Immortality Is No Easy Task

Chapter 9

“Divine Awakening Pill?”

“What is that?”

A prestigious name, yet Qi Chen had doubts on its effects.

After all, from her introduction of the Nutrition Pills, he had doubts on any pill she introduced.

The previous pill had a bottle unfitting of its effects, leading one to naturally doubt the effects of this pill.

His eyes were skeptical as he glanced at the pill bottle, even lightly picking it up to inspect it closely.

The bottle was transparent, with a single, luminescent pearl-like orb inside.

Yet even holding it to his eye level took too much strength.

His hands were shaky, making the pill roll around in its bottle.

He put it down as soon as he got a clear inspection of the pill in the bottle, fearing that his overly shaky hands would slip and break the bottle.

“Take a guess.”

“Can't you just tell me?”

Qi Chen detested guessing games, after all, for guessing games, there were usually few clues, and getting the answer was like finding a needle in the middle of a haystack.

Consisting of more luck than skill.

“Does it awaken the spirit root?”

“Guess again.”

“Absorb Spiritual Qi?”

“Again.”

Qi Chen was more than confused.

But there were too little things to make out a definitive answer.

He held most hopes in awakening the spirit root, yet by her tone it was wrong.

Just what is it?

“I give up, please tell me the answer.”

He disliked being wrong more than anything, in some way, he was weak hearted in this area.

“Fine.”

“It has the effect of opening your eyes.”

“Opening my eyes?”

“Yes, opening your eyes to the spirit world.”

Her eyes glistened, peering into it felt like a reflective mirror.

Usually such crazy words would be treated as a joke.

No one would believe it.

Spirit World?

Who was she kidding?

The spirit world was something only Nascent Soul cultivators can touch!

However, her eyes were as clear as the daybreak, while such words would usually be one of a madman, her words were strangely convincing, as if she could truly achieve it.

His heart pounded against his chest, as if it was about to rush out of his chest, the silence was intoxicating, his heartbeat was the only thing in the vicinity of his ears.

If the previous offer of Qi Condensation was irresistible, this was absolutely a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Just thinking of how many mysteries laid there already excited him beyond reasoning.

“What do I need in exchange?”

Doubt had no place within his gaze, the only emotions one could see within was a crazed resolve and a slight absence of sanity.

There was no way that it could come without a price.

He had always been a believer in the rule of equivalent exchange.

In life, there is absolutely no chance of getting something, without giving something.

Needless to say, something like the ability of being capable to see the Spirit World.

“You might want to think first.”

“The price is not cheap.”

Shaking the bottle in her hands, an enigmatic, dangerous and luring smile appeared on her face.

Like a spider who was certain that they had the bug in their web, she explained.

“Strictly speaking, this isn't some miraculous awakening pill, rather it is something that siphons half your lifespan, to age you immediately.”

“You will lose all your lifespan in an instant and die.”

“At least for a while.”

“The pill would seal your soul in your body, and for the time period, you would hopefully not enter the cycle of reincarnation.”

“If all things go well, your soul would be stuck inside, and I would be able to replace your eyes with those that had seen the Spirit World.”

“After that, by stimulating your soul and body once again, we can hopefully revive you.”

“Not bad right?”

The price was indeed…

Not too high!

What is life in front of knowledge?

Each life is as significant as mere specks of dust, to be able to use it to even touch the threshold of something greater than dust is the biggest value ‘life’ can give.

Knowledge is a poison, and it has long entered his bloodstream.

Yet something struck him.

“Eyes that have seen the Spirit World?”

“It is exactly what you are thinking.”

“Eyes of Nascent Soul cultivators.”

His mind was spinning at light speed.

Nascent Soul cultivators were basically gods.

If Soul Core was a wall many couldn't climb, Nascent Soul was a crushing wall that crushed those who had passed even that wall.

Even in large sects, the number of Nascent Soul cultivator could be counted on one hand.

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Their eyes were blessed treasures of heaven and earth.

Eyes were priceless to Nascent Soul cultivators, the moment they ascend from Soul Establishment to Nascent Soul their eyes undergo what is known as ‘Blessing Of Heaven And Earth'.

This blessing opens their eyes to the Spirit World, and cannot be undergone again.

A one time blessing.

Should they lose their eyes, they lose the ability to ever peer into the Spirit World again.

