The Heaven Seal Gate possessed surprisingly detailed records regarding these mysterious energies.
Astral Qi belonged to Heaven and Earth.
They weren't ordinary Spiritual Qi.
They were violent.
Ancient.
Extremely aggressive.
They naturally appeared only under extraordinary circumstances.
Thunderstorms.
Solar eclipses.
Meteor showers.
Volcanic eruptions.
Spirit Vein mutations.
Heavenly tribulations.
Or countless other rare celestial phenomena.
Every appearance remained temporary.
Once the surrounding environment stabilized...
The Astral Qi dispersed back into Heaven and Earth.
Leaving nothing behind.
It couldn't be stored inside ordinary treasures.
It couldn't be sealed within jade bottles.
Nor could immortal cultivators refine it into pills.
Astral Qi belonged solely to martial artists.
Yet...
Even among martial artists...
Not everyone could absorb every Astral Qi.
Compatibility determined everything.
Lin Sheng slowly reviewed Lin Shou's situation.
Although he still didn't know the name of Lin Shou's cultivation scripture...
He knew one thing.
Lin Shou's Gang Qi possessed overwhelmingly Yang characteristics.
Every attack carried scorching heat.
Every movement contained blazing power.
Naturally...
The scripture Lin Shou cultivated had to belong to the Yang attribute.
That also meant...
If Lin Shou wished to reach Astral Gang in the future...
He couldn't simply absorb any Astral Qi he encountered.
He specifically needed...
Astral Yang Qi.
Only Astral Yang Qi could perfectly fuse with his existing Gang Qi.
Only then could it enter the acupoints opened during the Innate Realm.
The Heaven Seal Gate records described the process in remarkable detail.
The martial artist first guided compatible Astral Qi into every opened acupoint.
Each acupoint gradually filled.
One.
Two.
Three.
Until every acupoint reached its limit.
Depending upon one's cultivation method...
Some martial artists required nine acupoints.
Others required ten.
Rare techniques demanded even more.
Once every acupoint became completely filled...
The cultivation scripture activated.
The Astral Qi and Gang Qi circulated together.
Round after round.
Day after day.
Eventually...
A true Small Heavenly Circulation formed.
Only after successfully establishing that Heavenly Circulation could the martial artist truly resonate with Heaven and Earth.
At that point...
The Baihui Acupoint became the final destination.
The newly formed Heavenly Circulation continuously attracted matching Astral Qi drifting naturally throughout Heaven and Earth.
Those wisps slowly gathered.
Accumulated.
Expanded.
Until finally—
The Baihui Acupoint transformed completely.
That moment...
Marked the birth of an Astral Gang Realm expert.
Lin Sheng silently tapped the table.
The process sounded straightforward.
Reality...
Was anything but.
The greatest difficulty lay in obtaining Astral Qi itself.
Astral Qi appeared unpredictably.
Its existence lasted only briefly.
And even if discovered...
It might not match one's cultivation attribute.
A martial artist cultivating Yin techniques couldn't absorb Yang Astral Qi.
A lightning cultivator couldn't absorb Metal Astral Qi.
Forcing incompatible Astral Qi into the acupoints...
Would cripple cultivation.
Destroy meridians.
Or directly kill the martial artist.
The Lin Family had recorded dozens of such failed attempts.
Many geniuses had reached Peak Xuan Gang.
Yet remained trapped there forever.
Some searched for decades.
Others searched for centuries.
Many died before ever encountering suitable Astral Qi.
That...
Was precisely why Astral Gang experts remained so rare throughout the Eastern Region.
Lin Sheng leaned back thoughtfully.
His own situation differed considerably.
Unlike Lin Shou...
He had deliberately avoided cultivating an attribute-specific martial scripture.
His Gang Qi possessed no obvious elemental nature.
Many people believed attribute scriptures increased combat power.
That wasn't wrong.
But everything possessed advantages and disadvantages.
An attribute scripture greatly increased one's strength.
Yet it also restricted future choices.
By remaining neutral, he could immediately absorb any Astral Qi found once he reaches the peak of Xuan Gang
Lin Sheng theoretically possessed far greater compatibility with different varieties of Astral Qi.
His future options remained significantly broader.
Of course...
That didn't necessarily mean every Astral Qi would suit him. He's always been very picky but still.
It simply meant...
His chances of finding a suitable one were much higher.
The Chip quietly displayed a new conclusion.
---
[Future Advancement Analysis Complete.]
Astral Gang Success Probability (Neutral Gang Qi): 71.4%
Astral Gang Success Probability (Single Attribute Gang Qi): Variable — dependent upon compatible Astral source discovery.
