After a round of hectic work, the chest was finally opened. Four silver-white metal pillars propped up after being released, crossing at a point to hold up a regularly shaped diamond stone, within which a mist-like aura flowed, emitting a hazy, beautiful glow.

"Is this what they wanted to obtain?" Luo Chao wondered aloud. Extending his hand to take it, the four metal claws withdrew. Luo Chao held it in his palm to sense it, and couldn't help but feel moved.

"Such powerful energy, it doesn't seem inferior to the energy of the drop of Earth Core Milk I just took." He silently ran the Taiqing Chapter's incantation in his mind, trying to absorb the energy inside, and found that he could indeed absorb it, which delighted him greatly.

"The energy inside feels very similar to Spiritual Power, and it doesn't have the violent nature of Earth Core Milk. I can definitely absorb it without worrying about danger, though it lacks the purity of Earth Core Milk's Spiritual Power," Luo Chao was overjoyed. "Perhaps because it's in a solid state, the crystal's outer wall can prevent the Spiritual Power from spreading outward. I can absorb a bit, and after stopping, the remaining energy stays quietly inside, ready for next time, allowing for multiple uses."

Honestly, Luo Chao had been terrified by the Earth Core Milk, swallowing even a tiny drop almost made him explode from the Spiritual Power overload. Such liquid isn't easy to allocate its use properly. But now, with this Energy Crystal, Luo Chao could cultivate freely without concerns.

"Since this Energy Crystal attracted Poppy and Charlemagne to compete for it, they must know its uses and origins. Once I've cultivated to a satisfactory level, I'll find them and force the secret of the crystal from them. After that, I won't have to worry about Spiritual Power scarcity in this end-of-the-law era." Luo Chao felt his future looked bright.

In this cave, Luo Chao adopted a lifestyle akin to that of a savage, daily absorbing the crystal's energy to cultivate the Taiqing Chapter and improve his strength. When hungry, he'd catch strange saury in the underground river; otherwise, he'd venture outside the cave for some game. Shennongjia certainly wasn't lacking in various small animals, and for someone like Luo Chao, a trained special operative, surviving in the jungle was like second nature.

Setting aside the Energy Crystal he was absorbing, Luo Chao carefully placed it back in the chest and looked at the small portion of misty Spiritual Qi that had vanished from inside. He felt a pang of loss. But then he comforted himself, "Wasn't the Spiritual Power all absorbed by you? What's there to grieve over?" He introspected his Purple Mansion Dantian, where the Vortex had grown tremendously compared to the start, and its rotation had advanced immensely.

"I should have reached the Mid-Qi Condensation Stage as described in the Taiqing Chapter by now. It seems my aptitude is quite good, achieving this level in such a short time, probably not much worse than Xuan Xuanzi," Luo Chao felt somewhat complacent, attributing his success to his own excellence, unaware that it was the Earth Core Milk's merit.

As the ultimate treasure, it definitely has miraculous effects to resurrect the dead and flesh the bones, purifying his whole body, enlarging his meridians, transforming an ordinary person with no Spirit Root into someone capable of cultivating immortality with a Spirit Communication Body; the effects are astonishing.

To say Luo Chao's whole body is like a transparent container, any Spiritual Qi can enter his Purple Mansion without obstruction; Qi Condensation Stage is fundamentally about absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. As long as there is abundant Spiritual Qi, Luo Chao can effortlessly progress to the peak of Qi Condensation without worry.

Xuan Xuanzi, too, obtained this Heaven and Earth ultimate treasure, the Earth Core Milk, too late. At that time, he already had one foot in the grave, with little lifespan left, risking a desperate attempt, but his old frail body couldn't withstand the Earth Core Milk's violent Spiritual Power impact, consuming the remaining lifespan, unable to bring the treasure back to the Taiqing Sect, eventually fading away in depression here, leaving it to Luo Chao.

If he had found the Earth Core Milk twenty or thirty years earlier, in the prime of life, he might have ascended to immortality like Zhang Sanfeng.

As though something had moved in a pocket of his shirt, Luo Chao put his hand on it, feeling around, a smile appearing on his face.

A small snake emerged from his collar, its jewel-like eyes surveying the area, exquisite and adorable, delighting anyone who saw it. Luo Chao smiled subtly, just about to take it out when the little snake shrank back into Luo Chao's pocket, wriggling as if wrestling with something inside. He reached into the pocket, pinched the snake's tail, and slowly pulled it out.

When the snake's head emerged, Luo Chao was astonished. The tiny mouth held a piece of something, opening and closing like it was eating. As he pulled further, Luo Chao finally understood what the snake was consuming—a piece of snake skin, probably just shed during its recent slumber, still glossy.

He seized the snake skin from the snake's mouth, preventing further consumption, laying it in his palm, overjoyed. The little snake beside him hissed, looking aggrievedly at Luo Chao.

Seeing its demeanor made Luo Chao feel a bit embarrassed, touching his nose. To be fair, this was the second time he had taken something from the little snake. As a grown man constantly doing such things, it felt rather unprincipled. The snake had saved him before, but he truly needed this snake skin, forcing him to be shameless once more.

In the future, he resolved to treat the snake well, buying lots of tastier food than snake skin in Liuhai once they returned. Luo Chao thus self-hypnotized, providing himself with an excuse for his shamelessness, then directly ignored the snake's protests and began earnestly researching the snake skin.

The snake skin in his hand was light as thin paper, emitting a soft white glow, the delicate scales arranged very neatly, altogether about the size of a palm in Different Space-Time—China rises again.

It just met the writing standard for talismans, filled with joy.

Sneakily glancing at the little snake nearby, he thought, "With this little fellow here, won't it mean I don't have to worry about materials for talisman making in the future?" The snake, previously quietly laying down, suddenly stood upright like a silver rod, sensing an imminent danger.

Having obtained the primary material for talisman making, Luo Chao didn't rush to create it right away. He understood he had only one chance; if he failed, he wouldn't know when the snake would shed its skin again. He needed to be thoroughly prepared before taking action.

Turning to the Taiqing Profound Talisman Chapter, he found some talismans usable during the Qi Condensation Stage.

"Spirit Cleansing Talisman, Exorcism Talisman, Dust-avoiding Talisman, Small Five Elements Divine Talisman, Wood God Thunder Talisman, Divine Travel Talisman, Giant Strength Talisman." Luo Chao listed all the talismans he could make at his current realm, then carefully selected the one that would provide the most assistance at present. "Spirit Cleansing Talisman, Exorcism Talisman, Dust-avoiding Talisman, and Divine Travel Talisman can be eliminated; they're all auxiliary talismans, lacking combat efficacy." Luo Chao made a calm choice, "Giant Strength Talisman is quite good, but defeating Charlemagne with it is unrealistic; his transformed monster's speed and strength are formidable, direct confrontation isn't a wise choice."

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