Chapter Summaries

After breaking through to the Qi Condensation Seventh Layer, Song Changsheng promised to make a Protective Talisman for his niece before Song Changming left to serve at a mine. He then comprehended a new secret art from the Mysterious Creation Canon and began refining the talisman.

• Song Changsheng broke through to the Qi Condensation Seventh Layer on Vast Peak.
• Song Changming asked Song Changsheng to make a Protective Talisman for Song Xi, who might be sent to a mortal county if she lacked a spiritual root.
• Song Changsheng accepted the jade pendant as the talisman's material and refused Song Changming's Spirit Stones, offering the talisman as a gift to Song Xi.
• Song Changsheng and Song Changming shared spirit wine before parting.
• Song Changsheng studied the Mysterious Creation Canon and comprehended the Water-Fire Control Technique.
• Song Changsheng took the jade pendant from his Universe Bag and began refining the Protective Talisman.

Song Changsheng forged a defensive Jade Pendant for Song Xi, then gave it to her and told her about the Song Clan’s history and its war with the Blazing Sun Sect. He left after spending the day with her, while the clan’s old wounds and Song Xi’s family losses remained in focus.

• Song Changsheng reforged the Jade Pendant, inscribed linked arrays for spiritual energy gathering, threat sensing, and defense, and hid a lethal burst of Fire Energy inside it.
• After cultivating overnight, Song Changsheng went to Song Changming’s courtyard and gave Song Xi the Jade Pendant and a Spirit Fruit.
• Song Changsheng told Song Xi how Song Taiyi founded the Lineage and how the Blazing Sun Sect attacked it ten years earlier.
• Song Changsheng remembered the clan members killed in the battle, including his father, and urged Song Xi never to forget the clan’s history.
• Song Xi asked why people fought, then soon cheered up and went to catch butterflies with Song Changsheng.
• When Song Changming returned at dusk, Song Changsheng said goodbye and left.

Song Changsheng and other young clansmen were ordered to leave the mountain early and serve the Lineage at its outside holdings. He drew an assignment to help with the Immortal Ascension Assembly, and prepared to descend the mountain for the first time.

• Song Xianyun told the young clansmen that the Lineage needed them to fill vacant posts and offered monthly compensation for those willing to serve.
• Song Changsheng volunteered to draw first and received an assignment to the Immortal Ascension Assembly.
• Song Changsheng learned he would travel with a Spirit Testing Hall deacon in a month to test Spirit Roots in a mortal city, where he hoped to visit his mother, Xia Yunxue.
• Song Changsheng decided to upgrade his Wine Gourd into a Water-Fire Treasure Gourd and spent most of his Contribution Points on ores, pills, and Talismans.

Song Changsheng reforged his Treasure Gourd into a First-Tier High-Grade Water-Fire magic artifact and inscribed a Water-Fire Taiji Array. After he scorched the Artifact Forging Room while testing it, Song Luzhou demanded a jug of second-tier Spirit Wine as compensation.

• Song Changsheng went to the Hall of Hundred Arts to borrow an Artifact Forging Room from Song Luzhou, who learned that he had advanced to a First-Tier High-Grade Artifact Forger.
• Song Changsheng used Earth Fire and Water-Fire ores to refine the Treasure Gourd into a First-Tier High-Grade magic artifact.
• Song Changsheng inscribed a Water-Fire Taiji Array while retaining the Bone-Eroding Array, then named the crimson-and-blue artifact the Water-Fire Treasure Gourd.
• Song Changsheng tested the gourd's flames and scorched the Artifact Forging Room before Song Luzhou caught him as he tried to leave.
• Song Luzhou demanded a jug of second-tier Spirit Wine in exchange for letting Song Changsheng off, and Song Changsheng protested that his mother had only a few jars.

Song Changsheng prepared another set of formation flags, then traveled with Song Luding, Song Luzi, Song Changjiu, and Song Changying to the clan’s seven cities for the Immortal Ascension Assembly. After they arrived, Song Luding asked him to pay respects to Fifth Elder.

• Song Changsheng regretted seeking help from Fifth Uncle and spent the remaining time weaving another set of First Tier formation flags.
• Song Luding and Song Luzi arrived with Song Changjiu and Song Changying, and the group set off aboard Song Luding’s paper kite.
• During the journey, Song Changsheng explained the Demon-Illuminating Mirror to the curious Song Changjiu as they looked down on the seven cities.
• Song Luding landed at the central manor, where the city lord and officials welcomed the Immortal Masters.
• Song Luding announced that the Immortal Ascension Assembly would begin in three days and asked Song Changsheng to pay respects to Fifth Elder.

