Chapter 1011: Whose Orders to Follow?

Lu Yang had a long dream, and though the details eluded him, he remembered being struck by an immortal's curse, trapped in an endless cycle of reincarnation.

But wait, Tang Chuanwu had been brought back, so how could there still be a reincarnation?

Realizing this, Lu Yang’s mind gradually cleared, and he snapped his head up, his eyes filled with confusion.

What had just happened, how did he fall asleep, and why did he have absolutely no memory of it?

Why had the sky turned dark?

Furthermore, his stomach felt warm and cozy; had he broken through his cultivation realm again?

The diligent Immortal Immortal had long since cleared away the bowls and chopsticks and wiped the table clean, leaving everything exactly as it was before Lu Yang had eaten, quietly waiting for him to wake up.

Every time Little Yangzi woke up, he would take a bite and then pass out again, a process that repeated many times until, having finished a plate of mush, Little Yangzi finally fell into a peaceful slumber.

Eating her homemade mush even while fighting off overwhelming drowsiness was proof enough of just how delicious her cooking truly was.

"You experienced too many reincarnations in the Buddhist Kingdom, and while it didn’t affect your physical body much, it took a heavy toll on your spirit, which is why you just passed out earlier."

"Is that so?" Lu Yang felt that he wasn't nearly as exhausted as the Immortal Immortal described.

"Where is Sister Mengmeng?" Lu Yang vaguely remembered her being here.

"Oh, she left dancing."

Lu Yang showed a puzzled expression, subtly grasping a clue, but having just woken up, he was not entirely clear-headed, and his mind was working very slowly.

"By the way, Immortal, do you know of any body-tempering methods?" When Lu Yang fought the elder of the Ruthless Sect, he realized that although his physique far surpassed his peers, he still paled in comparison when facing a Synthesis Stage cultivator.

It would be best to make up for this shortcoming.

"What’s so difficult about a body-tempering method? The simplest way is to be struck by lightning, and it just so happens we have an acquaintance on that side, so whatever lightning tribulation you want, Little Yangzi, you can have it, just take your pick."

"……Is there any other way?" Lu Yang felt that cultivation was best done step-by-step, and there was no need to be so radical.

"This Immortal possesses a unique, proprietary body-tempering method that is never disclosed to outsiders."

Before acquiring the Immortal Dao Fruit, the Immortal Immortal did not rely on self-detonation to face enemies, but instead relied on this unique body-tempering method to contend with the greatest geniuses of antiquity, enjoying boundless glory.

"What is it?"

"The Cauldron Body-Tempering Method, where you are thrown into a cauldron, roasted repeatedly with true fire, while various medicinal herbs are tossed into the cauldron, allowing you to absorb the medicinal properties of these herbs amidst the flames, and after burning like this for seven times seven, forty-nine days, you will see initial results, and if you feel the intensity isn't enough, you can burn for ten times ten, a hundred days."

"……Is there any other way?" Lu Yang felt that asking the Immortal Immortal for cultivation methods didn't seem to be a very wise move.

It was rare for Lu Yang to consult the Immortal Immortal, so she was bursting with energy and full of confidence.

"Oh, don't be so picky, this Immortal's body-tempering method isn't something just anyone is qualified to enjoy, you should just secretly rejoice."

Without allowing any room for argument, the Immortal Immortal possessed Lu Yang, taking control of his body and walking into the Immortal's kitchen.

In the kitchen, a three-legged cauldron stood prominently, its walls carved with ancient mystical beasts like nine dragons and four phoenixes, looking immensely valuable at first glance.

"Why is there a cauldron here?!"

"What a thing to say, isn't it perfectly normal to use a cauldron for cooking?" the Immortal Immortal said as a matter of course, feeling that Little Yangzi sorely lacked common sense.

She controlled Lu Yang's body to lift the cauldron door and crawled inside.

The Immortal Immortal snapped her fingers, and a raging fire ignited beneath the cauldron, which was precisely the Immortal Fire unique to the Immortal.

The Laurel Immortal Palace used the Immortal Fire left over from the ancient era for alchemy, weapon refinement, and hot springs, with all the elders and disciples of the palace sharing a single flame, yet Lu Yang was able to enjoy the fire all to himself, which was exactly the top-tier treatment reserved only for high-ranking ministers of the Great Soy Dynasty!