This was essentially the most important treasure of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

“Are you serious?”

His face was a weird mixture of shock and excitement.

A mixture not commonly seen, a pairing made in hell, his heart rate was through the roof.

Ba-thump!

Ba-thump!

They came crashing like a wreck, not showing even the smallest sign of slowing.

Merely words could not describe what he was feeling.

She did not reply, yet her gaze had said it all.

She was not bluffing nor lying.

His heart pounded against his chest, making a clear crisp sound every moment, a stark reminder that he is still alive.

What is there to not give up?

Life is like a blade of grass, they sprout as fast as they wither.

Life and death exists on an equilibrium.

If you cling on to life like a dirty bug, there is no point in living, after all, living for the sake of living is the most pathetic move one can make.

“How?”

“How did you get them?”

He asked the question, not expecting an answer.

Who cares how?

Even if this was a deal with a monster, even if this would damn him for eternity, even if this was a hoax…

Just the mere thought of it exciting him beyond reason.

But rationality kicked in at the last moment.

This was a revolutionary procedure.

If these eyes could be implanted onto others, giving them the ability to see the Spirit World…

Wouldn't all sects have done it already?

After all despite Nascent Soul cultivators being scarce, throughout history, they were innumerous, with the power of those great sects, wouldn't finding a bunch of eyes be easy?

It could only mean one thing.

“Am I the first person to undergo this?”

He carefully glanced at her, her face was still wearing a smile, yet the look on her told it all.

Right.

I am a test subject.

The first one.

The first test subject is almost always the sacrificial lamb.

A death for the greater tomorrow.

Even so, it is a risk worth taking.

After all, it is not everyday, or ever do you even have the smallest chance to come across a deal like this.

In the end, the worst case scenario is simply death, what is death in front of a possibility?

Birds die in search of food and humans die in accordance to their worldly desires.

For Qi Chen, it was the wealth of knowledge he was willing to die for.

Again, another consideration slapped him in the face.

Despite admittedly being a bit obsessed, he was still mentally sane.

It was a question, a question capable of tilting his odds of life and death.

“Did you make the pill?”

His question was met with an overenthusiastic nod.

Looking at her nod, his heart sank.

Right.

Seems like today will be my last.

After tasting the Nutrition Pill she made, he had absolutely zero confidence in anything made by her.

Zero confidence was a stretch, he didn't even want to be near anything she made.

If you told him the ‘nutrition pill’ was poison, he would believe it in a heartbeat.

With the taste still lingering in his mouth like an undying cockroach, there was not much he could do.

He was beginning to suspect that the only reason she generously offered him Qi Condensation was solely to test her pills on him.

“Give it to me.”

Weakly lifting his arm, he turned his wrists, his palm facing upwards, preparing for her to hand the pill over.

Despite so, he did not deny the appeal, even if the chance of death was 99%, as long as he could have a glimpse or even a delusional figment of chance, there was no way he could pass it up.

Hearing his response, her face lit up, as she happily obliged.

“Sure thing.”

Popping off the cap, an intense herbal aroma spread throughout the room.

It had an intense bitter, woody smell that couldn't exactly be called unpleasant, rather it shared some similarities to the tea earlier.

Pouring it onto her hands, instead of putting it into his palm, she grabbed it up with two fingers and placed it near his mouth.

“Open up.”

Her voice was weirdly sweet, as if feeding a child.

Yet as a grown man who has gone through the ups and downs of life, he refused to be treated that way, his mouth not budging an inch.

He was careful not to open his mouth to speak, after all, knowing her. He would sneak it into his mouth any chance she had.

“Come on, ahhh…”

She put the pill closer to his lips, yet his lips only tightened further as he backed away, tilting his head to the other direction.

A cold touch landed on his cheeks, as a strong force pushed them onwards, forcing his mouth to open as he was gagged with a pill.

“Hurghh!”

The taste was…

Surprisingly good?

It was sweet, herbal like, and somehow without even a bit of bitterness.

It had a slight woody taste, that was subtle and complimented the sweet herbal taste, with a pasty texture that coated your tongue, it wasn't bad at all.

The one thing that is bad was being forced fed a pill you wanted to eat by yourself and choking on it in an unsightly manner.

“Crack!”

