Three dazzling, strange crystals suddenly emerged from the satchel, illuminating the stone cave brilliantly. Of the three crystals, one was rhombic and two were oval, all perfectly translucent, like flawless quartz, emitting waves of peculiar energy.

It was evident that extraordinary power was surely contained within these three crystals. "Demon Cores!" Di Yalan gasped, her face alight with joy.

"Ah!" Mu Yudie also let out a soft cry, saying happily, "It seems our luck is truly excellent to have obtained Demon Cores. Heh heh, if we can make it out of the Gloomy Forest alive, these three Demon Cores alone will ensure we never have to worry about the rest of our lives." Di Yalan crouched down, scrutinizing the three Demon Cores intently.

After a long moment, she murmured, "They should be from a Rank Six demonic beast, but I can't tell which kind." "Sister Lan, I heard demonic beasts can directly absorb the energy of Demon Cores. Since these three belong to the Thunder-Winged Silver Wolf, why didn't it absorb them to boost its strength?" "I heard the Thunder-Winged Silver Wolf recently had a cub.

The best way for the little Thunder-Winged Silver Wolf to grow quickly is by absorbing the power of Demon Cores. If the rumors are true, I suspect these three Rank Six Demon Cores were prepared for its offspring." "So that's how it is." "The energy contained within Demon Cores is excellent material for Alchemists and Refiners.

Those practitioners can usually determine the beast source just by looking at the core. Hmm, three Demon Cores—that's perfect for the three of us, one each, what do you say?" "I didn't do anything, so perhaps I should pass." Mu Yudie shook her head, her beautiful eyes glancing towards Shi Yan, who was meditating with his eyes closed.

"I think it's best if you two split them. I don't need one.

If it weren't for me, you two wouldn't have been in such danger..." "Let's discuss how to divide them after that boy wakes up," Di Yalan frowned, then lowered her head to rummage through the satchel again. "Oh!" Another soft cry escaped her lips as Di Yalan pulled out a transparent jade vial from the satchel on the ground, staring blankly at the fiery-red liquid inside.

The liquid in the vial looked like wisps of flame; as Di Yalan shook it, the substance rippled like a flickering little fire, utterly miraculous. Di Yalan seemed to recall something, gazing at the liquid in the jade pendant in a daze.

After a long silence, Di Yalan's delicate body trembled, and she suddenly cried out, "Earth Core Fire Liquid!" "Congratulations, Sister Lan!" Mu Yudie paused, then suddenly understood and exclaimed joyfully, "Sister Lan, this is the most useful thing for you! I really didn't expect your trip to yield such a huge harvest—not only awakening your Martial Soul but also acquiring the Earth Core Fire Liquid." Di Yalan was overjoyed, nodding repeatedly, shaking the jade vial in her hand and speaking incoherently, "I—I didn't anticipate such good fortune either.

Ha, Earth Core Fire Liquid!" Shi Yan, who had been quietly adjusting his body, finished three major circulation cycles of cultivation. Hearing this, his heart stirred, and he opened his eyes to ask, "Earth Core Fire Liquid?

What does that have to do with you?" "Ah? You actually don't know about Earth Core Fire Liquid?" Di Yalan exclaimed with feigned surprise.

"How can you not know such basic knowledge? Are you even a Martial Practitioner?" Shi Yan was impassive.

"Tell me about it." "Do you know about the three types of flames: Human, Earth, and Heaven?" "Not very clearly." "Ugh? You don't even know that?" "Mhm." Di Yalan shook her head with a wry smile, looking as if Shi Yan was beyond help.

After a pause, she slowly explained, "The three types of flames—Human, Earth, and Heaven—refer to Human Fire, Earth Fire, and Heavenly Fire. Human Fire, like my 'Blue Demon Flame,' is a peculiar flame residing within the body of a human martial artist.

Human Fire is the fundamental basis for Alchemists and Refiners. Every highly skilled Alchemist or Refiner possesses a Human Fire within them; only then can they grasp the profound intricacies of refining techniques." Shi Yan nodded without replying, continuing to watch her.

