WDMJST 10

Chapter 10

Dan Ding Pavilion — Alchemy with Living Humans

Early the next morning—

Lin Qingfeng logged in and opened his mission panel. The progress of the sect’s beginner guidance quest had barely reached ten percent.

Another day of hard work for the ever-diligent senior brother!

Diligence!

After some thought, he decided to take Su Ling’er to visit the Dan Ding Pavilion.

Outside the thatched hut, Su Ling’er watched Lin Qingfeng approach as promised.
She knew—her undercover life was officially beginning.

A new trial awaited, and she would not falter.

“Junior sister, did you rest well last night?”

Rest well? My foot!

Sleeping in a moldy pile of straw in a thatched shack—how could anyone “rest well”?

But outwardly, she said calmly, “It was fine.”

“Good. Today, I’ll take you to see the Dan Ding Pavilion.”

“Dan Ding Pavilion? Is that the place where pills are refined?”

Images of the Alchemy Hall at Qingxu Temple appeared in her mind.

Although outer disciples like her were forbidden from entering, she knew it was an orderly place. Even inner disciples didn’t dare raise their voices there.

But in this demonic sect… what would their alchemy halls look like?

As they walked, Lin Qingfeng began explaining with an air of profound mystery.

“Junior sister, do you know what the essence of ‘Dan’—the pill—is?”

As an outer disciple of Qingxu Temple, Su Ling’er only knew a little about alchemy. Still, she wanted to hear how a demonic sect viewed it.

“Your foolish junior sister does not. Please enlighten me, senior brother.”

Lin Qingfeng nodded solemnly.

“The pill—within, it’s the Dao of the Golden Core;
without, it’s the medicine that heals the world.
A single furnace of pill fire can temper the heart, refine the mind, and forge the essence of Heaven and Earth.
Yet… as water can carry a boat, it can also overturn it.
The Dao of Alchemy is full of change.
A single misstep can destroy the furnace, harm the alchemist, or worse—produce… unexpected things.”

Soon, an ancient-looking tower came into view. Even before they reached it, a strange odor spread through the air.

Inside—it was utter chaos.

Dozens of pill furnaces were placed haphazardly. Smoke filled the air.
The noise and disorder were nothing like the “Silence Required” signs near Qingxu Temple’s alchemy rooms.

Could anyone really refine pills properly in this mess without blowing up the furnace?

Lin Qingfeng seemed to read her mind and coughed twice.

“Ahem, this is just where ordinary disciples practice.
Those who pay enough spirit stones and make contributions to the sect can enter the Inner Pavilion, where true alchemy is performed.
There, it is much quieter.”

They stepped across an invisible threshold.
Instantly, the chaos behind them vanished.

A refined courtyard appeared before them, saturated with spiritual energy.

For a moment, Su Ling’er almost believed this was a proper alchemy hall.

Then Lin Qingfeng stopped before a pill room whose doors and windows were made of crystal stone.

From inside came a wild, manic laugh:
“Hahahaha! This is it! Just a little more and I’ll succeed!”

Through the semi-transparent window, Su Ling’er saw a tall purple-gold furnace at the center.
In front of it stood a man with disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes, laughing hysterically.

“My Human Essence Great Pill—this time, it will work!”

Su Ling’er’s gaze drifted upward, following his words—
and through the crystal top of the furnace, she saw…

a human figure.

A naked body curled within the flames.

Fire licked his skin; his entire body convulsed violently.
His mouth was open wide, yet no sound came out.

It was… a living person.

They were using a living person… to refine a pill.

The serene courtyard—just a façade.

So this was what Lin Qingfeng meant by “unexpected results”?

Using humans as alchemy ingredients?!

At that moment, Su Ling’er understood.

Her senior brother had brought her here to witness this horrifying scene—
as a warning.

That in the Guixi Sect, human life itself was nothing more than alchemy material.

Lin Qingfeng, meanwhile, hadn’t expected to run into Lu Wu experimenting today.

Still, he understood.
Players were always looking for creative shortcuts, new ways to exploit the system.

