There was a flash of determination in Zhao Jiuge’s eyes. He quickly grabbed the black jade bottle from Jian Wuxian and poured the liquid inside into his mouth. Then he threw the black jade bottle into the air and jumped into the green cold pool below without any hesitation.

There was no fragrance or a sense of coolness when he drank the Marrow and Meridian Cleansing Soup. It was rather pungent, and soon, a burning sensation filled his body.

The sound of the waterfall echoed in his ears along with the sound of his body falling down. It would be a lie to say that Zhao Jiuge was not afraid at all. He was trying his best not to show it, but his pale face betrayed him. However, his eyes were still filled with determination.

What made him decide to jump down was what Jian Wuxian had said. Given his current situation, it was unlikely he would get far.

Those words had knocked on his heart like thunder, as this was the thing he feared the most. He was willing to pay any price, and he was only afraid that he would be powerless and gain no return in the end. Moreover, his own teacher would not harm him. Although the situation was terrifying, as long as he didn’t die, it was an opportunity that he had to grasp!

He wanted to let others know that in order to gain strength, he was willing to risk his life! However, would Jian Wuxian let him down? Of course not!

At this moment, the faces of different people appeared in Zhao Jiuge’s mind. Su Su, Bo Re, Bai Qingqing, and even Fu Hongling. These were all people that had pushed him to make this decision.

…….

The purple-robed Jian Wuxian stood at the edge of the cliff. He was slightly shocked about how determined Zhao Jiuge was, but he soon calmed down.

At this moment, the sky was already dark, so Jian Wuxian’s face could not be seen clearly anymore when the mountain wind blew by.

“So what if your talent is average? So what if there wasn’t much time?”

After a brief moment of silence, Jian Wuxian smiled and said, “You are worthy of being my disciple. Even I struggled for a long time before going down.”

Then silence filled the peak. Jian Wuxian was thinking about what this disciple of his had encountered in the past to be able to make this kind of decision so quickly in order to gain strength.

Was it to live without being suppressed, or to be able to travel the world and be above all others?

“AHHH….”

A miserable cry broke this silence. This cry seemed to come from Zhao Jiuge. Even Jian Wuxian felt his heart tear from this miserable cry. He had experienced it before, and only he knew how painful the process was.

……

Zhao Jiuge saw the various plants on the side of the cliff quickly pass by while he fell, then he landed inside the pool.

His legs fell inside first and soon his skin and flesh began to melt until only his bones remained!

At this moment, the Marrow and Meridian Cleansing Soup came into effect. A hot stream of energy quickly flowed through his body and covered him in a dark yellow light.

The body-tempering effect of the previous two medications Zhao Jiuge had taken disappeared and was replaced by the effect of this soup.

What Jian Wuxian had said was that the Marrow and Meridian Cleansing Soup was made from over 100 precious herbs, all of them perfect for tempering the body. Some were so rare that even with Jian Wuxian’s status, he felt his heart ache.

There were three priceless herbs that were part of the soup, and only those three could protect Zhao Jiuge’s life. Otherwise, no matter how good the Marrow and Meridian Cleansing Soup was, what good would it do if he died?

The Soaring Dragon Crystal Marrow: an extremely rare material from a powerful spirit beast. It could clean the marrow and make your body more resilient.

Nine Lotus Demonic Red Grass: a strange spirit herb that could regrow flesh and bones and provide blood. For mortals, it could bring one back from the brink of death.

Scarlet Phoenix Blood: blood from a spirit beast called the Scarlet Phoenix. It had the ability to protect one’s heart and keep them alive.

All three of these were extremely rare. You might get lucky and Nine Lotus Demonic Red Grass while outside, or find someone who has it. However, both the Soaring Dragon and Scarlet Phoenix were extremely powerful spirit beasts. Even Jian Wuxian himself could only flee if he encountered them. He had to use his status as the Head Teacher of the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect to obtain them from the Treasure Pavilion.

At this moment, the Scarlet Phoenix Blood protected Zhao Jiuge’s heart, ensuring he wouldn’t die. The Soaring Dragon Crystal Marrow continuously cleansed Zhao Jiuge’s body, removing all impurities. Finally, the Nine Lotus Demonic Red Grass constantly restored Zhao Jiuge’s body.

Whenever Zhao Jiuge’s limbs were corroded by the miasma, the power of the Nine Lotus Demonic Red Grass would erupt and help him regenerate.

