Several days had passed since the end of the beast tide and the atmosphere within Cloud Mist Market had finally begun settling down. The shattered streets had mostly been repaired while damaged formations were gradually being restored, merchants reopened their stores and cultivators once again filled the streets, though traces of the recent battle could still be seen everywhere.
Currently within the Yi Region, discussions about the beast tide had yet to die down. If anything, they had become even more intense.
Because new information had arrived.
And it was bad news.
Extremely bad news.
Reports from the neighboring Phoenix Ridge Market had finally reached Cloud Mist Market.
The market had fallen.
Completely.
Unlike Cloud Mist Market which had managed to survive through preparation and the intervention of powerful experts, Phoenix Ridge Market had been overwhelmed by a coordinated assault from both yao beasts and demonic cultivators.
The result was catastrophic.
Most Qi Refining cultivators stationed there had died during the battle while only a small portion managed to escape amidst the chaos. The branches of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, Dan Dao Alliance, Talisman Alliance and various merchant organizations had been completely destroyed along with decades worth of accumulated resources.
Even worse—
Their appointed Foundation Establishment cultivator overseeing the businesses had died in battle.
The Xuan Gang Martial Expert guarding the entire market had also fallen.
However, his death was not meaningless.
Faced with certain defeat, the Martial Expert had chosen the most brutal method available.
Self-detonation.
Using all of his Gang Qi, essence and spirit, he exploded himself together with the attacking demonic cultivators and the leading Rank-2 yao beast.
The explosion devastated the battlefield.
Several Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators perished instantly while the Rank-2 yao beast suffered severe injuries before escaping.
Although Phoenix Ridge Market had fallen—
The enemy had paid a terrible price.
Because of this, the Lin Family had no intentions of abandoning the location.
After all, beneath Phoenix Ridge Market flowed a Rank-2 Spiritual Vein.
Such a resource was priceless.
Abandoning it was impossible.
The demonic cultivators were currently being hunted throughout the province while the injured Rank-2 yao beast was unlikely to recover anytime soon.
The market could be reclaimed.
The only issue was finding someone capable of guarding it.
Thus—
A new announcement had spread throughout the Training Center.
The first trainee to successfully break through into the Xuan Gang Realm would be appointed as the temporary Guardian of Phoenix Ridge Market.
The moment the announcement spread—
The entire Core Courtyard erupted.
Many trainees who were already at Peak Innate suddenly felt their blood boil.
Even those who were still some distance away from the breakthrough became excited.
Because everyone understood what being appointed Guardian meant.
Normally, a Xuan Gang expert would need to reach at least the Mid Stage before receiving such a responsibility.
Yet now—
An opportunity had appeared.
A chance to skip several years of waiting.
A chance to possess a territory of one's own.
Of course, one would need to defend the market and deal with dangers, but the benefits were astonishing.
Countless merchants.
Spirit herbs.
Yao beast materials.
Trade taxes.
Cultivation resources.
All of these flowed through a market every day.
With enough time, a Guardian could easily accumulate sufficient resources to cultivate all the way to the peak of Xuan Gang.
For martial artists, this was an opportunity capable of changing one's destiny.
After all—
Xuan Gang experts possessed lifespans ranging from two hundred and fifty to nearly two hundred and seventy years.
Such longevity was enough for many to establish clans and leave behind inheritances.
Naturally, competition for this position would be fierce.
Inside his immortal abode, Lin Sheng sat cross-legged while listening to the discussions taking place throughout the Training Center.
His expression remained calm.
Unlike the others, he wasn't focused on the position itself.
Instead—
His attention was focused on the breakthrough process.
The Xuan Gang Realm.
A realm that countless Innate martial artists dreamed of reaching.
Yet also a realm that countless others died trying to enter.
Normally, when a trainee reached Innate Perfection, they would begin accumulating contribution points in exchange for a Gang Condensation Pill.
The pill wasn't absolutely necessary.
One could attempt a breakthrough without it.
However—
Doing so was equivalent to gambling with one's life.
The Gang Condensation Pill didn't simply increase success rates.
It stabilized the breakthrough process and protected the cultivator's meridians, spirit and acupoints.
