The Li Huo Sect wasn't very strict about books like personal biographies, travelogues, and storybooks.
These were all classified as miscellaneous texts and kept on the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion. They were free for all disciples to read, but they could not be taken out.
Of course, the content in these books might be somewhat distorted or outdated, but they could still serve as an important channel for gathering information.
Xiao Chen skillfully found the storybook section. This time, he wasn't there to read for pleasure but had a specific goal: to look through content related to Inner Cores.
For three straight days, he focused on this task, pouring all his free time into the Scripture Pavilion.
Finally, on the fourth day, he found a clue in a storybook titled Quanzhou Trip.
Spirit Beasts that hadn't reached Foundation Establishment did indeed have a minuscule chance of forming an Inner Core!
This usually happened when a special Spirit Beast underwent a bloodline regression after being stimulated, causing it to develop an Inner Core prematurely.
Some of these Inner Cores were defective, some were semi-finished products, but there was also a chance they could be perfect, undamaged True Inner Cores.
Under normal circumstances, a Spirit Beast that awakened a True Inner Core had a 98% probability of growing into a Great Demon of the Golden Core realm, transforming its Inner Core into a Golden Core.
Therefore, such a True Inner Core was even more precious than the Inner Core of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Spirit Beast.
But to determine if it was truly a True Inner Core, one needed to test it using a special technique.
And the author of this storybook, perhaps to show off their extensive knowledge, had happened to describe this obscure little technique in detail within the text.
Xiao Chen immediately memorized the technique and then hurried to the Marketplace to purchase the raw materials needed for the test.
"Top-quality Fire Orchid pistils. Ten Spirit Stones for one tael."
The vendor was all smiles, but the price he quoted was outrageous.
Xiao Chen thought he might have misheard. "How much did you say? Ten Spirit Stones for one tael? Why don't you just rob people?"
If he remembered correctly, when he passed through the Marketplace last year, this stuff only sold for one Spirit Stone. Even with price fluctuations, it shouldn't have jumped tenfold all at once.
The vendor immediately explained with a woeful expression, "Oh, my good Sir, you must know that the number of merchant caravans has been decreasing for seven months straight. The Marketplace is out of stock on everything."
"I had to beg and plead just to get my hands on these pistils at a high price. You won't find them cheaper anywhere else these days."
Xiao Chen had already noticed that the Marketplace was much quieter today than the last time he'd visited.
He had originally thought it was just a coincidence, but from the sound of it, there was another reason.
"You're not trying to scam me, are you? I'll go ask around elsewhere first."
"Sir, if you want to buy, you'd better come back soon. I can't save this stock for you."
Xiao Chen took a walk around the Li Huo Market, and now he could clearly feel the difference.
Six months ago, Jiang Sixuan had treated him to a meal at Baiyu Studio. He remembered there being all sorts of restaurants and shops outside back then.
Now, only half a year later, a third of the shops on the street were closed, even in broad daylight.
The rest were doing poorly, with hardly any customers browsing.
Even some of the clerks standing at the shop entrances couldn't be bothered to call out to him as he passed by.
After walking a full circle and overhearing conversations among passersby, Xiao Chen got a general idea of what had happened.
Li State, where the Li Huo Sect was located, was in the westernmost part of the Southern Wilderness. To its west and south were tens of thousands of miles of active volcanoes, and the area was so devoid of Spiritual Qi it was considered a dead zone.
To the north was a massive mountain range teeming with untamed Demon Beasts, and it was rumored that there was more than one Golden Core-level Demon Beast among them.
Therefore, its connection to the outside world relied heavily on the neighboring Hezhou. And Hezhou was right next to Quanzhou.
Unfortunately, the Yingyue Immortal Sect, the great Righteous Dao sect that had originally held sway in Quanzhou, had been utterly defeated in a war against the Divine Fire Sect, an Evil Sect of the Demon Sect. Over ninety percent of Quanzhou had now fallen.
The rise of the Demon Sect had cut off the trade routes, which in turn affected the Li Huo Market.
