Just as everyone was still lost in thought, Yun Jin's eyes suddenly snapped open.
Then, she moved. Tai'a moved with her, slicing through the air.
A mystic-grade sword technique.
Another mystic-grade sword technique.
Most of the sword techniques everyone had contributed were high-tier yellow grade, and among those, even the best they had to offer. Yet what Yun Jin had just advanced and formed was clearly a high-tier mystic-grade sword technique.
What's more, the new technique still held traces of the yellow-grade sword arts she'd received. There was no doubt about it—this was a sword technique evolved from those others.
Yun Jin smoothly demonstrated it once through.
The entire arena fell into silence.
Many here weren't sword cultivators, but even so, they knew enough about sword cultivation to understand.
To create an original sword technique so quickly… this was...
Everyone turned instinctively toward the disciples of Kunlun Sword Sect.
Every one of the sword cultivators wore an expression like they were questioning their entire existence. Only Jin Yu managed to maintain a calm appearance.
He glanced at Yun Jin but made no comment about the sword technique. He merely said, "Since Junior Sister Yun has succeeded, I have a few other sword techniques as well. I'll gift them to you."
Jin Yu was quite generous. He directly tossed over a storage pouch. The other sword cultivators followed suit, each taking out their own sword manuals.
Yun Jin accepted them one by one, joy bubbling in her chest. This haul was beyond profitable. In fact, some of these sword cultivators carried more mystic-grade sword techniques than yellow-grade ones.
Once she had time to go through them, she could likely extract several more mystic-grade techniques. And after that, she could begin combining them into earth-grade techniques.
Right now, she had already mastered a few earth-grade sword arts. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before she had her very first heaven-grade sword technique.
A heaven-grade sword technique.
Kunlun Sword Sect's prized technique, the Azure Lotus Codex, was also a heaven-grade sword technique.
Of course, within heaven-grade techniques, the Azure Lotus Codex was among the most precious.
To synthesize a sword technique that could rival the Azure Lotus Codex, she would need to choose the very best lower-grade techniques from the beginning.
Just like earlier.
The yellow-grade sword techniques Senior Brother had found for her had only let her create a low-tier mystic-grade sword technique.
But these sword techniques the sword cultivators had given her could be directly synthesized into high-tier mystic-grade techniques.
Going forward, she would need to be more discerning when collecting lower-grade sword arts. The more refined they were, the greater the power of the resulting high-grade sword technique after fusion.
After tucking away the stack of manuals, Yun Jin beamed. "I said it was a purchase, and I meant it. These sword techniques will be appraised and paid for in spirit stones, according to their value. If you have any other sword manuals that are collecting dust, feel free to come find me again."
Yun Jin gave Yue Zhao a meaningful look.
Yue Zhao didn't have time to be embarrassed. He caught her cue and nodded, then casually pulled out a heap of spirit stones.
Yun Jin insisted, and the Kunlun Sword Sect disciples didn't refuse her offer. The trade was completed smoothly.
Jin Yu's gaze toward Yue Zhao shifted subtly.
To buy this many sword manuals in one go… Yue Zhao really did seem quite wealthy.
Wasn't he—
Supposedly from a mid-tier sect?
How could a disciple from a mid-tier sect be carrying this many spirit stones?
This Tianxing Sect…
Who exactly were they?
Yun Jin happily completed the transaction.
The way the others looked at her was starting to change.
Before today, their impression of Yun Jin had been—
A timid, sheltered disciple from some obscure minor sect.
But ever since arriving at the Wushuang Sect's secret realm, she had slowly begun to show her "true colors."
Cheng Su thought of her two high-grade spirit beasts. The Phantom Fox Cat was already noteworthy, but the Iron-Eating Beast, which was originally only a mid-grade beast, had somehow advanced to high-grade. She had even awakened a Beastmaster space—she was a true Beastmaster.
Ye Liuqin thought of Yun Jin's self-operating pill furnace. She was probably the alchemy prodigy that both Master Feng Yu and Uncle Qing Yun had been raving about. Her alchemy techniques were unlike anything they'd ever seen.
