The male supporting character was actually myself.

This is the first time I've ever seen such a fierce protagonist's aura. Last time, it easily took away Lin Xucheng's benefits; this time, it used the same trick again, which not only seemed to be a bug and took a lot of effort, but also left me exhausted.

If this happens again... I'm afraid no one can stop the protagonist from running towards freedom.

[Mission: Refine one batch of Yin-Yang Mystic Phoenix Pills within three days. Reward: One-time use B-grade item x1]

The main system suddenly issued a task. Jiang Chen rubbed his temples with his fingers, a little confused. What special significance did refining such an unorthodox pill have for the protagonist?

Chapter Nineteen: Bugged Promotion and an Eye-Catching New Plot

During the second time Lin Xucheng's opportunity was forcibly taken away, he clearly used a secret technique to possess such powerful combat strength, but he was still directly suppressed by the plush ball and the soul weapon.

Logically speaking, given his severe injuries, any medicine he needs should be of the healing type.

Why is the system specifically requesting me to refine the Yin-Yang Mystic Phoenix Pill?

Is it...

Jiang Chen carefully recalled the description of the Yin-Yang Xuanfeng Pill in the secret manual that the sect leader had asked him to study, and his expression became quite interesting.

“The sect leader is right. We can’t kill him, but we can’t let him go either. Let’s just take it one step at a time.” He was anxious to go back to his books, so he stood up, bowed, and said, “This disciple will take his leave now.”

Yan Xuzi was very troubled and couldn't think of any good ideas, so he waved his hand to signal him to leave.

Then, remembering something, he reached out to Liu Jiangchen and said, "Hey, wait! That book..."

"Sect Master, rest assured, with Haotian protecting the Xiaoyao Sect, we will never lose in resisting the Chosen One!" Jiang Chen chuckled and turned to run away.

Are you kidding me? If we return the secret manual at this critical juncture, how are we supposed to deal with the protagonist?

Yan Xuzi: (．oˇ?ˇo.)

I never would have guessed you could be so cunning with those thick eyebrows and big eyes!

Forget it, I'll just delay returning it for two more days. As for the library... I'll have to go and argue with that grumpy old man myself again.

Consider this a reward from Liu Jiangchen for helping Lin Xucheng resist his heaven-defying defiance with her own luck.

Back at his residence, Jiang Chen couldn't wait to take out the manual and search for records about the Yin-Yang Xuanfeng Pill;

The fluffy little dumpling lay lazily to the side, its feet crossed, seemingly resting.

"Little White, when did you awaken a new skill?" he asked abruptly.

The little white cat, who was licking its paws with its eyes half-closed, turned its head and gave its host a strange look. Then, it got up and touched the host's forehead with its little paw, looking worried. "Oh no, oh no, why has my usually wise and powerful host suddenly become stupid? Did the cute little kitten go crazy and not pay attention? Did the protagonist's halo really make it stupid, meow?"

Jiang Chen: (ー△ー；)

"Where did Meow awaken any new skills?" The fluffy ball of fluff wagged its big tail and muttered, "Didn't you see, host? That's just the move you usually use to block the aura, just going all out with its ultimate move!"

There are three ways to resist the protagonist's halo.

The simplest and easiest thing to do is to help the host avoid being enveloped by the halo, no matter where it overflows, just don't get close to us;

The slightly more troublesome thing is to cover up the not-too-strong protagonist aura and prevent it from bursting out and making others stupid. Of course, sometimes the cat is too strong and can't be covered up.

The most tiring part was when I used my ultimate skill just now; the dragon's roar temporarily 'swallowed' the protagonist and his aura, blocking them out.

"I've never encountered such a powerful protagonist before, so I've never used it."

It leaned against its host and whined, "Meow, I'm so tired. I need kisses, hugs, to be lifted up high, and to eat a Manchu Han Imperial Feast before I feel better!"

Jiang Chen picked it up and stroked its fur, then turned to the next page of the manual and said quietly, "I have a bad feeling that the next update might be... not so good."

"Meow?" The fluffy little ball blinked its big, deep blue eyes. "Is it related to the mission issued by the main system? What exactly is that Yin-Yang Pill for?"

The Yin-Yang Mysterious Phoenix Pill is an extremely obscure elixir, the counterpart of which is the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill.

In the mission's world setting, these two elixirs originated from the Hehuan Sect.

The cultivation world is vast and naturally contains all sorts of people. However, some cultivators have homosexual tendencies and a penchant for male lovers. Among them are some powerful figures, which is why this kind of prescription for dual cultivation has been passed down.

The difference between Xuanfeng and Xuanlong is only one character, but their effects are completely opposite.

Since the main system's task is to refine the Xuanfeng Pill, Jiang Chen guessed that the subsequent plot would likely feature a powerful figure who even the sect leader fears, willing to sacrifice himself for the protagonist Lin Xucheng, greatly increasing his strength and thus saving him.

