Chapter 141: Thorough Investigation of Chen Xiao's Cloud Leopard Internal Elixir

Chapter 141: Thorough Investigation of Chen Xiao’s Cloud Leopard Internal Elixir

Though the wordless stele was now gone, Xiao Chen had studied it carefully enough to memorize the entire Xuantian Consumption Secret Method cultivation manual.

He had been too focused on grasping its artistic essence earlier to study the heart sutra properly. Now, recalling its contents, he confirmed it wasn’t a standard cultivation manual at all—it was an auxiliary technique designed to enhance a cultivator’s vitality, spirit, and focus.

The method involved “consuming” different grades of earth-essence qi based on a cultivator’s current cultivation realm and stage, each offering unique benefits.

Wait—earth-essence qi?

Xiao Chen inhaled sharply through his teeth.

This sounded eerily similar to demonic cultivation techniques he’d read about in sect records. Those infamous demonic cultivators had used earth-essence qi to create calamities. He remembered that whenever a biography mentioned “essence qi,” it was inevitably followed by accounts of demonic disasters.

Even demonic cultivators only dared to use essence qi. But the Xuantian Consumption Secret Method was bolder—it directly consumed the essence qi to nourish the cultivator’s body itself, stealing the heavens’ creative power.

The founder of Xuantian Immortal Palace truly had unparalleled courage and skill.

Xiao Chen sighed inwardly and walked toward the wooden-character stele. Now wasn’t the time to study secret techniques. While he still had time, he wanted to study the stele a little longer—any insight, no matter how small, was worth gaining.

As he walked, he circled the other enlightenment stelae to check for overlooked details, but found no new secret texts. However, this action made the other cultivators tense.

They feared he might erase another stele.

When Xiao Chen paused behind the wooden-character stele, the wood-spirit-root cultivators nearly panicked.

Why was he fixated on that one? Could the wooden-character stele have issues too?

Most recalled he’d studied the wooden-character stele first before the wordless one. Since nothing had happened then, surely nothing would happen now.

But their worries were unfounded.

For the next two days, nothing unusual occurred.

At noon on the ninth day, Xuantian Immortal Palace’s rigid voice echoed again: “Xuantian Immortal Palace will close in six hours.”

“Repeat: Xuantian Immortal Palace will close in six hours.”

The second announcement was loud enough to jolt even meditating cultivators awake.

Not that it mattered—Xiao Chen hadn’t been meditating. He’d spent two days staring at the tree, counting exactly eight thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight leaves. Hearing the announcement, he gave up and left.

Most cultivators followed suit, though a few solitary cultivators lingered, unwilling to leave.

A long corridor led to the exit.

Before the water curtain at the exit lay several skeletons—remnants of those who’d failed to leave in time during previous cycles.

Chu Yuebin followed closely behind Xiao Chen. Together, they stepped through the water curtain.

Others had the same idea.

But as the scene blurred, Chu Yuebin suddenly realized something: all the other cultivators were still around—except Xiao Chen, who had vanished without a trace.

What happened?

Chu Yuebin had hoped to identify Xiao Chen this way, but now he could only eye the remaining cultivators suspiciously.

The wind swept across Jingkong Sea, stirring waves.

Golden Core Zhenren arrived first, intercepting all cultivators exiting Xuantian Immortal Palace.

Zhao Yangming stood nearby, helping identify the lucky one who’d obtained the Ninth True Method.

Chu Yuebin and Wen Ruoxi weren’t detained—they’d revealed their identities in the forbidden realm precisely because they feared no exposure.

Still, interrogation was inevitable.

Faced with the Golden Core Zhenren’s scrutiny, no one dared lie.

Soon, the alias “Chen Xiao” and his early comprehension of the wooden-character stele were compiled.

When Xuantian Immortal Palace closed six hours later, Zhao Yangming still hadn’t found Xiao Chen.

“Did he miss the deadline?” a Golden Core Zhenren mused.

