At this moment, Lu Xiaotian could not help feeling a measure of admiration for Xiang Qingqing. He had long known that Xiang Qingcheng's attainments in formations might not be inferior to his own, but only after truly comparing them did he discover how meticulous she was. Although each had their own specialty, Lu Xiaotian had many matters to arrange and had to divide his attention among them. Still, his Primordial Spirit was powerful, and even after allocating his attention to several places, the effort he devoted solely to deducing formations might not have been any less than Xiang Qingcheng's.
Everything required talent and dedication. It seemed that Xiang Qingcheng's talent was at least no weaker than his, and the effort she had invested was likely no less, either. After a prolonged tug-of-war of repeated probing, even Lu Xiaotian's Primordial Spirit felt rather fatigued. In the vast myriad worlds, life was the most wondrous and unfathomable thing. This Earthflame Crystal Core was the source of life for the entire Huayan, yet Lu Xiaotian had to extract it as intact as possible from within its body. That was far more difficult than simply killing it. If this had truly been easy, the Primordial Sword Demon would not have merely assisted from the sidelines. They could have taken it directly from its body—why go to such trouble?
Even with the three of them—the Primordial Sword Demon, Lu Xiaotian, and Xiang Qingcheng—working together, extracting the Earthflame Crystal Core was exceedingly difficult.
The entire process continued for several days. At the very end, a strange pop rang out, as though something had broken free from Huayan's body. Lu Xiaotian beckoned with one hand and grasped the crystal-yellow Earthflame Crystal Core in his palm. It had taken only a few days, but the expenditure of energy