"..."
At this moment, Lin Yao was completely dumbfounded. Su Min had told her quite a bit about the Heavenly Continent's general situation, mainly to prevent this naive girl from acting recklessly without proper awe. But when it came to her own sect, Su Min had always been vague, brushing past the topic with deliberate brevity.
So Lin Yao had made her own assumptions. She imagined her teacher to be a reclusive expert, someone who had risen through relentless cultivation and profound encounters. And it was true, Su Min had indeed broadened her worldview. She had shown her just how high the sky could be.
Crossing the ancient battlefield to reach the continent had nearly killed her. That brush with death alone was enough to humble her, to make her realize just how small she still was.
Now, having just arrived at the Heavenly Continent while still shaken, she felt she urgently needed a place to settle. So she came to the Immortal Sect, which happened to be isolated overseas and closest to the ancient battlefield's entrance. She came with nothing but her teacher's token, hoping for shelter and direction.
Then the first shock arrived: Su Min's token was absurdly effective.
The sect elder who received her, a genuine Dao Comprehension stage cultivator, didn't just meet her. He welcomed her, personally, with a courtesy so profound it nearly made her panic. At first, she thought he'd mistaken her for someone important.
To be fair, Elder Zhu wasn't being overly cautious. Lin Yao was, quite literally, the first person to ever show up bearing Su Min's personal mark. So Elder Zhu didn't dare neglect her. If this turned out to be someone who'd rendered Su Min a great service and was mistreated, even he would get an earful from Su Min.
Yes, even though he'd now reached the Dao Comprehension stage, he still had to act like a grandson around Su Min.
And then came the second shock, Lin Yao calmly declared herself Su Min's disciple.
That nearly made Elder Zhu cough blood.
Disciple? Since when did Su Min take on a disciple?
Over the years, countless geniuses had passed through the Immortal Sect. Talented youths, elder candidates, even some of the founding cultivators from the early days had all admired Su Min from afar. But she had never accepted any of them. Not a single one had ever been formally acknowledged.
Yet here this girl was, young, late Divine Transformation stage, with a divine artifact sealed inside her and the courage to cross an ancient battlefield. Her foundation was solid, her temperament refined. And she claimed to be Su Min's personal disciple?
Elder Zhu didn't dare make that call himself. So he turned around and ran, quite literally, to the only person who might understand what was going on.
Xie Yingying.
She had just emerged from seclusion after stabilizing her latest breakthrough when Elder Zhu dragged her out without so much as a greeting.
To outsiders, the gesture might've seemed inappropriate. But to the upper echelons of the Immortal Sect, it made perfect sense.
The relationship between Su Min and Xie Yingying had long since become an open secret, one no one dared confirm aloud, but which everyone saw clearly. They never announced it. There were no public titles, no overt declarations. But actions spoke.
Whenever Su Min returned to the sect, it was often Xie Yingying who welcomed her first. The two would often vanish into Xuantian Mansion or forbidden grounds for days, sometimes weeks, emerging only after their auras had shifted, synchronized in strange and subtle ways.
And though Su Min rarely involved herself in sect affairs, the few times she did speak, whether to recommend someone for promotion, or intervene in a conflict, Xie Yingying's shadow was never far behind.
The elders whispered, of course. They noted how Su Min's gaze softened around her, how her clipped tone turned warm when Xie Yingying spoke. They noticed how Xie Yingying, normally distant and unreadable, would tilt her head slightly whenever Su Min so much as glanced her way.
Unspoken, unconfirmed, but obvious to anyone with eyes.
So when Elder Zhu tossed this hot potato into Xie Yingying's hands and fled, Lin Yao could only stare, pale and panicked.
She hadn't expected this.
And now… she was very afraid she might have said the wrong thing.
Elder Zhu gave her an intensely dangerous feeling, but this woman before her evoked complete helplessness, a sensation she'd only ever felt from Su Min. And yet, this woman didn't look much older than her. What truly unsettled her was the way she was being looked at, not with hostility, but with a quiet, assessing intensity. Like she was being measured down to the soul.
"How much of Su Min's alchemy have you inherited?"
The question landed with no particular emotion, but Lin Yao still straightened instinctively.
