Dragon Transformation Essence

By coming up with an excuse, he finally managed to convince Lou Ji. Due to the steadily escalating tensions, many wartime projects within the Chancellor's Manor were being conducted concurrently under tight schedules. Among these initiatives, research on the Emperor of Sien's heart was second in priority only to two other top-secret experiments. This not only commanded immense manpower and material resources, but they had even spent a fortune convincing an Origin Realm retained elder whose lifespan was nearing its end to serve as a test subject for the transplant. If Xu Yuan's unique constitution could cut down on substantial unnecessary expenditures, it would be a boon for the entire Prime Minister's Manor. The party of four moved out. Lou Ji led the way ahead with a swaying, graceful gait. As they walked, Xu Yuan ambled up beside Xu Xinyao to walk shoulder to shoulder, while Ran Qingmo trailed silently behind them all. Seeing her third brother suddenly step beside her, Xu Xinyao glanced back at the ink-robed girl behind them and asked with mild surprise, "Third Brother, do you need something from me?" Xu Yuan nodded. Looking at his fourth sister, he asked in a low voice, "So much time has passed. How is the research on the soul ring coming along?" He actually had quite a few things to do coming down into the Black Prison today: see Wuming, retrieve the soul-warding shroud, examine the heart, and inquire about his fourth sister's scientific progress on the soul ring. Although Xu Xinyao had previously stated that this project would yield no returns in the short term, as Party A who provided the investment, he had every right to know Party B's full research progress. Xu Xinyao's eyes flickered, and she replied in a small voice, "It's... pretty good. Why are you suddenly asking about that, Third Brother?" With his experience as Party A across both his past and present lives, the moment Xu Yuan heard her reply, he realized the girl almost certainly had zero progress. Ambiguity equaled money down the drain. In research projects like this, even if there was the tiniest shred of progress, Party B would be eager to slap the project milestones directly onto their forehead for Party A to see. The thought flashed through his mind, and Xu Yuan stared at Xu Xinyao in silence. After a brief moment of eye contact, Xu Xinyao guiltily looked away and defended herself in a hushed murmur, "Third Brother... Xinyao has been very busy lately. You see, I had to help with the Saint's corpse, and I had to help with the repairs to the Black Prison, and Master even calls me over to the Institute of Natural Philosophy sometimes to lend a hand, so... so..." "So how much silver have you burned through so far?" Xu Yuan asked impassively. "Around three hundred thousand taels." Xu Xinyao's eyes didn't waver in the slightest, but her left hand rose to pinch her right upper arm. Well, a blatant lie. Ever since childhood, this girl had always had such telltale little habits whenever she lied. If she was by a tea table, she would continuously pour herself cups of water to drink; inside a carriage, her fingers would pluck at the plush animal fur on the cushioned couch. Xu Yuan snorted softly. "Matters like research materials and staffing allocations—all I have to do is ask Hua Hong or Jiang He to find out!" Feeling guilty, Xu Xinyao whispered, "Fi... five hundred thousand taels." "Tell the truth!" "Just a little over one million taels, that's all..." "A little over one million?" Xu Yuan glared at Xu Xinyao sideways. "Over by how much?" Xu Xinyao lowered her head, staring at the flat stone paving, and muttered, "Over by... nine hundred and thirty thousand." "..." Xu Yuan. Motherfucker. 1.93 million taels—and that was at the Prime Minister's Manor's internal pricing! If converted to market prices in the outside world, it would have exceeded 2.5 million. Converted into currency from his past life, that was over four billion. Burning through over four billion in just over a month... Seeing Xu Yuan's expression steadily darkening, Xu Xinyao explained in a low, rapid tumble of words, "This silver was for the initial investment! Engraving the Scale Cage spell-formation requires the Dust-Carving Mirror, but the ordinary Dust-Carving Mirrors at the Institute of Natural Philosophy can't meet the research requirements of the soul ring. We had to commission a custom one from the imperial family's Directorate of Celestial Works, which is extraordinarily expensive! And on top of that, we needed to purchase spiritual materials for the formations..." "Don't give me all this jargon I don't understand." Xu Yuan cut straight to the point, interrupting her defense: "The money's spent. Where are the results?" "..." Xu Xinyao hung her head and said nothing. Walking at the front, Lou Ji overheard the conversation behind her. She turned her eyes back languidly, sweeping an amused glance across the brother and sister. This time, however, the wicked woman didn't kick Xu Xinyao while she was down. Instead, she offered a gentle defense on her behalf: "Changtian, you really can't blame Xinyao for this. You want to create this soul ring, but our Chancellor's Manor has never established any similar research project in the past. The only thing that could be of any help to her is the demon-ghost grand array. Taking a completely new thing from zero to one is exceptionally difficult; two million taels of silver is actually very little." Hearing this, Xu Xinyao immediately looked up, giving Lou Ji a deeply grateful look, before