Endless blue seawater surged from all directions, beneath which lay a vast abyssal trench, bottomless, dark, and deep, like an invisible gaping maw devouring everything.
A silver spaceship lurked within the blue-black seawater, diving rapidly, gleaming brightly and conspicuously, like a silver whale swimming through the ocean depths.
The Huaguoshan, a rare base-class spaceship, was suited for most cosmic environments; Earth's seawater posed no obstacle at all.
Feng Lin stood in the ship's cockpit, gazing at the immense trench before him, a thoughtful expression on his face.
This was Earth's deepest point, the Mariana Trench, one of the planet's most extreme environments.
Interstellar cultivation took two forms: gene enhancement and ability refinement.
Mythical genes were an innate human gift; gene enhancement merely maximized one's talent. How much of that genetic ability could be unleashed depended on relentless post-natal training, an endless process of strengthening to fully realize one's potential.
After all, the sacred immortals and buddhas of myth weren't born at the pinnacle of existence. Even with their formidable innate talents, they had to undergo arduous cultivation to ascend to the highest thrones.
Back then, Sun Wukong, born as a spiritual stone monkey, was bullied by wolves and tigers in his weakness. Only after crossing the four seas through countless hardships and apprenticing himself to Patriarch Bodhi on Mount Fangcun did he master earth-shattering skills.
Thus, for Feng Lin to break through quickly in his cultivation, he had to seek out harsh environments for rigorous training, using natural forces to temper himself and accelerate his progress.
He had already visited the Himalayas, the world's third pole. There, the frozen snow, knife-like winds, and thin air were forbidden grounds for ordinary people, but for an interstellar cultivator with immense vitality, they were nothing special, offering little pressure.
For Earth's most extreme environment, the Mariana Trench came to mind first. Under the crushing weight of billions of tons of seawater, even a human body could be flattened—a perfect place for training.
The spaceship dove rapidly to a depth of 5,000 meters in the trench. Feng Lin, wearing a helmet-like underwater respirator and only a pair of shorts, stepped out of the ship naked.
The next moment, his face flushed red, and bubbles streamed from his mouth as he felt mountain-like pressure squeezing from all sides, forcing the air from his lungs and nearly flattening him.
The immense pressure difference between inside and outside his body created a heavy strain, making it hard to breathe.
He curled up as much as possible to reduce his body's surface area and alleviate the pressure.
Feng Lin instinctively activated his stone monkey gene, which eased the discomfort. He then assumed a stance and began practicing his punches.
The enormous resistance of the seawater made every movement excruciatingly difficult.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
His punches struck the water, sending endless ripples spreading outward.
Feng Lin's movements, once as swift as thunder, were now as slow as an ox pulling a cart, looking utterly ridiculous.
Yet instead of dismay, he felt joy. With each strike, it was as if he were lifting mountains and boulders, his entire strength being unleashed, coalescing from a loose state into a unified force.
Gene potential +18%, +18%, +18%...
It was working!
Feng Lin thought to himself.
Talent was indeed important, but diligence was even more indispensable.
This might be the essence of gene potential: daily, relentless training, accumulating every bit of effort into a foundation for continuous growth, until some qualitative change occurred.
After a full day of hard training, Feng Lin's gene potential had surged by an astonishing 270%.
Without the aid of gene potions, this cultivation speed was remarkable.
Extreme environments truly could force out a person's maximum potential.
Over the following days, Feng Lin trained relentlessly in the trench, gradually adapting to the immense pressure. He moved with ease, his punches creating water rings that shot outward and lingered for a long time before dissipating.
He had fully acclimated to the 5,000-meter depth. It was time to go deeper.
In the ancient Earth era, the depth of the Mariana Trench was beyond scientific prediction, but interstellar technology had long since measured it precisely: a full 26,812 meters.
The 5,000-meter mark was merely the surface layer.
Feng Lin looked downward. As the light faded, the seawater turned pitch-black and silent, sending a chill through his heart.
Anyone with a fear of the deep sea would be terrified at the sight.
Shaking off his unease, Feng Lin continued piloting the ship deeper. At 8,000 meters, there was no light at all—utter darkness where one couldn't see their own hand.
Only the ship's glow illuminated the surroundings, attracting bizarre fish with fully degenerated eyes, transparent bodies revealing their internal organs clearly.
Feng Lin stepped out of the cabin, immediately hunching over as if burdened by a towering mountain, unable to straighten up.
Under the crushing pressure of the deep sea, all his strength was fully engaged, operating at maximum capacity. If he relaxed for even a moment, he would be squeezed into paste.
Training in seawater was an ancient practice, but usually in coastal waters. Choosing Earth's deepest trench, like Feng Lin did, was a bold move only for the exceptionally skilled.
Feng Lin had previously consumed numerous gene potions, with nutrients still stored in his body. Now, all of it was being forced out, making his training three to four times more effective than usual.
For an interstellar cultivator like Feng Lin, this was terrifyingly efficient.
The higher one's cultivation, the more precious every bit of progress became.
Feng Lin continued his focused training at the 8,000-meter depth, resting in the ship when tired and returning to the seawater to cultivate in seclusion, completely cut off from the outside world, undistracted and wholehearted.
His gene potential grew rapidly as a result.
Two more days passed.
Feng Lin earned another free primal gene point and decisively allocated it to his mental gene.
His life attributes changed accordingly.
"Name: Feng Lin Vitality: 93.6 Primal Genes: Stone Monkey Gene: 10; Mental Gene: 3 Basic Genes: Ape Gene: 10; Stone Embryo Gene: 10; Adrenaline Gene: 1; Spirit Gene: 9; Psychic Gene: 6; Spiritual Gene: 8 Gene Potential: 18%"
The mental gene had been strengthened to 3 points, and vitality had broken through 93, reaching 93.6.
But Feng Lin wasn't satisfied. The growth was still too slow!
Six days had passed, and he had only strengthened the mental gene by one point.
At this rate, in a month, the mental gene would barely reach 7 points, still far from the threshold for becoming an elite cultivator.
This fell well short of his expectations!
If he went to the second round of the Cosmic University enrollment assessment like this, it wouldn't be safe at all!
To cultivate faster, he needed to dive deeper into the trench and endure even greater pressure...
Feng Lin's eyes turned toward the abyss-like blackness of the Mariana Trench below.