Chapter Summaries

Luo Chen completed his Human Immortal body-tempering tribulation on the Xuan You Continent and killed Demon Lord Lie Yu, who tried to seize the Primal Chaos Cauldron. After absorbing the post-tribulation energy, Luo Chen set out for the Human Race’s territory and the nearby Heaven Origin Dao Sect.

• Demon Lord Lie Yu spotted Luo Chen enduring a Wind and Thunder Double Tribulation and coveted the Primal Chaos Cauldron.
• Luo Chen woke and trapped Lie Yu with the cauldron’s Chaos Gray Radiance, then killed him with his three-headed, six-armed form.
• Luo Chen absorbed Lie Yu’s remains with the Primal Chaos Cauldron and discovered that the cauldron had recovered from its damage.
• Luo Chen absorbed the heavenly blessing after his tribulation and realized he had arrived on the Xuan You Continent near the Heavenly Phoenix Clan’s territory.
• Luo Chen headed toward the Human Race’s territory, intending to visit the Heaven Origin Dao Sect.

The Heavenly Phoenix Old Ancestor learned that Lie Yu had died instantly and sent Yan Di to investigate, while Luo Chen entered Taisu Immortal City and learned about the Youxuan Continent’s powers and the Su Ling Sect. The chapter left Luo Chen considering the sect’s upcoming Spirit Induction Assembly and its demand for people skilled in cultivating medicinal herbs.

• The Heavenly Phoenix Old Ancestor discovered that Lie Yu’s Soul Lamp had gone out and concluded that a powerful opponent had killed him instantly.
• The Old Ancestor sent Yan Di to investigate, and Yan Di told Lie Ying that a Body Integration Grand Venerable was likely responsible and that they would begin with the Human Race.
• Luo Chen entered Taisu Immortal City and hired Huang Yuanhua to explain the city and the wider Youxuan Continent.
• Huang Yuanhua described the Youdu Source Court, the Nine Great Sacred Sects, and the many lesser powers under them.
• Huang Yuanhua told Luo Chen that the Su Ling Sect would hold a Spirit Induction Assembly in three years to recruit disciples, especially cultivators skilled in Spirit Planting Arts.

Luo Chen examined the treasures he had brought out of Return to Ruins, struggled to restore his Purple Mansion, and began nourishing the weakened Flourishing Decay Divine Fire. After Kong Kong Er devoured Demon Lord Lie Yu’s storage collar and spilled out its contents, Luo Chen opened a Jade Box and found a small blade of grass.

• Luo Chen failed to repair his damaged Purple Mansion with pills and reflected on the strength of his Chaos Undying Body and Primal Chaos Cauldron.
• Luo Chen inspected the Chaos Stone but could not damage it, then fed his Undying Blood to the weakened Flourishing Decay Divine Fire and placed it in the Earthfire’s core to recover.
• Luo Chen tried to break the final restriction on Demon Lord Lie Yu’s storage collar, but his Martial Dao Divine Will threatened to crack the treasure.
• Kong Kong Er devoured the collar and released Lie Yu’s stored treasures into Luo Chen’s cave estate.
• Kong Kong Er revealed a Jade Box among the spoils, and Luo Chen opened it to find a small blade of grass.

Luo Chen examined Demon Lord Lie Yu’s inheritance, then began rebuilding his immortal cultivation to awaken his Five Elements Dao Physique and prepare to join the Su Ling Sect. After three years of seclusion, he left for the sect’s Spirit Induction Assembly under the alias Xuan Luo.

• Luo Chen found a young Boundless Grass, over ten thousand Top Grade Spirit Stones, the Bala Treasure Beads, and other treasures among Demon Lord Lie Yu’s belongings.
• Luo Chen read the Lie Feng Beast clan’s Nine Transformations of Heaven Splitting and grew furious at Qixia Yuanjun, suspecting she had deliberately concealed flaws in the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture.
• Luo Chen resolved to rebuild his Qi Refining cultivation, comprehend the Metal Origin, and revive his Five Elements Dao Physique while keeping a low profile at the Su Ling Sect.
• Luo Chen spent three years in seclusion, steadily rebuilding his cultivation through the Qi Refining stages, then left Pugong Park with Huang Yuanhua for the Su Ling Sect.
• Luo Chen gave the Su Ling Sect’s registrar the alias Xuan Luo and identified himself as an Early Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator from Green Gorge Town.

Liu Muhan delivered a roster of Spirit Induction Assembly applicants to True Person Li Ting, who singled out the young Xuan Luo as a promising candidate and gave Liu Muhan guidance for her planned Core Formation. As the flying vessel entered Su Ling Sect, Luo Chen maintained his assumed identity and learned that the assembly would have three trials, all of which applicants had to pass.

