Chapter 701 397: Alchemy

With the destruction of the Demon Sect, the Qin Sect naturally became the foremost power under the heavens. Under Qin Yuesheng's arrangements, the Great Tang Dynasty was smoothly changed to the Great Qin Dynasty, with Sanhuang ascending the throne as Emperor.

Since he had become Emperor, it was no longer fitting to be called Sanhuang, such a name neither rustic nor elegant, so Qin Yuesheng simply had him take "San" out of "Sanhuang," making him Qin Huang.

The Qin Sect and the Great Qin Imperial City unified both sides; led by Qin Yuesheng, the Qin family could be said to have completely ruled all nine provinces under Heaven.

This was just the very beginning. If the Qin Sect were given a few more years to develop, it was certain that they would grow even stronger, ultimately becoming impenetrable and flawless.

Qin Feng recruited people widely, spreading the Qin family's merchant guild far and wide. Within a year, no matter where one went, shops belonging to the Qin family would surely be seen everywhere.

With the backing of the Qin Sect and the Great Qin Dynasty, no new merchant guild could hope to develop as rapidly as the Qin family's guild.

Ever since the battle with the Demon Divinity, Qin Yuesheng's bottleneck had loosened further. He could vaguely sense a powerful force approaching, its aura enveloping him, clearly targeting him as its mark.

This force was not hostile, yet the sense of impending crisis pressed on Qin Yuesheng's shoulders like a mountain at all times.

As someone who had once conversed with Immortals, Qin Yuesheng knew in his heart that this was a sign the Celestial Thunder Tribulation, the Ascension trial, would soon descend.

The Saint Wheel Realm was the pinnacle of mortal strength, and few reached it even in a thousand years. Beyond that was crossing the tribulation—ascending to the immortal world and becoming an Immortal.

That crossing was the Celestial Thunder Tribulation.

When the thunder tribulation strikes, if one passes, one becomes immortal; if not, one ends as nothing but dust and ashes.

As Heaven's tribulation approached, Qin Yuesheng's sensing grew ever sharper. The day when the bottleneck above his head finally loosened completely would be the very day the Celestial Thunder Tribulation officially descended.

The power of a thunder tribulation was recorded in ancient texts at the West Qi Mountain Temple: it was enough to destroy heaven and earth; if a mortal faced it, even their soul would be obliterated.

To prevent the sudden arrival of tribulation from affecting those near him, Qin Yuesheng moved his residence deep within Meteor Mountain outside Cyan Yang City, quietly cultivating in solitude while awaiting the day of the tribulation.

...

Deep within Meteor Mountain, atop that celestial meteorite from beyond the sky.

Qin Yuesheng sat steadily upon the meteor's surface, eyes closed in contemplation.

In the past, his strength was too low to notice, but now at the Saint Wheel Realm, upon nearing the meteor, Qin Yuesheng found it extraordinary: within it, a mysterious unknown aura constantly radiated outward.

This aura was unlike Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, yet had a similar effect. Qin Yuesheng boldly drew it into his body and refined it, discovering a marvelous change in his Inner Strength upon interacting with the meteor's aura.

For convenience, Qin Yuesheng named this meteor aura "Star Spirit from Beyond."

Secluded in the mountains awaiting tribulation, bored, Qin Yuesheng began to experiment with these Star Spirits from Beyond, attempting with the principles of his Inner Strength Cultivation Technique to create a new technique that could turn Star Spirits from Beyond into a power he could command.

On Meteor Mountain at night, anyone arriving could see in the deepest part a river of stars descending from the sky, three more rivers of stars soaring upward, four star rivers in different colors swirling and dancing in the air.

Upon approaching, one could see Qin Yuesheng sitting serenely atop the meteor, the four star rivers weaving through his body, a sight so beautiful it felt as if one was bathing in a sea of stars.

Qin Yuesheng gleamed with stellar radiance all over. Suddenly, he opened his eyes sharply; within those eyes lay the sun, moon, stars, and a boundless cosmos.

In Qin Yuesheng's vision, he was now amidst the universe—an absolute tranquility prevailed, and the stars scattered across it like pearls.

In the distance, a deep red, scorching sun erupted with endless brilliance.

As he lifted his hands, all the stars surged near, gathering and forming dazzling bands of light swirling around him.

As time passed, these bands of stellar light gradually coalesced into several grand characters.

Heaven and Earth, Black and Yellow; the universe vast and wild!

"Pff!" Qin Yuesheng felt a pain shoot through his mind, and with a shock, he woke up, unable to hold back a mouthful of blood, trembling all over, gasping for breath as he lay atop Meteor Mountain.

With the aid of the Star Spirits from Beyond, he'd stumbled upon a profoundly mysterious state. Though Qin Yuesheng had not yet become immortal, he vaguely sensed that the state he'd glimpsed was above even the Immortals.

Unfortunately, with Qin Yuesheng's current strength, there was simply no way to truly comprehend that realm.

Yet the insights just gained were now rooted in his mind like a seed—just like a key, so that in the future, he might again unlock the gates to that realm.

"This final bottleneck… when will it fully loosen?" Gazing at the night sky, stars spread wide, Qin Yuesheng could not help but wonder inwardly.

