Recaps

After the Azure Cloud Stronghold raided both Pan Household estates, Pan Wenbai and Pan Hongxuan sought help from the prefect. The prefect ordered Garrison Commander Li to muster troops, though Li knew his poorly equipped force was unlikely to confront the bandits.

• The steward confirmed that bandits had overrun the Pan Household estate east of the city and informed Pan Wenbai during the night.
• Pan Wenbai told Pan Hongxuan at dawn, and they learned that the estate north of the city had also been raided by people wearing red hats and carrying goods away.
• Pan Hongxuan identified the attackers as the Azure Cloud Stronghold, and Pan Wenbai warned that losing the estates' wealth and grain could ruin the household.
• Pan Wenbai asked the prefect to send troops, and the prefect summoned Garrison Commander Li to muster his men.
• Garrison Commander Li agreed despite knowing that his understrength, poorly equipped soldiers were unlikely to face the bandits, while the prefect condemned their continued looting.

Garrison Commander Li took silver from Pan Hongxuan to march against the Azure Cloud Stronghold, but his troops fled when they faced the stronghold’s disciplined force and powerful crossbows. Hu Tieniu then led his men back to Pan Household Manor.

• Pan Hongxuan promised Garrison Commander Li five thousand taels to suppress the bandits, and Li took two thousand taels up front.
• Li led his soldiers out of the north gate and spotted the Azure Cloud Stronghold’s force blocking the road.
• The stronghold’s soldiers marched forward and fired warning volleys over Li’s men, causing them to panic and flee.
• Li recognized that the stronghold had spared them deliberately and led his remaining guards back at an unhurried pace.
• Hu Tieniu watched the government troops retreat, then led his force back toward Pan Household Manor.

After Garrison Commander Li’s troops retreated, Shen Jingchuan and Hu Tieniu led the capture of the Huang Household’s three remaining estates. Back at Azure Cloud Stronghold, Shen Jingchuan questioned Zhao Kui about the ambushes against him, and Zhao Kui admitted he had taken part in one.

• Garrison Commander Li told the prefect and Pan Hongxuan that his troops had been routed by Azure Cloud Stronghold, leaving Pan Hongxuan convinced the Pan Household’s wealth was lost.
• Hu Tieniu asked Shen Jingchuan to help attack the three remaining Huang Household estates, and Shen Jingchuan agreed to watch the operation.
• Hu Tieniu’s forces took all three estates with Shen Jingchuan’s autocannon and crossbow volleys, while Shen Jingchuan watched from a distance.
• Shen Jingchuan returned to Azure Cloud Stronghold and asked the captured Pan Household guards who had the best martial arts; the prisoners pointed to Zhao Kui.
• Shen Jingchuan questioned Zhao Kui about the attempts on his life, and Zhao Kui admitted he had joined the attack on the official road below Azure Cloud Stronghold.

Shen Jingchuan learned from Zhao Kui that Prince Jing's Heir had ordered the earlier attempt on his life, then let Zhao Kui leave with money and an invitation to join Azure Cloud Stronghold. After advising Hu Tieniu on defending the stronghold and managing its people, Shen Jingchuan returned toward Yuxi Prefecture and bribed the gate guards to let him enter.

• Zhao Kui told Shen Jingchuan that Prince Jing's Heir had ordered the attempt to intercept and kill him, though Zhao Kui did not know why.
• Shen Jingchuan invited Zhao Kui to stay at Azure Cloud Stronghold as a martial arts instructor, gave him travel money, and let him leave to settle matters at home.
• Shen Jingchuan rode down the mountain, met Hu Tieniu, and advised him to guard the stronghold, watch for internal threats, and find educated helpers.
• Shen Jingchuan reached Yuxi Prefecture's south gate, where tense guards initially hesitated to admit him.
• Shen Jingchuan gave gold melon seeds to the gate soldier and officer, who ordered the guards to let him through.

Shen Jingchuan returned to the Shen Residence and decided to reinforce a carriage so he could mount a 23mm autocannon on it. After arranging the modifications in the modern world and reassuring Meng Ke by message, he crossed back to the Shen Residence.

