Chapter Summaries

He Zhao interrogated Envoy Wang about the Five Specters, her master Wang Bai, and the sect’s messenger system, then killed her and set the house ablaze. He forced Old Miser Li and Gang Leader Li to send his letters, then returned to Ping'an Market and asked the Spirit Lions to help with the stolen artifacts and clothing, leaving them deeply uncomfortable.

• Envoy Wang told He Zhao that the Five Specters had been fed people for three years and explained her master Wang Bai’s service to Prince Ning and the messenger-pigeon system.
• He Zhao killed Envoy Wang with the Sea of Fire Technique and burned down the house.
• He Zhao visited Old Miser Li and Gang Leader Li, ordered them to send his letters by messenger pigeon, and claimed he was keeping them alive by doing so.
• Old Miser Li and Gang Leader Li agreed to obey He Zhao, who left using his lightning movement technique.
• He Zhao returned to Ping'an Market with clothes and Stone Tablets and asked the two Spirit Lions for help.
• The Spirit Lion Eldest Brother recognized the clothes as belonging to the Senior Brother and Junior Sister and complained that He Zhao was making things difficult for them.

He Zhao gathered body-tempering manuals and medicines, then deciphered Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training and uncovered a method for ordinary people to become Sha Refiners. The chapter ended with him learning that the method required replacing a person’s heart with the heart of a Strange Beast.

• He Zhao had the Spirit Lions inspect the clothes and artifacts, then asked them to secretly buy body-strengthening manuals and medicines using his stones and jade.
• He Zhao treated patients over several days, raising his proficiency and Extreme Transformation Body to 80%, then obtained more manuals and silver from the Ghost Tower.
• The Spirit Lions gave He Zhao the manuals and costly medicines they had bought, including Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training, which they said concealed a great secret.
• He Zhao learned Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training, and the system corrected an error to reveal the hidden Theory of Extraordinary.
• He Zhao deciphered the manual and learned that Innate Sha Qi was stored in the heart, and that replacing an ordinary person’s heart with a Strange Beast’s heart could make them a Sha Refiner.

He Zhao discovered that his secret heart-replacement method required a Strange Beast heart and prepared his master, Fan Zhong, to perform the surgery. After learning that Fiend Corpse hearts could also be used, he enlisted the Spirit Lion Brothers to help capture an injured Fiend Corpse at the Local Gang ruins.

• He Zhao endured the pills and medicinal treatments, greatly strengthening his body with a Beast Blood Spirit Pill.
• He Zhao gave Fan Zhong the Theory of Extraordinary and asked him to practice heart-replacement surgery; Fan Zhong burned the notes and left for the government office.
• He Zhao visited the Spirit Lion Brothers and learned that Strange Beast hearts were scarce and extremely expensive.
• He Zhao realized a Fiend Corpse heart could serve as a substitute and told the Spirit Lion Brothers about the injured Fiend Corpse at the Local Gang ruins.
• The idiot Spirit Lion agreed to help He Zhao capture the Fiend Corpse, while the brothers privately discussed keeping most of the profits.

He Zhao and Fan Zhong spent two weeks building their skills, with Fan Zhong mastering heart replacement surgery while He Zhao ground out Proficiency at Yuzhi Hall. He Zhao then traveled with Yin Ni to a hidden ruin in search of the wounded Fiend Corpse, intending to use it for the surgery.

• Fan Zhong bought death-row prisoners and used them as practice subjects, eventually reducing his heart replacement surgery time to half an hour.
• He Zhao reached 100% Extreme Transformation Body and treated a flood of male patients, rapidly gaining Minor Accomplishment Proficiency.
• He Zhao spent half a month grinding Proficiency while Fan Zhong continued practicing surgery and exhausting the supply of prisoners.
• Fan Zhong told He Zhao he had mastered the surgery but did not know how to keep a patient alive after removing the heart, and He Zhao arranged for him to rest before their nighttime attempt.
• He Zhao met the Spirit Lions at Ping'an Market and asked them to prepare a concealed location, then rode with Yin Ni to the outskirts of Sichun City.
• He Zhao and Yin Ni entered a hidden ruin where the wounded, blood-starved Fiend Corpse was believed to be hiding.