In the Northern Desert stands the Gate of Heaven; when Qin Yuesheng one day truly ascends as an Immortal, if he can find the gate in the Immortal Realm, he can return to the mortal world once again.

As the saying goes, when one attains the Dao, even chickens and dogs ascend; Qin Yuesheng would never abandon his family. Even if he must become immortal, before leaving, he would pave a broad road for his clan, so in the generations that followed, not only might they gain immortality and longevity, but enjoy a lifetime free of troubles.

...

At Qin Yuesheng's request, some adept alchemists within the Qin Sect compiled their insights and all their alchemical arts into books and specially sent them to Meteor Mountain for Qin Yuesheng to study.

Qin Yuesheng needed no time to learn such things; with the aid of the Super Auxiliary Device, a single breakdown sufficed, and strengthened by the All-Purpose Essence, his mastery of alchemy advanced by leaps and bounds—far beyond those known for their alchemical skill.

With the resources of the Great Qin Dynasty and the Qin Sect backing him, Qin Yuesheng devoted himself night and day to crafting pills within Meteor Mountain, all top-grade pills that reinforced and nourished the body, conferring immense benefit after consumption.

Qin Feng and Duan Hongjin were people Qin Yuesheng could never let go of. Making sure these two could live for centuries was something Qin Yuesheng must accomplish.

Longevity, for others, might be something hard to achieve. For Qin Yuesheng, it was not so difficult—still within his grasp.

[Alchemy] (Heaven and Earth Level): 56% chance to refine top-grade Spirit Pills, 38% chance for peerless-grade, 5% chance for Immortal Pills, 1% chance for Dao Pills.

Looking at the introduction on the Super Auxiliary Device's panel, Qin Yuesheng nodded in great satisfaction.

This was the effect of alchemy after strengthening with All-Purpose Essence, once he mastered those techniques.

Which meant that for Qin Yuesheng, any random batch produced at least top-grade Spirit Pills—and if luck flared, peerless, Immortal, and even Dao Pills might be refined. During these days, Qin Yuesheng even developed many new pill formulas on his own, testing them on wild beasts inside Meteor Mountain; many formulas' effects were validated and he gave them names.

"Longevity Pill: Taking it strengthens the body, boosts vitality, and Bestows longevity."

"Nourishing God Pill: Once consumed, guarantees mental refreshment and sharpness; with it, acing the imperial exams is no problem."

"Hemostatic Pill: Once ingested, any wound will instantly cease bleeding—a must-have for travel."

"War God Pill: After swallowing it, one becomes invulnerable and mighty, able to battle Martial Artists in the Inner Power Realm. This is a top-grade Spirit Pill; across the nine provinces, none but I can refine it. With such pills, the Qin family's domination is but an easy feat."

Gazing at the numerous bottles and jars arrayed beside the Alchemy Furnace, Qin Yuesheng mused inwardly.

Given his strength, these pills, treasures to outsiders, no longer held his interest; what mattered was on the other side—the pills stored in jade jars and bottles.

Immortal Pill!

Just as the name implies, Immortal Pills exist only in the upper realm; for Qin Yuesheng to refine them as a mortal was truly astonishing.

If Shi Lin and Yalan, the two immortals, learned of this, they would surely be stunned speechless.

Qin Yuesheng picked up a jade jar, which contained three fiery-red, jade-like Red Pills, each harboring spirit within, resembling a phoenix. Thus, Qin Yuesheng named it the Vermilion Bird Pill.

The Vermilion Bird Pill brimmed with potent Spiritual Qi; if an ordinary person took it, their body would explode and they'd die, but a cultivator melting it down could see their strength soar astronomically in mere days.

After refining a Vermilion Bird Pill, one gained a one-time power—Rebirth from Ashes; essentially, another life-saving chance.

During this period, Qin Yuesheng produced only three Vermilion Bird Pills. They weren't hard to make, yet the ingredients were scarce—even with all the resources of the Qin Sect and the Great Qin Dynasty, he had barely enough to produce these three Pills.

Spirit Pills were easy to make, Immortal Pills hard to acquire; for Qin Yuesheng, even with the means to refine Immortal Pills, without ingredients it was impossible to cook without rice.

"After so many batches, I've still never seen what a Dao Pill is like—the one percent chance really is so low," Qin Yuesheng couldn't help but sigh.

If just one Dao Pill could be refined and left for the Qin family, Qin Yuesheng would be much more at ease after ascending to the Immortal Realm.

"I need to find materials for another batch of pills." Qin Yuesheng gathered all his pill bottles into his spatial pouch, then stepped out—his figure instantly vanished within Meteor Mountain.

With Qin Yuesheng's strength now, he could go anywhere in the world unhindered; nothing was forbidden.

Whether on lands beyond the nine provinces or deep in the East Sea, wherever Qin Yuesheng wanted to set foot, nothing could possibly hinder him.

With the Thunder Tribulation hovering at any time, Qin Yuesheng wandered across the mortal world, searching for heavenly materials and earthly treasures to use as alchemy ingredients. For now, it was a leisurely and carefree pursuit.