Recaps

After Wei Lian left, Wang Chen improved his Comprehension, gained a sudden understanding of his cultivation, and spent weeks reviewing his techniques before visiting the bustling Tianyun Immortal Gathering. The chapter leaves him stopped at an unusual stall that catches his attention.

• Wang Chen added one attribute point to Comprehension and experienced a surge of insight into his cultivation techniques and their flaws.
• Wang Chen secluded himself to review his techniques, practice Talisman crafting, and refine two Magic Tools.
• In December, the Tianyun Immortal Gathering opened outside Yunyang City, drawing sect cultivators and rogue cultivators to its crowded markets.
• Wang Chen visited the gathering, browsed its stalls, and bought holiday decorations and couplets.
• A particular stall stopped Wang Chen as he wandered through the market.

Wang Chen bought fifty books at a market stall, then rode home among cultivators who celebrated a good harvest and the sect’s recovery from recent disasters. A rumor that Field Rent would rise next year silenced the carriage and left the passengers worried about making ends meet.

• Wang Chen spotted a counterfeit cultivation manual at a rogue cultivator’s book stall and chose fifty books about travel, demons, Evil Spirits, and a Purple Mansion cultivator’s notes.
• Wang Chen ignored the stall owner’s offer of a treasure map and continued shopping before heading home by Dragon Scale Horse carriage.
• The carriage passengers praised the sect for eliminating the Insect Plague and Gray-Eyed Bandits and celebrated a good rice harvest.
• An elderly man said his son had joined the Reclamation Camp, saved the family rent on ten mu of Spirit Fields, earned rewards, and advanced by a minor realm.
• A passenger mentioned a rumor that Field Rent would rise next year, and the cultivators fell silent, fearing they would not have enough Spirit Grain to eat or cultivate.

Wang Chen spent a lonely New Year's Eve in another world, but Wei Lian's message brought him some comfort before Child Demons appeared near his home. The next morning, Old Master Sun told him the sect was raising Field Rent and charging for rice seeds, leaving Wang Chen to consider preparing an escape route.

• Wang Chen cooked and ate New Year's Eve dinner alone, then watched fireworks from his roof.
• Wei Lian sent a Crane Message saying she and Wei Xiong were well at Xie Mansion and wishing Wang Chen good fortune.
• A group of Child Demons appeared in Old Master Sun's Spirit Field, then disappeared into the wilderness.
• Wang Chen sealed his underground chamber for the night and dreamed of his family and Wang Shaoyuan.
• Wang Chen visited Old Master Sun on New Year's Day and learned that village chiefs would be replaced, Field Rent would rise, and rice seeds would have to be bought with Spirit Stones.
• Wang Chen questioned the sect's new policies and considered preparing a way out for himself.

Wang Chen advanced Vajra Fist to Great Accomplishment, which also brought his Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma to its third layer and strengthened his physique. After Zheng Tu extorted Spirit Stones for rice seeds and stole Wang Chen’s hens, Wang Chen watched him leave with rage burning in his eyes.

• Wang Chen used Human Virtue to advance Vajra Fist, breaking through to Great Accomplishment and the third layer of Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma.
• Wang Chen ate seven chunks of Demonic Beast Meat to recover from the breakthrough and considered the cost of cultivation.
• Zheng Tu arrived with two Spirit Planting Hall disciples and demanded ten Lower Spirit for rice seeds for Wang Chen’s ten mu of Spirit Fields.
• Wang Chen paid Zheng Tu despite suspecting the price was inflated, then watched him take both hens from the chicken coop.
• Wang Chen stared after Zheng Tu as flames in his eyes took the form of a roaring Heavenly Dragon.

After witnessing Madam Li being beaten by the dark-faced cultivator, Wang Chen disguised himself as a wandering monk and ambushed the man on the road. He killed the cultivator and one of his companions, seized their storage pouches, and escaped while announcing himself as Lu Zhishen.

