Chen Baiqing could clearly see the delight in Li Xingtian's eyes.
Preparing this robe had indeed been troublesome, mainly because there were no precedents or methods to reference. After all, no demonic cultivator would deliberately wear a robe with little protective capability—let alone one so expensive—just to alter the color of their spiritual energy.
A true demonic cultivator would likely invest all their funds into cultivation, and those with both wealth and talent would never choose the path of demonic cultivation—a road of no return.
It could only be said that Second Senior Brother’s situation was truly rare—not a demonic cultivator, yet more unorthodox than one.
Most importantly, Second Senior Brother seemed to despise the identity of a demonic cultivator.
For now, it appeared he quite liked this robe, so the effort hadn’t been wasted.
Li Xingtian gently stroked the fabric but resisted the urge to try it on immediately. He nodded lightly and said,
"You’ve put in a lot of thought. I like this gift."
"As long as Second Senior Brother is pleased," Chen Baiqing replied before shifting his gaze to Xie Lingyu. He retrieved a white jade bracelet from his spatial ring.
The bracelet was simple in design, without elaborate carvings, but its quality was exceptional, nearly flawless.
"Senior Aunt Xie has never lacked spiritual treasures," Chen Baiqing said, handing the bracelet to her. "This is merely an ordinary mortal piece, but it was carved from mutton-fat jade that Eldest Senior Sister happened to uncover while gambling on raw stones. It was just enough to make a bracelet."
"The merchant said he had seen halls filled with emeralds and jadeites, but never such top-grade mutton-fat jade. Even experts had overlooked it—in the mortal world, it would be considered priceless."
"Eldest Senior Sister was delighted for a long time, but later she felt this jade suited Senior Aunt Xie’s temperament best."
"For cultivators, it may not be worth many spirit stones, but it still required some luck."
Xie Lingyu didn’t refuse. She took the bracelet and slid it onto her wrist, raising her hand slightly to admire it. She found it quite beautiful.
With a faint smile, she replied, "Thank you. I like it very much."
Chu Xingchen had been waiting for a while, and now his gaze turned to Chen Baiqing with mild curiosity.
Everyone had received gifts, and it seemed considerable thought had been put into each—at least, everyone was pleased, and the presents suited them well.
Now, Chu Xingchen was also curious—what would his eldest and third disciples think he would like?
Chen Baiqing looked at his master, cleared his throat lightly, and adopted a slightly more solemn tone:
"A gift for Master? Let me think… Hmm… Master has always been lazy, avoiding movement whenever possible. Maybe we should just give him a robe like Second Senior Brother’s."
"Too perfunctory? But Master has been far more careless with us, hasn’t he?"
"Fine, fine. Then I’ll have you relay my exact words to him."
Chu Xingchen raised an eyebrow. He knew this was his eldest disciple’s way of teasing him—the "leaky cotton-padded jacket" had Baiqing deliver the message.
Chen Baiqing stood up, placing a hand on his hip, his expression slightly disdainful. "Master, your gift is special and needs a little more time. This ‘cotton-padded jacket’ will deliver it to you personally later, so you can’t say I’m leaky anymore."
Chu Xingchen blinked. After all that, he just had to wait longer?
Chen Baiqing’s expression returned to normal as he retrieved a box from his spatial ring and placed it on the table.
"Eldest Senior Sister’s gift will be delivered in person. This is from Baiqing."
Chu Xingchen’s eyes lit up. He picked up the box, looking smug. "Baiqing is always the thoughtful one."
The others watched curiously, wondering what Chen Baiqing—ever the considerate disciple—had chosen. Was it sentimental or valuable?
What did this "little cotton-padded jacket" believe Chu Xingchen would like?
After all, apart from spirit stones and his disciples, Chu Xingchen didn’t seem to care much about anything else.
Qinghe’s curiosity was the most blatant—she looked like she wanted to rush over and tear the box open.
But Chu Xingchen didn’t open it. Instead, he stashed it away in his spatial ring.
Qinghe’s eyes widened. Her curiosity instantly peaked, and she stood up abruptly.
"Why did you put it away?! Show us!"
Chu Xingchen gave her a puzzled glance. "Opening gifts in front of everyone isn’t proper. Besides, what does it have to do with you?"
Qinghe was momentarily speechless. She quickly turned to Cui Hao, glaring at him as if to say—Aren’t you curious too?
Cui Hao was indeed curious, but before speaking, he glanced at Chen Baiqing… and his curiosity waned.
Chen Baiqing’s eyes were calm, as if indifferent.
But Cui Hao had been "educated" by Chen Baiqing enough times to recognize the meaning behind that gaze—Are you curious about what new methods I have to teach you a lesson?
Seeing Cui Hao was no help, Qinghe looked around frantically, hoping someone else would back her up.
But no one was willing to speak up.
Though Chu Xingchen was a gentle master who rarely scolded, his disciples still respected him deeply.
If Chu Xingchen chose not to reveal Baiqing’s gift, it was his decision. As disciples, they wouldn’t impose their own preferences on him.
Realizing the situation, Qinghe could only suppress her curiosity and sit back down—fine, she’d just ask Baiqing privately later. They were close, after all.
Chu Xingchen smiled contentedly and took a sip of tea.
Truthfully, no matter what Baiqing gave him, he would be happy. Or rather, he would be happy with any gift from any of his disciples.
The tea party welcoming Chen Baiqing’s return concluded with Chu Xingchen’s dismissal.
Everyone had received their gifts—even Ning Qianqian and Ning Kun, though they hadn’t attended. Chen Baiqing would deliver theirs separately later.
Though the gathering had ended, Chu Xingchen called Li Xingtian to the main hall alone.
The others watched with mild curiosity as Li Xingtian followed.
Li Xingtian himself was momentarily surprised but obeyed without question.
In the main hall, the two took their seats.
Li Xingtian was prepared.
Though he was a long-standing member of the sect, he admitted he had spent most of his time cultivating. He rarely participated in sect activities, or if he did, it was merely to fill a quota.
His interactions with his master were also far fewer compared to the other disciples—especially Third Junior Sister, the "thoughtful cotton-padded jacket."
Now, instead of calling the newly returned "little cotton-padded jacket," his master had summoned him alone.
And he had recently broken through to the Nascent Soul stage. Clearly, his master had a mission for him.
Before Chu Xingchen could speak, Li Xingtian declared firmly,
"Master, just give the order. Xingtian will see it done."
His master treated him like a son, and he reciprocated in kind.
Chu Xingchen’s eyes warmed with approval.
"As expected of my beloved disciple, you truly have such insight. Since that's the case, I’ll be straightforward with you. You must be aware that your current physique was altered by that Millennium Mystic Bone, correct?"
Li Xingtian nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Seeing this, Chu Xingchen continued, "I’ve studied it for you and discovered that your physique still has room for improvement."
"Really?" Li Xingtian couldn’t hide his emotion at this moment.
His master had genuinely been thinking of him all this time.
"Of course it’s true," Chu Xingchen declared firmly, then cleared his throat and added, "However... part of the blood energy you possess now is also due to your current physique."
"An upgrade is real, but as for what exactly you’ll become afterward, even I can’t say for certain. I can only confirm it will push you toward a path more suited for cultivation."
"Though... there’s also a chance you might just... return to normal..."
The last sentence was spoken with noticeably weak conviction.
By this point, Li Xingtian understood. To put it in his master’s playful words—
"Super Evolution for a Demonic Cultivator—Ultimate Invincible Great Devil!"
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!
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
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?!
