Chapter Summaries

Wang Yu began tending Tantai Chan’s Medicine Garden while she secluded herself to refine pills, using the work and his spare time to cultivate and study. A Foundation Establishment cultivator later delivered an invitation for Tantai Chan to attend the opening of Xu's Pill Shop, prompting Wang Yu to consider pursuing alchemy.

• Wang Yu arrived at Tantai Chan’s Medicine Garden and agreed to care for its herbs for half a year while she entered seclusion.
• Tantai Chan gave Wang Yu instructions for tending the Moonlight Trees and showed him where to live and find the necessary tools and seeds.
• Wang Yu diligently maintained the garden, cultivated his spiritual power, and studied the Ice Shield Technique as the days passed.
• A Foundation Establishment cultivator visited the garden and asked Wang Yu to deliver an invitation to Tantai Chan.
• Wang Yu read the invitation to Xu's Pill Shop’s opening and considered exchanging contribution points for an alchemy inheritance later.

Wang Yu perfected the Night Concealment Spell, then exchanged his Contribution Points for the incomplete Cold Flame Alchemy inheritance. After a month of studying it and mastering Ice Shield Technique, he placed the crippled Cold Dragon Alchemy in his slot, where it would take a year to reach mastery.

• Wang Yu perfected the Night Concealment Spell and replaced it in his placement slot with Ice Shield Technique.
• Wang Yu decided to study alchemy and searched the Scripture Pavilion for a suitable inheritance.
• Wang Yu chose the incomplete Cold Flame Alchemy inheritance, attracted by its rare cold-fire method and Cold Dragon Pill recipe, and exchanged one thousand Contribution Points for it.
• Wang Yu studied Cold Flame Alchemy in Tantai Chan's Medicine Garden while the placement slot perfected Ice Shield Technique.
• On the one hundred and twenty-fifth day of his Outer Sect life, Wang Yu placed the crippled Cold Dragon Alchemy in his slot and saw that mastery would take a year.

Wang Yu broke through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer and discovered that his slow cultivation made improving his aptitude urgent. After Tantai Chan returned from seclusion, he bought Cold Ice Nine Leaf Grass from her and considered learning alchemy to prepare his own pills.

• Wang Yu reached the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, gained Divine Sense, and regained his youthful appearance.
• Wang Yu tested the Night Concealment Spell and calculated that reaching the Qi Refining Fifth Layer would take more than sixteen years at his current cultivation rate.
• Tantai Chan returned to Wind Piercing Hall and questioned Wang Yu’s changed appearance.
• Wang Yu explained that recuperation and spirit pills had restored his appearance, and Tantai Chan became more welcoming after hearing that True Inheritor Su favored him.
• Tantai Chan transferred Wang Yu two hundred Contribution Points and agreed to sell him two stalks of Cold Ice Nine Leaf Grass for one hundred Spirit Stones each.
• Wang Yu stored the herbs in jade boxes and reflected on the breadth of knowledge involved in cultivation and alchemy.

Wang Yu placed Cold Blood Pill refinement in his third Placement Slot and planned to prepare for alchemy, but Zhao Shang had rented out his Ice Snow Tower room to an Inner Disciple. Wang Yu left the dispute for True Inheritor Su to resolve and found Cold Blood Pills and ingredients for sale at Treasure Pill Pavilion.

• Wang Yu discovered his third Placement Slot had opened, placed the Cold Blood Pill recipe in it, and decided to gather ingredients and arrange access to an alchemy furnace and Earth Fire Room.
• At Ice Snow Tower, Zhao Shang told Wang Yu he had rented his room to an Inner Disciple at Qi Refining Late Stage and offered him one Spirit Stone as rent.
• Wang Yu left without confronting Zhao Shang further, reasoning that True Inheritor Su would eventually notice the room had been taken.
• Wang Yu considered applying to Xu's Pill Shop, where his progress in Cold Dragon Alchemy could help him work as an alchemy attendant.
• Wang Yu searched for Cold Blood Pills and ingredients at Treasure Pill Pavilion, where he learned the listed prices for pills of different grades.

