Just as Su Min entered deep seclusion at the bottom of the trench, Lin Yao stared in utter shock at the simple spatial ring in her hand, her heart pounding. She dared not tell a soul about its existence, hiding it on a cord around her neck, tucked safely under her clothes. She remembered Su Min's stern warning before leaving, that the contents of this ring could drive even a seasoned Nascent Soul cultivator to murderous madness. At first, she hadn't taken the warning too seriously, thinking it was just Senior being dramatic.
But now that she had managed to peek at the first, lowest-level compartment, she understood exactly why Su Min had said that.
Because there, nestled among the Qi Refining pills, was a single, radiant pill that made her soul tremble—a Divine Transformation Pill.
In this world, a Divine Transformation Pill was akin to a nuclear weapon combined with a hydrogen bomb in modern Earth terms, a strategic resource of unimaginable value, something far beyond mere monetary worth. The fact that Su Min could casually hand over such a pill as part of a "starter pack" proved she was an alchemist of unparalleled, terrifying skill, far surpassing this world's known limits.
It also made Lin Yao realize the crushing weight of Su Min's earlier, offhand words:
"If you want to be my dog, you'd need to be at least at the Divine Transformation stage, and even then, there's a whole battalion of Divine Transformation cultivators back home lining up for the privilege."
If Su Min could casually toss out a Divine Transformation Pill to a nobody like her, did that mean she could also refine the legendary, world-shaking Dao Comprehension Pill?
The Mythical Alchemist.
In some worlds, she would undoubtedly be called that, a title of reverence and fear.
However, Su Min had placed heavy, progressive seals on all these pills. Lin Yao would have to break through them step by step with her own growing cultivation. For example, the compartment with the Qi Refinement Pills could only be accessed once she solidly reached the Qi Refining stage herself.
"Making a Qi Refining cultivator unlock a pill meant for Qi Refining… Is Senior doing this on purpose to torment me?"
Soon, however, she realized the deeper truth, Su Min was forcing her to temper her spiritual power and comprehension relentlessly, to ensure her foundation was rock-solid at every stage. Though Su Min had tasked her with gathering information, she wasn't treating her as a disposable pawn, but was genuinely investing in her long-term growth.
"I must grow stronger as fast as possible. I can't waste this chance."
With that fierce resolve, Lin Yao made up her mind. Even if Su Min hadn't formally accepted her as a disciple, being her acknowledged "dog" was still an honor worth striving for with every fiber of her being.
The intensive, brutal training under Su Min had paid off immensely. Upon returning to school, she shocked everyone. Not only had she reached the Body Tempering stage, but her mastery of her abilities, her control over the strange Netherflame, left everyone, students and teachers alike, in awe. Overnight, she transformed from an unnoticed, average student into the academy's second-most prominent talent, second only to the Heaven Spiritual Root prodigy.
But that comparison wasn't entirely fair to the other boy.
Because this world simply didn't understand the potential of special physiques.
Lin Yao's Netherflame Body, for instance, would have remained a dormant, fatal flaw if not for Su Min's intervention and the tailored technique.
"High Fire Spiritual Root?" Su Min had scoffed at that simplistic label, bluntly telling her: "After fully harmonizing with your physique, your potential has surpassed many so-called pure Heavenly Spiritual Roots. They just don't have the knowledge to classify you properly."
As for Su Min's own spiritual roots? When Lin Yao had once dared to ask,
"Started with five lower-grade mixed spiritual roots. The worst possible grade."
Lin Yao had been utterly dumbfounded. "That's possible?! How did you even begin to cultivate?!"
The part about "starting with" something, implying a later change, was promptly ignored in her shock.
Now, after Su Min's direct guidance, Lin Yao's every move at the academy drew attention. Su Min needed her to infiltrate the highest echelons of power to gather information, though she hadn't specified exactly what. But one thing was clear, staying low-profile wasn't an option for such a task. So Lin Yao embraced the spotlight, using her newfound fame as a shield and a tool. Watching a senior Body Tempering cultivator, who had once bullied her, get effortlessly crushed by her in the sparring ring, a faint, cold smirk tugged at her lips.
"Rubbing someone's face in the dirt is so satisfying. No wonder Senior enjoys it."
Just like how Su Min had done to her during training. She still vividly remembered Su Min's version of "special training", somehow procuring a rugged jeep and chasing her down through a simulated obstacle course while yelling taunts like, "Face me, coward! Can't outrun a combustion engine!"
