This green stone, from a distance, appeared no different from ordinary stones, but upon approaching it, one could clearly see a series of rather unusual patterns etched across its surface. The stone's surface was slightly translucent, and under strong lighting, faint streams of viscous liquid seemed to flow within it. Xiang Yan gazed at this green stone for a moment, then gently exhaled, calming the excitement within him, before bending down and carefully cradling the stone—only palm-sized—in his hands. As his palms made contact with the stone, a sense of coolness immediately radiated out. When he gently shook it, a subtle sound of liquid shifting could be heard. "Sky-herb Emerald Stone Essence..." Xiang Yan focused intently, examining the stone from all angles, before finally confirming that this was precisely the final item he had been seeking! "Indeed, the Mountain of a Hundred Herbs is no ordinary place..." With great care, Xiao Yan carefully placed the celestial Ma-Fei stone into his storage scroll, his heart filled with admiration. If he had to seek such items on the outside world, he would surely have had to make considerable efforts—yet here, all he needed to do was simply bend down and search. Only after securing the final item did Xiao Yan turn around and gaze at Zi Yan, who was seated on the stone steps by the edge of the plaza, a gentle smile forming on his lips. "Found it?" Seeing Xiao Yan approach, Zi Yan perked up immediately and asked eagerly. Xiao Yan nodded with a warm smile. "Then when are you leaving?" Zi Yan asked with enthusiasm. Though she had been living in this realm of elixirs for some time, she found that while the food here was abundant, it still lacked the vibrant atmosphere found on the Continent of Qi. "Could you help me find a private chamber? I need to prepare certain things." "Speaking of this, Xiao Yan's face grew slightly serious. The earth-core soul essence was extremely difficult to obtain, and if the preparation failed this time, it would be uncertain when he could next secure such rare and precious materials. Thus, the matter could not be delayed. Seeing Xiao Yan's serious demeanor, Zi Yan nodded obediently, leading him past the plaza and then finding a well-sealed stone chamber deep within the stone pavilion. "I mustn't be disturbed once I step out," Xiao Yan said seriously as he entered the chamber, making a point of reminding Zi Yan. "Alright, don't worry," Zi Yan nodded firmly. With that, Xiao Yan finally felt at ease, took a steady step into the chamber, and the stone door closed with a resounding boom. . . The chamber was not particularly spacious, yet it was sufficient for its purpose. Soft light poured in from all around, completely dispelling the shadows within. Xiao Yan swiftly moved to the stone bed within the stone chamber, then settled into a lotus position, yet did not immediately begin his actions. Instead, he closed his eyes, calibrating the fluctuations of his mind and his overall state. The success of the preparation of the Earth's soul and marrow would determine whether Xiao Yan could fully ascend to the eighth rank—this required no room for distraction. Three things: the earth's core essence and the root-qi elixir can be directly blended, as long as the proportions are properly controlled. As for the heavenly mushroom and jade stone essence, however, the stone essence must first be extracted from within before it can be incorporated into the blend. Extracting the essence is not particularly difficult—especially for Xiao Yan at present. With a simple hand motion, the freshly obtained green stone floats upward and hovers before him. Xiao Yan glanced at the Tianma Fei stone crystal before him, then opened his mouth, and a vibrant emerald flame erupted, instantly enveloping the crystal. As soon as the flame appeared, under Xiao Yan's control, the temperature surged to an exceptionally high level. Within less than half a minute, cracks began to form across the surface of the Tianma Fei stone crystal, and a faint aroma subtly drifted out. Seeing this, Xiao Yan nodded slightly. With a sudden flick of his finger, a delicate stream of energy struck the crystal, and it emitted a crisp "crack"—pieces of stone fell off one by one, revealing a pale white gelatinous substance hidden within. As this white paste appeared, Xiao Yan gradually reduced the temperature of the flame, eventually thinning it into a slender stream that burned beneath the stone, much like the flame gently steaming a stone bowl. Within the bowl, the white paste continued to ripple with fine bubbles; each burst of a bubble