A brand-new life attribute appeared before his eyes, and Feng Lin was instantly stunned.
Life force: 10.1!
It had broken through the 10-point threshold, reaching double digits—a higher tier of life in the biological chain.
Though it hadn't yet touched the supernatural level, on an ordinary life-bearing planet, this was already the apex of the food chain, a dominant force with no natural predators.
A life force reaching double digits was something only the blue whales of ancient Earth and the Tyrannosaurus Rex of the Jurassic era could boast.
In other words, Feng Lin still looked human, but he could now be considered a humanoid Tyrannosaurus Rex!
Even Feng Lin himself found it hard to believe.
Earlier, when his life force was at 5.6, he thought he was already formidable enough.
He never expected that after breaking through to become an interstellar cultivator, his life force would nearly double, directly surpassing 10.
Truly, an interstellar cultivator was as different from a cultivator apprentice as heaven was from earth.
Once achieved, it was like a carp leaping over the dragon gate—limitless potential ahead.
With such a surge in life force, Feng Lin didn't feel the explosive increase in power he had before. Instead, he experienced a strange sensation, as if a deep-seated instinct within him had been awakened.
Fish have scales, allowing them to swim in water.
Birds have wings, enabling them to soar through the sky.
Different creatures possess innate abilities. This peculiar feeling was like a natural life instinct inherent to humans, long buried and forgotten, now reawakening as his life form evolved into that of an interstellar cultivator.
Though it was still a vague sensation, elusive and hard to grasp at the moment,
it was undeniably real—just as fish are born knowing how to swim, and birds how to fly. Once awakened, this instinct would never be forgotten again.
It was just that, for now, Feng Lin couldn't find a way to master this instinct.
Feng Lin calmed his mind, sensing his own body, reacquainting himself with his life-evolved form.
Breaking through a life force of 10.0 wasn't just about increased strength and speed; it was more about control.
He felt himself approaching a mysterious state, able to clearly perceive the power of every muscle fiber in his body, controlling them at will, channeling strength to every part of his being.
If before, Feng Lin felt that power was like fire—focused on building momentum and unleashing it in an instant, devastating in its impact—
then now, he felt that power was like water—infinitely soft, changing at will, and once built up, transforming into a surging flood, irresistible, destroying everything in its path with unstoppable force.
Power was now both firm and yielding, adaptable and ever-changing.
In primitive times, humans lacked the sharp claws and fangs of beasts, the robust sinews and bones, and were naturally weak in strength. Yet they eventually became Earth's rulers by making the most of every ounce of their power, wasting nothing, and using wisdom to create tools, overcoming strength with weakness to stand at the top of the food chain.
Mastering power was the simplest yet strongest instinct of life.
Ha!
With a flash of inspiration, Feng Lin suddenly exhaled sharply, spreading the five fingers of his right hand and grasping at the air.
The tiny muscles in his fingers vibrated at high speed hundreds of times in an instant, drawing the invisible air rapidly into his palm, forming a visible vortex that spun swiftly with a whirring sound.
Feng Lin clenched his fist and punched out.
Boom!
The air surged, a powerful force radiating through the void, as if it could shatter space itself, roaring loudly. The residual force, like a heavy hammer, slammed into the metal wall, leaving a conspicuous fist imprint.
Hiss!
Feng Lin inhaled deeply, like a whale drinking water, his chest swelling like a giant elephant's. With a sudden exhale, a white beam shot from his mouth, piercing through the air like a flying sword, drilling a hole into the ground.
A visible white trail lingered in the air, taking a long time to dissipate.
Striking from a distance, injuring with a breath.
Feng Lin was beginning to understand what his awakened instinct was and started practicing martial arts.
Even the most basic Hong Quan, when executed by Feng Lin now, was majestic and powerful. His fists and feet stirred the air, forming visible whirlwinds, sharp as blades, inflicting harm without contact.
His techniques had clearly reached a level where they could leave his body and injure from a distance.
From Hong Quan, Bajiquan, Taijiquan—these ancient Earth martial arts—to the interstellar genetic martial art, Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist, Feng Lin performed them all one by one, surrounded by a hurricane, with astonishing phenomena.
After finishing over twenty sets of boxing routines in one breath, Feng Lin's face remained calm, and his breathing steady, showcasing extraordinary stamina.
So this is what it means to be a true interstellar cultivator?
Feng Lin stared blankly at his own hands, a sense of daze washing over him.
