“But Honored Master, there is only a month left until the Alchemy Conference. Can I really learn alchemy?” Su Wan’er poked her fingers together, her voice growing quieter as she spoke.

After sixty days of cultivation, she had grasped the basics of the Dao Scripture of the Primordial Five Elements, and her Spiritual Power flowed several times faster than when she cultivated the True Art of Clear Water.

Her Honored Master’s words after waking up made her feel for the first time that she hadn’t failed to live up to his expectations. She was delighted.

But after the joy faded, the practical problem stared her in the face: there was only a month left until the Alchemy Conference.

One month. As a Sword Cultivator who had never even touched an Alchemy Cauldron, what did she have to rely on to participate in the Cangwu Realm’s premier alchemy event?

Meng Qiuran had assumed she was an Alchemy Cultivator, and she had been too embarrassed to deny it at the time. Great. The bluff had been made, and the truth would be revealed in a month’s time.

Lai Li’an frowned and began to think. The only reason he had originally agreed to Meng Qiuran’s request for Su Wan’er to participate in the Alchemy Conference was purely because he had heard the words, “a modest gift will be offered.”

As for the competition itself, he had never even thought about winning. Asking a Sword Cultivator to win at an alchemy competition was like asking a cook to take the imperial civil service examination, it was completely out of their area of expertise.

However, he couldn’t say that out loud. An expert, after all, must always appear absolutely confident and to have a well-thought-out plan.

Seeing Lai Li’an frown, Su Wan’er’s heart skipped a beat. She hastily waved her hands and quickly explained, “Honored Master! I don’t mean that I don’t believe you! What I mean is… in just this one month, can I really refine good pills? Yes, exactly, refine good pills and get a good result at the conference!”

The more she explained, the guiltier she felt, and the last few words were practically squeezed through her teeth.

Looking at her anxious and panicked expression, Lai Li’an was secretly amused. This girl had just said she “wouldn’t doubt herself anymore,” and then immediately started doing it again the next second.

But he couldn’t blame her. Learning alchemy in a month was indeed absurd; he didn’t even know how to do it himself.

“Ahem.”

Lai Li’an coughed lightly and slightly raised his chin. “For this matter, simply doing your best is enough.”

Su Wan’er blanked for a moment. Her Honored Master didn’t say she “could” or “couldn’t.” Her Honored Master said to “do your best.” Did this mean that her Honored Master would do his best to teach her, but what she ultimately achieved would depend entirely on herself?

“This disciple will definitely do her best!” Su Wan’er nodded hastily.

Lai Li’an nodded slightly and added, “However, before that, we need to procure the tools. Only then can you begin learning.”

Su Wan’er’s eyes lit up. Right, Alchemy required an Alchemy Cauldron, Spiritual Fire, and various auxiliary materials.

She had previously been wondering if her Honored Master would make her use a stone pot and Mortal Fire for Alchemy; she certainly didn’t have her Honored Master’s capability. Now that her Honored Master said they needed to procure tools, it meant she would be using a proper Alchemy Cauldron and Spiritual Fire.

“Alright! Honored Master! Where are we going next?” Su Wan’er was once again full of vitality.

Lai Li’an pondered for a moment. He truly didn’t know where to buy things. He looked at Su Wan’er and asked indifferently, “Where do you usually go to purchase items?”

Su Wan’er froze for a moment. She thought about it and answered honestly, “To reply to Honored Master, when this disciple was previously in the Heavenly Veil Sect, daily necessities were all uniformly distributed by the Sect, so I rarely purchased things myself. However, this disciple knows that three hundred miles outside the Heavenly Veil Sect’s mountain gate, there is a market named ‘Yunze Market’. It is the largest gathering place for cultivators within a radius of a thousand miles. Pills, Magic Tools, Cultivation Techniques, and Spiritual Herbs can all be bought there.”

When she mentioned the words Heavenly Veil Sect, her voice subconsciously lowered a bit.

In truth, she didn’t want to go back. Even just getting close to that direction would make her think of the wind and snow on the Cliff of Reflection and the Sect’s coldness.