Song Changsheng reunited with his mother, Xia Yunxue, before joining Song Luding and Song Changjiu to test children for Spirit Roots in the Immortal Ascension Assembly. After several days of mostly poor results, a taciturn boy in the third city brought them a surprise.

• Song Changsheng visited Xia Yunxue at the Garrison Manor, where they shared a warm reunion and a meal together.
• Three days later, Song Changsheng joined Song Luding and Song Changjiu to test Spirit Roots in the eastern cities.
• In the first city, only three of more than two thousand people had Spirit Roots, including a child with average aptitude and a girl with a Four-Element Spiritual Root.
• In the second city, four children among three thousand had Spirit Roots, but all had Four-Element or Five-Element Spiritual Roots.
• In the third city, a quiet, taciturn little boy brought Song Changsheng and the others a surprise.

Song Xing revealed a rare Five-Inch Wind Spirit Root, prompting Song Changsheng and Song Luding to conceal his talent and arrange for Xia Yunxue to escort him back to the Song Clan. As the others traveled home with the newly tested children, a masked group prepared to ambush them.

• Song Xing tested as possessing a Five-Inch Wind Spirit Root, and Song Luding recognized him as a potential successor to Song Taiyi.
• Song Changsheng and Song Luding kept Song Xing’s talent secret and continued the Immortal Ascension Assembly until testing was complete.
• Xia Yunxue decided to secretly escort Song Xing back to the Song Clan while Song Changsheng led the others on the return journey.
• Song Luzi reported finding a child with an Earth-Gold Dual Spiritual Root, and the Song Clan party departed with fourteen children possessing Spirit Roots.
• A group led by a person wearing an Iron-Skin Rakshasa mask tracked the Song Clan party and ordered the black-robed followers to surround them and kill anyone who resisted.

Song Changsheng and the Song Clan disciples were ambushed by Demonic Cultivators on their journey through the forest. He hid the children in a cave and stayed behind to fight the pursuers, ending the chapter as he completed a Blazing Sun Formation.

• Song Changsheng sensed they were being watched, and Song Luding ordered him to flee with the younger generation if they were attacked.
• The Masked Person led ten Demonic Cultivators in an ambush, but Song Luding used a Heaven Sword Talisman to break their Blood Sea attack.
• Song Changsheng used his Water-Fire Treasure Gourd to open an escape route, then fled with the children while Song Luding and Song Luzi held off the attackers.
• When five Demonic Cultivators pursued them, Song Changsheng threw talismans to slow them and hid the fourteen children in a cave behind a Concealment Formation.
• Song Changsheng lured the pursuers away and completed a First-Tier High-Grade Blazing Sun Formation while defending himself from their attacks.

Song Changsheng defeated a group of Demonic Cultivators after a grueling battle, but the Masked Person captured Song Changying and threatened her. Xia Yunxue arrived in time to rescue Song Changying and confronted the Masked Person about who had sent him.

• Song Changsheng used the Blazing Sun Formation and Fire Rain Technique to kill the short Demonic Cultivator and suppress the attackers.
• Song Changsheng drank a potion to restore his Spiritual Power, then killed the Qi Condensation Eighth Layer Demonic Cultivator and the last Demonic Cultivator in a fierce battle.
• After collecting the Demonic Cultivators' Magic Artifacts and Universe Bags, Song Changsheng encountered four Black Robe Persons, who had captured the unconscious Song Changying.
• The Masked Person threatened to crush Song Changying's head unless Song Changsheng handed over the children.
• Xia Yunxue arrived, killed the Masked Person's three subordinates, seized the Masked Person, and demanded to know who had sent him.

After Xia Yunxue rescued Song Changsheng and Song Changying, they returned to the ambush site and mourned the clansmen killed by demonic cultivators. Song Changsheng recovered from his injuries, examined the spoils from the battle, and found Earth Milk Spirit Liquid that he planned to use to advance his cultivation.

• Xia Yunxue killed the masked attacker, whom she identified as belonging to the Blood Demon Lineage, and checked that Song Changsheng and Song Changying were safe.
• Song Changsheng and Xia Yunxue found Song Luding, Song Luzi, and Song Changjiu dead at the ambush site, then gathered the bodies and rescued the children hiding in a cave.
• The Song Lineage held a funeral and rewarded the fallen, while Song Xianming sent Song Luyao and Song Luhai to hunt demonic cultivators in the Moon-Gazing Mountain Range.
• Song Changsheng recovered with a Rejuvenation Pill and examined the four Universe Bags he had taken from the demonic cultivators he killed.
• Song Changsheng found Earth Milk Spirit Liquid in a Purple Jade bottle and decided to use it to improve his cultivation.

