Wu Jian couldn’t tell her not to worry. She was right. If she didn’t win this, there was no telling if they would be able to find a tier 5 alchemist with a heavenly flame in time to cure Emperor Hou Jun.

Most alchemists with a heavenly flame were already tied down to a sect or nation. Convincing a sect or nation to loan their alchemist would cost an exorbitant amount of money, and their little nation did not have the funds.

Hou Jingshu had already sent a request to the Heavenly Sword Sect for help as they were allies and they did have an alchemist who could help them, but she never received a reply. She had, in fact, sent several missives. However, no help was forthcoming. Both she and he suspected someone was intercepting the message to keep them from reaching the Heavenly Sword Sect.

“I can’t tell you not to worry. I’d be panicking if I was in your shoes.” Wu Jian chuckled as he leaned into her. “I’m actually pretty impressed by how well you’ve handled yourself so far.”

“Thank you. I really want to succeed. There are few things in this world that I’ve wanted more than this. My friend’s happiness depends on my success, and I also don’t want to lose to those two young geniuses.”

“Lili Ling and Wei Xiao?”

Zhou Lihua bobbed her head. “Mmm. If I can defeat them at this tournament, it’ll prove that simply being selected as a famous alchemist’s apprentice isn’t enough to succeed. I want to prove to myself that I am just as good as them.”

“I get that. I always want to do better than my opponent,” Wu Jian said with nod.

“You always did get me,” Zhou Lihua smiled. Her smile suddenly widened. “Anyway, I think I’m done talking for now. I came here to relieve my stress, so help a girl out.”

This girl was always so forward, and unlike Hou Jingshu, she didn’t get embarrassed in the slightest. She acted flirtatiously without limit. He was pretty sure she would have been like this all the time if he didn’t need to hide his identity.

Wu Jian pushed Zhou Lihua onto the bed and claimed her mouth with his own. She normally initiated their kisses, such was her forward nature, but he decided to take the initiative this time.

As he pressed their lips together and pushed his mouth into her tongue, Wu Jian slipped a hand between her robes. The simple nightgown parted. Zhou Lihua was not wearing breast bindings or undergarments. The suppleness of her smooth skin enticed him to touch her more, so he did.

He removed his tongue from her mouth. A string of saliva kept them attached like a silver thread glimmering in the moonlight. The connection broke when he lightly pinched her.

“Nnnn. That tickles,” Zhou Lihua exclaimed.

“Does it? What about this?”

“Oooh! Aaaah. Hmmm… I-I do like… thaaaaAAAT?!”

Wu Jian smiled as Zhou Lihua’s eyes went wide as she bounced on the bed. She looked like she’d just been shocked.

“I’ve noticed that you’re acting awfully needy,” Wu Jian observed as he played with her.

“O-of course! I am! Oooh! Haaaaah! Aaaaaah! I-I might never… get another… another chance… like this…!”

Zhou Lihua was unable to talk without stuttering, perhaps because Wu Jian had leaned down and begun using his mouth. He marked her skin with little love bites. Tiny red welts appeared on her chest and collarbone. Zhou Lihua writhed underneath him as she wrapped her arms around his head and pulled him closer, as if urging him to continue.

He had other plans.

“Jian, what are you--ooooh?!”

Wu Jian moved down. He kissed his way across her stomach. Even though she no longer trained in the martial arts like she used to, the woman’s stomach still remained flat and firm. Only a small layer of womanly softness hampered him from seeing the six-pack muscles he felt underneath her skin.

“Jian! Wu Jian!”

“You need to keep your voice down. Do you want your master to wake up?”

“Nnngggg!”

Zhou Lihua bit her lip as he reached her belly button. He paid it extra attention. Zhou Lihua squirmed and groaned, eventually pressing a pillow over her face to keep from moaning. She seemed sensitive here. He would have liked to spend a bit more time there, but, well, their time was limited.

He soon reached her crotch. The string thong covering her was pretty erotic. It did nothing to hamper the view of her butthcheeks. The small triangle patch of fabric covered what needed to remain hidden.