A jeep.
As an early-stage Body Refining cultivator, she wouldn't die from getting hit, but serious injury and broken bones were guaranteed. Su Min claimed it was to sharpen her reflexes and situational awareness under pressure, but Lin Yao privately suspected there was a significant amount of sadistic amusement involved. Regardless, the results were undeniable. Her progress was meteoric. In just over a year, she reached the Qi Refining stage, a pace that had taken Su Min several years in her time.
Not that Su Min was inherently inferior. Back then, the world's spiritual energy was heavily suppressed by the Great Sealing, and her own foundations had been pathetically poor, with no resources or guidance. It wasn't until she obtained the Nanming Lihuo that things began to turn around. The current environment Lin Yao enjoyed was entirely different, with active spiritual energy and a knowledgeable, if brutal, mentor.
Time flowed relentlessly. Three years passed in the blink of an eye.
By graduation, Lin Yao had reached late-stage Qi Refining, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Heaven Spiritual Root genius on paper, and in actual combat, she could easily defeat him within ten exchanges.
With such explosive talent and proven combat strength, her treatment from the authorities soon surpassed even his.
A Heavenly Spiritual Root was impressive for its smooth progression, but in a world under threat, raw combat prowess mattered more. If you couldn't win a fight, you couldn't win. The Heavenly Spiritual Root prodigy often complained after their spars: "What kind of fire is this? It's hot and cold at the same time, it seeps through my defenses! I've never seen anything like it!"
At this point, Lin Yao's uniqueness inevitably drew deeper scrutiny from the powers that be. Further, expensive research revealed her rare special physique, the Netherflame Body. Soon, she was admitted to the nation's most prestigious institution, Heavenly Spirit University, shining brighter than ever in the competitive environment. Even before formal classes began, she broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, a speed hailed as miraculous by her new professors.
Naturally, she became a rising star, the center of public fascination and media coverage.
The influential Five Great Families all sought to recruit her, hoping to marry her into their bloodlines to strengthen their lineage. But precisely because of this competition, no single family dared to use underhanded means like coercion, fearing retaliation from the others. Instead, they resorted to lavish courtship, sending their most promising young scions with gifts and promises.
None of them caught Lin Yao's eye. They seemed shallow, their cultivation bases unstable from being fed too many pills.
To her, the progressively more potent pills in her ring were like level-up rewards in a video game, a constant, tangible motivation to cultivate endlessly. And most of her suitors, she noted with disdain, weren't even as strong as her in a real fight. Female cultivators in their prime, with the world at their feet, rarely bothered with romance that would only slow them down. With so many admirers vying for her attention, her standards had naturally risen to impossible heights.
Su Min, by comparison, had undoubtedly faced even more admirers in her time. But she never spared them a second glance.
Why would she?
She already had her hands more than full with one Xie Yingying.
With Xie Yingying shadowing her like the moon orbits the sun, a constant, silent, and fiercely possessive presence, no one dared to approach Su Min too closely, let alone muster the courage to confess. Even the boldest hearts faltered under Xie Yingying's quiet, watchful gaze, which seemed to promise that one wrong move would summon a personal froststorm to erase the offender on the spot.
Not that Su Min seemed to mind the arrangement.
Having someone so intensely possessive and ever-present might have unsettled others, but for her, it was a kind of familiar, comfortable peace. A silent understanding that needed no words. Besides, she often thought with a mix of fondness and mild exasperation, if she could barely manage the emotions and demands of one Xie Yingying, what made anyone think she had the energy or room for more?
~
Meanwhile, in the World's Deepest Trench
At the very bottom of the lightless abyss, a figure sat cross-legged in perfect stillness, utterly unfazed by the crushing water pressure or the drifting, toxic corruption. Protected by the Northern Water's Profound Origin and the purifying sharpness of the Western Metal's Sharp Gold, the natural bane of such corruption, Su Min ignored it all.
In fact, the concentrated presence of these sacred energies created a dead zone that kept the frenzied corrupted creatures at a wary distance. Any that strayed too close had their corrupt vitality swiftly drained and purified by the ambient aura. Around her, the very flow of time twisted and accelerated violently.
Law of Time, the most elusive and costly of all laws.
Those few who had witnessed Su Min wield it in the past were left speechless by its power and its price.
Because manipulating time came at a fundamental cost, one's lifespan.
