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

Taking advantage of the moment, Chu Zhou manipulated the roots and gently touched its injured wing. The little sparrow trembled slightly in pain and let out a pitiful cry.

"Bear with it, it's my first time being a veterinarian, I'm not very skilled yet."

Chu Zhou also had to bite the bullet and go for it. He had just gained the ability to restore life, so he had to give it a try.

Trying to activate its power, a wisp of pale green life force slowly emerged from the roots.

Like warm water, it slowly covered the little sparrow's body.

A miraculous scene unfolded: the little sparrow's bleeding wound slowly stopped bleeding.

The broken feathers regained their luster, even the twisted wing.

Everything was recovering little by little. The little sparrow was stunned for a moment, its round eyes wide open.

It could feel its body recovering. The comfortable warmth made it gently rub against its roots.

"Chirp!" The sound was like a coquettish whisper, and Chu Zhou chuckled, "Quite polite, actually."

With the continuous nourishment of life energy, the little sparrow finally recovered considerably.

Although not fully recovered, it can already flap its wings and stand up again.

At this moment, another strange phenomenon occurred: the little sparrow's body suddenly began to glow faintly.

Wisps of spiritual energy gathered towards it in the air.

Chu Zhou was also somewhat surprised. What was going on?

The detection target is affected by the host's life force.

[The goal is to awaken spiritual intelligence]

[Target evolving...]

Chu Zhou was dumbfounded: "This works?"

He only helped the little sparrow a little, but unexpectedly the little guy started to evolve. As the evolution began, the little sparrow's eyes gradually became more lively, instead of the original ignorant wildness.

It even seemed to possess a hint of intelligence. It first looked down at its restored wings.

Then he looked at the enchanting lotus in the center of the lake, which emitted a faint glow.

With gratitude in her eyes, she then did something that stunned Chu Zhou.

It flew up and landed on a rock by the lake, nuzzled the roots of Chu Zhou with its head, and chirped.

Chu Zhou clearly sensed it.

The emotions conveyed by the other person: dependence, gratitude, closeness, and surrender.

A very faint, intermittent wave of consciousness came through: "Pain, help, like..."

Chu Zhou also became interested. This little thing wanted to recognize a master as soon as it gained sentience?

After thinking about it, I felt that taking a little sparrow as a follower wouldn't be bad. If the little guy evolved, he could help me patrol in the air and also make it easier for me to know the situation outside in advance.

"From now on, I'll call you Jinbao." Chu Zhou thought for a moment and gave the little sparrow a name. He had originally wanted to name it Xiaohuang.

It felt really awkward, so I just took Jinbao directly. After this little sparrow evolved, its feathers turned a light gold color, which was quite pretty.

Therefore, Chu Zhou named it Little Golden Treasure.

When Jinbao heard that Chuzhou had given it a name, it chirped and rubbed against Chuzhou's roots.

Seeing how happy the little one is.

Chu Zhou was also in a good mood, just like an old father looking at his child, a very pleasant feeling.

Before we knew it, three more days had passed. On this day, the night was cool and clear, and the valley was quiet and serene.

The occasional chirping of insects and frogs broke the tranquility.

As night deepened, the sky was filled with a dazzling array of stars.

Over the past three days, many changes have taken place around Heilong Lake.

What was once a place to be feared, Heilong Lake, is now a paradise, full of lush greenery.

Especially in the area where Chu Zhou is located.

Centered on him, the spiritual energy at the bottom of the lake became increasingly concentrated.

During the day, a light mist rises from the lake, while at night it glows with a faint bluish-green light.

The first things affected by the changes in Chu Zhou were the surrounding plants.

The little aquatic plant at the bottom of the lake that was the first to develop a faint sense of intelligence has changed the most.

It was originally only half a meter tall, with sparse grass.

It has now grown to nearly a meter in length. The grass blades are becoming increasingly emerald green, with faint blue veins even appearing on the edges, like a jade carving.

Most importantly, it also developed intelligence, and Chu Zhou gave it a name.

"Xiao Qing".

Although it was a perfunctory effort, the little water plant clearly liked it. Every time Chu Zhou called it, it would shake its leaves, as happy as a puppy wagging its tail.

They might even actively approach the area around Chu Zhou's roots.

While absorbing spiritual energy, they also radiate feelings of closeness.

"Happy...to get closer...to Master."

