At this moment, within the star realm forged by the array – a land belonging neither to the Inner nor the Outer realms, where flourished a garden of fantastical flora – the crimson blossom amongst seven of varying hues pulsed with growing vibrancy.

Within the heart of its fruit, the Heaven-Defying Orb spun in languid circles, emitting an ethereal blue flame that danced within the fruit’s core, deepening its hue with each passing moment. As time unfurled, crackling sparks of lightning joined the celestial fire, coiling and merging with the flame in a slow, deliberate ballet.

Then, a surge of martial intent burst forth, drawing sustenance from the fruit’s nectar, weaving itself into the fiery and electric embrace.

Such a convergence of thunder, fire, and battle would be an impossibility in the mortal realm. Yet here, nestled within the fruit nourished by eons of distilled thought and power, the impossible found purchase, nurtured by boundless vitality.

More importantly, the Heaven-Defying Orb resided within this nexus!

Time flowed like starlight through the void. Soon, a new essence emerged: the Way of Truth and Deception. It manifested as a swirling Taijitu, half real, half illusion; half cause, half effect; half life, half death!

This symbol, vibrant and alive, immediately devoured the flames, lightning, and martial intent, becoming a vortex drawing all energies within the fruit into its embrace. The Heaven-Defying Orb nestled at its center, spinning in harmony with the cosmic dance.

Wang Lin, in a state of lucid transcendence, bore witness to these unfolding marvels. He existed, yet did not exist, fading and reforming with the Taijitu’s revolutions as thunder, fire, and battle were consumed.

“Fire… the essence of creation, forged within the rules…” Wang Lin’s nascent consciousness murmured, a whisper carried on the ether.

At that utterance, the fruit, brimming with wisdom and sentiment, surged rivers of its nectar into the Taijitu. These were the thoughts and perceptions of countless souls who had walked the path of flame, their life’s understanding now offering themselves as sacrifice!

As Wang Lin absorbed this essence, the vibrant fruit began to wane, its nectar devoured, its skin wrinkling with age.

He was plunged into a maelstrom of lives. One moment, he was an ancient sage, commanding celestial flames with a flick of his wrist. The next, a warlord, turning entire planets into infernos. Then a youth, emerging from a sea of fire, absorbing it with each step.

Each reincarnation was a lesson in the ways of flame, forging a deeper understanding within Wang Lin’s very being. These distilled emotions and thoughts imprinted upon his soul, becoming an integral part of himself.

From the ancient ages to the immortal realms and beyond, the spirits of fire-wielders became Wang Lin’s sustenance. Their life’s work, once intended to nourish the blossoming flower, now flowed into him. “Thunder, the celestial justice, the way of the heavens…”

As the second pronouncement echoed, the great fruit visibly withered, its remaining liquid siphoned away, the wisdom within pouring into Wang Lin’s consciousness.

He saw the faces of all who had commanded the lightning, their arcane rituals and ancient incantations now his to command. He became a thousand souls, living countless lifetimes, mastering the celestial power of thunder. “Battle, the indomitable spirit, the way of defiance…”

The collective fighting spirits of countless warriors, once held within the fruit, ignited within Wang Lin, creating a tempest of willpower that carved itself into the depths of his being.

The fruit continued to shrink, causing the crimson flora to tremble. It was then that a thunderous voice ripped through the star realm.

“The Lotus Bloom! Why does it wither?!” The voice was accompanied by a surge of potent soul-force, aimed directly at the fruit. But the Heaven-Defying Orb pulsed with a protective aura, repelling the force with ease.

Then, the impossible occurred. The fruit shriveled at an impossible rate, its essence nearly drained, even its crimson rind cracked and transformed into motes of light that were absorbed by the Taijitu surrounding the Heaven-Defying Orb.

But this was not the end. The scarlet plant shuddered and withered, its very essence sucked into the Orb!

Wang Lin felt an unimaginable force coursing through his very being, his understanding of the Tao increasing dramatically!

The overwhelming power threatened to tear him apart. His grasp on the Way sharpened: truth and deception, life and death, cause and effect… all interwoven with thunder, fire, and battle!

In that instant, these disparate elements fused into a singular whole, birthing a new rule of existence, unique to Wang Lin alone!

With a deafening roar that echoed through his soul, Wang Lin’s cultivation broke through the mid-stage of Nirvana Shattering, reaching the pinnacle: Nirvana Shattering’s late stage!

This new rule, born of truth and deception, tempered by thunder, fire, and battle, became his unique path. A path encompassing lightning, flame, conflict, life, death, and the weaving of reality itself!

Only through this unification of myriad experiences, detonated within the framework of truth and deception, could Wang Lin have leapt so far.

Yet the transformation continued! Protected by the Heaven-Defying Orb’s concealment, Wang Lin felt himself drawn into its depths. With each passing moment, his Nirvana Shattering cultivation surged toward completion! It seemed even perfection of Nirvana Shattering was not the end of his ascension.

Never had Wang Lin been so close to the end of his current path, so near to the threshold of World Shattering! The chasm between the two realms was vast, often requiring millennia to cross, but now, with the Seven-Colored Flower as fuel, the gap had shrunk dramatically.

Without this opportunity, the path to World Shattering, even with elixirs, would have stretched across eons for Wang Lin.

But he knew this path had been forged through borrowed experience and memories. Time was needed to let it truly settle. Yet time was not a luxury he possessed in this moment.

He sensed the Heaven-Defying Orb drawing the flower’s essence with ravenous speed, as if fulfilling a cosmic pact. Life was given, and now a debt was due.

Wang Lin understood. He knew the Orb must consume.

“To surrender now is to suffer eternal regret. I would rather spend eons mastering this power than relinquish it!” For the first time since claiming the Orb, Wang Lin found himself in competition with it.

“I am its master, not its slave! I gifted it completeness, sought out Yin and Yang, and the Orb has saved my life… But all that is already an exchange. What am I, if all the power is taken? I am its master!”

“Heaven-Defying Orb!!” A voice, ancient and filled with shock, ripped through the star realm. Space itself warped as a black-robed elder materialized, his gaze fixed on the Orb at the center of the Taijitu. He surged forward, only to be repelled, unable to take a single step.

He could only watch as the crimson flower, the fruit of the Sovereign’s patient toil, was utterly consumed.

The plant shrank rapidly and vanished, leaving only a six-colored flower.

Then, the Heaven-Defying Orb erupted with blinding light that filled the star realm. And as the light settled, a colossal, spectral gate hung in the void! Vast enough to span the heavens, emitting an aura of ancient decay, the gate remained sealed.