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.
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
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!
