Chapter Summaries

Lin Xuan settled into his new role as steward of the Waste Pill Room and realized its chaotic storage would let him take Waste Pills without anyone noticing. He secured his living quarters with an Array Talisman, leaving himself protected as he prepared to purify pills in secret.

• Lin Xuan accepted Zhao Ming's explanation and discovered that no accounts tracked the Waste Pills, making them easy to take unnoticed.
• Lin Xuan inspected the Waste Pill Room, chose a secluded room, and forbade attendants from coming within ten paces of his quarters without permission.
• Lin Xuan reviewed his plans and concluded that his supply of Marrow Cleansing Pills was secure for the Spirit Movement Stage.
• Lin Xuan retrieved Zhou Yan's Storage Bracelet and took out the sole Array Talisman among the Talismans he had obtained from Zhang Yu and Zhou Yan.
• Lin Xuan activated the Array Talisman and set a Restriction around his living quarters to prevent anyone from entering unnoticed.

Lin Xuan spent weeks making the attendants believe he was lazy and solitary so he could secretly purify Waste Pills and cultivate. After half a year of diligent practice, he reached the fourth layer of the Spirit Movement Stage while keeping his unusual progress and pill-purifying secret hidden.

• Lin Xuan observed the Waste Pill Room and confirmed that its duties were minimal and its storage held an enormous, unaccounted-for supply of Waste Pills.
• Lin Xuan established a reputation as a lazy, solitary steward, keeping the attendants away from his quarters and leaving Zhao Ming to handle his duties.
• Lin Xuan took a bottle of Waste Pills, purified it into thirty-six usable spirit medicines, and began taking pills three times a day to cultivate.
• Lin Xuan spent half a year purifying and consuming thousands of Marrow Cleansing Pills, while occasionally attending lessons at the Young Eagle Pavilion.
• Lin Xuan advanced from the first to the fourth layer of the Spirit Movement Stage, surpassing most disciples of his cohort while continuing to conceal his secret.

As Lin Xuan’s cultivation reached the peak of the fourth layer of the Spirit Movement Stage, Low-Grade Marrow Cleansing Pills no longer helped him progress, so he attempted to purify one into a Mid-Grade Pill. He pushed the impurities to the pill’s edge but discovered that their semi-liquid consistency prevented them from escaping.

• Lin Xuan realized that Low-Grade Marrow Cleansing Pills had become less effective and decided to try purifying a Mid-Grade Pill again.
• After resting, Lin Xuan used his strengthened divine sense and the Blue Star Sea’s blue light spots to begin purifying a Low-Grade Marrow Cleansing Pill.
• Lin Xuan found that the pill’s thick, semi-liquid impurities required far more energy to separate from its essence than the solid impurities in Waste Pills.
• When the impurities reached the pill’s edge, Lin Xuan could not expel them and concluded that the semi-liquid, viscous outer layer was blocking their passage.

Lin Xuan successfully purified a Mid-Grade Marrow Cleansing Pill and confirmed that it greatly improved his spiritual power. Although purifying such pills was slow and risky, he decided to keep practicing so he could rely on their stronger effects for future cultivation.

• Lin Xuan carefully increased the Blue Light Spot’s speed until he expelled the impurities and purified a Mid-Grade Marrow Cleansing Pill.
• Lin Xuan consumed the pill, refined its medicinal power, and completed nine great circulations, noticeably increasing his spiritual power.
• Lin Xuan concluded that Mid-Grade Marrow Cleansing Pills could meet his cultivation needs, but purifying them consumed considerable time and energy and often failed.
• Lin Xuan decided to keep practicing the purification of Mid-Grade Pills, believing his efficiency would improve with experience.

Lin Xuan spent a month cultivating and purifying Mid-Grade Marrow Cleansing Pills, but his purification efficiency stalled at a bottleneck. He slowed his cultivation to strengthen his foundation and began practicing with the three Spirit Tools he had taken from Zhang Yu and Zhou Yan.

