Lu Yang bid farewell to Zhou LuLu and arrived at Elixir Cauldron Peak. Just as he reached the foot of the mountain, he smelled a strong aroma of medicine.
"As expected of Elixir Cauldron Peak, even the air is full of fragrance. The rumored Cave Heaven and Immortal Mountain Islands couldn't be more so."
Lu Yang couldn't help but to take a few more deep breaths, feeling as if his body was floating, as if he was going to ascend to immortality.
"Junior Brother, don't breathe it in!"
A voice came from a short distance away, seeing Lu Yang taking more deep breaths, the person became more anxious.
"Junior Brother, quickly perform the Turtle Breath Technique. Eh, you seem to be a mortal, then quickly cover your nose. This smell is from poisonous gas I accidentally released while refining medicine..."
This was the last word Lu Yang heard before he fell unconscious.
"What a ghostly place, even the smell is poisonous..." Lu Yang muttered, feeling unsteady, as if the whole world started spinning, then the world went dark and he fell to the ground.
Facts proved that whether or not a smell is pleasant has no correlation to whether it is toxic.
When Lu Yang regained consciousness, he saw a big face in front of him and woke up with a jolt.
The person chuckled awkwardly, "Junior Brother Lu, you're awake, does it still hurt?"
Lu Yang's identity was written on a jade pendant.
Lu Yang blinked his eyes and felt a soreness all over his body, as if he had been rolled into a ball then flattened with a rolling pin.
This was a pill refining room. The smell of medicine was strong, and the temperature was much higher than outside. There was a large refining furnace in the middle of the room surrounded by shelves filled with bundles of herbs and white porcelain bottles, presumably containing successfully refined elixirs.
There were piles of drawings depicting the methods of refining elixirs and caged mice on the floor, unfamiliar people would have a hard time finding where to step.
There was only one bed in the refining room, which was the one Lu Yang was lying on.
"My name is Wu Ming. I'm sorry, Junior Brother. I was lost in my thoughts while refining a pill and lost control of the flame, turning the elixir into poison."
"But you don't need to worry. Although I often turn elixirs into poison by accident, I have never poisoned anyone to death before." Wu Ming said proudly.
...the more you say, the more worried I get.
Lu Yang struggled to sit up, moved his buttocks a bit, leaning against the intersection of the bed and the wall. It felt somewhat better this way.
Lu Yang felt an itch on his head, touched the back of it, remained silent for a moment before asking, "Since I only inhaled the poisonous gas, why is there a bandage on the back of my head?"
Wu Ming explained awkwardly, "I was carrying you and got distracted, causing your head to knock on the ground. But you don't need to worry too much, anyone alive can be cured on my Elixir Cauldron Peak!"
"The elixirs I have on hand are all too potent and not suitable for you to take. During the time you were unconscious, I specially refined some elixirs that even mortals can take." Wu Ming proudly presented Lu Yang with two pills.
The elixirs were golden and had three rings on them. Lu Yang knew these were elixir patterns, indicating that the refined elixir had reached nearly perfect quality.
Lu Yang still dared not eat them.
He just wanted to come to Elixir Cauldron Peak to ask for a few fasting elixirs, but ended up lying in bed with a bandaged head before he even got started.
If he dared to eat anything now, even Yama would probably compliment him for his recklessness.
"It's not poisonous, really." Wu Ming guaranteed again and again.
Seeing that Lu Yang didn't believe him, Wu Ming demonstrated using a mouse.
The mouse seemed to know that its end was near, and squeaked incessantly as Wu Ming picked it up, as if saying goodbye to its wife and children.
The mouse swallowed the elixir and fell down, lifeless. Its wife and children, seeing this, cried mournfully as if they were facing their future.
Lu Yang: "..."
Wu Ming: "..."
"It was an accident, all an accident. The mouse is small and can die from a little bit of poison. It definitely won't be the same for humans. I know where things went wrong, please wait, and I will refine another batch for you."
Lu Yang hurried to divert Wu Ming's attention, "Senior Brother, you said that you are always lost in thought, which leads to distraction. What problem are you thinking about?"
Wu Ming was indeed distracted, and began to sum up his thoughts, "Elixir, elixir, the emphasis is on the word 'medicine'. Naturally, elixirs are able to cure diseases and save people. But fasting elixirs are not meant to be taken by sick people, so why are they also considered elixirs?"
"If you say that fasting elixirs belong to elixirs, then elixirs are not only for curing diseases and saving people, but also for eating."
"If you say that fasting elixirs do not belong to elixirs, then what do fasting elixirs belong to?"
Lu Yang felt that unless he took out his brain and roasted it in a pill furnace for three days and three nights, it would be impossible to come up with this kind of problem.
"Speaking of fasting elixirs, the only thing I can give mortals here is the fasting elixir. We have strawberry, apple, and watermelon flavors. Do you want to try some? They are not poisonous." Wu Ming was offering a handful of colorful beans.
Lu Yang, remembering Yama's eager expectations, did not accept Wu Ming's gift. Several people were practicing refining fasting elixirs at Elixir Cauldron Peak; no matter who was refining them, they'd certainly be safer than the ones Wu Ming made.
"Junior Brother, if you need anything, remember to call me. It's free." Wu Ming enthusiastically bid goodbye when Lu Yang was leaving.
Lu Yang quickly hobbled away.
The next day, the Seventh Elder from the Elixir Cauldron Peak heard about Lu Yang's tragic experience and sent him the real healing elixir for mortals and a gourd of fasting elixirs.
Lu Yang recovered.
...
For the next month, Lu Yang lived a fulfilling life, rotating between the Scripture Pavilion, Teaching Peak, and Abode. Lu Yang eagerly absorbed the cultivation knowledge he had never encountered before, like a traveler in the desert seeing a spring, thirstily drinking it in.
A month later, everyone was granted their wish and became disciples of the various elders. Meng Jingzhou became a disciple of the Third Elder, Man Gu became a disciple of the Fourth Elder, Li Haoran with his Fire Spirit Root became a disciple of the Fifth Elder, and Tao Yaoye with her Feather Transformation Immortal Body became a disciple of the Sixth Elder...
This surprised Lu Yang. He thought that Man Gu would become a disciple of the Third Elder like Meng Jingzhou. The Third Elder was a renowned Body Cultivator in the Cultivation World who no one dared to grapple with. As someone of the Ancient Barbarian Tribe lineage, Man Gu was most suitable to be taught by the Third Elder.
In contrast, the Fourth Elder was a Confucian Cultivator, knowledgeable and not known for his strength. It was unclear why Man Gu chose the Fourth Elder as his master.
The Fifth Elder was adept at refining tools, so it was suitable for Li Haoran with his Fire Spirit Root.
Lu Yang had never met the Sixth Elder, but he heard that she was a breathtakingly beautiful woman, with an Immortal Body similar to Tao Yaoye's.
Man Gu becoming the disciple of the Fourth Elder wasn't the most notable. The most notable was Lu Yang himself, who had become a disciple of the mysterious Sect Leader.
It was said that the Sect Leader had not taken in any disciples for over a hundred years, living a carefree life. The disciples were all talking, wondering why the Sect Leader, who was still in seclusion, had accepted Lu Yang as a disciple.
Under the envious gaze of everyone, Lu Yang was led to Sky Gate Mountain, where the Sect Leader resided, by his Eldest Senior Sister Yun Zhi.