The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

Shen Yifei put the two Breakthrough Pills into a jade bottle and then into his ring. He checked the time; it was still early before the three-day deadline, so he lay back down on the bed and stared blankly at the roof beams.

"Little guy, give your five-patterned one to Su Yao. Keep the four-patterned one and sell it to someone else later," Liu Mengli suggested to him from inside the cauldron.

Why?

"Silly. If you give her the best, she'll come back to you again, always wanting the best. What will you do then? Give her a five-patterned one this time, a six-patterned one next time, gradually increasing the amount. That way, she'll see that you're improving and that you have potential. If you give her the best all at once, and then you can't offer anything better later, she'll think you're being stingy."

Shen Yifei thought about it and felt that what he said made sense.

"You're quite the schemer."

"Having survived in this secret realm for so many years, if I didn't know how to scheme, I would have been drained dry long ago." Liu Mengli yawned. "By the way, what are you planning to do with your little sweetheart named Liu'er?"

"What? What should we do?"

"That girl is completely devoted to you, and you're fooling around with other women. Aren't you afraid of hurting her feelings?"

Shen Yifei felt a little guilty after hearing her words. Liu'er was indeed a good girl—simple, obedient, unassuming, and genuinely devoted to him.

"I'll go see her tomorrow," he muttered, turned over, and went to sleep.

The next morning, Shen Yifei went to the outer gate to find Liu'er.

The outer disciples' living quarters were far worse than those of the inner disciples. Rows of low, tiled houses were crammed at the foot of the mountain, barely better than the woodpile in the alchemy room.

He asked around for a long time before finally finding the room where Liu'er lived. The door was open, and Liu'er's voice could be heard from inside.

"Senior Sister Liu, has your Senior Brother Shen really returned from the secret realm?" The speaker was a young woman with a clear and melodious voice.

"I'm back. I heard it from Senior Sister Qin." Liu'er's voice was filled with joy. "Senior Sister Qin said he made great progress this time and even broke through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage."

"Tsk tsk, mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Senior Sister Liu, you have such good taste, finding a capable man. Unlike mine, only at the sixth level of Qi Refining, I can't even afford a decent pill."

"Don't talk nonsense, Senior Brother Shen and I are just ordinary friends."

"Ordinary friends? Who are you trying to fool? You were practically unsteady on your feet when you came back from the inner gate that day, do you think I didn't know?"

"You brat, say that again!" Liu'er's voice was both embarrassed and angry, followed by the sounds of playful fighting.

Shen Yifei stood outside the door, listening to the two girls bickering inside, feeling a warm glow in his heart. He coughed and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Liu'er's voice came from outside.

"I."

There was a moment of silence in the room, followed by a flurry of activity. The door opened, and Liu'er stood in the doorway, her face flushed red and her hair a little disheveled.

"Senior...Senior brother, what brings you here?"

"I came to see you." Shen Yifei smiled and glanced into the house. Inside, there was a young girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a round face and two buns in her hair, covering her mouth and giggling.

"Senior Sister Liu, is this your Senior Brother Shen? He's quite handsome." The girl looked him up and down casually. "Hello, Senior Brother, my name is Xiao Tao, and I'm Senior Sister Liu's roommate."

"Hello, Xiao Tao." Shen Yifei took out two Qi Gathering Pills from his ring and handed them over. "Nice to meet you, this is just a small token."

Xiao Tao took the pill, her eyes wide with surprise: "A Qi Gathering Pill? And of such high quality? Senior Brother, you're too kind!" She quickly put the pill away, then tugged at Liu'er's sleeve with a grin, "Senior Sister Liu, you two chat, I'm going to cultivate."

After saying that, he ran off in a flash, closing the door behind him.

"Senior brother, why didn't you tell me beforehand? It's a mess here."

Shen Yifei looked around. The room wasn't big, but it was very clean.

"It's much better than living in that pile of firewood in the alchemy room." He sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to him. "Come sit down."

Liu'er obediently walked over and sat down next to him, placing her hands on her knees and sitting up straight.

Seeing her nervous expression, Shen Yifei laughed: "What's wrong? Have we gotten distant after just a few days?"

"No..." Liu'er raised her head, her eyes watery, "I'm just... just happy. I've been worried about you every day since you went into the secret realm, afraid that something might happen to you."

