After being called for Grade-A level, Lin Sheng and the other nine stood up and followed the assistant deeper into the training center.
The moment they left the outer courtyard, countless gazes landed on their backs.
Some were envious.
Some jealous.
Some openly hostile.
Lin Sheng could practically feel the emotions behind him without even turning around.
After all, they had all taken the same examination, yet only a handful were selected for the inner courtyard. In any environment where resources were limited, inequality naturally bred competition.
'Calling us out publicly like this…'
Lin Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly as he walked.
'They want rivalry.'
The Lin Family clearly had no intention of maintaining harmony between trainees. Competition produced pressure, and pressure pushed people to grow faster.
Or break.
The assistant continued leading them through several stone corridors. Compared to the noisy outer sections, the deeper areas of the training center became increasingly quiet.
The buildings here were cleaner.
The air carried denser spiritual qi.
Even the lanterns hanging beneath the rooftops emitted a faint spiritual glow.
Eventually, they arrived at another courtyard.
"This," the assistant said calmly, "is the inner courtyard."
Everyone instinctively looked around.
The courtyard was large enough to fit dozens of people comfortably. Around its perimeter stood a row of separate rooms, each isolated from the others by several meters of distance.
The assistant turned toward them.
"The Lin Training Center is divided into outer, inner, and core areas."
"The inner courtyard is reserved for those with at least Grade-A talent."
Several of the youths unconsciously straightened their backs after hearing that.
Even if they tried to remain calm, pride still showed on their faces.
They deserved it to some extent.
Among hundreds of trainees, only ten had reached this place.
The assistant pointed toward the row of rooms.
"You will each choose one room."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"There are no differences between the rooms…"
Then his lips curved slightly.
"…for now."
The moment those words fell, the atmosphere subtly changed.
Lin Sheng immediately understood the meaning behind them.
At present, everyone here was equal.
Later?
That equality would disappear.
Treatment.
Resources.
Status.
Everything would eventually depend on performance.
The realization clearly struck the others as well.
One by one, they began quietly sizing each other up.
The tension in the air almost felt tangible.
At that moment, one of the boys suddenly smiled and stepped forward.
He wore expensive robes embroidered with gold thread. His hair was neatly tied, and a jade pendant hung from his waist. He looked more like the son of a wealthy merchant than a martial trainee.
"Why don't we introduce ourselves?" he said with an easy smile.
"Since we'll be around each other for a long—"
Before he could finish speaking, the cold and uncaring girl from earlier walked straight past him.
She did not even glance at him.
Without hesitation, she chose a room near the corner of the courtyard and entered.
Bang.
The door shut instantly.
Silence.
The merchant-looking boy froze for a moment, his smile nearly cracking.
Only nearly.
Lin Sheng noticed it immediately.
'At least he knows how to control himself.'
Most people his age would probably have exploded in embarrassment.
Without saying anything, Lin Sheng also walked toward another room and opened the door.
"Ugh…"
That strange sound was the only thing the merchant boy managed to let out before the remaining trainees hurriedly chose rooms as well.
No one wanted to appear weaker than the others.
Especially not now.
Even being placed in the inner courtyard clearly did not guarantee anything.
If they relaxed, they could still fall behind.
Inside the room, Lin Sheng calmly observed the layout.
It was simple but comfortable.
A bedroom.
A kitchen.
A bathing area.
And another room specifically meant for meditation and martial practice.
Compared to ordinary mortal residences, this place was luxurious.
Lin Sheng slowly walked through the room while silently spreading his mental sense outward.
His invisible mental field swept across every corner carefully.
Walls.
Floors.
Furniture.
Ceiling beams.
Even the spaces between stones.
Although this world lacked advanced technology, it possessed formations and spiritual methods capable of accomplishing similar things.
Carelessness could easily expose secrets.
Especially his.
After checking everything several times, Lin Sheng finally relaxed slightly.
'No surveillance formations.'
At least none that he could currently detect.
Exhaling softly, he placed his belongings down before sitting on the bed.
The exhaustion from the journey finally surfaced.
During the entire trip toward Cloud Mist Market, the chip had continuously scanned the surroundings, recorded terrain information, analyzed spiritual qi density, and categorized environmental data.
All of that consumed mental energy.
Rubbing his forehead lightly, Lin Sheng lay back and closed his eyes.
"Meditation would recover faster…"
He hesitated slightly.
