Chapter 358: Chapter 362: Emperor Dan_1
Qin Wudao inhaled the pill’s aroma, carefully controlling the flame. He didn’t dare take a deep breath, fearing he would burn the Gold and Silver Dragon Phoenix Fruit to ashes. The key ingredient needed to refine the Emperor Pill is the Gold and Silver Dragon Phoenix Fruit! If it weren’t for his advancement to the heavenly level of soul power in the Primordial Supreme Secret Realm, he wouldn’t even dare to attempt refining this Emperor Pill. Even so, he still wasn’t entirely confident.
An hour later, the Gold and Silver Dragon Phoenix Fruit had turned into a gold and silver powder. Qin Wudao let out a sigh of relief and began refining the remaining ingredients. Since these ingredients weren’t as rare as the Gold and Silver Dragon Phoenix Fruit, he refined dozens of them simultaneously.
The pill-making process was incredibly dull, involving repetitive actions and leaving no room for error. Time flowed on relentlessly. One day passed, then two, and soon a week had gone by... On the tenth day, Qin Wudao finally finished refining over a thousand Spiritual Medicines, ready for the next step—pill condensation!
Inside the Pill Furnace, a large amount of medicinal powder had accumulated—piled dozens of feet high, multicolored, brimming with Spiritual Energy, and pulsating with immense power. His task was to condense this energy into individual pills.
"Condense!" Qin Wudao roared. Boundless Spiritual Energy surged into the Pill Furnace, continuously compressing the powder. This process took another three days to transform the powder into thirty-two pills, each the size of a longan fruit, suspended within the furnace. However, their surfaces were pitted and uneven, still requiring further refinement.
"Solidify!" Qin Wudao’s face was pale, his hands constantly shifting as the Heavenly Dragon Flame blazed, enveloping the entire Pill Furnace and generating terrifyingly high temperatures. Under the intense heat, the surfaces of the pills within the furnace began to smoothen, and their aromatic fragrance started to waft out.
This stage of refinement was also very time-consuming. It took half a month to solidify the Emperor Pills into their final form. Now, only the last step remained—spirit infusion!
Long hours of controlling his soul power had left Qin Wudao’s face deathly pale. He laboriously lifted the lid of the Pill Furnace, and thirty-two beams of golden light shot out. The furnace then erupted with a massive suction force, greedily swallowing vast amounts of Spiritual Energy, along with a mixture of mysterious Power of Laws.
BANG! Under the impact of the tremendous energy, the Pill Furnace could no longer withstand the pressure and began to shake violently. Qin Wudao’s expression subtly changed. He prayed silently that the Pill Furnace wouldn’t fail. Otherwise, this batch of pills would be for naught, and a great deal of Spiritual Medicine would be wasted.
The Pill Furnace continued to make noises, each one causing Qin Wudao’s heart to clench. After an anxious wait that lasted for an hour, the influx of Spiritual Energy gradually weakened. Qin Wudao sighed in relief. A wave of fatigue washed over him, his legs gave way, and he sank directly to the ground. Only after resting for a long while did he feel some strength return.
Considering his current cultivation, refining Emperor Pills was truly exhausting! But the result was always worth it. Seeing the thirty-two glittering golden Emperor Pills in the Pill Furnace, a slight smile touched Qin Wudao’s lips.
He took out a pill bottle crafted from top-grade Spirit Stones and placed the Emperor Pills inside to prevent their Spiritual Energy from dissipating. Then, he moved to a nearby meditation mat and began to cultivate.
「Two days later.」
Qin Wudao opened his eyes, from which two golden beams shot out. His depleted Spiritual Energy and mental power had fully recovered to their peak state.
"Pass on my order! Summon Wang Jian, Bai Qi, Yue Fei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, Huang Zhong, Zhuge Liang, Jia Xu, Li Ru, Yuan Tiangang, Wang Mingyang, Dong Zhongshu, the leaders of the Eighteen Riders of Yan Yun, and Generals Ganjiang and Mo Ye to an audience!" Qin Wudao commanded cheerfully as he emerged from the cultivation room, stretching lazily. He had called twenty-five names in total, all of whom had reached the peak of the Semi-Emperor realm.
