The Five Elements Domain, as the core of human inheritance, periodically opened secret realms left behind by ancient powerhouses. Though the world lacked an abundance of supreme experts, over time, the Golden Core Avenue had accumulated a considerable number of such legacies.
Naturally, Su Min had participated in many of these, reaping substantial rewards. Since she had no interest in the inheritances themselves, she focused on plundering materials instead. No one dared to oppose her as long as she avoided the core legacies—everything else was negotiable.
She had also completed the five promised pills. Unsurprisingly, none of the clients had the patience to wait—all had requested mid-tier Grade 4 pills. With those five pills delivered, Su Min's reputation as the top alchemist of the Golden Core Avenue was firmly cemented.
Now, business became effortless. Though she still accepted commissions, each one demanded exorbitant fees. Yet, the Golden Core Avenue was truly rich in resources. In less than half a year, Su Min had gathered enough materials for three batches of Nascent Soul Pills, along with a trove of rare herbs.
"I'll hold off on attempting the Nascent Soul Pill for now—it's a low-tier Grade 5 pill. But the herb abundance here is insane. I can push for high-tier Grade 4 instead."
Staring at her cauldron, Su Min weighed her options. High-tier Grade 4 pills were treasures even Nascent Soul old monsters would beg for. Right now, she could strut through the Golden Core Avenue unchallenged. After witnessing the Wood Madman's brutal dismemberment by a mob, everyone had learned one lesson: Do not provoke Su Min.
Here, few cared about background. Your sect is ancient? So is mine. Who's scared of whom?
Her terms were simple: three sets of materials per commission, regardless of success, plus a hefty pile of premium Golden Core Avenue herbs as payment. The onlookers could only salivate—none had her skills. The bar for alchemists was prohibitively high, especially for top-tier ones. While other alchemists existed in the Golden Core Avenue, none surpassed Grade 3.
The leap from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core was a chasm; the jump from Grade 3 to Grade 4 was an abyss. Few had Su Min's advantages: the divine flame tailor-made for alchemy, her player-bestowed Holy Body bonuses. Without Nanming Lihuo, her alchemy would plummet, and her artifact-forging would be crippled.
For others to craft Grade 4 pills, they'd need to reach Nascent Soul first, leveraging the all-around stat boost from the Golden Core-to-Nascent Soul breakthrough.
"What's your timeline? That legacy site is opening soon. I can attempt high-tier Grade 4 now—should we wait?" Su Min asked xie Yingying.
After refining the Eastern Azure Wood, Su Min's growth had skyrocketed. While Nanming Lihuo enhanced base stats, the Eastern Azure Wood's comprehensive boost was on another level.
Divine materials each had specialties: Metal and Fire excelled in offense (Fire for AoE, Metal for armor-piercing); Earth dominated defense; Water prioritized recovery and stamina; Wood enhanced all attributes holistically.
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
Of course, these were primary focuses—cross-functionality existed. The Eastern Azure Wood could heal, just not as effectively as Water-based divine materials.
"Go for it. No need to rush," Xie Yingying replied with a cold smirk. All things embodied the duality of Yin and Yang. Harmony required both; singularity bred destruction.
The legacy site left by that Lunar Sovereign Body expert would be barren—nothing valuable except the Lunar Sovereign Ancient Scripture at its heart. Even Xie Yingying wouldn't dare venture deep without Su Min's Eastern Azure Wood to counterbalance the lethal Yin energy.
"Let the fools rush in. Their deaths won't be my fault."
Besides, Su Min mastering high-tier Grade 4 pills would only increase their odds.
"Alright, taking it slow."
Closing her eyes, Su Min recalled the endless recipes from her player-acquired Alchemy and Artifact Manual. With her skills, she'd never lack formulas—only the power to execute them. The niche pills requested by others? Those weren't in her tome, which focused on mainstream elixirs. The world was too vast for any single compilation.
Currently, she aimed for the most renowned high-tier Grade 4 pill: the Golden Core Heart Pill.
[Golden Core Heart Pill (High-tier Grade 4): Assists in breaking through Golden Core stage bottlenecks.]
Post-Golden Core, cultivation slowed drastically. Even within the Golden Core stage's three sub-levels, progress was arduous. Advancing required not just accumulating and refining spiritual energy, but repeatedly assaulting minor barriers.
Reaching late Golden Core could take over a century normally. Su Min's rapid ascent was thanks to the Eastern Azure Wood. Xie Yingying's came from her Naiqiong Divine Ice. But now, the Eastern Azure Wood's grace period had ended.
To reach late Golden Core after saturating her energy, Su Min needed aids—hence the Golden Core Heart Pill. Previously, she'd been lax. With the Eastern Azure Wood and Azure Dragon legacy secured, the Golden Core Heavenly Ranking's rewards meant nothing.
Now? To claim that final inheritance, she had to push harder.
One month later
"Whew. High-tier Grade 4—done."
Two lustrous pills rolled in her cauldron. Su Min exhaled in relief. Two failed batches preceded this success. Luck had blessed her with two pills instead of one.
"One for me, one for trade."
Bottling them, she plotted their fates. Xie Yingying's Lunar Sovereign Body bypassed cultivation bottlenecks—this pill was useless to her.
As for the Nascent Soul Pill, its purpose was safeguarding the body during breakthroughs and accelerating Nascent Soul formation. The transitions from late Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, Golden Core to Nascent Soul, and Nascent Soul to Spirit Transformation had no barriers—just soul-crushing risks. Hence, their associated pills were tailored to mitigate those perils.
"Oh, spread the word: I have a Golden Core Heart Pill. If anyone wants it, they've got thirty years to trade me an Earth-grade artifact."
Over time, Su Min had recruited lackeys to handle errands while she focused on alchemy. They weren't fighters—just helpers for material gathering.
"An Earth-grade artifact?!"
Her underlings gaped. A high-tier Grade 4 pill for an Earth-grade artifact was daylight robbery. In the Golden Core Avenue, no one could bring such artifacts in. Crafting them? Impossible. Even with Nanming Lihuo—or the forge-optimized Six Ding Divine Fire—Su Min couldn't produce Earth-grade items yet.
The few Earth-grade artifacts here were spawned by the Golden Core Avenue itself—rare treasures generated every few centuries from the lingering power of deceased experts. Su Min hadn't found any.
"Oh, and add this: I'm only refining this once. Take it or leave it."
Truthfully, she couldn't make more. The two failed batches had exhausted her core ingredients for the Golden Core Heart Pill. Like the three irreplaceable herbs for the Nascent Soul Pill, these materials were untradeable.
"Understood."
Her lackeys exchanged glances, sensing her predicament. Though Su Min's demand was outrageous, desperate buyers would bite. Ninety years to advance from early to late Golden Core was impossible for most. Yet the Golden Core Heavenly Ranking's rewards—300-year lifespan extension and the baptism—were too crucial to miss.
Besides, mismatched Earth-grade artifacts were glorified paperweights. Trading one for the pill, while painful, might be worth it.
As expected, the announcement sent shockwaves through the Golden Core Avenue. Holy Sons and Daughters mobilized—the top five spots weren't for ordinary six-nine tribulation Golden Core cultivators. Only elites like them stood a chance.
Frenzied competition erupted for newly appeared secret realms, all to scrape together Su Min's asking price. Though it tasted like swallowing flies, they had no choice. While the world scrambled, Su Min and Xie Yingying departed. The lackeys weren't invited. Their destination? The legacy site.
Extreme Yin begets Yang. The site's core surely harbored a unique space—one Su Min needed to cultivate in. Without it, reaching late Golden Core would be far harder.