Arriving at the Alchemy Room, Lai Li’an explained the refining method of the Azure Wood Qi-Harmonizing Pill from beginning to end.

Ruan Se initially just listened quietly, but as she continued to listen, her brows rose slightly. The fire control method the Senior spoke of was completely different from what she had learned.

Using Wood-Attribute Spiritual Power as a guide to let the medicinal materials undergo self-catalysis within the Spiritual Fire, she asked herself, having cultivated in the Alchemy Sect Main Branch for many years, she had seen if not 1000 then at least 800 Alchemy techniques, yet she had never imagined such an operation was possible.

The Senior told her to divide her Wood-Attribute Spiritual Power into several strands to simultaneously protect the medicinal properties of each ingredient, and to continuously adjust the strength of each strand of Spiritual Power as the Spiritual Fire’s temperature rose. What incredibly precise Divine Sense control this required!

Just listening to this entire operational procedure was enough to make a thin layer of sweat break out on her back.

After the Spirit Herbs entered the cauldron, she strictly followed Lai Li’an’s instructions for every step, her movements precise and crisp.

The Spiritual Fire beneath the Alchemy Cauldron slowly heated up under the guidance of her Spiritual Power, the flames shifting from orange-red to pale azure.

Ruan Se closed her eyes and sank her entire mind into the cauldron. Four strands of Wood-Attribute Spiritual Power performed their respective duties within the blazing flames, separately protecting the medicinal properties of the four supplementary herbs, while the fifth strand of Spiritual Power firmly locked in the essence of the primary herb, the Azure Wood Spirit Fruit.

Everything was proceeding in an orderly manner, and a faint trace of gratification even welled up in her heart. Although the method the Senior taught her was an extreme test of her Divine Sense, wasn’t she able to control it? As long as she could maintain this rhythm, the Azure Wood Qi-Harmonizing Pill would be successfully refined in less than half an hour.

Right at this moment, an extremely faint yet overbearing scorching qi leaked from the cauldron, following her Spiritual Power to spread through her limbs and bones.

The heat came entirely without warning. Before she even had time to identify which medicinal ingredient it had leaked from, she felt as if something had gently plucked at her Dantian. Immediately after, a wave of tingling numbness spread from her scalp all the way down to her fingertips.

Ruan Se snapped her eyes open, a momentary flash of panic in her pupils.

The Spiritual Fire lost control in that instant. The four streams of Spiritual Power within the cauldron violently collided, and the Alchemy Cauldron let out a muffled hum. The lid was sent flying by a blast of air, and large clouds of pink mist spewed from the opening, instantly permeating the entire Alchemy Room.

A strange fragrance assailed the nose, so intense that it was almost suffocating.

The moment Ruan Se smelled that fragrance, she knew things had gone terribly wrong. Reacting swiftly, her right hand had already fished a pre-prepared Heart-Clearing Pill from her sleeve and tossed it into her mouth.

As the Pill went down her throat, a wave of coolness rose from her Dantian, barely suppressing the burning heat. She steadied her mind, exhaled a long breath of Impure Qi, and was just about to turn around and apologize to the Senior.

Then she saw Lai Li’an standing not far behind her. One hand was propped against the wall, while the other was haphazardly tugging at his own collar.

The collar of his dark cyan long robe had been pulled wide open, revealing a section of his well-defined collarbones underneath.

His face was flushed with an unnatural redness, his forehead was covered in beads of sweat, and his breathing was ragged.

Those eyes that were always so calm were now clouded with a hazy mist, staring straight at her.

“Fellow Daoist Ruan,” Lai Li’an called out in a cloying tone she had never heard from him before, “don’t you feel… hot?”

As he spoke, he pulled his collar open a bit more. The dark cyan fabric slipped from his shoulder, exposing half of his arm.

Ruan Se’s expression shifted slightly. She had anticipated that the medicinal mist would spread after the cauldron exploded, and she had also thought that she might be affected, which was why she had prepared the Heart-Clearing Pill in advance.

