"Everyone has entered?"
Looking up at the stands where the monks had vanished, Su Min understood this was the entrance to the Medicine Master's personal secret realm. Inside lay not one, but multiple legacies left by the Medicine Master. After all, a top tier expert who reached his level could not have mastered only alchemy; he would have been a complete powerhouse.
The number of legacies obtained by each sect's disciples would be one of the key criteria for evaluation in this competition. The first group to enter now held an absolute advantage, getting a head start on searching. Moreover, since this was the Medicine Master's grand assembly, once the three main trials were completed, the secret realm would fully open to a wider group.
All those who practiced genuine Buddhist cultivation techniques and mental methods could enter then, but only if they were first generation practitioners, experiencing their first and only life. If nothing else, the expert who set up this secret realm clearly despised the concept of reincarnation, as he himself had never undergone rebirth. Only the three gate openers, the current contestants, were exempt from this strict generational condition.
At this moment, the two other alchemists had also finished refining their pills. Though both were high tier fifth grade pills, neither the quantity nor the quality could compare to Su Min's two flawless Soul Origin Pills. The difference in skill was already starkly clear. At the same time, as the three of them passed the trial, the main gates of the Medicine Master's secret realm swung open fully. A golden light swept over the area, and all the Golden Core and Nascent Soul Buddhist cultivators present rushed inside in a shimmering wave.
Since they were all orthodox Buddhists, and the outside world could observe the interior through projected divine sense, conflicts might erupt over the legacies. However, under the watchful eyes of the elders, fatalities were rare during these standard competitions. Unfortunately, those who had not cultivated core Buddhist techniques or scriptures, like Su Min's own disciples, could not enter.
[Su Min has placed first in this trial and will enter the Medicine Master's secret herb valley ten minutes ahead of the other alchemists.]
The resonant, non human voice rang out once more, and Su Min was enveloped in a concentrated pillar of golden Buddhist light before vanishing from the platform. However, just before she disappeared, she caught a final glimpse of the stark, unconcealed killing intent on Liao Neng's face.
"I will be waiting for you inside," she thought coldly, her own resolve hardening.
With that thought, she disappeared. This specific section of the secret realm was reportedly designed specifically for fifth and sixth grade alchemists, though given the current circumstances of the world, no true sixth grade alchemists existed yet.
"There are plenty of materials here," she observed, her spiritual sense sweeping the lush, spiritual herb filled valley. "So, what is the real trial?"
While the herbs here were not as phenomenally precious as those inside the Medicine King Cauldron's inner world, the variety and quality were more than sufficient for refining fifth and sixth grade pills. Just then, a beam of golden light descended before her, carrying information.
[The pill formula for this trial is the sixth grade low tier pill, the Flesh and Bone Regeneration Pill.]
[Flesh and Bone Regeneration Pill (Sixth grade low tier): Upon consumption, it allows severed limbs and destroyed flesh to regrow completely. Ineffective for spiritual or soul based damage.]
"A sixth grade pill? I had better gather the ingredients first."
Su Min's brow twitched slightly. This trial would be challenging, pushing the very limits of her current ability. But there was no point in dwelling on the difficulty, she needed to find the ingredients first. After absorbing the complex pill formula's information into her mind, she immediately set out to search the valley.
[This is the Medicine Master's Token. Using it will open a temporary portal to the Medicine Master's Cauldron inner world for one hour.]
A simple, unadorned wooden token descended and floated before her, the very tool promised by the Medicine King Cauldron's spirit.
"By the way," Su Min asked, grasping the token, "what are the exact conditions for obtaining the Medicine Master's true legacy?"
She was slightly surprised by the token's early appearance and could not help but ask for clarity.
[You must first awaken me fully from my dormant state. You must possess alchemy talent and skill that surpasses the Medicine Master's at an equivalent stage. And you must be a first generation practitioner. Specifically, if you can refine the Flesh and Bone Regeneration Pill at the mid Nascent Soul stage, you will qualify for the true legacy inheritance.]
