Reborn as a lotus, she initially refuses to hand it over to the state.

Lingnan, the border of the vast wilderness, is characterized by its majestic, undulating mountains.

Deep in the mountains, amidst thick fog, lies an ancient lake that no one dares to approach year-round.

This lake is called Black Dragon Lake. There is an old saying among the mountain people of Lingnan: "Nighttime will not cross the mountain, and rain will not enter the lake."

The reason for saying this is that this place was a battlefield in ancient times, where soldiers fought fiercely, corpses littered the ground, and resentment was extremely strong.

Some say that a spirit dwells in the lake, while others say that a black dragon is trapped at the bottom of the lake.

Whenever it rains, lightning flashes and thunder roars over Black Dragon Lake, creating a terrifying spectacle. As a result, no one has ever dared to approach this place. However, in this dark lake, a faint green light has appeared at this moment.

The source of that faint light was a lotus flower that was entirely emerald green.

Am I dead?

In the darkness, Chu Zhou gradually regained consciousness, his mind filled with a sharp, intense pain, which he remembered very clearly.

In the fifth year of the global spiritual revival, a beast tide attacks the city.

As an ordinary first-tier warrior of the Federal Martial Alliance, he and the survivors were caught in the aftermath of a battle between sixth-tier warriors and their equally powerful demonic beasts while covering the survivors' retreat.

His body turned into a bloody mist, and before he died, he saw it with his own eyes. The sky split open, and a blood-red demonic lotus that blotted out the sun slowly descended from the heavens.

Dozens of human king-level powerhouses surrounded and attacked them.

As a result, they couldn't even cut a single lotus leaf, and in the end, the entire base city was destroyed, with corpses strewn everywhere.

Wait, a demonic lotus? Chu Zhou suddenly froze, because he realized that he couldn't move.

Yet he could clearly perceive his surroundings: the cold lake water, the rotting silt, and a thin, long stem.

"Have I turned into a plant?"

Chu Zhou wanted to cry but had no tears. He hadn't done anything bad in his past life, so why was he reborn as a lotus?

A cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang out.

[Ding! Host rebirth detected]

[Twin System Binding Complete]

The following systems are currently available: Option 1: Submit to the National System

[Introduction: The host can bind themselves to a nation, proactively revealing their unique characteristics, and handing over resources, intelligence, and opportunities to receive national rewards and system rebates.]

[Advantages: Safe growth, abundant resources, official protection.]

[Friendly Reminder: Your reborn identity and future memories may attract the attention of higher-ups.]

Option Two: Infinite Evolution System

[Description: It devours all things, plunders the essence of life, and evolves without limit.]

[Advantages: Extremely fast growth rate, unlimited potential.]

[Warning: High returns come with high risks.]

[Warning: The host may be facing a life-threatening situation.]

[Warning: Please choose carefully.]

Chu Zhou fell silent. If it were his previous life, he might have chosen the country.

After all, humanity in its previous life did indeed withstand the initial darkness.

But now, when Chu Zhou recalled the beast tide, those desperate figures, and those so-called high-ranking officials vying for power and profit.

He recalled being abandoned outside the defensive line to wait for death.

He sneered inwardly: "Rely on others? Forget it, in this life, I only believe in myself."

"I choose the Infinite Evolution System."

[Ding! Infinite Evolution System successfully bound!]

[Detect the current host status]

[Race: Incomplete Mortal Lotus]

[Rank: First Rank]

[Vital Status: Near Death]

[Remaining lifespan: 10 hours and 23 minutes]

[New Player Quest: Survive]

[Mission Reward: 10 Evolution Points]

Chu Zhou: "What the hell? This is ridiculous! Less than a day of lifespan, are you kidding me?"

His newly ignited ambition was instantly extinguished. He was about to die? What use was rebirth?

Just as I was feeling down, the silt at the bottom of the lake suddenly stirred, and a dark figure slowly swam over.

It was a snakehead fish that was nearly half a meter long.

It was staring intently at the center of the lake, or more precisely, at Chu Zhou.

[Low-level Beast Discovered: Bloodthirsty Snake]

[Danger Level: Lethal]

Survival probability: 0.7%

[Recommendation: Escape immediately]

A mechanical prompt sounded in his mind. Chu Zhou fell silent and glanced at his roots, which were firmly planted in the mud.

"Holy crap, tell me, how am I, a lotus flower, supposed to escape?"

