"Congratulations, Grand Elder, for claiming the first victory."
As Su Min descended from the sky, the disciples of the Eastern Sea Immortal Sect immediately rushed to greet her.
"Enough. Continue observing the matches. Don't disturb me for now—I need to recover."
With a faint glance at the group, Su Min spoke indifferently before crossing her legs and floating mid-air. Inside her body, the Northern Water's Profound Origin was circulating wildly.
She had tanked that massive explosion with her Black Tortoise Possession, but summoning three possessions at once had drained her significantly. She had mainly wanted to test their power, and now that she had a clear understanding, she wouldn't recklessly summon them all again.
"Even at the Divine Transformation stage, fully summoning them still requires pill support. Unless absolutely necessary, I won't use them in the upcoming battles."
She muttered to herself. If Han Shuangzi had stubbornly held on, she would've had to resort to direct combat. The energy cost of controlling three manifestations simultaneously was terrifying.
If she weren't at the Divine Transformation stage, attempting this at the Nascent Soul stage would've been impossible. Even without using all three manifestations, her chances of victory against him were high.
The Five Elements Ancient Scripture had grown even more formidable as her cultivation and comprehension deepened. Of course, if she had fought like that, she wouldn't have achieved such an overwhelming suppression.
"It seems that skill consumes a lot. There was a brief gap in her spiritual energy."
"Yet she didn't even use pills. The expenditure must be enormous."
While Su Min focused on recovering, many spectators silently pondered. The sight of three colossal manifestations had left them in awe.
Was her spiritual energy infinite?
Now, it was clear that even for her, the cost was staggering.
"The gap is only widening…"
Han Chaoyan couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. Back then, Su Min had only wielded one manifestation and nearly beaten him to death. Now, if they fought again, the question wasn't whether he could win—but how many moves he could last against her.
This was a blow to his pride. The others felt similarly, exchanging uneasy glances.
They were all young talents, so how had she surged so far ahead?
"That woman…"
It wasn't just Han Chaoyan. Even his mentor wore a grave expression. Facing those three manifestations wouldn't be easy for him either. Though they drained Su Min heavily, one couldn't forget—she was an alchemist. With pills, she could easily replenish her energy. And she had life-risking combat pills in reserve.
"This tournament might witness a major upset. Unless a Dao Comprehension expert steps forward, who can challenge her? And even if one does, she might not lose."
The old man sighed deeply before falling silent. At just over a thousand years old, he was already half-step into the Dao Comprehension stage. Breaking through completely was only a matter of time—a feat that marked him as a genius.
Yet, against Su Min now, he felt utterly powerless.
Regardless of others' thoughts, the battles continued. But after the shock of Su Min's fight, the other Divine Transformation clashes seemed dull by comparison.
Unlike Su Min, who wielded overwhelming force to decide battles instantly, the other experts fought with tedious caution.
They probed, feinted, and slowly revealed their trump cards. Though technically skilled, it was boring next to Su Min's explosive spectacle. One match dragged on for over a day as both sides gradually exhausted their reserves. Nothing like Su Min's brute-force approach, where excess damage rendered tactics meaningless.
"This fight took a whole day? Are all Divine Transformation experts this sluggish?"
"I nearly fell asleep. Sure, the mind games were intense, but it felt so bland. Like going from a royal feast to plain rice porridge."
"Exactly! Look at Grandmaster Su's fights—over in five minutes, decisive. And this isn't even life-or-death. In a real battle, blood would've been spilled."
Whispers spread among the crowd. It wasn't that the Divine Transformation fights were unskilled—but compared to Su Min's earth-shattering displays, they seemed mediocre.
Without contrast, there'd be no disappointment.
"Ignorant ants. What do you know?"
Though the murmurs were quiet, the Divine Transformation experts—sect leaders and elders—heard them clearly. Their eyes twitched in irritation.
Su Min was the Five Elements Sacred Body, bearing three heavenly treasures. She defied common sense. For others of similar strength, battles required extreme caution—a slight misstep in energy management could tilt the outcome.
This was how Divine Transformation battles truly were. Don't get it twisted.
But as it turned out, this was only the beginning. Compared to Su Min's lightning-fast duels, the following matches were pure agony. Some despairingly realized that the one-day fight had been quick.
