Several days passed quietly after Old Liang demonstrated the meaning of martial concept.
The small courtyard behind Lin Sheng's immortal abode had once again returned to silence. Morning mist drifted through the mountain paths while distant birds cried occasionally among the forests below Dragon Yuan Mountain.
Within the courtyard, however, fist winds continuously exploded.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Lin Sheng's figure moved rapidly across the stone ground.
His footsteps shifted with strange rhythm.
Eight Step Cicada.
His body darted forward and sideways in abrupt arcs, like a cicada flickering between branches. At the same time, both fists surged outward with heavy explosive force.
Vajra Fist.
Compared to before, his movements were far smoother, much sharper. Every strike now carried an invisible sense of coordination.
It was no longer merely imitation.
It was beginning to become instinct.
Sweat dripped down Lin Sheng's chin as he exhaled heavily. His robes fluttered violently under the force of his own movements.
Inside his mind, the chip continuously adjusted his posture.
•[Left shoulder angle adjusted by 2.1°]•
•[Lower stance stability increased by 11%]•
•[Breathing rhythm synchronized]•
Bang.
Lin Sheng punched forward again.
This time, a subtle vibration spread from his fist into the air.
Not true momentum. Not even close.
But it was enough to make his eyes brighten.
Then suddenly—
Buzz.
His mind trembled violently.
Lin Sheng's movements abruptly halted.
His expression changed slightly.
"…Finally."
A faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
He could feel it clearly now.
His mental strength had reached its current limit.
Ever since opening the eight sensory apertures, his mental energy had continued expanding steadily. From one and a half li to two li, every improvement had sharpened his senses and thoughts further.
But now, he could feel the bottleneck.
The next realm.
Entering Samadhi.
Lin Sheng slowly lowered his fists.
The courtyard became quiet once more.
A cool breeze passed by, carrying away some of the heat from his body.
He raised his head slightly toward the distant mountain peaks.
Even after living in this world for years, he still occasionally found it difficult to believe how mystical everything here truly was.
Immortal cultivators.
Martial artists.
Spiritual qi.
Concepts.
Acupoints.
Meridians.
Everything that once existed only in theories or ancient myths from his previous life was real here.
And dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Lin Sheng exhaled softly before returning inside.
The moment he entered the room, he activated the formation hidden within the residence.
Faint lines briefly flickered around the walls before disappearing once more.
Only after confirming everything was stable did he sit cross-legged upon the meditation platform.
Lotus position.
Hands resting lightly upon his knees.
Breathing slow. Steady.
"…Begin."
His eyes closed.
Darkness descended.
Then his consciousness sank inward.
Into the Sea of Consciousness.
Deep within the endless darkness floated the white dwarf visualization.
Dense. Heavy. Brilliant.
Compared to before, the white dwarf had become far more stable. Around it revolved eight star points—the representations of the eight opened apertures.
Each star point emitted faint radiance.
Connected.
Yet still incomplete.
The realm of Entering Samadhi required one thing above all else: unity.
The gathering of every wandering thought.
Every stray emotion.
Every scattered fragment of mental energy.
Everything must become one.
The eight star points slowly began revolving faster.
At first, the motion was smooth, gentle.
Then faster.
Faster.
Faster.
Lin Sheng immediately grimaced.
Pain spread throughout his mind.
The rotation of the star points created terrifying pressure upon his Sea of Consciousness, as though his mind itself was being stretched apart.
Yet he endured.
He had to.
Because failure here would not merely waste time.
It could damage the Sea of Consciousness itself.
And in this world, damage to the spirit was often worse than damage to the body.
Even immortal cultivators feared injuries to the Niwan Palace or Purple Mansion.
Lin Sheng gritted his teeth.
The eight star points spun like stars orbiting a collapsing sun.
As they accelerated, something began happening.
Thoughts disappeared.
Not forcibly.
Naturally.
Memories. Emotions. Concerns. Instinctive wandering thoughts.
All of them were pulled inward by the spinning star points.
One by one.
Absorbed.
Refined.
Until silence remained.
Absolute silence.
Lin Sheng's breathing slowed further.
His consciousness became frighteningly clear.
For the first time, he truly understood why this realm was called Entering Samadhi.
It was not merely concentration.
It was clarity.
A state where the mind no longer wasted energy upon meaningless thoughts.
Within this state, one's comprehension rose to terrifying levels.
