Chapter Summaries

Red Leaf Ridge and the Li Family settled on a Nascent Soul Realm wagered battle after disputes over the number of matches, stakes, and who could participate. The chapter leaves both sides facing one another at Yin Ridge, where the Li Family realized Qu Jianlei was an unfamiliar Nascent Soul cultivator leading Red Leaf Ridge’s group.

• Hua Xiezhi rejected the Li Family’s attempt to raise the stakes for five Golden Core matches by only one Nascent Soul Technique, so Li Jingtian proposed a Nascent Soul Realm wagered battle instead.
• Hua Xiezhi agreed to the battle but warned that Red Leaf Ridge could not guarantee it would stop at the proper point; Li Jingtian then asked that Chaoyun True Immortal be excluded.
• Qu Jianlei accepted the challenge and set the battle for noon seven days later at Yin Ridge, refusing to arrange witnesses for the Li Family’s proposed investigation into Red Leaf Ridge’s connections.
• Li Jingtian brought You Gen to fight for the Li Family and warned him to concede if he could not win.
• Qu Jianlei, Jing Yuexin, and Duo Gan arrived at Yin Ridge a day early and discovered lingering traces of an ancient formation.
• The two groups met at Yin Ridge, and the Li Family’s cultivators recognized the Little Snake as a Nascent Soul Immortal Beast before identifying Qu Jianlei as an unfamiliar Nascent Soul cultivator leading Red Leaf Ridge’s group.

Jing Yuexin faced Li Yougen in the arranged duel at Deep in Yin Ridge, while both sides and their observers assessed Red Leaf Ridge’s strength. As the fight was about to begin, Li Yougen noticed the Ruler hidden in Jing Yuexin’s sleeve, and she revealed that it contained an Artifact Spirit.

• Qu Jianlei, Jing Yuexin, and Duo Gan met Li Yuren and Li Jingtian, then set up camp with their respective groups.
• Yan Jinhai and Li Yuren discussed Red Leaf Ridge’s strength and concluded that Li Jingtian’s choice of Li Yougen meant the duel could not be stopped.
• Qu Jianlei’s group detected the concealed Nascent Souls Ke Liang and Qi Ya, while Li Yougen also sensed their presence.
• At noon, Li Yougen and Jing Yuexin entered the field at Deep in Yin Ridge, and Li Yuren reminded them that the duel would begin only on his signal.
• Li Yougen pointed toward Jing Yuexin’s sleeve and asked what she carried; Jing Yuexin revealed the Ruler and said it contained an Artifact Spirit.

Li Yougen conceded rather than fight Jing Yuexin after recognizing the power of her Nascent Soul Artifact Spirit, and Li Jingtian conceded the next battle as well. Li Yougen then revealed that activating his hidden formation would kill everyone present except Red Leaf Ridge.

• Jing Yuexin brought out the Ruler, whose Artifact Spirit declared that a powerful magic treasure was part of one’s strength.
• Li Yougen conceded and vanished, leaving Jing Yuexin to beckon Li Jingtian to fight.
• Li Jingtian declared his family’s concession and promised to deliver the agreed stakes to Red Leaf Ridge.
• Li Yougen reappeared beside Li Jingtian, who angrily blamed him for abandoning the fight.
• Li Yougen explained that Jing Yuexin’s clothes had not moved in Yin Ridge’s biting wind, suggesting her power exceeded a mere Nascent Soul Artifact Spirit.
• Li Yougen warned Li Jingtian that activating his hidden formation would kill everyone present, while Red Leaf Ridge would survive.

After the battle at Yin Ridge, the Lingyin Li Family paid Red Leaf Ridge with manuals and took back its captives. Red Leaf Ridge returned to seclusion while the Yan Family controlled access to its surroundings and Su Family Village’s inn filled with visitors.

• Li Yougen warned Li Jingtian that Red Leaf Ridge was too dangerous to provoke, and Li Jingtian admitted he had acted recklessly.
• Qu Jianlei led the others back to Red Leaf Ridge, while True Immortal Ke Liang chose to leave without revealing himself.
• Five days later, Li Yuren accompanied Lingyin Li Family cultivators as they delivered two Nascent Soul Techniques and other manuals and collected the captives.
• Li Yuqing tried to complain to his relatives, but Fifth Brother silenced him and Li Yuren sealed his Sea of Consciousness before the Li Family departed.
• The Yan Family refused to sell land around Red Leaf Ridge, while Su Family Village’s inn expanded to meet demand from outsiders seeking nearby lodging.