Her scent was strong. He could smell her even when he just breathed normally. Sweat trailed down her inner thighs and gave them a glossy sheen. Wu Jian licked the sweat off her skin, enjoying the way her muscles twitched.

“A-are you teasing me?” asked Zhou Lihua.

“… No?”

“That sounded suspiciously like a question.”

“You’re imagining things.”

Zhou Lihua opened her mouth to say more, but she had to bite her lip as he pressed his face against her. Her entire spine arched upward as she jerked her hips. Her cries were muffled once more by the pillow, but he could still hear them just fine. He hoped her master across the way couldn’t hear them. Were these walls sound proof? They didn’t look it, but he hoped they were.

Wu Jian reached out, just about to remove her thong, when someone knocked on his door.

“Jian Wu, it is Wong Jiu. Have you seen my apprentice?” came a voice from the other side.

Wu Jian felt like someone had dumped him into the freezing waters of the Black Northern Sea. He looked up, but he couldn’t see Zhou Lihua’s face. Even if her chest hadn’t been blocking his view, she had covered her face with a pillow. Her ears were bright red.

Another knock. “Hello?”

“I haven’t… is she not in her room?” Wu Jian asked. His heart was hammering in his chest. Did the old man hear them? Was his appearance a subtle way of reminding them not to go too far?

“She is not. I knocked several times and even opened the door when she didn’t respond.”

“I see. Would you like me to help you look for her?”

“No, it is fine. I’m sure she’ll show up eventually. If she does appear before you, let her know that I’d like to speak with her.”

“I will inform her should I see her.”

“Good. Then I’ll leave you alone.”

The sound of Master Wong Jiu’s receding footsteps slowly disappeared. Wu Jian sighed as he sat on the bed and leaned back on his hands, no longer interested in continuing their previous activities. He just couldn’t bring himself to get back into the mood.

“You should probably head back to your room,” Wu Jian told Zhou Lihua.

Zhou Lihua removed the pillow from her face and sat up. Her cheeks were flushed red and she was still breathing heavily, but he couldn’t tell if it was from arousal or irritation.

“You’re… right. Damn that old man,” Zhou Lihua grumbled.

Wu Jian just chuckled.

***

Unlike the previous day, the Kěnéng Arena was packed with people. Zhou Lihua stood beside her master and Wu Jian in the Alchemist Association’s VIP booth. All the other participants were present with their masters too, including Lili Ling and Wei Xiao. Their masters were currently arguing, hiding their rancor behind polite words and forced smiles.

Zhou Lihua could not tell how many people were present, but she had read that the Kěnéng Arena could seat up to one hundred thousand, and it looked like they had a full house. Even the emperor was present with his two sons and several wives. They were in their own private booth.

Seeing so many people made her already shot nerves even more unbearable. She took several deep breaths and tried to empty her mind as Sao Yong stepped forward.

“Welcome, one and all, to the Annual Zhou Kingdom Alchemy Competition! My name is Sao Yong. I am the head alchemist of the Alchemist Association’s Zhou Kingdom branch office, and I am in charge of today’s competition.”

His words were met with cheers of approval. He smiled and waited for everyone to settle down before continuing.

“Behind me are some of the best and brightest alchemists this continent has to offer. They have passed the first phase and proven themselves deserving of their reputations, and now the time has come for them to show you all what sort of talents they possess.”

The man made a grand gesture toward the arena floor, where a platform had been raised. This platform had two layers. The center later was raised above the rest, meaning everyone would have a perfect view of them. Another layer like a ring around the center was lowered. On each platform were several dozen tables.

“In our first round, we had these young alchemists prove themselves by refining a pill using a normal cauldron. In this round, they will be allowed to use their own personal cauldron. Their task will be to refine an alchemy pill based on the recipe provided by the Alchemist Association. Now, when I call your name, I want you to head to the arena.”

“Jin Wei.”

“Zhao Ju.”