• Shen Jingchuan returned to the Shen Residence, where Lin Qingyao worried about the bandits and Xiao Mingshu said they would set out the next day.
• Shen Jingchuan considered the danger of facing cultivators stronger than the Maxim Heavy Machine Gun could handle and decided to mount a 23mm autocannon on a reinforced carriage.
• Shen Jingchuan crossed to the modern world and asked Factory Director Zhou to reinforce a carriage, strengthen its axles, and add a roof-mounted adjustable support.
• Factory Director Zhou agreed to finish the modifications within three days and deliver the carriage to Shen Jingchuan's suburban warehouse.
• Shen Jingchuan messaged Meng Ke that he was safe but would be away for about ten more days, then returned to the west courtyard of the Shen Residence.

Shen Jingchuan left home with Xiao Mingshu and Huan'er to travel to an immortal cultivation market, after assuring Lin Qingyao that he would return safely. The group reached a lush mountain gorge, where Shen Jingchuan discovered that the market’s guards were powerful cultivators.

• Shen Jingchuan spent time with Bai Ruoli and Lin Qingyao, then refined two Qi Nourishing Pills and slightly increased his cultivation.
• Lin Qingyao asked to accompany Shen Jingchuan, but he refused and asked her to protect the household while he was away.
• Xiao Mingshu joined breakfast with Huan'er, and Shen Jingchuan privately enjoyed her awkwardness after she had spied on him with her Divine Sense.
• Shen Jingchuan set out with Xiao Mingshu and Huan'er, told Liu Hu to guard the residence, and persuaded Little Black and Treading Snow to obey Huan'er.
• After traveling north for two days, Shen Jingchuan reached a verdant mountain gorge and sensed that the two guards blocking the way had reached the Qi Refinement Fifth and Sixth Layers.

Shen Jingchuan and Xiao Mingshu arrived at Spirit Creek Market, settled into the Yuelai Inn, and learned about the market’s rules and amenities. The next morning, Shen Jingchuan brought five hundred watches to a shopkeeper who had sold his goods before.

• Shen Jingchuan entered Spirit Creek Market with Xiao Mingshu and learned that a Golden Core cultivator oversaw the orderly market.
• Xiao Mingshu booked two superior rooms at the Yuelai Inn, where Shen Jingchuan enjoyed a Spiritual Qi-rich meal and heard the market rules.
• Shen Jingchuan checked on Big Black, Little Black, and Treading Snow at the stables and paid the stableman to care for them well.
• The next morning, Shen Jingchuan, Xiao Mingshu, and Huan'er visited a general store where the shopkeeper welcomed Xiao Mingshu and praised the watches she had previously sold.
• Shen Jingchuan placed five hundred wristwatches and pocket watches on the table, surprising the shopkeeper.

Xiao Mingshu and Shen Jingchuan sold watches and portable makeup mirrors through several shops in Spirit Creek Market, bringing in six thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones. As they returned to the inn to avoid attention, Xiao Mingshu explained the capabilities and prices of Spirit Concealing Jade.

• Shen Jingchuan sold five hundred watches to the shopkeeper and made clear that he would not bypass Xiao Mingshu to trade directly.
• Xiao Mingshu checked the thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones and passed them to Shen Jingchuan, then learned that he had brought two thousand watches in total.
• Xiao Mingshu, Shen Jingchuan, and their companion distributed the remaining watches among five more shops and sold a thousand portable makeup mirrors, earning six thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones altogether.
• Xiao Mingshu urged the group to return to the inn because their sales had attracted too much attention.
• Shen Jingchuan asked about ways to conceal their presence, and Xiao Mingshu explained the grades, abilities, and costs of Spirit Concealing Jade.

Shen Jingchuan learned the market prices for cultivation supplies and realized he could profit by using his ring to raise the grades of pills. After confirming no one had followed them, he kept the six thousand Spirit Stones from their sales and later bought two Spirit Concealing Jade plaques at a negotiated price.

