Chapter Summaries

Wang Changsheng discovered an attempt to kill Wang Changyu and questioned the attackers after rescuing Li Qiwen. He learned that an unknown man had hired them, then returned to Azure Lotus Mountain to report the plot to Wang Yaozong.

• Wang Changyu and Li Qiwen were attacked by a short fat woman and a Middle-aged Man, while Wang Changsheng watched from concealment.
• Li Qiwen fought the attackers and helped Wang Changyu escape with a Soaring Talisman; Wang Changsheng then bound the attackers and rescued Li Qiwen.
• Wang Changsheng questioned the attackers and learned that a tall, thin man at the Ninth Level of Qi Refining had hired them to kill Wang Changyu and exchange her head at White Cloud Ridge in Yun Province.
• Wang Changsheng let the attackers leave the area, then killed them and searched their Storage Pouches and corpses.
• Wang Changsheng returned to Azure Lotus Mountain and told Wang Yaozong what had happened, prompting Wang Yaozong to convene a clan meeting.

Wang Changsheng and the other Wang Family members debated who had attacked Wang Changyu, then learned that the Chen and Huang Families had also lost clansmen to attacks or disappearances. With all three families suspecting a wider threat but lacking evidence, marriages linked the Huang Family to both the Wang and Chen Families, and the attacks stopped for several months.

• Wang Changsheng, Wang Yaozong, and the other Wang Family members considered whether the Lin, Chen, or Huang Family had arranged the attack on Wang Changyu, but they could not identify a culprit.
• Wang Mingzhi told Wang Yaozong and Wang Changsheng that Huang Haiming and Chen Xianren had arrived, and the two visitors reported missing or attacked relatives.
• Wang Yaozong told Huang Haiming and Chen Xianren that Wang Changyu had also been attacked, leading all three families to suspect someone was targeting them without reaching a conclusion.
• Huang Haiming proposed marrying his granddaughter to Wang Changsheng, but after he refused, Wang Yaozong agreed to her marriage to Wang Changhui.
• Wang Changhui married Huang Ruoyun, and less than a month later Huang Ruohui married Chen Xianren, with Huang Haiming providing shops as dowries.
• No clansmen from the Wang, Chen, or Huang Families suffered further casualties over the following months.

Over three years, Wang Changsheng advanced his cultivation, improved his Puppet Beast skills, and helped the Wang Family develop its craftsmen and Talisman Masters. The chapter ended with him inspecting Li Qiwen’s workshop, where Li Qiwen was attempting to refine an unknown special Talisman.

• Wang Changsheng advanced to the Foundation Establishment Third Layer, strengthened his spiritual sense, and successfully refined a Second Grade Middle Rank Tiger-shaped Puppet Beast.
• Wang Changsheng fed his Gold Devouring Ants discarded materials and Spirit Rice, then gave a Green Fruit to his First Grade High Rank Twin-Pupil Spirit Rat.
• Wang Changsheng guided Wang Mingmei, Wang Mingzhong, Wang Changbin, Wang Changhao, and Wang Changping as they trained to refine Puppet Beasts.
• Wang Changyu and Li Qiwen married after Li Qiwen agreed to become a live-in son-in-law on the condition that their first child bear the Li surname; their daughter, Li Yuehua, was born, and Wang Changyu was pregnant again.
• Wang Changsheng visited Li Qiwen’s workshop and saw the results of his attempt to refine an unknown special Talisman.

Wang Changsheng traveled to White Dragon Valley for a rare Grand Auction and reunited with Wang Changxing and Wang Changfeng. He learned that Wang Changxue had sent a warning to stay away from the Four Sects of Great Song, leaving the Wang Family to prepare for possible turmoil.

• Wang Mingyuan told Wang Changsheng about the upcoming Grand Auction at White Dragon Valley, and Wang Changsheng decided to attend alone.
• Wang Changsheng arrived at Azure Cloud Pavilion, where Wang Changxing welcomed him and reported that the brothers had found no trace of Wang Changxue.
• Wang Changsheng met Wang Changfeng, who revealed that the Hundred Spirits Sect was a suspect in Wang Changxue's disappearance.
• Wang Changfeng showed Wang Changsheng a letter in Wang Changxue's handwriting saying she was safe and warning the family to stay away from the Four Sects of Great Song.
• Wang Changfeng warned that the Five Sects of Wei were expanding their forces and drawing cultivators from multiple kingdoms to the Grand Auction, and Wang Changsheng agreed that the family should prepare.

