The library was silent except for the occasional sound of pages turning in the distance.
Lin Sheng sat cross legged on a meditation cushion in one corner of the room, the thick book "Acquired Realm Annotations" resting open before him. The afternoon sunlight filtered through the windows and landed across the ancient pages, illuminating the detailed diagrams of the human body's meridian network.
The more he read, the more complicated martial cultivation appeared.
At first glance, the Acquired Realm sounded simple. Generate internal energy, accumulate enough of it, then break through meridians one by one. But after truly studying the process, Lin Sheng finally understood why so many martial artists remained trapped in the lower stages for their entire lives.
Every meridian was different.
Every blockage was different.
Even the direction internal energy flowed varied from person to person.
A single mistake could cripple the body permanently.
Lin Sheng slowly exhaled.
"No wonder Master warned me not to act recklessly."
The book in his hands contained far more detailed explanations than anything Mentor Gu had spoken about publicly. It explained the exact pathways of the twelve principal meridians, the order most martial artists opened them in, and the risks involved.
The Hand Taiyin Lung Meridian.
The Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian.
The Foot Yangming Stomach Meridian.
Each one stretched across different parts of the body like invisible rivers hidden beneath flesh and blood.
The more he observed the diagrams, the more they reminded him of electrical circuits from his previous life.
Meridians were pathways.
Internal energy was current.
The human body itself was the vessel.
But unlike machines, no two bodies were perfectly identical.
That was the terrifying part.
"A martial artist is basically gambling with their own body every time they break through," Lin Sheng muttered softly.
The book also explained the concept of internal energy quality.
A weak internal energy stream would struggle to push through blocked meridians. Worse, if the energy scattered midway, it could damage the surrounding channels and leave permanent hidden injuries.
This was why those who relied heavily on pills at the beginning often ruined their future.
The energy they produced became impure and unstable.
Lin Sheng could finally understand why Old Liang hated shortcuts so much.
Closing the book slightly, he rested his chin on his hand and thought carefully.
"My internal energy quality should be extremely high because of the optimized breathing technique."
Not only that, his mental introspection gave him an advantage nobody else possessed.
Normal martial artists could only vaguely sense the movement of internal energy.
He could literally observe it directly from inside his body.
That difference alone was monstrous.
Still, Lin Sheng did not become arrogant.
The stronger the foundation, the greater the danger once something went wrong.
After memorizing another few pages, he calmly spoke inwardly.
"Chip, use information under meridians and create a 3D map of all the meridians in my body."
•[ Ding.... Task Accepted ]•
•[ Task Analysis Started ]•
•[ Estimated Time: 8 Hours ]•
Lin Sheng nodded slightly.
Eight hours was acceptable.
During this period, he could continue cultivating and attempt to push his Entering Samadhi state further.
Compared to internal energy cultivation, his mental cultivation path was still largely unexplored territory.
No manuals, No teachers, No guidance.
Everything depended on experimentation.
That was dangerous, but it also meant nobody could predict his abilities.
After storing the book into his room pouch, Lin Sheng left the library and returned to the inner courtyard.
The moment he stepped outside, cold wind brushed against his face.
Winter in Cloud Mist Market was far harsher than back in the mortal cities.
The distant mountains were covered in white snow, while mist drifted endlessly through the valleys below.
Even the spiritual qi in the air felt colder.
Along the path back to the inner courtyard, Lin Sheng noticed several older trainees carrying weapons while heading toward another section of the training grounds.
One of them glanced at Lin Sheng briefly before looking away.
Lin Sheng also withdrew his gaze calmly.
The competition within the training center was becoming increasingly obvious.
Resources, Status, Mentors.
Future opportunities.
Everything depended on talent and strength.
Those who fell behind would gradually lose access to better cultivation resources.
That reality made the atmosphere here subtly tense despite the outward calm.
When Lin Sheng returned to his room, he immediately shut the door and activated the room formation.
The faint humming sound of the formation echoed briefly before disappearing.
Only then did he sit down.
His thoughts gradually calmed.
The room became silent.
Lin Sheng entered a lotus position and slowly closed his eyes.
Inside his sea of consciousness, the eight star points revolved steadily around the white dwarf at the center.
Compared to before, the connection between them had become clearer.
Stable.
Orderly.
His mental energy quietly spread outward.
Close to 6 li, the limit of Early stage Samadhi might be 10 li
The world around him gradually transformed.
He could hear footsteps outside the courtyard.
The distant conversations of trainees.
The faint sound of boiling soup from the cafeteria area.
Even the movements of spiritual qi inside nearby rooms became vaguely perceptible.
Lin Sheng focused inward again.
Within his body, strands of internal energy flowed through the lower dantian like streams of pale mist.
Twenty nine strands.
All compressed neatly together.
They circulated naturally with every breath.
The efficiency of Version 2.1 of the breathing exercise was terrifying.
If Mentor Gu discovered the true speed of his cultivation, it would absolutely attract dangerous levels of attention.
Lin Sheng was not naive enough to believe talent alone guaranteed safety.
In cultivation worlds, overly monstrous geniuses either rose rapidly... or died early.
Especially those without sufficient backing.
Thankfully, he had already learned how important hiding strength was.