But the one thing she had never imagined was that the Senior would fall victim to it. In front of an expert like the Senior, what could mere escaping medicinal qi possibly amount to?

She thought he wouldn’t even need any pills, that his cultivation base alone would be enough to invisibly dissolve the medicinal effects. But now the senior was leaning against the wall, his robes in disarray, clearly completely defenseless.

There was only one explanation: the senior had devoted all his focus to guiding her alchemy, without sparing any attention to protect himself.

At this thought, Ruan Se’s heart sank slightly. She retrieved another Heart-Clearing Pill from her sleeve and walked up to him. “Senior, please take this pill.”

She presented the pill to Lai Li’an, but with a haphazard wave of his hand, he swatted hers away.

The pill flew from her fingertips, rolling into the corner and disappearing into the shadows of the medicine cabinet.

“Senior,” Ruan Se’s voice carried a hint of coldness.

Without hesitation, she took out a third Heart-Clearing Pill from her sleeve. This time, she did not intend to let the senior take it himself. Her left hand formed a Body-Binding Art, turning her spiritual power into several pale cyan ropes of light that shot out from her fingertips to bind Lai Li’an’s arms. Meanwhile, her right hand pinched the pill, thrusting it directly toward his mouth.

The moment the light ropes of the Body-Binding Art touched Lai Li’an’s body, they seemed to crash into an invisible wall, dissipating without a sound.

Lai Li’an didn’t even assume a defensive posture; he just kept approaching her, his mist-clouded eyes reflecting her image.

“Fellow Daoist Ruan,” he tilted his head, speaking with a trace of awe, “How are you… so beautiful?”

Ruan Se’s movements paused. It had been many years since she last heard someone say such words to her. It wasn’t that she lacked beauty, but rather that among the cultivators who surrounded her, no one had ever dared to look her straight in the face.

To think that Senior would say something like this, in such a situation, and with such a tone.

“Senior, snap out of it.”

Since her technique was ineffective, she had no choice but to use brute force. She took a deep breath, channeled her right palm full of Spiritual Power, and fiercely struck at Lai Li’an’s chest.

Dealing with a Golden Core Cultivator, she didn’t need to hold back at all. She put her full strength into this strike, only hoping to force him back a few steps and buy a brief opening.

Then, her palm firmly planted itself squarely onto Lai Li’an’s chest.

Suddenly, her hand was caught. The hand that grasped hers was a full size larger, with long, slender fingers and distinct knuckles. Its scalding hot palm completely enveloped the back of her hand.

Lai Li’an lowered his head, looking at the fair white hand held securely in his palm, and the corners of his lips curled into a smile.

“Before your palm strike could land, Fellow Daoist Ruan’s delicate fragrance arrived first.”

Ruan Se’s face flushed intensely. She never knew she carried any delicate fragrance; spending all year round enveloped by smoke and fire in front of an Alchemy Cauldron, she was only tainted with the scent of medicine.

More importantly, no one had ever come this close to her. At this moment, the distance between Lai Li’an and her was so intimate that she could feel his hot breath brushing against her veil.

“Senior!” Her voice rose a few pitches, her bashful indignation finally piercing through her mask of cold detachment.

She tried to pull her hand back, only to find it completely immovable, as if welded in place.

Ruan Se channeled all of her Spiritual Power and struggled once more, but it still didn’t budge. Even without him using a single trace of Spiritual Power, relying solely on his physical strength, she was entirely unable to shake him.

With a slight tug, Lai Li’an pulled her hand—along with her entire body—against his front. Through his thin clothing, she could clearly feel his searing body heat and steady, powerful heartbeat.

The Senior’s distinct scent instantly flooded her senses, leaving Ruan Se’s mind entirely blank for a moment.

By the time she came to her senses, she realized she was already trapped in a tiny space enclosed by Lai Li’an’s arms.

