On the coast of China's East Sea, in a remote, uninhabited stretch of shoreline.
Waves pounded the rocks, sending up a thousand heaps of snow-white spray.
The air was thick with the stench of blood, which lingered and refused to fade.
A colossal beast, more than a hundred meters long, lay lifeless 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 beast that had one foot in the Emperor-level.
Yet now, this once-dominant overlord that had wreaked havoc in the seas looked utterly wretched.
Its seemingly indestructible scales had been sliced cleanly through, and its massive body had been cut into several pieces. The cuts were smooth as mirrors, as if some unimaginably sharp blade had severed it in an instant.
On the beach, not far from the Flood Dragon King's corpse, a young man in a black combat suit lay sprawled on the ground, limbs spread out like the character for "big."
Lin Yuan gazed up at the cloudless blue sky and let out a long breath.
"Phew... Finally done."
He pushed himself up with both hands and sat up, casually wiping the seawater and blood from his face. His gaze swept over the Green-Scaled Flood Dragon King, which was well and truly dead, and a relieved smile tugged at his lips.
"Counting this one... I've finally completed the mission."
Looking back on the past six months or so, Lin Yuan couldn't help but feel a little wistful.
He had originally thought that with his current Planetary-level strength, hunting ten King-level monsters would be a piece of cake.
If the ten beasts had lined up and attacked him together, he was confident he could have taken them all out in a single day.
But reality was often far less straightforward than one imagined.
Every one of those King-level monsters was as cunning as a fox. They were scattered across the world, hiding in deep mountains and forests or beneath the oceans, and each commanded tens of thousands of beasts.
Pinpointing and killing the leader amid a boundless sea of beasts, while preventing it from fleeing when things turned against it, was far more difficult than simply fighting it.
"Still, all that running around these past six months wasn't for nothing."
Lin Yuan clenched his fist, feeling the increasingly concentrated, rounded power within him.
The prolonged life-and-death battles had not dragged him into the savage instinct of slaughter. Instead, they had made him calmer and more ruthless.
Through each encounter with a King-level monster, his control over his power had reached a new height. He had even...
He extended one finger and lightly tapped the air.
Buzz!
The air around him seemed to freeze for an instant as an invisible ripple spread outward from him.
Its range was tiny, and it was extremely unstable, but it was indeed the embryonic form of a domain!
"King-level monsters aren't suitable sparring partners anymore."
Lin Yuan grinned, a feverish fighting spirit flashing in his eyes. "I should find the time to test myself against a real Emperor-level monster..."
Just then, the mechanical voice he had been eagerly awaiting finally rang out in his mind!
[Mission "Breakthrough in a Day, Slaughter King-level Beasts" completed!]
[Rewards issued:]
[1. Soul Defense Supreme Treasure—Star Soul-Suppressing Bell!]
[2. Space Law secret technique—Particle!]
[3. Life Gene Level increased threefold!]
Boom!!!
As the system's voice faded, an indescribably terrifying energy appeared out of nowhere inside Lin Yuan and swept through every part of his body in an instant!
Pain!
Agonizing pain!
It was as if an invisible pair of hands were tearing apart every cell in his body, only for some mysterious force to swiftly put them back together.
The pain cut to the bone and pierced his very soul. Even Lin Yuan, with his iron will, couldn't help but groan. The veins on his forehead bulged, and cold sweat soaked through the back of his clothes.
But he clenched his teeth and didn't make another sound, because he could clearly feel that beyond the agony lay the joy of rebirth!
A faint golden sheen began to appear in his blood, which had once been bright red. It was a sign that his life level had advanced.
His bones grew denser, his muscle fibers tougher, and every cell in his body absorbed cosmic energy several times faster than before!
The transformation lasted a full ten minutes before finally subsiding.
Phew—
Lin Yuan exhaled a long breath and slowly rose to his feet.
He looked much the same on the outside, but his presence had become deeper and more restrained, like an ancient ferocious beast lying in wait.
He casually punched the empty air in front of him.
He didn't use any Origin Force; it was pure physical strength.
Boom!
The air compressed to the limit, then burst with a deafening crack!
A visible white shock wave roared out and smashed a massive reef dozens of meters away to pieces!
"So this is... a leap in Life Gene Level?"
Lin Yuan stared at his fist, his eyes full of astonishment.
Before, a punch like that would have required him to use at least seventy percent of his Origin Force. Now, he had done it with a casual swing!
"Of the three rewards, this really is the most direct and brutal improvement."
Lin Yuan thought to himself.
In this universe, ordinary humans—even Hong and Thunder God—had a Life Gene Level of only one.
Meanwhile, certain special races in the universe, such as Starry Sky Behemoths, were born with Gene Levels several or even dozens of times higher.
The higher the Gene Level, the stronger one was against others of the same level!
"My base strength is now three times that of a martial artist at the same level! Add the Force Amplitude from Nine Star Transformations... I'm nothing short of a walking pile of absurd stats!"
Lin Yuan couldn't help laughing. This all-around sense of power was simply intoxicating.
At the same time, a vast stream of information appeared in his mind.
It contained the cultivation method for the Space Law secret technique Particle, as well as the image of an ancient, mysterious little bell hovering quietly at the center of his sea of consciousness.
It radiated a force that suppressed all Soul Attacks—the Star Soul-Suppressing Bell!
"Space Law..."
"Soul defense..."
Lin Yuan closed his eyes and carefully sensed the obscure yet wondrous fluctuations of the Space Law in his mind.
Though he had only just begun, he felt as if he had already touched upon a corner of the universe's very origins.
A moment later, he opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance vanishing from his gaze.
"A tremendous haul."
Lin Yuan nodded in satisfaction, then focused his mind.
Buzz!
The sand beneath his feet trembled faintly. Nine silver blades appeared out of thin air and instantly assembled into a perfect disc—the Arc Wheel.
He leaped lightly and landed steadily on the Arc Wheel. His whole body turned into a streak of flowing light as he glided toward the distant horizon.
"Mission complete, strength greatly increased. It's time to take a good, long break."
"I'll wait and see how things unfold."
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, Lin Yuan had finally enjoyed a rare stretch of peaceful days.
But the tree might have wished for stillness; the wind would not relent.
One day, while Lin Yuan was practicing the Particle movement technique in the gravity room, the Communication Watch on his wrist suddenly vibrated.
He stopped and glanced at the name on the screen...
Caller: Hong.
Lin Yuan drew a deep breath and answered.
"Master of the Dojo."
A holographic projection unfolded at once, and Hong's black-clad figure appeared in midair, stern as iron.
Just as when he had assigned the previous mission, Hong skipped the small talk. He didn't even ask about Lin Yuan's recent progress in cultivation.
His voice was calm and forceful as he got straight to the point:
"Lin Yuan, get ready."
"Come with me to Mist Island."
As he spoke, Hong's eternally impassive face took on a rare, grave expression, along with... a hint of anticipation he could barely conceal.
"A new opportunity... has arrived! Forces from all sides are gathering. This might be the stage you've been waiting for."
Before you continue