"Uh… none at all," she admitted with an awkward cough.
It wasn't that she hadn't tried to learn, but her constitution combined with the Netherworld Ghost Flame imbued all her flames with peculiar toxicity. This made proper alchemy impossible, everything she refined turned poisonous. The higher-grade the pill, the more toxic it became. Su Min had tried teaching her before finally giving up.
So now, she simply raised her palm, conjuring the pale, ghostly flame with a soft whoosh. It danced in the air, cold, flickering green.
Xie Yingying regarded it in silence.
Then she gave a quiet, almost thoughtful hum. "Acceptable."
Lin Yao blinked.
"From now on, you'll cultivate under me. Take the title of Young Sect Master. As for Su Min… she's gone into seclusion again."
Her tone was final, unbending, as if she were simply carrying out what Su Min had left unfinished. This girl's opportunities were quite good. Moreover, having come from another world, she was essentially a blank slate to this one.
Lin Yao didn't find this strange at all. She was already accustomed to Su Min being in seclusion. Back then, her teacher had dumped her there before immediately going into closed-door cultivation.
Presumably, things weren't much different in this world.
"Understood."
There was a beat of silence, then Lin Yao hesitated. "…May I ask how I should address you?"
She didn't ask lightly. From the moment she arrived, it was clear this place was far beyond her understanding. She knew exactly how powerful this sect was, her homeworld would shatter instantly if it so much as brushed against these people.
Golden Core cultivators were as common as dogs, Nascent Soul experts everywhere, this was her first impression of this world. They couldn't compare at the middle or lower tiers, let alone the upper echelons. She'd already met two Dao Comprehension powerhouses. One of them had smiled at her and made her feel like prey. The other was this woman, whose presence was quieter… but no less overwhelming.
Su Min aside, Lin Yao knew enough to tread carefully. This was a world that could reduce her home to dust with a casual flick of the hand. She had nowhere else to go. Despite Su Min's constant absences, Lin Yao still trusted her deeply. If this was the person Su Min entrusted her to, then she'd obey, completely.
A late Divine Transformation cultivator was an absolute powerhouse in her world, but here? Not so much.
Which left her with just one question, why did this young woman before her give off such a peculiar vibe?
"Call me Xie Yingying, little girl."
The voice was soft. Almost amused.
But the look in her eyes sent a chill down Lin Yao's spine.
"…Yes."
She shrank back slightly, nodding without another word.
And so, her new life in the Immortal Sect began.
Her appointment as Young Sect Master stirred no small commotion. After all, this was a position countless disciples had dreamed of, fought for, and cultivated desperately to earn. And now, it had been handed to a stranger, an outsider from another world.
But no one dared protest publicly.
Because two names sealed that decision beyond contest: Su Min and Xie Yingying.
Su Min's word carried absolute weight in the sect. She was the pillar that had silently supported the Immortal Sect for generations. With her endorsement alone, objections died before they could form.
Xie Yingying's approval was another nail in the coffin. While her demeanor remained aloof and unreadable, everyone in the upper echelons understood what her silent nod truly meant.
Strength ruled this world. While Lin Yao's late Divine Transformation cultivation didn't make her invincible, it was enough to place her firmly in the upper ranks. Within the sect, only a handful stood above her, and those individuals either respected Su Min… or owed her far too much to raise their heads.
Besides, even the divine beasts resting in the sect's hidden realms only acknowledged one master.
And she had chosen this girl.
Thus the matter was settled. While it caused huge waves within the Immortal Sect, the wider world paid it no mind.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Su Min hovered midair, enveloped by special laws as over a dozen different principles competed brilliantly around her.
"Sigh, so difficult."
Beads of cold sweat formed on Su Min's deeply furrowed brow.
At this moment, she missed Yao Xian'er. As a Spirit Dao Body, Yao Xian'er could comprehend multiple laws simultaneously, albeit with one primary law and several secondary ones that were considerably weaker since they weren't the main focus.
But Yao Xian'er was no ordinary Spirit Dao Body. Having once reached the pinnacle, the number of laws she'd accumulated was terrifying. This lifetime was about tempering and refining them all.
Now Su Min attempted the same, though the difficulty was astronomical. Even with her current abilities, progress was painfully slow. Her fair forehead now glistened with sweat as she inched forward with tremendous effort.
