As Su Min emerged comfortably from her secluded refinement session, feeling the steady hum of her refined qi, she was immediately met with the weight of Xie Yingying's envious glare. Without a single word, Xie Yingying tossed a small, crystalline vial toward her, the motion sharp and deliberate.
"So much?"
Su Min was genuinely startled, catching the vial and seeing the four, dark, shimmering drops of essence blood inside. For any cultivator, essence blood was their most precious and vital resource, the very concentrate of their life force and cultivation base. Losing a single drop or two was manageable with time and resources, but extracting four was excessive, a significant sacrifice. Even though Su Min had generously given Xie Yingying three precious fourth-tier high-grade blood-replenishing pills to aid her recovery, this quantity was still shocking.
She remembered back when she had given a single drop of her own essence blood to the little Golden Crow; it had taken her a long, careful time to recover fully, and that was without the aid of any high-grade replenishing pills. At that time, she had not even possessed third-tier pills, let alone the rare fourth-tier ones. The materials required were just too hard to find. But why did she need these drops now? The reason was complex.
It all traced back to that profound day of the "Ten Thousand Laws' Resonance."
At that time, Su Min had temporarily entered the incomplete Solar Sovereign state. It had been a flawed transformation, lacking real combat power and unable to unlock the Solar Sovereign Body's true legacy in the short term. Still, under the harsh restriction of the "Yin and Yang Shall Never Meet" curse, this had been the best outcome they could have possibly hoped for.
So, over the following decades, the two of them had… ahem—experimented quite wildly with the interaction of Lunar Sovereign and Solar Sovereign forces, tirelessly testing what happened when the power of the moon and the sun met within the controlled environment of their bond.
The magnificent phenomenon of Ten Thousand Laws' Resonance never appeared again. The first time had caused far too much commotion, a spiritual upheaval something even the stable space of the Golden Core Avenue might not have been able to contain a second time. Afterward, they had both deliberately suppressed any attempt to replicate it. That first, accidental incident had only happened because they were naive and did not know any better.
As for whether the ultimate fusion of the Lunar Sovereign and Solar Sovereign could produce a legendary Chaos Body, no one truly knew. After all, the two of them could not exactly create one. Still, there was one unique, tantalizing benefit, intimate dual cultivation let them briefly glimpse the Great Dao of Ten Thousand Laws.
This enlightening effect even surpassed Su Min's own innate Heavenly Dao Insight ability. But there was a major, frustrating flaw. The moment they entered this coveted state of enlightenment, Su Min's Solar Sovereign Body duration would invariably expire. After two failed attempts to prolong it, she had given up. Once or twice was fine for the experience, but any more could inflict severe Dao injuries on both of them, crippling their future progress.
Under Xie Yingying's persistent, subtly challenging "Are you even capable?" gaze, Su Min had finally decided to try something bolder and far more dangerous, exchanging essence blood. So, they had each given the other a single drop.
And then, the result was staggering.
The moment Su Min came into contact with and absorbed Xie Yingying's essence blood, an extraordinary, violent power awakened within her core. One hand radiated pure Taiyang, the other emanated deep Taiyin. Her combat power skyrocketed to terrifying levels, briefly brushing against the mythical threshold of Chaos.
It was far from a true, stable Chaos Body, of course. The foundation of a real Chaos Body lay in the perfect, permanent fusion of Yin and Yang, which they could not achieve. But this state allowed Su Min to wield both Taiyang and Taiyin forces at once, blending them into devastating, unpredictable attacks.
Even Su Min herself was deeply shocked. She swore that even if her Five Elements Holy Body ever reached its theoretical perfection, it would not compare to the raw, explosive potential of this temporary fusion. But such power came with steep costs, Xie Yingying's essence blood was required as the catalyst.
She had gone to great lengths to carefully extract these four drops without critically damaging her own foundation, a process aided significantly by the powerful fourth-tier high-grade pills. She would not be able to give Su Min more for many decades. The spiritual depletion was simply too severe. Normally, in this state, Su Min could theoretically activate this power once a day. But now, with the strain it caused, each activation would burn through her meridians and leave her unable to use this power for a full three months.
In a way, this limitation was fine. Her incomplete Solar Sovereign Body was somewhat of a liability on its own. Without the complete Solar Ancient Scripture, activating it only weakened her overall combat effectiveness. Her reliable Fire-Wood Holy Body, powerfully empowered by the Nanming Lihuo and Eastern Azure Wood, was far more effective and sustainable.
Moreover, the Fire-Wood Holy Body and the Solar Sovereign Body could not coexist; they were mutually exclusive states.
