Chapter Summaries

Song Changsheng brought Song Youxiang to Jiang Shuming to become his disciple, and she proved her talent by correcting an error in Jiang Shuming’s Golden Sword Talisman. Jiang Shuming accepted her as his disciple and gave her a protective talisman, while Song Changsheng left her with a jade slip for emergencies as she began her studies.

• Jiang Shuming set Song Youxiang a one-hour test: reproduce his Golden Sword Talisman before the incense burned out.
• Song Youxiang studied the talisman for most of the allotted time while Jiang Shuming grew impatient and Song Changsheng remained confident.
• Song Youxiang drew the talisman in one fluid sequence, and Jiang Shuming realized her technique had revealed and corrected a flaw in his talisman.
• Jiang Shuming apologized for misjudging Song Youxiang, accepted her as his disciple, and gave her a Third Tier Low-Grade Protective Talisman.
• Song Changsheng entrusted Song Youxiang to Jiang Shuming and gave her a jade slip to summon him if she faced danger or wanted to return home.

Song Changsheng prepared the Song Clan to expand its supply of Foundation Establishment Pills and gathered a team to deal with the Mist Concealing Worms in the Small World. After Song Youping supplied lures designed to draw out the Worm King, Song Changsheng and Song Xianming entered the foggy realm to begin the operation.

• Song Changsheng told Song Luzhou to refine three batches of Foundation Establishment Pills, set aside a batch for the Wind and Rain Hall and Inspection Department, and make future pills available for clan members to exchange.
• Song Youping delivered three thousand jin of bait for the Mist Concealing Worms and a fabricated insect intended to draw out their insect mother, which he enhanced with Song Changsheng's blood essence.
• Song Changsheng and Song Xianming assembled Song Qingyun, Song Qingxing, Song Changxuan, and Song Qingxia for the B-rank mission in the Small World.
• The six Song Clan members used the Space Teleportation Array to enter the karst cave in the Vast Jungle, where Song Changsheng confirmed that Song Youping's fog had come from the Small World.
• Song Changsheng and Song Xianming concealed themselves and left the array barrier with the jade bottle to deal with the Worm King.

Song Changsheng and Song Xianming lured the Mist Concealing Worm King into a trap and killed it with the Violet Void Divine Fire, clearing the way to eliminate the remaining worms. They left Song Qingxing and the others to handle the swarm and began exploring the Small World, but after traveling east for three days they still had not found its boundary.

• Song Changsheng and Song Xianming used the fake Worm King and Song Changsheng's essence blood to draw the Mist Concealing Worm King out of hiding.
• Song Changsheng and Song Xianming struck the Worm King with their Violet Void Divine Fire, killing it and incinerating the gathered Mist Concealing Worms.
• Song Changsheng gave Song Qingxing and the others Medicine Bricks to lure and destroy the remaining Mist Concealing Worms with the grand formation.
• Song Changsheng and Song Xianming set off to explore the Small World and estimate its boundaries.
• After traveling east for three days and more than ten thousand li, Song Changsheng and Song Xianming found a vast mountain range but no boundary.

Song Changsheng and Song Xianming discovered a thriving forest beyond the Mist Concealing Worms’ reach and considered whether the Vast Small World could shelter the Song Clan’s mortals. Song Xianming judged moving the entire Mortal World impractical, though he suggested relocating some mortals if an opportunity arose, while Song Changsheng continued seeking a lasting solution.

• Song Changsheng and Song Xianming flew across the mountain range and found a primeval forest full of living creatures and demonic beasts.
• Song Xianming compared the small world’s thriving ecosystem with the Wutong Secret Realm, where introduced beasts had failed to survive.
• Song Changsheng proposed moving the Song Clan’s Mortal World into the Vast Small World to protect its million-plus inhabitants from danger in Great Qi.
• Song Xianming explained that mortals could not withstand the Space Teleportation Array and that a collapsing Spatial Tunnel could wipe out the entire Mortal World.
• Song Changsheng said building their own Spatial Tunnel would solve the problems, but Song Xianming replied that doing so required reaching the distant Nascent Soul realm.
• Song Xianming suggested moving some mortals as a precaution, while Song Changsheng continued pondering a permanent solution.

