The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

Chapter 2137: The Light of the Flow in perfect harmony

The Neo-Demon continued his training. Each day followed the same rhythm: he would walk as far as he could across the blazing surface, stop, endure the crushing pressure for several minutes, retreat, rest for an hour, then begin again.

It was monotonous, tedious, and exhausting, but with every endeavor, he managed to walk a little farther into the Fifth Ring. Each time, the movement of the Light of the Flow grew more natural within him. He was coming closer and closer to the point where it would become a function like breathing or blinking, an innate rhythm of body and soul.

Meanwhile, Meylin and the others split their focus between attuning themselves to the Flow’s Fifth Aspect and observing Cain’s progress. The teachings engraved into the structure of the Fifth Ring were profound, demanding total mental surrender and harmony.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years.

After a full year of training, Meylin finally found the answer — or at least, the understanding of what the next step required. Yet comprehension was not mastery. To truly train in the Fifth Aspect demanded absolute command of all previous ones. From that point onward, the young woman turned inward, focusing entirely on herself, refining her understanding of the earlier Aspects and strengthening her foundation.

The other four eventually uncovered the same truth, though it took them between two and three years to do so.

Cain, meanwhile, never wavered from his method. Step by step, he pressed forward into the golden inferno, bearing the solar pressure until he could endure no longer, then retreating to begin again. After three years, he could walk so far that he vanished from the sight of Meylin and the other, returning hours later with light still radiating from his form.

The Flow within him grew ever more instinctive, its power deepening with every cycle. It was not yet fully weaponized, but Cain could feel it reinforcing his body — sharpening his strength, endurance, and speed.

One day, as he returned from another trial, Cain’s gaze sharpened. Far ahead, moving through the safe zone, he saw three figures approaching.

He tensed at first, ready to make his energy explode and fight with all he had if needed, but soon relaxed as the ones approaching were not enemies.

It was Tiramisu, the Enlightened One, and Ikmael.

Encountering others within the earlier Rings had been rare, but the Fifth Ring made it easier. There was a single stretch of solid ground at the edge — the only safe zone before the sea of golden fire. Still, such meetings carried risk. Enemies could appear as easily as allies. Only those like Tiramisu, the True Depravita of Primal Fury, could travel freely without fear — for she welcomed battle more than peace.

The trio soon reached them, and their eyes widened with awe as they saw Cain. The Light of the Flow streamed through him effortlessly, every motion of his body resonating with divine radiance.

The Enlightened One in particular could not look away. Through his own cultivation and the insight gained on his journey, the Enlightened One had finally learned how to let the Light of the Flow move through his being the right way, and his empty mind and purified soul made the process easier. Yet even with that progress, he saw clearly that Cain had surpassed him.

There was no envy in his heart — only exhilaration.

The very reason he had brought Cain to this sacred place was to learn from him: to see the Flow anew through untainted eyes, and through that understanding, finally cross beyond the Fifth Ring after a billion years of waiting, and find out what sort of mysteries the next ring of the Sacred Dimension of the Red King held.

Cain smiled faintly and nodded in greeting. He could sense how far they had come.

”They’ve found the path forward,” he thought, ”but aside from the Enlightened One, they still haven’t learned how to let the Light of The Flow move freely through them.”

The Enlightened One returned the nod, a knowing smile on his face.

”We’ve reached a blockade,” he said. ”So we came in hopes of sharing insight — perhaps we can all benefit.”

Cain agreed without hesitation. His mastery now exceeded even that of the Enlightened One, but he knew that different perspectives often revealed hidden truths.

The two groups gathered together. Guided by Cain and the Enlightened One, they began to share what they had learned — comparing perceptions, refining ideas, and clarifying the intricate principles of the Fifth Aspect.

As their discussion deepened, so did their understanding. Every exchange brought new light to their practice, revealing layers of the Flow that none of them had grasped alone.

Soon after, the Enlightened One began following Cain across the solar surface. The two trained side by side, enduring the burning pressure and refining their synchronization with the Flow. Every two months, they paused to exchange insights and share them with the rest, each session leaving them more attuned than before.

By the fourth year within the Fifth Ring, Meylin and Tiramisu finally succeeded in allowing the Light of the Flow to circulate through their bodies. Their control was far less refined than the Enlightened One’s — and nowhere near Cain’s — but they could feel a gate opening within themselves.

Though still unable to walk upon the surface of the sun or endure the flares, they could train with the ambient Light that filled the safe zone, gradually improving their command of the Flow.

Then, in the fifth year since their arrival, it happened.

Cain’s entire body trembled as a radiant current surged through him — not guided by will or focus, but flowing freely, naturally, as if it had always belonged to him. The Light of the Flow coursed through his body and soul with perfect harmony, indistinguishable from the flow of blood through his veins.

There was no separation now — no barrier between self and current, between motion and stillness, between breath and Light.