Maybe... It Will Be Better After Reaching God Transformation

Central Continent, Ten Thousand Blossom Ridge.

San Dong furrowed his brows, gripping a black Go piece in his hand as he stared uncertainly at the board before him.

"You should take a good look at this game. Be careful," Qinghe said smugly, theatrically picking up a teacup beside him and taking a delicate sip before shaking his head with feigned regret, as if his own position were unfavorable.

Every disciple in the sect had been thoroughly corrupted by Chu Xingchen—their cunningness only ever increasing. Even in a simple game like Gomoku, they loved to scheme and lay traps.

Ah, San Dong was still so pure. It was a shame there were hardly any spirits as guileless as him left in this world.

That was precisely why Qinghe loved playing Gomoku with San Dong—especially watching his indignant expression after losing, insisting on a rematch every time.

Both San Dong’s expressions and attitude gave Qinghe an immense sense of—I’m just too clever.

The sheer intellectual superiority brought Qinghe joy, especially since usually, whether it was that black-hearted brat, Cui Hao, or occasionally even Xie Lingyu, they’d all look at him with eyes that seemed to say—Do you even have a brain?

But in the next moment, Qinghe’s leisurely demeanor vanished entirely as his eyes widened at the uninvited guest.

"Why aren’t you looking for Lingyu? What are you doing here?"

Chu Xingchen stood behind San Dong, his gaze sweeping over the board before a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Naturally, I came to check if my little mascot was being bullied."

Qinghe’s expression stiffened as he spoke with exaggerated seriousness, "Bullying? How crude of you to say such things. I’m merely playing Gomoku with San Dong."

Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow knowingly, then fixed his eyes on the board without another word.

Qinghe followed his gaze and quickly realized Chu Xingchen’s intent. He hastily looked up and protested,

"‘A true gentleman does not speak during a game’—have you never heard that saying?"

"Gentleman?" Chu Xingchen feigned confusion. "Who’s a gentleman? Point them out so I can learn a thing or two."

Qinghe shot to his feet. "You—!"

"Sect Leader, it’s alright!" San Dong turned to Chu Xingchen with firm determination. "I can do this."

For San Dong, victory only tasted sweet when earned through his own efforts.

Cheating was wrong.

Chu Xingchen didn’t say much else, merely reaching out to gently pat San Dong’s little head.

He hadn’t actually planned to interfere with the game anyway. It was good for the two mascots to exercise their brains.

"Then do your best."

With those words of encouragement, Chu Xingchen turned and left.

But before he had gone far, Qinghe’s triumphant laughter rang out behind him. Clearly, San Dong’s declaration of I can do this had been nothing but empty bravado.

Li Yingling, the leaky winter coat, had already set out with Chen Baiqing, the intact one.

With the sect’s resident troublemaker and the one who kept the Sect Leader’s mood warm now gone, the atmosphere within the sect naturally dulled somewhat.

After all, the only one left who could stir up any real mischief was Cui Hao. Lin Luoyu was slightly better, passively engaging in conversation when prompted, while Li Xingtian remained as he always was—ruthless and sparing with words.

Still, most of the disciples were currently deep in cultivation. Cui Hao had slightly more free time than the others, but even that wasn’t enough for him to cook up any new antics worth watching.

All in all, the sect was in a state of quiet uneventfulness.

If there was anything of importance, it was that Chu Xingchen had begun personally instructing the sect’s only outer disciple—Zhou Ping, the sole child who had remained clear-headed during the incident involving the incense god’s path.

While the basics of cultivation were being diligently taught by the sect’s outer elder, Zhang Miaoyu, Chu Xingchen took it upon himself to teach Zhou Ping alchemy.

Given Zhou Ping’s still-shallow cultivation, refining high-grade pills like the Tenfold Supreme Tonic was naturally beyond his reach.

So instead, Chu Xingchen started him off with simpler formulas—blood-replenishing and qi-nourishing concoctions.

At first, Chu Xingchen had been a little worried. His alchemy techniques were tailored to the person, not the method. If they only worked for him, then no matter what pill he refined, it would inevitably earn the infamous title of—ultimate interrogation tool.

If not, then things were fine. With dedicated study, Zhou Ping might yet walk the proper path and refine pills that everyone could enjoy.

