That night, Lian Zhou sat alone in the ancestral hall.
Eighteen Talent Points.
More than he expected this early.
He opened the system panel.
[Disciple List]
Chen Wei — Foundation Mid (Upgraded)
Mu Jian — Body Tempering 9th Layer
Xiao Rin — Qi Gathering 5th Layer (Poor Talent)
He stared at the last name.
Xiao Rin.
The quiet one.
The one who barely spoke during the Crimson Blade confrontation.
The weakest.
In the original timeline, Xiao Rin would be the first to die during the annexation.
No talent.
No background.
No importance.
Which made him the perfect test subject.
Lian Zhou selected his profile.
[Current Talent Grade: Poor]
[Meridian Quality: Narrow]
[Bone Structure: Fragile]
[Spirit Affinity: Low]
[Hidden Constitution: Detected — Locked]
His breathing slowed.
Detected.
That hadn't appeared before.
He clicked it.
[Unlock Hidden Constitution — Cost: 10 Talent Points]
[Warning: Irreversible Structural Change]
[Proceed?]
Lian Zhou did not hesitate.
"Yes."
Xiao Rin was asleep in his small room when it began.
A wave of heat surged through his body.
Not burning.
But overwhelming.
His eyes snapped open.
He gasped as his meridians trembled violently.
His bones felt like they were being crushed and reforged at the same time.
He tried to scream—
No sound came out.
The transformation was internal.
Silent.
Invisible.
Permanent.
In the ancestral hall, Lian Zhou watched the system interface flicker.
[Hidden Constitution Unlocked.]
[Constitution Identified: Ember Spirit Body (Dormant)]
His pupils contracted slightly.
Ember Spirit Body.
That wasn't ordinary.
He opened the description.
[Ember Spirit Body: High Fire Affinity Constitution.]
[Enhances Fire Techniques, Absorption Rate, and Core Stability.]
[Potential Tier: High.]
Lian Zhou leaned back slowly.
The weakest disciple…
Was a dormant high-tier fire constitution holder.
No one had known.
Not even Xiao Rin.
Because without proper activation, it remained hidden forever.
Across the courtyard, Xiao Rin fell from his bed.
Sweat soaked his clothes.
His breathing was heavy.
He felt different.
His body felt lighter.
Warmer.
Clearer.
He sat cross-legged instinctively.
Without instruction.
Without guidance.
His Qi began circulating on its own.
Faster.
Cleaner.
More naturally aligned with heat.
The candle flame in his room flickered toward him.
Then stabilized.
He didn't notice.
The next morning, Lian Zhou called the three disciples to the courtyard.
Chen Wei looked energized.
Mu Jian looked confused.
Xiao Rin looked pale—but his eyes were different.
Clearer.
Focused.
"Sect Master," Xiao Rin said quietly, "something happened last night."
"Yes," Lian Zhou replied.
"What did you feel?" he asked calmly.
"Heat," Xiao Rin said. "But not painful. My cultivation feels… easier."
Lian Zhou nodded once.
"Show me."
Xiao Rin sat down and began circulating Qi.
The difference was immediate.
The absorption rate had doubled.
His Qi quality had sharpened.
Even the temperature in the courtyard shifted slightly.
Chen Wei stared.
"That's not Qi Gathering speed…"
Mu Jian's jaw tightened.
Lian Zhou opened the system panel discreetly.
[Disciple Xiao Rin]
[Qi Gathering 5th Layer → 7th Layer (Auto-Stabilization)]
[Potential Recalculated: High]
In one night.
Two layers.
Without external resources.
The Ember Spirit Body was activating naturally.
Lian Zhou stepped forward.
"From today onward," he said calmly, "you train fire techniques."
"But we don't have advanced fire manuals," Mu Jian said.
Lian Zhou smiled slightly.
"We will."
Inside the system interface, a new tab had unlocked.
[Constitution Support Available.]
[Generate Basic Fire Manual — Cost: 3 Talent Points]
[Enhance Fire Technique Efficiency — Cost: 2 Talent Points]
The system was adapting.
It responded to disciple structure.
Interesting.
He spent 3 Talent Points immediately.
[Basic Fire Manual Generated.]
A jade slip materialized in his sleeve.
Clean.
Structured.
Tailored specifically for Ember Spirit Body.
This wasn't random technique.
It was optimized.
He handed it to Xiao Rin.
"Study this."
Xiao Rin blinked.
"Sect Master… this is…"
"Compatible."
Xiao Rin nodded immediately and retreated to study.
Chen Wei looked at Lian Zhou carefully.
"You knew."
"Yes."
"How?"
"Observation."
Half-truth.
But sufficient.
By evening, Xiao Rin had broken into Qi Gathering 8th Layer.
Without pills.
Without rare herbs.
Pure structural advantage.
Mu Jian stared in disbelief.
"Two days ago, he couldn't even stabilize 5th Layer."
Chen Wei looked thoughtful.
"He feels different."
"Yes," Lian Zhou replied.
"He is."
Inside the system panel:
[Ember Spirit Body: Activation Progress — 15%]
It would continue developing naturally.
Lian Zhou leaned back slightly.
He had spent 13 Talent Points total.
5 remaining.
But the return was exponential.
Chen Wei — stable fighter.
Xiao Rin — high potential constitution.
Mu Jian — still average… but not for long.
The sect was no longer surviving.
It was compounding.
Far from Heavenly Ember Sect, inside Crimson Blade's inner hall, the Elder listened to reports.
"They refused tribute?"
"Yes."
"And you withdrew?"
"Yes."
The Elder frowned.
"They have no resources."
"No."
"Then something changed."
"Yes."
The Elder leaned back slowly.
"Watch them."
Because sometimes—
The smallest dying sects were the most dangerous ones to ignore.