What does my ancestor's pregnancy have to do with me, a mere servant?

Lin Yuan closed the stone gate to his cave. He removed his black robe and casually tossed it into his storage bag. He removed his wooden mask, revealing a fair face.

He strode to the bluestone table. His fingertips brushed against his storage bag, and the purchased spiritual materials flew out one after another, neatly categorizing and covering the tabletop.

These twenty documents were key to his breakthrough to the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Lin Yuan flicked his finger. A wisp of crimson spiritual fire landed precisely at the bottom of the bronze furnace. The furnace walls heated up, emitting a slight hum.

He grabbed the Condensing Essence Fruit and the Purple Blood Vine, and decisively threw them into the furnace. His experience as a seventh-grade alchemist made his fire control technique extremely skillful.

His divine sense dispersed, probing into the furnace to capture the subtle moments of the medicinal liquid separating and fusing.

Two hours passed.

Lin Yuan raised his hand and cast a spell. The furnace lid was lifted. A rich, slightly astringent medicinal aroma wafted out.

Ten batches of Condensing Essence Pills were produced, with six pills successfully formed and three pills discarded.

Lin Yuan held a dark purple, perfectly round pill in his palm.

There were no cloud-like patterns. Upon closer inspection under the moonstone's illumination, a very faint gray mist could be seen flowing beneath the medicinal coating.

"A superior-grade Qi Condensation Pill contains trace amounts of toxicity; taking a small amount should not cause any problems!"

Lin Yuan had done his best with these Qi Condensation Pills.

No matter how perfectly the heat is controlled, it is impossible to remove the deep impurities in high-grade pills.

To refine a non-toxic Qi Condensation Pill, one must advance to the sixth rank of alchemist.

Lin Yuan put away the Qi Condensation Pill and his gaze fell on the three medicinal herbs on the corner of the table.

Centuries-old Blood Jade Ginseng, Centuries-old Moonlight Grass, and Formless Fruit. The main ingredients of the Meridian Continuation Pill.

Lin Feilu was seriously injured by Wen Yuci, which greatly reduced his combat strength.

The Saintess Election, which will take place in two weeks, will determine whether he can obtain a ticket to the Crimson Forbidden Land.

This is a perfectly clear calculation—the Renewal Pulse Pill is not an act of kindness, but an investment.

Lin Yuan unscrewed the sealed jade box containing the Blood Jade Ginseng, and a strong, pungent smell of blood wafted out.

He frowned. These three herbs clashed with each other in the Five Elements, making them far more difficult to refine than the Condensing Essence Pill. With his seventh-grade cultivation level, the quality of the finished pill wouldn't be very high.

But something is better than nothing. A fire broke out.

The Blood Jade Ginseng was the first to be placed into the furnace. The moment it came into contact with the spiritual fire, a pungent, bloody odor suddenly filled the air. Lin Yuan's hands flew, and he unleashed four pill-making incantations in succession. He released his spiritual power, suppressing the raging, boiling medicinal power at the bottom of the furnace.

Moonflower was added. Yin and Yang, their opposing medicinal powers clashed in the confined space.

"Bang!"

The bronze furnace trembled violently. The furnace walls emitted a dark red light, and dense cracking sounds came from within.

It's going to explode.

Lin Yuan clenched his teeth, his facial muscles tense. He unleashed his divine sense, forcefully probing into the raging furnace. He focused his divine sense intensely, weaving it between the two turbulent medicinal energies, trying to untangle them.

Then, the Formless Fruit was thrown into the center of the medicinal vortex to act as a harmonizer.

Half an hour later, the bronze furnace stopped trembling, and its dark red light dimmed.

Lin Yuan extinguished the spiritual fire. His chest heaved violently. He lifted the furnace lid and peered inside.

Three thumb-sized, dark red pills lay quietly at the bottom of the furnace. Their surfaces were rough, their luster dull, and their spiritual energy fluctuations sluggish.

Medium-grade Qi-restoring Pill.

Lin Yuan picked up one, his brows furrowing. The medicinal power hadn't reached a state of perfect fusion. The peak seventh-grade power was barely enough to preserve the medicinal properties, but the effects of these three mid-grade pills were greatly reduced. However, three pills should be enough for her healing.

The night was deep.

Lin Feilu entered the cave on time.

She was still wearing the same plain white silk blouse she had worn the night before. The fabric clung to her, revealing her graceful curves. Her exquisite face held its usual aloofness, while a wary glint lurked deep within her eyes.

Everything remains the same.

This time, however, Lin Yuan did not stop as he had done before.

The moonstone on the stone bed was sometimes bright and sometimes dim, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.

The sound of dripping water in the corner of the cave went on for who knows how many rounds.

……

Three hours later.

The cave was filled with the strong smell of sweat.

Lin Feilu was panting heavily.

She turned her head away.

His bloodshot eyes were fixed on Lin Yuan, who was sitting cross-legged to the side.

"Are you...?" Lin Feilu's voice was hoarse, filled with gritted teeth and hatred, "treating me like an animal?"

Lin Yuan did not react emotionally to those words.

My gaze fell upon the gold lettering beneath my eyes.

[Available attribute points: 788] I am extremely satisfied.

But he sighed, his tone so sincere it was almost irritating:

"Senior sister, you've worked hard. The path of cultivation is inherently arduous. If we can benefit each other, how can we talk about being beasts or not?"

As he spoke, he flipped his wrist and took out a jade bottle containing three mid-grade Qi-restoring pills, placing it beside the stone bed.