But since her Honored Master asked her where she usually went, she couldn’t refuse to answer because of her own emotions, nor could she claim ignorance just because she didn’t want to go near the Heavenly Veil Sect.

Moreover, that market was only near the Heavenly Veil Sect; it didn’t belong to them. Yunze Market was a gathering place for rogue cultivators, filled with people from all walks of life. Although disciples of the Heavenly Veil Sect would also go there to trade, the market itself had no subordinate relationship with the Heavenly Veil Sect.

She didn’t need to step through the Heavenly Veil Sect’s mountain gate; she was just going to the market. Su Wan’er bit her lip, suppressing those churning emotions.

“Honored Master,” she looked up, “Yunze Market is not too far from here. It takes about two days to reach by sword flight. The goods there are complete and the prices are fair. If Honored Master has no other place in mind, this disciple believes Yunze Market is a good choice.”

Lai Li’an nodded, “Alright, then we will go to Yunze Market.”

Su Wan’er secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She stood up, patted the dust off the hem of her skirt, and prepared to set off. Then, she thought of something.

Yunze Market wasn’t too far from here, it was a two-day journey by flying on a sword. But if they walked… given her Honored Master’s unhurried walking pace, she feared they wouldn’t even arrive in a month.

Su Wan’er’s expression froze for a moment. The Alchemy Conference was in a month. If they continued walking slowly like before, they would waste more than half a month just on the road. By the time they reached Yunze Market, where would she find the time to learn alchemy?

She secretly glanced at Lai Li’an. Her Honored Master was standing with his hands behind his back, his gray robes gently fluttering in the morning breeze, looking every bit the lofty expert.

Gathering her courage, Su Wan’er spoke up, “But Honored Master, if we go to Yunze Market, relying solely on walking will probably take a very long time, so… let’s fly there.”

After saying this, she carefully observed her Honored Master’s reaction.

Lai Li’an’s face darkened slightly. Flying there, he had completely forgotten about this.

He had only just begun his journey in cultivating immortality. His current true Cultivation Base was roughly equivalent to the First Level of Qi Condensation. Expecting a cultivator at the First Level of Qi Condensation to fly on a sword, how was that even possible?

But Su Wan’er was looking at him eagerly, waiting for his answer.

He couldn’t exactly admit that he didn’t know how to fly. The nonsense he had spouted earlier about “wandering the world for over 300 years without ever flying through the air” was still fresh in her mind. If he suddenly changed his tune and flew now, wouldn’t he be slapping his own face?

Lai Li’an’s mind raced, and three seconds later, he had an idea.

“Wan’er.”

Su Wan’er immediately straightened her back. “This disciple is here.”

“Do you have any issues carrying someone while flying?”

Su Wan’er blinked. Carrying someone while flying? Did Honored Master mean… he wanted her to carry him on her flying sword?

Her face instantly turned red. Carrying someone on a flying sword meant the two of them would share the same blade. Her personal weapon was a three-foot green sword with a slender blade. It was more than enough for one person to stand on, but for two people… they would have to stand very, very close.

Su Wan’er felt the tips of her ears start to burn.

No, no, Honored Master must have a profound meaning behind this arrangement. Honored Master never did anything without a purpose.

Having her carry someone in flight must also be some kind of cultivation practice. Yes, Honored Master was tempering her Sword Control Technique.

Flying with a passenger was much harder than flying alone; it required more precise Spiritual Power control and a more stable balance of the sword blade.

Honored Master must have seen that her Sword Control Technique still had room for improvement, so he was using this method to let her practice.

Su Wan’er took a deep breath, suppressed those messy thoughts, and nodded solemnly.

“Answering Honored Master, your disciple has no problem.”

Lai Li’an was overjoyed in his heart. It was settled! He didn’t have to fly himself!

His face remained calm and collected, and he only gave a slight nod: “Mm.”

Su Wan’er walked out of the cave and came to the leveled ruins. Her right hand formed a sword incantation, and with a clang, the longsword at her waist unsheathed itself, hovering in midair. The sword blade turned horizontally and stopped steadily in front of her.

“Honored Master, please.”

