Chapter 5

Wu Jie did not go to the bustling big city to search for the legends of immortals as he had told his parents. Instead, not long after leaving the town, he headed straight for the nearby mountains.

He walked along the rugged mountain paths, going deeper and deeper, surpassing the usual limits for gathering herbs, even surpassing the deepest places that even the most skilled hunters dared to enter, reaching the remote depths of the mountains.

It was already late autumn, yet there were still many birds, beasts, snakes, and insects in the forest. On his way, he saw countless snakes and heard numerous roars of beasts.

If it were an ordinary person, they would have been terrified to the point of losing their soul in such a situation; even experienced hunters would carefully consider retreating at this point. But Wu Jie was not moved at all and continued to advance resolutely into the deep mountains.

However, when he saw a highly venomous five-step snake that had not yet hibernated from a distance, he finally gave up the dangerous journey and returned to the Heavenly Book World to discuss with Jasmine.

"Going into the deep mountains to seclude oneself is definitely not a good idea! I just saw the marks of a bear scratching a tree! If you encounter a bear in the forest, you might not even be able to escape!"

"But Master, seclusion for cultivation must be done in a place where one is not easily discovered or disturbed. This is common knowledge even rabbits know!"

"Why?"

"Because cultivators are relatively vulnerable during seclusion. Even if they are not invaded by external enemies, mere disturbances can cause significant trouble... Think about it, with so many people around, what if someone figures out what you're doing..."

"In the deep mountains, although there are no people, there are birds, beasts, snakes, and insects. Whether it's fierce birds and beasts or dangerous venomous snakes and insects, they will cause me more trouble than the people outside!"

"But you are a cultivator! Which cultivator is afraid of wild animals and insects?"

"I am just an ordinary mortal for now. Don't compare me to those great cultivators of the past!"

"But during your cultivation, many medicinal fragrances and spiritual energy will be released. Whether in the city or the town, it will be easy for others to discover you, and then you might end up being boiled and roasted!"

"I am not a rabbit! Who would boil and roast me! But if I seclude myself in the mountains, I might really be eaten by wild animals!"

"Even rabbits wouldn't believe that! Which wild animal would dare to eat someone as poisonous and evil as you? It wouldn't want to poison itself, would it?"

"Don't use such baseless nonsense to change the subject!"

After a meaningless argument, Wu Jie finally came up with a solution.

There was a legend among hunters that carrying tiger droppings would prevent wolves from attacking at night, as the tiger's aura could drive them away. Inspired by this, Wu Jie asked Jasmine if there was a similar method.

"Releasing your own aura to drive away fierce beasts? Good idea! Why didn't I think of that!" Jasmine then pricked her finger and squeezed a few drops of blood onto Wu Jie's forehead.

These few drops of blood vanished instantly, quickly merging into Wu Jie's body. To Wu Jie, it seemed like nothing special, but Jasmine patted her chest and assured him that no fierce beasts would dare to attack him!

It turned out that Jasmine's few drops of blood were not only effective but also overly effective!

When Wu Jie returned to the human world, he saw various birds, beasts, snakes, and insects in the nearby forest fleeing as if a great disaster was imminent, and in a short while, they were all gone without a trace.

On the way, he no longer saw or heard any birds, beasts, snakes, or insects. In the vast forest, apart from his footsteps, there was only the sound of the mountain wind.

"Just a few drops of blood have such great power?!" Wu Jie was amazed and felt an even greater longing for cultivation and becoming an immortal.

Before he crossed over, he had read many novels and watched many films about immortals, but only now, after experiencing it firsthand, did he deeply feel the extraordinary nature of "immortals" — a few drops of blood could drive away all kinds of fierce beasts and venomous insects, what a mighty feat! Walking alone in the vast and desolate world, with no living creature daring to disturb him, what a carefree and free life!

He had bid farewell to his parents and friends and entered the deep mountains alone, all to focus on cultivation and aspire to achieve supreme powers in the future!

He did not yet have a clear concept of how "supreme" supreme powers were, but Jasmine's few drops of blood had already given him a taste of the feeling of a great cultivator, and it had made him even more determined to cultivate and become an immortal.

With the opportunity for immortality in hand, if he did not strive to improve, wouldn't it be a waste of his life?

Following Jasmine's advice, he walked in the forest for five whole days before stopping in front of a towering mountain peak and entering the Heavenly Book World.

The small field had already been harvested once, and the thick ginseng roots, like carrots, were piled up in a small heap. New ginseng seedlings had been planted in the field, presenting a lush and vibrant scene.

Under the ginseng tree, a large bronze tripod was set up, and Jasmine was happily grinding the ginseng into a green broth with her magic and throwing it into the tripod, humming a suspicious song.

"The Daoists should steam it with clear water, tender and soft, good for swallowing; the Buddhists should fry it with hot oil, crispy and fresh, good for eating in one bite; the demon sect members should skin it alive, the blood dripping, fragrant and delicious; for mortals, it must be pickled, soaked three times and dried three times, to be served with vegetables..."

