Evolve, Lin Hai!

In a deep forest in Missouri, faint blue fluorescence illuminated Lin Hai's grave face. The enormous flower bud stood quietly in a small clearing before him, ancient and vast energy flowing within it.

"Are you really going to do this?" Harry stood to one side, an unusual tension in his voice. The Osborn Group research team had already set up all the monitoring equipment, and more than a dozen pairs of eyes were fixed on Lin Hai's every move.

Lin Hai took a deep breath and sat cross-legged before the flower bud. A faint green glow shone from his fingertips as the Life Energy within him, like a trickling stream, cautiously reached toward the bud's surface.

"First, I'll try the most minimal contact," he said softly, as if reminding himself.

At the same time, he thought, The Sorcerer Supreme, The Ancient One, protects Earth, but who knows which dimension she's off traveling in right now? If something goes wrong... Pah, pah, pah! Nothing will go wrong!

Lin Hai's outstretched hand paused slightly, then reached even more resolutely toward the flower bud.

The instant the first wisp of energy made contact, Lin Hai's entire body trembled.

The energy within the flower bud was as vast as a sea of stars, as ancient as though it had come from the beginning of the universe. His consciousness was pulled into a fleeting vision. Within it lay endless galaxies, glittering nebulae, and a humanoid outline formed from pure light energy.

Without question, it was Ego. The vision quickly faded, and the flower bud remained quiet, showing no abnormal reaction.

"The energy readings are stable," a researcher reported. "Vital signs are normal."

Lin Hai slowly exhaled and began increasing the energy exchange. This time, he was like a cautious thief drawing water, scooping a ladleful from an ocean. The Life Energy inside the flower bud flowed into his body under his guidance, ancient and dense like melted stars.

Over the next seven days, Lin Hai's schedule became extremely regular.

Every morning, he practiced Tai Chi in the nearby clearing, guiding the newly added energy through his body with every movement. The Life Energy from the flower bud was far purer than what Earth's plants could provide. With every breath, he could feel his cells cheering with joy.

"Your movements have slowed down," Harry observed from a rock nearby. "But every posture looks like a drawn bow ready to fire."

Lin Hai did not answer immediately. Only after completing his final closing movement did he explain, "It's not that I've slowed down. The energy density has increased, so it takes more 'effort' to mobilize it."

In the afternoon, he returned to the flower bud for energy exchanges. As the number of sessions increased, so did the amount he could absorb each time. By the fifth day, threads of blue starlight had begun to mix into the pale-green Divine Energy within his dantian.

At night, Lin Hai sat on a meditation mat in the temporary camp and digested the foreign energy as cautiously as possible. Twice, overly aggressive attempts nearly caused the energy to run wild, but he cut off his connection with the flower bud in time.

"Are you sure you want to continue?" On the evening of the seventh day, Harry stopped Lin Hai as he prepared to make contact with the flower bud again.

"The data shows that your cellular activity has already increased by two hundred percent. If this keeps up, something might go wrong," Harry said, his face full of worry.

"I know the risks." Lin Hai's gaze was firm. "But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There may not be another one like it anywhere on Earth. Besides, I can feel a major breakthrough right in front of me, so I have to seize this chance."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I can guarantee it!" Hearing Lin Hai's assurance, Harry relaxed somewhat. Lin Hai had always been dependable. Since he said so, there probably would not be any problems... right?

When the seventh energy exchange began, everything was normal. As usual, Lin Hai guided the flower bud's energy through his meridians. But just as the energy was about to fill his dantian—

Boom!

A tremendous crash that only Lin Hai could hear exploded within him. His dantian shook violently, as if some invisible barrier had been shattered. The formerly docile energy suddenly turned savage, and the Life Energy in the flower bud surged wildly into his body like floodwater bursting through a collapsed dam.

"Urgh—!"

Lin Hai groaned, veins bulging along his arms as web-like blue patterns of light emerged beneath his skin. The monitoring instruments immediately began shrieking alarms.

"Vital signs abnormal!"

"Energy readings are off the charts!"

The instant the alarms sounded, Harry rushed toward Lin Hai, only to be flung back by an invisible force and slammed into a tree behind him. Fortunately, he was not seriously hurt.

"Damn it!" Harry coughed as he climbed to his feet, shouting at the research team. "Cut off all energy supplies! Prepare sedatives!"

By then, Lin Hai could no longer hear the outside world. All his consciousness was focused on battling the rampaging energy within him. His meridians felt as though they were being pierced by millions of red-hot steel needles, and every cell was screaming.

Wave after wave of agony battered Lin Hai's nerves. His vision began to blur, and the only sound left in his ears was the thunderous rush of blood. Every inch of his meridians was being torn apart by violent energy, as though countless tiny blades were swimming through his veins.

Lin Hai clenched his teeth until blood seeped from his gums. Beneath his skin, blue energy patterns writhed like living things, expanding and contracting. The data on the monitors jumped frantically as piercing alarms echoed through the forest.

Just as he was on the verge of losing consciousness, the Seven-Colored Essence that had lain dormant deep in his mind finally moved.

It lazily surfaced from the depths of his consciousness like a cat awakened by noise, slowly circling through Lin Hai's mind as though deeply dissatisfied with the crisis before it.

But it quickly sensed that its host was on the verge of collapse. It suddenly accelerated, transforming into countless fine threads that spread throughout his body. Wherever they passed, the violent energy immediately became docile.

Below his left collarbone, a blue energy beam on the verge of exploding was gently wrapped in seven-colored threads. The rainbow light, like the most skilled weaver, rewove the rampaging energy into orderly patterns.

