Chapter Summaries

Wu Yan arranged for Lin Lan to help the Peace Cloud Yang Clan destroy the Red Leaf Ridge Ye Family, while the unusually lavish Cloud Water Gathering drew Ling Pengyun to Cloudwater Market Town for its auction. The chapter left Ling Pengyun preparing to bid after exchanging his newly refined magical artifacts for spirit stones.

• Yang Siling told Wu Yan that the Ye Family had gained a third Foundation Establishment Cultivator, and Wu Yan promised to find help for her clan without acting openly himself.
• Zhang Yan confronted Lin Lan about killing independent cultivators and contacting Wu Yan's associates, then offered him a future Hall of Affairs elder position in exchange for joining the Yang Clan's attack on the Ye Family.
• Lin Lan agreed to leave Cloudwater Market Town and infiltrate the Yang Clan's territory, while an Illusion Mask would impersonate him at the Cloud Water Gathering.
• The Hundred Spirits Sect advertised an unusually grand Cloud Water Gathering auction featuring three Foundation Establishment Pills, Hundred Spirits Water, and many other spiritual objects.
• Ling Pengyun arrived in Cloudwater Market Town, learned about the auction from Ling Xiaohua, and exchanged his refined magical artifacts for spirit stones to bid.

Ling Pengyun attended the Cloudwater Auction House with Ling Xiaohua and Yang Qiuyun and spent heavily to acquire three bottles of Evergreen Spirit Water for his cultivation. The auction ended with the sale of its most valuable lots, and the family returned to Lingxiao Grocery Store.

• Ling Pengyun and his parents entered Cloudwater Auction House and took seats in the crowded first-floor hall.
• The auctioneer presented three bottles of Evergreen Spirit Water, and Ling Pengyun outbid the other cultivators to buy them for three hundred, three hundred, and three hundred thirty spirit stones.
• Ling Pengyun watched the later auction lots pass by because he had spent most of his spirit stones on the Evergreen Spirit Water.
• The auction sold three portions of Hundred Spirits Water and three Foundation Establishment Pills to several prominent families.
• Ling Pengyun and his parents left the auction house with the crowd and returned to Lingxiao Grocery Store.

Yang Changxing led the Yang Clan and Lin Lan in an assault on the Ye Clan’s Red Leaf Mountain, trapping the defenders behind a communications-blocking array. After Yang Changxing captured the mountain’s spent Profound Earth Heavy Hammer, the attackers battered the Mountain Protection Formation, leaving the Ye Clan at a clear disadvantage.

• Yang Changxing, Yang Mingtian, Lin Lan, and nearly twenty Yang Clan cultivators entered Red Leaf Ridge and activated a Shielding Array to hinder communication.
• Ye Huaxing recognized the attackers and used the Profound Earth Great Array to send its six-strike Profound Earth Heavy Hammer against them.
• Lin Lan’s shield absorbed the hammer’s first four strikes, and Yang Changxing’s bronze bell blocked the final two; Yang Changxing then bound and captured the exhausted hammer.
• Yang Changxing urged Lin Lan to attack, and he, Lin Lan, Yang Mingtian, and the Yang Clan cultivators bombarded Red Leaf Mountain’s defensive light screen.
• Ye Shuishan emerged from seclusion and tried to stop Yang Mingtian’s golden sword, but it quickly destroyed his nine flying daggers.
• Ye Huaxing and the Ye Clan defenders blocked some attacks with weapons and spirit talismans, but Yang Changxing’s flames continued striking the formation’s light screen.

Ling Yunhong and Yang Mingquan killed Ye Yongjin, then joined the Yang Clan in destroying the Ye Family at Red Leaf Ridge. After the battle, Ling Yunhong secured the agreed share of the Ye Family’s inheritance and bought its Profound Earth Great Array for five thousand spirit stones.

• Ling Yunhong, Yang Mingquan, and the Immortal Spirit Crane King overwhelmed Ye Yongjin, and Ling Yunhong killed him with the Earthly Fiend Sword Formation.
• Ling Yunhong took the Hundred Spirits Water from Ye Yongjin’s belongings while Yang Mingquan claimed the rest, and the two headed to Red Leaf Ridge.
• Ling Yunhong and the Yang Clan’s forces broke Red Leaf Mountain’s protective formation and wiped out the Ye Family.
• Yang Changxing rewarded Lin Lan with three Second Rank High Grade Spirit Gathering Pills, and Lin Lan left for Cloudwater Market Town.
• Ling Yunhong asserted his agreed claim to the Ye Family’s talisman-crafting inheritance and Foundation Establishment technique, then obtained the Profound Earth Great Array from Yang Changxing.
• Ling Yunhong offered Yang Changxing five thousand spirit stones for the formation and its items.

