"Huh? When did a newcomer pop up on the novice leaderboard!"
"This Wukong's points are rising so fast!"
"What's so strange about that? This is just the novice zone—those who are strong have already combined primitive genes and left this area!"
"No, that's not it! Look closely—he's already synthesized primitive genes and swapped them multiple times. Otherwise, he couldn't be killing monsters this quickly!"
"How does he know so many gene formulas?"
...
The Gene Hunting Grounds had a kill leaderboard, and on the novice zone's board, a virtual ID named "Wukong" shot up as soon as it appeared—rank 100, rank 50, rank 30, quickly climbing into the top ten.
Such eye-catching performance immediately drew widespread attention.
At the center of the Gene Hunting Grounds lay a green valley, serene and picturesque like a paradise on earth, unlike other hellishly dangerous instances.
This was the Emerald Valley within the hunting grounds, akin to a safe zone in a game—no need to worry about alien race attacks, a place to relax and trade virtual gear with others.
At that moment, a crowd stared at the changes on the leaderboard, marveling in amazement.
Gene formulas were a key component of gene cultivation methods. Every gene cultivation method started with gene formulas, evolving genes step by step, combining them into a gene tree, all the way to the pinnacle of cultivation.
Thus, each gene formula represented a potential gene cultivation method, the start of a new path of practice.
People entering the Gene Hunting Grounds usually only tested two or three gene formulas they knew, choosing the path that suited them best.
But this "Wukong" was acting too strangely—frequently swapping gene formulas, combining primitive genes. What was he doing?
After all, it was just the novice zone; the rankings there weren't enough to shock them.
What they focused on was Feng Lin's performance—just how many gene formulas did he know?
"Look, he's switching gene formulas again!" One person had already pulled up a projection to watch Feng Lin's monster-killing live feed and suddenly exclaimed.
The others also started watching, unable to help clicking their tongues in astonishment.
"This isn't fighting monsters—it's clearing them out! The speed is insane!"
Feng Lin was currently in an underground world, the core of an unknown planet. The air was thick with a sulfur-like, pungent magma scent, filled with moss, black vines, and other subterranean plants that thrived on geothermal energy. Around him, caves crisscrossed like a labyrinth.
Hiss, hiss, hiss...
Hoarse, low growls echoed as massive black figures, each the size of a calf, crawled out. Their apricot-yellow vertical pupils fixed on Feng Lin, filled with cruelty and bloodlust, eager to tear him apart and devour him.
The dim red glow of magma illuminated their faces—they were upright-walking giant lizards, their powerful hind legs supporting them as they stood, opening fanged maws to roar.
Feng Lin hadn't even fully taken in their appearance.
The next moment, the lizards lunged at him like demons, closing in.
Their claws were their sharpest weapons, their mouths wide open, emitting a foul stench. Red light flickered as they spat out magma-like flames.
"Air Cannon!" Feng Lin stood motionless, not shifting a step, showing no panic. Suddenly, he spread his hands, and air rapidly gathered in his palms. The invisible air compressed into a white point, exploding instantly.
Boom!
A fierce, violent shockwave burst outward, carrying a piercing roar that threatened to rupture eardrums.
Visible ripples of air spread from Feng Lin in all directions, carrying immense force like an invisible wall of bronze and iron crushing everything.
Just thirty centimeters away, the giant lizards could no longer advance. They were swept away, crashing into the stone walls, bursting into streams of data and vanishing.
With one strike, the chaotic scene was cleared.
Lizard Gene 3, Scale Gene 2, Claw Gene 2.
Feng Lin gained three more basic genes, storing them in his system backpack. He silently observed the primitive gene equipped on his body—a rapidly spinning vortex of air, with countless currents twisting in different directions like a spiral twist.
"As expected of a high-grade primitive gene! This Air Cannon gene is incredibly powerful!" Though he had synthesized it himself, using it firsthand still amazed him at its strength.
Air Gene 8 + Pressure Gene 9 = Air Cannon Gene.
"Gene: Air Cannon Gene Grade: High-grade Primitive Gene Ability: Compress air to form invisible projectiles"
...
In the Emerald Valley, the crowd watching the live feed of Feng Lin's dominant performance was stunned.
"How many gene formulas does he know?"
"Have you noticed? The primitive genes he combines are always the strongest among their kind!"
"Now that you mention it, that's true. Transforming into a tree man, firing air cannons, manipulating wind and thunder—these are all top-tier gene abilities!"
...
"Could this Wukong be a gene martial artist?" A giant figure over two meters tall suddenly spoke in a low, rumbling voice.
At his words, the others wore expressions of sudden realization, their gazes toward Feng Lin burning with intensity.
A gene martial artist was a type of gene master, studying the connections between genes and their evolutionary possibilities, creating gene formulas, and using them as a foundation to develop gene martial arts and cultivation methods.
That was the only reasonable explanation—otherwise, how could Wukong know so many gene formulas?
What was the origin of this gene martial artist? Where did he come from? Who was he?...
They felt that this suddenly appearing gene martial artist, Feng Lin, was shrouded in a thick veil of mystery, impossible to see through or guess.
Feng Lin, however, had no idea that his every move was being watched by others.
He pulled his gaze away from the Air Cannon gene, realizing that the free combination of gene modules provided him with a stage to experiment with the power and attributes of different gene paths, with endless possibilities and no limitations.
"My virtual ID is Wukong—does that count as a thousand transformations?" A self-deprecating thought crossed his mind.
The gene equation ran automatically, and Feng Lin obtained another powerful new gene formula.
Lizard Gene 7 + Scale Gene 6 + Claw Gene 5 = Giant Lizard Gene.
He still didn't have enough basic genes, so he continued using the Air Cannon gene to kill monsters and drop genes.
Meanwhile, streams of data burst around him, forming figures that appeared beside him.
Feng Lin didn't pay much attention. He knew the Gene Hunting Grounds weren't just for him—he'd seen plenty of others while clearing monsters in previous instances.
As he fired off air cannons, invisible and violent, the giant lizards kept getting hit, dropping a pile of basic genes.
Feng Lin collected them one by one, but gradually, he sensed something was off. Those people nearby weren't fighting monsters—they just stood there, watching him.
What did that mean?
Feng Lin thought it over but decided not to dwell on it.
Once he had enough basic genes, he combined a new primitive gene, the Giant Lizard Gene—a mid-grade primitive gene that allowed transformation into a humanoid giant lizard.
Having obtained what he wanted, Feng Lin was about to leave when a figure stepped forward and blocked his path.
"Wait!" The silver-haired man spoke with full respect, his tone earnest.
"Esteemed master, may I purchase a primitive gene module from you?"