Chapter Summaries

Chu Xinghe held back while White Tiger explained that weakened earth veins had drained the spirit mines, and Vast Heaven Holy Land proposed an array to restore them within fifty years. As factions cut spending and spirit stone prices surged, the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce’s turnover collapsed, and Chu Xinghe celebrated as the Misfortune Compass counted the losses without him doing anything.

• Chu Xinghe stayed silent at Haotian Grand Hall, deciding to wait rather than risk acting on the spirit mine crisis.
• White Tiger explained that the accelerated continental merger had diverted earth vein power from the spirit mines and said the Earth Spirit Warm Resonance Grand Array could reduce recovery from five hundred years to fifty.
• Vast Heaven Holy Land shared the explanation and array proposal with factions across the Three Continents, prompting major sects to cut disciples’ spirit stone allowances by more than ninety percent.
• Cultivators hoarded spirit stones as their prices tripled, while the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce’s turnover fell by around ninety percent.
• Chu Xinghe sang to the Misfortune Compass and celebrated as it spun from the Chamber of Commerce’s losses.

Qin Xiangqian became president of the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce amid a crisis caused by spirit mines losing their spirituality and sales collapsing. Chu Xinghe stopped him from cutting staff pay or closing branches, leaving the chamber to keep operating at a massive loss.

• Feng Fei told Qin Xiangqian that solving the chamber's crisis could earn him the presidency and sent him to seek Chu Xinghe's advice.
• Chu Xinghe made Qin Xiangqian president and handed him responsibility for the chamber, while privately deciding not to offer any guidance.
• Qin Xiangqian proposed closing some branches, laying off staff, and cutting benefits to reduce the chamber's losses.
• Chu Xinghe rejected the cuts, arguing that the chamber must stand by its employees and loyal customers, and promised to shield Qin Xiangqian from blame.
• Chu Xinghe urged Qin Xiangqian to keep the chamber running through its losses, then watched the Misfortune Compass spin as the losses continued.

As the spirit mine crisis drove chambers of commerce to cut staff and wages, Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce employees feared mass layoffs. The Vast Heaven Holy Land appointed Qin Xiangqian president in place of Feng Fei, but rumors framed the change as a way to make Qin take the blame, just before a second decision stunned the Three Continents.

• Qin Xiangqian remained unable to find a solution to the chamber’s crisis, while employees across Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce feared layoffs and wage cuts.
• A manager warned his subordinates that an order from the Vast Heaven Holy Land was on its way, and worried employees pleaded not to lose their jobs.
• The managers opened the Holy Land’s first decision and learned that Feng Fei was stepping down as president and Qin Xiangqian would take his place.
• Employees celebrated Qin Xiangqian’s appointment, but a know-it-all claimed the promotion was a scheme to make him bear the blame for future layoffs and wage cuts.
• The Vast Heaven Holy Land issued a second decision concerning the chamber, and news of it stunned the Three Continents.

The Vast Heaven Holy Land announced that the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce would avoid layoffs and wage cuts while continuing to expand, surprising the Three Continents. Qin Xiangqian attributed the decision to Chu Xinghe’s concern for the chamber’s workers, and the new branches received 170,000 job applications in a single day.

• The Vast Heaven Holy Land issued a decision under the Grand Elder’s seal to preserve the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce’s staffing and wages.
• The Vast Heaven Holy Land announced across the Three Continents that the chamber would continue building two branches and recruiting staff.
• Qin Xiangqian told other chamber presidents that Chu Xinghe had rejected layoffs and wage cuts to protect the workers and their families.
• Chu Xinghe privately questioned Qin Xiangqian’s account while the Misfortune Compass spun rapidly.
• Qin Xiangqian received 170,000 applications for jobs at the new branches in one day, including more than 3,000 from people known in business.

Qin Xiangqian recruited 3,000 prominent business figures into the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce after Chu Xinghe insisted they receive their former benefits, despite the chamber's enormous losses. As the branch presidents struggled to understand Chu Xinghe's intentions, Qin Xiangqian decided to ask Ma Liang to help interpret them.

