"What's with that look of yours? You actually tried refining an eighth-grade pill here? It's a miracle the entire sect wasn't reduced to rubble."
Looking at Su Min, who was sprawled on the ground like a dried-up old fish, Xie Yingying was utterly speechless. Could this woman at least try not to look so utterly defeated? She looked like a living meme. It wasn't even her resisting the lightning tribulation, so what was she doing lying there?
"So this is an eighth-grade pill… It smells amazing."
However, Xie Yingying soon stopped paying attention to Su Min's meme-worthy pose and instead focused on the radiant pill floating inside the cauldron. It wasn't very large, but its medicinal fragrance was intoxicating. Even more striking was the faint, shimmering outer layer surrounding the pill.
Pill Robe—a unique characteristic of eighth-grade pills. However, this particular pill was clearly the lowest tier of eighth-grade, as its robe was extremely thin.
"It smells incredible. What kind of pill is this?"
"If you want it, take it. Just let me rest for a bit."
Su Min's expression didn't change at all as she continued lying on the ground.
"What kind of pill is it?"
"Eighth-grade, lower tier—and the lowest of the low at that. A healing pill for the Unity stage. You've already reached the late Dao Comprehension stage, so you'll probably reach Unity before me."
Eighth-grade pills weren't strictly categorized into upper, middle, and lower tiers. The main indicator was the lightning tribulation they attracted. The one she had just refined had only summoned a single-colored lightning tribulation, the weakest possible, so calling it "eighth-grade lower tier" wasn't wrong. Besides, Su Min was used to the classification.
"You keep it. It's the first eighth-grade pill you've ever refined."
Xie Yingying shook her head. She wasn't particularly concerned about it. Su Min had always been generous with her when it came to pills, never hesitating to refine whatever she needed.
So, without another word, she grabbed the pill and tossed it back to Su Min.
"Rest here if you want. I'm going back to consolidate my cultivation."
With that, Xie Yingying transformed into a streak of light and vanished. She had just broken through to the late Dao Comprehension stage and needed time to stabilize her foundation.
Currently, the only Dao Comprehension-stage expert overseeing the sect was Elder Zhu, who had finally broken through after receiving a Dao Comprehension Pill.
However, the lightning tribulation from an eighth-grade pill was far too dangerous for an ordinary Dao Comprehension-stage cultivator, so Su Min had no choice but to ask Xie Yingying to handle it. The other Dao Comprehension-stage experts were too far away.
"Ugh… Refining pills is going to be a headache from now on. I shouldn't attempt another eighth-grade pill until I reach the late Dao Comprehension stage."
It took Su Min a long time before she finally managed to sit up. Before leaving, Xie Yingying had instructed everyone not to disturb her.
Now, she had mostly recovered—as long as the damage wasn't something like a law-based wound, her recovery speed was incredibly fast.
"Done. That was quite the spectacle. The entire city must've noticed. There's no way this news stays hidden."
Sighing, she got up from the ground and stored the pill in her spatial ring. Then, she turned her gaze toward the distant city.
The Immortal Sect was situated atop a range of towering mountains, home to the best spiritual vein in the entire Eastern Mulberry Continent. Since everyone here was a cultivator, scaling these so-called "lofty peaks" was no more difficult than climbing a two- or three-story building in the modern world.
From her vantage point, she could see that the lightning clouds had nearly enveloped the entire city. By now, someone must have realized what had happened.
The massive city below was home to countless cultivators from other sects, as well as temporary branch offices. Of course, these branches had even less autonomy than embassies—they were more like corporate outposts, so there was no fear of them causing any major disruptions.
Still, the news was bound to spread. Not that Su Min particularly cared. She was already a highly conspicuous figure—a little more attention wouldn't make much difference.
Her true core secret was her immortality. Everything else was secondary and didn't need to be hidden. After all, she was long past the stage of pretending to be weak to ambush the strong. If she kept up the act now, people would just think she was an idiot.
Of course, no one would say it to her face. Instead, they'd play along, making her look even more like a clown. So, Su Min rarely bothered to hide her abilities anymore.
As expected, the news spread like wildfire.
Within a day, it had reached every major super sect. After all, most people had no use for such a high-grade pill.
