Extracting the essence blood from the heart required special methods.
As for what those methods were, Himeko no longer had the presence of mind to care.
From the very first moment, those droplets of essence blood had been calling to her—urging her to swallow them, to claim them as her own.
Perhaps because Himeko wasn't a martial artist, the temptation felt even stronger to her.
But years of pain and struggle had forged in her an ironclad will.
She forcibly suppressed that instinctive craving of life itself.
By the time she steadied her mind, the essence blood had already been sealed into fourteen bottles.
At a glance, those containers were clearly no ordinary jade bottles.
They shimmered with soft radiance, and faint, unfamiliar runes flickered in and out of view.
"Alright, the essence blood has been secured, and the heart has been retrieved. The rest will be handled by the remaining people."
Ying'er smiled warmly at the crowd.
"I imagine everyone's been itching to taste the flesh of an early-stage Essence-Refining ferocious beast, haven't you?"
Only then did Himeko snap back to herself, her gaze drifting once more to the massive heart.
"Incredible…"
She didn't ask any further questions, simply followed the others as they carried the heart away.
As one of the greatest contributors to this battle, the heart naturally fell under their share.
Before long, they arrived at a roughly constructed temporary structure.
The heart was simply too massive—no ordinary restaurant kitchen could handle it.
The chefs had no choice but to cook on-site, preparing the meal for immediate consumption.
To Himeko, this kind of banquet was novel and oddly fascinating.
While the heart was being prepared, she turned to Ying'er with curiosity.
"The essence blood… it's all collected?"
"Of course," Ying'er replied with a nod, smiling.
"Fourteen drops in total."
That number didn't mean much to Himeko at first.
For a ferocious beast towering hundreds of meters tall, only fourteen drops sounded absurdly few.
Ying'er noticed her confusion and chuckled.
"Don't underestimate those fourteen drops. In truth, that's already an exceptional amount."
"Most Foundation Establishment ferocious beasts struggle to condense even a single drop of essence blood in their entire lifetime."
"Even peak Foundation Establishment beasts usually have no more than nine drops."
"More importantly, the quality of essence blood from the Foundation Establishment realm and the Essence-Refining realm is completely different."
She continued, her tone turning serious.
"Essence blood is the crystallization of a ferocious beast's entire strength."
"It is, quite literally, its life origin."
"Those fourteen drops represent everything that beast had at the early Essence-Refining stage."
Himeko nodded thoughtfully.
By that logic, it was somewhat similar to a Herrscher Core?
Though not exactly…
In any case, it was clearly something of extreme importance.
"How can essence blood be used?" Himeko asked curiously.
"There are many methods," Ying'er explained, "but since it embodies a ferocious beast's power and vitality, careless use can be fatal."
"The first method is direct consumption."
She shook her head lightly.
"But almost no one chooses that. I've heard the Abyss Order favors this approach."
"Their physiques are naturally powerful, after all."
"To accommodate this, they even developed a special martial system—Ferocious Beast Martial Arts."
"They don't use inner strength, but blood qi instead."
"This path is far less balanced than Liyue's martial arts and leans heavily toward raw destructive power."
"Those who master it can even undergo partial beastification by drawing on the ferocious beast's lingering will within the essence blood."
"As for what that looks like… no one really knows."
"Nowadays, the Abyss Order barely dares provoke us at all."
Himeko nodded slowly.
The Abyss Order…
It certainly didn't sound like a benevolent organization.
Something to be wary of in the future.
"The second method is even rarer," Ying'er continued.
"Adding essence blood to a medicinal bath and absorbing it through immersion."
"This can purely enhance the physical body, pushing it beyond human limits—into something non-human, even approaching a ferocious beast."
"But no one has successfully done this yet."
"The risk is even greater than the first method."
"Essence blood forcibly reshapes the body. It's temporary, extremely painful, and very few can endure such violent distortion."
"We don't recommend it."
She paused briefly before going on.
"At present, the most effective ways we know to utilize essence blood boil down to two."
"First—refining it into pills. Once consumed, they safely boost one's strength."
"My own Grandmaster cultivation was achieved this way."
"Second—splitting the essence blood, diluting it with ordinary ferocious beast blood, and then consuming it."
"This wastes some of the essence blood's potential, and the effect is weaker."
"But it's safe."
"And essence blood meant for one person can be shared among many."
Ying'er took a sip of tea, moistening her throat, then smiled at Himeko.
"Miss Himeko, there's no need to worry. This essence blood naturally includes your share."
"Given your relationship with Elder Alice, she'll surely help you find someone to refine it."
"Even though your future lies in cultivation, essence blood won't harm you."
"And if you don't wish to use it now, you can always save it for later."
This time, Himeko didn't refuse.
