Yuan Shu was fully concentrated on fusing the pill.
She could feel that the Red Sun Fire had completely burned away all the clothes on her body.
She was now completely naked!
Fortunately, the Red Sun Fire had no intention of harming her. It merely wrapped gently around her waist, affectionately clinging to her.
Yuan Shu suppressed her restless heart and just let it be.
After all, the most important thing right now was to quickly finish fusing the medicinal pill inside the cauldron.
Watching the refined medicinal plants slowly gather together under her control, she knew the pill was about to take shape.
Suddenly, an unusual fluctuation of energy appeared on the medicinal cauldron in front of her.
The half-finished pill that had clumped together inside the cauldron was gently shaken by this and nearly fell apart.
Yuan Shu immediately gasped. Ignoring everything else, she stepped forward and threw her arms around the cauldron!
Spiritual energy erupted from her body, swirling around her as she poured all her strength into condensing the cluster of medicinal plants within the cauldron.
Finally, she managed to press the nearly disintegrating cluster of medicinal plants back together.
The pill fusion continued, and Yuan Shu breathed a sigh of relief.
Her posture while hugging the cauldron was not exactly graceful, but at a time like this, she could not care less.
Being this close to the cauldron allowed her to control the pill inside with far greater precision.
Finishing the pill fusion came first!
At the same time, Yao Qianci, whose spiritual sense was merged with the cauldron, stiffened completely.
Those exquisite curves pressed tightly against the cauldron without any barrier, which was equivalent to her hugging him entirely.
This posture was even closer than before!
No, it should be said that they could not possibly get any closer!
A faint scent of pear blossoms emanated from the person in front of him, and he could feel the softness of her body.
That aura was sweet and appetizing, seemingly tempting him to step forward and take a taste at any moment.
In his mind, the scene he had hastily glimpsed in the forest kept resurfacing.
The flushed face, the lightly bitten lips, the hazy eyes...
Yao Qianci's heart began to throb uncontrollably once again.
Driven by some inexplicable impulse, he thought of the words Yuan Shu had said to him earlier.
"How about I let you lick it back?"
That soft, delicate voice constantly echoed in his ears.
Yao Qianci's perception involuntarily landed on Yuan Shu, and his spiritual sense's mimicked Adam's apple bobbed wildly.
...
Yuan Shu felt a very faint, strange sensation.
But the feeling was too light, like something had gently brushed past her before disappearing.
She did not think much of it, because the pill fusion had reached its final step.
Faint traces of pill fragrance could already be smelled wafting from the cauldron.
Clearly, this pill was about to be completed.
She took a deep breath and focused all her mental energy on forming the pill.
This process consumed a lot of spiritual energy.
Yuan Shu's strength was insufficient, and she had originally planned to have Yao Qianci help make up for this, but now she could only endure it on her own.
Spiritual energy continuously flowed from her body into the cauldron, and the feeling of being drained was quite unpleasant.
A faint piercing pain came from her meridians.
Yuan Shu frowned, but having refined it to this extent, she was unwilling to stop now and could only bitterly hold on.
Right at this moment, a surge of pure spiritual energy suddenly poured out from the cauldron in front of her and flooded into her meridians.
In an instant, a faint azure light of spiritual energy glowed on Yuan Shu's body, successfully condensing and forming the pill inside the cauldron in one fell swoop!
The entire space was filled with the fragrance of the pill.
Even the alchemists of the Red Sun Hall outside the space could smell the pill fragrance seeping out from within.
"Could it be that Guest Elder Yuan successfully refined a pill in the Divine Fire Space?" someone exclaimed in surprise.
"The Peak Master only sent his spiritual sense into the Divine Fire Space and cannot directly control the alchemy. This must definitely be Guest Elder Yuan's successful refinement!"
"That is right, that is right! Looking at the richness of this pill fragrance, it must be that lost fifth-tier recipe, the Clear Spirit Heart-Protecting Pill!"
"Guest Elder Yuan is truly amazing! To be able to refine a fifth-tier pill at the Foundation Establishment stage, and a fifth-tier pill without any trial-and-error period at that. Just how well does she understand this recipe!"
"Exactly, exactly..."
...
Inside the Divine Fire Space.
Yuan Shu reached out and gently caught the Clear Spirit Heart-Protecting Pills flying out of the furnace.
There were eight finished pills in total, all snowy white, clear, and glowing with a faint spiritual luster.
Eight pills, and all of them successfully formed. This success rate was a full one hundred percent.
Yuan Shu smiled with gratification, but this left Yao Qianci, who was inside the cauldron, utterly shocked.
He had thought that no matter how skilled Yuan Shu was, she would only be able to form one or two pills of such high quality on her first try.
He never expected her to refine eight pills!
Such a success rate was something that not even the elders of the Red Sun Hall could surpass.
Was she really just a lowly core disciple of the Green Cloud Peak?
After his shock, Yao Qianci's spiritual sense involuntarily fell back onto the most prominent parts of those curves.
On his lips, the scent of pear blossoms from just now seemed to linger.
Yuan Shu had said it herself, telling him to eat it back.
He was just... doing as she said.
As his thoughts churned, Yao Qianci began to despise himself again.
He was a two-hundred-year-old man, yet he was actually doing such sneaky and underhanded things.
Was this still him?
But... this person was Yuan Shu.
The woman who had captured his affection from the very first time they met.
Facing the pressure of Lu Guichen's status and strength, she was unyielding, resolute, and brave.
Then, seeking the Sect Master's protection, she was calm, unhurried, and exceedingly clever.
And now, she possessed such unknown and incredible alchemy skills.
With such an extraordinary Yuan Shu, it would be hard for anyone not to be moved, right?
Yuan Shu had no idea about Yao Qianci's churning thoughts.
She carefully stored the successfully refined pills into a brocade box, then took out a new set of clothes from the Divine Tree Space and put them on.
Afterward, she tried to connect with the spiritual energy on the cauldron.
If she could use that surging spiritual energy from when the pill was formed for herself, then she could directly refine the next two pills as well.
That way, she would not have to go begging anyone else!
Sure enough, Yuan Shu once again felt a response from the spiritual energy on the cauldron.
This medicinal cauldron Yao Qianci had lent her was truly a treasure. It could actually store so much spiritual energy to assist her in alchemy?
Yuan Shu immediately decided to refine the next two pills together right here!
Fortunately, she had already placed the medicinal plants needed for these two pills into the Divine Tree Space beforehand, so now she just needed to take them out directly.
Steadying her mind, Yuan Shu waved her hand again, casting the Red Lotus Purifying Fire beneath the cauldron to begin condensing the medicinal plants.
Yao Qianci's perception fell upon Yuan Shu's serious little face, tracing her features, passing over the perky tip of her nose, and then landing on her full, rosy lips.
He remembered how in the forest, that Green Cloud Peak disciple, Zhai Shuo, had been so fond of these red lips.
Could it be that Yuan Shu's lips were even sweeter than her body?
As his perception continued downward, the clothes blocked his spiritual sense's prying, and a wave of disappointment inevitably welled up in Yao Qianci's heart.
The Divine Fire Space was quiet, free from interruptions, and had abundant fire elements. It was an excellent place to assist Yuan Shu in alchemy.
That was why Yao Qianci had responded when Yuan Shu tested the cauldron's spiritual energy.
Seeing that Yuan Shu was about to start refining pills again, he gathered his thoughts and prepared to properly assist her.
Right at this moment, a wisp of dark red flame crawled up Yuan Shu's ankle once more.
It coiled upward along her ankle, and wherever it passed, her clothes were completely burned to ashes!
Yuan Shu was speechless.
What a perverted fire!