With a thought from the Immortal Immortal, the ingredients—or rather, the medicinal herbs—resting against the kitchen wall floated up, flying into the cauldron in an orderly fashion.

The Immortal Immortal did indeed have a knack for cooking; after the herbs entered the cauldron and endured the roasting of the Immortal Fire, they instantly vaporized, subsequently turning into a few drops of spiritual liquid.

These few drops of spiritual liquid were the most essential part of the herb, the dregs having long been eliminated, a refinement technique that could only be executed by a top-tier Grandmaster of Alchemy.

More and more herbs flew into the cauldron, turning into boiling spiritual liquid, fusing with one another, either hanging on the cauldron walls or pooling at the bottom.

"All done, the rest is just burning."

The Immortal Immortal believed in borrowing and returning, so she gave control of the body back to Lu Yang.

When he was possessed earlier, Lu Yang hadn't felt anything, but now that he had regained his physical body, he immediately felt the terrifying high temperature of the cauldron, which seemed to have some sort of restriction cast upon it, making him unable to fly, stamping his feet back and forth from the burning.

There were also boiling drops of spiritual liquid splashing onto his body, causing a piercing pain that penetrated to the core.

"Ah—"

Lu Yang’s miserable screams echoed from the cauldron, the pain causing him to crash against the cauldron walls, but the cauldron was as heavy as a mountain, completely beyond Lu Yang's ability to shake.

An unknown amount of time passed, it could have been fifteen minutes, or it could have been a day, Lu Yang was burned to the point of completely losing his perception of time.

……

"Junior Brother, your idea can indeed be used." After receiving confirmation from the Seventh Elder, Yun Zhi sent the three members of the Ruthless Sect to the Prisoner Peak to slowly bleed out, and upon returning to Heaven's Gate Peak, she heard the miserable screams coming from the Immortal's kitchen and hurried over to check.

Entering the kitchen and seeing the burning cauldron, Yun Zhi instantly understood what her junior brother was doing.

This was undoubtedly the Immortal's doing.

Yun Zhi opened the cauldron door and pulled Lu Yang out.

Lu Yang's clothes had already turned to ash, and Lu Yang himself was charred black all over, looking just like a piece of charcoal, with the location of his mouth identifiable only by his teeth when he spoke.

"Eldest Senior Sister……" Seeing his eldest senior sister was like seeing a savior to Lu Yang.

Then Lu Yang heard his eldest senior sister reprimanding the Immortal Immortal, who was watching the scene unfold: "Immortal, how can one take shortcuts when it comes to body tempering, merely placing him in a cauldron to burn, what if it leaves hidden hazards for the future?"

"If one wishes to temper the body, one must undergo weight training, forge the muscles and bones, train until collapsing to the ground, squeeze out every ounce of strength from the body, and still be propped up to continue cultivating, only in this way can one break through the limits of the physical body, which is the orthodox method of body tempering."

The charred Lu Yang's face instantly turned deathly pale, and buried memories surged back into his mind.

During the year he had just entered the sect, in order to lay a solid foundation for him, his eldest senior sister had ground down his body day and night, only finally letting him off once he reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

That period of time had made his life an absolute misery, a living death, and just thinking back on it made him tremble involuntarily.

His eldest senior sister's body-tempering method was not a single bit easier than the Immortal's.

Since it concerned Lu Yang, the Immortal Immortal refused to show weakness: "This is this Immortal's body-tempering method, how could there be any flaws, don't you see this Immortal is doing perfectly fine?"

Yun Zhi said with deep earnestness: "Body tempering must follow the righteous path, taking opportunistic shortcuts might harm Junior Brother."

"This Immortal's body-tempering method has no issues."

"The orthodox body-tempering method is the true path."

"Little Yangzi, whose words will you listen to?"

"Junior Brother, whose words will you listen to?"

The Immortal Immortal and Yun Zhi simultaneously looked down at Lu Yang, who was sprawled on the ground, not yet having recovered his breath.

Lu Yang looked up, gazing at the two of them with pleading eyes, wanting to cry but finding no tears.

Can I choose neither?