Jin Yu thought of Yun Jin's terrifying speed at mastering sword arts. Earlier, he'd mentioned that Senior Brother Cang Li could also do such things, to avoid making Yun Jin stand out too much. But the truth was, even Senior Brother Cang Li couldn't comprehend a sword technique with just one glance, much less create an entirely new one on the spot. Jin Yu strongly suspected that Yun Jin might be a innate sword body.
Right now, in the Wushuang Sect's secret realm, messaging tools didn't work. Once they left this place, he had to inform the Sect Master immediately.
An innate sword body would make Kunlun Sword Sect the undisputed number one sect. But if that line of inheritance were to be broken, Kunlun Sword Sect would still be strong, just… not overwhelmingly so.
Which meant…
To Kunlun Sword Sect, an innate sword body was absolutely vital. If this Junior Sister Yun truly was one, then forget about letting her stay in Wushuang Sect. The most urgent matter would be bringing her back to Kunlun Sword Sect as soon as possible.
Everyone harbored their own thoughts.
Time flew by quickly after that.
The scent of medicinal herbs growing within the pill furnace also began to grow stronger. Yun Jin put away Tai'a and focused her attention on the furnace.
Finally.
The fragrance reached its peak.
The pill furnace began to tremble lightly.
The pills were about to be completed.
With everyone watching closely, Yun Jin stood up and walked over to the furnace.
With a pill refining process this unconventional… could this batch of Soul Nourishment Pills really succeed?
Yun Jin stayed calm. With a pulse of her spiritual sense, the furnace lid sprang open.
The medicinal scent that had been held in instantly swept out in all directions.
The Soul Nourishment Pill, among fifth-grade pills, was a top-tier variant. It was one of the rare few capable of nurturing the soul.
Because of how demanding it was on the alchemist, even though it was technically a fifth-grade pill, its market value often matched that of sixth-grade ones.
As the scent spread out, everyone felt their spirits jolt. Their minds cleared in an instant.
That medicinal effect…
Ye Liuqin's expression shifted.
Just the fragrance alone was enough to cause this kind of reaction?
This pill likely wasn't just successfully refined—it probably wasn't even an ordinary-tier pill.
Thinking back to the rumors about a mysterious genius who always produced perfect-quality pills, Ye Liuqin's pupils narrowed slightly.
Could it be…
That even with cross-grade refinement, she still produced perfect pills?
No, no. That was too absurd.
For lower-grade pills, Ye Liuqin herself often produced perfect ones.
But to achieve perfection while refining a pill of a higher grade than one's current rank? Not even their masters could manage such a feat.
Standing before the furnace, Yun Jin held a porcelain bottle. With a slight flick of her finger, the pills inside the furnace floated up.
One, two, three.
Three perfect Soul Nourishment Pills spun gracefully in the air. Each one radiated a piercing golden glow, and when that glow faded, their true appearance was finally revealed.
Five pill marks.
A translucent sheen.
Ye Liuqin muttered in a daze, "...Fifth-grade Soul Nourishment Pill. Perfect quality."
And Yun Jin had refined them while casually eating sunflower seeds and practicing sword techniques.
The whole scene fell into an eerie silence.
It was Cheng Su who, against all odds, felt… a little comforted.
If she thought about it—
It looked like the Beastmaster Sect wasn't the one hit the hardest.
If everyone had been crushed equally, then she could live with it.
Of course—
If you had to name the most humiliated one, it was still Qingxiao Pavilion.
Yun Jin, at the very least, was Wushuang Sect's future Sect Master, personally chosen by the Wan Dao Saint. That she possessed abilities beyond the norm was something people could come to accept.
But Qingxiao Pavilion?
They had been completely overshadowed… by someone as unknown as Yue Zhao.
So even though everyone had suffered—
Seeing Qingxiao Pavilion fall this far...
Strangely enough, it made her feel a little better.