Song Changsheng and Song Xianming reached the Small World’s boundary, then returned to learn that Song Qingxing had discovered a rich deposit of Gold Thread Charcoal. After surveying the mine, Song Changsheng planned to sell its valuable output through auctions, other cities, and the Wanlong Merchant Association, potentially expanding the Song Clan’s trade into Gusu.

• Song Changsheng and Song Xianming mapped the Small World’s boundary and returned to the stronghold.
• Song Changxuan reported that Song Qingxing had found exposed Gold Thread Charcoal while placing Medicine Bricks outside the grand array.
• Song Changsheng went to retrieve Song Qingxing, teased him for leaving the array without permission, and withheld the Contribution Points he expected for finding the mine as compensation for his offense.
• Song Xianming surveyed the mine and estimated that its exposed Gold Thread Charcoal alone weighed at least a thousand catties.
• Song Changsheng proposed selling some Gold Thread Charcoal through the clan auction and other markets, then suggested partnering with the Wanlong Merchant Association to reach Gusu.

Song Changsheng dealt with the Mist Concealing Worms, visited the lineage’s cultivation and brewing sites, and secured a Gold Thread Charcoal order before traveling with three younger relatives to Four Directions City. He arrived at the Wanlong Merchant Association’s grand headquarters, where he planned to seek a trade connection.

• Song Youping developed Medicine Bricks that poisoned Mist Concealing Worms, and Song Xianming and Song Changsheng spread them through the Small World.
• Song Changsheng and Song Xianming agreed that Song Youping deserved a reward, and Song Changsheng decided to travel to Gusu to seek a trade route for Gold Thread Charcoal.
• Song Changsheng found Song Youfu suffering under Song Youlin’s punishing cultivation schedule, then checked the White Jade Cold Bamboo seeds and learned Xia Yunxue’s new rice wine had only barely reached the third tier.
• Song Changsheng brought Song Qingxing, Song Qingyun, and Song Qingxi to Gusu, where Shen Qingxiu ordered five thousand jin of Gold Thread Charcoal at fifteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones per jin.
• Song Changsheng used Peng Siying’s token to travel through the Black Market in Sunset City to Four Directions City, and his companions marveled at the Wanlong Merchant Association’s enormous headquarters.

Song Changsheng brought his juniors to Four Directions City and learned that Identity Certificates were needed to avoid strict entry checks and access much of the city. He used his Wanlong Merchant Association Guest Elder Token to enter with them, then settled them at an inn while planning to apply for certificates and explore the city.

• Song Changsheng sent Song Qingyun to learn why one gate was empty, and Song Qingyun discovered that it was reserved for cultivators with Identity Certificates.
• A middle-aged cultivator explained the requirements for Identity Certificates and the difficulties rogue cultivators faced obtaining them.
• Song Qingxi recognized a Wanlong Merchant Association Guest Elder Token on an entering cultivator, and Song Changsheng realized his own token could let his group pass through the other gate.
• Song Changsheng showed his token to the guards, who respectfully admitted him and the juniors, leaving the middle-aged cultivator stunned.
• Song Changsheng explained the gate's Fourth-Tier Magic Artifact mirror to Song Qingxing and planned to visit the City Lord's Mansion the next day for Identity Certificates.
• Song Qingyun found Yuelai Inn, where the shopkeeper arranged three superior rooms after seeing Song Changsheng's Guest Elder Waist Token.

Song Changsheng and his companions explored Four Directions City, where he spotted a Snake Human Woman being displayed in a cage and sensed a hostile watcher who might recognize him from Gusu. After disguising the group and obtaining their identification, they left the City Lord’s Mansion, and Song Changsheng went to visit a friend at the Wanlong Merchant Association headquarters.

• Song Changsheng took Song Qingxi, Song Qingxing, and Song Qingyun to see the Snake Human Woman in a cage, explained her race and likely fate, and sensed someone watching him from the crowd.
• Song Changsheng returned to the inn with the others, warned them not to go out alone, and taught them a method to alter their appearances and auras.
• Song Qingxing gave Song Qingxi a jade hairpin he had bought with Song Qingyun’s help, while Song Qingyun mourned Su Xiaoxiao and vowed to find her.
• The group disguised themselves and went to the City Lord’s Mansion in two batches, where the steward issued them identification but refused Song Changsheng’s request to rent a shop.
• Song Changsheng gave Song Qingxi a Storage Bag and went to the Wanlong Merchant Association headquarters to visit a friend, leaving the others to look around together.