"Time is tight and the task is heavy. It's too difficult for a Golden Core alchemist like me to successfully refine two batches of pills that span three levels and are at the Returning Void Realm level within three days." Jiang Chen sighed and began to record the medicinal materials needed to refine the two types of pills.

The little white cat, munching on a dried fish, thought for a moment before turning around and saying, "Host, would you like to change the pills? Replace the Phoenix Pill with the Dragon Pill!"

"We don't know how the script team will write it, so let's prepare for both possibilities."

After gathering all the medicinal herbs, he began his secluded cultivation to refine the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill, as it involved crossing three levels and had virtually no chance of success. If he were to refine the Yin-Yang Profound Phoenix Pill, which was required by the main system, he might receive special assistance and succeed in one batch, but then there would be absolutely no chance of refining the Profound Dragon Pill.

If we start by refining the Xuanlong Pill, we might be able to gamble on the odds.

Just as Jiang Chen was diligently refining pills but kept failing, Lin Xucheng, who was shrouded in the protagonist's aura, slowly woke up.

"Phew!" He exhaled a breath of stale air, and with a few laborious movements of his fingers, he managed to muster enough strength to slowly get up.

The spatial turbulence had long since disappeared, and Lingya Peak remained as tranquil as a stagnant pool.

The Soul-Seizing Array was still operating continuously, with golden runes slowly rising from the bottom, interspersed with starlight. Beautiful as it was, it was a death warrant for Lin Xucheng.

He could feel the signs of his spiritual energy depleting. In addition, he had previously used a secret technique to burn his lifespan and forcefully resist the sect leader in order to escape. At this moment, his whole body was aching and he was getting weaker.

"Fortunately, it only consumed all the lifespan that was taken from Zhou Zhixue, without affecting the fundamentals." Lin Xucheng gasped for breath as he barely managed to sit down cross-legged, took a few deep breaths, and began to try to circulate his cultivation technique to resist the drain on his lifespan by the Soul-Seizing Array.

Without any elixirs or spirit stones to replenish his supplies, he didn't know how much longer he could hold on.

His resentment and anger reached their peak, but he stopped shouting. Lin Xucheng knew that roaring in vain would only waste his precious energy and serve no purpose. At this moment, he could only grit his teeth, persevere, and pray that the heavens would open their eyes and give him a way out.

"If I ever manage to escape, the Free and Unfettered Sect, Yan Xuzi, and those who stole my opportunities will regret ever being born!"

A trickle of blood escaped from the corner of Lin Xucheng's mouth. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, determined to hold on.

"boom!"

A muffled crackling sound came from inside the alchemy furnace. Jiang Chen let out a long breath and manipulated the furnace in mid-air to fall down.

As soon as the lid was opened, a burnt smell wafted out.

"Another explosion?" The fluffy little dumpling went forward and pushed open the window to let in some fresh air. With a droopy little face, it said helplessly, "The host has been refining pills without taking a break. Several pill furnaces have been blown up in a day and a night."

Jiang Chen, looking exhausted and listless, said, "There are still two days left, no rush, take it slow. Although I fail every time, I can learn a lot from it, so it's worth it."

Refining pills consumes a huge amount of both spiritual energy and mental energy.

Although absorbing spirit stones and taking pills can restore some of the energy, the constant fatigue cannot be completely eliminated.

The little white cat tenderly took a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from its host's forehead, then said angrily, "I'm going to report this to the main system. Meow Meow's task assignments are so unreasonable! Asking a Golden Core alchemist to skip the Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation stages and refine Void Returning Realm pills is just asking the impossible!"

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Chen, who had experienced dozens of failures, suddenly felt a mysterious feeling that was hard to describe.

In that instant, it was as if the stars and the sea had fallen from the sky, and the soul roamed freely within them; it was also as if the whole being had completely let go, in accordance with the way of heaven and earth and the way of nature...

At first, the spiritual energy flowed into Jiang Chen's body, which was immersed in a mysterious state, like a small stream. As the attraction grew stronger, it swirled and frantically tore at the spiritual energy in the surrounding air, causing it to rush towards him.

The fluffy dumpling was startled and dared not approach easily. It stood on tiptoe and guarded its host vigilantly. At the same time, it muttered to itself in puzzlement, "It hasn't even reported me yet, and it has already forcibly increased my host's strength. It really knows how stupid the mission was and is starting to patch it up."

As he entered a state of enlightenment, his aura rose steadily, and in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Jiang Chen awoke from his profound state, refreshed and full of energy.

"Crack!"

Meanwhile, the sky was filled with dark clouds and lightning, which looked quite eerie.

"Liu Jiangchen is about to advance?!" Yan Xuzi immediately noticed the direction of the tribulation thunderclouds and was stunned for a while. "Didn't he just advance to the Golden Core Realm not long ago? What's going on?"

I've seen people who cultivate quickly, like Lin Xucheng, the chosen one of destiny, whose speed is so fast that he could almost advance three levels at once.

Even so, he is still only at the peak of the Golden Core Realm, while Liu Jiangchen, who advanced even later than him, has already skipped two minor realms and is about to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm.

