Lotus Flower Bellyband

The radiance gradually faded.

The originally enormous, lustrous Nine-Ranked Lotus Petals had vanished. In their place floated above Su Miao's chubby little hands a warm object that gave off a pure lotus fragrance and faint rosy clouds.

She carefully picked it up and unfolded it.

It was... a very tiny, exquisite bodice.

Its main color was not the bright red she had imagined, but a warm orange-pink closer to the hue of a newborn sun, soft and warm, as though a streak of dawn glow had merged with the delicate tenderness of a lotus stamen.

The material was neither silk nor brocade. It felt exceptionally fine and warm, while the Innate Dao Patterns that had once covered the lotus petal could faintly be seen quietly flowing and rearranging themselves into even more profound, indescribable patterns, subtly carrying the essence of protection and purification.

The edges were rounded, and two thin straps of the same material were soft yet tough.

Beside the bodice lay a pair of same-colored Little Shorts, exceedingly simple in design and just the right match.

"It... it worked?!"

Su Miao blinked her big eyes at the creation in her hands, which far exceeded her expectations, her little mouth falling open into an O.

She had only hoped to make herself a scrap of cloth to cover up with. She had never expected that she would actually "refine" a finished garment—one that even looked rather convincing!

Though its style was as simple as baby clothes, but... she had refined it herself!

An enormous sense of accomplishment instantly washed away her earlier dejection and grievance.

Unable to wait another second, she clumsily began pulling the warm little bodice onto herself.

The process was rather bumpy. Her little arms and legs were not very coordinated, and tying the straps behind her back in particular took tremendous effort. She twisted like a pretzel sprite and nearly tripped herself several times.

But in the end, she got it on!

And it fit perfectly!

As though it had been tailored for her, it snugly wrapped around her soft, chubby little body.

The warm orange-pink made her snowy skin appear even more lustrous. Together with her wildly curly hair and the black soot still smeared across her face, the overall look could only be called... uniquely distinctive.

More importantly, the instant she put on clothes, an indescribable sense of security and dignity welled up within her!

The bodice and shorts looked simple, yet they had been born from the Same Source as her. They were incomparably comfortable to wear, and she could even feel a faint, pure current of Spiritual Qi constantly nourishing her skin.

"Hehe..."

Su Miao lowered her head and stroked her soft, warm new clothes with her little hands. At last, her tears turned into laughter, her big eyes curving into crescents as all her unhappiness was flung beyond the nine heavens.

Delighted, she spun around twice on the spot. Her steps were still a little unsteady, but her heart was already soaring with joy.

Then her gaze shifted, and she spotted the dull gray bead she had casually set beside her leg—her Companion Spiritual Treasure.

She recalled the Inherited Memories mentioning that Dharma Treasures needed to be "ritually refined." Otherwise, not only would they be difficult to wield, they could also easily be snatched away!

"You're mine too! You can't get lost!"

Muttering to herself, she sat cross-legged again, cradling the Chaos Bead in her palms as her little face turned solemn.

How was she supposed to refine it?

The Inherited Memories seemed to say that one had to use one's Primordial Spirit or Spiritual Sense to communicate with the restrictions inside the Dharma Treasure, refining them step by step.

Primordial Spirit?

Spiritual Sense?

Su Miao blinked blankly and tried her hardest to sense them.

She could only feel a patch of chaos within her Sea of Consciousness. That so-called Primordial Spirit also seemed muddled and weak because of the injuries to her soul and the shrinking of her form.

She tried to focus, silently calling out to the bead in her hand:

"Hey? Can you hear me? It's me! Your master! From now on, we're on the same team! You have to behave, okay?"

Rather than ritual refinement, this was more like... coaxing a child?

Hidden in the shadows, the Heavenly Dao Will was rendered speechless yet again.

Yet at the very instant Su Miao's utterly pure, distraction-free intent to "communicate" touched the Chaos Bead, another change occurred!

Deep within the Chaos Bead, inside those tiny cracks, that slumbering ancient spirituality seemed to be stirred once more.

