Devil-Infected Demon Pill

However, Zhou Xuan was not like them.

After the crowd dispersed, he simply turned around with a calm expression and walked back toward the desolate Miscellaneous Affairs Department.

For him, Enlightenment was the most important thing right now.

Rather than pinning his hopes on the charity of others, it was better to hold his fate firmly in his own hands.

In the valley, Zhou Xuan's figure wove through piles of waste, his hands moving like a miner digging into a treasure mountain, constantly coming into contact with items others considered trash.

[Ding! Absorbed residual Spiritual Power from discarded Talisman paper, Gold Touch Value +1!]

[Ding! Absorbed residual Spiritual Power from rotted medicinal dregs, Gold Touch Value +2!]

[Ding! Absorbed residual Spiritual Power from broken Dharma Artifact fragments, Gold Touch Value +1!]

He worked tirelessly, processing every piece of waste recently dumped in this area that could be converted by the system.

It wasn't until the sun set, painting the valley in a golden-red hue, that he straightened his back and let out a long, weary breath.

[Gold Touch Value balance: 217 points!]

Looking at this pitifully small number on the system panel, Zhou Xuan couldn't help but offer a bitter smile.

Ever since he had accumulated 1,000 Gold Touch Value a few days ago to upgrade his Spirit Root from a Five Spirit Roots to a Wasted Four Elements Spirit Root, the savings he had painstakingly gathered were instantly wiped out.

And when he checked the Gold Touch Value required for the next upgrade, he felt his scalp tingle.

The amount required to upgrade from a Wasted Four Elements Spirit Root to the next stage, a Three Elements Waste Spirit Root, was staggering.

A full ten thousand points!

This number made him deeply realize the difficulty of the road ahead.

He sighed.

He had heard of the grading of Spirit Roots. At the very bottom were the Five-Star Impure Spirit Roots common among Chore Disciples like them, followed by the Five Elements Waste Spirit Root.

Then came the Wasted Four Elements Spirit Root, and next was the Three Elements Waste Spirit Root. Having Three Spirit Roots meant one was just an ordinary cultivator; although they could cultivate, their upper limit was extremely low, and it was difficult to achieve great success in a lifetime.

Above that were the Dual Spirit Roots, which occupied the mainstream of the Cultivation World, while the true darlings of heaven possessed Heavenly Spirit Roots or even the legendary Mutant Spirit Roots.

"At this rate of tenfold increases, by the time I finally finish upgrading these attribute-based waste Spirit Roots, won't the next step just give me a single Spirit Root?"

Zhou Xuan thought to himself with self-deprecating humor.

"And if I want to eventually upgrade to a Heavenly Spirit Root, what kind of terrifying astronomical figure would that be?"

He shook his head, casting these unrealistic thoughts out of his mind.

Thinking about that now was too far off; one must eat a meal bite by bite and walk a road step by step. The most important thing right now was to accumulate Gold Touch Value and handle the matters at hand.

Thinking of this, Zhou Xuan took the Copper Marriage Contract made of green copper from his bosom. The copper piece glowed with a warm luster under the setting sun.

"Calculating the time, Senior Brother Zhao Zhen must be getting anxious," he muttered to himself.

It was time to deliver this favor.

Having made up his mind, Zhou Xuan stopped lingering, put away the copper piece, and walked toward Red Sword Peak, where the Inner Sect Disciples resided.

Red Sword Peak was filled with swirling spiritual energy and flying cranes, a completely different world from the desolate valley where the Chore Servant Courtyard was located.

Zhou Xuan kept his head down the entire way, avoiding the passing Inner Sect Disciples, and relied on the token Zhao Zhen had given him to reach the Cave Abode he had mentioned without obstruction.

The Cave Abode was located next to a quiet bamboo forest, with simple formations flickering at the entrance.

Just as Zhou Xuan was about to step forward to announce himself, the stone door of the Cave Abode rumbled open on its own.

Zhao Zhen, dressed in a cyan Daoist robe and looking somewhat haggard and anxious, happened to walk out.

"Senior Brother Zhao." Zhou Xuan immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

When Zhao Zhen saw Zhou Xuan, he was stunned for a moment, and then an irrepressible look of surprise erupted in his eyes.

He rushed to Zhou Xuan in a few steps, his voice trembling: "Junior Brother Zhou! You've come! Do you have news?"

Zhou Xuan didn't say much, simply smiling as he took the Copper Marriage Contract from his Universe Bag and handed it over.

"I have fulfilled the mission."

When he saw the familiar green copper piece, Zhao Zhen froze completely.

He reached out, his movements incredibly precious, even trembling slightly, as he carefully took the marriage contract.

He rubbed his thumb repeatedly over the familiar carvings on it, and his eyes turned red instantly.

