Hanyunzhou

The Hanyun Province bordered the Tianhan Snow Plains, yet belonged to a different climatic system—sparing it from the plains' lethal cold and spiritual disasters.

Even so, temperatures here rarely rose above freezing—a marked improvement over the Snow Plains' perpetual -10°C lows.

"Hah..."

Exhaling a visible breath, Su Min studied the city before her with interest.

The harsh environment had kept populations sparse even after the Great Integration. In fact, many had migrated away. Yet paradoxically, this exodus had drawn sects to establish outposts here. Extreme cold bred unique resources—spiritual veins and environments perfect for ice-aligned cultivators.

Take this city: Foundation Establishment cultivators were as common as dirt, and even Qi Refiners walked its streets casually.

Of course, this was Hanyun's only proper city. Beyond lay scattered villages—tiny settlements of a few dozen people each, like Earth's Inuit communities.

This arrangement meant a half-step Dao Comprehension expert from the Frostveil Pavilion guarded the region. With settlements so small and distant, Fallen Ones found no incentive to hunt here, making the province relatively peaceful.

"This is Frostveil Pavilion's territory." Su Min hovered above the snowy ridgelines, clouds drifting past her robes like silk.

"Should I announce myself?" she mused aloud. "Unnecessary. I already pummeled their ancestor. No need to stir the pot twice."

A faint glint flickered in her eyes before she made her decision. With a single breath, she suppressed her cultivation aura—from early Divine Transformation all the way down to peak Golden Core, just below the threshold of Nascent Soul. Enough to remain significant, but not threatening.

Then came the second layer of disguise.

Next, she masked her Nanming Lihuo energy, letting Northern Water's Profound Origin's aqueous mist emanate instead. To observers, she now appeared as a casual water-aligned cultivator seeking breakthroughs.

She affixed a disguise artifact to her wrist. In an instant, her features shifted—subtle, forgettable. Only her bond-beast, the little Golden Crow, would recognize her now. That was enough.

She glanced at the unlit jade slip tucked in her sleeve—Yao Xian'er's talisman, attuned to activate if Xie Yingying's life were in danger.

Still dormant.

"Good," Su Min murmured. "That means she's safe. For now."

"A peak Mahayana cultivator's tomb would be inaccessible even to peak Unity Stage experts—the gap between those realms is vast. Not even the Golden Crow or Dragon Princess could defeat an early Mahayana cultivator while at Unity Stage."

After organizing her thoughts, Su Min concluded haste was unnecessary. Inheritances took time—just like her Golden Core tribulation, the process would be untouchable from outside.

Security wasn't an immediate concern. Her priority now was intelligence gathering.

"Peak Golden Core is the perfect cover."

Descending from the sky in a flash of light, Su Min's robes shifted to light blue. At Golden Core, the cold meant nothing—though entering the Snow Plains at this level would raise eyebrows.

But with her current disguise, even late Dao Comprehension experts would struggle to see through her unless they specialized in soul perception.

"First step: information."

Clapping her hands, Su Min landed at the city gates. The entire Icepeak City was shielded by defensive arrays—even she couldn't enter undetected. Formal entry it was.

Soon...

"Ten low-grade spirit stones for entry. Non-negotiable."

The two gate guards—Foundation Establishment cultivators—tensed slightly at Su Min's arrival. Their thick winter gear contrasted sharply with her light attire, instantly marking her as a high-level expert.

"Keep the change."

Tossing the stones carelessly, Su Min strode past them into the ice-clad city.

"Resembles northeastern cities back home, but far colder. Minus twenty or thirty Celsius—uninhabitable for mortals."

Her observation trailed off as the cityscape registered fully. It looked like a video game—populated by characters wearing what should've been freezing-weather-inappropriate outfits.

She was no exception. While not in swimwear, her ensemble would've killed an ordinary human within minutes.

But for Golden Core cultivators? The cold was negligible. Venturing into the Snow Plains, however, remained perilous even at this level.

"Hmm?"

As Su Min debated finding lodging, a notice board caught her eye:

[AUCTION - GOLDEN CORE MINIMUM ENTRY]

Treasures from the Tianhan Snow Plains - Items of value even to Divine Transformation experts

"Something even Divine Transformation cultivators want?"