Lai Li’an looked at the Flying Sword hovering in midair, a surge of irrepressible excitement welling up in his heart.

Flying, he was going to fly!

In his past life, when watching Xianxia dramas, what he envied the most were those immortals flying around in the sky while standing on Flying Swords. In the three years since he transmigrated, he had dreamed of experiencing the feeling of flying on a sword, and now he finally had the chance!

He took a deep breath, tried his best to maintain a calm and breezy expression on his face, and stepped onto the blade.

But he noticed a problem: this sword was too damn narrow. Oh well, he’d make do. At least he could fly now.

Su Wan’er glanced at Lai Li’an, her small face blushing as she also stepped onto the Flying Sword.

Wait, what? What’s going on? Why did you get on too? Aren’t you supposed to be taking me flying?

Lai Li’an shifted his position, standing with his feet pressed together on the blade and his heels hanging in the air. He looked like he was standing on a balance beam.

Just as he was about to ask, Su Wan’er suddenly activated the Flying Sword.

The blade wobbled slightly, and Lai Li’an’s heart leaped into his throat. He subconsciously reached out and rested his hand on Su Wan’er’s shoulder.

The young girl’s shoulders were very petite. Through the fabric, he could feel her warm body heat.

Su Wan’er’s body stiffened for a moment. Her Honored Master’s hand rested on her shoulder with a slight chill. The coolness seeped through the fabric into her skin, yet it only made her ears burn even more fiercely.

“Honored Master… are you standing steady?” her voice was a little tight.

“Mhm.” Lai Li’an’s voice came from behind her, as calm as ever.

Su Wan’er gathered her focus and channeled her Spiritual Power. The Flying Sword rose higher and higher, and the ruins leveled by the heavenly lightning gradually shrank beneath their feet.

The wind whistled past their ears, blowing Su Wan’er’s hair. A few loose strands brushed against Lai Li’an’s face, carrying a faint fragrance.

Lai Li’an stood at the tail of the sword, his hands resting on Su Wan’er’s shoulders, his entire body as stiff as a wooden board.

The scenery was indeed beautiful, but he didn’t dare to look down at all.

The sword was flying too high. The mountain forests below had turned into patches of green in varying shades, and the river had become a thin silver line.

He could feel the blade trembling slightly in the high-altitude air currents, and every quiver made his heart jump.

The hands Lai Li’an had resting on Su Wan’er’s shoulders subconsciously tightened a fraction. Su Wan’er felt the shift in pressure on her shoulders.

Her heart skipped a beat, her Honored Master was testing her! When flying with a passenger, every shift in the passenger’s center of gravity affected the sword’s balance.

Her Honored Master was deliberately altering the strength of his grip to comprehensively test her Sword Control Technique in this manner!

Su Wan’er’s gaze sharpened. She took a deep breath and circulated her Spiritual Power with even greater precision, promptly correcting every tiny wobble of the blade.

Lai Li’an suddenly felt the sword body become much steadier, no longer swaying. His tense nerves relaxed a little, and the grip of his hands loosened a bit.

A wave of warmth welled up in Su Wan’er’s heart, and she flew even more steadily. Lai Li’an finally dared to look down at the scenery beneath his feet.

The mountains and rivers were picturesque, and the sea of clouds surged, it really was quite beautiful.

He had taken airplanes in his previous life, but looking at the clouds from inside a plane and standing above the clouds on a Flying Sword were two completely different feelings.

Flying was also a type of interaction with the Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth. Lai Li’an closed his eyes and tried to sense the surrounding air currents.

Although he couldn’t manipulate the air currents as precisely as Su Wan’er, he could still feel them. Sensing was the first step.

Su Wan’er noticed a change in the aura of her Honored Master behind her. Her Honored Master was actually cultivating! Standing on her Flying Sword, tens of thousands of feet in the air, her Honored Master was actually cultivating!

A surge of reverence welled up in Su Wan’er’s heart. Her Honored Master’s cultivation was omnipresent; this was what it meant to be a true expert who had attained the Dao.

She secretly made up her mind to fly this sword even more steadily so her Honored Master could comprehend in peace.