21 Legend of the Dragon Lotus

When Hokuto and Astraea had returned to the castle, they were greeted by the sight of King Ren, Queen Tyris and the Court Vizier, Seraphina. Apparently they knew about the matter of the Leyline Geyser and they knew that Hokuto had awakened a unique physique that had not been seen in the world for countless years. Everyone silently moved to the courtyard after a tacit understanding had been reached.

The entire area was then sealed. Seraphina kneeled down to Hokuto's level as she was actually significantly taller than her, though the fact her footgear had heels probably added too. "Little Hokuto, have your parents ever told you about the legend of the Dragon Lotus?" Seraphina brought this topic up out of the blue. King Ren looked embarrassed while the [Rose Sword Saint] looked on with a grim expression.

"They never told me anything about it. Why do you bring this up all of a sudden?"

"It's because there is a danger falling upon this world," Seraphina sighed. "I had already inspected into the mysteries of the heaven and the earth. The world weeps because it is being used for something incredibly nefarious. Mighty heroes must step up to stop this from reaching fruition."

King Ren furrowed his brows and then suddenly sighed.

"Court Vizier, don't scare her. That kind of matter should be left to the adults. Hokuto still has a long way to go!"

"She needs to know about this legend because as the one who has awakened the Dust of Gaea, she may be the only one able to ingest it without her body exploding. Nobody has done that before in the history of the North Blossom Kingdom. It's her destiny!"

King Ren frowned. "But... It's too dangerous."

Hokuto was now very interested. "What about this legend?"

King Ren stopped Seraphina who was about to talk about it. He decided he would tell Hokuto himself. "There is an ancient story passed down from our ancestors. It talks about a legendary flower that rests on one of the peaks of the Deus Mountain Range. Supposedly, it was a sapling that grew from the blood of an ancient dragon which was spilled on the mountain range as a result of a calamitous battle."

"What was the story behind the battle? It was between two people - one of them was an Enlightened Divine Wyrm who had lived life as a human for hundreds and hundreds of years. The other was one of the strongest martial artists of that period. The Martial Savant Rieslite. Rieslite possessed inhumane strength and agility and could have been said to be at the pinnacle of physical human capability."

Hokuto was getting interested. "Why did they fight, then?"

"Alas. Both the Divine Wyrm and Rieslite fell in love with the same woman..."

"Aiyo. A love story?"

"The woman was the sister of the First King of the North Blossom Kingdom. She had thrown away her real name and took the name Sister Lotus, becoming as famous as her brother for being a proficient healer. She would heal the needy and the poor, becoming something of a Saintess for those folks."

"Sister Lotus..."

"Both Rieslite and the Divine Wyrm fell in love with her due to her saintly nature and her immense beauty. Yet, Sister Lotus was just too kind. She caused them to fight one another because she could not choose one over the other, for she knew that the moment she chose one, the other would pursue revenge."

"So what happened next?"

"Therefore, the two of them had a gentleman's agreement. They would fight to the death on the Deus Mountain Range, and whoever survived the battle would be the rightful one for Sister Lotus. Unfortunately, both of them were just too strong. Their fight caused the topography around that area to change drastically. The icy winds that linger around the area are a result of that Divine Wyrm's lingering regrets and resentment. Rieslite ended up dying of exhaustion while the Divine Wyrm bled out on one of the peaks."

"So how did the flower come to be?"

"Sister Lotus herself went to the mountainous peaks and planted a single flower seed on the spot where the Divine Wyrm bled out and died before she took Rieslite's body to be buried. Sadly, the Divine Wyrm had already disintegrated into dust motes before she could do anything more than plant a flower in his remembrance."

"Therefore, that seed became the Dragon Lotus in the legend?" Hokuto gasped.

"That's right. It's a flower rooted so tightly into the ground that it was impossible for anyone to pull it out, except perhaps someone with saintly nature or someone like you who has a near perfect affinity with Nature," King Ren sighed. "If you were to eat the Dragon Lotus, you would be empowered by its nutrients which have been enhanced with the blood of a Divine Wyrm."

Hokuto clenched her fist.

"I must rapidly continue my training. Eventually, I will get that Dragon Lotus and eat it!" Hokuto aspired to become stronger. It was a matter of personal pride for her. The ten year old kid was not capable of comprehending the dangers of the outside world, the lingering threat of the Council. Of course, King Ren would refuse to burden her with that knowledge. For now, he would continue to have Astraea be responsible for her.

"I would have you to take Hokuto to the training grounds to finish the remainder of her cultivation of the <Primordial Orchid Body Art>." Astraea said in passing.

"Very well. Dear daughter, you have already achieved initial completion? Then, I need to take you to our family's Secret Training Grounds. There you will be able to achieve full completion of the body art."

"Secret training grounds?!" Hokuto was surprised.

When did they have a secret training ground?!