"But if spiritual qi fluctuations are noticed, it may become troublesome."
For now, sleeping remained safer.
Soon, exhaustion dragged him into unconsciousness.
…
About an hour later, Lin Sheng slowly woke up.
The sky outside had darkened slightly.
Orange sunlight entered through the windows, casting long shadows across the room.
He sat up and rubbed his eyes briefly before extending his mental field again.
Several nearby rooms immediately entered his perception.
Some trainees were resting.
Some were training stances.
Others had begun interacting with one another.
The merchant-looking youth seemed especially active.
At the moment, he sat together with several trainees inside his room.
"As I said before," he said warmly, "if any of you need assistance with medicine or resources, just come to me."
One of the youths hesitated.
"You mean… loans?"
The merchant youth laughed softly.
"Not loans. Just helping future companions."
His tone sounded sincere.
But Lin Sheng quietly observed the subtle expressions of the others.
Although they remained polite, none of them truly trusted him.
Being placed in the same talent category naturally gave them confidence.
They believed they could rely on themselves.
No one wanted to owe favors this early.
Still, they avoided rejecting him directly.
"If we need help later, we'll definitely come find you."
"Yes, Brother Wuyun is too polite."
After exchanging several polite words, the group gradually left.
The moment the door closed behind them, the merchant youth's smile slowly disappeared.
A sneer appeared briefly on his face.
"Fools."
He leaned back slightly while tapping the table.
"You really think talent alone determines everything?"
His eyes narrowed.
"Without resources, even geniuses can stagnate."
Lin Sheng silently withdrew his senses.
The youth was arrogant.
But not entirely wrong.
Talent determined growth speed.
Resources determined stability and bottlenecks.
Martial cultivation especially consumed enormous amounts of resources.
Medicine.
Qi-Blood nourishment.
Meridian Opening Pills
All of these required money.
Suddenly, a deep bell echoed throughout the courtyard.
Dong.
Dong.
Dong.
The sound reverberated heavily through the air.
Immediately afterward, a voice spread throughout the inner courtyard.
"All new trainees gather at the central courtyard."
Lin Sheng stood up and left his room.
The others emerged as well.
Compared to before, everyone now seemed more restrained and cautious toward each other.
Soon, the ten gathered at the center.
Several elders stood there silently.
Behind them were assistants carrying wooden boxes.
One elder stepped forward.
"From today onward, you are officially trainees of the Lin Family Martial Division."
"Your treatment exceeds that of ordinary branch members."
"But…"
His gaze swept across everyone.
"Do not mistake this for privilege."
"In the martial path, everything is earned through strength."
The atmosphere instantly grew heavier.
"No one here owes you anything."
"Tomorrow morning, official training begins."
"You will learn foundational body tempering methods, breathing techniques, and martial discipline."
"Those unable to endure may leave voluntarily."
No one moved.
The elder nodded slightly.
"Good."
He gestured toward the assistants.
The wooden boxes were opened one after another.
"Each trainee will receive one month of medicinal supplies."
"Use them carefully."
The assistants began distributing the boxes.
When it reached Lin Sheng, he calmly accepted his.
Opening it slightly, he saw several bottles filled with dark medicinal paste alongside bundles of dried herbs.
The smell alone revealed that they were valuable.
"This is Body Nourishing Paste," the elder explained.
"Apply it after training to stimulate blood circulation and muscle recovery."
"Do not consume it directly unless you wish to cripple yourself."
Several nervous laughs sounded.
The elder ignored them.
"The herbs are for medicinal baths."
"Outer courtyard trainees receive lower-grade materials."
"Inner courtyard trainees receive Grade-A supplies."
Hearing this, several people instinctively tightened their grip around their boxes.
The resource gap had already begun.
Lin Sheng quietly observed the medicinal ingredients.
The chip immediately began analysis.
[Ding…]
[Detected high blood vitality ingredients.]
[Detected traces of spiritual qi.]
[Suitable for body nourishment and recovery.]
Lin Sheng closed the box.
After the distribution ended, the elders dismissed everyone.
Night gradually descended upon Cloud Mist Market.
The winter wind outside grew colder.
Inside his room, Lin Sheng sat quietly by the window.
The market remained brightly illuminated despite the darkness.
Cultivators occasionally flew through the sky on swords or spirit artifacts.
Patrolling guards moved through the streets below.
In the far distance, faint beast roars echoed from beyond the market walls.