Chapter Summaries

Wang Chen survived a deadly fight with a straw-man Evil Spirit, then honored its victim and discovered a valuable Yin Qi Bead among the ashes. He left the site after erasing the remains, having gained experience in several skills and a new Fire Crow Technique breakthrough.

• Wang Chen struck the straw man with two Exorcism Talismans, but a Black Grass Rope wrapped around him and began draining his Mana.
• Wang Chen unleashed his Mighty Strength Art and Vajra Fist to smash the straw man's head, then used a third Exorcism Talisman to destroy the Evil Spirit and gained 25 Human Virtue.
• Wang Chen found the victim's skeleton among the remains and used the Fire Crow Technique to burn the corpse, advancing the spell to Beginner.
• Wang Chen activated a Rebirth Talisman and recited the Rebirth Incantation, after which the victim's phantom appeared briefly and bowed to him.
• Wang Chen found a Yin Qi Bead among the ashes, then used a rain spell to wash the remains into the soil.

Wang Chen returned to Guard Post Yi-10 after surviving the Gray-Eyed Bandits’ attack, where Yao Mingjie recognized his contribution and claimed the enemy’s Storage Bag. After the Yunyang Sect disbanded the newly formed squads, Wang Chen was told to go home as the mission ended.

• Wang Chen reached Guard Post Yi-10 at dawn and found it crowded with wounded cultivators and frightened spirit plant farmers.
• Wang Chen rejoined Yao Mingjie and Guo Ping, keeping his distrust of Guo Ping hidden.
• A one-armed teammate accused Wang Chen of surviving unharmed, but Wang Chen ignored him and presented a bandit’s Storage Bag to Yao Mingjie.
• Yao Mingjie praised Wang Chen for using a Dust Smoke Talisman, accepted the Storage Bag, and said he would report Wang Chen’s battle merit.
• Yao Mingjie announced that the newly formed squads would be disbanded and told Wang Chen to go home because the mission was over.

After surviving the Gray-Eyed Bandits’ attack, Wang Chen improved his Spiritual Root with Heavenly Merit and received a message confirming his battle reward. The message also announced recruitment into the sect’s hall reserve teams, but Wang Chen rejected the offer as too dangerous.

• Wang Chen returned home safely, cared for his hens, and reflected on the dangers facing the border and his own lack of strength.
• Wang Chen spent 10 Heavenly Merit to raise his Spiritual Root to 4, then cultivated and trained at home for two days.
• A Message Crane from the Outer Sect Main Hall confirmed Wang Chen’s commendation and awarded him 500 Merit Points, while allowing him to keep the supplies issued by the guard post.
• The Main Hall announced recruitment for reserve teams in the War Hall, Guard Hall, and Discipline Hall, offering supplies and opportunities for advancement.
• Wang Chen decided not to join any of the reserve teams, despite their promised benefits.

Wang Chen exchanged Merit Points for two techniques, sold a Yin Qi Bead, and stocked up on cultivation supplies in Yunyang City. He noticed that Spirit Rice prices had doubled and saw signs of mourning among the local farmers as he headed home.

• Wang Chen collected five hundred Merit Points and exchanged three hundred and fifty for Shadowless Divine Movement and thirty for the Breath Concealment Technique.
• Wang Chen sold his Yin Qi Bead to Manager Jin for six hundred and eighty Lower Spirit Stones, then spent three hundred on Vajra Butter.
• Wang Chen found White Corn prices had doubled but did not buy more Spirit Rice, since he already had a large supply and a successful harvest underway.
• Wang Chen bought five hundred jin of Demonic Beast Meat, replenished his Talismans, and purchased Cloud Mist Spirit Tea for a planned visit to the Village Chief.
• Wang Chen heard mournful crying and saw funeral banners at several farmers' homes on his way back.

After Old Master Sun warned Wang Chen that his Night Patrol conscription might have been deliberate, Wang Chen prepared to protect himself by learning the Earth Stone Technique and planning underground shelters. Just as he began practicing, an Innate expert arrived to ask whether Wang Chen needed help harvesting rice.

• Old Master Sun warned Wang Chen to consider whether he had offended someone, leaving Wang Chen alarmed by the possibility that someone had arranged his conscription.
• Unable to identify who might be targeting him, Wang Chen went to Yunyang City and exchanged seventy Merit Points for the Earth Stone Technique.
• Wang Chen decided to dig tunnels and underground shelters because he feared the Gray-Eyed Bandits, Evil Cultivators, and other dangers.
• After four days of study, Wang Chen used Solidify Mud into Stone and began training the Earth Stone Technique.
• An Innate expert came to Wang Chen's courtyard and asked whether he needed someone to harvest rice.

