Ever since the infamous Godzilla Pill nearly caused a sect-wide catastrophe, Chang Le had behaved himself—for a few whole days.
Unfortunately, restraint had never been his strong suit.
Much like a gambler who swore this was the last hand, or a stray dog that simply couldn't resist rummaging through trash, the System was a devil perched on his shoulder, whispering temptation into his ear.
The moment Chang Le scraped together a bit of spare spirit stones, memories of the last pill's effects resurfaced.
A wave of heat surged through his lower abdomen. His heart began to itch.
"Wealth comes from danger," he muttered. "Risk it, and a bicycle turns into a motorbike."
Squatting in the east wing, Chang Le stared intently at the bronze Medicine Cauldron, eyes flickering with anticipation.
"Last time, the ingredients were literal garbage—rotted leaves, scraps, trash-tier materials. And it still spat out something terrifying."
"This time, I've got proper Spiritual Plants."
"Surely… surely something normal will come out, right?"
Lust—for power, for change, for turning one's fate around—was the strongest driving force of all.
For someone who'd lived in poverty for so long, only to suddenly obtain a cheat, the urge to gamble was irresistible.
Chang Le rubbed his hands together, steadied his breathing, and fed a new batch of Spiritual Plants into the System.
The virtual cauldron spun to life, glowing brighter than before.
[Materials detected: Condensing Dew Flower ×5, Spirit-Gathering Grass ×5]
[Material grade: Inferior]
[Choose pill output (1–9999)]
Last time you dined on mud. This time it's fine grain, Big Brother System.
Be good to me.
"I'll play it safe…" Chang Le murmured. "Let's try a hundred."
Greed flashed in his eyes as he selected [100].
Light flared. The pills were stored.
He immediately checked their properties.
[Pill Name: Unnamed]
[Positive Effect: When attacking with a sword-type weapon, deal 50% of the target's maximum HP as damage (ignores defense).]
[Side Effect: 50% chance to inflict 50% of your own maximum HP as true damage (cannot be mitigated).]
Chang Le froze.
"…What?"
He stared at the words 50% of max HP and true damage, his mind going blank.
What kind of concept-level monstrosity was this?
Ignore defense. Chop off half the enemy's life.
But there was also a fifty-fifty chance of crippling himself?!
Kill a thousand enemies, lose five hundred of your own life.
And it all comes down to luck?!
If his luck was bad, two swings and he'd be dead.
Just to confirm, Chang Le swallowed two pills.
System notifications immediately rang out:
[Pill effect logged: triggered by sword-type weapons]
[Pill effect logged: triggered by spear-type weapons]
"…Great."
Equipment-bound. No refunds. No respecs.
That meant any time he used a sword or spear, he risked triggering the deadly fifty-fifty split.
The pill was terrifying.
He didn't dare give it to anyone—Heaven knew who'd die on the spot.
And something this lethal certainly couldn't be fed to animals.
But he had no choice.
The System was a tyrant. If he didn't clear his inventory, the next Pill Furnace wouldn't unlock.
"…Consider it clearing cooldowns."
Resigned, Chang Le grabbed a handful and tossed them into his mouth like jelly beans.
The System chimed endlessly.
[Triggered: sword-type weapons]
[Triggered: saber-type weapons]
[Triggered: spear-type weapons]
[Triggered: axe-type weapons]
[Triggered: whip-type weapons]
Invisible brands carved themselves into his body, binding him to nearly every weapon under heaven.
By the time it stopped, Chang Le was numb.
His vision darkened as he stared at the endless list.
Taking a deep breath, he decided to continue refining.
No more greed. One pill at a time.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Reality, however, had a twisted sense of humor.
The next five batches—perhaps because proper Spirit Medicine was used—no longer produced instant-death effects, but instead birthed utter nonsense.
First pill:
Immediate Foundation Establishment upon consumption.
Side effect: uncontrollable flatulence for an entire day.
Second pill:
You can fly using Magical Artifacts.
Side effect: flight is only possible via Magical Artifacts.
Chang Le swallowed it without a second thought.
Third pill:
You become extremely hard once per day.
Side effect: duration—five minutes.
"…Five minutes?" Chang Le twitched. "Barely qualifies as a man."
Fourth pill:
Your attacks cause intense pain.
Side effect: they deal no actual damage.
Maximum humiliation. Zero lethality.
At least the System used can, meaning the effect could be toggled.
Fifth pill:
Gain an indestructible Pill Furnace.
Side effect: only the lid is provided.
A glowing, rune-covered bronze furnace lid appeared in System space.
Chang Le stared at it in silence.
"…What am I supposed to do with just the lid?!"
Despair settled in.
Like a gambler who'd lost everything, he fed precious Spirit Grass into the cauldron, only to receive ever stranger trash.
Finally, only one batch of ingredients remained.
Chang Le's eyes were bloodshot.
None of these pills could be shown to Ye Yuetang.
If he didn't produce something usable, he'd have no excuse.
"Last batch…"
"Go big or go home!"
Gritting his teeth, he threw in every remaining herb and selected [20] pills.
Quantity breeds miracles.
The virtual cauldron roared, glowing brighter than ever.
Twenty jade-white pills appeared.
Heart pounding, Chang Le checked their stats.
Pill Name: Unnamed
Positive Effect: Cultivation efficiency increased by 3,000% for the day.
Side Effect: The user must continuously sway their body to evenly absorb the medicinal power.
Chang Le stared.
"…Three thousand percent?"
Jackpot.
Absolutely heaven-defying.
But that side effect—
"Swaying?"
What kind of condition was that?
Disco cultivation?!
He tried a small sway. Spiritual Qi immediately flowed in.
When he stopped, the sensation vanished.
"…Of course."
Unable to waste such a boost, Chang Le stepped into the courtyard.
No one was around.
Perfect.
He swallowed a pill. The medicinal power surged—and so did an overwhelming urge to move.
Fine. Sway it is.
He began awkwardly at first, then more smoothly—bobbing his head, twisting his waist, swinging his hips.
The rhythm intensified.
Shockingly, the cultivation effect worked.
Spiritual power surged into his Dantian like a shaken bottle of juice.
"It actually works!"
Delighted, Chang Le lost himself in the movement.
That was when three figures appeared at the courtyard gate.
Ye Yuetang had returned.
And she wasn't alone.
At her side stood Bai Tingjun, the ever-smiling direct disciple of the Medicine Hall Elder.
Trailing them was Shen Qiufeng, eyes burning with jealousy.
They froze.
Under the moonlight, Chang Le was… dancing.
The air went dead silent.
Bai Tingjun's smile stiffened.
Shen Qiufeng gaped—then nearly burst into laughter.
Ye Yuetang turned to stone.
Heat rushed to her face.
Mortifying.
Utterly mortifying.
Chang Le sensed something wrong and froze mid-sway.
Slowly, he turned.
Three pairs of eyes met his.
I'm dead.
He awkwardly pulled back his hip, clasped his hands behind his back, and stood as if nothing had happened.
Ye Yuetang wanted to kill him.
Shen Qiufeng laughed herself breathless.
Bai Tingjun coughed politely.
"…Junior Sister Ye," he said carefully, "this Medicine Boy's cultivation method is… quite unique."
Shen Qiufeng finally lost all restraint.
"Hahaha! Cultivation? That's a mental breakdown!"
Ye Yuetang's face cycled through red, white, and green.
She sent them away as quickly as possible.
When silence returned, she glared at Chang Le, eyes icy.
"I don't care what secrets you have," she said coldly. "Just honor our agreement."
"Unorthodox methods are acceptable…"
"But heretical ones are not."