Wang Changsheng and his brothers investigated who had controlled their second sister, while powerful cultivators plotted to seize Song Kingdom. At an exchange gathering in White Dragon Valley, Wang Changsheng unexpectedly met Wang Ruyan again.

• Wang Changsheng questioned Wang Changfeng and Wang Changxing about their second sister’s message, and Wang Changfeng invited him to a small exchange gathering.
• Four Core Formation cultivators discussed the Five Sects of Wei’s plan to take Song Kingdom under orders from the Taiyi Immortal Sect.
• Wang Changfeng introduced Wang Changsheng to fellow cultivators in White Dragon Valley and revealed that he and Wang Changxing used the names Li Changfeng and Li Changxing in public.
• Wang Changfeng hosted a gathering for Foundation Establishment cultivators at the Azure Cloud Pavilion, where Wang Changsheng recognized Wang Ruyan arriving with her older brother, Daoist Fang.

At an exchange gathering, Wang Changsheng traded two Second Order Low Grade Puppet Beasts for Zhao Ji’s materials and then found a valuable cultivation resource in Fang Mu’s Dark Yin Cold Water. Fang Mu offered a much larger quantity of the water, and Wang Changsheng began offering the yin-attribute materials he had obtained in the Ghost Abyss.

• Wang Changfeng exchanged Azure Cloud Sand and Azure Cloud Spirit Wood with the white-robed scholar for a Dry Fire Stone.
• Wang Ruyan exchanged Gold Adamant Jade for silk from Second Order Mid-Grade Ice Silkworms, while Zhao Ji failed to find anyone offering matching Dharma Artifacts.
• Wang Changsheng offered Zhao Ji two Second Order Low Grade Puppet Beasts in exchange for his Demon Core, Fire Flame Jade, and Azure Mist Jade, and Zhao Ji agreed.
• Fang Mu arrived carrying a Black Coffin, spread out his materials, and offered them in exchange for yin-attribute Spirit Herbs and Refining Materials.
• Wang Changsheng exchanged two Yin Pearls of Ghost General rank for Fang Mu’s first Black Gourd of diluted Dark Yin Cold Water.
• Fang Mu offered Wang Changsheng another gourd containing five hundred catties of Dark Yin Cold Water, and Wang Changsheng took out materials from the Ghost Abyss for a further exchange.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan traded materials at a gathering, and Wang Changsheng began refining the Dark Yin Cold Water to advance his cultivation. Nearly half a month later, he and Wang Changfeng attended the Hundred Treasure Pavilion Auction, where Wang Changsheng saw Wang Ruyan with the Wang Family’s Core Formation cultivator, Wang Huashan.

• Fang Mu traded six hundred pounds of Dark Yin Cold Water to Wang Changsheng for two stalks of Dark Yin Grass, and Wang Ruyan traded two Yin Pearls for cyan silk and Green Gold Spirit Wood.
• Wang Ruyan traded Iron Ying Sand and Rat Wolf Beast materials to Zhao Ji for a Fire Attribute Demon Core, while Wang Changsheng exchanged two flying swords with Fang Zixu for Blue Moon Sand and Cold Iron Stones.
• Wang Changsheng returned to his lodgings and began absorbing the Dark Yin Cold Water, believing it would help him reach the Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer within three years.
• Nearly half a month later, Wang Changsheng and Wang Changfeng paid to enter the Hundred Treasure Pavilion Auction, where Wang Changsheng spotted Wang Ruyan beside Wang Huashan.
• Wang Changfeng urged Wang Changsheng to pursue Wang Ruyan, and Wang Changsheng agreed to seek another chance to get to know her.
• Du Zhanyuan opened the Auction and announced its bidding rules.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Changfeng attended an auction, where Wang Changsheng bought an Artificing Furnace, an Ice Flood Dragon Essence Soul, and two bottles of Terra True Fiend while Wang Ruyan secured a Youth Preservation Pill and a formation set. The auction continued with a piece of Silver Essence, and Li Shixian watched from a private room.

