Chapter Summaries

Lin Xuan pretended to be overwhelmed by Ye Tian’s treasures and superior cultivation while secretly setting a trap. He revealed a high-grade Spirit Tool and his true sixth-layer cultivation, leaving Ye Tian shocked and facing defeat.

• Lin Xuan used the mid-grade Gold Binding Rope against Ye Tian’s fire serpent while hiding his strength behind Red Silk Grass.
• Ye Tian believed Lin Xuan’s apparent fourth-layer cultivation would soon be exhausted and raised a Ghost Mist barrier with the Hundred Soul Banner.
• Lin Xuan feigned panic as Ye Tian taunted him and prepared to attack.
• Lin Xuan released a high-grade Spirit Tool whose pressure overwhelmed the fire serpent and Gold Binding Rope.
• Lin Xuan revealed his sixth-layer cultivation, and Ye Tian realized he had been lured into a trap.

Lin Xuan defeated Ye Tian, collected his treasures, and studied a demonic cultivation technique without choosing to practice it. After recovering from the battle, he began training in the Spirit Control Technique to use Spirit Tools more effectively.

• Lin Xuan killed Ye Tian with his flying sword, collected the Magic Banner, Storage Bag, and other items, and hid the body before returning to Floating Cloud Valley.
• Lin Xuan inspected Ye Tian's spoils and found Spirit Stones, Talismans, a blood-red Jade Slip, the Hundred Soul Banner, and a Fire Serpent Spirit Tool.
• Lin Xuan read the Jade Slip's demonic cultivation technique but rejected its dangerous shortcuts, deciding he might instead learn some of its Spells.
• Lin Xuan concluded the Hundred Soul Banner was only partially refined and considered trading away the Fire Serpent.
• After resting, Lin Xuan began practicing the Spirit Control Technique so he could wield Spirit Tools more effectively.

Lin Xuan struggled for a month to master Spirit Control Technique but made no progress, then discovered the Heavenly Demon Appearance Alteration Technique in a blood-red Jade Slip. The disguise spell could evade detection by cultivators far above his realm, but its short duration and need for a precious medicinal herb limited its use.

• Lin Xuan compared the Spirit Control Technique instructions in two intermediate cultivation methods and began practicing one of them.
• After more than a month of practice, Lin Xuan failed to make progress and decided he could not seek an elder's guidance without drawing attention to his hidden cultivation.
• Lin Xuan browsed spells in a blood-red Jade Slip and found the Heavenly Demon Appearance Alteration Technique.
• Lin Xuan learned the technique required only mid Spirit Movement Stage cultivation and could be detected only by someone two major realms above its caster.
• Lin Xuan discovered the technique lasted only one shichen, required six shichen of rest before reuse, and depended on consuming a precious medicinal herb.

Lin Xuan mastered the Heavenly Demon Appearance Alteration Technique and used purified Red Silk Grass to disguise himself as the dead elite disciple Ye Tian. He went to Floating Cloud Valley’s Elite Hall to seek guidance, where he encountered someone who recognized Ye Tian.

• Lin Xuan learned that top-grade Red Silk Grass could power the disguise technique and realized his purification ability made it useful to him.
• Lin Xuan mastered the technique, drank purified Red Silk Grass, and transformed his face, voice, height, and build to match Ye Tian.
• Lin Xuan decided to impersonate Ye Tian because the elite disciple could consult Foundation Establishment elders, and only a month had passed since Ye Tian disappeared.
• Lin Xuan entered the Elite Hall, wary that someone familiar with Ye Tian might expose him.
• A sturdy, square-faced cultivator greeted Lin Xuan as Junior Brother Ye, and Lin Xuan recognized him.

Lin Xuan impersonated Ye Tian to enter Floating Cloud Valley’s Elite Hall, relying on Ma Tianxiong to pass its identity Restrictions. He saw the sect’s elite disciples gathered to hear an elder impart the Dao, including two at the great perfection of the Spirit Movement Stage.

• Lin Xuan greeted Ma Tianxiong while imitating Ye Tian and learned that Ma had entered the Dao through martial arts.
• Lin Xuan claimed he had come to seek his master’s guidance about refining the Fire Serpent, and Ma Tianxiong invited him into the Elite Hall.
• Ma Tianxiong used his identity plaque to pass the hall’s Restrictions, allowing Lin Xuan to follow him inside.
• Lin Xuan and Ma Tianxiong reached a gathering of more than thirty elite disciples awaiting an elder’s lecture.
• Lin Xuan observed the gathered disciples’ cultivation levels, including a twelve-year-old at the peak of the middle Spirit Movement Stage and two disciples at great perfection.
• Lin Xuan sat in a corner, privately confident that he was stronger than the two leading disciples.

