Chapter Summaries

The Mountain Shattering Gang won the second, third, and fourth matches, with Zeng Wen defeating the Rakshasa Woman through a carefully coordinated mix of defenses, talismans, and magic. As the fifth battle between Xu Renke and Gao Tingyuan approached, Wang Haichao remained confident that the Great River Gang would win the remaining matches, while Elder Zhou questioned whether they could withstand Xu Renke’s Magic Treasure Fragment.

• Luo Wudi defeated his opponent with a fierce assault, giving the Mountain Shattering Gang its second victory.
• Dragon Coiling Tiger won the third battle using a Top-Grade Magic Tool lent by Mi Shuhua.
• Zeng Wen defended against the Rakshasa Woman’s attacks, trapped her with the Mud Swamp Technique, and crushed her with a yellow brick Magic Tool.
• Zeng Wen reminded Mi Shuhua to honor his promised monthly package at Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion before staggering off the stage.
• Wang Haichao told Elder Zhou that the Great River Gang would win the remaining matches, and Elder Zhou warned that Xu Renke’s Magic Treasure Fragment could overwhelm Gao Tingyuan.

Gao Tingyuan survived Xu Renke’s Magic Treasure-powered attack with a Fallen Cloud Sect Substitute Puppet, but his Dantian was shattered and the Great River Gang took the match-point victory. After two more losses left the Mountain Shattering Gang on the brink, Qin Liangchen entered the eighth battle against Bai Qi, promising Wang Yuan he would fight his way to the ninth match.

• Xu Renke’s blade qi struck Gao Tingyuan, who survived with a Substitute Puppet but suffered a shattered Dantian.
• Wang Haichao publicly praised Gao Tingyuan while Gao silently blamed him for arranging the deadly fight.
• Mi Shuhua arranged Xu Renke’s burial, then watched Wind Forest Tiger and Leaping Stream Tiger lose the next two matches.
• With the Great River Gang ahead at match point, Qin Liangchen took the eighth battle in place of Ke Yuelin.
• Qin Liangchen told Wang Yuan he would fight his way to the ninth match, then went out to face Bai Qi.

Qin Liangchen fought Bai Qi, whose Sword Pellet threatened to overwhelm him, and won by sacrificing his right hand to close the distance and kill Bai Qi. The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect claimed the Sword Pellet and spoils, while Qin Liangchen was promised a replacement hand and compensation.

• Bai Qi used his Sword Pellet to shatter Qin Liangchen’s Golden Mace and drive him onto the defensive.
• Luo Tianhong and the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect disciples recognized Bai Qi’s Sword Pellet and condemned his use of the Blood Refinement Method.
• Qin Liangchen destroyed one of his Magic Tools to scatter the Sword Light, then charged as Bai Qi condensed it into a blood-colored giant sword.
• Qin Liangchen seized the Sword Light with his right hand, lost his arm, and used a white-gloved Magic Tool to cleave Bai Qi in two.
• Miao Zhen declared Qin Liangchen the winner, claimed the Sword Pellet and spoils for the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, and promised Qin Liangchen a replacement hand and ten thousand Spirit Stones.
• Murong Qinglian waited at the entrance as Qin Liangchen left the stage and told her, "I'm back."

Wang Yuan faced Xiao Wuyan in the ninth battle and exposed him as a Blood Path Cultivator from the Western Regions Demonic Path. Although the crowd expected Wang Yuan to lose, he defeated Xiao Wuyan by relying on his superior blood qi and Ancient Body Refinement, and the opening ceremony ended with his victory.

• Wang Haichao assured Elder Zhou that Xiao Wuyan would defeat Wang Yuan, but learned that Wang Yuan had reached the Qi Refining Eighth Layer rather than the Seventh.
• Wang Yuan fought Xiao Wuyan with his Dragon Slaying Blade, while Mi Shuhua and Qin Liangchen praised his powerful saber techniques.
• Xiao Wuyan unleashed blood qi gathered from the ruined stage and shattered Wang Yuan’s saber glow, revealing himself as a Blood Path Cultivator.
• Pang Renxiong ordered Luo Tianhong and Zhang Ran to capture Xiao Wuyan and hold the Great River Gang and Connecting Cloud Commerce Alliance accountable.
• Wang Yuan resisted Xiao Wuyan’s blood techniques, destroyed his blood dragon and bloody hands, and killed him with a saber strike.
• Pang Renxiong recognized Wang Yuan as an Ancient Body Refinement Cultivator and declared the opening ceremony over.

