Storms Gather, All Factions Assemble, Mist Island Revisited!

On a desolate coastline along the East China Sea of Huaxia.

Waves crashed against the reefs, churning up a thousand piles of snow.

The air was thick with a heavy, lingering stench of blood.

A behemoth over a hundred meters in length lay lifelessly stranded on the beach.

It was a terrifying monster with cyan scales and a single horn on its head—the Green-Scaled Flood Dragon King, a creature that had one foot stepped into the Emperor level.

Yet at this moment, this overlord that once stirred up storms in the seas looked utterly miserable.

Its indestructible scales had been sliced open cleanly, and its massive body was hacked into pieces, the cross-sections as smooth as mirrors, as if severed in an instant by some incredibly sharp blade.

On the beach not far from the dragon king's corpse, a young man in a black combat suit lay sprawled on the ground in an unrefined "X" shape.

Lin Yuan looked up at the azure, cloudless sky and let out a long sigh.

"Phew... finally done."

He propped himself up with his hands, sat up, and wiped the seawater and blood from his face, his gaze sweeping over the dead-as-a-doornail Green-Scaled Flood Dragon King as a look of relief curled his lips.

"Counting this one... the mission is finally complete."

Recalling the experiences of the past half-year, Lin Yuan couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.

He had originally thought that with his current Planet level strength, hunting ten King-level monsters would be a simple task.

If these ten beasts had lined up to attack him all at once, he would have even been confident in finishing them all within a day.

But reality was often much harsher than imagination.

These King-level monsters were as cunning as ghosts; not only were they scattered across the world's deep mountains, forests, and vast oceans, but each one commanded tens of thousands of beasts.

Trying to pinpoint and kill a leader within a vast sea of monsters while preventing them from fleeing at the first sign of trouble was far more difficult than a simple fight.

"Still, this half-year of running around wasn't without its rewards."

Lin Yuan clenched his fist, feeling the increasingly refined and harmonious power within his body.

Long-term life-and-death struggles hadn't caused him to succumb to the savagery of slaughter; instead, they had made his state of mind more steady and cold.

Through his repeated skirmishes with King-level monsters, his control over his power had reached a new height, and even...

He extended a finger and tapped the air lightly.

Hum!

The surrounding air seemed to solidify for a split second, and an invisible ripple spread out from him as the center.

Although the range was tiny and highly unstable, this was indeed the embryonic form of a Domain!

"King-level monsters are no longer suitable sparring partners."

Lin Yuan grinned, a flash of fanatical fighting spirit in his eyes. "When I find the time, it's time to clash with a real Emperor-level monster..."

Just then, the mechanical voice he had been longing for finally sounded in his mind at the perfect moment!

[Mission "Breakthrough in One Stroke, Slaughter the King-level" completed!]

[Distributing rewards now:]

[1. Soul-defense treasure—Star Soul-Suppressing Bell!]

[2. Spatial law-type secret technique—Particle!]

[3. Life gene level enhancement—threefold!]

BOOM!!!

As the system's voice faded, an indescribably terrifying energy appeared out of thin air within Lin Yuan's body, instantly sweeping through his limbs and bones!

Pain!

Excruciating pain!

It felt as if every cell in his body was being crazily torn apart by invisible hands, only to be rapidly reconstructed under the influence of some mysterious force.

This pain reached deep into his marrow and straight to the depths of his soul; even with Lin Yuan's iron will, he couldn't help but groan, veins bulging on his forehead as cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

But he gritted his teeth and remained silent, for he could clearly feel that after this agony came the joy of rebirth!

His originally bright red blood began to shimmer with a faint golden luster—the mark of a leap in life level.

His bones became denser, his muscle fibers tougher, and even the speed at which every cell inhaled and exhaled cosmic energy was several times faster than before!

This metamorphosis lasted for a full ten minutes before slowly subsiding.

Hoo—

Lin Yuan exhaled a long breath of stale air and slowly stood up.

At this moment, his appearance hadn't changed much, but the aura he exuded had become deeper and more restrained, like a dormant ancient beast.

He casually threw a punch into the void in front of him.

He didn't use any Origin Power, just pure physical strength.

BOOM!

The air was instantly compressed to its limit, erupting with a roar like a detonation!

A visible white shockwave whistled outward, directly shattering a massive reef dozens of meters away into dust!

"Is this... the leap in life gene level?"

Lin Yuan stared at his fist, his eyes filled with shock.

The power of that punch, if it were in the past, would have required him to use at least seventy percent of his Force to achieve. And now, it was just a casual swing!

"Among the three rewards, this is truly the most intuitive and violent upgrade."

Lin Yuan thought to himself.

In this universe, ordinary humans, even Hong and Thunder God, only have a life gene level of one times.

As for those special races in the universe, such as the Starry Sky Behemoths, they are born with gene levels several or even dozens of times higher.

The higher the gene level, the more it represents invincibility at the same rank!

"My current base strength is three times that of a martial artist at the same rank! Plus the force amplification of the Nine Star Transformations... I am simply an out-and-out numerical monster!"

Lin Yuan couldn't help but laugh out loud. This all-encompassing sense of power was truly intoxicating.

At the same time, a massive stream of information appeared in his mind.

It was the cultivation method for the space law secret technique Particle, and a phantom of an ancient, mysterious small bell was quietly floating in the center of his consciousness.

It radiated fluctuations that suppressed all soul attacks—the Star Soul-Suppressing Bell!

"Space law..."

"Soul defense..."

Lin Yuan closed his eyes, carefully sensing the obscure yet profound fluctuations of the space law in his mind.

Although he had only just entered the threshold, he felt as if he had touched a corner of the most fundamental essence of this universe.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance passing through them.

"A bountiful harvest."

Lin Yuan nodded with satisfaction, then his thoughts stirred.

Hum!

The beach beneath his feet trembled slightly as nine silver blades appeared out of thin air, instantly combining into a perfect disc—the Arc Wheel.

He leaped lightly, landing steadily on the Arc Wheel, and transformed into a streak of light, drifting toward the distant horizon.

"Mission accomplished, strength skyrocketed. It's time to take a good rest for a while."

"Quietly waiting for the storm to rise."

Time flew by, and another month passed.

During this time, Lin Yuan enjoyed a rare period of peace.

However, the tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease.

On this day, while Lin Yuan was practicing the Particle movement technique in the gravity chamber, the communication watch on his wrist suddenly vibrated.

He stopped his movements and glanced at the name on the screen...

Caller—Hong.

Lin Yuan took a deep breath and answered the call.

"Master."

A holographic projection instantly unfolded, and Hong's figure, dressed in black and as cold as iron, appeared in mid-air.

Just like when he issued the mission last time, Hong did not engage in excessive pleasantries, nor did he even ask about Lin Yuan's recent cultivation progress.

His voice was calm and powerful, cutting straight to the point:

"Lin Yuan, get ready."

"Accompany me to Mist Island."

As he said this, Hong's eternally stoic, iceberg-like face revealed a rare trace of solemnity, and... a hint of undisguised anticipation.

"A new opportunity... has arrived! With all forces gathering, it might just be the stage you've been looking for."