The hidden cave was silent once more.
A few drops of blood slowly rolled across the stone floor before disappearing into the cracks beneath the rocks.
Qin Fenxing's corpse lay motionless against the cave wall.
His eyes were still wide open, frozen in unwillingness.
The expression on his face remained one of disbelief.
He had survived Lin Yan.
He had escaped countless cultivators.
He had even entered the Array Centre and inherited the legacy left behind by the Heaven Seal Gate.
Yet in the end...
He had died quietly inside an insignificant cave.
Lin Sheng withdrew his hand from Qin Fenxing's forehead.
His expression remained calm while countless streams of information surged through his mind.
Unlike Gu Qing, Qin Fenxing's spiritual defenses had already been broken during the illusion. Searching his memories afterward became significantly easier.
The Chip continuously sorted through the enormous amount of information.
---
[Memory Extraction Complete.]
[Organizing Information...]
[Formation Knowledge Acquired.]
[Heaven Seal Gate Records Acquired.]
[Cultivation Records Acquired.]
---
Thousands of fragmented memories flowed past.
Years spent studying formations.
Endless failures.
Countless diagrams.
Formation calculations.
Ancient runes.
Methods of drawing spiritual veins.
Techniques for linking formation nodes.
Methods for sealing Spiritual Qi leakage.
Every bit of knowledge accumulated over decades now became Lin Sheng's.
Even so, Lin Sheng wasn't satisfied.
His consciousness continued searching deeper.
Shadow Ghost Hall...
The mysterious force that had sent assassins into the secret realm.
Unfortunately...
Nothing.
The Chip continued scanning every memory repeatedly.
There wasn't a single useful clue.
Qin Fenxing had never heard the name.
Nor had he encountered anyone connected to it.
Lin Sheng frowned slightly.
"So he wasn't involved."
That made sense.
The assassins and Qin Fenxing merely happened to be pursuing different opportunities inside the same secret realm.
One wanted inheritance.
The other wanted blood.
There was no overlap between them.
Lin Sheng slowly stood.
His gaze fell upon the Core Disciple Jade Slip resting in Qin Fenxing's hand.
Unlike ordinary jade slips, this one possessed an ancient silver-white color.
Numerous sealing runes covered its surface.
Even after countless years, not a single rune had faded.
The moment Lin Sheng picked it up, a warm current flowed into his palm.
The jade slip immediately recognized another owner.
Of course...
Not because it accepted him.
Rather...
Because Qin Fenxing had already completed most of the refinement process before dying.
The remaining restrictions quickly collapsed under the Chip's assistance.
Moments later—
Another wave of information poured into his mind.
Unlike memories...
These were permissions.
Authority.
Records that only Core Disciples possessed.
Lin Sheng's eyes gradually brightened.
"So that's how it is..."
Many of Qin Fenxing's previous actions suddenly became clear.
Originally, Lin Sheng assumed Qin Fenxing had left the Array Centre because there was nothing more worth obtaining.
That assumption had been wrong.
Completely wrong.
The true inheritance...
Never existed on the surface.
The Array Centre merely contained the teachings from Rank One to Rank Three.
The true legacy remained hidden beneath the deepest level.
Rank Four formations.
Knowledge capable of nurturing a Grandmaster.
Knowledge that even Golden Core forces treasured as priceless.
However...
The inheritance couldn't simply be taken.
A trial existed.
Only those who passed would obtain the Heaven Seal Gate's complete legacy.
Lin Sheng smiled faintly.
"A test..."
That wasn't surprising.
Every powerful inheritance selected successors.
Especially one belonging to an ancient sect that specialized in formations.
No ordinary genius would ever be allowed to inherit everything.
The Core Disciple token merely granted one qualification.
Not ownership.
According to Qin Fenxing's memories, he originally intended to leave the secret realm after obtaining the Rank Three inheritance.
He planned to spend the next century mastering everything.
Break through into the Purple Palace Realm.
Become a genuine Rank Three Peak Formation Master.
Only then would he return when the secret realm reopened one hundred years later.
Using the Core Disciple token...
He could bypass most of the ruins' defensive formations and directly challenge the final trial.
If successful...
He would become a Rank Four Formation Grandmaster.
Such a status far exceeded ordinary Golden Core cultivators.
Within any major force, Rank Four Grandmasters possessed influence equal to—or even greater than—Golden Core elders.
No wonder Qin Fenxing had been willing to risk everything.
Unfortunately...
That future no longer belonged to him.
Lin Sheng's gaze shifted toward the Chip interface.
---
Formation Knowledge Integration
Rank One Foundations: 100%
Rank Two Foundations: 100%
Rank Three Foundations: 31%
Estimated Completion Time: 4 days 18 hours.
