Two weeks passed quietly within Dragon Yuan Mountain.
The weather gradually became colder as drifting winds swept across the peaks of the Eastern Region. Morning mist lingered longer than before, and even the spiritual trees around the Lin Family residence seemed calmer beneath the pale sunlight.
Yet inside Lin Sheng's residence—
the atmosphere was anything but calm.
Within the silent cultivation room, Lin Sheng sat cross-legged upon the meditation platform.
His breathing was slow.
Steady.
Controlled.
The formation around the residence hummed faintly as strands of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi gathered invisibly throughout the room.
At this moment—
all seven apertures within Lin Sheng's Sea of Consciousness had already been opened.
The left eye aperture.
The right eye aperture.
The nose aperture.
The two ear apertures.
The mouth aperture.
The brow aperture.
All of them glowed like tiny stars within the darkness of his Sea of Consciousness.
Only one remained.
The final aperture.
The Center Aperture.
---
Lin Sheng's face was slightly pale.
Sweat dripped down his forehead slowly.
Even with his current mental strength—
opening the final aperture was far more difficult than the others.
Because the Center Aperture was different.
It was not merely a sensory gate.
It was the core lock restraining the spirit itself.
Within the endless darkness of his Sea of Consciousness, seven shining star points revolved around the white dwarf visualization at the center.
The eighth point—
faint and incomplete—
was slowly forming.
Lin Sheng's consciousness focused entirely upon it.
The Starry Sky Visualization Method circulated silently.
The tiny white dwarf pulsed rhythmically.
Each pulse caused surrounding spiritual qi to gather toward the center of his brows.
Outside—
the air in the room began trembling faintly.
Spiritual qi flowed inward like streams converging into a river.
The already-opened Brow Aperture acted like a gateway.
Using it as an entrance—
the spiritual qi continuously struck against the sealed Center Aperture.
Again.
And again.
And again.
---
Lin Sheng's face twitched painfully.
"It feels…"
"…like waves crashing against steel…"
The sensation was unbearable.
Every collision sent sharp pain throughout his entire mind.
Yet the spiritual qi did not weaken.
Instead—
it became stronger with each impact.
Like ocean tides slamming endlessly against a cliff.
Small cracks slowly began appearing within the invisible barrier.
Lin Sheng gritted his teeth.
His veins bulged slightly around his temples.
Inside the Sea of Consciousness—
the incomplete eighth star point finally brightened.
Crack—
A faint sound echoed deep within his mind.
Then another.
And another.
The cracks spread rapidly.
Finally—
like shattered glass—
the barrier exploded open.
BOOM!
Spiritual qi flooded inward violently.
Lin Sheng's body trembled.
For a moment—
his entire consciousness turned blank.
Then—
clarity.
Absolute clarity.
It felt as though a layer of dust covering his mind had suddenly been washed away completely.
His thoughts became sharper.
Faster.
Lighter.
Even his perception of time seemed slightly different.
The surrounding world appeared astonishingly vivid.
Lin Sheng slowly opened his eyes.
The room before him looked completely different.
Every grain within the wooden walls.
Every tiny fluctuation of spiritual qi.
Even the distant sounds outside—
all became astonishingly clear.
"It succeeded…"
He exhaled deeply.
At that moment—
the chip interface appeared before his vision.
•[Ding… Opening Aperture Realm complete.]•
•[Host mental energy output increased.]•
•[Comprehensive bodily enhancement detected.]•
Lin Sheng's eyes flickered slightly.
"Chip."
"Deduce current strength output."
The interface flickered.
Then—
a response appeared.
•[Ding… Comprehensive strength output reaches 550 jin.]•
Lin Sheng's pupils narrowed slightly.
Five hundred and fifty jin.
That was approximately two hundred and seventy-five kilograms of striking or lifting force.
And that was merely his current physical strength—
without internal energy.
Without martial qi.
Without cultivation.
Lin Sheng slowly clenched his fist.
The increase was not solely due to physical strengthening.
The opening of the apertures had enhanced his nervous system, sensory coordination, and control over muscular output.
