Chapter 35 – The Sovereign's Harvest and the Sarimanok's Call.
Lakan stands by the edge of the Yin-Yang Well, his Silver Sun eyes scanning the remaining flora. He doesn't just see plants; he sees the "Vibrational Blueprint" of the herbs.
"Elder Yue, bring me the Banga-Pilak," Lakan commands.
Using the Daloy ng Mutya (Flow of the Pearl) technique, Lakan begins a mass refinement. He doesn't pick every herb—he knows the importance of the well's ecosystem—but he selects the most potent. He creates a vacuum field with his soul power, "squeezing" the essence out of the herbs without burning them.
Mutya ng Imperyo (The Empire's Pearl): A batch of gold-glowing elixirs for the Spirit Hall elites. These will stabilize meridians and increase the success rate of absorbing high-level rings.
The Frozen Heart Mutya: Specifically for Shui Bing'er. Lakan uses the Octagonal Black Ice Grass trimmings and the Deep Sea Winter-Marrow.
"Drink this, Bing'er," Lakan says, handing her a pearl that emits a chilling mist. "It will turn your Ice Phoenix from a 'Cold' spirit into an 'Absolute Zero' spirit."
As Bing'er consumes it, her soul power surges from Rank 45 toward the Rank 50 bottleneck, her aura becoming so cold that the ground beneath her frost-shatters in the shape of a lotus.
Lakan then turns to Dugu Bo, who is still recovering from the mental shock of "peeking" at Lakan's evolution.
"Old Poison, come here."
Lakan reaches into the air, his fingers dancing in the Baybayin patterns. He doesn't just give Dugu Bo a pill; he performs a Spiritual Inscription. He draws the glyph "KA" (ᜃ) on Dugu Bo's sternum.
"I have modified your soul power flow," Lakan explains, his voice resonating with a metallic hum. "The poison in your bones is now being redirected into your spirit bone. This glyph acts as a filter. And for your granddaughter..." Lakan hands him a specialized Gamat-Mutya elixir. "Have her drink this. It will neutralize her purple-hair mutation and consolidate her poison before it touches her heart. She will not only live; she will become the 'Jade Poison Queen.'"
Dugu Bo looks at the pearl, then at the young boy who has achieved what he couldn't in seventy years. He drops to one knee—not out of fear, but out of Absolute Loyalty.
"Holy Son... no, Sovereign," Dugu Bo rasps. "My life, my valley, and the strength of the Dugu family are yours to command. If the Heaven Dou Empire asks for my poison, they will find it at their own throats."
Lakan looks toward the horizon. His Rank 60 bottleneck is humming, demanding a sacrifice.
"I need two things," Lakan says, his eyes flashing with a silver light. "I need the Sarimanok of the Celestial Dawn for my sixth ring. It is a beast of luck and light—it lives in the Peak of the Sun-Drenched Mountains in the far South, where the first light of the day touches the earth."
Lakan pauses, his gaze turning distant as he recalls the dusty, restricted scrolls he spent weeks translating in the deepest basements of the Supreme Pontiff's library. "In the ancient archives, there was a single, tattered entry from the era before the Spirit Hall was even founded. It spoke of a bird that 'carried the colors of the first dawn' and held a 'glowing spirit-fish' in its claws—a creature that brought prosperity to those it deemed worthy. The scholars dismissed it as a localized myth, a fairy tale from a forgotten tribe."
A small, knowing smile plays on his lips. "But I recognized that description. In the stories of my previous life, it was called the Sarimanok—a symbol of high honor and divine luck. If such a creature exists in this world, then it is the only one fit to represent the 'Dawn' of my Sovereign era. I'm not just going there for a ring; I'm going to see if the legends of my home have followed me into this one."
"Yue Guan, Ling Yue," Lakan says, his x20 Overdrive aura flaring slightly, causing the air to ripple. "Prepare the carriage. We are going to the South first. I want to catch the 'Dawn' before the world even realizes I've woken up."
•••••••••••••••••
The journey to the Sun-Drenched Mountains is swift. At the highest peak, above the clouds, the air is thin and charged with solar energy. There, perched on a branch of ancient Golden Cedar, is a bird that looks like a living rainbow. Its feathers are a kaleidoscope of colors, and in its claws, it holds a shimmering "Spirit Fish" made of condensed light. This is the 700,000-year Sarimanok of the Celestial Dawn.
It doesn't fly away. It watches Lakan's approach with an intelligence that rivals a human's.