But for the other major sects, only three words echoed in their minds: Unity Pill.
At present, there were only two known Unity-stage cultivators—Yao Xian'er and that little monk. However, there were quite a few who had already reached the late Dao Comprehension stage.
A single Unity Pill was an absolutely irresistible temptation for these individuals, and many began scheming.
However, a follow-up announcement quickly cooled their fervor. The message was simple and blunt:
"Only just stepped into the eighth-grade threshold. Currently unable to refine a Unity Pill."
That single sentence was enough to extinguish the ambitions of many.
The late-stage Dao Comprehension cultivators, who had been buzzing with excitement, were forced to calm down. After all, refining a Unity Pill was no easy feat.
Meanwhile…
After issuing the announcement, Su Min sat cross-legged in her room, her soul force rapidly recovering with the passage of time. The Northern Water's Profound Origin provided some assistance, but not as much as before.
In normal battles, it was rare for someone to completely exhaust their soul force.
"Eighth-grade realm… but for now, I can only refine the two most basic pills. Still, that's enough for the time being. I'll worry about the Unity Pill once I reach the late Dao Comprehension stage."
Muttering to herself, Su Min slowly stood up. The backlash from refining an eighth-grade pill had been severe—it had taken her over a month to fully recover.
Though her spiritual power had grown slightly, the memory of that terrifying lightning tribulation still sent a shiver down her spine. Refining pills had become as dangerous as undergoing a tribulation itself.
"I should consult the Medicine King's Cauldron. Maybe it knows of some special method to avoid or resist the heavenly tribulation. Relying on Xie Yingying to stand guard every time I refine a pill is too troublesome."
This time, her lack of experience had nearly gotten her killed. She couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. Fortunately, she had chosen to refine the pill within the sect instead of venturing outside.
Now, she needed to find a solution. While she wouldn't be as reckless next time, what about the future?
She would likely face this problem for a long time to come. With that in mind, Su Min summoned the Medicine King's Cauldron from within her body.
As a tool spirit, it spent most of its time dormant. This was the difference between tool spirits and humans—they possessed far longer lifespans and could avoid aging by simply sleeping. Unless Su Min actively awakened it, it paid no attention to the outside world.
Of course, as its master, Su Min wouldn't disturb it unnecessarily.
Soon…
"You've already reached the eighth-grade in pill refining? Your progress has far surpassed even the Medicine Buddha's. As I recall, he spent a thousand years at the Dao Comprehension stage before finally refining his first eighth-grade pill in the late stage, attracting a heavenly tribulation."
The Medicine King's Cauldron was visibly astonished.
It had known that Su Min's progress was extraordinary. When it first met her, it had been stunned by her talent. But even then, it hadn't anticipated this level of advancement.
Su Min hadn't even been at the Dao Comprehension stage for long, yet her cultivation was steadily rising, and her alchemy skills were improving at an equally frightening pace.
As for dealing with the pill tribulation…
"It's troublesome, but not that troublesome."
"Oh?"
"I've heard of a special type of ancient immortal puppet—one that feeds on lightning. If the materials are of high enough quality, it can even rival a Unity-stage cultivator. However, a puppet is still just a puppet. It cannot wield the power of laws, so killing a true Unity-stage expert is impossible. That said, delaying one for a while shouldn't be an issue."
"What about Mahayana-stage?"
"No. Even if you used the corpse of an emperor to refine one, it wouldn't work. Besides, ninth-grade pills must undergo the baptism of lightning personally—otherwise, they'll be flawed."
"I see…"
Su Min narrowed her eyes. She had seen puppets refined from cultivators' bodies before.
The Blood Puppet Sect's final trump card had been their ancestor's corpse. Unfortunately, the puppet had degraded over time, losing most of its energy.
Its strength had been at the Dao Comprehension stage, but without the power of laws. Otherwise, the little Golden Crow would have needed to use an emperor's artifact to suppress it.
Su Min possessed the Blood Puppet Sect's complete inheritance—after all, they were one of only two sects she had utterly annihilated, roots and all.
But she was certain that a flesh-and-blood puppet wouldn't withstand the heavenly tribulation. In fact, it would likely be weak to it, making it completely useless for her purposes.
