Su Min was not the only one being careful. Almost every cultivator within the vast expanse of the Golden Core Avenue had gone to ground, vanishing from sight. The normally bustling, spirit-rich realm was now unnervingly still and quiet. Even with tens of thousands of Golden Core cultivators gathered here, the realm itself was as vast as the entire Wei Wu Province. You could scatter a few million people across its mountains and valleys and it would still feel profoundly empty.
As they moved swiftly through the desolate landscape, Su Min did not see another soul. It was abundantly clear everyone else had hidden themselves away too, all waiting with bated breath for the main event, the Golden Core Heavenly Ranking. Only a select few elite cultivators could actually participate in the battles, but even those watching from the sidelines stood to gain valuable insights. Watching the best of the best fight was a rare opportunity in itself.
"Perfect," Su Min said, looking around their hidden sanctuary within the Lunar Sovereign Secret Realm. "We will just cultivate here peacefully until the ranking begins. Looks like even the ceiling we shattered last time has been completely repaired by the realm's innate restorative powers."
Unlike other, temporary secret realms, this one remained permanently open, a stable pocket dimension, though only she and Xie Yingying could now enter it at will. There were no more trials or dangers to face now that Xie Yingying had already passed the final test and become the true inheritor.
"Even if we are badly injured in here, we do not have to worry about an ambush while we recover," Su Min noted with satisfaction. "The other cultivators probably have their own hidden spots, all waiting just like us for the ranking to start."
She pulled out her trusted cauldron again, ready to make one last attempt at refining the three foundational fifth-tier pills, the Healing Pills, Spirit Recovery Pills, and Antidotes. They were the most basic, essential pills for any major tier, needing the simplest ingredients and serving as the best foundational practice for any aspiring high-level alchemist.
As time slipped quietly by, the momentous day finally arrived.
The sky above the entire Golden Core Avenue erupted in a radiant, all-encompassing golden light, bathing the entire realm in its glow in an instant.
[The Golden Core Heavenly Ranking has begun.]
Both women opened their eyes at the exact same time, sensing the profound shift. After blowing up more than a dozen cauldrons in frustrating succession, Su Min had finally, mercifully, managed to refine a single, successful fifth-tier Healing Pill. She stopped there immediately. There was no point risking another explosive failure right before the ranking began.
"Close your eyes and focus your mind," Xie Yingying reminded her. "You will see the ranking interface. Just inscribe your true name clearly."
This was the mandatory "registration" for the ranking, and unlike the more casual postings before, real names were absolutely mandatory. No aliases or titles were allowed. So this time, Su Min did not mess around. She wrote her name plainly and honestly.
[Su Min]
The next moment, a blinding golden light flooded her vision. Her consciousness was violently pulled from her body and drawn into a vast, radiant, and unimaginably large arena.
"A martial stage constructed from pure spiritual energy?" she mused, looking around with keen interest.
Hundreds of figures already stood in the immense space, though the arena's sheer, staggering scale made them seem few and far between. What immediately caught her sharp attention was that more than half of the participants were late-stage Golden Core cultivators. These were the powerful names already etched on the lower Golden Ranking. Outside the shimmering golden barrier that encircled the main stage, countless other cultivators watched as ethereal, translucent projections, mere fragments of their divine sense, not their real bodies.
"Look! The top ten from the Tianjiao Ranking are all here! And the female cultivators this time are terrifyingly strong!" a voice from the spectator crowd exclaimed.
"Focus! These are all monsters. Forget that near invincible 'Fairy Yao'. Just look at the enigmatic Lunar Sovereign Body and the Golden Core Avenue's top alchemist, Danxian. Their battle records are scarce. No one knows their true strength. They might even be able to crush ordinary early Nascent Soul cultivators!" another argued.
"True. That 'Danxian' is probably loaded with pills. Fighting her must be like watching someone snack on spirit beans mid battle, she would never run out of energy!"
"Are you stupid? She is the Five Elements Holy Body wielder with two divine artifacts! See that third ranked guy on the Tianjiao Ranking, Han Chaoyan? He fought her once and barely escaped with his life. He is only ranked third because the two powerful women below him have not challenged him yet."
"Tch. This is the first generation of true Tianjiao after eons of spiritual suppression. These people could dominate the rankings for the next ten thousand years."
"Future rankings will not compare to this one, accumulated over countless eras. The top five get three hundred years of lifespan as a reward! Who would not be tempted? Rumor says they will also receive special, unique rewards based on their final rank, but who knows if that is true?"
"Whatever. It is not like it concerns us. Even the holy sons and daughters of major sects are just cannon fodder here. The real contenders are all loose cultivators or freaks from hidden lineages."
"Now that you mention it, you are right."
The crowd murmured in dawning realization. Among the top three on the prestigious Tianjiao Ranking, only the third, Han Chaoyan, hailed from a major, established sect. But everyone knew his abilities were fully exposed and documented, making him vulnerable to those ranked strategically below him.
As for Danxian? No one knew her full hand. Back then, she had killed one powerful expert and repelled three others without even revealing her true strength or trump cards. Han Chaoyan stood no chance against her, meaning the top five might have no sect-affiliated cultivators at all, a historic first.