• Liu Muhan brought True Person Li Ting the applicants’ roster, and he asked her to mark promising names, including Xuan Luo, a roughly twenty-year-old Early Foundation Establishment cultivator.
• True Person Li Ting gave Liu Muhan his written Core Formation insights after learning that she planned to enter seclusion following the assembly.
• Liu Muhan encouraged Xuan Luo on the deck, and Luo Chen reflected that he intended to rise within Su Ling Sect as a conspicuous genius to secure cultivation resources.
• Ten days later, a Nascent Soul True Person opened the Cloud Sea formation, and the flying vessel entered Su Ling Sect’s hidden mountain domain.
• Liu Muhan explained that the Spirit Induction Assembly would have three trials, all of which applicants had to pass to join the sect.

The Su Ling Sect began its Spirit Induction Assembly with three trials, including a new Heart Inquiry Trial designed to expose spies. Luo Chen was called among the first candidates, and his tests revealed an astonishing combination of youth, cultivation, dual Spirit Roots, and a Sharp Gold Physique.

• Liu Muhan explained that the assembly would include a Heart Inquiry Trial overseen by a Nascent Soul True Person, and Luo Chen waited on the plaza as thousands of cultivators gathered.
• Wan Jiuzhang announced the three trials and said candidates could pass Heart Inquiry by climbing all nine hundred and ninety steps of the Azure Jade Stairway.
• The Su Ling Sect began testing candidates, and Luo Chen was called first from the Taisu Immortal City region.
• Luo Chen's tests showed Early Foundation Establishment cultivation and a bone age of twenty-three.
• The jade disc revealed a Heavenly Spirit Root with metal affinity and a Fire Spirit Root, prompting Wan Jiuzhang to inspect Luo Chen and identify his Sharp Gold Physique.

Luo Chen passed the Su Ling Sect’s three admission tests by revealing a Sharp Gold Physique, demonstrating a sword art, and concealing his true intentions on the Heart Questioning Path. After the assembly ended, he joined more than a thousand new disciples and caught the attention of True Person Yao Xi.

• Wan Jiuzhang identified Luo Chen’s Sharp Gold Physique and passed him through the first test.
• Luo Chen demonstrated the Kusanagi Gengjin Sword Art, passed the second test, and climbed the Azure Jade Stairway toward the Heart Questioning Path.
• Luo Chen used a weak Split Soul and Martial Dao Divine Will to hide his hatred toward Qixia Yuanjun, passed the Heart Questioning Path, and began pondering Unity of Intent and Thought.
• Liu Muhan confirmed that Luo Chen had become a Su Ling Sect Disciple, while Luo Chen waited and watched the remaining candidates take the test.
• The Spirit Induction Assembly ended with more than a thousand new disciples; Huang Yuanhua had failed the final trial, and True Person Yao Xi called out to Luo Chen.

Luo Chen and two others became Registered Disciples under True Person Yao Xi and settled on Jade Spring Peak, where they learned about the Su Ling Sect and its rules. Luo Chen chose an apparently ordinary cave abode concealing converging Spirit Veins, then began excavating deeper to cultivate in secret.

• True Person Yao Xi selected Xuan Luo, Ji Yue, and Feng Zhiyan as Registered Disciples, then left Wan Jiuzhang to welcome the remaining recruits into the Su Ling Sect.
• Yao Xi brought the three newcomers to Jade Spring Peak, explained the sect’s strength, and warned that they would need to satisfy her inspection in ten years to become Direct Disciples.
• Liu Muhan showed the newcomers the sect’s halls and institutes and explained Yao Xi’s cultivation and reputation as one of the Su Ling Seven Truths.
• Ji Yue chose a cave abode with abundant spiritual energy, while Luo Chen selected a secluded underground cave that appeared ordinary to the others.
• Luo Chen discovered that Spirit Veins converged beneath his cave, decided to cultivate the Golden Transformation Art, and excavated into the depths of the Earth Vein.

Luo Chen mastered the Golden Transformation Art, advanced his cultivation in secret, and passed Yao Xi’s assessment to become her Direct Disciple. After receiving the complete Taiyi Geng Metal Myriad Transformation Profound Chapter, he headed to the Alchemy Institute to study the Spirit World’s pill-refining system.

