"First, Su Ying..." Chen Xuan said.

Almost instantly, a pill materialized in his hand.

It was perfectly round with a surface without a single blemish, while a cluster of golden mist surrounded its otherwise white form.

The moment it emerged from his spatial ring, a rich medicinal aroma flooded the hall.

Merely catching a whiff of it caused Huo Ling’er, Chi Yao, and even Su Ying to feel their Spiritual Energy stir and their cultivations faintly improve.

Just as the three women became intoxicated by the sensation and began drawing deep breaths, Chen Xuan moved.

His Spiritual Energy erupted, forming a thin, translucent barrier around the pill, sealing away its potent effects.

Seeing the women relax and the crimson in their eyes recede, he chuckled and explained.

"This is a Core Forging Elixir I obtained recently. It has only a single function: to help a cultivator at the Late Stage of the Foundation Establishment realm break through to the Core Formation realm."

"Consuming it increases one’s chances of a successful breakthrough by fifty percent."

With a flick of his wrist, Chen Xuan sent the pill floating toward Su Ying.

"Su Ying, this is for you. The Yin Yang Peak currently lacks powerful experts. I hope you will consume it as soon as possible and become the third pillar of our peak," he advised.

Su Ying opened her mouth, but the moment her fingers brushed the elixir, she froze in place.

An intense yearning welled up from deep within her body. Her very instincts screamed at her to swallow the pill.

If not for the occasion, she would have thrown it into her mouth and entered deep seclusion immediately.

However, doing so right here and now was obviously out of the question.

Forcing herself to remain calm, Su Ying hesitated.

She knew the immense value of such a pill.

Even if Chen Xuan was exaggerating its effects, the physical sensation alone proved its extraordinary worth.

This was a treasure on par with the "Jade Beauty Pill" he had gifted her not long ago.

She might have declined any other pill, but this one...

’Senior Brother Chen is right! Aside from him, there’s no one else to uphold the prestige of the Yin Yang Peak. I cannot let him bear such a heavy burden alone. I must become his pillar of support, just as he has always been to me!’ she resolved.

Suppressing her impulse to politely decline, Su Ying tightly clutched the pill, vowing to achieve a breakthrough as soon as possible.

Looking up, she bowed deeply to Chen Xuan and offered her heartfelt thanks.

Her reaction was entirely within his expectations, but Chen Xuan still nodded with satisfaction.

In fact, he had undersold the pill’s effects. A breakthrough to the Core Formation realm was actually guaranteed.

However, he knew a fifty-percent increase was the upper limit of what Su Ying would willingly accept.

Any more miraculous and she would refuse his gift.

Chen Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. After offering Su Ying a few more words of encouragement, he shifted his gaze to Huo Ling’er, staring at her in silence for a few seconds.

Under his scrutiny, Huo Ling’er grew increasingly self-conscious.

Fortunately, just as she was starting to feel awkward, Chen Xuan broke the silence.

"You have also reached the Peak of the Qi Refining realm. Unfortunately, the help I can offer you right now is somewhat limited compared to Su Ying," he said, pausing before waving his hand.

"Take this Foundation Establishment Pill. It can boost your chances of a breakthrough by thirty percent. Even if something goes wrong and you fail, it will protect your Dantian and meridians from collapsing, saving your life."

This time, Chen Xuan wasn’t fabricating the effects.

The Foundation Establishment Pill genuinely possessed such a function.

He had discovered its formula in the manual given by Duan Feng.

He had refined it during his earlier alchemy attempts, along with numerous other low-level elixirs, to familiarize himself with the alchemy process.

Now, the result of his experiments had come in handy.

Huo Ling’er caught the pill and, just like Su Ying, chose not to decline.

She might have been hesitant in the past, but the sudden arrival of Chi Yao had made her vigilant.

’Chi Yao is at the exact same cultivation stage as me. But unlike my trash-tier talent, she possesses a powerful Spirit Body. If I don’t work twice as hard and seize every opportunity, I will soon fall behind!’

Huo Ling’er instinctively glanced over at her new "Junior Sister".

Chi Yao’s lowered head and slightly trembling frame instantly caught her attention.

In the past, she wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but now, she couldn’t help but analyze every detail of the girl’s behavior.

Her intuition screamed that she had finally met a formidable rival.

The image of Chi Yao clinging to Chen Xuan and smiling provocatively at her flashed across her mind, nearly driving her insane.

She quickly shook her head to dispel the thought.

’No! This woman has definitely fallen for Master! Look at that coy behavior—she doesn’t even dare to look at him in the eye!’

Convinced she had seen right through her rival, Huo Ling’er felt immensely threatened.

’No! I absolutely must achieve a breakthrough as soon as possible!’

Standing not far away, Chen Xuan caught every shift in her expression. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Though slightly puzzled by her intense micro-expressions, he was highly satisfied with her resolve to grow stronger.

She truly was worthy of possessing a legendary Holy Body.

Even without external pressure, she naturally possessed a heart that constantly sought the Dao.

Nodding in approval, Chen Xuan’s gaze finally drifted towards the last woman, who also happened to be the most troublesome.

Stroking his chin, he fell into contemplation.

Moments later, he spoke up.

"Alright, that should do it for now. I will speak with Chi Yao alone next."

Just as he prepared to dismiss the other two, the temperature in the room suddenly spiked, as though he had been dropped into an active volcano.

"No, Master, don’t!" Huo Ling’er blurted out instinctively.

Halfway through her sentence, she froze as she realized her mistake.

Feeling the bewildered gazes of everyone in the room lock onto her, she realized she had been far too impulsive.

She instantly lowered her gaze, staring down at her fidgeting hands while frantically trying to come up with an excuse to salvage the situation.

"Ehem... Cough, cough... What I meant to say, Master, is that I—I want to see what you’re going to give to Junior Sister Chi," she stammered.

"I’m just worried you might play favorites and let her miss out on something good. Yes! That’s exactly it!" she nodded repeatedly, nearly convincing herself in the process.