Troublemaker’s Guide to Immortality

Yue Zhao had vaguely sensed something, but it felt too unbelievable. He couldn't help turning to Lin Ya for confirmation.

Lin Ya, still somewhat dazed, murmured, "Your little junior sister… has broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage."

And not just barely. Her aura was solid and grounded, with none of the usual instability. She had fully consolidated her realm.

"So fast…" The disciples of Tianjian Peak were utterly stunned.

Yue Zhao tried to recall how long it had taken him to reach Foundation Establishment. Three whole years, if he remembered correctly.

And that was already considered quite fast within the sect.

His second junior sister and third junior brother had taken about the same amount of time. Their lineage was already known for their extraordinary talent.

But now?

At the last moment, their master had taken in a new disciple.

In less than ten days, she had gone from a mere mortal to Foundation Establishment, leaping across an entire major realm.

Such a feat…

Only the top prodigies of the Four Great Holy Lands could achieve something like this.

And now, their junior sister had done it too!

~

Inside the bamboo house, Yun Jin sat in stillness, a satisfied expression on her face as she adjusted to the strength of Foundation Establishment.

She had traveled through countless worlds. The power of Foundation Establishment? She had once wielded the strength of immortals and gods.

For her, the idea of "advancing too fast and losing control of power" simply didn't exist.

The power she now held was like a doctoral student being reborn into grade school and reviewing basic arithmetic. It was child's play.

[Host has broken through to Foundation Establishment.] The system's notification rang out. [Please confirm whether to switch cultivation techniques. If changing, quickly master a new technique. If not, spend 30 simplification attempts to upgrade the Mystic Codex to Foundation Establishment level.]

Yun Jin narrowed her eyes. So there were two options.

She asked, "If I choose to upgrade the Mystic Codex will its cultivation method change?"

[If upgrading the Mystic Codex the original cultivation method will remain. Absorbing spiritual energy through food intake will continue.]

Yun Jin quickly analyzed the situation.

The Mystic Codex was typically used only for testing disciples. Most would switch to a different technique upon formally joining the sect.

The reason was simple—it was too balanced.

It absorbed spiritual energy indiscriminately, drawing in all five elemental types. Unless one had a useless five-element spiritual root like Yun Jin, most disciples didn't need all five elements. Cultivating with the Mystic Codex would only slow their progress. For those with single or dual spiritual roots, techniques tailored to their attributes were far superior.

But for Yun Jin?

She was a five-element spiritual root. The Mystic Codex's all-element absorption was perfect for her. Moreover, the Mystic Codex's weakness lay in its inefficient energy absorption, making advancement difficult.

But Yun Jin had the system.

The ability to convert food into spiritual energy directly compensated for this flaw. All things considered, the Mystic Codex was the most optimal choice for her.

"Upgrade the Mystic Codex," Yun Jin declared without hesitation.

The system activated upon receiving her command.

A massive book materialized before Yun Jin, slowly rotating as endless streams of information poured into her mind. The knowledge continuously rearranged itself before finally condensing into a palm-sized tome. The book transformed into a streak of light and merged into Yun Jin's consciousness.

She closed her eyes, absorbing the knowledge, then reopened them. The Foundation Establishment-level Mystic Codex was now hers.

Not only that—

She noticed that the Mystic Codex, originally a low-grade Yellow Rank technique, had now advanced to high-grade Yellow Rank. If this pattern continued, wouldn't it reach Mystic Rank when she broke through to Golden Core?

And if she kept investing simplification attempts…

This once-humble Profound Art might one day evolve into… a Heaven Rank technique!

A glint of excitement flashed in Yun Jin's eyes. She was starting to look forward to it.

She still had over 200 simplification attempts left—a decent amount, but they'd likely be spent soon.

First, two types of pills: Foundation Establishment Pills and Restoration Pills. Both were second-grade pills, incredibly useful whether for personal use or sale. When she had simplified the Jade Spirit Pill before, it had taken about ten attempts to reach a satisfactory result.

This time, she spent around fifty attempts each on the Foundation Establishment Pill and Restoration Pill before achieving the best possible simplification.

Yun Jin considered that it might be time to visit the market again soon to advance to second-grade alchemist status. With two more products to trade, her senior brother's business acumen would surely bring in even more spirit stones.

More importantly, another round of public displays would replenish her emotional value reserves. Staring at her remaining hundred-plus simplification attempts, Yun Jin sighed. She had worked so hard these past few days, putting on grand performances just to accumulate emotional value—only to nearly exhaust it all in one go.

But there was no helping it.

Some expenses were unavoidable!

Taking a deep breath, Yun Jin commanded, "Simplify the Azure Lotus Sword Art!"

She had to master this technique, even if it meant spending every last simplification attempt.

She started with a trial of ten attempts.

The simplification effect was minimal.

So she continued.

After a full hundred attempts, she finally paused.

[Azure Lotus Sword Art mastery condition: Comprehend ten sword intents.]

Only this one condition remained, and the method to obtain sword intents had also been simplified.

[Sword intent acquisition method: Reach the proficient level in a sword art to automatically gain its sword intent. Currently mastered sword intents: Void-Piercing Sword Intent, Lotus Bloom Sword Intent.]

Normally, sword techniques had three levels: entry, proficiency, and mastery.

Her Void-Piercing and Lotus Bloom Sword Arts were already at the proficient level. After simplification, she had automatically grasped their Sword Intents. Not just superficially, but their core essence—albeit only at the beginner level.

A mischievous thought crossed Yun Jin's mind. Sword intents weren't exclusive to Mystic Rank sword arts—Yellow Rank ones had them too!

She still had five Yellow Rank sword arts in her possession. If she watched her senior brothers practice, wouldn't she easily acquire their sword intents?

That would make seven sword intents!

Then, she'd just need to master three more Yellow Rank sword arts to the second level.

Once that was done, she'd meet the requirements.

For her, it shouldn't be difficult.

A brilliant smile spread across Yun Jin's face.

"Azure Lotus Sword Art…"

"Here I come!"

After laughing for a moment, she checked the system panel again—and her expression soured. Though she'd braced herself for it, seeing only twenty-something simplification attempts left truly pained her.

So, everyone, see?

It wasn't that she liked showing off.

Life just forced her hand!

Alright then, time to embrace the grind. She might as well get back to work—emotion value farming awaited.

With the mindset of a wage slave, Yun Jin trudged out the door, her face a picture of misery.

Outside, several pairs of eyes stared at her in unison.