"Congratulations, Grand Elder, on your victory."
As Su Min descended from the arena, the disciples of the Eastern Sea Immortal Sect rushed forward to greet her, their voices buzzing with admiration.
"Enough," she said, her tone even. "Keep watching the other matches. Don't disturb me now. I need to recover."
She gave them a brief glance before crossing her legs and floating mid-air. Inside her, the Northern Water's Profound Origin churned wildly, working to replenish what was lost.
She had tanked that massive explosion with her Black Tortoise Possession, but summoning three manifestations at once had taken a heavy toll. She had mainly wanted to test their combined power, and now that she understood it, she would not be so reckless in the next fights.
"Even at the Divine Transformation stage, fully summoning them still needs pill support," she muttered to herself. "Unless it is life or death, I will not use them all again."
If Han Shuangzi had stubbornly held on, she would have been forced into a direct, exhausting brawl. The energy cost of controlling three colossal phantoms at once was terrifying.
If she were still at the Nascent Soul stage, it would have been impossible. Even without them, her chances of beating him were high. The Five Elements Ancient Scripture had only grown more formidable as her own power and comprehension deepened. Of course, fighting that way would not have resulted in such an overwhelming, decisive victory.
"It seems that skill consumes a lot. There was a brief gap in her spiritual energy," an observant elder in the crowd noted quietly.
"And she did not even use a single pill. The expenditure must be enormous."
While Su Min focused on recovery, many spectators were lost in their own thoughts. The image of the three divine beasts was burned into their minds. For a moment, they had wondered if her spiritual energy was infinite. Now, they saw the truth: even for her, the cost was staggering.
"The gap is only getting wider…" Han Chaoyan let out a soft, bitter laugh. He remembered when Su Min had only one manifestation and had nearly beaten him to death with it. Now, if they fought, the question was not if he could win, but how many moves he could last.
It was a blow to his pride. The other young talents nearby exchanged uneasy glances, sharing the same unspoken thought. They were all supposed to be geniuses. How had she surged so far ahead?
"That woman…" Han Chaoyan's mentor wore a deeply grave expression. He knew that facing those three manifestations would not be easy for him, either. And while the drain on Su Min was heavy, one could not forget she was a master alchemist. A pill could easily refill her reserves. She even had those desperate, life-risking combat pills in reserve.
"This tournament might see a major upset," the old man sighed. "Unless a true Dao Comprehension expert steps forward, who can challenge her? And even if one does, she might not lose." He fell into a troubled silence.
The battles continued, but after the shock of Su Min's fight, the other Divine Transformation clashes felt dull and slow. Unlike her explosive, decisive style, the other experts fought with tedious caution. They probed and feinted, slowly revealing their tricks. The techniques were complex, but the spectacle was boring compared to Su Min's raw power. One match dragged on for over a day as both sides gradually wore each other down. It was nothing like Su Min's method, where overwhelming force made most tactics pointless.
"This fight took a whole day? Are all Divine Transformation battles this slow?" a younger cultivator complained, struggling to stay awake.
"I nearly fell asleep. Sure, the mind games were intense, but it felt so bland. It is like going from a royal feast to plain rice porridge."
"Exactly! Look at Grandmaster Su's fights over in five minutes, decisive. And this is not even a life or death struggle. In a real battle, blood would have been spilled in the first hour."
The whispers, though quiet, reached the ears of the Divine Transformation experts on display. Their eyes twitched in irritation. These youngsters understood nothing.
Su Min was the Five Elements Sacred Body with three heavenly treasures. She defied all common sense. For others of similar level, battles required extreme caution. A single misstep in managing your energy could mean the difference between victory and defeat.
This was the reality of combat at their level. But thanks to Su Min, they all looked like cowards.
And as it turned out, the one-day fight had been quick. The next several matches each lasted at least two days, lulling many in the audience into a drowsy stupor. The only consolation was that as cultivators, they had plenty of time to waste.
"Ugh, what a bunch of cowards," Su Min muttered from her perch, barely suppressing the urge to curse. She had seen a real life-and-death struggle when the Dragon Princess fought the Dao Comprehension Black Serpent. This cautious, measured probing was painfully tedious. Halfway through a particularly slow match, she simply left, instructing her sect members to record the details. She had better things to do.
Back in her quarters, she focused on her true advantage: alchemy. The Great Mystic Restoration Pill was a Grade 6 Mid-Tier pill designed to rapidly recover spiritual energy. After the last fight, she had identified a flaw in her preparations. Her usual "Desperate Gambit Trinity" of powerful pills were excellent, but using them for simple energy recovery was overkill. She needed a dedicated, efficient recovery pill.
