Alchemy?
Cultivation?
In the cramped space, Mo Fan froze. The conversation outside gave him a preliminary understanding of this world.
Had he truly arrived in a world where cultivation was possible?
At this thought, a surge of excitement coursed through Mo Fan’s heart.
Cultivation was something he hadn’t dared dream of before, but now he saw a glimmer of hope.
Yet, he soon sighed in frustration.
He was about to be refined into a pill, unsure if he’d even survive—cultivation, what a joke!
“No, I have to escape, I must escape!”
After a bout of despair, Mo Fan’s heart burned with defiance, and he began to rally himself.
As time passed, he overheard more conversations, learning he was likely within a sect.
He and two other unlucky creatures were probably confined in a space called a “spirit beast pouch.”
“Thud! Thud!”
After an unknown time, two more falling sounds echoed.
Mo Fan knew the other two “five poisons”—a scorpion and a gecko—had been thrown in.
Just then, a sharp pain shot through his back, as if something had bitten him hard. But immediately after, the attacker let out a squealing “screech.”
“Damn it, that bloody gecko ambushed me!”
Furious, Mo Fan lifted his hind leg and kicked with force.
Thud!
“Screech—!”
As expected, his kick sent something flying, accompanied by a series of agonised wails.
“Huh, you’re still fighting in there?”
At that moment, a childish voice rang out, and Mo Fan felt the world spin before his eyes brightened.
Had he been released from the spirit beast pouch?
A perfect chance!
Mo Fan’s bulging eyes scanned the surroundings, spotting a bronze furnace half a person’s height and a young girl in a plain dress, about eleven or twelve years old.
The other four poisonous creatures scattered the moment they appeared.
Mo Fan, however, stayed put, knowing this seemingly harmless girl wouldn’t let them escape easily.
Sure enough, with a casual wave of her hand, the four creatures flew back, writhing in mid-air as if bound by an invisible force.
“Giggle, giggle… you little things are naughty, not as cute as this toad.”
“Though I’d love to let you go, if I did, I couldn’t face my master. So, into the furnace you go!”
“Be good and get refined into pills, make your final contribution!”
With the girl’s laughter, a loud “clang” sounded as she lifted the bronze furnace’s lid, tossing the other four creatures inside one by one.
Now’s the time!
Mo Fan let out a mental roar, mustering all his strength to leap toward the door, fleeing desperately.
“Huh?”
“Little toad, I just praised you for being good, and now you’re trying to escape?”
“You won’t get away!”
As Mo Fan neared the door, the girl’s voice rang in his ears, sending a shiver through him.
The next moment, a cool breeze enveloped him, and his body tightened, as if bound by something.
“No… I don’t want to die, I haven’t cultivated, I haven’t tasted swan meat…”
“Croak, croak, croak…”
Mo Fan’s heart collapsed, but despite his protests, he was powerless and was sent into the bronze furnace by the girl.
“Splash!”
With a splash, Mo Fan realised he’d landed in a pool of liquid. The pungent medicinal smell told him this wasn’t water—it was a medicinal pool!
He knew his predicament. Barring any surprises, this was the inside of the alchemy furnace!
Mo Fan calmed down, his eyes scanning the surroundings. The furnace’s interior was vast, far larger than it appeared from outside, spanning several metres!
Besides the scorpion and gecko struggling in the liquid, the silver snake and red-backed centipede were frantically ramming the furnace lid above.
But the lid was too heavy for them to budge.
“What now… Am I really going to die here today?”
Mo Fan’s heart sank. Having been reborn into a mythical world, dying so pathetically—refined alive into a pill—was unbearable.
Soon, the furnace’s temperature rose, its walls glowing red-hot, forcing the silver snake and centipede to fall into the liquid.
The gecko and scorpion had already sunk to the bottom. Mo Fan glanced over, faintly seeing the gecko’s white underbelly and frothy bubbles at its mouth, as if poisoned.
The silver snake didn’t last much longer, struggling briefly before meeting the same fate as the gecko and scorpion, drowning alive.
Surprisingly, the red-backed centipede defied Mo Fan’s expectations, using its wide legs to float on the surface.
But it swam aimlessly like a headless fly, trying to escape but failing, eventually stopping as if dead.
“No, this guy… it’s pretending to be dead!”
Mo Fan glanced at the centipede. Though it wasn’t moving, he sensed its faint breath.
His eyes darted, and he flipped over, exposing his belly on the surface, pretending to be dead too.
He was gambling that if the furnace calmed down, a chance might arise.
But as the liquid grew hotter, Mo Fan’s heart raced with urgency.
He knew this might be his last hope.
Perhaps sensing the furnace’s stillness, the lid was soon lifted, and a delicate white hand tossed three fruits inside.
The centipede twitched, about to rush out, but with a “clang,” the lid slammed shut, foiling its plan.
Mo Fan flipped back, his eyes fixed on the three bright red fruits beside him.
“Aren’t these the fruits from that treasure tree in the cave?”
“From that woman’s voice, they seem to be called Innate Spirit Fruits!”
As Mo Fan pondered, the centipede bit into one of the fruits.
Seeing this, Mo Fan didn’t hesitate, swallowing one of the Innate Spirit Fruits whole.
The moment it hit his stomach, a warm current surged, rushing to his head, inexplicably clearing his throat.
“Ah… I… I’ve transformed into a demon!”
A hoarse, pained voice came from nearby, startling Mo Fan. He turned to see the centipede’s head contorting unnaturally, as if about to explode.
“Holy crap, the centipede’s talking?!”
Shocked, Mo Fan blurted out a curse.
He froze the next moment, hearing his own voice—hoarse but no longer croaking, now proper human speech!
Though not his previous world’s Chinese, he could strangely understand it.
“Ah—!”
Suddenly, Mo Fan let out a scream, his head throbbing unbearably, as if it might burst, with forces pounding inside, causing excruciating pain.
He had a vague sense that if this force broke through some barrier in his head, he’d undergo a true transformation!
But the force seemed to be fading, alarming Mo Fan.
“Damn it, whether I escape and taste swan meat depends on this!”
“Here goes nothing!”
Cursing inwardly, Mo Fan bit into another Innate Spirit Fruit.
Instantly, a fiery sensation rose in his stomach, with currents rushing to his head and merging into his limbs.
At the same time, a sharp cry rang out. The centipede’s grotesque head transformed into a human one amid a black mist.
“Holy crap, this centipede really became a demon?!”
Mo Fan gasped inwardly, but the centipede glanced at him and, without a word, charged toward the furnace’s top.
“Bang!”
With a soft thud, the furnace lid was blasted open.
“Ah!”
Outside, the girl’s scream rang out, followed by an angry shout, “You damned centipede, daring to eat my spirit fruit and transform!”
“I’ll take you down today!”
Hearing the commotion outside, Mo Fan felt the barrier in his head break open.
In an instant, his mind became crystal clear, his vision and hearing sharper than ever, and a tremendous power seemed to surge within him, along with a unique set of memories.
But he had no time to process it. Glancing at the human face reflected in the liquid, he leapt up and out of the furnace.