The initial, minor comprehensions were manageable, burning years or decades. But now, to fully break into the Dao Comprehension stage using the Time Law as her core, Su Min was burning through her lifespan at an alarming, terrifying rate. Though she wasn't inside the time-accelerated space of the Medicine King's Cauldron, she had merged her consciousness with a fragment of the Heavenly Dao here. And as time accelerated wildly around her point of seclusion, her vast lifespan dwindled like an hourglass in a storm.
In just a few external years, she had expended tens of thousands of years of life force. No ordinary Divine Transformation cultivator could endure this, not even the legendary Great Emperors of old, who valued their longevity above all. No wonder the Medicine King's Cauldron's spirit, in its more candid moments, called her a monster. She might not be the strongest master it had ever served, but she was certainly the most profligate with her years, a true ancient tortoise in terms of raw lifespan.
Su Min paid the cost no mind. She was on the absolute cusp of Dao Comprehension, and this final step demanded perfection, no matter the price. Time itself was just a currency to her. Even Tian Hao, with all his advantages and the Mahayana skeleton, had needed a full decade.
But then, at the peak of her concentration,
Her entire body shuddered violently.
Her consciousness slipped into a profound, involuntary trance, the material world around her distorting into surreal, shifting shapes and colors.
"A sudden enlightenment? Now of all times?"
As her cultivation had grown higher, entering this rare state of direct heavenly insight had become increasingly rare, even with her connection to the Heavenly Dao.
And this was no ordinary enlightenment.
She found her spiritual self standing, barefoot, atop a vast, roaring, endless river made of shimmering light and swirling fog. Instinctively, she knew what it was. Gazing forward, trying to see the river's end, sent a spike of primal dread through her soul, not because the future was invisible, but because the act of looking itself came at a terrible, immediate cost, her spiritual energy depleting in chunks. Looking back, thick, coiling shadows obscured much of the past.
"I'm standing on the River of Time itself? Is this enlightenment trying to kill me? Don't look. Don't look."
She squeezed her eyes shut, both physically and spiritually.
Observing the river's true flow risked attracting catastrophic karmic backlash, and worse, potentially drawing the attention of terrifying beings who resided within or beyond time, entities who might cross the temporal stream to eliminate a potential threat.
This wasn't paranoia, but a fundamental warning buried in all high-level texts concerning time.
Her future, fully realized self might withstand such attention, but the present Su Min, barely stepping into Dao Comprehension, couldn't afford the consequences.
So she played the ostrich, burying her head in the sand, refusing the temptation of forbidden knowledge.
An exaggerated metaphor, but this was a fortune she dared not claim, a banquet she dared not eat.
She theoretically could use this vantage point to locate the Central Wutu Divine Earth, to see its past or potential future locations, but doing so would instantly invite all the karma tied to such a supreme treasure, past, present, and future, upon her head. And since she already had some leads through the legacy's call, there was no need to gamble her life on such a risky method.
Soon, as she resisted the allure, she was forcefully ejected from the vision, returning to the crushing silence of the trench, exhaling a stream of bubbles in profound relief.
"So this is the ultimate expression of the Law of Time at high levels, the ability to navigate the River of Time. A terrifying power. But I'm not ready for that yet. Not even close."
Then, as her spirit settled back into her body,
Her core trembled.
Unprecedented power surged from her dantian, flooding her meridians.
In an instant, she shattered the final barrier, the last bottleneck holding her back.
Around her, phantom images of the four sacred beasts, the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise, manifested in a brilliant, resonant display, each calling to the corresponding heavenly treasure integrated within her.
The Black Tortoise's profound water energy, in particular, reacting with the ocean depths, triggered a colossal, spiraling whirlpool that began forming on the ocean's surface far, far above.
The sheer, concentrated force of her breakthrough churned the deep ocean currents and darkened the skies with gathered storm clouds.
Not every Dao Comprehension breakthrough caused such a spectacular external phenomenon. But Su Min's deep connection to the Four Symbols of Heaven and Earth, combined with the simultaneous resonance of four divine treasures, created an unparalleled spectacle.
Like Tian Hao's 10,000-meter golden Dharma Manifestation, each cultivator's breakthrough was unique, a reflection of their path, and the stronger they were, the grander the display. Su Min's might not have been as visually monolithic, but the environmental impact was no less staggering.
Meanwhile, Across the World
Every single Divine Transformation expert on the planet, whether in secluded meditation or attending to duties, sensed the massive spiritual disturbance emanating from the ocean. In moments, they converged from all directions, appearing in the air above the monstrous whirlpool, staring down in disbelief. A maelstrom spanning hundreds of kilometers swirled below them, its dark, roaring depths unfathomable.
