Chapter 3
The Falling Lotus and the Vanishing Master
The road to the **Cloud-Mist State** was long, but for Lin Tian, every step away from the Azure Cloud Sect felt like shedding a layer of rusted armor. For three days, he traveled like a ghost through the mortal cities.
He stopped at roadside stalls, eating simple spirit-noodle soup and steamed buns—things he used to share with Xia Ning. But the taste was different now. It didn't taste like shared struggle; it tasted like freedom.
"System, I'm tired of looking like a grieving widower," Lin Tian muttered into his tea at a bustling city tavern. "Change my appearance. If I'm going to build an empire, I should look the part."
**[Ding! Deducting 500 System Points. Initiating 'Celestial Makeover'.]**
A subtle warmth washed over him. His weary eyes sharpened, glowing with a faint, predatory amber light. His skin became as clear as jade, and his long, messy hair turned into a striking, pristine **white**, flowing down his back like a frozen waterfall. He swapped his tattered Azure Cloud robes for a simple but elegant black tunic. He looked less like a discarded elder and more like a mysterious young noble from a Forbidden Zone.
As he ate, the chatter of the tavern reached his ears.
"Did you hear? The Azure Cloud Sect kicked out their Grand Elder!" a merchant laughed, slamming a jar of wine on the table. "Fifty years of service, and they tossed him like yesterday's trash because he couldn't break past Foundation Establishment."
"Serves him right," another sneered. "A 3rd Grade Sect needs a powerhouse, not a bookkeeper. I heard the new Grand Elder, Ye Fan, is a true dragon among men!"
But an old cultivator in the corner sighed, shaking his head. "You fools. You think power is just about swinging a sword? That 'bookkeeper' was the reason the Azure Cloud didn't starve ten years ago. Mark my words, Xia Ning has traded her soul for a shiny bauble."
Lin Tian smiled thinly into his cup. He paid his tab and walked out. Let them talk. The louder the praise for Ye Fan now, the harder the crash would be later.
The Encounter in the Dust
Upon reaching the outskirts of the Cloud-Mist State, Lin Tian entered a district that looked more like a graveyard for sects than a place of cultivation. The buildings were crumbling, and the spiritual energy was thin.
In the middle of a dusty square, he saw a commotion.
A woman stood surrounded by four burly thugs wearing the crest of the **Iron-Fist Gang**, a local group of bullies. Despite her surroundings, she was breathtaking. She had a mature, regal beauty that made Xia Ning look like a spoiled child. Her robes were faded and patched, but they couldn't hide her **curvaceous, hourglass figure** and a **waist so slim** it looked like it could be held in one hand.
"Mu Rongxue," she said, her voice steady despite the blades pointed at her. "I told you, the Falling Lotus Sect will pay the protection tax next month. We had to spend our last spirit stones on medicine for our junior disciples."
"Next month?" the lead thug barked, reaching out to grab her chin. "You've been saying that for a year, Fairy Mu. If you can't pay in stones, maybe you can pay with that pretty body of yours. A night with you is worth at least a thousand mid-grade stones!"
Lin Tian's eyes narrowed. "System, scan her."
**[Ding! Target Scanned.]**
* **Name:** Mu Rongxue
* **Age:** 40 (Appears 22 due to cultivation)
* **Realm:** 9th Level Core Formation (Hidden/Damaged)
* **Ability:** Heaven-Grade Management & Pure Lotus Heart
* **Status:** Sect Leader of the Falling Lotus Sect (9th Grade). **[HIDDEN STATUS: LOCKED]**
Lin Tian paused. "System, why is her status hidden? What is she hiding?"
**[Host, your current authority is too low. Knowing her true lineage would attract the gaze of High-Level Immortals from the Upper Realms. Focus on the investment.]**
Lin Tian smirked. A 9th Grade Sect leader with a hidden status that even the System was cautious about? This was the "Golden Investment" indeed.
He stepped forward, his footsteps silent on the dirt. "Four grown men harassing a lady over a few spirit stones? How pathetic."
The thugs spun around. "Who the hell are you, white-haired brat? Scram before I break your legs!"
Lin Tian didn't waste words. He flicked a single copper coin from his pocket. Infused with a trace of **Primordial Chaos Qi**, the coin whistled through the air like a meteor.
*CLANG!*
It shattered the lead thug's sword and sent him flying backward into a wall. The other three froze, feeling a pressure that didn't belong to a Foundation Establishment cultivator. It was the aura of a man who ruled empires.
"Leave. Now," Lin Tian said coldly.
