Lin Hao stood in his dark, silent room, the sounds of the outside world, the sirens, the distant, confused shouts, the chop of the helicopter, all fading into an irrelevant background hum.
In his hand, he held the proof of his new reality. The "Qi-Guiding Blade" was perfectly balanced, its new obsidian-black handle cool and solid, its edge impossibly sharp. It thrummed with a faint, hungry energy, already drinking in the new Reiki-filled air.
This knife was his short-term plan. It was his protection, and it was his seed money. If he sold this, he could solve all his financial problems tomorrow.
His long-term plan was also in motion. The 10 UP invested in the [$World Upgrade$] was his ticket to exponential growth. In 21 hours, his daily income would double. And double. And double.
He had a long-term plan for infinite wealth. He had a short-term plan for immediate wealth. He had a weapon.
Now, he needed to invest in the most important asset of all: himself.
The [Iron Skin] he'd bought was a wonderful, solid feeling. The hole in his desk was a testament to its power.
But he knew, with the world having just changed, "Level 1" was not going to be enough.
The chaos outside was just the confused, panicked reaction of people who didn't know what was happening.
What would happen when people did know? What would happen when those "hidden masters," or worse, those "mutated animals" from his outline, started to appear?
He couldn't rely on a knife. What if he lost it? What if he were attacked in his sleep?
His own body was his true fortress.
He looked at his System interface, his gaze locking on his remaining balance.
[Upgrade Points (UP): 80]
He had 80 points left. He had made his external investments. Now, it was time for an internal one.
He mentally focused on the [$Self Upgrade$] tab. The list of his potential was laid out before him like a ladder.
[Cultivation: Level 1: Novice (Iron Skin)] [Upgrade: Level 2: Adept (Muscle Weaving)]? (Cost: 10 UP) [Upgrade: Level 3: Expert (Tendon Connection)]? (Cost: 10 UP) [Upgrade: Level 4: Grandmaster (Bone Forging)]? (Cost: 10 UP)
His eyes scanned the list. Ten points each. He coud spend 30 UP right now and become a "Grandmaster." He would be at the absolute peak of the old, mortal world.
He'd be on the same level as that "Elder Chen" he'd imagined, one of the most powerful humans on the planet.
That would leave him with 50 UP. A very safe, very responsible "emergency fund."
He had been a planner. This was a planner's move.
But... he had been a failed planner. His old life of caution had gotten him nowhere. This was a new world. And in a new world, caution wasn't always the smart move. Sometimes, you had to be bold.
His eyes drifted down to the next option. The one after Grandmaster.
[Upgrade: Level 5: Blood Vitality (First Sensation)]? (Requires Cultivation Method) (Cost: 40 UP)
The "Requires Cultivation Method" tag was there, but it was greyed out. He realized the System was his cultivation method. It bypassed the need for ancient, dusty scrolls.
This was the real barrier.
Levels 1 through 4 were just... physical. Skin, muscle, tendon, bone. It was the "External Path." It was the best a mortal could ever hope to be.
But Level 5... "Blood Vitality." "First Sensation."
This was the Internal Path. This was the first true step of a cultivator. This was the step that, until tonight, had been impossible for anyone on Earth.
This was the first rung of the Houtian (後天) realm.
He did the math, his mind racing. Level 2 costs 10. Level 3 costs 10. Level 4 costs 10. Level 5 costs 40.
Total cost: 10 + 10 + 10 + 40 = 70 UP.
He had 80 UP.
He could spend 70 points, right here, right now, and not only reach the old mortal peak, but shatter it. He would become something no human on Earth had ever been.
He would have 10 UP left. It was enough.
"This isn't a time for caution," he whispered to the dark room. "This is a time for foundations. I am building my foundation. And it will be the strongest foundation the world has ever seen."
He didn't hesitate again.
"System," he commanded in his mind, his will as sharp as his new blade. "Upgrade me."
[Deducting 10 UP. 70 UP Remaining.] [Upgrading Host to Level 2: Adept (Muscle Weaving)...]
The rush was instantaneous. It was ten times stronger than the [Iron Skin] upgrade. This wasn't a surface-level tingle; this was deep.
"Ngh!"
He grunted, dropping to one knee. It wasn't pain, but the pressure was immense. He felt his muscles, all of them, his biceps, his lats, his quads, even the tiny ones in his back, seize.
They felt like they were being twisted, braided, and re-knitted together, all the gaps and weaknesses being woven into a single, interconnected web of solid, powerful fiber.
He could feel his own strength multiplying.
He stood up, his body feeling light and immensely powerful. He clenched his fist. His bicep swelled, not just bigger, but denser, with a hardness that felt like a rock.
