Chapter 54

"Senior Brother Li Jun," Han Luo said, declining the gift in front of him.

"Junior Brother, if you have something to say, please go ahead," Li Jun replied, still holding out the box.

In the entire Luoxian Sect, Li Jun was someone who rarely needed to offer gifts—if he so much as hinted at it, hundreds of disciples would line up to receive one. Yet now, the junior in front of him remained completely unfazed by a box of high-quality Spirit-Cleansing Pills. That level of composure and restraint confirmed to Li Jun that this was no ordinary junior. In fact, he seemed like a hidden expert. Combined with how frequently Elder Yunding had subtly mentioned Han Luo, it became clear—if Li Jun wanted to eventually become the sect leader, he would need someone like Han Luo on his side.

"Senior Brother Li Jun, when refining Spirit-Cleansing Pills, how many times do you usually purify your materials?" Han Luo asked calmly.

Though he had refined many batches himself, he had never watched others do it. This was a rare chance to exchange insights. On one hand, he did have some real questions. On the other, he wanted to lull Li Jun into a sense of comfort—make him think Han Luo was just another ordinary disciple. Feigning weakness was always a good way to make others lower their guard.

But…

He may have overestimated Li Jun’s skill in alchemy.

“Junior Brother, you really do understand alchemy…” Li Jun replied, slightly surprised.

And just like that, the two of them launched into a full-blown discussion about pill refinement, completely ignoring Lin Xiaolou, who stood off to the side, a picture of neglected beauty.

Not that she minded—just being able to watch Han Luo talk was enough to fill her with happiness. She had some basic knowledge of alchemy too, and as she listened to him explain his theories, she became more and more mesmerized. What kind of man is this Han Luo? Why is he so ridiculously talented? Even the famous Li Jun pales in comparison. No doubt about it, I have amazing taste in men!

An hour passed in deep conversation.

“Junior Brother Han Luo, please forgive my earlier rudeness,” Li Jun said sincerely.

During their exchange, he realized that he had underestimated Han Luo. His own peak, Xianding Peak, was known for its mastery of alchemy, and his master, Elder Yunding, was a renowned pill refiner. Naturally, he had thought himself above the rest.

But after hearing Han Luo’s deep insights and unique methods—particularly his take on refining Spirit-Cleansing Pills—he felt he had genuinely learned something. It even helped him resolve a bottleneck his master had told him to work through on his own. That sense of sudden clarity had been almost euphoric.

Of course, Han Luo had his own gains too.

There was a reason Li Jun was considered the number one talent in the sect. His talent wasn’t just political savvy—he had real skill and an extraordinary ability to digest and refine knowledge. While he still couldn't compare to Han Luo, Han Luo was willing to acknowledge him as the number two in Luoxian Sect. No second place—just the second.

“You two done chatting?” Lin Xiaolou finally broke in. She hadn’t wanted to interrupt, but if she didn’t stop them soon, she was afraid sparks might start flying—and not the romantic kind.

“Apologies, Senior Sister Xiaolou,” Li Jun quickly said, his smile apologetic.

Han Luo also nodded with a warm smile.

“Junior Brother Han Luo, take this.” Li Jun offered the gift once more.

From their earlier conversation, he was now convinced that Han Luo’s spiritual power was more than sufficient to refine high-grade Spirit-Cleansing Pills. His own pills were practically embarrassing by comparison. But Li Jun had a bit of pride—he couldn’t take the gift back after offering it, not without losing face.

Han Luo could sense the awkwardness. There was no need to embarrass the guy, especially after such a pleasant chat. Besides, they had no real conflict.

“Senior Brother Li Jun, didn’t you already give me a gift? Consider our conversation just now your offering,” he said, subtly giving Li Jun an easy out.

Li Jun froze for a second—when had he given a gift already? Then he caught the look in Han Luo’s eyes and realized: Ah, so he’s treating the exchange of knowledge as the real gift. Smooth.

“Haha, no, no—it was just a friendly exchange. But if you insist, I’ll give this to Senior Sister Xiaolou instead. After all, she stood here patiently listening to us blab on for so long. She deserves a reward,” Li Jun said, passing the box to her with a gracious smile.

He really was good at reading the room.

Lin Xiaolou, for her part, shamelessly pocketed the ten pills. A girl’s got to seize her blessings.

With that, the three of them picked out the materials they needed. Han Luo was meticulous, which Li Jun noted with interest but didn’t comment on. After all, from the way Han Luo made him swear an oath earlier, it was clear this junior had a very unique personality.

Once he’d finished selecting materials, Li Jun politely said his goodbyes and hurried off—he wanted to start refining pills immediately while the inspiration was fresh.

As soon as he left, Lin Xiaolou licked her lips and sauntered closer to Han Luo, looking every bit the hungry wolf eyeing a plump rabbit.

“Xiaolou.”

Elder Tie’s voice rang out.

“Ugh!” Lin Xiaolou stamped her foot in frustration. Why does someone always have to ruin the mood right when things are getting good?!

“Get over here and help,” came Tie Lao’s stern voice again.

“I’m coming~” she called out sweetly, instantly switching into professional mode. Just like that, she turned back into the charming service fairy of the exchange counter, all grace and smiles.

Han Luo, however, secretly wiped a cold sweat from his brow. If she had taken just one more step toward me, I might’ve had to strike first and take her down.

Sure, doing that might’ve exposed his real strength—but it was better than letting her get the upper hand. She was at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment realm. If they really fought, he only had a 99% chance of winning—not safe enough by his standards.

Just to be sure, he reactivated his protective guardian array before resuming his careful material selection.

Three days later, Han Luo finally finished sorting through 500 batches of Spirit-Cleansing Pill ingredients.

As he deactivated his array and looked up, he was dumbfounded.

Sitting right across from him was Lin Xiaolou, her face smudged, her hair disheveled, and her eyes half-shut from sleep deprivation.

“Senior Sister Xiaolou… are you okay?”

She looked like she’d just crawled out of some wild, scandalous situation. For someone at the Foundation Establishment stage, this was seriously over-the-top.

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” she said cheerfully, and with a shake of her shoulders, instantly transformed into her usual elegant self—rosy cheeks, perfect hair, graceful in her long robes. Her beauty was almost too dazzling.

Seriously? I just said you were being dramatic and here you go proving it again.

“Let me walk you out,” she offered sweetly.

Han Luo narrowed his eyes. She was being way too obedient. Was this really still his senior sister? Had she been possessed or something?

After she sent him off, Lin Xiaolou sighed deeply.

“Who knows when I’ll get to see him again…”

She looked a little lost.

“You picked a good one.”

Tie Lao appeared out of nowhere, startling her.

“Elder Tie!”

She had nothing but respect for the old man. He was the one who spotted her talent and brought her under his wing. While he seemed cold and strict on the outside, she knew he genuinely cared for her like a grandfather.

“Want me to give you a hand?” he said expressionlessly, deadpan humor somehow making it even funnier.

“Ahhh!” she yelped, her cheeks going bright red.

“I—I have work to do! Gotta go!”

She bolted like a child caught dating behind her parents’ backs.

Tie Lao, watching Han Luo disappear into the distance, gave a small, stiff smile and nodded. Who knows what he was thinking behind that stoic expression.