After Wang Yuan defeated a Demon Cultivator and secured a place on the Heaven's Pride Ranking, he brought Luo Chen to the Mountain Shattering Gang's headquarters, where the gang celebrated its victory. As Luo Chen learned about the gang's dangerous work and different halls, he saw that it offered more than combat and began considering how he might benefit from joining its operations.

• Luo Chen praised Wang Yuan for revealing his Body Cultivation and winning decisively, and Wang Yuan invited him to meet the gang members at headquarters.
• Luo Chen and the gang members left Fallen Phoenix Mountain, where they encountered gamblers celebrating or lamenting the betting results.
• At the Mountain Shattering Gang's headquarters, Mi Shuhua arranged the battle's aftermath and later returned to celebrate the gang's victory at a banquet.
• After the banquet, Wang Yuan offered Luo Chen a place to stay, and Luo Chen spent the night at one of Wang Yuan's residences.
• Luo Chen asked Lu Yanzai about the gang and learned that its members faced dangerous expeditions against Demon Beasts as well as the Seven Tigers Hall's various responsibilities.
• Lu Yanzai explained that the seven halls included combat divisions and halls for mining and transportation, medicinal herbs, personnel and merits, and raising beast herds, prompting Luo Chen's interest.

After the Mountain Shattering Gang reorganized following its victory, Wang Yuan explained his new role and warned Luo Chen about the uncertain fate of Qin Liangchen’s Foundation Establishment Pill. Luo Chen chose to serve in the Medicine Hall, while he and Wang Yuan agreed to support each other from within and outside the gang.

• Wang Yuan told Luo Chen that the gang had reorganized its halls and appointed four elders, while he would lead a team managing the Lancang Waterway.
• Wang Yuan explained that Mi Shuhua was only holding Qin Liangchen’s Foundation Establishment Pill until Qin reached Qi Refining Completion, despite uncertainty about Qin’s injured arm.
• Wang Yuan revealed that he had brought Luo Chen into the gang partly to protect him from Gao Tingyuan, whose shattered Qi Sea left him unable to pursue Foundation Establishment.
• Wang Yuan offered Luo Chen a choice between joining his waterway team and serving in one of the gang’s halls.
• Luo Chen chose the Medicine Hall, and Wang Yuan asked him to keep watch inside the gang while Wang Yuan worked outside it.

Luo Chen sparred with Qin Liangchen in Trial Law Palace No. 7, showing how much his spellwork and combat skills had improved. After they paid extra for the damage to the hall, Qin Liangchen asked whether Luo Chen would enter the Mid Qi Refining Stage battles.

• Luo Chen used his flying knives, vines, movement technique, and guided Flying Firefly spells to force Qin Liangchen to use a talisman and concede the spar.
• Qin Liangchen explained that his newly attached arm limited his training and said his old heavy weapons had been destroyed in the Dao Discussion Stage battle.
• Luo Chen asked why Qin Liangchen had not received a High-Grade Magic Tool from the gang, and Qin Liangchen said his Foundation Establishment Pill was being kept for him and his son was a Fallen Cloud Sect disciple.
• A Sword Pavilion disciple charged Qin Liangchen five extra Spirit Stones because their spar had damaged Trial Law Palace No. 7.
• Outside the Sword Pavilion, Qin Liangchen asked Luo Chen if he would participate in the Mid Qi Refining Stage battles.

Luo Chen declined to compete for the Dao Discussion Stage rankings and instead tried to boost sales at his snack stall, which Yuan Xiaoyue had been struggling to run. He ended the chapter loudly promoting the snacks and wine to the crowds at the arena.

• Qin Liangchen praised Luo Chen's chances of taking first place, but Luo Chen refused to expose his fighting style in repeated matches for the rewards.
• Luo Chen questioned Yuan Xiaoyue about her poor sales, and Qin Liangchen criticized the prices of the snacks.
• Luo Chen explained that Yuan Xiaoyue was Leaping Stream Tiger's daughter and that he had agreed to care for her while selling snacks brewed or made by her family.
• Luo Chen took over Yuan Xiaoyue's stall and called out a spirited advertisement that drew the arena crowds' attention.