The news was absolutely true. A small family from Quanzhou had even fled to Li State for refuge and opened a Flying Sword Shop on the outskirts of the Marketplace.
Xiao Chen glanced inside from the street. His eyes were met with a flash of blue light; the Water Spirit Qi was remarkably active.
It was completely different from the Fire-revering atmosphere of the local Li Huo Market, making it quite unique.
And so, after wandering around, he ended up back at the small stall.
"See, Sir? I wasn't lying. This is the going rate now. I'm just trying to earn a difficult living."
'He's definitely price gouging, but I still have to buy it. The Inner Core is too important.'
"Five Spirit Stones per tael. I'll take it all."
There was a total of one jin and two taels of pistils here. Xiao Chen needed one jin, so buying the whole lot wasn't a problem, and he could use it as leverage to haggle.
The vendor shook his head repeatedly. "No way. Sir, it was hard enough for me to get this stock. The most I can do is knock off one Spirit Stone."
Xiao Chen held up his hand, forming the number seven. "Final offer, seven Spirit Stones. If you agree, I'll pay you right now. If not, I'm leaving."
"With the market like this, you could sit here for months and still not sell it all. It would be a shame to let it go to waste."
For something like pistils, freshness was crucial. Otherwise, this vendor wouldn't have had a chance to make this money; the shops of the major families would have monopolized it long ago.
If he waited two months, the value of these pistils would drop by at least half.
The vendor gritted his teeth and relented. "Fine. Let's just say I'm making a friend today, Sir. I'll take the loss on this deal. But I want cash upfront."
Even so, Xiao Chen still spent a total of eighty-four Spirit Stones.
Adding in the other materials, the total came to one hundred and thirty-three Spirit Stones, which was a little more than three and a half years of his monthly allowance.
Back at his residence, Xiao Chen ground all the materials into a powder, placed them in a small urn, poured in some Spiritual Spring water, and then put the small golden orb inside as well.
'I've really spared no expense this time. I hope what I have is a real Inner Core.'
At first, the small orb sank to the bottom of the urn, showing no reaction.
Following the instructions in the storybook, Xiao Chen stimulated it with his Magical Power at different intervals, repeating the process three times.
The small orb finally reacted, beginning to emit an aura of pressure unique to Foundation Establishment-level Demon Beasts.
However, this pressure only lasted for a moment before fading due to an insufficient supply of Magical Power.
Next, the orb began to absorb the surrounding Spiritual Qi on its own, drawing in a large amount of Fire Attribute Spiritual Power along with it.
The water's surface began to boil. The orb floated up, suspended at the very top, and emitted a faint red glow.
According to the storybook, the more Fire Spirit Power the Inner Core could withstand, the more complete it was.
A defective one could only absorb the equivalent of three taels of Fire Orchids, a semi-finished one six taels, and a complete one could absorb over a jin's worth.
As more and more Fire Spirit Power was drawn into the Inner Core, the red light grew brighter and brighter, bathing the room's walls in a crimson glow.
"One jin!"
Xiao Chen's spirits soared. The pistil powder in the small urn was almost gone. He had truly obtained a complete Demon Beast Inner Core.
A single thought instantly popped into his head—'I've struck it rich!'
But he immediately realized he had to be discreet and keep it a secret. After all, a True Inner Core was far too valuable.
Now saturated with Fire Spirit Power, the Inner Core radiated a brilliant glow and was quite beautiful to behold.
Nevertheless, Xiao Chen decisively took out a storage box and sealed the Inner Core inside.
'From this day forward, unless I break through to the late stage of Qi Refining or am attempting Foundation Establishment, I will not open this box.'
After cleaning up all traces of the test, Xiao Chen calmed his excitement and finally remembered the Purple Peach Blossoms.
He had been so busy the last couple of days that he hadn't had time to consume them.
Just as he was about to eat one, a "KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK" suddenly came from outside his room.
"Xiao, are you free tonight? I've come to treat you to a meal."
Xiao Chen immediately recognized the person's identity—Su Wanqing!
'What is she doing here?'