This meditation session lasted several days. Because he was reluctant to use his Immortal Crystals, Nie Shiyun relied entirely on his physical body to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The efficiency was admittedly low, and coupled with his dual spiritual roots, he had to expend twice the effort of single-root cultivators. Fortunately, he possessed his portable space, so his cultivation speed appeared ridiculously fast to outsiders. Since he never mentioned his spiritual roots, most of the tiger demons assumed he was a single-root cultivator.
Furthermore, after arriving in the Upper Realm, the jade pendant space sensed the abundant spiritual energy of the outside world. It no longer required Nie Shiyun to "feed" it; it simply expanded slowly alongside the growth of his cultivation. After a few months, Nie Shiyun noticed the space had grown a bit larger, enough to fit a few more pieces of furniture.
In time, he would be able to build a miniature immortal’s cave within the jade pendant space.
At the thought of "furniture," Nie Shiyun immediately remembered the frowning He Yin. He thought it might be a good idea to commission He Yin to make a few custom pieces, giving the man an opening to start something new. Perhaps then He Yin would finally see reason.
He left his room and walked into the courtyard, glancing up at the midday sun. The time dilation within the jade pendant space had been slowly decreasing lately, and without clocks or watches in this era, Nie Shiyun couldn't be certain exactly how long he had spent inside.
He knocked on the door of the neighboring house. He heard a flurry of panicked movement inside, and a moment later, He Yin hurriedly opened the door, looking thoroughly hungover.
Nie Shiyun thought to himself that it must still be the morning of the following day.
He explained his intent to He Yin, who was quite surprised. Nie Shiyun wanted a pair of low stools, but instead of paying with Immortal Crystals, he offered to trade a spiritual artifact for them.
He Yin knew this wasn't an equal trade. The furniture he made was merely handicraft, whereas anything Nie Shiyun sold was a magical treasure. However, thinking of how happy his wife would be to have a handy artifact for her hunts, he hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"If you become a master furniture maker in the future, I’ll be your first 'limited edition' customer," Nie Shiyun joked.
He Yin scratched his ear, looking embarrassed. "It’s just something I do on the side. Please don't tease me, Senior."
His confusion hadn't vanished entirely, but after a night’s rest, most of it had dissipated. Perhaps moved by Nie Shiyun’s words, he now felt a spark of the anticipation and joy he used to feel for carpentry long ago.
After settling the details, Nie Shiyun returned to his refining room to work. Aside from high-level spiritual artifacts that required significant effort, he preferred to accumulate lower-grade treasures for a few days and then refine them all in one go. After opening the furnace and refining a few pieces, his "feel" for the craft and the temperature of the flames would reach an optimal state, making his work much more efficient.
In the midst of these repetitive, ordinary days, the scorching summer turned into a cool autumn.
Looking at the remaining time limit of less than two months, Nie Shiyun felt a rare sense of anxiety.
He had barely scraped together a hundred thousand Immortal Crystals, but the number of tiger demons coming to him for refining had dwindled recently. Nie Shiyun calculated that if he wanted to catch this year’s immortal ship, it was already time to set out for Nine Clouds City. If he hunted demonic beasts along the way, he could refine the useful furs into spiritual artifacts and sell the rest in bulk at trading houses. By selling as he traveled, he wondered if he could earn the other hundred thousand on the road.
Another method was to spend his current hundred thousand on a manual for Mortal-grade Immortal Artifacts. A top-quality Mortal-grade Immortal Artifact could sell for at least six thousand crystals. However, deciphering the manual, improving his refining skills, collecting materials, and then finding dozens of customers was not something that could be accomplished within two months, no matter how he looked at it.
*I might have to wait until next spring to leave... By then, I’ll have been separated from Bairong for an entire year,* Nie Shiyun thought with a frown. Inwardly, he still leaned toward the former option.
"Senior Nie?" He Yin waved a hand in front of Nie Shiyun.
Only then did Nie Shiyun realize He Yin had come out of his room at some point and walked over to where he was resting in the courtyard.
"Ah... Oh, sorry. I was just lost in thought."
He Yin was very curious. He hadn't expected Nie Shiyun, who seemed capable of handling anything with ease, to show such a troubled expression.
Hearing this, Nie Shiyun shook his head helplessly. "I’m no deity; I can’t accomplish everything..."
