"Alright, then come in," Leyvi said, stepping aside to let her enter.

"WAIT!" Ava's voice rang sharply as she darted forward, planting herself between Leyvi and Barbara.

Leyvi raised an eyebrow and smiled. "What's wrong, Ava? You want to join too? Hmm… but I doubt you can stay still, and that would definitely disturb my cultivation."

"Hmph, who wants to join you? And what do you mean I can't stay still? I have to remain motionless in my alchemical solution while enduring constant pain! I can stay still better than anyone else! What do you know?" Ava shot back, her voice growing sharper with each word.

Leyvi was speechless. Clearly, something he said had struck a nerve. Her temper was flaring, and, as usual, something—or someone—would soon become her punching bag to calm her down.

"Calm down, Ava. You shouldn't raise your voice to your husband like that. It's unladylike, you know," Barbara said gently, stroking Ava's back.

It was as if someone had cast a spell. Ava's temper vanished instantly.

She pouted. "Why can't I raise my voice at him? I do it all the time."

Leyvi and the others froze in disbelief. Her temper was gone? Just like that? And without punching anything? This Barbara girl had tamed the barbaric Ava with a single touch. Incredible. If they had ever doubted Barbara's genius before, they no longer did.

Barbara shook her head gently. Her tone carried a hint of concern. "That's not good, Ava. If you keep acting so fiery, men will run from you. How will you ever get married like that?" she asked.

Everyone blinked in surprise. Even Ava froze, her eyes wide.

Ava pointed at Leyvi. "Barbara, I'm already married. This is my husband. You just said so yourself," she said, her voice tinged with confusion.

Barbara blinked back. Her face flushed with realization.

"Ahhh! Sorry, sorry! I completely forgot for a moment! I made a mistake!" Barbara exclaimed. Her hands flailed in embarrassment, waving as if to erase her blunder.

Leyvi chuckled to himself. So even a super genius has airhead moments, huh? he thought, amused by her slip.

Ava turned to Leyvi, her eyes narrowing. "Sex fiend, I'm warning you. If you try anything with her, I'll beat you up! She's only here for research. Don't take advantage of her, got it?" she said, her voice fierce with protectiveness.

Leyvi stood dumbfounded. This girl. Who does she think I am? If I were that kind of person, why are you still a virgin? he retorted inwardly, exasperated by her accusation.

Then his lips curved into a mischievous smile. "Ava, just admit you're jealous. If you feel Miss Barbara is taking your place, how about I accompany you first? Anda, Lilian, and Val—each of them has already had a few days with me. If you want your turn as well, as a fair and just husband, how could I possibly leave you out? Come, Ava, I'll even give you an extra day." His tone was smooth, his teasing accompanied by gentlemanly gestures.

Hearing Leyvi teasingly flirt with her like that, Ava's heartbeat sped up against her will.

What, what, what? Why am I getting flustered? It's just the same old sex fiend! Ah, that's it—he's using his sex-fiend charming technique to seduce me. No, no, no! I can't fall for this! Resist, Ava!

In the next instant, she vanished and reappeared several steps away, pointing an accusing finger. "Listen here, Sex Fiend! Your fiendish tricks won't work on me! I'm not like them! And remember—don't you dare do anything improper to Barbara, or I'll cut your thing!"

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Before Leyvi could even respond, Ava disappeared again—this time for real—running off somewhere to calm her wildly thumping heart.

Leyvi was left speechless, blinking at the empty spot she'd occupied seconds ago. Anda, however, covered her mouth and giggled, clearly knowing exactly what was going on.

Once the skit-like chaos finally ended, the rest of the group dispersed, leaving only Leyvi and Barbara behind.

"Well, Miss Barbara, please come in. You must be thinking our family is weird, right? Hahaha!" Leyvi said with a light laugh.

"Hehe." Barbara giggled as she stepped inside. "Not really. My family has similar vibes, actually. So I feel a lot less nervous now."

"Is that so? No wonder you're not stuttering anymore. Nice improvement." He wondered what she meant by similar vibes.

Earth elemental Qi flowed out from Leyvi's hands. Since the chamber lacked a proper door, he sealed the entrance by shaping Qi-clay into a slab and hardening it in place.

