Staring intently at the massive, dried hide of the beast lying on the ground, along with its shriveled head, though it appeared almost indistinguishable from mere trash, Xiang Yan now knew—after what had just transpired—that this mysterious corpse of a beast was no ordinary one. Its precious treasures were hidden in ways that ordinary observers could never perceive. With a gentle flick of his robe, a soft breeze lifted the enormous hide, suspending it in midair. With a simple finger snap, a vibrant green flame surged from his fingertip, spreading into a roaring blaze that ignited beneath the hide. Under the intense heat of the green flame, the vast hide gradually curled and contracted—yet, as expected, the magical core remained unseen. Seeing this, Xiao Yan's brow also gradually furrowed. After the intense refining by the异fire, the creature's dry hide had revealed a few notable changes—its inherently fragile structure had managed to endure so long within the异fire without turning to ash. The only change was that it now slowly curled, much like a snake's skin. As time passed, the originally massive dry hide had shrunk into a compact roll, like an unopened scroll. Yet, still, the magical core that Xiao Yan had been eagerly anticipating remained completely absent. At this point, he realized that his current approach might have gone awry. With that thought, he turned his gaze toward Zǐ Yán, who was just now watching him with a look of satisfied amusement, perspiring profusely. "Little one," Xiao Yan rolled his eyes, then said sternly, "If you keep enjoying the show, hand me back those ten bone points right away." Regarding Xiang Yan's threat, Zi Yan gave a slight pout and lazily replied, "Idiot! The energy of that magical core is indeed hidden within this beast's dry hide. But if you simply use your strange fire to roast it harshly, the energy will gradually evaporate—eventually turning this thing into mere waste." Hearing this, Xiang Yan's hand trembled instantly, and the spreading emerald flames vanished completely. He burst out, "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" "You never asked me! You just went ahead and started acting on your own. Now you're even blaming me!" Zi Yan spread her hands, looking quite crestfallen. Frustrated, Xiang Yan rolled his eyes and after a moment, sighed, murmuring, "Alright, fine! Don't play games with me—just tell me how to proceed." Pouting slightly, Zi Yan reluctantly hummed, "First, drop a drop of that bright green and crimson blood onto the dry hide, then use your strange fire to roast it. That way, the magical core's energy will be forced out." "Are you sure?" "Heard that they'd have to draw upon that rare azure-red blood—Xiao Yan found himself hesitating, asking cautiously." "Then don't believe me!" Purple Yan immediately grew displeased, pouting. "Go ahead and try yourself. When you're done, all the hidden energy inside will be scorched away. Then see where you'll cry." Hearing this, Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and finally said, "Alright, I'll believe you this time." With a flick of his hand, the jade vial from before appeared in his grasp. With a simple finger motion, a drop of azure-red blood drifted gracefully and hovered before him. Staring at this drop, pulsing with astonishing, fierce energy, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. After fully refining all the flesh of the beast, they'd only managed five drops. Now, they were expected to use one in advance—without that magical core, Xiao Yan would have sworn he'd never have been so extravagant. Despite the pain, Xiao Yan curled his fingers and lightly tapped, and the vibrant green and crimson blood shot forth, landing directly upon the already curled-up, dry hide of the beast. As soon as the blood touched the hide, it swiftly seeped into the fibers. Immediately, the pale gray hide reacted as if stimulated by a strong force, wriggling like a snake, and a surge of green and crimson color rapidly spread outward from the point of contact. The spread of this color was remarkably swift—within just a few blinks, the entire hide transformed completely, its once-gray hue replaced entirely by an eerie, vibrant green and crimson tone, now vastly different from before. Moreover, as the color spread, the previously motionless hide gradually emitted powerful energy fluctuations. Seeing this transformation, a look of satisfaction appeared in Xiao Yan's eyes—this method indeed proved effective. "No need to use the Strange Fire yet; we're still waiting for the energy to dissipate," Pu Yan remarked coldly from the side. Hearing this, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned, then his passion ignited, and a fresh wave of emerald flame erupted, fully enveloping the already color-changed, withered hide of the beast. With this renewed incineration, the earlier scene did