The Zeng Family arrived near Red Leaf Ridge and surveyed the area, claiming they wanted to investigate the accompanying Spirit Veins around its Tier 4 Spirit Vein. Yan Xuemin challenged their motives, and the chapter ended with him asking why the Green Screen Mountain Li Family would not oversee any such development.

• More than thirty visitors arrived at Su Family Village, paid Su Ye for space, and set up three Mobile Palaces guarded by Golden Core Realm Cultivators.
• The Zeng Family’s three Golden Core Realm Cultivators surveyed Red Leaf Ridge for days, prompting a Yan Family Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator to ask what they were doing.
• A Zeng Family Cultivator said they were investigating the earth veins because Red Leaf Ridge had discovered a Tier 4 Spirit Vein.
• Yan Xuemin met the Zeng Family after hearing about their survey, but they refused to explain their purpose beyond claiming a right to explore.
• When Red Leaf Ridge refused to receive them, the Zeng Family approached the Yan Family again and said they wanted to find accompanying Spirit Veins and establish deeper cooperation.
• Yan Xuemin accused the Zeng Family of suspecting an improper deal over Red Leaf Ridge and asked why the Green Screen Mountain Li Family would not oversee the development.

The Zeng Family sought an alliance with Red Leaf Ridge, arguing that the faction faced growing danger from powerful rivals. Qu Jianlei rejected any suggestion that Red Leaf Ridge surrender Wu Minxi, leaving the proposed alliance unresolved.

• Yan Xuemin agreed to pass the Zeng Family's message to Emerald Screen Mountain, and the Zeng Family gave him a Jade Tablet containing a Golden Core secret art.
• Qu Jianlei recognized the Jade Tablet's art as protection against soul-searching and allowed the Zeng Family cultivators to meet Hua Xiezhi and Xiang Xue.
• Hua Xiezhi rejected the Zeng Family's proposal to jointly develop the Tier 4 Spirit Vein, while Xiang Xue said Red Leaf Ridge did not want new cultivators nearby.
• The Zeng Family cultivator warned Xiang Xue that Red Leaf Ridge had alienated major factions and independent cultivators, then offered the Zeng Family's support as an ally.
• Qu Jianlei asked whether the Zeng Family wanted Red Leaf Ridge to hand over Wu Minxi, and the Zeng Family cultivator admitted that doing so could ease tensions.
• Qu Jianlei declared that Red Leaf Ridge would not hand anyone over.

Qu Jianlei rejected the Zeng Family’s attempt to pressure Red Leaf Ridge into a marriage alliance, detained their Golden Core envoy, and arranged for Green Screen Mountain to retrieve him. After two months of calm, Qu Jianlei concluded the threat had been a bluff and agreed that Red Leaf Ridge should venture out, though not to repeat its earlier door-blocking tactic.

• Qu Jianlei refused to hand over Wu Laoliu and demanded that the Zeng Family explain what it wanted from Red Leaf Ridge.
• The Zeng Family envoy proposed a marriage alliance, and Hua Xiezhi and Xiang Xue questioned the family’s motives and traced the news to connections in Green Screen Mountain and the Qingyang Sect.
• Hua Xiezhi detained the envoy and Xiang Xue decided to contact Green Screen Mountain; five days later, Li Yuren arrived and offered two Golden Core Secret Arts to take the envoy away.
• After two months without trouble, Qu Jianlei said the Zeng Family’s warnings might have become real if Red Leaf Ridge had shown fear, while Claire and Duo Gan urged retaliation.
• Qu Jianlei agreed that Red Leaf Ridge should go out and explore, but ruled out blocking another faction’s door.

Qu Jianlei and his companions met Zhu Family’s San Duo True Person to ask about routes from Dongsheng to Central Province. San Duo said the route information belonged to the Zhu Family’s Old Ancestors and offered to seek their instructions.

• Yan Xuemin was invited to meet San Duo True Person at Zhu Family Market, and Qu Jianlei and Jing Yuexin accompanied him.
• San Duo recognized Qu Jianlei as the Celestial Immortal from Red Leaf Ridge and tried to address him, but Qu Jianlei directed him to receive Yan Xuemin first.
• After the group entered San Duo’s courtyard, Qu Jianlei asked to meet the Zhu Family’s True Immortal and then asked about routes to Central Province.
• San Duo explained that the once-every-thirty-years Ship Team was the legitimate route, while other passages were secret and controlled by the family’s Old Ancestors.
• San Duo offered to consult the Old Ancestors and return with an answer.

Zhu Jiayi received Qu Jianlei and his companions, offering cultivation techniques in exchange for Tiger-Man remains and discussing Red Leaf Ridge’s plans. Qu Jianlei left the Zhu Family with two techniques and a trade agreed upon, while Zhu Jiayi remained curious about his ambitions and the coming war.