The thought sent shivers down their spines. This generation's Golden Core cultivators were truly unprecedented in history.
"Yawn. Quite the crowd," Su Min said, her sharp eyes scanning the assembled figures. "So that is Yao Xian'er? I cannot sense her depth at all. It is like looking into an abyss."
The outside chatter could not reach the inner arena, not that Su Min would have cared. Her gaze had instantly locked onto a woman dressed entirely in plain white, the stark shade of mourning robes.
Su Min's own wardrobe was varied and colorful, a mix of whites, blacks, blues, and yellows, all expertly tailored by master artisans back in Da Luo Tian Province. She had commissioned hundreds of sets, each crafted from durable spiritual fabrics that would not shred in the middle of a heated battle.
But solid, unadorned white? Never. The tailors had outright refused, calling it "funeral attire" and claiming it was terribly bad luck for a living cultivator.
"It is her," Xie Yingying confirmed from beside her, her voice low and tense. "She is indeed a mortal, with no visible cultivation base. But she makes me feel very strange. I, I feel a deep unease…"
Before she could finish her thought, the woman in white turned her gaze slowly toward them.
In an instant, Xie Yingying felt as though she were drowning, submerged in the eyes of an ancient colossus, vast, weathered, and utterly unmoved by the passage of time itself. The pressure did not hit her body, but crashed directly onto her soul, a weight of immeasurable years and experience.
Her breath caught sharply in her throat, her fingers going cold.
Then, like a solid shield sliding seamlessly into place, Su Min stepped forward, placing herself slightly in front of Xie Yingying.
"Stay calm," she murmured, her own voice remarkably steady. "Guard your heart. Do not let it in."
Just like that, the crushing, soul-deep weight lessened considerably, blocked by Su Min's own formidable spiritual presence.
Su Min had intercepted the woman's gaze without a moment's hesitation, though her own body trembled slightly from the impact and her eyes widened in shock. As her own powerful spiritual sense brushed against that oppressive pressure, she felt as though ten thousand ancient laws had awakened inside her at once, resonating violently through her meridians like spiritual thunder.
No, this was not just pressure. This woman… she was a catalyst.
A vast, slumbering presence stirred deep within Su Min's own soul, something ancient and sealed, like a primordial lock beginning to crack under the strain.
Across the arena, Yao Xian'er's brows rose ever so slightly. Surprise, faint but undeniably real, touched her usually indifferent expression. Her origins aligned roughly with Su Min's guess, and she had only meant to deliver a minor, wordless deterrent to the staring. Yet here was someone who could not only withstand it, but whose very spirit reacted by triggering a resonance of ten thousand laws within her.
It was unheard of.
"A reincarnated immortal? No, her divine sense lacks the distinct mark of transcendence. A special physique, then? The Five Elements Holy Body is strong, but not to this extreme extent. Yet with the great era just beginning, perhaps such anomalous talents are a boon," she mused internally, her gaze analytical.
Looking at Su Min, who now stood firmly and protectively in front of her companion, Yao Xian'er withdrew her gaze and said nothing more.
Among all the people gathered on the Golden Core Heaven Ranking, Su Min was the only one who could stand up to her pressure and look her directly in the face. Even the formidable Great Desolate Holy Body and the innate Lunar Sovereign Body were a little worse than her in this regard. In truth, Yao Xian'er did not care much about the so-called supreme physiques, but mainly looked at the depth of one's soul and will.
Yet Su Min had not only endured it, she had actively shielded someone else through it. She was unshaken. Protective.
And the way the girl behind her, that Lunar Sovereign Body, had reached out with a subtle, almost imperceptible curl of her fingers, as if to steady her, but stopping just short, choosing to trust her instead.
To Yao Xian'er's ancient eyes, that silent exchange was more telling than any innate talent or powerful technique.
She said nothing. But a flicker of genuine interest lingered in her impassive gaze.
"You okay?" Su Min asked, turning her head slightly toward Xie Yingying. Her voice was calm, but her stance remained protective, as if she still feared Yao Xian'er might look their way again. "We are just spiritual projections here, and she still affected you so deeply. She is no joke."
Xie Yingying's expression was still grim, her gaze fixed on the spot where that oppressive presence had been. But slowly, she exhaled a shaky breath, and gave a tight, controlled nod.
"I am fine. But she is dangerous beyond anything I have ever encountered."
Su Min watched her for a heartbeat longer than necessary. The faint pallor in Xie Yingying's cheeks had not fully faded.
"Yeah," she said softly, her own eyes narrowing in serious thought. "She is."
She did not add 'do not worry', because it would have been a meaningless platitude. Instead, Su Min shifted her weight slightly closer, not enough for the other participants to notice, but enough for the fabric of their robes to brush gently together. A quiet, physical gesture. Reassurance offered not with words, but with simple, solid presence.
Xie Yingying looked up at her profile. For a long second, she did not speak, processing the simple act.
"You blocked it," she finally said, her voice soft and unreadable. "Even when you did not have to. You took that onto yourself."
Su Min shrugged one shoulder, trying to downplay it. "Instinct. I have a thick skin."
