Troublemaker’s Guide to Immortality

"This sword is called the Tai'a Sword," said Cang Li's phantom image. His expression turned a little sheepish as he continued, "It was something I forged during my early days of learning the craft, a practice piece, if you will. But the reason I left it here... is because it holds a unique trait.

At the time, I used two ores with extreme and opposing elemental properties and forged ten swords in a row. This was the tenth one, and the only successful one."

Yun Jin turned her eyes to the sword called Tai'a. The blade was half white, half black, with a circular yin-yang symbol etched at the center. It was clearly inspired by the concept of Taiji.

She had encountered this concept in many different worlds.

In one high-level cultivation world, she had once seen an old man with white hair and a long beard, who stood alone with his sword, blending softness and strength to hold back an army of a hundred thousand atop the city walls.

That image remained vivid in her mind even now.

It was that memory which made this sword catch her attention the moment she laid eyes on it.

Cang Li continued, "Despite being made with two rare and high-grade materials, the sword's current grade is only Yellow Tier High. Based on the quality of the materials alone, it should have been at least one full tier higher.

Later, I did some research and found that the Tai'a Sword possesses an extremely rare trait—it can grow. With proper reforging and refinement, its grade can be improved. If you examine the blade closely, you'll notice a faint star etched onto it. That means it is currently a one-star Tai'a Sword. With continued refinement, it can become a two-star, three-star... all the way to nine stars. At its peak, it might rival Heaven-Tier treasures—or even reach Sacred or Divine grade. My creations are never failures. They simply need time to mature."

By the end of his explanation, a hint of fervor had crept into Cang Li's voice.

Yun Jin felt her heart stir.

A sword that could grow through reforging.

A blade that fused two opposing elemental forces.

The road to upgrading it would surely be filled with challenges.

And yet—

The corners of her lips lifted slightly. She liked that.

Cang Li went on, "Although it has immense potential, upgrading it is no easy task. First, even though it's a Yellow-Tier weapon, it recognizes a master through blood. Once bonded, sword and wielder become one, and its power multiplies.

Second, after recognizing a master, only that person can reforge it. Which means, to upgrade the Tai'a Sword, you will need to learn the art of refining.

Third, the higher its star rank, the rarer the materials required. To reach nine stars... even I could not afford the cost.

I left this sword here for you. If you're willing to use it, let it bond with you. If not, and you one day come to Kunlun Sword Sect, I'll gift you a better one.

Next to the sword, you'll find a jade slip. Inside are the materials I calculated to be necessary to upgrade the Tai'a Sword up to five stars. If it can go further, I can help you deduce what's needed."

With that, Cang Li's image faded completely.

Yun Jin flicked her fingers, and the sword appeared in her hand. Alongside it was a jade slip. Inside, as Cang Li had said, was a list of the materials required to upgrade the sword up to five stars. Many of the ores listed were names she had never even heard of.

But that didn't matter.

In fact, she didn't intend to follow Cang Li's plan strictly.

She had the system.

With enough simplification attempts, the system would naturally calculate the optimal upgrade path. The more she looked at Tai'a, the more she liked it.

Lately, she had been practicing with whatever swords her senior brothers and sisters had cast aside.

She never thought much of it.

But the moment her hand touched the cold hilt of Tai'a, she suddenly realized—

If she was going to walk the path of the sword, she needed a weapon worthy of that journey. A sword she could carry into every battle.

Right now, Tai'a was far from being a world-class blade.

But with her at its side, one day, it would shine as a true divine sword, a nine-star masterpiece.

In her previous life, she never saw Ye Danxia use this weapon. There was only a brief period when Ye Danxia dabbled in weapon crafting—perhaps to see if she had any talent for it. Once she discovered she lacked the aptitude, she abandoned the sword, and Tai'a was left to gather dust in the corner of her ring.

But in this life, with Yun Jin here, this forgotten treasure would not remain buried.

"System," Yun Jin said calmly. "Scan."

The system immediately began scanning, gathering all the prior data from Cang Li and producing an updated analysis.

[Tai'a Sword: Yellow-Tier High Grade. Currently at one-star. Main components: Abyssal Yin Ore and Blazing Yang Ore. Yin and Yang intertwine, opposing yet coexisting—an extraordinary combination.]

Yun Jin's eyes flickered slightly. "What materials are needed to upgrade it to two stars?"

The system compiled the list from Cang Li's jade slip: five types of ores in total, which, once fused, would bring the sword to the next rank.

"Simplify," Yun Jin commanded, using ten simplification attempts.

The system optimized the formula. Both the types and quantities of ores were adjusted.

Yun Jin tapped her chin thoughtfully. "How many simplification attempts would it take to find the perfect solution?"

The system responded in its usual flat tone:

[233 primary simplification attempts required for optimal formula.]

A bit of a troublesome number—but still well within her means.

Besides, she truly did need a proper sword.

Once upgraded to two stars, Tai'a would be more than enough to carry her through to the Nascent Soul stage. This was not an optional upgrade.

"Perfect simplification," she said.

The system deducted the required attempts and delivered the final result.

This time—

Only two types of ores remained. And the system confirmed that once the upgrade was complete, Tai'a would rise to Mystic-Tier Mid Grade.

If the system called it perfect, Yun Jin would trust it.

Without hesitation, she drew a drop of blood from her heart and pressed it to the blade. A flash of black and white light surged across Tai'a. Then, it all converged into the yin-yang symbol. A trace of crimson shimmered on the symbol's surface before being absorbed entirely.

The sword gave off a low hum.

The bond was complete.

Now, when Yun Jin looked at the sword, she could feel an innate connection between them. With a single thought, the sword vanished into her body and settled in her dantian, where it began to absorb her spiritual energy and grow in resonance.

A bonded sword could be nurtured by the master's spiritual power. The longer it was nurtured, the more sentient it became. She summoned and retracted Tai'a several times, playing with it like a child with a new toy.

Now that she had Tai'a, she had a new goal:

To raise the sword to two stars before the Grand Sect tournament.

Murmuring to herself, Yun Jin said, "Looks like I'll be paying a visit to Artifact Peak soon."

The peak master there, Yang Hui, was an interesting figure. On the surface, he got along well with Huo Lie of Pill Peak, but in most political matters, he remained strictly neutral.

Back during the spirit field incident, he had been one of only two peak masters who refused to take sides.

And neutrality?

That made him even more worth meeting.

===

[Notes]

Now we finally meet the Tai'a Sword—a weapon of Yin and Yang.

Back when I first announced this novel over in I Became a Fairy and Lived Forever in the Fairy World, I mentioned that, unlike Su Min and Jian Dan, who leaned more into the aspect of Chaos, Yun Jin leaned into the aspect of Yin and Yang. This sword marks the first major hint of that journey.

Tai'a will become her main weapon on this journey. She will reforge and evolve it time and time again, shaping it as she grows—just like how Su Min's life-bond spirit weapon grew with her.

Su Min started with a simple Flying Sword Embryo back when she was still a mortal. That weapon eventually became her Chaos Sword, a companion that stayed by her side through her lifetime.

Yun Jin's journey with Tai'a will mirror that kind of growth, shaped by her choices and cultivation.