Invincible Ultimate Great Demon

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!"