The Imperial Library was not merely a building; it was a fortress built around knowledge. Its upper tiers, reserved for the Emperor and the most senior Grandmasters, held the Ancient Divine Records.
Grandmaster Wei, the humiliated Imperial Physician, led the way. He was no longer the arrogant sage of Chapter 9. Now, he was pale, subservient, and spoke in nervous whispers, terrified that the divine infant would expose his medical secret to the court.
"Master Lin Tian," Wei murmured, his hand trembling as he unsealed a massive, spiritually protected door. "This is the Vault of Ten Thousand Dao. The entirety of the Azure Cloud Kingdom's collected wisdom rests here. The Ancient Divine Records are on the highest shelf, secured by a formation that requires my personal key and bloodline stamp."
Lin Tian, now seven months old and sitting perfectly upright in his custom-made, silk-lined carrier, calmly surveyed the room. The shelves stretched into darkness, lined with scrolls, jade slips, and massive, leather-bound tomes. Every single item hummed with residual Qi from centuries of study.
The sheer volume of techniques designed to achieve Soul Transformation (Stage 5, the mortal peak) would be overwhelming for any normal cultivator. But Lin Tian had the System.
As Grandmaster Wei nervously began the tedious process of unlocking the formation, Lin Tian activated the Observer's Eye.
[System Notification: Medical/Alchemy Records Sub-System Activated. Scanning and Cataloging in Progress.]
The library transformed. The chaotic lines of the Dao Code permeating every scroll instantly simplified. The System didn't read the books one by one; it analyzed the fundamental spiritual laws within them, extracting the core principles.
[Processing: 1,324 unique Soul Transformation Techniques. Result: 98% contain critical flaws, dependencies on extinct herbs, or unnecessary steps.]
Lin Tian's goal was not to learn an existing technique, but to synthesize the ultimate, Perfect Technique-a method so pure it would grant him a Divine Nascent Soul and secure the foundation for his final Soul Transformation before ascending to the Cloud Heavens.
He mentally filtered through the techniques and focused on three crucial points: the Purity of the Soul, Compression of Law, and Unity of Body and Spirit.
Purity of the Soul is a technique that dealt with cleansing the Sea of Consciousness (a point borrowed from ancient healing arts). Compression of Law is a technique for condensing the soul into a stable, independent miniature clone (the Nascent Soul). Finally, Unity of Body and Spirit is the critical method for achieving Soul Transformation without leaving behind mortal flaws.
Grandmaster Wei finally finished the elaborate unlocking process, sweat beading on his brow. "M-Master, the records are available. Which texts would you like to review first?"
Lin Tian did not answer. He simply extended his hand, his pure Divine Golden Core Qi acting as an invisible tractor beam. Thousands of scrolls, some thicker than his head, gently lifted off the shelves and hovered in a silent, swirling vortex around him.
Grandmaster Wei nearly fainted. He watched in stunned horror as the infant seemed to effortlessly read and process ancient texts that would take him decades to comprehend. The General's son, he could only assume, was a terrifying reincarnated Divine being.
In the depths of Lin Tian's consciousness, the System ran its final algorithms.
[Synthesis Complete. Combining 37 key principles from 1,324 texts, removing 99.9% of inefficient processes. Generating Custom Technique:
**Heaven-Shaking Soul Transformation Sutra**
Sutra Purity: 100%. Efficacy: Divine Tier. Will grant the host a Divine Nascent Soul upon successful Stage 4 breakthrough.]
The full technique, perfect and complete, was instantly imprinted upon Lin Tian's memory via his Omni-Talent. He now held the ultimate blueprint for perfecting the mortal body and soul.
Lin Tian dismissed the hovering scrolls, which gently settled back onto the shelves, leaving no trace of their disturbance.
"Grandmaster," Lian Hua interjected nervously, interpreting the quietness as the child's exhaustion. "Perhaps we should leave now?"
Lin Tian gave a small, contented sigh and closed his eyes. He had the knowledge, and the capital's dense Qi environment, thanks to the Emperor's proximity, was sufficient for the initial preparatory cultivation.
He instantly entered deep meditation, channeling his Divine Golden Core Qi according to the first phase of the Heaven-Shaking Soul Transformation Sutra-the technique for preparing the Sea of Consciousness to birth the Nascent Soul.
[Cultivation Status: Preparing Sea of Consciousness for Nascent Soul Birth. Progress: 1%.]
Lin Tian's face, serene and innocent, showed no hint of the divine plan unfolding within his tiny body. He would cultivate his Divine Nascent Soul in the heart of the Imperial City, using the resources of the Emperor's treasury, completely invisible to the world.
The Mortal Realm is nearly complete, Lin Tian mused. The path to the Cloud Heavens is clear.