• Lin Xuan persevered with purifying Mid-Grade Marrow Cleansing Pills until his success rate reached one in five, then combined one purified pill each morning with Low-Grade Pills to sustain his daily cultivation.
• After a month, Lin Xuan's spiritual power had grown considerably, but his pill-purification success rate remained at twenty percent and the Blue Star Sea could purify only a little more than one pill.
• Lin Xuan concluded that the Blue Star Sea's purification bottleneck might ease after his cultivation advanced several levels, but he chose to slow down and build a stable foundation.
• With extra time available, Lin Xuan began practicing Spirit Tool use and examined the Gold Binding Rope, the flying sword, and Zhang Yu's top-grade Jade Snow Ring.

Lin Xuan began practicing with the mid-grade Gold Binding Rope after learning the Object Manipulation Technique, and successfully controlled it with his divine sense. Exhausted by the effort, he recognized that his spiritual power was too limited for prolonged use and decided to cultivate spells while he worked toward a higher level.

• Lin Xuan reviewed what he had learned about Spirit Tools and chose to practice with the Gold Binding Rope because he had no low-grade tool.
• Lin Xuan quickly mastered the Object Manipulation Technique and used spiritual power to enlarge the Gold Binding Rope.
• Lin Xuan attached his divine sense to the rope and successfully controlled it from afar on his first attempt.
• After half an hour of practice, Lin Xuan exhausted nearly all his spiritual power and concluded that his strong divine sense came from his intensive cultivation and pill purification.
• Lin Xuan considered how to compensate for his limited spiritual power and decided it was time to cultivate spells.

Lin Xuan chose three mid-grade spells to strengthen his combat abilities and practiced them alongside pill refining and cultivation. He mastered the Spirit Power Shield in three days, and continued working toward learning the other two spells.

• Lin Xuan reviewed the spell notes he had kept for three years and chose the Spirit Power Shield, Ice Needle Technique, and Wind Control Technique.
• Lin Xuan began practicing spells while continuing to refine pills and cultivate, enduring a demanding schedule.
• Lin Xuan learned the Spirit Power Shield first and mastered it proficiently after three days of practice.

Lin Xuan persevered through two months of arduous training and achieved a small measure of success with the powerful Ice Needle Technique. He tested it in a hidden canyon, where more than a hundred needles shredded a massive boulder, and judged his current mastery sufficient for his Spirit Movement Stage cultivation.

• Lin Xuan began learning the Ice Needle Technique, whose exceptional power came with demanding requirements for divine sense and perseverance.
• Despite making almost no progress during the first few days, Lin Xuan continued practicing without losing patience.
• After two months of repeated failures, Lin Xuan achieved a small measure of success, aided by his diligence and daily Marrow Cleansing Pills.
• Lin Xuan tested the technique in a hidden canyon and used more than a hundred Ice Needles to blast a massive boulder into a sieve.
• Lin Xuan pushed the boulder off the cliff to conceal evidence of his spell, then concluded that his current mastery was enough for his cultivation level.

Lin Xuan mastered the Wind Control Technique and learned to wield the Gold Binding Rope, but discovered that the basic Object Manipulation Technique could only unleash a fraction of the Spirit Tool’s power. He needed to learn the Spirit Control Technique, yet seeking access to it risked exposing his unusual cultivation and the secret in his dantian, leaving him to keep searching for a solution.

• Lin Xuan mastered the Wind Control Technique after nearly a week of practice, improving his mobility and strength.
• After months of cultivation, Lin Xuan used the Gold Binding Rope in a secluded gorge and finally mastered the mid-grade Spirit Tool.
• Lin Xuan realized that the Object Manipulation Technique let him use only one or two tenths of the Gold Binding Rope’s power.
• Lin Xuan considered learning the Spirit Control Technique from the Library Pavilion but rejected both available routes because they were too slow or risked attracting suspicion.
• Lin Xuan continued cultivating and purifying pills while pondering how to solve his problem.

Lin Xuan searched for a way to learn the Spirit Control Technique without exposing his abilities, but left the Library Pavilion’s second floor untouched. He overheard that Lingyun Sect was being forced to disband and that its techniques and treasures were being sold, giving him a possible new lead.

• Lin Xuan inspected the Waste Pill Room, where Zhao Ming and the other boys continued to appreciate his hands-off management.
• Lin Xuan left the room and searched the Library Pavilion’s first floor for useful knowledge but found nothing.
• Lin Xuan considered breaking the Restriction blocking access to the second floor, then decided not to reveal his Ice Needle Technique or Spirit Tool.
• Lin Xuan overheard cultivators say Lingyun Sect would disband after offending a Core Condensation Realm expert.
• Lin Xuan heard that Lingyun Sect’s mid-level cultivation techniques, Spirit Tools, and Talismans were being sold.