"Found it, you really found it!"

He was so excited he became incoherent, clutching the marriage contract tightly as if he were holding the most precious treasure in the world.

"Great! Junior Brother Zhou, you have done me a huge favor this time! I don't even know how to thank you!"

Watching him like this, Zhou Xuan couldn't help but be moved, and he said calmly: "Senior Brother Zhao, you should put it away first. This is your most important token; please don't lose it again."

"Right, right!"

Zhao Zhen seemed to wake from a dream and hurriedly tucked the copper piece away against his body with great care.

The look he gave Zhou Xuan was filled with gratitude and approval, no longer showing a trace of the agitation and loss of composure from their first meeting.

"Junior Brother Zhou, words cannot express my gratitude!"

Zhao Zhen said this while unhesitatingly pulling an exquisite small white jade bottle from his Universe Bag and handing it to Zhou Xuan. "I don't have much to offer, but this contains some Qi Gathering Pills. Although they aren't high-grade, they should be useful for your current cultivation level. You must accept them!"

Zhou Xuan looked at the jade bottle but shook his head.

He was already at the seventh level of the Body Tempering Realm, so the effects of Qi Gathering Pills were minimal; furthermore, pills were not what he lacked most right now.

"Many thanks for your kindness, Senior Brother Zhao."

Zhou Xuan cupped his hands in a salute.

"However, I was fortunate enough to obtain some pills a few days ago, so I am not in need of them for the time being. If it is convenient for you..."

He paused, then asked tentatively, "I wonder if you could exchange this bottle of pills for a Demon Core?"

"A Demon Core?"

Zhao Zhen was taken aback, clearly not expecting such a request from Zhou Xuan. For disciples in the Body Tempering Realm, the medicinal power of pills was gentle and easier to absorb.

In contrast, the energy within a Demon Core was violent; if handled improperly, it could easily damage one's meridians. They were typically used for alchemy or artifact refining.

He looked Zhou Xuan over, then seemed to realize something, exclaiming, "Ah, that makes sense. Since you are in the Miscellaneous Affairs Department, perhaps you have other uses for it."

Zhao Zhen did not pry further and readily agreed. "If the pills are of no use to you, then forget them. As for a Demon Core, I do have one here. I obtained it during a previous Sect mission. If you want it, just take it!"

As he spoke, he withdrew the bottle of pills and took another item from his Universe Bag, handing it to Zhou Xuan.

It was a pitch-black Demon Core, roughly the size of a pigeon egg.

Zhou Xuan reached out and took it. The core felt ice-cold in his hand, and a surge of pure yet slightly violent energy emanated from it.

However, the moment his fingers touched the Demon Core, a system notification in his mind left him frozen in place.

[Ding! Detected Second-rank Low-grade Demon-tainted Tiger Core, containing pure Spiritual Power and exotic demonic energy. Can be converted into 200 Gold Touch Value!]

Two hundred points!

Zhou Xuan's heart skipped a beat.

A single Second-rank Demon Core could be converted into two hundred Gold Touch Value?

This was simply incredible!

The First-rank Demon Cores he had absorbed previously provided at most a dozen points even at their best quality. The disparity between the two was far too vast.

He suppressed the shock in his heart and carefully examined the Demon Core in his hand.

He noticed that beneath the pitch-black surface of the core, there seemed to be a few faint, almost imperceptible wisps of black mist coiling and drifting.

That must be the demonic energy the system mentioned, right?

Seeing Zhou Xuan staring blankly at the Demon Core, Zhao Zhen assumed he didn't recognize its value and began to explain, "I dug this out of a Foundation Establishment Early Stage demon tiger."

"However, the beast seemed to have been infected by demonic energy. Although the Spiritual Power in this core is pure, it is also tainted. It cannot be used directly for cultivation, and using it for alchemy is likely to cause the furnace to explode."

"Therefore, its value isn't high; it's worth about the same as the bottle of pills I offered you earlier."

So that was it!

A fire ignited in Zhou Xuan's heart.

Cannot be used for cultivation? Likely to cause a furnace explosion?

These attributes, which were fatal flaws to others, were not a problem for him at all!

The system only cared about absorbing energy; it didn't care whether that energy was spiritual or demonic!

This tainted Demon Core, which others viewed as a useless burden, was a treasure worth more than ten times its value in his hands!

A bold idea instantly formed in his mind.

Zhou Xuan's breathing became somewhat rapid. He looked up at Zhao Zhen with glowing eyes and asked eagerly, "Senior Brother Zhao, do you have any more of these demon-tainted cores?"

Seeing Zhao Zhen shake his head, he immediately added, "Or, do you know where one might be able to acquire such cores? I am willing to pay Spirit Stones to purchase them from you!"