Chapter Summaries

Zhao Sheng met Jin Ming in an Earth Fire Chamber to begin learning pill refinement, and Jin Ming chose the Dragon Whisker Fish Marrow Pill for their first attempt. As Jin Ming guided the early stages of the process, Zhao Sheng used his Divine Sense to study the reactions inside the furnace, which left the pill liquid nearing the next stage of refinement.

• Zhao Sheng entered Sunset Cloud Peak’s pill-refining hall and showed the guard his Guest Elder Token before going to Jin Ming’s Earth Fire Chamber.
• Jin Ming explained the history of Marrow Spirit Pills and agreed to teach Zhao Sheng to refine the Dragon Whisker Fish Marrow Pill.
• Zhao Sheng recited the pill formula, and Jin Ming introduced the Earth Fire Chamber’s furnace, fire vents, and rental rules.
• Jin Ming expanded his pill cauldron, heated it with the chamber’s earth fire, and added the Dragon Beard Fish corpse and Zhilan Stone Powder to boil the pill base.
• Jin Ming added the supplementary spirit herbs and raised the heat to fuse their medicinal properties, while Zhao Sheng observed the reactions inside the furnace with his Divine Sense.
• After three ke, the ingredients had fused into a pale-brown semi-solid pill liquid, and Jin Ming judged that the heat was nearly right.

Jin Ming demonstrated Fish Marrow Pill refinement for Zhao Sheng, who used Bullet Time to observe the crucial condensation stage. Zhao Sheng then attempted his first furnace and successfully condensed one pill, with Bullet Time still active as he considered making another.

• Jin Ming refined five Fish Marrow Pills, then produced six and seven in two more demonstrations for Zhao Sheng.
• Zhao Sheng used Bullet Time to closely observe Jin Ming's third pill-condensation process.
• Zhao Sheng took over the pill furnace, followed Jin Ming's steps, and smoothly prepared the pill base and medicinal ingredients.
• When the pill liquid neared solidification, Zhao Sheng used Bullet Time and chose to focus on refining one portion.
• Zhao Sheng condensed one Fish Marrow Pill and wondered whether he had time to refine another.

Zhao Sheng concealed how unusually quickly he learned alchemy as he refined Fish Marrow Pills and then Water Spirit Pills under Jin Ming’s guidance. After succeeding at both Water Spirit Pill batches, he left Jin Ming impressed and eager to continue learning.

• Zhao Sheng succeeded in refining a Fish Marrow Pill on his first attempt, astonishing Jin Ming, who asked him to try again.
• Zhao Sheng refined a second Fish Marrow Pill successfully and explained his performance by citing his Foundation Establishment realm and decades of alchemy foundations.
• Jin Ming advised Zhao Sheng to practice more Fish Marrow Pills, but Zhao Sheng asked to learn another kind of spirit pill.
• Jin Ming taught Zhao Sheng to refine Water Spirit Pills, and Zhao Sheng produced five excellent pills in the first batch.
• Zhao Sheng persuaded Jin Ming to refine one more batch of Water Spirit Pills, producing four pills of fairly good quality.

Zhao Sheng rapidly improved his alchemy through intensive practice and Jin Ming’s instruction, then spent two years refining pills while quietly seeking a suitable Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire. The chapter left him returning to his cave abode after accepting an alchemy task at the Merit Hall, still without finding the flame he wanted.

• Zhao Sheng used the Nine Dragons Cauldron to refine Fish Marrow Pills, then bought ingredients for more pill formulas and continued practicing Water Spirit Pills.
• After seven days, Zhao Sheng showed Jin Ming successful batches of Fish Marrow Pills and Water Spirit Pills, then paid him to teach the Jade Yellow Pill formula.
• Two years later, Zhao Sheng visited the Merit Hall on Spring Autumn Island and accepted a task to refine twenty Water Aversion Pills for one thousand merit points.
• Zhao Sheng continued searching the island’s markets and the Merit Hall for a suitable Heaven and Earth Spiritual Fire, but another buyer had already acquired the Earth Core Golden Flame.
• After finding no clues about a suitable spiritual fire at the Merit Hall, Zhao Sheng flew back toward his cave abode on the island’s edge.

Zhao Sheng refined Second-Order Frigid Dove Marrow Spirit Pills for seven days, raising his success rate but losing most of his costly ingredients. After leaving the alchemy chamber, he tried to recruit Li Sanchong, who refused because of his loyalty to his master.

