Chapter Summaries

Song Changsheng held Chang Tianhua hostage after the Earth Fire Sect trespassed on Song Clan territory, then Xia Yunxue intervened when Qu Jinsheng tried to attack him. After Xia Yunxue defeated Qu Jinsheng and secured compensation, she explained why she let the Earth Fire Sect leave alive.

• Song Changsheng threatened Qu Jinsheng with Chang Tianhua's life and demanded compensation for the Earth Fire Sect's trespass and injuries to Song Clan Members.
• Qu Jinsheng offered one thousand Spirit Stones, then secretly attacked Song Changsheng, but Xia Yunxue appeared and blocked the strike.
• Xia Yunxue challenged Qu Jinsheng and defeated him after half an hour of fighting.
• Xia Yunxue forced the Earth Fire Sect to hand over more Spirit Stones and valuables before leaving, and distributed part of the spoils among the Song Clan Members.
• Song Changsheng questioned why Xia Yunxue had spared Qu Jinsheng, and she said the Song Clan needed to avoid a wider conflict and that both Qu Jinsheng and Chang Tianhua had already been weakened.

Song Changsheng returned from the trial with Spirit Stones and praise, while Song Luyao punished Song Changhu and ended the expedition. At a Lineage meeting, the elders struggled to fund Foundation Establishment Pills and learned that the main family might once again withhold some of the pills promised to them.

• Song Changsheng admitted that he had secretly planted Fire Energy in Chang Tianhua's Dantian, and Xia Yunxue gave him the Spirit Stones taken from the Earth Fire Sect.
• Song Luyao returned to the group, ordered Song Changhu to reflect in the Back Mountain for a month, praised Song Changsheng, and announced the trial's end.
• Three days later, Song Xianyun convened the elders to discuss buying Foundation Establishment Pills from the main family, while Song Luzhou said the Lineage could provide at most one hundred thousand Spirit Stones.
• Song Xianyun and the clan elders offered their own Spirit Stones to raise funds, but Song Luyao warned that the main family had withheld three of the six pills promised to them eight years earlier.
• Song Luyao explained that the Lineage might receive fewer than the three Foundation Establishment Pills it needed, leaving the elders worried about their prospects.

The Wangyue Song Clan debated its strained relationship with the Brocade Banner Song Clan and its efforts to secure Foundation Establishment Pills. After Song Luyao proposed recognizing Song Changsheng’s achievements, the elders agreed to elevate him to a Purple Palace Seed and ask the Patriarch to consider him for Young Clan Head.

• Song Xianyun explained that the Wangyue Song Clan needed to prepare Spirit Stones to buy up to five Foundation Establishment Pills from the Ancestral Lineage, and the elders contributed nearly thirty thousand.
• Song Xianyun decided the clan would send its collected Spirit Stones to Lu Ke to obtain as many pills as possible.
• Song Luyao recounted how Song Changsheng and his mother had earned merit during the Family Trial, prompting the elders to praise Changsheng.
• Song Luyao proposed choosing Song Changsheng as Young Clan Head, and the elders debated whether the clan should restore the position and how candidates should be selected.
• Song Xianyun said the Patriarch would decide on a Young Clan Head but elevated Song Changsheng from Foundation Establishment Seed to Purple Palace Seed.
• Song Changsheng became one of the clan’s two Purple Palace Seeds, alongside Song Qingxing.

After rumors about Song Changsheng’s wealth and his mother were exposed as a plot by spies, the Song Clan investigated further while Changsheng accepted a long-term artifact-forging post at Liuyun Market. He arranged for Song Qingxi, Song Qingxing, and Song Luhai to look after Little Green Mountain and reached the market after three days of travel.

• The Song Clan decided to retaliate against the Earth Fire Sect by reducing its supply of Spiritual Herbs and Ores, and members contributed Spirit Stones toward buying a Foundation Establishment Pill.
• Song Changsheng donated two thousand Spirit Stones, prompting rumors that Xia Yunxue had abused her authority, but Song Xianyun explained their source and the Enforcement Team arrested several spies.
• Song Xianming ordered Song Luyao to keep investigating the people behind the rumors, suspecting that a traitor was active again.
• Song Changsheng accepted a long-term artifact-forging task at the clan shop in Liuyun Market and arranged for Song Qingxi, Song Qingxing, and Song Luhai to take over responsibilities at Little Green Mountain.
• Song Changsheng traveled north and arrived at Liuyun Market on the third day.