This time, it was no longer an imperceptible tremor. Instead, it released an exceedingly faint hum that seemed to cross the ages, carrying a trace of laziness and acknowledgment!

"Hum—"

The bead quivered softly.

A faint yet incomparably profound chaotic-colored gleam flowed out from its cracks. It did not spread outward. Instead, as though alive, it proactively and gently wound itself around Su Miao's weak, naive Spiritual Sense intent that had reached out to probe it, then gave a light tug—

Su Miao only felt her consciousness go whoosh as it was pulled into an indescribably wondrous space!

This place was neither darkness nor light, but a strange realm of undifferentiated chaos where even the concepts of time and space were blurred.

Countless dense, intricate restriction Runes, carrying the aura of the supreme Laws of the Great Dao, filled the place like Stars. Layer upon layer, vast as a sea of smoke, they were so profound that merely looking at them made her head spin, leaving her with no idea where to begin.

This was the restriction space within the Chaos Bead!

There were a full fifty Innate Restrictions. Any single one of them would be enough to make a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal spend ten thousand years struggling to comprehend it!

But now, at the very outer edge of this vast stellar sea of restrictions, the first restriction lit up of its own accord, gently. The way its Runes flowed became exceedingly simple and clear, even... carrying the air of a step-by-step lesson?

It seemed to be saying:

Come, trace it like this. It's very simple.

Su Miao's ignorant Spiritual Sense almost instinctively followed the gourd in drawing a ladle, cautiously spreading her faint power along the path lit up by the Restriction.

There was no resistance, no rejection—only a smooth sensation like water blending with milk.

It was as though this supreme treasure, dormant since time immemorial, had been waiting countless ages for her. Now, it patiently and proactively guided its tiny new master in establishing this first—and most crucial—connection.

Only a moment passed—

"Buzz..."

Another soft hum rang out, clearer than before.

Su Miao felt a solid, warm connection suddenly form between her mind and the Chaos Bead. At the same time, a stream of information naturally flowed into her heart:

The first layer of the Chaos Bead's Restriction had been initially refined!

Though she had only refined the most basic portion of the first Restriction, and was still far from wielding even one hundred-millionth of its power, it was already enough to perform some of its most basic functions!

For instance, storing it within her body.

For instance, the simplest one—storage.

Her awareness returned to reality.

To her delighted surprise, with the slightest movement of her thoughts, the Chaos Bead in her hand transformed into an almost imperceptible wisp of Chaos airflow.

With a whoosh, it entered her brow and quietly floated within her ignorant, fragile Sea of Consciousness, radiating a gentle aura that even slowly nourished her injured soul.

With another thought, the bead instantly reappeared in her palm.

"Wow! That's amazing!"

Su Miao's playful nature was stirred at once. She immediately played this game of "putting it away and taking it out at will" several times, delighted beyond measure.

Then, she remembered the storage function.

Looking at the patch of Nine-Ranked Lotus Platform beside her, which she had snapped bare and left looking somewhat pitiful—only eight ranks remained—she focused her thoughts again, wanting to put it away!

The massive lotus platform vanished instantly. The next moment, she sensed it lying quietly in a corner of the vast, empty space inside the Chaos Bead.

"So useful!"

Su Miao clapped her little hands, overjoyed.

This was practically a super invincible, enormous portable warehouse!

If she picked up pretty stones or fruit in the future, she would no longer have to worry about having nowhere to put them!

With the two great worries weighing on her heart—clothes and the ownership of the Dharma Treasure—finally resolved, an immense sense of security wrapped around her.

The fright, grievance, and confusion of recent days finally dissipated completely.

She stood up, patted the nonexistent dust from her little bottom, puffed out her tiny chest covered by the warm orange Bellyband, and an indescribable sense of ease and curiosity filled her heart once more.

Wearing new clothes and carrying her precious bead, she now felt like the prettiest little cub on all of Mount Fangzhang!

It was time to properly explore this... super mansion that belonged to her!

Her round, curious eyes wide open, she took her still-wobbly little steps toward the depths of the island, in the direction where Rosy Clouds swirled and treasure light faintly flickered, setting off on the first outing of her life.