The waves of spiritual qi that entered his body during the breakthrough had also tempered his physique slightly.
"This world truly changes people fundamentally…"
Then—
Lin Sheng's expression shifted slightly.
Mental energy.
Now that the Center Aperture had opened—
he could finally attempt true external mental release.
He slowly closed his eyes again.
This time—
instead of drawing his awareness inward—
he pushed outward.
A strange sensation emerged instantly.
Something invisible poured outward from the depths of his consciousness.
Not physical.
Not spiritual qi.
But pure mental force.
It spread silently through the room.
Lin Sheng immediately felt something shocking.
It was not merely "seeing."
It was closer to existing in multiple places simultaneously.
The table.
The walls.
The shelves.
The corners of the room.
He could sense them all clearly.
Textures.
Shapes.
Even the faint spiritual qi fluctuations surrounding objects.
"It's like…"
"…another set of senses…"
"No…"
"It feels like I'm physically there."
His heartbeat quickened slightly.
This was far beyond anything the Federation's ancient methods had achieved.
Without Qi—
their mental projection abilities had always been weak and unstable.
But here—
with spiritual qi nourishing Shen—
everything was different.
Lin Sheng continued extending his mental field outward carefully.
Ten meters.
Thirty meters.
One hundred meters.
The walls of the residence became meaningless barriers.
His mental perception spread beyond them effortlessly.
He sensed servants walking nearby.
Family disciples conversing outside.
The flow of wind through trees.
The distant spiritual beasts around the mountain forests.
Finally—
the range gradually stopped expanding.
Lin Sheng slowly inhaled.
"About…"
"…one and a half miles."
That was his limit.
For now.
Retracting the mental field slightly, Lin Sheng suddenly thought of something else.
Telekinesis.
He turned his gaze toward the corner of the room.
A white-sheathed sword rested quietly there.
It had been gifted by his sister, Lin Yun, months ago alongside the jade slip.
The sword itself was not extraordinary.
But it weighed over thirty-five pounds.
Lin Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly.
Then—
he extended his mental force toward it.
At first—
nothing happened.
Then—
the sword trembled slightly.
Lin Sheng concentrated harder.
The invisible mental force wrapped around the sword awkwardly.
Slowly—
very slowly—
the sword rose into the air.
Though extremely unstable—
it floated.
Lin Sheng's eyes brightened slightly.
"It works…"
The sword wobbled violently before finally dropping back onto the ground with a loud clang.
Lin Sheng exhaled deeply.
The mental consumption was enormous.
Still—
this alone was astonishing.
Telekinesis.
True externalized mental force.
If the Federation had possessed this capability—
their exploration technologies would have advanced even further.
Lin Sheng shook his head slightly.
Then extended his mental field outward once more.
This time—
it passed beyond the residence entirely.
Through the formation barriers.
Into nearby family compounds.
Voices entered his perception.
"…heard the Chang Branch disciple is leaving soon…"
"…martial training isn't easy…"
Lin Sheng quickly withdrew his mental field.
"This ability is dangerous…"
Useful for tracking.
Observation.
Detection.
But also dangerous.
If discovered—
it would easily provoke hostility.
Especially against stronger cultivators.
Foundation Establishment cultivators already possessed Divine Sense.
And according to Old Liang—
Xuan Gang martial experts possessed instincts sharp enough to detect killing intent and observation naturally.
Lin Sheng leaned back slightly upon the meditation platform.
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"The more I understand this world…"
"…the more dangerous it feels."
Immortal cultivators.
Martial artists.
Demonic beasts.
Artifacts.
Formations.
Every path contained terrifying mysteries.
Fortunately—
he now possessed enough strength to protect himself slightly.
Then—
his gaze shifted toward the storage pouch nearby.
The jade slip.
His sister's jade slip.
Originally—
it required Spiritual Sense to activate.
Only Qi Refinement cultivators possessed such abilities naturally.
But now—
perhaps his mental power could substitute.
Lin Sheng picked up the jade slip slowly.
The cool jade surface reflected faint spiritual light.