As a side note, the Lunar Sovereign and Solar Sovereign scriptures were not actually that mysterious in content, they were just utterly useless to anyone without the corresponding supreme physique. The original Lunar Sovereign inheritor who had established the secret realm had been deeply worried about wasted legacies. Under the Golden Core Avenue's own profound rules, once a legacy was released, it would take at least a millennium to recover its power. If a true Lunar Sovereign Body arrived during that barren period, it would have been a disaster. Since the scripture was worthless to anyone else, Xie Yingying had handed it over to Su Min for study without a second thought.
But while Su Min had gained so much from this exchange, Xie Yingying had not seen any tangible changes in her own power at all. Even when she was given a drop of Su Min's own essence blood, even potent Solar Sovereign Body essence blood, it was completely useless to her Lunar Sovereign constitution.
So, after much patient coaxing from Su Min, Xie Yingying had reluctantly, and with very real envy, agreed to give her a few more drops. Which was why her current glare was so intensely genuine.
"Oh right, take this as a thank you."
Su Min pushed aside her thoughts and pulled out a sheathed longsword, its scabbard a deep, dark blue like a frozen midnight lake, and handed it to Xie Yingying.
[Profound Ice Yin Soul Sword (Mystic-tier, High-grade): Can absorb and store Taiyin energy and other cold-type energies; Can double the output of such attacks when released.]
Xie Yingying's previous weapon, a large spirit brush, was also a Mystic-tier high-grade artifact, but it had never truly suited her. The Heavenly Yin Sect, despite its name, had nothing to do with the Lunar Sovereign Body. None of its artifacts were a good fit for her unique energy, and the brush had merely been the closest available match. But this sword? It was crafted specifically for her.
In Xie Yingying's hands, its power would be so amplified that it could surpass even ordinary, low-level Heaven-tier artifacts. Besides her innate Lunar Sovereign Body, she had also fully refined the Naiqiong Divine Ice within the secret realm. The chaotic, frozen environment there had been a direct result of rampant Taiyin energy and the Divine Ice interacting. After inheriting the legacy, she had finally subdued and refined the ice completely.
So, Su Min's gift initially delighted her, a warm feeling spreading in her chest, until her sharp eyes noticed another, more ominous function of the sword. It could absorb and store Taiyin energy and frost power. If this very sword was ever used against her in battle, it could theoretically leave her completely defenseless, neutering her greatest strengths.
"Uh… aren't you happy with my gift?"
Seeing the complex shift in Xie Yingying's expression, Su Min awkwardly rubbed the bridge of her nose.
This woman had just given her a part of her very life force. If they were to meet as opponents in the Golden Core Heavenly Ranking, and Su Min activated the power granted by that blood, she could utterly crush her. And yet, Xie Yingying had not complained or withheld the gift. If Su Min then actually used this specially crafted sword against her, it would be the ultimate betrayal.
But there was a specific reason for this seeming oversight. After Su Min had first activated this special fused state, the Golden Core Avenue's own artifact spirit had contacted her directly.
The Golden Core Avenue was a transcendent artifact far beyond the Heaven-tier, with its own ancient consciousness. Upon sensing Su Min's unique "Half-Step Chaos Body," it had been deeply shocked and had offered her a favor. It would personally arrange the matchups so that Su Min, Xie Yingying, the Great Desolate Holy Body, and Yao Xian'er would not meet each other until the final top five battles.
These were all once-in-an-era prodigies, and the artifact spirit wanted as many as possible to receive the ranking's generous rewards. So, Su Min and Xie Yingying would not face each other before the top five. That was the primary reason Su Min felt comfortable giving her the sword now.
Of course, she had not crafted it specifically to counter Xie Yingying. She had made specialized counters for nearly everyone in the top ranks. After her profoundly successful experience sealing the old demon queen with a single, perfectly chosen artifact, she had developed quite the entrenched habit.
With the upcoming Tianjiao Ranking and the available information on the top talents, she had immediately gotten to work.
Rank 1: Too overpowered, her attacks fused multiple supreme techniques seamlessly. No clear way to counter except with overwhelming brute force. PASS.
Rank 2 (Great Desolate Holy Body): Overwhelming physical power and defense? Soft Heart Silk, a supremely flexible and unbreakable artifact, was perfect for countering brute strength. It would not lock him down completely like it had the demon queen, but it would give her a significant tactical edge.
Rank 3 (Han Chaoyan): Tengshe lineage combined with a powerful Divine Water. But his abilities were well-documented and understood. Easy, the elemental principle of Earth counters Water. She would use the rare Stone Heart she had obtained earlier to craft a Sea-Filling Divine Stone, a nasty surprise waiting for him.
Rank 4 (Xie Yingying): Lunar Sovereign Body combined with Naiqiong Divine Ice. Incredibly hard to counter directly, but her deep dive into the Alchemy & Artifact Manual had revealed a solution, hence the creation of the Profound Ice Yin Soul Sword.