• Zhao Sheng successfully refined a Frigid Dove Marrow Spirit Pill, though two other pills in the cauldron were ruined.
• Zhao Sheng continued refining, failed a later batch because the herbs contained impurities, and reviewed his process between attempts.
• After seven days, Zhao Sheng emerged with twenty-five Dove Marrow Pills, having spent more than ten thousand spirit stones on ingredients.
• Li Sanchong congratulated Zhao Sheng on his improved alchemy, and Zhao Sheng offered him a position.
• Li Sanchong declined Zhao Sheng's offer, saying he would follow his master wherever he went.

Zhao Sheng visited Ge Chen’s cave abode and discovered a painting describing four realm-grade spirit herbs in Grand Yi Spiritual Script. As Fang Wei Shan arrived and asked what Zhao Sheng could read, Zhao Sheng asked him to explain the inscription.

• Zhao Sheng flew to Ge Chen’s island and was admitted to his cave abode by a red-clothed Daoist child.
• Ge Chen greeted Zhao Sheng from his pill-refining room, and Zhao Sheng waited while drinking Sword Eyebrow Spirit Tea.
• Zhao Sheng recalled that Danger Perception had warned him away from Star God Island, where he had seen a vast spiritual formation net shrouded in death qi.
• Zhao Sheng read a painting in Grand Yi Spiritual Script and learned it depicted four realm-grade spirit herbs.
• Fang Wei Shan entered the reception hall, asked whether Zhao Sheng understood the script, and offered to read the painting aloud.

Zhao Sheng joined Ge Chen, Meng Qu Yi, and Fang Wei Shan on a hunt for the Black Poison Python King, which Ge Chen planned to present to his master, Master Xu Chong. Using a Tracking Disk, the group reached the swarm’s deep-sea nest and found the pythons concealed among coral reefs.

• Fang Wei Shan recited a passage about a Mystic Star Spiritual Tree, and Meng Qu Yi examined the Grand Yi Spiritual Script on the wall.
• Ge Chen outlined the plan to hunt the Black Poison Python Swarm, and the group discussed its numbers and the dangerous Poison Dragon Python King.
• Ge Chen used a Tracking Disk to locate the swarm, and the group set out without the invited Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Lan.
• Zhao Sheng took his own Jade Yellow Pill instead of Ge Chen’s Poison Dissolving Pill before following the others into the sea.
• Ge Chen concealed the group with a Second Order Divine Invisibility Talisman, and they discovered the Black Poison Python Swarm coiled among coral reefs.

Ge Chen and the others lured the Black Poison Python Swarm to the surface with blood pills, then attacked when the Poison Dragon Python failed to appear. The swarm’s king finally emerged with four second-rank guards, and the group prepared to fight them.

• Ge Chen and the others agreed to follow his plan, split up, and used blood pills to lure the sleeping Black Poison Python Swarm toward the surface.
• After the Poison Dragon Python did not appear, Ge Chen, Fang Wei Shan, Meng Qu Yi, and Zhao Sheng attacked and killed dozens of Black Poison Pythons.
• The swarm released poisonous mist that blocked Divine Sense, while the Poison Dragon Python and four second-rank guards surfaced.
• Ge Chen and Meng Qu Yi prepared to face the Poison Dragon Python, while Zhao Sheng and Fang Wei Shan took on its four guards.

The Poison Dragon Python ambushed Ge Chen, Zhao Sheng, Meng Qu Yi, and Fang Wei Shan, then unleashed a blood-powered transformation that gave it an aura approaching a Golden Core demon. It killed Meng Qu Yi with a sudden blood-light attack and fired three more streaks at the survivors.

• The Poison Dragon Python sent venomous black pythons into the flying boat, corroding its hull and destroying its levitation formation.
• Ge Chen trapped the Poison Dragon Python with his nine flying daggers while Meng Qu Yi began composing a Grand Yi Spiritual Script; Zhao Sheng and Fang Wei Shan drew the four Black Poison Pythons away.
• The Poison Dragon Python transformed its body with a dark-red blood glow, swelling to enormous size and healing the wounds from Ge Chen's blade formation.
• Ge Chen swallowed a Spirit Burst Pill and intensified his attack as Meng Qu Yi struggled to complete the Grand Yi Subduing Dragon Edict.
• The Poison Dragon Python pierced Meng Qu Yi with blood light, corroding him into venom, then fired three more streaks at Zhao Sheng, Ge Chen, and Fang Wei Shan.

