Pill Cauldron Pavilion, Refining Pills with Living People

The next morning.

After logging in, Lin Qingfeng opened the quest panel and saw that the sect guidance quest had barely reached ten percent progress.

Today was another day of the diligent Senior Disciple Brother logging in to do quests.

Diligence!

After pondering for a moment, he decided to take Su Ling'er to have a look around Pill Cauldron Pavilion.

Outside the thatched hut, Su Ling'er watched Lin Qingfeng arrive as promised. She knew that her life as an undercover agent was officially about to begin.

A new trial had begun, and she would not stop moving forward either.

"Junior Sister, did you rest well last night?"

Like hell I did!

Living in a thatched hut and sleeping on moldy straw—how could it possibly have been good?

Yet she merely said, "It was passable."

"Then today, your senior brother will take you to Pill Cauldron Pavilion for a look."

"Pill Cauldron Pavilion? Is that where pills are refined?"

The pill chamber of Qing Xu Temple surfaced in Su Ling'er's mind.

Although outer sect disciples like them were forbidden from entering, they knew it was orderly inside. Even inner sect disciples did not dare speak loudly there.

But in this Demonic Sect, what would a place for refining pills look like?

Along the way, Lin Qingfeng pretended to be profound as he explained the mysteries of the sect's alchemical path to her.

"Junior Sister, do you know what a 'pill' is?"

As an outer sect disciple of Qing Xu Temple, Su Ling'er had only heard a little about pill refinement. She also wanted to hear what insights this Demonic Sect had on the matter.

"This junior sister is dull-witted. Please enlighten me, Senior Brother."

"Internally, it is the Great Dao of the Golden Core; externally, it is a remedy that saves the world.

"A single furnace of pill fire can refine the heart, refine one's nature, and refine all things between heaven and earth. The mysteries within are also a great path leading to heaven.

"Yet water can carry a boat, and it can also capsize it.

"The path of alchemy is filled with countless variables. One misstep, and at best the pill is ruined and someone is injured; at worst, the furnace is destroyed and someone dies. It may even refine some unexpected things."

Before long, an ancient-looking pavilion appeared ahead. Before they even approached, a strange smell drifted through the air.

The scene beyond the doors was noisy and chaotic. Dozens of pill furnaces had been placed about haphazardly, smoke and flames everywhere. It had nothing in common with the four words "No Loud Noises" outside Qing Xu Temple's pill chambers.

Would pills refined in this kind of environment really not make the furnace explode?

Lin Qingfeng seemed to see through her thoughts. He coughed twice and explained,

"Ahem, this is merely where sect disciples usually practice. If they spend some spirit stones and make a few contributions to the sect, they can go to the inner pavilion to refine pills.

"That is the true place for pill refinement. It is not this noisy."

After passing through an invisible threshold, the clamor behind them was instantly cut off.

Before them lay an elegant courtyard, thick with spiritual energy.

Su Ling'er almost believed this was a normal place for refining pills.

At last, Lin Qingfeng stopped before a pill chamber whose doors and windows were actually made of crystal.

"Hahahaha! Dao Lord is about to make it! Just a little more!"

Yet a crazed laugh came from inside:

Su Ling'er's gaze passed through the translucent crystal window and fell upon the room within.

In the center of the pill chamber stood a purple-gold pill furnace taller than a person. Before it was a disheveled man with bloodshot eyes and a crazed expression.

"My Human Origin Great Pill! This time, it will definitely succeed!"

Su Ling'er's gaze followed the words of the pill-refining madman upward.

Through the crystal embedded at the top of the furnace, she saw... at the center of the flickering flames, a naked figure curled up inside!

The flames licked at his skin. His entire body convulsed, his mouth stretched wide, yet he could not make a sound!

There was actually a living person in there!

They... were actually refining pills with a living human being!

She had nearly been deceived by the tranquil surroundings outside!

Was this the unexpected thing he had mentioned?

So they used living people to refine pills?

At that moment, Su Ling'er understood.

Senior Disciple Brother had brought her here to witness this horrific scene. He had to be warning her that in Gui Xi Sect, human lives were merely materials for refining pills.

Lin Qingfeng had not expected to run into Lu Wu conducting research today.

Still, it made sense. Players all wanted to find another path and overtake others on a curve.

Besides, no one could leave this mountain peak. Since everyone was idle anyway, they naturally looked for bugs to exploit.

After all, many ways to play were discovered through exploration.

Lu Wu had also spent quite a few spirit stones just to hire someone to climb into the pill furnace and study how to refine high-quality pills more efficiently.

And the person in the furnace was quite the heavyweight too!

He was also the disciple who had previously died at Elder Qian's hands.

He was Ji, a regular sacrifice in the artifact-refining and pill-refining areas.

He took the money, stripped off his equipment, and jumped right in.

To fit the occasion—or perhaps to satisfy certain clients' special tastes—he had even voluntarily activated a paid pain module: "Twitching Death."

It had to be said, it fit the scene rather well.

He was probably idling while convulsing and browsing the forums at the same time.

If Lin Qingfeng had known he was doing this today, he would not have brought Junior Sister over.