Song Changsheng gave Song Qingxi and the others Spirit Stones before heading to the Wanlong Merchant Association’s headquarters, where he learned of a conflict involving Purple Cloud Pavilion and suspected it might be connected to someone watching him. At the Inner City gate, he showed his Guest Elder Token, but the guard advised him to return instead of seeing the young miss.

• Song Changsheng gave Song Qingxi a Storage Bag containing at least a hundred thousand Spirit Stones and warned her, Song Qingxing, and Song Qingyun to avoid trouble.
• Song Changsheng overheard cultivators say Feng Xiao had bought a Snake Human Race woman from under Chu He’s nose, sparking a public clash between the two young heirs.
• Song Changsheng suspected Purple Cloud Pavilion might be behind the person who had watched him and considered finding Feng Xiao, but chose to handle his business first.
• Song Changsheng reached the Inner City gate and presented his Guest Elder Token to the guard, who recognized him and advised him to return before seeing the young miss.

Song Changsheng reunited with Peng Siying in Four Directions City and learned that his tip had helped her find True Monarch Yusu’s Nascent Soul legacy and escape pressure over her marriage. He then proposed a trade partnership, offering the Wanlong Merchant Association a steady supply of Gold Thread Charcoal.

• Song Changsheng used Peng Siying’s Waist Token to gain entry to the Inner City, where Qingluan escorted him to meet Peng Siying.
• Peng Siying confirmed that her father had found the crucial part of True Monarch Yusu’s legacy in the Golden Profound Stone Cave, and that her contribution had freed her from marriage pressure.
• Peng Siying offered Song Changsheng a reward, but he declined, saying that her past help had saved his fiancée’s life.
• After sharing green plum wine, Song Changsheng asked Peng Siying about the value of Gold Thread Charcoal and revealed that he wanted the Wanlong Merchant Association to sell his supply.

Song Changsheng arranged an exclusive long-term trade for the Song Clan’s Gold Thread Charcoal with the Wanlong Merchant Association and bought a rare Starfire Essence. Meanwhile, Song Qingxi and the others visited the Ascension Pavilion, where Song Qingyun examined its legendary Heavenly Talent Ranking.

• Song Changsheng agreed to sell the Song Clan’s Gold Thread Charcoal exclusively to the Wanlong Merchant Association, and Peng Siying offered to arrange a Cross-Domain Space Teleportation Array for the Great Qi Cultivation World.
• Song Changsheng bought the Merchant Association’s Starfire Essence for three hundred and fifteen thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones after learning it had no Wood Attribute Yang Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects.
• Peng Siying promised to watch for treasures that could aid a Purple Mansion breakthrough, and Qingluan took Song Changsheng to sign the spirit charcoal trade agreement.
• Song Qingyun learned about the Ascension Pavilion from cultivators at a restaurant and persuaded Song Qingxi and the others to visit it.
• At the Ascension Pavilion, Song Qingyun examined the Heavenly Talent Ranking and recognized names including Feng Wanli and Su Ding.

Song Qingyun, Song Qingxi, and Song Qingxing attempted the Ascension Pavilion, impressing the crowd by reaching its summit despite missing the time needed to enter the Heavenly Talent Ranking. Song Qingxing then proposed that they ascend again, leaving Song Qingxi and Song Qingyun stunned.

• Song Qingyun hoped to earn a place on the Heavenly Talent Ranking so Su Xiaoxiao might hear of him.
• Song Qingxi, Song Qingyun, and Song Qingxing paid to enter the Ascension Pavilion after Song Qingxing frightened the Bearded Big Man into leaving.
• The three climbed through the pavilion's trials, passing hundreds of steps and drawing a growing crowd of spectators.
• Song Qingyun found the flaw in the final-step illusion and reached the summit first, but he had taken too long to qualify for the Heavenly Talent Ranking.
• Song Qingxing and Song Qingxi also reached the summit, and Song Qingxing then suggested that they ascend the pavilion again.

