Unity Stage

"..."

Su Min stared excitedly at the pill in her hand—this was undoubtedly the only Unity Pill left on the continent.

The fallen couldn't refine pills, so hers was absolutely one-of-a-kind.

Gulp—

Without hesitation, Su Min swallowed the pill whole. In an instant, an overwhelming surge of energy erupted within her, threatening to tear her internal organs apart.

"Damn, is the reaction always this intense?"

Feeling the state of her body, Su Min nearly cursed aloud. This was her first time breaking through to the Unity stage, and she had no one to guide her.

The little Golden Crow was also at the Unity stage, but the physiology of divine beasts and humans were fundamentally different. The Golden Crow had advanced smoothly all the way to the Mahayana stage, but Su Min didn't have that luxury.

Every bottleneck was present, with only one silver lining: her unique player constitution ensured she wouldn't be permanently stuck.

Pfft—

At that moment, Su Min couldn't hold back a mouthful of blood. She quickly adjusted her posture, steadying herself. Simultaneously, a phantom silhouette slowly materialized behind her—the Dharma Form, a signature of Unity-stage powerhouses.

Now, Su Min rapidly circulated all the energy within her body, striving to harmonize it. Only by reaching the Unity stage could she face the challenges ahead. Time flowed slowly, and in what felt like the blink of an eye, another ten years passed.

Meanwhile, within the Immortal Sect, Lin Yao was the first to emerge. She had entered the Dao Comprehension stage—a realm she could never have achieved in her original world.

"I wonder how Master is doing now."

The thought crossed her mind with a hint of curiosity. Though she had been in seclusion, she wasn't entirely unaware of the outside world. She had sensed Su Min's return. Her own breakthrough had gone smoothly, especially since the sect already had several Dao Comprehension-stage cultivators.

"How do I compare to Master back then?"

The idea of measuring herself against Su Min intrigued her. She now knew Su Min's cultivation level when they first met—early Dao Comprehension stage, the same as her current self.

Hundreds of years had passed since then, a significant span even for cultivators, let alone mortals, for whom it would encompass multiple lifetimes. Her family, for instance, had all passed away, with only a single descendant of her younger brother still alive.

The thought always left her sighing. Had she not met Su Min, she likely would never have even reached the Golden Core stage in her lifetime. It couldn't be helped. No matter how extraordinary her physique was, without the right cultivation methods, progress was nearly impossible.

"Congratulations on reaching the Dao Comprehension stage."

Just as Lin Yao finished reminiscing, a cold voice sounded behind her, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine. To her ears, it was almost ghostly.

She hadn't sensed her arrival at all.

A breath caught in her throat before she turned. Standing just a few paces away was Xie Yingying, her long hair slightly tousled by the wind, silver robes swaying like mist around her form. Her gaze was unreadable, but Lin Yao felt that stare like frost licking her skin.

Unity stage.

Lin Yao's mind registered it instinctively, even before her spiritual sense confirmed it. The pressure was suffocating. And yet, what unsettled her more than the cultivation gap was the simple fact that Xie Yingying had never greeted her like this before.

Not once.

She hadn't imagined it—the chill in the woman's voice was real. For reasons she had never quite grasped, the sect's second-in-command seemed to carry a quiet dislike for her. Or perhaps "dislike" wasn't the right word. It felt more like... suspicion. Possessiveness. As if she were something dangerous that needed to be watched, monitored, kept at arm's length.

Which made no sense. She had always respected Su Min. Looked up to her. Cared for her deeply.

Maybe too deeply.

Xie Yingying, however, seemed unusually relaxed. Her robes fluttered softly, her eyes distant—as if something far beyond the sect's boundaries held her thoughts. Her cultivation had surged just days ago, pushing her into Unity without bottlenecks. As someone who carried the Lunar Sovereign Physique, her path forward was clear, almost inevitable.

Maybe that was why she didn't seem inclined to argue today.

Whether she could go beyond that was anyone's guess.

"…Your aura carries traces of the Lunar Sovereign Ancient Scripture," Xie Yingying said at last, voice quieter than before. "The cultivation method you practice…"

She trailed off, narrowing her eyes slightly, not with suspicion this time, but curiosity.

For the longest time, Xie Yingying had simply found Lin Yao... irritating. There had been no logical reason for it. Lin Yao was polite, talented, respectful—by all accounts an ideal disciple. But that was precisely the problem.

She was too close to Su Min.

Too familiar. Too at ease. She spoke to her master like an equal, accepted pills from her hand like it was natural, laughed without restraint and called her 'Master' in that soft, devoted tone as if it were a term of affection, not respect.

And so, despite herself, she'd treated Lin Yao with quiet hostility. Nothing overt—never cruel or confrontational—but just enough to keep her at a distance. Just enough to remind her whose shadow she walked in.