• Qin Xiangqian received 170,000 applications, including more than 3,000 renowned business figures seeking even low-ranking posts at the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce.
• Chu Xinghe told Qin Xiangqian to hire all 3,000 elites and preserve their previous benefits, believing the spirit-stone crisis made their business skills useless for now.
• Qin Xiangqian assigned the elites to branches around the region, while other powers criticized Chu Xinghe for adding to the chamber's huge operating losses.
• Qin Xiangqian convened a meeting with Sima Bian, Shi Biao, Lu Chengqing, and other branch presidents, who reported that the chamber's losses were even greater than outsiders estimated.
• Lu Chengqing suggested Chu Xinghe must have given Qin Xiangqian hidden guidance, so Qin Xiangqian decided to consult Ma Liang and interpret Chu Xinghe's intentions together.

As the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce lost money, Qin Xiangqian sought help from Ma Liang to decipher Xinghe’s advice. Ma Liang interpreted Xinghe’s claim that a huge loss was a huge profit as a hidden opportunity to buy goods with spirit stones, and Qin Xiangqian decided to risk it.

• Qin Xiangqian panicked over the Chamber of Commerce’s losses and, after Lu Chengqing warned him that Xinghe was testing him, went to Ma Liang for guidance.
• Ma Liang insisted that Xinghe’s words contained a hint and carefully reviewed Qin Xiangqian’s conversations with him.
• Ma Liang focused on Xinghe’s statement that a huge loss was a huge profit and proposed buying materials with spirit stones while their value was uncertain.
• Qin Xiangqian worried that rising spirit-stone prices could make the purchases a loss, but Ma Liang countered that their value might instead plummet.
• Qin Xiangqian accepted Ma Liang’s interpretation and resolved to buy materials with spirit stones without asking Xinghe for further instructions.

Qin Xiangqian reopened the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce’s spirit stone sections and spent heavily buying resources, following Ma Liang’s deductions and Chu Xinghe’s supposed instructions. As spirit stone prices kept climbing and outsiders thought the Vast Heaven Holy Land was losing a fortune, Chu Xinghe happily took credit, while the Civil Engineering Department hoped the purchases would ease its workload.

• Qin Xiangqian reopened the chamber’s spirit stone sections after Ma Liang persuaded him that Chu Xinghe’s plan required it, and the branch presidents carried out the order.
• People across the Three Continents exchanged resources for spirit stones at the chamber, which appraised goods at market rates as spirit stone prices continued to rise.
• After three days of purchases, factions declared that the chamber had lost a fortune, and the Grand Elder questioned Chu Xinghe about the buying spree.
• Chu Xinghe claimed he had instructed Qin Xiangqian, delighted that the Misfortune Compass was speeding up, and the Grand Elder agreed to watch and wait.
• Huang Ritian and the Civil Engineering Department learned that the miners’ vacation would not reduce their own work, but Qin Xiangqian’s resource purchases gave them hope that their workload would ease.

Wu Xingyun and other factions tried to profit from the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce’s rising spirit stone prices, while Chu Xinghe urged Qin Xiangqian to keep the exchange operation going. The Cui Clan sought help from Xuanwu Sacred Venerable after earth-vein changes crippled its cultivation, and Chu Xinghe was delighted when he learned that fixing the problem would require enormous resources.

• Wu Xingyun used Demonic Sect resources to exchange for spirit stones and believed he had multiplied the sect’s wealth as prices rose.
• Other factions began selling resources to and buying them back from the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce, prompting Qin Xiangqian’s advisers to warn that the operation could be exploited.
• Chu Xinghe told Qin Xiangqian to continue, and he welcomed the growing number of factions trying to profit from the rising spirit stone prices.
• The Cui Clan discovered that changes in the earth veins had weakened its elders and left its younger disciples unable to cultivate, so Cui Wuming urged the clan to treat the crisis as an opportunity to seek help.
• Clan Head Cui went to the Vast Heaven Holy Land, where Chu Xinghe brought him to Xuanwu Sacred Venerable.
• Xuanwu Sacred Venerable explained that restoring the Cui Clan’s cultivation would consume more resources than the whole clan could provide, and Chu Xinghe was thrilled by the prospect.