Luo Chen sold snacks at the Dao Discussion Stage, arranged for Sword Pavilion disciples to keep an eye on Yuan Xiaoyue, and returned home to perfect his Fireball Spell. Qin Liangchen invited him to a banquet for a Jade Cauldron Sword Sect Golden Core Immortal, and Luo Chen eagerly agreed.

• Luo Chen and Qin Liangchen watched Yuan Xiaoyue handle the busy snack stall, and Luo Chen refused to help her directly.
• Luo Chen bought Immortal Beans and Yellow Pear Wine, then spoke with a Sword Pavilion disciple and arranged for the disciple to look after Yuan Xiaoyue.
• Luo Chen and Qin Liangchen returned to the courtyard, where Qin Liangchen heard that Gang Leader Mi had invited him to a banquet honoring a Jade Cauldron Sword Sect Golden Core Immortal.
• Qin Liangchen asked to bring one person and invited Luo Chen, who eagerly accepted.
• Luo Chen saw that his Fireball Spell proficiency had reached Grandmaster level and the spell had been perfected.

After half a month of studying combat and sparring with Qin Liangchen, Luo Chen discovered that his perfected Fireball Spell could produce and fuse far more fireballs than before. His experiment accidentally destroyed part of their house, leaving him to pay Sun Shou for the damage and lament the loss.

• Luo Chen reviewed his Attribute Panel and celebrated reaching Perfected Fireball Spell proficiency, while realizing his other spells had also improved through sparring with Qin Liangchen.
• Luo Chen created up to twenty tiny fireballs and found he could produce nearly a hundred, then began fusing them together.
• Luo Chen fused the fireballs into an unstable mass and fled as it exploded, destroying half the house.
• Qin Liangchen used a Small Cloud Rain Spell to contain the flames, and Luo Chen rescued his Purple Cloud Copper Furnace and other belongings.
• Sun Shou demanded compensation, and Luo Chen paid five Spirit Stones to avoid a larger fine.
• Sun Shou reminded Luo Chen and Qin Liangchen about rent and suggested buying the house; Qin Liangchen refused, saying he wanted to live closer to his son.

Luo Chen attended a banquet at Zhong Ding Restaurant, reviewed his cultivation and Achievement Points, and found Great River Market’s powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered there. The banquet’s arrival of Golden Core Immortal Pang Renxiong left Luo Chen trembling beneath his overwhelming pressure.

• Luo Chen arranged repairs for his house, stored some belongings at Qin Liangchen’s home, and went with him to Zhong Ding Restaurant.
• On the way, Qin Liangchen mentioned the Tier 2 Blazing Sun Spell, and Luo Chen reflected on his newly discovered fireball-fusion technique as a potential trump card.
• While waiting at the banquet, Luo Chen checked his progress: he had reached Qi Refining Fifth Layer, gained seven Achievement Points, and considered using them to learn a Tier 1 Pill Formula.
• Luo Chen saw thirteen Foundation Establishment Cultivators at the banquet, including Mi Shuhua, Wang Haichao, Zhou Chaoxian, and Gong Huiqin.
• Zhou Chaoxian questioned Qin Liangchen about killing Bai Qi and warned Mi Shuhua not to take Qin’s Foundation Establishment Pill for himself.
• Seven Jade Cauldron Sword Cultivators welcomed Elder Pang, and Golden Core Immortal Pang Renxiong entered as Luo Chen trembled under his pressure.

At the banquet, Gu Cai Yi worried about her prospects after Xiang Xiang Girl returned to the Joyful Union Sect, while Luo Chen listened and ate. On the walk home, Mi Shuhua reassured Qin Liangchen about the Foundation Establishment Pill, then turned to address Luo Chen.

• Xiang Xiang Girl told Gu Cai Yi she would return to the Joyful Union Sect and warned her to beware if Senior Brother Hua took over the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion.
• Xiang Xiang Girl suggested Gu Cai Yi accept Fei Bai Wen’s offer, but Fu Xiu Xiu warned that Fei Bai Wen was a poor match and Luo Chen recalled his timid behavior.
• Gu Cai Yi poured Luo Chen wine and urged him to improve his cultivation, joking that she would need his help if he became a Foundation Establishment Stage Pill Refiner.
• After the banquet, Mi Shuhua assured Qin Liangchen that the Foundation Establishment Pill was his, then stopped and asked Luo Chen, “Luo Chen, right?”

