Lin Sheng looked at Zhao Feng quietly for a moment before replying.
"Not for now."
That answer made Zhao Feng raise an eyebrow slightly.
"Really? Most people here are already trying to gather resources before the rankings begin."
Lin Sheng smiled faintly.
"I know. But buying too many things right now would only attract attention."
Zhao Feng stared at him for a few seconds before laughing softly.
"You really don't act like a twelve year old."
Lin Sheng merely shrugged.
In truth, he already had more advantages than anyone else in the training center. Between the chip, his mental cultivation path, and the optimized breathing exercise, blindly spending spirit stones on random medicinal resources would not increase his strength much.
What he needed now was stability.
Not speed.
At least not visible speed.
Zhao Feng leaned against the doorframe and lowered his voice again.
"After 2 weeks, they plan on starting a ranked competition for those in the outer courtyard".
Hearing this, Lin sheng pondered knowing that after 2 weeks at least almost all in grade-B should have reached 2nd rate. It seems that the elders plan on having some combat readiness between the trainees.
"Because of that most of those participating have gone to the market to buy martial techniques" says Zhao feng. "Also those who rank top 10 are allowed to challenge us soo...."
Without Zhao feng finishing his sentence, Lin sheng understands what he's trying to say. If those participants challenge Grade-A and win, it means that they are allowed to take their place but no reasonable person would willingly give up the status and resources that come with being this privileged.
"So do you have everything in order?" asks Zhao Feng. Lin Sheng nods.
"Okay then, see you later" says Zhao Feng as he leaves, Lin Sheng waves him then goes inside.
Lin Sheng sat quietly on the meditation mat, his eyes fixed on the glowing meridian diagram floating within his consciousness.
The countless interconnected pathways looked less like the human body and more like a massive underground river system. Main meridians branched into smaller channels, which branched into even thinner ones until they formed a nearly endless network.
The deeper the chip analyzed it, the more terrifying martial cultivation appeared.
At first glance, most martial artists only focused on the twelve main meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians because those were the officially recognized pathways toward the Innate Realm.
But now Lin Sheng realized something else.
The human body itself was far more complex than ordinary martial artists understood.
The so called limits of the Acquired Realm were not truly limits. They were simply the limits most people could reach safely.
The chip projected another series of calculations before him.
•[Standard Internal Energy Capacity of Peak Acquired Realm: 150 Years]•
•[Estimated Capacity After Opening 48 Secondary Meridians: 210 Years]•
•[Estimated Capacity After Opening 144 Secondary Meridians: 390 Years]•
Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly.
That number was absurd.
Nearly four hundred years worth of internal energy before even reaching the Innate Realm?
Even if the quality remained below True Qi, the sheer quantity alone would be terrifying.
But immediately after that thought appeared, he forced himself to calm down.
Strength without control was meaningless.
A bloated foundation could become a disaster if it affected his future breakthrough.
"Chip, calculate probability of instability."
•[Calculating...]•
•[If Internal Energy Purity Remains Above Current Standards, instability probability remains below 4%]•
•[Main Risk: Time Consumption and Exposure Risk]•
Lin Sheng slowly exhaled.
That was the biggest problem.
Time.
No matter how talented he appeared, cultivating too quickly while also maintaining such an outrageous foundation would eventually expose abnormalities.
Opening all 144 secondary meridians would take time; though they aren't as tough as the main ones, they take up time together.
He needed balance. Enough talent to remain valued.
Not enough talent to become dissected though. After all, this world was not peaceful. Geniuses were protected only when they were useful.
The moment someone became uncontrollable, even their own faction might choose to suppress them.
Lin Sheng had already understood this much from Ghost's memories.
The cultivation world respected strength, but it feared unknown variables even more.
His gaze shifted toward the window.
Outside, snow drifted slowly across the courtyard.
Several trainees were currently practicing martial techniques under the dim evening light.
Some trained fist arts.
Others practiced movement techniques.
A few sat meditating despite the cold weather.
Everyone here was fighting for their future.
Lin Sheng closed his eyes briefly.
Compared to them, his starting point was already unfairly high.
He possessed mental cultivation methods from another world, a mysterious consciousness chip, and comprehension far beyond ordinary people.
If he still failed despite all that, then he truly deserved failure.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Then let's build the strongest foundation possible."
He reopened the meridian map.
The chip immediately highlighted dozens of branching pathways connected to the Foot Shaoyin Kidney Meridian.
Thin silver lines spread outward like tree roots.
•[Recommended Initial Secondary Meridian Openings Generated]•
•[Suggested Quantity Before Main Meridian Breakthrough: 4]•
•[Estimated Additional Internal Energy Capacity Gain: 11%]•
Lin Sheng studied the projection carefully.
The secondary meridians were much thinner than the main ones.
Opening them individually required less force, but the process demanded much greater precision.
A single mistake could cause internal energy leakage into flesh and blood.
At best, that would cause injuries.
At worst, permanent meridian damage.
Thankfully, precision was exactly what his mental introspection specialized in.
He slowly entered a lotus position again.
Inside his lower dantian, twenty nine strands of internal energy floated together like pale streams of mist.
Each strand was denser and purer than before due to the optimized breathing method.
Under his control, one thin strand slowly separated from the others.
It moved carefully toward the first highlighted secondary meridian.
The process was incredibly slow.
Normal martial artists attempting this would probably require complete silence and absolute focus.
Lin Sheng, however, could directly observe the entire process from within.
The strand touched the entrance of the secondary meridian gently.
Immediately, resistance appeared.
It felt like trying to force water through a blocked pipe.
Lin Sheng did not rush.
He slowly rotated the strand while compressing it slightly.
Tiny fragments of blockage gradually loosened.
Pain spread faintly through his leg.
But compared to opening apertures in mental cultivation, this level of pain was almost negligible.
Minutes passed.
Then—
The blockage suddenly broke open.
A faint wave of warmth spread through his body.
The strand of internal energy entered the secondary meridian successfully.
Lin Sheng's eyes opened slightly.
"It worked."
The chip responded immediately.
•[Secondary Meridian Successfully Opened]•
•[Internal Energy Circulation Efficiency Increased By 1.8%]•
•[Physical Recovery Speed Increased Slightly]•
Interesting.
So the secondary meridians also improved circulation efficiency.
No wonder ancient martial artists became stronger and stronger toward the later stages despite remaining within the same realm.
The difference between foundations could be enormous.
Lin Sheng continued observing the newly opened pathway carefully.
The internal energy flowing through it felt smoother than expected.
More importantly, the burden on the nearby main meridian had slightly decreased.
This confirmed the chip's theory.
The secondary pathways acted as support channels.
Like auxiliary rivers easing pressure from the main flow.
If all 144 were opened...
Lin Sheng could already imagine how terrifying his internal energy circulation speed would become.
But before he could continue, the chip suddenly alerted him.
•[Warning: Mental Fatigue Accumulating]•
•[Recommendation: Suspend Further Precision Cultivation For 3 Hours]•
Lin Sheng frowned slightly.
Even with his current mental strength, performing such detailed operations consumed considerable focus.
That made sense.
After all, he was essentially operating on his own body internally.
Any mistake could cripple him.
He slowly withdrew the internal energy back toward the dantian and stood up.
His legs felt strangely lighter.
Even his breathing seemed smoother.
A single secondary meridian had already produced visible improvement.
This made him increasingly curious about the effects of opening all of them.