Elixir Cauldron Peak Smells Fragrant

Lu Yang bid farewell to Zhou Lulu and arrived at Elixir Cauldron Peak. Just as he reached the foot of the mountain, a rich scent of medicinal herbs wafted into his nose.

"No wonder they call it Elixir Cauldron Peak—even the air is filled with fragrance. Even the legendary blessed caves and celestial islands couldn't compare." Lu Yang couldn't help taking a few extra breaths, feeling his body grow light as if he were about to ascend and become an immortal.

"Junior Brother, don't breathe!"

A frantic shout came from not far away. Seeing that Lu Yang had taken a few more breaths, the speaker grew even more anxious.

"Junior Brother, quickly use the Turtle Breath Technique—ah, you seem to be a mortal, so cover your nose! This smell is poison gas from a failed pill I refined..."

That was the last thing Lu Yang heard before he blacked out.

"What kind of place is this, where even the smell is poisonous..." Lu Yang muttered, his body unsteady as the world spun around him. Then his vision went dark, and with a thud, he collapsed face-first to the ground.

As it turned out, whether a smell was fragrant had no necessary connection to whether it was poisonous.

When Lu Yang woke up again, a large face was blocking his view, startling him so much he jolted fully awake.

The man let out an embarrassed chuckle. "Junior Brother Lu, you're awake? Doesn't hurt anymore, right?"

The jade pendant had clearly stated Lu Yang's identity.

Lu Yang blinked, feeling sore all over, as if he'd been rolled into a ball and then flattened with a rolling pin.

This was a pill-refining room, thick with medicinal fragrance and much hotter than the outside. In the center sat a massive pill furnace, surrounded by shelves stacked with bundled herbs and white porcelain bottles—likely containing successfully refined pills.

Piles of sketches detailing pill-refining methods and cages of white mice littered the floor. Anyone unfamiliar with the place would struggle to find a spot to set foot.

The room had only one bed, the one Lu Yang was lying on.

"My name is Wu Ming. Sorry about that, Junior Brother. I was thinking through a problem while refining, got distracted, lost control of the flame, and turned the pill into poison."

"But don't worry—I've failed plenty of times and made poison, but I've never actually poisoned anyone to death." Wu Ming said this with great pride.

...Hearing that only makes me more worried.

Lu Yang struggled to sit up, shifted his position, and leaned against the corner where the bed met the wall, which felt a bit better.

His head itched. He touched the back of his skull, paused for a moment, then asked, "If I only inhaled poison gas, why is the back of my head wrapped in bandages?"

Wu Ming explained sheepishly, "I got distracted while carrying you, and your head hit the ground. Don't worry too much—as long as you're alive, I can cure you here at Elixir Cauldron Peak!"

"The pills I have on hand are too strong for you. Look—while you were unconscious, I specially refined some pills even a mortal can take." Wu Ming presented them like a treasure, urging Lu Yang to take a couple.

The pills were golden, with three rings circling them. Lu Yang knew these were pill patterns, indicating the pills had been refined to near-perfection.

Still, Lu Yang didn't dare take them.

He had only come to Elixir Cauldron Peak to ask for a few Inedia Pills. Before he'd even done anything, he was already lying in bed with bandages on his head.

If he ate something now, even the King of Hell would praise him for not knowing when to quit.

"No poison, really." Wu Ming swore repeatedly.

Seeing that Lu Yang didn't believe him, Wu Ming found a white mouse to demonstrate.

The mouse seemed to know its end was near, squeaking frantically as Wu Ming pulled it out, bidding farewell to its mate and offspring.

The mouse swallowed the pill, collapsed to the ground, and stopped breathing. Its mate and offspring wailed pitifully, as if foreseeing their own futures.

Lu Yang: "..."

Wu Ming: "..."

"An accident, all an accident. Mice are small—a little poison kills them. It'd be different for a human. I know where I went wrong. Wait a moment, I'll refine a new batch."

Lu Yang quickly diverted Wu Ming's attention. "Senior Brother, you said you were distracted thinking about a problem. What problem?"

Wu Ming's focus shifted as he organized his thoughts. "Pills—the key is the 'pill' part. Pills are meant to cure illness and save lives. But Inedia Pills aren't for the sick—why are they considered pills?"

"If Inedia Pills count as pills, then pills aren't just for healing; they also serve as food."

"If Inedia Pills don't count as pills, then what category do they belong to?"

Lu Yang felt you'd have to take your brain out and roast it in a pill furnace for three days and three nights to come up with a question like that.

"Speaking of Inedia Pills, the only ones I have here that a mortal can take are Inedia Pills—strawberry, apple, watermelon flavors. Want some? No poison." Wu Ming pulled out a handful of colorful candy-like pills.

Lu Yang thought of the King of Hell's eager expectations and chose not to accept Wu Ming's offer. Many people on Elixir Cauldron Peak practiced refining Inedia Pills, and any of them would be safer than Senior Brother Wu Ming.

"Junior Brother, if you ever need pills refined, remember to come to me—no charge!" Wu Ming called out warmly as Lu Yang left.

Lu Yang quickened his hobbling pace.

The next day, the Seventh Elder of Elixir Cauldron Peak learned of Lu Yang's tragic ordeal and sent him pills that could truly heal a mortal, along with a gourd of Inedia Pills.

Lu Yang recovered.

Over the following month, Lu Yang lived a full life, cycling between the Scripture Depository, Word Transmission Peak, and his cave dwelling. He greedily absorbed the cultivation knowledge he'd never encountered before, like a traveler in the desert stumbling upon a clear spring, drinking with insatiable thirst.

A month later, everyone had successfully taken disciples under various elders. Meng Jingzhou became a disciple of the Third Elder, Man Gu of the Fourth Elder, Fire Spirit Root Li Haoran of the Fifth Elder, and Ascension Immortal Body Tao Yaoye of the Sixth Elder...

This struck Lu Yang as odd. He had assumed Man Gu would join the Third Elder like Meng Jingzhou. The Third Elder was a renowned body cultivator in the cultivation world, with no one daring to fight him in close combat. Man Gu, with his Ancient Barbarian Tribe bloodline, would be best suited to the Third Elder's guidance.

The Fourth Elder, on the other hand, was a Confucian cultivator, deeply learned and not known for physical strength. Lu Yang couldn't understand why Man Gu had chosen him as a master.

Fifth Elder excelled in artifact forging, and Li Haoran possessed a Fire Spirit Root, so it was a fitting match.

Sixth Elder Lu Yang had never met before; rumor had it she was a woman of breathtaking beauty, possessing a celestial body similar to Tao Yaoye's.

Man Gu becoming Fourth Elder's disciple was not the most eye-catching—the most eye-catching was Lu Yang himself, who had been accepted as a student by the mysterious Sect Master.

It was said the Sect Master had not taken any disciples for over a hundred years, living a carefree and unrestrained life. The disciples whispered among themselves, puzzled as to why the Sect Master, still in seclusion, had taken Lu Yang as his apprentice.

Under the envious gazes of the crowd, Lu Yang was led by Senior Sister Yun Zhi to Heaven Gate Peak, the place where the Sect Master resided.