Rank 5 and below…
It was not until she reached her own theoretical rank that Su Min realized what she was doing. She had gotten too used to counter-building. After tasting the sweetness of hard counters, she had become utterly addicted. She felt like an overpowered Batman of the cultivation world, rarely losing fights because she always entered battles with overwhelming, pre-planned advantages.
But honestly, she did not care deeply about the rankings themselves. Reaching the top five was enough to secure the best rewards. As long as she did not face her most feared opponents early on, she was perfectly fine.
"I just made this while I was crafting counters for all the other prodigies. Isn't it good for you? You can use it all the way until the Nascent Soul stage if you do not find a better replacement."
Under Xie Yingying's prolonged, scrutinizing gaze, Su Min's confidence wavered slightly.
"Just how paranoid are you? With your genuine strength, you do not need all these underhanded tricks. Even without my essence blood, I would have a very hard time beating you in a straight fight."
Xie Yingying did not know whether to laugh or cry at the sheer absurdity.
If Su Min actually used this sword's absorbing function against her in the rankings, she would be furious, but right now, given the circumstances, it was just absurdly thoughtful. Besides, based on her sect's ancient records of the Golden Core Avenue's operations, there was a ninety percent chance they would only meet when competing for the very final rankings. And given Su Min's true, hidden strength, Xie Yingying had no doubt she could easily reach the top five without relying on any of these clever tricks.
"It never hurts to have more trump cards, especially before facing her. It is best not to reveal this one too early. Oh, and if you meet her, just surrender. Do not risk having your Dao heart shattered. That woman is an ancient monster who has lived who-knows-how-long."
Su Min could not help but warn her seriously. As the mortal saying went, "All roads lead to Rome."
In the face of true, ultimate powerhouses, innate physiques often meant very little. It was like in those challenging games where many veteran players challenged themselves by starting with a mere mortal body and only taking early-game abilities. Yet through sheer skill, they still cleared the entire game.
By the late game, with a mature, synergistic build and masterful mechanics, they could outperform even players who had started with the best physiques. And without self-imposed restrictions, they could achieve even more versatile and devastating effects.
That enigmatic Rank 1 gave Su Min exactly that vibe, a veteran player effortlessly stomping noobs.
Of course, she was not actually a player from another world. Otherwise, some of Su Min's own otherworldly possessions would have certainly caught her keen interest. That left only one plausible possibility, she was the reincarnation of an ancient powerhouse, or at the very least, the soul rebirth of a supreme expert from a lost era.
Fighting her head-on was pointless. It would only serve to break one's Dao heart. Su Min was not worried for herself, though. She was thick-skinned and had played enough soul-crushing, difficult games in her past life to be numb to defeat. Expecting her Dao heart to shatter? More likely, she would just go berserk and try a dozen different cheesy strategies until something worked.
"I know. The Golden Core Heavenly Ranking is about to start. Let us return to the Lunar Sovereign Secret Realm to train. It is safer there now that I have fully mastered its core formations."
Xie Yingying did not argue the point. The place they were in currently was not safe anymore, especially since everyone knew Su Min was based here. She had been openly refining pills for profit, after all. Otherwise, where would she have gotten the vast quantity of materials needed for all these custom artifacts?
Not that the artifacts were bad. They might not be useful for her right now, but she could always send them back to her sect as high-level rewards for loyal disciples. Their versatility was actually quite decent.
But there was a critical catch to the ranking battles, when the Golden Core Avenue officially began, all participants' souls would be transported to a special pocket space, where perfect replicas of their bodies would also be summoned for the battles.
Though there were powerful protections against true, permanent death, severe spiritual and simulated physical injuries were still possible and painful. Letting all your potential enemies know you were spiritually crippled immediately after the tournament? A terrible, strategic idea.
So before entering, they needed an absolutely safe hiding spot for their physical bodies. The Lunar Sovereign secret realm, protected by an ancient, powerful formation with only one carefully hidden entrance, was perfect for this purpose.
"Alright, let's go."
Su Min nodded in agreement. Though she was confident in her own strength, caution was the parent of safety. As for the disciples who had been running errands for them, Su Min had already given them their promised pills and sent them on their way.
"After the Golden Core Avenue ends, I will finally get around to refining those Nascent Soul Pills for you. We will probably have to deal with the Blood Puppet Sect's revenge around that time too."
Before leaving, Su Min could not resist reminding her. Massacring the entire sect here was impossible, it would provoke unified retaliation from all the other righteous sects. If not for the Blood Puppet Sect's sheer, persistent idiocy, she would not have even bothered planning to avenge that old injury. A major sect that had survived this long in a ruthless world was not to be underestimated.
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See??? In the end they literally couldn't help but 'fooling around'- Dacades of fooling around!!! Are you guys addicted with each other skin???
Su Min, coax well your wife. Don't let her mad or upset that long, or you won't get your ration in the future. LOL