Song Changsheng arrived at Liuyun Market and visited the Song Clan’s Treasure Seeking Pavilion, where Chou Wenxiu challenged the shop’s artifact forging to retaliate against the Song Clan’s trade sanctions. Chou Wenxiu demonstrated a three-array Qing Treasure Pearl and publicly mocked the Song Clan, leaving Song Changqian shocked.

• Song Changsheng met Zhu Yiqun outside Liuyun Market, introduced himself under the false name Shen Changsong, and entered the market alone.
• Song Changsheng went to the Song Clan’s Treasure Seeking Pavilion and examined its wares while the staff served customers.
• Chou Wenxiu and other Chou Clan cultivators entered the shop, and Chou Wenxiu demanded a First-Tier High-Grade Treasure Pearl with attack, defense, and recovery properties.
• Song Changqian challenged Chou Wenxiu’s demand, saying that such a combination was beyond the abilities of ordinary First-Tier High-Grade Artifact Forgers.
• Chou Wenxiu displayed a Qing Treasure Pearl with three Arrays and claimed a young Earth Fire Sect master at Hundred Treasures Pavilion had refined it, then mocked the Song Clan over its trade sanctions.

Song Changsheng accepted Chou Wenxiu’s challenge to forge a three-property magic artifact in ten days, despite Song Changqian’s objections. Song Luyuan revealed Changsheng’s reputation and confidence in his skill, and the chapter ended as Chou Wenxiu returned with a crowd to collect the artifact.

• Song Changsheng showed Chou Wenxiu his Artifact Forger token and accepted the order for a two-hundred-Spirit-Stone deposit, promising to finish in ten days.
• Song Changqian confronted Song Changsheng, who insisted that accepting the challenge was necessary to protect the lineage’s dignity and went to the Artifact Forging Room.
• Song Luyuan returned and scolded Song Changqian for mishandling the dispute, then explained that Song Changsheng was the Patriarch’s grandson and a gifted First-Tier High-Grade Artifact Forger.
• Chou Wenxiu returned to Treasure Seeking Pavilion on the tenth day with a large crowd gathered to watch.

Song Changsheng revealed that he had completed Chou Wenxiu’s three-array magic artifact within ten days, turning public opinion in Treasure Seeking Pavilion’s favor. Chou Wenxiu refused to accept the result and accused the Song Clan of passing off another master’s work.

• Chou Wenxiu arrived at Treasure Seeking Pavilion to demand his finished magic artifact while onlookers debated whether the Song Clan could meet his challenge.
• Song Changsheng finished the artifact and decided to use the public demonstration to embarrass Earth Fire Sect and its allies.
• As Chou Wenxiu urged Song Luyuan to pay triple compensation, Song Changsheng appeared and said the artifact had already been forged.
• Song Changsheng displayed the Treasure Pearl, and an Array Master identified its Water Origin Array, Ice Spike Array, and Return to Origin Array.
• The crowd shifted its support to the Song Clan, but Chou Wenxiu denied that Song Changsheng had forged the artifact himself.
• Song Changsheng pointed out Chou Wenxiu’s double standard to the assembled cultivators.

Song Changsheng humiliated Chou Wenxiu in public, won more customers for Treasure Seeking Pavilion, and declined Song Luyuan’s gift while asking instead for artifact-forging materials. The next day, Song Luyuan accompanied him to Hundred Treasures Pavilion, where Cheng Xiao prepared to face him in a public contest at the Market square.