• Xiao Mingshu led Shen Jingchuan and Huan'er around Spirit Creek Market to check for anyone tailing them while Shen Jingchuan researched prices for pills and other goods.
• Shen Jingchuan concluded that upgrading low-grade pills could bring large profits and bought two Mid-Grade Qi Nourishing Pills and two Mid-Grade Qi Gathering Pills.
• Xiao Mingshu said no one had followed them and told Shen Jingchuan to keep the six thousand Spirit Stones because others would expect her, as the higher-cultivated cultivator, to carry their valuables.
• After returning to the inn, Shen Jingchuan changed clothes and went back out alone to a Law Artifact and sundries shop.
• Shen Jingchuan bargained with the clerk and bought two Mid-Grade Spirit Concealing Jade plaques for nine hundred Spirit Stones.

Shen Jingchuan bought Spirit Concealing Jade and a Mid-Grade Spirit Gathering Formation Plate, then asked Xian'er how the Spatial Ring used Spiritual Qi to raise items' grades. Xian'er explained that the energy cost varied by item but that raising pill grades within the same tier always brought a profit.

• Shen Jingchuan negotiated the price of a Mid-Grade Spirit Gathering Formation Plate down to eight hundred Spirit Stones and bought it after purchasing two pieces of Spirit Concealing Jade.
• Shen Jingchuan checked that no one was following him before returning to the Yuelai Inn, where Xiao Mingshu invited him to eat.
• Shen Jingchuan returned to his room, set aside Xiao Mingshu's Spirit Stones, and gave his remaining Spirit Stones to the Spatial Ring for Xian'er to absorb.
• Shen Jingchuan asked Xian'er how much Spiritual Qi the ring consumed when raising the grade of pills, talismans, and Law Artifacts.
• Xian'er explained that the energy cost depended on each item's properties and grade, but raising pills within the same tier always yielded a profit.

Shen Jingchuan learned that the Spatial Ring could develop into a small world if it absorbed enough Spiritual Qi, then used upgraded pills to break through to Qi Refining Third Layer. The breakthrough left the ring completely drained, prompting Xian'er to angrily confront him.

• Xian'er told Shen Jingchuan to gather Spirit Stones to restore her divine soul and gradually unlock the Spatial Ring's abilities, and explained that his Geng Metal Arrow and Shield Instruction would grow stronger as his cultivation advanced.
• Shen Jingchuan fed the ring his remaining Spirit Stones and placed newly purchased pills and treasures inside it to have their grades upgraded.
• Shen Jingchuan swallowed three Mid-Grade Qi Nourishing Pills and then two Mid-Grade Qi Gathering Pills, driving his Spiritual Qi against the bottleneck in his Qi Sea.
• Shen Jingchuan broke through to Qi Refining Third Layer and stabilized his cultivation after refining the pills' remaining medicinal power.
• Xian'er angrily called out to Shen Jingchuan, who saw that the ring's Spiritual Qi had vanished and its glow had gone dull.

Shen Jingchuan saved his Spatial Ring from collapse by using a thousand of Xiao Mingshu’s Spirit Stones, then hid the shortage and looked for a way to earn the money back. When Xiao Mingshu planned to leave the next day, he showed her lipstick and perfume, and she asked how much he wanted to charge for them.

• Shen Jingchuan replenished the Spatial Ring with a thousand Spirit Stones just before its foundation could be damaged, and Xian'er warned him not to risk draining its Spiritual Qi again.
• Shen Jingchuan counted Xiao Mingshu’s remaining Spirit Stones, decided to replace the missing thousand without telling her, and prepared to meet her.
• Xiao Mingshu discovered that Shen Jingchuan had reached the Qi Refining Third Layer and proposed shopping before they returned home the next day.
• Shen Jingchuan showed Xiao Mingshu a makeup mirror, lipstick, and perfume, explaining how to use the products.
• Xiao Mingshu praised the products’ quality and convenience, compared them with market goods, and asked Shen Jingchuan how many Spirit Stones he would charge.