Her hands pressed against his chest, trying to push him away, but his body was like cast iron, completely unmoving.

Ruan Se’s back was pressed against the cold medicine cabinet with nowhere to retreat. Lai Li’an’s chin rested on top of her head, his breath scalding, each exhale stirring the loose strands of hair on her crown.

“Fellow Daoist Ruan…” Lai Li’an mumbled indistinctly. “Why do you always keep a straight face? You must look beautiful when you smile…”

Ruan Se bit her lip hard, not saying a word. She turned her face to the side, trying to put even the slightest bit of distance between them.

Her veil had gone a bit askew during her struggle, revealing a small stretch of the fair curve of her jawline.

Lai Li’an’s gaze fell upon that small patch of exposed skin. As if drawn by something, he raised a hand, the pad of his finger gently brushing past the base of her ear.

“Senior!” Ruan Se panicked. “Let go!”

“Mhm,” Lai Li’an responded, but the movement of his hand did not stop.

His fingers slid along her earlobe to the edge of her veil, as if wanting to lift that layer of fabric.

Ruan Se desperately pressed down on a corner of the veil, her heart beating so fast it felt like it would explode. She had never encountered this kind of situation before and did not know how to deal with it.

Just as Lai Li’an’s fingers were about to hook the edge of the veil, his movements suddenly stopped.

Those hazy eyes refocused in an instant. The fog seemed to be violently blown away by a gust of wind, and an extremely overbearing power exploded from deep within his Dantian, rushing straight up his Meridians to the crown of his head. Wherever it passed, that scorching medicinal efficacy was ruthlessly crushed.

The Nine Netherworlds Soul Refining Art was passively triggered at this moment, sweeping away the external force that had invaded his Divine Sense with devastating momentum.

Lai Li’an snapped awake. Looking down, he saw Ruan Se curled up in his arms.

Her back was pressed tightly against the medicine cabinet, and her veil was mostly askew, revealing a face so exquisite it took his breath away.

Right now, that face was flushed with a light red that spread from her cheeks all the way to the roots of her ears. The rims of her eyes were slightly red, and the surface of her amber pupils was covered in a thin layer of watery sheen.

Lai Li’an abruptly released the arms circling her and took a few steps back until his own back bumped against the medicine cabinet on the other side.

The scenes from just moments ago rapidly flashed back through his mind. Just what had he done to Ruan Se?

“Um… Fellow Daoist Ruan.” Lai Li’an quickly straightened his disheveled robes and said awkwardly, “Just now, this Venerable… just now, I…”

He found that he couldn’t even bring himself to say the words “this Venerable.” The girl opposite him was curled up in the corner by the medicine cabinet, her eyes looking as if tears would fall at any second.

To think he had actually said things like “Why are you so pretty?” and “delicate fragrance.” Lai Li’an slapped himself repeatedly in his mind.

“No harm done,” Ruan Se spoke first.

Her voice was unexpectedly calm. After straightening up from the corner of the medicine cabinet, she unhurriedly adjusted her skewed veil and smoothed her disheveled hair.

She didn’t look at Lai Li’an. Instead, with her eyelashes lowered, she focused entirely on tidying her lapels and cuffs.

Only when everything was restored to normal did she raise her gaze. No emotion could be seen in those eyes anymore; only a faint trace of unfaded redness remained around their rims.

“It is common for accidents to occur during Alchemy. Senior does not need to take it to heart,” she said in a flat tone. “The intensity of the Sixth-Grade Pill’s aura was already beyond this junior’s expectations. It was my own unstable state of mind that led to the cauldron explosion and implicated Senior. It is my fault.”

After she finished speaking, she lowered her eyelashes and bowed solemnly to Lai Li’an. “It is I who failed to meet Senior’s expectations. Senior taught me without reservation, yet I fell short at the final hurdle. Next time, I will definitely be more careful and will never make the same mistake again.”