---
Only thirty-one percent...
Yet compared to before...
It was an unimaginable leap.
The Chip wasn't merely memorizing techniques.
It was integrating every formation principle together.
Failures.
Successes.
Variations.
Alternative methods.
Everything became part of a unified system.
Within several days, he would possess theoretical knowledge rivaling Qin Fenxing's decades of study.
Thinking of this, Lin Sheng couldn't help but admire the Heaven Seal Gate slightly.
A sect capable of producing Rank Four Grandmasters...
Its foundation truly wasn't ordinary.
His gaze then landed upon the jade box beside Qin Fenxing's corpse.
Opening it slowly...
Three jade-colored fruits quietly rested within.
The surrounding Spiritual Qi immediately became richer.
Each fruit appeared almost flawless.
Faint golden patterns covered their surfaces.
The fragrance alone refreshed one's spirit.
Heaven Mending Fruits.
Treasures capable of changing an immortal cultivator's destiny.
Even Purple Palace cultivators would fight desperately over them.
Yet Lin Sheng merely observed them calmly.
According to Qin Fenxing's memories...
Their effects only worked upon Spiritual Roots.
Martial artists possessed no Spiritual Roots.
Instead...
They refined their physiques.
Tempered Gang Qi.
Opened acupoints.
At best...
The Heaven Mending Fruit could cleanse his marrow slightly.
Improve his physique marginally.
Nothing more.
Certainly not worth consuming immediately.
"Better to keep them."
Perhaps one day...
Someone would exchange an Astral-grade resource for one.
That would be a far better transaction.
Closing the jade box, Lin Sheng stored both the fruits and the Core Disciple token into his storage bag.
Everything Qin Fenxing possessed had now become his.
Finally...
He glanced once more at the corpse lying quietly upon the stone ground.
Without Qin Fenxing...
No one else inside the secret realm possessed enough authority to freely traverse the Heaven Seal Gate's remaining restrictions.
Which meant...
The greatest opportunity inside this secret realm now belonged solely to him.
A faint smile appeared on Lin Sheng's face.
"One hundred years..."
He shook his head
"I don't have that kind of patience."
With the Chip's assistance...
He didn't need decades.
Nor centuries.
He only needed a few more days before attempting the Heaven Seal Gate's final inheritance trial himself.
-------
Several more days passed within the secret realm.
The initial frenzy had gradually subsided.
The weaker cultivators had either died or hidden themselves, while those who remained alive had already harvested most of the opportunities scattered throughout the ruined Heaven Seal Gate.
The ruined sect had almost been stripped clean.
Medicinal gardens had been plundered.
Outer scripture halls had been emptied.
Alchemy pavilions had been searched repeatedly.
Weapon halls had become battlefields stained with blood.
Only the truly dangerous places remained untouched.
Meanwhile, the Chip continued organizing every piece of information Lin Sheng had gathered.
---
[Formation Knowledge Compilation... Complete.]
[Ancient Heaven Seal Gate Records... Indexed.]
[Martial Realm Information... Updated.]
---
Inside a secluded cultivation chamber, Lin Sheng slowly opened his eyes.
The countless jade slips collected throughout the past several days floated around him before being returned one after another into his storage bag.
Although many cultivation manuals had long since been taken away before the sect's destruction, the remaining fragments still contained tremendous value.
Especially the records regarding the Martial Dao.
They perfectly filled several gaps within the Chip's database.
Lin Sheng quietly organized everything inside his mind.
The Martial Path.
Compared to immortal cultivation, it possessed far fewer realms.
Yet every realm required extraordinary accumulation.
The Innate Realm served as the true foundation.
At that stage, martial artists continuously opened acupoints throughout their bodies.
Every opened acupoint represented future potential.
Every mistake made during Innate cultivation would follow them for the rest of their lives.
Once all the required acupoints were opened...
The martial artist would eventually break through the Mysterious Pass.
True Essence would transform.
Gang Qi would be born.
That was the beginning of the Xuan Gang Realm.
After entering Xuan Gang, cultivation no longer revolved around simply accumulating Gang Qi.
Instead—
One continuously filled every Innate acupoint with Gang Qi.
When every opened acupoint became completely saturated...
Those acupoints naturally resonated with one another.
Meridians connected.
Gang Qi circulated endlessly.
Eventually...
A Small Grand Circulation formed inside the body.
Once that circulation reached perfection—
The martial artist stood at the Peak Xuan Gang Realm.
From that point onward...
The next step became unimaginably difficult.
Astral Gang.
Lin Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly.
Unlike immortal cultivators, martial artists couldn't simply accumulate enough energy before breaking through.
They required something far rarer.
Astral Ferocious Qi.