Chen Wei did not sleep that night.
Neither did Lian Zhou.
The three disciples lived in small side rooms near the training courtyard. The sect had once housed over two hundred members. Now it echoed when the wind passed through broken corridors.
Lian Zhou stood in the courtyard before dawn.
Chen Wei arrived shortly after, still looking confused.
"Sect Master… you really mean to train me personally?"
"Yes."
"But I've already tried everything. My meridians are too narrow."
"I know."
Chen Wei lowered his head slightly. "Then…"
Lian Zhou opened the system interface.
[Disciple: Chen Wei]
[Current Talent Grade: Low]
[Upgrade Available: Enhance Bone Structure — Cost: 1 Talent Point]
[Upgrade Available: Expand Meridian Capacity — Locked]
Locked.
Right. He had zero points.
He needed the first breakthrough without upgrades.
Fine.
"Sit," Lian Zhou said.
Chen Wei obeyed immediately.
"Circulate your Qi."
Chen Wei closed his eyes and began.
Lian Zhou observed carefully.
His circulation was clumsy but stable. The problem wasn't discipline.
It was structure.
Weak meridians.
Low absorption rate.
But there was one advantage.
Chen Wei was patient.
Most cultivators chased fast results. Chen Wei endured stagnation without collapsing.
That mattered.
"Slow down," Lian Zhou instructed.
Chen Wei adjusted.
"Don't force compression. Guide the Qi like water, not like a hammer."
Chen Wei frowned slightly but followed.
Lian Zhou walked behind him and placed a hand lightly on his back.
He did not inject Qi.
He simply monitored flow.
Foundation Early energy was thin.
Unstable at edges.
But not hopeless.
"Again," Lian Zhou said.
They repeated this for hours.
No system interference yet.
Just proper guidance.
By midday, Chen Wei's face was pale.
"I feel… something moving," he said weakly.
"Good."
The Qi in his lower dantian trembled slightly.
Foundation Early peak.
He had been stuck for two years.
But no one had adjusted his technique before.
They simply told him to try harder.
"Now compress," Lian Zhou said quietly.
Chen Wei inhaled deeply.
He focused.
The Qi trembled violently—
Then condensed.
A pulse spread outward.
Foundation Mid.
Chen Wei's eyes snapped open.
"I broke through?"
"Yes."
Chen Wei stared at his hands.
"I— I did it?"
"Yes."
His voice trembled slightly.
After two years of stagnation, a simple correction had pushed him forward.
He almost laughed.
Almost cried.
Inside Lian Zhou's vision, the interface flashed.
[Achievement Complete.]
[Disciple Reached Minor Realm Breakthrough.]
[Reward: 5 Talent Points.]
Lian Zhou's heartbeat slowed.
Five.
More than expected.
Chen Wei bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Sect Master."
Lian Zhou looked at him calmly.
"This is only the beginning."
That night, after the disciples slept, Lian Zhou reopened the system.
[Available Talent Points: 5]
He opened Chen Wei's profile.
[Upgrade Option: Enhance Bone Structure — Cost: 1 TP]
[Upgrade Option: Expand Meridian Capacity — Cost: 2 TP]
[Upgrade Option: Improve Qi Affinity — Cost: 3 TP]
[Upgrade Option: Unlock Hidden Constitution — Locked (10 TP)]
He studied the options carefully.
Enhance Bone Structure would increase physical durability.
Expand Meridian Capacity would increase absorption rate.
Improve Qi Affinity would boost cultivation speed.
He didn't rush.
If he misallocated early points, growth would stall.
He chose:
Expand Meridian Capacity — 2 TP
Improve Qi Affinity — 3 TP
Total cost: 5 TP.
[Confirm Upgrade?]
"Yes."
Chen Wei, asleep in his room, suddenly felt heat spread through his body.
Not painful.
Just intense.
His meridians expanded slightly.
Not visible externally.
But internally, pathways widened.
His absorption rate increased.
His sensitivity to spiritual energy sharpened.
The process ended quietly.
No explosion.
No dramatic glow.
System upgrades were subtle.
Permanent.
The next morning, Chen Wei began cultivation again.
Within minutes, he noticed something.
"Sect Master…"
"Yes?"
"The Qi feels… clearer."
"Continue."
Chen Wei closed his eyes again.
His circulation speed increased naturally.
He didn't force it.
It just flowed easier.
Lian Zhou observed quietly.
This was real.
Not illusion.
Not temporary buff.
Permanent structural enhancement.
His lips curved slightly.
He was not just training disciples.
He was rewriting them.
Before they could test further—
A loud crash echoed from the front gate.
Mu Jian ran into the courtyard.
"Sect Master! Crimson Blade Sect is here!"
Lian Zhou didn't look surprised.
"They're early."
"They brought five people!"
"Only five?"
Mu Jian blinked.
"…Yes."
Lian Zhou stood.
"Good."
Outside the gate, five Crimson Blade cultivators stood arrogantly.
Their leader was Foundation Late.
Behind him, two Foundation Mid, two Early.
For a dying sect, this was more than enough.
The leader smirked when Lian Zhou appeared.
"Heavenly Ember Sect," he said lazily. "Tribute time."
Lian Zhou looked at him calmly.
"We won't be paying."
The Crimson Blade cultivators laughed.
"Won't?" the leader said. "You have three disciples and cracked walls."
"Yes."
"And you're refusing?"
"Yes."
Silence fell briefly.
Then the leader's smile vanished.
"Break the gate."
Two disciples stepped forward.
Before they could touch it—
Chen Wei moved.
Not fast.
Not flashy.
But steady.
He stepped in front of the gate.
"I'll handle this," he said.
The Crimson Blade leader blinked.
"You?"
Chen Wei released his aura.
Foundation Mid.
Stable.
Dense.
The leader frowned.
"He wasn't Mid before."
Lian Zhou stood behind Chen Wei calmly.
No interference.
Just observation.
Chen Wei moved first.
His strikes were simple.
But his Qi flowed cleaner now.
Wider meridians.
Higher affinity.
Within ten exchanges, he forced a Foundation Early opponent back.
Within twenty, that opponent fell.
The Crimson Blade leader's expression changed.
"What did you do to him?" he demanded.
Lian Zhou smiled slightly.
"I trained him."
The Crimson Blade Sect had come expecting weakness.
They were beginning to see—
The Heavenly Ember Sect was no longer dying.
It was upgrading.