Ten Thousand Flower Ridge, Li Xing Tian's residence.
Li Xing Tian, wearing nothing but shorts, lay silently in a simple iron barrel that Chu Xingchen had shaped on the spot. Beneath the barrel, firewood was burning.
Inside the iron barrel, constantly rolling boiling water dispersed the fragrance of medicinal herbs into the air.
He was already at the Nascent Soul realm—ordinary intense flames couldn't harm him in the slightest, let alone mere boiling water.
However... he couldn't shake the illusion that he was being boiled.
Li Xing Tian raised his head and looked at his master, watching him rummage through his spatial ring while casually tossing medicinal herbs into the barrel.
It seemed like there was no precise measurement, and it gave Li Xing Tian the impression that the herbs were just being grabbed at random.
But out of trust, Li Xing Tian didn't ask a single question. He remained silent in the barrel, allowing his master to work his methods.
After a moment, as Li Xing Tian felt the herbal scent was about to marinate him to the bone, he raised his head again. Seeing Chu Xingchen toss in yet another ingredient, he finally couldn't help but speak:
"Master? Is Sichuan peppercorn also an herb for refining my bones?!"
Chu Xingchen looked at the peppercorns he had casually scattered into the iron barrel, then at Li Xing Tian's shocked expression, which seemed to be saying—Master, are you really not planning to cook me?!
"Of course not." Chu Xingchen replied with a natural expression.
Li Xing Tian was stunned. He hadn't expected his master to deny it so decisively, but such decisiveness was itself rather suspicious, wasn't it?
Could it be that this wasn't any kind of bone refinement, but rather a joke his master was playing?!
Li Xing Tian's tone was doubtful: "Then... why add Sichuan peppercorn?"
Chu Xingchen sighed lightly:
"Of course, because Sichuan peppercorn removes the stench."
"What?!" Li Xing Tian's expression was on the verge of cracking.
Chu Xingchen patted the iron barrel Li Xing Tian was sitting in and said:
"I know you don't like being covered in blood qi, but your bones are what they are. This bone enhancement may seem like it's making things worse, but it might actually change things in a way that lets you shed your reliance on blood qi techniques."
"This is just ordinary Sichuan peppercorn—it won't affect the medicine's efficacy. It's just that I also hope to fulfill your wish."
"That's why I added the peppercorn. Consider it my blessing and hope for you."
Li Xing Tian fell silent for a moment, then cupped his hands in a formal bow: "Thank you, Master. This disciple spoke out of turn."
Indeed—how could a master who treated him so well toy with him for no reason?
Chu Xingchen nodded with a somewhat fishy expression, then casually tossed a few pieces of ginger in as well, saying at the same time:
"This also removes the stench."
"...Thank you, Master." Li Xing Tian looked at the ginger, endured for a moment, then said, "With these two, that should be enough. Master, please skip anything else unnecessary."
If he threw in star anise and cinnamon bark, Li Xing Tian would feel like he was being braised.
Even though he knew his master meant well, he'd rather pass—how things turned out was ultimately up to fate.
The Sichuan peppercorn and ginger his master had added were already enough.
"Ah, you can't even handle this? If you don't appreciate my good intentions, that's one thing." Chu Xingchen sighed. "How do you feel right now?"
Li Xing Tian closed his eyes to sense for a moment, then answered with some uncertainty:
"It seems... I don't feel anything."
"Not feeling anything is exactly right. These herbs need to merge into your body, and naturally they still require the divine pill of transformation that I, the top alchemy master, have prepared for you."
As he spoke, Chu Xingchen retrieved a pitch-black pill from his spatial ring, nearly the size of a child's fist.
Li Xing Tian stared at the pill in Chu Xingchen's hand for a moment, but having already prepared himself, he took it in stride. Over time, he had consumed no small number of pills crafted by Chu Xingchen.
The pills his master refined had extremely potent effects, but their side effects were also beyond what ordinary people could endure.
Often, Li Xing Tian hadn't been able to withstand them and had forcibly suppressed the medicinal effects. But through long periods of courageous experimentation, Li Xing Tian believed he had honed his spiritual consciousness to a level beyond ordinary reach.
