Chapter 3

After confirming his fingerprint, Lin Feng entered the cultivation room. The fifty-square-meter space was fully visible, containing only a standard-sized gene nutrient tank equipped with a simple consciousness helmet. A glimmer of light flashed in his eyes as memories of the past surged in his heart; he had spent a significant portion of the past six years here.

Absorbing gene energy, expanding his brain domain, and practicing sword techniques in the world of consciousness...

His strength had steadily increased, and at the age of sixteen, his brain domain width had already reached 9.95%, a remarkable achievement that, although not matching his elder brother's, was still rare in Jiaoyang District and even in Sunset City. Even the prestigious 'Crown Elite Academy,' one of the top three advanced gene schools, had offered him extremely favorable conditions to enroll early.

Originally, everything was going smoothly. He was supposed to enter Crown Elite Academy, become a gene warrior, and train hard to follow in his brother's footsteps. But...

Due to that accident, everything changed.

"Whoosh!" Lin Feng's pupils sparkled as he gazed at the gene nutrient tank, his right fist trembling tightly.

That day, there was nothing different from his usual training. He was immersed in the gene nutrient tank, his body absorbing gene energy autonomously, and his consciousness entered a virtual space to practice sword techniques. But just as he was fully engrossed, an unbearable pain suddenly struck...

Thump! Thump! Thump! Lin Feng pressed his chest, his face somewhat pale.

Thinking about the excruciating pain from that day still left him with lingering fear and chills.

It was a pain he had never experienced before, as if his head was about to explode, all his pain nerves bursting in an instant, leaving him unable to feel his body, heartbeat, and breathing...

He fainted from the pain.

When he regained consciousness, it was already three days later.

Lin Feng had kept this matter hidden in his heart, never mentioning it to anyone, including his mother and sister, because he didn't want them to worry. He thought it was just an isolated incident, but during the retest of his brain domain width for entering Crown Elite Academy, a nightmare... erupted.

7.50%!

A mere sixth-level brain domain width!

At that moment, everyone was stunned, including himself and the vice-principal of Crown Elite Academy, who had tested him with a smile. Seeing the number on the brain domain width tester, the vice-principal's expression changed drastically, roaring, "What a joke!"

That look of disdain and anger was like a sharp sword piercing his heart, making him feel utterly miserable.

The difference between a sixth-level and a first-level brain domain was more than just a chasm!

But this was not the end; it was just the beginning of the nightmare...

His brain domain width began to degenerate bit by bit, and no matter how much he trained, he couldn't keep up with the rate of degeneration. It felt like a loss of vitality, a逼近 of death, but he couldn't stop it. Misfortune never comes alone, and at this time... news of his brother's disappearance brought him to complete despair.

...

"Phew~" Lin Feng exhaled deeply, slowly unclenching his right fist, his palms drenched in sweat.

This was a nightmare he couldn't bear to recall, a year-long shadow that almost made him unable to return...

"Why did my brain domain width regress?" Lin Feng looked at his hands, utterly puzzled. It was like a huge riddle that left him baffled, and he couldn't find an answer in any book.

"Snap!" Lin Feng's hands glowed.

They seemed white, transparent, yet metallic, exuding a sense of power.

Gene energy!

"Gene damage?" Lin Feng shook his head, immediately dismissing the idea, even though it was a widely accepted reason. Indeed, if one's innate genes were damaged, it would be difficult to improve in strength, but he had never heard of brain domain width degeneration. Moreover, he knew his body best and would have no reason not to feel if there was something wrong.

"Besides the intense pain during the accident, there were no other symptoms, and even..."

"After the accident, my physical fitness index seemed to have improved significantly."

Lin Feng pondered.

Before the accident, his physical fitness index was average for a初级 gene warrior, but after the accident, instead of declining, it improved to a good level for a初级 gene warrior. He couldn't find any reason for this, just as he couldn't explain the mysterious degeneration of his brain domain width.

"Whatever." Lin Feng smiled with a sense of acceptance.

The past is the past, and no matter what, this is an unchangeable fact.

"I should be grateful." Lin Feng thought to himself, "If the degeneration of my brain domain width had occurred after breaking the critical point and becoming a gene warrior, with the dantian fused with the elemental heart, that would have been the real end. Now, at least I can still take another path and become an ancient martial artist."

Lin Feng smiled.

A step back, and the sky is wide and the sea is vast.

When heaven closes a door, it must open a window.

Walking to the back of the gene nutrient tank, Lin Feng pressed the silver button, and rows of neatly arranged sealed glass bottles appeared. These were the gene liquids his brother had prepared for him, which were quite expensive, but unfortunately, he had wasted a lot of them over the past year.

