Troublemaker’s Guide to Immortality

Someone's here?

Yun Jin immediately fell silent.

Could it be Zhou Li and Zhou Dai?

While that thought flickered through her mind, no more than a few seconds passed before a black-clad figure silently appeared in front of her.

"System, scan," Yun Jin said instinctively.

[Unable to scan target.]

[Force-scan will consume 10 Advanced Simplification Points.]

Yun Jin froze, stunned.

Just scanning required that many points?

Who exactly was this man in front of her?

Her body tensed as she searched her memory for any mention of such a person in the original novel.

Had this character even appeared in the book?

The man, of course, was Shen Yanye. He noticed Yun Jin's guarded expression and chuckled.

That cautious look reminded him of Gun Gun.

His gaze swept across the area and landed on the small grill Yun Jin had set up.

"It smells pretty good," he said casually.

Though his tone was mild, Yun Jin didn't let down her guard. She tucked her wariness behind a calm smile. "Would Senior like a taste?"

Shen Yanye made himself comfortable without hesitation. He sat down, picked up a skewer, and started eating like he belonged there.

As he chewed, he asked easily, "So, what are you doing up here? That person inside the cave—is she your friend?"

Yun Jin glanced at the cave entrance. Sure enough, Ye Danxia was peering out, curiosity all over her face. She had actually gone a full ten seconds without generating any Emotional Value.

Yun Jin immediately pulled out a recording stone and aimed it at the cave, playing The Most Dazzling Ethnic Style at full volume.

Ye Danxia: "…"

Shen Yanye: "…"

After putting up a sound-isolation talisman, Yun Jin smiled and said, "Yes, she's my dearest friend. I was worried she'd feel too lonely being locked up here, so I came to keep her company."

Shen Yanye turned to glance inside.

Ye Danxia's face was twisted in agony, looking like she was on the verge of death.

"See? She looks so happy," Yun Jin said sincerely.

Shen Yanye muttered, "You look happier than she does."

"I'm happy because I get to see my best friend," Yun Jin said with a beaming smile.

Shen Yanye had no words for that.

But one thing was now absolutely clear to him.

This Yun Jin was definitely not the calm and reserved girl Ling Fei had described.

She was... something else.

With nothing more to say, Shen Yanye quietly focused on the skewers in front of him. He had been in seclusion for years trying to overcome the bottleneck of the Tribulation realm. Now, finally tasting food again, he found it surprisingly satisfying.

Yun Jin didn't think much of it at first, until Shen Yanye finished every last skewer.

She stared at him in pain.

What kind of Senior was this?

Was he just here to steal her food?

And yet his cultivation was so overwhelmingly high that she didn't even dare complain.

"Master!"

Suddenly, a voice echoed in Yun Jin's mind. A round figure rolled straight into her arms.

She caught Gun Gun instinctively, surprised. "Gun Gun? Why are you here?"

Ling Fei arrived a beat later. He quickly glanced at Shen Yanye, who was still holding the last skewer in his hand.

Shen Yanye looked mildly embarrassed. He offered it. "Want a bite?"

Ling Fei just shook his head.

Shen Yanye quickly reclaimed it and finished it off in two bites.

At that moment, Yun Jin finally understood.

This guy knew Ling Fei.

And yet he still snatched her food?

She gave Shen Yanye a deeply unimpressed look.

He cleared his throat and said, "You've raised this spirit beast well."

Yun Jin blinked, the dots finally connecting.

So this was the friend Ling Fei mentioned? Then that meant Gun Gun had already fought against this man's spirit beast?

Ling Fei confirmed it. "Gun Gun won against the Blazing Mantis."

Yun Jin blinked again. "The Blazing Mantis? Isn't that a high-grade spirit beast? Gun Gun's only mid-grade."

She gave Shen Yanye a confused look.

Shen Yanye: "…"

He coughed a few times, then said stiffly, "Your spirit beast's skills are well trained. My Blazing Mantis hasn't had enough time to recover. It's not a fair comparison."

"Oh, I see. Well, I've been raising Gun Gun for nearly two months," Yun Jin replied.

Shen Yanye's lips twitched.

Two months? That was a long time?

He hadn't exactly poured his heart into the Blazing Mantis, but he'd been nurturing it on and off for quite a while. Now, hearing Yun Jin's words, he couldn't help but feel... a little mocked.

"Yun girl," Ling Fei cut in quickly, afraid she'd offend him further. "This is Senior Shen. I invited him here to help you awaken your Beastmaster talent."

Beastmaster talent?

Yun Jin's eyes lit up.

In this world, there were two kinds of so-called Beastmasters.

The first simply formed contracts with spirit beasts. But without the proper innate gift, they were considered "false" Beastmasters.

The second kind, the true kind, awakened a Beastmaster's innate talent and gained access to a Beastmaster's spiritual space. From there, they could learn secret techniques to nurture spirit beasts. That was the path of a real Beastmaster.

And this man… was the real deal?

A real Beastmaster who lost to Gun Gun?

Noticing her look, Shen Yanye felt a twinge of embarrassment. He gritted his teeth and said, "When they fought, I didn't use my Beastmaster talent."

Yun Jin quickly nodded. "So you were going easy on us, Senior. Thank you."

She sounded genuinely humble.

Shen Yanye felt slightly better hearing that. He nodded. "Since I ate all your skewers, I'll repay the favor by helping you with your first Beastmaster awakening."

Yun Jin's eyes flickered with excitement.

She had long wanted this ability.

Until now, she simply hadn't found the right opportunity.

And now, that opportunity had come knocking on its own. How could she refuse?

"Thank you, Senior," she said with a respectful bow.

Shen Yanye nodded. "Before we begin, I'll explain a few basics. While the awakening process seems random, over time, we've found a pattern. Those born with stronger soul power are more likely to awaken Beastmaster talent."

"Soul power?" Yun Jin asked curiously.

She understood that soul strength was important. Cultivators often had to refine their souls to make breakthroughs.

But that kind of strength was usually trained through cultivation.

How could you measure someone's innate soul power?

Shen Yanye paused, then said, "Do you believe in fate? In the great river of destiny, most people are born into a path already laid out for them. Only a rare few can defy that and carve their own way. That thing we call fate… that is 'Heaven.'"

"We cultivators walk the path of defiance. Only by going against the heavens can we gain true freedom."

Yun Jin nodded thoughtfully.

Shen Yanye continued, "When a person is born, they naturally carry soul power. For most, it is extremely faint. But a few are Heaven's favorites. Their souls are innately rich with potential. For them, training in soul arts is not only easier, it's faster."

"So generally, the faster someone progresses in soul cultivation, the more likely they are to awaken the Beastmaster's gift."

He looked at her steadily. "May I ask—how quickly have you progressed in your soul realm?"