• Wang Chen saw the dark-faced cultivator kick Madam Li and threaten to sell her to the Ruyi Brothel, while Old Sun stayed inside.
• Wang Chen used the Thousand Transformations Mask and the Mighty Strength Art to transform himself into a burly Ascetic Wandering Monk named Old Lu.
• Wang Chen waited on the Chidao for the dark-faced cultivator and two Spirit Planting Hall disciples, then stunned them with the Soul-Swaying Bell.
• Wang Chen killed the dark-faced cultivator with the Furious Vajra Fist and killed one disciple with a kick, taking their storage pouches and bodies.
• Wang Chen fled into the distance, proclaiming himself Lu Zhishen of Mount Liang Temple.

After killing the cultivators who tried to rob him, Wang Chen discovered that the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma had stirred a dangerous urge to destroy. He questioned his heart and established his Dao conviction, leaving his will firm enough to resist the technique’s influence.

• Wang Chen returned to his secret chamber, realized his blood and qi were driving him toward more violence, and calmed himself with sandalwood incense and the Five Elements Technique.
• Wang Chen concluded that the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma and his powerful blood and qi had intensified his violent temperament after he broke through to its third level.
• Wang Chen rejected Buddhist teachings and suppressed a thought of seeking relief through dual cultivation, then reread Zhang Gong's Admonitions.
• Wang Chen questioned his heart and declared, “My heart and my deeds are clear as a bright mirror; all that I do is justice!”
• Wang Chen's Dao heart formed, and a coiling chain appeared around the phantom Heavenly Dragon in his Sea of Consciousness, marking his resolve against the technique's influence.

After defeating the cultivators who had oppressed the villagers, Wang Chen examined his spoils and discovered that his Thousand Transformations Mask had gained Seal-Breaking Points. He then helped the injured Old Sun’s household, while Old Sun listened with a complicated expression as Madam Li cursed the Guard Station.

• Wang Chen found spirit stones and other items in the two storage bags and discovered that disguising himself with the Thousand Transformations Mask had added 100 Seal-Breaking Points.
• Wang Chen used the Heavenly Merit he had gained to raise his Divine Soul attribute by one point.
• Wang Chen visited Old Sun’s home and learned from Madam Li that Old Sun was unconscious and the household had no spirit stones to pay for a physician.
• Wang Chen gave Madam Li ten Lower Spirit stones for the physician, treated Old Sun and her son with Healing Pills, and later gave her five more stones for Old Sun’s recovery.
• After Old Sun woke, Madam Li thanked Wang Chen and cursed the Guard Station, while Old Sun listened with a complex expression.

Wang Chen entered Yunyang City and saw a bounty notice for Lu Zhishen, then bought supplies and a concealed-weapon technique while catching up with Madam Chen and Little Ya. He left a teahouse after overhearing that people were discussing Lu Zhishen, whose story had become dangerous to mention openly.

• Wang Chen saw the bounty notice for Lu Zhishen at Yunyang City's southern gate and entered the city despite its tightened searches.
• Wang Chen bought Talisman Paper and talisman ink, then met Madam Chen and Little Ya, who had moved to the city for work at the Xie Family Embroidery Workshop.
• Wang Chen bought Little Ya a candied hawthorn skewer and purchased the Thousand Illusions Hand technique from the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce.
• Wang Chen heard teahouse patrons discussing Lu Zhishen and left after the owner warned them to watch their words.

After the search for the Chidao murderer died down, Wang Chen kept a low profile and focused on cultivation and talisman-making. He advanced Basic Talisman Crafting to Great Accomplishment, built up a large stock of Meteor Fire Talismans, and planned to sell his older ones in Yunyang City.