Barbara's eyes brightened as the realization struck. That's right! I just spoke to a man without getting nervous. Amazing! Does this mean I'll be able to talk to all men normally now? she thought, her heart lifting with newfound confidence.

The moment of pride didn't last long. Her gaze fell on the large bed in the isolated chamber, and her cheeks instantly turned pink. She knew exactly why it was there since she overheard what Anda said when she arrived here.

An image suddenly popped into her head: her and Leyvi, tangled in a steamy scene. Barbara's eyes widened, and she frantically waved her hands as if shooing the thought away.

Leyvi chuckled inwardly. He'd seen the maids react like this plenty of times before and immediately knew what was going through her mind.

"Miss Barbara, time to start. What are we doing first?" he asked casually.

"Ehhhhh?! W-wait, Mister Leyvi! We're still not married, so we can't do those things yet! My mother will get angry if she knew!" Barbara yelped, backing up in panic until her legs hit the bed and she tumbled onto it.

Leyvi blinked at her for a few seconds, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Miss Barbara, I was talking about your research. What should we do first before I start cultivating?" he clarified, grinning.

Barbara froze mid-panic, lying there like a caught rabbit. As the truth sank in, her embarrassment hit maximum capacity. Her entire face burned red. She considered diving under the bed and never coming out again, cursing her dirty imagination for creating the misunderstanding.

As a self-proclaimed gentleman, Leyvi didn't press the matter. He simply stood within the spiritual vein, closing his eyes to enjoy the steady, nourishing sensation, giving Barbara time to recover from her embarrassment.

Some time later, Barbara finally composed herself enough to stand. A faint blush still lingered on her cheeks, but her voice was steadier.

"Ahem... Mister Leyvi, I'd like to test your talent for spiritual cultivation first. Is that fine?" she asked quickly, eager to avoid another round of accidental humiliation.

"Haha, just call me Leyvi." He stepped out of the spiritual vein. "So, how do we test my talent? Using spiritual sense?"

"Ah, right. I forgot. Pardon me." Barbara adjusted her posture, slipping into her researcher mode. "Spiritual sense can give an estimate of talent, but since we're doing this for research, we'll need something more accurate. We'll be using this." She took a small vial from her storage pouch and held it up.

Leyvi tilted his head. "What's that?"

"Spiritual Cultivator Talent Testing Solution. It uses illusion to measure your talent—so, for short, we can call it an illusion potion."

"Illusion, huh? Sounds interesting. Do I drink it?"

"Yes." Barbara's voice grew more confident as she began explaining the potion's mechanism, gesturing animatedly. The more she spoke, the lighter her mood became. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realized something remarkable—she was talking to a man without stuttering or freezing up.

Similar to Ava in the past, Leyvi was surprised to learn that the alchemy formula for the illusion potion had been created by the Alchemy Emperor. After all, the man was a legendary figure across the Cloud Continent.

From Dastan, Leyvi had also learned that while the Cloud Continent lagged behind the Protogaea Continent in almost every other field, its alchemy was slightly more advanced. It wasn't hard to imagine that the Alchemy Emperor's influence had something to do with that.

"Alright, Leyvi, we should start. Please come to the bed..." Barbara stopped mid-sentence, realizing how it sounded. Her shoulders slumped, and she looked like she might cry. Why do awkward moments keep finding me?

Leyvi's lips twitched, a quiet chuckle escaping him.

Barbara forced herself to breathe, straightened her back, and tried again. "Ahem... It's convenient there's already a bed here. When you fall asleep, I'll start the timer." She set the vial on the bed, then conjured a small timer in her palm.

"Alright." Leyvi climbed onto the bed and sat with calm composure—though his eyes gleamed with mischief. "But when I'm asleep, you won't do anything weird to me, right?"

Barbara's face turned crimson. "No, no, no! What are you saying? I'm not that kind of person!"

"Hahaha! I'm just kidding." Leyvi uncapped the vial. "Alright, I'm drinking this."

The instant the solution touched his tongue, his eyes rolled back, turning pure white. Barbara startled but quickly fumbled for the timer, starting it without delay.

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