Troublemaker’s Guide to Immortality

Yang Hui fell silent for a long time before finally gritting his teeth. "You still ought to dedicate more time to refining tools."

"I'd like to," Yun Jin sighed. "But you know how it is, Peak Master Yang. A child with no one to teach them suffers. My master doesn't know the first thing about artifact refining, so I can't exactly rely on him."

She looked quite dejected.

Of course Yang Hui could see through her little act. He was quiet for a moment, then placed a jade slip on the table.

"What's this, Peak Master Yang?" Yun Jin blinked curiously.

"It contains all my insights from crafting tools, from First Grade up to Fifth Grade," Yang Hui said calmly. "None of my disciples have shown real promise, so there's no one to inherit my legacy. I'll leave it to you. You don't have to call me Master, but if you can carry this path forward, then we've settled our karmic bond."

Yun Jin looked up in surprise.

She had hoped to learn something from Yang Hui, of course. Even though she had the simplification system, studying something herself meant she could save on simplification uses.

But she didn't expect Yang Hui to hand over his most guarded refinement notes—something typically reserved for one's personal successor.

In the world of cultivation, where lifespans stretched for centuries and aptitude varied greatly, it was not uncommon for a disciple's realm to surpass their master's over time.

Cultivators often pursued secondary professions, like alchemy, tool refinement, talismans, or formations. But the first master they apprenticed to might not know anything about their chosen craft. That didn't mean they were forbidden from learning elsewhere.

Thus, in the cultivation world, it was common to have multiple masters. Still, not all masters were equal.

Lin Ya, for example, had many disciples in the past, but only a handful were truly considered core disciples. When Tianjian Peak fell on hard times, only those few stayed. Lin Ya let the others go freely.

Even so, there was no question. In his heart, the true legacy was reserved for those select disciples.

Yun Jin had hoped to learn from Yang Hui, but never dreamed she would be treated as a true inheritor. She would've been happy just being allowed to audit a few lessons. She never expected him to bring out the good stuff so readily.

She was honestly shocked.

"You have remarkable talent. With these notes, you'll avoid many detours," Yang Hui said evenly as he brought out several more jade slips. "These contain ore classifications and foundational knowledge about tool refinement. I imagine they'll be useful. Study them together with my notes, and I believe your progress will be swift."

Then, he took out several spirit stones.

"I'm buying the batch of Hundred-Refined Iron you forged. Here's payment in spirit stones. Keep them well."

With that, Yang Hui stood. "It's getting late. I won't overstay."

He turned to leave.

"Peak Master Yang," Yun Jin called solemnly.

Yang Hui stopped and looked back.

Yun Jin rose and bowed to him three times.

His eyes flickered, and he sighed softly. Still, he accepted the bows.

Yun Jin straightened up and said gently, "You may not wish to acknowledge me as a disciple, but I still wish to call you my teacher. When the time is right, I'll bring a formal gift and visit to pay my respects."

They both knew what that 'right time' meant.

Yang Hui said nothing more. He gave a barely perceptible nod, then left.

Yun Jin sat back down and looked at the jade slips and spirit stones. She stored everything except the artifact refinement notes. She sank her consciousness into the slip, and lines of script danced across her mind.

"The path of artifact refinement begins with perseverance, followed by focus, and then..."

"Discovered a small trick today. When smelting Gold Crystal Ore, adding a drop of sap from the Heartless Oak greatly increases efficiency."

"Today, I advanced to Third Grade Refiner. Felt some insights, so I'm recording them here..."

The contents were not a continuous course. They jumped around like diary entries.

Yet within those entries lay all the accumulated understanding of a Fifth Grade Refiner. There were small tricks that looked simple, but if Yang Hui hadn't written them down, discovering them alone would have taken countless hours.

Yun Jin read with keen interest.

By the time she finished the first pass:

[Ding. First time reading a Fifth Grade Refiner's notes. Proficiency +30.]

She had just reached Second Grade. Her initial proficiency was only 5 percent. But after reading the notes, it shot up to 35 percent!

Yun Jin's eyes widened.

These notes… could boost her proficiency?

She quickly read them again.

This time, she skimmed through rapidly.

[Ding. Reading Fifth Grade Refiner's notes. Proficiency +1.]

Only one point this time?

A bit disappointing.

She pondered, then began a third reading.

This time, she slowed down. She paused at the more intricate sections, letting herself absorb and reflect.

When she finished:

[Ding. Reading Fifth Grade Refiner's notes. Proficiency +8.]

Her spirits lifted. Eight points!

It wasn't as much as the first time, but still far better than the last.

So reading carefully made a big difference.

She eagerly began another round.

Again, she focused intently.

[Ding. Reading Fifth Grade Refiner's notes. Proficiency +0. (Only the first three readings per day provide proficiency.)]

Zero?

She read the note in parentheses and understood.

The refinement notes were effectively a tool. They could be "used" three times per day. Beyond that, no more proficiency gains.

She set the notes aside and opened the other jade slips.

These were all basic knowledge about refinement.

It was dry reading.

But Yun Jin had powerful spiritual sense. She could memorize written content at a glance.

These basics didn't require reflection. They just needed to be remembered.

After breezing through them:

[Ding. Reading refinement basics. Proficiency +30. (Fully mastered. Further readings will not grant proficiency.)]

Thirty points!

That was certainly impressive.

But still not quite as valuable as Yang Hui's personal notes.

The basic slips were one-time items. Once used, their value ended.

Yang Hui's notes, however, could continue to provide growth.

Yun Jin thought to herself that with just those notes alone, she could probably reach Third Grade soon.

This time, Yang Hui had truly given her a grand gift.