"The one who carries the Phoenix and the Dragon-breath," a melodic, bird-like voice echoes in Lakan's mind. "You come seeking the light of the Dawn. But tell me, Sovereign... is your soul bright enough to host the King of Good Fortune?"
Lakan steps forward, his Eyes of the Origin God locking onto the Sarimanok. "My soul is the sun that never sets. Your light will not be lost in me; it will be amplified."
As the Sarimanok look deeply into Lakan's eyes, no one knows what it sees, it's thoughts only known to him. After a few moments, he close his eyes as if making a decision.
As he opens them, he says "Very well, we shall see"
*shing*
A light shines and everything change.
(First Phase: The Trial of Weightless Wealth)
As Lakan steps onto the golden cedar branch, the world dissolves. He isn't on a mountain anymore; he is standing on a throne made of the bones of the Clear Sky Sect and the Heaven Dou Royal family.
"Everything you ever wanted, Sovereign," the Sarimanok whispers, its voice echoing from the sky. "A world of silence. No one to challenge you. No trash to sweep. Just... you."
Lakan looks at the dead world. It's cold. It's empty. He begins the Song-Binding Meditation, hummed at a frequency of Prosperity.
"A throne over a graveyard isn't power—it's a landfill," Lakan says, his voice cutting through the illusion. "A true Sovereign doesn't rule the dead; he cultivates the living so they are worth ruling. My 'Flow' is meant to move the world, not stop it."
The throne shatters like glass.
The Second Phase: The Harvest of Souls
The Sarimanok lands before him, the shimmering Spirit Fish in its claws. "This fish is the vitality of this mountain. To gain my power, you must consume it. But if you take it all, the mountain dies. The trees wither. The dawn will never return. How will you feast, Lakan Diwa?"
Lakan activates the Eyes of the Origin God. He doesn't see a fish; he sees a concentrated knot of Nature Energy. Instead of swallowing it, Lakan uses his Daloy ng Mutya technique. He creates a vacuum, but instead of pulling the energy into himself, he creates a Resonance Loop.
He shares his own Adarna-Phoenix vitality with the fish, acting as a "Life-Bridge." He takes the excess energy—the "High-Frequency" spillover—while reinforcing the fish's core.
The fish glows brighter. The mountain's flowers bloom instantly.
"You do not steal the harvest; you accelerate the growth," the Sarimanok notes, its many-colored feathers ruffling in approval.
The Third Phase: The Mirror of the Dawn
"The final step," the Sarimanok declares. "Stand."
The bird spreads its wings, and the Sun-Drenched Mountain peak is engulfed in a Supernova of Radiance. It is a light so pure it ignores physical armor; it burns the soul directly.
Lakan doesn't manifest a shield. He doesn't use the Golden Kampilan. He enters the Octagon Prison and sits in the center. He begins the Eight-Cycle Breath.
Pulse 3-6 The Ignition.
He stops fighting the light. He opens every one of his 36 Heavenly Star Acupoints and lets the "Dawn" flow through him. He synchronizes his internal vibration to the exact frequency of the Sarimanok's radiance. For a moment, Lakan disappears. He isn't a boy anymore; he is a pillar of white-silver light.
The supernova fades. Lakan is still sitting there, but his Silver Sun pupils now have a faint, rainbow-colored ring around the edge.
The Sarimanok bows its head. It begins to dissolve, its 700,000-year energy swirling into a Blood-Red Ring with Three Gold Striations.
"You have proven that your soul is not just a vessel for power, but a beacon for the future," the bird's voice echoes.
Inside Lakan's Spiritual Sea, a new figure appears. A tall, regal man wearing a robe made of woven rainbows, holding a staff with a golden fish emblem. He stands next to the Ten-Headed Phoenix.
"I am the Dawn-Walker," the Sarimanok says. "Let us go, Sovereign. The light should never stay in one place."
Lakan stands up, feeling the Sixth Ring settle into his soul. His level doesn't just stabilize at 60; it pushes toward Rank 62.
His first ability is a Dawn's Illumination: His eyes now see the "Intent" of even Gods. No concealment, physical or divine, can hide from him.
His second Soul Ring ability is called Feather of Fate: He reaches into the air, and a 7-foot Sibat (Spear) made of solidified, iridescent sunlight manifests in his hand. It hums with the power of "Creation."
"I have the Dawn," Lakan says, twirling the light-spear with a practiced ease. "Now... let's go find the Mantis. I have a feeling my new eyes want to see if it's really as fast as they say."