The surface of the pill unfolded layer upon layer, each pattern more delicate and intricate than the last, breathtakingly beautiful.
Only one layer remained.
The eighth layer of pill patterns belonged to the medicinal properties of the Qingxuan Root.
This layer required no guidance from Lai Li’an—it only needed time.
All an alchemist could do was wait.
Off to the side, Ruan Qin had fallen completely silent.
Her expression was as cold as thousand-year-old ice, but her eyes betrayed her.
Too many emotions churned within those eyes at this moment.
No matter how unwilling she was to admit it, her instincts on the Alchemy Path told her that the pill inside the furnace was forming in a way she had never seen—never even imagined possible.
Once that pill emerged, it would shatter everything she thought she knew about alchemy.
Ruan Qin’s throat bobbed as she turned to look at her younger sister.
Ruan Se still stood there quietly, her gaze fixed on Lai Li’an’s back.
Ruan Qin looked at her sister’s calm face and suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
She recalled many years ago, when she was still a disciple, her master would refine pills in the alchemy room, and she would stand at the doorway just like this, quietly watching his back, with the same light shining in her eyes.
Later, as she grew older and her alchemy skill improved, she never looked at anyone that way again.
She had thought that look would never appear on her face for the rest of her life.
Until today.
Ruan Qin took a deep breath and shifted her gaze back to the elixir furnace.
Wait for the pill to emerge.
Wait for that man’s mastery of the Alchemy Path to be proven by a single furnace of pills.
She told herself she was merely curious.
Just curious.
That was all.
Time passed, and finally, within the furnace, the jade-white pill completed its final layer of patterns.
The moment the eighth layer of pill patterns appeared, the entire alchemy room blazed with light.
The clear radiance pierced through the walls of the furnace, broke through the formation Ruan Qin had set up, and rose like a miniature sun in the courtyard, illuminating the entire space as if it were broad daylight.
When the Qingxuan Yangyuan Pill took shape, the medicinal fragrance that had accumulated for hours within the furnace could no longer be contained.
It burst forth from every gap, flooding the entire courtyard in an instant.
That subtle, refreshing aroma made Ruan Qin feel as though every inch of her meridians were trembling faintly—like a plucked string resonating in silent harmony.
The spiritual power within her body began to circulate on its own, flowing slowly through her meridians.
Ruan Qin’s pupils abruptly contracted.
She had consumed many pills and smelled many medicinal fragrances before, but she had never experienced something like this—where merely inhaling the scent caused her spiritual power to move on its own.
What grade of pill was this?
She already had the answer in her mind, but she refused to acknowledge it.
Ruan Se felt the same crisp medicinal energy seep into her meridians, flowing through a body worn down by days of continuous alchemy.
Wherever it passed, the soreness was gently smoothed away as if by a tender hand.
She closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and a satisfied smile curved at the corners of her lips.
The senior was truly unfathomable.
The lid of the elixir furnace was pushed open slowly by an invisible force.
A single pill rose from within the furnace, hovering midair, rotating slowly.
Eight distinct pill patterns flowed across its surface, layering over one another in a magnificent interplay of light, like a miniature landscape painting that condensed eight natural phenomena of heaven and earth into a single palm-sized object.
Ruan Qin stood frozen in place, as if nailed to the ground.
She felt as though she wasn’t standing in an ordinary alchemy room at Yunze Market, but inside some ancient legend.
The pill before her didn’t seem like something human hands could forge—it was more like a spiritual treasure conceived by heaven and earth, waiting here, at this exact moment, to be casually retrieved by a passerby.
Everything she had once prided herself on meant nothing before this pill—as light as a wisp of smoke.
Ruan Qin’s hand slowly rose, fingers slightly spread, as if she wanted to grasp something but didn’t know what.
“Can I… take a look?”
Ruan Se turned her head, looking at her sister’s face—that face struggling to maintain its cold mask but utterly failing to hide its longing—and a faint smile curled at her lips.
In all the years she had known her, she had never heard her sister speak in such a tone.
Right now, her sister looked like a little girl standing outside a candy shop, timidly asking about sweets she had never seen before.
Ruan Se’s smile spread from the corners of her lips to her eyes.
She stood quietly aside, watching her sister’s rare loss of composure.
Lai Li’an turned from the furnace and gave a slight nod.
He reached out, took the Qingxuan Yangyuan Pill from midair, held it in his palm, and extended it toward Ruan Qin.
Ruan Qin stepped forward, her pace quicker than usual—though she likely hadn’t noticed.
She reached out, and the moment her fingers touched the pill, she hesitated slightly, as if afraid her touch might damage this exquisite creation.
Then she took the pill, cradled it in her own palm, and lowered her head to examine it.
Looking closely, each of the eight layers of pill patterns surpassed her imagination in intricacy.