Shen Jingchuan showed Xiao Mingshu an eyebrow pencil and nail polish, impressing her with the polish’s vivid, lasting color. They negotiated the price and agreed to split the profits evenly, while Xiao Mingshu found herself increasingly drawn to him.

• Shen Jingchuan showed Xiao Mingshu an eyebrow pencil, which she found convenient but not especially rare.
• Shen Jingchuan carefully painted Xiao Mingshu’s nails, and she was amazed that the bright red polish did not rub off.
• Xiao Mingshu calculated that the makeup set could sell well, and Shen Jingchuan offered it to her for two Spirit Stones per set.
• Xiao Mingshu insisted they split profits evenly, and Shen Jingchuan eventually agreed.
• Xiao Mingshu caught herself wondering whether she had developed feelings for Shen Jingchuan, who was a few years younger than her.

Shen Jingchuan and Xiao Mingshu split up to sell and source goods, while Shen Jingchuan refined upgraded pills and discovered their potent effect. He revealed two bargain-priced high-grade Spirit Concealing Jades to Xiao Mingshu, who claimed one as hers, unknowingly settling his debt to her.

• Shen Jingchuan gave Xiao Mingshu exactly a thousand makeup sets and advised her to sell them in small batches while he searched the market for other bargains.
• Xiao Mingshu took Huan'er to the shop district, while Shen Jingchuan returned to his room and refined two high-grade Qi Nourishing Pills, strengthening his Qi Refining Third Layer cultivation.
• Shen Jingchuan found that the Spirit Concealing Jade and Spirit Gathering Formation Plate had finished upgrading, then wondered how to use the high-grade jade.
• Xiao Mingshu returned, and Shen Jingchuan showed her two high-grade Spirit Concealing Jades he had bought for six thousand Spirit Stones total.
• Xiao Mingshu took one jade, reasoning that Shen Jingchuan had bought it with her Spirit Stones, while Shen Jingchuan realized her assumption had settled the debt he owed her.

Shen Jingchuan learned to use Spirit Concealing Jade while Xiao Mingshu sold the remaining makeup kits in the market. After hiding their identities and making a large profit, they planned to buy supplies and leave the next day.

• Xiao Mingshu taught Shen Jingchuan how Spirit Concealing Jade concealed or simulated cultivation, and he tested its range.
• Xiao Mingshu decided to sell the remaining nine hundred makeup kits and told Huan'er to stay at the inn while she went out alone.
• Shen Jingchuan disguised himself with the jade and makeup, then spent a thousand Spirit Stones on mid-grade pills for his spatial ring to upgrade.
• Xiao Mingshu told Shen Jingchuan that she had sold nine hundred makeup kits in half a day, including two hundred sets at six Spirit Stones each.
• Xiao Mingshu said they would buy more cultivation supplies and leave the market the next day to avoid the risks of carrying so many Spirit Stones.

Shen Jingchuan gave Xiao Mingshu two high-grade Qi Gathering Pills to help her break through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, then used his upgraded high-grade Qi Nourishing Pills to cultivate through the night. By dawn, he was close to breaking through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

• Xiao Mingshu explained cultivation pills and Law Artifact tiers to Shen Jingchuan over spirit wine.
• Shen Jingchuan gave Xiao Mingshu two high-grade Qi Gathering Pills and claimed he had traded secretly held-back makeup bags for them.
• Xiao Mingshu grew emotional, hugged Shen Jingchuan, and decided to refine the pills overnight in hopes of reaching the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.
• Shen Jingchuan cultivated with his Spirit Gathering Formation Plate and high-grade Qi Nourishing Pills after returning to his room.
• By dawn, Shen Jingchuan felt the barrier to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer beginning to tremble.

Shen Jingchuan bought life-prolonging pills as a gift for Meng Ke's mother, then sold five High-Grade Qi Gathering Pills to a shopkeeper for four thousand Spirit Stones. He left the shopkeeper's offer accepted and a Storage Bag as an added gift.

