After the ranked competition ended, the atmosphere within the training center subtly changed.
Before today, the distinction between the outer courtyard and inner courtyard had merely existed in name for many trainees. But after personally witnessing the battles, the injuries, and Gu Fei losing his position publicly, everyone finally understood one thing.
Status inside Cloud Mist Training Center was not permanent.
If you were weak, you would eventually be replaced.
The elders did not care about excuses.
Only results mattered.
The crowd slowly dispersed from the arena while assistants hurried around helping injured trainees back toward the medical halls. Discussions echoed everywhere.
"That Lou Han is ruthless."
"Gu Fei deserved it."
"I heard his spine was almost shattered."
"Inner courtyard members are monsters…"
"But that Group C dark horse was terrifying too."
"Two proficient techniques in two weeks… his comprehension is insane."
The entire place buzzed with excitement.
Meanwhile, Lin Sheng quietly followed the inner courtyard members back toward their residence area.
Beside him, Zhao Feng still looked extremely pleased with himself.
"Hahaha, did you see that fellow's face after I punched him?" Zhao Feng laughed loudly. "He really thought I was some weak rich kid."
Lin Sheng glanced at him calmly.
"You hid your strength well."
"Of course." Zhao Feng grinned. "What's the point of revealing everything early?"
Lin Sheng silently agreed.
In cultivation, hidden cards often mattered more than visible strength.
Especially in an environment where competition existed everywhere.
Ahead of them, Lin Xiaolu walked silently while carrying her white sword on her back. Her expression remained as cold as ever, almost as if the competition had nothing to do with her.
Lou Han, on the other hand, was surrounded by many outer courtyard trainees congratulating him.
Today, he had become famous.
A Group C trainee defeating an inner courtyard member was enough to attract attention.
Though…
Lin Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly while observing him.
Lou Han's injuries were not light.
That final strike had consumed a huge amount of internal energy.
Even his breathing looked slightly unstable now.
Still, his expression remained firm.
It was obvious he did not regret his actions at all.
The group soon returned to the inner courtyard.
Unlike the noisy outer courtyard, this place remained quiet most of the time. Everyone here understood how important time was.
One month inside the training center was enough to completely change a person's fate.
The stronger one became, the more resources they would receive.
The more resources they received, the stronger they could become.
A cycle.
A cruel but effective cycle.
Back inside his room, Lin Sheng sat down quietly and entered a meditative posture.
The room soon fell silent.
Inside his sea of consciousness, the white dwarf floated steadily at the center while the eight star points revolved around it slowly.
Compared to before, all eight stars had expanded greatly.
Cracks of faint silver light spread across their surfaces like patterns forming naturally over time.
They had almost reached the limit.
Lin Sheng could feel it clearly.
The day all eight stars completely stabilized and expanded fully would be the day he stepped into Mid Stage Entering Samadhi.
At that point, his mental energy would likely undergo another transformation.
His thoughts slowly shifted toward cultivation.
Inside his body, internal energy surged through his meridians like flowing rivers.
Smooth.
Stable.
Dense.
The amount of internal energy circulating within him had already surpassed ordinary First Rate martial artists by several times.
The chip interface quietly appeared before him.
•[Realm: Acquired First Rate]•
Lin Sheng slowly opened his eyes.
After two weeks of continuous cultivation, he had finally opened all twelve main meridians.
Not only that—
He had also opened forty eight secondary meridians.
The moment all twelve main meridians connected together, his internal energy circulation speed underwent another increase.
A complete small Heavenly Circulation had formed within his body.
Now his internal energy could circulate endlessly through the twelve pathways without interruption.
The efficiency increase was obvious.
Even while resting, his cultivation slowly improved on its own.
Of course, Lin Sheng did not stop there.
He had already decided his next target.
The Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
These meridians were different from the twelve main ones.
More hidden.
More dangerous.
And more important.
When breaking through into the Innate Realm, spiritual qi would flood violently into the body.
The first to endure the pressure would be the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
After that, the twelve main meridians.
Then finally the countless secondary meridians.
If the meridians were too weak or unstable, the breakthrough could cripple the cultivator permanently.
This was why so many martial artists remained trapped at the peak of the Acquired Realm for years.
Or even decades.
Lin Sheng slowly stood up.
Now that he had officially reached First Rate within one month, reporting the breakthrough was necessary.
Thankfully, this speed was still within acceptable limits for a genius.
Most talented trainees spent around five weeks in Second Rate before attempting to open an Extraordinary Meridian.
His progress was slightly faster.
But not enough to become completely unreasonable.
At least on the surface.
After leaving his room, Lin Sheng calmly walked toward the core courtyard.
The inner courtyard paths were quiet today.
Many trainees were either cultivating or recovering from the ranked competition injuries.
Passing through one of the side paths, Lin Sheng suddenly noticed a familiar figure walking toward him.
Lou Han.
Compared to before, his aura had become more stable.
Though faint injuries still remained within his body, his expression looked calm.
In his hands was a book wrapped in cloth.
It seemed he had already used his chance at the martial library.