"I need to advance further."
Su Min's hands blurred through a series of seals as phantom images of the Four Sacred Beasts materialized around her. Clearly, these sacred beast inheritances were assisting her refinement. Time passed slowly this way.
Until finally,
Crack!
With a crisp sound, Su Min's body seemed to burst open as her aura skyrocketed, breaking through all limits in an instant.
Late Dao Comprehension stage
"Whew."
Su Min slowly opened her eyes, faint light shimmering within her pupils.
"Success."
In that moment, she couldn't contain her excitement. Simultaneously, a phantom image nearly identical to herself materialized behind her.
She had utilized that multitude of laws along with her divine artifacts to finally roughly pave her path to the Unity stage while advancing to late Dao Comprehension. However, reaching the Unity stage would still require considerable time.
Just look at Xie Yingying, she hadn't immediately broken through to Unity either, choosing instead to consolidate her foundation rather than advance consecutively. Of course, continuous breakthroughs weren't impossible, it just required further refinement of spiritual energy.
Su Min's situation was similar, though her dharma body remained incomplete. She'd only barely taken this first step and needed to progress further.
"My dharma body prototype incorporates not just my Time Law but several other supporting laws. Who knows what it'll look like when fully formed? At that point, my Tathāgata Body will basically become obsolete."
Satisfied, Su Min closed her eyes as the dharma body slowly dissipated. She couldn't yet deploy it in combat, if it got shattered, the consequences would be severe. Before complete formation, dharma bodies remained fragile and sensitive, no one would risk using them in battle.
"Not only have I reached late Dao Comprehension, I've also condensed my dharma body phantom. Now I just need to gradually temper it to completion, a lengthy process."
Narrowing her eyes to sense her bodily changes, Su Min felt thoroughly pleased.
"Huh?"
But when she opened her eyes, she noticed something odd, the dismantled puppets within the tomb had somehow repaired themselves, though without any residual laws.
"It seems this tomb still holds many mysteries. I'll take it back to the sect, it can serve as a training ground for Dao Comprehension cultivators and some late Divine Transformation experts. Plus, it contains numerous powerful puppets."
Su Min's eyes gleamed as she spotted the more powerful puppets hidden throughout. Among them were two Mahayana-level puppets, though like the others, they were confined to the tomb and couldn't be removed. Even so, they'd prove incredibly useful.
Because for late Divine Transformation and Dao Comprehension cultivators, experiencing true life-or-death battles was exceedingly rare. There simply weren't enough practitioners at this level, and with each belonging to different sects, outright battles seldom occurred.
"Also, I need some powerful corpses, preferably from the ancient battlefield. But who could retrieve them? That's no ordinary place. Even Tian Hao and I barely made it through alive back then, it's too dangerous for average Divine Transformation cultivators."
But soon Su Min developed a headache. Even the cleverest housewife couldn't cook without rice. Crafting puppets wasn't particularly difficult for a grandmaster alchemist like herself, after all, alchemy represented the most meticulous art in existence, bar none.
Other crafts like artifact forging paled in comparison. Yet her expression soon darkened again.
For a moment, Su Min couldn't think of a suitable candidate. But this dilemma lasted less than ten minutes before resolution struck. She was an alchemist, after all. Offer a Unity Pill as reward for retrieving intact corpses from there, and armies would come running. The allure of Unity Pills was simply too great.
Moreover, she still had several in stock, since no third member of their sect currently qualified to take one. With only production and no consumption, her inventory had grown somewhat.
Time to leave. She'd been in seclusion here for decades now, who knew what changes had occurred outside? Fortunately, this wasn't the modern world.
In a flash, Su Min shot outward. Thanks to those two fellows' handiwork, although the seals had been completely destroyed, no one had discovered this place in all this time. When she emerged, vines and branches completely covered the entrance. She left looking like a wild woman, naturally attracting no attention.
Now outside, Su Min didn't hesitate. Grasping the jade slip, she watched as the entire tomb rapidly shrank before being absorbed into it. This would make an excellent training ground, intense combat here might even help Divine Transformation cultivators advance to Dao Comprehension.