• San Duo True Person reported Qu Jianlei’s group’s approach to Zhu Jiayi, who decided to invite them quietly and offer a Nascent Soul Technique.
• San Duo True Person brought Qu Jianlei, Jiao Daoren, and Yan Xuemin to meet Zhu Jiayi, who recognized that the Little Snake was a fellow Daoist.
• Qu Jianlei said he might travel to Central Province and suggested the Tiger-Men would not return soon, but refused to explain why.
• After Qu Jianlei declined a technique he already owned, Zhu Jiayi offered two others in exchange for information or Tiger-Man remains, and Qu Jianlei traded more than a dozen pieces of flesh and blood.
• Zhu Jiayi asked whether Red Leaf Ridge was creating a new cultivation system, and Qu Jianlei described his work as organizing techniques to fulfill an Obsession.

Qu Jianlei and Zhu Jiayi discussed Red Leaf Ridge before Qu Jianlei’s group opened an unobtrusive shop at Hundred Herbs Valley Street Market to trade Asura Nest Essence for techniques. The shop attracted its first curious visitors, who learned the fluid could repair powerful spatial artifacts, while Yuanyuan quietly judged their reaction as sensible.

• Zhu Jiayi asked how Qu Jianlei’s side would handle the spirit vein at Red Leaf Ridge, and Qu Jianlei promised to inform the Zhu Family and the Green Screen Mountain Li Family if they gave it up.
• Zhu Jiayi instructed San Duo True Person to send a few Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators to Yan Family Market and keep a low profile.
• Zi Jiuxian, Claire, and Yuanyuan rented a small storefront at Hundred Herbs Valley Street Market, and Qu Jianlei and Jing Yuexin joined them there.
• The group decided to exchange Asura Nest Essence, which could repair specialized spatial artifacts, for techniques and Secret Manuals, and posted a sign outside the shop.
• Two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators entered the shop and learned from Yuanyuan that the fluid could repair spatial artifacts, though the group had too little stock to meet the demand of an Abode.
• The two visitors left without pursuing the opportunity, and Yuanyuan overheard the female cultivator’s sensible response through a trace of divine sense.

Zi Jiuxian negotiated with Zhen Yezhi, a Golden Core Realm refiner, over repairing his Weapon Refinement Furnace, but demanded two Nascent Soul Techniques and secret arts. Zhen Yezhi rejected the price and left, suspecting the shop was connected to Red Leaf Ridge.

• Zi Jiuxian told Zhen Yezhi that the shop traded Space Repair Fluid for techniques and other secret manuals rather than selling it.
• Zhen Yezhi tested the shop with an old stone furnace, and Zi Jiuxian explained that it had reached the end of its lifespan and could not be repaired.
• Zhen Yezhi presented his damaged Weapon Refinement Furnace, and Yuanyuan took it to the back for appraisal.
• Yuanyuan returned and said repairing the furnace would waste a priceless treasure, while Zi Jiuxian listed the rare materials it would require.
• Zhen Yezhi offered to pay for the repair, but Zi Jiuxian demanded two Nascent Soul Techniques the shop did not already possess, along with secret arts.
• Zhen Yezhi refused the terms, left, and privately suspected the shop was connected to Red Leaf Ridge.

Ji Xiaohua, the Ji Family’s Nascent Soul ancestor, sought Qu Jianlei’s help repairing a damaged spatial Secret Treasure, but their negotiations stalled over trust and secrecy. Before the chapter ended, Ji Xiaohua asked Qu to reveal where the Restoration Fluid came from.

• Zhen Yezhi decided not to risk himself for the Hundred Herbs Valley bounty and sought a way to obtain a Nascent Soul Technique.
• Ji Xiaohua arrived at the marketplace with three Ji Family cultivators and requested help repairing a spatial Secret Treasure.
• Qu Jianlei met Ji Xiaohua and learned that the damaged Phantom Dream Secret Realm resembled the Ji Family’s lost Martial Arts Tower.
• Ji Xiaohua urged Qu Jianlei to keep the Secret Realm secret, while Qu insisted that it be brought to the marketplace for assessment.
• Ji Xiaohua asked Qu Jianlei where the Restoration Fluid came from, seeking to exchange a secret of his own.

Qu Jianlei and Ji Xiaohua negotiated an exchange involving the Ji Family’s stone-shaped Secret Treasure, Restoration Fluid, and cultivation techniques. Ji Xiaohua agreed to arrange the techniques and identified Qu Jianlei’s spatial-rule material as an Asura bubble fragment.