• Du Zhanyuan auctioned Dharma Artifacts, spirit wine, and other items as Wang Changsheng and Wang Changfeng watched without bidding.
• Wang Changsheng bought the Violet Sun Furnace for two thousand five hundred Spirit Stones and the Ice Flood Dragon Essence Soul for one thousand eight hundred.
• Wang Changfeng bought a box of Departure Fire Sand for one thousand two hundred Spirit Stones.
• Wang Changsheng bought two bottles of Terra True Fiend for seventeen thousand five hundred Spirit Stones, and Wang Ruyan bought a Youth Preservation Pill and a Tier 2 High Grade Departure Fire Formation set.
• Wang Changsheng failed to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill, while Fang Zixu bought the Azure Wind Leopard for thirty thousand Spirit Stones.
• Lu Zhanyuan began auctioning a piece of third grade lower rank Silver Essence as Li Shixian watched from a private room.

The auction’s final items included rare materials, defensive talismans, and a Magic Treasure Embryo, which drew an unruly Core Formation Stage cultivator onto the platform. Daoist Sun stopped him, and the bidding for the Earth Wolf Shield began.

• Wanghuashan won the Seven-Tael Silver Essence for 60,000 Spirit Stones, and a third grade lower rank Fire Attribute Demon Core sold for 50,000.
• A third grade lower rank Dual Polarity Heavenly Seal Talisman sold for 70,000 Spirit Stones, and a Tier 3 Mid-Grade Flamefire Toad Hide sold for 55,000.
• Du Zhanyuan presented the Earth Wolf Shield, a Magic Treasure Embryo, as the auction’s final item and set its starting price at 50,000 Spirit Stones.
• Huang Mazi rushed onto the platform and tried to take the shield, but Daoist Sun drove him back with a warning.
• Daoist Sun ordered Du Zhanyuan to continue, and Du Zhanyuan reopened the bidding for the Earth Wolf Shield.

Huang Fugui sold Azure Jade Pills and Geng Goldstone to pay for the Mystic Treasure Embryo, while the Five Sects of Wei revealed that the auction was meant to facilitate an exchange of materials. After the auction, Wang Changsheng refined the Violet Sun Furnace and began crafting a Dharma Artifact for Wang Changfeng.

• Huang Fugui bid 200,000 Spirit Stones for the Mystic Treasure Embryo, then auctioned five Azure Jade Pills and a piece of Geng Goldstone to cover the cost.
• Li Shixian bought the Azure Jade Pills for 110,000 Spirit Stones, and Huang Fugui sold the Geng Goldstone for 40,000 before collecting the Earth Wolf Shield.
• The Blue-robed Scholar announced that the auction had ended and invited Core Formation cultivators to remain for an Exchange Gathering, prompting Li Yang to recognize the Five Sects of Wei's plan to trade materials.
• Wang Changsheng and Wang Changfeng left the auction, bought Refining Materials, and returned to their residence.
• Wang Changsheng refined the Violet Sun Furnace, recovered his magical power, and began using it to craft a Dharma Artifact for Wang Changfeng.

Wang Changsheng left White Dragon Valley to return to his family, while a conspiracy against Li Shixian and preparations for a coming war unfolded elsewhere. Near the Blackwind Mountains, Fang Mu confronted Wang Changsheng and demanded his Yin-Attribute materials.

• Tong Tianwen, Sun Junyan, Li Haifeng, and Feng Yue discussed their plan to poison Li Shixian with the Azure Jade Pills and then attack Song Kingdom.
• Wang Changsheng gave Wang Changfeng the Flamefire Pearl, promised to refine him a better artifact later, and agreed to discuss moving some clansmen to Chu Kingdom.
• Wang Changsheng left White Dragon Valley on the Azure Moon Wheel to send the Terra True Fiend back to his clan.
• Wang Changxue worried about her family while Senior Brother Ye reassured her that she could return home in a few years.
• Wang Changsheng discovered he was being followed, lured the pursuer to a mountain near the Blackwind Mountains, and confronted Fang Mu.
• Fang Mu demanded Wang Changsheng's Yin-Attribute materials and threatened to leave him a corpse.

Wang Changsheng fought Fang Mu, whose Profound Yin Banner and fused Bone Corpse overwhelmed Wang Changsheng’s Puppet Beasts and defenses. Wang Changsheng pressed Fang Mu in close combat, and their weapons clashed with neither gaining a decisive advantage.