Zhao Sheng survived the Poison Dragon Python’s Golden Core-level attack, killed the wounded beast, and recovered the remains of Meng Qu Yi and Fang Wei Shan. He later searched the seabed for the source of its dense spiritual energy and discovered a hidden pool of Jade Spirit Nectar, leaving him with a valuable treasure and a grudge against Ge Chen.

• Zhao Sheng used the Golden Tablet to shatter the Poison Dragon Python’s bloody attack, while Ge Chen escaped after cutting off his corroded arm.
• Zhao Sheng killed the four second-rank Black Poison Pythons with Ice Sword Talismans, then pursued and killed the weakened Poison Dragon Python with his flying sword and a water thunderball.
• Zhao Sheng recovered the remains of Meng Qu Yi and Fang Wei Shan, collected the demon python corpses, and resolved to settle his grievance with Ge Chen in the future.
• Zhao Sheng recovered his strength in the Bei Estate Grotto-Heaven, then returned to the seabed reefs to investigate their unusually dense spiritual energy.
• Zhao Sheng dug beneath a giant green coral pillar and discovered a hidden grotto containing a pool of Jade Spirit Nectar.

Zhao Sheng turned over a newly discovered spiritual vein to the Spring and Autumn Alliance in exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill formula, then used Jade Spirit Nectar to strengthen his Divine Sense. Three years later, he had become a first-rank alchemist and obtained a Spirit Devouring Flame for his new shop, Heavenly Cauldron Pavilion.

• Zhao Sheng reported the deaths of Meng Qu Yi and Fang Wei Shan to Qifeng True Person and brought their bodies to Xu Chong, who apologized and promised compensation for their relatives.
• Qifeng True Person inspected Zhao Sheng's mid-grade first-rank spiritual vein, and Zhao Sheng exchanged it for a Foundation Establishment Pill formula and joined Qifeng True Person's faction.
• Zhao Sheng studied the formula and drank Jade Spirit Nectar, which increased the strength and range of his Divine Sense.
• Three years later, Zhao Sheng opened Heavenly Cauldron Pavilion on Rosy Cloud Island and acquired a Spirit Devouring Flame through Jin Ming.
• Jin Ming asked Zhao Sheng for guidance in refining Spirit Accumulation Pills, and Zhao Sheng agreed to teach him at the Earth Fire Chamber.

Zhao Sheng accepted responsibility for protecting the Jin Family and its Precious Herb Pavilion after Jin Ming entrusted them to him. At an alchemist gathering, Zhao Sheng publicly backed Jin Dancheng, then faced the arrival of Ge Chen, an old enemy who had left the Contemplation Cave before his ten-year term ended.

• Zhao Sheng exposed a fake Enlightenment Pill formula, obtained its refining method, and judged that the incomplete recipe was probably genuine.
• Jin Ming introduced Jin Jiang as the Jin Family’s next head and entrusted the Precious Herb Pavilion to Zhao Sheng, who agreed to help with limits and accepted two Jade Slips of family alchemy knowledge.
• A year later, Jin Ming died and Zhao Sheng advanced to the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment; when competitors threatened the Precious Herb Pavilion, Zhao Sheng went to the Alchemist Association and publicly backed Jin Dancheng.
• Liu Yu and Qian Bo argued over acquiring the Precious Herb Pavilion, but Zhao Sheng’s support for Jin Dancheng made clear that the Jin Family had his protection.
• Ge Chen approached Zhao Sheng at the gathering, and Zhao Sheng noted that Ge had left the Contemplation Cave before his ten-year term ended.

Zhao Sheng confronted the fallout after Jin Dancheng refused Ge Chen’s offer of discipleship, protecting the Jin Family from eviction while planning how to save Precious Herb Pavilion. Far away, Old Ancestor Lingyuan and Zhang Tongzi caught and killed a fifth-rank Dragon Beard Fish as a wider conspiracy began to take shape.

