"I'd seen pictures of Purple Gold Meteorite Stone in the Library, but this was my first time seeing one that was a thousand years old. Why did it look different from the pictures I saw?"
Yunxi examined the black lump in her hand and asked uncertainly.
Ziyan explained, "Purple Gold Meteorite Stone is a stone that falls from beyond the heavens into the Cultivation Realm. Only after being nourished by Spiritual Qi for a thousand years can it form. It is an exceedingly precious refining material; adding even a tiny amount can improve a magic artifact's hardness and grade. Even in the Spirit Realm, it would be fought over. The black outer layer is merely its protective coloration. It must be continuously scorched at high temperatures for a year before it disappears, revealing the Purple Gold Meteorite Stone wrapped inside."
"A year? That's far too long."
Yunxi was somewhat startled. This was truly painstaking work, like grinding water through stone.
"That is for ordinary flames. For an Exotic Flame, it can be done in three days at most."
"I couldn't tell—you're actually quite capable."
Yunxi immediately praised it.
Yet Ziyan twisted its flame-body and continued, "Master, I haven't finished speaking. I've lost two-thirds of my main body, and my strength has been greatly reduced. It will take around twenty days to refine away the black protective layer on the surface of the Purple Gold Meteorite Stone."
Yunxi drew out an intoned, "Oh."
Ziyan immediately leaped up in protest. "Master, compared to taking a year, I'm already very fast! You can't look down on me."
Yunxi's lips curled upward. She had only been teasing Ziyan. As an Exotic Flame, it was naturally beyond comparison with ordinary Earth Fire. Though it was currently in a weakened state, its strength was still beyond