Dragon Transformation Essence

He eventually convinced Lou Ji by finding a reason.

As the situation gradually became more tense, many war projects within the Prime Minister's Estate were being studied in close parallel. Among these projects, the research sequence on Emperor Xien's heart was second only to two other top-secret experiments.

This involved a huge investment of manpower and resources, and even a large sum of money was spent to persuade a Yuan Origin Beginning elder nearing the end of his lifespan to serve as a test subject for transplantation. If Xu Yuan's unique physical condition could reduce a lot of unnecessary expenses, it would be a good thing for the entire Prime Minister's Mansion's residence.

The group of four was led by Lou Ji, who walked gracefully at the front. As they walked, Xu Yuan slowly walked up to Xu Xinyao and stood shoulder to shoulder with her, while Ran Qingmo silently lagged behind at the very back.

Seeing her Third Brother suddenly walk up to her side, Xu Xinyao glanced back at the girl in black behind her and asked with slight surprise:

"Third Brother, did you need to see me?"

Xu Yuan nodded, looked at his Fourth Sister beside him, and asked in a low voice:

"So much time has passed, how has the research on the Soul Ring progressed?"

He actually had quite a few things to do today in this Black Prison: to see Nameless, retrieve the Soul-Warding Robe, examine the heart, and inquire about the research progress of the Fourth Sister's Soul Ring.

Although Xu Xinyao had previously stated that the project would not yield any returns in the short term, as the investor, he had the right to know all of the research progress of the contractor.

Xu Xinyao's eyes flickered, and she replied softly:

"It's alright. Third Brother, why did you suddenly ask this?"

Based on his experience as the client in both his past and present lives, Xu Yuan immediately realized upon hearing this answer that the girl was most likely making no progress.

Ambiguity equals throwing money down the drain.

In these kinds of research projects, even the slightest progress is something the contractor (Party B) is eager to show off to the client (Party A) by practically plastering the project results on their forehead.

The thought flashed through his mind, Xu Yuan stared at Xu Xinyao without saying a word.

After a brief eye contact, Xu Xinyao guiltily looked away and whispered her explanation:

"Third Brother... Xin Yao has been very busy lately. You see, I have to help with the saint's corpse, I have to help with the repairs of the Black Prison, and even Master sometimes asks me to help at the Institute of Investigation, so... so..."

"So how much silver has been spent so far?" Xu Yuan asked calmly.

"Around 300,000." Xu Xinyao's eyes showed no hesitation, but she raised her left hand and squeezed her right arm.

Okay, you can tell at a glance he's lying.

From a young age, this girl has always made these kinds of small gestures when she lies.

If they were at the tea table, the Fourth Sister would keep pouring water to drink while lying; in the carriage, she would use her fingers to tug at the fur on the soft couch.

Xu Yuan gave a light snort and said:

"I can find out about things like research materials and personnel allocation just by asking Hua Hong and Jiang He!"

Feeling a little guilty, Xu Xinyao whispered:

"Five or five hundred thousand taels."

"To be honest!"

"It only cost a little over one million taels."

"A little over a million?"

Xu Yuan glanced at Xu Xinyao: "How many tens of thousands?"

Xu Xinyao looked down at the flat stone path and whispered:

"Ninety-three years old"

"." Xu Yuan.

damn it.

One million nine hundred and thirty thousand taels of silver—and that was the price paid within the Prime Minister's Mansion. If it were purchased outside, the cost would have exceeded two million five hundred thousand taels, equivalent to over four billion in the currency of my previous life. Over four billion taels had been burned in just over a month!

Seeing Xu Yuan's face gradually darkening, Xu Xinyao explained in a low but rapid voice:

"This silver is the initial investment. Engraving the Qilin cage runes requires the 'Engraving Dust Realm,' but the ordinary 'Engraving Dust Realm' at the Institute of Investigation cannot meet the research needs of the Soul Ring. We need to find the Royal Family's Heavenly Craft Bureau to customize it, which is very expensive, and we also need to purchase the spiritual materials for the runes."

"Don't spout nonsense I don't understand."

Xu Yuan interrupted the spellcasting directly and asked:

"The money's been spent, but what's the result?"

"."

Xu Xinyao lowered her head and remained silent.

Lou Ji was walking at the front, turned her head gracefully upon hearing the words behind her, and glanced at the brother and sister with a hint of amusement.

This time, however, the wicked woman didn't kick Xu Xinyao when she was down. Instead, she gently explained in her voice:

"Changtian, this really isn't Xin Yao's fault. You wanted to make this Soul Ring, but our Prime Minister's Prime Minister's Mansion hasn't had any similar research projects approved in the past. The only thing that could help her was the Demon Ghost Grand Array. It's really difficult to go from zero to one for something new. Two million taels of silver is actually a very small amount."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xinyao immediately looked up and gave Lou Ji a grateful look, then gazed pitifully at Xu Yuan, her "client."

