Yun Jin looked genuinely confused. "Second time? Why would there be a second time? Something this dangerous... once is more than enough."
As she spoke, Yun Jin's tone turned deeply sincere. "You absolutely must not develop some kind of thrill-seeking mindset. Just because I succeeded this time doesn't mean you should start fantasizing about the next. This was pure luck. Next time, that luck might not be there. Compared to gaining power, staying alive is far more important."
All the weapons: "???"
Was this really something she should be saying to them???
Who was the one who risked everything again?!
"Remember my words. I've got things to do. I'll be off." Yun Jin gave a graceful wave of her sleeve and left without even a trace of cloud lingering behind her.
An Tong trailed at the back. He glanced at the stunned weapons and said sympathetically, "Alright, go ahead and complain now."
Then he quickly turned and flew after her.
A moment later—
A chorus of voices exploded behind him.
An Tong vaguely caught snippets like:
"How could she just leave like that?!"
"I feel emotionally scarred!"
"Next time we see the Young Master, shut down all five senses immediately!"
An Tong could only think: these weapons were way too polite. If it had been him, he'd have cursed her out at least twice.
Clicking his tongue a few times, he hurried to catch up.
"An Tong, is everything prepared?" Yun Jin asked calmly. "Let's go. Head to the Time Room."
Tian Po Sword had only just awakened and was still foggy. "Time Room?"
An Tong gave a simple explanation, then added, "The Young Master just made up the name on a whim."
Tian Po Sword still looked dazed.
"Time Room" certainly sounded impressive...
But the cost of using it was astronomical.
For cultivators, life was already long. Out of ten people, all ten would say it wasn't worth it to sacrifice that much just for a mere three hundred days of cultivation time.
"An Tong, explain the rest to Tian Po Sword later," Yun Jin said.
An Tong nodded and turned to Tian Po Sword. "Only one sentient being can enter the Time Room at once. Since you have your own consciousness, you count. So you won't be able to enter this time."
Tian Po Sword sighed. "Then just temporarily remove the sword imprint."
"Also, the Young Master's contracted spirit beasts can't enter either. Including the egg," An Tong added.
Yun Jin gave a small nod.
She gently touched her forehead, and the sword imprint shimmered before detaching.
Next, she released Gun Gun and the others.
Dan Dan was currently rolling back and forth under Huan Huan's paw, clearly having a great time. One beast, one egg, playing without a care in the world.
"Gun Gun, take care of everyone," Yun Jin instructed.
Gun Gun, now the self-proclaimed eldest sibling, carried himself with a surprisingly mature air. Both Huan Huan and Dan Dan listened to him well.
Gun Gun puffed out his chest and nodded seriously.
"Master you just focus on your training! I, Gun Gun, will protect our home!"
An Tong then sorted Yun Jin's items into different categories, placing everything neatly into a storage pouch and handing it to her.
Yun Jin gave it a quick once-over before stowing it away.
"Let's go. Lead the way."
An Tong complied.
He led Yun Jin deep into the heart of the secret realm.
Atop a barren mountain stood a small stone hut, quiet and unassuming.
From the outside, it looked utterly ordinary. Nothing about it stood out.
Who would've thought—
That within such a plain place, fragments of time were hidden?
Once they reached the Time Room, An Tong began bustling around with great enthusiasm. He arranged various rare and precious materials. Though the placement seemed random, a subtle, intricate pattern connected everything.
Yun Jin glanced at it but couldn't decipher the array's logic.
An Tong explained, "Master laid down the formation beforehand. I'm just putting the right materials in the correct places. Once you enter the room, I'll activate the formation and awaken the time fragments. Only then can you cultivate within the stabilized time flow."
"Alright."
Everything was ready. Yun Jin nodded and stepped into the Time Room without hesitation. She would spend three hundred days inside. But for the outside world, it would be just one.
Up until now, her total time cultivating didn't even add up to three hundred days. Nearly a full year—while negligible for most cultivators—would bring no substantial change in their realm.
But Yun Jin knew—
For her—
These three hundred days would bring earth-shattering transformation. The moment she entered the room, her first reaction was dizziness. Time fragments were present here. Though they weren't actively releasing their power, their sheer existence was enough to disrupt space and time.
Fortunately, the next instant—
An Tong activated the formation.
The time fragments surged to life, and the chaotic space began to stabilize.
Now, Yun Jin could cultivate properly.
She first laid out a training plan for the three hundred days.
First, she needed to raise her cultivation to late-stage Unity. That part would rely mainly on pills. Shouldn't be too difficult.
Second, she had to raise her weapon refinement rank. Aside from countless crafting manuals to grind, she also had a sizable stash of basic ores. Enough to repeatedly gain experience.
For most weapon refiners, forging basic materials repeatedly would soon yield no benefits.
But Yun Jin was different.
No matter what she forged, she gained experience. The only difference was the amount. As long as the experience points accumulated, her refining level would naturally increase. By then, she could follow the system's forging advice to gradually perfect the Tai'a Sword.
Raising her refining rank and increasing her cultivation.
These were the two core goals this time.
Yun Jin thought about it again.
She figured she could work on both in parallel.
After all, she didn't rely on meditation to absorb spiritual energy.
The spiritual herbs An Tong had prepared were enough to push her through ten Unity breakthroughs and then some. This was the benefit of having a sect backing you.
From here on out—
Most of her days would look like this:
Take a pill. Forge.
Take another pill. Forge again.
Over and over.
Three hundred days would be enough to reach her goals.
But—
There was one more mission.
She had to—
Try to comprehend the Law of Fire.
After all, it was a Supreme Law. Yun Jin wasn't sure whether she could grasp the final two super insights or not.
Still—
Without mastering a Law, even reaching Unity wouldn't give her the strength to stand toe-to-toe with a Tribulation cultivator—let alone Mahayana.
This time, An Tong had prepared a wide range of fire-element manuals for her.
Last time, she had fragments ready to study. This time, she'd have to gain understanding entirely on her own.
Time was tight. The workload was massive.
Anyone else might have given up already.
But Yun Jin had her system.
And she'd stored up a decent amount of Emotional Value, enough to redeem several sudden enlightenment chances if needed.
Comprehending a full Law might not be impossible after all.
Three missions.
Three hundred days.
All of them had to be completed.
Yun Jin thought for a moment, then began by pulling out every single fire-element manual.