• The Yunyang Sect’s search for the missing murderer Lu Zhishen faded, and Wang Chen continued working and cultivating while avoiding further crimes.
• Wang Chen’s Basic Talisman Crafting reached its breakthrough point, and he spent 1 point of Human Virtue to raise it to Great Accomplishment.
• Wang Chen drew a high-quality Meteor Fire Talisman and found that his new skill level improved his speed, efficiency, and results.
• Wang Chen made more than thirty kinds of talismans but used Meteor Fire Talismans to build his proficiency, eventually accumulating hundreds.
• Wang Chen used nearly all his Talisman Paper to draw fifty more Meteor Fire Talismans, then decided to sell older talismans in Yunyang City to replenish his dwindling funds.

Wang Chen saved two girls from being run down by a reckless coachman on Chidao, earning the coachman’s hostility. He then rented a high-level Qi Condensation Cave Mansion in Yunyang City and broke through to the sixth layer of Qi Condensation.

• Wang Chen rescued two girls from the path of four speeding Azure-eyed Dragon Scale Horses, and the gold-crowned coachman attacked him with a whip.
• The coachman cursed Wang Chen and drove away after another carriage urged him to hurry to the hunt, while Wang Chen decided he would still save people despite the danger.
• Wang Chen comforted the frightened girls, accepted thanks from their mother, and boarded a carriage to Yunyang City.
• Wang Chen rented a high-level Qi Condensation Cave Mansion after finding no middle-stage mansion vacant.
• Wang Chen completed the fifth layer of the Five Elements Technique and advanced smoothly to the sixth layer of Qi Condensation without spending Heavenly Merit.

Wang Chen sold two hundred Meteor Fire Talismans at Lu's Talisman Shop and returned home to discover that Old Sun had left the Yunyang Sect for the Mortal World. Old Sun's letter explained his reasons and warned Wang Chen that the decision was tied to a matter involving him.

• Wang Chen sold two stacks of Meteor Fire Talismans to the square-faced shopkeeper for Spirit stones, Talisman Paper, and Spirit Ink.
• Wang Chen returned home and saw people moving into Old Sun's house.
• The new owner gave Wang Chen a sealed letter from Old Sun.
• Wang Chen learned that Old Sun had left the Yunyang Sect with his wife and stepson to live in the Mortal World.
• Old Sun's letter described the sect's treatment of Outer Sect cultivators, thanked Wang Chen, and warned him that the matter behind his departure involved Wang Chen.
• Wang Chen burned Old Sun's letter to ashes.

After Old Sun’s letter confirmed that Lu Defang was plotting against him, Wang Chen refused to flee and bought concealed Mandarin Duck Mirrors to secure his home. He threw himself into training to prepare for a confrontation, but someone appeared at the beginning of the third month and interrupted his progress.

• Wang Chen went to Great Artifact Pavilion and bought a used pair of Five-Hour Mandarin Duck Mirrors for 480 Lower Spirit stones.
• Wang Chen installed one mirror at home and tested the other, confirming that the hidden device transmitted clear images from his underground chamber.
• Wang Chen decided to strengthen himself rather than flee the Yunyang Sect, focusing on Basic Talisman Crafting and his combat techniques.
• Wang Chen reached master level in Basic Talisman Crafting and raised several techniques to Great Accomplishment over the following days.
• At the beginning of the third month, someone appeared and interrupted Wang Chen’s intense skill training.

Lu Defang visited Wang Chen, gave him twenty Lower Spirit stones, and promised to bring him into the Inner Sect, but Wang Chen remained wary and suspected the money was meant to buy his final meal. As he sensed danger drawing closer, Wang Chen expanded his escape passage and prepared hundreds of Meteor Fire Talismans for the coming fight.

• Lu Defang visited Wang Chen, gave him twenty Lower Spirit stones as a birthday gift, and promised to bring him into the Inner Sect.
• After Lu Defang left, Wang Chen spat out the tea he had secretly kept from swallowing and concluded that Lu Defang was still plotting against him.
• Wang Chen restrained his urge to attack Lu Defang, judging him too dangerous to confront before he was fully prepared.
• Three days later, Wang Chen dug a concealed passage over twenty li long that led southwest toward the Outer Region.
• Wang Chen drew several hundred Meteor Fire Talismans and resolved to be ready for battle.