After all, much of gameplay discovery came from such “experiments.”

Lu Wu had even spent a fortune hiring someone to climb into the furnace for him,
to test how to make higher-quality pills more efficiently.

As for the man in the furnace—he wasn’t dead.
He was the same player who’d been “sacrificed” earlier by Elder Qian.

A regular test subject for alchemy and forging—
someone who took payment, stripped off his gear, and jumped right in.

To add realism—or maybe to please certain clients—
he’d even installed a Pain Simulation Mod: Convulsive Death Animation (Premium).

Honestly… it fit the mood perfectly.

Right now, he was probably half-afk, twitching while scrolling the forums.

If Lin Qingfeng had known Lu Wu was doing this today,
he’d never have brought the poor girl here.

But now… time to make something up again.

Lin Qingfeng straightened, putting on a calm, sage-like tone:

“Junior sister, there’s no need to be alarmed.
What you see before you is… a pursuit of the Dao.”

Pursuit of the Dao?

You call this a pursuit of the Dao?!

“There are thousands of paths.
Some feed their sword with their own blood until man and blade are one.
Some Buddhas feed eagles with their flesh and thus attain enlightenment.
Our Guixi Sect’s alchemy also follows the principle of ‘Enlightenment through Sacrifice.’
The one in the furnace is both the soul and the foundation of the pill.
He refines his body into the furnace, his soul into the fuel,
and through ultimate agony and destruction, he transcends life and death.
When the pill is complete, he shall be reborn—
man and pill as one.
Such willpower and devotion—rare indeed.”

He added casually,

“The same principle applies to forging weapons.”

Forging too? Su Ling’er thought in horror.
Do they use humans for that as well?!

Lin Qingfeng continued smoothly:

“As for your Senior Brother Lu Wu,
he’s burning his spirit to help his fellow disciple—this is called ‘protecting the Dao.’
Such camaraderie and devotion—do you understand, junior sister?”

Su Ling’er stared at the writhing man inside the furnace.

Cold sweat trickled down her back.

His skin was already charred, yet he still lived—perhaps thanks to some body-tempering technique.

And this monster beside her was calling it “spiritual cultivation”?
Calling this evil act “seeking enlightenment through sacrifice”?

The atrocities of this sect… truly beyond words.

But she couldn’t expose herself.
If she contradicted him, she might be the next one thrown into that furnace.

So she forced a smile.

“Is that so?
What an… extraordinary cultivation method!
Junior sister understands now. Thank you for your wise guidance, senior brother.”

Then, imitating his serious tone, she began her own nonsense:

“To use one’s body as the furnace and one’s soul as the flame—
to refine away emotions, desires, love and hatred—
until only the purest Dao remains.
Now I finally understand what it means to transcend life and death.
Thank you, senior brother, for enlightening me.”

Lin Qingfeng’s brows relaxed.

Good—this NPC wasn’t bright, but at least she was cooperative.
And she was even starting to sound philosophical!

Clearly, his teachings were effective.

Satisfied, he nodded gravely:

“Good, good.
The path of cultivation is one of suffering and sacrifice.
Though Lu Wu acts mad, his pills are the finest in the sect.
Everyone fights to get them once they’re done.
Perhaps, someday, you’ll need him to refine a pill for you too.”

Su Ling’er quickly feigned delight.

“It would be my greatest honor to receive one of Senior Brother Lu Wu’s pills!”

Honor my foot!

I’d rather die than eat something refined with human lives!

Master… I can’t take this anymore…

Lin Qingfeng, seeing her “accept” everything, nodded in approval.

“Very well.
Since you now understand our sect’s alchemy,
I’ll take you somewhere else—
the Hundred Pill Market, where our alchemists trade their creations.”

They left the chamber, the noise of the outer hall returning.

Su Ling’er followed behind, face blank.

Anywhere was better than that infernal furnace.

What if that madman decided to grab her next?

She didn’t even want to think about what horrors the “Hundred Pill Market” might hold.

But she would endure.

She had to see it all—
record every sin of this demonic sect—
and bring the truth back to Qingxu Temple!

