Slurp—
The soft sound of porcelain sliding against the dark, polished grain of the table broke the silence as Su Min took a final, leisurely sip of her tea. The liquid was warm, smelling faintly of dried plum and mountain herbs. She set the cup down and rose to her feet, the simple movement carrying a sense of finality that seemed to draw the very air of the hall toward her.
"Here, these are the pills you wanted."
With a casual flick of her wrist, she tossed a small heap of jade and porcelain pill bottles onto the low table before the two men. The containers clinked together with a chorus of delicate, crystalline chimes that echoed through the quiet room, a sound that spoke of immense, concentrated value.
Though the materials they provided were technically only enough for a single, conservative batch of Foundation Establishment Pills, there had been plenty of excess ingredients for the lower-tier Qi Introduction Pills and Qi Gathering Pills. The sheer number of finished bottles she had just unceremoniously dumped in front of them left both Cao Yuanming and Cao Yuanmu momentarily speechless. They sat with their eyes wide and unblinking, their breath hitching as they stared at the pile.
"This, this many?!" Cao Yuanming stammered. His voice was barely a whisper, thick with a disbelief he couldn't quite swallow.
The Cao brothers were stunned. Seeing such a small mountain of precious elixirs—enough to found a minor sect—thrown at them so casually made their heads spin. They didn't know that Su Min, with her monstrous efficiency, had quietly kept an equal half of the output for herself. There were dozens of Qi Inducing Pills and over a dozen Qi Gathering Pills. The quantity alone made their hearts thud with a mixture of joy and shock. This was enough to systematically push over a dozen late-stage Body Forging experts into the Qi Refining stage. Two decades ago, they would have struggled to find even a handful of people qualified to take them.
But now, after twenty years of spiritual recovery, they could easily find over a hundred suitable candidates. The Qi Gathering Pills could immediately raise an established Qi Refining cultivator's level by one minor stage, though the most efficient time to take them was during the mid-stage of Qi Refining to push into the late stage.
And then there was the real prize that made their palms grow damp: three whole Foundation Establishment Pills, resting in their own distinct vial of translucent white jade. These three pills alone could solidify Prince Yong Mansion's power for the next century. The only current pity was that no one in their faction was quite prepared to take that final, daunting step.
"…Could you, perhaps forge a set of armor for me?" Cao Yuanmu asked after a long silence. He leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Su Min's own attire, his fingers twitching toward the jade bottles. He hadn't forgotten the breathtaking sight of her radiant, glazed azure armor during the war. It had haunted his ambitions ever since.
"No," Su Min rejected him flatly. "There isn't nearly enough material here. The foundational core of that armor was crafted from a specific, rare desert beast's hide and core, and that creature's body had metabolized an exceptionally flexible spiritual metal. Without that exact, unique material as a base, I can't recreate its properties."
Her refusal was swift and absolute. Forging spiritual armor wasn't a game; it devoured resources like a starving primordial beast. Even though Prince Yong Mansion had amassed a decent stockpile over twenty years, it didn't come close to the specific quality and quantity required for armor of that caliber. There was simply no helping it. True treasure-grade armor was far too valuable, and the requirements were sky-high.
"Well, I suppose there's no rush," Cao Yuanmu sighed. His shoulders slumped slightly, though he nodded in acceptance.
He knew intimately how difficult it was to craft such a thing. He still remembered the burning envy in the eyes of the fused Flame and Earth Elder when they saw Su Min's armor, whereas they had barely glanced at his own spiritually forged sword. He understood how powerful dedicated armor was. Su Min's instant refusal made it perfectly clear that if it were at all possible, she would have negotiated terms rather than outright dismissing the idea. As for that special monster she mentioned, he had heard snippets about it from Hui Ming. It wasn't something that could be easily found.