[If you can awaken me early, you are a fated individual. If you can refine a sixth grade pill at your current level, you will have already surpassed the Medicine Master when he was at the same stage. Historical records show he refined his first sixth grade pill only at the late Nascent Soul stage.]
"Tch."
Su Min inwardly sucked in a cold breath. Throughout known history, the Medicine Master had represented the pinnacle of alchemical achievement. As for eras further back, records were lost. With her abilities, she might have a solid chance to refine it once she reached the late Nascent Soul stage. But right now, at mid stage, it was a significant stretch. Still, she had no choice but to push forward and try.
Moreover, what worried her more was Liao Neng. And he calls himself a monk? The sheer, unrestrained killing intent radiating from him was on par with the demon queen she had once confronted in the Wei Wu Province. She could not figure out what their divination had revealed about her to warrant such hatred. Last night, she had asked Kong Hui for his thoughts on the concept of the future. His perspective had been simple and clear:
"Until the future actually arrives, everything about it is illusory. The future is ever shifting, a river with countless tributaries. The 'future' that Future Maitreya Mountain chases is one specific future, shaped through deliberate guidance, manipulation, and sacrifice to achieve a desired outcome, it is not the true, organic future, but a grand and dangerous scheme. That is why my relationship with them is so strained. The Ancient Lamp Monastery only records the immutable past, so we can still coexist peacefully."
From this, Su Min roughly understood. For example, the dark future she knew of from the game already existed in some form as one of these manipulated paths, it was likely inevitable that those terrible events would emerge one day. As Su Min scoured the secret realm for the rare materials, the other two alchemists also entered the herb valley. They received the same trial task, but unlike Su Min, who was already contemplating how to break through her limits, their faces turned grim, then despairing.
After so many lifetimes and reincarnations, neither had ever reached the sixth grade stage. Being asked to refine such a pill now, under pressure, filled them with a sense of hopeless futility. Reincarnation had a major, inescapable flaw, you could not break through the limits of your original soul's potential. No matter what methods or opportunities you seized, your ultimate ceiling remained unchanged.
That was why many true geniuses looked down on the path of reincarnation, and why this secret realm, which tested potential, held little real appeal to them. Even if they passed the trials, they would only obtain ordinary rewards, unless they achieved the legendary, near mythical hundred life reincarnation.
But reincarnation was not infinite. After a certain number of cycles, the original soul imprint would fade, the very anchor of one's existence. Those who surpassed ten reincarnations were already incredibly rare. The only figure said to have achieved a hundred life reincarnation was the legendary founder of the Great Thunder Temple, the original Enlightened One.
Of course, whether the Buddha you became after a hundred lives was still the original "you" was a philosophical question anyone could guess.
Still, since they were here, the two alchemists had no intention of simply giving up. After exchanging a glance of shared resignation, they turned and left in different directions to search. However, most of the most valuable herbs had already been quickly plundered by Su Min, leaving little of the best quality for them.
But Liao Neng had a more important mission than the trial, to kill Su Min. Almost immediately after arriving, he ignored the herb gathering and instead focused, pulling out a strange mirror. He then began to follow Su Min's lingering spiritual aura, his eyes brimming with a fanatical murderous intent. As a Divine Transformation cultivator, he possessed a powerful high grade Earth tier treasure, the Octagonal Karma Mirror, which allowed him to perfectly track Su Min's location within the realm.
Meanwhile, outside the secret realm, in the viewing area...
"The Octagonal Karma Mirror?"
Kong Hui's expression darkened instantly when he saw the mirror appear in Liao Neng's hand through the spiritual projection. It was a specialized, infamous tracking artifact, its purpose in this context was unmistakable.
