The underground chamber gradually fell silent.
The battle scars remained.
Broken stone.
Collapsed walls.
Scattered traces of blood.
Yet the greatest beneficiary of everything that had happened was undoubtedly Lin Sheng.
Sitting within the center of the spiritual pond, he silently circulated his cultivation technique while absorbing the final remnants of the pond's essence.
The body-refining energy continuously entered his flesh.
His muscles.
His bones.
His organs.
Even his blood seemed to undergo another subtle transformation.
A faint golden-red glow occasionally surfaced beneath his skin before disappearing once more.
Hours passed.
Only when the final strand of spiritual essence vanished from the pond did Lin Sheng slowly open his eyes.
The water surrounding him had become completely ordinary.
No spiritual fluctuations.
No refining effects.
Nothing remained.
The pond that had nurtured a Rank-2 serpent and strengthened Su Yang's physique for years had finally been exhausted.
Lin Sheng clenched his fist.
Crack.
Crack.
A series of explosive sounds erupted from his body.
His eyes brightened slightly.
Although the improvement wasn't enormous, it was still substantial.
His physique had finally stepped into the threshold of Rank-2 High Level.
The increase in raw strength alone was enough to noticeably improve his combat ability.
Unfortunately—
His expression soon became thoughtful.
The further one advanced in body refinement, the more difficult improvement became.
Resources capable of affecting Rank-2 High Level physiques were significantly rarer than before.
As for Rank-2 Peak?
Those resources would be even scarcer.
It seemed that from now onward, ordinary treasures would no longer be sufficient.
Fortunately, he had gained something even more valuable than the pond.
His gaze shifted toward the unconscious Su Yang.
Or more accurately—
His research material.
After confirming the surrounding area was secure, Lin Sheng began a detailed examination.
His objective was simple.
Spiritual Roots.
For a long time, he had been curious about them.
Why did some people possess them?
Why did others not?
What truly determined talent?
According to most cultivation records, Spiritual Roots were gifts of Heaven.
A person either possessed them or didn't.
There was no explanation.
No reasoning.
Only acceptance.
Lin Sheng found such explanations laughable.
In his previous life, countless rulers had used similar methods.
Whenever something couldn't be explained, they called it destiny.
When people questioned authority, they blamed fate.
When inequalities appeared, they claimed Heaven had decided everything.
It was convenient.
Very convenient.
But convenience did not equal truth.
Therefore—
He intended to discover the truth himself.
The examination began.
Despite the horrifying appearance of the process, Lin Sheng carefully ensured Su Yang remained alive.
Barely alive.
But alive nonetheless.
The body was opened.
Examined.
Analyzed.
Compared.
The Chip continuously assisted him.
Data accumulated rapidly.
Hours passed.
Then more hours.
The sun rose and fell beyond the forest canopy.
Only after nearly eight continuous hours did Lin Sheng finally withdraw his hands.
Several conclusions had been reached.
The first concerned Spiritual Roots themselves.
They weren't organs.
Nor were they singular structures.
Instead—
They appeared to be collections of special cells distributed throughout the entire body.
Countless microscopic components worked together as a single system.
A collective whole.
The higher the density and quality of these cells, the stronger the Spiritual Root.
This perfectly explained many existing phenomena.
Why Spiritual Roots could improve.
Why certain treasures could alter them.
Why some bloodlines possessed higher cultivation talent.
Everything suddenly became much more logical.
"The Yang Jade Script..."
Lin Sheng muttered softly.
The mysterious jade clearly contained remnants of a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Lightning.
That lightning had continuously nourished Su Yang's body over the years.
In the process, it strengthened the special cells responsible for Spiritual Roots.
The result was predictable.
Medium Grade Spiritual Root.
High Grade Spiritual Root.
A complete transformation.
The second discovery involved meridians and acupoints.
Meridians possessed a partial physical existence.
Although difficult to observe, they could still be identified through anatomical examination.
Acupoints, however, were different.
They possessed no obvious physical structure.
Instead, they existed in a strange state between material and spiritual existence.
Normal vision couldn't perceive them.
Even direct dissection couldn't reveal them.
Only Divine Sense or Mental Awareness could observe their true nature.
Furthermore—
The more he studied them, the more they resembled miniature dantians.
Each acupoint seemed capable of storing and regulating energy.
The concept was fascinating.
As for the dantian itself—
Lin Sheng made another observation.
Immortal cultivators naturally possessed opened dantians from the beginning of cultivation.
Martial artists, on the other hand, had to gradually open their Qi Sea Acupoint before truly entering higher realms.
The difference between the two systems seemed even deeper than he initially suspected.
Eventually, the research concluded.
Lin Sheng looked at Su Yang one final time.
The man who once believed he would reach the peak of the Immortal Dao.
The man who survived a beast tide.
The man who discovered the Yang Jade Script.
The man blessed with extraordinary fortune.
Now reduced to little more than a corpse waiting to die.
The cultivation world was cruel.
Opportunities existed.
So did predators.
Without sufficient strength, fortune itself could become a calamity.
Raising his hand, Lin Sheng released a strand of Innate Flame.
