"Happy with your new weapons?"
Su Min's voice cut through the awestruck silence, snapping the youths back to the present. The Frostbane Sword glinted with a pale, cold light, and the spears hummed with a restless energy that seemed to vibrate in the boys' palms.
"They are amazing!" the boys shouted in unison, their voices ringing out and echoing against the high stone ceiling.
"We... we love them!"
The three young men were clearly overjoyed, practically cradling their newly acquired artifacts against their chests. They ran their calloused hands over the cool, spiritually charged metal with a reverence that bordered on obsession, feeling the subtle pulse of power within the steel. Su Min watched them for a moment. Then she spoke again, and her words nearly made them jump out of their skins.
"Since you are so happy with your new toys, stand up," she said, her eyes glinting with a sharp, predatory light. "Let's have some fun together."
"Huh?"
They froze, stunned at first by the sudden challenge. But the shock quickly gave way to a surge of excitement. To them, she was a figure shrouded in mystery, overflowing with a strength they could only dream of attaining. In truth, during their usual sparring sessions, they had often whispered about testing their skills against her. Hearing her invitation now, they eagerly nodded in agreement, their grips tightening on their weapons.
Only the steward who had accompanied them broke into a cold sweat. He alone detected a dangerous edge in her casual tone. "Young Master, perhaps you should—"
"Let's go!"
Before the steward could finish his frantic warning, the prince's son, gripping his new Frostbane Sword, rushed forward with unchecked enthusiasm. The steward had no choice but to swallow his words and watch the scene unfold.
Soon, a deep, resonant boom echoed throughout Prince Yong's estate, shaking the very foundations and rattling the window frames in their tracks.
The prince himself, who had been reviewing thick documents and allocating vital resources for the border, paused in his work. The smell of old parchment and fresh ink filled his study. He glanced at the delicate porcelain teacup sitting beside him, watching as rhythmic ripples trembled across its amber surface.
"Who is fighting inside the estate?" he muttered, his brow furrowing as he set his brush aside. "Have those three rascals gone completely wild?"
Ever since the trio had reached the Qi Refining stage, their sparring had become more intense, but he hadn't ever interfered. More practice was beneficial for their growth, and within the stone walls of his own estate, there was little need for constant monitoring. But this commotion felt different. It was more forceful and more controlled.
A guard hurried into the room and bowed low. "Your Highness, it's that young lady. She took the three young masters to the training grounds. It's clear that they have started a fight."
"Oh?" Prince Yong's eyebrows rose in genuine surprise. "She actually took an interest in instructing those brats? How is the battle going?"
The guard hesitated for a moment, his face pale and his eyes wide, before answering. "She is beating them... barehanded. She is pinning them to the ground, one by one."
"I see," the prince said. A faint, knowing smile touched his lips. He returned to his work without another word.
Meanwhile, in the training grounds, Su Min casually brushed her hands together as if she were dusting off a bit of dirt. The three young men lay sprawled on the hard-packed earth. They groaned in pain, their dignity thoroughly shattered and their tunics covered in dust.
Just moments ago, she had taken them on unarmed, one against three, and crushed them with effortless ease. She had used the Tiger Soul Possession to anchor her movements. Unlike the Vermilion Bird Possession, this technique didn't alter her appearance, but it drastically enhanced her raw strength and speed to a terrifying degree.
It left the trio utterly disoriented. They had been unable to land a single blow despite their new weapons. Every time they swung, she was already gone, appearing behind them with a force that sent them tumbling.
"Feeling good now, little ones?" Su Min asked, her tone deceptively light as she looked down at them. "You have got a long, long road ahead of you. Well then, I'm off, back to my cultivation."
She patted her hands together in satisfaction. She had to admit, the three were surprisingly sturdy; they could take a solid beating without breaking.
"Ugh… that was terrifying," one of them moaned. He clutched his bruised ribs and rolled onto his side. "What kind of speed was that? I couldn't even track her movements. Having this spear was completely useless…"
"You fool!" the prince's son gasped out, wincing as he sat up and wiped a smudge of dirt from his forehead. "This is someone even my father holds in the highest regard, someone the entire Prince Yong's estate revolves around. Of course she is this strong."