"Senior, about that secret realm you sensed," Cao Yuanming interjected, his voice pulling the conversation back to the present. "We have had scouts investigating, and the spatial and energy fluctuations at the site are extremely intense. A high-grade secret realm is about to descend. We would like to formally invite you to lead the expedition. Of course, all unique materials and ores found will belong to you, and you will have first access to any techniques or manuals discovered."
He brought up the impending secret realm with the focus of a man planning a campaign. Since Su Min was the only one who could effectively refine raw materials into world-shaking pills, letting her take the lion's share of the ingredients wasn't a real loss for them. A single, guaranteed Foundation Establishment pill was worth more than a hundred rare herbs sitting uselessly in a vault. As for techniques and manuals, Su Min was a lone cultivator. Once she read and learned them, she wouldn't have much use for the physical copies.
More importantly, the secret realm was emerging near Prince Yong Mansion's core territory, which they now firmly controlled. If another rampaging Foundation Establishment level beast emerged from it like last time, they would be in deep trouble. The energy fluctuations this time were even stronger and more volatile. Who knew what ancient dangers lurked inside?
Last time, Hui Ming had been forced to sacrifice his ideal cultivation path and forcibly break through to Foundation Establishment just to deal with the threat. This time, whatever was inside might be far beyond his current capabilities. Though Su Min was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, the two monks had already given the brothers a glimpse of just how terrifying her actual combat prowess was.
"Fine," Su Min nodded after a moment's consideration. "I will lead the expedition."
The current state of Great Wei was unpredictable, and having a few reliable allies to handle minor nuisances wouldn't hurt. Unlike heavy weapon forging materials, medicinal herbs were fragile and required careful handling. If a fight broke out inside the realm, she would need capable backup to secure them quickly. More importantly, she was looking for a certain material crucial for crafting a weapon to kill a certain Demon Queen.
"And maybe I can find the means to refine my weapon again while I'm at it," she mused.
Su Min glanced down at the sword at her hip. Advancing a spiritual weapon from the Yellow rank to the Mystic rank was a massive qualitative leap, requiring a new set of rare and powerful materials. If she wanted to upgrade her primary weapon, her only real option was to plunder ancient ruins like this one.
These so-called ancient mansions might be death traps for native cultivators, but for a player like her with foreknowledge, they were often just resource-rich dungeons. The real threats were the fixed, high-difficulty secret realms that acted as major story gates. Each one promised fortune but also came with tailored peril. Bringing a few locals as pack mules wouldn't be a problem. Besides, with her treasure-grade armor and the Nanming Lihuo's escape capabilities, she was confident she could escape almost any situation.
"We still have about two weeks before the realm stabilizes enough to enter," Cao Yuanming informed her. "In the meantime, we will distribute these pills. We will boost our men's strength as much as we can in this short window. We understand you may not be able to protect everyone once we are inside."
"Understood."
The brothers nodded immediately, their expressions turning serious. They weren't short-sighted fools. Elixirs were only useful if converted into tangible strength. Even if Cao Yuanmu was still a step short of Foundation Establishment, there was no telling what opportunities they might find in the ruin. With the right insight or treasure, he might just be pushed to take that final, legendary step.
-
"Yaaawn." Su Min stretched her arms high above her head, the silk of her sleeves rustling with the lazy, comfortable motion. "I have been in closed-door cultivation for twenty years. It's high time for me to go out and enjoy a good meal, some fine wine, and a comfortable bed."
Her voice trailed off with a hint of genuine fatigue. She was more than ready to indulge her mortal senses. Even though she cultivated the profound Great Sun Tathagata Scripture, it was a path of enlightenment, not of joyless asceticism. She saw no reason to deny herself. Eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, and then return to tempering the heart with a refreshed mind. With just a few flashes of movement, she disappeared from the great hall without a trace, leaving behind two very busy men.
One thing was certain: the military and cultivator strength of Prince Yong Mansion was about to experience another dramatic surge. The balance of power in the northern prefectures was set to shift once again.