Another snorted, “Nonsense. Use the fish-eyes-mingle-with-pearls tactic—detain them all for interrogation!”

Zhao Pengze shook his head. “Impossible. Many here will become Golden Core cultivators. We’ve already pushed them to the limit by detaining them. Taking them for interrogation would breed resentment. We’d gain enemies instead.”

Chu Haoxi, after questioning Chu Yuebin, shared his insight: “Yuebin saw Chen Xiao leave Xuantian Immortal Palace before him. When we entered, we were teleported to separate rooms. Chen Xiao might have been sent elsewhere.”

The other Zhenren nodded.

“Xuantian Immortal Palace’s rules—its trials and prohibition of internal strife—show its master’s meticulousness.”

“Indeed. Among the forbidden realms I’ve visited, Xuantian Immortal Palace is the most peaceful. If it concealed identities with mist, it likely has multiple exits.”

The Golden Core Zhenren reached consensus: investigate all cultivators named Chen Xiao with wood-spirit roots or dual-roots in the Southern Domain, especially around Jingkong Sea, Wanxian Island, and Heiyan Sea.

Chu Haoxi added that Chen Xiao was likely Foundation Building Eighth Layer with a top-grade magic artifact—his only way through the first trial so swiftly.

As news of Chen Xiao’s Ninth True Method spread, the search expanded. Yet no trace of him emerged.

---

Deep in the Southern Domain’s volcanic range, Xiao Chen stepped out of the volcano crater.

Lin Ping An hadn’t emerged yet—Xiao Chen was alone.

“Interesting. Everyone returns to their entry point. Same exit, different entrances. This must involve spatial teleportation. I wonder when I’ll master such power.”

He turned to the shimmering forbidden realm entrance.

Lin Ping An finally emerged just before the deadline, ten breaths before Xuantian Immortal Palace sealed shut.

Lin exhaled, “I lingered a bit longer. Glad I made it, Senior Sect Brother.”

Xiao Chen shrugged. “No problem. I got what I needed.”

Back at Lihuo Sect, Cangyan Sect’s Dark Hall disciples reported Xiao Chen’s return. But guard duty disciples hesitated—Elder Lu Wuqiang hadn’t appeared publicly in over half a month. Normally, this would signal trouble. But as a Dark Hall elder, Lu’s missions were inherently secretive.

The guard finally consulted Sect Leader Cheng Qihong, who dismissed concerns: “Lu’s busy. With his second-tier talismans, even peak Foundation Building demonic cultivators can’t threaten him. Unless three Foundation Building elites cornered him, he’s safe.”

Cheng underestimated Lu Wuqiang’s attempt to kill Xiao Chen—and his subsequent defeat.

---

In Cuiwei Valley, Xiao Chen unsealed Lu Wuqiang’s storage bag.

“Huh? So poor!”

His spiritual sense scanned: 351 spirit stones, one Gushing Spring Pill, two Bigu Pills, and one Spring Rejuvenation Pill. No spirit herbs or mines.

The bag held only a talisman-crafting set, five thick books, and two storage boxes.

"At least he used up his talismans fighting that top-grade magic artifact."

Lu had exhausted his resources, a common fate in the cultivation world. Xiao Chen usually ended battles too quickly to face this.

The books were two Earth-tier spells and three cookbooks.

“Wait—this cookbook looks familiar.”

He compared it to his own Secret Manual. Identical.

“Got you at last.”

“I knew there had to be a reason my own sectmates suddenly turned hostile for no apparent reason. It was the Cangyan Sect’s doing all along.”

The previous two assassination attempts had gone cold because the perpetrators used poison to silence their own men beforehand.

This time, however, the mastermind had finally been caught.

Xiao Chen didn’t know why the Cangyan Sect was targeting him, but since they’d already tried to kill him more than once, the reason no longer mattered.

It was just another name added to his “settle the score” list.

Xiao Chen mentally jotted it down before turning his attention to the two storage boxes.

