This claw was fierce, vicious, and utterly ruthless. The wind from its strike hissed through the air, leaving trails of claw marks behind—truly the pinnacle of Feng Lin's skill. An ordinary person wouldn't have had time to react.
But his opponent was no ordinary man. With a twist of his body, as if boneless, he spun 180 degrees and faced Feng Lin head-on.
His arms trembled continuously, as if wielding a great spear, with power surging like waves converging to a single point.
An arc traced through the air, encircling Feng Lin's clawed hand, leaving no escape.
The moment they touched, Feng Lin felt a spiral force twist his hand aside, as if it had been fed into a meat grinder—bones and flesh breaking, agony beyond measure.
The old man's hands circled endlessly, like a Tai Chi form, locking Feng Lin's arm in a death grip from which he couldn't break free.
*If this continues, I'm trapped. I'll lose sooner or later.*
A sense of crisis rose in Feng Lin. He exhaled sharply, eyes blazing wide. "Vajra Pestle of Subduing Demons!"
He erupted with force, muscles bulging across his arms, skin taking on a grayish, solid texture.
His fists shot out like indestructible iron pestles smashing forward.
The Tai Chi-like motion jammed like a millstone grinding to a halt, the technique abruptly stopped.
Softness overcoming hardness wasn't absolute—it depended on the force of the hardness.
Water, the ultimate softness, could erode hard rock, but could it destroy a vast island?
Hardness and softness were mutually reinforcing and counteracting; the balance of power was what decided victory.
This sudden, overwhelmingly rigid force struck so abruptly that the old man couldn't respond and was sent flying.
"Perfect chance!" Feng Lin wouldn't miss this opportunity. His muscles tensed instantly, body horizontal in the air, legs spinning.
*Dragon-Serpent Strangle!*
Gene potential +40%.
Another wave of potential secured, and the old man's energy body shattered.
Feng Lin panted heavily, his whole body aching.
The higher he climbed, the harder it became to clear each level!
Unfortunately, he couldn't learn the Boneless Tai Chi.
Boneless Tai Chi was a yin-style martial art. To master it, one needed to awaken a boneless gene or another gene that enhanced flexibility.
But Feng Lin's Stone Fetus gene was a rigid, yang-type gene—completely opposite.
Without the corresponding gene ability, one couldn't learn gene-based martial arts.
This was the biggest difference between gene martial arts and ancient martial arts.
Sweat poured down like a waterfall.
*Is this my limit?*
Feng Lin felt his stamina nearly depleted, but he refused to give up.
His life force was now 1.6, theoretically enough to reach the 16th floor. He was only on the 11th—if he gave up now, that would be pathetic.
"My foundation is still too weak," he sighed inwardly.
His life force had grown rapidly in a short time, but his poor family background and lack of talent had left him without a solid base. He'd only learned a single military boxing routine taught for free at school. His combat skills were pitiful, completely unable to leverage the power his 1.6 life force should provide.
These martial arts masters, though their life force was lower than his, had honed their skills to a supernatural level, making them formidable fighters capable of crossing tiers.
Crossing tiers and winning—Feng Lin had enjoyed that feeling when reading web novels as the protagonist. But being on the receiving end of such a feat was utterly frustrating, almost suffocating.
Feng Lin had a certain pride. He wouldn't allow that.
*Then I'll keep adding points!*
After the 10th floor, each breakthrough granted a massive increase in gene potential—212%—meaning he had two more gene points.
But he couldn't add more to the Ape Gene now.
Ape Gene 10 + Stone Fetus Gene 10 = Stone Ape Gene.
That was Feng Lin's only gene evolution path.
Since the Ape Gene was already at ten points, adding more was useless—it would waste gene potential and disrupt the balance between genes, ruining the formula.
Feng Lin couldn't risk that. So he'd add to the Stone Fetus Gene.
After a series of grueling battles, his body ached all over, with faint internal injuries. Strengthening the Stone Fetus Gene to boost defense and recovery was a sensible choice.
He didn't know what the next opponent would be like or what martial art they'd mastered. Fortifying his defenses first would give him room to counterattack.
Feng Lin added another point to the Stone Fetus Gene, and his attributes changed.
"Name: Feng Lin Life Force: 1.7 Ape Gene: 10 Stone Fetus Gene: 6 Gene Potential: 112%"
The Stone Fetus Gene was now at 6 points, and his life force had broken through to 1.7.
With only one gene point left and just one chance to recover, he'd have to use it sparingly.
Feng Lin continued upward.
An endless starry sky, brilliant constellations, boundless darkness.
Looking around, Feng Lin found himself standing inside a metal space pod, seemingly aboard a spaceship.
Before he could examine it closely, his instincts screamed a warning. A crimson shadow appeared.
A man in a space combat suit leaped from a dark corner of the pod, as if lying in ambush. Without any greeting, he attacked with both fists clenched, striking fiercely.
Flames coiled heavily around his fists.
*Blazing Fist!*
Another gene martial art, using the power of the flame gene to manipulate fire, breaking free from physical constraints and enabling ranged attacks.
This martial art was ranked as intermediate low-tier, higher than any he'd faced before.
Balls of flame radiated intense heat, tearing through the air.
Feng Lin quickly dodged aside.
The flames slammed into the metal wall, exploding outward, scattering scorching sparks that stung his skin.
*Can't fight this head-on!*
Fire, a violent natural energy, wasn't something Feng Lin could confront with his bare body at this stage.
He moved like thunder, closing in instantly.
"Half-Step Crushing Fist!" His figure flickered, appearing beside his opponent as if teleporting, unleashing a killing move from Xingyi Quan.
The fierce palm wind cut like a sharp blade, stinging the man's face.
The man had struck first from a distance, but Feng Lin's speed turned the tables, forcing him into close combat. Caught off guard, he was sent flying with a single palm strike, struggling to get up as his virtual energy body began to dissipate.
After a few more exchanges, Feng Lin had the upper hand.
His speed—100 meters in 4.21 seconds—was pushed to its limit, leaving afterimages in his wake. It was terrifying, leaving his opponent unable to react, his form wavering.
Feng Lin noticed something: his opponent seemed weak in close-quarters combat.
Blazing Fist manipulated flames as a ranged technique, not suited for melee.
Every martial art had a flaw—this was it.
To win, he had to exploit his own strengths and attack the enemy's weakness.
Not just for this foe, but for any opponent.
*Use your strength to strike at their weakness—that's the essence of martial arts.*
*What is my strength?*
A vague realization dawned on Feng Lin.
He thought back carefully, and suddenly, inspiration struck. He understood.
*Right!*
*My strength is speed.*
With a life force of 1.5 and a speed of 100 meters in 4.21 seconds, he was practically a bug among his peers—something most couldn't handle.
And as his life force increased, his speed grew even faster. Even he didn't know his current speed limit.
From then on, Feng Lin kept moving, pushing his speed to the max, completely suppressing his opponent. In just three exchanges, he obliterated him.
Gene potential +32%!
Though he'd cleared another floor, the potential gained had dropped instead of rising. Compared to the previous struggles, this victory came relatively easily.
Feng Lin hadn't awakened the flame gene, so he obviously couldn't learn Blazing Fist. He continued upward to the 13th floor.
But to his surprise, this floor was even easier.