But now, for the first time, that sensation was gone. Instead, she detected something unusual. A faint ripple, echoing in Lin Yao's cultivation. Something that tugged at the foundation of her own Lunar Sovereign Scripture, like two strings vibrating in harmony across a great distance.

"My master created the technique for me," she explained. "She built it using the Ancient Blazing Scripture as a base, but wove in fragments from the Lunar Sovereign Scripture. She said it matched my constitution—and would help me handle the imbalance in my spiritual root."

Xie Yingying stared at her a moment longer, then let out a slow breath.

"…That girl really is bold."

Her tone wasn't critical, but faintly awed. Integrating two incompatible scriptures—one of fire, the other of moonlight—was not something most cultivators would dare attempt, much less offer to a disciple. But Su Min had done it. And, judging by the resonance she felt now, she'd done it well.

"And you didn't encounter any issues?" Xie Yingying asked.

Lin Yao shook her head. "None so far. I... struggled with cultivation before. But this method feels natural, like it was made for me."

It was the first time they'd spoken like this. Calmly. 

She didn't know when it had changed—couldn't even say what had changed. But the old tension she always felt around Lin Yao… it wasn't there anymore.

Gone was the sharp tug in her chest whenever she saw the girl linger too close to Su Min. Gone was the cold instinct to step between them, to shield, to claim.

Something had shifted. Quietly. Subtly.

And though Xie Yingying didn't think it through, didn't try to name it, some part of her knew.

Lin Yao had already stepped back.

Somewhere along the line, the girl had learned to draw her own lines. She no longer looked at Su Min with hungry longing. No longer clung to her with that intimate closeness that had once made Xie Yingying want to tear her away by force.

Whether it was fear, or respect, or something else… Lin Yao had stopped reaching.

And because of that, Xie Yingying could finally breathe.

Just then, Lin Yao noticed something odd.

"Lady Xie, that sword of yours..."

She couldn't help herself. A Unity-stage cultivator still wielding an Earth-grade blade—it was absurd. At this level, such a weapon should have shattered under a single clash. Even she, barely through the threshold of Dao Comprehension, had begun forming bonds with spirit-forged artifacts.

But Xie Yingying said nothing.

She just gave a faint shake of her head. Not dismissive, but… private. This sword was a gift from Su Min during the Golden Core Heavenly Rankings. Though its original purpose had been to somewhat restrain her...

Lin Yao's breath caught. The answer wasn't in words—but she understood.

The sword was a gift. A keepsake. One that didn't need to be useful.

From her.

Lin Yao's hand slowly dropped to her side.

She was no fool.

Even if Su Min had once reached out to her, once walked beside her and handed her spirit pills and patted her head like a warm breeze in a cold world… That path was long gone. There was no room left beside Su Min now.

Not when she was standing there.

Not when the distance between them was guarded so fiercely—by someone she couldn't possibly match.

She knew when to leave.

Even if her heart didn't quite want to.

Seeing Xie Yingying's expression, Lin Yao was very sensible and shut her mouth. She had just entered the Dao Comprehension stage, while the woman before her was at Unity.

Even Su Min, at the late Dao Comprehension stage, hadn't been confident in killing a true Unity-stage expert.

As the two exchanged idle chatter, deep within the continent, Su Min's clothes had long since been obliterated by the terrifying energy radiating from her body.

Now clad in her armor—unlike during her Golden Core tribulation, where she'd endured over a decade of lightning strikes—she was prepared.

"It's about to succeed."

Su Min murmured as her cultivation reached its limit. The phantom behind her grew increasingly solid until—

BOOM!!!

A deafening explosion erupted as a hundred-meter-tall giant burst from the ground, sending the earth splintering. The colossal figure slowly rose—Su Min's Dharma Form, condensed from her mastery of ten thousand laws.

"Black and white?"

Su Min turned to examine the giant behind her. Cloaked in monochrome radiance, it was a curvaceous, enlarged version of herself—her very own Dharma Form.

"Huff—"

Taking a deep breath, Su Min willed the massive figure to vanish.

She had finally achieved her long-desired Unity stage. At this level, a cultivator's lifespan extended to around ten thousand years. Even in ancient times, this placed her at the pinnacle of the cultivation world.

"Congratulations on reaching the Unity stage. You've finally caught up to me. Care to test yourself?"

A golden light flickered as the little Golden Crow, Donghuang Taiyu, landed before Su Min. After all these years, Su Min had finally matched her cultivation. Both were now at the Unity stage.

In that instant, the Golden Crow's battle-hungry blood ignited.

Previously, the gap between them had been too vast. Even knowing Su Min's strength, she would never have fought her with such an advantage. But now, things were different.

