"...?"
"It's just a tiny tribulation from the wizarding world. System, do you really need to make it sound this heroic?"
Theodore Ashbourne felt a wave of helpless amusement.
The System Interface refreshed at once:
Though thunder crashes, though heavenly might bears down, though your bones creak and crack—Host, you still stand tall, head raised to the sky, and let out a clear long howl.
A mere tribulation—what can it do to me?
Theodore took a deep breath and decided not to argue with the system's usual dramatics.
His gaze shifted to the demon fire, where the Blood Pellets and other ingredients were being tempered.
The Heavenly Demon Refinement Fire truly was far more efficient than the "ancient fairy flame" he'd used last time.
Even though the materials this time were far stronger, they were being melted into pill-liquid faster than before.
Red light, green light, and gold light spun rapidly, merging again and again under Theodore's pill-refining techniques.
It would still take time before the pills fully formed—
But at this moment, the thunderclouds above grew heavier, lightning flashing more violently.
It was as though the tribulation had "missed" Theodore several times before and could only vent its anger on Voldemort's head… and now that it had finally found the right target, it couldn't wait.
Theodore frowned slightly.
"From the look of it… the Demon-Refining Golden Pills won't be finished before the lightning comes down?"
But a moment later, his brow smoothed out.
Theodore rose lightly into the air, shielding the pills-in-progress behind him.
His left hand kept forming seals, continuously guiding the pill formation—
While his right hand gripped the ancient staff, stirring up a low, howling gale of staff-wind, baleful qi rolling.
"With my current ability, refining pills while resisting this level of tribulation…"
"Isn't hard."
The system immediately escalated the narration:
Beyond the battlefield, shaken by the clash and heavenly might, mountains collapse and crack.
Host raises a mountain peak with one hand, protecting ten miles around, and looks to the sky without fear.
Even if I must hold up mountains with one hand, my Dao-heart is still invincible—tribulation cannot shatter it!
BOOM!
The thunderclouds blazed.
A bolt of lightning fell straight down toward Theodore.
Theodore let out a low shout.
The King of Staffs descended—an overbearing staff-shadow lashed upward, smashing the lightning into fragments.
The remaining snakes of electricity refused to die and continued lunging toward him—
But the Eight-Nine Mystical Art and the Adamantine Undying Body both flared to their fullest.
One was a rare Primordial-level profound art, unrivaled at avoiding heaven's calamities.
The other was a body-refinement power belonging to those who tread the path of flesh-sainthood—calamity could not cling to the body.
Even the tribulation's aftershock couldn't shake him.
The electric snakes shattered again in an instant.
And Theodore's eyes flashed with heat.
"Five-Element Reversal Origin Sea…"
"Swallow."
He opened his mouth and inhaled.
Five elements reversed—everything was dragged into the Origin Sea within him.
Even the tribulation lightning was swallowed.
Then, inside him, the five-element millstone formed by reversed forces ground it down, crushing it into the purest Origin Sea power.
Theodore's eyes grew brighter.
Even though a wizarding-world tribulation was nothing compared to a true Primordial tribulation…
its energy was still extremely pure, and the conversion efficiency into Origin Sea power was terrifyingly high.
That single bolt of lightning was practically an excellent Demon-Refining Golden Pill by itself—his Origin Sea expanded slightly from it.
Then the clouds flashed more violently.
Tribulation lightning had its pride.
If it got swallowed once, how could it not take revenge?
In the next instant, three bolts fell almost at the same time.
Theodore remained calm.
He flicked his staff.
A thirty-six-petaled lotus rose and sank, opening a path through flame—his own spell:
Lotus Radiance Sacred Path: Heaven-Cleaving Light.
This time, the flames woven into it weren't the old fairy fire—
They were the Heavenly Demon Refinement Fire, and the power rose to a new tier.
Demon fire burned the sky. The lotus suppressed the world.
The three bolts were gradually scorched away in the blaze—
and Theodore repeated the same method.
He opened his mouth and inhaled again.
Lightning went down like pills.
Crackling echoed through his body as his bones and flesh were tempered.
The deficit caused by bleeding his essence for treasure refinement earlier was replenished by just a few bolts—
and his Origin Sea continued expanding.
Theodore shook out his limbs, scattering the lingering numbness. His expression turned eager.
"Again!"
"Give me a few more—now that is satisfying!"
The system went fully theatrical:
Tribulation lightning roars, yet Host remains fearless, battling heaven and earth with heroic bearing.
I am invincible in the mortal world—if not to fight heaven, then whom?
Before an invincible Dao-heart, even tribulation retreats!
Theodore froze, then looked up—
and saw the thunderclouds actually beginning to drift away.
He panicked.
"Wait—what?"
"That's it?"
"It's only been a few bolts! At least give me a full three-nine set!"
"Don't go!"
But after suffering losses, the tribulation seemed determined not to "reward" Theodore further.
It drifted away—straight toward the skies above Hogwarts Castle.
Inside Hogwarts, Quirrell stood at his window, tense.
The first boom of thunder from the Forbidden Forest had jolted him awake immediately.
He couldn't help it—after being struck so many times before, he was basically suffering from lightning PTSD.
He was terrified he'd get hit again.
But soon he realized the lightning wasn't striking him this time—
It was striking someone else.
Quirrell actually smiled.
"I knew it. No one is unlucky enough to get struck every single day!"
"This time it finally isn't me!"
Then, in the next second, he noticed something wrong.
"Wait…"
"Why are the clouds moving?"
"Why are they coming toward Hogwarts?"
"No. No, it shouldn't… it already struck several times. I don't need to worry…"
A moment later—
Dark clouds crushed down overhead.
BOOM!
A lightning bolt fell.
Even with Hogwarts' protective enchantments, a snake of lightning still slipped through and shot straight toward Quirrell.
If it couldn't strike Theodore, it could at least strike you, you body-snatching freak.
Quirrell's face twisted in grief and rage.
With terrifying familiarity, he mounted his broom and fled at full speed.
Inside his mind, Voldemort roared:
"Why?!"
"Why is it always me?!"
"Damn it—if this keeps going, all that unicorn blood will have been for nothing!"
From afar, Theodore saw it with the Microscopic Heavenly Eye and became irritated.
"Voldemort—stealing my lightning?"
"Fine. That just means you're even more deserving of death."
But a moment later, a wave of merit descended onto Theodore.
He took a breath, calming down.
No more lightning nourishment, but extra merit wasn't a loss.
And after being tempered under tribulation might, the pills' quality seemed to rise yet again.
Theodore looked at the cauldron where the batch was nearly complete, formed a final seal, and brought his hands together.
"Form."
In the next instant, golden light erupted.
Nine Demon-Refining Golden Pills, each the size of a dragon's eye, formed in a breath.
Then they turned into nine streaks of gold, as if alive, darting away into the distance.
Theodore wasn't alarmed—he was delighted.
"Pills have developed spirit and are trying to flee?"
"These are still Golden Pills, yes—but their efficacy is clearly far beyond last time."
"Run? After all that effort?"
"Where do you think you're going?"
He flicked a finger.
Sword-light streaked like startled swans, intercepting all nine golden pills.
Then with a sweep of his palm, the pills returned to his grasp.
To avoid any accidents, Theodore opened his mouth—
and swallowed all nine at once, refining them instantly!
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