• Fang Mu revealed his Natal Mystic Tool, the Profound Yin Banner, while Wang Changsheng summoned five Puppet Beasts and protected himself with a White Jade Ruler.
• Fang Mu used the Profound Yin Banner to shield himself, darken the battlefield, and summon three Bone Corpses that he fused into a powerful creature.
• Wang Changsheng’s Puppet Beasts attacked the fused Bone Corpse but failed to injure it, while Fang Mu’s defenses blocked Wang Changsheng’s ice attacks.
• Wang Changsheng charged Fang Mu with the Azure Cloud Cudgel after his ice spikes weakened the Black Light Screen.
• Fang Mu blocked the Azure Cloud Cudgel with a Black Long Staff, and the force of their clash drove Wang Changsheng back three steps and Fang Mu back two.

Wang Changsheng fought Fang Mu, a powerful body cultivator who wielded a coffin, a zombie, and formidable artifacts. They ended their battle after Fang Mu paid Wang Changsheng three thousand Spirit Stones for information about the Ghost Abyss, then departed on separate paths.

• Wang Changsheng attacked Fang Mu with his Azure Cloud Cudgel and puppets, but Fang Mu's defenses turned aside his strikes.
• Wang Changsheng froze the Bone Corpse and Little Jiangshi with his Mystic Ice Banner while Fang Mu burned the Black Bear Puppet to ash with a black-flame gourd.
• A message told Fang Mu that his allies had found a traitor, so he offered Wang Changsheng three thousand Spirit Stones in exchange for information about his Yin Pearls.
• Wang Changsheng told Fang Mu that the Yin Pearls came from the Ghost Abyss, which had appeared several years earlier and was full of Ghosts.
• Fang Mu melted the ice around the Bone Corpse and Little Jiangshi, then flew away with his coffin; Wang Changsheng left on the Azure Moon Wheel.

Wang Changsheng obtained a Vein Restoration Pill from Zhao Ningxiang and returned to Azure Lotus Mountain with news that war between Song and Wei might be approaching. The Wang Family began planning to stockpile supplies and move some clansmen to Chu Kingdom, while Zhao Ningxiang’s changed behavior and her hostility toward Senior Brother Nangong remained unexplained.

• Wang Changsheng visited Medicine King Valley to buy a Vein Restoration Pill and learned from Zhao Ningxiang that she had a bottle, which she gave him without accepting payment.
• Zhao Ningxiang told Wang Changsheng to pass Spirit Stones to Grandma, said she would miss her birthday, and warned him that something major seemed imminent.
• A red-shirted youth asked Zhao Ningxiang why she had skipped Senior Brother Nangong’s wedding; she curtly dismissed him and flew away.
• Wang Changsheng returned to Azure Lotus Mountain and told Wang Yaozong and the Clan Elders that the Four Sects of Great Song were stockpiling strategic supplies and that war might be coming.
• Wang Yaozu suggested the Hundred Spirits Sect had controlled Changxue to persuade the Wang Family and its allied families to submit to Wei Kingdom.
• Wang Yaocong proposed stockpiling weapons and supplies, while Wang Changsheng urged moving some clansmen to Chu Kingdom; Wang Yaozong agreed and asked Wang Mingyuan about the family’s cultivators.

Wang Changsheng arranged for clan resources to be conserved and traveled with five Wang Family members to Azurewave City to establish a foothold. After entering the city, he hired Sun Qian as a guide and began learning about its districts and businesses.

• Wang Changsheng proposed closing the Wang Family's Violet Moon Market shop, sending clan members to Chu Kingdom, and discreetly hoarding supplies.
• The Wang Family assigned the Terra True Fiend to Wang Mingzhong and the Foundation Establishment Pill to Wang Mingjiang, then arranged for Wang Changsheng to lead a small group to Chu Kingdom.
• Wang Changsheng and five clan members rode Azure Scale Horses to Azurewave City and entered through a Peach Blossom Forest.
• Wang Changsheng hired Sun Qian to guide them around the city and explain its districts, shops, and rental administration office.
• Wang Changsheng bought noodles for the group and asked Sun Qian to tell them which shops did the best business.

Wang Changsheng settled his group in Azurewave City after learning that no shops were available to rent yet, and used the opportunity to push Wang Qingze toward independence. The family began making plans to find work and gather information while waiting for shop leases to expire.

