While Su Min was busy refining pills, Xie Yingying finally completed her preparations. Unlike Su Min, who had faced the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation with just two measly Yellow-tier treasures, Xie Yingying was armed to the teeth—her sect had spared no expense in equipping her. On the day of her tribulation, nearly every cultivator on East Mulberry Island gathered to witness the spectacle.
The Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation was no joke. Most Golden Core cultivators only dared attempt the Triple Nine Tribulation. Even Su Min had barely survived the final strike of her Nine-Nine Tribulation.
But as the saying went: "Eight Immortals crossing the sea—each revealing their divine powers." As long as you survived, you passed the trial.
That day, every cultivator present witnessed an unforgettable sight—the clear sky plunged into darkness, illuminated only by terrifying bolts of lightning. Su Min could only watch—hands-off.
Interfering with a tribulation was suicide. The heavenly punishment had no upper limit—it would escalate to obliterate any intruder.
BOOM—!!!
A deafening explosion echoed as the final lightning strike landed, followed by the unmistakable aura of a Golden Core expert erupting into the skies.
"Success. Now, let's see what gift she gets. I had to endure ten years of lightning strikes just to claim the heavenly thunder."
As Su Min mused, a radiant, snow-white figure descended through the lightning—a sight that left all onlookers, including Su Min, stunned.
"An Ice Qilin? So her divine ability is related to it. The one I need is the Earth Qilin—no conflict there."
With that, Su Min flew to the now shattered island, where Xie Yingying had encased herself in an indestructible ice cocoon. Unlike Su Min's brutal, decade-long ordeal, Xie Yingying's cocoon was a self-imposed protective measure—far more stable.
Su Min hauled the giant ice block back to the sect's underground chamber, placing it above a natural ice-attribute spiritual spring connected to the Crystal Palace below.
"This should help you refine your insights. Don't miss the Golden Core Avenue."
With that, Su Min left, returning to her own seclusion—only to receive good news.
Xie Yingying had left behind two Earth-tier treasures for the sect, and with their help, Tu Changjun had successfully overcome the Triple Nine Heavenly Tribulation, becoming the sect's first homegrown Golden Core expert.
"Congratulations. You have two choices now: join the elder council as a Grand Elder or take over as sect leader."
The previous sect leader—a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator—was no longer suited for the role. Managing both the sect and millions of civilians required Golden Core-level authority.
Tu Changjun chose the latter.
"Grand Elder Su, two questions. Since reaching Golden Core, I've felt the world's suppression—progress is impossible. And there's a… call of some kind."
Su Min nodded.
"First, the world won't fully open for another century. You can still train and study techniques, but your cultivation won't advance. As for the 'call'—that's the Golden Core Avenue, where your master and I are headed. It holds countless treasures and ancient legacies."
Tu Changjun's eyes blazed with desire.
"But a warning: without Heavenly Foundation Establishment and the Six-Nine Tribulation, you'd be cannon fodder there. Here—take one strike from me. If you survive, I'll bring you along."
Su Min's aura erupted, her hair turning pale white, her eyes glowing crimson.
Tu Changjun gritted her teeth, summoning a massive spiritual shield.
"Go."
Su Min flicked a single feather toward her.
BOOM—!!!
Tu Changjun hurtled backward thousands of meters, coughing blood, her body charred and smoking.
Before she could react, Su Min blinked behind her, holding out a healing pill.
"Eat this."
"T-Thank you, Grand Elder..."
Tu Changjun's hands trembled as she swallowed the pill. A single casual strike had crushed her—proof that even among Golden Core experts, the gaps were vast.
(Su Min had held back significantly. A full-power strike would've killed her outright.)
"I'll take the sect leader position."
With her path to further growth blocked, Tu Changjun chose to shoulder responsibility, freeing her senior brother to focus on his own tribulation preparations.
Ten years passed in the blink of an eye for Su Min. Then, on this day—
An explosion of icy energy erupted beneath East Sea Immortal Gate, turning the skies white with blizzards. A black-robed figure emerged—Xie Yingying, finally awake.
"Took you long enough. The Golden Core Avenue is about to open."
Su Min smirked, unaffected by the cold.
"How many in your sect can cultivate my Ice Heart Jade Scripture?"
Xie Yingying cut straight to the point.
"Only five or six in the past decade—all still at Qi Refining. It'll take centuries for them to truly carry your legacy forward."
"Good enough."
Xie Yingying actually looked relieved.
(Su Min realized: Her sect had always been small. Rebuilding it alone would've taken lifetimes.)
"More importantly—our priorities in the Golden Core Avenue. How contested is the legacy you're after?"
"The Azure Dragon's legacy is highly sought-after. It's the only publicly known inheritance site of the Four Symbols. Just obtaining a dragon scale—the entry ticket—is a bloodbath."
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
Xie Yingying's expression darkened.
"The place I need to go is even more dangerous. Even with your Nanming Lihuo, you'd need the Eastern Azure Wood and at least mid-to-late Golden Core cultivation to survive the environment."
"Where?"
Su Min's interest was piqued. The game hadn't covered everything—this was new intel.
"Same as your Azure Dragon legacy—it houses a heaven-defying treasure: Naiqiong Divine Ice."
"A non-Five Elements divine object..."
Su Min's eyes narrowed. If true, this thing was no less formidable than the Fusang Divine Tree.
"With your Nanming Lihuo—and the Eastern Azure Wood to fuel it—you can shield me long enough for me to claim it. No one else stands a chance without a Taiyin Physique or a divine flame."
"Then it's settled."
Their plan was clear: Secure the Azure Dragon legacy and Eastern Azure Wood for Su Min. Storm the frozen hellscape for the Naiqiong Divine Ice.
Not long after, all Golden Core cultivators across the world looked up simultaneously—the call had come.
"The Golden Core Avenue is a pocket dimension. All who sense the portal can enter—and everyone starts at Golden Core early stage inside."
Xie Yingying explained as they prepared. "One rule: you exit where you entered."
"Let's go."
With that, Su Min vanished, Xie Yingying right behind her.
When Su Min's vision cleared, she found herself in a vast, alien landscape—and for the first time in centuries, she felt unshackled.
"This… feels amazing. I can finally cultivate freely again!"
She stretched luxuriously as Xie Yingying materialized beside her. Above them, three golden characters shimmered:
[East Mulberry State]
Their place of origin—a label all entrants bore.
"We can fly under the radar. Before I arrived, East Mulberry had zero cultivators. No one will recognize us—as long as we hide our strength."
Su Min grinned. Her exploits in the Great Luo Tian State had been low-key—no one knew she wielded the Nanming Lihuo. As for Wei Wu State? Their cultivators lacked the knowledge to identify it.
"To the Azure Dragon's legacy first."
Xie Yingying agreed. With that, the two streaked across the skies on a Mystic-tier mid-grade flying sword—one of many upgrades Su Min had made over the centuries. Along the way, they passed numerous Golden Core experts—each giving the other a wide berth.
The Great Dao Avenue had just opened; no one wanted premature conflict. But even these fleeting encounters made Su Min keenly aware of the talent gathered here—several auras made her instinctively wary, a feeling she'd never had facing the five sect leaders.
"Aside from legacies, this place is crawling with ferocious spirit beasts. Perfect for upgrading my gourd."
Su Min's mind raced. So much to do, so little time.