Eternal Life by Daily Divination

"Well, the present age is different from Ancient Times, so I naturally have to be a bit stricter," the puppet said.

This set of disciple assessments was actually the Pill Cauldron Sect’s Pill Master assessment. In Ancient Times, not every disciple of the Pill Cauldron Sect was a Pill Master; they also trained disciples in skills such as Talisman crafting, Array formations, and Artifact Refining.

"Alright, enough talk. Start refining pills."

"Yes."

Li Chang’an immediately began Alchemy. With a thought, he took out that crimson Tier Four Top Grade Pill Furnace from his Storage Pouch.

The puppet let out a soft exclamation. "Oh? Daoist Ling Yuan’s Pill Furnace. It seems you’ve obtained his legacy, which already makes you half a disciple of our Pill Cauldron Sect."

Hearing this, Li Chang’an’s heart stirred. The term ’Daoist’ was not something to be thrown around casually. From the beginning until now, he had always felt that this puppet’s sentience was a bit too high, as if he were a real person from Ancient Times. However, he kept quiet. Suppressing his doubts, he began refining Tier One Elixirs.

Soon, ten Tier One Elixirs took shape. Following that, Li Chang’an smoothly refined Tier Two and Tier Three Elixirs as well. Finally, according to the puppet’s requirements, he refined ten Tier Three Top Grade Elixirs.

With this, he had passed the trial.

But the puppet noticed a clue and asked, "Brat, you’ve already become a Tier Four Alchemist, haven’t you?"

"I can’t hide anything from you, Senior," Li Chang’an answered truthfully. "This junior has indeed broken through to Tier Four in Alchemy, though it hasn’t been long since the breakthrough."

"Good kid! To think I underestimated you!" The puppet smiled, his tone changing once again, becoming much brisker. He patted Li Chang’an on the shoulder. "Knowing how to hide your strength, neither arrogant nor impatient—you’re a fine young man."

"Senior, can this junior be considered to have passed this trial?"

"You passed!"

The puppet waved his large hand, and the surrounding scenery instantly transformed. In the blink of an eye, the two found themselves in another secret chamber. In this room, there were no Jade Scrolls or other assessment items—only a wooden table and two futons.

The puppet pointed to a futon. "Sit."

"Yes." Li Chang’an immediately sat cross-legged.

The puppet sat opposite him and introduced the final trial. It was called the Heart Inquiry Gate, a trial specially set up by the Pill Cauldron Sect to test the loyalty of its disciples. But Li Chang’an was not a true disciple of the sect, nor did he know much about it.

The puppet didn’t ask about the Pill Cauldron Sect. He simply asked, "Do you know of Senior Master Dancheng?"

Li Chang’an nodded. "I do."

"What do you think of Senior Master Dancheng?"

"Senior Master Dancheng’s Alchemy Skill can be said to have reached the pinnacle; no one can compare to him. This junior only regrets being unable to follow him."

Li Chang’an answered this question with ease. He had long known through Ling Yuan’s legacy that Master Dancheng was the faith of the entire Pill Cauldron Sect. As long as he expressed reverence for him, there shouldn’t be any problems.

As expected, the puppet smiled. "Not bad, brat! You passed!"

"Senior, can I now be considered a Core Disciple of the Pill Cauldron Sect?"

"In my eyes, you are." The puppet nodded with a broad smile. He told Li Chang’an that with his talent in Alchemy, even in Ancient Times when talents emerged in great numbers, he could still be called a genius. "If the Nine Great Immortal Sects return and you face a fatal tribulation from the Ancient Wood Sect, you can seek refuge in the Pill Cauldron Sect. With your talent and my recommendation, it wouldn’t be difficult for you to take a Divinity Transformation expert as a master and become a Registered Disciple."

"Thank you, Senior," Li Chang’an thanked him once more. Then, he asked about the doubt lingering in his mind. "Senior, are you a real Cultivator?"

"Of course I am!" The puppet immediately explained his situation to Li Chang’an. He was originally a Nascent Soul Elder of the Pill Cauldron Sect. When the great tribulation occurred, he had already been away from the sect for many years on a mission. Although he didn’t know the ultimate fate of the Pill Cauldron Sect, he firmly believed it still existed.

In order to wait for the Pill Cauldron Sect’s return, he was unwilling to walk the Reincarnation Path. He asked a Mo Family Puppet Master to extract his Soul, refine it into a Puppet Spirit, and inject it into this Tier Four Top Grade Puppet. This approach meant he would lose the chance to reincarnate. However, he didn’t care.

"So what if I reincarnated? After reincarnation, I would no longer be me. I only wish to live this life with absolute clarity."

"I see." Li Chang’an understood. This Senior’s state was similar to that of the Little Cyan Dragon Mechanism Beast. The reason the Little Cyan Dragon had sentience was because a Mo Family Cultivator had extracted a Tier Four Flood Dragon Soul and injected it into the mechanism.

Once refined into a Puppet Spirit, one could exist for an extremely long time, but it couldn’t be considered true immortality. One day, they would eventually dissipate between heaven and earth. Very few people would choose to walk this path.

Li Chang’an asked again, "Senior, deep within this Secret Realm, there is a Cyan Dragon Palace. Was that palace left behind by the Pill Cauldron Sect?"

"No, that Cyan Dragon Palace existed long before the Nine Great Immortal Sects," the puppet recounted slowly. The Pill Cauldron Sect had once explored that Dragon Palace. However, there were numerous areas inside that even Divinity Transformation experts couldn’t enter. Its existence was too ancient to investigate—perhaps much older than the Great Jin Immortal Dynasty. "Are you thinking of going to the Cyan Dragon Palace for Treasure Hunting? It is fraught with danger inside. Even a Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarch risks perishing there. I advise you to drop that idea."

"Don’t worry, Senior. This junior is not a rash person."

"Yes, I can tell."

Next, the puppet spoke of some Cultivation Insights. What Li Chang’an wanted to know most, naturally, was how to overcome the Heart Demon Tribulation. However, even the Nine Great Immortal Sects didn’t have any exceptionally good methods for dealing with it.

The puppet merely said, "There are some Treasures that can simulate the Heart Demon Tribulation. If you have the chance in the future, you might be able to obtain such a Treasure. As long as you can experience the Heart Demon Tribulation once in advance, your chances of overcoming the real thing will be much greater."