Clan Head Cui explained why the Cui Clan had lost the ability to cultivate Mystic Water Power, and Xuanwu offered to restore it at an enormous cost. As the Vast Heaven Holy Land’s leaders were called to consider the expense, Chu Xinghe resolved to stay out of the decision and wait.

• Clan Head Cui explained that the Cui Clan had been forced to replace Mystic Water Power with Earth Spirit and Earth Vein Power after Xuanwu left, and changing earth veins had now left the clan unable to cultivate.
• Xuanwu realized the Cui Clan had not abandoned its inheritance willingly and offered to convert its members’ power back to Mystic Water Power.
• Xuanwu estimated that the Mysterious Water Grand Array would require at least three years of the Vast Heaven Divine Domain’s output in Nine-Colored Spirit Stone.
• Xuanwu summoned Shen Chun to report the matter to the Grand Elder, since the Vast Heaven Holy Land’s leaders had to approve such a vast expense.
• Chu Xinghe decided not to influence the decision, believing the Misfortune Compass would not target him if he watched and waited.

Chu Xinghe tried to avoid influencing events while the Vast Heaven Holy Land weighed whether to spend three years of the Vast Heaven Divine Domain’s output to save the Cui Clan. He supported the Xuanwu Sacred Venerable’s decision, leaving the final choice to him.

• Chu Xinghe held back from interfering in the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce’s losses, the Earth Spirit Warm Resonance Grand Array, and the Cui Clan’s looming crisis, suspecting the Misfortune Compass was waiting for him to act.
• Clan Head Cui and the Xuanwu Sacred Venerable explained that the Cui Clan could no longer use earth spirit power and needed three years of the Vast Heaven Divine Domain’s output to recover its Mysterious Water power.
• Azure Dragon publicly supported helping the Cui Clan while privately hoping to turn Haotian Palace into his Azure Dragon Divine Hall.
• Clan Head Cui promised an eternal alliance if the Vast Heaven Holy Land saved his clan, while its leaders waited for Chu Xinghe to speak.
• Chu Xinghe said he supported the Xuanwu Sacred Venerable’s decision and privately reassured himself that he had left the final choice to the Xuanwu Sacred Venerable.

Xuanwu Sacred Venerable and Vast Heaven Holy Land agreed to spend three years of the Vast Heaven Divine Domain’s output to save the Cui Clan, setting off a spirit-stone price surge. Wu Xingyun celebrated his profitable bet, while Zheng Yu refused to let Martial Emperor City trade against Chu Xinghe; the chapter ended as Xuanwu activated the Mysterious Water Grand Array and spirit-stone prices soared.

• Xuanwu Sacred Venerable saw that Vast Heaven Holy Land supported his decision to help the Cui Clan, and Clan Head Cui thanked the sect for its aid without conditions.
• Clan Head Cui returned with the entire Cui Clan to Vast Heaven Holy Land, while news of the planned Mysterious Water Grand Array caused spirit-stone prices to surge across the Three Continents.
• Wu Xingyun celebrated having exchanged the Demonic Sect’s resources for spirit stones before the price spike and urged his followers to hold onto them.
• Zheng Yu rejected the stewards’ request to trade Martial Emperor City’s resources for spirit stones and ordered them not to act recklessly against Chu Xinghe.
• Xuanwu Sacred Venerable used three years of the Vast Heaven Divine Domain’s output to activate the Mysterious Water Grand Array, sending spirit-stone prices soaring again.

Xuanwu activated a vast Mysterious Water Grand Array to convert the Cui Clan’s Earth Spirit Power into Mystic Water Power, a painful process that killed some who could not endure it. Cui Wuming succeeded first, cured his lifelong illnesses, and reached Ninth Rank Great Perfection, while onlookers debated whether Chu Xinghe remained the ultimate realm of the Ninth Rank.

• Xuanwu and White Tiger completed the Mysterious Water Grand Array and gathered the Cui Clan inside it for the conversion.
• The array changed the Cui clanspeople’s ordinary spiritual power into Mystic Water Power, then began converting their source power, causing unbearable pain and killing those who tried to flee or gave up.
• Xuanwu urged the Cui Clan to endure the trial as Clan Head Cui watched young clan members die.
• Cui Wuming became the first to convert his source power, discovered and removed a flaw that had kept him weak, and recovered from his illnesses.
• Cui Wuming’s Qi, blood, and spiritual power turned black as he reached Ninth Rank Great Perfection, prompting one observer to claim Chu Xinghe was the true ultimate realm of the Ninth Rank.

