Heaven Refining physique

"Really..."

Although her voice was sad, it was still filled with excitement. After all, if her son could follow an immortal, his future achievements would definitely be far greater than living in this village with her. She would be happier if he could live better life, even if it meant living away from her.

"Mother, are you fine with it?"

"Of course, I am fine with it, dear. You should go live your life. There is nothing for you in this old village."

Hearing her expectations pierced his heart, as everything he said to her was a lie. But this was far better than the truth.

He hugged her tightly.

"Mother, I have to go today... as I promised the immortal join him after you were healed."

While saying that, he did his best to hold back his tears but still couldn't stop them.

She was also crying, as who knew how long it would be until she saw him again. She just hoped that wherever he went, he would be happy.

They talked for an hour before it was time for him to go back and fulfill his promise. He steeled his heart, and after taking a long look at his mother, he left.

The path was as silent as it had been in the morning, but with every step, he was leaving everything behind, his village where he had lived, the villagers who treated him like their own son, and his mother, whom he loved the most.

Everything would end today for him, but he didn't falter for a single step as he made his way to the hidden cave.

"He really came back... interesting... And there is not a trace of fear in his eyes. What a strong heart he has... hehehe. Good good, I will finally be able to rest after all these years."

After entering the cave, Jiang Hao didn't speak and just stood there.

"So, I guess your mother is cured?"

"Yes. Thank you, Senior, for your help."

"You don't need to thank me. You paid the price for it."

"Senior, you could have killed me last time while I was here. There was no need to give me the pill, but since you gave me the medicine which healed my mother, I still have to say thank you for it."

"Do you regret it?"

"Not a single bit."

After saying this, he truly let go of all his sadness and waited for what was to come.

"Good... then enter it."

After he finished saying that, the walls of the cave moved, and an entrance to an even bigger cave opened.

Although it was shocking to see, it didn't have much impact on him. Now that he was going to die, nothing could move him.

The inner cave was much bigger than he had thought, but there was only a single furnace and a ring on the side. He would have completely missed the ring if it weren't for the fact that the furnace and the ring were the only things in the entire cave.

Suddenly, the ring began to float, and some items emerged from it. They were lot herbs and a single bottle of pills.

Even though he didn't know what was inside the pill bottle, he was certain it was far more valuable than the pill he already had.

"Time has come, kid. So let me make something clear for you. I never wanted your life, but I wasn't lying to you either—you might die. The chances of you surviving are slim, and even I don't know how slim."

Hearing that, he didn't know what to say. Should he be happy that there was still a chance he might not die, or worried that his chances of survival were so low?

Well, he had already steeled his resolve, so it didn't matter much.

"Senior, I am prepared for anything."

"Hm... then let's start."

As his voice faded, more herbs came out of the ring and entered the furnace. When the herbs stopped coming, a red liquid flowed out of the ring.

It looked like blood, but he wasn't sure.

"The amount of vitality contained in that blood is something you can't even imagine. It will increase your chances of survival. Don't overthink it—if you survive, I will definitely tell you everything. But if you fail, there's no point in telling you anything."

He nodded and watched the furnace. A flame had already been lit beneath it, and the blood-red liquid also started boiling with the herbs inside it. A few minutes later, the pill bottle flew and landed in his hands.

"Remove your clothes, eat the pill, and enter the furnace. Remember, it will hurt a lot—you'll wish you were dead."

He knew it was going to hurt terribly, as the liquid was boiling. The pain was not something he could imagine enduring.

"By the way, the pain you'll feel after entering the furnace is nothing compared to the pain you'll feel when the pill dissolves in your stomach... hehehe."

Hearing that, he began sweating and even had the urge to curse this old ghost. What could be more painful than being boiled alive? He didn't even want to think about it.

He took out the pill and was shocked. This pill was definitely no ordinary immortal pill. It was purely black and seemed as if it would suck him in. He really wanted to know what kind of pill it was, but he had to survive first to know about it.

After hesitating a little, he placed the pill in his mouth and removed his clothes. Once done, he recalled his mother's sad face for the last time and swallowed the pill.

Immediately, he grabbed the furnace's mouth and jumped inside instead of entering slowly. Although the liquid was boiling, the metallic mouth of the furnace wasn't hot. It was strange, but he couldn't dwell on it, as the moment he entered the boiling liquid, he forgot everything.

The only thing he could feel was pain—an unlimited, overwhelming amount of it. The furnace was larger than him, and the moment he entered, he was fully submerged. He could already feel his skin peeling off, and the pain he endured only increased. He didn't know how much time had passed, but gradually, the hellish pain became milder.

It felt as though he had become numb to it, and after some time, it even felt soothing. But suddenly, he felt an intense reaction from his stomach, as if something were eating him from the inside.

No matter how much endurance he had, it was impossible to withstand something like that. It felt as though every inch of his insides was being torn apart, and the sensation gradually spread throughout his entire body.

"Grghhh..."

He couldn't even breathe inside, let alone scream. It was suffocating and excruciating. The pain was so intense that every thought in his mind urged him to end his life to escape the torture. In fact, he just wanted to give in, but the sad face of his mother flashed in his mind every time he was about to surrender. He had never lied to his mother, but today, he had done so. Yet, it could still become closer to the truth if he survived this hellish torture of being torn apart from the inside out.

If his life depends on his own will, then who has the right to take it? It's just pain—will it be more than the pain his mother would feel if she knew he was dead? Not even close.

How can this meager physical pain make him bow?

"Grhhhh... ahhhhhhhhhh!"

Time passed slowly, and he couldn't even feel his body. It was as if it had dissolved into the furnace, yet he was still alive. His eyes, mouth—everything was gone.

After who knows how many hours later, he could finally feel his body again. His other senses began to return as well. He could already tell that the liquid inside the furnace was gone, and he was sitting at its bottom.

It looked like he had already passed this ordeal. He had survived. He stood up and climbed out of the furnace.

"Eh?"

As he used his strength to pull himself out, it was far greater than he had expected, and he stumbled. His body looked the same with just more smooth skin—it hadn't bulked up with muscles—so where did that strength come from?

He didn't think much about it, as his attention was fully focused on a middle-aged man standing inside the cave. He knew exactly who it was.

The man threw him some clothes and asked, "How do you feel?"

After dressing, Jiang Hao began moving all his limbs. He felt fine—no, he felt far better than just fine.

"It feels like I'm way better than my past self," he said after thoroughly examining himself.

"Of course you are," the man replied.

"You can't even imagine how many people would kill to gain what you've gotten... hehehe.

"Now, sit down. I'll tell you many things that will be helpful for you. Since you were a mortal from a small village, I doubt you know much about the cultivation world.

"Ah... by the way, what's your name? I didn't ask before because who knew if you'd survive or not."

"Senior, my name is Jiang Hao."

"Very well. I used to be called Hu Tian, though people don't even remember that name anymore. They used to call me the Blood Emperor...

"But even that name might have faded by now, as countless years have passed since my death."

Hu Tian sighed, lost in memories of the past. His words, however, shocked Jiang Hao—this senior was standing right in front of him afterall.

"What's with that questioning look?" Hu Tian asked. "It's just a remnant will of mine, nothing more. Since I don't have much time left, I'll clear up some of your doubts. So listen carefully without interrupting me."