Earth Core Body Tempering Milk Secured, Visiting Hu Gan

"A mere fifth-rank magical beast, and an ice-type one at that. My Heavenly Flames were just the thing to counter it..."

Lin Chen put the magic core into his Storage Ring. As everyone knew, a magic core was the crystallized essence of a magical beast's entire cultivation, containing tremendous energy and usually serving as an essential ingredient in pill refinement.

Many pills on the Dou Qi Continent used magical beasts' magic cores as their main ingredient, with other medicinal herbs added to balance their properties and tame the violent energy within, making it easier for the human body to absorb.

"Come on, Lin Chen. I'll take you to look around. I can smell something good in the cave where it lived. It must be delicious..."

As Zi Yan spoke, her throat bobbed involuntarily as she swallowed, her little face full of longing.

"All right, lead the way."

Lin Chen agreed with a smile, then followed Zi Yan toward the nearby cave.

Once they entered the cave, a rank animal stench spread around them. Snow-white fur filled the cave, scattered over the piles of rubble beneath their feet.

Zi Yan's delicate nose twitched, and she covered her nose and mouth. "It stinks! It's all that big fellow's body odor."

"Here, take this. A Scent-Cleansing Pill. It purifies the air you breathe through your nose and mouth, turning it into a faint minty fragrance without affecting your normal sense of smell."

Lin Chen handed Zi Yan an emerald-green pill as he spoke with a smile.

Zi Yan's eyes lit up at his words. She took the pill and popped it into her mouth, immediately feeling refreshed as the foul smell in the air vanished.

"Mmm, not bad, not bad. Little Lin, you're pretty useful. Once I find that treasure, I can give you a little extra."

Zi Yan put a hand on her hip and patted Lin Chen's shoulder.

Lin Chen held back his laughter and deliberately bent down to accommodate her. Watching her put on a show of generosity, he thought, I'll let you bask in it for now. You'll have a bitter pill to swallow soon enough!

Then Zi Yan clapped her little hands and marched ahead, full of swagger, sniffing to the left and right from time to time as though searching for something.

In less than fifteen minutes, she located the spot and stopped at a depression covered in white fur.

"It's right here!"

A look of confusion flashed through Zi Yan's large, dark eyes, as though she could not understand how any treasure could be here.

Lin Chen swept his sleeve, lifting away the top layer of fur. Beneath it lay fine, soft sand, but a closer look revealed that this sand differed from the sand elsewhere. It was noticeably damper.

He chuckled. "As expected of a fifth-rank magical beast that has developed intelligence. It had a few little tricks."

Then he extended his hand, and a powerful suction burst from his palm, instantly drawing up the sand and gathering it into a ball the size of a basketball, which he tossed aside.

With nothing left to conceal the ground that had been covered by sand, a pitch-black underground opening appeared before them.

Zi Yan's delicate nose twitched, and her eyes lit up. "It's down there, Lin Chen! Hurry, follow me!"

With that, she grabbed Lin Chen's hand and leaped into the opening below.

"Hey, slow down."

Lin Chen instinctively reached out and scooped up the purple-haired little girl before him. Her soft, delicate body settled into his arms as wind whistled past his ears, carrying a faint milky fragrance much like the scent left on Zi Yan after she secretly drank beast milk.

"Lin Chen, hold me tight!"

Zi Yan yelled at the top of her lungs. Their surroundings were pitch-black, so dark they could not see their hands before their faces. Lin Chen felt a cold little hand fumbling over him and raised an eyebrow.

Holding her with one arm, he snapped the fingers of his other hand. Countless pale-blue flame butterflies immediately flew from his palm, driving away the surrounding darkness.

Thud! Thud!

With the fire lighting their way, the two soon landed on the ground. Before them stretched a dense world of stalactites, the vaulted ceiling covered in milky-white formations. Drops of milky liquid occasionally fell, splashing into tiny sprays on the ground.

"All rare spiritual liquids filled with energy..."

Lin Chen sighed in admiration, but Zi Yan paid them no attention. The wings on her back beat, and she flew straight toward the tallest stalactite in the center.

