The morning mist lingered just outside Lin Tian's hut, curling against the wood like it was listening in. Inside, a faint light glowed from the ring that now pulsed softly on the disciple's finger.
Chen Mu had been up all night. Not that he could sleep. But even as a ghost in a ring, stress was still stress.
He'd read the entire manual twice. Slowly. Carefully. He now understood just enough to not kill his disciple by accident.
"Today," he said solemnly, "we begin rebuilding what we broke. No more noodle metaphors."
Lin Tian nodded eagerly, still seated cross-legged. "I'm ready, Master."
[System Notice: Disciplinary Focus Detected. Qi Sensitivity Reinforced.]
[Current Realm: Qi Initiation – Early Stage]
Chen Mu cleared his throat. "We begin with stability. Qi must not merely flow. It must circulate. Anchor. Sink."
[+2 BP for using system language with confident delivery.]
"Start with the Eight Breaths. Let your mind clear and follow the first meridian. Do not deviate. Do not rush."
Lin Tian inhaled deeply. The glow around his core began again. Faint—but steady.
[Qi Flow: Stable] [Microcirculation Detected]
"Good. Now, visualize the gate at your dantian as a slowly turning wheel. Do not push. Let it rotate with the breath."
Lin Tian twitched. "It's hard. My Qi slips away."
"That's normal," Chen Mu said. "Your spiritual roots are fractured, which means your channels leak. But our method is precise. The system manual you're using has no impurities. Unlike the trash these backwater sects peddle."
[+3 BP for framing system advantage as divine insight.]
"Again," Chen Mu commanded.
For the next two hours, Lin Tian breathed. Circulated. Faltered. Tried again. And again.
By midday, sweat soaked through his outer robe.
And then—
The glow deepened. Instead of flickering like a weak candle, it brightened to a steady ember. His breathing synced. His back straightened.
[Qi Stabilization Complete.]
Chen Mu blinked.
"It's working."
"Master," Lin Tian said, eyes still closed, "I think I reached something. It feels... like the Qi is holding its shape."
"You've built your foundation," Chen Mu said.
[+2 BP for dramatic phrasing.]
"You are now firmly within the Early Stage of Qi Initiation."
"I... I did it?"
"You did."
[System Notice: Soul Strength +1]
That evening, Lin Tian slept sitting up.
He was too afraid to break the flow, even in dreams.
Chen Mu watched in silence.
He'd started this whole thing as a joke. A system-powered scam artist reborn in a ring. Bluffing his way through a world he didn't understand.
But now his disciple was cultivating. For real.
He floated in silence for a long while. Something about it all—Lin Tian's unshakable determination, the way he treated every instruction like a divine revelation—made Chen Mu feel... responsible. And maybe even invested.
That was dangerous.
He drifted toward the corner of the hut, watching the gentle Qi flicker around Lin Tian like morning dew catching sunlight.
"Stubborn idiot," Chen Mu muttered.
He thought for a moment. "Tomorrow we move on to circulation refinement. He's barely holding the Qi now, and he needs to learn how to lock it in tighter. Maybe that next technique in the manual... yeah."
He opened the system manual again, flipping to the next section: Qi Anchoring Through Postural Meridian Alignment.
Chen Mu winced. "That sounds like back pain disguised as wisdom."
He glanced again at Lin Tian. The kid's posture was crooked, his back tilted at an angle, one arm slumped.
"Definitely back pain incoming."
He sighed. "Still. If he manages to survive me, he might really get somewhere."
Chen Mu turned his awareness back inward. The ring was quiet, bathed in soft spiritual resonance. It had felt less oppressive lately. More active. More... alive.
He gave a mental flick toward the system.
"Alright. Let's see how I'm doing. Show me my stats."
[System Status Panel – Chen Mu (Ring State)]
Bluff Points: 30
Soul Strength: 3
Current Vessel: Jade Ring (Damaged, Dusty, Slightly Sticky)
Abilities: Voice of Authority Lv.1, Soul Tap (1/day)
Manual Access: Beginner Cultivation Manual (Simulated)
Current Objective: Guide disciple through Qi Initiation Realm
Chen Mu frowned. "Slightly sticky? Still?!"
He closed the panel with a sigh and drifted lower in the ring as Lin Tian softly snored.
"Whatever. We're making it work."