As Xuanyin stood in quiet contemplation, a sudden faint mist rose from the tip of the massive stalagmite. Within the mist, the glow of the stalagmite tip gradually intensified. As the light surged, a droplet of luminous, milky liquid suddenly coalesced—like a spot of light. This droplet swayed slightly at the tip before finally detaching itself, falling vertically through the air and gently landing into the shallow depression in the green stone at the top. Indeed, it is a case of water wearing stone. "If I'm not mistaken, this serum might take a full year to coalesce into a single drop. As for this small depression, I have no idea how many years it would take to fill it completely." Beside him, the elder physician sighed lightly, a touch of admiration and wistfulness in his voice—something he himself had long experienced. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was genuinely astonished. One drop per year! He never imagined that the seemingly insignificant drop he had seen earlier had actually accumulated pure energy over the course of a full year. Nature truly is extraordinary. "Master, this should be the 'Earth-Heart Refining Serum,' shouldn't it?" Xiao Yan stared intently at the serum within the depression, beaming with excitement. "Yes," the elder physician nodded casually, glancing at the liquids emitting a peculiar white mist. Seeing that even the senior physician nodded in confirmation, Xiao Yan no longer hesitated and quickly retrieved a jade vial from his storage amulet, intending to pour the "Earth-Core Body-Quenching Milk" into it. However, just as he was about to do so, the sudden voice of the senior physician caused him to pause, startled. The elder medic raised his head, gazing at the massive stalagmite hanging suspended in the mountain's dome. Suddenly, he waved to Xiao Yan and then slowly drifted upward toward the enormous stalagmite. Seeing the elder's movements, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned and promptly summoned his Purple Cloud Wings, carefully following behind. As they ascended along the towering stalagmite—standing over a hundred meters high—they reached the summit of the mountain dome within just a few minutes. From this vantage point, looking down, the once-great stalagmites now appeared no larger than ants. Scanning the surroundings, they could see other stalagmites hanging throughout the dome, their soft glow illuminating the entire underground world. The elder paid no attention to the surrounding stalagmites and instead hovered at the base of the largest one. Here, the stalagmite met the dome itself, and a gentle luminescence seeped out from within, casting the structure like a transparent crystal—elegant and striking. Xiao Yan also vibrated his wings to arrive at this spot, observing the elderly doctor's gaze. Upon inspection, he found no obvious issues and murmured a few words, but said nothing. "Is there a jade piece? Use the jade piece to gently dig into this area from here—remember, apply light pressure; otherwise, you'll completely damage this stalactite, which has taken a full thousand years to form." The elderly doctor raised his finger toward the stalactite, and instantly a circular mark the size of a palm appeared at its base. After carefully examining this mark for a while, he turned to Xiao Yan and spoke seriously. Though Xiao Yan was full of questions in his mind, he still nodded and retrieved a high-quality jade piece from his storage ring. Using his combat energy, he carefully enveloped the surface of the jade piece, then gently began to cut into the stalactite along the circular mark traced by the elderly doctor's finger at its base. Thanks to the qi enveloping it, the jade fragment had also become remarkably sharp. With merely a light touch, the tip of the jade made a delicate hissing sound as it penetrated the stalactite, which resembled crystal. Holding the jade firmly in his hand, Xiao Yan ensured it didn’t tremble at all, guiding it precisely along the trace drawn by Yao Lao, moving slowly and steadily. The soft hissing sounds echoed continuously in the quiet atmosphere. As he opened his eyes, the laughter of the medicine elder echoed beside him. Only then did Xiao Yan ease the tension in his chest, lifting his gaze toward the blazing light, furrowing his brows before flying closer. As he approached the massive stalagmite, his eyes focused on the circular opening where it had been sliced. To his astonishment, he discovered that within the stalagmite floated a thick, jade-colored liquid—alive and seemingly endowed with spirit, it gently flowed through the interior, yet its movement remained confined strictly to the area around the circular cut, never straying beyond a single line. Though he did not yet understand what this jade-colored liquid was, the pure energy it contained stirred profound awe within him—it was at least ten times more concentrated than the earth-essence body-nectar stored in the concave stone trough beneath. "What in the world is this?" "Some dry and slightly parched, he took a deep swallow of saliva, his eyes blazing as he gazed at the jade-colored, viscous liquid. He asked, 'This is truly the 'Earth-Core Body-Infusing Milk'.' Seeing the stunned expression on Xiao Yan's face, the medicine elder smiled gently and said, 'The ones below?'" Xiao Yan was momentarily taken aback, unable to believe what he heard. "The ones below are also... but they are the ones that have flowed out of this core, diluted versions of the 'Earth-Core Body-Infusing Milk.' While people across the continent know of the 'Earth-Core Body-Infusing Milk,' only a very few truly understand it. The genuine 'Earth-Core Body-Infusing Milk' is actually hidden at the points where the stalactites meet the earth." "The elder pharmacist pointed to the jade stone below, smiling, 'This might also be a protective tactic employed by such celestial and terrestrial treasures—to deceive and safeguard themselves. Usually, even if someone manages to find it, they'd likely do just as you did earlier: take away the 'earth-core body-nourishing milk' beneath, leaving the true treasure behind.' Hearing this explanation, Xiao Yan couldn't help but silently chew on his lower lip, realizing that even the 'earth-core body-nourishing milk' comes in genuine and counterfeit forms—indeed, the vast world is truly full of wonders. 'The genuine 'earth-core body-nourishing milk' is extremely delicate; only the most smooth and refined jade vessels can preserve it without damage. Should any iron or similar utensils come into contact—even just slightly—the milk, which has coalesced over countless years, would likely instantly dissolve into useless liquid,' the elder pharmacist emphasized seriously." Nodding firmly, Xiao Yan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, silently grateful that he had the elderly pharmacist—whose knowledge was as comprehensive as an encyclopedia—by his side. Otherwise, relying solely on his own judgment, not only would he have struggled to locate this genuine "Earth-Core Body-Quenching Milk," but even if he managed to find it, his impetuous nature would likely leave him with nothing at the end. With careful precision, Xiao Yan gently inserted the jade spoon into the stalactite, skillfully rotating his wrist. Within a few quick movements, he successfully gathered most of the "Earth-Core Body-Quenching Milk." As he prepared to remove all the jade liquid, the Herbal Elder suddenly spoke, "Always leave a little room for hope—there's an unwritten rule in the art of alchemy: whenever encountering rare and precious materials, never sever their roots. This Earth-Core Body-Quenching Milk is exceptionally difficult to form; if entirely removed, the stalactite, which has taken a full ten thousand years to develop, may gradually begin to crack. Therefore, it would be wise to leave a portion to nourish and preserve it." Xiao Yan paused slightly, nodded with a touch of humility. Indeed, when he had first obtained the Qinglian Earth-Core Fire, the Elder had said exactly the same thing—now he realized he had been rather greedy. After leaving a small amount of the Earth-Core Body-Quenching Milk, Xiao Yan withdrew the spoon and then repositioned the stalactite fragment in his hands. Immediately, the intense light began to fade, and the stalactite once again settled into its calm, peaceful state Pouring the jade liquid from the jade spoon into a finely crafted jade bottle that had been prepared in advance, watching as the liquid within continued to flow spontaneously, like a living entity, Xiao Yan exhaled deeply, finally relieved after all this effort—this precious thing was now securely in hand.