Inside the Warehouse
"Oh? Your collection isn't small at all."
Staring at the vast, meticulously organized stockpiles of materials before her, Su Min couldn't help but raise a brow in mild surprise. The air inside the vault was cool and remarkably still, thick with the heavy scent of dried earth, bitter botanicals, and the faint, metallic tang of spirit ores. The sheer volume and variety were impressive. Shelves made of dark, sturdy wood and rows of sealed jade containers stretched back into the dimly lit recesses of the stone chamber. It's now abundantly clear that Prince Yong's manor had spent the past twenty years with singular focus. They had been diligently gathering every rare herb and spiritual ingredient they could locate—a hoard built specifically for this moment.
"We sincerely hope these meet your exacting standards, Senior," Cao Yuanmu said. His tone was a blend of pride and respect as he gestured to the wealth surrounding them. "With these, would you be willing to refine two Foundation Establishment Pills for us?"
"Tsk, your appetite isn't small," she remarked, a wry smile touching her lips at the bold request.
She shot Cao Yuanmu a sidelong glance but didn't outright refuse. The materials here weren't just abundant; they were high quality. There's even something unexpected among them. A specific aura caught her expert attention, a low thrum of energy that felt distinct from the vegetative spirit of the herbs.
"A Foundation Establishment demon beast's bones and blood?" she asked. She pointed to a carefully sealed jade container radiating a faint, bestial aura that prickled against her spiritual sense like invisible needles.
"Yes. The very one slain by Master Hui Ming himself during the eastern marsh incident," Cao Yuanmu confirmed, his voice dropping slightly. "We paid a considerable price to the temple to retrieve and preserve it."
"A price?" Su Min arched a brow, curious about the transaction's nature with the notoriously resourceful monks.
"The temple it's taken over, and the large, solid gold Buddha statue within," Cao Yuanmu explained with a slightly awkward chuckle. He looked like a man admitting to a slightly shady deal. He then ventured a more personal observation. "Funny thing, I remember most of the other shrines dedicated to you house only clay or wooden statues, do they not?"
His gaze lingered curiously on Su Min. He, like many in the know, was aware that the scattered, smaller temples devoted to her bore mostly humble, earthen idols. But the main temple here in the city had a radiant, golden form. He was genuinely curious how the "deity" herself would react to the disparity in her own tributes.
"All things respond to sincerity, not splendor," Su Min replied mildly. She was utterly unperturbed by the comparison. "Whether gold or clay, it's merely a physical vessel for the intention behind it. There's no fundamental difference in the faith itself."
She was utterly unfazed by the notion of her own idol. With the profound Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra in her possession, active incense worship wasn't a strict requirement; its cultivation progressed through deeper understanding and personal practice. Besides, now that she's solidly stepped into the Foundation Establishment realm, the initial, most restrictive bottlenecks weren't behind her. She'll have centuries ahead to steadily make up for any past shortcomings at her own pace.
"Tsk. Not bad at all," she continued, her attention returning to the herbs with a practitioner's keen eye. "You even have a few fourth-tier herbs here. Where in the world did you dig those up?"
"Those specifically emerged from the secret realms we have managed to access," Cao Yuanmu explained, his expression turning grim. "Securing them cost significant effort and more than a few lives."
"These," Su Min's fingers brushed over the rare, spiritually vibrant stalks with a practitioner's reverence, feeling their potent energy thrumming against her skin. "These are core ingredients for Golden Spirit Pills." She shook her head slightly, a hint of genuine awe in her voice. "Given the current spiritual world's depleted state, such materials are almost extinct in the wild. Only the sealed environments of secret realms can still birth them. You have done very well." Her eyes scanned the rest of the stock, quickly assessing the crates and jars. "And you have gathered quite a substantial amount of third-tier stock as well."
"With this, I can certainly prepare a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills for you. But to be honest," she looked directly at Cao Yuanmu, her gaze piercing. "I think what you and your men need more right now are Qi Gathering Pills."
"Ah. Of course. You are right, Senior." Cao Yuanmu paused briefly, the realization dawning on him. His face flushed slightly with embarrassment at his own over-eagerness.
He hadn't even fully consolidated the ninth layer of Qi Refining yet and wasn't truly ready to step into Foundation Establishment. Not to mention, his two Qi Refining companions were still stuck at the mid-stages. For them, the Qi Gathering Pills, which could safely elevate a minor stage within Qi Refining, would offer far more practical and immediate aid than a pill they couldn't yet use.
"Alright then. Qi Inducing Pills, Qi Gathering Pills, Foundation Establishment Pills. I will make you a few batches of each. I will need to restock my own supply anyway," Su Min said. She's already mentally cataloging the ingredients and planning the sequence of refinements. She made a shooing motion with her hand. "Go wait outside. I will call for you when it's done."
"No problem! We will ensure absolute silence! No one will disturb you, I guarantee it!"
