The silence of Skyview Manor was a heavy, comfortable blanket.
In the Guest Suite of the West Wing, Lin Meng was fast asleep. Her breathing was deep and rhythmic, the ambient Reiki of the mountain naturally cycling through her newly opened meridians. She was no longer just sleeping; she was recharging.
In the East Wing, Fatty Zhang was snoring, dreaming of fiber optic cables and Italian marble.
In the center of the dark, glass-walled Main Hall, Lin Hao was wide awake.
He sat on a simple meditation cushion, looking at his phone.
11:59:58
The numbers marched on.
11:59:59
00:00
Day 12.
The numbers were getting abstract. They were losing their connection to "knives sold" or "tigers killed." They were becoming pure, raw potential.
He opened the World Upgrade tab.
[Daily Boost: Increase Global Reiki Density (0.01%)]? (Cost: 120 UP)
The cost was negligible. He pressed it without a thought.
[Deducting 120 UP. 135,530 UP Remaining.] [Ascension Bonus: ACTIVE. Your next daily UP gain will be 204,800 UP.]
And then, the payout.
[Daily UP Generation: Active.] [Ascension Bonus: Applied (x2).] [You have received 204,800 UP.]
The interface flashed gold.
[Upgrade Points (UP): 340,330]
Three hundred and forty thousand.
Lin Hao stared at the number. It was enough to upgrade his own Talent to [Superior Root] six times over. It was enough to upgrade his Gongfa to Peak-Grade three times.
It was enough to build an army.
He stood up and walked to the window, looking south toward the city lights where his parents were sleeping in their plywood-patched house.
He had secured his base. He had secured his sister.
But his parents... Lin Wen and Jia Li were still entirely mortal. They were aging. They had bad backs, high blood pressure, and the fragile, brittle bones of normal humans. If a shockwave from a cultivator fight hit their house, his sister might survive now, but they wouldn't.
He couldn't force them into cultivation. They were too old for the violent "Marrow Cleansing" his sister had just endured, and they wouldn't understand the "Legacy" lie as easily.
But he didn't need them to be warriors. He just needed them to be durable.
He held up his hand against the glass, framing the distant city.
"System," he commanded. "Open Upgrade Others."
"Targets: Lin Wen. Jia Li."
[Scanning Targets (Remote)...]
Two holographic profiles appeared in his vision.
[Target: Lin Wen (Father)] [Age: 52] [Status: Mortal. Hypertension. Minor lumbar degradation.] [Talent: Level 1: Mortal (Dormant)]
[Target: Jia Li (Mother)] [Age: 49] [Status: Mortal. Arthritis (Early stage). Weakened immune system.] [Talent: Level 1: Mortal (Dormant)]
They were fragile. The stats were a stark reminder of their mortality.
He looked at his massive balance of 340,330 UP.
He didn't want to make them cultivators yet. The shock would be too much. He wanted to optimize their mortal bodies. He wanted to make them the healthiest, strongest mortals on the planet.
He selected a new option, one that had unlocked with his Level 8 perception.
[Upgrade: Biological Optimization (Peak Mortal)]? [Effect: Cures all chronic ailments. Restores cellular vitality to prime state (Age 25 equivalent). Hardens bone density. Increases immune response by 500%.]
[Cost: 10,000 UP per target]
Twenty thousand points total. A bargain.
He raised his hand, visualizing his parents sleeping in their bed miles away.
"Live long," he whispered.
"Confirm."