"Hahaha! Brother Cao, it has been far too long! I did not expect even you to have reached the late stage of Qi Refining so swiftly."
A loud, hearty voice cut through the murmuring crowd. It belonged to none other than the Wulin Alliance Leader, Mo Shaosheng. To maintain such a prestigious position for twenty years, his strength and talent were undoubtedly extraordinary. Even without the direct aid of a Qi Gathering Pill, he had steadily reached the very pinnacle of Qi Refining through his own efforts and was now eligible, at least in theory, to take the Foundation Establishment Pill. But the moment his sharp eyes fell on the black robed figure standing beside Cao Yuanmu, his jovial expression faltered, and he paused, visibly taken aback.
"You… Could it be—?"
"Ahem. That is enough, Master Mo," Cao Yuanmu smoothly interrupted with a practiced chuckle before Su Min could even react. "The mansion will descend at any moment. A gentleman of your standing should return to his own seat and prepare."
Seeing Su Min dressed so plainly and deliberately anonymous, Cao Yuanmu immediately understood she had no intention of being recognized or drawing any unnecessary attention.
"Is that so…? Then, I will be sure to pay a proper visit another day," Mo Shaosheng said, his voice now more measured.
He did not press the issue. He simply gave Su Min's veiled form one last, long, and deeply meaningful look before turning to leave with his disciples. As for the true identity of the black robed figure, a conviction had already solidified in his heart. For someone to make these three proud, late stage Qi Refining experts behave with such instinctive humility and deference, there could only be one such person in all of Great Wei.
Danxianzi. The legendary alchemist, hailed by those in the know as the most formidable figure in the realm.
Over the past twenty years, Mo Shaosheng's entire sect had painstakingly gathered and hoarded many rare treasures and spiritual herbs. Once this expedition ended, he was determined to offer up everything they had in exchange for one single thing: a Foundation Establishment Pill.
He had already reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, standing just one, agonizing step away from Foundation Establishment. That single step, however, was a chasm that had trapped and broken the spirits of countless talented cultivators throughout history.
"As expected of Prince Yong Manor. Even someone as powerful as Sect Leader Mo has to tread carefully around them."
"Keep your voice down. Do not let them hear you."
Watching the brief but telling exchange, many of the lesser cultivators whispered among themselves in awe. Prince Yong Manor's foundation was deep and formidable, with countless experts in their employ and control over vast lands, populations, and resource networks. They were an entity far beyond the reach of ordinary martial sects that relied on individual strength.
A select few sharper individuals, however, narrowed their eyes, their gazes lingering on the black robed figure. Mo Shaosheng was a peak Qi Refining expert, a man who bowed to very few. Those three from Prince Yong Manor were strong, but not enough to warrant such immediate politeness and restraint from him. The real reason had to be the mysterious, robed one standing silently among them. More importantly, no matter how hard they tried, they could not sense even a trace of her cultivation base, which was far more alarming than a powerful aura.
"Listen carefully, all of you," Mo Shaosheng whispered to his core disciples, ignoring the murmurs around him. "Once we are inside, gathering herbs and treasures is a secondary objective. Our primary priority is to observe and, if the opportunity arises, assist Prince Yong Manor's group. If they take an interest in something, do not even think of competing. If possible, help them secure it."
His disciples looked at him, confused but obedient. Why was their proud sect leader going to such obsequious lengths?
For that single, life altering step into Foundation Establishment, of course. And more importantly, Mo Shaosheng knew that Su Min's strength twenty years ago had already far surpassed his current level. Even now, at the peak of Qi Refining, he was not confident he could defeat either of the Flame and Earth Elders in a one on one fight, let alone when they fused into a pseudo Foundation Establishment entity.
As for where she had disappeared for twenty years, he could guess with his eyes closed. She had been in seclusion, breaking through to Foundation Establishment. He did not know why it took her two full decades—a fact that both puzzled and terrified him—but one thing was certain: she was now in a realm far beyond his reach. Since he could not possibly win in a fight (and would likely be instantly crushed), his only viable option was to earn her goodwill and offer a veritable mountain of rare herbs in exchange for a single pill.