Zhao Jiuge felt pain worse than death; he wished he could die so he wouldn’t have to suffer this pain. However, whenever his body was corroded to a certain point, the warm energy inside his body would erupt and regenerate his body. Each time this happened, his body was tempered to become even stronger.

Just like this, the green light from the cold pool and the dark yellow spirit light coming from Zhao Jiuge’s body fought each other for control over his body.

Zhao Jiuge was the one suffering, and the pain he felt was indescribable. How he wished he could faint or just die, but he couldn’t. He could only watch his body corrode, then the dark yellow light would cause his body to regenerate.

Then the entire green pool completely surrounded Zhao Jiuge’s body. His miserable cries slowly weakened until they disappeared.

Zhao Jiuge seemed to have become tired of screaming, and his aura was very weak now. If it wasn’t for his breathing, people would think he had died.

The night gradually shrouded the cold pool and the mountain. With the help of the moonlight, one could only see Jian Wuxian standing there. The sounds of the waterfall and wind echoed.

In the end, Jian Wuxian was still worried about Zhao Jiuge, so he stood guard here overnight. From his previous experience, this process would take about a month or so. It depended on each person, and the worse their physique, the longer it would take, but the better the effect.

What Jian Wuxian hadn’t told Zhao Jiuge was that when he joined the sect, he was even worse than Zhao Jiuge. He had no strength and no talent. He was worse than both his senior brother, Jian Wuxie, and his junior brother, Jian Wuxuan. In the end, he relied on this in order to accomplish what he had today.

This was why he had asked why so few people reached the top. Because aside from one’s roots and talent, a determined heart was the most important factor. How could someone continue down this long path without a determined heart? It was due to this determination and paying a price other people weren’t willing to pay that he was able to come this far! 

It was not possible to clearly see Jian Wuxian’s face in the darkness, but a sudden sigh revealed the inner turmoil in his heart.

The green bubbles had disappeared from the cold pool below. One could only occasionally see flashes of green or dark yellow light.

Just like this, the sun rose and set, and more than one month passed. Zhao Jiuge’s movements were getting smaller and smaller, and even his breathing was becoming weaker. Jian Wuxian had guarded this place for a whole month, but he wasn’t anxious. It was as if everything was going as he expected.

Zhao Jiuge no longer looked human inside the cold, green pool. His body was wrapped in layers of thick, bloody scabs. He was like a caterpillar ready to break its cocoon to become a butterfly.

When his final breath disappeared, Jian Wuxian glanced at the cold pool. Then spirit light covered his body and he rushed into the pool. He didn’t use any external items, he directly stepped on air.

When Jian Wuxian closed in on the cold pool, the bubbling water split apart. In the middle was Zhao Jiuge, who was currently a blood-soaked, oval-shaped object.

Jian Wuxian’s right hand reached out and grabbed the oval object, then he flew toward the Mysterious Heaven Temple.

……

Mysterious Heaven Temple, main hall.

Jian Wuxian had a smile and said to the wrapped Zhao Jiuge, “Still not willing to come out?”

However, there was no response from Zhao Jiuge for a while. Finally, the layers of bloody scabs fell off and a crystal-clear arm stretched out. Slowly, a whole person was revealed. Zhao Jiuge still hadn't gotten used to the sudden change.

Jian Wuxian’s gaze swept Zhao Jiuge and he nodded. He was satisfied. Right now, Zhao Jiuge was like a different person. There were occasional flashes of light between his eyebrows, and his roots and body had changed drastically.

These were only the external changes. Zhao Jiuge quickly checked his body and found that his spirit force was flowing through his meridians much more smoothly now. Even the rate at which he absorbed spirit force had increased significantly. This shocked him.

Zhao Jiuge still had the same features, but he was different from before. He was now a very beautiful and handsome young man.

“Go clean yourself and change your clothes. We’ll have a detailed talk once you come back.” Jian Wuxian waved his hand.

Only now did Zhao Jiuge realize that his clothes had completely corroded. Fortunately, his storage ring and the Pi Xue Jade Token were still there. Since he was naked, he saw how crystal-clear his skin was. Zhao Jiuge was surprised; it was as if all the impurities in his body had been expelled.

A moment later, Zhao Jiuge put on the black clothes Fu Hongling had made for him. Even Jian Wuxian’s eyes lit up. Zhao Jiuge was no longer like the ordinary youth from before. He now had an ethereal temperament about him, and his every movement was filled with spirit force.

Zhao Jiuge smiled faintly. He seemed to have noticed the earth-shattering changes. Although he had suffered a lot during the last month, thinking about it now, he found that it was all worth it.