He Yin disagreed. Nie Shiyun’s cultivation speed was lightning-fast, and his refining skills were top-tier. Most importantly, many of the tigers in the manor, including Hong Lang, previously had no good feelings toward humans. Now, everyone felt a great deal of kinship with Nie Shiyun. This wasn't just because of his cultivation level; after all, Void Refinement cultivators weren't exactly rare in the lower levels, yet the Tiger Clan didn't go out of their way to befriend them.
"I was just thinking about my Dao companion. We used to be together all the time, but due to certain reasons, we’ve been separated for nearly half a year. I can't help but feel anxious," Nie Shiyun admitted.
He Yin had heard Nie Shiyun mention his Dao companion a few times during their chats. He knew Nie Shiyun couldn't explain why his companion was in the middle level while he was in the lower level. He Yin didn't pry; everyone had their secrets.
What surprised him more was that Nie Shiyun’s companion was of the same gender! Among demon cultivators, same-sex unions were much rarer than among humans—at least, there were none in this manor. Hearing Nie Shiyun’s brief description—that the other person was not only an alchemist but also a genius with a single spiritual root—He Yin couldn't help but marvel that powerful people truly ended up with equally powerful partners.
"I’m married too, so I understand you," He Yin agreed. "But fortunately, there are only two months left until the immortal ship leaves for the middle level. By then, Senior Nie will be one step closer to reuniting with your companion."
The ideal was nice, but the money wasn't enough.
Nie Shiyun helplessly explained his predicament to He Yin. He was merely venting his frustrations and didn't expect anything to change because of it.
He Yin was stunned once again. He knew Nie Shiyun had earned many crystals from the Tiger Clan over the past few months, but he hadn't realized it was as much as a hundred thousand! He Yin himself always refined for the clan for free...
On the other hand, the fact that Nie Shiyun had earned a hundred thousand but still only had a hundred thousand meant that his savings had been nearly zero before arriving at the Tiger Clan’s territory.
He Yin glanced at Nie Shiyun, secretly guessing that the man must have encountered some misfortune to fall into such poverty. Even he and his wife, who didn't go out of their way to make money, had accumulated tens of thousands in savings.
"Ah, the pair of stools you asked for the other day are finished."
He Yin had crafted a pair of exquisite low stools from pearwood. Without using any spiritual power, he had carved intricate patterns using only his manual skill. Although he knew Nie Shiyun had likely only mentioned it in passing, he had put a lot of heart into them.
Nie Shiyun felt his own hands were not as skillful as He Yin’s in this regard. He praised the unexpectedly beautiful results and carefully placed them into his space, promising to put them to good use.
Next, Nie Shiyun was about to ask He Yin for the requirements for the spiritual artifact his wife wanted refined. He noticed He Yin was deep in thought, looking at him as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Seeing this, Nie Shiyun asked, "Is something wrong?"
He Yin looked left and right, appearing slightly nervous. He sat down next to Nie Shiyun and whispered, "Actually... I have something else that I might be able to give you, Senior."
Nie Shiyun was startled, unable to imagine what else the man could give him.
Acting very mysteriously, He Yin asked Nie Shiyun to come inside to talk. Once they were in Nie Shiyun’s room, He Yin finally seemed to make a decision and pulled an item from his storage pouch.
"This is..."
Nie Shiyun looked at him, not immediately understanding why He Yin was giving him a booklet at a time like this.
"Weren't you troubled over whether to take the ship first or buy a manual to improve your skills and earn more crystals?"
Now that the item was out, He Yin no longer hesitated. He placed the booklet directly on Nie Shiyun’s table and said firmly, "This is a manual for Mortal-grade Immortal Artifacts."
Nie Shiyun was shocked. "How do you have this?"
"It’s actually not that rare. Every clan and sect should have some in their archives; they just don't show them to outsiders," He Yin explained. "Our Tiger Clan’s manuals have been kept with me since the previous refiner left. Unfortunately, I couldn't grasp anything beyond Spiritual Artifacts. This thing you find so precious is no different from blank paper to me... Rather than letting it go to waste in my hands, it’s better to give it to someone who can actually use it."
Nie Shiyun was naturally overjoyed, but a second thought made him feel it was inappropriate. "But the Tiger Clan surely doesn't allow these to be shared privately, right? If you give it to me like this..."