Wang Yu learned how Cold Blood Pills worked and planned to earn money through alchemy, but Su Qing Shan invited him to help lure Zhao Shang into an attack. Wang Yu refused because his cultivation was too low, leaving Su Qing Shan to pursue his plan without him.

• Wang Yu learned that Cold Blood Pills increased spiritual power according to their grade, but taking lower-grade pills would reduce the benefits of higher-grade ones later.
• Wang Yu spent his remaining Spirit Stones on supplementary ingredients and planned to study common pill recipes to earn money.
• Su Qing Shan invited Wang Yu to dine at Eight Treasures Pavilion and proposed using him to lure Zhao Shang into an ambush.
• Wang Yu questioned why Su Qing Shan did not ask the True Inheritor for help, and Su explained that the True Inheritor was focused on a disciple preparing for Core Formation.
• Wang Yu refused to help lure Zhao Shang, saying his Qi Refining Third Layer cultivation left him unable to protect himself, and Su Qing Shan accepted his refusal.

Wang Yu kept his distance from Su Qing Shan, then focused on preparing to earn money by refining pills. Two months later, he sought work at Xu's Pill Shop and was offered a chance to prove his skills.

• Wang Yu left Su Qing Shan without discussing the murder at Ice Snow Tower, and Su Qing Shan later sought confirmation about Tantai Chan's pill from Xu Jiao Jiao.
• Su Qing Shan received a spirit pill from Xu Jiao Jiao and swore to marry her after reaching Foundation Establishment.
• Wang Yu chose to cultivate and prepare Fasting Pills and Spirit Recovery Pills for Xu's Pill Shop rather than focus on the more expensive All Wonders Pill.
• Two months later, Wang Yu visited Xu's newly opened Pill Shop and asked whether it was recruiting alchemists.
• A young man in splendid robes dismissed Wang Yu, but a white-bearded old man invited him to prove his ability through an assessment if he lacked an Alchemy Hall Token.

Wang Yu passed Xu's Pill Shop's alchemy assessment and negotiated a one-year employment contract. He returned to his cave, planning to use his earnings to buy a High-Grade Cold Blood Pill and considering a Magical Artifact.

• Wang Yu followed Old Zhu to an Earth Fire Room and refined a batch of Fasting Pills and a batch of Spirit Recovery Pills, producing mostly medium-grade pills and two high-grade pills.
• Old Zhu praised Wang Yu's technique and offered him an employment contract paying two hundred Spirit Stones per month for ten batches of pills each day.
• Wang Yu rejected the contract's ten-year term and refused a proposed pay cut, insisting on a one-year agreement without the shop's training.
• Wang Yu signed the revised contract and returned to the Ordinary Disciple Cave, expecting to save enough for a High-Grade Cold Blood Pill and considering buying a Magical Artifact.

Wang Yu worked at Xu's Pill Shop while growing suspicious of Old Zhu, who planned to spread blame for the shop's embezzlement among several alchemists. After meeting the new hires, Wang Yu decided to investigate the shop's owner, Steward Xu.

• Old Zhu told Zhu Xiao Sun that Wang Yu alone could not take the blame, so they would recruit more alchemists and divide the crime among them.
• Wang Yu arrived at Xu's Pill Shop and was sent straight to the Earth Fire Room, where his suspicions about Old Zhu deepened.
• Wang Yu refined five batches each of Spirit Recovery Pills and Fasting Pills, pocketing the high-grade pills as reasonable furnace loss.
• Old Zhu introduced Wang Yu to the newly hired alchemists Zhou Tao, Huang Kai, and Luo Ping Hu.
• Wang Yu declined the alchemists' invitation and decided to visit Steward Xu to investigate the pill shop's owner.

Wang Yu discovered suspicious dealings at Xu’s Pill Shop and suspected the Zhu Clan was behind the trouble surrounding Tantai Chan. He reported the shop to Zhuo Shouqing at the Law Enforcement Hall, prompting a raid.