• Shen Jingchuan prepared to meet Meng Ke's mother and bought six Essence-Nourishing Pills and six Life-Extending Pills for one hundred and ten Spirit Stones.
• Shen Jingchuan asked the shopkeeper whether he bought pills and presented a High-Grade Qi Gathering Pill for appraisal.
• The shopkeeper offered six hundred Spirit Stones for the pill, but Shen Jingchuan negotiated a price of eight hundred apiece.
• Shen Jingchuan revealed four more jade bottles, and the shopkeeper inspected the five pills and paid him four thousand Spirit Stones, including a Storage Bag.

Shen Jingchuan secretly bought more cultivation pills, returned to the modern world, and prepared a rare gift for Meng Ke’s mother. He arrived at Meng Ke’s home for dinner and was introduced to her mother.

• Shen Jingchuan disguised himself, bought twenty Mid-Grade Qi Gathering Pills, and returned to the inn after taking precautions against being followed.
• Shen Jingchuan returned to the modern world, upgraded the Life-Extending Pills, and called Meng Ke.
• Shen Jingchuan and Meng Ke left her studio together, and he packed the upgraded pills into a jade bottle as a gift for her mother.
• Shen Jingchuan and Meng Ke arrived at her home, where her mother welcomed them and prepared dinner.
• Meng Ke introduced Shen Jingchuan to her mother.

Shen Jingchuan gave Meng Ke's mother an upgraded health pill, then helped her body withstand its powerful effects. After the pill expelled impurities and darkened her graying hair, she went to wash and froze at what she saw.

• Shen Jingchuan presented Meng Ke's mother with a jade bottle containing a pill, and urged her to take it before its medicinal power faded.
• Meng Ke's mother swallowed the pill, but soon doubled over with painful stomach cramps.
• Shen Jingchuan examined her and used Spiritual Power to guide the pill's strong medicinal effects through her meridians.
• Meng Ke's mother's cramps subsided, her graying hair turned black, and black sludge began seeping from her skin.
• Meng Ke's mother went to wash the sludge off, then froze after rinsing it away.

Meng Ke's mother and Meng Ke took Shen Jingchuan's rejuvenating medicine, which transformed their appearances and left them covered in black grime. The chapter ended with Shen Jingchuan rushing toward the bathroom after hearing screams from Meng Ke and her mother.

• Meng Ke's mother discovered that the medicine had made her look and feel more than ten years younger.
• Shen Jingchuan gave Meng Ke an identical jade bottle and urged her to take the medicine, reassuring her that he would guide its effects.
• Meng Ke's mother hurriedly put the pill in Meng Ke's mouth and gave her water, and Shen Jingchuan helped the medicine spread through her body.
• Meng Ke felt warmth instead of severe pain, then noticed black grime on her skin and rushed to the bathroom.
• When Meng Ke screamed from the bathroom, Meng Ke's mother calmly went to check on her, then screamed too, prompting Shen Jingchuan to run after them.

After Meng Ke caught Shen Jingchuan peeking into the steamy bathroom, the two teased each other about her youthful appearance. When Meng Ke and her mother asked about the medicine that had rejuvenated them, Shen Jingchuan revealed supernatural powers and demonstrated them, leaving them stunned.

• Meng Ke caught Shen Jingchuan looking through the bathroom doorway and angrily called him a pervert.
• Meng Ke and her mother bickered with Shen Jingchuan, who teased Meng Ke about looking much younger.
• Meng Ke's mother asked Shen Jingchuan what medicine they had taken, and he decided to reveal part of his secret.
• Shen Jingchuan summoned a small blue flame and made a drinking glass disappear to demonstrate his powers.
• Meng Ke and her mother were shocked, and Shen Jingchuan asked what would convince them his powers were not a trick.

Shen Jingchuan demonstrated his cultivation abilities to Meng Ke and her mother, then explained why he sometimes disappeared and asked them to keep his secret. After reassuring Meng Ke and leaving her home, he discovered that Factory Director Zhou had texted him that the modified carriage had arrived at the warehouse.

