NOVEL NEXT Chapter 513: 3rd, 4th, and 5th Green Petals
Necro's steps carried him through the Sect's outer courtyards, past the ringing of wooden training posts and the low hum of spirit formations, his eyes calm as the morning light washed over the mountain terraces.
The Lotus Flow Step felt alive within him, each movement drawing the world's rhythm into his bones, each breath syncing the Dao principles he had grasped with the quiet beat of his heart.
But the Lotus was not satisfied.
The green glow within his dantian, once a single petal, now two, pulsed in quiet hunger, demanding growth. Demanding evolution.
Necro found himself on the terrace overlooking the valley again, the wind cool against his face, carrying the scent of pine and mist rising from the river below. He sat, cross-legged, the jade token at his waist tapping softly against the stone with each breath, the gentle chime syncing with the pulse of qi inside him.
[System Notification: Green Lotus Petal Advancement Path Detected.] [Warning: Advancement Requires Reversion of Foundation Establishment Realm.] [Confirm Restart Sequence?]
Necro's gaze drifted over the horizon, clouds shifting in slow tides around the distant peaks. Restarting would mean relinquishing his current cultivation, allowing the Lotus to digest his progress, refining it into a single additional petal.
But he had made this choice before. He would make it again.
"Yes," he whispered, his voice barely louder than the breeze.
[Confirmed.] [Initiating Green Lotus Petal Advancement.] [Petal Count: 2 → 3.] [Foundation Establishment Realm: Reset Initiated.]
His body shook as the qi within him collapsed inward, the rivers of spiritual power he had cultivated contracting into a single bright point within the Lotus at his core. Pain threaded through his veins, a cold, biting emptiness flooding into the channels that once thrummed with energy.
Necro's breath caught, his fingers digging into the stone beneath him as his body struggled to adjust, sweat beading on his forehead as he clenched his jaw against the shudders racking his frame.
The Lotus within him pulsed once, twice—then bloomed with a third petal, its green light filling his dantian, the emptiness replaced by a cleaner, sharper flow of energy.
Necro exhaled shakily, the morning air like cold water in his lungs, and opened his eyes to see the world with new clarity.
[Advancement Complete.] [Green Lotus Petals: 3.] [Qi Efficiency Increased. Comprehension Integration Efficiency Increased.]
He felt it immediately. Each breath drew in qi from the world more naturally, each pulse of his heart resonated with a cleaner rhythm, the Dao principles of Flow, Persistence, and Rhythm layering themselves into the streams of energy that now filled him once more.
He had to rebuild his cultivation, yes—but each step now aligned with the rhythm of the Lotus, each technique refined, each meditation deeper.
---
Days turned to weeks as Necro moved through the Sect's daily rhythms.
He trained in the pre-dawn quiet, Lotus Flow Step evolving with each repetition, each clash within the Virtual Battlefield refining his control further. His movements became smoother, strikes more precise, transitions nearly seamless as his body adapted to the new, cleaner qi flow.
At night, he meditated in the stillness of the terraces, the stars wheeling above him as he drew the qi of the mountain into himself, aligning it with the pulsing glow of the Lotus within. His senses sharpened, spiritual perception expanding as he traced the flow of qi within the world, seeing the patterns hidden within the currents of the wind, the flow of water, the shifting clouds.
And each day, he felt himself growing stronger.
The disciples of the Sect noticed, though none understood the truth. They saw only a quiet, steady progression, the calm aura of a cultivator who advanced without haste, without waste, each movement deliberate, each breath measured.
Necro's Foundation Establishment Realm rebuilt itself over months, each layer stronger than before, each accumulation of qi resonating with the petals of the Lotus within him.
Until, at last, the third petal pulsed with a soft glow during one morning meditation, the light within it stabilizing, locking into place with a quiet resonance.
---
Necro stood in the center of the training ground as the dawn breeze washed over him, the grass wet with dew, the pines whispering in the shifting air.
The Lotus pulsed, and he felt it.
[Green Lotus Petal Stabilization Complete.] [System Notification: Advancement Available – 4th Petal.] [Warning: Requires Cultivation Reset.]
Necro closed his eyes, letting the world fade to quiet, the beat of his heart syncing with the rhythm of the Lotus.
He did not hesitate.
"Yes."