• Chou Wenxiu left after paying three hundred Spirit Stones for the Treasure Pearl, and Song Changsheng announced he would visit the artifact-refining master at Hundred Treasures Pavilion for guidance.
• The crowd forced the tall cultivator to lick a piece of greenstone flooring before he fled.
• Song Changsheng refused Song Luyuan’s gift and asked him to provide artifact-forging materials instead.
• Song Changsheng’s victory drew many Cultivators into Treasure Seeking Pavilion, and Song Luyuan agreed not to punish Song Changqian over the incident.
• Bai Ruofeng argued with Chou Wenxiu before Cheng Xiao declared confidence in defeating Song Changsheng and proposed moving their contest to the Market square.

Song Changsheng challenged Cheng Xiao to an artifact-inscribing contest at Liuyun Market and spent the first hour refining his Magic Artifact. He then shocked the crowd by inscribing two arrays simultaneously, leaving Bai Ruofeng convinced he was displaying the legendary Dual-Mindedness.

• Song Changsheng and Song Luyuan arrived at the crowded plaza, where Bai Ruofeng and Cheng Xiao eventually joined them.
• Cheng Xiao proposed that they inscribe as many arrays as possible onto identical First-Tier High-Grade Magic Artifacts within three hours, and Song Changsheng accepted.
• Song Changsheng discovered flaws in his Magic Artifact and spent nearly an hour refining it while Cheng Xiao completed his first array.
• Song Changsheng split his Mental Energy and began inscribing two different arrays at the same time, stunning the spectators.
• Bai Ruofeng recognized Song Changsheng's technique as the legendary Dual-Mindedness, while Song Luyuan moved to shield him.

Song Changsheng defeated Cheng Xiao in an array contest, then spent nearly half a year refining artifacts at Treasure Seeking Pavilion and advanced to First-Tier Peak Grade. As he set out to explore the Market during a month of rest, Elder Cheng secretly ordered Bai Ruofeng to watch him and report when he left.

• Cheng Xiao lost control of his emotions after seeing Song Changsheng use Dual-Mindedness, suffered cultivation deviation, and fainted, prompting Bai Ruofeng to concede the contest.
• Song Changsheng learned that Earth Fire Sect had withdrawn, claimed victory, and attracted a surge of business to Treasure Seeking Pavilion.
• Elder Cheng blamed Bai Ruofeng for Cheng Xiao's condition and ordered him to watch Song Changsheng and report when he left the Market.
• After nearly half a year of forging orders, Song Changsheng elevated the Treasure Gourd to First-Tier Peak Grade and became the Song Clan's youngest First-Tier Peak Grade Artifact Forger.
• Song Luyuan gave Song Changsheng five hundred Spirit Stones and approved a month of rest, and Song Changsheng headed out to explore the Market.

Song Changsheng disguised himself to explore the Market’s Central Plaza, where he bought several unusual items and encountered a forged ancient ruin map. Zhu Yiqun warned him about the scam, then revealed that he had long known Song Changsheng’s identity; the two renewed their acquaintance.

• Song Changsheng concealed his appearance and aura before heading to the Central Plaza to browse the rogue cultivators’ stalls.
• Song Changsheng bargained for five raw ores, including a piece of Kongming Iron with a trace of Water Spiritual Energy, then bought a damaged formation base and fragmented jade.
• A scrawny old cultivator tried to sell Song Changsheng a forged ancient ruin map for one hundred spirit stones.
• Zhu Yiqun warned Song Changsheng that the old cultivator’s goods were fake, and Song Changsheng identified flaws in the map’s artificial aging.
• Song Changsheng recognized Zhu Yiqun from their earlier encounter, and Zhu Yiqun said he had already learned Song Changsheng’s identity from his reputation and formation-inscription skills.

Song Changsheng and Zhu Yiqun became friends over wine and food at Jade Food Pavilion, where Zhu revealed that he was a skilled Medicinal Chef. The chapter ended with Song Changsheng tasting Zhu’s special seasoning and reacting with surprise.

