After being led outside, Lin Sheng walked calmly beside Mentor Xu through the stone pathways of the core courtyard.
The evening sky above Cloud Mist Market had already darkened slightly, while faint lantern light illuminated the surrounding buildings. Disciples and assistants occasionally passed by in the distance, but none dared approach Mentor Xu casually.
Mentor Xu glanced at Lin Sheng once before asking calmly, "Finished choosing?"
Lin Sheng nodded. "Yes."
Mentor Xu did not ask which Innate Scripture he had selected.
That was one of the unspoken rules within cultivation.
No one casually asked about another person's cultivation foundation unless they were extremely close or intended hostility.
Every martial artist had secrets.
Every cultivator had hidden cards.
The fewer people who knew, the safer it was.
Mentor Xu continued walking while speaking indifferently, "When do you plan on attempting the Innate breakthrough?"
Lin Sheng already had an answer prepared. "I plan on preparing for a few days first."
Hearing this, Mentor Xu nodded approvingly.
"That is the correct decision."
He then stopped walking and turned slightly toward Lin Sheng.
"Whenever someone from the inner courtyard attempts to break through into the Innate Realm, the training center provides a specialized breakthrough room."
Lin Sheng listened quietly.
"The room contains a Spiritual Qi Gathering Formation beneath the floor, soundproof formations around the walls, and enough food and water supplies for at least two weeks."
Mentor Xu's expression became slightly more serious.
"The breakthrough from Acquired to Innate is different from ordinary realm advancement. During the process, heaven and earth spiritual qi floods into the body while transforming internal energy into true qi."
"If the surrounding spiritual qi is unstable, the chances of failure rise significantly."
"The formations exist to soothe and guide the spiritual qi during the breakthrough process."
Lin Sheng understood immediately.
This was essentially a controlled environment designed to reduce instability.
Mentor Xu continued, "Some martial artists underestimate the process and attempt breakthroughs in ordinary rooms. Those lucky enough merely fail."
"Those unlucky enough suffer meridian collapse."
Lin Sheng nodded calmly. "I understand."
Mentor Xu then looked directly into his eyes.
"So?"
Lin Sheng thought briefly before replying, "I'll enter the breakthrough room in two days."
Mentor Xu smiled faintly.
"Good."
Then Lin Sheng spoke again.
"One more thing."
Mentor Xu raised an eyebrow.
"Please don't announce my realm yet."
Mentor Xu stared at him for a few moments before suddenly smiling.
"You're smarter than you look."
Lin Sheng remained silent.
Mentor Xu seemed to misunderstand his intentions slightly.
In the mentor's eyes, Lin Sheng probably wanted to avoid outside pressure and distractions before the breakthrough.
But in truth, Lin Sheng simply did not want additional attention before fully stabilizing his strength.
Pressure?
Fame?
Those things barely affected his mental state anymore.
After entering Samadhi, especially after reaching the later stages, external emotions became increasingly difficult to influence his mind.
Still, misunderstanding this matter benefited him.
Mentor Xu waved his sleeve lightly. "Very well. Your breakthrough will remain confidential until after you succeed."
Lin Sheng cupped his fists slightly. "Thank you, Mentor."
After leaving the core courtyard, Lin Sheng returned directly toward the inner courtyard residence area.
The night air felt cold.
Snow drifted quietly through the sky.
The training grounds nearby were still occupied despite the late hour.
Some trainees practiced saber techniques.
Others meditated silently beneath the snow.
No one here dared become lazy.
Especially after witnessing the beast tide and the terrifying strength displayed by Guardian Zhao.
That scene had deeply stimulated everyone.
Compared to true experts, their current strength was insignificant.
Lin Sheng walked quietly back toward his room.
Once inside, he activated the formation and sat down cross legged on the meditation mat.
The room instantly became silent.
Only then did his expression grow slightly serious.
"Two days."
He slowly exhaled.
Before attempting the Innate breakthrough, he wanted to completely stabilize Mid Stage Entering Samadhi first.
That way, his control over the breakthrough process would become nearly perfect.
His current mental field already covered ten li in all directions.
This was already superior to many peak Qi Refining cultivators.
But compared to Foundation Establishment cultivators, the gap still existed.
Foundation Establishment divine sense usually covered twenty li at minimum.
Some powerful ones covered even more.
Lin Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly.
"If Mid Stage Samadhi can cross that boundary…"
That would be a terrifying qualitative improvement.
He slowly entered a lotus position.
His breathing gradually calmed.
Inside his sea of consciousness, the familiar scene appeared once more.
A massive white dwarf star floated silently at the center.
Around it revolved eight enormous star points.
Compared to before, the eight star points had already expanded close to their limits.
Each one pulsed rhythmically while continuously absorbing spiritual qi and mental energy.
The process resembled miniature worlds revolving around a sun.
Lin Sheng quietly observed the scene.
This cultivation method truly differed completely from normal cultivation systems.