Cui Wuming entered Ninth Rank Great Perfection and taught the Cui Clan how to convert their power into Mystic Water Power, greatly strengthening them. When Clan Head Cui completed his conversion, the discarded Earth Spirit Power gathered into a sphere that trapped the entire clan, and the Heart of the Earth emerged.

• Cui Wuming reached Ninth Rank Great Perfection but remained convinced he could not challenge Chu Xinghe, then shared his method for converting Earth Spirit Power into Mystic Water Power.
• The Cui Clan followed Cui Wuming’s method, and their Mystic Water Power conversions reduced their pain and increased their cultivation and combat power.
• Clan Head Cui completed his conversion, reached the Peak Mystic God realm, and drew the discarded Earth Spirit Power into a vast storm above him.
• The storm formed a sphere that enveloped Clan Head Cui and every member of the Cui Clan, prompting Xuanwu to call for help.
• Elder He stopped the Vast Heaven Holy Land experts from intervening as the Heart of the Earth emerged from between Clan Head Cui’s brows.

The Cui Clan restored the Heart of the Earth after gaining the power of Mysterious Water, and White Tiger used it to reduce the earth veins’ recovery time from fifty years to five. Chu Xinghe panicked over the likely collapse of spirit stone prices, then calmed down when Clan Head Cui revealed that the Heart of the Earth could upgrade spirit stones.

• The Heart of the Earth absorbed earth spirit and earth vein power, repaired its cracks, and returned above Clan Head Cui.
• White Tiger used the restored Heart of the Earth in an array and announced that the earth veins would recover in five years instead of fifty.
• Chu Xinghe worried that the shorter recovery would crash spirit stone prices and ruin the Vast Heaven Holy Land’s material investments, while Qin Xiangqian ordered the Chamber of Commerce to stop selling materials.
• The Heart of the Earth entered Clan Head Cui and revealed that much of the ancestor’s inheritance and Spirit Creation Art had been lost.
• Clan Head Cui used the Heart of the Earth to upgrade a spirit stone, and Chu Xinghe calmed down and apologized to the Misfortune Compass.

Clan Head Cui awakened the Heart of the Earth and gained the ability to enhance spirit stones, setting the Cui Clan up to prosper. After Cui offered half the resulting earnings to Xuanwu, the Hua Clan decided it needed to provoke a calamity of its own.

• Ji Ya explained that the Cui Clan's Spirit Creation Art let Clan Head Cui use the Heart of the Earth to increase a spirit stone's spiritual power.
• Clan Head Cui credited Xuanwu with saving his clan and offered him half of the resources earned through the Heart of the Earth.
• Azure Dragon objected to accepting tribute, but Vermilion Bird and White Tiger dragged him away as Xuanwu accepted the Cui Clan's offer.
• The Ming and Ning clan heads described their own clans' prosperous but busy lives, while Clan Head Hua lamented that the Hua Clan had fallen behind.
• Clan Head Hua ordered Hua Xichen, the Hua Clan's juniors, and its elders to go out, cause trouble, and create a chance for a clan-ending calamity; Wu Xingyun agreed that such a chance could be created.

Wu Xingyun exchanged the Demonic Sect’s entire treasury for spirit stones, only for the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce to reset prices and leave the sect having lost at least half its wealth. As Wu Xingyun went into seclusion amid accusations that he was a spy, the spirit stone crisis subsided and Qin Xiangqian’s advisers demonstrated their control over the Three Continents’ markets.

• After learning the spirit mine would take five years rather than fifty, Wu Xingyun exchanged all the Demonic Sect’s resources for spirit stones.
• Qin Xiangqian sealed the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce, and his three thousand advisers set a new spirit stone price at roughly three times its former level after the Cui Clan revealed the Heart of the Earth.
• Tantai Jing and the Demonic Sect elders blamed Wu Xingyun for losing at least half the sect’s wealth and accused him of secretly serving the Vast Heaven Holy Land.
• Wu Xingyun went into seclusion to escape the Demonic Sect’s anger.
• The spirit stone storm subsided within days, and Qin Xiangqian’s advisers used the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce’s influence to steer the markets across the Three Continents.