Upon reaching the Unity stage, the physical disparity between cultivators and divine beasts had vanished.

"You sure about that?"

Su Min smirked mischievously. Dark whirlpools of water erupted around her, distorting the surrounding space.

"Never mind! Goodbye!!!"

The Golden Crow immediately backed down, turning tail and fleeing. She loved a good fight but wasn't stupid—engaging Su Min would be a one-sided beatdown.

Unlike the dragon girl, who specialized in physical combat, the Golden Crow Clan's power lay solely in flames.

But Su Min possessed the Five Elements Holy Body—the sovereign of all attributes. Fighting her with elemental attacks was folly. Faced with Su Min's Northern Water's Profound Origin, which perfectly countered her, the Golden Crow decided discretion was the better part of valor.

"Chicken."

Watching the Golden Crow vanish in a flash, Su Min scratched her head helplessly.

Soon, however, her focus returned. With a wave of her hand, crimson flames reappeared in her palm.

"There's still work to do. Time to refine a cauldron. At my current level, I can finally craft Heaven-grade artifacts—even if only low-tier ones."

Sensing the energy flowing within her, Su Min felt power coursing through her veins. Now, she could wield the Five Elements Mountain in one hand while fighting with the other.

At the very least, she could bluff like a certain immortal king of legend.

"Only the Central Wutu Divine Earth remains. The Ink Qilin is about to awaken."

Su Min's eyes flickered as if piercing through time itself, landing on the slumbering Ink Qilin. Its cultivation had already recovered to late Divine Transformation stage.

It could reach the Dao Comprehension stage at any moment—marking its adulthood. Once it summoned the Qilin Ancient Realm, Su Min could claim the final piece of the puzzle.

"Ugh—"

Suddenly, Su Min clutched her head in pain.

"What's this? The Time Laws are acting up again? Am I about to enter that state?"

Alarmed, she recalled the figure sitting downstream on the River of Time, gazing upward.

If she so much as brushed against its influence, she'd end up like the Sinful Buddha—or worse. At least he had been a true Great Emperor when it happened. She was just a puny Unity-stage cultivator.

"Wait—this isn't me observing the River of Time. It's the river giving me feedback. Those who dare interfere with time will inevitably incur the Heavenly Dao's wrath."

In that instant, a surge of information flooded her mind. The Heavenly Dao, seizing the opportunity of her post-breakthrough epiphany, had sent something across the endless River of Time to reach her.

This wouldn't attract the attention of the figure downstream, allowing her to receive the message undisturbed.

"This is..."

Su Min's pupils constricted.

She saw a cataclysmic battlefield, where a colossal skeleton spanned heaven and earth. Each of its strikes seemed to descend from the cosmos, capable of crushing her instantly.

"The Skeletal Emperor's Bone Dharma Body... Ugh..."

She recognized this scene from the game. The only difference? The game's portrayal paled in comparison.

By now, Su Min could flip an entire planet. Upon reaching the Unity stage, she had gained the power to destroy stars. Yet even so, she instantly recognized the threat.

"Heh, trying desperately to stop me from obtaining the final Central Wutu Divine Earth, are we?"

In that moment, Su Min understood. The Skeletal Emperor was afraid. In the game, their final showdown had occurred after he'd regained his status as a Great Emperor.

Now? At best, he was a Unity-stage cultivator. Though still formidable, he hadn't fully recovered. Yet he was willing to go this far to kill her.

"If you're so eager, don't blame me for turning the tables. Even the Heavenly Dao despises you. Let's see who I can rally this time."

Su Min's eyes gleamed. The final battle was about to begin prematurely. Once it ended, she'd lose all foreknowledge of future events.

But so what?

If they wanted to go all-in, she'd play along.

"I need to gather allies. The Golden Crow and the dragon girl are givens, but the major factions might not dare confront him directly. Even at the Unity stage, he'd struggle against those ancient monsters. I need top-tier talent—I'll recruit Tian Hao too. Assuming he hasn't been killed off already. The guy's always had terrible luck."

Su Min chuckled darkly. His misfortunes weren't her problem, so she could laugh freely. Still, his combat prowess was undeniable. Even at late Dao Comprehension stage, he'd be an asset. In fact, she suspected he might be on par with her.

Though she possessed the Five Elements Holy Body and unparalleled combat power, Su Min's cultivation speed had never been exceptional. Aside from deliberate suppression and repeated tempering, one simple fact remained: she wasn't the fastest cultivator.

Just look at Lin Yao—reaching the Dao Comprehension stage in mere centuries. Su Min had taken nearly a millennium, even accounting for her suppressed cultivation.

Moreover, anyone who made it this far had their own extraordinary opportunities. While she was formidable, she couldn't claim to overshadow everyone in every aspect.

"Before that, it's time for a gear upgrade."