"Ugh..."
In front of an old five-story building, Lin Yao was trudging home with reluctant steps. An upper-grade mutated fire spiritual root was considered decent talent—though not as good as those heaven-earth spiritual roots, it was enough to attract attention.
But then... nothing else happened.
Because she had discovered an awkward truth: she was incompatible with all fire-attribute cultivation techniques. Although this world had advanced technology, it lacked the profound heritage of Su Min's original world.
Especially when facing special physiques, there were simply no methods to develop them. In the end, the authorities had just dumped a pile of basic cultivation manuals on her, telling her to figure it out herself.
But figuring it out was easier said than done. She wasn't even at the Body Refining stage yet. The Heavenly Revelation period had already ended in this environment, leaving her no choice but to brute-force her way through these manuals.
"Xiao Yao, how did it go? Did you awaken anything?"
As soon as she opened the door, she saw a middle-aged woman with a hunched back looking at her expectantly.
"Amazing!"
Seeing her mother's expression, Lin Yao forced a smile, her cheek twitching.
"High-grade fire spiritual root!"
"That's wonderful! That guarantees becoming a cultivator!"
"Mhm, I'm going to study the manuals now."
Facing her mother, Lin Yao could only whimper internally. She squeezed out a happy smile and pointed at her backpack. This immediately alarmed her mother. Cultivation manuals were strictly regulated—they weren't just printed papers but proper soul scrolls. Even the lowest-grade manual in her backpack cost several thousand dollars, equivalent to three months of their family's expenses.
"Great Goddess, where are you...?"
Thinking of this, Lin Yao couldn't help but sigh. She recalled the existence who had given her that pill, that noble and mysterious aura, like a goddess descending from the heavens. In front of her, Lin Yao had felt like a mere worm. Moreover, she had already guessed the woman's identity, the same female powerhouse the government was desperately searching for, who had even trended online.
Not only had she withstood their ultimate secret weapon, but she had also casually dealt with the monster that had turned several coastal cities into ruins. But her dejection lasted less than a second before she froze.
Because when she opened her bedroom door, she saw a woman lounging on her bed with one leg crossed over the other, her shabby computer floating in front of her. On the nightstand beside her sat an ice-cold cola.
And since she was at home, the woman was casually dressed in tiny hot pants, exposing those snow-white thighs that made Lin Yao's heart race. The woman didn't even look up when Lin Yao entered, instead grumbling:
"What a garbage computer. This graphics card isn't just worse than a 4090, how the hell is it even worse than that 200-dollar mining card I bought that was worthless except for being cheap? The manufacturing date is ten years ago—"
"Senior, save me!!!"
Though her clothes and aura had changed, Lin Yao recognized her instantly. Like a drowning person clutching at straws, she lunged forward without caring why Su Min was here—only to be kicked square in the face by a pale foot and sent flying.
"What are you doing? You still owe me for that pill."
"Wuu..."
At this reminder, Lin Yao shuddered. She had personally witnessed how Su Min refined pills.
"What grade was that pill?"
"High-grade fourth-tier. I just checked the price, this single pill is worth enough to buy several commercial buildings in the city center. So your debt is in the hundreds of millions."
"Uh—"
Hearing this, Lin Yao nearly choked on her own saliva. What kind of terrifying price was that? For a moment, she felt utterly hopeless. The highest-level alchemist in this world was only fifth-tier. A high-grade fourth-tier pill was practically priceless, and she had just eaten it like candy. Her entire life's worth couldn't even compare to that single pill.
"What does Senior want me to do?"
But Lin Yao quickly gave up thinking about it. For an ordinary modern person: if you owed 100,000, you'd stress over it; if you owed a million, you'd try everything to repay it; but if you owed hundreds of millions? At that point, you'd just think, "Whatever, it's not like I can pay it back anyway."
So Lin Yao decisively stopped worrying. She probably couldn't repay this debt in her lifetime.
"Whatever method you use, I need you to infiltrate this world's upper echelons. I want you to gather some information for me."
