"Zhu Tiangang!" Ancestor Hongjun sat on his cushion, slightly opening his eyes as he spoke, calling out the fat man's real name.
The fat man sat upright, adopting a posture of attentive listening.
Ancestor Hongjun slowly continued, "Though you were once mocked and ridiculed as a waste, you are actually a person of extraordinary talent. Ordinary mythological paths don't suit you, which is why you've languished in humiliation for so many years. But once you step onto the right path, you'll become a star-level cultivator in a single day, soaring to great heights with boundless potential and limitless prospects..."
The fat man pondered, realizing that the "right path" Ancestor Hongjun referred to was the Supreme Mythological Path. He pricked up his ears, listening even more intently, unwilling to miss a single word.
At this point, Ancestor Hongjun shifted his tone, cutting straight to the heart: "But the Great Way is impartial; nothing comes without reason. The Supreme Mythological Path is incredibly precious, and its cost is equally steep. Have you thought it through?"
"Ancestor, I understand! As long as I can step onto this Supreme Mythological Path, I'm willing to pay any price!" the fat man said without hesitation.
*You're not willing to pay—you're just filthy rich!*
Watching the fat man take everything on so confidently, Feng Lin silently grumbled to himself.
Ancestor Hongjun's avatar, however, showed no reaction, maintaining his usual inscrutable demeanor as he said calmly, "Since you have this resolve, very good! Very good! I will impart this Supreme Mythological Path to you. Listen well!"
The grace of teaching was no less than that of a parent.
The fat man's face grew solemn. "Zhu Tiangang humbly listens!"
"You've awakened the medium-level primal gene, the Big Belly Gene. Its trait is devouring all things, digesting quickly, and strengthening yourself. Your belly is tough, and the thick layer of fat forms a solid defense, neutralizing most damage! Your next step is to combine the Big Belly Gene with the Demon Qi Gene and the Swine Fetus Gene to evolve into the Swine Demon Gene!"
"What? The Swine Demon Gene!" the fat man exclaimed, his face scrunching up so much that his nose and eyes disappeared, his expression full of reluctance.
Wasn't this supposed to be the Supreme Mythological Path?
How did it turn into the Swine Demon Gene?
The name alone didn't sound supreme or mythological at all!
If he awakened this gene, would he really turn into some half-human, half-pig monstrosity?
Though the fat man had often been called a fat pig because of his size, he didn't actually want to become a pig!
Seeing this, Ancestor Hongjun's face turned stern. "What, you look down on this gene?"
The fat man squirmed, his two-thousand-plus-pound body making such a coy gesture that it was an eyesore.
"Wasn't it supposed to be the Supreme Mythological Path? How did it become a swine demon?" he couldn't accept it.
Human hearts are greedy.
Before, when the fat man didn't know he could walk the Supreme Mythological Path, even the most ordinary Big Belly Gene would have been acceptable, and he'd have been overjoyed.
Now that he knew the Supreme Mythological Path existed, he became anxious and uncertain.
The more he gained, the more he feared losing it.
Having had such a supreme mythological path laid before him, he dreaded losing it again.
Ancestor Hongjun spoke calmly, "Don't underestimate the Swine Demon Gene. It's a high-level transcendent gene, rare even among genes of the same grade. A swine demon turned human has boundless strength, a belly that can hold all, devouring heaven and earth—it's a perfect match for your Big Belly Gene. It can also manipulate the universe's high-level energy, demon qi, control black winds, fly through the skies, and burrow into the earth—there's nothing it can't do! Such a powerful gene is something most people can only dream of. If you're unwilling, then let's drop the matter!"
"No!" The fat man panicked, bowing deeply and quickly repenting, "Ancestor, I was wrong! I'm willing to evolve the Swine Demon Gene!"
Seeing the fat man thoroughly cowed by his mix of threats and bluffs, Ancestor Hongjun's lips curled into a faint smile. "No need to look so glum! If the Swine Demon Gene continues to evolve, it will merge with the Heavenly Stems Gene and the Banished Immortal Gene to become the Zhu Ganglie Gene, officially stepping onto the Supreme Mythological Path!"
