Chapter 23: Internal Elixir Test

Chapter 23: Internal Elixir Test

The Lihuo Sect maintained lax control over personal biographies, travelogues about mountains and rivers, and fictional stories. These were all categorized as miscellaneous books, stored on the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion, freely accessible to all disciples but strictly non-transferable outside the sect.

While the content of these books inevitably contained inaccuracies or outdated information, they still served as a crucial channel for gathering knowledge. Xiao Chen skillfully navigated to the fiction section—not for entertainment this time, but with a clear purpose: researching Internal Elyxir cultivation.

For three consecutive days, he immersed himself in this task, dedicating every spare moment to the Scripture Pavilion. Finally, on the fourth day, he found a clue in a travelogue titled Quanzhou Chronicles.

It revealed that pre-Foundation Building spirit beasts had an extremely rare chance of forming an Internal Elixir. This phenomenon typically occurred when certain special spirit beasts experienced bloodline regression after severe trauma, allowing them to develop an Internal Elixir prematurely.

These Elyxirs varied in quality—some were defective cores, others semi-finished, but occasionally, a flawless true core emerged. Spirit beasts awakening true cores had a 98% probability of evolving into golden core demon beasts in the future, their Internal Elyxirs transforming into golden cores. Thus, such true cores were even more valuable than those of ordinary Foundation Building spirit beasts.

Determining whether a core was truly complete required a specific technique described in the travelogue. The author, evidently eager to showcase his erudition, had meticulously documented this obscure method.

Xiao Chen memorized the technique immediately, then hurried to the bazaar to purchase the required ingredients.

“Premium fire orchid stamen—ten spirit stones per tael for you, sir,” the vendor grinned, quoting an exorbitant price.

Xiao Chen blinked in disbelief. “Ten spirit stones per tael? Are you robbing me?”

He distinctly recalled passing through the bazaar last year when the same item sold for just one spirit stone per tael. Even accounting for market fluctuations, a tenfold increase seemed absurd.

The vendor feigned innocence. “Dear sir, you know merchant caravans have dwindled for seven months straight. The bazaar’s practically out of stock! These stamens cost me a fortune to acquire—where else could you find a better deal?”

Xiao Chen had indeed noticed the bazaar’s unusual emptiness compared to his last visit. He’d initially assumed it was bad timing, but now he suspected deeper issues.

“I’ll check elsewhere first,” he said, turning away.

“Don’t take too long, sir! I won’t hold these for you!”

Circling the Lihuo Bazaar, Xiao Chen confirmed his suspicions. Half a year ago, when Jiang Si Xuan had hosted a banquet at White Jade Restaurant, the streets had bustled with lively shops and eateries. Now, a third of the storefronts stood shuttered even in daylight. Those remaining operated half-heartedly, with few customers and apathetic staff who didn’t bother hawking to passersby.

Eavesdropping on conversations, he pieced together the cause: Lihuo Sect’s location in Li Prefecture lay on the western edge of the Southern Wastelands, bordered by endless active volcanoes to the west and south—a spiritually barren wasteland. To the north stretched a mountain range teeming with untamed demon beasts, including rumored golden core specimens.

Trade relied heavily on neighboring Hezhou, which connected directly to Quanzhou. Tragically, Quanzhou’s orthodox Yueyue Immortal Sect had suffered total defeat in its war against the heretical Divine Flame Cult. Over 90% of Quanzhou now lay under demonic control, severing critical trade routes and crippling Lihuo’s economy.

The crisis was real—refugees from a minor Quanzhou clan had even opened a Flying Sword Workshop on the bazaar’s outskirts. Peering inside, Xiao Chen spotted vibrant blue light—a water spiritual energy aura, starkly contrasting Lihuo’s fiery essence.

Returning to the vendor, he sighed, “You weren’t lying. This is the market now.”

Though clearly price-gouging, the vendor’s goods were indispensable. “Five spirit stones per tael—I’ll take it all,” Xiao Chen offered.

The vendor shook his head. “I’ll cut you one spirit stone, no more.”

Xiao Chen countered with seven, negotiating shrewdly. After tense deliberation, the vendor relented, pocketing 84 spirit stones—nearly three and a half years’ worth of Xiao Chen’s monthly stipend. Combined with other materials, the total reached 133 stones.

Back in his quarters, Xiao Chen ground the ingredients into powder, mixed them with spirit spring water in a small urn, and submerged the golden orb. This was his last resort—he prayed the result would be a true Internal Elixir.

Initially, nothing happened. Following the travelogue’s instructions, he channeled mana at precise intervals, repeating the process thrice.

Suddenly, the orb emitted a faint pressure—the aura of a Foundation-Formed spirit beast. The sensation vanished quickly due to insufficient mana, but the orb began absorbing surrounding spiritual energy, drawing in intense fire energy.

The liquid boiled. The orb levitated, glowing faintly red. The brighter the glow, the more complete the Internal Elixir. Defective cores absorbed 3-4 taels of fire orchid essence, semi-finished cores 6 taels, while true cores surpassed one jin.

As the orb’s radiance intensified, the room flushed crimson.

“One jin!” Xiao Chen’s heart pounded. The powder was nearly depleted—the test confirmed it: a complete Internal Elixir.

Wealth surged through his mind—I’ve struck gold!—immediately followed by caution. True cores were priceless treasures; secrecy was paramount.

Storing the glowing Elixir in his treasure chest, he vowed not to reopen it until breakthroughs in his late Lian Qi or Foundation Formation stages.

After erasing all traces of the test, he remembered the Purple Peach Blossom he’d neglected to consume. As he reached for it, a knock echoed at his door.

“Senior Brother Xiao, are you free tonight? I’ve come to treat you to dinner!”

He recognized the voice instantly—Su Wanning.

What brings her here?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end