“What on earth is happening?” Wade Watts asked, his face filled with astonishment as he witnessed the unusual situation for the first time.
Wade Watts then turned his gaze towards the entrance of the Alchemy Hall.
“Arthur, what are you doing here?” Wade Watts asked with a frown.
At this time, Arthur should not have been here.
To be honest, Arthur was utterly confused. He had been standing outside to keep watch for Leo, but unexpectedly, a thundercloud appeared out of nowhere, alarming his father and the elders.
Could it be that the thundercloud was caused by Leo’s alchemy? That was simply… unbelievable.
Seeing Arthur’s bewildered expression, Elder Catalina asked in a stern voice, “Mr. Watts, what exactly is happening inside the Alchemy Hall?”
“Elder Catalina, I…” Arthur didn’t know how to respond because he had promised to keep Leo’s secret.
Seeing Arthur stammering, Wade Watts grew impatient and waved his hand. “Let’s go inside and take a look!”
Arthur’s face changed instantly, and he quickly stepped forward to block Wade Watts and the others.
“Father, elders, you cannot go inside!” Arthur said earnestly, bowing to Wade Watts and the elders.
Wade Watts was initially surprised that his son dared to stop him but then his face darkened.
“Arthur, don’t be insolent. Step aside!” Wade Watts commanded in a deep voice.
The elders behind Wade Watts were quite astonished. In the past, Arthur would cower like a mouse in front of Elder Catalina. But today, he dared to obstruct them. Was the sun rising from the west?
Arthur’s face showed hesitation and fear, but he did not move aside.
Soon, Amber Watts, Jon, and other younger members of the Watts family arrived.
They witnessed Arthur standing in front of Wade Watts and the elders.
“Mr. Watts is actually blocking the head of the family and the elders!?” The younger members of the Watts family were extremely surprised.
If it were them, they wouldn’t dare to block even one elder, let alone the head of the family and so many elders.
“Arthur, what’s wrong with you?” Amber Watts asked, her eyes full of confusion.
“Mr. Watts, why are you stopping us? What are you trying to do?” Seeing the thunderclouds growing darker, Grand Elder Ramon Watts questioned coldly.
“Mr. Watts, if you insist on not stepping aside, don’t blame me for being rude to you,” said Elder Corbin, who was short in stature.
Sweat dripped from Arthur’s forehead as he reluctantly said, “Father, elders… someone is refining pills inside, so you cannot go in!”
Arthur’s words left everyone stunned. The younger members of the Watts family looked at each other in confusion.
Boom!
Another thunderclap startled many people.
“Mr. Watts, did you say someone is refining pills in the Alchemy Hall?” Keith’s old eyes gleamed as he stared at Arthur as if he wanted to devour him.
Arthur wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with difficulty, “Yes.”
“Refining pills… could it be that the thunderclouds are because of pill refining…” Keith suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with shock as he stared at the dark thunderclouds.
Elder Catalina, Wade Watts, and others also looked at the thunderclouds with expressions of shock.
“This is… Pill Thunder!”
Inside the Alchemy Hall’s pill refining room, Leo continued to look up at the semi-transparent ceiling. His eyes were full of astonishment, and even his voice carried a hint of shock.
Cultivators defied the natural order and would inevitably face obstacles from the rules of heaven and earth.
For example, breaking through from Spirit King to Spirit Saint would trigger a small Thunder Tribulation. Only by overcoming this tribulation could one successfully break through to Spirit Saint. If they failed, their cultivation would regress or they might even die.
Similarly, Pill Thunder was a type of Thunder Tribulation triggered by extraordinary pills. When an exceptional pill was about to be born, a Thunder Tribulation would occur to prevent its completion.
Leo couldn’t understand why an Ascension Pill, which was only a fourth-grade pill, would trigger Pill Thunder. Generally, only fifth-grade or higher pills would cause such a phenomenon.
However, Leo quickly realized that it was likely because he was refining too many Ascension Pills at once. The accumulated Pill Energy had reached a level comparable to fifth-grade pills, thus triggering Pill Thunder.
The rumbling thunder continued to spread, and soon most of Zratol’s cultivators noticed the unusual phenomenon above the Watts Mansion.
Driven by curiosity, many cultivators headed towards the Watts Mansion.
Golden Manor.
Jameson Golden, head of the Golden family, along with several elders leaped into the air above Golden Manor. They all looked towards the sky above the Watts family’s location with expressions of shock.
Jameson Golden was burly with a rugged face and piercing eyes that exuded a heroic aura.
“Mr. Golden, why is there a thundercloud above the Watts family?” asked an elderly man with white hair beside Jameson Golden in a deep voice. This man was Izaiah Golden, the Grand Elder of the Golden family.
“If I’m not mistaken, those should be Tribulation Clouds. Could it be that Wade Watts is breaking through to Spirit Saint?” speculated Cristofer Golden, a skinny elder beside Izaiah Golden. He was the Second Elder of the Golden family.
“It shouldn’t be. Wade Watts wouldn’t be so foolish. With so many cultivators in Zratol, he wouldn’t undergo tribulation at home. Besides, I can sense that those Tribulation Clouds are somewhat weaker,” Jameson Golden shook his head.
When undergoing tribulation, cultivators wouldn’t choose places with many other cultivators because more cultivators nearby would increase the power of Tribulation Clouds. The heavenly thunder would strike not only the person undergoing tribulation but also any cultivators within range of the Tribulation Clouds.
Therefore, before sensing an impending Thunder Tribulation, cultivators usually chose a deserted place for their breakthrough.
After pondering for a moment, Jameson Golden said again, “Although those Tribulation Clouds are not as strong as when I underwent tribulation, they are still formidable. Why would they appear above the Watts Mansion for no reason?”
Grand Elder Izaiah Golden’s eyes sparkled as he suddenly thought of something and said hesitantly, “Mr. Golden, I have an idea…”
“Grand Elder, what idea?” Jameson Golden looked at Izaiah Golden.
“Head of the family, those thunderclouds seem to be above the Alchemy Hall of the Watts family…” Izaiah Golden paused before continuing with uncertainty in his eyes. “Could it be… Pill Thunder caused by pill refining?”
“Pill Thunder!?”
Izaiah Golden’s words shocked everyone in the Golden family’s high ranks, including Jameson Golden.
After a moment of stunned silence, Cristofer Golden looked at Izaiah Golden and refuted him. “Grand Elder, triggering Pill Thunder is not something an ordinary alchemist can do. Even those Fourth-rank Alchemists in the capital can’t achieve it.”
“In the entire Martial Dynasty, only that rumored elder from the royal family could do it. That elder went into seclusion a hundred years ago and his life or death is unknown; otherwise, he wouldn’t let the royal family gradually decline.”