• Wang Yu encountered Su Qing Shan sneaking through a side gate at Xu Estate and heard a young woman threaten to skin whoever offered alchemists two hundred Spirit Stones a month.
• Wang Yu concluded that Xu’s Pill Shop was dangerous and wondered whether Su Qing Shan and the Zhu Clan were targeting Tantai Chan.
• Wang Yu went to the Law Enforcement Hall and met Zhuo Shouqing, who was irritated by his late-night visit.
• Wang Yu fabricated accusations that Xu’s Pill Shop exploited alchemists and that its manager claimed the Zhu Clan controlled the sect and the Law Enforcement Hall.
• Zhuo Shouqing grew furious and ordered a raid on Xu’s Pill Shop.

Wang Yu helped Zhuo Shouqing raid Xu's Pill Shop and gained a reward, contracts, and a place in the Law Enforcement Hall. The next morning, he met Zhou Tao, Huang Kai, and Luo Ping Hu outside the sealed shop to explain what had happened.

• Wang Yu persuaded Zhuo Shouqing that his contract was oppressive, and Zhuo Shouqing ordered the Law Enforcement Hall to surround Xu's Pill Shop and confiscate its property.
• Old Zhu brought Zhu Xiao Sun out and surrendered ten Storage Bags, but Zhuo Shouqing accused him of hiding embezzled Spirit Stones and had the shop's goods seized and the pair taken to the Law Enforcement Hall.
• Zhuo Shouqing gave Wang Yu the workers' contracts, one thousand Spirit Stones, Law Enforcement Hall robes, and a token, then asked him to serve as an informant at various shops.
• Wang Yu returned home and slept, then went to Xu's Pill Shop the next morning and found Zhou Tao, Huang Kai, and Luo Ping Hu waiting there.
• Wang Yu invited Zhou Tao, Huang Kai, and Luo Ping Hu to breakfast so he could explain what had happened to Xu's Pill Shop.

Wang Yu told Zhou Tao, Luo Ping Hu, and Huang Kai that Xu's Pill Shop had been shut down, then proposed they form an Alchemist Society to sell pills together. He used his Law Enforcement Token to convince them to join and promised to arrange herb supplies and sales channels; their first task was to obtain recognized Alchemist Rank Certificates.

• Wang Yu returned the contracts to Zhou Tao and Luo Ping Hu and explained that Xu's Pill Shop had been shut down.
• Wang Yu proposed that the four alchemists form an Alchemist Society, while Luo Ping Hu questioned whether they had the resources or backing to succeed.
• Zhou Tao and Huang Kai agreed to hear Wang Yu's plan, and Wang Yu showed them his Law Enforcement Token as proof of his opportunity and connections.
• Zhou Tao, Huang Kai, and Luo Ping Hu agreed to join the society after Wang Yu promised to handle herb supplies and pill-selling qualifications and guarantee them at least three times their previous earnings.
• Wang Yu told the three alchemists to obtain sect-recognized Alchemist Rank Certificates from the Alchemy Hall.

Wang Yu used his Law Enforcement Token to force Zhao Shang into a deal to buy Wang Yu’s pills through the Ice Snow Tower at an inflated price, with the surplus becoming Zhao Shang’s profit. Zhao Shang agreed on the condition that Wang Yu obtain Alchemy Hall credentials.

• Wang Yu arranged to meet Zhou Tao, Huang Kai, and Luo Ping Hu in three days after they secured their alchemist credentials.
• Wang Yu bought a High-Grade Cold Blood Pill and went to the Ice Snow Tower to confront Zhao Shang.
• Wang Yu displayed his Law Enforcement Token and threatened Zhao Shang with charges, prompting Zhao Shang to speak with him privately.
• Wang Yu proposed supplying pills to the Ice Snow Tower at market price so Zhao Shang could profit from the tower’s higher payments.
• Zhao Shang agreed to the scheme but required Wang Yu to obtain credentials from the Alchemy Hall.