The thugs scrambled away, leaving a cloud of dust behind. Mu Rongxue blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering as she looked at the mysterious savior. Then, her eyes widened.
"Lin... Lin Tian? Is that you?"
Lin Tian smiled gently. Two years ago, he had met her during a trade deal. He had helped her negotiate a grain contract when no one else would look at her 9th Grade Sect.
"It's been a while, Rongxue," he said.
"Your hair... your eyes..." she whispered, her face flushing slightly as she took in his new, handsome appearance. "What happened to you? And why are you here alone?"
They moved to a small, dilapidated tea house inside her sect's walls. Over a pot of bitter tea, Lin Tian told her a "half-truth."
"I was a member of a high-ranking sect," he said, his gaze turning distant. "I gave them everything—my time, my wealth, my loyalty. But recently, the Sect Leader decided I was 'dead weight' because my cultivation didn't match their status. I was kicked out to make room for a 'genius' newcomer."
Rongxue's hand reached across the table, touching his arm. Her skin was warm and soft. "They are fools," she said with fierce conviction. "I saw how you handled that trade mission two years ago. You have a mind that can move mountains. A sect that discards a man like you is destined for the grave."
She looked around at her crumbling sect, then back at him. "Lin Tian... my Falling Lotus Sect is a mess. We are the lowest of the low. But I need someone I can trust. Someone who can help me save these children. Would you... stay? I don't have much, but I can offer you the position of **Grand Elder**."
Lin Tian looked into her eyes and saw genuine respect—something he hadn't seen from Xia Ning in years.
"I accept," Lin Tian said. "But be warned, Rongxue. I don't plan on staying a 9th Grade Sect for long. If I'm your Grand Elder, we're going to the top."
Rongxue laughed, a beautiful, melodic sound. "I would expect nothing less from you."
The Azure Cloud
The third day of the month had arrived.
In the Grand Elder's meditation chamber—now Ye Fan's room—**Xia Ning** stood waiting. She had dressed in her finest robes, wanting to make a grand impression on the "Hidden Alchemy Master."
Ye Fan was there too, but he wasn't focused. He was sitting on the bed, pulling the two disciples, Liu Er and Su Mei, onto his lap.
"Xia, why are we waiting in this dusty room?"
Ye Fan complained, his hand wandering over Liu Er's waist. "The 'Master' will come to the main hall if he knows what's good for him. Come, sit with us. Let the elders wait for the delivery."
Xia Ning looked at Ye Fan. For the first time, his "free-spirited" nature felt... irritating. "Ye Fan, these pills are the lifeblood of our sect. If the Master is offended because we aren't here to receive him, the consequences will be dire."
"Whatever," Ye Fan muttered, returning to his flirting.
One hour passed. Then two. Then five.
The sun began to set, and the secret delivery window closed. The room remained empty. No mysterious master appeared. No crates of Heaven-Cleansing Pills materialised.
Xia Ning's heart began to race. In the past, whenever there was a delay or a problem, she would just turn to Lin Tian. He would always say, *"Don't worry, Ning'er. I'll handle the Master. You just focus on your cultivation."* And within an hour, the problem would be solved. Every single time.
She looked at Ye Fan, expecting him to offer a solution. But Ye Fan was laughing as Su Mei fed him grapes. He didn't care about the pills; he had already consumed his fill.
"Ye Fan!" Xia Ning snapped. "The Master didn't come! What do we do?"
Ye Fan looked up, annoyed. "How should I know? Maybe the old man died. Or maybe he's just late. Just send some disciples to find his cave. It's not that hard, Xia."
"We don't know where his cave is!" Xia Ning shouted, her voice trembling with a realization she wasn't ready to face. "Only Lin Tian knew the Master's location. Only Lin Tian had the communication talismans!"
Just then, Elder Han burst into the room, his face pale. "Sect Leader! The disciples... they heard the pills didn't arrive. Rumors are spreading that the 'Hidden Master' has abandoned us because we expelled Lin Tian! Three inner disciples have already asked to leave the sect!"
Xia Ning felt a wave of dizziness. She looked around the room—Lin Tian's old room. It was empty and cold. For fifty years, she had taken everything for granted. The pills, the money, the safety, the stability... she thought they were hers because of her "talent."
Now, looking at the useless "genius" on the bed and the panicked elder at the door, she felt a hollow ache in her chest.
"He'll come," Xia Ning whispered, though she sounded like she was trying to convince herself. "The Master will come. He must."
But deep down, a terrifying thought began to take root: *What if the Master didn't follow the Azure Cloud Sect? What if the Master only followed Lin Tian?*