Chapter 518: True and False Earth Core Milk

As Xiao Yan was in a daze, a faint white mist suddenly welled up from the tip of the gigantic stalactite. Within the white mist, the light from the tip of the stalactite gradually intensified. Amidst the surging light, a drop of liquid, resembling a spot of luminance, suddenly condensed. This droplet swayed at the tip of the stalactite before finally breaking free and falling vertically, gently landing in the recess of the green stone… The fall of the stalactite caused ripples on the surface of the liquid, which was only about two inches deep, but not a single drop of the liquid splashed out…

Gazing at the milky white liquid undulating in the recess, which resembled a small, emerald snake, Xiao Yan suddenly had a revelation. This recess in the green stone was actually carved out by the liquid dripping from the stalactite. Gently caressing the green stone and feeling its hardness, Xiao Yan was once again amazed. Relying solely on the power of dripping water, how many years would it take to carve out such a recess? This was truly a testament to the power of persistence.

“If I remember correctly, it takes a whole year for a single drop of this liquid to form. It’s unknown how many years it would take to fill this tiny pit.”

Beside him, Elder Pharmacist sighed softly, his voice tinged with admiration. With his experience, he couldn’t help but marvel at the wonder of nature.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan was shocked. One drop per year! He hadn’t realized that the unremarkable droplet of liquid he had seen earlier contained a year’s worth of pure energy. Nature truly was incredibly mysterious.

“Teacher, is this the ‘Earth Core Tempering Milk’?” Xiao Yan stared intently at the liquid in the recess, grinning.

“Yes.” Elder Pharmacist cast a casual glance at the liquid emitting an unusual white mist and nodded slightly.

Seeing that even Elder Pharmacist confirmed it, Xiao Yan didn’t hesitate. He quickly took out a jade bottle from his storage ring, intending to collect the “Earth Core Tempering Milk,” but Elder Pharmacist’s sudden voice made him pause, surprised.

“Although this is precious, it is not the main treasure. There are even rarer treasures here.”

Elder Pharmacist, with his hands clasped behind his back, spoke with a smile.

“Even rarer treasures?” Xiao Yan was stunned, his face blank.

“Ordinary people, if they encounter ‘Earth Core Tempering Milk,’ would probably think like you, assuming that the dripping liquid is the essence. But they don’t realize they’ve discarded the real treasure.”

Elder Pharmacist chuckled mischievously.

Xiao Yan laughed awkwardly, unable to argue. He had indeed thought that the milky white liquid in the recess was the most precious thing, never imagining there could be something even more valuable than the “Earth Core Tempering Milk.”

“Follow me up.” Elder Pharmacist looked up at the massive stalactite hanging from the mountain and gestured to Xiao Yan. Then, his figure slowly floated up towards the giant stalactite.

Seeing Elder Pharmacist’s actions, Xiao Yan was taken aback. He quickly summoned his Purple Cloud Wings and carefully followed.

The two flew along the vertical, hundred-meter-long stalactite. After a few minutes, they reached the top of the mountain dome. Looking down from here, the previously large stalactites now appeared as small as ants. Looking around, he could see other stalactites hanging from the mountain dome, their faint light bringing illumination to the entire underground world.

Elder Pharmacist paid no attention to the surrounding stalactites. Instead, he stopped his floating body at the base of the largest stalactite. Here, the stalactite connected with the mountain dome, and a faint fluorescence radiated from within, making it appear almost transparent, very beautiful.

Xiao Yan also flapped his wings and arrived here. Following Elder Pharmacist’s gaze, he didn’t see anything unusual. He muttered a few words but didn’t speak.

“Do you have a piece of jade? Use the jade to gently dig in here. Remember, don’t use too much force, or you’ll damage this stalactite that has taken ten thousand years to form.”

Elder Pharmacist waved his hand in the air, and a palm-sized circular mark appeared at the base of the stalactite. After examining it for a while, he turned to Xiao Yan and spoke seriously.

Hearing this, though Xiao Yan was full of doubts, he still nodded. He took out a high-quality piece of green jade from his storage ring, wrapped it carefully with his Dou Qi, and then gently followed the circular mark that Elder Pharmacist had made, cutting into the stalactite.

With the protection of Dou Qi, the piece of jade became quite sharp. Just a slight touch, and the tip of the jade, with a soft puff, pierced into the crystal-like stalactite.