Lin Xuan, posing as Zhao Gang, questioned two Floating Cloud Valley disciples about Lingyun Sect’s rumored dissolution. He learned that Lingyun Sect was disbanding to escape a Core Condensation expert’s threat to annihilate it within a month.

• Lin Xuan overheard Li Hai and Chen Feng discuss Lingyun Sect and approached them under the false name Zhao Gang.
• Lin Xuan displayed his Spirit Movement Stage cultivation, prompting Li Hai and Chen Feng to treat him as a senior disciple and agree to speak with him.
• Lin Xuan asked Li Hai about Lingyun Sect’s dissolution, and Li Hai explained the sect’s weakness compared with Floating Cloud Valley.
• Li Hai said a Core Condensation expert had threatened to slaughter Lingyun Sect within a month, leaving the sect to choose dissolution as its only escape.

Lin Xuan learned that the heavenly laws protected sects and cultivators who surrendered by crippling their cultivation, and that Lingyun Sect’s disbandment had prompted a Treasure Trade Fair. After hearing the fair’s details, he planned to attend so he could find a method for cultivating the Spirit Control Technique.

• Lin Xuan feigned ignorance as Li Hai explained the heavenly laws, which required defeated sects to disband and their members to cripple their cultivation in exchange for protection from revenge.
• Li Hai explained that Lingyun Sect’s disbandment had drawn nearby cultivators to a Treasure Trade Fair where the sect’s cultivation treasures would be exchanged for medicinal pills.
• Lin Xuan realized the fair might offer a method for cultivating the Spirit Control Technique and asked Li Hai when and where it would be held.
• Lin Xuan concealed his interest by claiming he could only watch, and Li Hai and Chen Feng answered without suspecting his intentions.

Lin Xuan prepared to attend the Treasure Trade Fair at Heavenly Pillar Mountain, hoping to buy a mid-tier cultivation art without arousing suspicion. After purifying pills and packing his possessions, he left Floating Cloud Valley and arrived at Heavenly Pillar Peak disguised as a Rogue Cultivator.

• Lin Xuan learned that the Treasure Trade Fair would be held at Heavenly Pillar Mountain in nine days and decided to buy a cultivation art there.
• Lin Xuan spent five days purifying pills, producing three hundred Low-Grade Marrow Cleansing Pills and nine Mid-Grade Pills.
• Lin Xuan packed his pills, Spirit Stones, Spirit Tools, Five Elements Talismans, Storage items, and a defensive vest, then obtained an exit token from the sect.
• Lin Xuan left Floating Cloud Valley and traveled toward Heavenly Pillar Mountain, planning to arrive early and assess the area and its prices.
• Lin Xuan reached Heavenly Pillar Peak disguised in coarse clothes as an ordinary Rogue Cultivator.

Lin Xuan arrived at Lingyun Sect’s mountain hollow for the Treasure Trade Fair and learned that the sect’s cultivators would have to cripple their cultivation after the event. After registering under a false name and settling into his room, he rested while waiting for the fair to begin.

• Lin Xuan climbed Heavenly Pillar Peak, bypassed its illusion formation, and used a teleportation array to reach the mountain hollow.
• A dejected Lingyun Sect disciple gave Lin Xuan a Jade Slip outlining the Treasure Trade Fair and its rules; Lin Xuan found that the listed techniques included the Spirit Control Technique.
• Lin Xuan registered as the independent cultivator Zhao Gang and received an identity token from a Foundation Establishment Early Stage elder.
• Lin Xuan inspected his protected room, replenished his spiritual power through meditation, and went to sleep before the fair.

Lin Xuan visited the plaza before the Treasure Trade Fair opened to learn the area, check market prices, and survey the crowd. He identified the three groups competing for Lingyun Sect's assets and considered how the cultivation families might contend with him for what he wanted.

• Lin Xuan left his pavilion and headed to the southern plaza to prepare for the Treasure Trade Fair.
• Lin Xuan found a bustling market with thousands of cultivators gathering before the fair had opened.
• Lin Xuan observed that major sects, including Floating Cloud Valley and several Chongzhou sects, had sent elders to pursue valuable materials and Spirit Tools.
• Lin Xuan judged that cultivation families would compete for low-tier Spirit Tools, Talismans, and cultivation techniques, overlapping with his own needs.
• Lin Xuan assessed that independent cultivators had the least influence and would mostly trade among themselves or seek overlooked bargains.

