Earth is the origin of humanity. Even if it has long declined, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse! Its foundation is far beyond what other living planets can compare with.
Feng Lin stared at the names of Earth's families he had searched for online, a shadow of gloom settling in his heart. He had been too weak before, unaware of many truths and secrets, only thinking Earth was a declining planet. But now, it didn't seem that simple. Earth's resources had been stripped bare, and the families there were minor ones, insignificant in the interstellar order. But that didn't mean they lacked backing.
The Ji family, the Xuan Yuan family, the Zeus family, the Pendragon family... these names were too thought-provoking, their origins extraordinary. The Feng family descended from the Fuxi clan. So did the Ji family originate from King Wen of Zhou? The Xuan Yuan family from the Human Sovereign, the Yellow Emperor? The Zeus family inherited the bloodline of Zeus, the king of the Olympian gods? The Pendragon family carried the genes of King Arthur of Britain?
Though just guesses, Feng Lin, considering his own situation, found it highly plausible. Earth was humanity's birthplace. Even if it had long declined without spiritual matter, how brilliant were the myths of ancient human civilization? Each race's myths were distinct, like sun, moon, and stars shining together in the sky, complementing each other. Who knew if this seemingly ordinary Earth, scanned inside and out countless times, hid deeper secrets?
As more mythological relics were unearthed and super-large optical computers simulated, it became clear that the level of ancient mythological civilization was no weaker than current interstellar civilization—in fact, it far surpassed it. For those godlike human ancestors, interstellar humans, who had only walked the path of transcendence for over three thousand years, were mere latecomers, far from catching up to their forebears. Thus, all the famous interstellar noble families left branch families on Earth, just in case, to endlessly dig up its deepest secrets. This created a chaotic, undercurrent-ridden situation on Earth.
The Giant Pharmaceutical Company, seemingly powerful in the Solar System, couldn't even establish a foothold on Earth. The Aryan Pure Blood Society behind them, though a secretive major force, was, based on Feng Lin's earlier contact with that blond white man, in a grim position—hunted like rats in the interstellar realm. These mythological families, inheriting divine bloodlines, had deep foundations they couldn't afford to provoke. Though Earth's families were small, inheriting even a sliver of the interstellar mythological families' legacy made them far beyond others. Elite cultivators were rare, but they could continuously train interstellar cultivators, producing genius after genius, with people constantly leaving the Solar System to return to the stars. This profound foundation was unimaginable to others.
The difference in foundation determined the vast gap in their horizons. Feng Lin thought of his Earth middle school—an old, established school, but long in decline. A life force breakthrough of 2 was hailed as genius in his class! In contrast, interstellar cultivators with life forces of at least 10 were not uncommon among these ancient families. Feng Lin grew more intrigued, discovering that Earth's families inherited different mythological systems. The Chinese mythological system included the Yang, Guan, and Yao families. The Greek pantheon had the Apollo, Poseidon, and Hades families. Each mythological system was represented, vastly different.
It seemed the interstellar college entrance exam would be very interesting! A glint of amusement sparked in Feng Lin's eyes. He had thought it would be a normal exam, but with these families' members entering, the competition would undoubtedly be far more complex. Even as an interstellar cultivator, Feng Lin sensed his own strength was still lacking. Only by becoming an elite cultivator, fully transcending into a supernatural being, could he have a chance to stand out.
Dwelling on it was useless. Feng Lin stopped wasting energy. No matter what family they came from, once in the exam hall, they were all competitors. Background meant nothing; it came down to real, tangible skills. Feng Lin took out a bottle of perfect-quality life potion and swallowed it in one gulp, resuming his arduous training. The potion entered his stomach, releasing a gushing, fiery heat. Nutrients spread through his body, rapidly strengthening his flesh. Feng Lin activated the method of refining essence into energy, fully converting nutrients into genetic potential.
His first priority now was to max out his telekinesis gene and spiritual gene, evolving them into a psychic gene. Only when the psychic gene reached 10 points could it further evolve into the Spirit Stone Monkey gene. Feng Lin's goal was far from just becoming an interstellar cultivator! Interstellar universities were a general term, with levels from low to high: planetary universities, star domain universities, star nation universities, and finally, cosmic universities. Planetary universities were the lowest, often recruiting only within a single planet. A few of Earth's universities were like this—too shallow in foundation to teach much. They usually only imparted cultural knowledge, and graduates ended up working for companies, forever cut off from cultivation.
Star domain universities recruited across an entire star domain. In the vast Solar System, only the Golden Crow University barely reached this level, offering limited cultivation knowledge. Star nation universities were established within various interstellar nations, recruiting domestically. Their levels varied drastically based on national strength. Smaller star nation universities were no different from star domain ones. But top-tier star nation universities were entirely different. The Star China University of the Chinese Interstellar Republic was famous across the stars, producing endless geniuses and even supreme experts who could suppress an entire nation.
Cosmic universities were top-tier institutions recruiting from all interstellar humanity, and in special cases, even alien races. But this was far too distant for Feng Lin now. Specific information about cosmic universities seemed to be humanity's top secret; he couldn't find it anywhere on the Star Network. How many cosmic universities were there? Where were they located? What was their foundation? All were mysteries! No matter how he searched, he couldn't find anything. It seemed he would have to enter one himself to understand the situation.
Since Feng Lin was taking the interstellar college entrance exam, he naturally looked down on ordinary universities. If he was going to take the exam, he would aim for prestigious schools! Only in these elite schools could he access the mainstream of interstellar cultivators and accelerate his growth. Feng Lin activated the method of refining essence into energy, his stomach like a great furnace, digesting all the nutrients that entered. Genetic potential increased by 50%, 50%, 50%... reaching 368% again.
Feng Lin trained silently in his room. His parents and siblings knew cultivation was important and didn't disturb him. In one go, Feng Lin obtained three free basic gene points. His telekinesis gene was already maxed at 6 points, so he could only add them all to his spiritual gene. His life attributes now read:
"Name: Feng Lin Life Force: 90.8 Original Gene: Stone Monkey Gene: 10 Basic Genes: Ape Gene: 10; Stone Fetus Gene: 10; Adrenaline Gene: 1; Mental Gene: 9; Telekinesis Gene: 6; Spiritual Gene: 8 Genetic Potential: 18%"
A day of training completed. Feng Lin's eyes snapped open, gleaming with sharp light. His life force had surged to 90.8, breaking through the 90 mark. Next, he needed to think about how to expand his power—the Mythological Gene Society. He already had a plan in mind. Feng Lin tapped his identity chip and logged into the largest forum on the Star Network: the Mythological Forum.