Chapter 158: Tempering the Body

"This is the true form of the Earthheart Tempering Essence. Those below are merely diluted versions, having flowed out from the main body. On the continent, some know of the Earthheart Tempering Essence, but only a precious few truly understand it. The genuine essence is hidden at the point where the stalactite touches the earth." Xiao Xie pointed to the green stone below and smiled. "Ordinary people, even if they find it, would likely do as you did just now—collecting the diluted essence below, yet leaving the real treasure behind."

With that, Xiao Xie produced a jade vial, shaped his right hand into a claw, and drew the Earthheart Tempering Essence from the circular cut, storing it in the vial. After absorbing most of the essence, he paused upon seeing a small remainder, then pressed the fragment of the stalactite back into place. Instantly, the intense light faded, and the stalactite returned to its former tranquil state.

"Xiao Xie, there's still some left!" Zi Yan reminded anxiously. For a gourmand, wasting delicacies was a disgrace.

Xiao Xie ruffled Zi Yan's hair and laughed, "Always leave a thread. In the world of alchemy, there's an unwritten rule: when encountering rare treasures, never sever their roots. Earthheart Tempering Essence is exceedingly rare. If you take it all, the stalactite, which took ten millennia to form, may gradually collapse. Better to leave some for nurturing. Otherwise, if you ever crave this essence again, it would be near impossible to find."

Zi Yan nodded, half understanding, but her eyes never left the jade vial in Xiao Xie's hand, her expression filled with greedy longing.

Seeing her adorable look, Xiao Xie shook his head with a smile, took out another jade vial, poured out half the Earthheart Tempering Essence, and handed it to Zi Yan, who was waiting expectantly.

"Xiao Xie, you're so kind." Zi Yan grinned happily, squinting as she took the vial.

Xiao Xie fondly stroked her purple hair. "Alright, let's head back."

"Mm!" Zi Yan sniffed the vial, her face bright with joy as she nodded.

"Young Master, you've returned." As soon as Xiao Xie arrived home, Qing Lin greeted him obediently.

"Xiao Xie, I'll go now. Next time I find a treasure, I'll invite you along!" Zi Yan bade Xiao Xie farewell and hurried off—she couldn't wait any longer to savor the Earthheart Tempering Essence. Having resisted the urge all the way back, she would go mad if she waited any longer!

"You and Little Doctor Fairy go ahead and eat; I'll join you soon." Xiao Xie gently ruffled Qing Lin's hair and smiled.

"Understood, Young Master." Qing Lin replied sweetly and went to call Little Doctor Fairy.

Returning to his room, Xiao Xie focused his thoughts and entered the Worship Space. He opened the Enhancement Furnace, placed the Earthheart Tempering Essence inside, spent a million points to enhance half a vial into a jar, increasing its quantity tenfold. Then, he distributed the jar's contents into ten jade vials.

Next, Xiao Xie took out the white treasure chest he had obtained from the Snow Demon Ape using the Divine Refining Hand. Upon opening it, the chest dissolved into a beam of white light, vanishing and leaving behind two items: a red orb and a white dagger.

Examining them, Xiao Xie immediately recognized their nature. The white dagger was called "White Ape's Fury," a high-grade profound-level weapon, forged from the hardest bone of the Snow Demon Ape.

"It's like playing an online game," Xiao Xie sighed, looking at the dagger. Then his gaze shifted to the red orb—its name was Bloodline Pearl.

Rampage Bloodline Pearl: Upon use, one gains the rampage bloodline of the Snow Demon Ape clan, acquiring the ability to berserk. Activating berserk grants a five-minute surge in strength, increasing power by fifty percent. Afterward, the user enters a one-hour period of weakness, with their strength reduced by fifty percent.

"Isn't this the berserker's ability?" Xiao Xie laughed, holding the Rampage Bloodline Pearl. Though he had little interest in such bloodlines, the fact that he could use the Divine Refining Hand to extract this pearl from the Snow Demon Ape demonstrated its extraordinary capabilities—truly a divine skill won from a tier-nine lottery.

Obtaining the Rampage Bloodline Pearl from the Snow Demon Ape might not be much, but if one day Xiao Xie entered the world of Dragon Ball and extracted the Saiyan bloodline, that would be something remarkable indeed.

Still, Xiao Xie knew he had been lucky; after mastering the Divine Refining Hand, he learned that the chance of obtaining a bloodline pearl was only one percent. To get one on his first attempt was nothing short of miraculous.

He considered the Rampage Bloodline Pearl beneath him because he possessed so many trump cards; the drawbacks of the rampage bloodline were too great. For others, however, acquiring such a bloodline pearl would be a treasure, instantly consumed. After all, it was a bloodline, and a rampage bloodline was considered mid-tier. Only someone as laden with treasures as Xiao Xie would dismiss it so easily.

Leaving the Worship Space, Xiao Xie dined with Little Doctor Fairy and Qing Lin. Afterward, he took out two jade vials filled with Earthheart Tempering Essence, gave them to Little Doctor Fairy and Qing Lin, explained their usage, and returned to his own chamber.

Seated cross-legged on his bed, Xiao Xie took out a vial of Earthheart Tempering Essence and drank it in one gulp. Such pure essence was so potent that even a Douzong-level human expert would not dare to consume it directly. Xiao Xie, however, relied on the regenerative power he gained from consuming Dragon Essence, allowing him to drink an entire vial without hesitation.

Previously, Zi Yan, empowered by her magical beast physique, drank the diluted essence in one go and burped contentedly. Pure Earthheart Tempering Essence, however, she could only sip slowly. Little Doctor Fairy and Qing Lin, weaker still, couldn't ingest it directly; it had to be diluted for a medicinal bath.

After swallowing a vial, Xiao Xie felt a vast, pure energy spread from his stomach to every fiber of his body, steadily enhancing his physical strength. Although he had gained formidable recovery abilities from Dragon Essence and had recently fused a collapsing jade into his body, allowing him to heal severed limbs in seconds, his physical strength still lagged behind his recovery, only comparable to a yellow-grade weapon. As the essence continued to temper him, he could clearly sense his body toughening.

"Still not enough!" When the energy from the first vial had been absorbed, Xiao Xie took out another and drank it whole. Every time the energy was absorbed, he took out another, repeating this process until he had consumed seven vials. Each vial required ten thousand years to form, so seven vials equaled the accumulation of seventy thousand years.

Looking at the last vial, Xiao Xie shook his head—not because he couldn't drink more, but because after seven vials, the essence no longer enhanced his body. He had reached a new level of physical strength.

Taking up White Ape's Fury, Xiao Xie drew it across his palm, leaving only a white mark. The corners of his mouth lifted in a faint smile. Injecting douqi into the dagger, he slashed his palm again, this time opening a small wound that healed instantly.

From this, Xiao Xie understood his current physical strength. White Ape's Fury was a high-grade profound-level dagger: without douqi, it left only a mark; with douqi, it could wound him, which meant his body now surpassed the toughness of ordinary high-grade profound weapons, but was still beneath earth-level weapons—somewhere between the two.

Compared to before consuming the essence, Xiao Xie's physical strength had increased at least tenfold. The effect was truly remarkable.