Prince Yong fell into a heavy silence at Su Min's blunt assessment. His features were set in a grim mask as he considered the reality of his position. The truth was that she was the only alchemist he knew who was capable of refining such potent, life-changing pills. Their miraculous effects were unquestionable, proven by the very experts now standing guard behind him, their breaths steady and controlled.
"We haven't yet confirmed the specific details of those two pieces of information you requested," he admitted. His tone was pragmatic and devoid of any attempt to deceive. "But we do have a preliminary stockpile of Grade 3 medicinal ingredients gathered for you. However, you must understand that these materials are extremely rare. Even for an organization with our reach, gathering them in meaningful quantities takes considerable time and resources. Furthermore, we still have to hand over a significant portion of our findings to the imperial court as tribute."
He clapped his hands twice. The sound echoed sharply against the stone walls and high, vaulted ceiling. On cue, several attendants entered the hall with measured steps. They carried a collection of ornate sandalwood and jade boxes, which they carefully placed on the low table before Su Min.
The mention of handing over a portion to the court was an expected reality. After all, the Fuding Merchant Guild was, on official record, under Prince Fu's jurisdiction. A substantial share of all rare goods had to be given as a political tribute to avoid suspicion from the capital.
"Seems you came prepared," she remarked. Her eyes critically scanned the unopened boxes as if she could see through the wood to the treasures within. "Though the quantity, frankly, isn't exactly impressive."
With a casual flick of her wrist, a soft, ethereal glow emanated from her ring. She stored all the ingredients directly into her spatial storage, and the boxes vanished in a shimmer of light, leaving only the empty table behind. Her ring served as the perfect, timeless preservation chamber, so there wasn't any need for her to keep the external containers.
"There's no helping it. Authentic Grade 3 ingredients are scarce across the entire empire." Prince Yong let out a weary sigh. He sounded like a man burdened by logistics and the crushing weight of politics. "But about the matter of the Qi Induction Pill…"
"Take it."
Su Min didn't refuse or haggle further. It was true that the two specific intelligence reports she wanted weren't ready, but the delivery of Grade 3 ingredients was a tangible down payment. She could always use more high-grade materials for her practice. However, just as she was about to hand the small porcelain bottle over, her hand paused in mid-air. The sudden hesitation made the prince and everyone in the room tense visibly. Their eyes were fixed on her still fingers.
"These ingredients you have provided are worth a small fortune," she said slowly. Her gaze shifted from the pill to him. "Call the intended recipient over and have them take the pill right here, in front of me. I can at least supervise the initial process and ensure there are no… complications."
"Agreed."
He nodded immediately, understanding the prudence of her request. The pill was far too valuable to be handled carelessly or wasted on a failed breakthrough. Behind him, his two guards were practically vibrating with suppressed energy.
Their breathing was heavy as they barely restrained their raw greed. Although he had privately promised them future pills, this first, available one couldn't go to mere bodyguards, no matter how loyal they were. They understood the political necessity, but the sight of the pill so close was a visceral torment.
Indeed, Prince Yong found he had no words to refute her. The results spoke for themselves. A single Qi Induction Pill could create a powerful expert, tipping the scales of local power. Through their previous indirect dealings, he had already recruited several powerful cultivators thanks to her pills. The intelligence she had provided was also invaluable. She had even hinted at the ability to craft even rarer pills capable of shattering specific cultivation bottlenecks.
He had never once lost out on their transactions. Thus, their cooperation would inevitably continue, no matter how much the upfront cost made his treasurer's soul wince. A pill that could reverse a cultivation crisis or create a new expert was practically priceless.
Thanks to her, he had recruited numerous experts who would otherwise be unreachable, and she even possessed the formula for breakthrough pills that were worth far more than mere gold or silver. Every transaction with her, no matter the initial cost, had ultimately been profitable. His hesitation wasn't about losing, only about mustering the staggering resources she demanded.
"Summon Mu'er," he commanded a servant at the door. "Tell him to come at once. This is his opportunity."
A trace of complex emotion flickered in his eyes. It was a mix of paternal hope and personal regret. He himself was an old man with a fixed, ordinary constitution and no hope of advancing past the Body Refining stage, so the pill was useless to him personally. But his son still had a future. Soon, a young man in his early twenties entered the room and bowed. He had sharp features and an alert demeanor.
"He isn't one of the ten candidates I originally selected for the Body Tempering Pills," she noted silently. Her gaze was analytical as she sized him up. "But his innate talent is clearly exceptional. He must have entered the Body Refining realm directly through a Heavenly Revelation, a natural awakening. His foundation was far more solid and his potential was far greater, making him infinitely more suited to consume the precious pill."