A single Foundation Establishment Pill would solve all his current problems and open the path to a new world. Mo Shaosheng had figured this calculus out in mere seconds. His two Qi Refining disciples could only nod in understanding. They were only at the early stage, having struggled bitterly and consumed vast resources to reach even this level. The limited supply of pills Su Min had left for Prince Yong Manor had long been used up, and without such miraculous aids, their own progress had become agonizingly slow.
Suddenly—
"Jie jie jie... what a lively gathering we have here."
A sinister, corrosive aura pierced the sky, accompanied by a grotesque, grating laugh that made everyone's skin crawl. The oppressive pressure of it slammed into the gathering crowd like a physical hammer.
The entire plaza fell into a stunned silence, followed by sharp, collective intakes of breath.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator—and his aura placed him at the mid stage, no less. And he was not alone. He brought with him a retinue of seven or eight men, all at the late stage of Qi Refinement. Everyone in the clearing, except for Su Min, felt a cold dread grip their hearts.
Su Min's eyes, hidden beneath her veil, flickered with a sharp, cold trace of killing intent. Even though they disguised their core energies well, she could still sense that uniquely revolting, blood drenched aura she associated with the imperial palace. These people were clearly recipients of the Demon Queen's forbidden secret arts.
"Who is that guy? He was not in the simulation. A mid stage Foundation cultivator appearing this early… I should know him."
Su Min concealed her surging emotions masterfully, revealing nothing on her face or in her posture. As for why she did not strike immediately, the answer came almost instantly.
BOOM!
A deafening, earth shaking rumble echoed across the mountain range as the shimmering, majestic palace solidified fully and came crashing down before them, landing squarely and solidly in the center of the clearing. The ground trembled under its weight.
[Xuantian Mansion.]
The three large, ancient characters carved into the main plaque glowed with a faint, imposing power.
This was absolutely not the time to start a fight. If a battle broke out now between powers of their level, the mansion's interior would be thrown into chaos, and the treasures inside might be damaged, lost, or swept away by others in the confusion. Su Min did not care much for ordinary items, but she was here specifically for the rare and supremely high grade materials rumored to be inside, materials capable of countering the Demon Queen's most dreaded trump cards. Other things, like ingredients for the Golden Spirit Pill, were troublesome to find but not essential to her immediate goals.
Though her system interface had classified this domain as a "Tianjiao Realm," that was simply a categorical label. Its true, historical name was the Xuantian Mansion.
With that priority in mind, she moved. Ignoring the newcomers completely, she was the first to rush forward, a blur of black robes, and slipped through the grand, now materialized gates. As for the Demon Queen's followers, she was not in a hurry. Once inside the complex mansion, there would be plenty of isolated chances to deal with them permanently.
The group of dark cultivators glared at her retreating back, their faces darkening with fury. None of them had expected this black robed figure to dismiss them so utterly and dart into the mansion without a second glance.
"That is the alchemist who even the great clans fear…" the lead cultivator, the mid stage Foundation expert, muttered coldly. "This time, we must bring her back to the capital—alive. We will take our time with her."
He sneered, his youthful face contorted with arrogance. He was already in his late twenties and had reached such a height of cultivation he could legitimately look down on most of the world. Unfortunately, he had grown up sheltered and hidden within the deep palace, and his name and face remained unknown to the Jianghu. This secret realm was his chosen stage to make a name for himself and let the world know who the Crown Prince of Great Wei truly was.
As a proud son of heaven, he believed he inherently deserved the best of everything the world had to offer—including its most remarkable women.
~
Inside the mansion—
"The spiritual energy in here… it is incredibly rich."
The moment Su Min stepped across the threshold, she was momentarily taken aback by the dense, almost liquid concentration of spiritual qi that washed over her. It was like stepping into a different era. But she quickly regained her composure, her analytical mind taking over.
"This place has just connected to our world. The spiritual energy will begin to dissipate and equilibrate with the outside soon. Do not even think about trying to cultivate in here; it is a waste of time." She shot a sideways glance at the few cultivators who had rushed in behind her and were now standing with dazed, intoxicated expressions, greedily inhaling the thick qi. She rolled her eyes in disdain. "And this is not even the main hall or a core chamber," she added, her sharp eyes scanning the antechamber they were in, noting the subtle distortions in the air. "There is a complex, layered spatial structure here. We are likely in a peripheral zone."
It was immediately clear that the cultivator who had created this mansion possessed a mastery over space and a level of overall cultivation that was far, far beyond her current capabilities.