Mi Shuhua recognized Luo Chen’s talent and appointed him to lead the Mountain Shattering Gang’s new Pill Hall, prompting Luo Chen and Qin Liangchen to negotiate how to protect his interests. They began gathering support for Luo Chen, while Qin Liangchen ended the chapter by comparing Mi Shuhua’s words to something from his own past.

• Mi Shuhua praised Luo Chen for refining a Tier 1 Mid-Grade Pill and named him Pill Hall Master, offering books, recipes, and a shop for the hall.
• Qin Liangchen used a Soundproofing Talisman and asked Luo Chen whether he could run the Pill Hall and what terms he needed.
• Luo Chen demanded that the gang support his cultivation, give him a share of the profits, and provide something to extend his lifespan.
• Qin Liangchen proposed seeking support from Old Yuan, Ke Yuelin, and other allies, and suggested Luo Chen promise to refine pills or train other refiners.
• Qin Liangchen recalled Mi Shuhua’s encouragement and told Luo Chen that the moment reminded him of an earlier time.

Luo Chen weighed the costs and benefits of becoming the Mountain Shattering Gang’s Pill Hall Master and decided the opportunity could help him grow as a Pill Refiner. While repairing his home and making Gu Cai Yi a wheelchair, he learned she planned to leave the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion and offered to keep her, leaving her staring at him expectantly.

• Luo Chen considered fleeing Mi Shuhua’s proposal but concluded that joining the Mountain Shattering Gang as Pill Hall Master could bring him protection, status, resources, and access to Alchemy Dao books.
• After thinking through the advantages and disadvantages, Luo Chen accepted that becoming Pill Hall Master could be a fresh start and fell asleep more peacefully.
• Over the following days, Luo Chen stayed home while junior brothers repaired his house and built a wheelchair for Gu Cai Yi.
• Luo Chen showed Gu Cai Yi how the wheelchair moved, and she happily rode it around the courtyard.
• Gu Cai Yi told Luo Chen she planned to quit the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion and seek work at one of Great River Market’s other shops.
• When Gu Cai Yi teased that she thought Luo Chen would keep her, Luo Chen said it was possible, and she stopped the wheelchair and stared at him.

Luo Chen received Old Yuan’s support as he worked to establish the Mountain Shattering Gang’s Pill Hall and secure a position there for Gu Cai Yi. The gang planned to hold an assembly within ten days, leaving Luo Chen time to prepare for the uncertain personnel decisions.

• Old Yuan gave Luo Chen an Azure Gourd and agreed to speak with Dragon Coiling Tiger about supporting him, while Yuan Xiaoyue reported that her snack stall was doing well.
• Luo Chen returned to find his house repaired, celebrated the new layout with a meal, and learned from Qin Liangchen and Murong Qinglian that the Azure Gourd signaled Old Yuan’s support.
• Luo Chen asked whether Gu Cai Yi could join the Mountain Shattering Gang, and Murong Qinglian warned that the Gang Leader would need to approve a Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivator and might resist her placement in the new Pill Hall.
• Luo Chen said he needed a trusted Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivator in the Pill Hall, and Qin Liangchen agreed that the request would require careful discussion.
• Murong Qinglian reported that the Pill Hall would be set up in Slanting Moon Valley, that its staffing was undecided, and that a gang assembly might take place within ten days.

Luo Chen emerged from ten days of pill-refining seclusion and attended the Mountain Shattering Gang’s meeting to establish its Pill Hall. He negotiated his compensation with Mi Shuhua and the gang’s senior members, ending with a demand for half the profits from the pills.

• Luo Chen spent ten days cultivating and attempting to refine pills while the Mountain Shattering Gang prepared to establish its Pill Hall.
• Luo Chen arrived at Bright Moon Hall, where Mi Shuhua introduced him as the Pill Hall’s master and praised his ability to refine Mid-Grade Pills.
• Mi Shuhua offered Luo Chen one bottle of Qi Nourishing Pills each month, and Sikong Shoujia raised the offer to two bottles.
• Luo Chen claimed he might die young and asked the gang to give him priority on any future lifespan-extending treasures, but Mi Shuhua refused to promise this.
• Luo Chen set aside his request for longevity treasures and demanded half the profits from the pills.

