The cultivation room remained completely sealed.
Layers of formations covered the surroundings, isolating the room from Divine Sense, sound, and spiritual fluctuations.
Lin Sheng sat cross-legged at the center.
The jade lamps illuminating the room cast faint shadows against the walls.
Several items floated before him.
Sheets of calculations.
Formation diagrams.
Various ores.
And at the center—
A fist-sized piece of dark silver metal.
Spiritual Pole Ore.
One of the primary materials used in the construction of flying boats and spirit airships.
Its value wasn't particularly high individually, but its special properties made it difficult to replace.
Lin Sheng stared at the ore quietly.
The upcoming competition was still months away.
However, preparation always came before battle.
He had never believed in relying upon last-minute luck.
The strongest cultivators weren't necessarily the most talented.
Often, they were simply the ones who survived the longest.
And survival required preparation.
One trump card already existed.
Martial Intent.
If he truly revealed it during combat, the shock would undoubtedly spread throughout the province.
Fortunately, the situation differed from before.
Possessing Martial Intent before entering Xuan Gang was monstrous.
Possessing Martial Intent after entering Xuan Gang was still shocking, but no longer completely unimaginable.
There were always geniuses within the cultivation world.
Some comprehended Intent early.
Some inherited ancient legacies.
Some were born with extraordinary comprehension.
The existence of Martial Intent would draw attention.
But not enough to completely expose him.
Furthermore—
The Zen Heaven Technique already provided an excellent vessel for utilizing Intent.
Over the past months, the technique had gradually taken shape within his mind.
Three forms.
Wind Form.
Thunder Form.
Zen Striking Form.
The final form represented the culmination of everything.
A single strike.
A single point.
The fusion of every Martial Intent under his control.
An attack designed purely for destruction.
Lin Sheng had no doubt regarding its power.
Against a single opponent, Zen Striking Form would eventually become one of his greatest killing techniques.
Unfortunately—
It only targeted one enemy.
What if there were multiple opponents?
What if he found himself surrounded?
What if the battlefield situation required area destruction rather than individual suppression?
That was the weakness.
A weakness that needed to be addressed.
Fortunately, inspiration had already appeared.
His gaze shifted toward the Spiritual Pole Ore.
Then toward a small metallic sphere resting beside it.
The Thunder Pearl.
Or rather—
The first-generation Thunder Pearl.
Lin Sheng picked it up.
Even now, he remained satisfied with its effectiveness.
By condensing lightning energy into an unstable shell before detonating it, the Thunder Pearl could create devastating disruptions.
Innate Realm experts found it particularly troublesome.
The lightning shockwave would destroy the structure of True Qi.
Meridians would suffer disruption.
Control over energy would become unstable.
Even True Essence users could be affected.
However—
Its effectiveness had dramatically decreased after reaching the Xuan Gang Realm.
The reason was simple.
Gang Qi Fields.
A Xuan Gang expert's Gang Qi Field wasn't merely a stronger version of a True Essence Field.
The two existed on completely different levels.
True Essence was relatively passive.
Gang Qi was active.
Alive and transformative.
The moment a martial artist entered the Xuan Gang Realm, their Gang Qi began interacting directly with Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
That interaction created numerous strange effects.
Flight.
Pressure.
Distortion.
Suppression.
And perhaps most importantly—
Polarity.
Lin Sheng extended his Mental Field toward his own Gang Qi.
Immediately, countless details became visible.
The Chip simultaneously began displaying data.
[Gang Qi Activity Detected]
[Internal Rotational Structure Confirmed]
[Polarity Fluctuation Present]
[Gravitational Influence Present]
His eyes narrowed slightly.
The first time he discovered this phenomenon had surprised him considerably.
The Gang Qi Field wasn't simply releasing energy.
It continuously generated a complex interaction between the cultivator and the surrounding environment.
That interaction produced a form of polarity.
Destroying the field through brute force was difficult.
Much more difficult than destroying a True Essence Field.
Which naturally led to a solution.
If brute force wasn't enough—
Attack the polarity itself.
His gaze landed upon the Spiritual Pole Ore.
This ore naturally possessed unusual magnetic properties.
When infused with spiritual qi, those properties became even stronger.
For ordinary craftsmen, this characteristic was useful for constructing spirit vessels.
Flying boats relied on such materials to maintain stability while traversing vast distances through the skies.
Larger spirit airships used even greater quantities.
Without ores capable of maintaining stable spiritual polarity, the formations powering those vessels would become far less efficient.
Naturally, ordinary cultivators rarely used such methods of travel.
The cost was too high.
Most either flew themselves or travelled overland.
Only merchants, major powers, and wealthy cultivators regularly boarded spirit airships.
As for travelling between provinces—
That was another matter entirely.
Throughout the Eastern Region, powerful cultivation cities maintained Space Transport Arrays.
These massive formations could instantly transport cultivators across provincial borders.
However, activation required Mid Grade Spirit Stones.
And not a small amount.
Most rogue cultivators could only dream of using them.
Even if one wished to travel across the entire Eastern Region through transport arrays, multiple transfers would still be required.
Each province possessed its own network.