Yang Changxing secured the Ye Family’s territory and explained why he let Ling Yunhong leave, while preparing to refine a spirit fruit to advance his cultivation. Ling Yunhong then escorted Ling Pengyun safely from Cloudwater Market Town to Lingyun Mountain after noticing that auction-goers were watching him.

• Yang Changxing and Ling Yunhong searched the Ye Family’s Cultivation Abode, divided copies of its inheritance and cultivation methods, and Ling Yunhong departed with his agreed share.
• Yang Mingquan reported that the Yang Clan had found hundreds of spirit talismans and other resources in the Ye Family repository, and Yang Changxing explained that attacking Ling Yunhong would be too dangerous.
• Yang Changxing assigned Yang Mingtian and Yang Mingquan to pursue the remaining Ye Family members and said he would enter seclusion to refine the Evergreen Spirit Fruit.
• Ling Yunhong arrived at Lingxiao Grocery Store, praised Ling Pengyun’s Qi Training progress, and learned that watchers were targeting him after his auction purchases.
• Ling Yunhong shared breakfast with Ling Pengyun’s family, checked the grocery store’s accounts, and flew with Ling Pengyun on the Immortal Spirit Crane King to Lingyun Mountain.

Ling Pengyun showed Ling Yunhong the improved Autumn Cloud Spirit Rice, and the clan head agreed to seek outside buyers for its improvement method. After receiving Ling Yunhong’s advice on cultivation, spirit planting, and weapon refinement, Ling Pengyun used Evergreen Spirit Water to reach the Qi Training Ninth Layer.

• Ling Yunhong inspected Ling Pengyun’s improved Autumn Cloud Spirit Rice and confirmed its high yield.
• Ling Yunhong told Ling Pengyun that the clan planned to sell the secret method to outside clans, and Ling Pengyun agreed.
• Ling Yunhong answered Ling Pengyun’s questions and corrected his shortcomings as he refined two batches of Golden Scale Inner Armor.
• Ling Pengyun consumed three bottles of Evergreen Spirit Water and broke through to the Qi Training Ninth Layer.
• Ling Pengyun began stabilizing his cultivation while continuing to care for the spirit plants on the mountain.

Ling Yunhong brought ten Foundation Establishment buyers to Lingyun Mountain to inspect Ling Pengyun’s improved Autumn Cloud Spirit Rice and bid for its secret method. After examining the crop and confirming its quality, all ten buyers stayed for the auction.

• Ling Yunhong had the Ling Clan’s shops publicize the Autumn Cloud Spirit Rice while concealing that Ling Pengyun had improved it.
• Ling Ruda gathered ten interested clan forces, excluded buyers from the other four Great Foundation Establishment Families of Huai River County, and asked Ling Yunhong to bring them to Lingyun Mountain.
• Ling Yunhong led the ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators to Lingyun Mountain and called for Ling Pengyun from its foot.
• Ling Yunhong introduced Ling Pengyun as the cultivator who had improved the Autumn Cloud Spirit Rice, surprising the buyers.
• Ling Yunhong showed the buyers a mu of Autumn Cloud Spirit Rice, and they inspected its grains before agreeing to remain and bid for the secret method.

Ling Pengyun’s Autumn Cloud Secret Method sold to Guo Changsheng for 13,500 spirit stones, but the sale exposed both buyers and owners of the method to danger. Ling Yunhong promised to protect Ling Pengyun at Lingyun Mountain, while revealing that the Ling Clan’s mountain was secured by a new Second Grade Middle Rank Array Formation and the Immortal Spirit Crane King.

• Ling Yunhong began the auction for the Autumn Cloud Secret Method and used his Earthly Fiend Sword Formation to deter the ten Foundation Establishment buyers.
• The bids climbed to 13,500 spirit stones, and Guo Changsheng of the Huangyan Ridge Guo Family won the secret method.
• Guo Changsheng paid Ling Yunhong, received the written method, and left Lingyun Mountain as eight of the other buyers departed in the same direction.
• Ling Pengyun realized the secret method had made him a target, and Ling Yunhong promised to stay with him at Lingyun Mountain and warned him to avoid going out alone.
• Ling Yunhong explained that he had installed a Second Grade Middle Rank Array Formation at the clan mountain alongside the Early-Stage Foundation Establishment Immortal Spirit Crane King.

