Rebirth : The Alchemist's Path

Chapter 49: From Doubt to Breakthrough

Upon hearing Sylvus's words, Bryson furrowed his brows.

He had already cast aside all his pride to beg for help, yet the other party still refused.

"Senior, what would it take for you to agree? Just name your price."

Bryson asked again, hoping for a solution.

"Don't you understand what I'm saying? I said I don't have time. Meylan, show him the door."

Sylvus snorted.

At first, he had considered offering Bryson some of the pills from his shop to help him recover his life force, which would give him a better chance at surviving the tribulation.

But now, Bryson's persistence was starting to annoy him.

I already said I don't have time, and you're still pushing it. Do you really think twenty billion magic crystals are enough to make me act? Dream on. Nothing less than a hundred billion.

"Please leave," Meylan stepped in front of Bryson, his expression cold.

To dare anger the boss—you're lucky you're not getting destroyed.

Bryson wanted to say more, but when he saw the coldness in Sylvus's eyes, he swallowed his words. He feared that if he enraged Sylvus, he'd be slapped to death before he could even regret it.

Soon enough, Bryson left the shop under the watchful eyes of the crowd. But once outside the alley, he gritted his teeth. If Sylvus wouldn't help him, then he would just have to risk it alone.

After Bryson's departure, others in the shop quickly finished their business, purchasing their pills and leaving as they sensed Sylvus was in a foul mood.

"Boss, I'm here to buy some pills."

Not long after, Kennan and Corvin arrived at the store, their eyes filled with admiration for Sylvus.

They had heard from their family leaders about the events of the previous night. Although they had long known their boss wasn't ordinary, they hadn't expected him to be so powerful as to dismiss even the heavenly tribulation.

Seeing these two, a smile finally appeared on Sylvus's face.

In just a few days, Kennan had reached the level of a Four-Star ArchMage, and Corvin had become a One-Star Intermediate Knight. Corvin's mount, the Twin-Winged Thunder Tiger, had also reached the level of a Four-Star Saint ArchMage.

"Looking to buy more strength-enhancing pills today?"

Sylvus asked with a smile.

"Exactly, boss. We're out of our previous stock. Can you recommend what we should get next?"

Corvin replied.

"Kennan is a Archmage, so his focus should be on controlling his magical power and enhancing his talent. I'd suggest the Four-Grade Lingxi Pill to increase strength, the Four-Grade Liuyuan Pill to improve magical control, and the Four-Grade Qinglian Pill to boost talent."

Sylvus looked over the two and continued, "As for Corvin, being a knight, strength and talent are important, but body toughness is also crucial. You can take the Three-Grade Body Refining Pill to enhance your physique, the Three-Grade Red Moon Pill to improve your talent, and the Three-Grade Gathering Spirit Pill to boost your strength."

Normally, Sylvus wouldn't give such detailed advice, but these two had been his first customers in this world, and they had become regulars. He didn't mind looking out for them a bit.

"Great, we'll take all of those. Also, we'll need some pills to strengthen Little Tiger," Corvin added.

Meylan quickly gathered the pills for them, and after paying, the pair left, earning Sylvus another ten million magic crystals.

"Boss, there's something I wanted to ask you."

Corvin didn't leave right away and instead smiled at Sylvus.

"Go ahead," Sylvus replied.

"Actually, it's my father who wanted to know, but he didn't dare come himself. He asked me to find out how much it would cost to have you help with a tribulation."

Corvin asked, still smiling.

Another one asking about tribulation?

Sylvus frowned slightly. Word about his ability to handle the heavenly tribulation must have spread by now, and many would be seeking his help.

"It's cheap—only a trillion magic crystals," Sylvus said nonchalantly after a brief thought.

At first, he had considered asking for a hundred billion, but then he remembered that the Stanway family wouldn't flinch at that amount, so he decided to up the price.

"A trillion magic crystals?"

Corvin was taken aback by the amount. He hadn't expected it to be so high.

But after thinking about it, he realized that surviving a tribulation was a life-and-death matter. Success was rare, and even one in ten surviving would be a good result.

But for a trillion magic crystals guaranteeing success? In that sense, it wasn't too steep a price. After all, reaching the level of a Mage Emperor meant becoming one of the true powers on the continent, with money flowing in even faster.

After chatting for a while longer, Corvin and Kennan left.

Sylvus returned to lounging in his chair, occasionally selling pills to other customers who trickled in. It wasn't as quiet as it had been in recent days.

Meanwhile, some of the customers who had recently bought pills from Sylvus gathered to discuss their purchases.

