Come, Let’s Pop Some Champagne

Thud.

In the next moment, another figure was sent flying out of the flames. It was none other than Su Min, who had charged in earlier.

"I forgot to use Demon-Slaying Thunder—I nearly overlooked that fire counters metal. Too much gaming made me instinctively think fire counters wood instead."

Casually storing the gourd in her hand, Su Min turned her gaze to the raging flames nearby. That was the power of Nanming Lihuo—even the sand was burning and melting. As for that monster, it was a creature of evil by nature. Faced with such pure and righteous flames, it was inherently at a disadvantage. On top of that, its internal elemental composition was metal, and most importantly…

If this thing were classified in game terms, it would be a strength-agility warrior. Strong in combat, sure, but its defenses were paper-thin. So when Su Min hit it with a major elemental counter, it was instantly obliterated.

"Alright, time to reel it back in. I don't want to turn this place into a flaming wasteland."

Walking slowly toward the burning skeletal remains, Su Min stretched out her small hand. The flames gradually retracted into her palm, revealing a metallic object now resting in her grasp. Fire countered metal, so she had been worried the item might get damaged by the flames. But now that it was safely recovered, her mission was complete.

Crack, crack, crack.

A flying sword materialized, slicing off the remaining metal fragments from the monster's body, which Su Min then tossed into her storage ring. As for the leftover bones and corpse, she stuffed them into her gourd to be slowly refined.

"All done. Time to go back and open the champagne."

Glancing at Hui Ming, who was lying on the beach coughing up blood, Su Min smiled faintly. Admittedly, half his injuries were her fault—pure physical attacks really couldn't break through a Arhat Golden Body's defenses.

But those defenses were far less effective against her Nanming Lihuo. Plus, he'd already been injured earlier when her explosive talismans sent him flying and left him spitting blood. Still, it wasn't a big deal. With some rest and recovery, he'd be fine.

"Your injuries aren't severe, and you just took a healing pill. There's still plenty of residual medicinal energy in your system—more pills won't help right now."

"Hahaha, it's fine. Cough, cough... This is great."

Clearly, Hui Ming wasn't the type to hold grudges. Seeing the monster thoroughly annihilated, he burst into hearty laughter. He didn't know what "opening champagne" meant, but the sense of relief was real. Unfortunately, his laughter triggered another round of violent coughing, sending three mouthfuls of blood spraying into the air. Su Min couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat at the sight.

She'd read stories about people laughing themselves to death—was this guy about to put on a live demonstration? She'd just won the fight and was ready to celebrate with champagne. It'd be a real shame if he dropped dead right here.

So, soon after…

"Hahaha! Wonderful! It's finally over! That damned monster is gone!"

The King of U'er laughed heartily from his throne. His laughter spurred the palace dancers into even more extravagant and rhythmic movements. Amid the music and swirling silks, only Su Min remained frowning. She had finally gathered enough materials to forge herself a proper set of armor. As for the alluring dance performance? She had zero interest. Let's be real—growing up in the desert under these conditions, none of these people were exactly lookers.

"Great Master, may I ask… how fares the Great Wei Dynasty these days?"

Just then, King U'er's voice, laced with hidden meaning, reached her ears.

Tch.

Su Min nearly scoffed aloud. "Great Wei's a grand stage. If you've no horse, what business do you have joining the race?"

Of course, she wouldn't say that out loud. But since he'd asked, she saw no reason to sugarcoat it.

"A Demon Queen runs rampant. The people suffer. The nation reeks of impending doom."

"A Demon Queen? Why hasn't the Great Master rid the people of this scourge?"

"Because I can't. That 'Demon Queen' is at the Golden Core stage."

"Golden Core… stage?"

The king tilted his head in confusion. Clearly, the concept of Golden Core cultivation was beyond his understanding.

"It means she could kill me as easily as slaughtering a chicken."

Hiss.

King U'er sucked in a sharp breath, then instinctively glanced at his court's state preceptor. When the man offered no rebuttal—only silent confirmation—the king shrank back. The desert was no paradise. To migrate to the lush, fertile lands of Great Wei had always been the dream of the desert and steppe peoples. But dreams required strength to realize.

~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~

Their population was small, and now they faced an opponent of such terrifying power? Better to forget it. With endless yellow sands separating them, Great Wei's turmoil wouldn't reach here anyway. In his eyes, Su Min was far stronger than his own state preceptor. That monster, which had rendered his entire kingdom helpless, had been annihilated in an instant. Such power was awe-inspiring.

Moreover, from their conversations, he'd deduced that Su Min held some grudge against the Great Wei emperor. So he'd considered recruiting her. But now he understood just how deep Great Wei's waters ran. Even a monster-slaying expert like Su Min could be casually executed by their enemies.

"He's already backing down? Not much of a conqueror."

Though inwardly disdainful, Su Min kept her thoughts to herself. If they wanted to march out of the desert, she wouldn't stop them—but their forces were pitifully weak. The desert tribes were few in number, and their harsh environment made proper cultivation nearly impossible. Their overall strength might not even match the mountain tribes. Expecting anything from them was like waiting for rats to climb trees. Plus, as outsiders, any rash involvement could make them a target for united retaliation.

Come to think of it… should I try gathering some followers?

Since they'd chickened out so fast, Su Min stopped paying them much attention. Instead, she pondered whether she should assemble a force. With her strength and skills as an alchemist, it was certainly feasible. But she quickly dismissed the idea. Any "experts" she recruited would likely be Body Refining cultivators at best. Finding even two Qi Refining cultivators would be a stretch—utterly useless.

"Once this is over, I'll go into seclusion. First, I'll process my gains and forge that armor. Second, I'll break through to late Qi Refining. Third… it'll be time to start preparing the Foundation Establishment Pill."

Her plans solidified. The armor was her top priority. In her past life, carrying weapons was normal—nobody batted an eye. But privately owning armor? That was a serious political crime, tantamount to rebellion. That alone spoke volumes about its effectiveness.

A full-body defensive treasure was both the hardest to craft and the most powerful. Just look at the Golden Body Arhat's insane durability—proper armor could replicate that. The problem was the ridiculous material and effort required. But now that she'd gathered the necessary components, there was no reason not to make it.