Because the next battles lasted at least two days, lulling spectators into drowsiness. The sole consolation was that as cultivators, time mattered little to them.
"Ugh, what a bunch of cowards."
Watching from above, Su Min rolled her eyes, barely suppressing a curse. None of that "true Divine Transformation combat" nonsense—she'd witnessed the Dragon Princess's life-and-death struggle against the Dao Comprehension Black Serpent.
When neither side was willing to risk everything and both fought hyper-cautiously, the battles became painfully tedious. Halfway through, Su Min left, leaving her sect members to record the details. She had other matters to attend to.
[Great Mystic Restoration Pill (Grade 6 Mid-Tier): Rapidly recovers spiritual energy.]
After this fight, she'd identified a flaw in her preparations. Her usual "Desperate Gambit Trinity" were excellent, but using them for energy replenishment was overkill. She needed a dedicated recovery pill.
This was the strength of an alchemist. The notion that alchemists were privileged but weak in combat only applied to low-tier ones. Upon reaching the Golden Core stage, lifespan increased dramatically, granting ample time to shore up weaknesses before impacting the Nascent Soul stage.
For most, obtaining a Grade 6 pill required begging and pleading. None could afford to gobble them like candy as Su Min did.
"Tsk, the Medicine King's Cauldron is truly handy."
With a flick of her wrist, Su Min summoned a small cauldron—the innate spiritual treasure once owned by the Glazed Pharmacist Radiance King Buddha. Over time, she'd collected countless herbs stored inside.
The nature of botanical ingredients was their vigorous vitality. Many still brimmed with potent life force. Under the combined nourishment of her Eastern Wood Azure Essence and Northern Water's Profound Origin, the cauldron now glowed brilliantly.
Numerous herbs thrived within, some even breaking past their innate limits to produce higher-grade medicinal properties. Aside from the original specimens, many new materials capable of Grade 7 pill refinement had emerged. Unfortunately, at her current level, they were useless—so she left them to grow.
But there were plenty of other ingredients. Grade 6 pills were tailored for Divine Transformation experts, each requiring vast resources. Even for Su Min, gathering a full set was slightly challenging.
Just slightly, though.
Soon, several batches of ingredients lay before her.
"Recovery-type pills are simpler to refine compared to burst-enhancement or power-boosting ones."
Pills were categorized: breakthrough, cultivation-accelerating, recovery, combat-burst, foundation-building...
Among these, recovery pills were the easiest to make and least resource-intensive. Su Min planned to refine over a dozen—enough to last her through the entire Nascent Soul stage.
After all, few could push her to that extent.
Probably only the Fallen Ones.
From today's battle, she'd realized: Without using her last drop of essence blood, she could likely repel the Black Serpent if they fought again.
But she wouldn't match the Dragon Princess's feat of forcing it to self-destruct within a dozen moves. Of course, if she reached the late-stage Divine Transformation realm, that might change.
As for when she'd reach that stage—she had no idea. Regardless, she'd never consume direct power-boosting pills. Unlike others, her Heavenly Dao Insight had already granted her a unique Dao.
Advancing to the Dao Comprehension stage was merely a matter of time. With her path laid out, she'd progress steadily. She suspected she might skip the half-step Dao Comprehension phase entirely, breaking through directly.
Thus, anything that might hinder her progress was off-limits.
But though the road to Dao Comprehension was paved, traversing it would take considerable time. As Su musing on her future, the pills in her hands finished refining. In peak condition and with fresh ingredients, she'd produced three pills per batch.
"A shame. Back then, I could refine five low-tier pills per batch."
She sighed inwardly, examining the three glowing pills. There was no helping it—the difficulty of mid-tier pills was on another level entirely.
As for the highest upper-tier pills (Grades 7-9), producing two per batch would be a cause for celebration. Three was out of the question.
Thus, while Su Min quietly continued her alchemy, the first round of late-stage Divine Transformation battles concluded after a month. Unlike before, there were no restrictions on leaving—this was the main event, both in scale and duration.
Some weaker cultivators, unable to endure, had to be carried out. Like the Olympics, sects (as participating "nations") enjoyed privileges. Independent cultivators were mere spectators who'd paid for tickets—invalid if they left.