• Song Changsheng accepted Zhu Yiqun’s invitation to dine and chose Jade Food Pavilion for its food and security.
• At the restaurant, Zhu said he was a Rogue Cultivator and praised Song Changsheng’s Spirit Wine, which the two shared.
• They sampled Jade Food Pavilion’s dishes, and Zhu claimed its cuisine ranked only among his top five.
• Zhu revealed that he was a First-Tier Peak Grade Medicinal Chef and sprinkled his homemade seasoning on dried meat.
• Song Changsheng tasted the seasoned meat after checking it was safe, and his eyes widened.

Song Changsheng discovered that Zhu Yiqun’s seasoning could convert spiritual food’s Spiritual Power into cultivation, then uncovered valuable materials among his Market purchases. He repaired his Water Element Shield with Kuisui Essence and found profound Primordial Formation Patterns, before turning his attention to the Fragmented Jade.

• Song Changsheng tasted Zhu Yiqun’s seasoning and learned it enhanced flavor while maximizing the Spiritual Power absorbed from spiritual food.
• Song Changsheng and Zhu Yiqun exchanged contact information after their expensive meal, and Song Changqian quietly thanked Song Changsheng for his service to the Lineage.
• Song Changsheng uncovered Kuisui Essence in the Kongming Iron and used it to upgrade his damaged Water Element Shield to First-Tier Peak Grade.
• Song Changsheng recognized patterned cracks on the damaged Formation Base as incomplete second-tier Primordial Formation Patterns and copied them onto a Jade Slip for later study.
• Song Changsheng finished examining the other Ores and turned his attention to the Fragmented Jade.

Song Changsheng reached the Qi Condensation Ninth Layer while growing closer to Zhu Yiqun and learned why the Song Clan could not sell First-Tier Peak Grade artifacts in Liuyun Market. Zhu Yiqun then asked him to join an expedition to an intact Ancient Cultivator's Abode as its array master.

• Song Changsheng discovered that the fragmented jade he had bought was a clever counterfeit, though he admired its maker's skill.
• Song Changsheng spent months exploring Liuyun Market with Zhu Yiqun, whose medicinal cooking helped him advance from the Qi Condensation Eighth Layer to the Qi Condensation Ninth Layer.
• Song Luyuan explained that the Song Clan and other local powers had agreed to let Eight Directions Pavilion hold the market for First-Tier Peak Grade goods.
• Zhu Yiqun invited Song Changsheng to join a group exploring the intact ruins of an Ancient Cultivator's Abode and help deal with the array surrounding them.

Song Changsheng agreed to help Zhu Yiqun break the array guarding an ancient cultivator’s ruins during the Winter Solstice, despite the danger of leaving Liuyun Market. He sought Wang Wanzhou’s protection and received a Communication Jade Slip before setting out to meet the other cultivators.

• Song Changsheng warned Zhu Yiqun that he could not break a powerful second-tier array alone, and Zhu explained that the Mystic Sun Heavenly Gang Array weakened during the Winter Solstice and that they had prepared items to assist.
• Song Changsheng agreed to join the expedition, and Zhu Yiqun arranged to introduce him to the other cultivators the next day before they set out.
• Song Changsheng went to the Garrison Manor and asked Wang Wanzhou for help because enemies might attack him outside the Market.
• Wang Wanzhou welcomed Song Changsheng as his nephew and gave him a Communication Jade Slip so he could summon help in an emergency.

Song Changsheng joined Zhu Yiqun’s group of cultivators preparing to leave Liuyun Market, but Zhuang Yuechan reacted coldly when she learned his identity. They escaped the Market while the Earth Fire Sect searched for Song Changsheng, and Zhu Yiqun teased him about Zhuang Yuechan’s behavior.

• Song Changsheng put on a Concealment Robe and evaded the spy who had been following him before meeting Zhu Yiqun’s group.
• Zhu Yiqun introduced Song Changsheng to twelve other late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators, including another First-Tier Peak Grade Array Master.
• Zhuang Yuechan arrived and showed a sudden coldness toward Song Changsheng after hearing his name, though he could not recall ever meeting her.
• Zhu Yiqun sent the group out of Liuyun Market in batches while Cheng Yufei ordered the Earth Fire Sect’s personnel to search for Song Changsheng.
• Song Changsheng and Zhu Yiqun left the Market in concealed black robes, and Zhu Yiqun teased Song Changsheng by suggesting he had wronged Zhuang Yuechan.