It was a sound, he wasn't sure if it was a real sound, or something his mind conjured, but he knew.

He knew that something has broke.

Like a water damp.

His throat tightened, making his voice but a mere croak, his crippled body quickly convulsed, fighting against a non-existent enemy.

A enemy known as ‘time’.

His heart was pounding harder, faster, against his ribcage, producing a unpleasant ‘shaa’ sound.

It slammed violently, like a wild boar, trying to force its way out of his ribcage.

His vision was blurring, yet he could feel something leaving him.

His limbs lost all strength at once, his fingers and limbs were lifeless, yet no matter how hard he tried he couldn't move them and inch.

The more he struggled, the harder it felt.

His body collapsed backwards as he struggled for a gasp of air, the dull thud against the soft bedding felt as if a hard whack to the head.

It's leaving.

No.

It is getting torn.

My time.

My time is getting torned in chunks.

It was painful, as if something was ripping him apart bit by bit.

His breath grew shallow and frantic, as if he was choked.

In quick successions, each breath was immediately followed by the next desperate plea for air.

Tears formed around his eyes as the searing pain took hold of him.

His chest was burning, as if he was lit on fire.

Despite his vision blurred from the tears and pain, he could notice his strands of hair…

They were turning white.

Bleached by time itself, the fair, the uncaring and the impartial lord.

Am I…

Dying?

I don't want to…

I want to see…

The Spirit World.

How beautiful would it be?

What could I see?

How different would it be?

Die.

Die.

Die.

At least…

I know the taste of death.

That is…

Learning something.

A smile slowly formed on his face.

To die, is also an experience to learn from.

There is no such thing as regret.

A cold touch once again traced on his burning chest.

The sheer difference in temperature jolted him to a state of consciousness.

Not yet.

I haven't died yet!

“Stay put.”

Her words shouldn't seem trustable, yet at this moment, he complied, he fully relaxed his body, despite the searing pain, it was also relaxing.

To let pain run through yourself, no matter how unbearable rather than a futile struggle, felt weirdly relaxing.

‘Clack!’

It was a weird, extremely unpleasant sound.

It was different.

He felt an extreme chill around his body, a sharp contrast to the previous burn.

A weird feeling he could not wrap his mind around, it felt like something was moving yet nothing at all, he felt like nothing was there, yet something was there.

A detachment.

It was a pleasant escape.

He could no longer feel pain, yet he was fading.

He could feel it.

He was fading.

It was no longer ‘time’ that was eating him.

Something else was eating him alive.

He felt something leave.

The previous feeling was extreme physical pain, this wasn't pain.

This was a sign.

A feeling.

One foot in the grave.

Was this what she meant by the soul is leaving the body?

Truly mysterious!

It was a weird, unexplainable feeling that you are fading away, that you are getting wiped.

He could feel that he was falling apart, his consciousness was fading, he could barely form a coherent thought.

Is this…

Reincarnation?

He could feel himself slowly being cleaned.

A light, airy feeling.

At that point he could barely think.

All he could make out was…

Knowledge.

This is a invaluable experience!

‘Crack!’

A loud deafening crack seemed to have reset his mind.

He no longer felt as if he was floating, no longer felt as he was fading, rather, he felt grounded.

Everything was falling back in place.

He could feel a chain wrapping around him, yet he was confident that it was his soul.

A preventive measure.

Trapping the body in the soul.

This…

Chaining me to this body?

This feeling was beautiful.

His mind was extremely clear.

His thoughts were beyond coherent.

He felt as if everything and anything was possible, he felt as if he could do and think anything.

He felt a sense of clarity.

Before everything went crashing down.

His mind was shattered, he could feel he was no longer in that state.

His mind was thrown back to what it once was.

His body was once again trapped in the body, and he could not move.

Not an inch, he could no longer control a bit of himself.

He could feel it.

His heart was no longer beating, and nothing was working.

He was trapped in a dead body, with the only thing intact being his mind.

“Test!”

“Can you hear me?”

“You can't speak right now as you are in a dead body.”

“In about a while your body will revive.”

“Oh in case you are curious I am not talking to your body, the you as of now cannot hear anything.”

“I am communicating to you directly through your soul, you are incapable of replying as you cannot do soul communication yet.”

“So, before you wake up, I will start removing your eyes!”