Wang Chen hired a bearded Innate martial artist and his younger sister to harvest his Spirit Rice, then gave them the surplus grain as payment. The pair departed, leaving Wang Chen to continue practicing the Earth Stone Technique.

• Wang Chen verified the bearded man's Passage Token and agreed to pay five catties of Spirit Grain per mu to harvest his ten mu of fields.
• Wang Chen noticed that the bearded man's younger sister resembled a girl from his previous life, while the man quietly shielded her from his gaze.
• The bearded man and his sister harvested and threshed all ten mu of Spirit Rice with remarkable efficiency.
• Wang Chen stored the rice, gave the pair the surplus grain, and watched them leave in their cart.
• Wang Chen turned a stone ball into mud and gained experience in the Earth Stone Technique.

Wang Chen went to Yunyang City to deliver the summer grain tax and saw Spirit Planting Hall officials extort extra rice from spirit planters. He reached the front of the queue as his own grain delivery was called.

• Wang Chen packed his harvested Spirit Grain and traveled to Yunyang City to pay his quota of 2,500 jin.
• Farmers on the road lamented that an insect plague had ruined their harvests and that the Main Hall had imposed an additional Spirit Stone levy.
• At the Sprinkled Gold Field, Liang Dacheng met his grain quota but was forced to pour in extra rice while Spirit Planting Hall officials watched.
• A scar-faced cultivator kicked and emptied the excess rice from the Immeasurable Golden Measure into the storage bag beneath it.
• The steward called Wang Chen forward to remit grain for his ten mu of lower-grade fields.

After paying more than the set field rent, Wang Chen saw grain prices soar and learned the Yunyang Sect was recruiting for dangerous Reclamation Camps. He rejected the opportunity and headed home, resolved to avoid both the camps and the Three Halls' preparatory program.

• Wang Chen left the Main Hall angry that the Spirit Planting Hall had charged him more than the set Field Rent, and he decided he would eventually leave the Yunyang Sect.
• Wang Chen watched spirit farmers protest rising grain prices at the Great Hong Rice Shop, but the clerk threatened them with the influence of Venerable Fan of the Hundred Arts Pavilion.
• A woman cultivator bought overpriced White Corn after her child refused to eat cheaper Tribute Rice.
• A cultivator announced that the Outer Sect Main Hall was forming ten Reclamation Camps and offering eligible disciples a farmland tax exemption or Spirit Grain.
• Wang Chen felt wary of the dangerous recruitment drive and went home, deciding not to join the Reclamation Camp or the Three Halls' preparatory program.

Wang Chen received repayment from Little Ya and Wei for helping them, then accepted Wei’s offer to plow his Spirit Fields. After sharing a hearty meal with Wei, Wang Chen continued planning to improve his Earth Stone Technique and build a bunker beneath his house.

• Little Ya brought Wang Chen a basket of green peaches from Madam Chen to thank him for removing pests from their home.
• Wang Chen gave Little Ya a strip of Demonic Beast Marrow Meat in return, and she left with her companion.
• Wei came to repay Wang Chen for the Spirit Grain he had received and offered to plow all ten mu of Wang Chen’s Spirit Fields.
• Wang Chen prepared beast meat rice while Wei worked, then invited Wei to share the meal.
• Wang Chen and Wei ate the entire pot of rice, and Wang Chen shared some crispy scorched rice with Wei.

Wang Chen learned about the Outer Region from Wei Xiong and finished planting his rice. On his way home, he discovered that Old Sun had taken in Madam Li and her son after her husband died, then dreamed again of his family from his previous life.

• Wang Chen treated Wei Xiong to a meal and learned about Rogue Cultivator settlements, their livelihoods, and the Gray-Eyed Bandits' disappearance.
• Wei Xiong finished turning over Wang Chen's ten mu of Spirit Fields and hurried away to plow his own fields.
• Wang Chen sowed rice seeds and cast the Cloud and Rain Spell before heading home.
• Wang Chen saw a child watching him near Old Sun's home and recognized Madam Li, Old Man Lu's widow, in the courtyard.
• Old Sun explained that he had taken in Madam Li and her son after Old Man Lu's eldest son drove them out, and Wang Chen congratulated him.
• Wang Chen declined Old Sun's dinner invitation and dreamed of his family from his previous life.

