[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality":3,"chapter-a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-10":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","A Mortal's Journey to Immortality",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2334936,4565,"Chapter 10","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-10",10,"\u003Cp>Han Li slowly walked out of Shenshou Valley, following the mountain path, as was his habit, heading toward the faintly visible Chishui Peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no important business at the moment; for the past few days, he had been arriving punctually at Zhang Tie’s place each day simply to watch Zhang Tie’s grotesque grimaces while training beneath the waterfall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Elephant Armor Art” was truly not something an ordinary person could endure; even the first level required such intense suffering—how much worse would the later levels be, likely stripping a man down to his bones?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhang Tie must be regretting it by now,” Han Li mused as he walked, idly kicking fallen leaves and branches on the ground with his foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After a few more days, the two of us will beg Master Mo for mercy and get Zhang Tie switched to another art, sparing him this torment.” Han Li felt a flicker of satisfaction at having found his friend a way out of his current suffering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li looked up at the trees on either side of the path; it was late autumn, and all the trees stood bare, their branches stripped bare. The path was piled high with thick layers of fallen leaves and dead twigs, soft and uncomfortable underfoot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, faint clashing sounds of weapons drifted from a nearby peak, occasionally mixed with loud cheers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing these sounds, Han Li glanced again at the peak, and his slightly improved mood soured once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the training seniors of the Hundred-Forging Hall instructing new disciples in weapon combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time Han Li saw other disciples gathered together, training with real blades and spears, his heart ached—he too longed to pick up a real sword or spear and wield them fiercely. But for some reason, ever since he formally became Master Mo’s disciple, Master Mo had strictly forbidden him from touching any weapons and barred him from learning other martial arts elsewhere, claiming it would hinder his progress in the cultivation incantations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Han Li could only watch enviously; occasionally, he’d sneak and borrow a few weapons from close fellow disciples, swinging them a few times just to satisfy his craving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What good was this incantation he was cultivating? So far, he hadn’t seen any benefit. Meanwhile, all the other disciples who entered with him were growing stronger by the day, their martial skills advancing rapidly, while he remained stagnant, showing no change whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Zhang Tie, who had only trained the “Elephant Armor Art” for two months, had grown tougher-skinned and more resilient, his strength vastly increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet if Master Mo hadn’t taken him in, he might never have passed the probationary disciple test two months ago, let alone stayed on the mountain to send so much money home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine—if I can’t learn other arts, then I won’t learn them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li grumbled inwardly while trying to comfort himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li pulled his gaze back from afar, still muttering to himself, but his spirit grew even more listless; his vacant eyes scanned the sides of the path, not even knowing what he was looking at.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Han Li gasped sharply, his expression twisting, then nearly grinning from ear to ear. He reflexively crouched down, clutching his right big toe with both hands, then collapsed half onto the grass, writhing in pain—the sudden, searing agony had knocked him flat. His face paled, and a piercing pain throbbed repeatedly from his big toe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed he had accidentally kicked a very hard stone buried beneath the leaf pile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li bent over, hugging his ankle, unconsciously blowing hard through his lips at his injured toe through the cloth shoe, while inwardly worrying whether the injury was severe—whether his big toe would swell and bruise, impairing his daily walking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, the pain finally subsided. He lifted his neck, scanning the leaf pile near his feet, searching for the culprit responsible for his suffering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leaves scattered across the ground were all the same dull color—brownish-yellow—and he couldn’t possibly pick out his target from the chaotic pile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li frowned, fumbled blindly with his hand on the ground, grabbed a relatively thick, long branch, leaned on it, and carefully stood up on his tiptoes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, unwilling to give up, he used the branch to vigorously rake through the thick layers of leaves around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh! A fist-sized object was pried loose by the branch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li examined it closely: the culprit behind his humiliating injury was a round, slender-necked bottle. Its surface was caked with dirt, completely turned to a muddy gray, revealing no trace of its original color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li had assumed it was a small porcelain bottle, but when he picked it up, he found its weight was wrong—dense and heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Made of metal? No wonder such a small object had struck his foot with such force. But a metal bottle was rare indeed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li now felt intrigued by the little bottle, temporarily forgetting the pain in his foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rubbed the dirt off the bottle’s neck, revealing its original color—a lustrous green, very beautiful, adorned with intricate, ink-green leaf-like patterns. A small cap sealed the mouth tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it contain something inside? He held the bottle to his ear and shook it gently—no movement detected within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He placed his hand on the cap and twisted hard—unmovable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li’s curiosity deepened; he was about to proceed with the next step when sudden, sharp pain shot up from his foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dammit! How could he have forgotten—the lingering consequences of his contact with this object?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this injury, he clearly couldn’t go to Zhang Tie’s place. He should return to his quarters, apply some ointment, and then carefully examine this unexpected little bottle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, Han Li, to avoid being seen, didn’t mind how filthy the object was—he shoved the bottle into his bosom, turned around, and limped back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Web\u003C\u002Fp>",985,"2026-06-20T21:12:45.940Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a9b14abd7b63bf9995676040807bf6d5d3e82cd7d71784d7454f0d4c1beee286","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-11","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-9",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-cover.jpg"]