Now it was time for him to spout serious nonsense again.

Lin Qingfeng was even a little eager. Acting as though he could point out the way of the world before that ignorant Junior Sister was genuinely addictive.

So he cleared his throat and looked at Su Ling'er.

"Junior Sister, there is no need to panic. What you see before you is merely a pursuit of the Dao."

A pursuit of the Dao?

You called this a pursuit of the Dao?

"Among the myriad methods, each has its differences.

"Some cultivators feed their bodies to their swords, eventually achieving unity of man and sword;

"Some Buddhas cut their flesh to feed eagles, thereby attaining Buddhahood on the spot.

"Our Gui Xi Sect's alchemical path also speaks of 'sacrificing oneself to prove the Dao.'

"Look at the person in the furnace. He is both the pill soul and the Dao foundation of this pill.

"He turns his flesh into a furnace and his soul into kindling. Amid the utmost pain and annihilation, he sees through life and death, then is reborn through nirvana.

"The day the pill succeeds will be the day he breaks free of his cocoon. Then man and pill will become one; the pill will be the man.

"This sort of great perseverance and determination is beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

"Let me tell you a secret: the heart of artifact refinement is actually the same."

Lin Qingfeng casually mentioned the Artifact Refining Pavilion, hoping to prepare her mentally for the future Sword Refining Art.

Su Ling'er looked strangely at Senior Disciple Brother.

Why had he suddenly dragged artifact refinement into this?

Could artifact refinement here... also use living people?!

Lin Qingfeng continued, "As for your Senior Brother Lu Wu, he is burning his own mind to lend his fellow disciples a helping hand.

"This is called 'protecting the Dao.'

"The bond between fellow disciples and the heart that seeks the Dao are both found within this.

"Junior Sister, do you understand?"

Looking at the miserable state of the person in the furnace, Su Ling'er felt as though that might be her in the future.

Cold sweat seeped out unconsciously.

The person in the furnace had been burned until his skin resembled charcoal, yet he still convulsed, proving he was not dead.

To be tempered by such wicked flames and still survive, he must have cultivated some kind of body-refining technique.

Yet this demon called it cultivation and even described such evil as "sacrificing oneself to prove the Dao"?

The crimes of the demonic path were truly too numerous to record!

But she knew that her identity as an undercover agent could not be exposed. She had to agree with this viewpoint.

Otherwise, she might be the next one entering the pill furnace.

So she raised her head and forced a smile onto her face.

"Is that so?

"What an amazing method of cultivation!

"This junior sister completely understands now. Thank you for your teachings, Senior Disciple Brother!"

As she spoke, she did not forget to imitate Lin Qingfeng's manner of expounding grand principles and began her own round of "nonsense":

"Using the body as the furnace and the soul as the flame, refining the seven emotions and six desires, love, hatred, infatuation, and this entire body of flesh, blood, sinews, and bones.

"What remains in the end must be the pure Great Dao, stripped of all impurities.

"Only today did this junior sister learn what true ruthless Dao meant, and what it meant to live by embracing death.

"Thank you, Senior Brother, for the grace of your enlightenment!"

Lin Qingfeng watched her and relaxed his brow.

Good thing this NPC was not very bright.

But she was starting to speak in quite an impressive manner too?

That had to mean he, as Senior Disciple Brother, had taught her well!

As long as she did not cause trouble, that was enough. Perhaps under his guidance, she might truly become someone who could guide newcomers into the sect in the future.

Then he put on an expression of compassion for all living things, looking every bit like an enlightened master.

"It is good that Junior Sister possesses such comprehension.

"The path of cultivation has always been filled with hardships and sacrifices that ordinary people cannot understand.

"Do not be fooled by the madness of your Senior Brother Lu Wu's actions. The pills he refines are unmatched throughout the entire sect.

"When his pills are completed, the other disciples all scramble to get them.

"Perhaps one day, you may even need him to open a furnace and refine pills for you."

"Mm!"

Junior Sister hurriedly put on a flattered expression.

"If Senior Brother Lu Wu were willing to grant me a pill, it would be this junior sister's honor!"

Honor my ass!

Even if you beat me to death, I would never eat something refined from human lives!

Sect Master, this disciple really could not hold on much longer...

Seeing that she had "accepted" all this, Lin Qingfeng nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright. Since you now have a preliminary understanding of our sect's alchemical path, I will take you somewhere else.

"Our sect's alchemists often place the pills they refine in a market called Hundred Pills Market, where they exchange goods with one another.

"If you want to buy pills in the future, you can perhaps take a look there."

As the two left that pill chamber, the sounds around them returned to a clamor.

Su Ling'er followed behind Lin Qingfeng, looking somewhat numb.

Anywhere was fine. She did not want to stay another moment in that pill chamber where they refined pills using living people.

What if that senior brother inside suddenly got the urge to seize her from outside and refine her into a pill too?

As for what other bizarre horrors Hundred Pills Market might be hiding, she could no longer be bothered to think about it.

Only one thought kept her going.

She would keep watching, clearly see every piece of evidence of this Demon Den's crimes, and report it all to Qing Xu Temple!