During another involuntary inner examination, Lin Hai felt as though he were watching a galactic reconstruction in a microscopic world. A star on the verge of going supernova was soothed by an invisible hand and returned to its proper orbit within the galaxy.

As the Seven-Colored Essence advanced, more dangers were resolved:

In the region of his liver, energy channels tangled into dead knots were gently untangled; cracks that had appeared in several major meridians near his heart were filled and repaired; the blue energy currents running wild through his spine were guided onto the correct path.

The entire process resembled both an intricate surgical procedure and a cosmic dance of stars. Lin Hai was immersed in this wondrous perspective and even temporarily forgot the pain.

When the Seven-Colored Essence advanced into the dantian region, the most astonishing change occurred.

This had originally been the "headquarters" of Lin Hai's internal energy. It held the original white, attribute-less energy produced through the combined effects of the Seven-Colored Essence and practicing Tai Chi, along with the green Life Energy fed back to him by various plants.

Now, however, more than half of it had been occupied by foreign blue energy. The three types of energy were like savage beasts locked in a struggle, churning the dantian into chaos.

The Seven-Colored Essence paused at the edge of the dantian for a moment, then suddenly changed tactics. Instead of merely guiding the energy, it actively began integrating the three completely different forms of energy.

Hum!

Lin Hai's entire body shook. In his inner vision, his dantian had become a miniature universe:

The white Tai Chi energy became the central star; the green Life Energy transformed into nebulae around it; the blue alien energy condensed into a brilliant outer galaxy; and the Seven-Colored Essence became the rainbow bridge connecting all three.

The three energies began circulating according to some profound and mysterious law, faster and faster, until they ultimately formed an emerald-colored energy vortex. When the rotation reached a critical point, a dazzling burst of light erupted.

All the energy fused perfectly, transforming into an entirely new emerald-colored liquid energy. It was denser than Life Energy and more agile than alien energy, with every drop containing astonishing vitality. Lin Hai instinctively circulated this newborn energy and discovered that it moved as naturally as an arm or finger, as though it had always belonged to him.

Even more wonderfully, this energy became even more responsive to his will. When Lin Hai wanted to heal a small wound on his hand, Emerald Energy automatically flowed to the injury, more than three times as efficient as before. When he tried to connect with the plants outside the cave, the information they fed back was so rich it made him dizzy. He could not only sense their condition, but even "hear" their primitive "emotions."

When the final wisp of energy completed its transformation, the Seven-Colored Essence remained exactly as it had been before and slowly returned to the depths of Lin Hai's mind. Like a peerless martial artist, it slew amid the mortal dust, escaped amid flashing blades, then brushed off its sleeves and departed, concealing its achievements and fame.

Lin Hai suddenly opened his eyes. Harry and the surrounding Osborn Group personnel were all holding their breath as they watched him.

The first thing Lin Hai noticed was the change in his vision. The entire world had become clearer and more vivid. Put simply, it was as though the image quality had gone from standard definition to high definition.

He could see tiny particles floating in the air, distinguish the finest cracks on a rock wall ten meters away, and even notice the pulsing capillaries on Harry's face.

"Your eyes... are glowing." Harry's voice trembled slightly, because his friend seemed to be heading further and further down a path beyond humanity.

Lin Hai touched the corner of his eye. Without a mirror, he still did not know what had happened. At that moment, his irises had turned a strange emerald color, with a faint blue glow around the edges of his pupils.

Lin Hai lowered his head and looked at his open palm. A faint emerald radiance flowed beneath his skin. When he deliberately circulated his energy, his entire palm emitted a soft emerald glow. Even more astonishingly, when he lightly waved his hand, a fern five meters away immediately began growing wildly, covering half the rock wall in the blink of an eye.

After returning to the temporary laboratory, they conducted another, more detailed examination. The results shocked everyone:

Cellular activity: Wound healing speed reached twelve times that of an ordinary person

Muscle strength: A single punch produced a reading higher than that of a professional boxer

Neural response: Able to simultaneously track twenty-seven moving targets (previously nine)

Energy reserves: More than twenty times greater than before

But the most astonishing discovery came from the energy analyzer. Dr. Connors, the chief scientist sent by Norman, stared at the screen with his eyes wide behind his glasses. "That's impossible! This energy spectrum possesses both plant characteristics and traits of some form of cosmic radiation." He swallowed.

Lin Hai walked to the edge of the woods outside the camp and gently pressed his palm against an oak tree. He did not need to deliberately release energy. With only a thought, Emerald Energy automatically established a connection.

In an instant, an ocean of information flooded into his consciousness. Every changing season in the tree's memories; the course of an underground water vein thirty meters below; even the "whispers" of another forest three kilometers away.

Even more incredible was that when he tried to "ask" rather than "command," the trees actively cooperated. An old pine tree even willingly snapped off one of its branches and offered it to him. This was something that had never happened before.

The subsequent test results left the Osborn scientists dumbfounded.

"Cellular regeneration speed increased by 500%..."

"Muscle density has reached three times that of an ordinary person..."

"Most unbelievable of all," the chief researcher said, pointing at the energy graph on the screen, "his Life Energy readings have now surpassed the level of an ordinary human."

Lin Hai did not join the discussion. He stood in the clearing he had used for cultivation recently, feeling the new energy flowing through his body.

This emerald Life Force was completely different from before. If his previous Life Energy had been like a mountain stream, this was now like a broad canal.

Even more wonderfully, he found that his connection with plants had become more intimate. Without deliberately releasing energy, the surrounding grass and trees would take the initiative to "greet" him.

"Looks like you got what you wanted." Harry walked over to stand beside him, his tone complicated.

Lin Hai nodded, but his gaze deepened. "But this is only the beginning. What that flower bud represents is far more complicated than you imagine."