Mei She's training chamber was located in the oldest section of Celestial Dawn Sect—a building that predated most current structures and had been specifically reinforced for dangerous cultivation practices. The walls were covered in formation arrays designed to contain spiritual energy fluctuations, prevent external observation, and generally ensure that whatever happened inside remained contained.
Lin Feng arrived precisely at the scheduled time, finding the chamber door already open in silent invitation.
Inside, Mei She sat in meditation position at the chamber's center, her Sovereign Monarch level cultivation making the ambient spiritual energy feel heavy with potential. She opened her eyes as he entered, assessing him with her characteristic intensity.
"You've been working on consciousness division," she stated without preamble. "Currently maintaining five simultaneous awareness streams during formation deployment. That's adequate for tournament combat but insufficient for genuine survival scenarios."
"How many streams do I need?" Lin Feng asked, settling into position across from her.
"As many as the situation requires. Ten for complex multi-opponent engagements. Fifteen for managing intricate formations while fighting. Twenty or more for processing multiple tactical scenarios simultaneously." Mei She's expression didn't change. "Today we begin training toward functional ten-stream division. You'll hate every moment of it."
She wasn't exaggerating.
The training started simply enough—maintaining two awareness streams while she attacked him with spiritual energy projections. One stream focused on defense, the other on tactical assessment. Easy enough that Lin Feng managed it without significant difficulty.
Then she added variables.
"Three streams," Mei She instructed. "Defense, tactical assessment, and formation construction. Begin."
The difficulty increased exponentially. Lin Feng's consciousness fragmented into three pieces, each trying to maintain independent function while somehow remaining coordinated. It felt like trying to write with both hands while simultaneously solving mathematical equations—technically possible but requiring concentration that made his head ache within minutes.
"Your streams are interfering with each other," Mei She observed, her attacks never pausing. "They're not truly independent—they're three perspectives of single consciousness trying to multitask. That's inefficient."
"How do I make them independent?"
"Stop thinking of consciousness as unified thing that divides. Think of it as collection of potential awareness streams that are normally bundled together. You're not splitting yourself—you're recognizing that you were never singular to begin with."
The philosophical distinction seemed minor, but when Lin Feng adjusted his mental approach, the difference was dramatic. Instead of one consciousness splitting into three, he recognized three distinct awareness streams that had always existed but normally operated in parallel rather than independently.
The headache lessened. The coordination improved. The three streams began functioning with genuine independence.
"Better," Mei She acknowledged. "Now add fourth stream. Formation disruption focused specifically on my attack patterns."
Four streams. Defense, tactical assessment, formation construction, and active disruption of incoming techniques. Lin Feng felt his mental capacity stretching toward its limits, consciousness fragmenting in ways that would have been terrifying if he'd had attention to spare for fear.
But it worked. Four independent awareness streams maintaining simultaneous operation, each processing information and executing functions without interfering with the others.
"You're approaching functional limit for your current cultivation level," Mei She said after thirty minutes of sustained four-stream operation. "Divine Domain Level 5 typically supports five to six independent streams maximum. Pushing beyond that risks mental destabilization."
"But you mentioned needing ten or more streams."
"Which you'll achieve when you advance to higher cultivation levels. Consciousness division scales with spiritual energy capacity and meridian refinement." She finally ceased her attacks, allowing Lin Feng's awareness streams to collapse back into unified consciousness. "For now, perfect five-stream operation. Make it instinctive rather than deliberate. That alone will give you significant advantage against most opponents."
They took brief break while Lin Feng's head stopped pounding from the mental exertion. Consciousness division was exhausting in completely different way from physical combat or spiritual energy depletion—it was purely mental fatigue that regular meditation couldn't fully address.
"Why is this so difficult?" he asked when his thoughts had settled. "Maintaining formations doesn't cause this kind of mental strain."
"Because formations are external structures maintained through spiritual energy circulation. Consciousness division is internal fragmentation that requires maintaining multiple independent perspectives simultaneously." Mei She produced tea from somewhere and poured two cups. "Most cultivators never develop this capability because it's uncomfortable and doesn't provide obvious immediate benefits. But in genuine survival scenarios, the ability to process multiple threats and opportunities simultaneously is often difference between life and death."
"Is this related to void cultivation specifically?"
"Tangentially. Void cultivation emphasizes awareness of emptiness and potential, which makes recognizing multiple consciousness streams more natural than for cultivators focused on singular concentrated force. But any sufficiently skilled cultivator can learn consciousness division with proper training." She sipped her tea thoughtfully. "I suspect your perfect meridians help significantly—the enhanced spiritual energy circulation supports mental processes that would overtax normal cultivation foundations."