Seeing that the thunderclouds were about to pour down, Yan Xuzi, without a moment to sigh, vanished from the quiet room.

The next second he stood behind Liu Jiangchen, sensing that the spiritual energy in the other's body had indeed reached its full potential, and said in a deep voice: "I will protect you. Advancing from the Golden Core Realm to the Nascent Soul Realm requires passing through three lightning tribulations. Are the pills prepared enough?"

"Sect Master, rest assured, this disciple can handle it." Jiang Chen stood in the center of the lightning tribulation, his clothes fluttering in the strong wind.

I was hoping to take advantage of the loophole when the main system might increase the probability of issuing tasks, but I didn't expect that I would keep failing at alchemy, but I still managed to gain some experience points and even get the benefit of patching the system to level up forcibly.

The success rate of refining pills for the Returning to Void Realm should increase significantly if the Nascent Soul Realm cultivator refines them again.

He made up his mind to continue refining the Profound Dragon Pill after advancing to the Nascent Soul stage. If he succeeded, all would be well; if he failed, he might even get a patch and have his strength forcibly boosted to the Divine Transformation stage by the main system!

Since the Best Supporting Actor award is meant to contribute to the main character, their progression should naturally be similar to the main character's; otherwise, they wouldn't even qualify to provide enough assistance. It seems pretty good to seize this opportunity and simply sit back and win.

Jiang Chen was very relaxed in the face of the tribulation thunderclouds. It was obvious that the main system, which was patching things up, would not allow the best supporting actor to fail to advance.

If he can't reach the Nascent Soul stage to refine pills, it will jeopardize the chosen one's escape route. As the script team's favorite son, they can't bear to torment Lin Xucheng any further.

As expected, with Yan Xuzi protecting her with all his might as if facing a formidable enemy, Liu Jiangchen successfully passed the tribulation and ascended to the Nascent Soul Realm.

There was no time for celebration. After politely thanking the elders from the sect who came to offer their congratulations, he went back to his room to continue refining pills.

"I tried to exploit a bug to get a patch and level up again, but I failed." The next day, Jiang Chen opened the alchemy furnace, looked at the two dragon patterns engraved on the golden elixir, shook his head and smiled, put the elixir away and continued to refine the Yin-Yang Mystic Phoenix Pill needed for the mission.

[Mission: Place the Yin-Yang Phoenix Pill in the pill room and leave. Reward: One-time use C-grade item x1]

Almost the instant the refining was successful, the main system, which had marked the completion of the previous task, couldn't wait to issue a new task.

He got up, put the freshly made pills into a jade bottle, placed it on the shelf in the pill room, then flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.

"Hmm? What's that smell?" A man with long flowing hair, wearing a gorgeous robe and possessing unparalleled beauty, frowned slightly in the void. Then, his figure flashed and followed the mesmerizing fragrance, tearing through space and stepping into Liu Jiangchen's alchemy room with his bare feet. His eyes immediately locked onto a small jade bottle on the shelf.

"So it's the fragrance of elixirs." He took a deep breath, closed the magic fan made of seven-colored phoenix feathers in his hand, stepped forward and carefully examined the jade bottle. "Hmm, the little alchemist of the Free and Unfettered Sect is indeed amazing, he can actually refine such a high-level elixir."

For some reason, he was very concerned about this pill. He remained silent for a moment but couldn't figure it out. Then, a slight smile appeared on his lips, so beautiful that it made the world pale in comparison and people forget his gender. He flicked his fingers and placed a magic weapon on the shelf. He said quietly, "Alright, alright, I'm not the kind of person who takes advantage of juniors. A sacred artifact plus my personal assistance is enough to offset the value of this pill."

As her delicate hands took the jade bottle away, the main system announced that the mission was complete.

Having received the host's secret order, the fluffy little thing grinned mischievously. With a quick paw, it replaced the Xuanfeng Pill in the jade bottle in the other person's hand with the Xuanlong Pill. Then, with an arrogant gait, it hopped and skipped to find its host to claim credit.

"The new plot has just been updated." Jiang Chen sat in the bamboo forest, waving the script in his hand at the little white cat, unable to suppress his smile. "See, I told you so! Stealing pills is a last resort; changing our approach is the right one!"

The new storyline is a bit cringe-worthy.

It seems the script team was racking their brains but couldn't save the main character, and the later super big fish involved were too numerous to handle in a short time, so they pulled out a powerful character—the legendary leader of all demons, Leng Moran.

Yao Ai Liu Yu remained indifferent. The script briefly introduced him as having unparalleled magical powers, and he was once known as the leader of all demons because he single-handedly unified the demon and monster realms.

But he was eccentric and unrestrained by worldly affairs. When he got tired of playing, he abandoned the demon and monster realms and went off to wander on his own.

Rumor has it that Leng Moran has already ascended to become a banished immortal;

There are also rumors that he went mad with evil spirits and died.

In reality, Leng Moran simply found ascension boring and invincible, and thus sought amusement by freely traversing various worlds.