"Casualties within secret realms are a normal, accepted risk," Liao Jie said, his tone dripping with false nonchalance and a hint of smugness. He knew that if Liao Neng succeeded in killing Su Min, it would be of no official consequence. She was not a formal disciple of the Great Thunder Temple, nor did she practice any of their reincarnation techniques. If she died, she died. To the broader Buddhist alliance, an outsider held no inherent value. They would not go to war over her. But if she lived, the Great Thunder Temple, recognizing her immense value, would undoubtedly extend their protection to her.
As a master alchemist, Su Min's long term survival would be immensely beneficial to them. So for now, in this moment, she could only rely on herself, no one else could legally intervene to help her. Kong Hui's brow twitched in frustration. He looked at Liao Jie's composed demeanor and realized that the person before him, and likely his entire faction, might have already fallen deeply into spiritual corruption.
"Regardless of the outcome here," Kong Hui said quietly to the elder from the Ancient Lamp Monastery, "we must be wary of Future Maitreya Mountain from now on. This is not the path of the Buddha."
He closed his eyes in solemn contemplation. No wonder Su Min had sought him out yesterday with probing questions, she must have sensed something amiss. The realization weighed heavily on him. Had she not come and triggered this series of events, he might never have noticed the rot setting in. Future Maitreya Mountain had always been the most radical faction among the Buddhists, but now they were openly scheming to kill a talented young woman over a prophecy, something previously unimaginable.
Back inside the secret realm...
Su Min had just carefully plucked a glowing Seven Color Lotus, ensuring not to damage its roots, when she suddenly froze. A wave of unrestrained, violent killing intent was charging straight at her position, its spiritual lock on her so tight it left no room for evasion or stealth.
"So impatient?"
A glint of cold murderous intent flashed in her own eyes. If they were coming for her with this level of determination, there was nothing left to say. Coincidentally, she was still missing one final ingredient for the Flesh and Bone Regeneration Pill, a Star Tear Grass, one she remembered seeing in that special world within the cauldron.
Since escape was impossible within the confined realm, she might as well confront it head on. At her current strength, she was not sure if she could win a direct fight against a Divine Transformation expert, but she had no intention of fighting a fair battle to the death. If that was the case, she would have to resort to the special measures the cauldron's spirit had warned her about. Sure enough, in the next moment, a monk with a face twisted like a demonic ghost, devoid of all Buddhist serenity, rushed toward her through the mist.
Buddhist techniques abhorred the three poisons, greed, anger, and delusion. Upon reaching the Divine Transformation stage, one could perfectly control and suppress these emotions. But if one chose not to, and instead embraced them...
The person before her was no longer a monk, he was a man eating demon wearing saffron robes. The moment he saw Su Min, Liao Neng wasted no words on doctrine or debate. He raised his hand and slammed it down, spiritual energy erupting.
"Obstruction of the future! DIE!!!"
A hundred meter wide giant golden palm, corrupted by streaks of black energy, descended upon Su Min, aiming to crush her into paste.
"Hmph."
With a cold snort, Su Min drew her Five Elements Sacred Sword and slashed upward, a brilliant arc of five colored light meeting the massive palm.
Boom!
The massive palm shattered into motes of fading light and dark smoke.
"How?!"
She had once withstood a strike from a late stage Divine Transformation wooden puppet. This was nothing in comparison. But Liao Neng was not truly surprised. Su Min was ranked first on the Heavenly Leaderboard, she had even defeated that monster Yao Xian'er. Of course, she had tricks up her sleeve. Without hesitation, he closed the distance with shocking speed, raising a massive, spike studded vajra hammer high, ready to crush her skull with pure physical force.
But at that exact moment, before the hammer could fall—
Hummm!
A low, profound hum reverberated through the very fabric of the secret realm. The space around Su Min and Liao Neng twisted violently, and then, both of them vanished from the herb valley without a trace.
"What?!"
An uproar erupted outside among the spectators. This had never happened before in the recorded history of the assembly. Even the unflappable Liao Jie, the concerned Kong Hui, and the neutral representative from the Ancient Lamp Monastery were stunned, staring at the now empty spot in the projection.