Heavenly Ember returned through their broken gates in silence.
No cheering.
No celebration.
Victory was not noise.
It was position.
The moment Lian Zhou stepped into the courtyard—
The system activated.
[Major Sect Victory Confirmed.]
[Authority Rank 3 Unlocked.]
The interface expanded wider than before.
More layered.
More complex.
Not just disciple upgrades.
Infrastructure.
Long-term scaling.
New Functions Unlocked:
Sect Infrastructure Construction
Resource Conversion System
Talent Resonance Network
Authority Aura (Passive Suppression)
Lian Zhou's eyes sharpened slightly.
This was no longer about improving individuals.
This was about building a machine.
He opened Sect Infrastructure first.
Options appeared:
– Formation Hall (Basic) — 20 TP
– Combat Pavilion — 18 TP
– Pill Refinement Room — 25 TP
– Cultivation Tower (Level 1) — 30 TP
He exhaled slowly.
He had 9 Talent Points remaining.
Not enough yet.
Good.
Power must be earned.
He opened Talent Resonance Network.
Description:
[Links disciple cultivation structures together.]
[When disciples cultivate simultaneously, overall efficiency increases.]
[Stability improves. Breakthrough probability rises.]
This was synergy.
Not individual spikes.
Sustainable growth.
He closed the panel and stepped into the courtyard.
Yan Shu looked up immediately.
"The air changed," he said.
"Yes."
"Authority shifted."
"Yes."
Chen Wei blinked. "You can feel that?"
Yan Shu nodded.
"Structure tightened."
Mu Jian stepped forward.
"What now?"
Lian Zhou looked at all four of them.
"Now we stop reacting."
Silence.
"We expand."
The first decision was obvious.
Yan Shu spoke before anyone else.
"Formation Hall."
"Yes."
Without formation control, Heavenly Ember would always be vulnerable.
Chen Wei added, "Combat Pavilion."
"We need resources first," Lian Zhou replied calmly.
Authority Rank 3 gave access.
Not free construction.
Inside the system panel, another notification appeared.
[Territory Recognition Updated.]
[Heavenly Ember Registered as Independent Minor Sect.]
This mattered.
Regional authority now acknowledged them officially.
Which meant—
Trade access.
Formal disciple recruitment.
And visibility.
That same afternoon—
Three outer cultivators arrived at Heavenly Ember's gate.
Not challengers.
Applicants.
Word had spread fast.
The sect that defeated Crimson Blade.
The sect with Ember Spirit Body disciple.
The sect that resisted Azure Mountain.
Reputation was currency.
Yan Shu watched them carefully.
"They're average."
"Yes," Lian Zhou replied.
"We don't need average," Yan Shu said quietly.
Lian Zhou smiled slightly.
"We need numbers too."
But he understood the concern.
Heavenly Ember's strength came from structure.
Too many low-quality disciples could destabilize growth.
He opened the system quietly.
[New Function Available: Talent Filtering Scan — Cost: 1 TP per individual.]
Efficient.
He activated it.
One by one, profiles appeared.
Average.
Below average.
Low potential.
He declined them politely.
Not cruelly.
But firmly.
By evening—
A fourth applicant arrived.
Age fourteen.
Qi Gathering 6th Layer.
Quiet.
System scan activated.
[Potential: Moderate.]
Nothing exceptional.
But steady.
Lian Zhou considered.
Not every disciple needed to be genius.
Some needed to hold pillars in place.
He accepted the applicant.
Heavenly Ember officially expanded to five disciples.
Inside the system panel:
[Talent Resonance Network Activation Condition: Minimum 5 Disciples.]
Unlocked.
He selected Activate.
The courtyard shifted subtly.
When Chen Wei began cultivating—
Mu Jian's breathing synced automatically.
When Xiao Rin circulated flame Qi—
The ambient heat stabilized instead of dispersing.
When Yan Shu adjusted formation—
Energy redistribution improved.
Small percentages.
Compounding effects.
Yan Shu looked impressed.
"This is scalable."
"Yes."
"How far?"
"As far as we can afford."
Far away—
Crimson Blade's elder sat in silence.
"They won," a subordinate said quietly.
"Yes."
"What now?"
The elder's eyes darkened.
"We grow."
Because minor defeats were acceptable.
Long-term dominance was not.
Azure Mountain received reports as well.
The elder who had offered Xiao Rin smiled faintly.
"They refused recruitment."
"Yes."
"They defeated Crimson Blade."
"Yes."
"Interesting."
Azure Mountain did not see threat yet.
They saw potential.
Back at Heavenly Ember—
Lian Zhou opened one more panel.
[Resource Conversion System]
Description:
[Convert sect contribution, reputation, and victories into Talent Points gradually.]
So it begins.
The system was no longer dependent solely on breakthroughs.
It was feeding off structure.
That meant—
The more the sect moved—
The more it generated growth.
He looked at his disciples.
Five now.
Different.
Complementary.
Structured.
The cracked walls no longer symbolized weakness.
They symbolized early stage.
Soon—
There would be a Formation Hall.
Soon—
There would be real territory.
Soon—
Heavenly Ember would not just survive challenges.
It would issue them.