"Looks like I need to speed things up," Su Min murmured softly to herself. The words were a quiet, lingering sigh in the absolute stillness of her sanctuary. She emerged from her deep meditative state not with a sudden jolt, but with a cold and sharp clarity that settled deep into her very bones.
The quiet of her surroundings, which had once been an absolute and comforting blanket, now felt thin and fragile. It was like a piece of glass that had already been cracked by an unseen force. The court had already taken notice of this remote, hidden place. After she had killed two of their late-stage Body Refining operatives, she knew with a grim and absolute certainty that the next envoys they sent wouldn't be so easily dealt with. They would likely be Qi Refining puppets; these would be the soulless and relentless twisted creations that the Demon Queen undoubtedly had the means to produce in her dark workshops.
In this world, true combat prowess was a complex tapestry woven from many disparate threads. It wasn't just about raw power or brute strength. It wasn't just about Raw power or brute strength. It came from profound cultivation methods handed down through secret and ancient lineages; it grew from lethal martial skills honed over a lifetime of bloody discipline.
It was built from powerful spiritual treasures that hummed with a low, ancient energy, and from fate-defying rare artifacts that could bend the very rules of reality itself. The more complete one's arsenal, the greater their strength. It's a known truth that a cultivator with a perfect system—where every single piece complemented the other perfectly—could even achieve the impossible. They could challenge and defeat enemies from a higher realm through pure synergy.
In this regard, Su Min knew she was far from perfect. Her lifebound spiritual treasure was still a work in progress, a nascent thing that required constant care and spiritual nourishment. Rare artifacts could only be acquired through chance and destiny, like the nascent spirit gourd she was patiently nurturing in the quiet, dark earth of her grove. For now, she had to rely primarily on her innate divine abilities, the power that was born with her at the moment of her creation.
At that thought, she summoned her personal panel into her mind's eye. The familiar interface glowed in her consciousness with a soft, ethereal light, and displayed upon it were the three paths fate had laid before her:
[Path of Longevity (To Survive Against All Odds)]
[Path of Slaughter (To End Conflict Through Bloodshed)]
[Path of Salvation (To Aid the Suffering and Helpless)]
She had just strengthened her divine ability along the Path of Slaughter, feeling its sharp and aggressive energy settle deep within her core. The Path of Longevity was a slow and passive burn. It was a path of pure endurance that couldn't be rushed by any means. The Path of Salvation was more abstract; its progress was nebulous and difficult to quantify in the moment.
She had already distributed countless medicines to the suffering people, yet the path still teetered on the brink of a meaningful advancement. It remained unsatisfied with mere charity. It demanded something more, something she hadn't yet given to the world.
Both the Path of Longevity and the Path of Salvation were gentle and required immense patience, a virtue that was fast becoming a luxury she couldn't afford. She recalled the endless analyses on the player forums from her past life, the countless threads discussing routes like the Path of Merit, which emphasized enlightenment through teaching and guiding others.
Her original plan had been straightforward, almost simple. Once the spirit gourd matured into its true form, she would roam the vast lands of Great Wei. On one hand, it would further her progress along these various paths; on the other, it would allow her to find and claim rare artifacts before the ancient powers, still slumbering in the corners of the world, fully awakened.
But now, circumstances had forced her hand. She needed to unlock a new source of strength, and she needed it immediately. The idea of taking in students and personally teaching them, however, was immediately rejected. She had neither the patience for the endless questions of novices nor the luxury to slow her own cultivation for the sake of others. Fortunately, there's a faster and simpler method, one that played directly to her existing strengths: alchemy.
While she still had a single, precious Qi-Inducing Pill left, she wouldn't part with it lightly. It was a treasure beyond measure. Anyone who wanted it would have to pay a price so steep it would beggar a kingdom. But the Body Tempering Pill was another matter entirely. It's technically a Grade One pill, but its complexity made it no less difficult to refine than a Grade Two. It was a fiendishly tricky concoction, known to frustrate even experienced alchemists with its volatile requirements.
Moreover, the ingredients for it were exceedingly rare in these southern mountains. And since Su Min had already stepped firmly into the Qi Refining stage, the Body Tempering Pill had become useless to her personally. Thus, she had never prioritized its creation in her previous sessions. But now, everything was different.
Among the vast stockpile of herbs gifted by the Fuding Merchant Guild, she had found just enough materials to concoct one or two batches of Body Tempering Pills. No matter how difficult the process was, it couldn't compare to the soul-consuming, mind-breaking effort of refining a Qi-Inducing Pill.
Thus, her course was set.
"Body Tempering Pill."
Narrowing her eyes at the three glittering, newly-formed pills resting in her palm, Su Min began to ponder how to best put them to use. If you imagined a world of a hundred people, perhaps only one could naturally enter the Body Refining realm through sheer talent and effort alone.
Such rare individuals, the true prodigies of the land, wouldn't even need the pill. For the remaining ten or so who possessed some potential, however, the journey was long and arduous. They would need to relentlessly temper their bodies and cultivate foundational techniques for years, awaiting that elusive, natural chance to break through. It was a moment that might never come for many.