This was the strength of an alchemist. The idea that alchemists were privileged but weak in combat only applied to the low-tier ones. Once you reached the Golden Core stage and your lifespan increased dramatically, you had ample time to shore up your weaknesses.
For most people, obtaining a single Grade 6 pill required begging and bargaining. No one else could afford to gobble them down like candy the way she could.
"Tsk, the Medicine King's Cauldron is truly handy."
With a flick of her wrist, she summoned the small, intricate cauldron. This innate spiritual treasure, once owned by the Glazed Pharmacist Radiance King Buddha, was now her greatest tool. Inside, she had collected and cultivated countless herbs. Under the combined nourishment of her Eastern Wood Azure Essence and Northern Water's Profound Origin, the cauldron glowed with vibrant life, and the herbs within thrived, some even breaking past their innate limits.
Soon, several batches of ingredients for the restoration pill lay before her. Recovery-type pills were simpler to refine than the burst-enhancement or power-boosting ones. She planned to make over a dozen enough to last her through any conceivable battle in the Divine Transformation stage. After all, very few opponents could push her to that extent. Probably only the ancient Fallen Ones.
As she worked, the first round of the tournament finally concluded after a full month. Unlike the preliminary rounds, there were no restrictions on leaving, but for the weaker independent cultivators who had paid for a ticket, leaving meant losing their spot. Many at the Body Refining or Foundation Establishment stages simply could not endure it and had to be carried out, exhausted.
By the time Su Min returned to the arena for the second round, she had dozens of new pills stored safely away. If others knew, their legs would have trembled. With such reserves, she was a walking armory. Only overwhelming, instant force could defeat her now.
"The second round begins. I will probably face another half-step Dao Comprehension expert," she mused, watching the spinning lottery wheel in the sky. She had long given up on hoping for good luck. When it came to matchups, things always seemed to go strangely for her.
"Grand Elder, what is wrong?" Tian Yinzi asked, noticing her slouched demeanor. As the sect leader, he was one of the few who could speak to her so casually.
"A headache…" she sighed, rubbing her temples.
Sure enough, the wheel stopped, displaying all the matchups at once. And there it was:
Su Min vs. Liu Xinlou
She blinked, then instinctively glanced toward the man in question. He was not a half-step Dao Comprehension expert, but a late-stage Divine Transformation cultivator, a regional overlord. But overlords varied in strength.
In fact, he was weaker than Han Shuangzi. His previous match had dragged on for three full days as he and his opponent slowly exhausted their trump cards. Now, with his abilities fully exposed and his true strength lacking, facing Su Min meant certain defeat. He would never have withstood Han Shuangzi's triple-corpse-enhanced techniques.
A smirk tugged at Su Min's lips. "Interesting. I recall he is a body cultivator. A perfect chance to test another ability."
At this stage, raw cultivation level mattered less than the depth of one's reserves. Her last battle was flashy, but those were not her only tricks. Now, she could test her close-combat prowess. As a body cultivator, Liu Xinlou should be durable.
The thought made her grin widen.
Noticing her expression from across the arena, Liu Xinlou shivered involuntarily. His trump cards were spent. Rebuilding them would take over a decade. He knew this was his limit, but surrendering without a fight was unthinkable for a cultivator. There was a difference between losing and not daring to fight.
A week later, it was finally their turn.
"It is her again. How many moves do you think that guy will last? I bet it ends within ten. Wager ten low-grade spirit stones?"
"Tch, I say twenty."
After her last display, everyone knew Liu Xinlou stood no chance. The mood was light, with spectators placing bets. They were certain Su Min would not drag things out.
The moment the barrier between them fell, Su Min moved.
BOOM!!!
A deafening impact echoed as Liu Xinlou was sent flying through the air. The betting spectators stared, dumbfounded.
This man was a pure body cultivator! Had Su Min blasted him with flames, they would not have been surprised. But this? A single, close-quarters clash, and he was already airborne?
Liu Xinlou's mind reeled. Unlike with Han Shuangzi, Su Min had not summoned a single manifestation. She had simply rushed him and slashed down with her sword. In that instant, they had exchanged blows. His fist had been blocked by her black armor, while her strike had knocked him away as if he were weightless.
"So I am just your test subject?"
That was Liu Xinlou's only thought as he soared backward.