The red, mocking LOCKED message on Lin Hao's interface was a digital wall he couldn't climb. He was stuck at Level 6 for four more days.
He stared at his 1110 UP, his frustration warring with his iron-clad patience. He had a choice. He could sit on this pile of wealth, frustrated, and wait for the timer to tick down.
Or he could be a planner.
He could use this "downtime" to fix the single greatest flaw in his entire being. He was a Level 6 cultivator running on a Level 2: Waste Root. A monster truck with a lawnmower engine.
He was done with it.
"System," he commanded, his voice cold and final. "Upgrade. Talent."
[Talent: Level 2: Waste Root] -> [Upgrade: Level 3: Inferior Root]? (Cost: 1,000 UP)
It was an agonizing, infuriating purchase. One thousand points. Nearly all of his hard-won capital, a massive chunk of his "family safety fund," all for a single, invisible, foundational upgrade.
It was the only logical, long-term, ruthless play.
"Confirm."
[Deducting 1,000 UP. 110 UP Remaining.]
He watched his balance, his treasure, evaporate in an instant. The number 110 UP looked pathetic, a painful reminder of his new "poverty."
But the feeling...
It wasn't a purge. It wasn't an itch. It was a clean, quiet optimization.
If upgrading from Mortal to Waste had been like clearing a blocked pipe, this was like widening the pipe itself.
He took a deep breath. The river of blue Reiki in the warehouse air didn't just flow into him; it was drawn. His passive, subconscious absorption rate, the baseline efficiency of his new body, had just perceptibly improved. The handbrake on his engine had just been lifted another, crucial, notch.
He was now a [Level 6] cultivator with a [Level 3: Inferior Root]. It was still a terrible combination, but it was better.
He looked at his meager 110 UP balance, his frustration at his LOCKED realm still simmering. He needed a new way to grow.
He turned his attention back to his laptop, where the "Prodigies' Debut" broadcast was moving on to the interview segment.
Chen Long, the arrogant, [Level 4: Grandmaster] prodigy, was front and center. The announcer was fawning over him. "Mr. Chen, you're the gold standard! What do you have to say to the thousands of newly 'Awakened' at home, people like the 'Hero of City U,' who are just discovering their power?"
Chen Long scoffed, the sound full of aristocratic disdain. He brushed a non-existent piece of dust from his perfect white tunic.
"These 'Awakened' are fortunate, I suppose," he said, his voice smooth and condescending. "But they are like children with hammers. They find a new, crude strength, and they think they can shatter the world. They have strength, but no control. No method."
He looked directly into the camera, his eyes cold. "Without a Gongfa, a true cultivation method, their potential is severely limited. They will hit a wall they can never pass. They are just 'brutes.' The true path," he said, tapping his temple, "requires heritage. It requires a foundation."
The interview cut to a panel of "experts," all of whom nodded in sage agreement. The new global consensus was set. The "Awakened" were brutes. The "Inheritors", the prodigies from the Guardian Families, were the true, refined, civilized future.
The words echoed in the dark, empty warehouse.
"Brute?" Lin Hao whispered.
He replayed his "heroic" fight in his mind. The ripped-out handrail. The clumsy, theatrical swings. The "final, desperate" tackle.
"He's not wrong," Lin Hao admitted, his voice a cold, clinical whisper.
He was a brute. His victory wasn't skill; it was a [Level 6] freight train smashing into [Level 1] go-karts. It was clumsy. It was inefficient.
Chen Long, for all his arrogance, was right. He had no method. He had no Gongfa. He was just a sponge, passively absorbing the Reiki his upgraded body pulled in. Chen Long was gathering it, channeling it, controlling it with the "Raging Lion" Gongfa.
"Heritage..." Lin Hao mused.
He had no heritage. He had no ancient family scrolls.
But he had a System. And he had 110 UP.
He was locked out of his Realm. He had just spent all his money on his Talent. He needed a new, cheap, third path of advancement.
He picked up his phone. He opened a mortal, mundane web browser.
He didn't search for "secret ancient magic scrolls." He searched for the cheapest, most basic, raw material he could find.
"Fundamentals of Daoist Meditation"
A $9.99 eBook popped up. The cover was a cheap, Westernized picture of a waterfall and a lotus flower. The description promised "a 10-step guide to inner peace, reduced stress, and finding your center."
It was junk. It was trash. It was the kind of thing a stressed-out college student, the 'old' Lin Hao, might have bought in a fit of desperate, late-night self-help.
It was perfect.
He bought it with his mortal money. A [Download Complete] message flashed.
He opened the file on his laptop. It was a 20-page PDF, filled with vague instructions about "breathing from your stomach" and "visualizing a calm, blue light." It was 99% philosophy and 1% technique. Worthless.
Lin Hao smiled. He placed one hand on his laptop, his fingers metaphorically "touching" the file.
"System," he commanded. "Open $Object Upgrade$."
The blue screen flared, analyzing the worthless PDF.
[Object: 'Fundamentals of Daoist Meditation' (eBook, Mortal Grade)] [Details: A simplified, 10-step guide to breathing. 99% philosophy, 1% technique. Worthless.]
And then, the new path. The real "brute force" path. The path of the upgrader.
[Upgrade: Low-Grade Spirit Tier Gongfa (Basic Qi Circulation Method)]? (Cost: 100 UP)
Lin Hao looked at his balance. [Upgrade Points (UP): 110].
He had just enough.
This was the real "Hero Class." This was the real "heritage." He didn't need a family.
He just needed a 10-dollar eBook and 100 points.