Thus this secret realm held tremendous value for Su Min, enough to support her all the way to Mahayana. Those two Mahayana-level puppets were especially precious treasures. Though unmovable, they'd serve as perfect sparring partners.
"Alright, mission accomplished. After being away so long, it's time to return."
With that, Su Min transformed into a streak of light and flew off, this time without alerting the guards. Or rather, they noticed but had no reason to intercept.
After exiting, she headed straight for her sect. Though the Heavenly God Sect members saw her clearly, they said nothing. Su Min had kept an extremely low profile these past decades, provoking no conflicts.
Thus the sect remained oblivious that a great opportunity locked within their territory had been whisked away by Su Min, leaving them not even scraps. But when Su Min returned to her sect, she was stunned, because at that moment, a figure came rushing toward her excitedly.
"Master!!!"
Su Min blinked, half a second too slow.
A soft, fragrant warmth slammed into her, slender arms wrapping around her waist as they tumbled backward. The momentum stole her balance, she hadn't braced herself. Su Min barely weighed a hundred pounds, and recognizing the qi signature in that split second, she hadn't raised her defenses either. Physics still applied, after all.
Moreover, the moment she saw that figure, a brilliant idea struck her.
"Disciples exist to be exploited."
They landed in a heap on the polished stone floor. Su Min lay flat on her back, Lin Yao sprawled over her like an overenthusiastic spirit beast, all radiant cheeks and fluttering lashes.
"...Yao'er?"
She hadn't used that name in decades. It slipped out, unguarded.
For a moment, Lin Yao couldn't speak. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart threatening to burst from the sudden closeness. The warmth of Su Min's body beneath her felt real, too real. For years, she had chased that silhouette across star charts, across ancient battlefields. And now, finally, her journey had brought her here.
To this moment.
She had grown stronger. She had endured endless cold nights in broken ruins and starlit realms. She had walked the path of cultivation with one unshakable desire: to reach her master again.
And now, she had.
===
"The two would often vanish into Xuantian Mansion or forbidden grounds for days, sometimes weeks, emerging only after their auras had shifted, synchronized in strange and subtle ways."
Immortal Sect Upper Echelons: "Hmm... Very suspicious (눈_눈)"
(The elders' notebooks are full of these 'coincidences' with underlined dates)
Elite Disciples: "The Grand Elders must be... cultivating very intensely together! (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)✧" [blushing but pretending to be pure]
Disciples Who Accidentally Saw Them Return: "(⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)" [immediately develops new respect for dual cultivation techniques]
~
"And though Su Min rarely involved herself in sect affairs, the few times she did speak, whether to recommend someone for promotion, or intervene in a conflict, Xie Yingying's shadow was never far behind."
Sect Elders: "This humble one notices Lady Xie's... dedication to supporting Lady Su's decisions. How... professional. (￣ω￣;)" [coughing awkwardly]
Junior Elders Taking Notes: "Ah... So Lady Su's sudden interest in sect matters has... particular patterns (✧ω✧)"
Senior Disciples Observing: "Notice how Grand Elder Xie's 'coincidental' appearances always happen within 3 breaths of Grand Elder Su speaking? (￣ω￣)" [nods sagely]
~
"They noted how Su Min's gaze softened around her, how her clipped tone turned warm when Xie Yingying spoke. They noticed how Xie Yingying, normally distant and unreadable, would tilt her head slightly whenever Su Min so much as glanced her way."
Sect Elder: "This junior has studied the Dao of Subtlety for 300 years... yet these two make cultivation look easier than hiding that (ಠ_ಠ)"
Immortal Sect Upper Echelons: "We've survived centuries by knowing when to be blind. (￣ω￣;)" [sipping tea]
Senior Disciples Teaching Juniors: "Remember children - when two cultivators achieve perfect spiritual harmony, it's... rude to stare. Yes, even if they're holding hands. ESPECIALLY if they're holding hands. (｀ε´)"
~
Ambitious Junior:"So if I become a Grand Elder one day, I too can-"
Master: "FINISH THAT SENTENCE AND YOU'RE ON LATRINE DUTY FOR A DECADE (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻"
~
Entire Sect When They Walk By: "We see nothing, we know nothing! (´⊙ω⊙`)!"