A beautiful woman was practicing asceticism when her husband suddenly returned home.

Lin Yuan sat cross-legged and took out his Pill Furnace.

Inside the pill room, the furnace fire blazed.

Lin Yuan was fully focused, as one Spirit Medicine after another was thrown into the Pill Furnace, transforming into pure medicinal liquid.

Time passed quietly.

It wasn't until the evening of the next day that Lin Yuan, looking weary, emerged from the pill room.

He hadn't slept all night, but he had successfully refined two batches of qi gathering pills and two batches of condensing yuan pills.

Furthermore, he consumed and refined all four newly refined High Grade condensing yuan pills.

A majestic medicinal power spread within his body, and his cultivation advanced by another one hundred and sixty points.

He was one step closer to the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining.

Stepping out of the room, the courtyard was quiet.

Han Shuang was not home.

At this time, her only destination should be Su Qingyan's place next door.

Thinking of this, Lin Yuan tidied his robes, walked leisurely to Su Qingyan's courtyard gate, and gently knocked.

A moment later, the door opened a crack, revealing Su Qingyan's charming and beautiful face.

"You've finished refining pills?"

Her eyes sparkled as she opened the main door and invited Lin Yuan in.

In the courtyard, Han Shuang was squatting by the spiritual field, curiously looking at a Spiritual Plant with budding flowers. Hearing the movement, she quickly stood up.

"Immortal Master!"

She respectfully bowed.

"Shuanger, you should go back first. I have some matters I'd like to discuss with Fellow Daoist Su alone."

Lin Yuan said gently.

Han Shuang secretly glanced at Su Qingyan, then at Lin Yuan. She vaguely knew their relationship was unusual and nodded obediently.

"Then I'll go back and prepare some food for Immortal Master first."

After speaking, she quickly left.

After Han Shuang left, Su Qingyan leaned against the door frame and chuckled softly.

"Your maidservant is quite interesting. It would be good to have her come over often to keep me company and relieve boredom."

Lin Yuan nodded, took out another porcelain bottle containing twenty low-grade qi gathering pills from his Storage Pouch, and handed it over.

"I see your cultivation has advanced quite a bit again. You should be not far from the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, right?"

Su Qingyan unceremoniously took the Medicinal Pill, pulled out the stopper to look inside, and an unconcealable look of joy immediately appeared on her face.

"With these, after refining them all, I should be able to reach Fifth Level of Qi Refining Perfection and can try to break through to the Sixth Layer."

She put away the porcelain bottle and looked at Lin Yuan with bewitching eyes.

"You've given me so many Medicinal Pills again, this humble woman has no way to repay you..."

"I can only... offer myself to you."

"Hahaha..."

Lin Yuan was amused by her.

"You're really getting into character."

"Of course."

Su Qingyan extended her jade-like finger and gently tapped Lin Yuan's chest, the smile in her eyes becoming even more alluring.

"How about today, I play the role of the snake demon repaying a kindness, and you play the handsome scholar heading to the capital for the imperial examination?"

...The next day, before dawn.

The bedroom was quiet, with a lingering hint of a romantic atmosphere in the air.

Lin Yuan opened his eyes.

Su Qingyan beside him was sleeping soundly, a trace of satisfied flush on her beautiful cheeks, her breathing even and long.

Lin Yuan was about to get up, but his brows suddenly furrowed slightly.

After advancing to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining, his Divine Sense perception range and sensitivity were far superior to before.

Just now, he sensed a familiar aura stumbling towards this small courtyard.

That aura was cold, carrying a strong Corpse Qi, yet it was extremely weak, like a flickering candle in the wind.

"Holy crap... Wei He is back!"

Lin Yuan's heart sank, and a thought flashed through his mind instantly.

This is bad!

Without the slightest hesitation, he swiftly and silently put on his clothes, and with a flicker of his body, he disappeared like a wisp of green smoke through the bedroom window, without alarming anyone.

Almost the instant his front foot stepped into his own courtyard, the creaking sound of the adjacent courtyard gate being pushed open rang out.

A bone-chilling coldness, accompanied by an impenetrable Corpse Qi, instantly permeated the air.

Wei He's figure appeared at the doorway. His already pale face was now as white as paper.

The crimson coffin behind him was now tattered, covered in charred claw marks, as if it had endured a fierce battle.

His entire aura was extremely weak, and every step he took seemed to exhaust all his strength, his footsteps faltering, as if he could collapse at any moment.

Su Qingyan in the bedroom was naturally awakened as well.

Hearing the commotion, she rushed out of the room, and upon seeing Wei He's miserable state, her expression immediately changed drastically.

"Husband!"

She darted forward, supporting the tottering Wei He.

"I'm not going to die!"

Wei He's voice was hoarse and dry. He was supported into the house and sat heavily on a chair, breathing faintly.

"Go... go invite Brother Lin over for a chat."

Seeing how severely he was injured, Su Qingyan dared not ask more, quickly nodded, and hurried out of the courtyard gate.

A moment later, Lin Yuan arrived as invited.

He entered the house and, seeing Wei He's appearance, his gaze slightly narrowed.

The Corpse Qi on Wei He's body was even denser than before he left, faintly showing a sense of solidification. If not suppressed soon, it might invade his heart Meridians and kill him.

Lin Yuan quickly stepped forward, without any superfluous words, he flipped his wrist, directly took out a jade bottle, poured out a high-grade qi gathering pill, and handed it over.

A strong look of surprise instantly flashed in Wei He's cloudy eyes.

He hadn't expected Lin Yuan to be able to produce a high-grade qi gathering pill!

He didn't stand on ceremony, took the Medicinal Pill, and swallowed it without hesitation.

The Medicinal Pill melted upon entering his mouth, and a pure and gentle spiritual power instantly flowed through his dry Meridians. His weak aura immediately stabilized significantly.

"Thank you, Brother Lin."

Wei He caught his breath, and a trace of color finally returned to his face.

He gave a bitter smile and began to explain.

"I went to retrieve that Earth Core Nether Fire. Originally, everything was going smoothly, but I didn't expect that just as I was about to succeed, I discovered a Crimson Flame Lizard guarding the spiritual fire."

"I was caught off guard and couldn't retreat in time, so I was severely injured by that beast and almost didn't make it back."

Lin Yuan understood.

The strength of a Rank 1 Yao Beast varies greatly; the weak ones are only equivalent to Cultivators at the first or second layer of Qi Refining, while the strong ones can rival grand masters at Qi Refining Ninth Layer Perfection.

This Crimson Flame Lizard was one of the exceptional ones, naturally able to control flames, with strength comparable to a Cultivator at the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining.

Wei He, with only Sixth Layer of Qi Refining cultivation, to encounter it head-on and escape alive, already showed his extraordinary methods and extremely good luck.

"Brother Lin, if I can't get that Earth Core Nether Fire this time, I'm afraid my life will be in danger due to the backlash of the Corpse Qi in my body!"

Lin Yuan's expression remained unchanged, and he asked in a deep voice.

"Brother Wei, what are your thoughts? Feel free to speak."

"My Ironclad Corpse absorbed a lot of fire evil Qi during this trip. As long as it's nurtured for a while longer, it can advance to become a Bronze Armored Corpse!"

"At that time, its strength will be almost on par with that Crimson Flame Yao Beast."

"Brother Lin, your Fire Control Technique is extraordinary. If you can assist from the side and restrain the Yao Beast's flame attacks."

"Plus my wife, who has now also entered the Fifth Level of Qi Refining, with the three of us working together, and a Bronze Armored Corpse, it shouldn't be difficult to take down that Yao Beast!"