• Sun Qian showed Wang Changsheng and the others Azurewave City's major shops, and Wang Qingze became interested in Azure Bee Jade Ginseng Wine.
• Wang Changsheng learned that five shops might become available in a month and rented Courtyard 372 for the group.
• Wang Qingze chatted with Sun Qian about cultivation while keeping his family's origins secret.
• After Sun Qian left, Wang Changsheng questioned Wang Qingze about their conversation and told him to find work and become self-reliant.
• Wang Changsheng assigned Wang Mingzhan and another family member to check shop availability, and told Fifteenth Brother to research prices for Puppet Beasts, Spirit Tools, and Dharma Artifacts.

Wang Changsheng finished refining a Mid-Grade Dharma Artifact after several attempts, then learned Wang Shutao had discovered his whereabouts and visited him in Azurewave City. Wang Shutao could not help him rent a shop, but suggested a joint venture with the Wang Family’s Artifact Refining Shop, where Wang Ruyan was managing the business.

• Wang Changsheng completed an Adamantine Brick after failing twice, though its sides still had tiny pits.
• Wang Mingzhan admitted he had revealed Wang Changsheng’s whereabouts to Wang Shutao while hoping to use the Wang Family’s influence to find a shop.
• Wang Changsheng cautioned Wang Mingzhan not to act without consulting him, then met Wang Shutao.
• Wang Shutao refused to help Wang Changsheng rent a shop but proposed working together in the Wang Family’s Artifact Refining Shop.
• Wang Changsheng reacted eagerly when Wang Shutao revealed that Wang Ruyan was in the Market managing the shop.

Wang Changsheng met Wang Ruyan at the Spirit Armory Pavilion and negotiated a partnership to refine Dharma Artifacts for her shop. After agreeing on their terms, he inspected the refining chambers and left.

• Wang Shutao brought Wang Changsheng to the Spirit Armory Pavilion and introduced him to Wang Ruyan, then arranged to hand over the Second Order Puppet Beasts to her.
• Wang Ruyan served Wang Changsheng Spirit Tea and Green Plum Cakes, and they discussed his offer to refine Dharma Artifacts for the shop.
• Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan bargained over their profit split and settled on sixty percent for her and forty percent for him, with Wang Changsheng also supplying two extra Second Order Low Grade Puppet Beasts each year.
• Wang Changsheng invited Wang Ruyan to dinner at the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion the following evening, and she accepted.
• Wang Ruyan introduced Wang Changsheng to her Eighteenth Uncle, Wang Shuchong, and showed him the shop's refining chambers before he left.

Wang Changsheng visited the Sky Cloud Pavilion, where Wang Qingze's careless mistake over ginseng sales led to his and Wang Changren's dismissal. After learning what had happened, Wang Changsheng offered Qingze a chance to learn Artifact Refining from him.

• Wang Changsheng went to the Sky Cloud Pavilion to check on Wang Qingze and Wang Changren.
• A foundation establishment cultivator accused Wang Qingze of giving him the wrong kinds of ginseng, and Chen Ruyi confirmed Qingze's mistake by checking the stock and accounts.
• Chen Ruyi dismissed Wang Qingze and Wang Changren, while Wang Changsheng witnessed Qingze's departure and questioned him later at home.
• Wang Qingze said he had been frightened and confused the ginseng, though he could not explain why.
• Wang Changsheng told Wang Qingze to learn Artifact Refining from him, and Qingze eagerly agreed.

Wang Changsheng practiced artifact refining at the Spirit Armory Pavilion, then took Wang Ruyan to dinner as he tried to grow closer to her. The meal ended with Wang Changsheng encountering the foundation establishment cultivator who had argued with Wang Qingze.

• Wang Changsheng left Wang Qingze with Wang Shuchong and began refining a Golden Moon Blade from the supplied blueprint and materials.
• Wang Qingze spent the day drinking and chatting with Wang Shuchong, and Wang Changsheng later gave him basic artifact-refining knowledge to study.
• Wang Changsheng met Wang Ruyan for dinner at the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion, where she spoke more freely about artifact refining but showed little interest in extending their conversation.
• As Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan left the pavilion, a White-Robed Scholar greeted her and introduced Daoist Li, whom Wang Changsheng recognized as the cultivator who had argued with Wang Qingze at the Sky Cloud Pavilion.