Di Yalan mused for a moment, then continued, "Earth Fire and Heavenly Fire are flames existing between heaven and earth—for instance, the 'Fire of the Earth's Core' deep within the planet, or the 'Ten-Thousand-Year Volcano Heart Flame' inside an ancient volcano. Earth Fire and Heavenly Fire are naturally formed.

The difference between them is that one possesses consciousness, and the other does not." "What do you mean by that?" Shi Yan became interested. "Natural fire without consciousness is called Earth Fire.

You can regard this flame as a treasure, much like a precious mineral ore. But Heavenly Fire is different; Heavenly Fire, like us, possesses life consciousness, the ability to think, and wisdom, along with strange powers.

They are the most marvelous special life forms in existence, virtually immortal... Some Heavenly Fires have existed since the formation of the Divine Favor Continent." Shi Yan’s expression remained placid, but a monstrous wave surged in his heart.

He was not from this world; the knowledge he possessed was entirely different from that of this realm. Before this, he had never imagined that flames could possess life, thought, and high intelligence.

After Di Yalan’s explanation, he gained a much deeper understanding of this world's marvels. Here existed all sorts of mystical phenomena he could never have dreamed of, such as Martial Souls, and demonic beasts...

"This Earth Core Fire Liquid, is it Earth Fire?" After a long pause, Shi Yan spoke again. "It is the residual sap left behind when the Fire of the Earth's Core transforms into Heavenly Fire.

It is neither Earth Fire nor Heavenly Fire; it exists between the two." "Earth Fire can transform into Heavenly Fire?" Shi Yan was surprised again. "Of course.

An Earth Fire that has existed for millions of years might, by a fortunate coincidence, develop consciousness and evolve into Heavenly Fire. However, the probability is extremely low, and not all Earth Fires have the opportunity to transform into Heavenly Fire." Di Yalan looked delighted, smiling as she continued, "But this Earth Core Fire Liquid is indeed the flaming essence left over before the Fire of the Earth's Core evolved into Heavenly Fire...

This essence is incredibly precious for those of us who possess Human Fire within our bodies!" "How is it precious?" "It can cause the Human Fire to change, acquiring the tyrannical blazing power of Earth Fire—this means Martial Soul evolution!" Di Yalan was practically hopping with excitement. "Human Fire originates from the body, and its temperature is inherently difficult to surpass that of the extant flames of heaven and earth, unless one is a martial artist who has reached the Divine Realm.

Only after several augmentations can Human Fire attain temperatures comparable to Heavenly or Earth Fire." "I understand," Shi Yan nodded. "This Earth Core Fire Liquid will allow your 'Blue Demon Flame' to change, evolving into a flame with the scorching heat of Earth Fire?" "Exactly!" Di Yalan nodded emphatically, her bright eyes sparkling as she looked at him, then hesitated, speaking somewhat timidly, "That..." "No need to say it; this Earth Core Fire Liquid belongs to you." "I..." Di Yalan was ecstatic but felt she was taking too great an advantage and wanted to say something.

Shi Yan said lightly, "The Earth Core Fire Liquid is useless to me. I don't have a Flame Martial Soul, so why should I hold onto it?

You take it." "It may be useless to you, but if you possess this Earth Core Fire Liquid, you could trade it in the Medicine King Valley for any precious elixir held by the three Medicine Kings." "Enough, just keep it," Shi Yan frowned slightly and said casually, "Isn't there also a Spirit-Rank Martial Art?" Hearing this, Di Yalan snapped back to reality and quickly fumbled in the satchel again. "Here it is," Di Yalan said, holding up an ancient, dull-yellow scripture.

She stared at the aged book for a moment before shaking her head. "This is ancient script; I don't recognize it.

It seems we'll need to find a specialist to decipher the contents of this manual." "Let me see it," Shi Yan reached out, naturally demanding it. The owner of the body he currently inhabited was fond of exploring ancient ruins.

Although this person had no achievements in the Martial Way, his knowledge of ancient texts and relics far surpassed that of most so-called sages in this world. Taking the dark-red ancient scripture, Shi Yan glanced at the characters on the cover, which resembled oracle bone script, and murmured quietly, "Magnetic Rupture Field..."