves fluttered as the great monk charged down like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, his entire body bursting with dazzling golden light.
His palm struck like the wind, a vigorous fist force tearing through the air.
The force arrived before the palm.
Feng Lin couldn't dodge in time and was sent stumbling backward by this force that struck from a distance.
Such was the marvel of the Virtual Martial Tower—though it was a condensation of ethereal energy, it produced real effects.
"Bagua Palm!" Feng Lin steadied himself, applying what he had just learned from the sixth floor of the Martial Tower. He stepped in the Bagua pattern, leveraging the agile nature of the Bagua Palm, and swiftly circled around his opponent.
Palm met palm.
Feng Lin's body swayed slightly, but the great monk staggered back ten paces before stopping.
Though he was the head of Shaolin's Arhat Hall, his life force was clearly limited to 1.
The gap in life force made it difficult for him to confront Feng Lin head-on.
But Feng Lin wasn't faring well either; his palm ached as if struck by a heavy hammer, throbbing with pain.
"Is this gene martial arts?" Feng Lin thought in alarm.
Martial arts were divided into two types: ancient martial arts and gene martial arts.
Ancient martial arts tempered the body and pursued techniques of force exertion—pure combat skills. In the ancient Earth era, they were called kung fu, national arts, fighting, and so on, varying by country.
Gene martial arts were different. Their principles delved deep into genes, maximizing genetic potential, making them truly transcendent martial arts.
This Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist was clearly a gene martial art, capable of awakening the Vajra gene, granting one a Vajra body impervious to ordinary harm.
The great monk struck relentlessly, his body as if forged from bronze and iron. His palm techniques were fierce, and his force penetrated the air, leaving palm prints on the hard walls. What would it do to a person?
"Monkey Gazes at the Moon!" Feng Lin used the Monkey Fist, the ape gene pushing the fierce and agile traits of the Monkey Fist to their peak.
A grayish, stony luster appeared on his skin. When his hand clashed with the great monk's claws, it produced crisp sounds like metal striking stone.
The Stone Fetus gene and the Vajra gene were both body-strengthening genes.
Though his opponent used gene martial arts, Feng Lin's life force exceeded his by 0.6, so he held his own.
In speed and strength, Feng Lin had the upper hand.
Finally, he spotted a flaw and used a move called "White Ape Dances with Sword" to utterly defeat his opponent.
Gene Potential +36%.
The gene potential gained this time surged instantly, clearly showing that battling gene martial artists was more beneficial for understanding and mastering one's own cultivation.
Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist!
Feng Lin saw the technique again.
Gene martial arts were graded from low to high: Low Martial, Mid Martial, High Martial, and Super Martial, each further divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels.
The Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist was only a beginner Low Martial art, capable of harnessing just one gene power—the Vajra gene.
Though Feng Lin didn't have this gene, the Stone Fetus gene was also a body-strengthening type, similar to the Vajra gene. While he couldn't fully utilize the technique, he could still bring out fifty to sixty percent of its power.
Gene martial arts were gene martial arts—even at fifty to sixty percent power, they were incomparable to ungraded ancient martial arts.
If not for his overwhelming life force, Feng Lin wouldn't have stood a chance against the great monk.
Feng Lin practiced earnestly, memorizing the moves and essentials of the Vajra Demon-Subduing Palm before continuing upward.
The bamboo grove was serene, petals falling in a riot of colors. An old man with an immortal air emerged leisurely from the bamboo. Though not tall, he exuded a calm, distant aura that made him seem unfathomable.
"Come!" The old man didn't bow to Feng Lin; he simply beckoned, like an ancient martial arts master reborn, carrying a natural air of pride.
The battle began.
Feng Lin wasted no words and struck without hesitation.
After reaching the tenth floor, the virtual martial masters all had life forces exceeding 1, drawing closer to his own, and they were proficient in various gene martial arts.
Gradually losing the advantage of life force superiority, Feng Lin had to rely on pure strength to fight head-on, making victory much harder.
The old man stood in the center, unmoving, as if intimidated by Feng Lin's fierce moves.
"Good chance!" Feng Lin moved lightly, like a spirit ape leaping through a mountain stream, circling the old man to find an opening.
Suddenly, his eyes flickered, and he flashed behind the old man, using a Monkey Fist move to strike at the back of his head.
This move was vicious—if it hit, it would crack the opponent's skull.
But the old man seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He gently deflected with one wrist, the motion soft and light.
Boom!
A force like a water vortex swept Feng Lin in, sending all his power astray.
The old man's body suddenly spun like a top, as if boneless, twisting freely. His hands struck at Feng Lin like antelope hanging by its horns—elusive and unpredictable.
Boneless Tai Chi!
This was clearly another gene martial art.
Feng Lin recognized it.
Boneless Tai Chi manipulated the boneless gene within the body, making the bones as soft as water, able to change at will, as if boneless.
It was a gene martial art optimized from the ancient Tai Chi.
In fact, all gene martial arts in the interstellar age evolved from ancient martial arts, preserving original combat theories while blending mythical gene knowledge. They not only strengthened the body but also deeply refined the genes.
Tai Chi used softness to overcome hardness, four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds.
The old man's bones were soft, twisting freely, pushing the softness of Tai Chi to its extreme.
Push, Block, and Strike!
His body suddenly coiled like a spring, twisting three full turns before releasing. With the powerful torque of his twist, he formed a fist and struck with a thunderous force.
Boom!
The fist shot out, wind howled, thunder roared!
It was earth-shattering.
"Not good!" Feng Lin exclaimed, feeling a massive force like a mountain crashing into him. He instinctively blocked, but his entire body was sent flying.
He stomped hard on the ground to barely stop, his arm aching as if it might break.
Though the opponent's life force wasn't higher than his, the explosive power in that instant was terrifying.
Sweat dripped down!
Was he nearing his limit again?
Feng Lin refused to give in. He used gene points to recover his stamina, but after two brutal battles, he was at his limit.
Yet ending it like this was too frustrating. Feng Lin wanted to know where his limits truly lay.
Ha!
He suddenly exhaled sharply, his muscles bulging into a grayish-green hue, like hard scales.
"Vajra Dragon Claw!"
Feng Lin formed a claw with one hand, using a killing move from the Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist. His body spun horizontally in the air, his claw viciously aimed at the old man's neck.