(Updating first, revising later)
The group continued downward along the staircase and soon encountered a fork in the road. Lancelot sensed briefly and quickly distinguished which path to take—since the end would feature a lava lake, naturally it was the fork where the fire-attribute spiritual energy was most potent. As a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage, with a spirit root of the fire attribute, finding the correct answer was not difficult for Lancelot.
They encountered several more junctions after that, but as they grew closer to their goal, Lancelot's choices became increasingly straightforward. The temperature within the tunnel gradually rose, feeling less like they were traversing the depths underground and more akin to a blacksmith's district at noon, surrounded by the hiss of blazing forges and the flow of molten iron into molds.