Su Min spoke indifferently. Just like now, she was using Lin Yao's internet access and identity to live here. But that wasn't the main issue. She needed to uncover the secrets hidden beneath this world's surface. She had zero interest in urban cultivation stories or "Pill King Returns" tropes.
She just wanted to find clues related to the Qilin, then leave. This world's affairs had little to do with her—after all, she was powerless against that ancient battlefield.
"Wuu..."
Hearing this, Lin Yao knelt down in despair.
"What now?"
Su Min looked puzzled. Was this girl really so fragile?
"I don't have a compatible cultivation technique. None of the existing techniques suit me. Senior, please help me, this is absolutely the last time!"
"Hmm?"
Su Min's eyebrow twitched. Lin Yao's physique was special, it required a fire-attribute technique with yin tendencies. What Su Min hadn't expected was that this world's foundational knowledge was so lacking that even with a powerful special physique, there were no methods to develop it.
"Fine, since I've helped this far, I might as well finish the job. After this, I'll be dormant for a few years. You'd better work hard during that time."
With that thought, Su Min sat up properly. As expected, she couldn't find concrete information online. In that case, she'd have to let Lin Yao operate in the shadows.
As for herself—it was time to prepare for the Dao Comprehension stage. Once she reached that stage, even if this world hid something, she could suppress it with her Dao Comprehension cultivation. After all, this world likely had no Fallen Ones yet, when those beings acted, the death toll was in the tens of thousands.
The only threats in this world so far were the occasional Divine Transformation-stage mutated beasts. There were no signs of Fallen Ones or perhaps such information was being suppressed.
As for helping Lin Yao... might as well give her a proper start. She was bound by a soul contract anyway, she couldn't reveal anything about Su Min through any means. With that thought, Su Min produced a blank jade slip.
As light flickered across it, dense information began appearing on the slip. Su Min didn't know any yin-attribute fire techniques either, but she was on the verge of the Dao Comprehension stage.
Creating one from scratch might be difficult, but integrating existing knowledge wasn't hard. She had read Xie Yingying's complete Lunar Sovereign Ancient Scripture, after all. Combining that with the fire section of her own Five Elements Ancient Scripture would produce a complete, high-grade technique.
The Five Elements Ancient Scripture was a complete scripture that had filled the gaps in her sect's techniques. As a scripture created by the Five Elements Great Emperor, even splitting it into five separate parts would still result in top-tier techniques—some dual-attribute cultivators could even practice two simultaneously.
Now, using the Ancient Blazing Fire Scripture as a base and integrating the Lunar Sovereign Ancient Scripture, Su Min had created a technique perfectly suited to Lin Yao's physique. And since she planned to have Lin Yao work for her, Su Min decided to spare a few days to properly guide her.
After all, she was talented—giving some guidance wasn't a big deal. Plus, with the soul contract in place, Su Min wasn't worried about any funny business.
"Take this and study it. And throw away that garbage in your backpack."
"Mhm."
Lin Yao nodded excitedly, immediately accepting the jade slip and beginning her cultivation. In less than an hour, a surge of energy erupted from her body, scattering everything in the room.
"Xiao Yao, what happened?!"
Her mother rushed in, only to see the room in complete disarray.
"Mom, it's nothing. I just reached the Body Refining stage, I'm a real cultivator now!"
"That's wonderful! I'll make you something special to eat!"
Overjoyed, the middle-aged woman hurried off. Though their family was poor, this was a chance to change their circumstances. Meanwhile, Su Min remained cross-legged on the bed, browsing the computer without disturbing the mother-daughter pair. She was considering how to lay a solid foundation for Lin Yao.
Soon...
"Senior, why can't my mother see you?"
"I've blocked her perception of me. It won't affect her negatively."
Su Min replied casually, sipping cola through a straw. She didn't want anyone but Lin Yao to know of her presence.
"Senior, can I become your disciple? If not, I'll even be your dog!"
"I'm not taking disciples for now. As for being a dog... well, the number of Divine Transformation cultivators lining up to be my dog could form a reinforced company. Try again after reaching Divine Transformation."
