Su Qingyang and Liu Mang rushed over just in time to see Chen Ming squatting before another ray of starlight. “What is his Eminence doing?”

Fairy Zi Xia replied, “If my hypothesis is correct, his Eminence is delving deep into the Heavenly Stellar Array’s fundamentals.”

Liu Mang caught sight of Chen Ming’s glorious pill eating skill, “I always thought alchemists and whatnot have no power to do battle, that it was a fantasy to believe they could pass a Heavenly Tribulation. I was wrong. You just can’t fathom the power of alchemists. When it comes to overcoming the tribulation, they’d just stick to pills!”

Xue Ziyu said, “It seems that knowing alchemy, one can do what he wants! Once I pass my Heavenly Tribulation I will dab into it!”

Su Qingyang said, “Just that doing it like this is squandering wealth. To pass this Heavenly Tribulation one would need millions of spirit stones worth of pills. ”

Fairy Zi Xia added, “Even us will find it hard to have so many spirit stones, let alone using all of them on pills. It is fundamentally impossible. Yet only these alchemists could do it.”

Liu Mang said, “I once heard that Medicine King Valley’s Medicine Lord spent nine million spirit stones worth of pills to help him push through his Heavenly Tribulation!”

The four’s eyes met, All alchemists are fierce. They take pills without so much as a blink!

The Human Kings’ eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets from witnessing Chen Ming freaky way of passing the Heavenly Tribulation, “You can actually overcome a tribulation like this?”

“It can’t get more relaxing than this, so this old Daoist will compose a poem to commemorate this event:

With millions of pills tucked in one’s sleeve,

Passing the tribulation is like a breeze.

Heavenly Tribulation scares me the most,

Yet the sweet smell of pills bids it adios!”

“Fellow Daoist, that was a masterpiece!”

“Ah, such a pity this method cannot be mimicked. Let’s not mention the mountain of pills, when even a lifetime won’t be enough to gather millions of spirit stones to trade for them.”

The seven calamities were struck dumb, “He’s turned the Heavenly Tribulation into a kids’ game!”

“He is boasting his shamelessness!”

“Overcoming the Heavenly Tribulation equals defying heaven for longer life, a chance to go even further. Yet he turned it into a pill exhibit!”

“No wonder alchemist, array masters, diviners, and tool refining are so few. Are all of them deviants?”

Chen Ming didn’t give a thought of what others commented. He poured all his heart into deciphering the Heavenly Stellar Array. There’s no rush. Since I got all the pills I need, let’s take it slow and steady. There were even times when he thought the changes in the starlight were too slow. Worried that the Heavenly Tribulation would pass, he poked fun at the tribulation cloud every now and then.

The seven calamities felt something was off, “With his attitude, as long as he got the pills, he’ll overcome the tribulation hands down!”

“If he keeps this up he’ll be a new Sovereign. Eh? Why do I get a weird vibe from those righteous cultivators’ eyes?

“Brother, let’s leave. This is not a good place to linger!”

The seven calamities fled. Once Chen Ming wraps up with the Heavenly Tribulation, he would sort them out!

Chen Ming emptied another bottle along his stroll to another ray of starlight. The audience of Human Kings had their eyes shining like suns. There was no danger to Chen Ming in passing this tribulation!

When the next day came, Chen Ming studied forty-two rays and only fouthy-six more to go. But the Human Kings audience was getting tired of watching Chen Ming’s show. Fairy Zi Xia said, “If we have known earlier his Eminence’s side road to immortality was also this deviant, you’d think we’d have still come to see his tribulation?”

Su Qingyang said, “It’s all for nothing. We have no way of imitating any part of it!”

Liu Mang added, “We should also hurry in breaking through to Sovereign rank. At first, I thought we could learn something from his Eminence’s trial, but who would’ve dreamed of it turning up like this!”

Xue Ziyu touched his forehead, “Let it go, I don’t feel like watching anymore. There’s no point. What should have been a difficult trial, to defy heaven for your life, an exciting battle, has now become stale! Fellow Daoist Qingyang, what do you say to a game of chess until all this blows over?”

Su Qingyang said, “Not a bad idea. Let Fairy Zi Xia handle the matter of the Human Kings’ counterattack while we’ll go play some chess!”

Must be Purple Cloud From the East Aura doing its work, since these people were inclined to have Fairy Zi Xia take care of everything.

And thanks to her aura, Fairy Zi Xia’s orders were followed through without questioning.

Fairy Zi Xia’s power might not be equal to theirs but when it came to catching the ear of the people, she beat them hands down. She was the only woman on the top ten of the Dao Comprehending Board after all.

Thus, with the exception of Zhuo Qingyao, her eyes still glued to Chen Ming, the rest began following Fairy Zi Xia plans.

The lvl 3 Purple Cloud From the East Aura was backing Fairy Zi Xia’s arrangements, and since she was also just, the tasks were handed out in no time at all. Some went to build a defensive position while others went to support the working Human Kings.

After another day went by, Xue Ziyu held a white chess piece to his mouth, a worried look in his eyes as they darted over to Su Qingyang, “It doesn’t look good for me.”

Su Qingyang chuckled, “Fellow Daoist, you need to think long and hard on your next move!”

Only to see Xue Ziyu’s eyes flicker golden, “This move will turn defeat into victory!”

Xue Ziyu threw the dice in his hand and, as they tumbled, they ended up with six up. Xue Ziyu moved his white piece six steps, right in front of Su Qingyang, “Ha-ha-ha, fellow Daoist Qingyang, what do you say to that?”

Su Qingyang knitted his brows tight, “Humph, you’re good, but not enough to gain the upper hand!”

Liu Mang glanced at the two, “Damn it! Get on with the next Aeroplane Chess(1). Why are you all acting so mysteriously? I also wanna play!”

Su Qingyang and Xue Ziyu’s eyes met, and the latter said, “Right, what were we supposed to be doing again?”

Su Qingyang was going down memory lane while looking around. He soon found Chen Ming still studying the Heavenly Stellar Array, “We are here to see his Eminence’s tribulation, it seems!”

Then Liu Mang joined the war and the three experts of the Dao Comprehending Board started to merrily play Aeroplane Chess. The Human Kings watching them were filled with revere, “Look how fast the expressions of these geniuses shifts. It as if they are locked in deadly battle!”

At this moment, the Heavenly Tribulation gave a sign that it was about to let up. Chen Ming was clearly unhappy, I still have three rays of starlight to go! I’m almost done, so what’s the deal with wanting to leave?

Chen Ming stretched his finger, aimed at the tribulation cloud, and fired Finger From Beyond!

(1)    Aeroplane Chess is a Chinese cross-and-circle board game similar to the Western game of Ludo and the Indian game of Pachisi. Developed in the 20th century, Aeroplane Chess features airplanes as pieces instead of the more abstract pawns and beehive-shaped pieces found in the games from which it is derived. Aeroplane Chess has spread around the world, especially in Africa.