After mastering Great Accomplishment-level Shadowless Divine Movement, Wang Chen encountered Yunyang City cultivator scions hunting Rogue Cultivators for sport in the Outer Region. He tried to flee, but a gray figure suddenly blocked his path.

• Wang Chen tested his greatly improved Shadowless Divine Movement while exploring the Outer Region beyond the Yunyang Sect's Outer Mountain Gate.
• Wang Chen spotted two Grey Eagles and heard Rogue Cultivators fleeing from a group of mounted young cultivators.
• Junior Sister Tongtong and the other scions shot down the fleeing Rogue Cultivators as part of a hunting contest.
• Wang Chen recognized the scions, retreated into the forest, and decided to escape rather than risk being killed.
• A gray figure swept in and blocked Wang Chen's path as he prepared to flee.

Wang Chen was confronted by the golden-crowned cultivator he had encountered on the Chidao and launched a sudden attack against him and his companions. He killed the gray-robed cultivator and two lackeys with talismans, but the golden-crowned man survived behind his Rock Armor and vowed revenge.

• A gray-robed cultivator stopped Wang Chen, but hesitated after Wang Chen proved he was a Yunyang Sect disciple.
• The golden-crowned Seventh Young Master recognized Wang Chen as the cultivator he had previously whipped at on the Chidao.
• Wang Chen struck the gray-robed cultivator with his Gengjin Finger and Ruyi Golden Needle, but the man dodged the needle.
• Wang Chen unleashed Meteor Fire Talismans, killing the gray-robed cultivator and the golden-crowned man's two companions.
• The golden-crowned man endured Wang Chen's talisman barrage behind his Rock Armor and threatened to kill him.

Wang Chen broke through the golden-crowned man's Rock Armor with the Earth Stone Technique and killed him before destroying the evidence and escaping. He returned home through a secret passage and waited in his underground chamber for the consequences, prepared to flee if necessary.

• Wang Chen stopped using Meteor Fire Talismans when they failed to penetrate the golden-crowned man's defenses.
• Wang Chen used Turn Stone to Mud to breach the Rock Armor, then killed the golden-crowned man with the Giant Strength Vajra Fist.
• Wang Chen took the man's golden crown and sword, burned the bodies and other traces, and obscured the area with talismans and Poison Smoke Bombs.
• The man's searching companions arrived and discovered the smoke, prompting them to search for the Seventh Young Master and alert the Yin Family.
• Wang Chen escaped through a river, burned his clothes, returned home by a secret passage, and waited in his underground chamber.

Yin Honghui learned that his beloved grandson Yin Derong had died and sought a divination to identify the killer. Senior Brother Zhuge’s attempt to trace the murderer left him horrified, and he could only curse in shock.

• Yin Honghui sensed that something had happened to Yin Derong and ordered a subordinate to investigate, while also ordering a woman sold to the Ruyi Brothel.
• Yin Honghui’s daughter-in-law told him Yin Derong’s Soul Tablet had shattered, and he vowed to avenge his grandson before striking his son for failing to protect him.
• Yin Honghui traveled to the Inner Sect and asked Senior Brother Zhuge to use the Heavenly Secret Art to find Yin Derong’s killer.
• Senior Brother Zhuge accepted Yin Honghui’s generous offering and used Yin Derong’s aura and the Heavenly Mechanism Chessboard to perform a divination.
• Senior Brother Zhuge saw something terrifying, spat blood, rapidly aged, and shouted, “His mother!!”

Yin Honghui learned that his attempt to trace Yin Derong’s killer had brought disaster on Senior Brother Zhuge, so he halted the investigation and accepted the loss. Meanwhile, Wang Chen discovered an unexplained loss of Heavenly Merit, raised his Physique to 10, and underwent a powerful transformation.