Pain swept through him again, sharper this time, like icy needles threading through every channel, every vein. His cultivation shattered inward, the qi collapsing into the Lotus, devoured by its hunger for growth.
He gasped, the cold stealing his breath, his vision flashing with light as the world trembled around him.
Then, the Lotus bloomed with a fourth petal, its light warm and alive within him, resonating with the world as the rivers of qi reopened, flooding him with cleaner, stronger energy than before.
Necro fell forward, catching himself on trembling hands, the dew soaking into his sleeves as he panted, eyes wide as the Lotus settled within him.
Four petals.
The breath he took next felt like drawing in the dawn itself, crisp and bright, each molecule of qi sliding into him without resistance, aligning with the Lotus's rhythm.
[Green Lotus Petals: 4.] [Qi Purity Increased.] [Comprehension Integration Efficiency Increased.]
He stood, unsteady but alive, the pulse of the Lotus steady within him as the sun rose over the mountains.
---
The process repeated.
Weeks passed.
Necro rebuilt his Foundation Establishment Realm once more, each cycle of cultivation faster, smoother, more aligned with the Dao principles he embodied.
He continued to train within the Virtual Battlefield, challenging advanced scenarios designed to push him to his limits, adapting the Lotus Flow Step against formations of simulated cultivators wielding spears, blades, and fists, each clash refining his technique, evolving it further.
The fourth petal glowed steadily within him, each meditation strengthening its resonance, each breath refining the qi within his body until it was nearly crystalline in clarity.
And when the time came, when the Lotus pulsed with hunger once more, Necro returned to the terrace overlooking the valley, the place where he always began these transformations.
He closed his eyes.
"Yes."
The collapse was like a storm inside him, a hurricane of qi tearing through his veins as the Lotus devoured the remnants of his cultivation once more. He fell to his knees, breath ragged, vision flashing white as the world seemed to spin around him.
Then, as the dawn broke, the fifth petal bloomed within the Lotus, its green light spreading through him, steady and warm, aligning the chaotic remnants of his qi into clean, perfect streams.
Necro exhaled, steam rising in the cold morning air as his body settled, the Lotus's glow quiet but profound within him.
[Green Lotus Petals: 5.] [Qi Flow Perfected for Current Realm.] [Advanced Comprehension Integration Enabled.]
He stood, the world around him sharper, the lines of force he saw now clearer, the patterns within the air, the movements of the clouds, the shifting of energy within the earth itself more visible than ever before.
No one else in the Sect knew of the Lotus within him. No one else knew the price he paid, the restarts, the agony, the months of rebuilding for each step forward.
But Necro felt it was worth it.
Each petal was not simply power. It was evolution—refinement of body, mind, and spirit, aligning him with the rhythm of the Dao and the pulse of the world.
As the fifth petal stabilized over the following weeks, Necro found his cultivation building faster than ever, the streams of qi aligning perfectly with each breath, the energy he drew in during meditation seamless, without turbulence.
His movements during training were effortless, the Lotus Flow Step evolving further as it adapted to his new strength, the principles of Flow, Persistence, and Rhythm weaving into each step, each strike, until they were inseparable from the motion itself.
Necro could now spar against multiple Foundation Establishment disciples simultaneously in the Virtual Battlefield without losing the rhythm, each clash further refining his comprehension, the Lotus absorbing and integrating insights as they came.
He could feel the world's rhythm aligning with him, the whisper of qi within the wind responding to his breath, the quiet flow of energy within the earth shifting subtly beneath his feet as he moved.
The Lotus had become more than a cultivation tool.
It had become the core of his evolution.
---
Necro stood on the terrace one morning, the dawn breeze cool against his skin, the sky painted in soft pinks and golds as the sun rose over the distant peaks.
The five petals of the Lotus pulsed within him, each beat syncing with the rhythm of the world, each breath drawing in the essence of the dawn.
The Core Formation Realm awaited, a distant peak yet to be climbed, but Necro knew he was ready.
He stepped forward, the world shifting around him as he moved, the rhythm of the Lotus guiding his stride, the promise of further evolution whispering in the dawn air.
He would climb further, step by step, breath by breath, letting the Lotus guide him, letting the Dao shape him, until the world itself recognized the rhythm he carried within.
The quiet promise of evolution was no longer a whisper.
It was the rhythm of his existence.