Perched on the windowsill of a several-hundred-meter-high pavilion, Su Min sat with legs crossed, sipping fine wine while overlooking the city below.
"Hmph, trying to play games with me, little ones."
Since that day, Su Min had temporarily settled here. According to plan, several late Divine Transformation cultivators would gather in three days to jointly enter the Five Elements Mountain for the crystals.
Their ulterior motives were transparent to Su Min, just as they knew she knew. A farcical situation, though what they didn't realize was Su Min's complete indifference. She valued them only as bait. Had they been saintly figures, she might have felt some guilt. But seeing their true natures alleviated any concerns.
Soon, a figure appeared before Su Min, the Savage Lion Sect's deputy leader, an early Divine Transformation cultivator.
"Lady Le Xi, the sect leader and other dignitaries await you."
"Understood."
With a nod, Su Min transformed into a streak of light, descending instantly to the main hall. Maintaining her suppressed cultivation level, she allowed her presence to be fully detected.
Then,
Boom!
The ground trembled slightly as grains of sand swirled around Su Min.
"Incredible earth cultivation. What technique does she practice?"
Murmurs spread as all eyes noticed the object on Su Min's back, a high Earth-grade artifact that made pupils constrict.
[Purple Sand Divine Gourd (Earth-grade high): Contains special purple-gold sand manipulable by its user.]
While Earth-grade artifacts might seem flimsy to Su Min, they remained precious treasures for ordinary Divine Transformation and even Dao Comprehension cultivators.
The gourd's design drew inspiration from a certain panda-eyed ninja from Su Min's past life, one of her few remaining whimsical indulgences.
"Lady Le Xi, that gourd is extraordinary."
Kuang Batian's envy was palpable. His best artifact was only a mid Earth-grade blade, far inferior, and useless to him as a non-earth cultivator.
"Won it through life-and-death trials in a secret realm, nearly died obtaining it."
Su Min brushed it off casually, never revealing she'd crafted it herself.
"Lady Le Xi is truly fortunate. Let me introduce everyone. This is Harmony Union's leader, Liu Xunhuan."
Kuang Batian presented a sinisterly handsome man whose undisguised predatory gaze made Su Min's brow furrow slightly. His intentions were unmistakably vile.
"What a perfect cauldron, late Divine Transformation while retaining yuan yin. Dual cultivation with her would bring immense benefits. Must negotiate this later."
Liu Xunhuan's thoughts disgusted Su Min. His so-called harmony arts weren't mere yin absorption, they supposedly benefited both parties. Though he'd bedded countless women, coercion was rare.
With just a beckon, female cultivators flocked to him. He'd reportedly slept with every woman in his sect. Upon seeing Su Min, dual cultivation was his first thought.
Pity the timing wasn't right.
"This is Flowing Cloud Sect's Li Liu."
"Skull Cult's Boneframe."
"Silkworm Sect's Tian Mengchan, an ancient frost cicada in human form."
"Oh?"
Su Min regarded the garishly dressed, voluptuous woman with mild surprise, receiving a flirtatious blink in return.
Beasts and divine beasts alike could assume human form after Golden Core stage, even interbreeding with humans to produce beast-blooded offspring.
The alluring matron now winked suggestively at Su Min.
"Seduction arts?"
Su Min's eyebrow twitched. While highly effective on heterosexuals, they did nothing for her, wrong preferences entirely.
Noticing Su Min's bored expression, Tian Mengchan's own brow jumped.
"Hahaha, Sect Leader Tian. No need for such tactics. We must cooperate to obtain the Five Elements crystals."
Kuang Batian laughed heartily at Tian Mengchan's reaction. Despite being female, her seduction arts worked on all genders.
And for some reason, she particularly adored little girls. Rumor claimed she'd "interacted" with hundreds. Su Min's current appearance perfectly matched her... tastes.
"Sect Leader Kuang jokes. I'm merely curious how Lady Le Xi maintains such a youthful form."
Tian Mengchan covered smoothly while eyeing Su Min with undisguised hunger.
"Damn it, when did I become appealing to all genders?"
Su Min cursed inwardly. What cursed luck today, encountering not one, but two perverts. A pedophile, and worse, a female pedophile.
"At three years old, while herb-gathering with my father, I fortuitously obtained a mystical plant. It propelled me into Body Refining stage and provided suitable cultivation techniques. By twelve, I reached Foundation Establishment, my body stopped growing then."
Su Min spun her tale effortlessly, leaving the four leaders exchanging stunned glances. What absurd luck, and talent! Their own early progress paled in comparison.