Lin Xuan attended Elder Li’s cultivation lesson and saw the celebrated Qin Yan arrive, whose beauty and reputation captivated the elite disciples. Elder Li began by answering disciples’ cultivation questions, giving Lin Xuan hope that the lesson would not drag on while he relied on the Disguise Technique.

• The disciples discussed Qin Yan’s exceptional talent and wondered why she had not arrived.
• Qin Yan entered the hall, ignored the elite disciples’ eager greetings, and walked past Lin Xuan as well.
• Lin Xuan observed that Qin Yan seemed fed up with the disciples’ persistent flattery.
• Elder Li arrived, sat down, and began answering disciples’ questions about problems in their cultivation.
• Lin Xuan realized that the disciples’ questions came before the lecture and felt relieved that the arrangement suited him.

Lin Xuan disguised as Ye Tian asked Elder Li how to overcome a bottleneck in the Spirit Control Technique and learned that Ginseng Essence could help. He left the Elite Hall safely, pleased that his Blue Star Sea could let him obtain Ginseng Essence from ordinary ginseng.

• Lin Xuan posed as Ye Tian and asked Elder Li for guidance on his stalled cultivation of the Spirit Control Technique.
• Elder Li examined Lin Xuan’s low-grade Fire Serpent Spirit Tool and said that sixth-level cultivators usually needed Foundation Establishment or a stroke of inspiration to master the technique.
• Elder Li revealed that consuming large amounts of Ginseng Essence could help cultivators break through the bottleneck.
• Lin Xuan realized his Blue Star Sea could purify younger ginseng to yield Ginseng Essence, though he pretended to be discouraged.
• Lin Xuan left the Elite Hall before his disguise’s time limit expired, and Ma Tianxiong offered him consolation.

Lin Xuan used Ginseng Essence Powder to master the Spirit Control Technique, then spent years cultivating until he reached Great Perfection in the Spirit Movement Stage. He ended the chapter at the highest level of the stage, despite having no Spirit Root.

• Lin Xuan disguised himself and traded Marrow Cleansing Pills for ordinary ginseng and Red Silk Grass.
• Lin Xuan purified the ginseng into Ginseng Essence Powder and found that it improved the quality of his spiritual power.
• Lin Xuan cultivated the Spirit Control Technique for ninety days, achieving minor mastery and gaining the ability to control Spirit Tools with ease.
• Lin Xuan secretly flew beyond the mountain gate on a Spirit Tool, then returned to secluded cultivation because his spiritual power was insufficient for sustained combat.
• After years of strenuous cultivation with spiritual medicines, Lin Xuan reached Great Perfection in the Spirit Movement Stage.

The Yan Family and Wang Family conflict escalated into a war of attrition between the alliances led by Floating Cloud Valley and Fire Spirit Sect. Lin Xuan learned that leaving his sect had become dangerous, but his repeated attempts to reach Foundation Establishment failed, leaving only one hope.

• The Yan Family and Wang Family accused each other over Yan Tianheng's disappearance, drawing their allied sects into a growing conflict.
• Floating Cloud Valley and Fire Spirit Sect began a war of attrition, hunting isolated cultivators while avoiding large-scale battles and attacks on their headquarters.
• Lin Xuan learned that his sect was involved and worried about the danger of traveling outside its protection.
• Lin Xuan repeatedly consumed high-grade Marrow Cleansing Pills and tried to achieve Foundation Establishment, including on the Heart Refining Path, but failed each time.
• Lin Xuan concluded that only one final hope remained for achieving Foundation Establishment.

Lin Xuan failed to purify any Top-Grade Marrow Cleansing Pills and could find no information about them, leaving him unsure how he could achieve Foundation Establishment without a Spirit Root. While disguised as Ye Tian, he encountered Ma Tianxiong, who revealed that Top-Grade Pills differed from other grades and even used different ingredients.

• Lin Xuan spent more than ten days testing nearly a thousand Top-Grade Marrow Cleansing Pills but failed to purify even one.
• Lin Xuan searched for records and questioned elders while disguised as Ye Tian, but learned that even the elders knew nothing about Top-Grade Pills.
• Lin Xuan continued cultivating with high-grade pills and Ginseng Essence Powder, strengthening his foundation and purifying his spiritual power.
• Lin Xuan disguised himself as Ye Tian to attend an elder's lecture and met Ma Tianxiong on the way.
• Ma Tianxiong told Lin Xuan that Top-Grade Pills differed from other grades and used somewhat different ingredients.