Of course, Su Min could refine puppets herself. Imitation wasn't difficult. The reason she hadn't was simple: it wasn't worth the effort.
Puppets refined using the Blood Puppet Sect's methods were underwhelming in terms of combat power and had severe limitations. For example, refining a Divine Transformation-stage puppet would only yield one with the combat strength of an early Divine Transformation cultivator—and even then, it would be incapable of actually killing a Divine Transformation-stage opponent, only stalling them.
For someone like Su Min, who frequently fought above her level—and against anything but ordinary opponents—such puppets were as fragile as paper. Utterly meaningless.
"Do you have a refining method?"
"No."
"…"
Su Min blinked, then scowled. Then why bring it up?
"I don't have it, but I know where to find it. The Medicine Buddha once discovered it, but he was a man of compassion and left it where it was. If you want it, you can retrieve it yourself."
Su Min might have been half a Buddhist cultivator, but she wasn't a monk. She hadn't taken any vows, so she felt no moral conflict about acquiring such things.
"Where is it?"
As expected, Su Min had no reservations. She would never slaughter innocents to refine something, but using the corpses of enemies? That was fair game.
She had her principles, but she was no saint.
"It's located within an emperor's tomb. I can guide you there, but it's extremely dangerous. Whether you go or not is up to you."
"An emperor's tomb?"
Su Min's brow furrowed deeply. That was not a safe place. Even the tomb of a Mahayana-stage cultivator would be perilous enough, let alone an emperor's. It would be a miracle if she survived.
"Which emperor's?"
"The Puppet Ancient Emperor."
"…"
The moment she heard the name, Su Min instinctively shrank back. She knew exactly who that was—because this world was, at its core, a game.
Though the real world was infinitely larger than the game's scope, most things that existed in the game existed here as well. Conversely, things absent in the game were likely absent here too.
And since it was a game, many elements had been simplified. Adding something like puppets would require an entirely new combat system and balance adjustments.
So, while some bosses or enemies in the game had been puppets, players themselves couldn't use them. But this was reality. There were countless methods to refine puppets.
As for the Puppet Ancient Emperor? His name was legendary.
In the game, his tomb had been one of the largest maps—arguably the most important grinding zone before the final act. It was also extremely dangerous.
As the name suggested, the emperor had specialized in puppetry. And the most terrifying part? Though he was dead, the puppets he had created were legion.
Moreover, he was nothing like the half-baked Blood Puppet Sect.
First, his puppets weren't flesh-based, so they didn't degrade over time.
Second, his tomb was meticulously designed to preserve the puppets' vitality, minimizing erosion from the passage of time.
Finally—and most impressively—the man had been an absolute madman.
He had turned himself into a puppet.
Though his consciousness had long since dissipated, his puppet body remained. In other words, his tomb still housed an Emperor Puppet.
That thing was beyond Su Min's ability to handle. Even Jiang Xi at her peak would have struggled against it—and even then, only barely.
"If I remember correctly, he was called 'The Artist'—a lunatic obsessed with eternity."
Su Min recalled the game's description. The character had clearly been inspired by a certain puppeteer from Naruto, but that didn't make his tomb any less deadly.
As an emperor, he had had countless followers. And this madman had turned all of them into puppets.
The flesh is weak, but puppets transcend.
After their consciousnesses faded, their bodies remained.
Among them, the most infamous were the Four Heavenly Kings of Puppets—four Mahayana-stage puppets.
The only silver lining was that the puppets were confined to the tomb. If they left, the laws of heaven would quickly erode them.
After all, the emperor's era was ancient. Combined with the Age of Decline, the passage of time had been merciless.
"It seems you're familiar with him."
Seeing Su Min's reaction, the Medicine Cauldron spoke calmly.
"What stage was the Medicine Buddha at when he entered?"
"Mahayana."
"And what stage am I now?"
"Dao Comprehension."
"Then what's the point?! That's like saying nothing at all!!!"
"I know. But I possess the Medicine Buddha's complete legacy. And when he entered, he encountered the Emperor Puppet, which still retained a fragment of the Puppet Ancient Emperor's soul."
"Huh?"
Su Min was taken aback.