Holding the jade, Xiao Yan carefully moved it along the mark that Elder Pharmacist had made, the faint sizzling sound echoing in the quiet sky.

“Kach…”

Suddenly, the piece of jade completed the last segment of the circle, and a piece of the stalactite circle fell off. Xiao Yan quickly grabbed it, and as he looked up, a strong light burst out from where the fragment had fallen.

The blinding light forced him to close his eyes, and his wings instinctively vibrated rapidly, causing him to retreat several meters before stopping.

“Haha, it’s fine, no need to worry.”

Opening his eyes, he heard Elder Pharmacist’s laugh beside him. Xiao Yan relaxed, looked at the source of the strong light, frowned, and then flew closer again.

As he approached the giant stalactite, Xiao Yan saw a cluster of viscous, emerald-colored liquid suspended inside the cut circle. The liquid, as if imbued with life, slowly flowed within the stalactite, but its range of movement was confined to the area around the circular opening, never exceeding its boundaries.

Although he didn’t know what this emerald-colored, viscous liquid was, the pure energy it contained greatly shocked Xiao Yan. This pure energy was at least ten times more concentrated than the “Earth Core Tempering Milk” in the recess of the green stone below.

“What is this?”

His mouth dry, Xiao Yan swallowed, his eyes fixated on the emerald-colored, viscous liquid, and asked.

“This is the true ‘Earth Core Tempering Milk.'”

Seeing Xiao Yan’s shocked expression, Elder Pharmacist smiled and explained slowly.

“The ones below aren’t?”

Xiao Yan was taken aback, asking incredulously.

“The ones below are, but they are diluted versions that have seeped out from the main body. Very few people know that the true ‘Earth Core Tempering Milk’ is actually hidden at the point where the stalactite connects with the earth.”

Elder Pharmacist pointed to the green stone below, smiling, “This might be a way for this wondrous object to protect itself. Most people, even if they find it, would likely, like you just did, take away the ‘Earth Core Tempering Milk’ below and leave the true treasure behind.”

Hearing Elder Pharmacist’s explanation, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but mutter to himself. He hadn’t expected that the “Earth Core Tempering Milk” also had a genuine and a counterfeit version. The world indeed had its wonders.

“This true ‘Earth Core Tempering Milk’ is extremely fragile. Only the most moist jade can handle it without damaging it. If iron tools or the like are used, even the slightest touch will turn this ‘Earth Core Tempering Milk,’ which has taken countless years to form, into useless liquid.”

Elder Pharmacist warned solemnly.

Nodding earnestly, Xiao Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead, grateful that he had Elder Pharmacist, who was like a living encyclopedia, with him. Otherwise, relying solely on himself, he might not only fail to find the true ‘Earth Core Tempering Milk’ but also lose everything due to his recklessness.

“What should we do now?”

Staring at the slowly flowing, emerald-colored, viscous liquid within the stalactite, Xiao Yan dared not make any moves on his own and asked Elder Pharmacist.

“Use a jade tool to scoop it out. Never touch it directly with your hands.”

Elder Pharmacist instructed.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan hurriedly nodded. After rummaging through his storage ring, he found a jade spoon. As an alchemist, jade was the best vessel for storing pills, so he kept various types of jade ware in his storage ring.

Carefully inserting the jade spoon into the stalactite, Xiao Yan deftly maneuvered it, scooping up a large portion of the ‘Earth Core Tempering Milk.’ Just as he was about to remove all the emerald liquid, Elder Pharmacist suddenly spoke, “Leave a little bit. In the world of alchemy, there is an unwritten rule: when encountering rare treasures, do not destroy their roots. This ‘Earth Core Tempering Milk’ is very difficult to form. If you take it all, the ten-thousand-year-old stalactite might crack. So, leave a little to sustain it.”

Slightly stunned, Xiao Yan nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed. When he had obtained the Green Lotus Earth Core Fire, Elder Pharmacist had said the same. He had indeed been a bit greedy.

After leaving a small amount of the ‘Earth Core Tempering Milk,’ Xiao Yan removed the jade spoon and placed the broken piece of stalactite back in place. The strong light gradually dimmed, and the stalactite returned to its previous calm state.

Pouring the emerald liquid into a high-quality jade bottle he had prepared, Xiao Yan watched the liquid still flow like a living entity in the bottle and breathed a long sigh of relief. After all the effort, he had finally obtained it.