Ma Tianxiong told Lin Xuan that Top-Grade Pills required an Upper-Grade Pill and two rare spirit herbs, Silver Moon Flower and Flowing Firefly Grass. Lin Xuan learned the herbs grew in Stream Leap Ravine, but the ongoing war and identity-recognition spells made gathering them perilous, leaving his path to Foundation Establishment uncertain.

• Ma Tianxiong explained that Top-Grade Pills were made by refining an Upper-Grade Pill a second time with additional spirit herbs.
• Lin Xuan learned that Silver Moon Flower and Flowing Firefly Grass were required, and Ma Tianxiong said they grew in Stream Leap Ravine.
• Lin Xuan recognized that Stream Leap Ravine was dangerous and lay within the Fire Spirit Sect’s sphere of influence, making a trip there risky for an enemy disciple.
• Lin Xuan considered disguising himself as an independent cultivator to reach the ravine, but the warring alliances’ identity-recognition spells threatened to expose him.

Lin Xuan decided to travel to Stream Leap Ravine for spiritual herbs and first went to Daofu Mountain to obtain talismans for protection. He reached the allied sect and, posing as Ye Tian, impressed its guards with his cultivation.

• Lin Xuan weighed the dangers of traveling to Stream Leap Ravine but chose to go, planning to visit Daofu Mountain for talismans first.
• Lin Xuan packed his treasures, altered his appearance, and flew from Floating Cloud Valley to Daofu Mountain.
• Lin Xuan triggered Daofu Mountain’s warning Restriction and told two guards he was Ye Tian of Floating Cloud Valley.
• One guard used the Spirit Eye Technique to verify Lin Xuan’s identity and cultivation, then the guards eagerly offered their help after seeing his great-perfection Spirit Movement Stage cultivation.

Lin Xuan visited Daofu Mountain to buy talismans and learned that the monthly Talisman Fair might offer him a chance to obtain high-grade ones. Wang Xin told him that Elder Heaven Origin, Daofu Mountain’s strongest expert, was reputed to fight above his cultivation realm, leaving Lin Xuan astonished.

• Lin Xuan posed as Ye Tian, introduced himself as a customer, and asked two Daofu Mountain disciples to help him buy talismans.
• A disciple escorted Lin Xuan into the mountain and explained that the sect was holding its monthly Talisman Fair that day.
• Lin Xuan questioned the escort about Daofu Mountain and offered cultivation advice, prompting the young disciple to share more information.
• Lin Xuan asked whether he could buy high-grade talismans, and Wang Xin said that meeting Elder Heaven Origin might give him a chance.
• Wang Xin described Elder Heaven Origin as Daofu Mountain’s strongest expert, a Foundation Establishment cultivator reputed to challenge opponents at the Core Condensation Realm.

Lin Xuan learned that Elder Heaven Origin might sell high-grade Talismans at Daofu Mountain’s Talisman Fair, then entered the market to look for defensive Talismans. After passing on a Flight Talisman, he stopped at a stall whose owner said his Foundation Establishment Middle Stage master had made defensive Talismans.

• Wang Xin told Lin Xuan that Elder Heaven Origin sometimes attended the Talisman Fair and sold high-grade Talismans, though his appearances were unpredictable.
• Wang Xin opened the concealed entrance to the fair, gave Lin Xuan a waist token, and directed him to the Talisman market.
• Lin Xuan entered the busy market and searched mainly for defensive Talismans, avoiding low-grade and unsuitable mid-grade options.
• A young stall owner offered Lin Xuan a mid-grade Flight Talisman, but Lin Xuan declined because he could already fly using a Spirit Tool.
• The stall owner said his Foundation Establishment Middle Stage master had made Talismans, and Lin Xuan asked to see the defensive ones.

Lin Xuan bought three mid-grade defensive Talismans while preparing for the dangerous trip to Stream Leap Ravine. At the Talisman Fair, Liu Jing revealed low-grade Talismans that imitated the appearance and sound of powerful high-grade Spells, though their actual power remained low.

• Lin Xuan haggled with a young seller and bought three mid-grade defensive Talismans for twenty-one Spirit Stones.
• Lin Xuan searched the fair for more useful Talismans but found no high-grade ones or the expected Elder Heaven Origin Wang Xin.
• Liu Jing of Daofu Mountain loudly advertised low-grade Talismans comparable to high-grade Talismans and drew a crowd.
• Liu Jing activated an Ice Bullet Technique Talisman that appeared to unleash hundreds of Ice Needles, startling the crowd but leaving the tall, thin man unharmed.
• Liu Jing explained that his Talismans only imitated the visual and auditory effects of high-grade Spells, then displayed more examples.

