Two months later, at the time of White Dew.
Cheng Xinzhan’s lotus-body was on Fire Dragon Island.
Inside the Li Yuan Fire Abyss, Wu Qingbo had already located the final six-vein nodal point needed for the great well, but he had not yet used the Nine-Sun Firecloud Chain to link the subterranean fire veins with the island’s ley-lines. He was waiting for Cheng Xinzhan’s orders.
Under the cover of Wu Qingbo and the Xuanji Unfailing Talisman, the lotus-body cultivated in the fire cavern, absorbing the earth-fire, tempering the lotus-body, and forging its primordial spirit. The beetle that had been left on the lotus-body had lost its previous round, swollen belly and grown smaller; the refining of the Dragon-Controlling Cart Bead had proceeded smoothly and was already complete ahead of schedule.
Cheng Xinzhan’s bamboo-body was on Red-Glory Island.