• Qu Jianlei explained that Red Leaf Ridge had obtained rare materials from sources such as Void Beast corpses and Asura bubbles, while Ji Xiaohua wondered whether those supplies could attract Hundred Herbs Valley’s attention.
• Ji Xiaohua brought the Ji Family’s sealed stone Secret Treasure to Red Leaf Ridge, and Qu Jianlei divined that its repair would cost seven Nascent Soul Realm primary cultivation techniques or an equivalent Out of Body Cultivation Method.
• Ji Xiaohua used five disposable Fingernail Sheaths to divine about the repair, learned that spatial-rule items were needed, and offered the Ji Family’s entry slots before Qu Jianlei declined them.
• Ji Xiaohua agreed to arrange the cultivation techniques, and Qu Jianlei showed him an irregular fragment that Ji Xiaohua recognized as an Asura bubble fragment.

The Ji Family responded to Red Leaf Ridge’s offer by secretly gathering Nascent Soul Techniques, while Zhen Yezhi traded two techniques to have his Weapon Refinement Furnace repaired. Word spread through the wine shop, bringing new customers to Red Leaf Ridge, where two Golden Core Realm cultivators arrived with a damaged Mini Portable Cave Dwelling.

• After leaving Red Leaf Ridge, Ji Xiaohua told the Ji Family that Red Leaf Ridge’s foundations were more complicated than they had imagined, and the family began secretly seeking Nascent Soul Techniques.
• Zhen Yezhi brought four Nascent Soul Techniques to Red Leaf Ridge, exchanged two for a free furnace repair, and collected the repaired furnace four days later.
• Zhen Yezhi told his chef neighbor about the deal, and the story spread through the wine shop, attracting visitors to Red Leaf Ridge.
• After several groups came asking about repairs, Yuanyuan hung up rules that discouraged repairs to Golden Core Realm magic treasures.
• Two Golden Core Realm cultivators brought Yuanyuan a damaged Nascent Soul Realm Mini Portable Cave Dwelling for assessment.

Zi Jiuxian and Red Leaf Ridge negotiated with cultivators seeking repairs for damaged spatial treasures, while the team watched for Hundred Herbs Valley’s response. Qu Jianlei repaired a Sword Casket for Li Yuren, and the chapter ended as the Mobile Palace owners returned looking uneasy.

• Yuanyuan quoted two Nascent Soul Techniques to repair the Mobile Palace, and its owners left to find the techniques.
• Zi Jiuxian refused a Golden Core Realm cultivator’s demand for a discount, and he went to inform Hundred Herbs Valley after leaving the market.
• Jiao Daoren reported the cultivators’ plans to Qu Jianlei, who chose to wait and see what Hundred Herbs Valley would do.
• Li Yuren brought a damaged Nascent Soul Realm Sword Casket, and Qu Jianlei agreed to repair it for two unfamiliar sets of Nascent Soul Techniques.
• Claire teased Li Yuren, and Qu Jianlei postponed the Sword Casket repairs before the Mobile Palace owners returned looking uneasy.

Yuanyuan accepted two obscure Nascent Soul Techniques from two Golden Core cultivators and agreed to repair their Mobile Palace for five hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones. Ji Xiaohua recognized the Micro Cave Dwelling as a lost Ji Family heirloom and planned to learn how the customers had obtained it, but Qu Jianlei insisted Red Leaf Ridge would honor its repair promise.

• Yuanyuan accepted the two Nascent Soul Techniques after Li Yuren vouched that they were not purely Heretical Cultivator techniques, and gave the cultivators four portions of Restoration Fluid.
• Qu Jianlei agreed to repair the cultivators’ Mobile Palace for five hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones, while Li Yuren objected that his own repair should come first.
• Ji Xiaohua arrived with two Ji Family Golden Core cultivators, recognized Li Yuren, and ordered his companions to guard the shop entrance.
• Ji Xiaohua recognized the Micro Cave Dwelling as a Ji Family treasure lost for tens of thousands of years and decided to question the customers after they left.
• Qu Jianlei refused to break Red Leaf Ridge’s promise to repair the treasure, and Ji Xiaohua lamented that his pursuit of techniques had delayed his arrival.

Ji Xiaohua tried to trade the Ji Family’s cultivation methods for access to Red Leaf Ridge’s resources, but Qu Jianlei had already collected many of the techniques the Ji Family offered. The negotiation ended with Qu Jianlei valuing the Ji Family’s wood-thunder Out-of-Body method at five Nascent Soul Techniques.

