The sun had set behind the peaks of Iron Cloud Mountain. The manor was a silhouette against a darkening, purple sky.
Lin Hao stood in the courtyard, staring at the newly installed, invisible perimeter of his "Phantom Fear" formation. It was a good defense. A strong wall.
But his mind, the mind of a [Level 7] planner, was already looking for the holes.
"It's passive," he muttered. "It scares people away. It doesn't stop a bullet. It doesn't stop a drone."
He looked at his balance: [Upgrade Points (UP): 41,760].
He had enough for an offensive formation. A Mid-Grade Spirit Rank Lightning Array. It would cost 10,000 UP. It would turn the perimeter into a kill zone. It would make his fortress impregnable.
He raised his hand to the pile of remaining scrap metal, ready to issue the command. Ready to spend the points to secure his own safety.
He stopped.
His hand hovered in the air.
He thought of the "phantom fear" he had just installed. He thought of the terror it would inflict on intruders.
And then, unbidden, the memory of his sister's voice on the phone surged into his mind. "...we're stuck in the house! It's on our street!"
She didn't have a fortress. She didn't have a Lightning Array. She had a plywood-covered window and a "Clear Water Chant" manual she had barely opened.
Lin Hao slowly lowered his hand.
"What am I doing?" he whispered.
He was building a castle for himself while his family slept in a hut. He was obsessed with the 50,000 UP talent upgrade, treating it as "all or nothing," while sitting on a hoard of points that could still change lives.
He turned his back on the scrap metal. He sat down right there on the gravel driveway.
"System. $Upgrade Others$."
"Target: Lin Meng."
The familiar interface popped up.
[Target Acquired: Lin Meng. Status: Sleeping.] [Talent: Level 3: Inferior Root]
He looked at the big button. The one he had been chasing for a week.
[Talent: L3 -> L4 (Common Root)]? (Cost: 50,000 UP)
He looked at his balance: 41,760.
He was 8,240 UP short.
He knew, logically, that midnight was coming. The 51,200 UP payout would arrive in a few hours. He could wait. He should wait.
But the anxiety was a physical weight. Every second she spent as a "weak" Level 3 was a second she was vulnerable. And he had just been about to spend 10,000 UP on another toy for himself.
He stared at the screen, frustration bubbling. Was there nothing else? Was it really just this massive, binary jump?
He focused on the [Level 3: Inferior Root] text. He willed the system to give him details.
A sub-menu expanded.
[Current Status: Level 3 (Early Stage)] [Details: The root is awakened but clouded. Meridian flow is 30% efficient. Impurities remain.]
Lin Hao blinked. "Early Stage?"
He realized he had missed a nuance. Talent wasn't just a tier; it was a spectrum. A "fresh" Level 3 wasn't the same as a "refined" Level 3.
And there, below the massive Level 4 upgrade, was a smaller, humbler option he had overlooked.
[Upgrade: Level 3 (Peak) - Root Purification]? [Effect: Cleanses remaining impurities within the current tier. Increases absorption efficiency to 99% of Tier limit. Prepares foundation for Tier Ascension.]
[Cost: 5,000 UP]
Five thousand.
It wasn't a new tier. It wouldn't make her a Common Root. But it would make her the best possible Inferior Root. It would maximize her current potential instantly. It was the difference between a dirty engine and a race-tuned one.
And he could afford it. Right now.
He could give her this gift, and still have 36,760 UP left, plenty to combine with tonight's payout for the big Level 4 jump tomorrow.
Why wait? Why hoard?
"Do it," he commanded. "Make her perfect."
[Deducting 5,000 UP. 36,760 UP Remaining.] [Initiating Remote Upgrade: Root Purification...]
[Twenty Miles Away. Lin Family Home.]
The house was quiet. The new plywood over the living room window blocked out the streetlights.
In her small bedroom, Lin Meng was asleep, the "Clear Water Chant" manual tucked under her pillow like a talisman.
She was dreaming of tigers and masked heroes.
Suddenly, her brow furrowed.
A wave of heat, gentle but persistent, bloomed in her chest. It wasn't the violent, bone-itching agony her brother had endured with his Marrow Cleansing. This was softer, more natural.
It felt like she was being washed in warm, spiritual water.
In her sleep, she let out a long, deep sigh.
Her pores opened. A fine, grey mist, much lighter than Lin Hao's black tar, evaporated from her skin. It was the minor impurities, the dust on the lens of her soul.
Her breathing changed. It deepened. Without waking, her body naturally fell into the rhythm of the "Clear Water Chant," her breath cycling Qi with a sudden, startling smoothness.
The blockage was gone. The friction was gone.
She slept on, unaware that her brother, miles away on a dark mountain, had just polished her potential until it shone.