Cao Yuanmu couldn't contain his joy, his stern features breaking into a wide, relieved smile. These were the most crucial and notoriously difficult pills for any faction to produce. As for common Body Tempering Pills, they could theoretically pile up enough raw materials for their own low-skilled alchemists to brute force the process through sheer repetition. But these higher-tier pills, which required profound spiritual control and insight? Not a chance.
True, gifted alchemists are vanishingly rare. And one of Su Min's legendary caliber? They're practically unheard of. He wasn't going to waste another second with unnecessary words. Of course, it wasn't exactly a loss for Su Min, either. Prince Yong Manor had literally laid out two decades' spoils of hunting and trading before her. With such an abundance, she could easily refine a substantial number of pills for her own future use while fulfilling their request. It's the very definition of a mutually beneficial arrangement.
"They are probably hoping I will lead them into that new secret realm," Su Min mused quietly as she began sorting through the herbs with practiced efficiency. Her hands moved with sure, swift motions, separating the delicate leaves from the woody stems. "Well, that's not out of the question. The earlier-stage secret realms don't pose much danger to me at my current level. As long as all the truly valuable treasures end up in my hands, it matters little who tags along to carry the loot."
Her gaze grew colder as another thought surfaced, a familiar and pressing concern.
"Besides, there's another matter. I will need to craft a specific weapon, one designed to counter that old demoness. The dog emperor isn't threat himself, but she..."
Su Min's eyes narrowed as her thoughts drifted toward the distant imperial palace. The emperor had started cultivating far too late in life; he was already over seventy and in poor health. Even with the Demon Queen's vile secret arts—likely draining the life essence of her own children to force his cultivation forward—they could only extend his lifespan. His foundation was flimsy and his actual combat strength negligible, a puppet on a gilded throne.
But that woman, she's the true danger, the spider at the center of the web.
As the old saying went: For every poison, an antidote exists within five paces.
If she'd risen to power through such vile methods, there must exist a weapon or artifact imbued with properties to specifically restrain her. Su Min possessed the esoteric knowledge to craft such tools, but not the uniquely attuned core materials. A thorough scan of Prince Yong's extensive stash confirmed it; the essential, legendary ingredients weren't yet found here. Not a trace of them could be found here.
"No rushing ahead," she chided herself, reining in her thoughts and focusing on the task at hand. "The plan is clear. Once I hit the Golden Core stage, raw power alone can crush her schemes. Stick to the sequence: pills first, strength next, then the weapon."
Her focus returning to the present, she summoned her trusty, albeit battered, alchemy cauldron. It materialized in the air before her with a soft chime, hovering steadily.
"Hah. This old Yellow-grade low-tier cauldron is practically charred black from overuse."
It's still perfectly functional, though, its internal formations intact. There's no urgent need to replace it just yet. It'd served her well through countless furnaces.
Hours later, the darkened cauldron began to glow with a deep, internal spiritual heat. As the lid opened with a hiss of releasing energy, a rich, complex medicinal fragrance wafted out. It filled the warehouse with its invigorating scent. Within the chamber, five perfectly formed pills glimmered with a soft, profound light, their surfaces smooth and flawless.
"Five Foundation Establishment Pills. A good yield."
She sorted them neatly into a cool jade vial to preserve their potency.
"Give them three, keep two for myself. But they did provide all the ingredients for this batch, so let's be generous and give them one extra."
Cao Yuanmu had only asked for two pills, but Su Min had used a significant portion of their twenty-year stockpile for this and other pills. Throwing in an extra Foundation Establishment Pill was hardly a loss for her. Most of the surplus herbs from the less critical pills had already gone directly into her own spatial ring. If anything, she'd profited handsomely from the transaction, securing a small fortune in high-grade materials.
"As for the Qi Inducing and Qi Gathering Pills, split them down the middle. Half for them, half for myself."
Su Min's refinement success rate was, by any conventional standard, absurd. Even when she's at the peak of the Qi Refining stage, she could reliably produce Foundation Establishment Pills, a task that'd make most alchemists despair. Now, firmly in the Foundation Establishment realm herself, her abilities had soared to new heights. Her spiritual awareness, her soul strength, her control over the Nanming Lihuo—everything had ascended.
With the supreme aid of her unique flame, the entire pill refinement process became near effortless. Not every batch yielded a perfect five, of course, but producing two or three high-quality pills was the consistent norm, heavily dependent on the innate quality of the ingredients. Her personal supply of various pills was growing rapidly, but she wasn't hoarding them just for her own cultivation.
These pills will serve as the ultimate currency in the days to come. Over the last two decades, more spiritual herbs and rare ores would surely surfaced across the land. Prince Yong Manor couldn't possibly have monopolized them all. Other sects, hidden clans, and lone wanderers likely had a few priceless treasures tucked away. These high-demand, impossible-to-find pills will be the key that unlocked those doors, the bargaining chip that'd acquire what brute force couldn't.
That's crude and missed the point. And for goods of this spiritual rarity, mortal money was utterly meaningless.