Chapter Summaries

After the Sin Slaying Platform left Wang Chen shaken by the Cultivation World's cruelty, a jar of osmanthus honey from Little Ya reminded him of home and renewed his resolve to grow strong enough to return to his original world. His enlightenment raised his Comprehension and Divine Soul, and he returned to tending his Spirit Field with new confidence.

• Wang Chen felt lost and disillusioned after confronting the Cultivation World's cruelty.
• Little Ya brought Wang Chen osmanthus honey from Madam Chen, and its taste reminded him of his mother and hometown.
• Wang Chen resolved to grow strong enough to return to his original world, and gained one point each in Comprehension and Divine Soul.
• Wang Chen thanked Madam Chen in his thoughts and went to weed his Spirit Field.
• Wang Chen sensed the Spirit Rice's joy and support as he worked, and felt that his cultivation journey had truly begun.

Wang Chen learned to cultivate while working, raising his Five Elements Technique proficiency and improving his Object Manipulation Technique as he tended the Spirit Fields. After Zhang Xiaoshan boasted about joining the Third Hall Reserve Camp, hunting Gray-Eyed Bandits, marrying Huang Cuihua, and reaching the fourth Qi Condensation layer, Wang Chen checked his panel and saw his technique was one point from advancing.

• Wang Chen practiced the Five Elements Technique through daily work until its proficiency gained increased from three points per day to as many as six.
• Wang Chen raised his Object Manipulation Technique to minor accomplishment and used it to catch insects for his chickens.
• Zhang Xiaoshan told Wang Chen he had passed the outer sect assessment and would join the Third Hall Reserve Camp to hunt Gray-Eyed Bandits.
• Zhang Xiaoshan announced that his father had proposed to the Huang Family and warned Wang Chen to stop setting his sights on Huang Cuihua.
• Zhang Xiaoshan bragged that he had reached the fourth Qi Condensation layer, then left; Wang Chen checked his panel and saw his Five Elements Technique at 399/400.

Wang Chen traveled to Yunyang City, broke through to the fifth level of Qi Condensation in a cave dwelling, and learned to conceal his cultivation. He returned home disguised as a fourth-level cultivator, intending to further improve the technique and protect himself from Lu Defang.

• Wang Chen’s carriage narrowly avoided a reckless convoy of Cultivator Second Generations racing along the Chidao.
• Wang Chen rented a middle Qi Condensation Cave Mansion in Yunyang City and broke through to the fifth level of Qi Condensation without using Heavenly Merit.
• Wang Chen studied the Breath Concealment Technique and raised it to the Proficient level before his rental period ended.
• Wang Chen concealed his fifth-level cultivation and left Yunyang City for home, planning to improve the technique so Lu Defang could not detect his strength.

Wang Chen expanded his underground bunker, accidentally broke into Grandpa Sun’s tunnel, and then dug beneath it. As he resumed tending his rice, Wei Xiong asked him to open a Storage Bag, leaving its mysterious origin for them to discuss.

• Wang Chen’s pickaxe broke through into a tunnel he recognized as Grandpa Sun’s, so he filled the breach and continued digging beneath it.
• Wang Chen completed the foundational work on his redesigned underground bunker as colder weather reached the Tianyun Mountain Range, then returned to tending his rice.
• Wei Xiong arrived with his younger sister, A Lian, and asked Wang Chen to open a Storage Bag in exchange for one or two of its contents.
• Wang Chen opened the Storage Bag and returned its contents to Wei Xiong, who asked whether Wang Chen wanted to know where it had come from.

Wang Chen agreed to help Wei Xiong exchange a pile of goods for an Innate Pill for his younger sister, then opened the sandalwood box Wei Xiong gave him and discovered a mysterious Ruyi Golden Needle. After repeated attempts to activate it failed, Wang Chen realized he might have overlooked something and tried holding it between two fingers.

• Wei Xiong asked Wang Chen to exchange his goods for an Innate Pill for his younger sister, A Lian, who hoped to enter the Yunyang Sect.
• Wang Chen agreed to handle the exchange and accepted Wei Xiong's sealed sandalwood box as payment, while returning the other goods and Storage Bag to him.
• After Wei Xiong left, Wang Chen opened the box from a safe distance and found a rusty, ordinary-looking thick needle inside.
• Wang Chen checked the Cultivation Panel and saw that the needle was named Ruyi Golden Needle, indicating it was an unusual item.
• Wang Chen repeatedly poured Mana into the Ruyi Golden Needle without effect, then clamped it between the index and middle fingers of his right hand.

