THE MARTIAL KING, VOLUME 4 - Season 12 Episode 75

If the Lotus Flower could produce three petals, it would make Zen qualified enough to become a core member of a ninth grade sacred place…

“I knew this kid wasn’t ordinary. If he can ascend to the Upper World, he would soar to great ranks in the future!” Turner chuckled to himself.

However, War Emperor York’s unpleasant voice rang out again. “Hmph, so what? No matter how talented this brat is, he is still trapped in the Lower World like the rest of us!”

His words made Turner frown, but what Derek said next made the powerful warriors of the Soul Sea Realm blanch, their hearts pounding with nervousness.
“If the boy can make the Lotus Flower produce enough petals, it will attract attention from the humans of the Upper World. It is very likely that they would be willing to pay a great price to help you restore the ascending passageway in this great world!” Derek sounded sure of himself.

“What? Restore the ascending passageway?!”

“How is that possible? Do the humans of the Upper World really possess such great power?”

“If the ascending passageway could be restored, we could…”

The powerful warriors of the Soul Sea Realm could not reign in their eagerness about this.

They had worked hard to reach the Soul Sea Realm and become mighty warriors, but they were trapped in the Lower World and couldn’t advance to the higher realms. One could imagine what a blow this was to them.

However, there was nothing that they could have done previously to fix the ascending passageway, for it was not something within the ability of the warriors of the Soul Sea Realm.

If the ascending passageway was mended, it meant that they could ascend to the Upper World and pursue higher levels of martial arts and achieve greater personal strength… Perhaps once they entered the Upper World, they would face even more arduous challenges, which meant that they would also face more life and death situations.

However, the warriors living in this world would rather make a splash for a moment than live their entire lives without serious ambition. Moreover, a higher level cultivation meant a longer lifespan for them.

At this prospect, the powerful masters of the Soul Sea Realm felt exhilaration run through their veins. As they trembled with joy, excited gasps escaped their throats.

The three powerful masters of the Soul Sea Realm from the Jade Martial House were also present. They stared at Zen with strange expressions on their faces, the excitement in them clear to see. They had been anticipating Zen’s outstanding performance from the moment he entered the Jade Martial House, but they never expected him to possess the potential to change the course of their fate.

At the moment, even War Emperor York was facing conflicting emotions. The grudges he held against Zen were nothing compared to a granted opportunity to ascend to the Upper World!

“Ma…Master Derek… How many petals would be enough to attract the attention of the human race in the Upper World, so that they could help us repair the ascending passageway?” a powerful warrior at the Soul Sea Realm questioned.

It was imperative to know. However, everyone was so excited that they seemed to have forgotten this crucial part.

Derek pondered for a while, then said, “Maybe seven… at least seven, I think. If the Lotus Flower only produces seven flowers, I’m not sure the humans from the Upper World would offer a hand in repairing the ascending passageway. If it produces nine petals, however, they will certainly pay heed and mend it. If the first layer of the Lotus Flower is in full bloom, there would be nine petals in total. That would be the legendary Nine-petal Lotus Flower… But in a supreme world in the Upper World, it is difficult to find someone in the countless sacred places who could make such a Lotus Flower appear.” Derek shook his head. “It is too hard. In a supreme world, normally there are only about dozens or over a hundred martial artists who have the ability to activate even seven petals. In some weaker supreme worlds there are even fewer people who can achieve this.”

Hearing this, many of the powerful warriors of the Soul Sea Realm were visibly disappointed.

The vastness of a supreme world was beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. However, according to Derek, there were only dozens or over a hundred warriors in a supreme world who could activate seven petals. The chances of it happening were too small.

Moreover, according to Derek, even if Zen activated seven petals, the humans of the Upper World might not pay them attention anyway. Only if he could activate nine of them would they mend the ascending passageway.

They had been granted a new hope in order to change their fates. However, the flame of hope subsided as Derek doused water with his words. Their hearts sank.
Just as they started to accept the lingering disappointment, Fiona spoke up, smiling, “Look! The third one! The third petal…”

Everyone was still dejected, but still, hope burned anew. They knew it was almost impossible for Zen to activate nine petals. How could a martial artist from a Lower World be able to compete with the countless talents of a supreme world? They were on completely different levels!

“The third petal came out,” Marine said faintly, staring at Zen. The expression on her face became more incomprehensible as she thought of the time when this young fellow had employed calamity on her in the test of the Wheel of Fortune. Derek nodded casually. “Yes, a three-petal Lotus Flower. It must be enough to make the kid feel proud. When I was at the Soul Sea Realm, the Lotus Flower that appeared in my tribulation had only three petals.”