Song Changsheng visited his grandfather, Song Xianming, who discussed Song Qingxing’s exceptional talent and feared he might pursue the Heartless Sword Dao. They agreed to use family bonds and friendship to help him connect with the Song Lineage, and Song Xianming assigned Song Changsheng a new task at Little Green Mountain.

• Song Changsheng diluted the remaining Earth Milk Spirit Liquid wine with First-Tier Spirit Wine before delivering it to Song Luzhou, who noticed that the wine tasted different.
• Song Changsheng climbed the White Jade Steps to Cloud Reaching Hall and met Song Xianming beside Suspended Mirror Lake.
• Song Xianming told Song Changsheng that Song Xing had entered the Dao and would now be called Song Qingxing, whose talent was remarkable but whose detached nature might lead him to the Heartless Sword Dao.
• Song Changsheng suggested that family affection and friendship could help Qingxing bond with the Lineage, and proposed pairing him with Xi'er.
• Song Xianming approved the plan, gave Song Changsheng a Jade Scale Fish, and assigned him a new task at Little Green Mountain.

Song Changsheng accepted a quiet post at Little Green Mountain to replace an aging Clan Elder and began settling in to oversee the Spirit Fish at Clear Mirror Lake. As he arrived at his new home, he remained worried about Song Xianming’s failing health and the need to grow stronger.

• Song Xianming assigned Song Changsheng to Little Green Mountain at his mother’s request, explaining that Song Changsheng would replace Fifty-Third Grandfather.
• Song Changsheng worried that Song Xianming’s damaged Life Origin and advanced age threatened the Song Clan, and resolved to become stronger.
• Song Luhai flew Song Changsheng to Little Green Mountain, where Song Changsheng met the Clan Elders and received his predecessor’s thatched hut.
• A Clan Elder told Song Changsheng to feed the Silver Thread Fish in Clear Mirror Lake, protect them from Demon Beasts, and watch for a First-Tier Peak Grade bird Demon Beast.
• Song Changsheng reached the shore of Clear Mirror Lake and rowed toward the island where his new residence stood.

Song Changsheng settled into his duties on Lake Heart Island, advanced to the Qi Condensation Eighth Layer, and improved his array skills. When the Iron-Claw Eagle returned to steal spirit fish, he struck it down and left its fate beyond Clear Mirror Lake.

• Song Changsheng reclaimed the spirit field, planted seeds, and counted the spirit fish, noting that he could keep any surplus beyond his annual delivery.
• He reflected on Song Yunhan’s reforms that established private property rights and allowed cultivators to keep excess from their work.
• In less than two months, Song Changsheng broke through to the Qi Condensation Eighth Layer and advanced toward First-Tier Peak Grade in arrays.
• Song Changsheng enjoyed ripe Green Plums and used his Water-Fire Control Technique to irrigate the spirit plants with precise control.
• The Iron-Claw Eagle returned to hunt spirit fish, but Song Changsheng burned it with his crimson-and-blue gourd, and it fell beyond Clear Mirror Lake.

Song Changsheng killed the Iron-Claw Eagle and discovered the Mist Concealment Tea Tree it had guarded, then transplanted it to Lake Heart Island. After drinking its first new shoot and improving his spell power, he noticed the lake’s largest spirit fish approaching for the remaining tea leaves.

• Song Changsheng pursued and killed the wounded Iron-Claw Eagle, then found a Mist Concealment Tea Tree growing nearby.
• Song Changsheng realized the Iron-Claw Eagle had guarded the tea tree and dug it up to transplant to Lake Heart Island.
• Song Changsheng brewed and drank a tender tea shoot, refining its energy to nourish his divine soul and purify his spiritual power.
• Song Changsheng tested Water Tornado and found its might had increased while its consumption had decreased.
• A large silver spirit fish approached Song Changsheng and appeared to seek the tea leaves he held.

Song Changsheng fed the spirit fish a Mist Concealment Tea bud and built an Ultimate Grade First-Tier Spirit Gathering Array, establishing himself as an Ultimate Grade First-Tier Array Master. By year’s end, he had tested the array and earned extra spirit fish, while the Fish King’s response to the tea remained unknown.

• Song Changsheng gave the spirit fish one Mist Concealment Tea bud to try, then decided to attempt a Spirit Gathering Array because Lake Heart Island lacked enough spiritual energy.
• Song Changsheng connected the permanent array to Little Green Mountain’s Earth Vein, completing the formation and exhausting much of his Spiritual Power and Mental Energy.
• After recovering, Song Changsheng activated the array and found that it raised spiritual energy within its range to nearly three times the average concentration of a Second-Tier Spirit Vein, while draining the surrounding area.
• At year’s end, the Lineage’s deacon collected two hundred spirit fish, leaving Song Changsheng more than twenty adult fish to keep and sell.
• Song Changsheng still did not know whether the Fish King had benefited from consuming the Mist Concealment Tea.