Ling Pengyun divided the proceeds from selling the Autumn Cloud Secret Method and arranged to acquire Foundation Establishment resources while refining his cultivation schedule at Lingyun Mountain. Meanwhile, Guo Changsheng escaped the Foundation Establishment cultivators pursuing him and returned to the Guo Family ancestral grounds.

• Ling Yunhong collected the clan's ten-percent share of the thirteen thousand five hundred spirit stones, and Ling Pengyun repaid his debt for Cloud Forest Spirit Water.
• Ling Pengyun agreed to pay four thousand spirit stones toward the Hundred Spirits Water and asked Ling Yunhong to buy him a Second Rank High Grade Meridian Protecting Pill.
• Ling Yunhong settled into the Bamboo House to refine pills, while Ling Pengyun devoted himself to cultivation and followed a new daily schedule.
• Eight Foundation Establishment cultivators pursued Guo Changsheng, who used a Second Rank Low Grade Wind Riding Talisman to escape them.
• Guo Changsheng raced through Huai River County and returned safely to Huangyan Ridge, the Guo Family's ancestral grounds.

Over two years, Ling Pengyun advanced in cultivation, spirit planting, and artifact refinement while remaining on Lingyun Mountain to guard the Autumn Cloud Secret Method. His five-year posting ended, and he presided over Lingyun Small City’s fifth Spirit Root Test Assembly, where the first child tested had no spirit root.

• Foundation Establishment Families sought to buy the Autumn Cloud Secret Method, but Ling Yunhong refused because the Ling Clan had promised the Guo Family not to spread it further.
• Ling Pengyun spent two years cultivating on Lingyun Mountain, reaching the third level of the Lingxiao Ripening Technique and First Rank High Grade in the Spirit Plant path while improving his artifact-refining success rates.
• Ling Pengyun learned that his five-year term guarding Lingyun Mountain had ended and flew to Lingyun Small City to conduct its fifth Spirit Root Test Assembly.
• Ling Yu welcomed Ling Pengyun at the Ancestral Hall, then went outside to organize the waiting families and children.
• Ling Pengyun tested the first child, a little girl, and found that she had no Immortal Fate.

Ling Pengyun discovered that Ling Xin had a spirit root during the final Spirit Root Test Assembly in Lingyun Small City and gave him a Storage Bag filled with cultivation items. Two days later, Ling Pengyun’s Wind Shadow Peng broke through to the Qi Training Middle Stage, while Ling Pengyun awaited his return to the clan mountain and considered how to strengthen the peng’s cultivation.

• Ling Pengyun found that Ling Xin possessed a spirit root and gave him a Storage Bag containing an Azure Spirit Sword, Golden Scale Inner Armor, and fifty spirit stones.
• Ling Yu identified Ling Xin’s parents and planned to build a relationship with them as Ling Pengyun brought Ling Xin out and explained his future move to the clan mountain.
• Two days later, the Wind Shadow Peng began breaking through its bottleneck, and Ling Pengyun used a Spirit Gathering Array and spirit stones to supply it with spiritual energy.
• After three hours, the Wind Shadow Peng reached the Qi Training Middle Stage, grew large enough to carry Ling Pengyun, and showed gratitude for his help.
• Ling Pengyun decided to seek cultivation spiritual water to improve the Wind Shadow Peng’s future growth, then returned to studying the Lingxiao Ripening Technique.

Ling Yunliu arrived to take over the post at Lingyun Mountain, where Ling Pengyun shared his spirit-rice cultivation experience and showed him the mountain’s spirit fields. After gathering his personal animals and retrieving Ling Xin, Ling Pengyun left with Ling Yunhong and stopped to say goodbye to his parents in Cloudwater Market Town before continuing toward the clan.

• Ling Yunliu arrived at Lingyun Mountain to replace Ling Pengyun, and asked him to share his experience improving Autumn Cloud Spirit Rice.
• Ling Pengyun explained his spirit-rice experiments to Ling Yunliu, then hosted him for a meal with Ling Yunhong and showed him the mountain’s spirit fields.
• Ling Pengyun packed up his two Songhua Spirit Chickens, three Earth-Turning Earthworms, and the Fruit Flower Bee colony, then brought Ling Xin away from Lingyun Small City.
• Ling Pengyun and Ling Yunhong left Lingyun Mountain and traveled to Cloudwater Market Town, where Ling Pengyun said farewell to his parents and bought spirit fruits with his remaining spirit stones.