Chu Zhou was also in a bind. Other people who transmigrate are reincarnations of empresses, but why did he end up as a useless lotus? Was he going to become fish food?

The snakehead fish approached the Chu boat.

Chu Zhou finally saw what this creature looked like: its body was jet black and its eyes were blood red.

It didn't rush forward, but instead slowly swam around the Chu boat, occasionally gently wagging its tail to stir up the surrounding silt.

Clearly, this guy has developed some intelligence.

It was assessing whether the lotus flower emitting a faint spiritual aura posed any danger.

"Damn, they're pretty cautious."

Chu Zhou's heart sank. If it were an ordinary fish, he could comfort himself, but this was clearly a mutated beast after the spiritual energy had been restored.

Moreover, the system itself has already stated this.

fatal!

Just as Chu Zhou's heart sank, the system notification sounded in his mind again.

[The host is facing a life-threatening crisis]

[Danger Level: Extremely High]

[Activate the beginner survival assistant]

[Congratulations, host, on awakening a special ability]

【Roots entwining】

[Ability Description: Can manipulate underground roots to bind and strangle targets.]

Current Level: Lv0

Effective range: 0.5 meters

[Tip: Consuming life essence can increase your ability level]

As the mechanical sound subsided, Chu Zhou clearly felt a strange connection deep within his body.

Like tiny roots embedded in the mud.

It became their own hands and feet.

"I can control the roots now?"

Chu Zhou was overjoyed and quickly tried to take control.

Whoosh!

A slender root suddenly swayed gently, though its movement was as clumsy as a baby waving its hand.

But it was already able to move, and was extremely agile. Chu Zhou's spirits instantly lifted; with this ability, he was confident he could deal with the snakehead.

At the same time, the system notification reappeared.

Current evolution point: 0

[The host is detected to be extremely weak]

Recommendation: Prioritize hunting lower-level life forms.

Chu Zhou sensed his surroundings and quickly discovered that several small fish, about the length of a finger, were swimming near the muddy edge.

There was even a tiny shrimp, no bigger than the palm of your hand.

"Hunt them down!"

Chu Zhou controlled the roots to extend slowly, the movement was extremely slow.

Like a venomous snake lurking underwater, it slowly approaches the school of fish, but obviously, it's its first time operating it and it lacks experience.

The mud and sand churned, and several small fish scattered in fright.

"Depend on!"

Chu Zhou almost cursed, but luckily there was still a small fish that was a bit slow to react and was still nibbling on the water plants.

Now! Whoosh! The roots suddenly shot out and wrapped around the fish's tail.

The little fish struggled frantically, stirring up the water, but its struggles were doomed to failure. After all, it was just an ordinary little fish, not a strange beast, so how could it possibly resist?

A few seconds later, the struggle gradually stopped.

At the same time, a faint warm current flowed into the body through the roots.

The feeling was like parched land receiving sweet rain, so comfortable that Chu Zhou almost groaned.

[Successfully devoured]

[Evolution Point +1]

[Health points slightly restored]

"There's hope!"

Chu Zhou's eyes lit up immediately, and he began hunting frantically.

One, two, three…

As Chu Zhou became more and more skilled at manipulating the roots, he even began to learn how to ambush fish, hiding the roots in the mud in advance and wrapping them around them the moment the fish got close.

Efficiency increased, and after ten minutes...

He had already swallowed seven or eight small fish and even strangled a crab.

[Evolution points reached 10]

[Meets promotion requirements]

[Have you broken through to the first tier?]

"breakthrough!"

As the command was given, a surge of heat suddenly swept through his entire body. Chu Zhou felt as if his body had been reshaped.

The originally slender stems quickly thickened, the emerald green lotus leaves slowly unfurled, their color becoming increasingly translucent, and the roots embedded in the mud grew exponentially.

It went from being as thick as a chopstick to becoming much thicker, and even developed faint blue veins on its surface.

The range has also been expanded from half a meter to two meters.

Meanwhile, the system panel has been updated:

[Race: Mortal Spirit Green Lotus]

[Rank: First Rank]

[Ability: Root Entanglement (Lv1)]

Current status: Minor injury

[Remaining lifespan: 31 days]

Chu Zhou almost cried with excitement; at least he wouldn't die suddenly today.

However, his joy was short-lived.

The lake water suddenly rippled gently, and a sense of danger washed over me.

Chu Zhou's heart tightened; the snakehead fish was coming.