That stalactite was immense, reaching all the way to the vaulted ceiling and so thick it would take two people to encircle it with their arms. A faint white glow curled around it, making it look extraordinary, like the emperor of this realm of stalactites.

"Lin Chen, it's up here."

Zi Yan flew toward the top of the stalactite, her eyes brimming with craving. Her fair hand reached toward its base, where it joined the mountain. A glimmer flickered there, and a thick, jade-green liquid could faintly be seen gathering on it.

"Zi Yan, that's earth core body tempering milk! You need to collect it with jade utensils to preserve its medicinal potency as much as possible!"

Lin Chen's eyes widened, and his figure flashed as he rushed toward Zi Yan at top speed.

Fortunately, Zi Yan, who was charging ahead, clearly heard Lin Chen's shout. A large Jade Spoon abruptly appeared in her hand. With a fierce expression, she cried, "Mine! It's all mine! I want to eat! I want to grow up!"

With that, she drove the Jade Spoon into it with all her might!

Not long afterward,

Lin Chen and Zi Yan emerged from the valley with more than a dozen jade bottles and began dividing the spoils.

"Three bottles of undiluted earth core body tempering milk in total. One for you, two for me."

"Thirteen bottles of diluted earth core body tempering milk. I did the most work this time, so I get the lion's share. Three for you, and the remaining ten are mine."

With a grand sweep of his hand, Lin Chen allotted Zi Yan one jade bottle containing emerald-green liquid and three containing milky-white liquid. Putting on an air of generosity, he said, "Don't say your big brother doesn't look after you. Stick with me, and you'll eat nine meals a day, each one different. I'll make sure you grow up in no time."

Zi Yan glared at him, her cheeks puffed out in anger. Clutching the four jade bottles, she was thoroughly dissatisfied and bared her teeth and waved her hands in protest. But he subdued her with one hand, leaving her no choice but to give up.

"All right, we've got what we came for. It's time I visited my dear old father. Zi Yan, head back first."

"If you don't know how to take the earth core body tempering milk, come find me. I'll prepare it into a medicinal liquid suited for you to absorb, bringing out the greatest possible effect of this natural treasure."

Lin Chen rubbed Zi Yan's little head and spoke with a smile.

Earth core body tempering milk became mist after a hundred years and liquid after a thousand. It could cleanse the marrow and temper the bones, and even help those who had reached certain ranks break through the barrier to advancement. It was a rare, wondrous substance for tempering the body.

In principle, it was good enough to serve as the main ingredient for a Fifth-grade Pill. Letting this little female dragon swallow it directly would be a tremendous waste.

After hearing this, a conflicted look immediately appeared on Zi Yan's little face. Then she gritted her teeth and said furiously, "You were lying in wait for me here all along, weren't you..."

"I heard that when you alchemists refine pills for other people, you ask for three sets of ingredients. Doesn't that mean you'll take more than half my earth core body tempering milk again?"

"Oh, I suppose that's how it works. Ah, look at my memory. I nearly forgot about that. Why don't you just swallow it directly? It'll only be several times less effective and taste a little worse. That's not unbearable. It's just that someone's wish to grow up might be hanging by a thread~"

Lin Chen patted his forehead as though realization had just dawned on him.

Then he shrugged and walked toward the Outer Academy with a completely unconcerned expression.

Zi Yan trailed behind him like a little shadow, waving her fists at his back as though venting her anger from a distance. She thought fiercely, Once I grow up, I'll make you pay!

This nasty fellow does nothing but skim off my things. One day, I'll bully him right back!

Not long afterward,

Inside a quiet study in the Outer Academy.

Lin Chen sat comfortably in a chair, lifted his teacup, and took a small sip.

Behind him, Zi Yan was attending to him with an eager expression, occasionally kneading his shoulders or massaging his arms. Now and then, she even softly asked whether the pressure was right, looking just like a maid trying to please her master.

Across from Lin Chen, Hu Gan examined the jade bottle in his hand with astonishment. Inside, a mass of thick, emerald-green liquid gently swayed as though it had a life of its own, looking quite remarkable.

"Boy, is this the legendary earth core body tempering milk?"

"Where did you get it?"