Chapter 54 Reward Li Fire Crystal (Spiritual Object)

"There is no need to investigate further. He has already fled."

Lyra said calmly, "Just moments ago, I had our people conduct another investigation. It has been confirmed that among the 7 Foundation Establishment cultivators who fell in battle, 1 of them faked their death and escaped."

After speaking, her gaze swept over the assembly. "In the coming months, I shall commence alchemy to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object). You may redeem your military merits at the Heavenly Ruins Pavilion."

"When the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) is successfully refined, I shall allocate them appropriately for compensations and rewards."

Everyone hurriedly expressed their gratitude before withdrawing 1 by 1, with only Eldrin and the old clan leader being specifically asked to remain.

Within the spirit pool cavern of Celestial Ruins Mountain (Location), Lyra (Person Name) glanced at Eldrin (Person Name), then turned her gaze to the old clan leader.

"This battle, you single-handedly held off 30-some second-order demonic beasts for 2 quarters of an hour, playing a pivotal role in our victory."

"I had intended to reward you with 3 Foundation Establishment Pills (Spiritual Object) once they were successfully refined, but upon further reflection, I thought it best to consult you first."

She paused, then said, "Do you have any other rewards you desire?"

The old clan leader exchanged a glance with Eldrin, then said with palpable excitement, "Could we exchange the 3 Foundation Establishment Pills for Li Fire Crystals?"

"Li Fire Crystal (Spiritual Object)?" Lyra's eyes flickered slightly as she gazed at Chen Changxuan. "You're at Foundation Establishment's seventh layer, already preparing to break through to the Purple Mansion?"

The Li Fire Crystal (Spiritual Object) is an exceptionally rare treasure, capable of being refined into magical artifacts and elixirs. It can also assist fire-attribute spiritual root cultivators in breaking through to the Zifu Realm, increasing their chances of a successful breakthrough by 20 percent.

Chen Changxuan was a cultivator with dual spiritual roots of metal and fire. If he obtained the Li Fire Crystal (Spiritual Object), his chances of breaking through to the Violet Mansion Realm in the future would reach 30 to 40 percent. No wonder Lyra (Person Name) had thought of this.

Hearing her words, Chen Changxuan shook his head with a faint smile. "It will take this junior at least 30 or 40 more years to attempt a breakthrough to the Zi Fu Realm. How would I dare keep such a treasure on my person for long?"

"I intend to use this artifact to forge a Natal Immortal Sword for my grandson."

"Uncle." Eldrin's expression shifted slightly, as if he wished to speak.

The old clan leader stopped him, saying resolutely, "No matter how precious the treasure is, 1 must be alive to use it."

"With the strength of our Chen family, trying to protect the Li Fire Crystal (Spiritual Object) for 30 or 40 years would be nothing but a fool's dream. It would be far better for you to forge the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure)."

"Besides, I once promised you that if there were any possibility of obtaining the Li Fire Crystal (Spiritual Object), the family would spare no effort to acquire it for you."

Eldrin listened in silence, a nameless stirring in his heart that compelled him to bury all emotions deep within.

Lyra observed everything, a flicker of amusement flashing in her eyes. Only after the 2 had finished their discussion did she speak.

"3 Foundation Establishment Pills (Spiritual Object) for 1 Li Fire Crystal (Spiritual Object) – that's actually quite a fair trade."

"A few years ago, a Li Fire Crystal (Spiritual Object) was born within the underground fire veins. I haven't had the chance to use it yet—consider this your fortunate destiny."

"I agree to this matter."

She spoke as she retrieved a crystal emitting a hazy glow and handed it to the 2 of them.

Eldrin received the Li Fire Crystal, unable to suppress the surging emotions in his heart. Such a treasure was exceedingly rare—even ordinary Zifu cultivators would covet it.

Strictly speaking, they had profited from this exchange reward. Although the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) could be valued at 30,000 spirit stones, its internal price among major factions was only around 10,000 spirit stones.

It was simply because ordinary immortals were incapable of refining the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object), leading to its demand far outstripping supply. Consequently, its price was often driven as high as 20,000 to 30,000 spirit stones.

During the beast tide period, if a substantial number of Purple Mansion Demonic Beasts are slain, the price of the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) may drop to around 15,000 spirit stones.

