Feng Lin slowly opened his eyes, his form drastically transformed. Energy surged within him in waves, impossible to suppress, twisting the void and creating visible ripples that rolled outward.
In an instant, the ground beneath him became the eye of a storm.
Feng Lin silently gazed at his own palms, looking inward. He felt the vast energy within him gushing forth like a spring, endless and unceasing, seeping into every cell, every drop of blood, every organ... Every part of his body, inside and out, was saturated with energy, brimming with immense power.
Though his body was still physical matter, it had taken on a certain ethereal quality of energy, existing between substance and void—a truly wondrous state.
Was this energy transformation?
Feng Lin was slightly startled. The change in him was so immense that even he found it hard to believe.
If his entire body were to complete energy transformation, he could wield void energy with a mere gesture, mastering超凡 power. This was the realm of an elite cultivator.
The human body is a material life form, initially purely physical. The journey toward the超凡 is a process of energy transformation.
Once every cell completes energy transformation, the human body can resonate with the heavens and the earth, forging an inexplicable connection.
With each breath, they could absorb cosmic energy into their bodies, converting it into their own formidable life force.
Moreover, as energy transformation progressed, cultivators could eventually subsist on wind and dew, completely shedding the need for food, directly replacing nutrients with cosmic energy to fuel their bodies.
In the universe, replenishing energy through food is the most primitive and inefficient method—a conversion rate of 30% is already considered highly effective.
But directly devouring energy could be transformed into the purest life energy, with conversion rates of over 80% being the norm, while also avoiding the impurities in food that could affect the body.
This was also the universal survival method of higher life forms in the cosmos; food was merely for satisfying the palate, optional at best.
This trait was recorded in the myths of various ancient Earth civilizations, and in Chinese mythology, it was called "Bigu" (abstaining from grains).
After energy transformation, breathing and exhaling resonated with the heavens and earth, metabolism changed the essence of life, evolving into a higher form of existence, and lifespan naturally extended.
Even the first step of the超凡—the elite cultivator—granted a life of at least 300 years.
Feng Lin looked inward. The Stone Monkey gene had astonishingly surged from 6 points to a full 10 points. Moreover, the Telekinesis gene and the Spiritual gene had both awakened, reaching extremely high values, while his life force had soared to 88.9.
This was a complete rebirth.
If he had been a fish before, now he was a dragon-fish with dragon whiskers and horns. Though still a fish, his essence had undergone a partial transcendence from the mundane, bearing the nature of the超凡, showing his first signs of greatness.
Only one step away from leaping over the dragon gate and transforming into a true dragon soaring through the nine heavens!
Such a colossal change left even Feng Lin utterly bewildered.
How had this happened?
He looked at the glass chamber of the Divine Blood Ritual. The terrifying divine blood cells from before had completely vanished, leaving only faint pool water, devoid of any trace of red.
Recalling the remnants of his memory, Feng Lin's expression turned strange, and a chilling suspicion arose in his heart.
Could it be that I devoured all those divine blood cells, allowing my genetic potential to skyrocket and my genes to instantly strengthen to such high values?
But how could I have digested such immense energy so quickly?
...
Countless questions swirled in Feng Lin's mind. He felt as if a ghost lurked within him, occasionally surfacing to interfere.
This scene terrified him!
He felt a deep, instinctive unease. Carefully recalling his transformation, a defiant roar inexplicably burst forth in his mind.
"Heaven and earth gave birth to me, Sun Wukong!"
Feng Lin seemed to see a monkey shattering a stone, roaring at the sky, its expression ferocious beyond measure.
Inherited memory?
Feng Lin thought for a moment, then immediately shook his head.
No, it's not that simple!
If what he saw was the monkey's birth, why would it shout, "Heaven and earth gave birth to me, Sun Wukong"?
Even the Great Sage Equal to Heaven was incredibly weak at birth—how could he have known his future title?
Then what was this?
Like a memory, yet not a memory?
Feng Lin recalled the memories from when his soul had been dormant: the mountain stone gaining consciousness over eons, learning to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, and finally encountering the Red Tide catastrophe, with Sun Wukong breaking free from the stone and emerging into the world.
A murderous aura soared to the heavens, lawless and unruly, turning the three realms upside down.
The Red Tide was swept away with devastating force, devoured entirely by Sun Wukong in one gulp, as if he had consumed some great tonic.
These scenes replayed in his mind.
The aura emanating from the Red Tide—annihilating all life, devouring everything—felt eerily familiar to Feng Lin.
Could it be...?
Feng Lin's heart jolted. Earlier, it was the domineering, nameless consciousness within the divine blood cells that had invaded him, plunging his own consciousness into a state of deathly stillness.
Had it delved deep into his body, provoking the remnants of Sun Wukong's will within the mythological genes?