Of course, they didn't know this was pure fabrication, though not entirely implausible, as someone in her sect had achieved similar (albeit only reaching Golden Core stage).
"Ah, Dao Comprehension..."
Rather than amazement, her story elicited bitter smiles, confusing Su Min.
"Are these people insane?"
Her puzzlement was short-lived.
"Even a genius like Lady Le Xi remains stuck at late Divine Transformation. Our paths to Dao Comprehension must be even more arduous."
"Uh..."
Su Min rolled her eyes internally. While her Dao Comprehension breakthrough hadn't been smooth, it was far from hopeless making their despair incomprehensible.
But feigned empathy served her purposes.
"Nearly a millennium at Divine Transformation without progress forced this choice. Dao Comprehension, every Divine Transformation cultivator's dream."
"Indeed."
All nodded, except Kuang Batian, whose subtle smirk didn't escape Su Min's monstrous spiritual perception.
"This one's suspicious."
His discreet expressions betrayed him completely. Whatever scheme he plotted would soon be exposed.
"If he's gathering bait so diligently, he must have special plans. Maybe luring prey? Whatever, I'll adapt. Worst case, just crush him."
Su Min resolved silently. If he proved to be that practitioner's accomplice, she'd eliminate him effortlessly, late Divine Transformation cultivators posed no threat. Of the other four, two seemed decent. The remaining pair earned classification as perverts, her disguise had attracted unexpected attention.
"So when do we act? My techniques are somewhat apparent."
Su Min refocused on the main objective, the Five Elements Holy Body's essence. Never claiming sainthood, she'd claim this prize ruthlessly.
"Tonight. At dawn's transition, when the mountain's energy is weakest, we'll enter safely."
Kuang Batian's eager response made eyes gleam with anticipation. The crystals' allure was undeniable.
"Sect Leader Kuang, do you have maps? My perception may fail inside."
Tian Mengchan's languid stretch deliberately exposed snowy cleavage through her loose collar, a display wasted on these seasoned veterans.
All politely averted their gazes, immune to such obvious seduction.
Undeterred, she fixed hungry eyes on Su Min, this eternal loli embodied her deepest desires. And the girl seemed entranced!
"Little sister, won't you come to big sister's embrace?"
Everyone except Su Min twitched at this. The woman was deranged, that "little sister" was a late Divine Transformation cultivator! Female-targeted seduction arts were useless here.
"..."
Su Min remained silent, genuinely unaffected by the charms. But her inner connoisseur's appreciation warred with the need to permanently silence this nuisance.
"Sister Tian, you're so beautiful."
"Ha! Little sister, want to learn how to become even more alluring?"
Overjoyed, Tian Mengchan missed the dangerous glint in Su Min's eyes. The others exchanged puzzled glances.
"Did she max physical defense but neglect mental resistance?"
Their expressions darkened. If Su Min fell under control, their delicate balance would shatter, especially with her defensive earth techniques shielding Tian Mengchan.
But Tian Mengchan's triumph lasted barely three seconds before horror dawned.
"Sister is so exquisite, such graceful curves, such elegance. I'd love to make you my collection piece. Wrapped in my sands, displayed in my cabinet, you'd be my most beautiful exhibit."
Purple-gold sand erupted from Su Min's gourd, filling the room as her voice turned chillingly obsessive.
Tian Mengchan paled while the others first gaped, then smirked.
"The old hag finally met her match, and this girl's perversion surpasses hers."
"What a terrifying child. Underestimating her based on appearance would be fatal."
They regarded the suddenly yandere Su Min with morbid fascination, realizing they were all equally unhinged in different ways.
Of course, this was all an act. Su Min had no interest in human dolls. But she knew one truth: the best way to intimidate a pervert was to out-pervert them.
{Notes]
I really suspect that her yuan yin already given to Yingying, as for this time 'yuan yin', it should be from her pill effect.
"But didn't you say 'When two cultivators of the same sex engage in intimacy, they cannot naturally absorb each other's Yuan Yin or Yuan Yang without specific cultivation techniques or exercises designed for such purposes'. And as far of Xie Yingying, Yao Xian'er and other, Su Min is the only one known case that female possessing Solar Sovereign Physique, meaning in their Scripture (Lunar & Solar Sovereign Ancient Scripture) only mentioned about male-female relationship?"
That's when Su Min's Heavenly Dao Insight come. There's many case in the past when her exercise being upgraded, and attuned according her need. So it's not impossible for her to able to gain that exercise.