The charming married woman begs for pills, but something's off about her gaze!

He didn't hesitate in the slightest, patting the Storage Pouch at his waist.

A bronze alchemical cauldron whistled out, crashing to the ground with a dull thud.

Several pieces of crimson spiritual charcoal were precisely flicked by him under the cauldron.

Lin Yuan flicked a wisp of spiritual power from his fingertip, igniting the spiritual charcoal.

Whoosh!

Scorching flames instantly surged.

But under the control of his Second-Grade Fire Control Art, the violent flames transformed into a docile fire snake, precisely licking the body of the cauldron, preheating it evenly.

One by one, Spiritual Materials were orderly placed into the alchemical cauldron by him.

Purification, impurity removal, Fusion.

Every step seemed to have been refined a thousand times.

The profound knowledge that had appeared out of nowhere in his mind was now turning into reality through his hands.

Time flew by in extreme concentration.

After an unknown period, Lin Yuan's eyes suddenly shot out brilliant light, and he formed Hand Seals, uttering a single word from his mouth.

"Open!"

Buzz!

The lid of the alchemical cauldron flew up into the sky in response.

A medicinal fragrance ten times more potent than usual exploded, instantly filling the entire room; just a single sniff invigorated his spirit.

Five perfectly round Medicinal Pills swirled out and were grabbed into his palm, feeling warm and smooth to the touch.

It's done!

Lin Yuan's breathing suddenly quickened, and an uncontrollable ecstasy surged onto his face.

He spread his palm.

Five qi gathering pills lay quietly, three of which were Low Grade.

The other two, however, had a distinctly deeper luster, and a faint halo flowed continuously around their bodies.

Medium Grade qi gathering pill!

In the past, if he could refine three Low Grade pills from one furnace, it was considered a stroke of luck.

Now, five pills from one furnace, and two of them are Medium Grade!

Pills are divided into four grades: Low, Medium, High, and Extreme.

Even a slight difference in quality results in a world of difference in value.

One low-grade qi gathering pill is worth two Spirit Stones within the Sect.

A Medium Grade one's price directly quintupled, reaching ten Spirit Stones!

Lin Yuan forcibly suppressed his wildly beating heart, collected his thoughts, and once again threw himself into frenzied Alchemy.

On the other side, inside Xue Linglong's Immortal Cave.

She sat cross-legged on the burnt bed.

"Ah—why! Why!"

She clearly sensed that the heart demon seed within her body had begun to sprout. She could distinctly feel her aversion to that man beginning to diminish, turning instead into a faint joy.

A helpless look appeared in Xue Linglong's eyes. As time passed, the heart demon seed would make her grow close to Lin Yuan, and even in the Late Stage, she would obey his every command.

"Solutions… right! There are two solutions!"

Suddenly, in her despair, she grasped a ray of hope, and her eyes lit up.

"Either he dies!"

"Or… refine the supreme detachment pill and reshape my Dao Heart!"

"Refining the supreme detachment pill… I have to wait for the Demon Falling Valley to open before I can enter and collect the necessary Materials… I won't consider that for now!"

"The longer this drags on, the more disadvantageous it is for me!"

A cold killing intent flashed in Xue Linglong's eyes!

...Three days passed in a flash.

Lin Yuan worked tirelessly, his eyes bloodshot.

When the last furnace of Medicinal Pills was refined, the Jade Bottle in front of him was already filled with Medicinal Pills.

Twenty Medium Grade qi gathering pills and thirty low-grade qi gathering pills.

At this moment, the golden small characters in his eyes quietly refreshed.

Eighth-Grade Alchemist: 1/200 (addable points)

usable attribute points: 143

After refining Medicinal Pills for three consecutive days, only one point was added. This speed... was infuriatingly slow!

"At this rate, to reach Eighth-Grade Alchemist Perfection solely through Alchemy, I'd have to refine pills tirelessly for two years!"

"Indeed, I still have to rely on adding points."

"I need to find a way to get a Dao Companion who can help me gain attribute points!"

