Lin Mu instinctively understood some of them—concepts of balance, life, stillness, and growth.
She lifted her hand, and a single glowing lotus bud rose between them.
"You have touched the edge of the Litany of the Verdant Forest. But to truly wield it… you must plant your roots deeper."
The bud floated into Lin Mu's hand, and he felt it pulse—alive.
"What is this?" he asked.
"A seed of understanding. The litany is not merely a technique. It is a pact with the forest. With life itself. You must see it. Live it."
The bud dissolved into light and sank into his palm, and Lin Mu gasped as warmth flooded through him again.
Visions appeared in his mind—trees growing in fast motion, seasons cycling in moments, life blooming and fading with purpose, not loss.
It was not power for destruction.
It was power for preservation.
A kind of strength rarely walked upon.
The Lotus Spirit spoke once more.
"Will you walk that path, Lin Mu?"
Lin Mu's hand closed into a fist.
He bowed.
