The moon hung high over Iron Cloud Mountain, its light reflecting off the sleek, black glass of Skyview Manor.
Inside the West Wing, silence reigned. The air was heavy, not with humidity, but with the density of Reiki that had gathered here over days of isolation.
Lin Hao sat in his usual spot, the center of the main hall. He wasn't meditating. He was staring at his phone, his thumb hovering over the screen.
It was Day 11.
To the outside world, it had been a quiet week. The "Masked Expert" hysteria had settled into a low, buzzing paranoia. The BSA was busy setting up its Academies. The "Prodigies" were busy giving interviews.
To Lin Hao, it had been a week of agonizing, disciplined accumulation.
He had saved. He had scrimped. He had ignored the tempting, flashy upgrades for his villa, for his car, even for his own convenience. He had ended the last cycle with 83,360 UP, a fortune that he had refused to touch.
Because he knew what was coming tonight.
11:59:58 11:59:59
00:00
The moment arrived. The Ritual.
He didn't blink. He executed the command with the precision of a machine.
[Daily Boost: Increase Global Reiki Density (0.01%)]? (Cost: 110 UP)
One hundred and ten points. The cost was climbing, but compared to the avalanche that was about to hit him, it was a grain of sand.
"Confirm."
[Deducting 110 UP. 83,250 UP Remaining.] [Ascension Bonus: ACTIVE. Your next daily UP gain will be 204,800 UP.]
He saw the number. Two hundred thousand.
The exponential curve had finally gone vertical. He was no longer doubling pennies; he was doubling empires. Tomorrow, he would earn enough to buy a Mid-Grade Spirit Artifact every single day.
But that was tomorrow. Tonight's payout was the milestone he had been waiting for.
[Daily UP Generation: Active.] [Ascension Bonus: Applied (x2).] [You have received 102,400 UP.]
The interface flashed, a silent, blinding supernova of wealth. The new six-figure sum slammed into his account, merging with his savings.
[Upgrade Points (UP): 185,650]
Lin Hao let out a long, slow breath, the sound echoing in the empty hall.
One hundred eighty-five thousand.
He stood up, his [Level 8: Meridian Opening] body moving with a fluid, weightless grace. He walked to the window, looking out over the fog-shrouded perimeter where Blackie was prowling.
He felt... heavy. Not with burden, but with capability.
For the first time since he got the System, he wasn't "short." He wasn't "saving up." He wasn't calculating how many days he had to wait.
He had enough.
He had enough to shatter the ceiling for his sister. He had enough to heal his father ten times over. He had enough to turn his mother into a cultivator if he wanted.
He looked at his reflection in the glass. The "Masked Expert" stared back from his memory, but tonight, he was just a brother. A son.
He turned away from the window.
"System," he said, his voice echoing in the silence. "Open Upgrade Others."
It was time to spend.