• Shen Jingchuan used a Cleaning Technique to make the dining table and the dishes spotless, astonishing Meng Ke and Mother Meng.
• Shen Jingchuan used the Azure Wood Rejuvenation Instruction to make an orchid bloom and restore the yellowed pothos leaves.
• Shen Jingchuan told Meng Ke and Mother Meng that he cultivated in a place where electronic devices lost signal, and that the rare ginseng and pill had come from there.
• Meng Ke and Mother Meng agreed to keep his abilities and explanation secret, and Meng Ke kissed Shen Jingchuan goodbye at the door.
• Shen Jingchuan left and saw Factory Director Zhou's text saying the modified carriage had been delivered to the warehouse.

Shen Jingchuan replaced his carriage, witnessed Xiao Mingshu break through, and cultivated through the night but still fell short of the Qi Refining Fourth Layer. Meanwhile, Zhou Meng reported a lead on the unusual goods seller and warned Wang Cheng'an that three suspicious cultivators were secretly following her.

• Shen Jingchuan retrieved Old Zhou's reinforced carriage and swapped it for his four-wheeled carriage at the Yuelai Inn.
• Xiao Mingshu broke through her bottleneck, thanked Shen Jingchuan for the two High-Grade Qi Gathering Pills, and agreed to shop for supplies with him before their journey.
• Shen Jingchuan cultivated with two High-Grade Qi Gathering Pills, bringing the Qi Refining Fourth Layer bottleneck close but failing to break through.
• Shen Jingchuan and Xiao Mingshu went with Huan'er to the front courtyard for breakfast.
• Zhou Meng told Wang Cheng'an that a cautious female cultivator at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer sold the unusual goods through shops and had two Qi Refining Third Layer servants.
• Zhou Meng warned Wang Cheng'an that three suspicious cultivators had been following the female cultivator for two days without her noticing.

Zhou Meng plotted to rob Shen Jingchuan’s business by killing three would-be bandits and taking the proceeds for himself. As Shen Jingchuan prepared to leave Spirit Creek Market, a shopkeeper offered pills that could awaken Big Black’s ancestral Heavenly Horse bloodline.

• Wang Cheng'an told Zhou Meng to leave Shen Jingchuan’s honest trade alone, but Zhou Meng secretly planned to steal her profits.
• Zhou Meng spotted Su Wan, Li Mo, and Han Laoliu waiting outside the Yuelai Inn to rob the merchant, and decided to kill them and take the goods himself.
• Shen Jingchuan, Xiao Mingshu, and Huan'er prepared their carriage and left the inn, then bought pills at a shop, with Shen Jingchuan paying for Xiao Mingshu’s purchases.
• The pill shopkeeper offered Shen Jingchuan four Mid-Grade Ancestral Reversion Pills for Big Black, explaining they might awaken his Heavenly Horse bloodline and let him grow wings.
• Big Black eagerly hoped Shen Jingchuan would buy the pills so he could become a Heavenly Horse and fly.

Shen Jingchuan bought three Ancestral Reversion Pills by trading High-Grade Qi Gathering Pills, then traveled with Xiao Mingshu’s group toward the mortal world. When cultivator bandits ambushed them, he used a Maxim to break Su Wan’s defenses and wound her.

• Shen Jingchuan bought three Ancestral Reversion Pills and paid the shopkeeper three thousand Spirit Stones after trading six High-Grade Qi Gathering Pills.
• Xiao Mingshu warned Shen Jingchuan that three people had followed them and suspected an ambush ahead.
• After the group passed through the canyon, Xiao Mingshu confronted two masked attackers while Shen Jingchuan and Huan'er faced Su Wan, a Qi Refining Sixth Layer cultivator.
• Shen Jingchuan fired a golden attack at Su Wan, but she blocked it with a small round shield and charged forward.
• Shen Jingchuan pulled out a Maxim and fired at Su Wan, shattering her Spiritual Qi barrier and damaging her shield as bullets wounded her lower abdomen.