Lin Sheng glanced at it briefly before looking away.
Unlike the others in Grade A, he had no plans of using his reward yet.
The techniques available now were mostly Acquired Realm techniques.
If he waited until Innate Realm, the value of his choice would become much greater.
As the two passed each other, neither spoke.
Lou Han merely nodded faintly.
Lin Sheng returned the gesture.
Then both continued walking in opposite directions.
Soon, Lin Sheng arrived at Mentor Xu's courtyard.
The place remained as quiet as ever.
Outside the entrance stood the usual assistant disciple.
Seeing Lin Sheng arrive, the assistant immediately recognized him.
"You're here to see Mentor Xu?"
Lin Sheng nodded.
The assistant quickly went inside before returning moments later.
"You may enter."
Lin Sheng stepped into the courtyard calmly.
The environment inside was peaceful.
A faint medicinal fragrance lingered in the air while spiritual herbs grew around the courtyard edges.
At the center sat Mentor Xu drinking tea quietly.
Seeing Lin Sheng arrive, he placed the cup down slowly.
"You broke through?"
Lin Sheng nodded.
"Yes, Mentor."
This time, Mentor Xu did not reveal much surprise.
Instead, he simply smiled faintly as if he had already expected it.
Lin Sheng noticed this immediately.
It seemed Mentor Xu had already come to some conclusion regarding his cultivation speed.
Thankfully, that was beneficial for him.
The less questions asked, the better.
Mentor Xu gestured toward a seat.
"Sit."
Lin Sheng obeyed quietly.
Mentor Xu observed him briefly before speaking.
"You've already opened the twelve main meridians?"
"Yes."
Mentor Xu nodded slowly.
"Then your next target should be the Extraordinary Meridians."
Lin Sheng replied calmly.
"I've studied them somewhat."
Mentor Xu smiled slightly.
"Somewhat?"
"The Extraordinary Meridians are the true foundation of the Acquired Realm."
"Opening them is far harder than opening ordinary meridians."
"Many people spend years stuck at this step."
Lin Sheng listened silently.
Mentor Xu continued calmly.
"However, there are exceptions."
"Those born in regions with dense spiritual qi often possess stronger internal energy naturally."
"Their meridians may even be partially opened from birth."
While saying this, Mentor Xu looked directly at Lin Sheng.
Lin Sheng's expression remained calm, but inwardly he became cautious.
It seemed Mentor Xu had concluded that he originated from some higher branch family environment.
Thankfully, his sister's arrangements years ago had been careful.
From the beginning, he had never openly revealed his relationship with her.
Back then, his sister had specifically warned him not to expose their connection.
She had enemies.
Especially among demonic cultivators.
If someone discovered her younger brother existed, it could easily bring disaster upon him.
Because of that, Lin Sheng had always acted carefully after transmigrating.
Especially during his early years when he was uncertain whether high level cultivators could detect abnormalities in his soul.
Thankfully, nothing had happened so far.
Mentor Xu clearly did not suspect any relationship to the Chang branch.
At most, he simply believed Lin Sheng had grown up near the main family branch or under some hidden expert.
That was acceptable.
Mentor Xu slowly continued.
"Still…"
"There is one thing you must remember carefully."
His expression gradually became serious.
"One of the greatest taboos while opening Extraordinary Meridians…"
"…is using Meridian Opening Pills."
Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly.
He had seen such pills mentioned inside the library before.
Mentor Xu spoke calmly.
"The pill forcefully tears open the meridians first before soothing them afterward."
"Though it appears effective initially, the damage remains hidden deep within the meridian network."
"These hidden injuries may not erupt immediately."
"But once one attempts to break through into the Innate Realm…"
"The consequences become severe."
"Some suffer meridian collapse."
"Some fail their breakthrough permanently."
"And some explode from uncontrolled spiritual qi."
His tone remained calm, but the seriousness within it was obvious.
Lin Sheng nodded slowly.
"Thank you for the warning, Mentor."
Mentor Xu looked at him for a moment before smiling faintly.
"With your talent, there is no need to rush using shortcuts."
"Your future path should not stop at the Innate Realm."
Hearing this, Lin Sheng's expression remained calm but inwardly he became thoughtful.
Not stop at Innate…
That meant Mentor Xu thought quite highly of him already.
Mentor Xu suddenly asked.
"Have you chosen which Extraordinary Meridian to open first?"
Lin Sheng replied calmly.
"The Ren Meridian."
Mentor Xu's eyes flickered slightly before nodding.
"A stable choice."
"The Ren Meridian focuses greatly on internal energy circulation and stabilization."
"It is safer than some of the more aggressive pathways."
Lin Sheng naturally knew this.
Or rather…
The chip had already calculated it.
The Ren Meridian possessed the highest compatibility with his current meridian structure.
Especially after opening forty eight secondary meridians.
Mentor Xu slowly stood up.
"Go back and cultivate steadily."
"Don't let temporary speed cloud your judgment."
Lin Sheng stood and cupped his fists respectfully.
"Yes, Mentor."