Trialing the Pill

With the old emperor's death, the entire Great Jin Immortal Dynasty fell into a subtle turmoil. That very night, the three remaining princes with real power, supported by the great lineages behind them, launched a bloody struggle outside the Imperial Palace gates, battling to determine the final heir to the throne.

Because of the old emperor's meddling in his final years, the original mechanism for transferring power had already failed. They could only resort to this most primitive method.

After a night of fierce battle, one prince died on the spot, another fled with severe injuries, and the last one naturally became the new emperor.

Relying on his connections within the palace and his years of experience, the old eunuch secured Ming Shu a chance to change his fate—trialing the pill.

The Sky-Toppling Observatory announced its support for the new emperor's legitimate succession the day after the decisive battle. The pill trial was one of the grand ceremonial performances the Sky-Toppling Observatory had prepared for the new emperor.

During this ceremony, Ming Shu would attempt to swallow pills abandoned by the Immortals alongside two other members possessing royal blood.

The Immortal Pills had naturally been left behind by the Immortals of old. They contained fragments of the laws of the Heavenly Dao, or the Immortal Qi once used by the Immortals. In any case, they were excellent mediums for communicating with the Immortal Realm. Unfortunately, only a few discarded Immortal Pills remained.

The Sky-Toppling Observatory would conduct the ceremony simultaneously at the Sitian Sacred Platform, the Jidi Profound Altar, and the Human Emperor Worship Hall.

The new emperor would hold his enthronement ceremony at the Human Emperor Worship Hall.

Meanwhile, the Supervisor of the Sky-Toppling Observatory would preside over the ceremony atop the Sitian Sacred Platform, worshiping the Heavenly Dao.

At the Jidi Profound Altar, three people bearing royal blood would directly undergo the pill trial.

Most of these Discarded Pills were poisonous or strange, or contained powers that ordinary mortals could not withstand. They were more like deadly poison, yet filled with temptation.

The people of this world were strange and varied, with nothing too bizarre to exist. Some were born extraordinarily special and could withstand the poison, transforming it into powerful strength.

Over the past several thousand years, a few legends had swallowed these discarded Immortal Pills, obtained Immortal Power, awakened special abilities, and forged glorious lives.

Now, the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty had only its final three Immortal Pills left in its stores.

The pill-trial ceremony was incomparably complicated.

Why trial the pills? At the Sky-Toppling Observatory's suggestion, they wanted to cultivate a new legendary combatant for the Immortal Dynasty and the new emperor.

The new emperor stood upon the vermilion steps of the Human Emperor Worship Hall, gathering all the civil and military officials. They were all the outstanding talents of the present age, and all lay prostrate on the ground. They were also the victors in the recent shift of power. Their scene of dividing the spoils was bound to be sufficiently magnificent, grand, and imposing.

Ming Shu stood outside the Jidi Profound Altar, his heart filled with complicated emotions. He knew this might be his only chance to escape life in the Cold Palace, but it might also mark the end of his life. Yet he also knew that if he did not try, he would remain trapped forever in the narrow world of the Cold Palace. Following the ritual attendants' guidance, he had stumbled along in a daze and joined the line outside the Jidi Profound Altar to wait.

The Great Jin ancestral injunction allowed only members of the royal bloodline to trial the pills.

The first royal family member to trial a pill tremblingly placed it into his mouth. His body immediately began convulsing violently, and finally exploded with a tremendous bang, sending blood and flesh flying everywhere.

Before the scene had even been cleaned up, the second person was pushed inside.

He was likewise a fallen member of the royal family. After taking the pill, his body gradually stiffened. Then he collapsed and lay motionless, sinking into a deep coma. He was carried aside for observation.

It was the youth's turn to enter.

The interior of the altar was cold and silent, filled with an ancient and mysterious aura. Though it was spacious, and the stone statues and carvings were lifelike, the ground was covered with bloody scraps of flesh.

The vaulted ceiling soared overhead, its exquisite carvings seeming almost alive as they watched him.

Each thick, elongated beam and pillar was steeped in ancient charm.

He drew a deep breath and calmly swallowed the pill. He felt a torrent of heat rapidly spread through his body, followed by waves of agony, as though ten thousand needles were racing through his flesh.

Ming Shu collapsed in pain. His body began displaying all sorts of strange reactions. Yet at this critical juncture between life and death, the Life Book inside him suddenly emitted a faint glow. A mysterious power began circulating through his body, easing the pain brought by the pill.

He once again entered the Mysterious Space within his mind. Before him was a tattered, ancient book.

On the book's cover, the two originally blurred characters—

Life Book! At last, they became clear.

Ever since his rebirth, this Mysterious Space and book had accompanied him. Yet every time he entered, it seemed to depend entirely on luck.

