Slurp—
The soft sound of porcelain sliding on polished wood broke the silence as Su Min took a final, leisurely sip of tea. She then rose to her feet, the simple movement carrying a sense of finality.
"Here, these are the pills you wanted."
With a casual, almost dismissive flick of her wrist, she tossed a small heap of jade and porcelain pill bottles onto the low table before the two stunned men. The containers clinked together softly, a chorus of delicate chimes that spoke of immense 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 the two men momentarily speechless, their eyes wide and unblinking.
"This, this many?!" Cao Yuanming stammered, his voice barely a whisper, choked with disbelief.
The Cao brothers were utterly dumbfounded. Seeing such a small mountain of precious elixirs, enough to found a minor sect, thrown at them so casually made their heads spin. Of course, they did not 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 tremble with a mixture of joy and shock. This was enough resources 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 a handful of people even 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 heavyweight, the prize that made their palms sweat: three whole Foundation Establishment Pills, resting in their own distinct vial. These three pills alone could solidify Prince Yong Manor's power for the next century. The only current pity was that, for now, no one in their faction was quite qualified or prepared to take that final, daunting step.
"…Could you, perhaps forge a set of armor for me?" asked Cao Yuanmu after a long silence, his voice carefully measured. His eyes glimmered with undisguised hope, unable to hide his naked greed. He still had not forgotten the breathtaking sight of Su Min's radiant, glazed azure armor during the war. It had left him salivating ever since.
"No," Su Min rejected him flatly, without a moment's hesitation. "There is not nearly enough material here. The foundational core of this armor was crafted from the hide and core of a specific, rare desert beast, and its body had metabolized an exceptionally flexible spiritual metal. Without that exact, unique material as a base, I cannot recreate its properties."
Her refusal was swift and absolute, leaving no room for negotiation. Forging spiritual armor was not a game; it devoured resources like a starving primordial beast. Even though Prince Yong Mansion had amassed a decent stockpile over twenty years, it did not 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. Whether it was the astronomical cost in rare materials or the transcendent skill of the smith, the requirements were sky high.
"Well, I suppose there is no rush," Cao Yuanmu sighed, the disappointment clear on his face but acceptance in his tone.
He knew intimately how difficult it was to craft such armor. He still remembered the naked, 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 just how precious and 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 was not something that could be easily replicated or found.
"Senior, about that secret realm you sensed last time," Cao Yuanming interjected, smoothly changing the subject to a more immediately actionable matter. "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 other crucial matter, the impending secret realm.
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 was not a real loss for them. After all, 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 would not have much use for the physical copies, and as long as their people contributed to the expedition, she would not likely hog everything.
More importantly, the secret realm was emerging near Prince Yong Manor'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, existential trouble. The energy fluctuations this time were even stronger and more volatile, and who knew what ancient dangers or traps 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 them a clear glimpse of just how terrifying her actual combat prowess was, far exceeding her cultivation level on paper.
"Fine," Su Min nodded after a moment's consideration, seeing the strategic sense in it. "I will lead the expedition."
The current state of Great Wei was unpredictable, and having a few reliable, strong allies to handle the minor nuisances would not hurt. Unlike heavy, durable 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 specifically looking for a certain material rumored to appear in such places, one that was 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 am at it,"
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 profoundly powerful materials, most of which could not be found in the ordinary wild. 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 and a broken constitution, they were often just minor, resource rich dungeons. The real threats, the ones that made even seasoned players shiver, were the fixed, high difficulty secret realms that acted as major story gates. Each one promised unimaginable fortune but also came with grave, tailored peril. Bringing a few locals as pack mules and cannon fodder would not 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 if things turned truly sour.
"We still have about two weeks before the realm stabilizes enough to enter," Cao Yuanming informed her, his tone now that of a general planning a campaign. "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 and strategic. They were not short sighted fools. Elixirs were only useful if converted into tangible strength. Letting them sit in a storage vault was meaningless. 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, a lazy, comfortable motion that spoke of a desire for simple comforts. "I have been in closed door cultivation for twenty years. It is 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 and longing. She was more than ready to indulge her mortal senses for a while. Even though she cultivated the profound Great Sun Tathagata Scripture, it was a path of enlightenment, not of strict, joyless asceticism. It never imposed rules against enjoying life's pleasures.
She saw no compelling reason to deny herself good food and drink. Eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, enjoy the world's comforts, and then return to tempering the heart and spirit with a refreshed mind. It was a more holistic path. With just a few flashes of movement, she disappeared from the great hall without a trace, leaving behind two very excited, and now 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.