“Whatever’s inside a storage box should at least be worth something, right?”

He opened the first box, revealing eight taels of blazing light spirit sand.

“Finally, something decent.”

Xiao Chen nodded in satisfaction.

Back when he’d taken a pound of blazing light spirit sand from the Hundred Poisons Demon, he’d already experienced its benefits during spell cultivation—it saved a tremendous amount of time.

He’d just finished his last batch, so acquiring a fresh supply was perfect timing.

This meant he could reconsider resuming cultivation of the Fire Transformation Talisman, a technique he’d set aside earlier.

One of the perks of joining a sect was that most spells had advanced versions available, sparing cultivators the hassle of searching for them themselves.

However, Xiao Chen’s previous cultivation techniques had been unconventional.

Most weren’t orthodox Lihuo Sect spells, so he’d never benefited from the sect’s resources.

But the Fire Transformation Talisman was different—it was a standard Lihuo Sect technique.

Its advanced version was the Nahuuo Talisman.

Xiao Chen had seen both spells listed in the Merit Hall’s exchange records before.

At the time, he’d been focused on cultivating the Yan Xia technique, and his supply of blazing light spirit sand had been running low, so he hadn’t prioritized exchanging for the Nahuuo Talisman.

“If I remember correctly, this spell isn’t too expensive. My contribution points should cover it easily.”

After carefully storing the blazing light spirit sand, he opened the second storage box.

Hiss~!

Xiao Chen inhaled sharply, blinked a few times, then snapped the box shut.

He glanced left and right to confirm he was alone in the room before reopening it, revealing a round, plump orb inside.

“This looks like an Internal Elixir.”

He carefully pinched the orb between his fingers for a closer look.

Though it differed in color and size from the Internal Elixir of the ghost-faced spider, it shared the same unusual weight and an indescribable, tangible aura of rarity.

With his spiritual sense now awakened, there was no need for tedious testing.

He wrapped his spiritual sense around the orb and injected a trickle of mana.

Instantly, a phantom image flickered across its surface—a majestic cloud leopard.

“So it’s really an Internal Elixir!”

Internal Elixirs from yao beasts were exceptionally rare and precious.

While foundation-formed spirit beasts had a decent chance of producing such elixirs, practically none ever reached the open market, as major factions hoarded them internally.

This made yao beast Internal Elixirs far rarer than foundation-building pills or top-grade magic artifacts.

“This is truly a treasure!”

Xiao Chen marveled as he examined the cloud leopard Internal Elixir.

For ordinary foundation-building cultivators, consuming an Internal Elixir could rapidly elevate their cultivation realm and permanently expand their dantian’s mana capacity.

For Xiao Chen, though, it offered an even greater advantage.

He could use elixirs to enhance his own Internal Elixir.

As the saying went: Eat what you need to replenish what you lack.

Xiao Chen already possessed an Internal Elixir. Refining additional Internal Elixirs would drastically shorten the ritual refinement period for forging a false core, far more effectively than any celestial treasure.

Previously, when refining top-grade magic artifacts, he’d worried about his limited mana reserves.

He’d planned to refine his own Internal Elixir upon returning to boost his mana capacity.

Now, refining this cloud leopard Internal Elixir would surge his mana reserves significantly.

This meant saving both precious cultivation resources and time—a classic two birds with one stone scenario.

“Now, where did this Internal Elixir even come from?”

Xiao Chen had never heard of any Internal Elixirs surfacing before, making collection impossible.

But now that he’d found one, there had to be others out there—second, third, and more.

“I’ll need to pay closer attention to intelligence about these things.”

But future concerns could wait. His immediate priority was refining this cloud leopard Internal Elixir.

Yao beast Internal Elixirs could be consumed directly, of course, but that would require weeks of gradual absorption.

As a Pill Forging Master, Xiao Chen had his own methods—refining the elixir into a liquid essence using pill-forging techniques.

“Begin!”

He raised his right hand, fingers splayed, and a flame ignited in his palm.