"Isn't this the 'Abyssal Trench'? I've read the old records. The deepest point is nearly 20,000 meters."
"Yes. Decades ago, when the oceans were still clear, I once dove there out of curiosity. But now, with the thick corruption and aggressive mutated beasts, even the surface waters are deadly. No one has dared venture deep into the open ocean for years."
"The energy radiating from below is immense… and pure. It doesn't feel like the corrupted aura of the monsters. May I ask which esteemed cultivator is breaking through below? Would you honor us with your presence?"
An elder, a mid-stage Divine Transformation expert, spoke respectfully into the abyss, his voice amplified by spiritual energy.
Despite his own considerable power, he didn't dare descend. Whoever was below had clearly already succeeded in their breakthrough. Provoking a newly ascended expert in their moment of triumph would be suicidal. In fact, there was only one person in the world everyone suspected was capable of this,
The mysterious woman who had once casually cleaned up their mess with the sea monster.
Since she hadn't shown overt hostility before, there was no reason to antagonize her now.
More importantly…
The reverence he felt emanating from the depths, the instinctive, spiritual urge to bow his head,
This could only mean one thing.
A Dao Comprehension expert.
A realm far, far beyond their meager Divine Transformation strength.
"No wonder we couldn't find a trace of her for years. She was hiding at the bottom of the trench… But why such a massive disturbance? And why weren't the corrupted beasts in the area attacking the source?"
"No idea. It defies all our understanding of their behavior."
Baffled, they peered downward, but the whirlpool's chaotic depths were now veiled in a brilliant, multicolored light from the four symbols, obscuring all details.
Below the Whirlpool
Su Min slowly opened her eyes. A new, profound depth shone within them, the mark of one who had comprehended a sliver of the great Dao.
"Six people above. The strongest is only mid-stage Divine Transformation. The rest are early-stage. No wonder they couldn't handle that corrupted beast on their own."
She hadn't bothered suppressing her breakthrough's aura, wanting to gauge the world's reaction, and thankfully, none of them were foolish enough to try and interfere.
"Fifteen years have passed outside. I wonder how that girl Lin Yao is doing. With the resources I left, she should be around the Golden Core stage by now, finally barely usable for more complex tasks."
She had no intention of meeting the people above. In her experience, every Divine Transformation expert who managed to survive to that age was a cunning old fox. And if she started asking pointed questions about the Kirin, it would inevitably alert the wrong people, whoever or whatever they were.
So instead,
With a subtle flicker of her newly stabilized time law, she vanished from the trench floor. In an instant, she was dozens of kilometers away, her presence erased, far beyond their spiritual perception. When the dazzling lights below finally faded, leaving nothing but the slowly calming whirlpool behind, the group of experts above exchanged helpless glances.
She clearly didn't want to meet or talk.
Disappointed but resigned, they dispersed, each returning to their posts with a new, momentous piece of news for their respective organizations.
All except one, a man in dark robes who had remained silent throughout. He frowned deeply, his eyes lingering on the spot where the energy had vanished, before he too disappeared into thin air.
~
A Dark, Sealed Chamber
Several shadowy figures sat in deep meditation around a dimly glowing formation. The air was thick with ancient dust and latent power.
"No contact with the mysterious woman. And she didn't ask any questions, didn't seek out any power?"
A raspy, echoing voice broke the silence in the gloom.
Had Su Min been here, she would've been genuinely shocked. The weakest aura here was at the Nascent Soul stage. Three were stable Divine Transformation experts, and one, seated at the head, radiated the pressure of a late-stage Divine Transformation master. Among them was the frowning man from above the trench.
"Her motives remain completely unclear. And of all times, she appears and breaks through just as our Lord is about to awaken from his long slumber. The timing is… concerning."
"Is her strength confirmed? Remember, that beast was already severely weakened by your secret weapon before she engaged it, and we all know the corrupted creatures are inherently weaker than true cultivators of their nominal stage."
"Without a doubt, she's a genuine Dao Comprehension stage expert. The pressure was absolute. After arriving years ago, she hid in the trench, a place too deep and dangerous for any of us to reach, especially with the corrupted beasts infesting the upper layers. It was the perfect hiding spot."
"Should we mobilize our forces, try to draw her out, gauge her intentions?"
"Pointless. Even if we all attacked together, a true Dao Comprehension cultivator could likely slaughter us before we could coordinate a second strike. The gap is not something numbers can easily bridge."
