Ankit found nothing—no responding presence, no guiding intent, only the silent working of natural laws and forces like gravity, time, and energy.
The idea of surrendering did not feel right to him, and his Divine Sage insights also warned of hidden dangers in permanent merging.
So he chose a different, safer path where he stayed in full control.
Instead of letting the universe take over his soul, he would slowly bring parts of the universe's power into his own Crown Core.
He would not steal or permanently take anything from the universe; he would only copy and mirror its forces inside himself.
First, he needed to create the Crown Core.
In his mind, he pictured the process clearly: he would visualise a sacred space just above the skull of his head.
He would then place his third eye core right in the center to serve as the main hub of insight and perception, then arrange the other five cores—root, sacral, solar, heart, and throat—around it in a precise five-sided pentagon, each one supporting and balancing the overall structure.
Everything would click into perfect harmony, and the new Crown Core would come to life—strong, stable, and ready to receive the mirrored forces of the universe.
Stage 5 would officially begin at that moment.
Ankit planned the five substages clearly in his mind, laying out the long road ahead with calm certainty.
Substage 1 would focus on the actual creation of the Crown Core along with gaining the first low-level comprehension and mirroring of universal forces—Basic or higher elements.
Substage 2 would bring intermediate-level understanding and deeper mirroring of those same forces.
Substage 3 would raise it to high comprehension.
Substage 4 to peak comprehension.
Substage 5 to perfect comprehension, where every universal force would be flawlessly reflected inside the Crown Core, granting him true influence over them.
He knew higher and more profound Elements would offer far greater power than the basic ones, and while most cultivators might spend lifetimes mastering only one or two, he intended to mirror them all, no matter how many years or decades it required.
Yet he felt no pressure or haste.
Earth was safe under his watch.
His family progressed steadily.
The alliance with the government was already in motion through the Heart Clone.
Talented beasts and future disciples would join in time.
Everything was unfolding as it should.
For now, the plan was complete in his thoughts—every detail clear, every risk weighed, every step measured.
He then decided, he would begin the creation of the Crown Core now.
First, he visualized an empty, boundless space just above his skull—a perfect void ready to receive form.
Then he called upon the throat core.
Ether Essence flowed upward smoothly from its, projecting a flawless copy into the empty space above.
The merging was effortless, seamless.
A vast inner expanse opened within the nascent Crown Core, like an infinite sky waiting for stars.
The original throat core remained untouched in its proper place below; only its projection lived in the crown, without true unification like Stage 4's final substage.
Next came the heart core.
Its projection merged in, filling the vast space with gentle movement and living warmth, as though wind now breathed through the emptiness.
Then the solar core followed, its projection igniting brilliant light that illuminated every corner of the growing Crown.
The sacral core came after, adding fluid vitality and creative flow.
Finally, the root core anchored everything with unshakeable depth and stability.
Ankit carefully arranged the five projections in a perfect pentagon, each one balanced and supporting the others.
At the exact center, he placed the projection of his third eye core—a radiant prism of pure insight that tied everything together.
The structure locked into harmony.
A true foundation formed, ready to receive and mirror the forces of the universe.
Now he turned to the energy pathways, numbering 13,000 but all are major pathways.
Thirteen thousand major pathways began to weave through his body, spreading from the Crown Core downward like cosmic rivers.
Unlike lower stages, these pathways would not store ordinary essence.
They would hold only cosmic essence—a unique fusion born from the combined influence of all six projected cores.
Ankit drew in ambient essence from the surrounding air and arrays.
The Crown Core accepted it willingly.
Within the projections, each core transformed its share: solar turned it fiery and radiant, sacral made it fluid and vital, heart infused warmth and rhythm, throat added clarity and vibration, root grounded it deeply, third eye pierced it with insight.