For them, a Body Tempering Pill would be a miracle; it's a key that could unlock the gates of higher cultivation and massively increase their odds of success. Still, selecting the right recipients was crucial. The villagers deep in the mountains were sturdy and hardy, but years of nutritional hardship and a harsh environment had left lasting marks on their bodies, stunting their potential and draining their vitality. If she was to recruit suitable candidates, she would have to look toward the greater cities of Great Wei, where the population was vast and the chances of finding a diamond in the rough were higher.
"I will go to the Fuding Merchant Guild. They're like a shadow empire thriving right under the dynasty's nose. They should have access to suitable candidates, ones with clean backgrounds that the court can't easily exploit." She nodded to herself, the decision made, a solid plan forming in her mind. "Time for a trip."
With that, Su Min swiftly left her secluded bamboo grove and began her journey toward the nearest city. This was only her second visit to a city under Great Wei's control since arriving in the southern borderlands. However, long before she even reached the city proper, she stopped in her tracks. Her eyes darkened as she took in the grim sight before her.
The once formidable fortress city, nestled at the mountain's foot, had fallen into complete ruin. Its walls were breached in multiple places. Great chunks of grey stone were scattered in the dirt like fallen teeth. A dense, visible miasma of death and despair hung heavy in the air above it; it was a sickly greenish haze that effectively blotted out the sun. In an ordinary kingdom's fall, this might have been expected, but in this world, infused with spiritual energy, such rapid and profound decay heralded a true disaster. It was a sign that when the human spirit weakened and hope died, the paths of ghosts and demons ran rampant, feeding on the despair.
Su Min's heart twisted slightly at the sight. By the cold logic of her paths, this should have been a treasure trove of experience for the Path of Salvation, yet she found no joy or satisfaction in the notion. The sheer scale of the suffering was a physical weight in the air.
"First things first," she muttered, steeling herself against the palpable gloom. "I will finish my task, then deal with whatever is left behind."
No matter how dire the situation had become, the Fuding Merchant Guild had continued supplying her without interruption. This suggested they hadn't fallen, at least not completely. They were like a stubborn weed surviving in cracked stone. The moment she stepped into the city's broken, corpse-littered streets, several predatory gazes locked onto her without hesitation. She could feel them from the shadows of collapsed buildings and from behind shattered carts.
In the past, such scavengers and bandits only dared to act once their targets left the city limits. Now, emboldened by the complete collapse of order, they stalked the ruins in broad daylight. And it wasn't just one or two. They moved in packs, their eyes gleaming with a feral hunger. Su Min's lips curved into a cold, merciless smirk. They had chosen the wrong prey today.
"First, the guild's headquarters." Having made her decision, she strode deeper into the city's decaying heart, her footsteps echoing in the unnatural silence that was broken only by the occasional moan of the wind through broken structures.
Soon, she stood before the heavily guarded gates of a still-luxurious compound. It stood out like an island of opulence in a sea of ruin. The guards, their eyes hard and wary, immediately moved to block her path as she approached, her clothes still bearing the fresh stains of her journey through the city.
"Deliver this token to your steward," Su Min commanded indifferently. Her voice was flat and carried no emotion. She tossed aside the battered, bloodstained saber she had been carrying, letting it clatter loudly on the stones. She then leaned casually against the gateframe, arms crossed, as if she had all the time in the world and the devastation around her was merely a minor inconvenience. Upon seeing the unique token, the guards stiffened. Their dismissive attitude vanished in an instant. One of them immediately bolted into the estate; his haste was evident.
Barely three minutes passed before a familiar, rotund merchant, his face pale and panting heavily, came rushing over as if his life depended on it.
At the sight of Su Min, who radiated the sharp, metallic aura of one fresh from slaughter, Lan Ningsheng instinctively stumbled back a step. Given the current state of the world, his reaction was understandable. In the short distance from the city's edge to this compound, she had already been ambushed six or seven times.
Those desperate thugs, seeing a woman alone, had tried to capture and sell her. She had no patience for their antics. Each attempt had been answered with swift, merciless death. To a cultivator in the Qi Refining stage, such rabble were little more than weeds to be cut down; their lives were extinguished with a single thought.
"Long time no see," Su Min said lazily, her voice carrying a distinct, sharp edge, like a knife wrapped in silk. "I didn't expect you to be the one holding the reins here."
Lan Ningsheng sighed heavily, the sound full of a profound weariness that seemed to come from his very soul. "Chaos reigns in Great Wei. Ironically, these southern borderlands are now safer in comparison. To better serve you, I chose to settle here and manage our operations." He gave a helpless shrug, his fine robes seeming to hang heavily on his frame. "Old as I'm, I no longer have the strength or the courage to venture into the mountains anymore."
"Let's talk inside." Su Min didn't waste another breath standing in the open. Under heavy escort, she was led into a lavishly appointed reception room, a stark contrast to the hell outside.
The moment they sat down, she dropped a bombshell that nearly made the merchant choke on his tea. "Just now, some men from the Demon-Slaying Division attacked me in my home. I killed them all." She paused, letting the weight of that statement sink in for a moment.
Her eyes glinted with cold amusement at Lan Ningsheng's shocked expression. "Of course, it would be rude not to return the favor. I plan to give the emperor a little... surprise."