The cafeteria of the training center was far larger than Lin Sheng had expected.
The moment the three boys stepped inside, the smell of cooked spirit rice, roasted meat, medicinal soup, and fresh vegetables drifted through the air. Rows of long wooden tables stretched across the hall while martial trainees filled nearly every seat. Some were loudly discussing cultivation progress while others silently ate with exhausted expressions.
Compared to the outer courtyard disciples, the inner courtyard trainees clearly received better treatment.
Even the food here contained faint traces of spiritual qi.
Lin Sheng's eyes swept across the hall calmly while his mental field silently expanded.
Seven li.
Ever since his breakthrough into Entering Samadhi, controlling his mental field had become much smoother. He no longer needed deliberate concentration to maintain it. It had become almost instinctive, like breathing.
Within the cafeteria alone, he sensed over thirty martial trainees, several servants, and two hidden guards stationed near the ceiling beams.
Both guards possessed dense energy fluctuations.
Probably Innate realm martial artists.
His expression remained unchanged as he followed Zhao Feng and Lin Shou toward an empty table near the side.
Zhao Feng moved first and sat down with familiar ease.
"Inner courtyard food is much better than outer courtyard meals," he said while grinning. "The family spends a lot on nurturing talented disciples."
Lin Shou nodded slightly.
"That Essence Nourishing Soup yesterday almost made my body explode."
Zhao Feng laughed loudly.
"That means your root bone is absorbing it properly."
Lin Sheng quietly listened while grabbing a bowl of spirit rice.
The grains looked crystal clear and released faint steam mixed with spiritual qi. Even the meat dishes beside them contained traces of energy.
After sitting down, Zhao Feng suddenly leaned closer.
"You really shocked everyone today."
Lin Sheng looked at him.
"How?"
"Seven strands of internal energy in just one night," Zhao Feng whispered exaggeratedly. "Even Mentor Gu looked stunned. You didn't see the expressions of the Grade B disciples."
Lin Shou also glanced at him curiously.
"Honestly… how did you cultivate so quickly?"
Lin Sheng paused for a moment before answering calmly.
"I just followed the breathing method carefully."
The two stared at him silently.
Zhao Feng suddenly burst out laughing.
"You sound exactly like those old mentors."
Even Lin Shou smiled faintly.
Lin Sheng himself felt slightly amused.
Technically, he had not lied.
He really did follow the breathing exercise carefully.
Just… with the assistance of a consciousness chip capable of optimization, simulation, analysis, and recording.
Naturally, he could not reveal that.
As the three ate, more discussions began appearing around the cafeteria.
"Did you hear? That Grade A disciple generated seven strands already."
"Seven? Impossible."
"It's true. Mentor Gu personally confirmed it."
"Maybe he consumed expensive medicines before coming here."
"You think all Grade A disciples are ordinary?"
Lin Sheng ignored the whispers completely.
But he noticed something else.
Several gazes occasionally landed on him.
Some curious.
Some envious.
Some hostile.
His expression remained calm.
Competition within cultivation environments was inevitable. Old Liang had already warned him about that.
Resources, status, teachings, medicine.
Everything had to be fought for.
After finishing half his meal, Zhao Feng suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right. I'll send one of my attendants to your room later."
Lin Sheng nodded slightly.
"Thank you."
Lin Shou looked curious.
"What are you buying?"
"Just some medicinal ingredients," Lin Sheng replied casually.
Lin Shou immediately lost interest.
Most martial trainees bought medicinal herbs frequently anyway.
Only Lin Sheng himself knew the true purpose.
Corpse dissolving powder.
Back in his room, Ghost still lay unconscious beneath the bed compartment Lin Sheng had temporarily concealed him in.
The man's injuries were severe enough that he remained unconscious, but Lin Sheng knew this situation could not continue for long.
He needed to erase all traces.
Completely.
After eating, the three left the cafeteria together.
The training center courtyard bustled with activity. Martial trainees either practiced movement arts, discussed breathing methods, or hurried toward various halls.
As Lin Sheng walked back toward the inner courtyard area, his mental field swept through the surroundings automatically.
Then suddenly—
His footsteps paused slightly.
Not far away stood Lin Xiaolu.
The cold girl from the Wind Feather Eagle.
She stood beneath a tree silently watching the inner courtyard disciples train.
Her expression remained indifferent, but when Lin Sheng passed nearby, her gaze briefly shifted toward him.
The pressure within her body felt stable and condensed.
Five strands of internal energy.
But unlike ordinary trainees, her control felt extremely refined.
Almost frighteningly refined.
Lin Sheng only glanced once before continuing forward.
Yet the moment he passed, Lin Xiaolu suddenly spoke.
"You hid your real speed."
Her voice was calm and emotionless.
Lin Sheng stopped slightly.
"What makes you think that?"
Lin Xiaolu looked directly at him.
"Intuition."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Lin Sheng smiled faintly.
"You think too highly of me."
Without waiting for a response, he continued walking away.
Lin Xiaolu watched his departing back silently.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Meanwhile, Lin Sheng's thoughts became more cautious.
Women with strong intuition were troublesome.
Especially intelligent ones.
Thankfully, he had already decided not to reveal too much too early.
Back inside his room, Lin Sheng immediately activated the room formation and locked the door.
Then his expression finally relaxed slightly.
His mental field swept beneath the bed compartment.
Ghost remained unconscious.
The rogue cultivator's breathing had weakened somewhat due to his injuries.