He Zhao and Yin Ni defeated the weakened Blood Corpse, and He Zhao took its living heart for his Sha Refiner transformation. He Zhao then opened his own chest and lost consciousness as Fan Zhong began replacing his heart.

• He Zhao lured the Blood Corpse into a Sea of Fire Technique, while Yin Ni’s Spirit Lion form battered it and pinned it down.
• He Zhao used the Spirit Lion’s Petrification Technique to immobilize the Blood Corpse, cut out its beating heart, and stored it in a box before Yin Ni swallowed the corpse.
• He Zhao took Fan Zhong to a concealed hut near Ping'an Market, where Fan Zhong prepared to perform the heart replacement.
• Fan Zhong’s knife snapped against He Zhao’s chest, so He Zhao used his Golden True Qi to cut himself open and expose his heart.
• Fan Zhong removed He Zhao’s heart and began the replacement, while He Zhao’s life force plunged and he lost consciousness.

After Fan Zhong saved He Zhao with a Blood Corpse heart, He Zhao awakened as a Sha Refiner and used his proficiency system to perfect several techniques. He fled Ping'an Market with Fan Zhong and began testing ways to strengthen his defenses, while keeping his transformation secret.

• Fan Zhong completed He Zhao’s surgery, and the Blood Corpse heart began beating as Killing Intent flowed through He Zhao’s body.
• He Zhao awakened, sensed Five Elements Killing Intent, and used stored proficiency to advance the Five Elements Art to Perfect and enter the Sha Refining realm.
• He Zhao perfected the Whirlwind Technique and carried himself and Fan Zhong out of Ping'an Market, where the disturbance drew only a brief notice from the Workshop Master.
• He Zhao asked Fan Zhong to keep his new identity secret, warning that Wang Bai could punish everyone connected to him if the truth emerged.
• He Zhao perfected the Golden Robe Technique, Fireball Spell, and Divine Movement Technique, then chose to train the Golden Robe Technique for its low-cost defense.

He Zhao retrieved the Five Ghoul Banner and Golden Thread Robe, then trained himself to maintain the Divine Movement Technique while operating the Five Elements Art to build proficiency. He later visited Ping'an Market, where the Spirit Lions appraised the artifacts and agreed to discuss buying and reselling stolen goods.

• He Zhao searched the Local Gang ruins, found the Blood Corpse’s cave, and took the Five Ghoul Banner and Golden Thread Robe.
• He Zhao learned that Pulse Building required scarce Sha Water or large quantities of Malevolent Jade, then tested whether the Five Elements Art could sustain his Divine Movement Technique.
• He Zhao hid behind a thick curtain at Yuzhi Hall while treating patients and gradually improved at maintaining multiple techniques, though the effort left him exhausted.
• He Zhao traveled to Ping'an Market before dawn and asked the Spirit Lions to appraise the Five Ghoul Banner and Golden Thread Robe.
• The Spirit Lions valued the Five Ghoul Banner at twenty-five Five Elements Stones, explained their connections to the Workshop Master, and invited He Zhao to sit down when he proposed trading stolen goods.

He Zhao learned about the interconnected fields of Sha Refining and persuaded the Spirit Lions to start a second-hand artifact business. After Jin Ni secretly obtained a book from the Workshop Master's study, He Zhao learned its basic rune knowledge and prepared to study talismans.

• Jin Ni explained how arts, talismans, pills, artifacts, and formations supported Sha Refiners and said their specialized knowledge was usually kept secret.
• He Zhao suggested that Jin Ni and Yin Ni buy and resell used Dharma artifacts, and they agreed to share the profits with him.
• He Zhao trained at Yuzhi Hall, then rushed to Ping'an Market, where the Spirit Lions reported earning fifty-six Five Elements Stones from their first day of business.
• Jin Ni gave He Zhao a copy of Detailed Explanation of Basic Runes, which he had taken from the Workshop Master's study, and promised to try to obtain more books later.
• He Zhao advised the Spirit Lions to use clones to appraise artifacts more efficiently, then returned to Yuzhi Hall and learned Detailed Explanation of Basic Runes.