The “Hundred Pill Market” turned out to be nothing more than a long street of makeshift stalls, set up by sect disciples.

Cries of vendors, haggling, and laughter filled the air.

It almost felt… normal.

If she hadn’t seen the horrors of the sect, she might have thought this was just a typical cultivator market.

But of course—it wasn’t.

Soon, she noticed a crowd gathered around one stall.

On it were scattered all kinds of pills.
A wooden sign read in bold letters:

“Mystery Surprise Pills! Ten spirit stones each—what you get depends on luck!”

The stall owner shouted loudly:

“Take a gamble! Turn your bike into a spirit beast!
Luck decides your fate!
If you draw a good pill, you might even disguise yourself during the upcoming Autumn Harvest Festival!
Or maybe win a spot in the Demon-Suppressing Ceremony!
Life itself is a gamble!”

Laughing disciples slammed spirit stones onto the table and swallowed pills one after another.

One burly man popped a pitch-black pill—
his eyes went blank, and he began muttering nonsense:

“#@%@~！@￥·！”

Instead of panic, his friends roared with laughter.

“Hahaha! He’s ruined! Won’t speak straight for an hour!”
“Quick, record this with a memory stone!”
“Later we’ll say: You wouldn’t want people seeing this, would you?”
“Oh heavens, you’re ruthless!”

Su Ling’er watched silently.

Autumn Harvest Festival? Demon-Suppressing Ceremony?

Suppressing demons?

You people ARE the demons!

This sect was full of lunatics.
They made poisonous pills, sold failed ones, and even turned it into entertainment.

Disciples willingly poisoned themselves, suffering grotesque effects—
for fun.

The image of the man burning inside the furnace flashed in her mind.

Lin Qingfeng had said he was “seeking enlightenment through sacrifice.”
She hadn’t believed it.

But now… looking at these deranged people,
she wasn’t so sure anymore.

A group of lunatics who willingly became ingredients—
who chose pain and called it glory—

What kind of sect was this?
How did they brainwash their disciples so completely?

Lin Qingfeng’s calm voice interrupted her thoughts:

“Junior sister, this too is a kind of cultivation.
What does a cultivator seek? To pierce illusion and find the true self.
In this absurd theater, they temper their hearts.
The body’s suffering and others’ ridicule—mere illusions.
This is… cultivation within the mortal dust.”

Su Ling’er was beyond speech.

Mortal dust cultivation? Really?

Fine, call it that if you want.

Eat poison, suffer, and call it enlightenment—
sure, why not.

Was the world insane… or was she?

But now she finally understood how to please this “senior brother.”

She clasped her hands reverently.

“I have… understood, senior brother.
All forms are illusion—only truth remains.
True cultivation is not seclusion or struggle against Heaven,
but immersing oneself in this great cauldron of chaos—
enduring a thousand pains, a hundred trials—
yet preserving the spark of true self within.
Thank you, senior brother, for showing me the Way.”

Lin Qingfeng nodded in satisfaction.

She was learning fast!
A perfect candidate for sect indoctrination.

“Excellent, junior sister. Such comprehension is rare indeed.”

Su Ling’er lifted her gaze toward the noisy crowd.

Fear, disgust, contempt—
all slowly condensed into numb curiosity.

This sect defied everything she’d known about cultivation.
Its truth… must be terrifying.

For the sake of the world, for her temple,
and for her own distant dream of Foundation Establishment—

She had to stay.

To keep watching.

Lin Qingfeng, seeing her deep in thought, decided it was time for the next stop.

After all, the Weapon Forging Pavilion was where even the talentless could walk the path of immortality!

He cleared his throat.

“Since you have gained some insight, junior sister—
next, I’ll take you to see our Guixi Sect’s…
Forging Pavilion!”

【Reality World】

[News Bulletin]

According to a report from Derke Agency, several organizations—
including New Spiritual Home—
have come under joint investigation by multiple nations’ financial and security departments.

These groups, operating under names like “Spiritual Growth” and “Potential Development,”
are being closely scrutinized for their core members and funding sources.

The report did not specify the reason for these investigations.