Troublemaker’s Guide to Immortality

Yun Jin acted as if she hadn't noticed Yang Hui's dark expression. She continued speaking as if nothing was amiss. "Peak Master, since I've already bound Tai'a by blood, of course I plan to refine and strengthen it myself. You know as well as I do, once it's blood-bound, the sword can only be advanced through personal forging. But I know absolutely nothing about forging, which is why I've come to see you. I hope to learn a little from Peak Master Yang."

Yang Hui narrowed his eyes slightly.

Yun Jin wanted to study forging?

To be fair, sword cultivators and weapon forging were actually a good match.

The most compatible spiritual root for sword cultivation was metal. Sharp and unstoppable, metal attribute roots were ideal.

As for forging, the best roots were metal and fire. In fact, many sword cultivators dabbled in forging as a secondary path.

But Yun Jin was… different.

She had all five elemental roots.

If one were to put it nicely, that meant she could adapt to anything.

But from another perspective, it also meant she might never master anything fully.

She might not feel the gap yet at her current cultivation level. But as her realm grew, the difficulty of cultivating with five roots would increase exponentially. No matter how dazzling her progress seemed now, someone with her attributes would likely never reach the peak of power.

Yang Hui's tone remained flat. "Apologies. I already have enough disciples on Lingqi Peak to keep me busy."

Yun Jin didn't seem the least bit offended. She simply raised an eyebrow and replied shamelessly, "But none of them are as clever and quick-witted as me."

Yang Hui actually laughed, more out of exasperation than amusement. "You seem very confident in yourself."

"Of course," Yun Jin said without hesitation. "How about we make a little wager?"

Yang Hui's brow twitched.

He suddenly recalled Yun Jin's long string of victories and headaches followed closely behind. Just hearing the word "wager" gave him a mild headache.

"I'll pass," he refused immediately. "I don't like gambling."

Rejected?

Yun Jin looked genuinely disappointed.

Yang Hui stroked his beard, feeling quite pleased with himself.

He was no impulsive youth anymore. Why would he get pulled into a meaningless contest of pride? No matter how good the odds looked, he would never accept a bet.

Seeing her trap fail, Yun Jin quickly switched tactics. "Well, someone as talented as me probably doesn't need a teacher anyway. How about this? Peak Master Yang, just lend me one of your Earthfire Rooms so I can study forging on my own. That should be fine, right?"

Normal flames from the mortal realm couldn't refine magical artifacts. Either one had to use fire cultivated through a fire spiritual root, or Earthfire.

Among those, most flames conjured through cultivation—except for rare heavenly flames—were less stable and less intense than Earthfire.

That was why larger sects made a habit of collecting Earthfire of various grades and constructing special Earthfire Rooms.

In all of Tianxing Sect, the only place with Earthfire was here, on Lingqi Peak.

So if Yun Jin wanted to refine Tai'a, there was no way around Yang Hui.

She had said it boldly, and now Yang Hui was laughing again—this time out of sheer disbelief.

"You think you can self-study the path of forging? The art of artifact refinement is vast and profound. This is nothing but foolish dreaming," Yang Hui said with no attempt to hide his ridicule.

Yun Jin smiled calmly. "Then let me give it a try. At most, I'll just embarrass myself. I remember that Lingqi Peak's Earthfire Rooms are open to the entire sect. It's just that disciples from outside the peak need to pay a small fee. I only need a second-grade Earthfire Room. Standard price is ten mid-grade spirit stones per half month. I'll rent it for a full month. Sound good?"

A month?

Yang Hui's brow twitched again.

A full month…

If she started now, by the time she emerged, it would be right before the Grand Sect Assembly. She was really going to put her cultivation on hold—for the sake of one Tai'a Sword?

A mix of emotions crossed Yang Hui's heart. After a brief pause, he reminded her, "The Earthfire Room is filled with fire qi. You can't use it for ordinary cultivation."

"I know. I'll be using it to forge," Yun Jin replied coolly.

Yang Hui hesitated for a moment but eventually gave a dry response. "The fee applies to everyone in the sect. No reason to make an exception for you. If you want to waste your time, I won't stop you."

"Senior Brother." Yun Jin turned to Yue Zhao.

Yue Zhao pulled out twenty mid-grade spirit stones and placed them on the table. Yang Hui accepted them, then tossed her a token. "Room 203, second-grade Earthfire. It's yours for the month."

"One more thing," Yun Jin said. "Peak Master Yang, I'll need some materials to practice with."

Yang Hui glanced at her. "Beginners usually start with black iron."

Seeing that she clearly had no idea what she was doing, he added a few more words of explanation. "How far you can refine black iron is the true measure of a forger's fundamentals. A first-tier forging cultivator is expected to achieve the 'hundred strikes' standard. That means one hundred clean hammer strikes within ten breaths. The better ones can do a thousand strikes in ten breaths. After a hundred strikes, black iron becomes Hundred-Forged Iron. It's suitable for low-grade magical artifacts. Thousand-Forged Iron, on the other hand, is widely used in mid-grade artifact forging."

Yun Jin looked genuinely intrigued. "Then how long would it take me to reach the hundred strikes level?"

Yang Hui smiled faintly. "Assuming you've got some talent and you practice consistently, without guidance, it might take ten or twenty years—if you're lucky."

"Ten or twenty years? By then, even the vegetables I planted would've withered," Yun Jin muttered.

Yang Hui raised an eyebrow. "That's why I suggest you don't waste effort on this sword right now."

"No worries. I'll try it first. Maybe I'll reach it in ten or twenty days," Yun Jin said optimistically.

Yang Hui gave her a long look, then let out a helpless, mocking laugh.

She really thought she could master everything.

"Let her try, Peak Master. There should be black iron in storage already. We'll buy a batch as well, for my junior sister to practice with," Yue Zhao said.

Yang Hui sighed. "She's being ridiculous, and now you're encouraging her? Fine, do what you want. I'll have someone place the black iron in the Earthfire Room. It's not expensive. Ten mid-grade spirit stones will get you a large pile."

"We'll head over now," Yue Zhao said, placing another ten stones on the table.

Yang Hui seemed somewhat amused by the whole thing and added, "When you buy it, ten spirit stones will get you a big bundle. But if you really manage to forge it into Hundred-Forged or Thousand-Forged Iron, Lingqi Peak will buy it back at a high price. Who knows, you might even turn a profit."

Yun Jin's eyes lit up. "Great, that's a deal!"

She actually looked eager.

Yang Hui couldn't help shaking his head. "Alright, go on. Ask the disciples at the gate if you need anything about the Earthfire Room."

Yun Jin nodded, then paused. Before leaving, she took out a small storage pouch and placed it in front of Yang Hui. "Peak Master Yang, this contains the seeds provided by Hundred Herbs Pavilion, along with the corresponding contract. Whether or not you sign it is your choice."

Yang Hui blinked. He had just opened his mouth to speak, but Yue Zhao and Yun Jin were already walking off without looking back.

Staring at the tiny pouch on the table, Yang Hui's expression became complicated.

Ah…

Everyone curses fence-sitters.

But who truly understands how hard life is—for the ones stuck on the fence?