After the break, they resumed training with different focus.
"Now we practice deception through consciousness division," Mei She announced. "Most enemies will recognize when you're using multiple awareness streams through changes in your spiritual energy patterns. Your task is to disguise how many streams you're actually maintaining."
"How?"
"By creating false patterns. Maintain three streams while making your spiritual energy signature suggest you're only using one. Or maintain one stream while suggesting three. Force opponents to make incorrect assessments about your processing capacity."
It was even more difficult than straightforward division—not just fragmenting consciousness but also controlling the external signatures that revealed internal state. Lin Feng spent an hour practicing various deception patterns while Mei She attempted to accurately assess his actual stream count through observation alone.
"Adequate," she finally judged. "Skilled opponents will eventually recognize the deception, but it creates crucial seconds of tactical uncertainty. Use that advantage wisely."
They moved into practical applications—scenarios where consciousness division provided specific survival advantages. Mei She created complex tactical situations through spiritual energy projection, forcing Lin Feng to manage multiple simultaneous threats while maintaining various awareness streams.
"Five opponents at different cultivation levels," she narrated while the scenario unfolded. "Three attacking directly, two preparing ambush formations. You have four seconds to respond. How many consciousness streams do you deploy?"
"Five," Lin Feng replied, his awareness fragmenting immediately. "One per opponent tracking their individual patterns. Wait—that's wrong. Four streams. Three for direct attackers, one managing both ambush formation threats as single tactical problem."
"Correct. Never waste streams on redundant processing. Group similar threats when possible." The scenario shifted. "Now two streams disrupted by spiritual energy interference. Respond."
Lin Feng consolidated the disrupted streams into remaining functional ones, reorganizing his tactical assessment on the fly while maintaining defensive responses. It was mentally exhausting but increasingly instinctive—his consciousness was learning to fragment and reorganize fluidly based on need rather than predetermined structure.
They continued for two more hours before Mei She finally called the session to conclusion.
"You've progressed from adequate to competent in single session," she observed. "That's unusually rapid advancement even accounting for perfect meridians and void cultivation advantages. Either you have natural talent for consciousness division or you're more desperate for survival capabilities than I realized."
"Probably both," Lin Feng admitted, his mental exhaustion making him more direct than usual. "The capture contract makes this feel urgent."
"Good. Urgency motivates focused learning." Mei She stood, indicating the session's end. "We'll continue three times weekly until you can maintain seven streams instinctively. That's sufficient for most survival scenarios you'll encounter at your current cultivation level."
After leaving the training chamber, Lin Feng felt like his head was full of cotton—the particular mental fatigue that came from pushing consciousness division limits. Liu Feng materialized beside him as he walked toward his quarters, her wind element cultivation making her approach nearly silent.
"Difficult session?" she asked mildly.
"Consciousness division training. Apparently my brain needs to learn to be multiple brains simultaneously." Lin Feng rubbed his temples. "How do you manage it? You must use similar techniques for your security work."
"Five streams normally, eight when necessary, ten once for approximately thirty seconds before I nearly collapsed." Liu Feng smiled slightly. "It's skill that requires constant practice. The mental muscles atrophy quickly without regular exercise."
They walked in companionable silence for a bit before Liu Feng spoke more seriously.
"We've detected unusual activity. Three cultivators attempted to enter sect territory through secondary access points last night. They withdrew when our patrols approached, but the attempt was coordinated and professional."
Lin Feng felt alertness cut through his mental fatigue. "Reconnaissance for capture attempt?"
"Most likely. Testing response times, patrol patterns, and security coverage. They'll analyze what they observed before attempting actual infiltration." She paused. "Which means we have perhaps two to four days before they try something more aggressive."
"What should I do?"
"Continue normal routine. Appear unaware of their surveillance. If they believe their reconnaissance was undetected, they'll proceed with plans based on incorrect assumptions." Liu Feng's expression turned calculating. "Meanwhile, we prepare ambush. Let them come thinking they understand our security, then demonstrate exactly how wrong their assessment was."
"That seems risky."
"More risky would be disrupting their plans without eliminating the threat. Drive them away now and they'll just return better prepared. Better to let them commit to flawed strategy and neutralize them decisively." She studied him carefully. "Unless you're uncomfortable with that level of tactical manipulation?"
Lin Feng considered. It was certainly more aggressive than passive defense, but Liu Feng's logic was sound. Mercenaries seeking his capture wouldn't give up after single failure—they'd adapt and return until successful or convinced the contract was impossible to fulfill.
"I'm uncomfortable," he admitted. "But I understand the necessity. What do I need to do?"