"6, 7, 8... 12 bottles left." Lin Feng quickly counted, "Including the ones given by the academy, it should be enough for my sister for half a year."

The Jiaoyang District初级 gene academy provided a bottle of gene liquid each month, and based on his training experience, three bottles of gene liquid per month should be sufficient.

Since he knew his sister had innate genes, he naturally had to prepare in advance and arrange the best training path for her, just as his brother had done for him. Including the next three months, he had nine months to prepare, which was a tight schedule.

"I have three months left until graduation, so I can still receive three bottles of gene liquid." Lin Feng organized the gene liquids.

He planned to give the three bottles from the academy to Ali. Although he couldn't enter the top three advanced gene schools, Ali still had a chance. In terms of talent, Ali was quite good, but unfortunately, his family's financial situation was average. If he had enough gene liquids from a young age, he wouldn't be far behind Shi Wenlong, even if he couldn't cross the critical point.

As a good friend, he would help if he could.

After organizing the gene liquids, Lin Feng was about to stand up when suddenly—

"Hmm?" Lin Feng was slightly taken aback.

In the corner where the gene liquids were originally placed, a small black segment appeared after he organized them, blending in with the color of the storage platform. Lin Feng moved a bottle of gene liquid, and his eyes lit up.

A black metal box lay there quietly.

"What is this!?" Lin Feng pulled out the metal box, holding it and weighing it in his hand.

It was heavy yet light.

The box was heavy, but the contents inside were light.

"Snap!" Lin Feng opened the black metal box, and a brilliant silver-white light instantly illuminated the entire cultivation room. It was a clearly defined 'heart' made of countless crystal fragments, crystal clear, reflecting silver-white light from all directions, like a royal presence.

Lin Feng was shocked.

Staring at the not-so-large silver-white heart-shaped crystal, he felt completely suffocated.

Elemental Heart!

This was a genuine elemental heart, the source of all power for gene warriors, who absorb, store, and use gene energy. In simple terms, it was the dantian of a gene warrior.

Elemental hearts are classified into E, D, C, B, and A grades, with a legendary S grade surpassing A. Each grade is further divided into nine levels, such as E9 being the worst and E1 being the best.

Even the worst E9 elemental heart is quite expensive.

Of course, if one could enter the top three advanced gene schools, join the city guard, or become a bodyguard for a wealthy merchant, they could receive one of the three types of E9 elemental hearts for free. When Crown Elite Academy offered to recruit Lin Feng early, one of the conditions was that he could freely choose any type of D1 elemental heart.

The price of a D-grade elemental heart was already quite outrageous, and a C-grade was even more terrifying.

But the silver-white heart-shaped crystal in front of Lin Feng was—

A-grade.

A genuine A-grade elemental heart, the Titanium Heart.

Starting at A8 quality, the Titanium Heart is quite rare among rare metals, belonging to the enhancement series of the three major types. While it might not be as strong in defensive enhancement as the Molybdenum Heart or in strength enhancement as the Tungsten Heart, it was quite comprehensive, and its unique new martial art, the 'Titanium Body,' had a powerful and awe-inspiring effect.

One could say that the appearance of this 'Titanium Heart' would cause a major earthquake.

But to Lin Feng, this 'Titanium Heart' had a completely different meaning...

"Which elemental heart do you like the most, Feng?"

"The Titanium Heart!"

"Haha, good taste, steady and extraordinary, just like your character, Feng!"

"I was just thinking, Brother. The Titanium Heart is always in demand but not available, and we can't afford it."

"Don't be a wimp! Feng, remember, as a man, you must dare to think and act, fearless of any difficulties. What's the Titanium Heart? When you break through the critical point, I'll give it to you!"

...

That generous and大气 voice still echoed deeply in his mind, but the person was no longer the same.

For Lin Feng, his brother Lin Zhan had the most profound influence on him, and he still remembered his brother's earnest teachings. Despite the unimaginable pressure and pain he had endured over the past year, Lin Feng had still persevered.

"Brother, do you remember..." Lin Feng held the black box, murmuring softly.

He never expected that his casual words at the time had been remembered by his brother. Clearly, this black box had existed for a year, but he had been so immersed in the nightmare that he hadn't noticed.

The Titanium Heart was very valuable.

But the most valuable thing was his brother's heartfelt gesture.

"Thank you, Brother." Lin Feng closed his eyes, his heart filled with warmth and gratitude.

Although he might never use this Titanium Heart again, it was the best gift he had ever received.

...

Soon, Lin Feng calmed his mind.

Although the Titanium Heart was very powerful, it couldn't provide any substantial help to him now.

In front of him, there was only one path left.

"Swish~" Flipping open the thin brown book, Lin Feng's heart was calm yet curious.

Roar! A dragon's roar echoed in his ears, the huge dragon head vividly alive, its eyes radiating brilliant light, making Lin Feng tremble.