Though they trembled in pain, none of them were truly surprised or resentful of the outcome. They knew she had spared their dignity. Their bodies were covered in aches and bruises, but their faces remained completely untouched. Besides, with a bit of spiritual energy circulation, these superficial injuries would heal within a day. She hadn't even begun to go all out against them.
While she was beating them up, she had taken the opportunity to assess her own physical condition. "My control is precise, and my foundation is solid," she thought, checking the flow of energy in her meridians. "But I'm still some distance away from the Foundation Establishment stage, and I lack the necessary rare materials. There's no way I can attempt a breakthrough yet."
As she headed back to her quarters, her boots clicking on the stone walkway, someone intercepted her in the hall. It was one of the prince's chief attendants, his face grim and set.
"Lady Su Min, there's an urgent matter for discussion."
"What is it?" she asked. Her mood was slightly soured by the interruption of her post-sparring calm.
"The nomadic tribes are moving south. His Highness requests your presence for a meeting immediately."
"Fine. Lead the way."
She didn't refuse and followed the attendant through the complex, shadowed corridors. Soon, they arrived before the doors of a grand hall. She paused before entering. Even from outside, her heightened perception allowed her to sense the situation within. Several auras inside stood out, sharp and battle-hardened.
This wasn't the kind of killing intent born from assassinating a few people, but the heavy, metallic scent of blood and old iron that came from years of warfare on the front lines. Moreover, aside from those auras, another Qi Refining cultivator was present, though their spiritual vitality was noticeably weaker and more faded than that of the three youngsters.
"A military conference?" she murmured to herself.
It wasn't hard to guess why Prince Yong had summoned her. This wasn't a leisurely banquet. It had to be a crucial war council.
"Yes," the attendant confirmed, his voice low and hushed as they stood before the heavy doors. "According to our intelligence, the nomads are preparing a full-scale invasion, targeting the Eight Prefectures under Prince Yong's rule. His Highness has mobilized all forces from the prefectures and issued a rallying call to the martial world. Aside from the generals, the leaders of all the major sects are also present."
"Tch."
Su Min rubbed her temples in annoyance. She deeply disliked social formalities and political posturing like this. But judging by the auras in the room, which included one established Qi Refining cultivator and several experts at the peak of Body Refining, it's clear that these people had likely pressured the prince into arranging this meeting. They wanted to see the legendary alchemist for themselves.
Whatever, she finally decided. "They might be useful later. If I'm going to deal with the Demon Queen, I will need a broader base of support eventually."
After a brief moment of thought, she pushed the heavy doors open and stepped inside the hall.
Instantly, the noisy hall fell completely silent. The air, thick with the smell of leather and tea, seemed to freeze. Every gaze, from grizzled generals to proud sect leaders, turned toward her. Many wore expressions of pure shock, clearly not expecting someone so young to appear.
"Hahaha! Danxianzi, please, come this way."
Prince Yong immediately rose to his feet and greeted her warmly, guiding her personally to the seat of honor right beside his own. The others watched the exchange with a mix of awe, curiosity, and deep uncertainty.
Hushed whispers broke out like a rustle of dry leaves in the wind. "That battle aura we felt earlier was terrifying," one general muttered to a sect elder beside him. "We thought it must be some reclusive senior master, but she is just a young girl? She can't even be twenty years old yet."
"Shut your mouth!" the elder hissed back, his eyes wide with alarm as he glanced at Su Min. "Sect Leader Mo only reached Qi Refining thanks to the Qi Introduction pill she refined. Someone like her could command countless experts with just a word. If she wanted a sect destroyed, all she would need to do is say so."
The general paled at the realization, his hand trembling slightly against his sword hilt. "...Right. Of course."
As Su Min sat in the place of honor, sipping her tea and pointedly ignoring everyone, the whispers continued. Though they spoke softly, some even shielding their voices with a wisp of spiritual energy, her keen perception caught every single word.
One of the men, a middle-aged cultivator with a stern face and stiff, high-collared robes, finally stood and approached her. He bowed deeply and respectfully, his movements precise.
"I'm Mo Shaosheng, leader of the Heaven's Gate Sect," he introduced himself. "My current cultivation is all thanks to your pill, Fairy. I'm deeply grateful."
Regardless of her supreme alchemy skills, the sheer, overwhelming power she had displayed outside was enough to make him acutely aware of the vast, unbridgeable gap between them. His attitude, as he stood before her, was nothing short of reverent.