“Gu Yijun.”

Participants were called one at a time, and each one decided to make a flashy entrance. They leapt from the VIP booth. Some used a special technique to soar across the sky, while others showed off their strength by leaping and flipping through the air. Since most of them were only at the fourth or fifth subrealm of the Asura Realm, they weren’t able to do too much.

That changed when Lili Ling was called.

“Lili Ling, head to the arena.”

“Hmhm. Okay.” Lili Ling turned and pointed at Zhou Lihua. “You had better watch this, you prince grubbing hussy!”

Zhou Lihua twitched several times. She had to clench her hands to keep from reacting as the young woman strode toward the ledge, placed one foot atop it, then leapt. After gracefully soaring through the air, the woman began to fall, but then she released chi from her feet. Powerful pink alchemy flames erupted from the woman’s feet. They coalesced into the shape of a flower, which Lili Ling stepped on. Another flower appeared beneath the first, then another, and another, and the young woman walked down them as though walking down a flight of stairs.

“What sort of technique is that?” asked Wu Jian.

“It’s called [Falling Flower Flames],” Master Wong Jiu answered. Zhou Lihua paid attention, too, since she was just as curious. “Many people mistake the pink color of this technique for a unique flame, but in truth, that woman is sprinkling special salts into the flames. They’re made from a combination of herbs and sea salts. The sales are infused with her chi. They not only turn the flames pink, but she can also control the shape and density of the flames with them.”

Master Wong Jiu shook his head to make it clear he did not approve of such a wasteful use of talent. During his explanation, Lili Ling landed gently on the platform. Unlike everyone else, she had landed on the top platform, where only three workstations sat.

Several more people were called up, though none of them could match Lili Ling’s entrance, which had entranced the attendees. At least, that was the case until Wei Xiao’s turn came.

“Wei Xiao. Head to the arena floor, please.”

“Yes,” said Wei Xiao.

Ruo Chong placed her hands on his shoulders and smiled. “Do your best to make me proud, my cute little apprentice. I’ll give you a special reward if you beat that old man’s trollip of a disciple.”

Wei Xiao blushed as he nodded. “Don’t worry, Mistress! I won’t let you down!”

“Good.”

Wei Xiao stepped forward, jumped onto the railing, then leapt off. He flipped through the air with acrobatic grace. Once his head was oriented toward the ground, bright silver flames erupted from his feet. He sped toward the ground, propelled by the flames, and quickly soared over Lili Ling’s head, coming so close the young woman shrieked and ducked to avoid being hit. Then he turned, ascending into the sky. When he reached the apex of his ascent, he slowly lowered himself until his feet touched the ground.

“Did that technique also use special salts?” asked Wu Jian.

Master Wong Jiu shook his head. “No. That is a secret technique of Ruo Chong’s. It is called [Silver Lotus Flames]. I don’t know how it gets that color since the technique is a closely guarded secret known only to her, but I know the technique has several stages, and the flame control he displayed is stage 1: Defying the Ground, Splitting the Seas.”

“That’s a pretty pretentious name,” Wu Jian muttered. Zhou Lihua giggled.

Master Wong Jiu shrugged. “I didn’t come up with the name.”

“Zhou Lihua, head to the arena,” Sao Yong suddenly called her name.

“You got this,” said Jian Wu.

“Remember to remain calm. Do not worry about the other participants. You only need to worry about yourself,” said Master Wong Jiu.

“Thank you, both of you,” Zhou Lihua said with a smile.

She took a deep breath as she stepped toward the ledge. After pausing for a moment to look at all the people present, she wrapped herself in alchemy flames and stepped off. Unlike the other people who descended in extravagant fashion, her actions seemed calm. The flames that wrapped around her were gentle and soft. She slowly descended lower and lower like she was gliding on the wind, until her feet eventually settled on the upper platform.

Amidst the silence, Zhou Lihua calmly walked toward her workstation, ignoring Lili Ling’s glare and Wei Xiao’s amourous gaze.