"Ancestor above, please bless my son to pass the immortal sect's selection."
"Ancestor above, please grant that I reach Qi Refinement within three years."
"Ancestor—"
"..."
Speechless, Su Min stared at the crowd kneeling on the ground, praying devoutly. Her head throbbed. Her Buddha's Protection could ward off calamities, but this was outright wish-making. These people reminded her of parents burning incense in temples before college entrance exams.
Though utterly useless in reality, it gave them peace of mind.
Sigh...
"Young lady, you look about seventeen or eighteen. Late-stage Body Refining, just a step away from Qi Refinement. Would you like to buy some incense and pray to the Ancestor? It's really effective."
Just as Su Min massaged her temples in frustration, a middle-aged woman smiled at her, her expression so exaggerated it was almost nauseating.
"Effective?"
Su Min's playful side emerged, and she couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Of course! Look, we have all kinds of incense here. This one is said to be the most potent. See this person who prayed with it? They ranked first in the sect's entrance exam. In less than twenty years, they've already reached late-stage Foundation Establishment. Last time they returned home, even the emperor received them—such glory!"
The woman pointed to a nearby photograph. Given the technology of immortal tools, this wasn't hard to produce.
But seeing it, Su Min's lips twitched. The photo showed a young man carrying an enormous incense stick nearly as tall as himself.
"..."
Silently staring at the picture, Su Min felt struck by lightning. She remembered that youth—he had undergone Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment and was now preparing for his Heavenly Tribulation. According to reports, he wouldn't face the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, but the Six-Nine was likely. That already made him a rare genius—though even among geniuses, gaps existed.
By modern standards, he was like a top-scoring exam candidate. With a solid foundation in the sect, he had a high chance of reaching the Core Formation stage. Definitely worth nurturing. And while Core Formation cultivators might seem insignificant compared to Su Min, the entire Wei-Wu Province—with a population of billions—currently had only one Core Formation expert, and even that was a demonic beast.
But still...
"How much?"
"Ten taels of silver."
The middle-aged woman grinned slyly. Su Min had only disguised her identity, not her appearance, so her clothes were still her own.
Su Min was casual by nature, but those who served her weren't. The robes she wore, though simple to her, were crafted by master artisans—luxurious in texture and design.
The woman might not know their exact value, but she could tell they weren't ordinary. This girl was surely a young mistress from some great family, out for fun. And to reach late-stage Body Refining by seventeen or eighteen? A true genius.
Meanwhile, the woman herself was over fifty and just reached late-stage Body Refining—her cultivation path ended here.
"Five and a half taels."
Su Min saw right through her scheming. With her immense spiritual power, she could even glimpse fragments of the woman's thoughts. (Note: Higher cultivators could sense stray thoughts, so it was best to keep one's mind calm around them.)
Though she couldn't read exact details, Su Min roughly sensed the incense's cost. Five taels was the base price—the extra half was just for the woman's effort.
"Guh—!"
The woman choked, but meeting Su Min's deep, inky eyes, her instincts screamed: This one knows the real price. Take the money and shut up.
This was the cultivation world. Overstepping could mean death.
The woman quickly forced a servile smile. Better to earn less than offend someone untouchable.
Soon, Su Min was strutting away with the giant incense stick slung over her shoulder like a weapon. Silver meant nothing to her—she was here for fun.
And praying to herself? Hilarious.
"Tsk, tsk..."
The crowd watched in awe. Such expensive incense was a luxury few could afford—only the truly wealthy would burn it. Su Min didn't hesitate. She jammed the stick into the incense burner, snapped her fingers to light it, and watched the smoke rise.
"Did it work?" someone asked curiously.
"Nope."
"…Huh?"
"Just placebo."
"..."
The crowd exchanged awkward glances. But then an elderly scholar suddenly stepped forward, glaring at Su Min.
"How dare you disrespect the Immortal Venerable!"
"Eh?"
Su Min blinked, then studied him. A faint trace of incense energy—her incense energy—clung to him.
"When I was young, I fell gravely ill. No healer could cure me. But my mother prayed to the Immortal Venerable here, and I recovered overnight!"
"Uh…"
Su Min eyed the elder. Over a hundred years old, barely at Foundation Establishment. His parents were long gone.
"Old Mu, here again instead of watching your descendants?" someone teased.
Su Min's Buddha's Protection could ward off disasters—but it wasn't a wish-granting tool. It might save a life in dire moments, but no more.
Yet this elder, saved once, had become her lifelong devotee.
"Young lady, you—"
Hm?
Su Min's expression suddenly shifted. Her gaze snapped to the sky, where a loathsome aura approached at terrifying speed.
Then—
A colossal hand materialized, eclipsing the sky, its shadow swallowing dozens of kilometers.
"What—?! Which Divine Transformation cultivator dares—?!" The elder paled.
Wei-Wu was under the immortal sect's protection. Who would dare attack?
"That's no Divine Transformation cultivator," Su Min said calmly. "That's someone half-step into the Dao Comprehension stage."
"Wha—? Who are you?! Even the Ancestor can't rival Dao Comprehension cultivators! We're doomed!"
The elder gaped at her knowledge, but there was no time to ponder.
Because in the next moment—
Su Min vanished, reappearing in the sky. With a single sword strike, she bisected the giant hand.
"Who are you? A mere early Divine Transformation cultivator, daring to interfere with my affairs?!" A furious roar shook the heavens.
The elder's legs gave out. Did he hear right? Divine Transformation? He'd just scolded a Divine Transformation expert?!
She could erase him with a flick of her finger—and no one would care.
"A half-dead wretch. How disgusting," Su Min sneered. "You wreak havoc on the Southern Borderlands... yet never bothered to learn who owns the land."
Her voice dropped, every word sharp as thunder. "I am Su Min. Remember it well."
Thud!
The elder collapsed, kowtowing deeply. He didn't doubt her. No one would impersonate the sect's founder—especially not before a near-Dao Comprehension expert.
Only one person could face such a foe at early Divine Transformation: the Immortal Venerable herself.
"Gulp..."
The middle-aged woman trembled. She'd just tried to sell incense… to the actual Ancestor.
It was like selling incense to the Buddha in his own temple.
But Su Min paid no attention to the chaos below. Her focus was entirely on the battle ahead.
"You killed that black-scaled bastard?" The enemy's voice was wary.
That creature had been swift and cunning—yet she and the Dragon Emperor had cornered it. This woman was dangerous. As someone who valued survival above all, he wouldn't underestimate her.
"It took some effort to trap him," Su Min admitted, suppressing the Bamboo Spirit's attempt to assist.
Her spiritual energy surged. Finally—a worthy prey.
And this one wouldn't escape.
But she had to be careful.
A half-step Dao Comprehension self-destruction could be catastrophic. When Liao Jie had exploded, even Ao Xue had been terrified.
This one's blast might not match Liao Jie's, but it could still erase a vast region.
She needed to move the battlefield—somewhere else.