"I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?" Shen Yifei put his arm around her shoulder, and Liu'er leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Senior brother, did you encounter any danger in the secret realm?"

"Yes, we encountered a fifth-tier giant ape."

Liu'er suddenly raised her head, her face changing drastically: "Fifth rank? Then you..."

"I tricked you, and you're frozen solid," Shen Yifei said casually. "Your senior brother here is incredibly skilled; what's a fifth-tier demon beast?"

Liu'er looked at him with suspicion, then leaned back: "Senior brother, don't brag."

"When have I ever bragged?" Shen Yifei took out the four-pattern barrier-breaking pill from his ring and handed it to her. "Here you go."

Liu'er took it, uncorked the bottle, smelled it, and her expression changed: "This... what kind of pill is this? It smells..."

"Breakthrough Pill, Grade 4. Take it when you reach the peak of Foundation Establishment; it will help you break through to the Golden Core stage."

Liu'er's hand trembled, and she almost dropped the porcelain bottle: "Four...fourth grade? Senior brother, this is too precious, I can't accept it!"

"Take it." Shen Yifei closed her hand. "I have no use for it, so it's perfect for you. Focus on your cultivation and don't let it go to waste."

Holding the porcelain bottle, Liu'er's eyes reddened, her lips trembled, and she suddenly rushed over to hug him, burying her face in his chest.

"Senior brother, you're so good to me... I don't know how to repay you..."

"What repayment?" Shen Yifei patted her back. "Your best repayment is to cultivate diligently and enter the inner sect as soon as possible."

Liu'er nodded vigorously. The two cuddled for a while, then Shen Yifei glanced at the sky, stood up, and said, "I have to go. I have something to do. I'll come see you again in a couple of days."

Liu'er saw him to the door, holding his hand reluctantly, "Senior brother, you...you must be careful. I've heard that Han Zhengli isn't a good person, don't offend him."

How do you know Han Zhengli?

"What happened in the inner sect is being spread around the outer sect. They say he returned empty-handed from the secret realm, was unhappy about it, and caused trouble for you, only to be scolded by Elder Gu. That kind of person is petty and will definitely seek revenge."

Shen Yifei felt a warmth in his heart and patted her head: "I know, I'll be careful."

After leaving the outer gate, Shen Yifei didn't return to the inner courtyard. Instead, he went to the market to take a look around. He wanted to get rid of some of his things, but didn't want to attract too much attention, so he found several shops and sold them separately.

The first shop sold magical artifacts, three of which were of the spirit artifact level, and I exchanged them for four thousand spirit stones.

The second shop sells materials from monsters, and the third shop sells medicinal herbs, including Ganoderma lucidum and other medicinal herbs that are less than a hundred years old.

After the round, he had gained over 12,000 spirit stones. Adding to what he had before, his storage ring now held over 20,000 spirit stones.

Shen Yifei looked at the mountain of spirit stones piled up in his ring, feeling incredibly happy. More than 20,000 spirit stones was definitely considered quite wealthy within the inner sect of the Hehuan Sect.

"Look at your pathetic self," Liu Mengli sneered from inside the cauldron. "You're this happy with just over 20,000 spirit stones? Wait till you see something good in the future, a pill worth hundreds of thousands of spirit stones, won't you be ecstatic?"

"A pill costing hundreds of thousands of spirit stones?" Shen Yifei swallowed hard. "What kind of pill is so expensive?"

"There are plenty. A single fifth or sixth-grade pill can cost tens of thousands of spirit stones. If it's of the highest quality, it's not uncommon to find one or two hundred thousand. If you can refine a top-grade fifth or sixth-grade pill, you'll never have to worry about spirit stones for the rest of your life."

Shen Yifei felt a strong urge to try it. He wasn't yet skilled enough to refine fifth or sixth-grade pills. While the Myriad Things Cauldron could refine them, he needed the formula and the medicinal herbs. The herbs for fifth-grade pills cost several thousand spirit stones per plant, and his meager resources weren't even enough to buy several portions.

"No rush, take your time," he reassured himself as he walked toward the inner courtyard.

Back in the courtyard, Shen Yifei began to ponder how to deal with the bronze cauldron.