"Uh..."
Lin Yao was stunned. Divine Transformation cultivators numbered in the single digits worldwide—each held immense power and status. And they were willing to be Su Min's dogs?
Since when was being someone's dog an honor? And why was there competition for it?
"Enough with the nonsense. I need you to work for me, so I'll provide some resources. Though your talent is decent, your physique still has impurities."
With a wave of her hand, Su Min summoned a gourd. A small amount of fragrant liquid floated out, and under Lin Yao's twitching gaze, Su Min used a pipette to extract a single drop, then mixed it into a bowl of cold water.
"Senior, isn't this a bit..."
Lin Yao internally cursed Su Min's stinginess but obediently drank it.
Half an hour later...
"How was your naked jog? Don't worry—that was inside my spatial treasure. No one saw you."
"Uh..."
Lin Yao smiled awkwardly.
She'd never call Su Min stingy again. That single drop had set her entire body on fire, making her sweat profusely and run uncontrollably. Now that it was over, she didn't feel tired, just incredibly light.
The gourd had evolved to an extraordinary level. Back then, Su Min had spent over half a year purging her impurities. Now, a single jog was enough.
"For the next week, take leave and say you're studying the technique. I'll help lay your foundation and leave you some pills. After that, you're on your own."
"Yes."
Lin Yao sighed. For the following week, she trained entirely under Su Min's guidance—inside Su Min's Earth-grade treasure. Similar to the treasures used during the Golden Core Avenue and sect competitions, this one had its own space. Su Min could teach her here without worrying about attracting attention.
Moreover, she was only building Lin Yao's foundation, not directly boosting her power, so there wouldn't be issues. During this time, Su Min also healed Lin Yao's father as a kindness. He had been paralyzed from a severe injury, but to Su Min, a third-tier pill was enough to fix it.
Over that week, Lin Yao caught a glimpse of Su Min's true strength. Those priceless pills? Su Min could refine them with a single hand, no cauldron needed. This was beyond Lin Yao's comprehension. She also understood that she absolutely had to complete Su Min's task.
Finally...
"This has a seal I placed. Inside are some pills I'm leaving you—you can open it once your cultivation reaches a certain level. But don't blame me if this gets stolen. I didn't place a soul contract on it. The value here is enough to drive even Nascent Soul cultivators mad."
"Huh?"
Lin Yao's hand trembled.
With everything arranged, Su Min left. She could no longer suppress her cultivation. Back in the ancient battlefield, she had already met the conditions for the Dao Comprehension stage. She had only come here to search for Qilin-related clues. Now, it was time to advance, only then could she progress further.
As for returning, the method was simple: traverse the starry skies. The Dungeon Save technique was originally created for crossing galaxies. This world didn't have the same pressure as her original continent.
For her secluded breakthrough, Su Min had chosen the depths of the northern polluted ocean. With Northern Water's Profound Origin protecting her, she could withstand any water pressure or pollution.
"According to records, this is the planet's deepest trench—over 10,000 meters down. It should completely isolate any breakthrough fluctuations. Plus, no one else can reach this depth. I just need to set up arrays to prevent disturbances from mutated creatures."
Gazing into the pitch-black abyss, Su Min mused. Breaking through to the Dao Comprehension stage wasn't easy—especially with her time-attribute laws. Tian Hao had managed it in ten years because of the Mahayana-stage skeleton's foundation.
But how long would she take? She wasn't sure. But worrying was pointless, this world was vast. She couldn't search every inch, and many places had arrays or terrain that blocked detection.
Moreover, acting recklessly might alert the enemy, she didn't even know what had happened to the Qilin clan.
She had prepared two approaches: the first was Lin Yao, her planted agent. If Lin Yao grew strong enough, she could access more secrets. As for openly cooperating with this world's government, that would require at least Dao Comprehension-stage strength.
Only then would she have absolute dominance. After all, this world had no Little Golden Crow—no external force to borrow. She could only rely on her own power.