The Improvement of Strength and the Control of Chakra

After walking a few hundred meters, Lin Chuan watched Qin Lang rolling on the ground in laughter, his mouth twitching as he remained speechless.

"Believe in me and gain eternal life... Hahahaha... can you come up with anything more ridiculous than that?" Qin Lang laughed heartily.

Bu Lianshi stood obediently to the side, a faint smile playing on her lips as she watched Lin Chuan.

Girls are definitely better; I need to keep Qin Lang away from Bu Lianshi in the future, or he'll end up being a bad influence, Lin Chuan thought to himself.

"Alright, if you're done laughing, get up. We haven't finished our task of hunting Spirit Beasts today!" After saying this, Lin Chuan grabbed Bu Lianshi and walked away with a smile, leaving Qin Lang behind to let out a miserable shriek.

"The Spirit Cores we got from Yan Kang are already more than enough!"

"But those weren't hunted by you!"

"..." The poor guy was left speechless and on the verge of tears.

Over the next two days, the three of them balanced their cultivation with hunting Spirit Beasts, and they did not encounter any other groups.

Furthermore, while looking through the items obtained from Yan Kang, Qin Lang was pleasantly surprised to discover three Foundation Strengthening Pills meant for those in the Qi Refining Stage.

Although these pills were not particularly rare, they were extremely precious to orphans like them who lacked power and influence. They could clear impurities from the body's meridians, allowing spiritual energy to circulate more smoothly. Additionally, once the herbal essence within the pills was refined by an alchemist, consuming them could also increase one's cultivation level.

Even though these were the most basic of pills, the first time consuming them proved immensely beneficial for both Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang, leading both of them to break through in just two short days.

Qin Lang reached the fourth level of the Qi Refining Stage, and Bu Lianshi reached the third level; this was the result of their long-term accumulation finally bearing fruit.

As for Lin Chuan, he didn't seem quite as lucky! The effect of the pill on him was not very obvious; aside from a slight increase in his spiritual energy cultivation, there was nothing special. However, with the help of the pill's power, he managed to break through to the second level of the Qi Refining Stage a few days earlier than he had anticipated.

"Hahaha, the feeling of increased cultivation is great! By the way, Lin Chuan, now that your cultivation has increased by a level, does that mean you have the strength to deal with someone at the seventh level of the Qi Refining Stage?" Qin Lang asked excitedly.

He knew that a breakthrough at the second level of the Qi Refining Stage was not on the same scale as one at the seventh level, but Lin Chuan's existence could not be measured by common logic, so he was very interested in knowing exactly what level of strength Lin Chuan had reached.

"Hmm, if I encounter someone at the seventh level of the Qi Refining Stage now, I can easily defeat them," Lin Chuan nodded.

Although it seemed as if he had only increased his spiritual energy cultivation by one level, the past two days had allowed Lin Chuan's body to absorb a significant amount of the Spirit Cores he had consumed. This had increased both the quality and quantity of his chakra. This improvement was comprehensive and far more powerful than a simple increase in spiritual energy.

"Wow! That's great! We don't have to live in fear anymore. Even if we run into the top-ranked group, we can handle them!" Qin Lang shouted happily. "The feeling of being able to run wild without restraint is just great!"

Bu Lianshi shook her head helplessly. "Don't forget about the powerful Spirit Beasts!"

"Anyway, with Lin Chuan's Byakugan, we don't have to worry about running into dangerous Spirit Beasts!" Qin Lang said dismissively.

"There is only one day left before those who passed the assessment but haven't reached the Foundation Establishment Stage are allowed in. How much of a chance do you think we have?" Lin Chuan spread his hands and asked, looking at Qin Lang as if he were an idiot.

"Uh... well... even if we are only the top-ranked group for this one day, I'll still be happy!" Qin Lang chose to ignore the experts arriving in a day and lived only in the moment.

Ignoring Qin Lang's foolish reaction, Lin Chuan went back to his cultivation.

He had been training his chakra control for the past few days. He had roughly mastered tree climbing and water walking, though he was not yet proficient. He needed more time to master these delicate techniques, which would be crucial for his future practice of ninjutsu.

Regarding the two types of chakra transformation—nature transformation and shape transformation—Lin Chuan was currently capable of nature transformation. Possessing the Rinne Sharingan, he was naturally gifted with all chakra nature transformations, namely the seven attributes of water, fire, earth, wind, lightning, yin, and yang.

As for shape transformation, Lin Chuan could not yet master it, as it required a massive amount of chakra to practice. Techniques like Sasuke's Chidori Spear and Naruto's Rasengan were examples of chakra shape transformation. To achieve these, he would have to wait until after this assessment to train continuously.

However, having mastered chakra nature transformation, I have already met the requirements to use ninjutsu, which are the spells that can only be cast by those at the Foundation Establishment Stage in this world. The only thing is that my chakra reserves still need to increase. I must intensify my training during this period, letting my body absorb more Spirit Core energy so that my chakra reserves continue to grow!

While deep in thought, Lin Chuan walked slowly across the surface of a small river, continuously training his chakra control.

When the fifth day of the assessment arrived, Lin Chuan stopped hunting Spirit Beasts and led Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi toward the center of Hunting Ground No. 44. Because in another day, those powerful cultivators would enter the hunting ground, and they had to collect the Crimson Flame Lotus from the Underground Magma Lake before then.

As they drew closer, Lin Chuan had to keep his Byakugan activated at all times. He needed to be constantly aware of the dangers around them, as powerful Spirit Beasts were abundant here, with some even reaching the tenth level of the Qi Refining Stage; one moment of carelessness could cost them their lives.

Moreover, the dangers here were not limited to that; the people from other groups were also a threat to Lin Chuan. Although he did not fear them, Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi were not yet strong enough to protect themselves. If they encountered those people, they would likely be in danger. Therefore, he needed to avoid everyone as much as possible to prevent unnecessary combat from depleting their strength. This cost them more time, but it did ensure they arrived at the center of the forest safely.

This was no longer a forest of towering trees, but a lake—or perhaps more accurately, a vast hot spring. Thick steam rose from the water's surface, and a pungent odor permeated the air, all of which signaled that they had reached the edge of the Underground Magma Lake.

"There are passages leading underground around here. Let's go!" Lin Chuan glanced at the lake and led the two of them toward the underground passage he had spotted with his Byakugan.

It was a Lava Cave that led straight underground. Within the one-kilometer range of his Byakugan, he could not see the end of it. Furthermore, the dense network of caves was practically a natural labyrinth. If an ordinary person tried to enter here to collect the Crimson Flame Lotus, they would likely get lost or even trapped to death, which added significant difficulty to the collection and ensured that almost no one could reach the depths of the cave.

However, for Lin Chuan and his Byakugan, this was no challenge at all!