Many toughed it out, but for those at the Body Refining, Qi Refining, or Foundation Establishment stages—far below the Golden Core realm's lifespan—it was too much.
After the first round ended, Su Min returned to the arena. By then, she'd prepared dozens more pills. If others knew, their legs would tremble. With such reserves, she was a walking armory. Only overwhelming force could defeat her now.
"The second round begins. I'll probably face another half-step Dao Comprehension expert."
Watching the spinning lottery wheel in the sky, Su Min had long given up on luck. In terms of fateful encounters, she wasn't lacking—but when it came to matchups, things always went strangely.
Had the Golden Core Spirit not evaluated all participants impartially, she suspected she'd have been pitted against the other three top talents early on. Now, she simply resigned herself to fate as the wheel spun.
"Grand Elder, what's wrong?"
Noticing Su Min's slouched demeanor, Tian Yinzi—seated beside her—asked curiously. Though not the strongest here, his century-long leadership of the sect meant most disciples were effectively his students.
More importantly, he was closer to Su Min than others—a crucial advantage. In any era or world, social connections mattered.
Hadn't the British drama Yes, Prime Minister shown people scheming for office positions?
Here, while strength was paramount, among peers of equal cultivation, relationships still played a role.
"A headache…"
Rubbing her temples, Su Min sighed. Sure enough, the wheel stopped. Unlike the first round, this time all matchups were displayed at once.
As for Su Min—
Su Min vs. Liu Xinlou
"Hmm?"
She blinked, then instinctively glanced toward a certain direction—where a grimacing man stood.
He wasn't a half-step Dao Comprehension expert, but a late-stage Divine Transformation cultivator—a regional overlord, yet overlords varied in strength.
In fact, he was weaker than Han Shuangzi. His previous match against a peer had dragged on for three days as both exhausted their trump cards.
Now, with his abilities fully exposed and his true strength lacking, facing Su Min or Han Shuangzi meant certain defeat. He'd never withstand Han Shuangzi's triple-corpse-enhanced techniques.
"Interesting. I recall he's a body cultivator. Perfect chance to test another ability."
A smirk tugged at Su Min's lips. At this stage, cultivation gaps mattered little. What counted was depth of reserves. Though her last battle seemed flashy, those weren't her true trump cards. Now, she could test her close-combat prowess. As a body cultivator, Liu Xinlou should be durable.
The thought made her grin widen.
Noticing her expression, Liu Xinlou shivered involuntarily.
His trump cards were spent—rebuilding them would take over a decade. He knew this was his limit, but surrendering without a fight was unthinkable.
There was a difference between losing and not daring to fight.
Fortunately, Su Min wasn't first this time.
A week later…
"It's her turn again. How many moves do you think that guy will last? I bet it ends within ten. Wager ten low-grade spirit stones?"
"Tch, I say twenty."
After her last display, everyone knew Liu Xinlou stood no chance. The mood was light, with spectators placing bets instead. They were certain Su Min wouldn't drag things out like the others.
Truthfully, the second round was already faster. With most trump cards revealed in the first round, only a few dark horses remained. Most matches now ended within a day as raw power decided outcomes.
Thus, when Su Min stepped forward, many felt relieved. The previous round had been torture.
But while the crowd relaxed, Liu Xinlou felt crushing pressure. Though the girl before him seemed fragile, in the cultivation world, appearances deceived.
The moment the barrier between them fell—
BOOM!!!
A deafening impact echoed as Liu Xinlou was sent flying. The betting spectators stared dumbfounded.
This man was a pure body cultivator! Had Su Min blasted him with flames, they wouldn't have been surprised. But this?
A single clash, and he's airborne?
Hey, you're a female cultivator! Can't you be gentler?!
Liu Xinlou's eyelids twitched wildly. Unlike Han Shuangzi, Su Min hadn't summoned a single manifestation. Instead, she'd rushed him point-blank and slashed down with her sword.
In that instant, they'd exchanged blows—his fist blocked by her black armor, while he was knocked away effortlessly.
"So I'm just your test subject?"
That was Liu Xinlou's sole thought as he soared through the air.