• Senior Brother Zhuge’s divination shattered the Heavenly Mystery Disk and Jade Pendant, and he severed his ties with Yin Honghui after suffering a grave backlash.
• Yin Honghui returned to Yin Manor, rejected the woman in green’s demand to find Yin Derong’s killer, and ordered the investigation stopped.
• Wang Chen sneezed and noticed that his Heavenly Merit had fallen by one point, then tested whether sneezing caused the loss.
• Wang Chen spent 10 Heavenly Merit to raise his Physique to 10, triggering an intense surge in Qi and Blood that left him ravenous and temporarily weak.
• Wang Chen ate, refined Vajra Butter with the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma, and regained control as his Qi and Blood Power increased.

While hiding in his underground chamber, Wang Chen studied his recent battle and used Grandmaster-level Talisman Crafting insight to create powerful Finger Talismans. After days without pursuit, he believed he was safe, but the Dingyang Bell’s unusual chimes reminded him that the Yunyang Sect’s Ancestral Worship Ceremony was about to begin.

• Wang Chen reviewed his victory over four cultivators and resolved to improve his Spirit Eye Technique and Breath Concealment Technique while never underestimating an enemy.
• Wang Chen spent three days exploring Grandmaster-level Talisman Crafting and remained hidden as no pursuers appeared.
• Wang Chen cleared weeds from his ten mu of Spirit Fields to avoid drawing attention, then returned to the secret chamber and confirmed he had not been exposed.
• Wang Chen used his insight to create a powerful Meteor Fire Finger Talisman by drawing a talisman in the air with his fingers.
• Wang Chen heard the Dingyang Bell ring twenty-four times and realized the Yunyang Sect’s annual Ancestral Worship Ceremony was about to begin.

After emerging from hiding, Wang Chen learned that Yunyang Sect’s Ancestral Worship Ceremony would bring new work and expenses for the nearby Spirit Plant Farmers. He accepted a Jade Slip to learn the Wither and Flourish Art, leaving him with two days to prepare the roads and flowers for Sect Master True Person’s inspection.

• Wang Chen returned to his Spirit Field after nearly ten days in hiding and wondered why the Heavenly Secret Art had not exposed his killing of a Purple Mansion family’s grandson.
• Wang Chen rested with his neighbor Han Dashi, but their conversation was interrupted by Deputy Village Chief Zhang and other Guard Station cultivators.
• Deputy Village Chief Zhang ordered Wang Chen and Han Dashi to clear the roads, repair ditches, and plant thirty Purple Brocade Orchids each for the Ancestral Worship Ceremony.
• Wang Chen admitted he had not mastered the Wither and Flourish Art, so Deputy Village Chief Zhang charged him five Lower Spirit Stones for a cultivation Jade Slip.
• Wang Chen learned the spell and heard that he and his family were expected to wear new clothes and watch Sect Master True Person pass by.

Wang Chen helped prepare the Chidao for the Yunyang Sect Ancestral Worship Ceremony, then was sent with the crowd to Yunyang City when Sect Master True Person changed the ceremony’s location. As Ji Guantao’s procession arrived and stopped, a figure suddenly rushed out from the crowd and knelt before it.

• Wang Chen overheard cultivators gossiping about Sect Master True Person’s fondness for Purple Brocade Flowers and used the Wither and Flourish Art to grow one.
• Villagers and cultivators gathered along the decorated Chidao to observe the Yunyang Sect Ancestral Worship Ceremony and received Spirit Rice stalks as offerings for Patriarch Yunyang.
• The Village Chief of Guard Post Yi-10 announced that Sect Master True Person would not come there and ordered the crowd to hurry to Yunyang City.
• Wang Chen followed the crowd to Yunyang City, where he stood among those gathered to welcome the procession.
• Ji Guantao’s grand procession arrived, and a figure darted from the crowd and knelt before it.

Zhao Huai'an accused Yunshan Purple Mansion descendants of hunting rogue cultivators for sport before Ji Guantao and the crowd outside Yunyang City. His Imprint Stone showed the killings, leaving the implicated Purple Mansion High Persons exposed as Zhao Huai'an fainted.

