Luofu Mountain, Lotus Grotto-Heaven.
Cheng Xinzhan rose after six months of contemplating lotuses. By now, the Fate Embryo in his Crimson Palace had undergone earth-shaking changes.
The slender, curving, coiling "Dragon Bow" had thickened considerably. This time, it had not grown longer, but broader, becoming sturdy and plump, round and bulging.
The Fate Embryo now looked top-heavy, with an enormous upper end that narrowed toward the bottom, forming an inverted cone. Seven openings were clearly visible on its massive head, and two of them held something resembling a pair of black lotus seeds.
A little farther down, around the Fate Embryo's neck, lay a ring of rippling folds. These folds slowly rose and fell, as though breathing.
Thus, the entire Fate Embryo looked very much like a lotus seedpod growing on a cloud bed: broad above and narrow below, with seed holes, lotus seeds, and natural folds. Yet closer inspection revealed the suggestion of an infant within this seedpod, like a big-headed doll. Those seven holes were its seven apertures, and the two black lotus seeds distinctly resembled eyeballs. As for the folds around its neck, they were unmistakably branchial arches and neck folds, remarkably lifelike.
The entire Fate Embryo was pale pink, but its skin bore a faint ocher-yellow sheen. It looked warm, lustrous, delicate, and tender, as though carved from warm jade, giving an impression of exuberant vitality.
This was the third stage of the Fate Embryo's transformation: the "Lotus Chamber."
At last, the Fate Embryo had acquired a trace of human form.
Cheng Xinzhan was very pleased with his Fate Embryo's precious manifestation. Contemplating ten thousand lotuses over half a year had not been in vain. However, he had no intention of leaving the grotto-heaven yet. The next stage of the Fate Embryo was "Lotus Root Essence,"