Song Changsheng and Xu Yun studied the Mystic Sun Heavenly Gang Array and used Cold Nether Stone and Formation Breaking Talismans to open two breaches. They entered the dangerous formation to search for its Formation Eye while Zhu Yiqun and the others kept the entrances stable.

• Song Changsheng and the group reached the ruins and rested outside the Mystic Sun Heavenly Gang Array.
• Song Changsheng recognized that the array’s Formation Patterns resembled those on a damaged Formation Base he had found at the Market, allowing him to study it quickly.
• Song Changsheng proposed weakening the array with Cold Nether Stone before opening two breaches with Formation Breaking Talismans, and the group agreed.
• Song Changsheng and Xu Yun activated their arrays, while Li Hu and Zhuang Yuechan used their talismans to tear open two breaches in the barrier.
• Song Changsheng and Xu Yun entered the formation as Zhu Yiqun and the others maintained the entrances, and Song Changsheng began deducing the array’s workings to find its Formation Eye.

Black Deacon waited near the ruins for the Mystic Sun Heavenly Gang Array to be broken, planning to kill the group and seize what lay inside. Song Changsheng reached the formation’s eye and took control of most of the array, leaving the group poised to turn the trap against their enemies.

• Black Deacon ordered Skeleton Man to watch Zhu Yiqun’s group and kill them as soon as they broke the formation.
• Zhu Yiqun urged the exhausted group to keep the two passages open while Song Changsheng and Song Changsheng’s companion worked inside the array.
• Song Changsheng located the formation’s eye and discovered that an ownerless Top-Grade Spirit Artifact, a bronze bell, served as its core.
• Song Changsheng fought the bronze bell with his Water-Fire Treasure Gourd and Water Element Shield while arranging a Reversal Array.
• Song Changsheng completed the Reversal Array, subdued the bronze bell with his soul imprint, and seized most of the formation’s authority.

After Song Changsheng opened the Immortal Cave’s array, a Blood Demon ambush killed Xu Yun and forced the group into a desperate battle against the Foundation Establishment Black Deacon. Song Changsheng saved Zhuang Yuechan and called for everyone to retreat into the ruins while he held the enemy back, as Zhu Yiqun unleashed a Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator’s strike.

• Song Changsheng opened the Mystic Sun Heavenly Gang Array, and Xu Yun acknowledged his superior array skills.
• A black-red attack killed Xu Yun, then more Blood Demon Cultivators attacked the group.
• Song Changsheng, Li Hu, Zhu Yiqun, Xu Yunhe, and Zhuang Yuechan fought the Blood Demons until the Black Deacon joined the battle.
• The Black Deacon killed Li Hu, severed Xu Yunhe’s arm, and wounded Zhu Yiqun while attacking the group.
• Song Changsheng rescued Zhuang Yuechan with a Water Dragon and ordered everyone to retreat into the ruins as he held the Black Deacon back.
• Zhu Yiqun crushed a Jade Pendant and released a Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator’s full-force strike against the Black Deacon.

Song Changsheng restored the Mystic Sun Heavenly Gang Array, protecting the survivors from the Black Deacon, and led them into the Foundation Establishment Immortal Cave. After urging the despairing Xu Yunhe to keep living, Song Changsheng opened the cave’s Stone Gate, revealing the inner area.

• The Black Deacon’s Blood Sea swept up two stragglers, but the Mystic Sun Heavenly Gang Array stopped it from reaching Song Changsheng and the others.
• Song Changsheng revealed that he had gained control of the array, and the survivors entered the Immortal Cave.
• Song Changsheng found a partially missing formation on the Stone Gate and began completing it while Zhu Yiqun treated Xu Yunhe’s severed arm.
• Xu Yunhe refused treatment and spoke of giving up, but Song Changsheng urged him to persevere as a swordsman, and Xu Yunhe took the medicinal pill.
• Song Changsheng completed the formation, warned the others to follow his footsteps, and opened the Stone Gate.