• Zhao Huai'an knelt before Ji Guantao's carriage, struck his forehead against the ground, and accused Yunshan Purple Mansion descendants of murder.
• The Guard Hall Master tried to silence Zhao Huai'an, but Ji Guantao suppressed him and ordered, "Let him speak."
• Zhao Huai'an recounted how hunters had captured his companions, taken their belongings, and released them as prey, killing his only relative.
• Ji Guantao asked for evidence, and Zhao Huai'an produced an Imprint Stone that recorded the hunters' attacks and laughter.
• Zhao Huai'an swore that his accusation was true, kowtowed, and fainted as the crowd saw familiar faces among the hunters.

Ji Guantao ordered Yunyang City sealed and launched an investigation into the human-hunting case, while Zhao Huai'an was placed under protection. Wang Chen realized the affair had been carefully orchestrated and felt relieved that he had not appeared in the recorded evidence.

• Ji Guantao healed Zhao Huai'an, ordered Meng Han to seal Yunyang City and arrest anyone implicated, and warned him to protect Zhao Huai'an.
• Ji Guantao condemned hunting humans, turned the procession back, and left Meng Han and the Inner Guard to investigate.
• Meng Han presented Spirit Sealing Locks to the thirty-seven Purple Mansion cultivators, and most of them submitted and bound themselves.
• A Purple Mansion cultivator tried to flee but was cut down by a Sword Light, prompting the remaining cultivators to put on their locks.
• Yunyang City's protection array rose as the arrested cultivators were taken away and the crowd dispersed.
• Wang Chen reflected on the recorded accusation and the signs of careful planning, then felt relieved that he had stayed out of the evidence.

After the Human Hunting Case was exposed as a Guiyuan Sect plot, Yunyang Sect punished the implicated families and sent evidence to the Nine Peaks Sect. Wang Chen returned to Yunyang City and saw the Sect Leader issue relief for farmers and compensation for victims' families, including a promotion for Zhao Huai'an.

• Meng Han and the Inner Guard arrested suspects in the Human Hunting Case, and Ji Guantao later confiscated seven families' property, sentenced twelve families to service, and punished the offenders.
• The Inner Guard identified Guiyuan Sect death warriors as the instigators, and Ji Guantao sent evidence and surviving prisoners to the Nine Peaks Sect for negotiations.
• Wang Chen met Wei Xiong in a teahouse, where Wei Xiong said the Xie family had escaped serious punishment and the Yin family had collapsed.
• Wang Chen and Wei Xiong heard that Ji Guantao had reduced Outer Sect farmers' rent, made rice seeds free, and ordered grain payments to be weighed.
• At the city gates, Wang Chen read the compensation decree granting victims' immediate families farmland leases and an Outer Sect disciple quota, while Zhao Huai'an was promoted directly to the Inner Sect as a true disciple.

Yunyang Sect publicly executed the Purple Mansion descendants whose crimes had long gone unpunished, while Sect Leader Ji Guantao and his junior sister discussed the wider plan to reform the sect ahead of the coming Spirit Tide. Ji revealed that his reputation for loving Purple Brocade Orchids was a lie he had crafted to win the former Sect Leader’s daughter and secure his rise.

• Discipline Hall disciples escorted dozens of criminal cultivators, including a young woman from the Chen Family, to the Sin Slaying Platform, where the crowd pelted them with eggs.
• An elder read out the criminals’ offenses, rejected attempts by their relatives to bribe the executioners, and ordered the beheadings as the crowd praised Ji Guantao.
• At Taihao Peak, Ji Guantao thanked his junior sister for her work and dismissed her concern that two True Persons had resented their share of the gifts.
• Ji Guantao told his junior sister that Yin Derong’s killer should be left alone unless he threatened the larger plan, and she departed to continue her work.
• Ji Guantao privately revealed that he had fabricated his devotion to Purple Brocade Orchids to attract the former Sect Leader’s daughter and advance his cultivation and position.