Song Qingxing, Song Qingyun, and Song Qingxi climbed the Ascension Pavilion a second time, with Qingxing and Qingyun earning places on the Heavenly Talent Ranking. After someone reported a death nearby, the Old Man in Linen Robe rushed to investigate, while Song Changsheng was discussing a shop lease with Peng Siying when Qingluan arrived with grave news.

• The Old Man in Linen Robe gave the trio their summit rewards and Wanlong Merchant Association tokens, and Song Qingxing announced they would climb the pavilion again.
• Song Qingxing reached the summit in under five quarters of an hour and claimed the fiftieth ranking spot, while Song Qingyun took seventy-ninth; Song Qingxi reached the summit later but did not make the ranking.
• A young cultivator shouted that someone had died, and the Old Man in Linen Robe closed the pavilion and hurried toward the scene with the crowd following.
• Song Qingxi showed suspicion toward the shaken young cultivator, who later was stopped by two black-robed cultivators acting for the City Lord's Mansion.
• Song Changsheng discussed leasing a shop with Peng Siying after securing a Gold Thread Charcoal trade agreement, and Qingluan entered with a grave expression.

After a second gruesome murder in Four Directions City, Song Changsheng joined Peng Siying at the sealed crime scene and discovered that Song Qingxi and the others were among the trapped witnesses. With the killer still at large, the group remained under guard, and Song Qingxi hinted that she had noticed something troubling.

• Qingluan reported a second rogue cultivator murder near Ascension Pavilion, and Peng Siying explained that an earlier killing had also gone unsolved.
• Qingluan revealed that more than a thousand people had seen the latest corpse after three young cultivators drew a crowd at Ascension Pavilion; Song Changsheng suspected the trio included his juniors.
• Peng Siying went with Song Changsheng to the sealed district, where City Lord's Mansion guards were holding witnesses while they searched for the killer.
• Song Changsheng sensed Song Qingxi and the others inside and decided not to expose their identities to get them released, judging that the guards would keep them safe.
• Song Changsheng reunited with Song Qingxi beside Peng Zhengyan, and she told him that no one had mistreated them but they could not leave until the killer was found.
• Song Qingxi began telling Song Changsheng that she had noticed something, though she was unsure whether it was only her imagination.

Song Changsheng accompanied Peng Siying as she investigated a murder and clashed with Hong Luan over her repeated accusations. The discovery of cloth bearing Ancient Wu writing raised fears about the killer, and Song Changsheng revealed that he had encountered surviving members of the Ancient Wu Tribe.

• Song Qingxi told Song Changsheng why she suspected the young man who found the corpse, while Senior Peng’s testimony kept their group from being detained as suspects.
• After hearing how much Song Qingxing, Song Qingxi, and Song Qingyun had won at the Ascension Pavilion, Song Changsheng decided to try climbing it before they left.
• Hong Luan warned Song Changsheng to stop harboring improper thoughts about Peng Siying, and he rebuked her for repeatedly interfering in her mistress’s affairs.
• Peng Siying reprimanded Hong Luan, who later presented a scrap of cloth with Ancient Wu writing; Peng Zhengyan rejected her suggestion to use Soul Search Technique on the young witness.
• Song Changsheng told Peng Siying that surviving members of the Ancient Wu Tribe existed because he had seen them.

Song Changsheng linked the Ascension Market murders to a shape-shifting parasitic culprit while pursuing clues about the Ancient Wu Tribe and the Purple Cloud Pavilion. He obtained an invitation to the trade fair, where he spotted Young Master Feng Xiao of the Purple Cloud Pavilion arriving with a powerful Purple Palace Cultivator.

• Song Changsheng told Peng Zhengyan that Purple Fiend had possessed an impure Ancient Wu bloodline, prompting an investigation into Purple Fiend's background.
• Peng Siying ordered the detained young man held as a major suspect, while Song Changsheng returned to the inn and sensed someone secretly spying on him.
• Song Changsheng decided to attend the trade fair to confront the Purple Cloud Pavilion, and Peng Siying gave him an invitation after explaining that the killer had murdered the young man and three escorting patrol disciples.
• Peng Siying said the murderer had likely framed the Ancient Wu Tribe and might be a nonhuman creature that relied on parasitism to hide its identity.
• Song Changsheng arrived at the Gold and Jade Pavilion for the trade fair and recognized Young Master Feng Xiao among the guests, accompanied by a powerful Purple Palace Cultivator.

