[{"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-23":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},2334949,4565,"Chapter 23: Chapter Twenty-Three: Testing the Rabbits","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-23",23,"\u003Cp>Perhaps it was the blessing of the God of Fortune. Suddenly, a flash of spiritual insight pierced Han Li’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dashed swiftly toward the bag tossed far away, covered the distance in a few leaps, bent down, snatched up the bag, and in a flash tore open its mouth to pull out the amulet his parents had given him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment his palm touched the amulet, a refreshing sensation, penetrating deep into his body and soul, flowed from his palm. Han Li’s restless heart instantly calmed; his earlier gloom and discomfort vanished completely, and all abnormal sensations within his body ceased on their own—everything returned to normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Han Li paid no further attention to any changes within himself; he gently cradled the amulet in one palm, held it beneath his eyelids, and with his other hand softly, slowly stroked it, fixing his entire being on its gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, Han Li sighed, stopped stroking it, and turned his gaze away from the amulet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li did not know that this near-fatal ordeal was not “qi deviation,” but “heart demon intrusion”—a trial faced by cultivators. Had he not acted swiftly enough, using an external object to expel the heart demon in time, he would soon have been invaded by it, his primordial spirit taken over, plunged into illusions, and forced to dance himself to death. Of course, he would only learn all this later, when he truly embarked on the path of cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li checked his entire body through cultivation, found no issues, and was astonished to discover his cultivation base had grown significantly—even if he had not yet broken through from the third level to the fourth, he had reached its peak, and the threshold to the next level was now within reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint smile appeared on Han Li’s face at this unexpected boon, but he quickly suppressed his inner excitement. He feared that emotional instability might trigger another terrifying qi deviation—he had no confidence he could survive a second such ordeal unscathed. He grasped the leather pouch containing the amulet, preparing to return the amulet—now proven invaluable—to its pouch and store it safely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh!” Han Li unexpectedly spotted an item he had long forgotten—a cherished keepsake he had kept for years: the mysterious little bottle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The matter of this little bottle had been entirely erased from Han Li’s memory; had he not seen it again now, he would never have recalled it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to four years ago, Han Li’s knowledge and discernment had vastly improved—he had greatly expanded his understanding by reading every book in Master Mo’s study, and his mind had grown sharper through practicing the cultivation incantations. Now, he could easily deduce from the bottle’s past anomalies that it was a rare marvel of the world, endowed with extraordinary functions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His task now was simple: fully uncover the bottle’s value, determine whether it could serve him, and not let its mysterious power remain buried in the pouch, wasted uselessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li took out the bottle but did not rush to open it; instead, he re-examined it with the eyes of the man he had become after four years, searching for anything he might have overlooked before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But sadly, after turning it over and inspecting it repeatedly, he found no new details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li ceased wasting time. He carefully unscrewed the cap—the single drop of emerald-green liquid inside still rested quietly at the bottom, unchanged from four years prior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li knew well that all the bottle’s secrets likely resided in this tiny drop of green liquid; it must possess some special property he had yet to discover. To uncover its mystery, he would have to find small animals and conduct cruel experiments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was night now, pitch dark outside—impractical to go out hunting for living creatures. Moreover, after the turmoil of the afternoon and the early night, Han Li was exhausted. Even if he found something, under the dim lantern light of night, how could he possibly observe the precise changes of the experiment? It would all be in vain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After careful consideration, Han Li decided to sleep—rest thoroughly tonight. He would conduct the experiment tomorrow, once his spirit was fully restored. Perhaps a great surprise awaited him after tonight—he hoped so as he lay down to sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, after washing and grooming, Han Li went to the main kitchen outside the valley to eat a simple breakfast. When Master Mo was still on the mountain, he had ordered kitchen staff to personally deliver meals to Divine Hand Valley; Han Li, basking in Master Mo’s favor, never had to leave the valley for food—the cooks always brought his portion along. Now that Master Mo had left Seven Mysteries Sect, the kitchen staff naturally no longer delivered meals—Han Li could not help but sigh at the kitchen overseer’s opportunism, and bitterly lament the power of influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing breakfast, Han Li did not leave the kitchen immediately. He found the kitchen overseer, spent a few silver coins, and exchanged them for two lively, hopping gray-furred wild rabbits, which he brought back to Divine Hand Valley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in the valley, Han Li tied the rabbits with rope to a spacious spot in the herb garden, leaving them exposed to the sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the rabbits grew listless and parched from the heat, he fetched a large white porcelain bowl, carefully poured the green liquid from the bottle into it, then added some ordinary clear water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pea-sized drop of green liquid dissolved effortlessly into the water, turning the entire bowl a vivid emerald green. The lush green hue, upon sight, instinctively brought a deep chill rising from one’s very core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li lifted the diluted solution and approached the thirsty rabbits, placing the bowl beside them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rabbits, long parched, rushed forward immediately, clustering around the bowl and gulping down the water in large mouthfuls. Han Li, unwilling to let them drink too much at once, removed the bowl when about half had been consumed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, holding the bowl aside, he waited patiently for the rabbits’ reaction, watching for any unusual changes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long passed—only the time of one incense stick—when the rabbits began hopping frantically, their movements growing increasingly erratic and violent. Then astonishing changes appeared on their bodies: egg-sized lumps began swelling beneath their fur, multiplying rapidly, gradually covering their entire bodies. Soon, the lumps merged into one continuous mass, making their bodies appear as if they had swollen unnaturally by a full third—comically disproportionate to their small heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rabbits’ bloated bodies lasted only a brief moment before slowly, steadily expanding further. As time passed, the rate of inflation accelerated; it was as if some gas were being relentlessly pumped into them, stretching them larger and rounder. In the end, their bodies had ballooned into two enormous, taut spheres—like two giant watermelons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li was startled by the grotesque transformation of the rabbits before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What unfolded before him utterly defied his expectations. If the unknown liquid had been a lethal poison or a spirit herb to enhance cultivation, that would have been expected, within his imagination. But he never imagined such a horrifying sight—the rabbits’ bodies had swelled as if inflated by human breath, becoming monstrously grotesque.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>web\u003C\u002Fp>",1210,"2026-06-20T21:12:45.940Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b4875856045948deb7c259736ac08ed63aa2da56759bf93af0db59969e67bf24","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-24","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-22",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-cover.jpg"]