The transition was violent, even for a being with a Perfect Immortal Body. Lin Tian was violently expelled from the shattered remnants of the Heavenly Gate, slamming into the atmosphere of the Cloud Heavens like a comet impacting a dense shield. The energy around him was thick, pure, and overwhelming-the Immortal Qi of the higher realm.
He tumbled through endless, shimmering layers of clouds that felt like solidified spirit stone dust, finally stabilizing his descent. He was no longer falling through the sky; he was falling onto a landmass of impossible scale.
Lin Tian looked down. The world below was not a singular planet, but a massive, floating island, a continent supported by shimmering streams of concentrated Immortal Qi. He was several miles above the largest mountain range he had ever seen.
[Observer's Eye Activated. Environment Scan Initiated. Current Location: Immortal Cloud Continent, Tier 2. Energy Density: Immortal Qi. Toxicity: Low. Warning: Ambient energy is corrosive to Mortal Nascent Soul. Immediate cultivation adaptation required.]
The System's warning confirmed the immediate danger. While his body was Immortal, his Divine Nascent Soul was still forged from Mortal Realm laws. The immensely pure Immortal Qi was trying to cleanse-or destroy-his Core. He had less than an hour before his foundation suffered permanent damage.
Lin Tian quickly located a small, concealed plateau nestled between two peaks and executed a flawless descent. He landed softly, his body adapting instantly to the heavy gravity of the Immortal Cloud Continent. He was still a nine-month-old infant, but he moved with the decisive grace of a perfected being.
Lin Tian immediately found shelter in a cave. He needed to convert the Immortal Qi into a usable, non-corrosive form. He began channeling the Heaven-Shaking Soul Transformation Sutra, forcing the Immortal Qi to cycle through his Divine Nascent Soul.
The purity of his Soul acted as a perfect filter, but the conversion was slow. He needed a dedicated resource.
Just as he stabilized the inner turmoil, a shadow fell across the cave entrance. A voice, ancient and weary, spoke.
"Well, well. Look what chaos spat out. A fresh, clean sprout from the lower realms. I felt the ripple of your violent arrival, little one."
Standing there was a cultivator-not a Grandmaster, but a being of the Heavenly Immortal Stage 3 (Tier 2, Stage 7). He was gaunt, his robes ragged, and his eyes held the desperate hunger of a man who hadn't replenished his resources in years. This was Elder Mu, a rogue Immortal.
Elder Mu instantly recognized the anomaly. He saw the faint, shimmering silver light of Lin Tian's Perfect Immortal Body and the purity of the surrounding Qi-a sign that the infant was the source of the recent spiritual chaos.
"A Divine Body," Mu gasped, his eyes widening with maniacal greed. "You bypassed the natural ascension path! Your flesh alone is a spiritual treasure worth ten thousand years of my cultivation!"
Elder Mu raised a staff carved from dark celestial wood, channeling his Heavenly Immortal Qi into a crushing attack aimed at capturing the infant whole. This was not a warning; it was a hungry execution.
Lin Tian did not interrupt his internal cultivation. He calculated the threat instantly. Elder Mu was vastly superior in rank and energy volume, but the Observer's Eye showed the devastating flaws in his Tier 2 cultivation.
[Observer's Eye Activated. Target: Elder Mu (Heavenly Immortal Stage 3). Flaw: Cultivation relies on flawed, centuries-old Wood Dao Technique. Defense Failure Probability: 0%]
Lin Tian realized he didn't need to fight this being physically. He needed to make Elder Mu fear his own existence.
He used the Divine Nascent Soul to channel a sliver of the Source Code energy he had used to frighten Venerable Qiao in the previous chapter. But this time, he didn't just project it; he used the Omni-Talent to weave the Source Code directly into the Elder's incoming attack.
Elder Mu's attack was mid-flight when he felt the chaotic, divine energy infiltrate his Qi. It didn't destroy his power; it corrected it. The flow of his Wood Dao Technique suddenly surged with 100% Purity, overwhelming his flawed meridians.
Elder Mu screamed as his own attack turned against him. He collapsed, convulsing violently. The shock was not external; it was internal. His flawed cultivation base could not handle the sudden, overwhelming perfection of his own technique.
"Stop! Stop the perfection! It burns!" Elder Mu shrieked, collapsing into a fetal position, writhing in agony as his entire being was briefly overwhelmed by the sheer, unfilterable purity Lin Tian forced upon him.
Lin Tian mentally gave the command: Survive. Serve me. And I will teach you true Purity.
Elder Mu's convulsions subsided. He looked up at the infant, not with greed, but with terror and a desperate, consuming spiritual addiction. The brief taste of Divine Purity was a spiritual high that eclipsed everything he had ever known.
"Master... forgive my blindness! I will serve! I will acquire resources!" Elder Mu stammered, his mind shattered by the purity he was briefly forced to channel.
Lin Tian had gained his first Tier 2 Puppet.
[New Loyalty Status: Elder Mu (Heavenly Immortal Stage 3). Current Loyalty: 100%]
The priority was immediately updated. He needed resources that were free of the chaos of the lower realms.
Lin Tian sent a clear thought to his new servant: Resource Acquisition: Immortal Purity Pills. Locate the nearest source of wealth for theft.
Elder Mu, driven by the absolute promise of more Purity, scrambled to his feet. "Master, the nearest spiritual center is the Azure Sea Sect. They are arrogant, rich, and control the largest resource streams on this continent. I know their formations. I will lead you there now!"
Lin Tian smiled in the quiet of the cave. The Tier 2 saga was beginning perfectly. He had secured his first Immortal puppet, and the target was already set: the arrogant Azure Sea Sect.