The next two months passed in a blur of forced naps and calculated observation for Lin Tian.
His initial fear regarding Elder Han's subtle influence had faded, replaced by the calm focus of a programmer optimizing a flawed system. The Elder was still a daily presence, attempting to charm General Lin Zhao and monitor the family's assets, but every time the Elder approached, Lin Tian's Observer's Eye would pop up a glowing red warning box: [Subject: Han, Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Stage 3 (Imperfect, Demonic Attribute). Threat Level: Minor. Plot: Active (Asset Embezzlement Protocol 7.0)].
Lin Tian, confined to his crib, found the entire Mortal Realm system incredibly inefficient.
He wasn't actually sleeping during those long, quiet hours. He was cultivating. His tiny body, now purified by the Perfect Foundation Protocol, was like a perfectly tuned engine. The Resource Optimization feature meant the sparse Qi in his nursery was constantly refined and drawn into his core with zero waste. Within weeks, he bypassed the entire Qi Condensation realm—a process that took other geniuses years—with less effort than it took to open his eyes.
One afternoon, as the setting sun cast long shadows across his room, the Heaven-Shaking Dao System finally gave him the green light for the next major milestone.
[System Notification: Foundation Establishment Requirement Met.][Initiating Dimensional Repository Protocol.][Resource Generated: Divine-Grade Foundation Pill (Purity 100%).]
With a faint shimmer that only Lin Tian could perceive, a small, obsidian black pill, radiating a complex, stable energy, materialized silently on his silk blanket. Its Dao Code was pure, perfect, and terrifyingly complex.
"Finally," Lin Tian thought, the words echoing only in his mind. Why waste time cultivating Foundation Establishment when the system can just give me the perfect product? This is the power of optimization.
He deftly rolled onto his stomach, grabbed the pill with his tiny hand, and swallowed it. The process was messy, but the effect was immediate and overwhelming.
The pill didn't just fill his Dantian; it detonated within it, not with violence, but with pure, structured law. His bones vibrated, his blood hummed with energy, and every meridian was instantly flushed with Immortal-grade Foundation energy. The entire Foundation Establishment stage, which involved nine difficult sub-stages for a normal genius, was completed in a single, silent rush of power.
[System Notification: Foundation Establishment Stage 9 Achieved. Foundation Purity: 100%.][Host Power Index: Raised by 300%.][New Skill Unlocked: Minor Qi Guidance (Instant Comprehension via Omni-Talent).]
Lin Tian blinked, now a six-month-old baby with the physical resilience of an expert Foundation Establishment cultivator. He was still physically weak, but he could now manipulate minor amounts of Qi with his will.
It was time to deal with Elder Han.
The final piece of the puzzle lay hidden in Elder Han's personal study: a fraudulent ledger detailing the theft of military funds over the last five years.
Lin Tian knew his father, General Lin Zhao, was a man of honor, but also a man of war—he was too direct and trusting to see the subtle deception. Lin Tian didn't need to fight; he just needed to provide the incontrovertible proof.
He waited until dusk, the time Elder Han always left the main estate for his rendezvous with his contacts. Using his enhanced speed, Lin Tian, on a mission, managed the terrifying twenty-meter crawl from his bedroom to the General's study.
Inside, the study was warm and smelled of dried ink and battle maps. General Lin Zhao was asleep at his desk, exhausted from worrying over the clan's finances.
Lin Tian used the Observer's Eye one last time: [Target: Ledger, Location: Hidden Compartment behind the second shelf, fourth book. Key Factor: Elder Han's unique Qi signature applied as a protective seal.]
He approached the shelf. The seal was minor, a simple flow of spiritual energy designed to repel mortal hands. Lin Tian, using the newly mastered Minor Qi Guidance, channeled his own pure, Perfect Foundation Qi. It wasn't forceful; it was surgical. His Qi was so pure that when it touched the Elder's corrupted Qi, the Elder's signature dissolved like salt in water.
With the seal neutralized, Lin Tian nudged the heavy book with his forehead until the hidden compartment sprang open just enough.
The problem remained: how to get the ledger onto the General's desk?
Lin Tian took a deep, calculated breath. He focused his mind, channeling his Qi through the air, and pushed. Slowly, painstakingly, the heavy, leather-bound ledger slid out of the compartment, tumbled down to the floor, and landed with a loud, attention-grabbing thump!
General Lin Zhao bolted upright, his hand instinctively grabbing the sword hilt on his desk. "Who's there?!"
He looked down and saw his son, Lin Tian, sitting calmly beside a heavy, dusty book. Lin Tian simply gazed up at his father with wide, innocent, but undeniably alert eyes.
Confused, the General knelt. "Tian'er, did you knock this down?" He picked up the heavy ledger, its cover unfamiliar. Lin Zhao opened it, and as his eyes scanned the deliberately detailed entries—the forged receipts, the double-books, the damning signature of Elder Han—his face transformed from confusion to cold, murderous rage.
"Han," the General whispered, his voice dangerously low, the sound of a sleeping dragon waking up. "You dare..."
Lin Tian smiled internally. The first bug in the system was fixed. Now, he just had to wait for the code to execute.
In the cool morning light, the family was woken not by the usual sounds of training, but by a chilling scream. Elder Han, rushing to the study to check on his ledger, found the General waiting for him.
The Elder's frantic attempt to claim the ledger was a forgery was met by General Lin Zhao's massive, military fist, not his sword. Han was quickly subdued, his feeble Foundation Establishment Stage 3 cultivation proving useless against a rage-fueled, genuine peak Mortal cultivator.
Within the hour, the ledger was verified, the evidence of treason and theft was irrefutable, and Elder Han was stripped of his titles and imprisoned. The Lin Clan was secured, its funds recouped, and its political standing reaffirmed.
Lin Zhao stood over his crib that afternoon, looking at his son, his expression a complicated mix of awe and bewilderment.
"It was you, wasn't it?" he muttered, touching the child's cheek. "You... saved us."
Lin Tian giggled, a perfect, innocent sound, and kicked his legs. Yes, Father. Now please focus on getting me some better Spirit Grass. This Mortal Qi is insufficient.
The threat was neutralized. Lin Tian was now a Foundation Establishment Stage 9 master at six months old, and the family was safe. The Heaven-Shaking Dao System displayed a new task.
[Main Quest: Achieve Core Formation. Required Resources: Golden Core Creation Elixir (To be generated upon successful Core Formation Stage 1).][Recommended Cultivation Focus: Begin analysis of Core Formation Dao Code (requires purer Qi environment).]
Lin Tian looked at the blue sky through his window. The Azure Cloud Kingdom was now just a stepping stone. It was time to find a location dense with energy and rapidly condense his Golden Core. His climb was just beginning.