Weird!
Damn weird!
Bai Xuanling stared with a heavy expression at Chu Xingchen, who wore an innocent, harmless look while cautiously sizing her up.
Her alchemy cauldron, crafted by a master, indeed refined the medicinal effects with greater precision.
But the side effects of this kid’s pills were also far more intense.
And that sense of rejection—it was downright bizarre.
It felt as if it were trying to force her soul right out of her body.
And this was without fully experiencing the pill’s potency. The rejection would only grow stronger as the effects took full hold.
Worse than being stabbed clean through in a life-or-death fight.
Bai Xuanling asked skeptically, "Kid… was it always like this when you first started refining pills?"
"Pretty much. Do you see anything wrong, Senior?" Chu Xingchen replied, his gaze earnest.
Bai Xuanling ignored the question and voiced her own doubt instead:
"And people actually buy these pills of yours?"
Chu Xingchen coughed lightly. "For now, they’re only supplied within the sect. Demand still outstrips supply, since the effects are decent."
"Well, that makes sense…" Bai Xuanling nodded faintly.
It took real courage to swallow these things. If outsiders tried them, the side effects alone would make them suspect some kind of foul play.
Her eyes lingered on Chu Xingchen.
His technique was orthodox—solid fundamentals, no mistakes in handling spiritual herbs, and seasoned experience.
If it wasn’t the cauldron’s fault, then it had to be the person.
But what could possibly be wrong with him?
After a brief contemplation, Bai Xuanling spoke. "Hard to say right now. Leave a few pills with me—I’ll study them further."
Without hesitation, Chu Xingchen handed over every pill he had just refined.
After all, he didn’t dare take them himself.
His disciples weren’t fond of them either, so no loss giving them away.
The spiritual herbs for Qi-Nourishing Pills weren’t worth much anyway.
If this Tribulation Transcension expert could figure out what was off, his sect might just strike it rich with these enhanced effects.
Bai Xuanling collected the pills with a wave of her hand. The kid’s concoctions were truly strange—she’d dissect them properly later.
With a calm expression, she said, "I’ll let you know the issue in a couple of days."
With that, she retrieved her cauldron.
Better give it a thorough cleaning later—wouldn’t want any lingering traces of his pill’s essence.
Otherwise, her own refined pills might inherit his side effects, and then even her own products would become unsellable.
Chu Xingchen quickly cupped his hands in gratitude. "Thank you, Elder Sister."
Bai Xuanling waved dismissively. Whatever effort she spent on this kid, she could always claim reimbursement from Little Ling'er later.
Come to think of it…
It had been a long time since she last slept beside Little Ling'er.
Back when she was little, she’d pout and beg for bedtime stories.
Maybe after this, she could cash in this favor…
As Bai Xuanling strolled away leisurely, Chu Xingchen watched her go.
So far, she seemed like a genuinely good person.
At the very least, she wasn’t here to pick a fight.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so accommodating. That bottle of pills she gave Lin Luoyu—Chu Xingchen had inspected them afterward.
They were high-grade [Soul-Expansion Pills], meticulously refined from rare ingredients.
Not only did they aid cultivation, but they also expanded early-stage meridians, amplifying gains with every cycle.
It wasn’t that Chu Xingchen couldn’t refine them himself.
But the materials were exorbitantly expensive, and many could only be found in spiritually rich regions like the Central Continent.
And yet, she’d downed two of his pills without batting an eye, didn’t utter a single harsh word afterward, and seemed genuinely intent on helping him improve.
This woman radiated nothing but goodwill.
Satisfied, Chu Xingchen left the alchemy chamber.
Having a Tribulation Transcension expert troubleshoot his pill issues—what a luxury.
No wonder protagonists with old mentors dominated the world.
With that kind of wisdom and confidence, who wouldn’t adore it?
Next time, he’d ask for her input on his fifth disciple’s cultivation technique—ahem, the [Blazing Heaven’s Golden Dao Heart Sutra].
With her guidance, his disciple’s foundation should at least hold steady until the Nascent Soul stage.
And since the expert was here, he might as well milk the opportunity.
The sect’s protective formation felt a little rough around the edges.
Would Bai Xuanling have thoughts on the system-bestowed Spirit-Gathering Array? Maybe she could tweak it for better efficiency.
Come to think of it, the sect’s feng shui probably needed adjustments too. Surely a Tribulation expert would know a thing or two.
Chu Xingchen shook his head lightly.
Truly, an elder in the house was like a treasure.
Before Bai Xuanling’s arrival, he’d never noticed any flaws in the sect.
Now? Everything seemed inadequate, problematic—and in desperate need of her expertise.
Two days later.
By the pond, on a stone bench.
Bai Xuanling’s eyes widened as she glared at the shameless Chu Xingchen and snapped:
"Kid… are you pushing your luck?!"
Chu Xingchen blinked innocently. "Elder Sister, I’m truly ignorant. Won’t you enlighten me?"
Bai Xuanling nearly laughed in exasperation.
What was this? She’d come here to relax, not to be someone’s unpaid laborer!
No wonder Little Ling'er couldn’t stop talking about him. With audacity like this, even she was starting to remember him a little too well after just two days!
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