He wasn't just tough. He was strong.
"Again."
[Deducting 10 UP. 60 UP Remaining.] [Upgrading Host to Level 3: Expert (Tendon Connection)...]
SNAP! CRACK!
A series of sharp, loud popping sounds echoed from his joints. His knees, his elbows, his shoulders, it was like his entire body was a brand-new machine being calibrated for the first time.
This sensation was different. It wasn't dense pressure; it was a stretching, snapping feeling.
He felt his tendons and ligaments, the connections between his new muscles and his bones, being reinforced with steel cables.
He felt fast. He felt explosive.
He was in his small room, but he had the sudden, overwhelming urge to jump. He bent his knees, barely, and pushed.
FWOOSH!
His head slammed into the concrete ceiling.
"OOF!"
He fell back onto his bed, stunned, a chunk of popcorn-texture paint in his hair. His head was fine, his [Iron Skin] had taken the impact easily, but he was in shock.
He hadn't even tried. He had just... pushed. And he had launched himself three feet in the air. His body was a coiled spring.
A giddy, wild laugh escaped him. He was a superhuman.
"Again."
[Deducting 10 UP. 50 UP Remaining.] [Upgrading Host to Level 4: Grandmaster (Bone Forging)...]
This one... this one was different. It was not a hot rush.
It was a deep, penetrating, biting cold.
It sank past his skin, past his muscles, past his tendons, and straight into his marrow. He gasped, gritting his teeth as the cold saturated his skeleton.
It felt like his bones were being dipped in liquid nitrogen.
Then, just as the cold became unbearable, an intense, forging heat replaced it. It was as if his bones were now on an anvil, being struck by an invisible hammer, being compacted, purified, and hardened.
He let out a low groan. This was the most intense sensation yet. He felt heavy. He felt solid. He felt like he was being rooted to the very foundation of the building.
When the sensation passed, he stood up. He felt... different.
The power from his muscles and tendons was still there, but it was now anchored. He wasn't a fast, light spring anymore. He was a fortress. He felt like he could stand in front of a charging car and not be moved.
This was it. This was the peak of the old world. The power of a Grandmaster. The level of Elder Chen.
He had 50 UP left. He could stop. This was enough.
He looked at the glowing blue screen.
[Upgrade: Level 5: Blood Vitality (First Sensation)]? (Cost: 40 UP)
"Enough?" he whispered. "It's not even close to enough."
This was the real upgrade. This was the one that separated the men from the gods.
"Do it."
[Deducting 40 UP. 10 UP Remaining.] [Upgrading Host to Level 5: Blood Vitality...]
There was no heat. No cold. No pressure.
There was just... a jolt.
THUMP-THUMP.
His heart hammered twice, a powerful, deafening cannon-shot in his own chest.
A new, profound awareness bloomed in his mind.
He could feel his own blood.
It wasn't a vague, abstract knowledge. He could literally feel it, a super-heated, vital fluid, rushing from his powerful new heart, flooding his arteries, and returning through his veins.
It was moving with a speed and power that was incredible. His entire body was tingling, not from the outside, but from the inside.
And then, he took a breath.
The world changed.
Before, the new Reiki in the air had just felt "fresh."
Now... he could see it.
Not with his eyes, but in his mind's eye. The air in his dark room was not empty. It was a swirling, beautiful, chaotic ocean of tiny, cool-blue motes of light. Billions upon billions of them.
And as he inhaled, he wasn't just breathing air.
He pulled them.
He could feel the blue motes of light being drawn into his lungs, passing instantly through the tissue, and dissolving into his super-charged blood.
The moment the Reiki touched his blood, it was like a drop of water hitting a hot pan. Pssssshhh. A comfortable, tingling warmth exploded in his veins, a "First Sensation" that was the most addictive, most incredible feeling of his life.
He could feel the Qi.
And he could control it.
He focused his mind, his will, on that new, warm energy in his blood. He thought, 'Move.'
The warm Qi-infused blood flowed, following his command. He pushed it down his right arm, into his hand.
His palm, in the darkness, began to glow.
It was a faint, soft, blue-white light, but it was real. He was glowing with internal energy.
A single tear of awe and relief rolled down his cheek.
He was no longer just a "Grandmaster" of external arts, a perfect mortal body.
He was a cultivator. An "internal" master.
He had spent one night, less than an hour, and had just surpassed the lifelong work of every hidden master on the planet.
He looked at his glowing hand, then at his status.
[Upgrade Points (UP): 10]
He had 10 points left. He was on the first true step of the Houtian path. And the world outside had no idea what was coming.