Li Xing Tian reached out and accepted the pill from Chu Xingchen's hand. After taking a deep breath, he asked cautiously:
"The scent of Sichuan peppercorn and ginger won't actually fuse into my body, right?"
If his cultivation's stench was removed but his physical body ended up thoroughly de-scented, he'd walk out the door and people would think Li Xing Tian was a walking dish.
By then, even real evil cultivators would look down on him!
Chu Xingchen's brow arched: "Of course not. Don't underestimate me or the pill I've crafted for you. Just eat it."
"Once you've swallowed it, you'll understand that my methods are truly heaven-defying."
"After eating, silently digest the medicinal power. I'll handle everything else."
Hearing these words, Li Xing Tian didn't hesitate in the slightest. He opened his mouth and bit fiercely into the pill.
If he couldn't trust his master's words, whose could he trust?!
Just eat it and be done!
Chu Xingchen watched calmly as Li Xing Tian consumed the entire pill in a few bites.
Li Xing Tian's aptitude upgrade was different from Li Yingling's [Great Fortune] upgrade.
Luck was something intangible and invisible. Moreover, Li Yingling had always been quite fortunate—she might not even notice anything different if it improved.
But Li Xing Tian was entirely different. He was upgrading from a purple-tier cultivation physique to a gold-tier level.
Never mind whether there would be strange visions—this kind of forced upgrade would undoubtedly feel different.
There might well be intense pain or a sensation of his bones being extracted.
After all, an orange-tier trait carried absolute weight.
Rather than letting Li Xing Tian overthink things and having to come up with other excuses, it was better to be direct.
As for the system, naturally, the less said about it, the better—for anyone and everyone.
Something that defied all reason was best kept secret, for the good of both himself and others.
Chu Xingchen kept his eyes fixed on Li Xing Tian's resolute, unmoving expression. After a moment, Li Xing Tian's brow suddenly knitted tightly, and Chu Xingchen knew the medicine had taken effect!
Without hesitation, Chu Xingchen decisively upgraded Li Xing Tian's [Blood Bone True Body].
[Target: Li Xing Tian]
[Cultivation: Early Nascent Soul]
[Gold Trait: Reborn One]
[Orange Trait: Source Blood True Body]
[Purple Trait: Decisive in Battle]
[Blue Trait: Values Loyalty and Bonds]
[Blue Trait: Expert in Secret Realms]
[White Trait: Slightly Smooth-Talking]
Chu Xingchen looked at the [Source Blood True Body] trait and fell silent for a moment.
Though he very much wanted to argue otherwise, looking at the trait from any angle... it didn't look like something free of blood qi.
But this was undoubtedly an orange-tier trait.
It seemed his Sichuan peppercorn and ginger stench-removal technique still fell a bit short.
He really should have thrown in some cinnamon bark and star anise earlier. Now that the blood qi couldn't be shed, Li Xing Tian himself should bear at least eighty percent of the responsibility, right?
Chu Xingchen turned his gaze toward Li Xing Tian, whose brow was deeply furrowed, still struggling mightily against the medicinal power.
At this moment... he could only hope that after Li Xing Tian's blood qi was upgraded, the magical garment Baiqing had crafted would still be able to conceal it.
[
Dear Readers,
I am currently posting two chapters every day across two active fictions, along with bonus and extra chapters. The workload is steady, and I am putting in the effort to keep the schedule consistent for everyone. In total, that comes out to 56 chapters per month normally, plus random bonus and extra chapters on top of that.
Right now, the financial situation is not great. Patreon support is what keeps this translation work sustainable. If you have been following the stories and want to help, joining a tier makes a direct difference.
Here is what membership offers:
$6 per month
10 chapters in advance for all works
$8 per month
20 chapters in advance for all works, plus random bonus and extra chapters
$10 per month
30 chapters in advance for all works, plus access to character images and random bonus and extra chapters
Important note: Subscribing through the Apple App adds an extra 30 percent fee because of Apple and Patreon policy. Subscribe through your browser to avoid the extra charge. Apple also processes payments very late, around 2 to 3 months, which makes it much harder to receive money quickly after you subscribe.
If you can support, it would genuinely help continue the daily releases and early access content. If you cannot, reading and sharing the work is also appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
Patreon: patreon.com/Alex_Cruise
]