A transparent orb of light floated in his palm, within which a swirl of yellow sand spun endlessly, forming a vortex. Killing monsters had actually dropped a gene! A Yellow Sand Gene Module! Feng Lin knew that once he equipped this gene module, he would gain the power to manipulate yellow sand. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a gene for his own body. If possible, Feng Lin would have preferred to obtain his own Ape Gene Module and Stone Fetus Gene Module, using the virtual universe’s reality-simulating ability to preview his own cultivation path in advance. But for now, it seemed that killing monsters for gene drops was random, with no guarantee. He had no choice but to equip it first! Feng Lin thought to himself, luckily, this equipped gene could be removed; otherwise, it would have been a real loss. “Equip!” With a mental command, the Yellow Sand Gene Module immediately attached itself inside his body, transforming into a stream of data that enveloped him, causing subtle changes. Feng Lin clenched his fist, feeling a strange power flowing within him, surging restlessly, as if trying to break free from his body’s constraints. He instinctively reached out, grasping at the air… Rustle, rustle, rustle! Sand whipped up wildly, the yellow sand swirling without wind, forming a vortex that sank deep into the ground. Feng Lin experienced a peculiar sensation, as if his consciousness had detached from his body along with that strange force, forming a mysterious connection with the sand. With a mere thought, he could manipulate it at will, as easily as moving his own limbs. Was this the feeling of controlling matter? Feng Lin marveled inwardly. His own gene ability was body-enhancement type, with supernatural power hidden deep within him. This ability to control matter was something he was using for the first time. With just a flicker of thought, he could command supernatural power—it was far more convenient than his Ape Gene or Stone Fetus Gene. The only trick to using body-enhancement genes was to go all out! But this matter-manipulation gene ability was far more flexible, allowing for endless variations. For instance, under Feng Lin’s control, the yellow sand now shifted into various shapes—flowers, birds, fish, insects, swords, spears, staffs… The virtual universe mimicked reality. Feng Lin guessed that the real-world Yellow Sand Gene ability should be very similar, if not identical, to what he was experiencing. Thump, thump, thump! The yellow sand bulged up like mounds of earth, and one by one, ferocious giant insects emerged, their eyes gleaming with intelligence, vicious and malevolent. Feng Lin’s expression turned serious. He knew these weren’t ordinary bugs but a terrifying interstellar race—the Zerg. The Zerg possessed an unmatched explosive reproductive capacity and rapid evolutionary ability, allowing them to adapt to any environment into the most suitable form. Whether sky, sea, land, space, or underground—there were all kinds of Zerg, in overwhelming numbers. Once they launched an attack, it was like a tidal wave, sweeping in to devour everything in heaven and earth. Thus, the Zerg were the most infamous civilization destroyers in the stars, the common enemy of all cosmic civilizations. Feng Lin had only heard of the Zerg’s terror before, but now he was witnessing it firsthand. The moment he set foot here, it was like poking a hornet’s nest—countless Zerg instantly burst from the ground. Giant scorpions with venomous hooked tails, centipedes with shells as large as tanks, flying insects with transparent wings that buzzed sharply… all different forms, but all specially evolved to adapt to the desert environment, filling the sky and ground everywhere. This was just the low-level dungeon of the Gene Hunting Grounds. Though numerous, these Zerg were the lowest tier. “Perfect timing!” Feng Lin wasn’t too flustered, feeling a playful urge. With the newly acquired Yellow Sand Gene Module, he was eager to test its abilities. “Rise!” He shouted, holding one hand flat, and the yellow sand beneath his feet surged up into a wave that instantly cascaded down. The Zerg couldn’t dodge in time and were buried, but they quickly burrowed out again. The sand wave was completely ineffective against them. “Interesting!” Feng Lin changed his tactics, gathering the yellow sand in his hand to form a spear. Ha! He charged forward, his spear technique fierce, thrusting it into the mouth of a charging giant beetle and out through its tail, killing it in one blow. Whoosh! A dark shadow stabbed at him. A giant scorpion raised its tail hook high. Feng Lin released his grip, letting the spear dissolve into sand that scattered, and swiftly dodged. Thump, thump, thump! The Zerg screeched, suddenly spitting out foul, corrosive acid from their mouths. Feng Lin focused, and the yellow sand gathered around him, instantly forming a suit of armor. The acid splashed against it, useless. Yellow sand through a hundred battles, piercing golden armor! Feng Lin grew bolder, his spear sweeping across, killing the Zerg one by one. Before long, he had collected three more genes. Yellow Sand Gene Module 2, Wind Roll Gene 2. Feng Lin equipped them again, finding his gene modules now at Yellow Sand Gene 3 and Wind Roll Gene 2. He clearly felt the strange power within him grow significantly—if before it was a stream, now it was a surging river! Sand rises, wind rolls! Feng Lin waved his hands. The yellow sand swelled, the wind howled, forming sandstorms that roared around him, their force more than triple what it was before. The Zerg squealed as they were swept into them. Desert Burial! Feng Lin focused, and the strange power surged out. The yellow sand piled up heavily, massive as a mountain, shaped like a pyramid, burying all the Zerg in a single tomb. In an instant, only Feng Lin stood alone in the field, the chaos swept away, leaving utter stillness. He fell into thought. The virtual universe simulates reality. Repeatedly loading gene modules equates to gene enhancement. So, could gene modules here be combined and evolved into higher-level genes? Very likely! Feng Lin focused, and the gene equation within him began to operate, consuming 32% of his gene potential to produce formulas. Yellow Sand Gene 2 + Wind Roll Gene 3 = Wind Sand Gene Yellow Sand Gene 5 + Wind Roll Gene 6 = Tornado Gene Yellow Sand Gene 7 + Wind Roll Gene 9 = Sandstorm Gene Three formulas in a row. Feng Lin began experimenting. Since he was combining, he might as well go for the strongest. The Zerg were endless, continuing to emerge from underground. Feng Lin started slaughtering, the Zerg dying under his spear, vanishing as data streams, dropping orbs of light. He roughly estimated the drop rate—about one gene module for every fifty kills. Soon, he had collected everything, even picking up a few other gene modules: Acid Gene, Carapace Gene, Pupation Gene… Yellow Sand Gene 7, Wind Roll Gene 9. As Feng Lin reached the limit of equipped gene modules, he intentionally merged the two. The completely different genes fused like water blending together, transforming into a red gene module. At its center was a strange scene of a sandstorm—endless yellow sand, howling winds, blotting out the sky. “Gene: Sandstorm Gene Grade: High-Level Primitive Gene Ability: Freely manipulate sandstorms” Feng Lin felt an immense power within him, surging wave after wave. Was this what it felt like to be a gene cultivator? Feng Lin sensed that if he willed it, he could instantly command the wind and sand, blotting out the sky and burying everything before him. This was an unprecedented strength, a transformation of life’s essence—something those who hadn’t evolved could never understand. At that moment, the Zerg still surged forward like an endless tide. Feng Lin waved his hand. “Sandstorm!” Boundless sand rose, covering the sky, plunging the world into darkness, terrifying beyond measure. Tens of thousands of Zerg were instantly swallowed by the sandstorm, swept away to who knows where. The chaotic, noisy desert fell silent once more. Feng Lin stood still, a sudden thought striking him. “Uninstall!” A gene module floated out from his body—the Sandstorm Gene. Though it simulated the real world, the virtual universe had its own unique rules, completely different from reality. Gene modules could be combined and evolved within the body, or uninstalled at any time. A remarkably strange idea surfaced in Feng Lin’s mind. Didn’t this mean he could freely combine genes?