With Su Min's official return, within just a month, many people came to visit. The Golden Spirit Pill in her possession was simply too enticing.
"Who do you plan to give this pill to? The final decision on the artifact is yours."
However, Xie Yingying was a little concerned about the use of this pill. It might very well create obstacles for their competition for the top five spots, as none of the contenders were easy opponents.
"What are you afraid of? So many years have passed. The truly top-tier experts have already reached the late Golden Core stage. Besides, for some of the pills I want to refine, I'm still missing a few ingredients."
Su Min wasn't worried about using this Golden Core pill because the top experts were likely like her—capable of advancing to the late Golden Core stage on their own.
After all, there were still decades before the late Golden Core stage fully opened. By then, those people would surely catch up. According to the latest intelligence, the top five on the rankings had all reached the late Golden Core stage.
For them, such pills were practically useless now. As for Su Min's target clients, they were those aiming for the top thirty. The rewards for the top five were the best, followed by the top ten to fifteen, and then the top thirty. The top five would receive a baptism that extended their lifespan by three hundred years, the next tier by two hundred, and the last by one hundred. And let's not forget—Su Min was an alchemist. She had another trump card: pill consumption.
Artifacts that could preserve life were extremely difficult to refine. Last time, Su Min would rather suffer severe injuries from a punch than use hers. After all, she only had one protective mirror, which she had spent decades refining, and her innate skill—a second life. The former could only be used once, while the latter had a cooldown of one day. Unless her first life was taken, she wouldn't use it. But now, she also needed to refine a few special pills, though she was still missing some crucial ingredients.
"You want to refine short-term burst pills and special life-saving pills? Wouldn't that cause permanent damage to your body? The greater the pill's power, the greater the cost."
Hearing Su Min's words, Xie Yingying was startled. An alchemist's way of fighting was by consuming pills like crazy, but the cost was enormous. Residual medicinal properties would accumulate in the body, affecting future achievements. As for burst pills, they were even more terrifying—they could damage meridians. Su Min had only taken such burst pills a handful of times in her entire journey.
"I know what I'm doing. It won't affect my future."
Su Min smiled dismissively. She had her reasons. First, Nanming Lihuo in her body could refine and eliminate residual medicinal properties. Second, now that she had obtained the Eastern Azure Wood, the upper limit of energy her physique and meridians could withstand had reached an astonishing level.
So whether it was burst pills or special life-saving pills, her tolerance was extremely high. This time, she planned to refine a few high-grade fourth-tier pills—luxuries even for Nascent Soul cultivators.
"Mhm."
Hearing this, Xie Yingying didn't press further. She wouldn't take such pills herself, nor would she ask for them. With her Lunar Sovereign Body, she had no reason to damage her foundation for anything.
"Miss Su, ten people have arrived with Earth-tier artifacts."
At that moment, a Golden Core cultivator who ran errands for Su Min arrived at the gate. He was only at the early Golden Core stage and had no hope of reaching the Nascent Soul stage in this lifetime. Instead of focusing on his own cultivation, he was now trying to secure good resources for his descendants.
"Let's go see them."
With that, Su Min and Xie Yingying headed to the outer chamber of the cave abode, where over a dozen people had gathered. They were all holy sons and daughters of major sects—figures who stood above ordinary people.
But here, they were nothing special. After all, the current Golden Core Avenue was the most fiercely competitive one. Countless geniuses had awakened from slumber and gathered in this realm. Over the long years, the Golden Core venue had accumulated terrifying energy. Under normal circumstances, the top five of the Golden Core Avenue would only gain thirty years of lifespan, not three hundred.
So in ordinary times, any one of them could have been a dominant force on the Golden Core Avenue. But now, they were all reduced to supporting roles. Naturally, they were unwilling and were fighting desperately at this moment.
"As expected, none of the top ten on the Tianjiao Ranking came. They're not very interested in my pill."
Looking at the people before her, Su Min chuckled inwardly. These individuals probably had no hope of breaking into the top ten and were here to compete for the top thirty. But Su Min wasn't going to be polite. With a flip of her hand, the Golden Heart Pill appeared in her palm. Instantly, the breathing of those present grew heavier.
"Now, let me see your Earth-tier artifacts. But before that, I'll make it clear—the final choice is mine."
Su Min gave them a fair warning. The compatibility of the artifact with her was the deciding factor, so the standards were entirely up to her. No one else had a say.
"Understood."
Hearing this, the holy sons and daughters didn't dare to argue. They all nodded. After all, Su Min was no weak alchemist. With Xie Yingying by her side, even if they all attacked together, they might not be able to defeat these two. Moreover, both of them had already reached the late Golden Core stage, which filled the others with envy and further deterred them from acting recklessly.
In the next moment, light flashed as ten dazzling spiritual treasures appeared before everyone. The entire chamber trembled. Earth-tier artifacts were something Su Min couldn't refine even if she reached the Nascent Soul stage. As these artifacts appeared, the air in the cave abode twisted slightly.
"What kind of random stuff is this? Fans, spiked clubs—these weapons are immediately out."
Looking at the artifacts, Su Min's lips twitched. Two were instantly rejected. They were completely incompatible with her. Even if they were Earth-tier, they were useless to her.
Her gaze swept over the remaining artifacts. What she really wanted was Earth-tier armor. After all, armor was known as the king of treasures, offering the most comprehensive boost to a cultivator. But clearly, these people weren't fools. A set of Earth-tier armor—even low-grade—would require at least a sixth-tier pill in exchange.