"Exactly what you've been doing. Train, study, cultivate. Appear focused on advancement rather than security concerns. The more normal you seem, the more confident they'll become." Liu Feng's smile was sharp. "Han Shu and I will handle the tactical response when they make their move."
That evening's dao synchronization session with Yun Qingxue carried additional weight given the developing situation.
"Liu Feng told me about the reconnaissance attempts," Qingxue said once their consciousness streams had intertwined. "My mother sent additional resources—detection formations that will identify infiltrators regardless of concealment techniques, and emergency response protocols that can mobilize Level 7 cultivators within seconds if needed."
That's more support than I expected, Lin Feng sent through their mental connection. Your mother must be seriously concerned.
She's concerned about multiple things—your safety, Celestial Dawn's security, our dao companion bond, and continental stability if the Crimson Empress successfully recruits or eliminates you. Qingxue's presence in his consciousness felt warm despite the serious discussion. You've become more politically significant than you realize.
I preferred being invisible servant.
You were never meant for invisibility. Her mental touch carried absolute certainty. Your perfect meridians alone would have eventually revealed exceptional potential. The void cultivation just accelerated inevitable recognition.
They continued meditation while their spiritual energies resonated and enhanced each other. Lin Feng could feel his cultivation advancing fractionally with each session—not dramatic breakthroughs but consistent progress that accumulated toward Level 6.
How close am I? he asked through their connection.
Qingxue's consciousness examined his cultivation foundation with intimate precision that only dao companion bonds allowed. Ten days if advancement continues steadily. Five days if we increase synchronization frequency. Three days if you push aggressively.
And which timeline do you recommend?
Ten days. Quality over speed. Your foundation is excellent—don't compromise it by rushing the final approach to breakthrough. Her presence carried concern mixed with calculation. Though if the capture attempt happens before then, combat pressure might accelerate advancement naturally.
That's not reassuring.
It's not meant to be reassuring. It's meant to be realistic.
After Qingxue departed, Lin Feng spent the evening in quiet study, reviewing formation theory texts Elder Wei had provided. His mind was too exhausted from consciousness division training for active practice, but passive study still provided value.
Xiao Ling arrived with his evening meal and updated schedule, efficiently organizing his life as she'd done increasingly over the past weeks.
"Tomorrow includes morning cultivation, formation session with Elder Wei, combat practice with Zhao Hai, and evening synchronization with Qingxue," she recited while arranging the meal. "Also, Patriarch Cloud Heaven requests meeting at midday to discuss Azure Sky diplomatic response. And you received message from Chen Yue—apparently Azure Sky wants to schedule follow-up information exchange."
"That's full day," Lin Feng observed.
"That's every day now. You're important, which means everyone wants pieces of your time." Xiao Ling's expression softened slightly. "Are you managing the schedule adequately? I can push back some obligations if you need more personal time."
"I'm managing. Though I appreciate having you as buffer between me and constant demands."
"That's literally my job now—professional interference runner." She smiled. "Besides, watching you navigate high-level cultivation politics is entertaining. You're simultaneously more skilled and more uncomfortable with it than anyone I've observed."
After Xiao Ling left, Lin Feng finally had evening to himself. He settled into meditation, allowing his consciousness to settle after the day's intense training and political navigation.
But something felt wrong.
Not immediate danger—his defensive formations remained undisturbed and no hostile spiritual energy pressed against his awareness. But there was subtle wrongness in the ambient cultivation atmosphere, like hearing familiar music played slightly off-key.
Lin Feng extended his consciousness cautiously, fragmenting into three awareness streams to examine different aspects of the wrongness simultaneously.
There.
Someone had adjusted the spiritual energy circulation patterns in the sect's formation network. Not dramatically—just fractional modifications to how energy flowed through certain pathways. The changes were so subtle that most cultivators would never notice them.
But Lin Feng had spent months studying formation theory with obsessive focus. He recognized immediately that these weren't random fluctuations or natural variations.
Someone had deliberately sabotaged the formation network.
He considered his options carefully. Alert security immediately and risk revealing that he'd detected the sabotage? Continue monitoring to gather more information about the infiltrator's capabilities and objectives? Attempt to repair the damage himself without anyone knowing it had occurred?
Liu Feng said to appear normal, he remembered. Unaware of surveillance and security concerns.
But this wasn't just surveillance—this was active sabotage that could compromise defensive formations sect-wide.
Lin Feng made his decision. He extended his consciousness through the formation network, carefully mapping the extent of the modifications. Three major spiritual energy circulation nodes had been subtly adjusted, each change designed to create cascading failures if the formations came under stress.
