"Is this the potion Kaoru wants me to try?"

As Shen Xueyun tidied the table, Lyn spotted a single potion set apart from the rest.

It gurgled with purplish-red bubbles, looking far from promising.

Had this latest improvement altered even the potion’s appearance?

Lyn reached out, but Shen Xueyun darted forward in a flash. "Th-this isn’t it, senior... please wait a moment."

She hastily hid the bottle under her skirt.

Lyn wasn’t surprised. He knew her spatial item was a black-and-white leg ring strapped to her thigh beneath her skirt.

He’d been shocked when he first learned such a delicate girl favored this style.

But it made sense. After her past bullying, she’d never dare wear rings or obvious accessories. She kept things hidden where no one would find them.

"Is there... a problem with this one?"

Lyn watched Kaoru, puzzled. Her cheeks flushed from quick breaths, and her shy gaze darted away from his.

"It’s... a failed batch."

"Drinking it might cause unpredictable effects. I need more tests before it’s usable. This time, I wanted you to try this one instead..."

Shen Xueyun murmured, then produced a darker potion bubbling with black bubbles.

As she spoke, she stole a glance at Xing Luo.

Truthfully, the girl had planned for Lyn to drink the purplish-red potion.

But this experiment had an unexpected guest.

She didn’t want anyone but herself to bear the sin unleashed when Lyn drank it.

She’d save that potion for when they were alone later.

Lyn accepted the black potion without suspicion.

"Can I taste it too?" Xing Luo eyed the potion in Lyn’s hand, curious.

"Do you think it’s a snack?" Lyn sighed at her.

"Taste doesn’t matter. Xing Luo just wants to try." She smiled innocently. "And I’m a little thirsty."

"Kaoru-jiejie, is it okay?" Xing Luo turned to Shen Xueyun.

Shen Xueyun hesitated. Xing Luo might drink too much, weakening the potion’s effect.

But...

With Xing Luo watching, she couldn’t do anything even if Lyn collapsed.

"Yes. I have more."

After a pause, Shen Xueyun pulled out a new calming potion.

Meant to restore mental energy, it only had one side effect: sleep.

And waking up would leave you refreshed.

Once Xing Luo drank it, she’d be out of the way for what Shen Xueyun planned next.

"Then Xing Luo will drink this first!" She gulped it down eagerly, then licked her pink lips.

"Mmm~ It tastes nice."

Xing Luo smacked her lips, already judging the potion’s effect. She looked at Lyn. "Master should try too."

"Hmm."

Amused by Xing Luo treating potions like drinks, Lyn downed his own.

One minute passed... two... five.

"Senior... do you feel anything?"

Shen Xueyun twisted her slender fingers nervously. Her heart pounded, yet her eyes held a flicker of hope.

By now, the potion should’ve knocked him out.

"Hmm... the sleep-inducing part isn’t well-hidden. I sensed the unusual ingredients."

Lyn mimicked Xing Luo’s lip-smacking. The potion carried a sweet, intoxicating fragrance—far tastier than it looked.

Though the sleep component was disguised, Lyn’s evolved bloodline now detected anomalies effortlessly.

The calming effect was strong, but before drowsiness hit, his bloodline devoured the side effects.

He could neutralize them at will.

Shen Xueyun stared in disbelief. Lyn chuckled. "Ah, I forgot to mention—I’ve broken through. My bloodline evolved, growing stronger."

"So don’t be discouraged. If you brewed it for my old level, failure was inevitable."

"I see."

Shen Xueyun didn’t know whether to feel joy or disappointment.

Joy that Lyn had advanced. Disappointment that her potion failed.

"With your evolved bloodline, the calming potion needs reworking. And the other one too..."

She lowered her head, emotions swirling in her eyes. The formula needed more than tweaks—it required stronger ingredients.

Just then, Lyn’s quest completion notification appeared.

"Claim reward."

Two hundred Devil King Authority points, easily earned.

Shen Xueyun’s eyes flickered, but the dark longing in them didn’t fade.

Suddenly, she met Xing Luo’s gaze.

Xing Luo had been watching her curiously since she looked down.

"Kaoru-jiejie, what are you thinking?"

"Ah..." Shen Xueyun snapped back. "N-nothing. Just... how to improve the potion."

She glanced at Xing Luo, still standing alert. "Why isn’t Xing Luo affected either?"

"Her constitution is... uniquely resilient," Lyn explained. "Most potions don’t work on her."

He recalled Xing Luo drinking chaotic brews made by Abyssal Followers.

Even now, he wouldn’t risk that.

"Yep!" Xing Luo nodded, beaming.

Shen Xueyun: "..."

For some reason, the tiny girl made her feel breathless under pressure.

Lyn broke the silence. With the quest done and no more tests, he said, "If your experiments are finished, Kaoru, I need a favor."

He’d head to the Sage Tower next—to seize a Dawnstar Trial spot.

Asking Shen Xueyun to watch Xing Luo had been his plan all along.