028 : The Cosmic Ascendant Realm—Breaking the First Limit.

As the Cosmic Qi flowed into him, something inside Lin Tian shifted.

His Devourer God Core, once an infinite void that swallowed all, was now refining itself, molding into something new. The chaotic energy that had once fueled his existence was stabilizing, transforming into something far purer, more controlled.

Then—

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

A shockwave erupted from his body, shaking the floating continent beneath him. The sky split open, and the very laws of this universe trembled as Lin Tian's cultivation surged forward—

Cosmic Ascendant Realm: First Stage.

His golden-black aura burned brighter than ever, but now, it no longer rejected the world around him. Instead, it resonated with the cosmos, existing within the balance rather than against it.

Lin Tian exhaled slowly, opening his eyes.

For the first time since arriving in this realm—he had taken the first step toward true power.

But as his aura stabilized, he sensed something.

Someone was watching him.

And they were not pleased.

High above, in the boundless void that stretched beyond mortal sight, a figure descended.

They were clad in flowing robes of woven starlight, their presence radiating an aura so vast that lesser beings would kneel without question. Their eyes were endless galaxies, swirling with cosmic knowledge, their voice carrying the weight of universal authority.

"Lin Tian."

Lin Tian did not rise from his seated position. He merely tilted his head upward, his golden-black gaze meeting the celestial being's eyes without the slightest trace of fear.

"Another god come to challenge me?" he asked, smirking.

The figure did not smile.

"You have stepped into our universe without permission. You are an anomaly, an entity that does not belong."

Lin Tian chuckled. "And?"

The celestial being's gaze darkened.

"You must be tested."

And in the next instant—

The stars themselves moved against Lin Tian.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

A single gesture from the celestial envoy, and the sky above fractured. The very constellations twisted, rearranging themselves into a formation that pulsed with an energy beyond mortal comprehension.

Then, without warning—they fell.

Celestial spears, forged from the essence of collapsing stars, rained down upon Lin Tian with the force of a thousand galaxies, each one carrying the weight of an entire cosmic cycle.

Lin Tian stood.

His golden-black aura flared.

He raised his hand—and caught the first spear.

The sheer impact sent cracks through the earth beneath him, but Lin Tian did not falter. He crushed the celestial weapon in his grip, the divine energy dispersing uselessly around him.

The celestial envoy narrowed their eyes.

"So you truly are different."

Lin Tian smiled. "You have no idea."

He took a step forward—and reality shook.

With a flick of his wrist, he redirected the remaining spears, bending their trajectory, forcing them to fall back toward their master.

The celestial envoy reacted instantly, forming a defensive shield of pure cosmic energy—but Lin Tian was already upon them.

His fist crashed forward—

BOOOOOOOOOM!

The envoy staggered back, their divine aura rippling from the impact.

Lin Tian's smile widened. "Not bad."

But then, for the first time—he felt resistance.

The envoy stopped retreating.

Their aura expanded exponentially, burning like an entire supernova condensed into a single being. The power they wielded was not something even the strongest immortals of Lin Tian's old universe could comprehend.

"If you wish to exist in this universe, Lin Tian… then you will have to prove you are worthy of it."

The stars trembled.

The universe held its breath.

And Lin Tian?

He grinned.

"Then let's see if you can stop me."

And with that—the real battle began.

The sky cracked open, and the stars roared in defiance. The celestial envoy, an entity woven from cosmic law itself, hovered above Lin Tian, their body wreathed in divine starlight. They were not a mere cultivator, nor a mortal attempting to reach the peak—they were born of this universe, a being sculpted by its very essence.

And they had come to test him.

The envoy lifted their hand, and the very fabric of space trembled. Galaxies in the distance shifted, aligning themselves in an intricate formation, an array so vast that it encompassed the entire void. Cosmic Qi surged, flooding the battlefield with an energy that could erase entire civilizations with a thought.

"An outsider must prove their right to exist." The envoy's voice was calm, yet absolute. "You are powerful, but you do not belong. If you wish to stay—"

Their eyes flashed, and the first attack descended.

"Then you must survive."

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

A cascade of cosmic energy erupted, forming a spear of condensed stellar force, a weapon not meant to simply strike—but to unravel existence itself. This was not a mere attack—it was a rejection from the universe itself.

Lin Tian laughed.

"You think I need permission?"

The golden-black aura around him flared violently, his body resonating with the Cosmic Qi he had begun to refine. He lifted his hand, his fingers crackling with an unfamiliar energy—a fusion of devouring and creation.

The celestial spear descended.

Lin Tian caught it.

The moment the weapon made contact with his palm, the entire universe seemed to pause. The energy behind the attack—capable of erasing lesser beings in an instant—struggled to consume him. It twisted, rejecting his existence, trying to overwrite him as if he were an error in reality itself.

Lin Tian's golden-black eyes gleamed.

"Not enough."

He crushed the spear.

The celestial envoy's expression shifted—a flicker of something close to surprise.

Lin Tian exhaled slowly, shaking his hand as cosmic fragments dissolved into nothingness. "If this universe wants me gone, it better try harder."

And then—he attacked.

Lin Tian vanished.

One instant, he stood on the floating continent—the next, he was above the envoy, his fist crashing downward with enough force to collapse the entire star cluster behind them. His attack was not just raw strength—it was the fusion of Cosmic Qi and Devourer Power, something never before seen in this universe.

The envoy reacted instantly.

Their body twisted, shifting between matter and light, dodging the strike with unnatural fluidity. But Lin Tian's movements were faster. He had fought immortals, shattered realms, consumed the very laws of existence in his old world—and now, he was adapting.

His other hand lashed out, catching the envoy by the wrist.

The celestial being's eyes widened.

"Impossible—"

Lin Tian pulled.

A shockwave erupted, distorting space as he slammed the envoy into the floating continent below. The impact sent cracks racing across the land, splitting mountains apart as divine light and golden-black energy clashed violently.

The envoy surged upward, retaliating with a blast of pure universal will—a force that should have erased Lin Tian completely.

But Lin Tian stood in the center of the destruction, smiling.

He wasn't erased.

He was absorbing it.

His aura trembled, shifting, changing. The Cosmic Qi of this universe was no longer resisting him.

It was becoming part of him.

The celestial envoy staggered back.

"You… you're adapting?"

Lin Tian cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders.

"Took long enough."

And then—he unleashed his full power.

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