Ruan Qin stared at the pill for a long time.
“I’ve seen Qingxuan Yangyuan Pills before,” Ruan Qin said, pausing briefly before continuing.
“My master has a few in his possession.”
“Those were refined by a Grand Supreme Elder of the Dan Sect’s main sect several hundred years ago. Eighth grade, lower rank, quality… acceptable. But this one…”
She couldn’t find the right words for a moment.
Finally, she moved the pill away from her eyes, lifted her head, and looked at Lai Li’an.
“The one you refined,” she said, with visible reluctance, “is indeed better than any I’ve seen.”
Ruan Se stood off to the side.
Upon hearing this, the corners of her mouth curved upward again beneath her face veil.
Translating her sister’s words: “I admit you’re better than me.”
But she was Ruan Qin, so she could only admit defeat in this roundabout way.
Ruan Qin handed the pill back to Lai Li’an.
“Returning this to you.”
Lai Li’an took the pill and casually tucked it into a jade bottle.
Ruan Qin watched his composed, indifferent demeanor, and the frustration surged within her once more.
But soon, she found a reason to make herself feel better.
This man had probably lived for hundreds, even thousands, of years.
She had only been cultivating for a few decades.
No matter how great her talent, her experience and accumulation could never match these old monsters who had lived for centuries.
Losing to time wasn’t losing to a person.
Give her enough time, and she would definitely surpass this man.
Definitely.
Ruan Qin clenched her fingers within her sleeve, carving that thought deeply into her heart.
But she didn’t notice that the look she cast at Lai Li’an contained not only resentment—but also a trace of admiration.
Lai Li’an turned, walked over to Ruan Se, and handed her the jade bottle.
“Let’s go.”
Ruan Se froze for a moment, then accepted the bottle with both hands and gave a respectful bow.
“Yes, Senior.”
Her voice was lighter than usual, carrying joy she could barely contain.
Ruan Qin watched her sister’s cheerful demeanor as she took the bottle and sighed inwardly.
This foolish girl—when would she ever learn to hide her emotions in front of others?
The three of them walked out of the alchemy room, crossed the courtyard, and headed toward the main hall.
Pushing open the door, Su Wan’er lay peacefully on the low couch.
Lai Li’an walked to her side, lowered his head, and looked at her face.
“Let’s begin.”
Ruan Se nodded, stepped to the couch, and took the Qingxuan Yangyuan Pill from the jade bottle, holding it in her palm.
She leaned down, gently lifting Su Wan’er’s jaw with one hand, and placed the pill into her mouth.
The pill dissolved upon entering.
A warm surge of medicinal power slid down her throat into her abdomen, splitting into countless tiny streams of heat that spread through her meridians.
The severed meridians began to regrow under the nourishing power of the medicine, extending inch by inch, reconnecting the broken ends.
The shattered Dao Foundation began to heal within the medicine’s embrace, the cracks disappearing one by one until it was restored to its original state.
Su Wan’er’s body trembled slightly, a faint moan escaping her lips, as if she were dreaming a distant dream.
Lai Li’an stood by the couch, watching Su Wan’er’s complexion improve at a visible pace.
The weight that had hung over his heart for an entire month finally settled back into his chest.
Ruan Qin stood at the doorway, watching everything.
Her gaze shifted from Su Wan’er to Lai Li’an, pausing there for a moment.
“I’ll do it.”
Ruan Se looked up, surprised by her sister’s words.
Ruan Qin offered no explanation.
She simply stepped forward, sat down beside the couch, and gently placed two fingers on Su Wan’er’s wrist.
A thread of fine spiritual power flowed into her pulse, guiding the medicinal power of the Qingxuan Yangyuan Pill to flow more precisely toward the most severely damaged meridians.
Her movements were incredibly gentle—even gentler than when she handled herbs during alchemy—as if afraid of hurting the fragile young woman lying on the couch.
Ruan Se watched her sister’s profile, a complex emotion rising in her heart.
Her sister had changed.
When did it start?
From the moment Senior Lai refined the Qingxuan Yangyuan Pill?
Or even earlier?
She couldn’t say.
But she could feel that something within her sister was quietly shifting, like a block of ice slowly melting beneath the warm spring sun.
Ruan Se lowered her gaze and smiled softly, her brows and eyes full of tenderness.
Sister, so even you can be moved.
She thought this but didn’t say it out loud.
If she ever actually asked that question, her sister would surely put on a stern face and coldly reply, “I just don’t want to owe anyone a favor.”
Ruan Se withdrew her gaze and stood quietly off to the side, watching her sister guide the medicinal power for Su Wan’er.
The room was peaceful, filled only by Su Wan’er’s steady breathing.
Lai Li’an leaned against the window, watching the girl on the couch whose complexion grew better and better, and let out a relieved sigh.
Finally.
Finally, he could save this girl.