My Crazy Upgrade System-Chapter 100 - 99: A Heart of Awe
An idea suddenly struck Yi Tianyun. With a light wave of his hand, a large pile of Human Level and Earth Level Martial Arts appeared on the table. He had obtained all of them from the Celestial Sinking Ruins. He hadn’t absorbed or sold any of them, intending to give them all to Merak Palace.
"These are Human Level Martial Arts, and there are even Earth Level ones!" Shi Xueyun and the others were stunned once again when they saw the huge pile. They were especially shocked by the Earth Level Martial Arts, which were extremely rare.
Shi Xueyun picked up a couple of the manuals, her voice filled with shock. "Where did you get these? And so many of them! They all look excellent. Although we raided those three factions, by the time we arrived, most of the valuables had already been taken. We were only able to secure a few Martial Arts. You’ve just filled our biggest need!"
When they had raided the factions, the items they acquired were mostly materials, along with some weapons and Elixir Pills. After the ancestors of the three major factions were killed, other powers must have caught wind of it. The disciples left behind, hearing that an attack was imminent, immediately grabbed whatever they could carry and fled.
So by the time they arrived, the closer headquarters were still somewhat intact, but the more distant ones had been completely cleared out. The raw materials were largely left behind, as most people prioritized taking the finished goods.
"It’s a long story, but I got them from the Celestial Sinking Ruins. I’ll explain everything to you later, Aunt," Yi Tianyun said with a smile.
"From the Celestial Sinking Ruins... I almost forgot to ask. The entrance had clearly closed, so how were you able to get out?" Shi Xueyun was filled with doubt, and the other elders felt the same.
"Let’s talk about that next time. Our priority right now is to refine the Elixir Pills and begin training the disciples." Yi Tianyun didn’t elaborate. ’I plan to take only Shi Xueyun there. The fewer people who know about this, the better.’
Shi Xueyun nodded and didn’t press the issue. Since she didn’t ask any further questions, the other elders felt it would be inappropriate for them to do so.
After they had settled on a plan, Yi Tianyun immediately began forging weapons and refining Elixir Pills. He currently possessed Intermediate Forging Mastery and was on the verge of reaching Advanced Forging Mastery. The same was true for his Basic Alchemy. After refining another batch of Elixir Pills, he was certain to reach Intermediate Alchemy!
Once all the materials were in his possession, he began a frenzy of refinement. His priority was the Body Refining Pill, which he produced one cauldron after another. Completing his main quest was actually quite simple: he just needed to continuously strengthen the disciples at the Body Refining Stage. This, in turn, required a huge quantity of Body Refining Pills, as consuming them would accelerate their cultivation speed.
Unlike Yi Tianyun, they didn’t have a system, so their cultivation speed was naturally not very fast. Even with the aid of Body Refining Pills, it would still take a considerable amount of time to reach the goal. Of course, it wouldn’t be an eternity; with a massive supply of Body Refining Pills, the time required would be drastically reduced.
Yi Tianyun lost track of how long he’d been at it, refining one cauldron after another. He was able to produce dozens of Body Refining Pills each time and had no idea just how many batches he had completed.
"Ding! Successfully refined a Body Refining Pill. Gained 3,000 EXP. Alchemy Skill Level increased by 50."
"Ding! Congratulations to Player ’Yi Tianyun’. Basic Alchemy has been successfully upgraded to Intermediate Alchemy!"
’I finally did it!’ Yi Tianyun was overjoyed. After refining for so long, he had finally managed to level up the skill.
At this level, he was now equivalent to a Fourth Grade Alchemist, which was a considerably high rank. ’At my age, there are very few peers who can surpass me.’
However, he didn’t stop. Instead, he stoked the flames and continued to refine Body Refining Pills. Thanks to the improvement in his Alchemy skill, he was now able to increase the quantity per batch to over a hundred pills! The level-up was far from useless; both his refinement speed and success rate had increased dramatically.
But repeating the same process over and over was becoming rather dull and tedious.
After continuing for some time, he had refined batch after batch of Elixir Pills, completely exhausting his supply of materials. Once the alchemy ingredients were gone, he began forging weapons. Every single one he created was at the High-Grade Spiritual Artifact level!
"Ding! Congratulations to Player ’Yi Tianyun’. Intermediate Forging has been upgraded to Advanced Forging!"
"Yes!"
Yi Tianyun slapped his thigh in excitement. This skill had finally leveled up, reaching Advanced Forging. ’This means my success rate for forging Supreme-Grade Spiritual Artifacts is practically maxed out. Combined with my Luck stat, I can forge a perfect one every single time.’
’Time to start forging!’
