The official decree issued by Elder Gao immediately changed Lin Feng's status. He was no longer the Waste Disposal Disciple; he was the Resource Transmuter, a title that granted him unprecedented access and a new level of scrutiny.
The morning after the trial, Lin Feng reported to the Outer Sect Resource Management Hall. It was a towering, heavily guarded building where all materials harvested, refined, or distributed within the Outer Sect were logged.
The atmosphere was clinical, unlike the dusty, informal chaos of the training grounds. Lin Feng was led to a small, isolated office occupied by a weary-looking, low-ranking manager named Manager Hu.
Manager Hu scrutinized Lin Feng over the rim of his spectacles, clearly viewing the situation as bureaucratic nonsense. "Lin Feng," he sighed, pushing a ledger toward him. "Elder Gao's decree is... unusual. Your immediate task is to document this 'Transmutation Method' so we can justify your existence here. How does a 3rd Stage cultivator extract usable essence from inert refuse?"
Lin Feng understood this was his chance to establish a credible, repeatable (though heavily simplified) explanation that would satisfy the bureaucracy without revealing the [Aetherial Scrap System] or his mutated meridians.
"Manager Hu," Lin Feng began, keeping his voice respectful and academic. "It relies on two core principles: Extraction and Infusion. The Sect discards materials like mineral slag and failed tools because their spiritual essence is too dilute and too contaminated by inert mass. I utilize a unique foundation technique—the Dao of Transmuting Refuse—to forcefully isolate the residual, fragmented Dao Essence. This refined essence, which I call Scrap Qi, is then used to spiritually fortify other structurally sound, but energetically weak materials."
He then provided a carefully rehearsed demonstration using a low-grade testing crucible and a handful of discarded copper shavings. He placed the shavings in the crucible, held his hand over it, and subtly initiated the Dao of Transmuting Refuse, pulling only a small amount of Metallic Essence.
"The process is slow and requires constant mental focus," Lin Feng explained, showing the Manager the remaining inert shavings. "But the resulting Scrap Qi is purer and denser than ambient Qi, making it perfect for 'patching' spiritual cracks."
Manager Hu, skeptical but intrigued, watched the demonstration. He couldn't perceive the Scrap Qi, but he could feel the slight drop in thermal energy around the shavings. The Manager didn't understand how Lin Feng did it, but he understood the utility. If this could reduce waste and increase the usability of low-grade resources, the savings would be massive.
Lin Feng spent the next three days in the Resource Hall. He wasn't logging data; he was given full access to the Logistical Waste Bins. These bins were where discarded ledgers, broken tools, failed prototypes, and useless papers from all the major Sect departments (Alchemy, Talismans, Scripture, Refining) were sorted before being sent to the Central Scrap Mound.
This was a scavenger's paradise, a controlled environment of high-quality failure.
Lin Feng worked constantly, filling dozens of log reports with intentionally vague, bureaucratic language while secretly cultivating.
[Target: Failed Spirit Stone Shards (Alchemy Hall). Gain: Very High.]
[Target: Ink-Stained Talisman Practice Sheets (Talisman Hall). Gain: Mid.]
He found the highest quality Scrap Qi came from the Scripture Hall's waste. Disciples often discarded practice copies of ancient scrolls or damaged excerpts. These pages, though unusable, were saturated with the residual Dao Intent of the techniques they contained.
On the third day, while sifting through a bin marked "Scripture Hall Waste - Shredded," Lin Feng found a roll of incredibly tough, ancient scroll paper. It had been shredded into long, narrow ribbons, clearly deemed worthless by the Elder who oversaw the hall.
He felt an immediate, strong spiritual pull from the shredded paper—a concentrated, forceful aura of raw, physical aggression.
Lin Feng ignored the Manager's logs and focused all his energy on the ribbons. He initiated the Dao of Transmuting Refuse, pulling the essence from dozens of shredded pieces simultaneously.
[Target Detected: Shredded Fragmented Combat Scroll. Contains High Concentration of Martial Intent and Form Essence.]
[Warning: Fragmented. Requires 100% of available Scrap Qi to stabilize and reconstruct.]
This was a massive gamble. Lin Feng had just reached the 4th Stage Mortal Body through absorption, but to synthesize this technique, he would temporarily deplete his reserves.
Do it, he commanded the System. A martial technique was far more important than a few percentage points of cultivation.
The Scrap Qi rushed out of his core, pulling the fragments of spiritual information from the shredded paper. The scroll paper turned instantly to ash.
Inside Lin Feng's mind, the spiritual ribbons began to knit together, forming disjointed, flickering images of a brutally efficient palm strike. The images were rough and imperfect, focused entirely on overwhelming density and force.
[Reconstruction Failed: Scroll Missing Key Components (7% Missing). Initiating Refinement based on Core Martial Intent.]
[Skill Acquired: Scrap Iron Palm (Black Grade - Foundational)]
The technique wasn't Heaven Grade like the foundation, but Black Grade was still excellent for an Outer Sect disciple. Crucially, the System hadn't taught him the technique as a series of movements; it had imprinted the core Martial Intent—the physical understanding of the strike—directly into his consciousness.
Lin Feng stood perfectly still, his body now intrinsically aware of how to execute the Scrap Iron Palm. It felt heavy, primal, and perfectly suited to the dense, metallic Scrap Qi he regularly absorbed. He had a weapon.
He quietly resumed his task, a calculated, victorious smile hidden beneath his calm exterior. He had just turned bureaucratic waste into personal power.