Wanhua Ridge, Li Xingtian's residence.
Li Xingtian lay silently in a makeshift iron bucket, fashioned on the spot by Chu Xingchen, wearing nothing but a pair of loose shorts. Beneath the bucket, a firewood blaze crackled.
The boiling water inside the bucket churned relentlessly, dispersing the pungent aroma of medicinal herbs into the air.
As a cultivator at the Nascent Soul realm, ordinary flames couldn’t harm him in the slightest, let alone mere boiling water.
And yet… he couldn’t shake the illusion that he was being cooked alive.
Li Xingtian lifted his head, his gaze settling on his master, who was casually rummaging through his spatial ring before tossing herbs into the bucket with an air of nonchalance.
There didn’t seem to be any precise measurements involved—in fact, it almost looked like the herbs were being thrown in at random.
Still, trusting his master implicitly, Li Xingtian held his tongue and remained submerged, allowing his teacher to work his methods.
Before long, however, the overpowering medicinal scent made him feel as though he were being marinated. His eyes flicked upward again just in time to see Chu Xingchen toss in another ingredient. Finally, he couldn’t hold back any longer.
"Master… is Sichuan pepper really part of the bone-refining process?"
Chu Xingchen glanced at the casually sprinkled peppercorns, then at Li Xingtian’s slightly horrified expression—as if to say, Master, are you sure you’re not just trying to cook me?
"Of course not," Chu Xingchen replied with perfect composure.
Li Xingtian blinked. He hadn’t expected his master to deny it so bluntly—but that very bluntness only deepened his suspicion.
Was this not a bone-enhancing ritual at all, but some kind of joke?
"Then… why add Sichuan pepper?" he asked, voice laced with doubt.
Chu Xingchen sighed softly.
"To neutralize the fishy smell, of course."
"…What?!" Li Xingtian’s expression nearly cracked.
Chu Xingchen patted the side of the iron bucket reassuringly.
"I know you dislike reeking of blood, but your bone structure is what it is. This refinement might seem like it’s intensifying that aspect, but in truth, it could very well change things, freeing you from reliance on blood-based techniques."
"These are just ordinary peppercorns—they won’t interfere with the medicinal effects. But I added them as a gesture of goodwill, a blessing for your hopes."
Li Xingtian fell silent for a moment before bowing slightly. "My apologies, Master. I spoke out of turn."
Indeed, his master had always treated him with kindness—why would he play such a cruel prank now?
Chu Xingchen nodded approvingly—then casually tossed in a few slices of ginger.
"This is also for neutralizing the smell."
"…Thank you, Master." Li Xingtian eyed the ginger, suppressing a twitch before adding, "These two should suffice. Let’s leave out anything unnecessary."
If his master started throwing in star anise or cinnamon, he’d start feeling like a braised dish.
He appreciated the thought, but some things were better left to fate. The peppercorns and ginger were already more than enough.
"Tch. Can’t even handle this much? Fine, if you don’t appreciate my kindness." Chu Xingchen shook his head. "How do you feel now?"
Li Xingtian closed his eyes, focusing inward before answering uncertainly,
"Like… nothing’s changed."
"Good. That means the herbs haven’t fully integrated yet. What you need now is the supreme marrow-reforming elixir, personally refined by your master—a peerless alchemy grandmaster!"
With that, Chu Xingchen retrieved a pitch-black pill from his spatial ring, nearly the size of a child’s fist.
Li Xingtian stared at the pill for a long moment. Still, he had long since steeled himself—he’d consumed plenty of his master’s concoctions over the years.
Chu Xingchen’s pills were undeniably potent, but their side effects bordered on unbearable.
Many times, Li Xingtian had been forced to purge the effects prematurely. Yet through relentless endurance, he’d tempered his willpower far beyond that of ordinary cultivators.
He reached out, accepting the pill, then took a deep breath before asking cautiously,
"The peppercorns and ginger… they won’t fuse into my body, will they?"
The last thing he needed was to emerge smelling like a walking dish—so thoroughly "de-fished" that even genuine demonic cultivators would sneer at him.
Chu Xingchen arched a brow. "Of course not. Don’t underestimate your master or his creations. Just take it. Once you do, you’ll understand the heights of my prowess."
"After swallowing, focus solely on digesting the medicinal energy. Leave the rest to me."
Hearing this, Li Xingtian hesitated no longer. He opened his mouth and took a decisive bite of the pill.
Who else could he trust if not his master?
Down it went!
Chu Xingchen watched impassively as Li Xingtian devoured the pill in a few hearty bites.
Li Xingtian’s bone refinement was fundamentally different from Li Yingling’s Fortune’s Blessing upgrade.
Luck was intangible—even if Li Yingling’s fortune improved, she might not notice.
But Li Xingtian’s case was entirely different. His Bloodbone True Physique, originally a purple-tier trait, was now ascending to gold-tier.
Forget mystical phenomena—such a drastic enhancement would undoubtedly bring unmistakable sensations.
Excruciating pain, bone-deep restructuring—anything was possible.
After all, an orange-tier trait’s prestige was beyond question.
Rather than letting Li Xingtian overthink things or forcing awkward explanations, it was better to be direct.
The system’s existence was best kept secret—for everyone’s sake. Some truths were better left unspoken.
Chu Xingchen’s gaze remained fixed on Li Xingtian’s resolute expression. Moments later, the latter’s brows suddenly furrowed in discomfort.
The medicine had taken effect!
Without delay, Chu Xingchen upgraded Li Xingtian’s Bloodbone True Physique.
[Target: Li Xingtian]
[Cultivation: Early Nascent Soul]
[Gold Trait: Reborn One]
[Orange Trait: Primordial Blood Physique]
[Purple Trait: Ruthless Resolve]
[Blue Trait: Loyal Heart]
[Blue Trait: Dungeon Savvy]
[White Trait: Mild Tact]
Chu Xingchen studied the Primordial Blood Physique trait and fell silent.
As much as he wanted to argue otherwise, the trait’s description made it clear—this was no escape from blood-tinged techniques.
Still, it was undeniably an orange-tier trait.
Seemed his peppercorn-and-ginger deodorizing method hadn’t quite hit the mark.
Maybe he should have added star anise and cinnamon after all. If Li Xingtian still reeked of blood, surely eighty percent of the blame lay with the man himself?
His gaze shifted back to Li Xingtian, whose brows remained tightly knit as he wrestled with the pill’s potency.
Now… the only hope was that after this upgrade, the blood aura would at least be subdued enough for Little Baiqing’s enchanted robes to mask it.
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
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."
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