As the Yunyang Sect celebrated its victory and expanded into the Outer Region, Wang Chen kept cultivating and improving his skills at home. After strengthening his Earth Stone Technique and Mighty Strength Art, he began digging a concealed bunker beneath his bedroom, determined to prepare for future dangers.

• Mu Qingqiu led a Yunyang Sect expedition into the Outer Region, where it destroyed bandit hideouts and sacrificial temples and killed a Golden Core Evil Cultivator.
• The Yunyang Sect welcomed its victorious army with a grand celebration, while Wang Chen continued practicing his techniques at home.
• A reclamation camp discovered a Large Purple Copper Mine, and the Yunyang Sect rewarded a minor cultivator by making him an Inner Sect true inheritance disciple.
• Wang Chen raised his Earth Stone Technique to Great Accomplishment and his Mighty Strength Art to Minor Accomplishment using Human Virtue points.
• Wang Chen started digging a concealed bunker beneath his bedroom, reinforcing its tunnel with the Earth Stone Technique as he worked.

Wang Chen completed part of his underground bunker, but a wolf howl and the arrival of two Evil Beasts turned his courtyard into a deadly battleground. He attacked one beast to save a wounded cultivator, then retreated as the flames engulfed them.

• Wang Chen finished a hardened underground chamber and reflected on the remaining work and the cost of Mandarin Duck Mirrors.
• Wang Chen returned to his room, exhausted, and fell asleep before waking to wolf howls in the night fog.
• Wang Chen used the Spirit Eye Technique to see through the mist, then a bloodied cultivator burst into his courtyard with a Man-eating Wolf Beast close behind.
• Wang Chen pierced the wolf beast's skull with Gengjin Finger, but the creature healed as it attacked the cultivator, revealing itself as an Evil Beast.
• Wang Chen saw another wolf beast at the entrance, released a Fire Crow and an Exorcism Talisman to save the wounded cultivator, and retreated into his room as the flames consumed them.

Wang Chen killed two wolf-like Evil Beasts that pursued him into his reinforced tunnel, earning Human Virtue and finding a Yin Qi Bead. Seeing an opportunity to lure more monsters and farm Human Virtue, he strengthened his Physique and Divine Soul and prepared to act.

• Wang Chen watched the first wolf beast force its way into the tunnel and blasted it apart with his Fire Crow Technique.
• A second wolf beast crawled fully into the tunnel, and Wang Chen killed it with another close-range Fire Crow.
• Wang Chen found a Yin Qi Bead among the second beast’s ashes and recalled that he had sold one before for six hundred and eighty Lower Spirit Stones.
• Wang Chen spent 2 points of Heavenly Merit to raise his Physique to 7 and his Divine Soul to 3+9.
• Wang Chen decided to exploit the beasts outside by luring them in and farming Human Virtue.

Wang Chen hunted the wolf beasts attacking his neighborhood while the Yunyang Sect’s defenses appeared to fail. A giant monster emerged amid a violent storm, and Wang Chen hid underground as powerful cultivators fought the invaders, leaving him more determined than ever to grow stronger.

• Wang Chen replenished his Mana, checked that his bedroom was clear of Evil Spirits, and cautiously went outside as the fog and distant howls raised his suspicions.
• Two wolf beasts emerged from the direction of Old Sun’s home, and Wang Chen wounded one with the Fire Crow Technique before retreating into his tunnel.
• Both wolf beasts pursued Wang Chen into the tunnel and died, earning him 30 Human Virtue points and bringing his total to 97.
• Thunder and lightning scattered the fog, revealing warning signals from nearby garrisons and a towering monster struck by lightning.
• Wang Chen fled into his underground secret chamber as the battle shook the earth, where the danger intensified his desire for strength.

After the storm and beast attack, Wang Chen found his home wrecked but discovered that Old Sun and his family had survived in a long-hidden tunnel. Suspicious of a Mandarin Duck Mirror in Old Sun’s house, Wang Chen went to Yunyang City to sell Yin Qi Beads and buy supplies as the region dealt with the disaster.

• Wang Chen emerged from hiding, burned the dead cultivator’s body, and found his home devastated by the four Evil Beasts.
• Wang Chen searched Old Sun’s house and watched Old Sun emerge from a hidden tunnel with his wife and child.
• Wang Chen noticed a Mandarin Duck Mirror in Old Sun’s hall and wondered how the old man had acquired it.
• Wang Chen returned home, found his five chickens dead, cleaned up, and set out for Yunyang City.
• Wang Chen saw ruined homes and Spirit Fields, frightened refugees, and increased Guard Hall patrols on his way into the city.
• Wang Chen met Manager Jin at the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce to sell Yin Qi Beads and buy cultivation supplies.