released a faint briny aroma. This aroma stemmed from impurities within the stone essence—only after refining these impurities could the essence be used to harmonize the earth's soul marrow. For Xiao Yan, this refinement required little mental effort; within just a few minutes, the briny scent was entirely eliminated. After completing the refinement of the stone essence, Xiao Yan's expression remained unchanged. With a simple hand gesture, several elegant jade vases and vessels appeared in his hands. Then, with a subtle mental focus, fine streams of liquid emerged from the three jade boxes before him, and under his control, they converged into a single transparent jade bowl. "Pffft!" As soon as the three liquids came into contact, a light mist emerged, followed immediately by a clear hostility—each one began to erode the other, forming tiny bubbles continuously at their interface. Xiang Yan watched intently as the three liquids mutually eroded one another. After a while, the Dan Ling Jiang and the Shi Jing completely dissolved, leaving only the slightly uneven Dixin Hun Mei. The subsequent process remained largely unchanged—continuously adjusting the proportions of the three precious ingredients, much like a routine cycle. Should the balance be tipped even slightly—by a fraction more or less—the harmony among the three liquids would be disrupted, ultimately leading to failure. Thus, during the process, one must remain utterly composed, unaffected by any setbacks. Xiao Yan failed eleven times in harmonizing the three celestial and terrestrial treasures, and during these eleven failures, he nearly consumed one-third of the volume of the three ingredients. Yet despite this significant cost, Xiao Yan’s face showed no sign of restlessness, and his technique in blending grew increasingly refined, with the adjustments in proportions no longer marked by hesitation as before. Among his peers, few could surpass his current level of pharmaceutical craftsmanship. Naturally, he remained undisturbed by these repeated failures—after all, if he could not withstand such challenges, how could he possibly compete against the others in the Dan Conclave? Xiao Yan’s gaze was firmly fixed upon the jade bowl, where three liquids of differing hues coalesced at the tips of his fingers. As soon as the weight on either side of the bowl diminished, he swiftly added a few drops to restore balance. After repeated failures, the liquids within the bowl now appeared increasingly clear and vibrant, with a subtle fragrance gradually diffusing throughout. Upon inhaling this fragrance, the previously still eyes of Xiao Yan stirred slightly. With a gentle flick of his finger, a drop of stone essence slowly settled into the bowl. “Ssh—” "As this drop of stone essence fell into the jade bowl, a gentle mist immediately rose within it. Behind the mist, what remained was a small, viscous, vibrant liquid resembling jade... 'Ah...' Seeing the quality of the liquid, Xiao Yan couldn't help but exhale in relief. He carefully transferred the liquid into a fine jade bottle. Of course, merely this carefully prepared essence from the earth's core was not enough to achieve a complete soul transformation. However, with this first successful attempt, the subsequent process became significantly smoother. Within just a couple of hours, nearly half of the remaining three heavenly and earthly treasures had been successfully blended. Holding the jade bottle now, which was nearly overflowing at the rim, Xiao Yan's face finally broke into a satisfied smile. Though he had experienced many failures, the successful results he had achieved were more than sufficient for his current needs. 'Now, the truly important part begins,' he murmured, taking a deep breath. If this transformation succeeded, he would be able to advance to the eighth rank before the start of the pill conference—only then would he truly possess the stable qualification and strength to compete as a champion." "For the three thousand blazing flames, no matter what, it must succeed!" With a glint of determination in his eyes, Xiao Yan lifted the jade vial and poured it directly into his mouth, lifting his head high so that nearly half of the Earth's soul essence flowed smoothly down his throat and fully entered his body. As the Earth's soul essence began to flow into him, his head suddenly buzzed with a resonant hum. The soul energy at the center of his brow surged dramatically, as if activated by a catalyst—expanding so rapidly that Xiao Yan felt intense pressure and pain, as though his head were about to burst open at that very moment!