Golden-red fire engulfed the body.
The flames burned silently.
Within moments, flesh became ash.
Bones became ash.
Everything became ash.
Soon—
Nothing remained except a small pile of gray powder.
Lin Sheng collected the serpent corpse.
Stored the Ranked Spiritual Eye.
Took the Yang Jade Script.
Then departed.
Or at least—
That was what it appeared.
---
One hour later.
The cave remained silent.
The ashes remained where they were.
Nothing happened.
Two hours passed.
Still nothing.
Five hours passed.
Nothing.
Seven hours passed.
The underground chamber remained exactly the same.
Then—
A figure suddenly appeared.
Lin Sheng.
He stared at the ashes carefully.
His Mental Field swept through the entire cave repeatedly.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Only after confirming absolutely nothing unusual existed did he finally nod.
Some might consider such behavior excessive.
Lin Sheng disagreed.
He had read enough stories in both lives to understand one universal rule.
Never underestimate survivors.
Some people escaped after falling off cliffs.
Some survived lightning strikes.
Others resurrected from corpses.
There were even stories of individuals surviving after being reduced to ashes.
Ridiculous?
Perhaps.
But caution had never killed anyone.
Satisfied, Lin Sheng finally departed for real.
---
Cloud Mist Market.
Jia Region.
Within his cultivation chamber.
Formation flags activated one after another.
Concealment.
Isolation.
Defense.
Detection.
Only after verifying everything did Lin Sheng sit down cross-legged.
Before him floated a single object.
The Yang Jade Script.
The source of Su Yang's rise.
The mysterious treasure capable of improving Spiritual Roots.
Its surface remained completely ordinary.
Yet Lin Sheng knew better.
Slowly, he reached forward.
Gang Qi flowed into the jade.
Nothing happened.
He increased the output.
Still nothing.
Several minutes passed.
No reaction.
He switched methods.
Qi and blood surged through his body and entered the jade.
Nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
Eventually, Lin Sheng frowned.
Could he have misjudged the activation requirements?
Just as he was considering other possibilities—
A thought suddenly appeared.
Intent.
Immediately, Lightning Intent emerged.
The surrounding spiritual qi vibrated slightly.
The Intent flowed into the jade.
One second passed.
Nothing.
Five seconds.
Nothing.
Ten seconds.
Nothing.
Yet Lin Sheng continued.
Thirty seconds.
Still nothing.
Then—
At approximately one minute—
The jade exploded with light.
A blinding radiance filled the room.
Lin Sheng's expression changed instantly.
Without warning, the jade transformed into a streak of lightning and shot directly toward his forehead.
Its target—
His sea of consciousness.
Danger.
Extreme danger.
Every instinct within him screamed warnings.
His greatest secrets existed within his mind.
The White Dwarf Visualization.
The Chip.
Everything.
Allowing an unknown object unrestricted access was unacceptable.
Without hesitation, Mental Awareness surged.
The jade successfully entered his sea of consciousness.
Yet the moment it appeared, terrifying crimson lightning erupted from its surface.
The exact same Tribulation Lightning Su Yang had used.
Crack!
Crack!
Crack!
The entire sea of consciousness trembled.
Even Lin Sheng felt a slight chill.
If that lightning erupted completely, the consequences would be catastrophic.
His spirit might survive.
Or it might not.
He wasn't willing to gamble.
Immediately, vast waves of Mental Power descended.
The pressure struck the jade directly.
The crimson lightning weakened.
Yet moments later—
It grew stronger.
The jade resisted.
Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed.
More Mental Power erupted.
The pressure increased.
The lightning weakened again.
Then surged back.
A stalemate.
For the first time in a long while, genuine danger appeared within his sea of consciousness.
Then—
Lin Sheng made a decision.
Part of his consciousness shifted.
Toward the center of his visualization.
Toward the White Dwarf.
The moment contact was established—
Boom.
Endless white flames erupted.
The flames swept across the sea of consciousness like a tidal wave.
Magnificent.
Terrifying.
Absolute.
The flames never harmed Lin Sheng.
Yet everything else wasn't so fortunate.
The crimson lightning shattered instantly.
The mysterious aura surrounding the jade collapsed completely.
Every trace of resistance vanished.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The Yang Jade Script became completely motionless.
Like a beast finally subdued.
Only then did the white flames gradually recede.
Lin Sheng slowly exhaled.
A thin layer of cold sweat had appeared on his back.
The danger had passed.
But the lesson remained.
For a long moment, he stared at the now-silent jade floating within his sea of consciousness.
Then he shook his head slightly.
He had become careless.
Opportunities were valuable.
But opportunities often carried risks.
If not for the White Dwarf Visualization, the outcome today could have been very different.
The cultivation world was vast.
Mysteries were endless.
And even someone possessing the Chip could not afford arrogance.
Looking at the subdued jade, Lin Sheng silently engraved the lesson into his heart.
This was a warning.
A reminder.
No matter how strong he became—
No matter how many advantages he possessed—
Caution would always be necessary.
Because in the cultivation world, a single careless mistake could cost everything.