Looking at the slender, graceful figure of the girl beneath her light blue robe, Xu Yuan's eyes held a mixture of amusement and exasperation. He asked softly:

"But I remember when you told me about this before, it would only cost around two million taels initially."

Xu Xinyao responded to this with righteous indignation, her voice low and gentle:

"With ample funds, of course we should use the best, so that you, Third Brother, can see the finished product sooner."

Drawing a pie in the sky.

This Little Four has gone astray too.

"Since you've used the best materials, why haven't you made any progress at all?" Xu Yuan demanded.

Xu Xinyao shrank her neck:

"This... this is because of a lack of materials. Many of the materials on the list of materials for refining Soul Ring given by Senior Luo are now extinct. Everything else is manageable, but we haven't been able to find a substitute for the main material Blood Refining Crystal."

"."

Xu Yuan has figured it out.

When it comes to her own research, this normally obedient and gentle Fourth Sister can also have a mouth full of wild gossip.

Xu Yuan took two deep breaths and frowned:

"Is there simply no equivalent, or can't we find one?"

"Some!"

Xu Xinyao raised her voice slightly.

At this moment, Lou Ji replied with a smile:

"Changtian, you don't need to doubt Xin Yao about this. Dragon Spirit Stone do exist, but they are really hard to find."

"Why?"

"Because replacing the Dragon Spirit Stone requires killing a dragon in the Ancient Abyss."

"." Xu Yuan.

Lou Ji's voice was slow and leisurely, light and flirtatious:

"A treasure called Dragon Transformation Essence will be born within the dragon's body, just like the Snake Heart Lotus of the Seven-Life Python that Xu Changge brought back before. The Dragon Transformation Essence is something that stores the dragon's Divine Sense and can replace the Blood Refining Crystal."

Xu Yuan's eyes flickered upon hearing this, but he did not reply immediately.

Xu Xinyao said in a low voice, looking somewhat worried:

"Third Brother, you don't need to be too anxious. Even without the Dragon Transformation Essence, I can still refine materials to replace it; it just takes some time."

Xu Yuan waved his hand to indicate that he understood, then asked with a slightly serious expression:

"I remember that Dragon Transformation Essence isn't very large. If we use it as the main ingredient, is it really possible to mass-produce it?"

Xu Yuan knew absolutely nothing about weapon crafting and formations, but he could be of some help if needed Dragon Transformation Essence.

The ultimate goal of developing Soul Ring capable of containing Yingui and Yin sources is to achieve mass production, thereby initiating an "energy revolution" different from that of Source Crystal. However, if the Soul Ring is made primarily from Dragon Transformation Essence, how can mass production be achieved?

The dragons are the rulers of the Ancient Abyss Demon Race; how could you possibly allow them to be slaughtered at will to be used as materials for refining weapons?

Xu Xinyao understood Xu Yuan's concerns and explained softly:

"Third Brother, you've misunderstood. To be precise, Dragon Transformation Essence is not a substitute for the main ingredient, but rather a key ingredient in refining the substitute material. With just one Dragon Transformation Essence, Xin Yao can refine approximately two stones of substitute material."

"With this batch of replacement materials, the research on the Soul Ring can continue. As for what happens after this batch of materials is used up..."

At this point, Xu Xinyao smiled slightly:

"By then, Master's Institute of Investigation should be able to remove the Dragon Transformation Essence from the main ingredients of the substitute materials through adjustments."

I understand.

The Dragon Transformation Essence is a transitional material that allows the research on the Soul Ring to continue. With it, while Xu Xinyao is conducting research on the Soul Ring, the Institute of Investigation will simultaneously deconstruct the Dragon Transformation Essence and find alternative materials.

Thinking to himself, Xu Yuan silently made plans.

He planned to obtain a Dragon Transformation Essence through the information in Cangyuan.

According to the timeline, the little female dragon in the Ancient Abyss should be within the territory of the Great Yan, but Xu Yuan has no intention of harming her.

It's not that I'm reluctant to part with her; so many fictional wives in Cangyuan have already died, so one more little female dragon won't make a difference. The main problem is that they're hard to find.

In Cangyuan, as long as you remember the time and place and go there on time, you can find this little female dragon. But now the timeline has been completely broken because of his arrival, so it is impossible to find her according to the information from the previous life.

Besides this little female dragon, Xu Yuan did know of a place where Dragon Transformation Essence.

A young male dragon that had been dead for a hundred years.

The little dragon's playful younger brother secretly ran away from the Ancient Abyss to the Great Yan hundreds of years ago. He accidentally exposed his Yao Qi, was surrounded and seriously injured, and died within the territory of the Great Yan.

"Changtian."

