The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

Su Yao picked up her teacup and took a sip, her phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, like a lazy cat. "Your Breakthrough Pill has nine Dao patterns. In all my years in the Joyful Union Sect, the best Breakthrough Pill I've ever seen only had five Dao patterns. You say that's luck? Well, your luck is just too good."

Shen Yifei's heart skipped a beat, but he maintained his honest and simple expression: "Senior Sister Su, I really don't know what happened. I just followed the pill formula and it turned out like this."

"You think you can refine a top-grade fourth-rank pill just by following a recipe?" Su Yao put down her teacup. "Junior Brother Shen, do you think I'm a three-year-old?"

Qin Wan sat beside him, glancing at Su Yao and then at Shen Yifei. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

Shen Yifei fell silent. He knew he couldn't hide it from Su Yao; this woman was smarter than a monkey. But he couldn't admit it either; admitting it would be suicide.

"Senior Sister Su," he looked up at her earnestly, "everyone has secrets. My secret is something that would kill me if I told it. Please don't ask, okay?"

Su Yao stared at him for a while, then suddenly smiled.

"Alright, I won't ask." She took out a pill formula from her bosom and pushed it in front of him. "But you have to help me refine this batch of pills."

Shen Yifei picked up the prescription and glanced at it, his pupils shrinking.

"A Breakthrough Pill? Didn't you say there was no rush?"

"It's a Breakthrough Pill, but it's not for me." Su Yao leaned back in her chair and tapped her fingers lightly on the table twice. "I have a friend who's been stuck at the peak of the Golden Core stage for five years, just one good pill away. The Breakthrough Pills on the market are of such poor quality, they're practically useless. I showed her your nine-lined one, and she said she'd be willing to pay 20,000 spirit stones for one."

Twenty thousand spirit stones! Shen Yifei's eyelids twitched.

"Senior Sister Su, the ingredients for the Breakthrough Pill are not easy to obtain."

"I'll provide the medicinal herbs." Su Yao took out two jade boxes from her storage bag and placed them on the table. "Two sets, is that enough?"

Shen Yifei opened the jade box and looked inside. Purple Lingzhi, Nine-Turned He Shou Wu, Ambergris, Silkworm Pupae, Blood Bodhi, Ice Soul Flower, and Nascent Soul Fruit—seven kinds of medicinal materials, all present and accounted for, and their quality was even better than what Qin Wan had brought last time.

The Nascent Soul Fruit has five golden lines and is 500 years old; it's worth at least 2,000 spirit stones on the market.

"That's enough." He closed the jade box. "Come back in three days to pick it up."

Su Yao nodded, then took out a small porcelain bottle from her bosom and placed it on the table. "This is the deposit, one thousand spirit stones. If it's successful, I'll give you another nine thousand. If it's a failure, I don't want this deposit anymore."

Shen Yifei took the porcelain bottle and did some mental calculations. Even if one portion of the medicinal herbs was wasted and the other was successful, it would still be worth 20,000 spirit stones. After deducting the amount given to Su Yao, he would net 10,000. This was a worthwhile deal.

"Senior Sister Su, there's something I'd like to ask you."

"explain."

"What's Han Zhengli like within the sect?"

Su Yao raised an eyebrow: "What's wrong? Did he cause you trouble?"

"We ran into each other at the entrance of the secret realm and exchanged a few unpleasant words."

Su Yao sneered: "Han Zhengli, mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, took over twenty years to reach this level. His aptitude is average, but he's extremely petty. He returned empty-handed from this secret realm and is still seething with anger. You're only a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator; he obviously doesn't like you. You'd better avoid him."

"You can hide from the first day of the month, but you can't hide from the fifteenth." Shen Yifei smiled bitterly.

Su Yao glanced at him, seemingly lost in thought. "That's true. How about this, I'll keep an eye on things for you. If he really causes you trouble, I'll shield you."

"Thank you, Senior Sister Su."

"Don't thank me, just finish refining the pills." Su Yao picked up her teacup, a gesture to see her off.

