"Elder Jian, learning the manual is simple, but..." Yun Jin coughed up another mouthful of blood for dramatic effect.
"Elder Jian, my disciple's body may not hold up!" Lin Ya immediately wailed in distress, catching on to the act.
"No... this disciple can manage..." Yun Jin weakly reached for the manual, only to collapse again, spitting more blood.
Tragic. Absolutely tragic.
Elder Jian's expression darkened as he glared at Zhao Wuji.
If this prodigy was truly ruined because of him, he would have words with the Sect Master later.
"My disciple's meridians are damaged," Lin Ya said sorrowfully. "Ten Restorative Pills should suffice for recovery."
Elder Jian turned to Zhao Wuji. "Sect Master Zhao, surely you still have ten Restorative Pills in reserve?"
Zhao Wuji's face stiffened. He replied coldly, "What kind of injury would be worth ten Restorative Pills?"
"Master, forget it. If the Sect Master refuses to give them, so be it." Yun Jin forced a bitter smile. "This is my fate. Even if everyone knows the Sect Master destroyed my future, he's still the Sect Master. At most, people will gossip in private—no one would dare say anything openly."
Zhao Wuji: "...!!!"
This little brat was stirring the pot!
But she had a point—he had overstepped, and now she was weaponizing public opinion.
If this dragged on, his reputation would suffer!
Then it hit him.
She was stalling.
She couldn't learn the manual on the spot—she was afraid of exposure!
Her earlier "genius" act must've been a trick!
Hah!
Fine. Ten Restorative Pills? He'd give them!
Let's see what excuse she'd conjure next! Once Elder Jian realized she was a fraud, he'd crush her himself.
"Perhaps I was too harsh earlier," Zhao Wuji said with a faint, cold smile. "Restorative Pills aren't exactly rare, though they're usually overkill for a Qi Condensation disciple. Still, since it was my fault to begin with, I'll give you ten."
He tossed over a porcelain bottle.
Watching this, Ye Danxia's face twisted with envy.
Restorative Pills!
She still owed one to Chen Hao. If she could get her hands on these…
Lin Ya pretended not to hear Zhao Wuji's sarcasm. Taking the bottle, he winked at Yun Jin. "Disciple, your master will help you refine the medicinal energy."
"Yes, Master," Yun Jin replied, then scanned the pill with her system.
Just one scan required three simplification chances. She didn't hesitate to use them.
[Restorative Pill: Grade Two. Repairs meridians and restores the dantian. Highly effective for cultivators below Foundation Establishment. Ineffective above that realm. Recipe: Three taels of Fiery Grass, two taels of Orchid Ganoderma... The most critical step is the flame control. Start with Fiery Grass, immediately followed by Ice Marrow...]
To her surprise, after simplification, the system had scanned not only the ingredients and method but also added a button to simplify further.
That meant—
Both the recipe and the refining process could be improved again!
This was the perfect starting point to prepare for crafting the Heaven-Mending Pill for Lin Ya.
After all, the Restorative Pill was merely grade two, only effective for Foundation Establishment.
But the Heaven-Mending Pill? A grade-seven miracle medicine that could heal even Unity-level cultivators. The difficulty was worlds apart.
Even with the system, she only had three months to produce one. Time was tight.
She swallowed the pill and sat down in meditation as Lin Ya guided the spiritual energy within her.
And then—
Yun Jin felt a dual effect.
First—
Since the system recognized the Restorative Pill as a spirit-rich item, it instantly converted into pure energy, rapidly boosting her cultivation.
Second—
It began repairing her damaged meridians, making them stronger than before.
The second effect was subtler.
But the first? It was immediate and intense.
As she absorbed the medicinal power, Lin Ya's eyes widened.
Her spiritual energy was skyrocketing!
When half the medicinal energy was digested, she had already reached the ninth level of Qi Condensation.
By the time it was fully absorbed, she was just shy of the tenth level.
The spectators looked on, dumbfounded.
"She entered the sect HOW long ago?!"
"Is this really a five-element spiritual root?"
"Maybe a mutated variant?"
Ye Danxia's expression darkened. She suddenly raised her voice. "Xiao Jin, what kind of rare treasure did you take to break through so quickly? I assume the effects must be almost gone by now?"
Yun Jin ignored her, but the damage was done—the crowd nodded.
Ah, so she cheated with drugs.
Pity. Five-element roots never go far.
"Elder Jian, I'm ready," Yun Jin announced.
He nodded. "Begin."
She flipped through the manual at ludicrous speed—barely reading, just turning pages.
[Scan complete. High-tier Yellow Grade Sword Art: "Karmic Retribution Sword."]
Simplification began.
With the manual, it was easier—five chances later:
[Simplified Method: Perform fifty somersaults.]
Yun Jin: "..."
This system had to be trolling her.
She considered further simplification, but she'd need those chances elsewhere.
Fine. Fifty somersaults it is.
Her face fell.
So this was the price of public humiliation.
Noticing her dismay, Elder Jian said, "Time remains. Review it again."
But inwardly, he sighed.
"A true Innate Sword Body would've grasped this instantly."
"No need," Yun Jin said grimly.
She tossed her sword aside.
Then—
Backflip.
The crowd: "????"
[+10 Emotional Value.]
[+10 Emotional Value.]
[+5 Emotional Value.]
As Yun Jin somersaulted like a circus performer, notifications flooded in.
Since her face was already lost, since she was already playing the fool, then let the emotions come even harder!
Especially you, Female Lead and Male Support!
Don't just stand there like statues. Feed me more emotional value!
Stop giving 5s and 10s. That doesn't suit your status!