"As you command!" Dian Wei, who stood at the doorway, paid his respects and then departed to summon the individuals.
"Xu Chu," Qin Wudao said with a smile, turning around and taking out three pill bottles. "Here are three Emperor Pills. One is for you. Take the other two to the Middle Region and deliver them to Zhang Jiao and Sima Yi in White City."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Xu Chu did not decline. He knelt on one knee and respectfully accepted the pill bottles. As Qin Wudao’s guard, he first needed to ensure his own strength; otherwise, how could he protect anyone?
About an hour later, Dian Wei returned with Zhuge Liang and the other ministers to the cultivation room.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!" the ministers chorused respectfully.
"Rise, please rise! I’ve summoned you all because I have something good to share!" Qin Wudao said, helping Zhuge Liang up. He spoke with an air of mystery, piquing the ministers’ curiosity. Seeing that everyone present was a peak Semi-Emperor, a daring thought began to form in their minds. Could it be a treasure that can help one break through to the Emperor realm?
"These are Emperor Pills. Take them and go break through!" Qin Wudao announced without any attempt at concealment. He presented the newly refined Emperor Pills, gently using his energy to guide the pill bottles so they floated accurately before each person.
"This... Could this truly be an Emperor Pill, capable of helping one break through to the Emperor realm?"
"Heavens, it’s actually a nine-pattern heavenly-grade pill! His Majesty’s Alchemy skills are truly formidable!"
"Such majestic energy, such profound Rhymes in Dao! With this pill, I’m confident I can break through to the Emperor realm!"
As the ministers opened the bottle caps, a fragrant aroma assailed their nostrils. The sheer energy contained within the pills made them feel their cultivation bottlenecks loosening.
"Your Majesty, I am unworthy of this!" Wang Yangming declared, kneeling and raising the Emperor Pill above his head, his face etched with shame. Among everyone present, his contributions were arguably the least. He had only participated in a few minor battles. In matters of state governance, he couldn’t compare to Zhuge Liang, Jia Xu, and the others; in leading troops, he was inferior to Bai Qi, Wang Jian, and their peers. To him, he was utterly undeserving of an Emperor Pill!
"Haha, my dear minister, you are too modest," Qin Wudao said with genuine emotion, helping Wang Yangming up and patting his shoulder. "In my heart, though we are sovereign and subject, our bond is stronger than that of blood brothers. When I have good things, of course, I must share them with you! Wang, my dear minister, do not belittle yourself. Your contributions to the Qin Dynasty are no less than anyone else’s!"
"Your Majesty... this humble servant... Thank you, Your Majesty!" Wang Yangming’s eyes reddened, and tears of gratitude welled up.
The other ministers were similarly moved. They respectfully put away the Emperor Pills, their hearts overflowing with gratitude as they bowed deeply to Qin Wudao.
These were Emperor Pills! Across the entire continent, there were likely no more than ten in existence. Even the Holy Lands that possessed Emperor Pills would guard them as priceless heirlooms, never dreaming of bestowing them upon subordinates. A sovereign who would gift twenty-five Emperor Pills to his officials at once was unheard of, from ancient times to the present day! What moved them most profoundly, however, were Qin Wudao’s words. He regarded them as brothers, and his actions truly reflected this sentiment. Whenever he acquired something valuable, he never hesitated to share it with his ministers. Furthermore, he lacked the typical paranoia of a ruler, boldly delegating authority and providing them a stage upon which to realize their ambitions.
"Go and cultivate! I shall also return to rest. Dian Wei, you stay and cultivate as well. The palace is perfectly safe. Come find me after you’ve broken through!" Qin Wudao waved his hand and departed alone.
As the ministers watched Qin Wudao leave, they silently vowed to break through to the Emperor realm, to exert their talents to the fullest, and to work together to forge a glorious and prosperous Qin Dynasty!