He Zhao mastered the Nine Categories of Dharma Patterns, resumed treating patients, and arranged to share the secondhand market’s profits with the Workshop Master. He used a Soul Transfer Talisman to escape the Blood Curse, then collected talisman-making supplies from Jin Ni and discovered their Beast Blood was exceptionally good.

• He Zhao spent the night absorbing knowledge from Detailed Explanation of Basic Dharma Patterns and raised his understanding of the Nine Categories to Perfect.
• He Zhao rested through the morning, treated patients through the evening, and gained proficiency before visiting Ping'an Market.
• He Zhao told Jin Ni and the other Spirit Lion to give the Workshop Master a share of their secondhand-dealer profits, and Jin Ni agreed to obtain talisman-making supplies for him.
• He Zhao asked Fan Zhong how he had practiced his medical skills, then took a condemned prisoner from the government prison and used a Soul Transfer Talisman to separate the Blood Curse from himself.
• He Zhao collected Beast Blood, a Talisman Brush, and Yellow Talisman Paper from Jin Ni, then found that the Beast Blood was exceptionally high quality and its bottles were magical artifacts.

He Zhao mastered Talisman Drawing, created powerful Bright Light Talismans, and arranged to sell them through the Spirit Lion Brothers in Ping'an Market. He left after learning the market price, having Hanhan identify his armor, and asking Jin Ni to find books on alchemy.

• He Zhao used his proficiency points to perfect Talisman Drawing and learned how to create Innate Talismans.
• He Zhao drew Acquired and Innate Bright Light Talismans, discovered that they healed injuries and restored some Sha Qi, and built up a stock to sell.
• He Zhao visited Ping'an Market and learned from Jin Ni that Bright Light Talismans sold for at least twenty-five Five Elements Stones each.
• He Zhao gave the Spirit Lion Brothers thirty Acquired Bright Light Talismans to sell for him and agreed to a price of one Malevolent Jade per thirty talismans.
• Hanhan identified He Zhao's armor as a low-grade magical artifact that absorbed Killing Intent, and He Zhao asked Jin Ni to look for alchemy books.

He Zhao perfected the Five Elements Art, increased his talisman production, and left Sichun City for Ping'an Market to find a better place to cultivate. The Spirit Lions gave him Green Vine Courtyard No. 2, where he sensed materialized Killing Intent.

• He Zhao reached the Five Elements Art’s peak of perfection and found that it cultivated Killing Intent much faster when he ran it at full force.
• He Zhao stopped seeing patients, made one hundred and twenty Bright Light Talismans, and decided to move to Ping'an Market because Killing Intent was too scarce in Sichun City.
• He Zhao traded two hundred Bright Light Talismans to the Spirit Lions, who insisted on giving him seven pieces of Malevolent Jade.
• He Zhao asked the Spirit Lions to find him a secluded courtyard, and Jin Ni gave him Green Vine Courtyard No. 2 for free.
• Jin Ni carried He Zhao to the courtyard, where He Zhao saw the dense Killing Intent and felt the Five Elements Art react to it.

He Zhao moved into Green Vine Courtyard and used its Sha Gathering Formation to cultivate, enduring severe pain until an Innate-grade Bright Light Talisman healed him. The next morning, he discovered the Workshop Master's Beast Blood supply had not diminished while he drew talismans, and Yin Ni refused to take the bottles back.

• Jin Ni explained the courtyard's Life Vines, formations, rooms, and daily costs before leaving He Zhao to settle in.
• He Zhao activated the Sha Gathering Formation and endured an hour of intense pain, then used an Innate-grade Bright Light Talisman to heal his damaged meridians.
• The Workshop Master watched He Zhao's harsh cultivation from above and judged him ruthless toward himself.
• He Zhao recovered overnight, activated the Silence Array, and spent five hours drawing forty Bright Light Talismans.
• He Zhao noticed that the Beast Blood in his bottle had not run out, panicked over the valuable supply, and handed the remaining bottles to Yin Ni.
• Yin Ni insisted He Zhao accept the Beast Blood, while He Zhao protested that he had not been polite and had simply wanted to return it.