The room gradually fell completely silent again.
Lin Sheng slowly adjusted his breathing according to the optimized rhythm.
Inhale.
Pause.
Guide.
Circulate.
Exhale.
The surrounding spiritual qi quietly gathered around his body before entering through his pores and breath.
Compared to before entering Cloud Mist Market, the difference was enormous.
Cultivating here truly felt like soaking inside warm water.
Even his body absorbed spiritual qi passively.
Time slowly passed.
Inside his consciousness, the white dwarf suddenly pulsed faintly.
The revolving star points accelerated slightly.
Lin Sheng frowned.
A strange feeling appeared in his mind.
It felt as though countless scattered thoughts were trying to rise again.
Random memories.
Emotions.
Instincts.
Distractions.
But unlike before, he could now clearly perceive them.
His Entering Samadhi state had grown much more stable after the previous breakthrough.
Rather than being dragged away by thoughts, he could now observe them calmly.
This was the difference.
Before, he merely entered a focused state.
Now, he was beginning to control it.
Lin Sheng quietly guided the thoughts back toward the revolving star points.
The process felt exhausting but strangely natural.
Every successful cycle seemed to strengthen his mind slightly.
Hours passed unknowingly.
Then suddenly—
•[ Ding.... Task Complete ]•
Lin Sheng immediately opened his eyes.
A faint ache spread through his temples.
But his expression brightened slightly.
"Show results."
Instantly, a three dimensional projection appeared within his mind.
A translucent image of the human body floated before him.
Countless glowing pathways spread throughout it like rivers of light.
Some were thick.
Some thin.
Some hidden deep within the body.
Lin Sheng stared at the projection in genuine shock.
"So this is my meridian network…"
The twelve primary meridians shone brightest.
Meanwhile, the eight extraordinary meridians appeared deeper and far more complex.
What surprised him most, however, was that the pathways in his body were slightly different from the diagrams in the book.
Not completely different.
But not identical either.
Certain branches extended farther.
Some intersections were shifted slightly.
"This confirms what Master said…"
"Everyone's meridian structure really is unique."
If he had followed the book blindly without understanding his own body properly, he might have damaged himself during breakthrough attempts.
Lin Sheng felt a chill run down his back.
Thankfully, the chip existed.
Otherwise, even with talent and mental introspection, cultivating would still be extremely dangerous.
"Can you identify the optimal breakthrough sequence?" he asked inwardly.
The chip immediately responded.
•[ Calculating Most Stable Meridian Opening Route ]•
•[ Based On: Internal Energy Quality, Meridian Strength, Mental Precision ]•
•[ Estimated Time: 3 Minutes ]•
Lin Sheng waited quietly.
Soon—
•[ Recommended Opening Sequence Generated ]•
A highlighted route appeared on the 3D projection.
The internal energy pathways lit up one after another.
Lin Sheng narrowed his eyes.
Interesting.
The route was different from the standard method described in the book.
Rather than opening the commonly used Lung Meridian first, the chip suggested beginning with the Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian.
"Why?"
•[ Analysis: Host's Kidney Meridian possesses highest current stability and energy adaptability ]•
•[ Risk of Internal Energy Collapse reduced by 37% ]•
•[ Success Rate increased by 22% ]•
Lin Sheng slowly absorbed the information.
So even breakthrough order could vary depending on the individual.
No wonder cultivation families guarded their inheritance manuals so tightly.
The more advanced the cultivation path, the more personalized it became.
Mass produced methods could only take people so far.
After calming his thoughts, Lin Sheng stood up and stretched his body lightly.
His joints released soft cracking sounds.
The improvements from cultivation were becoming increasingly obvious.
Stronger senses.
Sharper reactions.
Greater physical strength.
And most importantly—
Control.
That was the real foundation of power.
At that moment, a knock suddenly came from outside the room.
Lin Sheng's eyes sharpened instantly.
His mental sense swept outward.
Then his expression relaxed slightly.
It was Zhao Feng.
"Brother Lin, are you inside?"
Lin Sheng walked over and opened the door.
Zhao Feng stood outside smiling as usual, dressed in expensive robes that made him look more like a young merchant than a martial trainee.
"You cultivate too seriously," Zhao Feng said with a laugh. "I almost thought you were in closed door training."
Lin Sheng smiled faintly.
"What is it?"
Zhao Feng lowered his voice slightly.
"There's news."
Lin Sheng's gaze sharpened.
"What news?"
"The outer courtyard trainees are starting challenge matches tomorrow."
"Challenge matches?"
"Yes." Zhao Feng nodded. "Apparently the mentors want to stimulate competition. Rankings affect future resource distribution."
Lin Sheng was unsurprised.
This was inevitable.
Competition created pressure.
Pressure created growth.
Zhao Feng leaned slightly closer.
"And I heard the inner courtyard might start theirs soon too."
Lin Sheng remained calm.
"Does rank matter much?"
Zhao Feng laughed helplessly.
"Of course it matters. Better soup, better manuals, mentor recommendations, mission priority… everything depends on contribution and strength here." "of course the missions start during the Innate Realm"
Then he paused before smiling strangely.
"Is there anything that you plan on buying"