Slap! Slap! Slap! The thick serpent tail slammed against the ground with thunderous force, like a relentless storm, a colossal pillar crashing down again and again. Feng Lin dodged repeatedly, barely holding his own even with his strength. His movements were incredibly agile, turning into a blur of afterimages weaving through the rain of serpent strikes, each time narrowly brushing past the heavy tail—a perfect, hair’s-breadth escape, dancing on a razor’s edge. Suddenly, he spotted a fleeting pause in Feng Shaoyou’s assault. *Now!* A sharp glint flashed in Feng Lin’s eyes. He stomped hard on the ground, accelerating to his peak in an instant, charging forward as a blur. “Trying to run?” Feng Shaoyou sneered coldly, his serpent tail scraping swiftly across the floor as he slithered over like a human-headed python. *Dragons ride clouds, tigers ride the wind!* Transformed into a half-human, half-serpent mythical being, Feng Shaoyou stirred gusts of chilling wind with his movement, sending a shiver down the spine. The scales on his serpent body were diamond-shaped, sharp as blades, gleaming with icy light. With a slight flick of his massive tail, he shot forward like an arrow, incredibly fast, a blurry black shadow closing in instantly. *Crackle, crackle!* The sound of water rapidly freezing. Feng Shaoyou clenched his hands, and water converged in his palms, solidifying into a spear of ice—chillingly cold, five or six meters long—thrusting down from above with brutal force. The spear was pure ice, its extreme cold making it unbreakably hard, crystal-clear like glass, sharp and gleaming with frosty light. *Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist!* Feng Lin punched out with both fists, his body radiating jade light like a living stone monkey, an earthly vajra, unified and indestructible. *Bang!* A crisp sound like metal striking stone. Feng Lin’s fists, like massive iron hammers, slammed into the ice spear with immense force, shattering it instantly into a shower of ice crystals. But the spear’s momentum lingered, driving Feng Lin back step by step until he crashed heavily into a metal wall beside him. *Creak.* He sank into it, his retreat finally halted. When he stood up, a clear human-shaped dent was left on the wall behind him. *Outmatched in strength!* *Outmatched in speed!* Fighting above his level was just too hard. Feng Lin’s life attributes were completely overwhelmed. Even though Feng Shaoyou hadn’t awakened a body-enhancing gene, his speed and strength still surpassed Feng Lin’s. Feng Lin, even in his strongest area—close combat—was losing ground. He wanted to retreat, but Feng Shaoyou pressed on fiercely, refusing to let go, forcing him to fight. *Yin-Yang Mirror Seal!* Feng Lin made one hand yang, the other yin, switching hand seals repeatedly like two sides of a mirror, reflecting the universe, evolving endless variations. An invisible mental wave spread into the void, seeping everywhere, penetrating swiftly. Countless hand seals, like butterflies among flowers, dazzled the eyes, lulling the mind into drowsiness. Feng Shaoyou’s gaze grew hazy, slipping into a daze. But as an elite cultivator, his innate mental strength was formidable, and his instincts warned him. “Ha!” Feng Shaoyou barked, his voice like thunder, snapping himself awake. His face turned grim as he spoke coldly, “Mental hypnosis! I thought I’d overestimated you before, but I still underestimated you. You’re not just a star cultivator—you’re also a gene hypnotist. To affect an elite cultivator, even for a moment, you’re at least a初级 hypnotist, maybe even on the verge of becoming an中级 one!” He commented condescendingly, as if he’d seen through all of Feng Lin’s secrets. Feng Lin smirked coldly. So what if Feng Shaoyou had shaken off the hypnosis and snapped awake instantly? It was already too late! Feng Lin knew his own limits. Though his mental gene was maxed out and powerful, a basic gene was still a basic gene. He hadn’t planned to hypnotize a star cultivator with it—just buying a moment was the goal. Seizing the opponent’s distraction, he didn’t retreat but advanced, closing in instantly. Leaping high like an agile immortal ape, he landed on Feng Shaoyou’s massive serpent tail. “Looking for death!” Feng Shaoyou’s vertical pupils contracted sharply. His thick tail whipped wildly like a fan, trying to shake Feng Lin off. Feng Lin clung tightly to the tail, steadying himself, then used the momentum to leap again, rising swiftly to hover above Feng Shaoyou’s head. His fists, like heavenly hammers, smashed down toward the vital temple area. *Dragon-Serpent Fist!