• Ji Xiaohua told Li Yuren that the Ji Family wanted to restore the Martial Arts Tower, then asked to speak with the two Golden Core Realm cultivators; Qu Jianlei told him to wait until they left.
• Li Yuren reassured the cultivators that the shopkeeper would honor his promise, while Yuanyuan sensed Ji Xiaohua’s anger from the rear courtyard.
• Qu Jianlei revealed that Red Leaf Ridge already had nine of the fifteen Nascent Soul Techniques Ji Xiaohua brought, including one the two cultivators had just delivered and two recently acquired as favors.
• Ji Xiaohua considered leaving to collect more techniques but worried the cultivators might leave, then asked whether an Out-of-Body Cultivation Method could count as four sets.
• Ji Xiaohua offered the Ji Family’s Thunder Method, and Qu Jianlei rejected its Five Elements Thunder classification but agreed that its wood-thunder method counted as five.

Qu Jianlei negotiated with Ji Xiaohua for a complete Out of Body Cultivation Method tied to a Great Venerable’s Fated Person, accepting the risk of becoming implicated in the Ji Family’s troubles. He acquired the sealed Stone Tablet and cultivation techniques, while Ji Xiaohua hoped to obtain valuable fragments that might help his family win forgiveness.

• Ji Xiaohua offered his incomplete Golden Thunder Technique, but Qu Jianlei already possessed the same remnant and said it was not worth the proposed exchange.
• Ji Xiaohua revealed that his family held a complete Out of Body Cultivation Method connected to an Immortal Venerable, and Qu Jianlei refused to swear an oath before hearing the details.
• Ji Xiaohua explained that the Ji Family had killed the person who plotted against the Great Venerable’s Fated Person and had been left holding the cultivation method, which might bring the family disaster.
• Jiao Daoren identified Heaven of Parting Sorrows as likely a grotto-heaven, and Qu Jianlei agreed to take the original Stone Tablet in exchange for four sets of Nascent Soul Techniques.
• Ji Xiaohua handed Qu Jianlei the sealed Stone Tablet and asked about Asura fragments that could help the Ji Family seek forgiveness, but Qu Jianlei said they could not afford them.

Ji Xiaohua negotiated with the two Golden Core cultivators to reclaim the Ji Family’s Micro Cave Dwelling after Qu Jianlei repaired it, while promising them protection and a chance to establish a family. Qu Jianlei and Jing Yuexin completed the repairs, then began working on a Nascent Soul Realm Sword Casket, which cost six portions of Restoration Fluid.

• Ji Xiaohua identified the Micro Cave Dwelling as a Ji Family ancestral treasure and said his family would reclaim it after repairs, while offering the cultivators protection and a Spirit Vein.
• Qu Jianlei asked Jiao Daoren about Cloud Crown, and Jiao Daoren explained that refining Asuras had restored the treasure’s declining effectiveness and that the Beast Taming Sect had numerous Nascent Soul cultivators.
• Qu Jianlei repaired the Micro Cave Dwelling over ten days while Ji Xiaohua stayed at the shop and Li Yuren watched over it.
• Ji Xiaohua left with the two Golden Core cultivators after the Micro Cave Dwelling was repaired, and Qu Jianlei and Jing Yuexin reopened the shop briefly without taking repair jobs.
• Qu Jianlei and Jing Yuexin repaired the Nascent Soul Realm Sword Casket over fifteen days, using six portions of Restoration Fluid.

Qu Jianlei repaired the Ji Family’s Secret Treasure, and Ji Xiaohua rewarded him with rare Out-of-Body Realm insights in exchange for a favor. The chapter ended with Ji Xiaohua offering to leave two juniors at Red Leaf Ridge to guard its gate.

• Qu Jianlei repaired Li Yuren’s Nascent Soul Sword Casket, restoring it to a higher grade, and Li Yuren paid for the materials with more Nascent Soul Techniques.
• Ji Xiaohua brought the Ji Family’s Secret Treasure to Qu Jianlei, who spent over a month repairing it; afterward, Ji Xiaohua tested it and returned pleased.
• Qu Jianlei’s shop remained closed as news spread about the Sword Casket, and Ji Xiaohua warned off the crowd with his True Immortal aura.
• Ji Xiaohua offered Qu Jianlei four volumes of Out-of-Body Realm insights as a favor, and Qu Jianlei promised Red Leaf Ridge would protect him from a Great Venerable if they were still there.
• After Qu Jianlei hinted that Red Leaf Ridge might leave for Central Province, the upper realms, or the void, Ji Xiaohua offered two juniors to guard the gate.