Professional work, he assessed. Someone who understands formations at expert level and has detailed knowledge of Celestial Dawn's specific network architecture.
Which suggested either highly skilled infiltrator or—more disturbingly—someone inside the sect with legitimate access who'd been corrupted or coerced.
He couldn't repair all three nodes without revealing his capabilities to whoever was monitoring. But he could repair one while making it look like routine maintenance rather than deliberate counter-sabotage.
Lin Feng chose the node that would cause the most critical failure and carefully began adjusting its spiritual energy patterns back toward proper configuration. He worked slowly, making the changes appear natural rather than sudden correction, and masked his modifications within the normal fluctuations of evening cultivation activity.
Thirty minutes later, the first node was repaired. The other two remained sabotaged, but at least the most dangerous vulnerability had been addressed.
Now report it, he decided. But carefully.
He activated the emergency communication formation that connected directly to Patriarch Cloud Heaven and Liu Feng simultaneously.
Moments later, both appeared in his quarters through emergency transportation formations.
"What's wrong?" Cloud Heaven demanded, his Cloud Transformation cultivation instantly active and alert.
"Formation network sabotage," Lin Feng reported concisely. "Three spiritual energy circulation nodes have been modified to create cascading failures under stress. I've repaired one but left two untouched to avoid revealing detection to whoever made the changes."
Liu Feng immediately extended her consciousness through the formation network, examining the sabotage with professional efficiency. "He's correct. Expert-level modifications that would be nearly undetectable to anyone not specifically studying formation theory. Designed to fail during crisis rather than immediately—delayed action sabotage."
"Who has the access and expertise to accomplish this?" Cloud Heaven asked.
"Seventeen inner disciples with advanced formation training, five elders including myself and Elder Wei, or any sufficiently skilled infiltrator who gained access to core formation chambers." Liu Feng's expression was grim. "The modifications were made within the past six hours based on spiritual energy decay patterns."
"During which time Lin Feng was in consciousness division training with Mei She, I was conducting administrative meetings, and most formation specialists were engaged in routine activities." Cloud Heaven began calculating. "We need to identify everyone who had both opportunity and capability, then investigate without alerting the saboteur that we've detected their work."
"Also," Lin Feng interjected, "we should consider that this might be preparation for the capture attempt. Weaken our defensive formations before attempting infiltration."
"That's tactically sound," Liu Feng agreed. "Which means we have very limited time to address this before they act."
The next hour was intense strategic planning. They decided to:
Repair the remaining sabotaged nodes gradually over the next two days while making it appear like routine optimization Install additional monitoring formations to detect the saboteur if they attempt further modifications Discretely investigate formation specialists who had opportunity during the critical time window Maintain appearance of normalcy to avoid alerting either saboteur or watching mercenaries
"This is becoming extremely complicated," Cloud Heaven observed after the planning concluded. "Simple capture contract has evolved into coordinated operation involving infiltration, sabotage, and probably multiple contingency approaches."
"Which suggests significant resources behind the contract," Liu Feng said. "This isn't just mercenary opportunism. Someone powerful wants Lin Feng badly enough to fund elaborate operation."
"The Crimson Empress?" Lin Feng suggested.
"Possibly. Or major sect trying to acquire you before competitors do. Or faction that sees you as threat to be neutralized." Cloud Heaven's expression was calculating. "Regardless of source, the operation is now active and probably approaching execution phase."
After they departed, Lin Feng lay awake for hours despite exhaustion, his consciousness fragmenting into multiple awareness streams out of nervous habit. One stream monitored the repaired formation node. Another tracked ambient spiritual energy for signs of additional sabotage. A third replayed the day's training and political interactions looking for missed warning signs.
I'm paranoid, he thought. But justified paranoia when people are actively trying to capture or kill me.
Somewhere in the darkness outside, Han Shu maintained silent watch. Throughout Celestial Dawn Sect, enhanced security formations hummed with protective spiritual energy—some of which were secretly sabotaged by unknown infiltrator. In the surrounding territory, mercenaries prepared their approach based on reconnaissance that hadn't been as undetected as they believed.
And in ten days—or five, or three, depending on circumstances—Lin Feng would attempt breakthrough to Divine Domain Level 6.
So many moving pieces, he thought while sleep finally claimed him. Any one of which could result in disaster if I miscalculate.
But miscalculation wasn't option when failure meant capture, corruption, or death.
So he'd calculate correctly. Advance carefully. Trust his allies while maintaining appropriate vigilance.
And be ready for when everything inevitably became more complicated than anyone anticipated.
End of Chapter 55