Crimson Golden Lotus

Lin Chuan lowered his gaze and began looking across the surface of the magma lake. In that brief glimpse earlier, he hadn't paid any attention to what the lake held. Now that he looked carefully, he immediately spotted many scarlet things extending from the water and writhing slightly. They were all antennae, like the hairs on the Ant Queen's body.

Among those scarlet antennae was an unusual red plant. It grew in the magma lake, radiating a faint crimson-gold glow, and the antennae on the Ant Queen were writhing toward it—a crimson-gold lotus!

"Th-this... is this a Crimson Flame Lotus?" Lin Chuan furrowed his brow slightly, gazing at the unusual flower with a strange look.

In shape, the lotus resembled a Crimson Flame Lotus, but it was also different. Its crimson-gold glow especially gave it an air of nobility, like a graceful young woman dancing lightly across the magma lake on tiptoe.

Lin Chuan tried to find the answer in his past memories, but discovered that he had no recollection of medicinal herbs.

The former Lin Chuan had basically lived like a servant's child. Apart from learning a little about cultivation at the very beginning, he had spent nearly all his time doing odd jobs by his mother's side. Even after his mother died and his eyes were gouged out, nothing had changed.

He stopped rummaging through Lin Chuan's old memories and tried to commit the plant's appearance to memory, especially the nine golden lotus seeds growing on its seedpod. They looked extraordinary, because Lin Chuan had never seen seeds on any other Crimson Flame Lotus.

Whoosh!

Lin Chuan let out a breath, closed his eyes, and withdrew his Tenseigan.

Using the Tenseigan took a heavy toll. It drained not only his chakra but also placed his body under tremendous strain. His instincts told him to use the eyes' power sparingly—at least with his current level of cultivation.

In Naruto, the Byakugan had virtually no side effects, and the same was true for Lin Chuan. Other eyes weren't like that, especially the Tenseigan. He had only used it a few times, and it had already placed a considerable burden on his body.

The Sharingan was no different. His Sharingan had been projected and separated from the Rinne Sharingan in his forehead. Overusing it would also harm his body. Lin Chuan even suspected that, like the Sharingan in the original story, his eyes would go blind if he used them too much!

The only difference was that in Naruto, blindness was permanent. If he went blind, however, he could still recover, thanks to the Fruit of the God Tree in his dantian!

Lin Chuan had already discovered that the purple mist occasionally released by the Fruit of the God Tree could strengthen his body and grant him more ocular power. This power was profound and couldn't be used directly. It could only work on his eyes, enhancing his Dojutsu while constantly repairing the damage they sustained from using it. That was why Lin Chuan had never completely given up on using the Tenseigan and Sharingan.

Still, at Lin Chuan's current level, the strain from the Sharingan was negligible. Its serious side effects might not appear until he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. For now, only the Tenseigan placed a significant burden on him, so he wouldn't use its power unless absolutely necessary.

But since the Tenseigan's field of vision was much larger than the Byakugan's, Lin Chuan had no choice but to use it in a situation like the one just now.

After recovering a little, Lin Chuan turned and headed deeper into the cave. He needed to reunite with Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi as soon as possible. Taking them out was one reason; another was that Lin Chuan wanted to find out what that crimson-gold Crimson Flame Lotus was. His instincts told him that Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi would know something about the strange plant.

Relying on the advantage of his Byakugan, Lin Chuan avoided everyone, picked nine scattered Crimson Flame Lotuses, and successfully returned to the cave. By then, Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang had nearly recovered. After all, they weren't ordinary people. Although their earlier fight had been extremely dangerous, their opponents had only meant to wear down their spiritual energy, not kill them. So after Lin Chuan treated their injuries with Senjutsu Chakra, they were no longer in serious danger.

The three injured members of Han Qing's group, on the other hand, were in much worse shape. They still hadn't fully recovered, though Lin Chuan's Healing Technique had taken care of their external wounds. The rest was up to them.

When they saw Lin Chuan return, all five immediately awoke from their cultivation.

"How did it go? Did you find anything?" Qin Lang asked.

"Yeah. Let's leave as soon as possible!" Lin Chuan nodded and exchanged a glance with Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi, without explaining further.

"Are we leaving the Underground Magma Lake right now?" Han Qing asked in surprise. Lin Chuan was so powerful that hardly anyone here could match him. Was there some hidden danger?

"There's no need to stay here any longer. The chaotic fighting among the cultivators who passed the test has stopped spreading, but most of the Crimson Flame Lotuses have already been picked. There's no point in sticking around," Lin Chuan explained.

"Come with us when we leave. I'll return the Spirit Core from the Spirit Beast that I took from you last time. Also, I have three Crimson Flame Lotuses here. Take them, and you'll be sure to pass the test. There's no need to take any more risks with the time you have left," Lin Chuan said with a smile.

He had already devoured all the Crimson Flame Lotuses he picked earlier. On his way back this time, he had made a point of picking some more, specifically to help them pass the test.

Han Qing nodded and accepted the Crimson Flame Lotuses from Lin Chuan. He had helped Lin Chuan earlier in exchange for a favor, so accepting these items was only fair. Besides, Lin Chuan had invited him to travel with them, which essentially guaranteed their safety from then on. He had no reason to object to Lin Chuan's decision.

The six of them quickly gathered their things and left the cave, making their way toward the surface through the winding lava tunnels. With Lin Chuan's Byakugan checking everything around them, Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang weren't worried about running into danger.

Han Qing, however, didn't feel the same. Watching Lin Chuan and the other two stride along so casually, he couldn't help but hold his breath, carefully checking every clue around them. He wondered if the three of them were getting a little too carried away.

"I told you everything I saw. What do you think that crimson-gold lotus is? Why would an Ant Queen at the Nascent Soul stage guard it?" Lin Chuan told Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi everything he had seen underground, especially the crimson-gold lotus.

"If what you saw is accurate, then that Crimson Flame Lotus must have completed its evolution. It's an extremely rare human-grade medicinal herb—the Crimson Flame Golden Lotus!" Bu Lianshi said as soon as she heard Lin Chuan's account, without even needing to think.