Shen Yifei stood up, and Qin Wan followed suit. As they left Su Yao's courtyard and walked back, Qin Wan suddenly spoke up: "Junior Brother Shen, you have to be careful when dealing with Su Yao."

"What's wrong?"

"She's too shrewd. You agreed to help her refine pills today, and she gave you a thousand as a deposit, which seems generous. But think about it, a top-grade Breakthrough Pill is worth at least twenty thousand spirit stones on the market. She gives you ten thousand, makes ten thousand for herself, and still gets a favor from you. She can't lose out in this deal."

Shen Yifei smiled and said, "I know. But I need spirit stones and connections right now. Su Yao has influence in the sect, so it won't hurt to get on her good side."

Qin Wan sighed: "As long as you know what's going on."

The two reached the entrance to Shen Yifei's courtyard, where Qin Wan stopped. "I won't go in. You get some rest. By the way, Liu'er came looking for you twice. She heard you went to the secret realm and was very worried. Go see her when you have time."

"understood."

After Qin Wan left, Shen Yifei closed the door and went back inside. He took out the prescription Su Yao had given him and examined it carefully.

The Breakthrough Pill is a fourth-grade elixir, with the main ingredient being Nascent Soul Fruit and six auxiliary ingredients. The recipe details the refining steps, including the heat, time, and techniques.

He didn't actually need this thing; with the Myriad Things Cauldron for refining pills, he could just throw it in—no special techniques were required. But the contents of the pill formulas were helpful to him, allowing him to better understand the medicinal properties and refining principles of the pills.

He carefully put away the prescription, then took out the two portions of medicinal herbs, opened the jade box, and examined them closely.

All seven medicinal herbs were of good quality. In particular, the Nascent Soul Fruit, with its five golden lines and five hundred years old, was indeed a rare find on the market.

"Little guy, your senior sister is no ordinary person," Liu Mengli said again.

"How so?"

"The quality of these medicinal herbs she gave you is exceptional. Good herbs naturally produce high-quality pills. But have you ever wondered why she would give you such excellent herbs?"

"To ensure the quality of the elixir."

"Yes. But have you considered another possibility?" Liu Mengli lowered her voice. "She's testing you. If you successfully refine both portions of the medicinal herbs, it means your alchemy skills far surpass those of ordinary people. If you fail to refine one portion, it means you were just lucky. She's probing your capabilities."

Shen Yifei's heart skipped a beat. The female demon was right; Su Yao calculated every step meticulously. Giving him good medicinal herbs served two purposes: to ensure the quality of the pills and to test his true abilities.

"So what do you think I should do?" he asked.

"Refine both portions, but don't refine them too well," Liu Mengli said. "Five Dao patterns are enough; don't make them nine like last time. That's too conspicuous."

Shen Yifei thought about it and felt that what she said made sense. The Breakthrough Pill he refined for Qin Wan last time, with its nine Dao patterns, was indeed too flashy. Su Yao was envious, which was why she came to him.

He took out the Myriad Things Cauldron, threw in the first batch of medicinal herbs, infused it with spiritual energy, and silently recited "Breakthrough Pill" in his mind.

Blue flames rose from the cauldron, and the seven medicinal herbs slowly melted in the fire.

Purple Ganoderma lucidum turned into a purple liquid, Nine-Turned Polygonum multiflorum turned into a brown liquid, and Ambergris turned into golden oil... The seven colors rolled and blended in the fire.

Shen Yifei's consciousness followed him into the cauldron, watching the liquids slowly swirl together. He controlled the heat, preventing it from solidifying too quickly or too slowly.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the liquid condensed into a pill. It was the size of a longan and had five faint golden lines on its surface.

Shen Yifei took out the pill, looked at it, and smelled it. The quality was good, with five Dao patterns, much better than the Breakthrough Pills on the market, but far inferior to the one with nine Dao patterns from last time.

He put the pills into a jade bottle and began refining a second batch.

He deliberately controlled the heat a little less for the second batch, and the pill only had four Dao patterns.

Two pills, one with five patterns and the other with four patterns. This level is considered top-tier among the alchemists of the Hehuan Sect, but it's not quite astonishing.