The Zhu Ganglie Gene...
The fat man's face fell again.
Why was it still a pig?
Was he really doomed to walk the path of becoming a pig forever?
"The Zhu Ganglie Gene, as a talent gene above the transcendent level, is of mutated quality with endless potential. The name Zhu Ganglie has been famous in ancient Chinese mythology for ages—a heavenly deity descended to the mortal world. Though he was mistakenly reborn as a pig demon, he never lost his true nature, mastering the thirty-six transformations of the Heavenly Stems. In combat, he was no weakling among the celestial gods!"
Ancestor Hongjun revealed a bit of the Zhu Ganglie Gene's origin, and the fat man unconsciously opened his mouth wide, forgetting all his resentment about becoming a pig.
Zhu Ganglie?
Which deity was that? He'd never heard of it!
Ancestor Hongjun said it was a great Chinese god reincarnated as a pig demon—a story he'd never encountered before!
...
Connecting it to the fleeting glimpses of Mythological Earth he'd seen earlier, the fat man fell into thought.
*I was right—this Mythological Gene Society must hold the long-lost mythological secrets of ancient Earth's civilizations.*
*If Ancestor Hongjun isn't lying, then Zhu Ganglie must be a deity from Chinese mythology that hasn't been rediscovered yet, and I'm walking this unique path.*
The fat man grew thoroughly excited, and what made it even more fascinating was that he felt a deep connection to this Supreme Mythological Path.
His name contained "Heavenly Stems," and walking this path would grant him the power of the thirty-six transformations of the Heavenly Stems.
It seemed fated all along.
With that thought, the fat man cast aside all his earlier reluctance and hesitation.
Even if he really became a pig, he'd accept it willingly!
So tempting!
"Ancestor Hongjun, I sincerely wish to cultivate this Supreme Mythological Path! Please teach me the method!" The fat man bowed again, utterly sincere. "As long as I can achieve this, I'll pass any trial and pay any price!"
Every word was as firm and resolute as metal striking stone.
The more eager the fat man became, the less willing Ancestor Hongjun was to reveal anything easily.
He had already grasped the fat man's weak point. Next, he had to impose sufficient trials and a heavy cost before granting him the Mythological Gene Society membership.
Otherwise, if it came too easily, the fat man wouldn't value it, nor would he feel loyalty or belonging to the society.
To ensure the society's secrets weren't leaked, he had to be extremely cautious.
Besides, in Feng Lin's eyes, this fat man was a fat sheep ready for slaughter, with more star coins than he could spend. If he didn't fleece him a bit, could he just give away the precious mythological path for free?
To maintain the dignity of an ancestor, talking about money would be vulgar and undermine divine authority.
Feng Lin, controlling Ancestor Hongjun's avatar, naturally wouldn't make such a foolish move. He just smiled faintly, his expression unruffled. "The Supreme Mythological Path isn't something you can obtain just by being willing to pay. First, you must prove you're qualified by passing the initiation trial!"
"Ancestor, name it!" The fat man didn't hesitate. "Whatever the trial, I, Zhu Tiangang, will give it my all!"
*This fat man is so easy to fool!*
Ancestor Hongjun's avatar exchanged a knowing glance with Feng Lin, both aware that the fat man had been completely duped by their coordinated act between the main body and the avatar.
"I have a teaching, and I shall impart it to you!"
Ancestor Hongjun smiled freely, his voice ethereal and distant, as if coming from an infinite expanse, like a bell tolling in an empty valley, awakening the mind and cleansing the soul.
"Reclining high on nine-layered clouds, the cushion holds the truth of the Way. Beyond Heaven and Earth, before the Yellow Springs, I am the master of the teachings. Pangu gave birth to the Supreme Ultimate, from which the Two Forms and Four Symbols followed. One Way passed to three friends, two teachings split into Chan and Jie. The leader of the Mystic Gate, one breath transforms into Hongjun!"