The Puppet Emperor's goal in transforming himself and his followers had been simple: to break through the limits of lifespan and achieve eternity. In the end, he had succeeded—but only partially.
He had lived an extraordinarily long time—especially thanks to his puppet body and tomb, which allowed him to cling to existence for one hundred thousand years.
But in the end, his consciousness had still faded into oblivion.
Even worse, due to his self-modification and entombment, he had spent eighty thousand of those years sealed away—meaning he had only enjoyed ten thousand years of true freedom.
Unsurprisingly, no one had followed in his footsteps after that. Compared to that half-life of imprisonment, death was preferable.
"When the Medicine Buddha entered the tomb, he encountered the lingering consciousness. With the emperor's consent—and out of compassion—he performed a ritual to release the soul, granting it peace. In return, he received the Puppet Ancient Emperor's complete legacy. However, he left it all within the tomb. Moreover, the Puppet Ancient Emperor had only ever transformed willing subjects. Later generations might not be so ethical, so the Medicine Buddha added additional seals. The key to entering now lies with me."
"…"
Su Min was stunned.
In the game, unlocking this area had required an incredibly convoluted process to break through multiple layers of seals—something impossible without at least Unity-stage strength.
Turns out, this was the reason.
"Wouldn't it be too dangerous for me to go in?"
Having the key was one thing, but that didn't guarantee safety. Entering didn't mean she would necessarily obtain what she sought.
"Not too dangerous. The Medicine Buddha sealed away the four Mahayana-stage puppets. As long as you don't provoke them, they won't activate. As for the Unity-stage puppets, they're confined to specific areas. Given your abilities, escaping if things go wrong shouldn't be an issue. They're mindless, after all."
"Is that so…"
Su Min hesitated, still uncertain.
"Wait—wouldn't me going in violate the Medicine Buddha's intentions?"
She needed to be sure.
"Power itself is neither good nor evil—it depends on how it's used. The Medicine Buddha knew that most people were foolish and greedy, which is why he took measures to prevent abuse. Otherwise, with his strength, he could have destroyed the entire tomb. Your potential is unparalleled, and you walk your own path. You would never lose yourself to the allure of puppetry."
"Hmm…"
Su Min closed her eyes.
Indeed, upon hearing this, she felt no greed—only the desire to treat the tomb as a training ground. The power of the puppets themselves held little appeal to her.
What she didn't know was that the Medicine King's Cauldron had already noticed something unusual about her. Her absurdly long lifespan had piqued its curiosity. After all, the Puppet Ancient Emperor's entire pursuit had been immortality.
The cauldron didn't know how long Su Min could live, but the amount of lifespan she had burned in its presence already surpassed that of most emperors. Someone like her would never be tempted by puppetry.
As for how it had figured it out?
It might be a tool spirit, but it wasn't stupid. When they had first met, it hadn't known any better, which was why Su Min had been able to fool it with the Treasure Gourd.
But after all this time, it had realized the truth: The Treasure Gourd had never had that function.
The reason Su Min could withstand its time-accelerated refinement was simple—her lifespan was just that long. Burning centuries was nothing to her.
"Then I'll go."
Of course, Su Min was unaware of these thoughts—and even if she had known, she wouldn't have cared. Once a tool spirit acknowledged a master, it would never betray them unless the master sought to destroy it.
Her secret would come out eventually anyway.
Only the legendary immortals possessed eternal life. As for those who were truly deathless? That remained unknown.
But as long as she continued forward, the truth would come to light. Even that existence downstream in the river of time seemed to know something—hence its desperation to kill her. That alone proved that her future abilities would be revealed to the world.
"Very well. I will guide you there. An emperor's tomb holds countless treasures. Though your current strength limits what you can obtain, advancing further shouldn't be difficult. However, this will take a long time—prepare accordingly."
"Can I bring help?"
"No. The Medicine Buddha designed it as a training ground for his successor. Only you can enter. Even if you tried storing others in a spatial artifact, the restrictions would eject them."
"Fine. I'll make preparations. This trip won't be short—it might even take a century or two."
With a shrug, Su Min accepted the situation.
Once she decided on something, she acted decisively. But before leaving, there were still matters to settle.