After setting aside the odd weapons, Su Min scanned the remaining ones and locked onto three: a mirror, a small pagoda, and a pendant.
"My apologies, everyone. I've seen your artifacts, but none of them suit me. Thank you for your time."
Su Min spoke politely, but as soon as her words fell, the expressions of several people darkened. It was clear she was dismissing them. Of course, many of them had already known their artifacts wouldn't be chosen and were just here to try their luck.
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
So they simply bowed and left. Once a few departed, the others had no choice but to follow. Now, only three artifacts remained before Su Min. She needed to test their effects by activating them slightly.
"This small pagoda is a restraining tool, right? It contains a space to trap people inside. It's useful against group attacks, but in a one-on-one battle like the Golden Core Heavenly Ranking, its utility is limited. Its priority isn't very high."
The first pagoda was temporarily set aside. While it could trap enemies, she couldn't attack them inside. It wasn't weak, but its priority on the Golden Core Avenue wasn't high. The owner had likely brought it for this very reason.
"Dark Demon God Mirror—this one's no good either. I don't have the dark attribute, so I can't benefit from its enhancements. As for the last one..."
Su Min's eyes lit up. This was exactly what she needed.
[Five Elements Pendant (Earth-tier, mid-grade): When activated, it unleashes the Five Elements Rotating Formation, a mysterious and powerful array. However, to activate it, the user must possess all five attributes—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. It is said to have been crafted by the Five Elements Emperor.
"This one."
Without hesitation, Su Min took the pendant and tossed the pill to its owner. While this artifact was incredibly useful to her, it was useless to others.
"Thank you."
The man accepted the pill with a smile. He had known this pill would likely end up with him. Without a system to assist him, he didn't know who had crafted it or its exact effects, but he understood the activation condition: the user had to possess all five attributes—meaning a Five Elements spiritual root.
Those with such spiritual roots were generally considered trash in the cultivation world. But Su Min was publicly known as the Five Elements Holy Body, so she undoubtedly possessed all five attributes. In her case, the "all attributes" were definitely different from others. This pendant would be of great use to her—and to no one else in the world.
A Five Elements spiritual root would make one's spiritual energy chaotic and impure. Forget advancing in cultivation—surviving without exploding would be a miracle. Of course, Su Min didn't actually have a spiritual root. Her attributes depended on the cultivation techniques she practiced. Now, with the help of the Five Elements Banner and her Years of Heaven's Secrets, she had just gathered all five elemental techniques.
This meant she was now perfectly suited for this artifact. There was no need for hesitation. Naturally, the man was delighted because no one else could use this artifact. Trading a mid-grade Earth-tier artifact for a pill was acceptable to him. After all, Su Min's pills had an excellent reputation in the current Golden Avenue. As for the artifact, no matter how high its grade, it was useless if no one could wield it.
"Is there anything else you'd like to discuss? Of course, I also accept pill-refining commissions. Prices are negotiable. And one more thing—unless you can provide the core ingredient for the Golden Heart Pill, the Heartflame Waterfire Fruit, I can still refine it."
Su Min smiled. She had obtained this fruit in the Azure Dragon Secret Realm. Thanks to the Eastern Azure Wood, the Azure Dragon Secret Realm was the most vibrant of all secret realms, with the highest concentration of rare herbs.
If even that place didn't have more of these fruits, they likely couldn't be found elsewhere in the Golden Core Avenue. Sure enough, upon hearing her words, several people's expressions shifted. Clearly, they didn't have the required ingredient. Without it, even seventh or eighth-tier alchemists wouldn't be able to refine the pill. But not everyone was empty-handed. One person handed Su Min a storage ring.
"I see. A high-grade fourth-tier pill, then. Come back in three days to collect it."
After examining the three sets of ingredients and a pile of rare materials inside the ring, Su Min nodded inwardly. This commission was worth taking. There was even a herb she urgently needed. With that, she took the ring and returned to the cave abode. The others could only exchange glances before vanishing. Clearly, they were off to gather ingredients.
Though the pills they wanted couldn't compare to the Golden Heart Pill, they were still crucial—some even related to their chances of reaching the Nascent Soul stage. Even if they couldn't use them now, they might in the future. And once the Heavenly Dao's suppression lifted and spiritual energy recovered, such pills would become even harder to obtain. It was better to secure them now while Su Min was available.
Besides, the herbs here were of a higher grade than those outside, making them slightly easier to acquire.
"These are all pills tailored to their physiques, meant to protect their meridians. It seems everyone's preparing to shatter their Golden Cores."
As she examined the ingredients, Su Min mused to herself. The Nascent Soul Pill's effects far surpassed these, but it was a fifth-tier pill—extremely difficult to refine, and its core ingredients were exceedingly rare. Even major sects might not have them in storage.
But these sects had their own reserves. By refining specialized pills based on their physiques, they could achieve effects similar to the Nascent Soul Pill—albeit weaker. Still, something was better than nothing. Even so, these were still mid-to-high fourth-tier pills.
Commissioning Su Min to refine them would cost a fortune. The storage ring she had just received contained many high-grade materials—accumulated by their sect over decades in the Golden Core venue.
"But no matter what, in the end, you'll be the one refining them. Probably over ninety percent of the rare herbs in this Golden Core Avenue will pass through your hands."
Watching Su Min sit cross-legged before the alchemy furnace, deep in thought, Xie Yingying smiled.