The silence in the Imperial Library shattered, not with noise, but with the pressure of pure, crushing authority. Elder Long Wei, the hidden apex of the Azure Cloud Kingdom, emerged from the shadows of the upper shelves. He looked ancient and impossibly powerful, his body radiating the dense, immovable presence of a cultivator stalled at the very edge of the Soul Transformation Peak.
He found the source of the spiritual siphon easily: a silk-lined cradle carrier sitting innocently near a stack of jade slips. Inside, the infant Lin Tian, barely nine months old, was deep in cultivation, his tiny, serene face showing no sign of the cosmic drain he was enacting.
Long Wei's eyes, which had not blinked for fifty years, narrowed in cold fury. He perceived the infant's spiritual core-a compressed, impossibly pure anomaly that defied all mortal law.
"What abomination is this?" Long Wei's voice was a dry, rasping whisper that vibrated the very foundation of the library. "You are a nascent Core, yet you dare challenge the stability of the Earth Spirit Dragon Vein! You will stop your siphon now, or I will terminate your existence and stabilize the kingdom myself."
The Elder channeled his immense Soul Transformation Qi, condensing it into a massive, formless hand that reached out, not to injure, but to utterly contain Lin Tian's spiritual core and halt the energy flow. This move was instantaneous and absolute-a move no living being in the Mortal Realm could counter.
Lin Tian's cultivation was violently interrupted. His eyes snapped open, blazing with cold, tactical clarity. He saw the spectral hand of authority bearing down on him, and instantly understood the danger. This was not a clumsy bandit or a predictable political pawn; this was a being who understood the Dao of Stability in this realm.
[WARNING! Host is confronted by a Soul Transformation Peak (Stage 9) cultivator. Threat Level: EXTREME. Conventional defense failure probability: 99.99%]
Lin Tian did not panic. He activated the Observer's Eye, not on the Elder's body, but on the technique itself. The Elder's massive spiritual hand was not just energy; it was a pure manifestation of his Dao of Stability-the law he had spent fifty years perfecting.
[Observer's Eye Activated. Target: Dao of Stability (Stage 9). Flaw Analysis Initiated.]
The System instantly recognized the flaw inherent in all mortal peak cultivation: dependence on the realm's rules.
[Analysis Complete. Flaw Detected: Elder Wei's technique relies entirely on the established Azure Cloud World's spiritual matrix, rendering it vulnerable to External Code Overwrite. Solution: Initiate Divine Code Insertion (Trace).]
Lin Tian acted with the speed of a thought. He channeled a sliver of the Divine Purity Qi from his core-energy that was not of the Mortal Realm, energy that carried the true, chaotic Source Code of the Cloud Heavens themselves-and injected it, not into the Elder's hand, but into the Dao of Stability matrix he was manifesting.
The effect was subtle yet devastating. Elder Long Wei's hand froze inches from the crib. He felt his technique, his very law, glitch. It was like a programmer watching his perfect, tested code suddenly crash due to an infinitesimally small, foreign virus.
"Impossible!" Long Wei recoiled, staring at the infant with pure existential dread. "That... that energy is not of this world! What are you?"
Lin Tian responded with another subtle manipulation. He channeled his Divine Golden Core energy into a tiny, flawless, shimmering miniature version of the Elder's technique-a perfect, stable Dao of Stability hand, but one created using the Heaven-Shaking Sutra's principles. He then let the miniature hand gently touch the Elder's own paralyzed manifestation.
The impact showed the Elder the truth: Lin Tian's version was perfect; the Elder's was flawed.
"A perfect Dao," Long Wei whispered, tears of shame and astonishment welling in his eyes. He realized the infant possessed an innate comprehension of the Dao far exceeding his own hard-won fifty years of struggle. "You are the key... the one who can break the mortal barrier."
Lin Tian understood. The Elder, stalled at the Mortal Peak, wasn't an enemy-he was a desperately stuck genius. Lin Tian gave a knowing, patient gaze, then used his System to send a single, clear thought directly into the Elder's Sea of Consciousness: Serve me. And you will Ascend.
Long Wei's entire frame shook. The Ascended Path was the only reason he existed. He immediately dissolved his immense Qi manifestation.
"I accept!" Long Wei declared, his voice regaining its ancient power, but now laced with reverence. He fell to his knees in the Imperial Library, bowing his head before the nine-month-old strategist. "I am Elder Long Wei, servant of the Heaven-Shaking Daoist. Command me, Master."
Lin Tian had successfully converted the highest power of the kingdom into his third, and most powerful, puppet.
With Elder Long Wei now pledged, Lin Tian's position was unassailable. He commanded the political elite (Grandmaster Wei) and the military apex (General Lin Zhao) through loyalty and fear. Now he commanded the spiritual authority (Elder Long Wei) through the promise of Ascension.
Lin Tian returned to his cultivation, resuming the siphon with confidence. The two Soul Transformation experts guarding the Imperial Palace would now ensure his cultivation was not only undisturbed but actively supplemented with the richest spiritual energy in the capital.
[Resource Acquisition Efficiency: Siphon Rate increased to 5,000%]
The foundations of the Azure Cloud World are now my resource, Lin Tian mused. It is time to accelerate the breakthrough.
The infant's path to the heavens was now secured, but the spiritual chaos caused by his siphon was beginning to ripple far beyond the Imperial Capital, drawing the attention of powers Lin Tian had not yet cataloged. The stage was set for the next chapter of explosive power.