• Luo Chen absorbed foul and baleful qi with his Blood Cloth Armor and cultivated the Golden Transformation Art to Great Perfection, earning ten Achievement Points.
• Over ten years, Luo Chen secretly advanced to the Ninth Layer of Foundation Establishment while concealing his true cultivation.
• Yao Xi approved Luo Chen, Ji Yue, and Feng Zhiyan as her Direct Disciples and gave Luo Chen the sealed, complete Taiyi Geng Metal Myriad Transformation Profound Chapter before preparing for seclusion.
• Luo Chen and Ji Yue visited the Skill Transmission Hall, where Luo Chen learned that sect Contribution Points could be earned through skills and duties.
• Luo Chen chose the Alchemy Institute to study Spirit World pill refining and investigate his sealed high-level pill recipes.

Disguised as the young Foundation Establishment disciple Xuan Luo, Luo Chen entered the Su Ling Sect’s Alchemy Institute and passed its pill-refining talent tests. He left Wonderful Pill Peak as an unranked Pill Refiner, with a new identity that could help him earn Contribution Points and conceal his future cultivation progress.

• Luo Chen registered at Step Pill Court, where Lü Su explained how the Alchemy Institute’s peaks and pill services worked.
• Luo Chen told Lü Su he wanted to study pill refining, and Lü Su escorted him to Wonderful Pill Peak for a talent test.
• Master He tested Luo Chen’s herb selection and Earthfire control, then asked him to refine Grain Avoidance Powder under a time limit.
• Luo Chen quickly refined excellent Grain Avoidance Powder, convincing Master He to accept him into the Alchemy Institute as an unranked Pill Refiner.
• Master He gave Luo Chen a cloud-pattern token and explained that he could register, receive monthly supplies, and earn higher rank by refining pills of greater tiers.

Luo Chen quickly became a One-Stripe Alchemist after refining a Grain Avoidance Pill, then studied the advanced Taiyi Geng Metal Myriad Transformation Profound Chapter while continuing to make pills. After three months of refining more Tier 1 Pills, he drew attention on Wonderful Pill Peak, and He Jun invited him to attend Master Gongsun’s upcoming Pill-Testing Assembly.

• Luo Chen secretly placed the recovering Wither Bloom Fire Seed deep in the Fire Vein, studied the Alchemy Institute’s introductory pill text, and refined a Grain Avoidance Pill.
• Luo Chen registered as a One-Stripe Alchemist and received approval to collect ingredients for Golden Chest Powder and Essence-Nourishing Liquid, while He Jun learned that the newly qualified alchemist was Xuan Luo, the talent-assessment candidate he had examined that morning.
• Luo Chen returned to Earth Bottle Cave Abode and broke through the Jade Slip’s restrictions to study the Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Spirit Transformation chapters of the Taiyi Geng Metal Myriad Transformation Profound Chapter.
• Luo Chen studied the manual’s Mysterious Script Talismans and Realm of Soldiers Divine Ability, considering how its principles could support cultivation of all Five Elements.
• Over the next three months, Luo Chen refined Golden Chest Powder and Essence-Nourishing Liquid, attracting attention on Wonderful Pill Peak.
• He Jun invited Luo Chen to attend the Pill-Testing Assembly that Master Gongsun would preside over the following day.

Luo Chen accepted He Jun’s invitation to a Pill-Testing Assembly and joined Gongsun Mao’s effort to develop a weaker, mass-producible version of the Zhou Liu Qi Pill. After studying the formula, Luo Chen challenged the gathered alchemists’ assumptions, declaring that they had focused on the wrong ingredient.

• He Jun invited Luo Chen to the Pill-Testing Assembly, and Luo Chen agreed because he wanted to meet Gongsun Mao.
• Luo Chen met Wan Jiuzhang at the Alchemy Institute and brought him to Wonderful Pill Peak to wait for a chance to request pills.
• At the assembly, Wan Jiuzhang realized that Luo Chen was the only One-Stripe Alchemist among the gathered Second-Order Alchemists.
• Gongsun Mao explained that he had completed a Tier 3 Zhou Liu Qi Pill formula and wanted the alchemists to help develop a weaker Tier 2 version despite the scarcity of its main ingredient.
• After reading the formula and listening to Gongsun Mao, Luo Chen stood and declared that the main ingredient should not be the focus.

At the Pill-Testing Assembly, Luo Chen proposed strengthening the auxiliary ingredients of the Zhou Liu Qi Pill to make it suitable for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, earning Gongsun Mao’s approval and ten thousand Contribution Points. While researching Spiritual Opportunities in the Su Ling Sect’s Library Pavilion, he discovered that the Mountain Sea World was a small world rich in them, seized by the Heaven Origin Dao Sect and allied forces ten thousand years earlier.