After all, the shelf life of a Purple Mansion Inner Core is merely 3 to 5 years, while the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) can only be preserved for 10 years. When produced in large batches at once, their market value inevitably declines.

With Lyra's (Person Name) alchemy skills, she could control the cost of each Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) at around 6,000 to 8,000 spirit stones. Therefore, the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) was merely scarce in materials for her—if calculated at internal pricing, it couldn't be considered particularly precious.

The price of a Li Fire Crystal (Spiritual Object) typically hovers around 50,000 spirit stones, and it rarely exceeds 80,000 spirit stones even with premium markups. The real issue is that this item is virtually unavailable in the Chu Kingdom (Location).

Within the Chu Kingdom, the Essence of Li Fire could only be produced from the underground fire veins of the 3 major sects and Celestial Ruins Mountain. Each time it appeared, it would drive Foundation Establishment, Late Stage cultivators from various major forces into a frenzy, compelling them to exhaust every means to exchange for it.

Therefore, by having the reward changed from the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) to the Li Fire Crystal (Spiritual Object), the 2 of them could be considered to have profited from the exchange.

Seeing the 2 of them excitedly put away the Li Fire Crystal (Spiritual Object), Lyra (Person Name) gave a slight nod before turning her gaze toward Eldrin (Person Name).

"You also played a significant role in helping Elara (Person Name) break the stalemate, even at the cost of expending a precious talisman."

"Very well. After the Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) is successfully refined, I shall reserve 1 for you, along with a Meridian-Nourishing Pill."

Eldrin's eyes lit up as he nodded with delight, knowing that this Meridian-Nourishing Pill was intended for Chen Changxuan.

The old clan leader’s meridian injury, while not severe, would have required several years of recuperation. But with this Meridian-Nourishing Pill, he would likely recover in less than a month.

At this thought, he promptly expressed his gratitude, "Thank you."

"Go." Lyra flicked her sleeve and tossed a medicine bottle over.

After obtaining the Nurturing Meridian Pills, the 2 took their leave from Patriarch Jiang and departed from the Spirit Pond Abode.

After returning to the inn, Chen Changxuan began secluded cultivation to ingest the Nourishing Meridian Pill for recovery, while Eldrin stood guard to protect his meditation.

In the blink of an eye, over a month had passed. The old clan leader emerged from his secluded cultivation chamber, and the 2 finally found time to discuss matters.

The old clan leader had recovered from his injuries and spoke in high spirits, "This time we obtained the Li Fire Crystal (Spiritual Object). It is far too precious—bringing it back may invite grave danger."

"I think it would be best to utilize the earthfire forging chamber at Celestial Ruins Mountain (Location) to successfully refine your Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) before we depart."

"I share the same thought," Eldrin nodded in agreement. "However, I possess no knowledge of formation arrays nor artifact forging. I would still require Elder Uncle's assistance to craft this Lifebound Immortal Sword."

Chen Changxuan let out a hearty laugh, stroking his long beard as he said, "This matter is simple."

The initial grade of a life-bound magical treasure is often not high, hence its refinement is typically not overly difficult. The Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) is no exception to this.

However, as a top-tier immortal sword, its materials and forging method were exceedingly rare and unique, making it considerably more challenging to refine than ordinary natal magic treasures.

Especially since the Li Fire Crystal (Spiritual Object) was born from the depths of earth fire, refining it required the combination of third-grade earth flames and a high-grade artifact forging furnace. This necessitated renting an earth fire forging chamber at the Celestial Ruins Mountain (Location).

To rent an earthfire forging chamber, the 2 soon sought out their acquaintance Liu Rumeng.

This time, Liu Rumeng was exceptionally warm. Upon learning of his purpose, she smiled gently and said, "There are only 3 third-grade Earthfire refinement chambers in Celestial Ruins Mountain (Location). The finest 1 is currently occupied by our master, who is refining Foundation Establishment Pill (Spiritual Object) within."

"The other 2 Earthfire Chambers are 1 of mid-third grade and 1 of lower-third grade. Which 1 would you like to rent?"

Chen Changxuan smiled faintly. "We're here to forge a Natal Magic Treasure, which requires the aid of a third-tier Artifact Refining Furnace. I wonder which chamber possesses 1?"