• Ge Chen offered to take Jin Dancheng as a nominal disciple, but Jin Dancheng refused, and Zhao Sheng left with him.
• Jin Dancheng told Zhao Sheng that Ge Chen’s retaliation had crippled Precious Herb Pavilion’s supply and sales channels and forced the Jin Family to leave its spirit vein.
• Zhao Sheng appealed to Qifeng, who pressured Liu He to cancel the Jin Family’s eviction, but Precious Herb Pavilion’s troubles remained unresolved.
• Qifeng proposed a marriage alliance to Zhao Sheng, but Zhao Sheng tactfully refused and left his cave abode.
• Old Ancestor Lingyuan caught a Dragon Beard Fish, and Zhang Tongzi killed it with a single blow.

Old Ancestor Lingyuan gathered Zhang Tongzi, Flood Dragon King Mo Xuan, Heavenly Wolf Arhat, and the white wolf king to plan a demon tide and a joint attempt to reach the Star God during its coming awakening. The chapter then returned to Zhao Sheng, who sought One Yuan Heavy Water and Thousand-Pattern Star Algae Fruit and went to White Day Island, where he met the owner of Red Light Building.

• Zhang Tongzi swallowed the Dragon Beard Fish, then Old Ancestor Lingyuan welcomed Flood Dragon King Mo Xuan and Heavenly Wolf Arhat to the reef.
• Zhang Tongzi and Mo Xuan objected to Holy Heart Temple receiving an advantage on the central route, but Old Ancestor Lingyuan proposed that all the powers could compete for slots to meet the Star God.
• Heavenly Wolf Arhat secured two guaranteed slots, while Mo Xuan sought help against the Dragon Riding Sword Immortal and refused to trade the Light Buddha Relic.
• The group agreed to discuss how to deceive Star God Palace and break into the Inner Star Sea during the coming Star God Ceremony.
• Zhao Sheng worried that he might advance before finding One Yuan Heavy Water, decided to seek Thousand-Pattern Star Algae Fruit on White Day Island, and went to Red Light Building.
• Zhao Sheng met the shop owner and released a trace of blood light after sensing the faint smell of blood from the person across from him.

Zhao Sheng traded with Red Light Building for rare ingredients and arranged a supply of One Yuan Heavy Water before returning to his grotto to attempt refining a Thousand-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pill. His first attempt began, and although he corrected a heat-control mistake with Bullet Time, the refinement remained underway.

• Zhao Sheng, disguised as Dragon Carp Daoist, showed Shopkeeper Hong his alchemist badge and agreed to sell Red Light Building Foundation Establishment Pills in exchange for three Thousand-Pattern Star Algae Fruits and future supplies.
• Zhao Sheng asked Shopkeeper Hong to procure One Yuan Heavy Water, then left White Day Island and returned to Precious Herb Pavilion as Zhao Chonghe.
• Zhao Sheng reassured Jin Dancheng, collected spirit herbs, left most of his refined pills behind, and returned to his grotto.
• Zhao Sheng prepared the Nine Dragons Cauldron and reviewed the pill formula before beginning the seven-day refinement process with a Thousand-Pattern Star Algae Fruit.
• Zhao Sheng mishandled the heat while adding Stone Spirit Resin, but used Bullet Time to remove some impure pill liquid and keep the first attempt going.

Zhao Sheng successfully refined two low-grade Foundation Establishment Pills and traded with Hong Yuanliang for One Yuan Heavy Water and more alchemy ingredients. After staying out of Ge Chen’s sight, he accepted an assignment guarding a Phoenix Blood Stone mine on Phoenix Tail Island.

• Zhao Sheng’s second attempt produced only an embryonic Foundation Establishment Pill, and the strain from his prolonged alchemy left him unconscious with severe mental backlash.
• After recovering and refining again, Zhao Sheng successfully made two low-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, establishing himself as a genuine second-tier Foundation Establishment Pill alchemist.
• Zhao Sheng bought three sets of unprocessed Foundation Establishment Pill ingredients from Hong Yuanliang and exchanged Blood Dissolving Talismans for One Yuan Heavy Water.
• Ge Chen ordered his subordinates to investigate Zhao Sheng after the Precious Herb Pavilion temporarily closed, but Zhao Sheng’s cave abode remained shut for a month.
• At the Spring and Autumn Alliance Merit Hall, Zhao Sheng accepted an assignment to guard the Phoenix Blood Stone mine on Phoenix Tail Island.

After seven years guarding the Phoenix Tail Island mine, Zhao Sheng returned to Nine Truths Island, traded with Hong Yuanliang, and learned that a sea demon tide was approaching. He then returned to Sky Turtle Island, took the name Zhao Tianding, and joined the Zhao Clan as a guest elder, where he assessed the family’s prospects.

