Chapter 143: Planting a Golden Lotus in the Fire

"This is the Grade-A Flora Illusion Trial for advancing to a Tier 2 High-Grade Plant Master."

"Requirement: Cultivate the legendary Tier 3 spiritual plant—the Fire-Forged Golden Lotus—within ten years inside the illusion."

"The illusion provides only eight spiritual seeds. If the Plant Master fails to successfully grow the Golden Lotus after these eight seeds are exhausted, it means the trial challenge has failed."

"No wonder the difficulty is rated Grade-A, and no one has ever successfully challenged it before. It actually requires cultivating a Tier 3 spiritual plant while retaining the identity of a Tier 2 Plant Master."

That made this challenge far from ordinary.

Qin Ming strode forward into the outside world.

Before him stood a stone pedestal, upon which quietly rested a withered yellow lotus seed pod. Embedded within the pod were eight golden lotus seeds brimming with astonishing spiritual rhyme, a wisp of Dao resonance lingering around them.

"These are the spiritual seeds of the Fire-Forged Golden Lotus!"

Qin Ming picked up the seed pod, carefully observing and sensing it. Everything within the flora illusion felt intensely close to reality.

Fortunately, he had studied the inheritance of a Tier 3 Plant Master.

Relevant information regarding the 'Fire-Forged Golden Lotus' automatically surfaced in Qin Ming's mind.

The Fire-Forged Golden Lotus was a Tier 3 Low-Grade spiritual plant, exceptionally rare and one of the two primary ingredients required for refining the Golden Core Convergence Pill.

Of course, true primary ingredients required an age exceeding five hundred years, whereas the ten years of the illusion trial were merely sufficient to achieve the initial cultivation and success of the spiritual plant.

Such a rare heavenly treasure was practically unheard of in the entire cultivation world of the Yue State.

This golden lotus had extremely stringent requirements for the growth conditions of spiritual veins. It not only needed a Tier 3 spiritual vein environment but also required nourishment from the spiritual fire essence of heaven and earth, growing exclusively within the intensely high temperatures of the molten fire heart.

Ordinary spiritual plants would be reduced to ashes merely by approaching such an environment, let alone growing in it.

Qin Ming put away the spiritual seeds in his hand, looked toward the distant flaming mountain range, and flew toward it.

First, he needed to find a suitable molten fire location before he could begin his planting plan.

After searching the illusion for more than half a month, Qin Ming finally found a volcanic cave halfway up a mountain range. Inside, a small pool of magma bubbled continuously, and tiny specks of fire essence drifted freely through the air around it.

The moment Qin Ming stepped inside, he instantly felt a temperature far more terrifying than the outside world.

Fortunately, his physical body was incomparably formidable, and his Glazed Treasure Armor possessed spell-repelling attributes that could isolate him from such blazing heat.

An ordinary Plant Master, let alone entering to cultivate within it, would lack the cultivation to withstand this scorching heat altogether.

Next, following the cultivation methods from the Plant Master inheritance, Qin Ming first produced a lump of black spiritual soil, which he had also obtained from the nearby Flame-Heart Mountain.

Known as the 'Central Yellow Spiritual Soil,' this soil was extremely peculiar and difficult for ordinary cultivators to identify. Its greatest utility was its ability to harmonize yin and yang.

In the beginning, the golden lotus spiritual seeds were still extremely fragile; placing them directly into the magma would instantly incinerate them.

Therefore, during the initial cultivation phase, the Central Yellow Spiritual Soil was required to protect the spiritual seeds and ensure their growth.

With everything ready, Qin Ming wrapped a single golden lotus spiritual seed in the spiritual soil and made his first attempt at cultivation and planting.

Using his divine sense to control the spiritual soil, he placed it directly into the molten fire heart.

Boom!

A burst of crimson flames surged upward, and a puff of gray smoke erupted from the spiritual soil. Qin Ming's mouth twitched, his expression turning somewhat grim.

Having prepared for so long, he had not expected to fail the very moment he tried.

He hurriedly withdrew the spiritual soil and parted the spiritual earth, only to find that the golden lotus spiritual seed inside had been burned to ashes.

Even if he wanted to revive it using the [Regenerating Seed] trait, it was clearly impossible now.