A smirk played on her lips. Normally, she could've raided any auction house effortlessly—a peak sixth-tier alchemist's wealth beggared imagination. But this time was different. Revealing sixth-tier pills would blow her cover.

"What could interest Divine Transformation experts? Maybe something useful for me..."

After brief consideration, Su Min decided to investigate. If the prize warranted it, exposing herself might be worth the trouble.

Advancing from early Divine Transformation was notoriously difficult. Xie Yingying might well emerge from seclusion at Dao Comprehension Stage—such was the privilege of Yin-Yang Physiques, their paths preordained until Mahayana.

Her Five Elements Holy Body offered no such shortcuts.

"Decision made. I'll attend. But first, I need to refine some 'inferior' pills."

The thought amused her as she rented a cultivation chamber. Built atop a massive spiritual vein, the city's extreme environment created unique cultivation conditions—though less ideal for alchemy.

But that only troubled lesser alchemists. Su Min's real dilemma was her perfectionism—even her fourth-tier Golden Core pills were flawless masterpieces, instantly recognizable.

Now she needed to deliberately produce shoddy work.

"Me, making subpar pills. At least it's under a disguise."

Setting up basic isolation arrays (no fancy traps, just functionality), she summoned her cauldron.

"Begin. Third-tier low-grade should suffice for a peak Golden Core wanderer."

The furnace flared to life.

One day later...

"Even limiting myself, the quality's still decent. Blame my lack of experience making garbage."

Inspecting the pills—comparable to her earliest works—Su Min nodded in satisfaction.

"Three Metal Spirit Pills plus two Golden Core breakthrough aids. Pricey but plausible for someone at my 'level'. Time to visit the auction house."

Most transactions at her real tier involved barter, leaving her temporarily cash-strapped. But that was easily remedied.

Soon...

"Tsk, these are critical breakthrough pills. Valuable. Are you an alchemist, miss?"

Sssss...

Black-tinged water vapor curled from Su Min's palm in response.

"Desperation stockpiles. Useless now to a casual cultivator like myself."

"I see."

The manager eyed her water-aligned energy but asked no further. Peak Golden Core experts often had reputations—this unfamiliar face likely belonged to a lone wolf.

To most, Golden Core represented the pinnacle of attainable power. The manager didn't press.

"Private booth token. Auction begins in three days. We've made significant Snow Plains harvests—some herbs may aid your Nascent Soul breakthrough."

"My thanks. Though I've heard rumors of... trouble there recently."

"Pests. But the Snow Plains' blizzards shred spiritual sense—even Foundation Establishment cultivators get minced within minutes. Hardly worth worrying over. Besides, they're all clustered deep inland now."

"Deep inland?"

Su Min's interest sharpened. This was her true objective—intel on Fallen One' movements.

"Where even our sect elders dare not tread. Legend says two supreme experts clashed there pre-Integration. One ascended, one fell. Decades ago, the fallen one's tomb manifested—rumored to contain drops of their essence blood. That's what those scavengers are after. Avoid the area, and you're safe."

Essence blood from a Mahayana expert… Su Min didn't need to be told how valuable that was. But she also understood the price such things demanded.

"The tomb's sealed?" she asked.

"Unique restrictions," the man confirmed. "Only one person made it inside. The rest are waiting outside, hoping to ambush them once they emerge."

Su Min's eyes narrowed.

"Only one."

She didn't need to ask who it was.

Relief passed through her like wind through pine needles—quiet, invisible, but real. Yao Xian'er had mentioned the tomb's dual nature: benevolent and wicked. If the evil aspect was still sealed, then Xie Yingying was facing only the inner trial.

No eruption. No dark emergence.

That meant she was still within the trial's bounds—still in control.

Which meant Su Min could wait.

"About that tomb—"

"Miss, though your cultivation surpasses this old man's, I advise against foolishness. That place spells death even for Nascent Soul experts. Our ancestor won't approach it."

"Understood. I've no death wish."

With a polite smile, Su Min took her leave.