Chapter 174: Chapter 141: Heaven-Burning Fiend: You’ve Clearly Been Afflicted by the Evil Qi

After leaving Elder Chen, Xiao Chen took a detour to the Merit Hall.

"Junior Martial Master Xiao, um... you’re still ten Contribution Points short."

"Uh, I’ll make up the difference with Spirit Stones, then."

Xiao Chen took out twenty Spirit Stones to cover the remaining balance and successfully exchanged them for the Fire Storage Treasure Talisman.

He also casually flipped through the Exchange Album. Just as before, it listed a dazzling array of items.

When he first saw this Exchange Album, he had been filled with envy at the sight of all the wonderful things.

But now, most of the items seemed far too ordinary to him.

Never mind the junior disciples; even the rare Tier Two Spiritual Liquids, custom-made Upper Grade Magical Artifacts, and Xuan- or even Earth-Level Magic that other Foundation Establishment Cultivators coveted...

...felt lackluster to him.

Xiao Chen remembered hearing Huang Haoran say once that he had chosen to join the Demon Extermination Hall and worked so hard on missions...

...all to accumulate Contribution Points as quickly as possible to exchange for an Upper Grade Magical Artifact, a Fire Avoidance Shield.

The other Foundation Establishment Cultivators were much the same, either trying to get an Upper Grade Magical Artifact for themselves or to acquire an Earth Level Magic for their family.

Only Xiao Chen was an exception.

With Elder Su’s help, he had quickly bypassed the Upper Grade Magical Artifact stage, obtaining two Top Grade Magical Artifacts in one fell swoop.

Now, he possessed more Top Grade Magical Artifacts than Upper Grade ones.

These treasures, so coveted in the eyes of other Foundation Establishment Cultivators, were either beneath his notice or of no use to him.

「Back in Cuiwei Valley.」

Xiao Chen didn’t rush to cultivate the newly acquired Fire Storage Treasure Talisman. Instead, he went to the pavilion in his backyard, gazing at the green mountains and clear waters as he contemplated his next steps.

It’s said that plans can never keep up with changes, a sentiment he now felt deeply.

At the beginning of the year, he had already laid out his cultivation schedule.

But then came the matter of obtaining an Inner Core, followed by receiving a Secret Technique from the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace. Suddenly, he had two more urgent tasks to attend to.

Acquiring an Inner Core was complicated, to say the least.

The biggest problem was that someone in the Azure Flame Sect clearly held ill intentions toward him. Trying to obtain an Inner Core from them through normal channels was definitely a lost cause.

Moreover, resorting to robbery or force was out of the question.

For one, Xiao Chen didn’t consider himself the kind of person who would stoop to any level just to obtain a Spiritual Object.

For another, the risks were too great. If a Golden Core True Man happened to catch him, it would be a disaster.

But in another sense, the matter was also simple.

In Xiao Chen’s experience, many things could be acquired by bartering resources.

A Sect was a Sect, and a family was a family.

The Azure Flame Sect might be unwilling to sell a Demon Beast Inner Core, but the Ji Family or the Guo Family might not feel the same way.

Of course, this approach had one crucial prerequisite: he had to make an offer they couldn’t refuse.

He had previously heard from Elder Chen that a Clouded Leopard Inner Core from Hezhou had been auctioned off for the high price of twenty thousand Spirit Stones.

’Oh, Spirit Stones, Spirit Stones, Spirit Stones!’

Xiao Chen sighed three times. ’It feels like there are never enough Spirit Stones!’

’Maybe a windfall will come my way.’

In truth, if he were willing to part with two or three of his Top Grade Magical Artifacts, obtaining an Inner Core would be astonishingly easy.

After all, to the various families, a Top Grade Magical Artifact was a treasure that could be passed down for generations—a true heirloom capable of securing a clan’s destiny.

’Forget it. I’m not in a rush to attempt Core Formation right now anyway.’

’I’ll worry about getting an Inner Core once I have more Spirit Stones.’

Xiao Chen counted on his fingers, ticking off the tasks he had yet to complete.

’The matter of using the Eastern Domain Spirit Pearl to cultivate Magic can be put aside for now.’

’Collecting Spirit Grass to refine Iron Bone Pills can also be put aside.’

’Researching the Demon Soldier isn’t urgent either. As for nurturing the Spirit Pearl, I can just set aside an hour for it each night.’

Taking stock like this, he felt it wasn’t so bad. None of these tasks were critical, so postponing them was fine.

’So, the most important thing right now is to search for Evil Qi.’

Searching for Evil Qi was just as important as obtaining an Inner Core, as both could increase his chances of successfully reaching Core Formation.

Having confirmed his goal, Xiao Chen leaned back in the pavilion.

He mentally reviewed the contents of the Mystic Sky Eating Secret Technique in his Sea of Consciousness.

There were many types of Earth Evil Qi, each with its own unique characteristics.

Since he was currently only a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he could only refine the relatively gentler Five Elements Evil Qi.

Five Elements Evil Qi only existed in specific locations where the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was thin, but one of the Five Elements was exceptionally dense.

These conditions were nothing short of harsh.

If he were to just head out and search blindly, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

After some thought, Xiao Chen went to the sect’s main hall to pay a visit to Mei Yong, from whom he borrowed the sect’s records on the geography and hydrology of Li State.

As one of the Three Great Sects of Li State, the Li Huo Sect had, over its thousand-year history, produced many seniors who loved to travel far and wide.

Their travels had covered the entirety of Li State, and they left behind comprehensive geographical accounts.

With these volumes, Xiao Chen could rule out the vast majority of regions, saving himself ninety-nine percent of the effort.

This seemingly ordinary accumulation of knowledge and heritage was one of the advantages of a Major Sect.

Although Mei Yong didn’t know what he was planning, he saw him poring over the maps and offered a few words of advice: "The general lay of the land shouldn’t change easily."

"But some of these accounts are quite old, so there may be minor discrepancies. If you discover any new changes, Junior Brother, please trouble yourself to bring back new information."

"It will help us fill in the gaps and make timely corrections for the benefit of those who come after."