not reoccur; instead, under the intense vaporization of the strange fire, the greenish-red outer layer of the beast began to slowly seep out fine strands of greenish-red mist. Within this mist, Xiao Yan sensed a powerful and formidable surge of energy. Seeing this, a gleam of satisfaction flashed across his eyes, and he promptly increased the temperature of the strange fire. With the roaring green flames, the pale red mist seeping out of the wyvern's dry hide grew increasingly dense, eventually filling half the space above the house. As the mist thickened, the powerful energy surge intensified, until the pale red vapor resembled a cloud, hovering in the room's upper half and radiating a formidable energy pressure that caused both Xiao Yan and Zi Yan to pale. "Such a terrifying energy pressure..." Xiao Yan's face grew serious as he gazed at the pale red cloud above, pulling Zi Yan firmly behind him. With a mental effort, the lapis-lantern heart fire encasing the wyvern's hide surged into a more furious and intense blaze. At the very moment the roar erupted, the blood in Xiao Yan's body surged with an almost boiling intensity, prompting him to hastily channel his qi to suppress the agitation. Just as he had stabilized the inner turbulence, a sudden surge of energy erupted behind him. Xiao Yan swiftly turned around to find that Zǐ Yán's body had been enveloped in a shimmering layer of purple light at an unknown time. Within this unusual glow, even Xiao Yan sensed a palpable sense of danger, and he noticed the deep purple undertones in her gem-like eyes. Her gaze, wild and intense, fixed steadily upon the jade-green and crimson cloud floating above, as though it harbored some great threat. "Zǐ Yán!" Upon witnessing this unusual state, Xiao Yan urgently called out, his qi-infused voice exploding in her ears and rousing her from her daze. As Zi Yan's consciousness gradually returned to clarity, the lingering purple glow surrounding her gently faded. She glanced at Xiao Yan with a look of bewilderment, then murmured, "What's wrong?" Seeing her puzzled expression, Xiao Yan's face grew steadily serious. He knew deep down that this mysterious魔兽 dry corpse was no ordinary creature—and perhaps it held a connection to Zi Yan's true form. "Of what kind of beast is this? After so many years of death, it still retains such powerful energy and overwhelming presence?" Thoughts flowed through his mind as he furrowed his brows slightly. "Hiss!" As Xiao Yan's thoughts were turning, a faint, subtle sound—like a soft hiss—suddenly echoed through the room. Turning to look, he saw that the dried hide of the beast, previously being burned by the strange flame, had now completely turned to ash and drifted down from the air, settling in a thin layer over the floor. As the aura of the Waning Wargriffin faded, the final thread of pale crimson mist also drifted upward slowly, eventually dissolving into the thick layer of pale crimson clouds. Just moments after this final strand of mist had merged with the clouds, the latter suddenly began to ripple. At the very center of the clouds, a small vortex appeared, and the clouds themselves began to rotate gently. With each rotation, powerful, turbulent energy surged continuously into the vortex at the center. As this energy poured in, the volume of the pale crimson clouds shrank steadily—visible to the naked eye. Yet, despite this remarkable transformation, Xiao Yan did not feel great joy. Instead, his expression grew serious. He gently pulled Zi Yan back, stepping carefully two paces away, and swiftly activated his internal qi, preparing to respond to any sudden developments. However, the trouble萧炎 had anticipated did not materialize. As the vortex accelerated, within roughly two or three minutes, the final streak of cyan-red clouds was entirely drawn into the vortex. At the very moment the last trace of cyan-red cloud vanished, the vortex suddenly ceased its motion, and then a brilliant cyan-red glow erupted forth from within. Observing this unexpected development, Xiao Yan waved his sleeve, causing a layer of emerald flame shield to materialize before him. He then narrowed his eyes, focusing on the point where the intense light emanated. The surge of bright light lasted only an instant before gradually fading away. As the final gleam dissipated, Xiao Yan's eyes slowly opened, and his gaze then abruptly stiffened. Halfway above Xiao Yan's line of sight, a crystal of jade and crimson hues, slightly irregular in shape, floated motionless, rotating slowly while emitting delicate streaks of jade and crimson light. These subtle radiations of energy were enough to cause a slight warping of the surrounding space. Fixing his gaze steadily upon this crystal, clearly radiating an immense and formidable energy, Xiao Yan took a deep breath, his eyes blazing with intense fervor. "Is this... its magical core?"