After a meal together, the two men became much closer. The ruler was at the peak of his life, enjoying a period of great glory.
Without a major opportunity, he was unlikely to achieve further breakthroughs.
Qin Chuan, however, was in a period of rapid ascent, exemplified by the Five Elements Energy he had absorbed this time.
This was a celestial-level Five Elements Lotus, also known as the Five Elements Immortal Lotus. Absorbing even one of these elements to saturation could transform one's being and change one's destiny.
Qin Chuan, however, had absorbed all five elements to saturation, and even his physique had reached saturation—the benefits of which were immeasurable.
Now that they had shared the wine and formed a brotherhood, Qin Chuan wanted to break through. He had initially planned to go outside to break through, as staying longer here increased the chances of obtaining treasures.
However, the immortal energy of the Five Elements Immortal Lotus wouldn't allow him to go outside to refine and absorb it. Therefore, he decided to absorb and refine it sooner rather than later, to strengthen himself and increase his power.
It was a case of sharpening the axe before chopping wood.
This time, Qin Chuan was certain he would easily advance to the ranks of Immortal Emperors. The Human Lord could see that Qin Chuan was currently in a special stage, his body containing terrifying spiritual energy.
He knew what Qin Chuan was about to do and smiled, saying, "If you trust your brother, go ahead and break through. I'll watch over you. You know formations, brother; set one up yourself."
The Human Lord's judgment was perfect. Qin Chuan needed someone to watch over him, especially someone like the Human Lord.
It wasn't to prevent anyone from interfering, but rather because he feared that if he stayed longer than two months after his breakthrough, he wouldn't be able to leave.
How often did this secret realm open? Who could say for sure? Although there was a fixed time, it wasn't absolute.
Besides, even with a fixed time, Qin Chuan didn't want to stay here for that long.
Qin Chuan also feared loneliness; the thought of being alone in one place for many years was terrifying.
So Qin Chuan didn't stand on ceremony. Since they were already brothers, there was no need for formalities. He nodded and began setting up a bewitching formation right in front of them.
Qin Chuan was very confident in his formation. Besides, his breakthrough wasn't uninterrupted; it would only increase the difficulty.
Furthermore, Qin Chuan possessed the Devouring Array Beast, a beast at the Immortal Emperor level. After setting up the formation, Qin Chuan greeted Ren Jun and Long Yuanchong before entering.
He first cultivated the Nine Dragons Divine Power Technique, integrating it throughout his body and opening all his acupoints and meridians. Only then did Qin Chuan release the Five Elements energy he had been suppressing.
In an instant, as if by decision, terrifying Five Elements energy exploded within Qin Chuan's body, flowing to his internal organs, meridians, limbs, and bones…
Qin Chuan began to rapidly absorb and guide this Five Elements energy, directing it to its proper places for absorption and refinement.
Only what he absorbed at this moment truly belonged to Qin Chuan, merging into his body and soul.
This Five Elements energy was extremely pure; it was the energy of the Five Elements Immortal Lotus, making refinement relatively easy. As long as one's body was strong enough, almost no effort was required.
Qin Chuan had anticipated this, but not so much that it would go so smoothly. The Nine Divine Dragons, the Five Elements Divine Refining Technique, the Five Elements Divine Powers, the Great Dao of All Things, the Great Dao of Yin and Yang…
all absorbed most of the energy in Qin Chuan's body like a sponge absorbing water.
This significantly reduced Qin Chuan's burden, and the remaining energy began to integrate into his body, truly under Qin Chuan's control and absorption.
Time passed slowly, and subtle changes occurred within Qin Chuan's body. It was like steel, but now it was refined to a hundred-times refined steel, a thousand-times refined steel, its density dozens of times greater than before.
Just then, three-colored lightning appeared in the sky, accompanied by rolling clouds. Qin Chuan looked up at the sky, unsure whether to laugh or feel depressed.
The tribulation of life and death had arrived, and it was the tribulation of life and death leading to the Immortal Emperor realm. It was impossible not to be excited, after all, the Immortal Emperor realm was extremely important; it was like a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate.
Breaking through was no less significant than a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate, demonstrating the power of this realm.
However, the tribulation of life and death that Qin Chuan was about to experience was truly terrifying, unimaginably terrifying.
The three-colored lightning clouds were truly three-colored: black, white, and gold.
The lightning exuded a terrifying aura, majestic and imposing, with clouds rolling in, a truly frightening sight.
Even Qin Chuan felt a chill; it was simply too terrifying, the aura and scene incredibly horrifying.
Qin Chuan had no choice but to accept it, but there was an advantage: the stronger the tribulation of life and death, the greater the benefits.
Of course, the difficulty and danger would also be greater. Many people didn't want to encounter a powerful tribulation of life and death because it was so difficult to overcome.
Many people couldn't advance their cultivation level because they were blocked by tribulations of life and death, so they would rather have an easier tribulation so they could reach a higher cultivation level, thus increasing their overall combat power.
However, the tribulation of life and death was determined by an individual's physique, Daoist supernatural abilities, and actual combat strength, but this was relative, not absolute. Some people had exceptionally strong physiques and were powerful in all aspects, but their tribulations of life and death were the same as ordinary people.
But this was actually not a good thing; on the contrary, it was a great disaster, capable of destroying a super genius.
The first tribulation of life and death descended, and Qin Chuan passed it easily, without any difficulty, and even found a path that was particularly suitable for him.
The tiny golden lightning bolt that Qin Chuan had absorbed into his body remained there without any particular effect, at least Qin Chuan hadn't noticed it.
However, later, when he faced another life-or-death tribulation, he discovered that this golden lightning bolt had a significant function: it could find the most suitable lightning to absorb while reducing the difficulty of absorption.
This ability was terrifying; it was practically a divine artifact. The life-or-death tribulation accompanies a martial artist throughout their life.
If such an artifact existed, it would surpass any divine weapon or artifact, since a martial artist's cultivation level was paramount.
Once their cultivation level increased, they would become the most powerful artifact, and this tiny golden lightning bolt, like a small golden dragon, would bring Qin Chuan unimaginable benefits.
One, two, three…
everything went so smoothly. Qin Chuan's body was continuously tempered, absorbed, and integrated, and some special parts of his body were opened.
The human body is the most mysterious thing; many unknown places are like doors, containing enormous treasures, just waiting to be opened.
A martial artist's cultivation level is like opening these doors; the higher the level, the more doors are opened, and the stronger the abilities become.