Bei Chudao was extremely uneasy. Qin Chuan hadn't made a move, and for him, Qin Chuan's inaction was enough to cause him endless headaches.
Bei Chushao wasn't in much better shape; he had a plan, but the lack of action rendered it meaningless.
For a time, everyone was in a delicate situation. The Bei Chu family head was waiting, giving Bei Chudao a few more days, otherwise it would leave a bad reputation within the family.
After all, they were nominally brothers, and although their hearts weren't close, they were still family. Disciplining Bei Chudao without a suitable reason would inevitably lead to gossip.
He still held considerable influence within the family; how could someone so ruthless to his own family treat others?
This made him vulnerable in family competition. For example, if a loyal and righteous person emerged in the family and gained competitive strength, his position would be in jeopardy.
…
Qin Chuan's inaction wasn't due to knowledge of any traps or dangers, but rather because he was currently undergoing a breakthrough.
These past few days, Qin Chuan has been refining pills using a formula given to him by Zhao Han. The formula has no name, but it outlines the effects and required ingredients.
Unfortunately, he's repeatedly failed in the refining process because he doesn't know the correct order.
Fortunately, Zhao Han has enough materials for this pill, and Qin Chuan also has some, though not all.
So, he's been trying for the past few days because if he succeeds in refining this pill, he can at least reach the Great Perfection of the Immortal Emperor Realm.
This is why Qin Chuan keeps trying despite repeated failures.
The required materials are numerous and the order is complex, making success difficult and requiring an enormous amount of time and materials.
However, Qin Chuan is different. He has his own method, allowing him to experiment slowly. His foundation in alchemy and understanding of medicinal properties allows him to eliminate many possible sequences.
Therefore, refining the pill is relatively simpler for him, at least not so hopeless.
In truth, only Qin Chuan knows that as long as the house is real, he will definitely succeed.
However, the failures were far too frequent. At first, it was manageable; the
first dozen or so ingredients were fixed, but afterwards, Qin Chuan had to figure it out himself. The failure rate was very high. If it were any other alchemist, they would probably fail countless times with the first dozen or so. Qin Chuan had no problems with the first dozen or so, failing even once. It was only after that,
relying on trial and error, that one mistake led to immediate failure.
Based on the properties of the last herb, Qin Chuan could eliminate many unusable ones and remove those with poor fusion effects.
This left only those with good medicinal properties, from which he could select the best—those with the best effect considering all the drawbacks.
This method was surprisingly effective, but even so, there were still constant failures. However, at least the refining process was progressing steadily and quickly.
After a week, Qin Chuan had reached the last ten or so herbs. He breathed a sigh of relief; with only the last ten or so, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would know whether it was successful within half a day.
Qin Chuan was very uneasy, truly afraid of failure. If he failed, all of this would be in vain. But now was not the time to think about such things; he had to try first. Success or failure, he would only know by trying.
Ding!
Three hours later, a crisp sound rang out, and a faint halo appeared on the Chaos Furnace, sacred and solemn.
Hmm?
Success!
Although Qin Chuan was certain he had succeeded and was very surprised, having great confidence in his alchemy skills, this success was still a pleasant surprise.
After all, he didn't even know if the pill formula was genuine. What if he knew it all, used all the ingredients, and still couldn't form a pill, or it was just a broken formula? That would be speechless.
Fortunately, he succeeded, so Qin Chuan became happier and happier.
Two pills!
The yield rate was extremely low, only two pills, but it was enough. Each person could only use it once in their lifetime.
Moreover, the cultivation level had to be suitable. Perfect, one for him and one for Zhao Han.
Qin Chuan looked at the pill in his hand, whose name he didn't know. It was the size of a fingertip, golden with a hint of blood red, sacred with a hint of the eerie.
Qin Chuan smiled. This pill was miraculous, its effects fluctuating depending on the user's individual progress.
Only those at the Immortal Emperor realm could use it, but not those exceeding the Immortal Emperor realm. At the very least, it could achieve the peak of the Immortal Emperor realm, and ideally, a half-step Quasi-Immortal Emperor.
Qin Chuan was already at the high-level Immortal Emperor realm. Consuming this pill would give him
a significant chance of reaching the half-step Quasi-Immortal Emperor realm. Of course, even reaching the peak of the Immortal Emperor realm at the very least would be good; this pill had already given Qin Chuan a huge shortcut.
Without hesitation, Qin Chuan swallowed one of the pills. Instantly, a surge of powerful energy rose from his dantian.
Whoosh!
All 36,000 pores on his body opened, and wisps of spiritual energy gathered from heaven and earth, flying towards Qin Chuan and forming a vortex around his body.
Anyone present would be astonished; the spiritual energy was almost visible to the naked eye.
Lightning crackled in the sky.
A life-or-death tribulation had arrived.
Qin Chuan was already at the Great Perfection realm of the Immortal Emperor realm. The gathering of lightning indicated that further progress was extremely difficult.
Still not reaching the half-step Quasi-Immortal Emperor realm?
Qin Chuan was a little disappointed, actually because he was dissatisfied. This pill could at least reach the Perfected Immortal Emperor realm, and ideally, the half-step Quasi-Immortal Emperor realm.
There was also the Great Perfected Immortal Emperor realm in between.
That meant three possible outcomes: high, medium, and low. Qin Chuan was currently in the medium range, which displeased him. After all, he had a lot of confidence in his physique, but being only in the medium range wasn't the best result, so naturally he was somewhat unwilling.
However, lightning had already begun to appear, indicating that further advancement was difficult. But Qin Chuan was now just a tiny bit away from reaching the half-step Quasi-Immortal Emperor realm.
And his strength was still increasing.
The current life-and-death tribulation was to consolidate his strength, so if the tribulation came, it would solidify his Great Perfected Immortal Emperor realm.
*Snap!*
Qin Chuan's eyes lit up. A certain gateway in his body opened, and a surge of energy exploded within him.
Qin Chuan was a little dizzy. Was this the power of a half-step Quasi-Immortal Emperor?
Because Qin Chuan has now broken through to the half-step Quasi-Immortal Emperor level, and now the tribulation of life and death has arrived. Only by passing the tribulation of life and death can he stabilize this realm; otherwise, failure will directly bring him back to his original form and return him to his previous state.
Therefore, Qin Chuan was very worried and on high alert. After all, even if his strength didn't revert to its original state, failing to overcome this life-or-death tribulation meant certain death, with negligible chances of survival.
Boom! Boom!
Dense bolts of lightning struck, and Qin Chuan leaped and dodged them with ease, absorbing the lightning to solidify his current strength.
Everything went smoothly, one bolt after another…
until the very last bolt, when something unexpected happened. Qin Chuan saw a thunder beast within the lightning.
A thunder beast formed of golden lightning, slowly ascending like a mountain, exuding a terrifying aura, as if it were about to devour someone.
Qin Chuan was stunned. This was the first time he'd encountered such a situation—a thunder beast amidst his life-or-death tribulation?
What should he do?
Absorb it? Dodge it?
Or destroy it?