Randomly, according to fate. He had never been able to grasp any pattern.

Sometimes, he wanted to enter but could find no way in. Other times, he had no intention of entering yet found himself inside by accident.

Strangely enough, there was only this single book. When he opened it, most of the pages were blank.

Anything he tried to record in it could be preserved. Thus, he wrote diaries here, organized what he had seen and heard, made deductions, and drafted plans.

Over the past few years, he had learned many things about this world from the young eunuch and the old eunuch, and recorded them all here.

Until just now, when he swallowed that Immortal Pill and entered directly. The pain had also been greatly alleviated.

A thread of the so-called Immortal Qi passed through his body and entered this place, activating the book. The words Life Book on its cover could finally be seen clearly.

The youth opened the first page and saw the words "Ming Shu." At the same time, countless fragments of memory surged forth. These were all memories from his previous life!

This page also recorded some information about his previous life. Coupled with the vast fragments of memory, he needed to slowly sort through that distant existence.

Some fragments were hazy, while others were clear.

But this discovery alone was enough to leave Ming Shu utterly shaken.

This Life Book... without the activation of Immortal Power, had he simply continued wandering the world in a daze, repeatedly reincarnating?

When he encountered a suitable body, did he borrow a corpse to return to life and reincarnate? Were all of these things beyond his control?

In his previous lives, he had occasionally entered this place and recorded some experiences and conjectures. Had his former self discovered this secret and begun exploring it?

After recovering part of his memories, Ming Shu quickly flipped through the pages that followed. Most remained unchanged. On some pages, a few blurry characters had appeared sporadically, scattered and disordered, still impossible to piece together into useful information.

While he was unconscious, the second person to trial a pill had already reached his limit and died.

Three days later, the ceremony ended, and he was still alive. But he remained in a deep coma.

For the time being, he was still alive.

Through the old eunuch's arrangements and the Sky-Toppling Observatory's covert leniency, the old eunuch took the young eunuch and escorted Ming Shu away from the Royal Capital.

Ming Shu assumed a new identity and was sent to the frontier to establish a household there. The old eunuch and the young eunuch became his watchers and guards.

They needed to regularly report to the Sky-Toppling Observatory and the Imperial Court regarding any subsequent changes in Ming Shu—if he managed to awaken.

Seven days later, the three of them had left the Imperial Capital Region. Ming Shu finally awakened as well.

When a new emperor ascended the throne, granting a general amnesty throughout the realm was customary. Many royal clansmen who had been struck from the records by the Imperial Clan Court were mostly sent to remote lands to establish households and settle there.

By then, they had finally traveled far beyond the boundaries of the Great Jin Royal Capital and the Imperial Capital Region. They headed east all the way, preparing to settle in Donghai Prefecture.

This was a very decent way out. Perhaps the old eunuch's connections and resources had played a part.

The other demoted princes were all sent to the true borderlands, where they had to face foreign enemies. That was even more dangerous.

There were pirates in the Donghai region as well, who often came ashore to rob.

For now, the old eunuch arranged everything along the journey.

He restored his original name, Zhao Youfu. The young eunuch changed his name along with him, becoming Zhao Xiaojie. He immediately knelt and kowtowed, honoring his master, Old Zhao, as his adoptive father.

After waking, Ming Shu did not hurry to get up. The journey was bumpy, while Old Zhao circulated his energy each day to regulate Ming Shu's blood and meridians, feeding him rice gruel, thin porridge, broth, and other liquid foods.

It was far more comfortable than his days in the Cold Palace.

The air of freedom, the endless future!

Most importantly, Ming Shu could now control his entry into and exit from the Mysterious Space in his mind. Once his spiritual will entered, his body would be like it was in a deep sleep.

He did not need to worry about exposing the fact that he had awakened.

Then, while Old Zhao and Little Zhao slept at night, his spiritual will returned to his body, secretly observing the conditions and changes around them.

Although Ming Shu felt that his state could not fool Old Zhao, it should be enough to deceive enemies in the distance. Old Zhao had once mentioned the fates of the princes sent to the borderlands. Those who refused to behave had all died. The Imperial Clan Court's control over the various regions was extremely strict.

Ever since absorbing the Immortal Qi, his body had been recovering better and better. His five senses had also become much sharper.

After traveling for many days, Old Zhao and Little Zhao were both utterly exhausted, sleeping deeply in the dead of night. After remaining tense for so many days, Old Zhao, who was keeping watch, could no longer hold up either. Even while meditating, he nodded off.

In the silent night, Ming Shu helped keep watch, listening for movement in the distance.

Something was wrong tonight. Ming Shu sensed an anomaly. Someone was quietly closing in.

There was killing intent.

Ming Shu slowly reached out a finger and gently tugged at Old Zhao's sleeve.