She nodded gently.
"Thank you."
"Oh, come on, no need to be so polite," Ying'er said with a playful blink.
"If you really want to thank me, then when I eventually join Mount Shu, I'll be counting on Miss Himeko to look after me."
Himeko smiled.
"No problem."
After some casual conversation, the portion of the heart set aside for consumption was finally ready.
Most of the heart was sealed away in jade containers for later distribution.
That would be discussed afterward.
Looking at the steaming heart meat on the table—still vivid red, still brimming with vitality—Himeko's expression turned strange.
Was the culinary skill of this world… lacking?
It felt less like cooking and more like simple slicing.
She poked at it slightly, feeling a headache coming on.
Fresh blood strands still clung to the surface.
So… no processing at all?
For some reason, she suddenly missed Mei.
If Mei came to cultivate someday, she'd probably become a Culinary Immortal.
Noticing Himeko's hesitation, Ying'er teased her lightly.
"Miss Himeko must be thinking we don't know how to cook."
"Well… I wouldn't say I mind," Himeko replied with a shrug.
"Back in my world, missions were pretty much the same. I just feel that such good ingredients deserve proper treatment—to bring out their best."
"Your past must've been tough," Ying'er said sympathetically, then nodded.
"But I agree with you."
"The best ingredients deserve the best presentation."
"Coincidentally, as an early Essence-Refining Mangfang Elephant…"
"Its heart requires no cooking at all."
She smiled knowingly.
"Only its most primal state."
"Any additional cooking would ruin its perfection."
"Trust me, Miss Himeko. This comes from a seasoned foodie."
"And Liyue's cuisine, in both variety and technique, is the best in all of Teyvat."
"If this heart weren't already perfect, we'd never skip proper cooking methods."
With that, Ying'er casually picked up a slice and placed it in her mouth.
Instantly, an indescribable pleasure bloomed on her face.
She completely forgot about continuing the conversation, immersing herself in this once-in-a-lifetime delicacy.
Even having tasted Xiangling's legendary ferocious-beast cuisine before, this barely cooked heart surpassed them all.
Draymond, Jiang Yan, and the others wasted no time and began eating as well.
Seeing their enthusiasm, Himeko stopped hesitating.
She picked up a slice, examined it carefully.
Now she was sure—this really hadn't been cooked at all.
But considering that even her Herrscher of Flame authority struggled to scorch the Mangfang Elephant…
She could accept it.
Perhaps only cultivators could truly cook ferocious beasts.
Looking at the blood-streaked slice, Himeko steeled herself and swallowed it whole.
In that instant, she froze.
Suddenly, she understood why Sun Wukong and the others in Journey to the West were so obsessed with the Ginseng Fruit.
This was, without exaggeration, the most delicious meat she had ever tasted.
There was no trace of the expected bloodiness—only a delicate fragrance, like unknown fruits and wood.
Perhaps the Mangfang Elephant itself had consumed countless rare spiritual herbs.
But flavor was only secondary.
The moment the meat entered her stomach, a surging tide of vitality and energy spread throughout her entire body.
Her spirit, her flesh—even the strength and quantity of her Honkai energy surged.
The rejection she felt from the Gem of Conquest diminished noticeably.
Himeko's eyes widened as she stared at the plate.
She had no doubt—
If an ordinary person ate this entire portion, they'd easily gain the physique of an A-rank Valkyrie.
If an A-rank Valkyrie ate it… they might approach S-rank infinitely.
And this was only a single plate.
A tiny fraction of that colossal heart.
At last, Himeko understood why martial artists worshiped ferocious beasts so fervently—why they would risk their lives despite the danger.
This kind of joy—eating your way to power—was something no outsider could truly comprehend.
It was like telling Kiana that she could become the strongest Valkyrie in the world just by eating endless gourmet food…
She'd probably pass out from happiness on the spot.
Thoughts churned in her mind, and only after some time did Himeko manage to regain a bit of composure.
She looked around.
Everyone else was eating with clear enjoyment.
Himeko laughed helplessly.
So the martial artists knew exactly how incredible this was.
She no longer hesitated.
Maintaining the last shred of table manners she had, she quickened her pace and devoured the food before her.
When the final bite went down, she felt a swelling sensation rise from deep within.
Only then did she realize—she couldn't eat any more.
A massive amount of energy remained undigested, flooding her limbs and meridians.
Himeko rubbed her stomach, gazing wistfully at the empty plate.
This was the most satisfying meal she'd had since receiving her artificial Stigmata.
"So? Miss Himeko, I didn't lie to you, did I?"
A teasing voice pulled her from her thoughts.
Looking up, she found everyone smiling at her.
Himeko's face flushed slightly as she nodded.
"A once-in-a-millennium delicacy."
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