Song Changsheng returned to Vast Peak for the Song Clan’s Coming of Age Ceremony and met Song Qingxing and Song Qingxi before the Clan Assessment. He saw that Qingxing, despite his cold demeanor, cared about his younger sister, and urged him to be more yielding.

• Song Changsheng arrived at Bluestone Square for the Coming of Age Ceremony after nearly two years on Little Green Mountain.
• Song Changhu greeted Song Changsheng and showed jealousy over his Spirit Fish-raising assignment.
• Song Changsheng met Song Qingxi and learned she had reached Qi Condensation First Layer, while Song Qingxing had reached the Second Layer.
• Song Qingxing declared that he would surpass Song Changsheng, and Song Qingxi argued with him in her uncle’s defense.
• Song Changsheng observed that Qingxing patiently answered Qingxi and told him that an older brother should yield to his younger sister.

Song Changsheng and thirteen other Song Clan youths completed their coming-of-age ceremony and were assigned to join a demon-beast extermination operation at the Mortal World Outskirts. The group reached the area under Song Luyao’s command, where the unusual number of demon beasts put Song Changsheng on guard.

• Song Xianyun presided over the ceremony, recited the clan’s ancestral precepts, and presented the fourteen youths with their coming-of-age gifts.
• Song Xianyun announced that the youths would join the Monster Hunting Team to eliminate demon beasts at the Mortal World Outskirts, with elders overseeing the operation.
• Song Changsheng arrived at the departure point, where Song Luyao led the Enforcement Team and the youths down the mountain.
• Song Luyao sent Song Changsheng and the others to fight demon beasts they encountered along the way, and Song Changsheng revisited the place where he had fought demonic cultivators.
• The group found that demon beasts had appeared unusually often around the Mortal World Outskirts, and Song Luyao set up camp outside the city before meeting Xia Yunxue and the Monster Hunting Team captains.

Song Luyao assigned the clan forces to sweep the forest, and Song Changsheng divided his group to clear their section while keeping the weaker disciples together. After helping them fight an injured beast and killing a hidden chameleon, he sensed trouble nearby, leaving the group on alert.

• Song Luyao assigned the trial area to the clan members, the western area to the Enforcement Team, and the northern area to the Monster Hunting Teams.
• Song Changsheng divided his team into three groups, warned them to stay in contact, and led three disciples into the forest.
• Song Changsheng let the three disciples battle an injured Golden-Headed Striped Leopard while he watched over them.
• Song Changsheng spotted and killed a hidden Twin-Tailed Chameleon with his Fire Arrow Technique and Treasure Gourd.
• The three disciples harvested the Striped Leopard and offered Song Changsheng a share, but he refused and sensed something happening nearby.

Song Changsheng encountered Shangguan Jian’s Monster Hunting Team before receiving a distress signal that Earth Fire Sect disciples had attacked Song Clan members. He arrived to find Song Changhu’s group badly injured and faced Chang Tianhua and his followers, who moved to surround him.

• Song Changsheng met Shangguan Jian and Uncle Zhang, learned Shangguan Jian was the son of the former Hunter Captain Shangguan Tieying, and continued onward.
• A disturbance suggested a Second-Tier Demonic Beast had appeared near the Third Elder, but Song Changsheng kept moving with his companions.
• Song Changsheng received a distress signal reporting Earth Fire Sect’s arrival and rushed toward Song Changhu’s group.
• Chang Tianhua ordered his disciples to attack Song Changhu and his companions, who fought while waiting for reinforcements.
• Song Changsheng arrived to find Song Changhu’s group gravely injured and confronted Chang Tianhua, who ordered his disciples to break Song Changsheng’s leg.

Song Changsheng defeated four Earth Fire Sect disciples and captured Chang Tianhua after overcoming his magic artifacts. A Foundation Establishment Cultivator appeared and demanded Chang Tianhua’s release, but Song Changsheng slapped his captive instead, leaving both sides stunned.

• Song Changsheng used water-element spells to defeat four late-stage Qi Condensation Earth Fire Sect disciples without moving from his spot.
• Chang Tianhua provoked Song Changsheng and attacked him with poisoned needles and a long hook.
• Song Changsheng used the Treasure Gourd and a water dragon to break Chang Tianhua’s three magic artifacts and capture him.
• A Foundation Establishment Cultivator appeared and offered to let Song Changsheng leave if he released Chang Tianhua.
• Song Changsheng grabbed Chang Tianhua by the throat and slapped him as the Earth Fire Sect and Song Clan disciples watched.