Song Changsheng confirmed that Feng Wujin recognized him and suspected his involvement in the death of Chen, while Feng Wujin confronted his dissolute grandson, Feng Xiao. The chapter ended with Feng Xiao learning that Song Changsheng had killed his Martial Grand-Uncle and asking whether they should take him out.

• Song Changsheng approached Feng Wujin and Feng Xiao to test his suspicions, then noticed Feng Wujin's concealed killing intent.
• Feng Wujin scolded Feng Xiao for neglecting his cultivation, but Feng Xiao ignored him and dwelled on the Snake Human Race woman he had bought.
• Feng Wujin took Feng Xiao into a private room and slapped him before forcing him to kneel.
• Feng Wujin showed Feng Xiao a portrait of Song Changsheng and said Song Changsheng had killed his Martial Grand-Uncle Chen.
• Feng Xiao asked Feng Wujin whether they should take Song Changsheng out.

Song Changsheng weighed his conflict with Feng Wujin while attending Peng Zhengying’s trade fair, where he bid on a rare Yin Yang Purple Tree Seedling. Feng Wujin entered the bidding to drive up the price, leaving Song Changsheng to decide whether to compete further.

• Feng Wujin revealed that Song Changsheng was the Wangyue Song Clan’s Patriarch and ordered Feng Xiao to cultivate in seclusion until he reached Foundation Establishment Great Perfection.
• Song Changsheng considered striking first against Feng Wujin, then attended the trade fair hosted by Peng Zhengying at Gold and Jade Pavilion.
• Peng Zhengying exchanged a rare Mystic Yang Gold Crystal for a Water Essence Profound Crystal, and the trade fair continued through successive private-room offerings.
• An old woman in Box No. 8 offered a Yin Yang Purple Tree Seedling for Spirit Stones, and Song Changsheng bid up to 185,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones as other bidders withdrew.
• Feng Xiao urged Feng Wujin to outbid Song Changsheng, and Feng Wujin offered 200,000 Spirit Stones, challenging Song Changsheng to keep bidding.

Song Changsheng outmaneuvered Feng Xiao in a bidding war at the Gold and Jade Pavilion trade fair, then learned that Feng Xiao had died. The chapter left Song Changsheng facing a new development in Peng Siying’s murder investigation.

• Feng Xiao insulted Song Changsheng during the auction, but Song Changsheng kept his composure and baited him into bidding three hundred thousand Spirit Stones for the Yin Yang Purple Tree sapling.
• Song Changsheng stopped bidding, leaving Feng Xiao and Feng Wujin to realize they had been played and drawing ridicule from the Famous Artifact Sect.
• Song Changsheng traded spiritual materials, bought Wind Baleful Essence Steel for Song Qingxing, and heard that Peng Siying had gone out because the case had made progress.
• After Feng Wujin ordered Feng Xiao to return to the inn and cultivate, Song Changsheng noticed the hooded seller of the Snake Human Woman heading into an alley.
• Hong Luan brought Song Changsheng to Peng Siying, who told him that Feng Xiao had died an hour earlier.

After Feng Xiao was murdered, Song Changsheng helped Peng Siying develop a theory that connected the killings to the Snake Human Race and identified a possible suspect. The City Lord's Mansion and the Wanlong Merchant Association captured the murderer, lifted the lockdown, and left Song Changsheng eager to learn whether his deduction was right.

• Peng Siying told Song Changsheng that Feng Xiao had been killed and warned him that Feng Wujin still considered him a suspect, though the City Lord's Mansion had provisionally cleared him.
• Song Changsheng told Peng Siying he had seen the man who sold the Snake Human Woman, then suggested that a snake soul had killed Feng Xiao and the earlier victims.
• Song Changsheng claimed he had detected a Snake Human Race odor at the Ascension Market murder scene and urged Peng Siying to use the Soul-Seeking Art to find the killer.
• Song Changsheng returned to the inn and cultivated Palm Thunder while Four Directions City remained under lockdown.
• A Golden Core True Person acted, and City Lord's Mansion cultivators fought a battle in a hidden alley before the City Lord's Mansion and Wanlong Merchant Association announced the murderer's capture and lifted the lockdown.