• Luo Chen argued that Foundation Establishment Cultivators could not endure the soul pressure of automatic cultivation and that stronger divine-soul-stimulating auxiliary ingredients, rather than a different main ingredient, were the key to developing a Tier 2 Zhou Liu Qi Pill.
• Gongsun Mao accepted Luo Chen’s proposal for experimentation, assigned He Jun to lead its verification, and awarded Luo Chen ten thousand Contribution Points.
• Luo Chen left the Pill-Testing Assembly with Wan Jiuzhang, who said a Tier 2 Alchemist had agreed to refine a pill and offered Jade Spring Peak’s support for Luo Chen’s future medicinal-herb needs.
• Luo Chen skipped the next day’s assembly and went to the Library Pavilion, where he used his Divine Thought to read books beyond the floors he was permitted to access.
• Luo Chen read Miscellaneous Talks on Spiritual Opportunities and learned that the Xuan World held very little Spiritual Opportunity, while newly born Small Worlds could contain abundant amounts.
• Luo Chen discovered a record stating that the Heaven Origin Dao Sect and allied forces had seized the Spiritual-Opportunity-rich Mountain Sea World during the Founding War ten thousand years earlier.

Luo Chen uncovered the history of the Mountain Sea World’s Founding War and learned that the Star Gate had preserved the Heaven Origin Dao Sect’s connection to it. After spending his Contribution Points on spells and rapidly mastering them, he devoted himself to cultivation and alchemy, eventually becoming a respected Tier 2 Alchemy and joining the Zhou Liu Qi Pill mass-production research project.

• Luo Chen read that the Demon World’s invasion had led to the discovery of passages to other worlds, and that a coalition later conquered the Mountain Sea World in a Founding War.
• Luo Chen realized the Heaven Origin Dao Sect had used the Star Gate to maintain access to the Mountain Sea World after the passage contracted, but he found no clear records explaining the Demon Caves.
• Luo Chen exchanged ten thousand Contribution Points for thirteen spells, then used his Attribute Panel to master the lower-tier spells and gain Achievement Points.
• Luo Chen spent the next three years deriving his cultivation method and refining pills with support from the Alchemy Institute and Wan Jiuzhang.
• Luo Chen earned Tier 2 Alchemy certification and accepted He Jun's Group’s invitation to join the Zhou Liu Qi Pill mass-production research project.

Luo Chen joined He Jun’s group at Wonderful Pill Peak to research improvements to the Zhou Liu Qi Pill, impressing the other Pill Refiners with his skill. While working with them, he began to question why ordinary interactions were stirring his Dao Heart, and the chapter left him walking alone beneath the moon, bewildered by the change.

• Luo Chen refined a successful batch of Second-Order Low-grade pills, convincing He Jun’s group to welcome him as a member.
• He Jun assigned Luo Chen to rotate among the group’s specialists so he could learn about their work on the Zhou Liu Qi Pill.
• Luo Chen investigated a failed pill with Tang, also known as Little Poison Lord, and suspected the heat or the Flame Spirit Flower was responsible for its effects.
• Ning Fu confirmed that the Flame Spirit Flower could stir desire and harm the soul, and Luo Chen recommended Bodhi Worm as a substitute ingredient.
• After Ning Fu teased him, Luo Chen reflected on how his fellow cultivators were affecting him and wondered whether his Dao Heart had become unstable.

Luo Chen’s encounters at Su Ling Sect stirred his Dao Heart and helped him realize that his detached view of others was a flaw in his cultivation. Meanwhile, He Jun’s Group perfected the Zhou Liu Qi Pill, and Luo Chen agreed to demonstrate its refinement at Master Gongsun’s Pill Tasting Assembly.

• Luo Chen spoke with Lü Su and Feng Zhiyan, then realized that his indifference toward others had stirred his Dao Heart and clarified his understanding of the Form of No-Self.
• Ning Fu revealed that she had replaced Flame Spirit Flower with Bodhi Worm on Luo Chen’s suggestion, and the Little Poison Lord’s reaction confirmed that the Zhou Liu Qi Pill worked, though its effect was too brief.
• He Jun presented Gongsun Mao with a successful Zhou Liu Qi Pill, prompting Gongsun Mao to arrange a Pill Tasting Assembly and invite prominent figures from Su Ling Sect and Dan Emperor Mountain.
• When He Jun’s Group debated who would demonstrate pill refinement at the assembly, Zhu Xiao declined and nominated Luo Chen for his contributions.
• He Jun and the others backed Luo Chen, and Luo Chen accepted the demonstration, promising not to let them down.