turning a pitiful gaze upon Xu Yuan, her "Party A daddy." Looking at the slender, graceful figure beneath the girl's pale-blue robes, Xu Yuan felt both exasperated and amused. He asked in a gentle voice, "Yet if I recall correctly, when you first discussed this with me, you said the initial stage would only need around two million taels." Xu Xinyao responded with righteous conviction, her voice soft and tender: "With ample funds, we naturally have to use the best materials. That way, the day Third Brother sees the finished product can be brought forward!" Baking pies in the sky. Fourth Sister had learned bad habits too. "Since you used the best materials, why isn't there a single bit of progress?" Xu Yuan pressed forward with his interrogation. Xu Xinyao shrank her neck. "Th-that's because we're lacking materials! Many of the items on the materials list Senior Luo provided for crafting the soul ring have long gone extinct. The others are manageable, but we haven't been able to find an alternative substitute for the primary material, blood refined crystal..." "..." Xu Yuan finally realized it. Once it concerned her research, this fourth sister, who was usually so docile and gentle, could spin yarns big enough to drive a beast carriage through. Taking two deep breaths, Xu Yuan frowned. "Is there simply no substitute at all, or have you just not found one?" "There is one!" Xu Xinyao's voice rose slightly. At that moment, Lou Ji chimed in with an amused chuckle: "Changtian, you don't need to doubt Xinyao on this one. Dragon spirit stones truly do exist, but they are rather difficult to come by." "Why?" "Because the substitute for a dragon spirit stone requires slaughtering a dragon in Guyuan." "..." Xu Yuan. Lou Ji's voice was unhurried, carrying a playful, alluring charm: "Inside the bodies of the dragon race forms a treasure known as Dragon Transformation Essence. Much like the Snake Heart Lotus of the Seven-Life Python that Xu Changge brought back before, that Dragon Transformation Essence stores the dragon's spiritual consciousness and can substitute for blood refined crystal." Xu Yuan's eyes flickered upon hearing this, and he didn't reply immediately. Xu Xinyao whispered with some concern, "Third Brother, you don't need to be too anxious. Even without Dragon Transformation Essence, I can still refine a substitute material. It will just take a bit of time, that's all..." Xu Yuan waved his hand to signal his understanding, then asked in a somewhat solemn tone, "I recall that Dragon Transformation Essence isn't very large. If it serves as the primary material, can mass production truly be achieved?" Xu Yuan was completely ignorant of artifact crafting and array formations, but if Dragon Transformation Essence was what was needed, he might actually be able to offer some help. The ultimate purpose of researching a soul ring capable of holding a yin ghost's yin source was to achieve mass production, thereby sparking an "energy revolution" distinct from Source Crystals. But if Dragon Transformation Essence was the primary material for crafting the soul ring, how could it ever be mass-produced? The dragons were the royalty of the Guyuan demon race; how could they possibly let anyone slaughter them at will for crafting materials? Xu Xinyao naturally understood Xu Yuan's concern and explained softly, "Third Brother, you've misunderstood. To be precise, Dragon Transformation Essence isn't a direct substitute for the primary material, but rather a key medicinal catalyst used to refine that substitute material. With just a single Dragon Transformation Essence, Xinyao can refine about two dan of substitute material. "And with that batch of substitute material, the soul ring research can proceed. As for when that batch runs out..." At this point, Xu Xinyao smiled faintly. "By then, Master's Institute of Natural Philosophy should already be able to calibrate the process and eliminate Dragon Transformation Essence from the primary ingredients needed to refine the substitute." Understood. Dragon Transformation Essence was a transitional material to keep the soul ring research going. With it in hand, while Xu Xinyao conducted her research on the soul ring, the Institute of Natural Philosophy could simultaneously deconstruct the Dragon Transformation Essence and identify an alternative substitute. With that in mind, Xu Yuan quietly calculated. He intended to obtain a Dragon Transformation Essence using intelligence from Cangyuan. According to the timeline's progression, the little female dragon from Guyuan should currently be within Great Yan. However, Xu Yuan wasn't planning to target her. It wasn't that he couldn't bear to—so many of his 2D waifus in Cangyuan had already died, so one more little female dragon wouldn't make a difference. The primary issue was that she was hard to find. In Cangyuan, as long as one remembered the time and place and arrived on schedule, one could find that little female dragon. But now, the worldline had long since collapsed entirely due to his arrival; tracking her down using the past life's knowledge was utterly impossible. Aside from this little female dragon, however, Xu Yuan did know of another place where a Dragon Transformation Essence could be found. A young male dragon who had been dead for a hundred years. The little female dragon's playful younger brother had secretly slipped out of Guyuan into Great Yan centuries ago, inadvertently exposed his demonic qi, was ultimately besieged and gravely wounded, and finally died within Great Yan's borders. "Changtian..." All