Wang Yu finalized his cooperation with Zhao Shang, helped launch the Alchemist Society’s first small trade, and perfected the Cold Blood Art. He discovered that the method had greatly lengthened his Water Spiritual Root and was turning it into an Ice Spiritual Root, while his cultivation speed had doubled.

• Wang Yu shook hands with Zhao Shang, arranged to introduce him to friends, and later brought him to meet Zhou Tao, Huang Kai, and Luo Ping Hu to organize the Alchemist Society’s first pill trade.
• Wang Yu and Zhou Tao lent Spirit Stones so Huang Kai and Luo Ping Hu could buy spirit herbs, while Wang Yu kept his own participation in the trade limited.
• On his three hundred and eighty-fifth day in the Outer Sect, Wang Yu perfected the Cold Blood Art and saw its icy radiance enlarge his Water Spiritual Root and begin crystallizing it.
• Wang Yu realized his Water Spiritual Root might become an Ice Spiritual Root and kept the perfected Cold Blood Art in his Placement Slot.
• The next day, Wang Yu found that his cultivation speed had doubled to one wisp of Spirit Qi per day, bringing Qi Refining Fifth Layer within reach in a little over seven years.

Wang Yu reconsidered how to use his Placement Slots, weighing further spiritual-root mutation against cultivating pills and alchemy while he waited for Cold Dragon Alchemy to be perfected. After trading pills with Zhao Shang and sharing profits with the Alchemist Society, he considered whether to spend his Spirit Stones on a custom magical artifact or more spells.

• Wang Yu assigned two Placement Slots to Cold Blood Art and one to incomplete Cold Dragon Alchemy, then resolved to wait before risking the Corpse Demon Secret Art.
• Wang Yu traded pills with Zhao Shang at Eight Treasures Pavilion, and Zhao Shang estimated that he had earned about two thousand Spirit Stones in four months.
• Wang Yu warned Zhao Shang that his dealings with Ice Snow Tower could bring trouble from the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect, and Zhao Shang denied seeking another patron.
• Wang Yu distributed Spirit Stones to the Alchemist Society, bringing his reserves to over twenty-four hundred while his Contribution Points remained nearly unchanged.
• Wang Yu decided that perfected spells might benefit his cultivation and considered buying spells through Ice Snow Tower instead of a custom magical artifact.

Wang Yu was ambushed by disciples of Five Yin Peak, defeated them, and learned that Xu Jiao Jiao had hired them. He sold the corpses to Zhao Shang and bought two high-grade spell inheritances at Ice Snow Tower, while wondering whether something had happened to Steward Xu.

• Wang Yu entered a dark alley and was surrounded by four cultivators who had set a trap for him.
• Wang Yu killed three attackers with perfected Ice Sword and Ice Shield techniques, then defeated the last man and interrogated the survivor.
• The surviving attacker revealed that Xu Jiao Jiao had hired the group, leaving Wang Yu to suspect the matter might involve Steward Xu.
• Wang Yu sold the four corpses and their belongings to Zhao Shang for five hundred Spirit Stones.
• Wang Yu selected two high-grade spell inheritances from Ice Snow Tower and negotiated their price down to eight hundred Spirit Stones.

Wang Yu took a one-year Medicine Garden assignment to keep out of danger while he cultivated two new High-grade spells. After Tantai Chan left for Heaven Treasure City, he discovered that a succession of first-generation Foundation Establishment cultivators had come seeking her.

• Wang Yu decided to avoid trouble by accepting a one-year Medicine Garden assignment from Zhao Shang for four hundred Contribution Points.
• Wang Yu studied the Ice Coffin Spell and Illusionary Steps, then reported to Tantai Chan, who entrusted him with the Medicine Garden while she traveled to Heaven Treasure City.
• Tantai Chan told Wang Yu he could take up to three stalks of Cold Ice Nine Leaf Grass at market price before departing.
• Yang Yunzhi arrived looking for Tantai Chan, pressured Wang Yu, and learned that she had gone to Heaven Treasure City.
• Thirteen Foundation Establishment Cultivators came to the Medicine Garden seeking Tantai Chan, and Wang Yu recognized them as first-generation cultivators.

