The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2115: The eighth petal of the golden lotus blooms

The eyes of the trio glowed with golden light as they began their work.

Cain exhaled slowly, then pushed Synchronization to its absolute limit. His consciousness expanded outward, threading itself into the radiant storm before them. He could sense every current—the rhythm and vibration of all thirty-three streams of solar plasma. One by one, he extended his awareness, weaving his mind into the first twenty-five streams until it felt as though the sun itself pulsed through his veins.

The thirty-three streams writhed and bucked like living serpents, each one thrumming with destructive will. Cain moved with infinite care, adjusting their courses, diverting their collision paths while guiding them away from the core of the Gate of Thirty-Three Suns.

At the same time, he helped Alita and Elder Oni, lending them a steady current of guidance. The trio’s energies intertwined—three luminous frequencies converging in harmony as they labored to hold the balance.

It would have been far easier for Cain to do it alone. His control over the Flow far exceeded either of theirs. But deep down he knew this was the perfect challenge—one that would temper his understanding to perfection. To guide others through the chaos of the Flow was to master it utterly.

Inch by inch, the blazing streams began to move.

Each second brought new progress—each stream that left the core brightened the path toward the next ring. Yet every moment of success was shadowed by mounting resistance. The plasma fought back, testing their will. The closer they came to completion, the more violently the streams thrashed against their command.

At times, they would lose control for barely a nanosecond—and that was enough. A single lapse, and a stream they had spent hours diverting would spiral back to the core, undoing all their effort.

Alita’s knuckles whitened with frustration. Elder Oni’s breath grew ragged. Every time one of their streams reset, distress gnawed at their patience.

More than once, they wanted to slam their heads against the glowing gate.

But Cain never scolded them. Even when his own streams slipped back into the core, he only smiled and continued.

His focus was absolute.

He controlled twenty-five streams at once, guided the other eight through his comrades, and maintained a perfect mental map of the entire gate’s structure. It was a task beyond comprehension. His eyes were bloodshot, his body trembling, his soul screaming from the strain—but his expression was one of quiet exhilaration.

The golden light of the Flow around him only grew stronger.

Then, suddenly, it happened.

The eighth petal of his golden lotus bloomed.

The shift was immediate. Understanding cascaded through his soul like water through glass. His command over Divergence transformed from calculated control into effortless intuition. The solar streams bent to his will as though they had always been meant to follow his lead.

With newfound clarity, he reached out to Alita and Oni—not just guiding them but lifting them, aligning their flows with his own. Their resistance melted away. The streams obeyed.

Half an hour later, the final strand of solar plasma curved outward and vanished into the void.

The gate shuddered.

Massive gears of light rotated deep within its core, grinding and shifting until, at last, the Gate of Thirty-Three Suns split open with a roar of cosmic thunder.

Beyond it lay the next trial.

The ancient voice echoed once more, ethereal and commanding.

"The Twofold March: Harmony of Crown and Company—the Third of the Nine Rings."

The trio exchanged solemn glances. Even the name exuded weight and mystery. None of them could imagine what awaited beyond.

When the gate fully opened, what greeted them was not grandeur but emptiness.

Before them stretched nothing but a vast, glass-like plain—perfectly still, gleaming like frozen starlight.

Alita frowned. Oni’s expression tightened.

They all knew better than to trust appearances. Nothing in the Sacred Dimension of the Red King was ever as it seemed.

The only way to understand was to cross.

But before stepping forward, Cain lifted a hand. "Wait. There’s something I must do first."

He sat down on the void of the Second Ring, folding his legs beneath him. "You can go ahead if you wish—or wait. But I won’t move until I finish."

Neither Alita nor Oni hesitated. They exchanged a brief look, then took guard positions at his sides. There was no way they would leave Cain. Not only was his Master of The Flow their shield, but by his side, they were growing with every challenge.

Cain smiled faintly before closing his eyes, turning inward. It was time to comprehend the art he had awakened.

The Thirty-Three Stars.

He let the Flow fill his mind as he began to whisper its principles in thought.

"The Thirty-Three Stars teach how to strike the Flow Points—the invisible junctions where Life Force and Soul Force intersect within a being’s existence. These are ephemeral nodes that pulse with vitality and consciousness."

The words shaped the golden current inside him, giving it form.

"Mastery of this art divides into two core mechanics. The first is Identification—the act of perceiving the Flow Points. Every living being vibrates with a unique frequency, a complex weave of body, mind, and spirit. By focusing one’s Synchronization upon a single target through the principles of the Thirty-Three Stars, each heartbeat, each breath, becomes visible as waves of luminous current.

Within those waves lie the Flow Points—shimmering intersections of vitality that evoke life, and consciousness that echoes soul. In all beings, there are thirty-three primary intersections. Their locations differ by species, by realm, by cultivation path—but they are always there, the hidden pulse of existence."

Cain paused, inhaling deeply as the truth resonated through him.

He extended his will and shaped the Flow according to the Art’s design.

It did not take long before thirty-three golden points appeared across his body. Each one glowed faintly, arranged in patterns only the Flow could reveal. Some rested near his vital organs; others pulsed beneath his armpits, behind his ears, or deep within the marrow of his bones.

He opened his eyes and turned toward his companions.

It was far harder with others. When he looked upon Alita and Oni, he could discern only a handful of their Flow Points—three, perhaps four for each—and even then it demanded immense concentration. His temples throbbed, his vision blurred, and the effort felt like trying to read divine script carved into mist.

To perceive such details in battle was an incredibly difficult task.