Wang Chen traded a Yin Qi Bead for Vajra Butter and learned that a Mist Puppet had controlled the Evil Beast that attacked the Outer Sect. After returning to Yunyang City and fortifying his hidden shelter, he sensed danger in his courtyard.

• Wang Chen decided to spend less time raising spell proficiency and focus on cultivating his main technique and Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma.
• Wang Chen exchanged his Yin Qi Bead with Manager Jin for thirty-eight bottles of Vajra Butter.
• Manager Jin told Wang Chen that a White Grudge-level Mist Puppet had controlled the Evil Beast and warned him about the Giant Puppet Beast.
• Wang Chen suspected the Mist Puppet was connected to the Gray-Eyed Bandits, but Manager Jin declined to answer.
• Wang Chen bought Demonic Beast Meat and saw that many Rogue Cultivators had crowded into Yunyang City after the attack.
• Wang Chen dug deeper tunnels and a secret chamber beneath his home, then felt a warning surge as he entered his courtyard.

Wang Chen met Lu Defang, the man who had supported him after his father vanished, and accepted a Paper Crane from him while concealing his suspicions. After Lu Defang left, Wang Chen remained convinced that his uncle harbored malice, though he could not determine why.

• Wang Chen sensed a great threat in his room, then recognized Lu Defang as his uncle and entered to meet him.
• Lu Defang praised Wang Chen's cultivation, expressed concern about the Evil Spirits' invasion, and gave him a Paper Crane to contact him if trouble arose.
• Lu Defang promised to bring Wang Chen into the Inner Sect if he succeeded in breaking through, then left for another mission.
• Wang Chen escorted Lu Defang out and, once alone, realized his back was drenched in sweat from maintaining his act.
• Wang Chen reviewed his memories of Lu Defang but could not understand the source of the man's apparent malice.

Wang Chen broke through to the Jade Bone realm of the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma, strengthening his body as he continued investigating Lu Defang’s suspicious handling of his family’s inheritance. He resolved to focus on cultivation and stay prepared while Lu Defang’s motives remained unclear.

• Wang Chen used a bottle of Vajra Butter and broke through to the second level of the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Righteous Dharma, entering the Jade Bone realm and raising his Physique to 8.
• Wang Chen washed off the blood and grime, then slaughtered a rooster to prepare a meal after the demanding breakthrough.
• Wang Chen recalled that his family had owned a valuable house in Yunyang City and that Lu Defang had arranged his settlement outside the city without mentioning it.
• Wang Chen suspected Lu Defang had taken Wang Shaoyuan’s inheritance, but could not determine why Lu Defang still harbored ill intent.
• Wang Chen decided to focus on reaching the fifth level of Qi Condensation and take precautions against Lu Defang.

Wang Chen attended a rare lecture by the Purple Mansion cultivator Changchun, struggling at first to understand his teachings before gradually following them. After Changchun departed and offered a hundred disciples personal guidance, Wang Chen avoided the crowd and returned to his quiet cultivation.

• Wang Chen traveled to the Hall of Inherited Teachings for the monthly lecture and found it packed because Changchun was visiting.
• Changchun expounded on the path of cultivation, and Wang Chen struggled to comprehend the early teachings but memorized them for later study.
• Changchun's later explanations became easier for Wang Chen and the other Qi Condensation disciples to follow.
• After Changchun left, the steward announced one hundred slots for personal guidance, prompting the disciples to crowd forward.
• Wang Chen withdrew from the commotion and chose not to pursue a chance to meet Changchun.

Wang Chen watched the Discipline Hall execute seventeen Outer Sect cultivators at the east gate and discovered that their families were paying to feed their bloodied rice balls to children with incomplete Spiritual Roots. Sickened by the spectacle, he left the execution grounds.

• Wang Chen ate his homemade rice balls and drank spirit tea at a teahouse after leaving the Hall of Inherited Teachings.
• A street announcement drew Wang Chen and a crowd to the Sin Slaying Platform outside Yunyang City's east gate.
• The Discipline Hall elder read charges against seventeen Outer Sect cultivators and ordered their public executions.
• After the first beheading, elders rushed to feed the condemned cultivators' bloody rice balls to children with incomplete Spiritual Roots, hoping to complete them.
• Wang Chen felt nauseated by the executions and the children's forced feeding, then turned and left.