When they arrived at Hundred Pills Market, it was called a market, but it was actually just a long street spontaneously formed by sect disciples.

Stalls lined both sides of the street, and cries of vendors and haggling never ceased.

This place truly had the bustle of mortal life. If she had not personally witnessed the sect's many terrifying aspects, Su Ling'er might have thought it was merely an ordinary cultivator's market.

But she knew that was impossible.

Before long, she noticed something wrong.

One stall was surrounded by layer upon layer of people.

All kinds of pills were scattered haphazardly across the stall. Beside them, a wooden sign bore several eye-catching words:

"Surprise Blind Box Pills! Ten spirit stones each. What you get depends entirely on luck!"

The stall owner was still shouting loudly.

"Take a gamble, turn a bicycle into a motorcycle!

"European emperors, one pull to the soul!

"If you draw a good pill, perhaps at the Golden Autumn Harvest Festival in a few days, you can turn into someone else and play tricks on people!

"If you gamble your way into an excellent treasure pill, perhaps you will even secure a spot in the future Demon Suppressing Ceremony!

"Isn't life itself one huge gamble?"

Countless disciples happily slapped spirit stones onto the counter, grabbed pills, and stuffed them into their mouths.

After a burly disciple swallowed a pitch-black pill, his eyes immediately lost focus, and he began muttering meaningless syllables.

!)#@%@~!@￥·

Rather than panicking, the companions around him burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha, this guy's done for! He won't be able to speak normally for an hour!"

"Quick, record it with a recording stone!"

"From now on, you can say to him: You wouldn't want anyone else to know you look like this, would you?"

"My God, what kind of savage nonsense is that?!"

Su Ling'er silently watched it all unfold.

What was the Golden Autumn Harvest Festival?

And what was the Demon Suppressing Ceremony?

Demon suppression, my ass.

You yourselves were the greatest demons!

And everyone in this sect was an utter lunatic. Not only did they develop poisonous pills, they even sold the failed waste pills, treating them as a form of entertainment!

Those who bought the pills tested the poison on themselves, taking pleasure in being poisoned and enduring all kinds of unimaginable torment in exchange for fleeting delight.

At that moment, Su Ling'er recalled the figure in the pill room, twitching endlessly amid the flames.

Senior Disciple Brother had said that man had volunteered, that he was "sacrificing himself to prove the Dao." She had not believed a single word of it before.

But now, looking at this group of madmen, she suddenly felt that perhaps Senior Disciple Brother had... been telling the truth.

A bunch of lunatics who willingly became materials, willingly endured boundless suffering, and took pride in it...

What kind of Demonic Sect was this?

How had they brainwashed their disciples to such an extent?

How had they made them willingly offer up their lives for the sect?

Just then, Lin Qingfeng's voice reached her. "Junior Sister, this is also a form of cultivation for them."

"What do cultivators seek? Nothing more than seeing through illusion and finding their true selves.

"Within this seemingly absurd farce, what they temper is merely their own Dao heart.

"The restraints of the body and the mockery of those around them are but passing clouds to them.

"You can even regard all this as a kind of 'tempering the heart amid the mortal world.'"

Su Ling'er no longer had the strength to mock him.

This was supposed to be tempering the heart amid the mortal world?

What a splendid way of tempering the heart amid the mortal world!

Taking poison for pleasure and courting suffering in the mortal world—so that was this "heart-tempering" method, was it?

She could no longer tell whether the world had gone mad or she had.

But she was gradually figuring out how to win this Senior Disciple Brother's favor.

"Junior Sister... understands."

"All phenomena are illusory; only my true self is real."

"So... true cultivation is not sitting in meditation within the mountain gates, nor is it struggling against Heaven for one's fate."

"It is daring to cast oneself into this great dye vat, to undergo countless transformations and endure a thousand kinds of suffering, yet in the end... still preserve that spark of true spirit, undimmed."

"Thank you, Senior Brother, for... imparting the Dao to me."

Lin Qingfeng looked at her expression of "great enlightenment" and nodded.

Though he himself had not comprehended a thing, it was enough that she understood!

At the very least, she had sufficient ideological awareness!

She was a promising talent.

This was exactly the sort of person our sect's recruiters wanted!

"It is very good that Junior Sister has gained such insight."

Su Ling'er straightened up and cast her gaze toward the noisy crowd once more.

Fear, disgust, contempt...

All those emotions eventually settled into an almost numb curiosity.

This sect, which had completely overturned everything she had believed over the past three years, even overturning the common sense of the entire cultivation world...

What terrifying truth was hidden behind it?

Perhaps the answer was even more important than she imagined.

For the sake of all living beings, for the sake of her master's sect...

And for her own distant, seemingly hopeless Foundation Establishment.

She had to stay.

She had to keep watching.

Lin Qingfeng looked at the "thoughtful" Su Ling'er beside him and decided it was time to take her to the Artifact Refining Pavilion.

After all, this was the place that concerned whether someone with poor aptitude like her could embark upon the immortal path!

Thus, he cleared his throat and said:

"Junior Sister, since you have already gained some understanding."

"Then next, Senior Brother will take you to see our Gui Xi Sect's..."

"Artifact Refining Pavilion!"