No manuals.
No inheritance.
No teacher.
Everything depended on experimentation and the chip's calculations.
Yet strangely enough…
The deeper he cultivated, the more stable the path felt.
Almost as if this route genuinely existed naturally.
Lin Sheng slowly emptied distracting thoughts from his mind.
Then—
The eight revolving star points suddenly accelerated.
Their rotational speed increased continuously.
The surrounding mental energy trembled violently.
Lin Sheng's expression remained calm, but his concentration instantly rose to its peak.
The breakthrough had begun.
The eight star points revolved faster and faster around the white dwarf.
Soon, even space within the sea of consciousness seemed to distort slightly.
Then—
The eight stars suddenly began compressing inward.
Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed.
Cracks appeared across the surface of the star points.
At first, the cracks were tiny.
Then they spread rapidly.
The pressure within his sea of consciousness became terrifying.
A normal person's mind would probably collapse instantly under such strain.
But Lin Sheng remained motionless.
His mind entered complete emptiness.
No distractions.
No fear.
No emotional fluctuations.
Only observation remained.
The eight stars continued compressing.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
The fractures spread increasingly faster.
Then suddenly—
BOOM!
The eight star points exploded simultaneously.
A terrifying wave of mental energy erupted outward.
Lin Sheng's entire consciousness trembled violently.
The burst of energy washed through his sea of consciousness before spreading toward his physical body.
At that moment, Lin Sheng felt as though every part of his existence was being sublimated.
His mind.
His flesh.
His senses.
Even his soul itself.
Everything transformed under the eruption.
The shattered star points did not disappear completely.
Instead, deeper layers hidden within them became exposed.
The new inner layers glowed far brighter than before.
More condensed.
More stable.
The white dwarf at the center also became increasingly radiant.
The transformation continued for hours.
Lin Sheng remained perfectly still throughout the entire process.
Outside the room, night gradually passed.
Snow continued falling silently.
Twelve hours later—
The transformation finally stabilized.
Lin Sheng slowly opened his eyes.
The moment he did—
The world changed.
His senses spread outward instinctively.
Twenty five li.
Everything within twenty five li instantly entered his perception.
The training grounds.
The inner courtyard.
The outer courtyard.
Assistants carrying supplies.
Mentors meditating.
The distant sounds of conversations.
Even the flow of spiritual qi throughout the surrounding formations became visible within his perception.
Compared to before, this was no longer merely enhanced sensing.
This was complete awareness.
Inside this range, even tiny movements appeared incredibly clear.
Lin Sheng's pupils contracted slightly.
"So this is Mid Stage…"
The difference was enormous.
Not just the increase in range.
The clarity itself had evolved.
Within his mental field, he could now perceive details that were previously impossible.
The circulation of internal energy inside martial artists.
The quality differences between spiritual qi densities.
Even subtle emotional fluctuations in nearby people.
It was almost overwhelming.
Lin Sheng immediately restrained his senses.
Only then did the pressure in his mind lessen slightly.
"Chip."
•[Host has successfully advanced to Mid Stage Entering Samadhi]•
•[Mental Field Range Increased: 10 Li → 25 Li]•
•[Mental Processing Speed Increased]•
•[Mental Precision Greatly Enhanced]•
•[Spiritual Qi Sensitivity Increased]•
Lin Sheng slowly exhaled.
The improvement was monstrous.
Especially the increase in precision.
Previously, controlling techniques like Spiral Mental Thorns over long distances consumed tremendous focus.
Now…
He instinctively understood that his control had reached another level entirely.
His gaze shifted inward.
Inside his sea of consciousness, the eight star points had transformed completely.
The deeper layers exposed after the explosion now resembled miniature galaxies revolving around the increasingly brilliant white dwarf.
The entire structure looked more stable and profound than before.
Lin Sheng silently observed the scene.
Then suddenly—
His expression changed slightly.
Because he realized something unexpected.
His mental energy now carried faint suppressive pressure.
Not ordinary pressure.
But something closer to spiritual suppression.
Weak minds entering his mental field would likely experience instinctive fear and pressure.
Lin Sheng frowned slightly.
"That could become dangerous…"
If used properly, it would become an extremely terrifying ability.
Especially against weaker martial artists.
He slowly stood up from the meditation mat.
Crack.
Crack.
His joints released soft sounds.
Even his physical body had strengthened slightly from the breakthrough.
Not dramatically.
But noticeably.
This confirmed one thing.
Mental cultivation and physical cultivation were not entirely separate.
They influenced each other.
Lin Sheng walked toward the window and looked outside.
Morning sunlight had already begun appearing over the snowy mountains.
The training center remained peaceful as always.
No one knew what had just happened inside this small room.
No one knew that a completely unknown cultivation path had just advanced another stage.
Lin Sheng's gaze gradually became calm again.
Now…
Everything was prepared.
The Innate breakthrough could finally begin.