"A Dao Comprehension cultivator… just more potent nourishment for our Lord's awakening, if we could capture her. He chose to slumber here precisely because of the latent Kirin bloodline he sensed. Their divine flesh will be the key to restoring his peak strength."
A wave of dark excitement rippled through the room.
The Kirin were supreme divine beasts. Their flesh and blood far surpassed that of humans in spiritual potency.
Before the world's modern spiritual awakening, they had already existed in hidden seclusion. Back then, under their Lord's guidance, their followers had patiently infiltrated the Kirin's ancestral defenses and managed to steal several of their precious, unhatched eggs.
These eggs would become their Lord's feast upon his awakening. The only regret was how deeply their Lord slumbered, the recovery from his ancient wounds so profound that awakening him prematurely wouldn't be easy. Now, at this critical juncture, a Dao Comprehension expert had appeared. But since she didn't seem to be actively investigating them or their Lord, they could afford to watch and wait. Actively fighting her was tantamount to suicide.
"By the way, there's news of another rising prodigy. That girl with the special physique, Lin Yao. She's reached the Golden Core stage at a remarkably young age… and she survived the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation."
The topic shifted to a more immediate concern.
"Should we eliminate her? A Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation is unprecedented on this continent. It marks her as a child of destiny."
"Not just that. Years ago, a strand of strange, primordial flame descended from a temporal rift, the Netherworld Ghostfire. Intelligence suggests she was the one who refined it. Only a person with a specific, extreme physique could have done so."
"With such heaven-defying talent and fortune, she'll be a significant problem if she grows unchecked. That mysterious woman will likely leave this world after her business is done, but this girl is a native… Should we act now and prune this branch?"
"Netherworld Ghostfire. A unique special physique. Surviving the Nine-Nine Tribulation. And more, her breakthroughs are unnaturally smooth, as if guided. What kind of monstrous physique is this?"
"Unknown. Our records are incomplete. 'Black Seal,' can you access her full file from the military database? Assign her a high-priority mission outside the city's protective arrays, to a remote location. We can strike there."
"Consider it done."
The man codenamed Black Seal nodded. As a high-ranking official within the global defense council, manipulating a Golden Core cultivator's assignment roster was trivial. No matter how talented, an unripe genius was still just potential. Golden Core was considered first-rate power in this world, but without the time to grow, it meant nothing.
"The old men on the council are keeping a very close eye on her, protecting their investment. Since she shows no interest in marriage, they're pushing her to cultivate harder, seeing her as a future pillar. Since that mysterious woman won't cooperate with us, a future, controllable native Dao Comprehension expert is their next best hope for lasting security."
"All the more reason to kill her now, before she becomes untouchable."
"Understood. I will arrange it."
Silence reclaimed the chamber, thick with conspiracy.
~
Su Min hovered invisibly high in the sky, surveying the urban sprawl of the capital city below.
"Fifteen years, and this world hasn't changed much. But then again, with the oceans blocked and poisoned, the continents can only connect via expensive air transport or high-level cultivators. Without at least Golden Core strength, crossing those tainted waters is a death sentence, and even Golden Core cultivators must tread carefully and avoid the deeper, more infested zones."
The cities looked even more dilapidated than she remembered. The corruption's impact on global trade and resources had been devastating. Isolated continents, severed trade routes, and lost marine resources had caused economic and technological stagnation, a crippling blow to civilization's progress.
Not that Su Min could fix it. She wasn't a omnipotent deity; the dimensional rift leaking the black blood was a world-level problem, beyond the scope of any single individual, even a Dao Comprehension expert.
"The only personal downside is that I can't return to the ancient battlefield through that original rift. It was one-way. To go back, I'll have to traverse the void between stars. But first, I need to investigate the Kirin's fate. Now at the Dao Comprehension stage, even if there's a hidden evil faction in this world, my survival won't be an issue. And, "
Her eyes closed, focusing inward.
The ring and all the pills she'd given Lin Yao carried a faint, undetectable trace of her own spiritual signature. As long as Lin Yao consumed them and they remained in the same world, Su Min could sense her general state and approximate location.
Not to spy on her daily life, but as a precaution, to find or protect her if a real need arose.
But then, as her consciousness brushed against that distant, familiar aura, her brow furrowed in sudden attention.
"Netherworld Ghostfire? She encountered and refined a strand of Netherworld Ghostfire? When did that happen?"