Guiding the Internal Elixir with mana, he placed it directly into the spirit flame.

Within a quarter of an hour, the elixir melted into a shimmering golden liquid.

Xiao Chen opened his mouth wide, instantly inhaling the entire dose.

Half a watch later, the liquid was fully absorbed.

His Internal Elixir, already refined to support three mana channels, now surged to eighteen.

A sixfold increase!

Probing his Internal Elixir with his spiritual sense, Xiao Chen confirmed his total mana channels had reached eighty-four.

Foundation-Building cultivators at the ninth layer barely reached eighty-four channels.

In other words, his Internal Elixir now matched the dantian of a peak Foundation-Building cultivator.

This leap was possible because the cloud leopard’s Internal Elixir was itself a second-tier specimen.

“At this rate, absorbing just one more second-tier Internal Elixir will be enough to forge a false core.”

“Then, I’ll wield mana reserves equal to three Foundation-Building cultivators combined.”

But that wasn’t even the most critical advantage.

Refining a false core would grant a preview of golden core power and boost his golden core formation success rate by thirty percent.

With only a low-grade wood spirit root, Xiao Chen’s natural success rate for forming a golden core was a dismal five percent—practically nonexistent.

This made the false core’s benefit invaluable.

Moreover, the false core’s success rate boost was independent, stacking with other methods.

Realizing this, Xiao Chen immediately sought out Elder Chen for intelligence on Internal Elixirs.

“Oh? You’ve heard about the Internal Elixirs too?”

Elder Chen regarded Xiao Chen with surprise.

He hadn’t expected his seemingly reclusive disciple to have such sharp intelligence networks.

Pouring a cup of spirit tea, he added, “Try this—it’s a special blend I had someone bring back from Hezhou. It’s nothing short of your Master Uncle’s best.”

Xiao Chen was puzzled but sipped the tea.

It tasted identical to the brew from his last visit to the cultivation hall—clearly the same batch.

Elder Chen took a small sip himself before speaking.

“Still, the last time an Internal Elixir appeared at auction was thirty years ago. Without this war, the Spirit Origin Sect wouldn’t have dared to put one up for sale.”

Xiao Chen began to piece things together.

Testing cautiously, he asked, “Master, a friend of mine mentioned this one was a second-tier cloud leopard Internal Elixir. Do you know if that’s true?”

Elder Chen nodded. “Correct. A second-tier cloud leopard Internal Elixir. Your friend’s well-informed—I only learned of it through a former prodigy.”

There it was.

No need to ask further.

The elixir he’d consumed was almost certainly the same one Elder Chen described.

Though how it ended up in a Cangyan Sect cultivator’s possession—and then his own—remained a mystery.

With such rare items, coincidences were practically nonexistent.

But this complicated matters.

Hezhou was in chaos now. Rumors spoke of multiple late-stage Foundation-Building cultivators killed in battle, even two Demonic Daogold Golden Cores clashing against Spirit Origin Sect’s Golden Core Zhenren.

Under these circumstances, going to Hezhou was best avoided.

Xiao Chen pressed on, “Master, are there any Internal Elixir transactions here in Li Zhou?”

Elder Chen shook his head. “Unlikely for now. We have few spirit beast breeding families here in Li Zhou, nothing like Hezhou.”

“Plus, the Cangyan Sect hasn’t been cooperative lately. Even if they had Internal Elixirs, they wouldn’t trade with us.”

Xiao Chen’s eyes lit up.

He didn’t fear difficulties—only the absence of opportunities.

“Master, who in the Cangyan Sect do you think is most likely to possess an Internal Elixir?”

Elder Chen mused, “Either the Ji family or the Guo family. Only they have the means to cultivate second-tier spirit beasts.”

Curiosity stirred within him—why was his disciple suddenly so invested in Internal Elixirs?

But as always, unless Xiao Chen volunteered the information, he wouldn’t pry.

Sometimes, distance was the best path to closeness.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end