Her voice was clear and innocent, incredibly cute, but the lyrics were bone-chilling, making Wu Jie feel a chill down his spine. Especially when he looked at the tripod... it seemed, perhaps, to be used for cooking...

No, no, no, that's not the point, the point is... it seemed, perhaps, that Wu Jie himself was going to be cooked...

Wu Jie's ominous premonition was not wrong; he himself was indeed going to be cooked.

"This is a method created by the Ninth Senior Brother, using external force to forcibly infuse the medicinal properties into the body, repeatedly refining it to achieve the effect of transforming the body and enhancing one's potential." Jasmine cast a spell to ignite a green flame under the tripod, the emerald fire reflecting her proud smile. "This method is called 'medicine refinement,' and it can achieve the effects of high-grade spiritual medicines with low-grade herbs, truly cost-effective!"

"Is this method really that effective?" Wu Jie was somewhat skeptical, his intuition telling him that there was no such thing as a free lunch in the world!

"Yes, very effective! The Ninth Senior Brother refines a batch of people every three years, and among them, there are always two or three with good potential. Especially after the refinement, their willpower is strong, and they can endure any hardship, making them truly capable of being cultivated!"

Wu Jie frowned and pondered for a while until the ginseng broth in the tripod began to heat up, and he realized the key issue.

"Jasmine, how many people does the Ninth Senior Brother refine each time?"

"Usually over a thousand."

"What about the people who are not among the two or three with good potential?" Wu Jie asked urgently.

"Of course, they are cooked to death." Jasmine said nonchalantly, "They are cooked into meat broth. At first, the Ninth Senior Brother used this meat broth to feed the spirit beasts, but later, you, Master, advised him to not provide food during the refinement period, making the survivors drink this meat broth to live, thus enhancing the effect of the refinement..."

"Is that even possible?!"

"The Ninth Senior Brother also exclaimed in surprise at first — later, he became especially loyal to the sect, willing to work hard and fight fiercely, eventually becoming the most capable among the sect's disciples..."

Wu Jie was now certain that the Supreme Divine Lord was indeed a thorough evil cultivator!

"Master, are you worried about the danger? Don't worry! Don't worry!" Seeing Wu Jie's frightened expression, Jasmine thought he was afraid of being cooked to death and quickly assured him, "Those people were cooked to death because the Ninth Senior Brother did not intend to cultivate many people, so the protection was limited. You are different; I will watch over you, so nothing will happen!"

Seeing that Jasmine did not care about the lives of those people in the past, Wu Jie sighed.

He wanted to instill some socialist moral values in Jasmine, but after a moment's thought, he gave up the idea — Jasmine had her own values and morals, and perhaps her way of thinking was more suitable for the world of cultivators. Why force her to conform to his own preferences?

So, in the following time, he deliberately avoided extremely evil and immoral topics and talked to Jasmine about his "past" life.

Indeed, the Supreme Divine Lord had many capable disciples, with numerous powerful and intelligent individuals among his descendants. The number of fierce and fearless fighters was countless. This was necessary because Jasmine had personally witnessed over a dozen major battles.

The world of cultivators was not peaceful, especially since the Supreme Divine Lord was a master of the evil sect and a leader of the demon sect. Every day, either enemies came to attack or the righteous sects launched assaults. If there were no enemies, they would often go out to attack others to plunder the resources needed for cultivation...

Listening to the fierce battles and struggles, Wu Jie was secretly shocked but also felt a greater longing for the world of cultivators.

Wielding a sword and traveling the world, avenging wrongs and fulfilling one's desires, every young person has such a heroic dream.

Wu Jie had many dreams, and to turn them into reality, he needed to cultivate and become an immortal. Only by becoming an immortal who could traverse the heavens and live forever could he have the capital to pursue and realize his dreams!

With firm determination, he endured the boiling ginseng broth.

When he finally could no longer bear it and began to lose consciousness, thinking he was about to die, Jasmine waved her hand, and a white light fell on his head, instantly clearing his mind — but the physical pain became even more intense.

The pain of being boiled alive and unable to lose consciousness was indescribable. Wu Jie could clearly feel his skin, flesh, and bones being cooked and softened, as if a slight shake would cause him to fall apart. However, Jasmine used her magic to protect him, making him float in the boiling broth without truly falling apart.

This bizarre and terrifying pain almost drove him mad. Countless times, he thought he had gone mad, but every time Jasmine used her magic, he would regain consciousness and continue to suffer in the boiling hell.

After an unknown amount of time, the ginseng broth in the tripod finally began to cool.

At this point, the originally emerald green broth had turned into a milky white meat broth, emitting a suspiciously fragrant aroma.

Jasmine lifted Wu Jie out of the tripod, poured out the meat broth, and crushed and mashed a batch of better-quality ginseng, preparing for the next refinement.

"How many times will this refinement take?" Wu Jie asked weakly.

"It doesn't matter how many times, as long as the transformation is complete." Jasmine estimated, "If each time goes as smoothly as this, five more times should be enough."

Wu Jie finally fainted.