All the rare and precious heavenly materials and earthly treasures in his body had decayed over time, but the Dragon Transformation Essence within him remained.

"Changtian."

In Cangyuan, this Dragon Transformation Essence is the key to unlocking the Dragon Knight route, but for now, it can be used to solve an immediate problem.

"Changtian!"

Lou Ji's slightly raised voice interrupted Xu Yuan.

They looked up and met each other's eyes.

Lou Ji's beautiful eyes curved into two long, narrow crescent moons as she gazed at him with a beaming smile.

"You seem to have clues about the Dragon Transformation Essence?"

No wonder she's been single for so many years. Even with her approachable and friendly nature, who could resist such keen perception?

Thinking to himself, Xu Yuan smiled and asked in return:

Why do you ask that?

Lou Ji shrugged gently and said with a smile:

"Never mind if you don't have one, but Changtian, please don't suddenly find a Dragon Transformation Essence on the road later, okay?"

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes and said softly:

"Yes, there is, but I need to discuss it with Ran Qingmo."

"Ran Qingmo?" Lou Ji raised an eyebrow slightly.

Xu Yuan stepped forward slowly, patted Lou Ji's soft shoulder, and chuckled softly:

"Sister, Ran Qingmo told me that she heard some rumors during her travels, so I had to ask for her opinion first."

"."

Lou Ji frowned upon hearing this, and her gaze immediately swept towards Ran Qingmo, who was hanging at the very back of the four people. Her sharp eyes seemed to be able to see right through people.

Upon hearing Xu Yuan mention himself, the Big Ice Block immediately raised its eyes, glanced at Xu Yuan, then at Lou Ji, blinked twice, its gaze clear and unchanging.

".?" Ran Qingmo.

Rebound.

"." Lou Ji.

Anyway, Big Ice Block won't argue, so shifting the blame onto her is even more effective than Old Man Luo.

With a chuckle to himself, Xu Yuan looked at Xu Xinyao beside him, his true intentions revealed, and said slowly:

"Xin Yao, you should know how precious the Dragon Transformation Essence. Although your sister Qingmo won't care too much about these things, I still have to give her some compensation. I'll take half of your remaining six million taels."

"." Xu Xinyao.

The Black Prison was like a maze, with a maze of interconnected passageways. As one ventured deeper into the Black Prison, low, rumbling sounds could be heard constantly coming from the dark end.

That night, the battle between Feng Jiuxuan and Emperor Xien caused immense damage to the Black Prison.

Destruction is easy; reconstruction is difficult.

Although the hole cut out above has been filled, the various mechanisms and array patterns inside the Black Prison are still under repair.

However, all this damage occurred in the Earth-level prison. Although Lou Ji's pharmacy, where she conducted experiments in the Black Prison, was not exactly close to Xu Xinyao's study, it was still within the Heaven-level prison area.

The sound of four people's footsteps echoed in the passageway.

After learning that three million of her research funding had vanished, Xu Xinyao remained sullen and followed silently behind Lou Ji.

Having achieved his goal, Xu Yuan ignored Little Four's tantrum and returned to Big Ice Block's side, holding her fair and cool little hand and feeling her overly innocent and naive nature.

Just as Xu Yuan had expected, Ran Qingmo said nothing and asked nothing, simply letting the man beside her lead her.

Xu Yuan really liked this feeling.

This kind of gradual development of feelings, starting with holding hands, probably dates back to his junior high school days in his previous life.

We walked in silence.

After briefly reminiscing about his past youth, Xu Yuan began to consider the military expenses of Little White's clan.

Three million taels of silver may seem like a lot, but according to the Black Scale Army's equipment allocation, it could only arm at most half a battalion (two thousand five hundred men).

Because the standard armor of the Great Yan is really expensive.

However, he could talk to Hua Hong about this matter. After all, he was now the Prime Minister's Mansion Crown Prince of the Prime Minister's Mansion. Even if he didn't get the goods from him at cost price, he should at least get the lowest internal purchase price.

With a multitude of thoughts swirling in their minds, the four of them arrived at Lou Ji's medicine dispensing room.

As Lou Ji's directly controlled territory, the Black Prison housed a much larger medicine preparation room than Xu Xinyao's medicine room. Dozens of wooden shelves were covered with the names of thousands of different medicinal herbs, almost encompassing all the herbs in the Great Yan territory.

As he entered, Xu Yuan's gaze immediately fell upon a sworn sister he hadn't seen in a long time; her gentle demeanor was accentuated by a white and black ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).

Luo Xiran indeed here.

As a pharmacological genius who once developed the Reverse Fate Liquid, a Spirit Transformation Strange Ghost into gods, she was naturally quite interested in the heart of the Xien Emperor.

However, to Xu Yuan's surprise, there was a beautiful figure standing next to Luo Xiran.

Bai Muxi was here too.

Fourteen consecutive days of updates

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