He Zhao spent half a month drawing talismans and cultivating until he completed Sha Refining, then used his accumulated proficiency to master intermediate rune knowledge. He left himself able to draw powerful intermediate talismans and poised to expand his skills and earnings.

• Yin Ni brought He Zhao supplies and told him to sell more Bright Light Talismans so the brothers could impress the Workshop Master, who secretly watched them and approved of He Zhao.
• He Zhao spent his days drawing talismans and endured intense cultivation, unaware that he had been using the Sha Gathering Formation incorrectly until Jin Ni explained its proper use.
• He Zhao continued cultivating for half a month and completed Sha Refining, then sold Jin Ni two thousand Bright Light Talismans for seventy pieces of Malevolent Jade.
• He Zhao spent ten thousand Complete-grade Proficiency to raise Detailed Explanation of Basic Dharma Pattern to its peak and unlock Intermediate Rune Explanation.
• He Zhao used more proficiency to master Intermediate Rune Explanation and learned the nine representative intermediate talismans, including several he had never seen before.

He Zhao advanced his Talisman Drawing to the peak of perfection, gained the Mind Divine Ability, and used it to stockpile a thousand of each of nine representative talismans. After receiving business dividends, he asked the Spirit Lion Brothers about the Pulse-Building Realm and learned what was required to attempt the Pill-Swallowing Realm.

• He Zhao used proficiency to advance Talisman Drawing and gained the ability to draw talismans with Killing Intent, then practiced drawing them in the air and on paper.
• He Zhao spent five days producing a thousand of each of nine talismans, becoming faster as he practiced but exhausting himself in the process.
• Jin Ni and Yin Ni brought He Zhao twenty-five Malevolent Jades and eight hundred Five Elements Stones as dividends from their businesses.
• He Zhao asked Jin Ni and Yin Ni about the Pulse-Building Realm without revealing that he had already reached great completion in Sha Refining.
• Jin Ni explained that reaching the Pill-Swallowing Realm required five Sha Meridians of different attributes and at least one meridian forged in the Sha Pool.

He Zhao learned how Sha Pools and Sha Meridians affected advancement, then received an alchemy furnace and recipes from Jin Ni and Yin Ni. He began preparing to refine pills but first mastered the Fire Control Technique, leaving him eager to test how it would strengthen his spells and talismans.

• Jin Ni explained that building Sha Meridians through Sha Pools improved the odds of reaching the Pill-Swallowing Realm, and he offered He Zhao access to three Sha Pool spots.
• Jin Ni described the strength of Life-Bound Spells and said that obtaining wood and water Sha Meridians at Longevity Market would cost one hundred thousand pieces of Malevolent Jade.
• Jin Ni gave He Zhao a Gilded Medicine Cauldron, three Pill Recipes, a Fire Control Technique booklet, and a Universe Bag containing one hundred sets of Medicinal Materials.
• He Zhao examined the recipes, cultivated overnight, and went to the Pill Room the next morning to practice making Sha Restoration Pills with Earth Fire.
• He Zhao learned and raised Fire Control Technique to Perfection, then wondered whether it would also improve his talismans.

He Zhao refined several kinds of pills, advanced his rune knowledge, and longed for talismans he could not yet use. He left Green Vine Courtyard for a stroll and unexpectedly met Jin Ni and Yin Ni, who had both secretly slipped away from their posts.

• He Zhao used his perfected Fire Control Technique to make ten Sha Restoration Pills, learned Alchemy Technique, and refined more pills for sale.
• He Zhao refined an Advanced Body Tempering Pill and Azure Wood Pills, then cultivated through the night to gain proficiency.
• He Zhao upgraded Intermediate Rune Explanation to Advanced Rune Explanation and learned about powerful advanced talismans he could not use before reaching the Pill-Swallowing Realm.
• He Zhao cultivated, recovered with a Spring Return Talisman, and decided to take a walk through Ping'an Market.
• He Zhao ran into Yin Ni and Jin Ni, who had both used clones to sneak away, and the three set off through the market together.

