Gazing fervently at the enormous withered hide and shriveled head on the ground, even though the thing seemed almost indistinguishable from a pile of garbage, after what he had just witnessed, Xiao Yan knew that this mysterious, desiccated corpse of a Magical Beast was not like an ordinary beast; all its precious treasures were hidden away in some obscure and arcane places. With a light flick of his sleeve, a gentle gust of wind levitated the massive, dried hide in midair. Xiao Yan flexed his fingers and a stream of emerald-green flames shot out from his fingertips, turning into a raging fire that ignited underneath the hide.
As the emerald-green flames burned, the huge hide gradually curled up. Yet, to Xiao Yan’s disappointment, the expected Magic Core did not appear. Xiao Yan’s brows knitted tightly. Although the intense flame brought to light certain peculiarities about the dried hide of the Magical Beast—its fragile essence somehow managed to resist being turned to ash— the only visible change was akin to snake skin curling, albeit more slowly.
With time, the originally gargantuan hide of the Magical Beast had now curled up into the form of a scroll, yet, there remained no trace of the eagerly-anticipated Magic Core. At this point, Xiao Yan came to realize that perhaps his approach was somewhat flawed. Turning his head slightly, he cast a glance towards Zi Yan, only to find her gleeful as she observed him drenched in sweat.
“You little imp, if you enjoy this spectacle so much, return the ten bone tips you stole,” Xiao Yan growled through gritted teeth, white-eyed and incensed.
At Xiao Yan’s menacing tone, Zi Yan pouted before responding languidly, “Fool, the energy of the Magic Core is indeed concealed within the Magical Beast’s withered skin. However, if you use the alien flame recklessly, it would just cause the energy inside to evaporate slowly. In the end, this would turn into a useless heap.”
Xiao Yan’s hand quivered upon hearing this, and the pervading emerald flames dissipated in an instant. “Why didn’t you mention this earlier?” he fumed.
“You didn’t ask! You acted on your own whim and now dare to be cross with me.” Zi Yan stretched out her hands, feigning injustice, which frustrated Xiao Yan further.
After rolling his eyes, Xiao Yan eventually let out a sigh and said bitterly, “Little Miss, stop playing me. How should I proceed?”
Zi Yan pouted unhappily. “First, place a drop of the azure-red blood onto the withered hide, then roast it with the alien flame. That will force the Magic Core’s energy out.”
“Are you sure?” Xiao Yan hesitated, given the rarity and importance of the azure-red blood.
“If you don’t believe me, it’s your loss,” Zi Yan huffed in discontent, “Roast it yourself. Watch as the energy vanishes, leaving you in despair!”
Clutching his teeth, Xiao Yan resigned, “Fine, I trust you this once.” Reaching out, he grasped the jade vial, drew a drop of azure-red blood out, and let it float in front of him. Gazing at the azure-red liquid brimming with astonishing, tumultuous energy, Xiao Yan felt a pinch of regret. After refining all the meat from the Magical Beast, only five precious drops resulted. To use one preemptively, unless for the sake of the Magic Core, was extravagantly costly. Tolerating his discomfort, Xiao Yan flicked a finger, launching the azure-red blood directly onto the already shrunken beast-hide. As soon as the droplet touched the skin, it fused swiftly. The pale-gray hide, now stimulated, wriggled like a snake. A trail of azure-red emanated from where the droplet fell, dispersing rapidly.
In but a few heartbeats, the withering hide was transmuted entirely. The gray gave way to a ghastly azure-red, utterly different from before. Moreover, while the azure-red coloring spread, the seemingly inert hide began radiating waves of shocking energy. Seeing such a transformation, delight flashed in Xiao Yan’s eyes; this method was indeed effective.
“Aren’t you going to refine it? Waiting till the energy dissipates?”
Startled, Xiao Yan instantly conjured a torrent of emerald green flames, surrounding the now recolored beast hide.
This second blaze yielded results contrary to the first: under the fierce heat, wisps of azure-red mist began permeating out. Sensing these streams of overwhelming energy, joy flitted across Xiao Yan’s gaze. Intensifying the flame, thickening streams of azure-red mist emerged from the Magical Beast hide, soon enveloping the whole room. Alongside the increase in density, the energy pressure became overwhelmingly immense—so much so that both Xiao Yan and Zi Yan were startled by a cloud-like mass of the aura forming overhead, exuding a fearsome oppressive might.
“What terrifying energy!” Exclaimed Xiao Yan, face somber, looking intently at the swirling cloud above. Quickly tugging Zi Yan behind him, he concentrated on the engulfed Beast Hide, making the flames more ferocious.
More Azure-Red mists seethed, their energy condensed without dispersion. Amidst faint roars, Xiao Yan sensed a primal urge, quickly suppressed by Qi.
As agitation subsided, a burst of movement erupted behind him. Spinning around, he found Zi Yan enveloped in a violet aura, exuding danger. Her usually gemstone eyes were now imbued with purple, fixated fiercely on the Azure-Red cloud, as if encountering a powerful adversary.
“Zi Yan!” Xiao Yan called out with Qi-infused authority, snapping her alert. The eerie violet glow faded, and Zi Yan gazed at him, puzzled, “What…?”
The enigmatic changes worried Xiao Yan. “Just what kind of magical beast is this? After all these years, how does its body still carry such energy?”
Puffs sounded abruptly, revealing the Magical Beast hide reduced to grey ash, falling gently, blanketing the floor thinly. The last wisps floated into the dense azure cloud. Shortly, the cloud began to stir. The center spiraled, drawing in potent energy.
As Xiao Yan watched, the clouds compressed, glowing blinding Azure-Red Light. Xiao Yan raised an inferno barrier, squinted, observing. Gradually, a crystalline, irregular form, suspended in mid-air. Tiny threads of Azure-Red emanated.
Breathing heavily, awestruck, Xiao Yan pondered, “Could this be…its core?”
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