Like a man possessed, he once again began to forge day and night.
"Young Master, shouldn’t you take a break? It’s time to eat..." Lian walked in carrying a meal, her face full of worry as she watched Yi Tianyun forge nonstop.
For the past several days, she had been the one attending to Yi Tianyun. In truth, nothing had changed; she had always been the one to look after him.
"Lian, you’re here." Yi Tianyun stopped his work and turned to her. "Here, these Elixir Pills and this weapon are for you. Oh, and some silver taels. It’s all for you."
Lian stared at the Storage Ring he offered her, completely stunned. She had no idea what was going on.
"Young Master, I can’t take these," Lian said, shaking her head. "I’ve done nothing to earn such a reward. I can’t accept them." Lian’s cultivation wasn’t high, but she was at the sixth or seventh level of the Body Refining Stage. With enough Elixir Pills, she would be able to break through to the next level.
"Taking care of me all this time is the best contribution I could ask for." Yi Tianyun pressed the Storage Ring into her hand and said with a faint smile, "I’ve noticed you’ve seemed out of sorts lately. Are you homesick? Or are you thinking about your parents?"
Lian was not an orphan. She had parents, but they lived in a remote village, not here. For the past several days, she had been completely preoccupied, always seeming to be thinking about something, often just standing there in a daze.
"Young Master..." Lian’s eyes reddened, but she simply shook her head.
"Tell me. We’re practically family. We grew up together, and I’ve always thought of you as my own sister." Yi Tianyun’s expression grew serious. ’This definitely isn’t a simple matter.’
"My... my father... he’s gravely ill at home, and our family has no money... I... I..." Lian trailed off and began to cry.
"Lian, why didn’t you tell us!" Yi Tianyun gripped her shoulders. "Take these things and go back home. I’ll refine some Recovery Elixirs for you to bring with you; I’m sure your father will recover. And it’s just money, right? I’ve put several hundred gold taels in there for you. That should be enough, shouldn’t it?"
"But... but... when we were fighting off those invaders, I didn’t do anything to help. I just hid off to the side. How could I possibly accept all this?" Lian shook her head, still trying to refuse.
"If you still see me as your Young Master, then you will take these things and go home! If you want to repay us, then cultivate diligently, raise your cultivation level, and contribute your strength to Merak Palace in the future. That would be the best repayment!" Yi Tianyun said solemnly. "Besides, this is about your father. Why wouldn’t you tell us about something so important?"
Joining Merak Palace didn’t mean Lian was wealthy. On top of that, she was always busy attending to him, leaving her with no time to return home. With Merak Palace in such a busy state, it would be unreasonable for her to leave without permission. That was why she hadn’t chosen to go back, even with her father being gravely ill.
Lian was taken aback for a moment, then nodded emphatically. "In that case... I won’t take too much. I’ll just take some of the Elixir Pills. I’ll go home, cure my father, and then I’ll come right back."
"Lian, you don’t have to rush back. Things are under control here, and I don’t need any help. Just go home and take care of your father. Once I’m done with things here, I’ll come find you," Yi Tianyun said with a smile.
’I truly see Lian as my own sister. Everyone else used to treat me with contempt; only Lian and Shi Xueyun were ever kind to me. For that reason alone, how could I not take her troubles to heart?’
"Young Master..." Lian bit her lip, finally nodding. "I will never forget your immense kindness for as long as I live!"
As she said this, she moved to kneel, but Yi Tianyun quickly stopped her and helped her up.
"Lian, why are you acting like this?" Yi Tianyun’s face hardened. "Do you think I’ve changed as a person just because my cultivation has gotten stronger?"
"Well..." She couldn’t bring herself to look at Yi Tianyun.
Her expression was an answer in itself. ’Yi Tianyun’s cultivation has grown stronger and stronger, to the point where he has become someone untouchable—no longer the Young Master who needed her care. Now, in her every word and action, she feels she has to be respectful and daren’t speak casually.’
"I’m still the same person I’ve always been! Now and in the future, that will never change. Lian, you will always be my sister!" Yi Tianyun said with a smile. "Don’t be so formal around me. Just treat me like the same Young Master you’ve always known."
"Young Master..." Lian looked at him, her eyes reddening once more. Tears streamed down her face, falling to the floor like pearls from a broken string.
’No wonder Lian hasn’t been talking to me as much. It’s because she’s become too intimidated by me...’
Yi Tianyun let out a deep sigh. ’It seems I’ve been neglecting the people closest to me.’
After all the arrangements were made, Lian departed for home. Yi Tianyun, meanwhile, returned to forging weapons, planning to finish his work and then go find Lian to see if there was anything else he could do to help.