"Meridian-Repairing Pill. Used to repair meridians. You're welcome."

Lin Feilu stared intently at his face, which was so sincere it was almost hypocritical, her chest heaving with anger and blood, and she almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

But my gaze was still drawn to the white jade bottle.

She keenly sensed the pure medicinal power emanating from the bottle. This was the item she desperately needed most at the moment.

Reason and dignity were tearing each other apart in my mind.

In the end, he picked up the jade bottle.

Then, dragging his extremely heavy steps, he leaned against the wall and moved outward step by step. His back view was desolate and disheveled, yet it revealed a stubborn refusal to bow his head.

A cool night breeze dispelled the enchanting atmosphere within the cave.

Lin Yuan sat cross-legged on the bluestone bed and poured out one of the high-grade Qi Condensation Pills he had refined.

He tilted his head back and swallowed the Qi Condensation Pill. The pill entered his stomach and transformed into an extremely violent surge of heat.

The torrent of spiritual energy, far exceeding that of the Qi Gathering Pill, surged through the meridians like a wild horse.

Lin Yuan circulated his cultivation technique, refining the spiritual energy within.

Suddenly, Lin Yuan opened his eyes. He sensed a deliberately suppressed fluctuation of spiritual energy entering the range of his divine sense.

The visitor is not good.

Lin Yuan made a decisive move and forcibly cut off the flow of spiritual energy.

As the Formless Transformation Technique was activated, the surging spiritual power of the eighth level of Qi Refining receded like a tide, and was firmly locked into a hidden acupoint.

The released energy quickly slid down and settled steadily on the third level of Qi Refining.

Bang! The newly repaired stone gate was shattered by a tremendous force.

In the instant the rubble flew, Lin Yuan used the dust to slap two golden talismans onto his body without hesitation, while secretly hiding a handful of fireball talismans in his sleeve.

Amidst the rising dust, a figure strode into the cave.

The newcomer was dressed in the standard blue robe of an inner disciple, with high cheekbones and a sinister gaze.

The pressure from the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining was released without any restraint.

His gaze swept across the cave dwelling, finally settling on Lin Yuan, who was huddled in a corner.

He was at the third level of Qi Refining, wearing a faded outer sect servant's robe, with charred medicine residue scattered all over the ground.

A hint of undisguised contempt flashed in the male cultivator's eyes as he coldly asked, "What exactly is that bitch Lin Feilu doing sneaking into your doghouse every night?"

Lin Yuan's heart skipped a beat, but he feigned fear and stammered, "This...this senior brother, I...I don't know what you're talking about. Senior Sister Lin just...just came to get some low-grade spiritual herbs from me..."

"Low-grade spiritual herbs?" The male cultivator sneered, pressing closer. "Senior Sister Jiang has been watching her for days. A high-ranking core disciple, running to your place every night. You're telling me it's all for a few rotten herbs?"

He walked to the bluestone table, glanced at the bronze alchemy furnace, and tapped the furnace wall with his sword scabbard in disdain: "Tell me honestly, is she practicing some kind of shady demonic art, using you as a furnace? Or is she secretly colluding with some powerful force?"

Lin Yuan shrank back into the corner in terror: "Senior brother, spare me! I really didn't know... Senior sister only asked me to brew some calming medicinal soup for her, really just medicinal soup!"

Seeing Lin Yuan's cowardly and terrified appearance, the male cultivator curled his lips into a sneer, and his last remaining wariness sank into the depths of his heart—in his view, this Qi Refining Level 3 servant was no match for his absolute strength.

He sneered, pressing closer: "A mouthful of lies, looks like I'll have to break one of your arms first..."

Before the words were finished, Lin Yuan, who was huddled in the corner, suddenly looked up. The feigned fear on his face vanished instantly, leaving only coldness and ruthlessness.

Lin Yuan's leg muscles tensed, and he swung his right sleeve violently.

Twenty high-grade fireball talismans burst forth like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.

In an instant, the male cultivator was enveloped.

"Boom!"

Twenty crimson fireballs, each the size of a head, exploded simultaneously within the cramped cave. The intense heat and shockwaves instantly engulfed the male cultivator. He had no time to react; his protective aura shattered in less than a breath.

"ah--!"

A heart-wrenching scream tore through the night sky.

Lin Yuan did not pause.

With the release of the Formless Transformation Technique, the spiritual power of the eighth level of Qi Refining erupted without reservation.

He summoned a low-grade flying sword, poured his magic power into it, and it transformed into a beam of light that shot towards the male cultivator who was charred black and rolling on the ground.

"You...you're not Qi Refining 3..."

"puff……"

The magic sword drew a line of blood from his neck.

A single sword strike to the throat.

"Villains die from talking too much, how can you not understand this principle?" Lin Yuan muttered to himself, then pulled off the storage bag from the male cultivator's waist.

He casually made a hand seal, and a fireball landed on the corpse. Accompanied by a pungent, acrid smell, the corpse quickly turned into a pile of ashes.

Lin Yuan used his object manipulation technique to evenly scatter the flying ash into the spirit field outside the cave.

After doing all this, Lin Yuan looked up at the night sky. Jiang Huaiyue had clearly noticed Lin Feilu's unusual behavior.

The covert battle for the Holy Maiden election has begun sooner than expected. If Jiang Huaiyue were to directly confront him, given his current Qi Refining Level 8 cultivation, he would be in grave danger.