Reaching a distant destination often meant jumping from one province to the next.
Convenient.
Fast.
And outrageously expensive.
Lin Sheng had no intention of using such methods anytime soon.
His attention soon returned to the ore.
For ordinary craftsmen, it was a construction material.
For Lin Sheng—
It represented something else entirely.
A weapon.
The Chip had already completed most calculations days ago.
Thousands of simulations had been performed.
Hundreds of failures discarded.
Eventually, one conclusion consistently appeared.
If Spiritual Pole Ore formed the shell of a Thunder Pearl—
And if lightning energy detonated within that shell—
The resulting explosion would amplify the magnetic polarity dramatically.
Not simply creating an explosion.
Creating a polarity shockwave.
A shockwave capable of interfering directly with a Gang Qi Field.
Naturally, it wouldn't instantly destroy a Xuan Gang expert.
Lin Sheng wasn't arrogant enough to believe that.
But disruption?
Temporary collapse?
Creating openings?
Those were entirely possible.
And in battle—
An opening was often enough.
Especially when combined with Martial Intent.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
The concept possessed potential.
A great deal of potential.
His Mental Field expanded.
The Chip immediately activated.
[Thunder Pearl Version 2]
[Beginning Structural Analysis]
[Calculating Stability Ratio...]
[Calculating Magnetic Resonance...]
[Calculating Lightning Compression Threshold...]
Countless lines of data flashed before his vision.
Lin Sheng patiently observed.
Several minutes later, the results appeared.
[Success Probability: 62.4%]
[Warning: Detonation Radius Increased]
[Warning: User May Be Affected]
[Recommended Minimum Safe Distance: 47 meters]
Lin Sheng's smile disappeared.
"..."
That was the downside.
The explosion wouldn't discriminate between friend and enemy.
If used carelessly, he would be caught within the blast.
Fortunately, that wasn't difficult to solve.
Distance.
Positioning.
Timing.
As long as he remained cautious, the risk remained manageable.
The greater concern was construction.
The first-generation Thunder Pearl had already required considerable effort.
The second generation would be far more complicated.
The shell needed precise engraving.
The internal lightning pathways required perfect balance.
Too much power—
Premature detonation.
Too little—
Failure.
One mistake could result in losing several months of preparation.
Lin Sheng raised his hand.
The Spiritual Pole Ore floated upward.
Immediately afterward, a strand of Innate Flame emerged from his fingertip.
The flame wasn't particularly large.
Yet the temperature inside the room instantly rose.
The ore gradually softened.
Hours passed.
The moon rose higher.
The market outside became increasingly quiet.
Within the cultivation room, however, Lin Sheng remained entirely focused.
The Chip continuously assisted calculations.
His Mental Field monitored every microscopic change.
Gradually, the rough ore began transforming.
Impurities separated.
Metal condensed.
Spiritual pathways emerged.
Eventually, the ore became a perfectly spherical shell.
The surface remained smooth.
Almost ordinary.
Yet beneath that simplicity lay countless internal channels.
A single mistake would cause catastrophic failure.
Lin Sheng examined it carefully.
Several moments later, he nodded.
Acceptable.
Very acceptable.
The first stage was complete.
Now came the dangerous part.
Lightning compression.
Without hesitation, he activated his Thunder Martial Intent.
The surrounding air immediately crackled.
Blue arcs of lightning appeared around his fingertips.
Then—
The lightning entered the sphere.
One strand.
Two strands.
Three strands.
The shell vibrated faintly.
A low humming sound appeared.
Lin Sheng's expression remained calm.
His Mental Field observed everything.
The Chip calculated continuously.
Minutes passed.
Then an hour.
Gradually, more and more lightning accumulated within the sphere.
Its color slowly changed.
Blue.
Deep blue.
Violet.
The pressure increased steadily.
Eventually—
The entire sphere began emitting dangerous fluctuations.
At that moment, Lin Sheng stopped.
He didn't continue.
Experience had already taught him caution.
Pushing further would be foolish.
The first prototype only needed verification.
Not perfection.
Slowly, he placed the sphere upon the floor.
The fluctuations continued.
A dangerous beauty.
Like a sleeping beast waiting to awaken.
Lin Sheng observed it silently.
Then a notification appeared.
[Thunder Pearl Version 2 Prototype Complete]
[Estimated Power Increase: 340%]
[Estimated Gang Qi Field Disruption Capability: Significant]
[Further Testing Required]
His eyes brightened slightly.
Success.
At least partial success.
The prototype existed.
The theory worked.
Now only refinement remained.
For the first time in several days, he relaxed slightly.
Outside the cultivation room, dawn slowly approached.
The first rays of sunlight appeared beyond the horizon.
Within the room, the silver sphere quietly rested upon the stone floor.
Occasionally, tiny arcs of lightning danced across its surface.
Beautiful.
Dangerous.
Unstable.
Lin Sheng looked at it for a long moment.
Then he stored it inside a specially prepared jade box.
Only after sealing several restrictions over it did he finally nod in satisfaction.
A weapon capable of disrupting Gang Qi Fields.
Combined with the remaining trump cards should be enough to avoid exposing his Mental Field.
At least for now.