Luo Chen successfully refined the Zhou Liu Qi Pill before the gathered leaders of the Su Ling Sect, earning lavish rewards and access to the Alchemy Institute’s resources. As the celebration ended, Tie Ma Zhenren recognized Luo Chen’s cultivation talent and asked him to become his disciple.

• True Person Jinglian, Dean He, and other powerful figures gathered at Wonderful Pill Peak to watch Luo Chen demonstrate the Zhou Liu Qi Pill.
• Luo Chen refined ten pills on his first attempt, and the leaders confirmed that the Zhou Liu Qi Pill was suitable for mass production.
• Luo Chen reflected on accepting his emotions without letting them cloud his Dao Heart as He Jun and the others celebrated his success.
• Dean He awarded Luo Chen a three-pattern Pill Refiner badge, a cave residence, access to the Alchemy Institute’s resources, and a Tier 5 Fire Seed; the other institutes and halls also granted him substantial rewards.
• Tie Ma Zhenren declared that Luo Chen’s Sharp Gold Physique and cultivation talent made him suited to cultivation and asked whether he would take him as his master.

Luo Chen refused Tie Ma Zhenren's offer to become his disciple and declined to lead the Zhou Liu Qi Pill mass-production project, while gaining wider access to the Su Ling Sect's resources. He entered seclusion to study and cultivate, fed the Golden Emperor Devouring Spirit Flame to the Wither Bloom Fire Seed, and the sect began preparing for its approaching Sect Competition.

• Luo Chen refused Tie Ma Zhenren's apprenticeship offer, and Tie Ma gave him a jade slip of cultivation insights into the Taiyi Geng Metal Myriad Transformation Profound Chapter.
• He Yuan asked Luo Chen to lead Zhou Liu Qi Pill mass production, but Luo Chen recommended He Jun, who was appointed to manage the project with support from the Three Halls and Five Institutes.
• Luo Chen used his elevated standing to study pill-refining techniques, acquire the Heavenly Dew recipe and many spells, and cultivate the Boundless Grass.
• Luo Chen entered a Third-Order Cave Mansion, suppressed the Golden Emperor Devouring Spirit Flame, and fed it to the Wither Bloom Fire Seed in hopes of reviving its spirit.
• He Jun led large-scale production of Zhou Liu Qi Pills as the Su Ling Sect's once-per-century Sect Competition drew near.

As the Su Ling Sect prepared for its competition, Wan Jiuzhang brought Jade Spring Peak’s disciples to Sword Fight Mountain, where they discovered that Xuan Luo’s high-grade Zhou Liu Qi Pill was among the prizes. At the Alchemy Institute, He Yuan’s colleagues learned that Xuan Luo had begun forming his Golden Core and resolved to seek the visiting Pill Saint’s guidance for him.

• Wan Jiuzhang warned Jade Spring Peak’s disciples to compete carefully and took them to Sword Fight Mountain with Liu Muhan.
• Wan Jiuzhang told Liu Muhan that Xuan Luo had reached Late-Stage Foundation Establishment before entering seclusion, and she wondered whether he had advanced further.
• Ji Yue and Feng Zhiyan discovered that the competition’s top-ten prize included a high-grade Zhou Liu Qi Pill refined by Xuan Luo.
• He Yuan told the Fourth Order Alchemists that the Pill Saint would visit the Su Ling Sect with Gu Mu and urged them to prepare a proper reception.
• He Yuan and the other Alchemy Institute cultivators sensed a core-formation phenomenon at Spirit Pill Peak and identified Xuan Luo as its source.
• He Yuan proposed that the Pill Saint guide Xuan Luo when she arrived.

Luo Chen completed a Five-Colored Golden Core and spent ten years inscribing spell seals onto its Mysterious Script Talismans, enabling him to cast powerful spells instantly. After leaving seclusion, he learned that Dan Emperor Mountain had assigned him to oversee the reception of a visiting Refining Void alchemy expert, Chu Yan.

• Luo Chen inscribed water, wood, fire, and earth Mysterious Script Talismans onto his Golden Core, then absorbed the accumulated spiritual qi and completed his breakthrough.
• Luo Chen used his five Mysterious Script Talismans to experiment with inscribing spells and accumulated five hundred Achievement Points before entering ten years of seclusion.
• Luo Chen inscribed over a hundred spell seals onto five Hua Zhang and demonstrated that he could cast the Myriad Swords Art without hand seals.
• Luo Chen left seclusion, received numerous congratulatory messages, and went to Dan Emperor Mountain after learning he had been assigned a task.
• A Nascent Soul Alchemist surnamed Ning told Luo Chen to inspect Mountain Sea Palace and prepare to receive its honored guest, the Alchemy Saint Chu Yan.