Most importantly—
It greatly reduced the chances of death.
To reach the Xuan Gang Realm, a martial artist first needed to completely open all primary acupoints and fill them with sufficient True Essence.
Only after reaching that state could the breakthrough begin.
The remaining True Essence would then be guided upward through the Governing Meridian toward the Baihui Acupoint at the crown of the head.
There, the accumulated power would stimulate the spirit.
The sleeping spirit.
The hidden source of consciousness.
The invisible existence dwelling within the brain.
When enough True Essence gathered—
The spirit would awaken.
Using that burst of spiritual power as a springboard, the cultivator would force their True Essence toward the mysterious Xuan Life and Death Pass.
A dangerous bottleneck hidden deep within the body.
A gateway separating mortals from true martial masters.
If one successfully crossed it, the spirit and body would undergo transformation.
If one failed—
Death was highly likely.
That was why it was called the Life and Death Pass.
A single step determined whether one lived or died.
After passing through the barrier, the cultivator would enter a temporary state of unconsciousness.
Some called it ascension.
Others called it enlightenment.
Regardless of the name, the result remained the same.
The body would instinctively transform while the spirit absorbed the benefits.
When the cultivator finally awakened—
A pillar of Gang Qi would erupt into the heavens.
That phenomenon signified a successful breakthrough.
A true Xuan Gang Martial Master.
The process sounded simple.
In reality—
It was terrifying.
Lin Sheng understood why Old Liang had never explained it to him beforehand.
Many martial artists who learned the details too early lost confidence.
Fear entered their hearts.
Once fear appeared—
Future breakthroughs became even harder.
Fortunately, Lin Sheng wasn't affected.
After all—
He possessed the Chip.
Opening his eyes slowly, countless streams of data appeared before him.
The Chip had already analyzed hundreds of books and cultivation records gathered from the Scripture Pavilion.
Among those records, several methods existed for safely crossing the Life and Death Pass.
The Gang Condensation Pill was only one option.
The most common option.
Not necessarily the strongest.
One possibility immediately caught Lin Sheng's attention.
Martial Intent.
Momentum was merely the beginning.
A preliminary stage.
A seed.
Martial Intent represented true mastery.
The complete manifestation of one's martial path.
If Momentum was borrowing the force of heaven and earth—
Then Martial Intent was imposing one's own will upon heaven and earth.
The difference was enormous.
According to the records, martial artists who comprehended Martial Intent possessed significantly higher breakthrough success rates.
Some even crossed the Life and Death Pass without requiring a Gang Condensation Pill.
Because Martial Intent strengthened the spirit.
And the Xuan Gang breakthrough fundamentally revolved around awakening and empowering the spirit.
Unfortunately—
Comprehending Martial Intent was extremely difficult.
Even among Xuan Gang experts, many never achieved it.
Most martial artists only comprehended Momentum during the Innate Realm.
Intent usually appeared after entering Xuan Gang.
Yet Lin Sheng's eyes brightened.
Because if others could not achieve it, that didn't mean he couldn't.
After all, his greatest advantage had never been cultivation speed but rather his ability to comprehend. Through the continuous optimization of the Chip and the support of the Visualization Method, his thinking speed and comprehension had already reached an astonishing level while countless cultivation bottlenecks that troubled ordinary martial artists had been reduced or bypassed entirely.
More importantly, his attainment in the Visualization Method was already approaching the Peak of Entering Samadhi.
Entering Samadhi was a state where the mind became one with cultivation, allowing perception and understanding to increase drastically. Reaching its peak would allow one's thoughts to move like lightning while comprehending concepts that would normally require years in only a fraction of the time.
Since Martial Intent was ultimately a manifestation of one's understanding of the Martial Path, then Entering Samadhi naturally provided the perfect foundation.
Others might need years to slowly nurture their Momentum until it transformed into Intent.
Lin Sheng intended to use the breakthrough of his spiritual state as a springboard and directly force his Momentum toward Martial Intent before attempting the Xuan Gang Realm.
If successful, not only would his combat power rise dramatically, but his chances of crossing the Life and Death Pass would increase as well.
Thinking this far, a faint smile appeared on Lin Sheng's face.
It seemed his next goal had already been decided.