This time, Chu Xingchen held nothing back in his teaching. Though Zhou Ping was a bit slow in other matters, his enthusiasm and diligence in alchemy were undeniable.

And he did have a bit of talent. He picked up Chu Xingchen’s techniques fairly quickly.

In just a short time, he was already producing finished pills from the cauldron.

But when faced with the pill his own disciple had refined under his guidance, Chu Xingchen found himself hesitating to take the first bite.

Qinghe had already tasted his concoctions before and wasn’t so easily fooled anymore. As for the others… well, Chu Xingchen felt a little too guilty to push his luck.

And so, this pill—with great reluctance—could only be left for Zhou Ping to consume himself.

After all, what kind of alchemy master would dare not eat his own refined pills?

Watching as Zhou Ping steeled himself and swallowed the pill without hesitation, Chu Xingchen felt a little more at ease—

Not like I ever claimed to be an alchemy master anyway.

He was just an apprentice who had taken a wrong turn somewhere along the path of alchemy.

Good news: Zhou Ping suffered no adverse reactions after eating the pill. Upon inspection, Chu Xingchen found its effects to be quite satisfactory.

Bad news: the refining technique really was dependent on the person!

Unwilling to accept this, Chu Xingchen used the same cauldron and ingredients to refine an identical pill.

Naturally, he didn’t dare eat this one either, leaving it for Zhou Ping to sample.

This time, Zhou Ping didn’t hesitate at all—no water needed, just straight down the throat.

In the end…

Zhou Ping developed some doubts about the path of alchemy. Fortunately, his passion remained intact. Chu Xingchen’s accidental experiment hadn’t snuffed out this budding alchemist over a single, ordinary pill.

Zhou Ping continued his studies diligently—though he did start relying more on books than on Chu Xingchen’s guidance.

Chu Xingchen sighed softly, lamenting the passage of time. He wondered what sort of gift Chen Baiqing might bring back for him from her trip when, walking down the corridor, he ran into someone who shouldn’t have been there—Li Xingtian.

Li Xingtian moved swiftly, quickening his pace further upon spotting his master.

Standing at a distance, Chu Xingchen grinned and teased, "Well, well, my beloved disciple. Finally decided to come out for some fresh air today?"

"Master, something’s wrong…" A rare flicker of unease crossed Li Xingtian’s typically expressionless face. "The cultivation technique you gave me—the further I progress, the more something feels off."

Chu Xingchen’s demeanor instantly turned serious. "What do you mean, off?!"

Li Xingtian spoke gravely, "This technique should, in theory, shed its blood-qi manifestations upon reaching the Nascent Soul stage. Even my Golden Core should gradually return to its original hue. But for some reason, the more I cultivate, the deeper the crimson of my core becomes."

Chu Xingchen first used the system interface to examine Li Xingtian, finding no additional negative status effects. He then conducted a spiritual scan, paying special attention to the Golden Core, inspecting it multiple times while also verifying the current state of the Unity Realm cultivation technique, the Xing Tian Great Method.

After a moment,

A slightly awkward smile appeared on Chu Xingchen’s face. "Perhaps… after reaching the Divine Transformation Realm…"

Li Xingtian seemed to realize something upon hearing this. Without another word, he clasped his fists and turned away, his demeanor somewhat desolate.

---

PA: Just got my tooth extracted. Here’s the rundown: the anesthesia injection stung a bit, but it was bearable. After the shot, half my face went completely numb—uncomfortable, but still tolerable. The extraction itself wasn’t too painful, even though they used a chisel and a hammer. Still manageable.

But afterward? Damn it!

The blood just wouldn’t stop pouring out like it was free. It kept flowing for hours. Once the anesthesia wore off, the pain made me feel like I had a chisel lodged in my mouth. I immediately popped a painkiller.

Didn’t even dare to eat porridge. Pretty sure tomorrow’s going to be hell. If there’s no update, it means my wisdom tooth decided to self-destruct. Pushing through the pain to write today—feels like I’m already half-dead, so just a casual update for now.

Even though it was an impacted wisdom tooth and had to come out, I hope everyone takes care of their teeth. Aim for a healthy set of pearly whites.

You might not care about the cost of extraction, but trust me—you’ll care about the pain.