[{"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-31":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},2334957,4565,"Chapter 31","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-31",31,"\u003Cp>Han Li’s heart was a tangle of chaos—fear, regret, and utter confusion. Despite delaying until now, he still couldn’t think of a way out; he was beginning to panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was still young, unable to match the seasoned cunning of Master Mo. His forced composure betrayed itself—the fine beads of sweat on his forehead exposed him as the paper tiger he was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Mo did not miss a single flicker of expression on Han Li’s face; he was pleased with the immense pressure he had applied, for he had always believed that only when one’s spirit was unguarded could true words be forced from the lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You think I’m deliberately slacking off, delaying my cultivation progress?” Han Li was stunned by this sudden accusation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course. Two years and you still haven’t mastered the fourth level—do you really think I can’t see through your little tricks? The first three levels took you only three years. Even if the fourth is harder, without medicinal aid, you shouldn’t have made zero progress in two full years.” Master Mo spoke coldly, his eyebrows bristling upright, radiating lethal intent—as if he had long resented Han Li and was only now unleashing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems no matter how I explain, Master Mo won’t believe me.” Han Li silently sneered—he never imagined that concealing his progress was what had brought him to this predicament. He had truly picked up a stone only to drop it on his own foot. He didn’t know whether it had been right or wrong to provoke Master Mo’s outburst and expose the truth so early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Say no more. I don’t care whether your past actions were real or fake. Listen well—I’ll ask you only one question: give you one more year, can you bring the Changchun Art to the fourth level?” Master Mo sneered, slowly uttering the most important words of the day, then fixed his gaze on Han Li without blinking, waiting solemnly for his answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li was fully aware: his answer would determine not only whether Master Mo lived another year, but whether he himself would survive right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know perfectly well I can’t give you any other answer. Come, first unseal my acupoints.” Han Li suddenly relaxed, his tone turning light and careless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Master Mo’s expression softened, a hint of approval flickering in his eyes—but he did not move to unseal Han Li’s points. Instead, he carefully withdrew from his robe a square, exquisitely carved sandalwood box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your word alone isn’t enough. What if you’re putting on a show—pretending to cultivate while secretly slacking? What’s the difference from before? For both our sakes, we need an extra layer of security.” He spoke with a sinister tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carefully opening the lid, a white pill rested quietly in the center of the box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Mo jabbed a finger at Han Li, unsealing his acupoints. Before Han Li could move, he thrust the box into his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re clever—you don’t need me to waste words. You know what to do.” Master Mo narrowed his eyes, smiling with ill intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li flexed his numb hands and feet, said nothing, reached out, took the sandalwood box, and with two fingers gently plucked out the pill. Right before Master Mo’s eyes, without so much as glancing at it, he swallowed it down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Clap! Clap! Good. A wise man knows when to yield. Help me return to normal, and I’ll reward you handsomely. I won’t flatter you with empty promises—there’s no way I can take you as a disciple now, our rift is too deep. But I can guarantee you a lifetime of wealth and honor.” Master Mo clapped his hands several times, making a sincere and heavy promise to Han Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now tell me what this pill does—so I don’t unknowingly break a taboo and lose my life.” Han Li’s face was expressionless, showing not the slightest sign of being moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh. This pill is called the ‘Corpse Worm Pill.’ It’s not real medicine, but a larval egg grown through a secret method. After you swallow it, it will lie dormant inside you for a year. Don’t worry—in that year, it’s completely harmless and won’t disrupt your daily life. At the end of the year, if you take the specially prepared antidote, it will dissolve safely, leaving no trace. But if you don’t take the antidote after a year… hehe! The egg will absorb enough nourishment, hatch, and devour every organ inside your body—gut by gut, organ by organ—leaving you to scream in unbearable agony for three days and three nights before you finally die.” Master Mo spoke casually about the pill’s horror, secretly warning Han Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the pill’s cruelty, Han Li trembled slightly, his face turning ghastly, barely holding back his fury. But Master Mo’s final weapon had yet to be revealed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the way, I heard you have many family members at home. Is the silver you send each month still enough? If not, just ask me—I care deeply for your kin.” Master Mo spoke slowly, his words heavy with meaning. Only now did he truly bare his fangs, striking Han Li at his most vulnerable point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Han Li’s face had turned ashen—he could no longer maintain the tranquil, unmoving state described in the texts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his last shred of willpower, he clenched his lips, terrified that he might curse aloud or beg pitifully. He knew full well: no matter how much he pleaded or threatened, Master Mo would never relinquish this greatest leverage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rest assured—I will reach the fourth level within a year.” Han Li gritted his teeth, speaking each word slowly, no longer hiding his hatred for Master Mo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under this naked threat, he could only submit—for now. He could not bring himself to abandon his parents, to ignore their lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that his fatal weakness had been seized, Han Li had to abandon even the thought of a final, desperate struggle to drag Master Mo down with him. In this first confrontation with Master Mo, he had been utterly defeated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing Han Li’s submission, Master Mo exhaled a long, heavy breath of relief. His own tension had been no less than Han Li’s—he had merely masked it with his shifting, eerie expressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This Changchun Art is truly sinister. That brat is so young, yet so hard to control.” Inside, Master Mo cursed bitterly—whether out of envy or jealousy, he could not say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, while the Changchun Art did have some effect in purifying the marrow and sharpening the mind, its actual power depended on the cultivator. Han Li was naturally far more mature and intelligent than ordinary youths his age; after cultivating the Changchun Art, his intellect and cunning had far surpassed those of any ordinary boy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>WM website\u003C\u002Fp>",1129,"2026-06-20T21:12:45.940Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f9ef86164207c34bb3447cc49f14d08a395938ff86a5290b469d6e2533b69fca","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-32","a-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-chapter-30",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-mortal-s-journey-to-immortality-cover.jpg"]