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"Junior Sister, must you make such a huge mess every time?" Wen Chi sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Qin Shu slumped her shoulders in frustration. "I don't know what went wrong! I followed the process exactly as I learned it, but somehow it keeps failing."

Wen Chi let out another sigh and turned to the young attendant outside the alchemy room. "Get my junior sister a different room. Maybe the feng shui here is just bad."

Qin Shu's eyes lit up. "Oh! Why didn't I think of that?"

Wen Chi shot her a glance full of disdain but still said, "Try again in the new room. I want to see exactly what's going wrong."

Qin Shu felt a surge of emotion.

Could you believe it? After over a year in the sect, she was finally not being left to fend for herself!

People always said that a master leads the way, but cultivation is up to the individual.

But in her case? She had formally become a disciple, yet her master went into seclusion for most of the year. She had barely even seen him!

"Thank you, Senior Brother, for looking out for me!" Qin Shu said, her gratitude genuine.

The new alchemy room faced south, with a furnace placed at its center. She didn't know which apprentice from the Artifact Sect had crafted it, but at least it looked sturdy.

Qin Shu cast a cleansing spell over herself and respectfully bowed in all four directions. When she lifted her head, she found herself staring at a pair of slender, elegant hands holding an incense stick.

She blinked and followed the hands upward, locking eyes with a face so handsome it could cause resentment among both gods and mortals alike.

But at this moment, that beautiful face held an expression that was asking for a punch.

With a smirk, Wen Chi drawled, "With luck as bad as yours, bowing won't be enough. Light this incense and pray sincerely."

Qin Shu pursed her lips, caught red-handed in her little superstitions. She took the incense from him, snapped her fingers to ignite it, and bowed solemnly.

When she looked up again, Wen Chi's gaze was thoughtful. "Junior Sister, who exactly are you praying to?"

Qin Shu's voice was calm as she replied, "The Heavenly Dao, of course."

Wen Chi blinked, then chuckled. "You're quite bold, aren't you?"

Qin Shu had no idea what he meant by that. She simply clapped her hands together, extinguishing the incense in an instant.

"Senior Brother, I'm all set. Can I start now?"

Wen Chi settled himself in the farthest corner of the room before nodding. "Go ahead."

Everything went smoothly—extracting impurities, refining the essence, and merging the medicinal liquids.

Until—

**Boom!**

Qin Shu's face remained impassive, completely unsurprised. By now, this level of explosion barely fazed her.

She turned to Wen Chi, only to see him standing untouched in a pristine protective barrier, looking down at her soot-covered figure with mild amusement.

Qin Shu exhaled a long breath. "Senior Brother, did you see what went wrong?"

At least if they identified the issue, her repeated furnace explosions wouldn't be in vain.

But Wen Chi simply coughed into his fist and said, "Didn't quite catch it. Try again?"

Qin Shu nearly choked. If she kept exploding furnaces at this rate, she'd have enough material to write *'One Hundred Alchemy Failures: A Survival Guide (Extended Edition)'*.

"Senior Brother, are you even reliable? Should I just call Senior Brother Yi instead?"

Though she still had some lingering fear toward Yi Xuan, maybe familiarity made the difference—somehow, she still couldn't fully equate him with the person from her past life.

However, the moment Wen Chi heard this, his face turned serious. "Try again! If the next furnace explodes, I'll take responsibility!"

Qin Shu's lips curled into a bright smile.

She wasn't a greedy person, but if someone willingly offered compensation, she certainly wouldn't refuse.

After receiving a new furnace, Wen Chi quickly restored the alchemy room with a formation. This time, he crouched beside her instead of staying at a distance.

"Junior Sister, do you still need to pray to the Heavenly Dao?"

Qin Shu shook her head but didn't dare speak recklessly. Instead, she said, "Perhaps the Heavenly Dao is too busy to concern itself with such trivial matters. We should rely on ourselves."

Wen Chi chuckled, tapping his fan lightly against her head. "Enough nonsense. Start refining! I'll prove to you that there is no man in this world more reliable than your Second Senior Brother! Not even our First Senior Brother!"

Qin Shu rubbed her head and raised an eyebrow. "What about Master?"

Wen Chi's smile instantly vanished. He shot her a glare. "Refine your pills!"

Qin Shu pouted but obediently straightened up, retrieving another set of ingredients.

She repeated her steps carefully. But when it came time to merge the liquids—

**Boom!**

Another explosion. But this time, she was prepared, shielding herself with a thick earth-element barrier.

Just as the furnace was about to explode completely, Wen Chi flicked his fingers, sending a pulse of spiritual energy into it.

The furnace wobbled in midair before suddenly releasing a weak *puff*, like a candle sputtering out.

When it landed, it was perfectly intact.

Qin Shu hurriedly cast a spell to open the lid, only to be hit with a wave of burnt stench.

She fanned her nose and turned to Wen Chi. "Senior Brother, any insights?"

Wen Chi studied her for a long moment, his gaze unreadable.

Qin Shu tensed. If he made her try again, she swore she'd run straight to their master and complain!

Thankfully, this time, Wen Chi did not disappoint her.

"I see the issue now," he said.

Qin Shu's eyes sparkled with excitement. "What is it?! Please explain in detail!"

Instead of answering, Wen Chi retrieved another alchemy furnace from one of his storage rings and placed it before her.

"Use this one," he instructed.

Qin Shu hesitated, her gaze drawn to the furnace's refined surface and intricate patterns.

Wen Chi noticed her hesitation and urged, "What are you waiting for? Start refining!"

Qin Shu hesitated further. "Senior Brother, if I accidentally blow up *this* furnace... I won't be able to afford the compensation."

Wen Chi smirked, flicking open his jade bone fan with a lazy motion. "If you can blow up this furnace, you might as well switch to talisman cultivation. Your destructive power would be unparalleled."

She knew he was teasing her, but his words did boost her confidence.

Taking a deep breath, Qin Shu steadied herself and channeled spiritual energy into the new furnace.

The moment the lid opened, a steady, powerful aura surged forth—pure, refined, and full of vitality.

Even a fool could tell that this was no ordinary alchemy furnace.