the natural treasures across its body had decayed with the passage of time, but the Dragon Transformation Essence inside it remained intact. "Changtian." In Cangyuan, this Dragon Transformation Essence was the key to unlocking the Dragon Knight storyline, but now it could be used to resolve the pressing emergency... "Changtian!" Lou Ji's slightly elevated voice interrupted Xu Yuan's train of thought. He lifted his gaze to meet hers. Lou Ji's gorgeous eyes had curved into narrow crescents, staring at him with a beaming smile: "You seem to have a lead on Dragon Transformation Essence?" No wonder she's been single for so many years. No matter how "approachable" she is, who could stand someone this sharp? Complaining inwardly, Xu Yuan asked back with a smile, "Why do you ask?" Lou Ji gave a delicate shrug and said smilingly, "If you don't, then never mind. But Changtian, make sure you don't suddenly pick up a Dragon Transformation Essence off the road on your way back later, all right?" Xu Yuan rolled his eyes and said softly, "I do have a lead, but I need to discuss it with Ran Qingmo first." "Ran Qingmo?" Lou Ji's dark brows arched slightly. Stepping forward at an easy pace, Xu Yuan reached out and patted Lou Ji's soft shoulder, chuckling softly, "Elder Sister, Ran Qingmo told me earlier that she heard some rumors during her travels, so I need to ask for her input first." "..." Hearing this, Lou Ji frowned. Her gaze instantly swept toward Ran Qingmo, who was trailing behind the four of them, her sharp eyes seeming capable of piercing right through a person. Hearing Xu Yuan mention her, the great ice block immediately looked up. She looked at Xu Yuan, then at Lou Ji, blinking twice with clear, serene eyes that showed not the slightest ripple of change. "...?" Ran Qingmo. Reflected. "..." Lou Ji. Since the great ice block would never defend or explain herself anyway, dumping the blame on her was even more effective than blaming Old Man Luo. Chuckling inwardly, Xu Yuan turned to Xu Xinyao beside him and bared his fangs, saying in an unhurried voice, "Xinyao, you should know just how precious Dragon Transformation Essence is. Although your Sister Qingmo won't care much about such things, as your elder brother I still need to compensate her. So of your remaining six-million-tael budget, I'll be taking half." "..." Xu Xinyao. The Black Prison was like a labyrinth, its crisscrossing corridors branching out in every direction. As they ventured deeper into the Black Prison, rustling, low rumbles echoed steadily from the darkness ahead. The battle between Feng Jiuxuan and the Emperor of Sien that night had caused immense devastation to the Black Prison. Destruction was easy, reconstruction difficult. Though the hole slashed open above had already been patched, the various mechanisms and array formations within the Black Prison were still undergoing repairs. However, that damage had occurred over by the Earth-tier prison cells. The dispensary where Lou Ji conducted experiments in the Black Prison was not far from Xu Xinyao's workshop, and it also lay within the perimeter of the Heaven-tier cells. The tapping of four sets of footsteps echoed through the corridor. After learning that three million of her research funds had flown away, Xu Xinyao kept her head down in gloom, silently trailing behind Lou Ji. Having achieved his objective, Xu Yuan paid no mind to Fourth Sister's sulking. He casually returned to the great ice block's side, taking her fair, cool little hand into his and feeling that somewhat excessively green innocence of hers. Just as Xu Yuan expected, Ran Qingmo said nothing and asked nothing, simply letting the man beside her hold her hand. Xu Yuan rather liked this feeling. This kind of romance that progressed step by step, beginning with simply holding hands, probably traced back to his junior high school days in his past life. They walked in silence all the way. After briefly reminiscing about his bygone youth, Xu Yuan began calculating the military expenditures for Xiao Bai's clansmen. Three million taels of silver seemed like a lot, but judged by the equipment allocations of the Black Scale Army, it could at most arm half a battalion—a force of two thousand five hundred soldiers. This was because Great Yan's standard-issue armor was truly expensive. Still, he could have a dedicated discussion with Hua Hong regarding this matter. After all, he now carried the status of the Prime Minister's Manor's crown prince. Even if he couldn't acquire goods from him at cost price, he should at least be able to secure the lowest internal rate. With his mind occupied by these complex considerations, the party of four arrived at Lou Ji's dispensary. As the Black Prison was territory under Lou Ji's direct jurisdiction, the dispensary she had set up for herself was vastly larger than Xu Xinyao's workshop. Across several dozen wooden shelves sat a dazzling array of thousands of medicinal ingredients, each clearly labeled, virtually encompassing every herb found within Great Yan. Upon entering, Xu Yuan's gaze instantly locked onto an adopted sister he had not seen in a long time. A ruqun blending white and black accentuated her gentle, elegant demeanor. Luo Xiran was indeed here as well. As the pharmacological prodigy who had developed the Fate-Reversing Liquid capable of reversing aberrant ghost transformation, she was naturally quite interested in the Emperor of Sien's heart. Yet what surprised Xu Yuan somewhat was another slender silhouette standing beside Luo Xiran. Bai Muxi was actually here too.