Luo Chen negotiated with the Mountain Shattering Gang over his share of the profits from refining pills, using his hardship and promises to win support. The gang leaders settled on a twenty-percent share, and Mi Shuhua then turned his attention to Zeng Wen.

• Luo Chen argued that refining pills was difficult and demanded half the profits, while Ke Yuelin and Mi Junping objected.
• Luo Chen showed his worn robe and borrowed flying sword to portray his poverty, prompting Murong Qinglian to defend him.
• Mi Junping offered only two bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills per month, but Mi Shuhua warned that mistreating pill refiners would damage the gang's reputation.
• Sikong Shoujia proposed a ten-percent share and a magic tool, but Luo Chen said he would refine needed pills for free and train the gang's younger members.
• Yang Wei, Zhang Shicong, Qin Liangchen, Murong Qinglian, and Wang Yuan supported a twenty-percent share, leaving Mi Junping displeased.
• Mi Shuhua asked Zeng Wen whether he had enjoyed himself at Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion.

Luo Chen helped establish the Mountain Shattering Gang’s Pill Hall, gained two Magic Tools, and sold All Wonders Pills to Zeng Wen. Wang Yuan then showed him a Pill Recipe that Luo Chen recognized as a Tier 2 formula.

• Zeng Wen endorsed the Pill Hall and joked with Luo Chen, while Mi Shuhua settled the hall’s share at twenty percent.
• Luo Chen arranged for Gu Cai Yi to join the gang and pressed Mi Shuhua for two Magic Tools; Mi Shuhua gave him a robe and Cloud Stepping Boots.
• Zeng Wen bought ten bottles of Luo Chen’s All Wonders Pills, then Wang Yuan summoned Luo Chen to a secret chamber.
• Wang Yuan apologized for bringing Luo Chen back to the Mountain Shattering Gang, and Luo Chen said he would keep cultivating there despite the risks.
• Wang Yuan gave Luo Chen a Beast Skin with a Pill Recipe, and Luo Chen identified it as a Tier 2 Pill Formula.

Luo Chen learned that Wang Yuan could attempt Foundation Establishment through Body Tempering and kept the Blood Fiend Pill recipe to seek a safer substitute. On the way home with Gu Cai Yi, he reflected on Great River Market’s growth as they prepared to attend Fu Xiu Xiu’s farewell meal.

• Luo Chen warned Wang Yuan that the Blood Fiend Pill’s demonic ingredients were forbidden, but Wang Yuan explained that it could transform his qi and blood enough to force a Foundation Establishment breakthrough.
• Luo Chen took the Beast Skin recipe and promised to try replacing its main ingredients, while warning Wang Yuan that the Jade Cauldron Sect would never tolerate the Blood Dao.
• Luo Chen and Gu Cai Yi walked through the developing Outer City, where Luo Chen noted that the area had grown more prosperous and secure.
• Gu Cai Yi thanked Luo Chen for helping her leave the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, and she expressed confidence in his leadership of the Pill Hall.
• Luo Chen and Gu Cai Yi headed home for Fu Xiu Xiu’s farewell meal and agreed to buy green cucumbers on the way.

At Fu Xiu Xiu’s farewell banquet, Luo Chen received Moonlight Grass and learned that his Attribute Panel could analyze and complete incomplete pill formulas. The next morning, he and Gu Cai Yi arrived at the Mountain Shattering Gang’s Slanting Moon Valley, where Sikong Shoujia showed them the Pill Hall.

• Fu Xiu Xiu gave Xiao Ling an Odor Removal Talisman, Luo Chen Moonlight Grass, and Gu Cai Yi a Ziyang Flower, then revealed that Divine Talisman Sect had offered her a chance to become an Inner Disciple if she reached Foundation Establishment within five years.
• Luo Chen cultivated with the Moonlight Grass, then discovered that Achievement Points could help analyze incomplete same-tier pill recipes, complete their formulas, and reach Entry Level.
• Luo Chen considered using Mi Shuhua’s complete and incomplete pill formulas, including the possibility of completing the Jade Dew Pill formula after reaching Foundation Establishment.
• Luo Chen and Gu Cai Yi went with Sikong Shoujia to Slanting Moon Valley, where he explained that the Mountain Shattering Gang had developed the former mine and cultivated spirit herbs along a branch of a Spirit Vein.
• Sikong Shoujia led Luo Chen and Gu Cai Yi toward the Pill Hall’s pill room.