Troublemaker’s Guide to Immortality

According to the system's detailed instructions, the Abyssal Yin Ore had to be purified by hammering to remove impurities, then melted down completely with ground fire.

Yun Jin followed the procedure carefully, step by step.

However, artifact refinement was far from simple.

Different ores required different levels of force. Some areas needed heavier strikes, others lighter ones. It was all extremely precise. Even though the system had explained everything in great detail, Yun Jin still had to experiment several times before she managed to complete the first step.

Thankfully, the rest of the process went smoothly.

The Abyssal Yin Ore obediently melted into a pool of bluish liquid over the ground fire.

Yun Jin carefully collected the fluid into a jade bottle.

Next came the Blazing Yang Ore.

This one took a bit more time to prepare.

It took her five full days to process both materials. Just to be safe, Yun Jin had prepared three sets of each. She was determined to make the star upgrade a success.

Now came the real work.

The Abyssal Yin Ore had already been liquefied.

The Blazing Yang Ore had been compressed to its limit, thinned down into a near-transparent sheet.

Yun Jin took out the Tai'a Sword and placed it into the groove of the refining platform. Then she opened the Tai'a Sword panel, spent 200 simplification points, and clicked the star upgrade button.

The system immediately provided highly detailed instructions.

Yun Jin read them thoroughly.

She didn't begin right away. Instead, she sat down cross-legged and mentally rehearsed the entire procedure several times, going over each step until she was confident.

Only then did she rise to begin.

First, she poured in the Abyssal Yin Ore liquid.

Then, she began tempering the Blazing Yang Ore, striking it repeatedly until it began to fuse with the Tai'a Sword.

Throughout the process, she had to keep adding Abyssal Yin Ore fluid. The precise timing was something only the refiner could determine on the spot.

Yun Jin's focus was razor-sharp. For two full days and nights, she stood in front of the refining table without blinking once.

Finally, the Blazing Yang Ore fully merged with the blade. Yun Jin poured in the final dose of Abyssal Yin Ore liquid.

The glowing blue liquid flowed over the Tai'a Sword like a child returning to its mother's embrace, sliding smoothly across the blade.

Then, it was absorbed completely.

The sword, which had taken on a faint golden hue, returned to its original black-and-white coloration.

The Blazing Yang Ore left no trace behind. It had been thoroughly neutralized and integrated into the blade.

As the sword cooled, a faint star-shaped mark appeared on its surface.

The two-star Tai'a Sword was complete.

Yun Jin eagerly opened the weapon's panel.

[Two-Star Tai'a Sword: Mid-Mystic Grade. When drawn, it naturally emits Yin-Yang force, deeply mysterious. (Eligible for next star upgrade)]

She tapped the upgrade button again, curious.

This time, a window popped up asking if she wanted to obtain a star upgrade plan.

One of the available plans was free.

Yun Jin knew that must be the one derived from Cang Li's calculations. It could probably complete the upgrade as well, but it likely wouldn't match the system's optimized version.

"How many simplification points does the perfect three-star upgrade plan cost?" Yun Jin asked.

The system quickly responded:

[233 Intermediate Simplification Points required.]

Her eyes widened.

That was 2,330 basic simplification points.

If things kept going at this rate, how long would her point reserves last?

Luckily, the three-star upgrade would only be needed after she reached the Nascent Soul stage. She still had time to earn more emotional value.

Yun Jin let out a sigh.

It might look like she had a lot of points now, but she had too many things that needed spending. At her peak, she had saved up nearly seven thousand basic simplification points. She had used up some over time, leaving her with about six thousand now.

Hopefully, that would be enough to create a Butian Dan. If not, she'd have to figure out another way to grind emotional value again.

What a pity. Ye Danxia was still locked up at Heshan. According to the book, the male lead wouldn't be rescued until after the Grand Sect Assembly.

That meant she had no way to leech points from the main couple for now.

Without her number one "rich brother," life really was a little harder.

Yun Jin could almost hear a voice whispering in her ear—

Have you been working hard these past few years? Have your emotional points been rising steadily…

She pouted in grievance.

She really was trying her best!

Clearly, the real issue was that Gu Jinghong and the others weren't trying hard enough.

Just wait.

Once she finished this closed-door session, she was going to have Gu Jinghong and Ye Cheng go earn her some emotional value, no questions asked.

Plotting ways to exploit her companions like a proper tyrant, Yun Jin happily picked up the Tai'a Sword. Infusing it with spiritual power, she tested it with the Azure Lotus Sword Art.

The result—

As expected, a great sword made all the difference.

First, the power of the Azure Lotus Sword Art had increased by 30 percent on top of its original strength. That alone showed what a good sword could do.

Second, the Tai'a Sword now naturally emitted Yin-Yang energy. Even normal attacks carried both forces, and it had a hidden ace—it could unleash all its stored Yin-Yang energy in one strike, with devastating impact.

Most importantly—

This wasn't even the sword's final form. It was still only at two stars.

Yun Jin caressed it lovingly, unable to put it down.

There were still a few days left on the ground fire room's rental period.

Yun Jin, unwilling to waste a single moment, spent the rest of her time practicing sword techniques diligently. Only when the stone doors of the room opened on their own did she put the sword away.

"Junior Sister Yun, your time's up," a disciple from the artifact refining peak was already waiting outside.

Yun Jin smiled slightly and handed over the token. "Senior Brother, this place is amazing. Next time I come, I'll be sure to ask for you… wait, no, I mean I'll find you again."

The disciple looked a bit confused. "I might not be on duty next time."

"That's fine, that's fine," Yun Jin cleared her throat. "Well then, Senior Brother, I'll be going."

As she turned to leave, the disciple hesitated, then quickly called out, "Junior Sister Yun, don't you have anything else to say?"

Yang Hui had told him to keep a close eye on her once she came out. Whatever she said had to be reported in full.

But… she hadn't said anything special.

"Nope," Yun Jin blinked innocently.

The disciple tried to hint, "I meant, aren't you going to pay a visit to the Peak Master?"

"Oh, you mean Peak Master Yang," Yun Jin said with a smile. "No need, no need. I'm a bit busy lately. After the sect tournament, I'll drop by."

That…

The disciple looked like he wanted to say more but didn't know how.

Yun Jin suddenly remembered something. She smacked her forehead, pulled out a storage pouch, and handed it to the disciple. "Give this to Peak Master Yang for me."

The disciple finally relaxed. "Understood."

She hadn't left a message, but she had left something. That should count.

Before long, the pouch made its way to Yang Hui.

He dismissed the disciple and checked the contents himself.

In the next moment, his expression twisted uncontrollably.

With a flick of his hand, a small mountain of Hundred-Refined Iron appeared in the room.

His lips began to tremble.

Last time, she had only sent him one ingot.

This time?

She had delivered a whole heap.

He hastily picked one up to inspect it.

It was indeed Hundred-Refined Iron, though the refinement technique looked a bit rough.

The next piece showed some improvement.

One by one, Yang Hui examined them, eyes growing wider with each piece.