"Snap!" The virtual image flickered, revealing four bold and proud characters at the top of the book—

Nine Dragon True Scripture.

"Such a powerful aura." Lin Feng felt a sense of respect.

Just from the words, one could tell that the writer's strength was undoubtedly profound. Page by page, Lin Feng quickly entered a state, carefully reading and comprehending, each word and sentence crucial, immersing himself in the ocean of ancient martial arts.

Ten minutes later.

"Three levels." Lin Feng flipped to the last page, feeling a sense of surprise.

Most heart techniques from the lowest to the highest level only have one level, and even a second level is rare. This 'Nine Dragon True Scripture' was indeed as he had expected, above the yellow grade nine levels, far better than the benefits of the Jiaoyang Martial Arts Hall. Even if he entered the Sunset Martial Arts Hall, the initial heart technique taught would only be a first-level one.

"Great!" Lin Feng clenched his fist, feeling more confident.

In the early stages of an ancient martial artist's training, having a good heart technique undoubtedly made things easier.

As for the origin of the 'Nine Dragon True Scripture,' his mother had her reasons for not telling him, and there was no need to pry. What mattered was that it could help him become an ancient martial artist, break through one of the seven spirits, and cross the critical point of the brain domain width to reach 10%.

10% was a true dividing line, also known as the critical point.

In the previous era, humans were stuck at this critical point for a long time, unable to break through, until the existence and mysteries of ancient martial arts were discovered, allowing humans to truly cross this threshold. Nowadays, despite the advanced technology, the proportion of humans with a brain domain width exceeding 10%, becoming ancient martial artists or gene warriors, is still not high.

Crossing it meant being among the best, with a bright future ahead.

Even the weakest初级 gene warrior or初级 ancient martial artist, joining the city guard, could provide a comfortable life for their family.

Not crossing it meant being a commoner with no status or power, at the mercy of others.

"I must succeed!" Lin Feng's eyes burned with determination.

"I must not let my mother and sister live in fear and hardship."

"I must become an ancient martial artist!"

...

"Exhale, inhale~"

In the cultivation room, Lin Feng sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his right foot on his left leg and his left foot on his right leg, his shoulders relaxed and his spine straight, his tailbone suspended, his hands forming a seal below his dantian, his entire body resembling a six-sided tower, steady and solid.

His mind gradually focused, his breathing long and deep, as if time had stopped in that moment.

Silence, the cultivation room was left with only Lin Feng's subtle and steady breathing.

Ten minutes, thirty minutes, an hour...

"It's still not working." Lin Feng opened his eyes, a hint of contemplation in his brows, flipping open the Nine Dragon True Scripture again, reading and pondering each word, murmuring, "All ancient martial arts heart techniques are the same; the first step in cultivation is to sense the existence of heaven and earth energy, using the heart as the source to communicate with heaven and earth, only then can one begin to cultivate."

"Hmm... What did I do wrong?"

"Feet, hands, spine?"

Lin Feng frowned, his heart feeling a chill.

Since it was his first time cultivating and he had no teacher to guide him, he was unsure of the 'standard' and was truly uncertain.

"Sensing heaven and earth energy is unrelated to the quality of the ancient martial arts heart technique."

"Those with good talent can sense it in a day or two; those with average talent may take a year or two just to sense it; and those with poor talent may never sense it in their entire lives."

Lin Feng thought to himself, knowing quite a bit about the cultivation of ancient martial artists.

His eyes fixed on the Nine Dragon True Scripture, Lin Feng's eyes suddenly lit up, and he laughed, shaking his head.

One word—stillness.

What is stillness?

It's not just the body, but the mind. He was too eager, too desperate to become an ancient martial artist, and in his meditation, he had desires and yearnings, which were not true stillness. The cultivation of ancient martial artists uses the heart as the source, communicating with heaven and earth, and if the mind is not still, how can one sense heaven and earth?

The more anxious, the more chaotic.

"I understand." Lin Feng adjusted his breathing, slowly closing his eyes.

This time, he emptied his mind, and his heart was calm, almost instantly achieving perfect meditation. The person depicted in the book, sitting in meditation, felt exactly the same as Lin Feng. Soon, Lin Feng felt changes in his body, perfectly blending with heaven and earth, as if becoming a part of it.

"Heaven and earth energy." Lin Feng's heart moved.

It was an invisible and intangible existence, but at that moment, Lin Feng could clearly feel it. Unlike gene energy, it was like a blank sheet of paper, pure and clean, surrounding his body, growing more and more, becoming more and more dense.

"This!?" Lin Feng was greatly shocked, his heart unable to remain calm, and he instantly broke out of his meditative state.

"Thump!" "Thump!!