“Is Master Derek a three-petal Lotus Flower warrior?” a powerful warrior at the Soul Sea Realm asked.

A complacent smile found its way onto Derek’s face. “In my first Big Heavenly Tribulation after I entered the Soul Sea Realm, I could only activate three petals. In the second tribulation, I activated five!”

Being able to activate five petals was indeed a thrilling feat. The Soul Sea Realm masters present had never heard of such a thing before…

The Lotus Flower that had produced the three petals revolved slowly above Zen’s head. The people waited quietly to see what would happen next. To the four divine kingdoms, the number of lotus petals Zen could activate was far more important than exploration of the Heavenly Stellar Secret Land! After all, the Heavenly Stellar Secret Land could be explored any year, but this was the first time they had seen a Lotus Flower appear during the Heavenly Tribulation of a warrior.

“The fourth petal. Come on! Come on!” Callan, who had been attentively observing on the sidelines, couldn’t help but shout out.

Fiona, who stood beside him, smiled even wider. “Callan, this isn’t something that can come about by shouting…” However, just as Fiona uttered these words, the fourth petal trembled and began to stretch out.

“Now that he has activated the fourth petal, the fifth would surely come out soon enough. Thad seems to be far more powerful than I am,” Derek sighed, a smile inching across his face.

As expected, just after the fourth petal opened up, the fifth petal followed. The powerful warriors of the Soul Sea Realm took deep breaths, unable to believe their eyes.

The number of petals a Lotus Flower produced would be odd. Zen had already activated five petals. If he could activate more, there would be seven petals in total.

Nine petals would be too tough for him to accomplish, but seven might still attract the attention of the human race of the Upper World. There was still a great chance that they would be willing to offer a hand in restoring the ascending passageway. As long as he could activate one more petal…

“One more petal, one more petal would be enough. Thad, come on!” Turner mumbled quietly.

“Who would have known that this kid would become our only hope?” War King Wind shook his head, continuing, “I hope he succeeds!”

The powerful warriors of the Soul Sea Realm prayed together. At the moment, they did not want to disturb Zen, so they lowered their voices. In fact, the number of petals that the Lotus Flower produced was not something that Zen himself could control. It wasn’t that he could get more out of it if he put in more effort.

The number of the petals to be opened was already set and could not be changed by will. It was probably because the Soul Sea Realm masters were too aware of this matter that they were overcautious.

Nine petals would be too tough for him to accomplish, but seven might still attract the attention of the human race of the Upper World. There was still a great chance that they would be willing to offer a hand in restoring the ascending passageway. As long as he could activate one more petal…

“One more petal, one more petal would be enough. Thad, come on!” Turner mumbled quietly.

“Who would have known that this kid would become our only hope?” War King Wind shook his head, continuing, “I hope he succeeds!”

The powerful warriors of the Soul Sea Realm prayed together. At the moment, they did not want to disturb Zen, so they lowered their voices. In fact, the number of petals that the Lotus Flower produced was not something that Zen himself could control. It wasn’t that he could get more out of it if he put in more effort.

The number of the petals to be opened was already set and could not be changed by will. It was probably because the Soul Sea Realm masters were too aware of this matter that they were overcautious.

While everyone waited in anticipation, the Lotus Flower still spun. However, they didn’t see any more petals coming out.

“One more, just one more petal… Please!” a Soul Sea Realm master cried out, weeping soundly. He looked miserable. The supposed manner of a powerful warrior of the Soul Sea Realm was nowhere to be found in him. He was like a pitiful beggar. He himself didn’t know whom he was pleading. Was he begging Zen? Was it a cry to the heavens? Or to the Lotus Flower?

The other powerful warriors of the Soul Sea Realm didn’t make a mockery of him. If his pleading worked, they would throw off their airs and beg as well. Now was not the time to save face.

Zen blinked and stared at the Lotus Flower in the sky. He wasn’t aware of the great sensation he was causing among the crowd beside the pyramid. They expected more petals to open up.

After waiting a long time, Zen sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes. The cyan dragon had told him that the number of petals the Lotus Flower would produce was determined by fate. It was not something that could be influenced by his will. It would be useless to worry too much.

Zen understood that he could not change this. But the powerful warriors of the Soul Sea Realm expected something else. They didn’t know the origins of the Lotus Flower or what the use of it, but they believed that things came about only when one had utmost belief. At such a critical moment, they saw Zen not looking at the Lotus Flower closely, but sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, contrary to their expectations.

War Emperor York was especially anxious. He rounded on Turner, his words full of embarrassment. “T…Turner, can you go talk to Zen and tell him to be more careful about this? He can sit and meditate at any moment, but at this crucial time, he should be more concerned about the Lotus Flower…”