He inhaled deeply.
Then guided his mental power into it.
Instantly—
the jade slip reacted.
A suction force emerged.
His consciousness was abruptly drawn inward.
The world around him disappeared.
Then—
a familiar voice echoed gently.
"Little Sheng…"
Lin Sheng froze.
It was Lin Yun's voice.
Warm.
Gentle.
"…if you can hear this message…"
"…then it means you've grown stronger than I expected."
Within the jade slip space, an image of Lin Yun gradually appeared.
She wore light-green robes embroidered with flame patterns.
Her expression remained soft.
Yet her eyes carried exhaustion.
Lin Sheng remained silent.
Lin Yun continued speaking.
"You don't need to worry about me."
"And don't act recklessly after going to the cultivation market."
"The cultivation world is more dangerous than you imagine."
Her expression darkened slightly.
"As for our parents…"
"…I will handle that matter myself."
Lin Sheng's fists tightened subconsciously.
Then—
Lin Yun smiled faintly again.
"Also…"
"I left something for you."
"Don't touch it unless you possess enough mental strength."
The image gradually faded.
Lin Sheng's consciousness shifted deeper into the jade slip.
Then—
he saw it.
A floating book surrounded by countless rune markings.
The book was not physical.
It resembled condensed information.
As Lin Sheng's mental power touched it—
the entire thing exploded into countless streams of light.
BOOM!
An overwhelming flood of information surged into his consciousness.
Lin Sheng immediately groaned painfully.
"Ugh!"
The pain was intense.
Far worse than opening the apertures.
It felt as though endless information was being forcibly carved into his brain.
The chip interface flickered violently.
•[Ding… Information connection activated.]•
•[Warning: High-volume information transfer detected.]•
•[Does host wish to terminate connection?]•
Lin Sheng gritted his teeth painfully.
"No…"
"Continue…"
"Absorb the information into storage!"
The chip responded instantly.
•[Executing command.]•
Large portions of the information flood were redirected into storage processing.
Even so—
the strain remained enormous.
Lin Sheng's entire body trembled slightly.
Minutes passed slowly.
Finally—
the flood weakened.
Lin Sheng collapsed backward onto the platform breathing heavily.
Sweat soaked his robes completely.
After resting briefly, he spoke weakly.
"Chip…"
"Organize the information…"
"…and input memory references."
•[Executing.]•
Surprisingly—
the process completed much faster than expected.
Lin Sheng frowned slightly.
"Your processing speed increased?"
The chip responded calmly.
•[Host mental strength acts as operational support.]•
•[Higher mental output increases operational efficiency.]•
•[Certain high-level tasks may induce mental strain.]•
Lin Sheng immediately understood.
The chip itself was not magically stronger.
His own mental energy now supported its functions more effectively.
"In that case…"
"What are the methods for recovering mental strain?"
•[Recommended methods:]•
•[Sleep.]•
•[Meditative visualization.]•
•[Mental recovery through spiritual nourishment.]•
Lin Sheng nodded slightly.
That made sense.
The Starry Sky Visualization Method itself refined Shen continuously.
Then—
his attention shifted fully toward the newly obtained information.
The technique name appeared within his mind clearly.
"Profound Yuan Qi Technique"
Lin Sheng's eyes brightened slightly.
A true martial cultivation method.
Not merely a technique.
An actual cultivation art.
And astonishingly—
it contained three major sections.
Innate Chapter.
Xuan Gang Chapter.
Astral Gang Chapter.
Lin Sheng inhaled deeply.
This meant—
he finally possessed knowledge extending beyond the Innate Realm.
Old Liang had intentionally withheld later explanations.
But now—
he could study it himself.
Still—
Lin Sheng quickly calmed down.
He could not practice it yet.
Not now.
He had not even entered the martial path officially.
And more importantly—
he was never supposed to activate this jade slip so early.
If others discovered this…
it might expose his mental abilities.
His expression became serious immediately.
Without hesitation—
he stored the jade slip back into his pouch carefully.
Then he sat silently upon the meditation platform.
The room became quiet once more.