He Zhao completed three kinds of pills and struck a deal with Jin Ni and Yin Ni to supply and sell them. After discussing a plan to sell pills to shops, he went with the Spirit Lion Brothers to Baoguang Pavilion to buy protective magical artifacts.

• He Zhao showed Jin Ni and Yin Ni his pills and offered to refine more while selling them medicine at half the market price.
• Yin Ni jokingly suggested calling He Zhao Dad, prompting Jin Ni to slap him and Old Master Wei to react from afar.
• Jin Ni paid He Zhao fifteen hundred Malevolent Jade for the pills, and He Zhao proposed buying medicinal ingredients from shops to produce pills for sale in bulk.
• He Zhao and the Spirit Lion Brothers left for Baoguang Pavilion to buy protective artifacts, where a new clerk presented three top-grade magical artifacts.

He Zhao bought and refined a Heart-Cleansing Jade Pendant, the Amber Sword, and the Light Splitting Sword Disk, then tested their abilities. After grinding his proficiency to its limit, he advanced Advanced Rune Explanation to peak of perfection and gained the Grand Altar Style, which let him draw one advanced talisman per day.

• He Zhao bought the Heart-Cleansing Jade Pendant for 120 Malevolent Jade, the Amber Sword for 380, and the Light Splitting Sword Disk for 1,000, spending all his Malevolent Jade.
• Hanhan Second Brother agreed to keep an eye on Eldest Brother while He Zhao returned to Green Mountain Courtyard and rested for the day.
• He Zhao drew 200 Bright Light Talismans, refined the jade pendant and Amber Sword, and tested the sword's speed, range, and sharpness.
• He Zhao spent the night refining the Light Splitting Sword Disk, then used it to release a strand of Sword Qi that consumed a tenth of his Killing Intent.
• He Zhao spent several days grinding proficiency until Advanced Rune Explanation reached 10,000, then advanced it to peak of perfection and gained the Grand Altar Style.

He Zhao tested the Golden Light Talisman, spent a month drawing talismans and fulfilling enormous pill orders, and earned a fortune in Malevolent Jades and Proficiency. After sleeping through the deadline, he learned Yin Ni had misunderstood the order schedule and made him refine far more pills than necessary, leaving He Zhao furious.

• He Zhao drew a Golden Light Talisman and tested it against the Light Splitting Sword Formation, finding that it endured three Sword Qis before failing.
• He Zhao followed a month-long routine of drawing talismans, training, and gathering Malevolent Jade, then sold six hundred Bright Light Talismans to Yin Ni for two hundred and ten Malevolent Jades.
• Yin Ni delivered orders for one hundred batches each of Sha Restoration Pills and Azure Wood Pills, and He Zhao spent the next month refining all of them while continuing to draw one high-grade talisman daily.
• He Zhao finished the pill order, gained over one hundred thousand Proficiency, and collapsed into a deep sleep after putting the pills away.
• Jin Ni and Yin Ni woke He Zhao on the last day of the month, and Jin Ni explained that Yin Ni had misunderstood the order as requiring all one thousand eight hundred pills within a month.
• He Zhao realized Yin Ni's mistake and threatened to strangle him.

He Zhao spent his savings on high-grade Dharma tools, then devoted a month to accelerating the liquefaction of Killing Intent in his five viscera. He completed the transformation into droplets but learned he still needed four more months of cultivation, and Yin Ni arrived with something fun.

• He Zhao reviewed his talismans, pills, and progress storing Killing Intent, then decided to activate the Sha Gathering Formation six times a day.
• He Zhao brought Yin Ni through Ping'an Market and bought high-grade Dharma tools, including a Golden Jade Robe and Cloud Shoes.
• The Workshop Master considered teaching He Zhao artifact refinement to build a connection with him and to keep his sons from becoming overconfident.
• He Zhao spent a month drawing talismans and activating the Sha Gathering Formation six times a day, exhausting himself with the help of Spring Return Talismans.
• He Zhao transformed the mist-like Killing Intent in his five viscera into droplets, but realized he needed four more months to reach his goal.
• Yin Ni arrived at Green Mountain Courtyard, calling for He Zhao and promising something fun.