As the spirit-stone market recovered, Qin Xiangqian empowered the three thousand business prodigies at the Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce with funding, trust, and improved worker benefits, and their ventures quickly began turning profits. Chu Xinghe, frustrated by another blow from the Misfortune Compass, received news that made him excited to begin his counterattack.

• Liu Tong presented Qin Xiangqian with a proposal designed to minimize costs, but Qin ordered him to double workers’ wages and remove exploitative measures.
• Qin Xiangqian told Liu Tong to begin the plan with whatever funds and resources he needed, emphasizing Chu Xinghe’s rules of fair and honest business.
• Business prodigies submitted proposals, and Qin Xiangqian approved them with generous funding, manpower, and resources.
• The Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce’s ventures expanded rapidly and began earning profits while other chambers still struggled.
• Chu Xinghe lamented the Misfortune Compass’s latest setback, then received news that filled him with excitement about launching a counterattack.

Chu Xinghe learned that changes to the earth veins could leave most current spirit mines worthless, then urged the Vast Heaven Holy Land to buy them anyway to protect smaller factions from collapse. The leaders were moved by his appeal and prepared to support the large-scale purchases.

• The Vast Heaven Chamber of Commerce prospered as three thousand geniuses devised cautious sales plans and customers flocked to buy its abundant resources.
• Clan Head Cui revealed that changes to the earth veins could redistribute the Spirit of the Earth, leaving more than seventy percent of existing spirit mines in the wrong places after recovery.
• Chu Xinghe questioned Elder He, who confirmed the danger, and persuaded him to affirm that there was no way to prevent it.
• Factions across the Three Continents advertised their spirit mines for sale, but buyers avoided the risky investments despite the low prices.
• Chu Xinghe called a meeting in the Haotian Grand Hall and proposed that the Vast Heaven Holy Land buy spirit mines on a large scale.
• Chu Xinghe argued that the purchases would protect small and medium-sized factions, and the leaders agreed that the Vast Heaven Holy Land should help them.

Chu Xinghe urged the Vast Heaven Holy Land to help small and medium-sized factions survive the spirit mine crisis, arguing that a true sovereign protected the Three Continents rather than exploiting them. The leaders backed him, and he set the direction for the Plan to Benefit All Living Beings by deciding to buy endangered spirit mines at the highest possible prices.

• Chu Xinghe explained that the collapse of small and medium-sized factions would destabilize the Three Continents and urged the Vast Heaven Holy Land to use its resources to help them.
• Chu Xinghe described the sovereign as one who stood behind the people in times of danger, and the leaders of the Vast Heaven Holy Land supported his view.
• The grand elder told Chu Xinghe to do as he wished, while Gu Mingchao and Ma Liang praised him and Ma Liang was assigned to learn from him.
• Chu Xinghe resolved to control the chance of failure himself and declared that he would take charge of the Plan to Benefit All Living Beings.
• Chu Xinghe decided the Vast Heaven Holy Land would buy the struggling factions' spirit mines at the highest possible prices instead of taking advantage of the falling market.

As spirit mine prices collapsed, the Vast Heaven Holy Land announced it would buy mines from small and midsize forces at full value, while Tantai Jing’s Demonic Sect offered only ten percent. Chu Xinghe then asked Wang Tieniu to identify mines most likely to recover, but ordered Ma Liang to buy every mine except those on Tieniu’s list.

• Forces across the Three Continents struggled to sell their spirit mines as buyers feared most would disappear after five years.
• Ma Liang proposed buying mines cheaply, but Chu Xinghe rebuked him for exploiting people in crisis.
• Tantai Jing announced that the Demonic Sect would buy spirit mines for ten percent of their value, expecting to profit from the survivors.
• The Vast Heaven Holy Land declared it would buy the mines at their original value, earning widespread praise for Chu Xinghe.
• Chu Xinghe asked Wang Tieniu to identify mines with better chances of surviving, and Tieniu compiled a list of over five hundred.
• When Ma Liang asked whether they should buy the listed mines first, Chu Xinghe told him to exclude those mines and buy the rest.