"Where on earth did I go wrong?"

"Could the steps have been incorrect?"

...

The second cultivation attempt began.

This time, Qin Ming did not rush to place the spiritual soil directly into the magma. Instead, he deployed his divine sense to capture the fire essence drifting in the air, subsequently infusing it into the spiritual soil.

Following that, he expended a charge of the [Enhanced Adaptation] trait, casting it upon the spiritual seed.

Closing his eyes, he sensed that a wisp of red-gold spiritual bud within the seed was greedily absorbing the fire spiritual Qi.

Gradually, it began to grow.

Qin Ming's eyes lit up, his entire spirit instantly invigorating.

"It's working!"

Following this template, he continued to capture the fire essence, endlessly nurturing this spiritual seed.

One year later.

The golden lotus spiritual seed had devoured a massive amount of fire essence, emitting a crimson-golden halo and completely adapting to the surrounding high-temperature environment.

Afterward, Qin Ming once again cast the golden lotus spiritual seed—wrapped in its spiritual soil—into the molten fire heart.

This time, the spiritual seed was not incinerated; instead, it gradually began to independently absorb the surrounding fire essence.

The inner spiritual bud also began to slowly poke outward. Seeing this, Qin Ming hastily circulated the [Ancient Wood Longevity Technique], channeling cyan longevity magic power inward toward the spiritual seed.

Absorbing the flora essence channeled by Qin Ming, the golden lotus spiritual seed began to take root within the spiritual soil.

Using this method, Qin Ming successfully nurtured all the remaining spiritual seeds.

He then planted them into the molten fire heart.

Time within the illusion flowed slowly.

In the blink of an eye, another five years passed.

Given such an excellent opportunity for practical simulated spiritual plant cultivation, Qin Ming did not use the [Accelerated Maturation] trait to forcefully ripen the golden lotus.

Instead, throughout the process, he continuously explored, researched, and learned, accumulating a wealth of experience and insights for his future path in plant cultivation.

By the sixth year, the golden lotus wrapped within the Central Yellow Spiritual Soil inside the magma before Qin Ming began to sprout flower buds.

From its leaves to its stems, the Fire-Forged Golden Lotus exhibited a fiery crimson-gold hue, giving the entire spiritual plant a translucent appearance.

After such a long period of effort, Qin Ming had successfully cultivated a total of five spiritual seeds.

Countless wisps of fire essence formed a vortex, pouring into the spiritual soil. The flower buds of the golden lotus loosened, on the point of blooming.

Qin Ming's expression grew tense as well.

Just at that moment.

Boom!

The five golden lotus spiritual plants suddenly began to self-combust, each turning into a pile of black ashes.

Astonishment flashed across Qin Ming's face.

Then, a thought occurred to him, and he murmured, "Rebirth from the flames!"

As soon as his voice fell.

Within the black ashes, five crimson-golden spots of light emerged, and the surrounding red-mist-like fire spiritual Qi merged into them like streamers.

The spots of light grew larger, rapidly beginning to take root and sprout once more. Shedding their mundane appearance, one crimson-golden spiritual lotus after another drove its roots deep into the underlying magma, beginning to grow vigorously.

At this stage, Qin Ming knew he had successfully cultivated the Fire-Forged Golden Lotus.

Waiting for the rest to mature was merely a matter of time.

Feeling that the time was ripe, he immediately expended a charge of the [Accelerated Maturation] trait. In the next instant, the five spiritual lotus plants grew wildly, bursting into bloom as five crimson-gold lotus flowers.

A myriad of colorful auspicious mists swirled and lingered throughout the volcanic cave space, and a soul-captivating spiritual Qi instantly diffused outward.

"Tier 3 High-Grade Grade-A Flora Illusion, trial passed!"

A prompt echoed in Qin Ming's mind.

Joy flashed across his face, and he prepared to receive the Myriad Wood Primordial Qi as usual.

However.

An abnormal change began to occur within the flora illusion!

...

Meanwhile.

Inside the Vast Sea Immortal City, at the location of the Plant Master Guild, the wood array left over from ancient times began to tremor.

The stone monument recording Qin Ming's entry emitted a brilliant radiance that pierced the sky, forming the shape of a peculiar lotus spiritual plant in the firmament.