At dawn, the mist clung to the ruined sect like the breath of a dying world.
Liang Chen sat at the edge of the courtyard, eyes closed, sword across his knees. His breathing slowed, not in cultivation—he had no root to guide qi—but in a rhythm that echoed the flow of the Iron Flow Fist.
Every breath brought dull ache.
Every ache reminded him he was alive.
He opened his eyes to the sight of dew on the shattered tiles.
And something else.
A faint glimmer beneath a cracked slab.
He stood quickly and pried the stone loose.
Beneath it lay a Low-Grade Spirit Stone, dull but intact.
As if the ruin itself had offered it to him.
> [Spirit Stone Detected – Grade: Low]
Stored Qi: 28%
Compatible: Yes
Use as resource for Structure Integration?
Liang Chen hesitated.
He could absorb it later. Wait. Train his body with it. But something in the air—some tension humming through the broken sect—urged him to offer it now.
He stepped to the formation node: the broken stele half-sunk into the soil.
> Yes.
The mark on his arm glowed again.
> [Initiating Integration...]
Formation Node Awakening – Tier: Dormant Sect Core
Qi Flow Stabilizing...
Success.
The stele cracked, then glowed faintly with blue lines of power that ran through the earth like veins reawakened. A symbol flickered across its surface—unreadable, ancient, yet somehow familiar.
The wind in the courtyard changed.
Something awoke.
A voice.
Not a spoken voice—but a will. Lingering, watching.
> "You are not of the bloodline."
Liang Chen stood his ground.
> "No. But I am the one who stayed."
Silence. Then acceptance.
> [Recognition Temporary Granted – Title: Custodian of the Ash-Sleeping Sect]
Basic Formation Activated – Minor Defensive Array Restored
Hidden Structure Unlocked: Storage Hall (Sealed)
Next Upgrade Path: Unlocking Sect Name and Inheritance Hall – Cost: 3 Low-Grade Spirit Stones
Liang Chen let out a slow breath.
The ruins weren't lifeless anymore.
They had become his. Not by bloodline, not by fate. But by presence. By persistence.
This would be his sect.
Even if he had to build it one stone at a time.