"But before that, I should first increase my Cultivation a bit!"

Thinking this, Lin Yuan sat cross-legged and swallowed a Medium Grade qi gathering pill.

The Medicinal Pill melted upon entering his mouth.

A pure and gentle warm current flowed down his throat and into his limbs and bones.

An hour later.

Lin Yuan suddenly opened his eyes, which were filled with ecstasy.

Cultivation: Qi Refining Fourth Layer: 20/400 (addable points)

A single Medium Grade qi gathering pill actually increased his Cultivation value by twenty points!

"I only need twenty more to Cultivate my Qi Refining Fourth Layer to Perfection!"

"Then, by directly adding points, I can ignore the Bottleneck and step into the Fifth Level of Qi Refining in one go!"

Lin Yuan's heart pounded violently. He forcibly suppressed his surging emotions and took out another Medicinal Pill to swallow.

Another three days passed.

When the medicinal power of the last Medium Grade qi gathering pill was completely refined, Lin Yuan's spiritual power within his body was already filled to its limit, and his Meridians felt a tearing, distending pain.

Qi Refining Fourth Layer, Great Perfection!

Lin Yuan unhesitatingly fixed his gaze on the golden small characters in his eyes.

The small characters illusory reassembled.

Cultivation: Fifth Level of Qi Refining: 0/500 (addable points)

Boom!!!

A surge of Spiritual Qi far more immense than that from consuming Medicinal Pills exploded within his Dantian.

The Qi Refining Fourth Layer broke through in response. Lin Yuan's body shook, and his aura suddenly surged from him.

Fifth Level of Qi Refining!

"Hoo..."

Lin Yuan exhaled, feeling the increased spiritual power within his body, his eyes filled with joy.

"Even the most top-tier Prodigies of the Yin Corpse Sect could never have my Cultivation speed!"

The continuous exertion exhausted his spirit to the extreme. He collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

A day and a night later, Lin Yuan awoke from his deep sleep, feeling completely refreshed.

He lay quietly on the bed, organizing his thoughts.

"It's the end of the month; it's time to hand in my Sect mission."

"Also... it's time to find a female Cultivator to bring back..."

Creak—

As soon as the courtyard gate opened, a charming voice, as if from bone, unexpectedly sounded in his ear, carrying a faint, lingering fragrance.

"Uncle Lin, you've finally come out of seclusion."

By the courtyard wall not far away, a graceful woman leaned.

This woman was about thirty years old, with skin as fair as snow, like fine mutton-fat jade, appearing particularly dazzling in the perpetually gloomy environment of the Yin Corpse Sect.

She had a pair of watery almond eyes, her gaze naturally alluring as it shifted. Beneath her willow-leaf eyebrows, her red lips were full and plump, gently biting a thumb-sized crimson spiritual date.

A form-fitting light blue dress perfectly outlined her breathtaking curves.

Her chest was full and firm, her waist slender enough to be clasped with one hand, and below that was a round, firm curve, exuding the fatal allure unique to a mature woman.

This woman was Lin Yuan's neighbor, named Su Qingyan, and her Cultivation was the same as Lin Yuan's before his Breakthrough, at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

Her husband, Wei He, had already reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining and possessed an impenetrable Ninth-Grade Ironclad Corpse. His strength was comparable to a Seventh Layer of Qi Refining Cultivator, making him a master in this outer Sect area.

In the past, Lin Yuan was solely focused on Cultivation and Alchemy, indifferent to his surroundings. Now, with a different state of mind, he suddenly realized that Su Qingyan possessed such captivating beauty and figure.

For a moment, he couldn't help but glance at her prominent features twice.

Su Qingyan noticed Lin Yuan's undisguised gaze. Instead of showing shyness or annoyance, a charming smile curved on her lips, and she subtly puffed out her chest, making her already impressive curves even more astonishing.

"Uncle Lin, come to my house tonight. I'd like to ask you to help me refine a furnace of corpse-expelling pill. I've prepared all the Materials, and I guarantee the remuneration will satisfy you."