A dim, sealed room.
Feng Lin was roughly shoved inside, stumbling before he managed to steady himself.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, the heavy door slammed shut behind him, locking him in tight with no escape. Darkness enveloped everything, not a sliver of light to be seen, so thick he couldn't see his own hand in front of his face.
"Stay put in the solitary confinement and don't pull any tricks!"
"This guy's got some nerve, daring to defy the head steward! He's asking for death!"
"This one's finished! Offend the head steward, and there's no way out for life!"
...
The family's enforcement squad tossed Feng Lin into the cell and left with sneers.
Feng Lin sat cross-legged on the floor, his face hidden in the shadows, instantly darkening.
He had to admit, he'd been far too naive!
This outright confrontation had failed completely, landing him in this hopeless predicament.
He'd foolishly overestimated the family's goodwill, never expecting the head steward to be so ruthless—not even giving him a chance to negotiate, directly casting him into this desperate situation. Now all hope was shattered.
What to do next?
Feng Lin had no clue, but he would never give up.
Because once he gave up, there truly would be no chance left.
Having lived two lives and died once, he saw through everything.
You had to fight for everything; without struggle, there was no hope at all.
So until the very last moment, he would not, and could not, give up.
The solitary confinement cell was sealed on all sides with super-alloy, as solid as an iron wall. Unless opened from the outside, not even a fly could escape; there was no way out.
Not only was there no tech equipment, but all signals were blocked, cutting off communication with the outside world. Only darkness remained, making it impossible to sense the passage of time—a true prison of despair.
If someone stayed in here too long, they'd surely go mad.
Feng Lin had only been there a short while, but he already felt an unbearable restlessness, wanting to scream and vent.
He wondered if his parents, younger brother, and sister outside knew about his situation—would they worry?
Waiting like this was no solution.
Dwelling on it was useless; better to cultivate!
Feng Lin used cultivation to calm his emotions and pass the time.
Strength was the foundation; every bit of growth, no matter how small, could prove crucial. He had to seize every opportunity and moment to empower himself.
So Feng Lin stopped wallowing and threw himself into intense cultivation within the cell.
Under the shroud of darkness, a faint, mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth. Did you think locking me up would crush my spirit and plunge me into despair?
No, it would only make me stronger!
Thump, thump, thump!
Soon, the sound of punching echoed through the sealed room. The air vibrated, fists striking with fierce force like drumbeats, enough to make one's heart race.
After finishing a set of the Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist, Feng Lin keenly noticed that his genetic potential hadn't increased at all. It seemed the nutrients stored from the last life potion had been depleted again. He couldn't keep forcing cultivation like this—it would drain his body dry.
Carefully, he pulled a bottle of amber liquid from his chest—another vial of life potion. This might be his greatest stroke of luck.
The enforcement squad never imagined that a lowly clan member like Feng Lin would possess such a precious potion, so they hadn't searched him. Otherwise, they'd have confiscated it without question.
Cold as water, hot as fire.
The familiar life potion slid down his throat, rapidly transforming from icy energy into scorching magma.
As if being roasted on a furnace, his body was tempered by the blazing flames, undergoing a transformation.
Pain surged in waves, one after another, testing Feng Lin's nerves and endurance, threatening to drown him in boundless darkness.
But with prior experience, he didn't panic too much. Sitting cross-legged in the dark, he endured the agony while quickly adapting to his body's changes.
His blood and qi churned, sweat pouring down in streams, soaking his clothes and plastering them to his skin.
Violent energy raced through his body like a tide, repeatedly pushing his limits.
Every part of him ached; organs were crushed and reassembled, a process of destruction leading to rebirth, breaking down to build anew.
It was much like the last time he'd taken the life potion, and Feng Lin was gradually getting used to it.
The heat surged through him, flowing to every corner, slowly seeping into the deepest parts of his body.
Organs, cells, nuclei... layer by layer, from the macro to the micro, and finally to the genes!
From the inside out, Feng Lin's entire body glowed with a red light, clear and transparent, as red as blood.
As the heat penetrated, he vaguely glimpsed an extraordinarily strange scene.
It felt familiar.
A vast, cosmic dark space revealed the microscopic true form of genes—two spiraling snakes coiled together, rising endlessly.
The scorching medicinal energy poured in, like a spark igniting every gene, setting the whole field ablaze.
The double-helix genes multiplied rapidly, shining with starlight—pure, mysterious, ancient...
The starlight gathered into patches, spreading swiftly through the entire darkness.
With the potion's aid, the genes split and expressed continuously, generating new life substances that diffused throughout his body—cells, blood, organs... Every part was being remade, undergoing a comprehensive transformation of life's essence: higher, faster, stronger...
Crack, crack!
Feng Lin suddenly stood up straight, his joints cracking like firecrackers. His body was slick with a mix of sweat and blood, sticky and grimy, but much better than last time.
His muscles quivered, and the grime fell away, leaving him clean and tidy again—more convenient than a bath.
Clearly, after the previous life potion's transformation, his body was steadily evolving toward a perfect form. Impurities were dwindling, and the degree of life's metamorphosis was decreasing.
This time, his height remained unchanged, staying at 1.9 meters—apparently the optimal height for a human body, where length, speed, and strength reached a perfect balance.
Feng Lin knew he had undergone a massive change and immediately pulled up his genetic attributes.
"Name: Feng Lin Vitality: 2.5 Ape Gene: 10 Stone Fetus Gene: 8 Genetic Potential: 178%"
Potential hadn't increased, and gene enhancement points hadn't gone up either.
But vitality had transformed, rising by 0.2 to reach 2.5.
Next, Feng Lin continued cultivating, losing track of time. He slept when tired and trained when awake, digesting the life potion's power.
Simple and intense, yet he never grew weary, finding joy in it.
Humans were social creatures.
Solitary confinement was undoubtedly a great torment, but Feng Lin gradually found pleasure in it.
The cell provided a stable space for cultivation. As he downed life potions one after another, the ample nutrients replenished his depleted vitality.
Genetic Potential +18%, +16%, +14%...
Potential soared, quickly reaching 308%, granting him three more free gene points—enough to max out the Stone Fetus Gene as well.
Vitality surged, soon hitting 2.9, just one step away from breaking through to 3.
In a short time, with the life potion and gene formula, he had advanced by leaps and bounds without even realizing it.
But this was far from enough. The head steward was already a true interstellar cultivator, his life level completely overwhelming Feng Lin.
To resist, he had to become a true cultivator himself.
The road was still long...
Feng Lin took a brief rest and then resumed his arduous training, like an indefatigable iron man.
Patter, patter!
Suddenly, faint footsteps approached, drawing nearer.
Feng Lin's ears twitched sharply. He turned and barked, "Who's there?"
"Feng Lin, I've come to see you!" A low chuckle followed.
Feng Lin was puzzled. He'd always kept to himself in the clan and didn't know anyone. Who would come to visit him in solitary confinement?
And who even knew he was locked up?
...
He was deeply suspicious, and the voice felt familiar, yet he couldn't place it for a moment.
When the person revealed their identity, Feng Lin was startled. It was an uninvited guest he'd never expected.