Ling Pengyun returned to Lingxiao Mountain with Ling Yunhong and Ling Xin, then arranged to enter long-term seclusion and discussed his Fruit Flower Bee swarm with Ling Ruxian. Ling Ruxian proposed moving the bees to the ancestral mountain in exchange for honey for the clan, and Ling Pengyun weighed the benefits as the chapter ended.

• Ling Yunhong and Ling Pengyun returned to Lingxiao Mountain with Ling Xin and reported to Ling Ruxian at the General Affairs Hall.
• Ling Pengyun told Ling Ruxian that he had reached the Qi Training Ninth Layer and secured permission to cultivate in clan seclusion for up to ten years.
• Ling Ruxian praised Ling Pengyun's progress as a spirit plant farmer and revealed that his remaining lifespan was likely only five or six years, perhaps seven or eight.
• Ling Pengyun gave Ling Ruxian a bottle of First Rank Middle Grade Fruit Flower Honey and proposed settling his bee swarm in the orchard outside Lingxiao Small City.
• Ling Ruxian suggested moving the Fruit Flower Bee swarm to the ancestral mountain, where spirit trees could improve its honey, in return for an annual honey payment to compensate the clan's Rainbow Cloud Butterflies.
• Ling Pengyun considered how access to spirit-tree pollen could improve his bees' honey production and help expand the swarm.

Ling Pengyun arranged for his Fruit Flower Bee swarm to live among the Ling Clan’s spirit fruit trees and settled back into his courtyard after returning to the clan. He began preparing for a long seclusion by caring for his spirit beasts and feeding spirit fruits to his Earth-Turning Earthworms.

• Ling Pengyun agreed to raise his Fruit Flower Bee swarm alongside the clan’s Rainbow Cloud Spirit Butterflies, delivered 390 Azure Spirit Swords, and received 1,000 spirit stones from Ling Ruxian.
• Ling Pengyun bought grain for his Songhua Spirit Chickens, arranged care for little Ling Xin, and followed Ling Ruxian through the clan’s formations to the mountaintop spirit fields.
• Ling Pengyun placed the Fruit Flower Bee hive in the Stone Spirit Walnut Tree and ordered the queen bee to raise more Qi Training worker bees, avoid attacking cultivators, and provide honey to Ling Ruxian.
• Ling Pengyun returned to his courtyard, built a coop for the Songhua Spirit Chickens, and told the Wind Shadow Peng to watch over them.
• Ling Pengyun fed spirit fruits to his three Earth-Turning Earthworms, then began refining a spirit fruit to improve his own cultivation.

Ling Yunhong reported his progress in alchemy and reviewed the Ling Clan’s affairs before Ling Xin’s spirit roots were tested and found to be suited to alchemy or artifact refining. Two years later, a surge of spiritual energy gathered at Lingxiao Mountain’s summit, and Ling Pengyun suspected that someone was attempting a breakthrough.

• Ling Ruxian briefed Ling Yunhong on the clan’s affairs, including the exhausted Profound Water Mineral Vein and the clan’s growing number of members with spirit roots.
• Ling Yunhong told the elders that his success rate for refining Second Rank Low Grade Spirit Gathering Pills had reached thirty percent and discussed cultivating more clan alchemists.
• Ling Ruxian reported that Luo Qiuming had entered Foundation Establishment, and the elders discussed future tensions among the county’s clans.
• Ling Yunxi used the Spirit Measurement Array to test Ling Xin and found that he had fire, wood, and earth Three Spirit Roots suited to alchemy or artifact refining.
• Two years later, a vast spiritual energy fluctuation erupted at Lingxiao Mountain’s summit, and Ling Pengyun guessed that Third Grandfather, the Immortal Spirit Crane King, or a clan member might be breaking through.

Ling Pengyun used Hundred Spirits Water and a Meridian Protecting Pill to break through to Foundation Establishment in the Ling Clan’s mountain cave residence. He emerged with his cultivation newly established and his meridians needing months to recover, while his family elders waited outside.

