Three weeks after the duel, Heavenly Ember changed visibly.
The cracked walls were still cracked.
But the air inside the courtyard flowed cleanly.
Five disciples cultivated daily in resonance.
Energy no longer leaked uselessly.
It circulated.
Sustained.
Structured.
And that structure did something unexpected.
It revealed something.
Yan Shu was the first to notice.
"There's pressure beneath the eastern ridge," he said one morning.
Chen Wei frowned. "Pressure?"
"Subsurface Qi fluctuation," Yan Shu corrected.
Mu Jian blinked. "You can sense underground?"
Yan Shu shook his head.
"I calculated energy deviation from wind return patterns."
Silence.
Xiao Rin simply looked at Lian Zhou.
"He's not wrong," Lian Zhou said calmly.
He had felt it faintly as well.
Not strong.
But consistent.
He opened the system.
[Environmental Scan Available — Cost: 3 TP]
Confirm.
The interface expanded across a small map of surrounding terrain.
A thin glowing line appeared beneath the eastern ridge.
Small.
Narrow.
But stable.
[Minor Spirit Vein Detected.]
Not rich.
Not powerful.
But real.
Lian Zhou exhaled slowly.
A sect without spirit vein survives.
A sect with one grows.
"Who controls that ridge?" Chen Wei asked.
"Technically neutral," Yan Shu replied.
"Practically?"
"Crimson Blade claims informal access."
Of course they did.
The ridge was only half a day away.
Untouched.
Low visibility.
Exactly the kind of territory minor sects fought quietly over.
If Heavenly Ember claimed it—
They would gain:
– Stable cultivation boost
– Resource generation
– Long-term advantage
If they failed—
They would provoke Crimson Blade again.
Lian Zhou gathered the disciples.
"We take it."
No debate.
Mu Jian nodded immediately.
Chen Wei's eyes sharpened.
Xiao Rin's flame Qi flickered faintly.
Yan Shu already calculating.
They did not march in force.
They walked.
Quietly.
To the ridge.
The spirit vein was shallow.
Not deep underground.
Visible only through subtle Qi density increase.
Yan Shu marked anchor points immediately.
"We can stabilize it with twelve nodes."
"We don't have twelve spirit stones," Mu Jian said.
"We don't need spirit stones," Yan Shu replied.
"Stone and alignment."
He was right.
Small veins required structure more than power.
But they were not alone.
When Heavenly Ember reached the ridge—
Three Crimson Blade disciples were already there.
Foundation Early.
Guarding.
Claiming.
The leader stepped forward.
"This is Crimson Blade territory."
"Show proof," Chen Wei replied calmly.
The disciple sneered.
"Informal claim."
"In other words," Mu Jian said evenly, "none."
The Crimson Blade disciples prepared to fight.
But this time—
Heavenly Ember did not hesitate.
The clash was quick.
Foundation Mid Chen Wei overwhelmed the first.
Xiao Rin's flame suppressed the second.
Mu Jian anchored against the third.
Within minutes—
Crimson Blade retreated.
Not destroyed.
But pushed off the ridge.
Yan Shu began placing anchor stones immediately.
Small formations.
Energy redirection.
Qi alignment.
Within hours—
The spirit vein stabilized.
Not amplified yet.
But claimed.
Heavenly Ember's name was carved into a boundary stone.
Official.
Clear.
Provocative.
Back at Crimson Blade—
The report arrived before sunset.
"They've taken the eastern ridge."
The elder's hand tightened around his tea cup.
"That vein was marginal."
"Yes."
"But it's symbolic."
"Yes."
Silence.
"They are testing territorial response."
Correct.
Back at Heavenly Ember—
The moment the formation stabilized fully—
The system reacted.
[Minor Spirit Vein Claimed.]
[Resource Conversion Efficiency Increased.]
[Daily Talent Point Generation: +1]
Lian Zhou's eyes sharpened.
Passive generation.
That changed pacing entirely.
No longer dependent solely on events.
Now growth was sustainable.
Chen Wei exhaled slowly.
"The Qi feels different."
"Yes," Lian Zhou replied.
Stronger.
Denser.
More grounded.
Xiao Rin's flame stabilized further.
Mu Jian's Foundation Anchor grew heavier.
Yan Shu smiled faintly.
"Phase one complete."
"Phase two?" Chen Wei asked.
"Protect it."
Because spirit veins were not invisible.
They attracted attention.
Small ones first.
Larger sects later.
Heavenly Ember had just crossed a line.
They were no longer minor sect surviving quietly.
They were minor sect expanding.
That night—
Authority Rank 3 panel updated again.
[Territorial Expansion Detected.]
[Formation Hall Construction Requirement Reduced by 20%.]
Synergy.
Everything linked.
The system was no longer reactive.
It was scaling.
Far beyond the region—
A larger sect's outer scout noted something quietly.
"Heavenly Ember has stabilized a minor vein."
The report moved upward.
Because when small sects start stabilizing resources efficiently—
It usually means one thing.
They have guidance.
Heavenly Ember's cracked gates closed quietly that night.
But beneath the eastern ridge—
Qi flowed steadily.
Feeding.
Growing.
Waiting.