Nine months had passed since Lin Tian's rebirth, and life within the Lin General Clan estate was bordering on tedious. The immediate political threat was neutralized, the coffers were full again, and the days were filled with comfortable routine. For a six-month-old Foundation Establishment Stage 9 master with an Omni-Talent, routine was the enemy of progress.
"Insufficient," Lin Tian thought, staring at the faint, hazy threads of Mortal Qi drifting through his room. He was trying to push toward Core Formation, but the energy density in the Azure Cloud Kingdom's capital was too low. It was like trying to run a supercomputer on a AA battery.
He brought up the Heaven-Shaking Dao System's regional analysis.
[Resource Analysis: Azure Cloud Kingdom Spiritual Quotient (SQ): 3.2/10.0 (Average for Mortal Realm). Core Formation Efficacy: 11% (Inefficient).][Target Resource Detected: Azure Spirit Vein (SQ: 8.5/10.0, Pure Water/Wood Affinity). Location: Cloud Peak Range, South State.][Warning: Resource Monopolized by Azure Water Sect (Major Kingdom Sect).]
Lin Tian processed the data. He couldn't just tell his father, General Lin Zhao, to march an army on the Azure Water Sect because his baby needed better Wi-Fi for his cultivation. He needed a diplomatic, yet urgent, solution.
He needed a sickness. A fake one.
The family's primary physician and cultivator, Elder Mu, was an old man skilled in basic healing arts but only at Qi Condensation Stage 7—a low level, easily fooled by the Perfect Foundation energy Lin Tian possessed.
Lin Tian began his deception that night. Using his Minor Qi Guidance, he subtly focused his pure, water-aligned Qi to circulate counter-intuitively within his Dantian, causing a feeling of profound, yet untraceable, discomfort. He let out a low, unsettling cry that sounded like pain, not hunger.
General Lin Zhao, ever vigilant since the Elder Han incident, rushed into the room. "Tian'er? What is it, my son?"
Elder Mu was summoned immediately. He checked the child's pulse, examined his skin, and poured a stream of his own Qi into Lin Tian's meridians.
"General, this is... troubling," Elder Mu announced, frowning deeply. "His meridians are unusually pure, astonishingly so. Yet, there is a chaotic swirl of energy in his core. It is not illness, General, but Qi Imbalance. His innate talent is too high for the Kingdom's stagnant Qi. It is overwhelming his vessel."
General Lin Zhao's face turned grim. "Can you treat it?"
Elder Mu shook his head dramatically. "Normal medicine will harm him. He needs a pure, highly concentrated source of spiritual energy to stabilize his core. A mineral spring, perhaps one located near a natural Spirit Vein, must be used to temper the clash of energies."
Lin Tian mentally gave a satisfied nod. Perfect misdiagnosis. The coding was flawless.
"I know of one place," General Lin Zhao said immediately, his voice thick with concern. "The isolated Silver Stream Hot Springs in the Cloud Peak Range. It's remote, but the water is rumored to be imbued with ancient Earth Qi."
Exactly where the Azure Spirit Vein is located, Lin Tian mused. The path of least resistance.
Within three days, the Lin Clan was organized for a highly secretive military transport. General Lin Zhao personally led a small contingent of his most loyal, battle-hardened guards. They traveled quickly and discreetly, moving under the guise of an emergency military inspection to avoid drawing attention from the Imperial Court.
The journey was fast, but rough. Lin Tian, nestled in a custom-made, silk-lined carriage, didn't mind the bumps. He was focused on a new resource that had appeared in his repository when the task to seek higher Qi was initiated:
[Resource Generated: Dao Insight Meditation Mat (Tier 2, Temporary Use).]
The mat, a small, woven square of glowing, silver threads, was currently spread beneath him. It didn't speed up his cultivation, but it filtered the surrounding Qi, allowing him to conduct complex spiritual analysis while traveling.
The Azure Water Sect…
Lin Tian activated the Observer's Eye on the sect's mountain peak, which was now visible in the distance. The sect was surrounded by an elaborate Qi-gathering Formation, siphoning off the power of the Spirit Vein below.
[Formation Code: Flawed (Efficiency 47%). Weakness: Input Node 3 relies on a single, non-redundant connection to a local Stone Golem idol.]
Simple, Lin Tian thought with a slight, almost imperceptible smile. Amateur Hour. He wouldn't need to fight his way in. He would just need a quick, quiet detour and a subtle act of spiritual sabotage.
He glanced out the carriage window. They were stopping for the night at the edge of the Cloud Peak Range. He was within striking distance of his goal and, crucially, within proximity of the suppressed Innate Sword Soul he had detected: Mei Lan.
The General leaned into the carriage, his face solemn. "We rest here, Tian'er. Tomorrow, we reach the springs. Rest well, my son."
Lin Tian let out a pleasant gurgle, the perfect sound of a contented, innocent baby. Don't worry, Father. By tomorrow, your son will secure the power to protect you from things you haven't even dreamed of.