Although his consciousness was still blurred, he was able to express simple thoughts intermittently.

Chu Zhou was both amused and exasperated, wondering why he had inexplicably started cultivating a plant.

Besides Xiaoqing, the nearby plants also gradually changed. A patch of algae that was about to rot suddenly came back to life, turning a deep green color.

Several withered lotus leaves have also unfurled again, and even a few pale blue wildflowers have quietly sprouted near Chu Zhou.

Most absurdly, these plants all seemed to be drawn to Chu Zhou. Their leaves would sway whenever the roots got too close.

As if trying to please him, Chu Zhou would sometimes release a little spiritual fragrance.

The plants throughout the area swayed, creating a scene resembling a king surrounding them, which Chu Zhou found amusing.

I feel like I'm starting to act like a local tyrant, but it's really weird that my underlings are all plants. It's a very strange feeling.

Well, what's done is done. Chu Zhou felt that being reborn as a lotus was actually quite nice.

At least there's no backstabbing or deceit like in the human world.

However, what truly surprised him was that on the fifth day, a swarm of fist-sized black-striped bees suddenly flew in from deep within the mountains and forests.

At first, Chu Zhou was wary, thinking they were mutated poisonous bees. But after these creatures arrived at the lakeside...

Instead of attacking, it circled around Chu Zhou.

The buzzing sound was incessant, like a greeting. Even more surprisingly, they were clearly attracted by the fragrance.

They circled around Chu Zhou, and some of the bolder ones even landed directly on the lotus leaves and lay there refusing to move.

Chu Zhou thought to himself, "You guys came here to mooch spiritual energy? I've heard of people mooching food and drinks, but I never thought there would be people mooching spiritual energy."

However, the system gave him a hint that these guys had no effect on him, and that staying here for a long time would actually benefit the surrounding plants.

On the sixth day, as night deepened, the valley of Heilong Lake was serene and quiet.

A mountain breeze swept through the forest, causing the leaves to rustle, and the occasional chirping of insects sounded particularly clear in the night.

By the lake, the swarm of black-striped bees had already returned to their hive, resting in the crevices of the ancient trees.

Little Jinbao was sleeping curled up on a warm blue stone by the lake, his little head buried in his wings.

Xiao Qing swayed her body. Her leaves clung close to Chu Zhou's roots, like a little night watchman.

The entire lake area was so quiet it was almost peaceful.

However, at the very moment midnight fell.

Something strange happened in the sky.

hum!

An indescribable surge suddenly swept across the globe, as if it were some ancient force that had been dormant for billions of years.

That night, everything was completely awakened, and the once calm night sky began to tremble violently.

Chu Zhou suddenly woke up with a start.

At this moment, all living things in the entire Black Dragon Lake were startled. Fish at the bottom of the lake stirred, and wild beasts in the mountains fled in panic.

Even the sleeping little Jinbao was startled and flew up.

The moon in the sky changed at that moment. The normally sized full moon now strangely swelled several times its original size.

Hanging high in the sky, so enormous it was almost suffocating, as if it could be reached out and touched. The entire moon radiated an ancient and mysterious silvery glow.

Even more terrifying, right in the center of the moon, the phantom of a magnificent and enormous palace slowly emerged.

Majestic, ancient, and mysterious, it seems to have spanned the long river of time, descending from ancient times.

Countless silver-white divine patterns flowed across the surface of the palace, resembling both a celestial palace and a divine temple.

The grandeur was awe-inspiring, and Chu Zhou's mind trembled. His entire lotus body shook with excitement: "The Moon Palace phenomenon? It has finally begun."

"The First Global Reiki Craze!"

This scene was all too familiar to Chu Zhou; it was the sign that the global upheaval had truly begun in his previous life.

This first projection of the Moon Palace was later known as the "Night of the Spirit Tide".

After that night, the global order of things was completely altered, and the concentration of spiritual energy surged dozens of times. Countless ordinary creatures mutated, and humanity began to truly awaken.

Some become extraordinary overnight, some awaken superpowers, and some die from being overwhelmed by spiritual energy.

And this night also marked the beginning of the rise of countless kings.

"They're here."

Chu Zhou's consciousness trembled slightly, feeling both nervous and excited.

He knew that the truly great era had finally begun.

boom!

The illusory image of the Moon Palace suddenly trembled. Immediately afterwards, endless moonlight poured down.