Lin Xuan surveyed the rogue cultivators’ market and learned that pills were far more valuable to them than he had assumed. He decided to avoid using Mid-Grade Pills unless he had no other choice, as he continued seeking an intermediate-grade cultivation technique.

• Lin Xuan visited the market to learn prices while looking for an intermediate-grade cultivation technique containing the Spirit Control Technique.
• Lin Xuan examined a girl’s storage items and found their storage spaces too small to be useful.
• The girl offered to lower her price, but Lin Xuan refused to buy anything and continued browsing.
• Lin Xuan learned that rogue cultivators prized pills because they lacked the sect benefits that helped disciples cultivate.
• After two hours at the market, Lin Xuan decided to avoid spending his Mid-Grade Pills unless necessary.

Lin Xuan spotted a young Daofu Mountain disciple struggling to sell nearly a hundred low-level Talismans and decided to buy them for their combined defensive power. To avoid attracting attention by paying with fifty Marrow Cleansing Pills, Lin Xuan followed the seller out of the market and prepared to disguise himself.

• Lin Xuan examined the young disciple’s Talismans and learned that the seller had made them himself but could not sell them at their cost price.
• The onlookers mocked the Talismans’ price, and the young disciple packed up without making a sale.
• Lin Xuan decided that using the Talismans all at once could help him escape even a Foundation Establishment Early Stage opponent.
• Lin Xuan avoided buying the Talismans in public because paying with fifty Marrow Cleansing Pills might draw unwanted attention.
• Lin Xuan followed the young disciple out of the market and took a Disguise Mask from his Storage Bracelet.

Lin Xuan disguised himself to buy all of a young cultivator’s Talismans, then returned to the market to look for useful goods. The chapter left him with a better understanding of cultivation-item prices and two water-attributed Spirit Stones as he prepared to seek an intermediate cultivation technique the next day.

• Lin Xuan changed his appearance and voice before approaching the young cultivator in a secluded place.
• The young cultivator counted out 108 Talismans, and Lin Xuan bought them all for fifty low-grade Marrow Cleansing Pills.
• Lin Xuan returned to the Post House, reviewed his market knowledge, and resolved to obtain an intermediate cultivation technique the next day.
• Lin Xuan explored the afternoon market and bought two water-attributed Spirit Stones.

Lin Xuan attended the Lingyun Sect’s Treasure Trade Fair and bought the Lingyun Art, a low-grade cultivation art he hoped would improve his progress. He returned to the Post House to wait for the afternoon sale of mid-grade cultivation arts, where he planned to seek one containing the Spirit Control Technique.

• Lin Xuan arrived at the crowded square and used a Jade Slip to learn that the Treasure Trade Fair had auctions followed by morning and afternoon free-selection sessions.
• Lin Xuan decided to look for a high-quality low-grade cultivation art after learning that Lingyun Art was considered equal to Floating Cloud Valley’s Flying Cloud Force.
• Lin Xuan found the stall selling cultivation arts and recognized Lingyun Art among the Jade Slips.
• Lin Xuan bought Lingyun Art for thirty low-grade Marrow Cleansing Pills.
• Lin Xuan browsed the busy market without making another purchase, then returned to the Post House to prepare for the afternoon sale.

Lin Xuan listened to cultivators discuss the morning auction and the afternoon trade fair, learning that Rogue Cultivators had little chance of obtaining the best treasures. He learned that cultivation families had already reserved most of the mid-grade cultivation methods, while he remained determined to acquire one for himself.

• Lin Xuan lingered in the dining hall and secretly listened as cultivators discussed the morning auction.
• A burly Rogue Cultivator described the Spirit Tools sold at auction and said powerful sects and wealthy cultivation families had bought them.
• Lin Xuan reflected that he already owned several Spirit Tools but needed the Spirit Control Technique to use their power fully.
• An old man revealed that cultivation families had reserved three of the four mid-grade cultivation methods offered at the trade fair.
• The Rogue Cultivators accepted that they could do little against the sects and families, and some dismissed mid-grade methods as useless to them.