* Feng Shaoyou spun his body 180 degrees to face him, one hand forming a serpent fist—crafty and tricky—the other a dragon fist—majestic and imposing. Dragon and serpent intertwined, fists soaring upward with unstoppable force, like dragons and serpents ascending to the heavens. *Boom!* Their fists clashed head-on. Feng Lin was sent flying backward, spinning like a top in the air over twenty times before landing and steadying himself. Feng Shaoyou wasn’t much better; his upper body swayed, crashing heavily to the ground before quickly righting himself. Seeing this, Feng Lin felt reassured. Though his strength lagged behind, it wasn’t far off. The Stone Monkey gene focused entirely on body enhancement, with no energy-based attacks—single-minded and refined. *Such strength!* *Such hard bones!* Feng Shaoyou’s vertical pupils locked onto Feng Lin, astonishment flickering in his eyes. “So this is the new gene you evolved by fusing the Monkey gene and the Stone Fetus gene? Truly remarkable!” he said gravely. “Huh?” Feng Lin was startled, surprised that the other had so keenly spotted his evolved Stone Monkey gene. Seeing Feng Lin’s shocked look, Feng Shaoyou sneered, “You might fool others, but not me! The stars are vast—anything can happen! I’ve thoroughly checked your background. You awakened the Stone Monkey and Stone Fetus genes before, both useless, with low vitality. Now, suddenly rising, you must have combined those two waste genes into a new one, forging a new path, giving you such formidable power. It’s rare in the stars, but it happens! In fact, that’s exactly why I took an interest in you. A cultivator on a new path, though lacking predecessors to guide them and facing an uncertain future, is always far stronger than peers. Perfect as my guardian! With my guidance, your new path might go even further. But you’re ungrateful! Don’t blame me for being harsh!” Ungrateful? Feng Lin’s lips curled into a grim smile, his eyes turning icy. Just because you’re from the star clan, you think you can do whatever you want in the solar system? Everyone has to listen to you? Otherwise, they’re ungrateful? Do you really think you’re the only one with sharp eyes? ... Through this exchange, Feng Shaoyou had glimpsed some of Feng Lin’s secrets, but Feng Lin wasn’t blind either—he’d noticed things too. In fact, with his knowledge of mythology, he saw even more. *Suiren came from Huaxu, Huaxu gave birth to Fuxi.* These ancient human ancestors weren’t just individuals; Suiren, Huaxu, and Fuxi were ancient Chinese human tribes, with Suiren, Huaxu, and Fuxi as their founders. Ancient humans, sensing nature, absorbing its energy, grasped the great Dao, transcending their bodies with shapeshifting abilities, revered as gods by mortals. Feng Shaoyou, half-human, half-serpent, moved with chilling winds—a dragon-cloud, tiger-wind ability. Thinking of the Pan-Serpent basic gene awakened by the Feng family, perhaps further evolution could naturally transform into a half-human, half-serpent mythical being, commanding natural energy with a gesture. This human-serpent gene, evolving further, would become the Suiren gene, the Huaxu gene, and finally, combined with the Bagua gene, could break from ancestral paths to forge the Fuxi mythical path. Realizing this, Feng Lin’s mind cleared, gaining a full understanding of the Fuxi mythical path. Watching Feng Shaoyou’s smug, all-knowing expression, Feng Lin chuckled inwardly. *Who are you putting on airs for?* *This guy thinks he’s seen it all!* *But who’s the one who truly sees through everything?*