Lin Sheng crouched beside him thoughtfully.
Through memory searching earlier, he had already gathered enormous information about the cultivation world.
Rogue cultivators.
Sect disciples.
Cultivation markets.
Spell techniques.
Spirit stones.
And most importantly—
The brutality of immortal cultivation.
Ghost's memories were filled with killing, ambushes, greed, betrayal, and fear.
Countless weak cultivators had died in miserable ways.
Some were eaten alive by demonic beasts.
Some were robbed by allies.
Some disappeared without even leaving corpses behind.
Compared to that world, the martial trainee competition here almost seemed peaceful.
Lin Sheng exhaled slowly.
Then he took out the parchment and checked the ingredient list again.
Most ingredients were ordinary medicinal materials.
Only when combined through special ratios and heating methods would they produce terrifying corrosive properties.
According to the chip's calculations, the final powder could dissolve flesh and bones within several hours.
Enough to completely erase Ghost's corpse.
A knock soon sounded at the door.
Lin Sheng opened it calmly.
Outside stood a thin servant boy wearing gray robes.
"Young Master Lin," the servant bowed respectfully. "Young Master Zhao sent me."
Lin Sheng nodded and handed him the ingredient list.
"These materials. Purchase them quietly."
The servant glanced at the list.
"Understood."
Lin Sheng casually handed over several silver taels.
The servant's eyes brightened instantly.
"I'll return quickly."
After he left, Lin Sheng shut the door again.
Then his gaze landed back on Ghost.
The room became silent.
Only after several minutes did Lin Sheng suddenly speak.
"Chip. Begin memory categorization."
•[Task Accepted]•
•[Categorizing cultivation information...]•
•[Establishing new database: Immortal Cultivation]•
Immediately, streams of organized information appeared mentally before him.
Qi Refining stages.
Basic spell structures.
Spirit stone usage.
Cultivation techniques.
Beast hunting knowledge.
Rogue cultivator survival methods.
The amount of information was enormous.
Lin Sheng silently absorbed it while seated in lotus position.
Time passed quietly.
Several hours later, the servant finally returned.
"Young Master Lin, the materials are here."
Lin Sheng inspected the ingredients carefully after opening the door.
Everything matched perfectly.
"Good."
The servant hesitated slightly before speaking carefully.
"Young Master… one of these herbs smells dangerous."
Lin Sheng looked at him calmly.
"I'm studying medicinal interactions."
The servant immediately bowed lower.
"I understand nothing."
Smart.
Lin Sheng handed him another silver piece.
The servant's expression became delighted instantly before leaving quickly.
After locking the room again, Lin Sheng began preparing the powder.
The chip continuously guided every step precisely.
Grinding.
Heating.
Mixing.
Filtering.
The process lasted nearly three hours.
Finally, a dark gray powder appeared within a ceramic container.
Even the air around it carried faint corrosive odor.
•[Corpse Dissolving Powder completed]•
•[Estimated dissolution speed: 5 hours]•
Lin Sheng stared silently at the powder.
This was his first time creating something truly lethal.
A strange feeling rose inside him.
Not fear.
Not excitement.
Just… realization.
This world was dangerous beyond imagination.
If he wanted to survive, kindness alone would never be enough.
Especially after witnessing Ghost's memories.
The rogue cultivator beneath him had slaughtered many innocent people without hesitation.
Keeping such a person alive would only create future disaster.
Lin Sheng's eyes gradually became firm.
No hesitation remained.
Night slowly descended outside.
The training center became quieter.
Most disciples returned to cultivation or rest.
Lin Sheng waited patiently until deep night before finally moving.
He dragged Ghost from beneath the compartment and placed him within the bathroom area.
Then he carefully scattered the powder.
The effect began almost immediately.
A sizzling sound echoed softly.
Ghost's flesh started dissolving visibly.
Even bones gradually melted into dark liquid.
The smell was unpleasant, but the room formation prevented leakage.
Lin Sheng watched silently.
This scene would probably disgust ordinary twelve year olds.
But after seeing Ghost's memories firsthand, Lin Sheng only felt caution.
This was reality.
Weakness meant death.
Five hours later, nothing remained except black residue.
Lin Sheng immediately cleaned everything thoroughly according to the chip's instructions.
After ensuring no traces remained, he finally sat down heavily.
Only then did exhaustion hit him.
Mental exhaustion.
Physical exhaustion.
Emotional exhaustion.
He closed his eyes slowly.
This was the first time since transmigrating into this world that he had truly experienced life and death danger directly.
One mistake earlier and he would have died silently in bed.
No protagonist halo.
No miracle.
Just death.
His fingers unconsciously tightened slightly.
Then slowly relaxed.
After several moments, Lin Sheng suddenly laughed softly to himself.
"It really is dangerous…"
Yet strangely enough—
His fear had also decreased.
Because he survived.
And because he now understood this world a little better.
Opening his eyes again, calmness gradually returned.
Lin Sheng inhaled deeply before entering lotus position again.
His mental field expanded silently across the room.
Everything remained calm.
Then his consciousness sank inward toward his sea of consciousness.
Eight star points revolved steadily around the white dwarf core. Reaching Mid Stage of Entering Samadhi might at least 2 to 3 months.
Watching them quietly, Lin Sheng's emotions finally settled completely.
Outside the window, snow began falling silently across Cloud Mist Market.
Inside the room, the young boy continued cultivating alone in silence.