"You’ll be leaving the Tiger Clan for Nine Clouds City soon anyway. Once you’re far away, who’s to know if you bought your manual or saw it here?" He Yin thought for a moment and steeled his resolve. "I’m also going to leave this place and see the city. Just as you said before, I’ve wasted too much energy on refining; it’s time to give it up. If you hadn't come to the clan, I don't know how much longer I would have struggled with this dilemma."
Nie Shiyun looked at the manual on the table. This truly was charcoal delivered in a snowstorm.
"This is no small favor. How can I possibly repay you?"
"If Senior Nie remembers us in the future, just come back to the lower level to catch up with us after you reunite with your companion," He Yin said sincerely.
Nie Shiyun considered it carefully and finally decided to accept the favor. Although it was somewhat against the rules, given the current time pressure, taking a shortcut was for the best.
"Then... I shall accept it with gratitude. I’ll return it to you tomorrow morning," Nie Shiyun said thankfully.
Having received such a grand gift, Nie Shiyun’s mood was much higher than usual. After all, he had previously studied a fragmented copy from the Cloud Clear Pavilion. Putting aside the money-making aspect, he was personally very interested in the secrets of Immortal Artifacts.
After He Yin left, Nie Shiyun immediately began to browse the manual. After reading just a few sentences, he felt a sudden moment of clarity. There was a unique power within the manual that seemed to inspire him from the shadows. Suddenly, all external distractions vanished, and various insights merged directly into his vast sea of consciousness.
The information that he could only guess at from the fragmented copy was now complete. Nie Shiyun nodded repeatedly as he read. The time spent reading the manual felt incredibly long, but when he snapped out of it, he realized only a few seconds had passed.
Soon, Nie Shiyun moved from his room to the refining room, closing the door and announcing he would see no one.
To outsiders, Nie Shiyun had simply not left the refining room for several days. But the time he actually spent inside was far greater.
First, he spent an entire day thoroughly understanding the manual. Next came the practical application. The higher the grade of the artifact, the longer it usually took to refine. As the process became more complex, the margin for error naturally decreased; a single small mistake could render all previous efforts futile.
Nie Shiyun didn't succeed on his first try, of course. Fortunately, he had plenty of time for trial and error. Finally, after several failures, he successfully refined a low-tier Mortal-grade Immortal Artifact. Striking while the iron was hot, he continued practicing without sleep or rest, eventually refining a mid-tier Vajra Seal.
The old materials he had brought from the cultivation world were familiar to use, but unfortunately, they were too heavily influenced by the spiritual energy of that world. Aside from a few rare materials, the quality of most was insufficient, and they could only serve as auxiliary ingredients. After this bout of work, the remaining usable materials in Nie Shiyun’s bag were nearly exhausted. Had it not been for this, he could have stayed in the jade pendant space for dozens more days.
Nie Shiyun had refined continuously for too long. His spiritual energy was somewhat depleted, and having maintained the same posture for a long time, he felt a wave of dizziness he hadn't experienced in ages when he suddenly stood up.
After drinking a spiritual potion, he let out a long breath. The refining of Immortal Artifacts was finally on the right track, and he truly had He Yin’s kindness to thank for it. If the man hadn't offered, he wouldn't have even known the Tiger Clan possessed such a manual, let alone thought he could borrow it for free.
He rarely accepted favors from others, but this time was truly a matter of necessity. Nie Shiyun made a mental note; he would definitely return to the lower level in the future. He hadn't forgotten his plan to one day repair the ascension path. When that time came, he would surely repay this debt of gratitude.
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 仙晶 | Immortal Crystals | The currency used in the Upper Realm. |
| 凡级仙器 | Mortal-grade Immortal Artifact | The lowest tier of Immortal-grade equipment. |
| 九云城 | Nine Clouds City | A major city in the Upper Realm. |
| 仙船 | Immortal Ship | A vessel used for transport between the different levels of the Upper Realm. |
| 金刚玺 | Vajra Seal | A specific type of defensive or offensive artifact refined by Nie Shiyun. |
| 梨花木 | Pearwood | A type of wood used by He Yin for furniture. |
| 辅料 | Auxiliary ingredients | Secondary materials used in the refining process. |
