He returned to the side courtyard, which remained perfectly silent.
The heavy doors closed behind him, sealing off all noise from the outside world.
Lin Hong let out a long breath, finally able to stop acting and pretending.
He relaxed completely.
Instead of resting immediately, he stood still for a moment.
He sank his consciousness into his body, examining its current state.
He felt that his accumulation was sufficient to enter the next stage of cultivation.
Since his mysterious resurrection in this physical form until now, it had been just over half a month, yet he had already engaged in three consecutive battles.
Although the intensity of those fights was not high by his past standards—falling far short of the brutal wars in his home universe that could last for years—they were of extraordinary significance to this young body.
Now, with a calm mind, he could clearly feel the body undergoing an active transformation, radiating newfound vitality and life force.
The Creation Return to Origin Sutra originated from his home universe and was a supreme scripture.
It was not developed in the peaceful tranquility of some blessed grotto; rather, it was born at the end of the previous era of his home universe, a time when war swept through the cosmos and destruction and rebirth took turns across the stars.
Therefore, the path of practicing this sutra was destined to never be peaceful.
It had nothing to do with ordinary secluded meditation.
Instead, it required one to squeeze and excavate their own potential through constant combat to achieve a leap in life-level that surpassed all limits!
Because of this, Lin Hong felt excellent.
Catalyzed by three battles, the potential within this body had been stimulated, aligning more closely with the true intent of the sutra.
His cultivation efficiency far exceeded what it had been at the start.
He could only say that this body’s foundation had been laid well.
When the young Evan’s soul eventually returned, should he consider tricking the boy into joining the great cause of exterminating the Evil Clan?
Lin Hong pondered the thought.
However, after considering it further, he dismissed the idea.
The young master’s personality likely didn’t lean that way; he deserved a peaceful life.
How could he drag such a person into the flames of war?
Half a year would be enough time for him to raise the aptitude of this body to a respectable level, not to mention the mysterious panel that could assist in the improvement.
By the time he returned the body, young Evan should be a minor genius.
It would be a way to repay the kindness of harboring his soul for over ten years.
Lin Hong sat cross-legged, feeling the surging warm current inside him.
It was several times more active than before, penetrating and nourishing his flesh and bone on a deeper level.
Innate and Postnatal Qi were blending together, forming an internal circulation that fortified his physique.
Once he entered the next stage, even his spirit would be involved.
Combined with another secret spiritual manual, his efficiency would increase even further!
Lin Hong looked forward to it immensely.
He extended his perception into the surrounding void, intending to draw in the world’s energy.
It was pure, vigorous, and full of life.
This was his first impression of the natural essence of the Elavia Continent.
Earth, water, fire, wind, light, and darkness, as well as lightning and ice—various elemental particles of intangible energy danced vibrantly in the void.
While the concentration of energy varied by location, its essence possessed a clarity and vitality that was largely uncontaminated, soaked in the natural life breath of the world’s evolution.
This indicated that the fundamental laws of the world had not been corrupted, or perhaps some power had intervened in time to stop and purify the damage.
He could only say that this realm was very fortunate.
It likely hadn’t suffered a full-scale invasion by the main forces of the Evil Clan; otherwise, it could not have remained so intact.
It was unlike his home universe.
At the end of that era, ancient conflicts and hidden dangers had erupted, creating internal instability.
Then, the powerhouses of the Evil Clan had forcefully torn open the cosmic walls, and their armies marched in.
That war was too horrific.
It lasted for untold years, and nearly half of the universe was crushed.
Most terrifying of all was that the natural essence of the world was polluted!
The mainstream cultivation systems that relied on absorbing external essence and sensing the laws of the world suffered a catastrophic blow instantly.
The very foundation of their practice became poison.
At best, practitioners would suffer a deviation; at worst, they would be directly assimilated.
Those were the darkest times, a painful page in the history of his home universe, with casualties numbering in the tens of billions.
The world was polluted, and the laws were shattered until they no longer existed.
This forced the survivors to pivot.
They severed their dependence on external energy and turned inward, digging into the treasures of the human body to create a self-contained system.
Countless ancestors, brilliant and talented beyond measure, tested the laws with their own bodies.
They felt their way through the dark bit by bit, validating and sublimating their techniques through constant, massive wars!
Ultimately, the Creation Return to Origin Sutra and a series of other cultivation methods were born.
Their power came from within, fearing no pollution.
Once practiced to a certain level, they could even repair the natural environment.
This was wisdom forced out by the struggle for survival!
By the era Lin Hong was born into, the Evil Clan in his home universe had been driven to the borders where a stalemate remained.
The world’s environment had improved significantly under the repairs of the supreme powerhouses.
Consequently, many cultivation methods were slightly adjusted to allow for the intake of external essence as a supplement to boost efficiency, though the core remained unchanged.
They were, quite simply, terrified by the experience.
How could they ever forget such a bloody lesson?
Lin Hong sighed.
He had intended to practice, but he couldn’t help but think of these things.
After all, even though he hadn’t personally lived through that era, he had glimpsed parts of it through various historical records.
In fact, one didn’t even need to look back; even now, vast regions of his home universe remained shrouded in deathly silence, their laws shattered.
Without a supreme powerhouse to fix them, they would never regain their former vitality.
So, how could he not hate them?
Even if he didn’t belong to this world and none of this was his concern, he still wanted to do everything in his power to wipe out the Evil Clan.
‘I can’t think about this anymore. I must start practicing.’
Lin Hong composed his mind and refocused.
The Innate and Postnatal Qi within him circulated vibrantly, echoing the vigorous essence of the outside world, making him want to draw it in immediately to accelerate his progress.
But in the next instant, he froze.
Reality hit him like a bucket of cold water.
He had overlooked one problem.
The commotion!
Drawing in external energy couldn’t possibly be done without making a sound.
The gathering of energy and the formation of a vortex would inevitably cause a disturbance.
In the terms of this world: elemental fluctuations and mana ripples.
And this was the imperial palace of a nation!
The Emperor himself was one of this world’s supreme powerhouses, and he wasn’t the only one in the palace.
There were other experts hiding in the light and shadows, not to mention detection barriers.
If he created an abnormal cultivation disturbance inside the palace, how much attention and investigation would he attract?
It would draw far too many unnecessary eyes!
The risk far outweighed the reward.
Lin Hong fell into a mental debate.
Should he take a gamble and risk it, or should he wait until he was in a quiet, hidden place to practice?
The answer was obvious.
He would wait.
After all, he was not yet powerful enough to look down on the world and ignore all threats.
He had to be steady.
He suppressed the impulse, deciding to follow the standard path for now and temper himself first.
In the next moment, the mysterious panel in his mind suddenly vibrated, sending out a ripple of activity.
‘?’
Lin Hong was stunned for a second before becoming alarmed.
A thought instantly flashed through his mind: ‘Is there another mission?’
He was almost tempted to laugh from anger.
‘Really? Someone even snuck into the palace? Is this place that easy to infiltrate?’
[Host, you are overthinking things.]
A ripple came from the mysterious panel, actually conveying a sense of exasperation.
“You’re quite a fast learner,” Lin Hong muttered.
In their previous conversation, he had used that specific phrase, and the thing had actually remembered it and used it correctly.
“If some filth hasn’t crawled in here, then why are you suddenly coming back to life? How rare.”
Usually, this thing was silent and ancient, carrying an air of cold detachment and rarely initiating communication.
[Because the Host seems to have encountered a problem, and I have a plan.]