At the Talisman Fair, Lin Xuan bought Liu Jing’s unusual low-grade talismans and continued searching for high-grade talismans. He found a Beast Soul Talisman containing a Sky-Soaring Bird’s soul, though its price and the bird’s failed advancement left its value uncertain.

• Liu Jing failed to sell his unusual low-grade talismans until Lin Xuan bought all nine for one Spirit Stone each.
• Lin Xuan visited the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators’ shops but found no high-grade talismans.
• Lin Xuan spotted a blue Beast Soul Talisman at an old Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator’s stall and asked about its price.
• The old man asked for two hundred Spirit Stones and explained that the talisman contained the soul of a Sky-Soaring Bird that had failed its advancement to second grade.

Lin Xuan traded a low-grade Spirit Tool for a powerful Beast Talisman and traveled to Stream Leap Ravine, where the Fire Spirit Sect controlled the only entrance. After studying the guarded Teleportation Array for three days without finding a way in, he watched a Fire Spirit Sect elder arrive.

• Lin Xuan traded the Fire Snake Spirit Tool to an old man for a Sky-Soaring Bird Beast Talisman and left Daofu Mountain.
• Lin Xuan flew to the wilderness near Stream Leap Ravine, drank Red Silk Grass Green Liquid to suppress his spiritual energy, and recovered before approaching.
• Lin Xuan learned that the Fire Spirit Sect guarded Stream Leap Ravine's sole entrance and that cultivators had to use its Teleportation Array to enter.
• Lin Xuan spent three days observing the guards with his powerful divine sense but could not find a way to enter unnoticed.
• A middle-aged Fire Spirit Sect man arrived at the Teleportation Array, and the disciples greeted him as Martial Uncle.

Lin Xuan disguised himself as Fire Spirit Sect elder Chen and entered Stream Leap Ravine through the Teleportation Array. He learned that Qingling True Person and the sect’s Foundation Establishment cultivators planned to kill everyone in the ravine who was not a member of their sect.

• Lin Xuan changed his appearance and manner to impersonate the reclusive, moody elder Chen, fooling the disciples guarding the Teleportation Array.
• Lin Xuan teleported into Stream Leap Ravine and hurried into the forest to avoid staying in the clearing.
• Qingling True Person arrived with nearly a hundred elite Fire Spirit Sect disciples and ordered them to follow his prior instructions.
• Qingling True Person told his Foundation Establishment juniors to kill every cultivator in the ravine who was not from their sect, explaining that the sect sought to seize an emerging treasure and conceal its existence.
• After his juniors voiced concerns about the consequences, Qingling True Person reaffirmed the order and headed into the forest.

Lin Xuan bound a Spirit Herb Beast to help him search Stream Leap Ravine, unaware that the Fire Spirit Sect was slaughtering other cultivators. He hid near a creek and watched a Fire Spirit Sect disciple kill Xie Yun, leaving the other two Heavenly Star Sect disciples in danger.

• Lin Xuan found a dead Fire Spirit Sect disciple and took his Storage Bracelet before binding a Spirit Herb Beast to guide him toward rare herbs.
• Fire Spirit Sect disciples ambushed and killed cultivators across Stream Leap Ravine while Lin Xuan hurried onward, unaware of the slaughter.
• Lin Xuan concealed himself near a creek, where Xie Yun and two junior brothers had killed a Mountain Piercing Mastiff and found a Millennium Ganoderma.
• Senior Brother Zheng arrived, then suddenly spat a red streak of light through Xie Yun's throat, killing him.

Lin Xuan discovered that Fire Spirit Sect cultivators were slaughtering other cultivators in Stream Leap Ravine, then encountered a Venomous Toad guarding a three-thousand-year-old Millennium Ginseng. The toad blocked the cave entrance, leaving Lin Xuan facing a fight he had hoped to avoid.

• Senior Brother Zheng killed two Heavenly Star Sect disciples, took the Millennium Ganoderma and Mountain Piercing Mastiff's corpse, and left Lin Xuan to find their bodies.
• Lin Xuan suspected a conspiracy and resolved to proceed carefully through Stream Leap Ravine.
• Two Fire Spirit Sect Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators killed Elder Song, while another sect cultivator slaughtered a group of Rogue Cultivators.
• Lin Xuan avoided Fire Spirit Sect disciples and found a Venomous Toad guarding a three-thousand-year-old Millennium Ginseng.
• Lin Xuan tried to withdraw without fighting, but the Venomous Toad blocked the cave entrance.