As if the Milky Way had reversed its course, countless silver specks of light rained down from the sky, instantly turning the entire Lingnan mountain range silvery-white.

The lake surface shimmered, and the forest seemed to be draped in a mysterious veil.

Those silvery specks of light were not moonlight at all. They were instead a dense, almost tangible, spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

"Absorb it for me!" Chu Zhou roared in his mind.

boom!

The second-tier spiritual energy absorption ability was instantly activated at full power, causing the entire lake area to tremble and the lake water to form a huge vortex.

Countless silvery-white spiritual energies converged frantically towards Chu Zhou. The scene resembled a small spiritual energy storm, causing the surrounding plants to sway wildly.

The small green leaves trembled, filled with excitement.

"So happy... so much..."

The swarm of black-striped bees was restless, frantically absorbing the moonlight.

Even Little Jinbao was stunned, standing blankly on the rock. Its feathers were covered in silver light, but Chu Zhou paid no attention to that.

Because he was getting stronger at an incredible rate, system notifications started flooding the screen.

[Detection of high concentrations of pheromones in the environment]

[Spiritual energy absorption efficiency increased by 100%]

[Evolution Points +1...]

[Absorbing the essence of the moon]

[Enhancing the Essence of Life]

[Gained a slight lunar spirituality]

[Evolution Point +3]

……

Chu Zhou felt a tingling sensation all over the lotus plant; it was too exaggerated, even faster than hunting down a strange beast!

The emerald green lotus leaves stretched wildly, revealing the original two-meter-wide body.

It grew again, three meters, then three and a half meters, its emerald-like leaves becoming increasingly translucent, with even faint silver veins appearing along the edges. The stem resembled an ancient tree, with bluish-gold spiritual patterns slowly flowing around it.

Hundreds of roots at the bottom of the lake are expanding wildly.

Thirty meters, fifty meters, seventy meters—the entire shallow water area was almost completely covered!

At the same time, the system notification sounded again.

[Current evolution points: 299/300]

[Breakthrough conditions met]

[Should I advance to Tier 3?]

Chu Zhou didn't even think about it.

"breakthrough!"

boom!

In an instant, the spiritual energy of the entire Black Dragon Lake surged, and Chu Zhou felt as if his body was being torn apart.

Then, it coalesced again, and this time it changed.

Far exceeding the second tier, his consciousness seemed to instantly rise, and his spiritual water perception range skyrocketed to 100 meters, 200 meters, 300 meters. The entire shallow water area of ​​the lake appeared in his mind, and he could even vaguely perceive the trees on the shore.

His true form underwent a transformation, with the lotus leaf growing to a full five meters in size, crystal clear.

Like a jadeite, it even has a layer of silver moon pattern emerging in the center.

A faint divine glow emanated from it, but the most astonishing thing was the flower bud.

What was originally just a lotus leaf at the center is now slowly swelling up, and a blue-silver lotus bud is gathering, as if it is about to bloom at any moment.

[Congratulations, host, on breaking through to the third tier!]

[Racial Evolution: Azure Water Demon Lotus → Moonflower Demon Lotus]

[Ability Enhancement: Strengthening of Spiritual Energy Absorption]

[Ability Enhancement: Improved Life Recovery]

[Root Entwining Lv3→Lv4]

[Awakening New Ability: Moonlight Nourishment]

[Awakening New Ability: Mental Fluctuation]

Chu Zhou's heart stirred. The third tier had finally been reached. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but recall the system from his previous life.

In the human system, the third tier corresponds to the threshold of true power, known as the Spirit Gathering Realm or the Extraordinary Realm.

If the second stage is merely about strengthening the body, then the third stage...

This means truly mastering spiritual power. Within a human martial artist's body, a spiritual energy cycle will form, enabling them to unleash ranged attacks. Releasing spiritual power externally enhances martial arts techniques.

Even those who have just begun to master artifacts are already considered the backbone of the military, with one person guarding a street.

Having slain hordes of alien beasts, he was qualified to serve as the captain of an elite combat team in the base city during the early stages of spiritual energy recovery.

Third-tier beasts are even more dangerous, because the vast majority of them already possess clear intelligence.

They even knew how to ambush, rule, and expand their ethnic groups.

Thinking of this, Chu Zhou looked up at the night sky, where the enormous phantom of the moon palace still hung in the heavens.

He knew that after tonight, the whole world would be completely changed.