There seemed to be something moving inside the cauldron, but David Thompson could never see it clearly. The only information his senses could pick up was the pungent, nauseating smell of blood coming from within.

No matter what was inside, one thing was certain: it was absolutely extremely dangerous.

“Things in hallucinations shouldn’t be able to hurt me, at least in theory. That’s never happened before.”

Even as he said this, his heart was on edge, ready to retreat back to the hospital at any moment.

“Whoosh—!” A writhing black shadow suddenly shot out from the hole, wrapped around a junior brother standing next to David Thompson, and yanked him back in.

Everyone was terrified by this scene, scrambling back to the smooth wall of the cave. If Daniel Thompson hadn’t been watching them, they probably would have run out already.

Almost everyone present now wore expressions of utter panic, trembling as they tried to guess what that thing just now had been.

But David Thompson was not among those guessing, because he had been standing closest and had seen it clearly.

It was a mass of black, fleshy substance, with clusters of short, constantly quivering black tentacles growing from its slick, sticky skin!

Just from this, David Thompson was certain that whatever Daniel Thompson was raising in this cave was definitely not something that should exist in this world.

As for what it actually was, David Thompson couldn’t guess, nor did he want to go over and take another look.

Even though he knew these things were all products of his own mind, David Thompson really wanted to understand why he would imagine such things.

David Thompson looked around at the incredibly realistic surroundings, and suddenly a terrifying thought occurred to him. “Could this horrifying, bizarre world be real?”

This thought made David Thompson’s body tremble instantly. He thought of those people who had died before—if they were real and not just his hallucinations, then if he had been grabbed by that thing just now, would he have died too?

David Thompson was almost crushed by this suffocating fear. He took several deep breaths and immediately began to counsel himself using the method taught by Dr. Thompson.

“These are all hallucinations. No matter how real they seem, they’re still hallucinations. David Thompson, you absolutely cannot get lost in these illusions again. You created them—what are you afraid of?”

“Anna Harris is still waiting for me. I can’t let her down. I can overcome all of this! I definitely can!”

After David Thompson’s self-counseling, his emotions gradually stabilized, and he was able to face everything before him calmly.

Chapter 5: Elixirs

At this moment, Daniel Thompson was completely unconcerned with what David Thompson was thinking. He was lecturing his already terrified disciples.

“From now on, if any of you have any wicked thoughts, remember what you saw today!”

Daniel Thompson’s words made everyone’s hearts clench, and the fear in their eyes grew even stronger.

With his hands behind his back, he paced in front of his disciples, his eagle-like gaze sweeping over each of their faces.

“Let me tell you, helping others become immortals is a great virtue. If I become an immortal, I certainly won’t forget your kindness. But if anyone ruins my plans—hmph!!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly stopped in front of David Thompson, sizing up this boy whose demeanor was different from the other disciples.

“You’re just a hallucination—am I supposed to be afraid of you? You’re just a thought in my head!” As David Thompson thought this, he calmly met the gaze of the scabby-headed master before him.

When Daniel Thompson raised his right hand, its fingernails caked with dirt, the atmosphere in the cave grew tense. Everyone else looked at the senior brother who dared to offend the master, waiting to see how he would be dealt with.

Unexpectedly, Daniel Thompson’s expression suddenly softened. He placed his raised right hand on David Thompson’s head and patted it, and the heavy atmosphere instantly vanished.

“Last night, those traitors invited you to leave with them. Why did you refuse?”

Though it sounded like a question for David Thompson, it was actually praise.

Just as David Thompson was about to speak, he saw Daniel Thompson raise his right hand again.

“No need for empty words. Even though you didn’t report to me in time, compared to those treacherous disciples, you’ve already done well.”

He lowered his hand and continued, “I see you have good potential. You don’t need to work in the storeroom anymore. From now on, you’ll be my registered disciple.”

David Thompson was stunned—had his status just been elevated? But he quickly realized that with so many people dying in the cave, this guy must be short on helpers.

“Oh, right. Since you’re now my disciple and have joined this sect, you need a Daoist name. From now on, your Daoist name will be Brian Thompson.”

David Thompson glanced at the round hole in the corner, and the tragic fate of the previous Brian Thompson flashed through his mind. He thought to himself, “Wow, what an unlucky name.”

Although David Thompson didn’t really care about this treatment, the others in the storeroom immediately looked at him with envy. Becoming Daniel Thompson’s registered disciple meant you wouldn’t have to die.

But in Daniel Thompson’s eyes, this still wasn’t enough. After the stick, you have to give a few more dates to keep people loyal. “Brian Thompson, since you’ve just joined the sect, I should give you a little something as well.”