Necro descended from the terrace, the dawn at his back, the five petals of the Lotus pulsing softly within him as the world came alive under the rising sun. The pines whispered in the breeze, dew glinting on the grass, the Sect's courtyards beginning to stir as disciples emerged from their quarters to begin their morning routines.
Each step he took felt different now.
The world seemed to shift around him with each movement, the streams of qi in the air reacting subtly to his breath, aligning themselves with the quiet rhythm of the Lotus within. His senses had expanded further, the threads of energy in the earth resonating faintly with each footfall, the quiet song of the wind carrying traces of the Dao principles he had integrated within himself.
The Lotus was no longer simply a cultivation tool, no longer just a secret hidden within his dantian.
It was alive.
And it was hungry.
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