• Ling Pengxing had broken through to Foundation Establishment a year earlier using his Geng Metal Sword Seed to shatter his bottleneck.
• After reaching Qi Training Completion, Ling Pengyun collected his Hundred Spirits Water and entered the mountain cave residence with Ling Yunhong’s Foundation Establishment insights.
• Ling Pengyun studied the breakthrough experiences of Ling Yunhong, Ling Pengxing, and Yang Siling, then consumed the Hundred Spirits Water to double his divine sense.
• Ling Pengyun refined a Meridian Protecting Pill and used Qi Infusion to draw in Lingxiao Mountain’s spiritual qi, enduring severe strain as he struck his bottleneck.
• Ling Pengyun broke through to Foundation Establishment, sensed his improved divine sense, and left the Meditation Room to meet Ling Yunhong, Ling Ruxian, and Ling Yunxi.

Ling Pengyun successfully established his Foundation and received the Early-Stage Foundation Establishment portion of the Azure Sea True Scripture from Ling Yunhong. After learning about the family’s support and limitations, Ling Pengyun stayed behind to memorize the technique’s circulation routes.

• Ling Pengyun thanked Ling Yunhong for the Hundred Spirits Water and Meridian Protecting Pill that helped him succeed in Foundation Establishment.
• Ling Yunhong, Ling Ruxian, and Ling Yunxi celebrated Ling Pengyun’s advancement and discussed the strength it added to the Ling Clan.
• Ling Yunhong gave Ling Pengyun the first three layers of the Azure Sea True Scripture’s Foundation Establishment section and explained its power and secrecy requirements.
• Ling Yunhong gave Ling Pengyun six Spirit Gathering Pills and promised the family would buy Second Rank magical artifacts for him and Peng Xing at the upcoming West Yang Small Gathering.
• Ling Yunhong left the study, and Ling Pengyun remained to memorize the technique’s circulation routes.

After breaking through to Foundation Establishment, Ling Pengyun memorized the early-stage instructions of the Azure Sea True Scripture and learned about its powerful magic items and innate spell. He stabilized his cultivation but realized that advancing further would require many years and thousands of spirit stones.

• Ling Pengyun studied the Azure Sea True Scripture, memorized its early Foundation Establishment circulation routes, and learned about its three Lifebound Magic Items and the Azure Sea Sky Sword spell.
• Ling Pengyun left a note for Ling Yunhong, returned to his courtyard, cared for his spirit animals, and began comprehending the cultivation method.
• Ling Pengyun comprehended the first-layer circulation route and used Spirit Gathering Pills to cultivate for three months, stabilizing his Foundation Establishment cultivation.
• Ling Pengyun calculated that reaching the second layer would take years and thousands of spirit stones, then swallowed another Spirit Gathering Pill and resumed cultivating.

Three months after stabilizing his Foundation Establishment cultivation, Ling Pengyun refined the Mixed Rock Shield and bought Spirit Gathering Pills from the clan. He returned to cultivation with fourteen pills and looked ahead to Ling Yunhong’s potential rise.

• Ling Pengyun refined the Second Rank Low Grade Mixed Rock Shield and tested its defenses against his Earthly Fiend Sword Formation.
• He visited the General Affairs Hall to buy nine Spirit Gathering Pills, paying Ling Ruxian 1,800 spirit stones.
• Ling Ruxian gave Ling Pengyun five additional pills and asked him to support any future spirit-rooted descendants from his branch; Ling Pengyun promised he would.
• Ling Ruxian told Ling Pengyun to attend the clan’s year-end review six months later.
• Ling Pengyun returned to his courtyard with fourteen pills and reflected on the clan’s supply of cultivation resources and Ling Yunhong’s prospects for advancing.

Ling Pengqiu broke through to the Qi Training Fourth Layer and applied to guard a spirit vein for the clan. Ling Ruxian told him no position was available until next year, raised his future stipend and pill support, and wondered whether he could reach Foundation Establishment like Peng Xing and Peng Yun.

• Ling Pengyun set a daily cultivation schedule focused on comprehending the Azure Sea Sky Sword and strengthening his combat ability.
• Ling Pengqiu swallowed two Yellow Sprout Pills and, after a day of assaulting his bottleneck, broke through to the Qi Training Fourth Layer.
• Eager to earn more spirit stones and visit Ling Pengshan, Ling Pengqiu went to the General Affairs Hall to request a spirit-vein guarding assignment.
• Ling Ruxian explained that no Low-Order Spirit Vein position was currently vacant and advised Ling Pengqiu to wait for an assignment next year rather than take a time-consuming shop job.
• Ling Pengqiu accepted the advice, and Ling Ruxian told him that next month his stipend would increase and the clan would provide an additional Yellow Sprout Pill each month.
• After Ling Pengqiu left, Ling Ruxian compared his progress to Peng Xing and Peng Yun and wondered whether he could reach Foundation Establishment.