Wang Chen awakened the Ruyi Golden Needle by feeding it Gengjin power, then learned its Spirit Possession Method and recovered from the ordeal. He repaid Wei Xiong with an Innate Pill and talismans, and later tested the transformed needle, discovering it could become a ring and pierce a wall before returning to him.

• Wang Chen activated Gengjin Finger, and the Ruyi Golden Needle drained his mana until it shed its rust and transmitted the Spirit Possession Method into his Sea of Consciousness.
• Wang Chen spent the night recovering, then exchanged Merit Points for an Innate Pill and Essence Blood Talismans rather than selling Wei Xiong's belongings.
• Wang Chen gave Wei Xiong the Innate Pill and talismans, and Wei Xiong thanked him while treating the box's contents as Wang Chen's destined opportunity.
• Wang Chen infused the Ruyi Golden Needle with Gengjin power, watched it turn into a ring on his finger, and used it to pierce a wall before it returned.

Wang Chen refined the Ruyi Golden Needle and continued expanding his hidden escape tunnels. While excavating, he advanced his Earth Stone Technique to Grandmaster, which shattered its Oath Seal Curse and revealed a potentially dangerous ability to pass on the art; the chapter ended with him testing the spell’s greatly increased power.

• Wang Chen spent three days refining the Ruyi Golden Needle, learning to control it remotely over a hundred meters and gaining a new weapon for sneak attacks.
• Wang Chen decided to dig a third escape tunnel over ten li long because the exits of his other tunnels were too close together.
• Wang Chen used 10 Human Virtue points to advance his Earth Stone Technique to Grandmaster.
• Wang Chen discovered that reaching Grandmaster had broken the Oath Seal Curse on the Earth Stone Technique’s Law Seed, but he dismissed the idea of copying and selling the art as too dangerous.
• Wang Chen tested his Grandmaster-level Earth Stone Technique and turned a large section of hard rock into soft mud, creating a cavern two meters deep.

Wang Chen completed his underground fortress and practiced Shadowless Divine Movement before Wei Xiong asked him to shelter A Lian after a Mystic Fire Phoenix destroyed their stronghold. Wang Chen agreed to take her in temporarily while Wei Xiong searched for a new home.

• Wang Chen finished the longest escape tunnel, then tested Shadowless Divine Movement in the hills outside the mountain gate.
• As winter arrived, Wang Chen hosted Wei Xiong and A Lian for a meal after they helped harvest his Spirit Rice.
• Wei Xiong asked Wang Chen to let A Lian stay at his home for a few days.
• Wei Xiong explained that a Mystic Fire Phoenix had attacked Black Rock Stronghold after someone brought its stolen egg there, killing the chief and devastating the settlement.
• Wang Chen agreed to shelter A Lian while Wei Xiong looked for another place to settle.

After Wei Xiong left, Wang Chen and Wei Lian overcame their initial awkwardness while preparing dinner, and Wang Chen brought her into his underground chamber to keep her safe. The chapter ended with Wei Lian exploring the furnished chamber, unaware that Wang Chen’s real secret lay deeper below.

• Wei Xiong left after helping Wang Chen harvest the Spirit Rice, entrusting Wei Lian to his care.
• Wang Chen made dinner while Wei Lian helped tend the stove, and they became more comfortable with each other as they talked.
• Wei Lian recalled Wei Xiong’s warning that she should yield if Wang Chen made a move on her, and she nervously followed him to the bedroom.
• Wang Chen sent Wei Lian through the bed’s hidden mechanism into his underground chamber, then followed her down.
• Wang Chen showed Wei Lian the furnished chamber, which served as a decoy for the deeper rooms and escape passage below.

Wei Lian settled into Wang Chen’s home and eased into life as his maid while he studied talisman-making. Wang Chen successfully completed his first talisman, unlocking Basic Talisman Crafting on his Cultivation Panel.

• Wei Lian lived in Wang Chen’s home, helping with chores and serving him tea as she gradually became less wary of him.
• Wang Chen continued studying talismans, hoping to craft them for his own use and improve his combat options.
• After months of memorizing the runes and practicing, Wang Chen drew the final stroke that completed a talisman.
• The Cultivation Panel registered Basic Talisman Crafting experience, and Wei Lian reacted with surprise as Wang Chen realized a new skill had appeared.