Lin Sheng immediately noticed it.
His understanding of martial arts became sharper. Connections he had previously failed to see now appeared naturally within his thoughts.
"…Momentum…"
He remembered Old Liang's words.
Qi guiding form.
Intent guiding qi.
Will guiding intent.
Lin Sheng's brows furrowed slightly.
Could he use this temporary state to glimpse his own direction?
He hesitated briefly.
Then decided to try.
The surrounding spiritual qi inside the room slowly gathered.
Not too quickly. Not enough to alarm the elders.
The formation concealed fluctuations, but excessive spiritual qi movement would still eventually attract suspicion.
Lin Sheng carefully regulated the absorption speed.
The moment distracting thoughts appeared, they were immediately drawn into the revolving star points.
His mind became even clearer.
Within this strange state, he suddenly began understanding something.
Momentum was not merely movement.
Nor was it simply force.
It was resonance.
A frequency created when body, qi, and spirit moved together toward one purpose.
The Vajra Fist emphasized explosive stability. Destructive solidity. Like an indestructible mountain compressed into a single strike.
The Eight Step Cicada emphasized rhythm. Speed. Continuous unpredictability.
Two completely different styles.
Yet could they resonate together?
Lin Sheng attempted to simulate it mentally.
Immediately, countless calculations appeared instinctively within his thoughts.
Angles. Force. Timing. Flow.
His comprehension speed became terrifying.
Even the chip's analytical calculations almost seemed slower compared to his current mental state.
But Lin Sheng quickly stopped.
No.
Not enough.
This realm only gave him temporary clarity.
True momentum required Innate Realm.
Forcing it now would only destabilize his breakthrough.
He immediately abandoned the thought.
Focus returned toward the Sea of Consciousness.
The eight revolving star points gradually stabilized.
Thin streams of light slowly extended from each star point toward the white dwarf at the center.
One connection.
Then another.
Then another.
Until all eight became linked.
Lin Sheng's entire consciousness trembled.
Boom.
A silent explosion erupted within his mind.
The surrounding spiritual qi abruptly surged inward.
His Sea of Consciousness expanded violently.
At the same time, the white dwarf visualization emitted blinding radiance.
The connections stabilized completely.
The breakthrough succeeded.
Outside the room, the gathering spiritual qi gradually calmed.
Silence returned.
Inside, Lin Sheng slowly opened his eyes.
For a moment, everything felt different.
Sharper. Clearer.
Even the air itself felt more vivid.
The sound of distant wind brushing leaves outside the courtyard entered his ears clearly.
His perception expanded outward instinctively.
Three li. Four li. Five li.
Only after reaching that point did it finally stabilize.
Lin Sheng's breathing became slightly hurried.
"…Five li…"
That was over double his previous range.
And more importantly, his thinking speed had increased again.
The world itself almost seemed slower.
He clenched his fist gently.
His physical strength had improved too, though not drastically.
The enhancement felt internal.
Subtle.
Like every breath carried greater vitality than before.
Lin Sheng smiled faintly.
Then spoke softly.
"Chip."
Immediately the familiar interface appeared.
•[Ding… breakthrough detected]•
•[Estimated breakthrough duration: 7 hours 16 minutes]•
•[Detected significant increase in mental capacity]•
•[Detected compatibility with Update 2.0 requirements]•
•[Does host wish to begin update?]•
Lin Sheng blinked slightly.
"…An update?"
He had almost forgotten the chip even possessed such capability.
In his previous life, updates required Federation synchronization.
But now it appeared the chip was adapting autonomously using his own mental strength.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
For a moment, Lin Sheng almost laughed.
Back then, he had worried that eventually his own brain would surpass the chip entirely.
Instead, the breakthrough itself had pushed the chip into evolution.
He leaned slightly backward.
"Start update."
Immediately the interface changed.
•[Ding… Update Loading]•
•[Estimated duration: 20 hours]•
•[Host advised to remain in stable condition]•
"…Twenty hours…"
Lin Sheng nodded slowly.
A fair trade.
After all, this world was growing increasingly dangerous.
Any improvement mattered.
Especially hidden ones.
He closed his eyes again and entered his Sea of Consciousness once more.
The sight before him caused even him to pause slightly.
The eight star points now revolved smoothly around the white dwarf like planets orbiting a sun.
Stable. Orderly. Beautiful.
A faint smile appeared on Lin Sheng's face.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt a sense of security.