But Xie Yingying smiled then, a faint, fleeting thing. Her fingers brushed, barely there, a ghost of a touch against the back of Su Min's hand.
"Liar," she whispered, so only Su Min could hear, "you just could not bear to see me hurt."
Su Min said nothing in reply, but the flicker of protective heat in her gaze betrayed the truth of the statement.
The small, silent confrontation between the three of them was seen by nearly everyone present, and many people frowned thoughtfully. It was obvious that almost everyone here had fought that woman in white at some point, and some foolish groups had even tried to surround and kill her early on. But they had all been beaten to a pulp, their pride shattered. Now, seeing that even the mighty Lunar Sovereign Body had been visibly affected by a mere look, everyone felt a fresh ripple of surprise and fear.
The Great Desolate Holy Body still had a long way to go to achieve its ultimate perfection, but the Lunar Sovereign Body was a complete, awakened supreme physique. Even it could not completely stop that woman's spiritual pressure. In their eyes, this Yao Xian'er was weirdly, unnaturally strong, defying all conventional understanding of power at the Golden Core level.
You had to understand, when facing other geniuses like the Great Desolate Holy Body, the Lunar Sovereign Body, or the Five Elements Holy Body, they just felt difficult to deal with, a tough battle. It was definitely not to the point where people felt utterly powerless and small from the very core of their soul.
They might feel frustrated or unhappy about being beaten by Su Min, but it was hard for them to even muster the basic desire to resist in front of Yao Xian'er. She inspired a kind of primal despair.
"What is her deal? Even the Lunar Sovereign Body could not handle her gaze. The Danxian only held firm because of her immense soul strength, honed from countless hours of delicate pill refining," a spectator whispered.
Then a resounding, authoritative voice echoed through the entire spiritual arena, cutting through all speculation and chatter.
[The Golden Core Heavenly Ranking has commenced. Opponents have been matched. The first elimination round begins in half a day. Prepare yourselves.]
Intricate golden threads of light instantly shot out, linking predetermined pairs of cultivators. Su Min's lips curled into a slight smile as she saw her opponent's face twist in pure, unadulterated despair.
"Luo Changshui, late Golden Core stage. Holy Son of the Minor Frost Sword Sect. Ranked 36th on the Heavenly Pride Ranking. Threat level, low," she recited quietly to herself, recalling the dossier she had studied.
She suppressed a smirk. The Tianjiao Ranking was not absolute, and she would not foolishly underestimate anyone, but she had not even bothered to prepare specific counters for those ranked below the top twenty. Her opponent, meanwhile, looked like he had just swallowed a whole vial of poison.
He was not weak by any standard. With some luck and favorable matchups, he might have cracked the top thirty, earning at least one valuable Dao baptism. But fate had cruelly paired him with a top-ten monster in the very first round. He knew the stark difference between regular geniuses and true freaks of nature. Before either of them could speak a word, brilliant light engulfed them both, whisking them away to their designated battlefield.
Back in the safety of their secret realm, where their physical bodies resided, Su Min lounged lazily on a cushion, completely at ease, while Xie Yingying remained tense, her fingers twitching nervously at her side. Now she understood perfectly why Su Min had so insistently warned her to surrender immediately if they ever faced Yao Xian'er.
That woman possessed the terrifying ability to shatter Dao hearts permanently.
"Su Min…" Xie Yingying hesitated, then turned to her with a fragile glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Do you have a way to deal with her? A real plan?"
"Of course I do!" Su Min grinned, puffing out her chest with exaggerated confidence.
Xie Yingying leaned in slightly, intrigued despite her better judgment. "What is it? Tell me."
Su Min's grin widened into a full, impish smile. "The Cower and Cover Technique!"
Xie Yingying stared at her. "...What?"
===
Hi, I'm here again. Anyway, remember the poll from the prev, chapters? I already began to work on it. NoCP + Xianxia + FMC + Alchemist + Sound Cultivator. Now still on book vetting. "Crimson Lotus, Divine Path"
Stay Tune~~
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If you here to re read or in your 1st lap, Maybe you will find 'weird' or found some 'unnaturalness' about their sudden leap of relationship. Because in the last part of chapter "The Five Elements Emperor's Masterpiece" telling only Xie Yingying that really affected after the resonance happen.
But did you also remember they experimenting their new 'power' for decades in the chapter "The Young Play Wild"? For this chapter I already write 2 Extra chapter that talking about 'experiment' they did. One of them pure 'innocent' focus on cultivation. While the other one focus on their emotion, bond, their feelings toward each other and finally 'affirmed' about it.
I also plan to write another one with focus of 'Intimate Dual Cultivation', but I don't know if I was able to do it.
Right now the total of Extra Chapter that I written was 4: Extra 1: After Meeting With Her (Before "Wanting to Owe a Favor") It was about Xie YIngying investigation to Su Min 'past'; Extra 2: Moonlit Fragrance (Complimentary for "Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation") this when they 'picnic', waiting for the Golden Core Corpse King to mature; Extra 3 (p1): The Experiments of Sun and Moon; and Extra 3 (p2): Moonlace Bloom