Wang Chen’s talisman-crafting skill was recognized by the Cultivation Panel, and he gave Wei Lian his first Meteor Fire Talisman. After hearing an intruder enter his home, he sealed the passage to his underground chamber and crept outside to investigate.

• Wang Chen saw Basic Talisman Crafting appear in his Skill Bar after months of practice.
• Wang Chen gave Wei Lian his first Meteor Fire Talisman and encouraged her to pursue cultivation.
• Wang Chen woke to sounds from above and used his speaking tube to confirm someone had entered the house.
• Wang Chen sealed the passage to the underground chamber with the Earth Stone Technique and told Wei Lian to stay behind.
• Wang Chen left through a hidden passage, checked the area with his Spiritual Sense, and slipped into his backyard to listen to the sounds inside the house.

Wang Chen ambushed three intruders in his bedroom and killed them before they could force him from his tunnel. He survived the fight with his Mana nearly exhausted and gained twelve Heavenly Merit points.

• Three intruders uncovered Wang Chen’s tunnel entrance and prepared to flush him out with poison smoke.
• Wang Chen’s Fire Crow killed the burly guard, and his golden attacks pierced the middle-aged cultivator’s defenses and killed him.
• The man in black fled through the window, but Wang Chen struck him with Vajra Fist, Gengjin Finger Force, and a Ruyi Golden Needle, killing him.
• Wang Chen swallowed a Qi recovery pill and found that he had gained twelve Heavenly Merit points.

Wang Chen killed three intruders and discovered that Heavenly Merit depended on the cultivation level of the cultivator he killed. He found valuable loot on the middle-aged cultivator, cleaned up the bodies, returned safely to Wei Lian, and examined a mysterious copper bell.

• Wang Chen searched the black-clad man’s Storage Bag and found familiar tools and supplies, but little of value.
• Wang Chen realized that killing cultivators awarded Heavenly Merit points based on their cultivation levels, while killing the non-cultivator earned him none.
• Wang Chen found an Autumn Water Sword, more than two hundred Lower Spirit Stones, supplies, a large Storage Bag, and a copper bell in the middle-aged cultivator’s possessions.
• Wang Chen dissolved and burned the three corpses, used talismans to send their souls onward and cleanse the room, then returned underground to Wei Lian.
• Wang Chen took out the copper bell to inspect it.

Wang Chen refined the Soul-Swaying Bell, accidentally knocked Wei Lian unconscious with it, and gave her a talisman guide as an apology. After learning that outsiders were searching for the Valley Guest siblings, he secretly kept Wei Lian safe until Wei Xiong appeared at his doorstep.

• Wang Chen cleared the former owner's restrictions from the Soul-Swaying Bell and learned it could daze an enemy's Divine Soul.
• Wang Chen's test of the bell knocked Wei Lian unconscious, so he revived her with the Cloud Rain Art and gave her his Illustrated Guide to Basic Talismans.
• Wang Chen brought Wei Lian back to the surface and hid her from Xiao Qi, who warned that outsiders were asking about a pair of Valley Guest siblings.
• Wang Chen suspected the searchers were after Wei Xiong and Wei Lian, kept watch for several days, and stayed prepared to defend them.
• A thick-bearded, weatherworn man appeared at Wang Chen's doorstep.

Wei Xiong returned to Wang Chen’s home, badly injured but having secured a path for Wei Lian to enter the Xie family and cultivate under Xie Yaoxiu. After learning the Taize Three Friends had targeted Wei Lian, he thanked Wang Chen and left with his sister for Yunyang City.

• Wei Xiong reunited with Wei Lian and told Wang Chen he had come to take her to Yunyang City.
• Wei Xiong explained that he had obtained the Mystic Fire Phoenix egg and used it to gain an introduction to Xie Yaoxiu, who would take Wei Lian in as a maidservant.
• Wei Xiong revealed that he had become a retainer in the Xie household, and Wei Lian agreed to go with him and pursue cultivation.
• Wang Chen described the three bandits who had attacked his home, and Wei Xiong identified them as the Taize Three Friends.
• Wei Xiong gave Wang Chen a crane letter and left with Wei Lian, while Wang Chen wished that they would meet again as fellow Daoists.

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.