The more Feng Lin thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
A mythological will?
According to the Mythological Indestructibility Hypothesis, when a figure from mythology becomes supremely powerful—a pinnacle among gods and demons—their very existence becomes a超凡 trait, an embodiment of a certain power. Each supreme god or demon is unique and irreplaceable in the universe.
Body, soul, memory... all become one, forming an indestructible mythological will capable of reshaping heaven and earth.
Even if reduced to ashes, as long as a trace remains, given the right opportunity, they can revive.
And as Sun Wukong, the invincible war god of Chinese mythology, Feng Lin found it hard to believe that no fragment of his will had survived.
With this realization, everything clicked.
Though the Stone Monkey gene was merely a primitive gene, it was the starting point of Sun Wukong's path, so it would naturally retain a trace of his Great Sage will.
Though faint, it was still more than the divine blood cells could contend with.
The Great Sage's will had been deeply dormant, and awakening it through Feng Lin's own efforts would have taken who knows how long.
But the divine blood cells recklessly provoked it, awakening the Great Sage's will—and sealing their own tragic fate... ultimately benefiting Feng Lin.
Feng Lin felt a dawning understanding. So-called mythological inheritance wasn't just about memories; it also contained a mythological will.
From Nüwa mending the heavens, to Hou Yi shooting down the suns, Kuafu chasing the sun, Yu Gong moving mountains...
Those mythological figures grew step by step from the age of myths into supreme beings of heaven and earth, standing at the pinnacle of all life. The paths they walked were fraught with hardship, ultimately reaching the summit, their journeys far more magnificent and beyond ordinary imagination.
All power concentrated in one being, capable of shaking the sun and moon, moving mountains and rivers, reshaping heaven and earth...
China has never had born deities, only the spirit of unyielding self-improvement.
That will to endure countless trials without faltering is deeply moving.
If one could grasp this mythological will, feel the spirit of ancient gods and demons, it would undoubtedly fortify one's own Dao heart, unwavering, cutting through all constraints.
That was Feng Lin's state now. His former fears, hesitations, and confusion... were swept away. His soul felt as if it had been thoroughly cleansed, all dust removed, clear inside and out, like crystal glass.
"Bodhi originally has no tree, the bright mirror also has no stand. Fundamentally there is not a single thing—where could dust alight?"
He felt Sun Wukong's indomitable, unyielding will.
A stone is a lifeless object, yet it gave birth to a living, breathing being—how immense a will did that require?
Turning decay into magic, defying creation, daring to make the sun and moon shine in a new sky!
A thousand words condensed into one sentence...
"Heaven and earth gave birth to me, Sun Wukong!"
Sun Wukong's physical body was mighty, indestructible as diamond, reaching the pinnacle of materialism!
He was also called the "Heart Monkey," his spiritual power shaking the three realms, infinitely mutable, his idealistic power also reaching its limit.
Sun Wukong himself was the product of the union of two cosmic laws—materialism and idealism—inherently containing the deepest mysteries of the universe. His very birth was a miracle, with limitless potential. That he later became a supreme god or demon was only natural, though perhaps the intervention of the Buddhist sect had subtly cut off his future.
But regardless, for Feng Lin now, being able to walk Sun Wukong's mythological path was an incredible stroke of luck, a future of boundless promise.
Through this opportunity, Feng Lin's understanding of genetic formulas deepened.
Though the formulas were simple, each one cut to the essence of mythological cultivation, containing the most profound mysteries.
The Stone Monkey gene was a materialistic gene, strengthening the body, making it impervious to blades, fire, and water, using materialism to shake heaven and earth.
The Heart gene was an idealistic gene, wielding formless spiritual power to channel cosmic energy, using idealism to change everything.
To turn a stone into a monkey, without the power of the spirit, it would be impossible.
...
Feng Lin's heart was filled with profound insight.
"Target has restored life fluctuations. Annihilate completely!" A cold, murderous intent.
Feng Lin looked up to see a towering figure charging at him like a small mountain.
A searing beam shot from its single eye, with temperatures high enough to cut through anything.
The glass chamber was split in two, the beam heading straight for Feng Lin, aiming to slice him into rubble.
Hum!
The void trembled.
Feng Lin's eyes blazed with dark light, and an invisible wave spread from between his brows.
The surrounding air was drawn together by an unseen force, condensing into a solid, glowing mirror.
Pop!
The beam was twisted by the mirror and instantly reflected back, striking the Titan itself, causing it to roar in pain.
Feng Lin leaped up, exuding an aura of proud disdain for all life, as if the mythical Great Sage Equal to Heaven had returned to the mortal world.
After being beaten so badly before, now it was time for payback!
The Great Sage never dies; he was just late to arrive.
Now...
The Great Sage returns!