Sage Art: Healing Technique

Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi stared in astonishment as Han Qing and the other two rushed past them. They had never imagined that the enemies they'd nearly come to blows with the last time they met would reach out to help them at their most desperate, most difficult moment.

By the dim red glow on the rock walls, Qin Lang turned his head to look at Lin Chuan, who was slumped across his back. Lin Chuan's unconscious face was pale, his lips utterly bloodless. And yet, even like this, he had still saved them from a brush with death.

Both Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang knew that Han Qing wouldn't help them without reason. The only reason the three had done this was Lin Chuan.

To be able to intimidate Han Qing and the other two single-handedly, forcing them to withdraw without a fight—and even to make them hand over their Spirit Cores in exchange for letting Lin Chuan pass—such an enemy was terrifying. But their timely aid in his hour of need could absolutely turn Lin Chuan, this powerful enemy, into a friend. That was reason enough for Han Qing to help.

"Let's go!" Qin Lang shifted Lin Chuan's body closer against himself, then led Bu Lianshi in the direction he remembered. They no longer needed to worry about the pursuers behind them.

Summoning the last of their strength, the two finally reached the hidden Lava Cave before their energy ran out.

The cave's entrance was narrow and concealed. Ordinary people would never come here, let alone discover the cave. If Lin Chuan hadn't had the Byakugan's see-through vision and 360-degree field of view, they would never have known that a Crimson Flame Lotus grew here.

After carefully setting Lin Chuan on the ground, Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi finally breathed a sigh of relief. They collapsed onto the ground and couldn't get back up.

The crisis had drained both their stamina and spiritual energy. They had made it through that last stretch solely on sheer determination. Now that they had nothing left to keep them going, they both sank into exhausted unconsciousness. They didn't even have the strength to cultivate and recover their spiritual energy.

Time passed slowly. The warmth of the underground Lava Cave lulled all three into the deepest sleep, while the spiritual energy remaining unrefined inside Lin Chuan slowly seeped into his body and dantian.

The Fruit of the God Tree seemed to have finished absorbing the power of the plants and trees. It released even more purple mist into Lin Chuan's body, helping his injured flesh recover while also suppressing the spiritual energy that had run amok earlier.

After roughly two hours, Lin Chuan's body stirred slightly, and he awoke. The moment his consciousness returned, he activated his Byakugan. He swept his gaze over their surroundings and saw they had reached a safe place. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief.

The stabbing pain in his body became clear at that moment. Earlier, he had forcibly dispersed the excess spiritual energy into the cells of his body, making it rampage through his entire body. There was hardly a single place that didn't hurt.

"Damn... I absolutely can't do that again. It's a miracle I survived..." Lin Chuan groaned inwardly.

Even though the pain had passed, just thinking about what had happened still left Lin Chuan shaken.

After recovering a little, Lin Chuan got up and walked toward Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang. They had both collapsed near the entrance, as though they had been preparing to guard it.

Seeing their clothes soaked in blood and their bodies covered in wounds, Lin Chuan's fists clenched without him realizing it. Some of their injuries had been there before he passed out, but others had appeared while he was unconscious.

Then he looked down at his own intact clothes and unmarked body. His heart bled.

"You... took every attack for me?" Lin Chuan clenched and unclenched his fists, his eyes growing moist.

This was a feeling he, a man who had always been alone, had never experienced before: strange yet warm, wanting to hold on tight yet afraid to lose it. A contradiction through and through!

"Thank goodness you're all right... Otherwise, how could I ever face you again..." Lin Chuan murmured.

Then he began refining chakra and mixing it with the spiritual energy inside him. The process would take some time, so he used the opportunity to examine the changes in his body.

The greatest breakthrough was his cultivation. He had now reached the fifth level of the Qi Refining Stage. This was a benefit of refining spiritual energy, and also a shortcut that allowed him to advance his cultivation quickly.

"Other people can't use medicinal herbs directly because they can't absorb the power of the plants and trees inside them. The herbs have to be refined into pills by an alchemist before they can be taken. Otherwise, eating them would be a waste, or the power of the plants and trees might even damage the body..."

Lin Chuan murmured. It really was a shortcut to rapid cultivation. He could try it again in the future.

The other major change was his Kekkei Genkai. Just as Lin Chuan had expected, Shikotsumyaku had appeared. He had thought it might not emerge until he broke through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, but this time, consuming a large amount of Crimson Flame Lotus had caused the Fruit of the God Tree to release more power, directly granting him this powerful Kekkei Genkai.

His Sharingan had also evolved directly from one tomoe to two, greatly strengthening its abilities. He could now use some powerful genjutsu, such as Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique.

"I wonder if I can use my Sharingan to copy a cultivator's spells. I'll have to try it sometime!" Lin Chuan thought.

As he refined chakra, Lin Chuan also discovered that his chakra had increased considerably, nearly doubling. The amount was still small, but combined with his spiritual energy, it was enough to let him perform some ninjutsu, such as the Great Fireball Technique!

With the amount of chakra Lin Chuan had now, however, using that technique still consumed more than half of his total supply. In other words, he could use it only once.

After checking the changes in his body, Lin Chuan had nearly finished refining his Senjutsu Chakra. He didn't bother examining anything else and immediately used the ninjutsu he had developed, concentrating chakra in both hands.

"Sage Art: Healing Technique!"

Senjutsu Chakra, green with a hint of golden light, appeared on Lin Chuan's skin, giving off a faint sound.

"With chakra nature transformations in seven attributes, Yang Release is naturally no problem. It's just that my chakra control still needs work."

Lin Chuan murmured, then pressed both hands against the wounds of Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi.

"But I'm using Senjutsu Chakra. Even though I'm not good at Medical Ninjutsu, this simplest Healing Technique should at least have some effect!"

Lin Chuan thought to himself, then began healing Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi with somewhat clumsy movements.

Medical Ninjutsu required excellent chakra control to use well. Lin Chuan could only manage it reluctantly for now. If someone of Tsunade's caliber used Senjutsu Chakra to perform the Healing Technique, the results would be at least dozens of times better than his.