Wang Yu discovered that Yu Tang Tang, a five-year-old Qi Refining Late Stage demon dragon’s daughter, had entered Tantai Chan’s Medicine Garden and was making pills from its Moonlight Fruits. After learning Yu Tang Tang’s powerful identity, he tried to stay on her good side and accepted her Youth Preservation Pill.

• Wang Yu placed his nearly finished Cold Blood Pill in a Placement Slot to pursue the possibility of refining Top-Grade Pills.
• Wang Yu found Yu Tang Tang making a Youth Preservation Pill in an iron pot and realized she had taken most of the Moonlight Fruits.
• Yu Tang Tang told Wang Yu that Tantai Chan was her human slave and introduced herself as the future Demon Immortal, daughter of the Blood-Eyed Demon Flood Dragon.
• Wang Yu offered to keep Yu Tang Tang company, but she judged him too weak to play with and unsuitable as a wet nurse.
• Yu Tang Tang gave Wang Yu the finished Youth Preservation Pill, and he let her take whatever she wanted from the garden.

After completing a year of work in Tantai Chan’s medicine garden, Wang Yu collected his reward and considered leaving the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect to escape the dangers surrounding him. He headed to Ice Snow Tower to ask Zhao Shang for help preparing for a journey outside the sect.

• Wang Yu reviewed his progress: his spells and alchemy had reached completion, and his cultivation had risen to 130 strands of spiritual power.
• Tantai Chan returned, questioned Wang Yu about the white-haired girl who had taken the Moonlight Fruit, and excused him from blame while ordering him not to accept her tasks again.
• Wang Yu received 400 Contribution Points and three stalks of Cold Ice Nine Leaf Grass, then considered gathering supplies and leaving the sect for ten or twenty years.
• Wang Yu used the Night Concealment Spell to leave the medicine garden and went to Ice Snow Tower to seek Zhao Shang’s help.
• Zhao Shang complained that Wang Yu kept asking for special privileges.

Wang Yu learned that Zhao Shang feared Gao Qiuyue’s growing influence at Ice Snow Tower and accepted a token for a possible assignment to Profound Bone Mountain. He then spent a night at Azure Maiden Pavilion before beginning the Corpse Demon Secret Art, which would make his body corpse-like and end his ability to enjoy such pleasures.

• Wang Yu questioned Zhao Shang about Gao Qiuyue’s attempts to take control of tower resources and task assignments.
• Wang Yu asked Zhao Shang for a safe, long-term assignment outside the sect, and Zhao Shang gave him a Profound Bone Token for the next rotation to Profound Bone Mountain.
• Wang Yu went to Azure Maiden Pavilion and paid for a night with several women, intending to enjoy himself before cultivating the Corpse Demon Secret Art.
• Wang Yu left the pavilion the next day and activated the Corpse Demon Secret Art, which required 1,440 practices daily for three months.

Wang Yu completed the first bodily transformation from the Corpse Demon Secret Art, gaining an acquired Yin aptitude that accelerated his cultivation. After months of training, he broke through to Qi Refining Fifth Layer while continuing to seek a replacement arm and a powerful magical artifact.

• Wang Yu cultivated the Corpse Demon Secret Art for ninety days, transforming his body and developing zombie-like traits along with a desire to consume wandering ghosts and lonesome spirits.
• Wang Yu discovered that his acquired Yin aptitude had strengthened his Water Spiritual Root and doubled his cultivation speed.
• Wang Yu continued earning Spirit Stones and contacted Heavenly Corpse Peak disciples to search for a Refined Corpse arm and a high-grade magical artifact.
• Wang Yu cultivated for five and a half months and broke through to Qi Refining Fifth Layer.
• Wang Yu calculated that reaching the Qi Refining Sixth Layer would require years of further cultivation and Spirit Refining.