• During seven years on Phoenix Tail Island, Zhao Sheng advanced to Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer and became a Second-Order Alchemist, while Ge Chen disappeared and Zhao Sheng escaped suspicion with Qifeng True Person’s protection.
• Zhao Sheng exchanged two Foundation Establishment Pills with Hong Yuanliang for Thousand-Pattern Star Algae Fruits and One Yuan Heavy Water, but could not obtain the Mystic Blood Core Transformation Art or Core Formation Pill formula.
• After learning that a sea demon tide was approaching and the Star God Ceremony was imminent, Zhao Sheng left the Market and traveled back to Sky Turtle Island.
• Zhao Yunxian hired Zhao Sheng as a guest elder and arranged Eye-Dotting Estate for him; Zhao Sheng adopted the identity of Cen Hezi Zhao Tianding.
• Zhao Yunxian introduced Zhao Tianding to the Zhao Clan, and Zhao Sheng assessed the clan’s members and its risk of losing its Foundation Establishment succession.

Zhao Sheng accepted Zhao Dingda as his nominal disciple and agreed to help the Zhao Family keep sea routes open when the approaching sea demon tide struck. Zhao Yunxian gave him the Six Harmonies Mayfly Shield, and Zhao Sheng’s powerful Divine Sense revealed that he had reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

• Zhao Dali returned to the Zhao Clan’s Da generation without winning Zhao Sheng’s approval, then announced that Zhao Sheng had chosen Zhao Dingda as a nominal disciple.
• Zhao Sheng accepted Zhao Dingda, gave him a jade slip on alchemy, and explained to Zhao Yunxian that he had chosen him because the other candidates disappointed him.
• Zhao Sheng warned Zhao Yunxian that a great tide of sea demons was approaching, and Zhao Yunxian asked him to oversee the Sky Turtle Treasure Ship and maintain transport routes.
• Zhao Yunxian presented five defensive spirit tools, demonstrated the Six Harmonies Mayfly Shield, and explained its strengths and drawbacks.
• Zhao Sheng chose the Six Harmonies Mayfly Shield and used his Divine Sense to claim it, revealing his Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivation to Zhao Yunxian.

Zhao Sheng settled on Sky Turtle Island, where he agreed to help the Zhao Family after Dragon Head Island fell and cut off vital supplies. Seven days into a grain-buying voyage, the Sky Turtle Treasure Ship was overwhelmed by Azure Banner Swordfish while Zhao Sheng fought beneath the ship.

• Zhao Sheng accepted the Six Harmonies Mayfly Shield from Zhao Yunxian and settled into a secluded routine on Sky Turtle Island.
• A sea beast attack marked the start of the tide, and six months later Dragon Head Island fell to the Ocean Demon Race.
• Zhao Yunxian told Zhao Sheng that the Zhao Family’s grain would last only half a year and asked him to help procure supplies.
• Zhao Sheng agreed to join the mission, and the Sky Turtle Treasure Ship departed for Azure Luo Island seven days later.
• A school of nearly a thousand Azure Banner Swordfish shattered the treasure ship’s defenses, while Zhao Dingda and the other cultivators struggled aboard and Zhao Sheng fought underwater.

Zhao Sheng defeated the Azure Banner Swordfish ambush and brought the damaged Sky Turtle Treasure Ship to Azure Luo Island, where he began seeking rare treasures for his cultivation. He learned that the Mystic Origin Heavy Water Art lacked the method for forming a natal divine ability, and prepared to pursue a Core Formation Pill and the Sea Suppression Pearl as he approached the Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer.

• Zhao Sheng used One Yuan Heavy Water Swords to kill the eight second-tier Azure Banner Swordfish, and the remaining school fled.
• Zhao Sheng returned to the Sky Turtle Treasure Ship, where he learned that six Zhao Clan members had died and the ship needed three days of repairs.
• Zhao Sheng reached Azure Luo Island and exchanged two low-grade Foundation Establishment Pills for a three-thousand-year Shell Pearl at the Rare Treasure Pavilion.
• Zhao Sheng approached the Rare Pill Pavilion and asked its shopkeeper to contact the Rare Pill Sect about trading for a Core Formation Pill.
• Zhao Sheng recalled that the Mystic Origin Heavy Water Art omitted the method for forming a natal divine ability seed, and that its final pages described refining the Sea Suppression Pearl.