"Hey, Li, I heard you bought some pills from the Eastern Pill Shop. What did you get? Show us."

"What's so special? I just went to see that peerless expert. You all saw what happened last night."

"Come on, show us. These pills come from that expert's shop, right? They must be extraordinary. Let us take a look."

With everyone urging him, Li finally took out the pills he had bought from Sylvus's shop.

"This is just a clay pill, isn't it, Brother Li? How much did you spend on this?"

Seeing the yellow pill in Brother Li's hand, the two people beside him curiously asked.

"The senior said this is a fourth-grade pill that can help me break through my level, and it cost me eight thousand magic crystals," Brother Li replied.

"Eight thousand magic crystals? Are you crazy? Eight thousand is enough to buy a fourth-grade potion, so why bother with this pill?"

"Exactly, we've never seen this kind of pill before. Even if he is a supreme expert, that doesn't mean we should blindly believe everything. What if it doesn't work?"

Hearing their words, Brother Li began to feel a little regret.

He initially went to observe the supreme expert. But when Meylan asked what kind of pill he wanted, Brother Li, too nervous to refuse, ended up buying this pill.

Now that he thought about it, maybe he had been too impulsive.

Eight thousand magic crystals had taken him a long time to save up, and he'd spent it all in one go.

"Brother Li, why don't you try it and see? Maybe it really can help you break through," one of the men suggested with a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Yeah, why not? You spent eight thousand on this clay pill; it would be a waste not to try it."

Another joined in, egging him on.

Brother Li looked at the pill in his hand.

Although he knew they were mocking him, he reminded himself that this pill came from the shop of a supreme expert—there must be something special about it.

"If the senior said this pill could help me break through, I'll trust him this time. Besides, I have no more magic crystals to buy potions anyway," Brother Li thought.

With that, under the surprised gaze of the two men, he swallowed the pill in one gulp.

"Wow, Brother Li, you actually ate it? How does it taste?"

Brother Li frowned.

Truth be told, he hadn't really noticed the taste because as soon as the pill entered his mouth, it dissolved into a cool sensation that flowed through his body.

"Stop teasing Brother Li. But Brother Li, that was reckless—what if the pill was poisoned? You'd lose your magic crystals *and* your life…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Brother Li's eyes suddenly widened.

A powerful force surged within his body, and the surrounding magic energy flooded toward him.

"I-I'm about to break through?"

Brother Li, after a brief pause, was overjoyed.

Without saying another word to the two men, he quickly sat down and began meditating.

In less than three seconds, Brother Li's aura surged.

Under the astonished gazes of the two men, he broke through to the level of a Nine-Star Mage.

"He actually broke through! Could this pill really help with a breakthrough?"

"I doubt it. Brother Li was on the verge of breaking through anyway. It must have been a coincidence that he found the opportunity at that moment, nothing to do with the pill."

But just as they finished speaking, Brother Li's aura surged again.

In less than a minute, he broke through once more, reaching the level of a One-Star Archmage.

*Gasp*

Seeing this, the two men couldn't help but take a sharp breath.

If the first breakthrough was just a lucky coincidence, then how could they explain this?

Brother Li had just broken through to Nine-Star Mage, yet in less than a minute, he had advanced to Archmage level.

That was terrifyingly fast.

The two men exchanged glances, both realizing that the pill was no joke.

"Hahaha, amazing! I can't believe this pill helped me break through two levels in one go! I even broke through the barrier to reach Archmage level—this was worth every one of those eight thousand magic crystals!"

Brother Li opened his eyes, laughing out loud.

If he had any doubts before, they were now completely gone, replaced by pure excitement.

If he had purchased potions, the most he could have achieved with eight thousand magic crystals would have been a breakthrough to Nine-Star Mage.

It was impossible to reach Archmage level.

But this pill had made it happen.

Thinking about this, Brother Li also felt a wave of regret for ever doubting the pill.

How could he have questioned a pill from a supreme expert?

"Hey, you two..."

Brother Li turned to look at the two men, but before he could finish his sentence, he noticed they were already running off into the distance.

"Where are you two going?"

"Brother Li, we're going to buy more pills!"

The two men shouted back as they disappeared from view.

Brother Li scoffed.

A minute ago, they were mocking him and calling the pill worthless.

Now they couldn't wait to buy one themselves. How ironic.

"Too bad I'm out of money. Otherwise, I'd buy another one. Maybe I can find where my wife hid our savings when I get home."

Thinking this, Brother Li headed toward his house.

Meanwhile, across the Holy City, many others who had purchased pills were also discovering their miraculous effects.

After breaking through, they rushed back to Sylvus's pill shop.