Yan Shu did not look talented.
That was the first thing Lian Zhou noticed clearly in daylight.
Thin frame. Plain robes. No aura fluctuation beyond Qi Gathering 3rd Layer.
Green River's other disciples ignored him.
Which meant one of two things:
They didn't see value.
Or they didn't understand it.
The system's gold marker pulsed faintly in Lian Zhou's peripheral vision.
Spirit-Enhanced Mind.
Not battle-oriented.
Not flashy.
But extremely rare.
"You train differently," Lian Zhou said calmly.
Yan Shu did not stop moving.
"I correct mistakes."
"How?"
Yan Shu paused mid-strike.
"I remember patterns."
Lian Zhou's eyes sharpened slightly.
"What patterns?"
"Breathing rhythm. Foot placement. Angle variance. Energy flow deviation."
Precise terminology.
At twelve years old.
Interesting.
"Who teaches you?" Lian Zhou asked.
"No one," Yan Shu replied.
"Then how do you know what to correct?"
Yan Shu hesitated for the first time.
"I observe others."
"And?"
"They waste movement."
He resumed practicing.
Efficient.
Minimal motion.
Low output.
But perfect alignment.
Inside Lian Zhou's system panel:
[Latent Talent Confirmation: 82%]
This wasn't luck.
This was structural cognition.
With proper cultivation resources—
Yan Shu could become:
Formation Master
Pill Refinement Strategist
Tactical Planner
Possibly even sect administrator
He wasn't a blade.
He was a blueprint.
"You don't compete in sparring?" Lian Zhou asked.
"No."
"Why?"
"Winning doesn't teach me anything."
The answer was simple.
And dangerous.
Footsteps approached.
Green River's outer elder.
"Young Master Lian," the elder said politely, "our disciples are not commodities."
"I didn't imply they were," Lian Zhou replied evenly.
The elder glanced at Yan Shu briefly.
"He's average."
"No," Lian Zhou said calmly.
The elder's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What do you see?"
"Structure."
Silence stretched.
Yan Shu stopped moving.
For the first time—
He looked directly at Lian Zhou.
Not curious.
Measuring.
Later that afternoon, Green River's sect master summoned Lian Zhou.
The gathering had mostly concluded.
But word traveled fast.
"You are looking at one of our juniors," the sect master said calmly.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because you are not."
The room went quiet.
Green River's sect master did not get angry.
He was older.
Experienced.
He simply leaned back.
"You believe he has hidden potential?"
"Yes."
"What kind?"
"Strategic."
The sect master studied him carefully.
"That is not easily measured."
"No."
Silence lingered.
"Even if you are correct," the sect master said, "why would we release him?"
"Because you won't prioritize him," Lian Zhou replied calmly.
That was not an insult.
It was calculation.
Green River's strength lay in stable fighters.
Not mental cultivators.
The sect master did not deny it.
"What do you offer?" the sect master asked finally.
Direct.
Good.
Lian Zhou considered carefully.
He couldn't offer spirit stones.
He couldn't offer territory.
He could offer growth.
"He will reach Foundation within one year under me."
Bold.
The sect master's eyes sharpened.
"That is not a promise you should make lightly."
"I don't."
Silence filled the hall.
"If you fail?" the sect master asked.
"He may return."
That shifted the balance.
Green River lost nothing.
They gained potential leverage.
Still—
It was risky.
Outside the hall, Yan Shu waited alone.
He did not look nervous.
He looked thoughtful.
When Lian Zhou exited, Yan Shu spoke first.
"You believe I'm useful."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"You calculate without instruction."
Yan Shu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"And you manufacture strength."
Lian Zhou did not deny it.
Yan Shu wasn't blind.
He had observed the gathering.
He saw patterns.
He saw that Heavenly Ember's growth was not random.
"If I join you," Yan Shu asked quietly, "what do I become?"
Lian Zhou answered without hesitation.
"Essential."
Silence.
Wind moved lightly through the courtyard.
Green River's sect master stepped out.
"I will allow transfer," he said calmly.
Conditionally.
But allowed.
"However," he added, "if he stagnates, he returns."
"Agreed," Lian Zhou replied.
Inside the system interface:
[External Talent Successfully Recruited.]
[Reward: 12 Talent Points.]
[New Subfunction Unlocked: Mental Structure Calibration.]
Lian Zhou's eyes sharpened.
Now at 29 Talent Points.
And more importantly—
A new disciple profile opened.
[Yan Shu — Qi Gathering 3rd Layer]
[Spirit-Enhanced Mind — Dormant]
[Optimization Path Available.]
This wasn't just expansion.
This was acceleration.
That night, as Heavenly Ember prepared to leave Green River Sect—
Azure Mountain's elder watched from a distance.
He did not smile.
He did not speak.
But his expression had shifted.
Heavenly Ember wasn't just defending talent.
They were acquiring it.
That was no longer minor sect behavior.
That was strategic growth.
Back at Heavenly Ember's broken gates, Yan Shu stood quietly.
He looked at the cracked walls.
"This is small," he said.
"Yes," Lian Zhou replied.
"For now."
Yan Shu nodded once.
That was enough.
Inside the system panel:
[Host Spiritual Load: 41%]
Stable.
Authority Rank 2 active.
Four disciples now.
Four pillars forming.
Heavenly Ember had shifted from dying sect to emerging structure.
The next stage would not be defense.
It would be positioning.