The youth was clearly on a different level compared to the two guards behind the prince. His foundation was far more solid and his potential was far greater, making him infinitely more suited to consume the precious pill.
"Greetings, Father. And to this…"
He bowed respectfully to Prince Yong, then turned. His words trailed off as he finally saw Su Min sitting so casually across from his father. She was leisurely sipping tea and nibbling on a delicate pastry, appearing entirely at home. Her ethereal beauty was subtly enhanced by her formidable cultivation base and the faint, sacred aura from the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra. It made her an impossible presence to ignore.
Most people who regularly interacted with her were either steadfast cultivators like Hui Ming, seasoned and calculating nobles, or those she had thoroughly traumatized in battle. They had all learned to keep their composure around her. But this young man was still in his hormonal prime, his life sheltered within palace walls. His breath hitched audibly. His eyes widened in stunned admiration, and for a long, awkward moment, he completely forgot how to speak.
"Mu'er!" Prince Yong barked.
His face was flushing with a mix of anger and embarrassment as he noticed Su Min's slightly twitching eyebrow. "Mind your manners! Pay your proper respects to your elder!"
The sharp paternal reprimand acted like a splash of cold water, snapping the youth back to reality.
"T-This junior greets Senior Su!" he stammered. He bowed so deeply his forehead nearly touched the floor.
"Take it."
Su Min didn't waste another second. With a deft flick of her fingers, she sent the glowing Qi Induction Pill sailing toward him. Infused with a wisp of her spiritual energy, the pill didn't fall but hovered serenely in mid-air directly before him. The moment its rich, spiritually charged fragrance reached his nostrils, he felt the stubborn barrier within his dantian—the one he had been pounding against for months—tremble and weaken.
"Consume it now, Mu'er," his father urged. His voice was tight with anticipation. "Don't delay. This pill cost your father a great deal to obtain from Senior Su."
"Yes, Father!"
Without a moment's hesitation, the young prince snatched the hovering pill and swallowed it whole. He then immediately dropped into a cross-legged sitting position right there on the reception hall floor. His spiritual aura began to surge and churn violently around him. He was breaking through right then and there.
Gulp.
The two guards behind the prince swallowed hard again. The sound was loud in the suddenly tense silence. Their eyes burned with naked envy. All three of them were at the very peak of Body Refining. Watching someone else, especially someone younger, advance right before their eyes to the realm they desperately coveted was a special kind of agony.
"Don't fret," Prince Yong said without turning around, sensing their turmoil. "I gave you my word. I will secure a pill for each of you in time."
But his attention was already fully returned to his son. The world had fundamentally changed. Those without genuine cultivation would accomplish nothing of significance in the coming era. Among all his children, this son was the most talented, blessed with the strongest natural Heavenly Revelation.
He was being meticulously groomed as the next heir, the future Prince Yong. The prince himself was just an ordinary old man with a fixed mortal path. But his son had genuinely stepped onto the immortal path. Greater strength, a vastly extended lifespan, and the power to shoulder the burdens of a turbulent future: it all hinged on moments like this.
"His talent really is quite impressive," she mused. She watched the spiritual vortex forming around the youth with clinical interest.
In truth, his natural aptitude even surpassed her own. Not that she was weak, but a player's physiology was unique; it was a blank slate. There were no innate spiritual roots, no fixed elemental attributes, and most importantly, no truly impassable bottlenecks—only requirements to be met. Still, her raw cultivation speed wasn't exceptionally fast. She was confident she could reach the late stage with a few more opportunities and resources.
"Didn't the game lore mention that players have a 'Chaos Constitution'?" she wondered idly to herself. "Is it something like the 'Chaos Body' from those xianxia novels, formless and able to encompass all?"
She quickly dismissed the philosophical tangent. Whatever her constitution was labeled, she would forge her own path regardless. She lacked nothing she truly needed, least of all time.
BOOM—!
A deafening, internal explosion of spiritual energy erupted from the seated youth. It was a silent shockwave that was felt rather than heard, rippling through the air and rattling the tea sets on the table. It sent everyone in the hall except for Su Min staggering back a step. The attendants gasped. Then, a new, stable, and overwhelmingly powerful presence filled the room: a realm of energy beyond Body Refining, one that even Su Min had to acknowledge as legitimate and solid.
Qi Refining.
The youth opened his eyes, which now gleamed with a sharp, clear light. He had done it. He had crossed the true threshold of immortality, and with it, gained the beginning of an extended longevity.