Most of Wushuang Sect's secret techniques had been carried away by the Wan Dao Saint. That was also why he was confident his successor could one day rebuild the sect.
After all, in terms of foundation, Wushuang Sect had once stood among the four great Holy Lands. If everything went well and the right disciples appeared, then a thousand years later, a brand new Wushuang Sect would rise again.
Ordinary disciples, of course, couldn't freely access those techniques. There were always rules and restrictions.
But as the Sect Master, Yun Jin had no such limits. An Tong gave her copies of every fire-attribute secret art without holding anything back.
Naturally, those were transcriptions. The originals were still kept safely in the sect's library pavilion, which itself was a massive protective formation designed to preserve the books forever.
It was Yun Jin's first time seeing so many secret arts gathered in one place.
She randomly opened one.
After a quick glance, she made her judgment almost instantly.
The concept contained in this manual was a lower-tier one, merely a fragment of the greater "Blazing Concept."
But Yun Jin had already fully mastered Blazing.
That meant every lower, middle, or even higher concept under it could be skipped.
What she needed now were arts related to Wildfire and Mastery of Flame.
She put that book aside and quickly flipped through the next one.
After sorting through dozens, she finally gathered every manual connected to those two flame concepts.
When she was done, twenty remained.
Among them, one was Heaven-rank, seven were Earth-rank, and the rest were Mystic-rank. Not a single Yellow-rank manual appeared.
Yun Jin couldn't help but sigh over how deep Wushuang Sect's foundation truly ran.
In a sect like Tianxing, a single Earth-rank sword art, such as the Azure Lotus Sword Art, would be treated as a sacred treasure. Even then, it might take a century before anyone could successfully cultivate it.
Mystic-rank techniques were already incredibly rare and limited to elite disciples. Yellow-rank manuals were the basic fare for most.
But in Wushuang Sect?
Yellow-rank manuals barely existed. The true standard started from Mystic-rank and above.
Even Heaven-rank techniques, the kind that were nearly impossible to find in the outside world, were stored here in multiples.
According to An Tong, some of these Heaven-rank techniques had been collected from the world beyond, while others were created by Wushuang Sect's former masters themselves.
For example, the previous Sect Master, Wan Dao Saint, had once left behind a Heaven-rank secret art known as the Yin Yang Codex.
It was said that he had once witnessed a terrifying Yin-Yang Wheel. The experience left him both awed and inspired, and after years of deep contemplation, he finally created this codex that merged the dual energies of Yin and Yang into one profound force.
Rumor had it that apart from Wan Dao Saint himself, no one had ever successfully cultivated it.
An Tong often said he hoped Yun Jin, as Wan Dao Saint's successor, would one day master the Yin Yang Codex. Only then could she truly inherit her master's legacy.
Yun Jin was definitely interested, but she didn't have the time right now. Once the Blood Dao Sect's affairs were over, she planned to study it properly.
Steadying her breath, she used her Emotional Value to activate the state of Super Insight Mode.
Three days later, with the system's blessing, she had completely comprehended the concepts hidden within over a dozen Mystic-rank manuals. Both Wildfire and Mastery of Flame showed significant progress on her system panel.
However, three straight days of insight had drained her Emotional Value to a frightening degree. She felt a sting of pain in her chest, but still chose to continue.
Time was tight. Emotional Value could always be earned again, but opportunities couldn't. She exchanged for another seven days of enlightenment.
During that time, she fully comprehended all seven Earth-rank manuals. By the end of it, Wildfire had reached eighty percent completion, while Mastery of Flame had climbed to ninety.
Finally, she turned her gaze to the last manual, a Heaven-rank technique titled Blazing Flame Palm.
She entered enlightenment once again.
Seven more days passed.
By the time she finished, she'd used up nearly all her Emotional Value, but she'd fully grasped the essence of the art. Now, Wildfire had reached ninety-five percent completion, and Mastery of Flame was sitting at ninety.
With no more manuals to draw from, she could only rely on herself for the rest.
Yun Jin stood up, picked up a hammer, and flames flared to life around it.
Half a month had already gone by.
From this point onward, she planned to integrate her flame concepts directly into her forging. Not only would it strengthen her craft, it might also reveal new insights she hadn't yet considered. Perhaps, in the rhythmic pounding of the forge, she'd stumble upon the final pieces of understanding.
She was so close now. The complete Primordial Flame was right within reach. At this level of comprehension, she could already feel it, that subtle, instinctive sense guiding her toward the right direction of enlightenment.
Her gaze grew focused and thoughtful.
Alright then, time to begin.
Nearly three hundred days of closed-door cultivation were about to start. It would be the longest retreat she'd ever undergone in this world. When she came out, the Blood Dao Sect would be in for a surprise.
Yun Jin took a deep breath and raised her hammer.
She hadn't started reforging the Tai'a Sword yet, instead using piles of basic materials to gain forging experience first. Once her skill level rose, she could proceed to the real thing.
Fifty days later, Wildfire had progressed by one percent, Mastery of Flame by two, and her rank as a forger had risen to Tier Three.
She paused only to personally upgrade the Tai'a Sword to Three Stars. Her own cultivation also broke through to the Unity Stage.
A hundred days later, Wildfire reached ninety-seven percent, and Mastery of Flame rose to ninety-five.
Her forging rank climbed to Tier Four.
Taking out the materials she'd prepared, she began reforging Tai'a once more. This time, an unexpected error occurred, causing the first attempt to fail. But on her second try, she succeeded.
Tai'a Sword ascended again, becoming a Four-Star treasure blade. It had officially stepped into the Earth-rank tier.
From this moment on, Tai'a was an Earth-rank treasure sword.
Yun Jin continued forging to refine her skill, consuming various spirit herbs and elixirs to raise her cultivation further.
Time passed in silence.
Three hundred days later, her secluded chamber trembled slightly, and the time acceleration effect finally dissipated.
Yun Jin slowly opened her eyes.
She could feel it.
Her strength had risen to an entirely new level.
And she wasn't done yet.