---
Lin Sheng smiled faintly.
Choosing a neutral path had indeed been the correct decision.
Although it sacrificed some immediate combat power...
It dramatically increased future possibilities.
In the Martial Dao...
Sometimes...
The longest road ultimately led the furthest.
--------
Rumors within the cultivation world spread faster than the wind.
Especially those involving treasures capable of changing one's destiny.
No one knew who had spoken first.
No one knew where the information had originated.
Yet within less than half a day, every cultivator inside the Heaven Seal Gate ruins had heard the same shocking piece of news.
Lin Yan had obtained two Heaven Mending Fruits.
The rumor was astonishingly detailed.
Some claimed they had personally witnessed her escaping from the Medicinal Garden.
Others swore she had killed Qin Fenxing and seized all five fruits before secretly hiding three elsewhere.
A few even claimed she had already consumed one.
Every version differed slightly.
Yet one detail remained identical.
Lin Yan still possessed two Heaven Mending Fruits.
The entire secret realm erupted.
For Foundation Establishment cultivators...
A Heaven Mending Fruit represented an opportunity to improve one's Spiritual Roots.
For those born with Mid Grade Spiritual Roots, it was nothing less than the chance to rewrite their future.
For High Grade cultivators...
It could push them toward Top Grade.
Such treasures were things even Golden Core cultivators coveted.
Who wouldn't be tempted?
Of course...
Everyone also knew exactly who Lin Yan was.
The Lin Family's foremost genius.
The young mistress of Dragon Yuan Province's ruling family.
Someone whose strength had already reached the late stages of Foundation Establishment despite her young age.
Normally...
No one would dare provoke such a person.
But greed possessed a terrifying ability.
It gradually suppressed reason.
"She's only one person."
"If enough of us attack together..."
"Even Lin Yan can't stop everyone."
"If we obtain even one fruit..."
"My descendants will thank me for generations."
Similar conversations echoed throughout the ruined sect.
Groups that had previously searched separately gradually began exchanging information.
Several rogue cultivator alliances even temporarily joined forces.
Everywhere...
People were searching for Lin Yan.
The atmosphere within the secret realm became increasingly tense.
...
Far away, Lin Sheng sat atop the roof of a collapsed pavilion while quietly listening to several passing cultivators discussing the matter.
He remained expressionless.
His fingers gently tapped against the jade slip in his hand.
"So..."
"It has finally begun."
Unlike everyone else...
His first thought wasn't the Heaven Mending Fruit.
Nor was it his sister's safety.
Instead...
His mind immediately recalled the assassins.
More specifically—
The target list he had extracted from the assassin's memories.
Lin Yan's name stood at the very top, above countless others.
That alone demonstrated one thing, she was their main target.
Whoever organized the assassins viewed Lin Yan as the greatest threat inside the secret realm.
Yet...
After witnessing Qin Fenxing's memories...
Lin Sheng understood just how powerful his sister truly was.
Late Foundation Establishment cultivation and a large attainment in sword techniques
Sword techniques perfected to an astonishing level.
Even Qin Fenxing, while controlling the Medicinal Garden's formations, had still been heavily injured before barely escaping with three Heaven Mending Fruits.
If Qin Fenxing himself couldn't suppress Lin Yan...
The assassins stood even less chance.
Trying to assassinate her directly bordered on suicide.
Which meant...
They needed another method.
Lin Sheng's eyes gradually narrowed.
"Using everyone else's greed..."
A faint smile appeared.
Simple.
Effective.
Cruel.
By spreading news about the Heaven Mending Fruits...
The assassins no longer needed to fight Lin Yan themselves.
The countless cultivators inside the secret realm would do it for them.
Even if no individual matched Lin Yan...
Ten might.
If ten failed...
Then fifty.
If fifty failed...
A hundred.
Constant battles would continuously exhaust her Spiritual Qi.
Drain her talismans.
Consume her medicinal pills.
Eventually...
Even the strongest genius would reveal an opening.
At that point...
The assassins only needed to deliver the fatal strike.
Lin Sheng slowly stood.
"The Shadow Ghost Hall..."
"They're more troublesome than I expected."
Their cultivation wasn't necessarily extraordinary.
Their schemes were.
Rather than relying solely upon strength...
They manipulated human nature itself.
Greed.
Fear.
Suspicion.
Every emotion became another weapon.
Looking toward the distant mountains, Lin Sheng's gaze became cold.
If his deduction was correct...
Then the rumor surrounding Lin Yan was merely the beginning.