"Y-Young Master, by 'Dragon Ancestor', do you mean THAT 'Dragon Ancestor'?" Feng Yuxiang asked him in a trembling voice.
Yuan raised his eyebrows and spoke, "Hmm? Do you know the Dragon Ancestor?"
"If it's the same Dragon Ancestor you're talking about, of course, I know him! Oh, but it's not like I know him personally. He's just incredibly famous in the upper heavens." Feng Yuxiang said.
"Oh? Tell me more!" Yuan said, his eyes filled with interest.
Feng Yuxiang nodded and said, "The Dragon Ancestor is one of the oldest Divine Beasts in existence who has existed ever since the Primordial Era— the earliest known Era, and the Dragon Ancestor has built multiple empires and powerful families across the Nine Heavens. He's so incredibly powerful and famous that many people revere the Dragon Ancestor as their god!"
"Many families across the Nine Heavens, huh? I think it's the same Dragon Ancestor since that's what the Royal Family told me as well." Yuan said.
"Heavens… You really obtained the Dragon Ancestor's Blood Essence? Not just his blood, but his Blood Essence! This is a priceless treasure even in the upper heavens, Young Master! I have no doubt that even gods would start a war for it!"
"What's the difference between regular blood and Blood Essence?" Yuan asked her.
"The phoenix blood I gave you is considered 'regular blood' since I can offer it quite easily. Blood Essence, however, requires tedious effort and the individual's longevity to create."
"Huh? Does that mean it'll take away your life?" Yuan's eyes widened.
"That's right." Feng Yuxiang nodded, and she continued, "Blood Essence requires one to sacrifice their longevity, and to Cultivators, their longevity is extremely important, almost sacred, so you can imagine why Blood Essence is incredibly rare."
"Even true Immortals that have indefinite longevity would not create Blood Essence carelessly because it could affect their cultivation, and that would be disastrous even if they lose a single level."
"I see…" Yuan mumbled.
"This makes me wonder… Why would the Dragon Ancestor risk so much to create his Blood Essence?" Feng Yuxiang pondered.
After a moment of silence, Yuan asked, "Should I consume the Blood Essence?"
Feng Yuxiang instantly stopped her thoughts and looked at him with wide eyes.
"Absolutely not!" She loudly exclaimed, startling everyone in the room.
"I'm sorry for shouting at you like that, Young Master, but you must not consume the Blood Essence because your body cannot handle it. The Dragon Ancestor is a godlike being at the peak of the cultivation world, and its Blood Essence would obviously contain an immense amount of energy. It would be like an ant trying to drink all of the water in an ocean." Feng Yuxiang said.
"Actually, can I take a look at the Blood Essence?"
Yuan nodded and retrieved his Dragon Spatial Ring before taking out the bottle and showing it to her.
Feng Yuxiang narrowed her eyes at the single drop of blood with a pondering look on her serious face.
After a moment of silence, she spoke, "Even considering your abnormal talents, you shouldn't consume this Blood Essence until you're at least a Spirit Emperor, Young Master, because it will definitely kill you in an instant."
"Spirit Emperor? The Blood Essence is that powerful?" Yuan's jaw dropped.
How long would it take him to reach Spirit Emperor? He cannot even imagine!
"Young Master, this Blood Essence came from a godlike being that has reached the peak of cultivation. It's not something a mere Spirit Master can consume. And telling you to consume it at Spirit Emperor is already incredibly dangerous and almost suicidal. I wouldn't tell even Spirit Sovereigns to consume this Blood Essence under normal circumstances."
"I understand." Yuan nodded.
"However, there are methods you can use that'll allow you to consume the Dragon Ancestor's Blood Essence without waiting until Spirit Emperor, and that requires you to dilute the Blood Essence until it's weak enough for you to consume it. Of course, this method isn't recommended, as it'll greatly weaken the effects of the Blood Essence."
"It's okay, I'll just wait until I am a Spirit Emperor. I am in no rush to consume the Blood Essence, anyway." Yuan said.
After all, his purpose for playing this game was never to rush to the peak as soon as possible.
After he finished recalling his experience in the Mystic Realm to the others, Xiao Hua asked him, "Brother Yuan, what are your plans now?"
"I am going to enter the Dragon Temple before I leave the sect and explore the Lower Heavens some more. After that, I will ascend the Stairway to Heaven."
"Okay." Xiao Hua nodded.
Yuan then turned to look at Meixiu and asked her, "What about you? When do you want to start cultivating?"
"Whenever, I guess…" Meixiu casually responded, as she has no real motivation to become a Cultivator.
Sometime later, Yuan spoke, "Since I cannot consume the Blood Essence now, what about these demon cores? I have already eaten one so I know that's not a problem."
He then showed them the two demon cores Grandpa Lan gave him.
"Demon cores? These will fetch good money if you sell them, Young Master. If my store was still open, I'd put these demon cores on the top floor, no doubt."
"I don't need money so I'll keep them for now," Yuan said.
"Hmm…" Feng Yuxiang looked at the demon cores with a pondering expression.
"If you want to consume them like monster cores, I'd only suggest consuming that one." Feng Yuxiang pointed to the demon core on the left.
And she continued, "You'll reach Spirit Grandmaster if you consume that one, but if you consume the other one, you'll risk breaking through to Spirit Lord, which will force you to ascend to the next heaven because only Spirit Grandmasters are allowed in the Lower Heavens… With some exceptions like Xiao Hua, I guess."
"I see… Then I'll just consume the weaker one and breakthrough to Spirit Grandmaster first." Yuan said before taking that demon core and tossing it inside his mouth.
Xiao Hua and Feng Yuxiang had a mini heart attack after seeing his sudden actions, as this was their first time seeing someone eat demon cores, and they were not prepared for it.