Unless you reach this level, you can't understand the wondrous feeling of this leap in life evolution—it's beyond words.
Every creature in the universe exists within an endless food chain, and the evolution of life is a continuous ascent up that chain.
To avoid being eaten and to eat others, you must evolve, evolve constantly, until you become the man at the top of the food chain!
As for how much his strength and speed had specifically increased after becoming an interstellar cultivator, Feng Lin wasn't sure yet.
But after some initial exploration, he understood that he now possessed the life instinct of absolute control over his power. Every ounce of strength within him could be used at will, in the most efficient and reasonable way.
With the same force, an interstellar cultivator could concentrate it into a single point, making it at least three times stronger than a cultivator apprentice.
Not to mention that a gene apprentice's life force started at 1, while a cultivator's started at 10. The cultivator's base strength was at least ten times that of an apprentice.
One up, one down—the gap in life was like the difference between heaven and earth, a gap that numbers alone couldn't bridge.
The leap in life force meant that a cultivator's strength intensity and recovery speed far surpassed those of an apprentice.
No matter how many cultivator apprentices there were, as long as high-end technology wasn't used, an interstellar cultivator, even if surrounded by a sea of enemies, could leave calmly if outmatched—they simply couldn't be stopped.
Feng Lin had now grasped his true strength. The absolute control over power allowed his techniques to break free from the body's constraints, channeling force through the air to strike from a distance, creating a "hitting the cow across the mountain" effect.
This made up for his previous weakness of only being able to fight in close quarters.
Of course, the wonders of an interstellar cultivator didn't stop there; he still needed to explore further.
These were just the basic changes in physical power. Feng Lin turned his attention to supernatural abilities.
Supernatural abilities originated from mythical genes.
Feng Lin looked inward, observing the changes in his genes.
A river of stars connected three golden genes, like a bridge spanning a sea of stars, forming a triangular structure.
A triangle was the most stable structure, laying the most solid foundation for a mythical path.
These three linked genes, like a tree branch, also formed the beginning of a genetic tree.
Having taken this step, Feng Lin was undoubtedly on the right path to the supernatural.
Feng Lin focused his mind on the newly evolved gene, from which information flowed.
"Gene: Stone Monkey Gene Grade: Mutated Primitive Gene Enhancement Points: 1 Abilities: Stone Body, Iron Bones; Immense Strength; Impervious to Blades and Spears; Invulnerable to Water and Fire."
It was actually a mutated primitive gene!
Both the Ape Gene and the Stone Fetus Gene were low-tier basic genes, yet the combined Stone Monkey Gene turned out to be a mutated gene, second only to a perfect gene.
This was something Feng Lin had never expected.
Most genes were conventional, with varying abilities but often similar attributes.
Thunder Gene and Wind-Thunder Gene, Magma Gene and Flame Gene, Ice Gene and Snow-Wind Gene—so on and so forth.
But mutated genes were different. The gene itself underwent a mysterious, unreplicable mutation, granting abilities that were often unique, possessing powers that other genes lacked.
What exactly made the Stone Monkey Gene qualify as a mutated gene?
Feng Lin was curious, pondering the abilities of the Stone Monkey Gene: Stone Body, Iron Bones; Immense Strength; Impervious to Blades and Spears; Invulnerable to Water and Fire.
Stone Body, Iron Bones—this meant a hardened body, indestructible like diamond.
But many genes had this trait; it was a common feature of body-enhancing genes. For example, the Vajra Gene awakened through the Vajra Demon-Subduing Fist was similar.
Immense Strength—this described great power, a trait shared by the Giant Gene and the Tiger Gene.
Impervious to Blades and Spears meant skin as hard as metal, unafraid of cuts or stabs. The Bronze Skin Gene, Iron Shirt Gene, Metal Gene—many body-hardening genes had similar features.
So there was only one left...
Invulnerable to Water and Fire!
What did that mean?
What did water and fire refer to?
Feng Lin didn't think it meant ordinary water and flames. Any body-enhancing gene could resist water and fire to some degree—it wasn't novel.
There had to be a deeper meaning, far beyond the literal interpretation.
As Feng Lin continued to delve into the gene with his mind, more genetic information surfaced, revealing the answer to his confusion.
Invulnerable to Water and Fire: Resists energy erosion. As gene points are enhanced, it progresses until completely immune to energy-based damage—impervious to water and fire, untouched by all supernatural forces.