Chapter Summaries

Xiao Chen discovered that spirit tea could recharge his Star Core, then received news of a coming ruin from Withered Leaf True Monarch. After learning of Purple Sun True Monarch’s public ceremony, Xiao Chen headed for Red Flower Island, where he found the dead body of Lao Qi.

• Xiao Chen drank Cloud Cliff Azure Leaf, and the tea’s pure qi recharged his Star Core and began tempering his Spiritual Sense again.
• Withered Leaf True Monarch questioned Xiao Chen about the Violet Star Radiance Box, then told him a New Ruin near the Demon Subduing Sea would open in about five months.
• Xiao Chen saw a notice announcing Purple Sun True Monarch’s Nascent Soul Ceremony on Red Flower Island in three days, with a free banquet and a preaching session.
• Xiao Chen decided to attend the ceremony before seeking Coarse-grained Twisted Leaf and other materials, then flew toward Red Flower Island after making his movements visible.
• Xiao Chen found Lao Qi’s upper body washed ashore on Red Flower Island and reflected on how Lao Qi’s fortune had led to his death.

Xiao Chen arrived at Red Flower Island, bought the Coarse-grained Twisted Leaf needed for his Infant Nurturing Altar, and explored the ceremony’s crowded trading district. Meanwhile, Purple Sun True Monarch and Crane Cry True Monarch negotiated with representatives of the great sects, and their arena proposal ended with rogue cultivators being invited to compete; Xiao Chen saw the new notices announcing the contests.

• Xiao Chen browsed Red Flower Island’s trading basin and bought ten bundles of Coarse-grained Twisted Leaf after learning it had grown scarce, leaving only Nine Aperture Lucid Jade to complete his materials.
• Xiao Chen spent the night exploring the stalls and went to the banquet area, where cultivators received abundant food and a Third-Order Spirit Fruit.
• Crane Cry True Monarch proposed eight arenas for Esteem Truth Temple’s ceremony, while the visiting sect representatives questioned the plan and tried to change its rules.
• Purple Sun True Monarch invoked Esteem Truth Temple’s ancient rites, and Gang Yuan True Monarch secured agreement that the arenas would be open to rogue cultivators as well as sect disciples.
• Crane Cry True Monarch arranged a selection competition for rogue cultivators, and Xiao Chen read the notices announcing its rewards and the later arena contests.

Xiao Chen registered for the rogue cultivator selection after learning that the grand prize included a Supreme Clarity Nascent Soul Transformation Glazed Pearl, which would let him safely experience Nascent Soul formation. He bought discounted Mutated Demon Cores and cultivated before drawing Liu Feiyang as his first opponent, while the crowd recognized him as the wealthy Hidden Sect Successor.

• Xiao Chen studied the arena rewards and became determined to win the Supreme Clarity Nascent Soul Transformation Glazed Pearl.
• Xiao Chen registered for the selection as rogue cultivators flocked to compete for the Spirit Stone rewards.
• A girl in purple, who revealed that Purple Sun True Monarch was her big brother, warned shoppers that Mutated Demon Core prices would fall, but Xiao Chen returned and bought twenty cores.
• Xiao Chen cultivated with the Demon Cores and found that his improved Body Refining let him absorb two each day.
• Xiao Chen arrived to draw lots and learned that Liu Feiyang was his assigned opponent.
• Other cultivators recognized Xiao Chen as the Hidden Sect Successor who had spent more than eight million Spirit Stones at the auction.

Xiao Chen advanced through the rogue cultivator selection after several opponents conceded, then defeated Chen Qingsong with a single clash and became the subject of widespread speculation. As Esteem Truth Temple’s disciples held all eight arenas against waves of challengers, Xiao Chen arrived to challenge the East Arena for the Nascent Soul reward.

• Xiao Chen’s first four opponents conceded or lost by forfeit, letting him advance without revealing his strength.
• The steward arranged for Xiao Chen to face Chen Qingsong, a prominent Late-stage Golden Core Body Cultivator, but Xiao Chen sent him off the arena in one collision.
• Rogue cultivators debated how Xiao Chen had won, while Esteem Truth Temple recruited promising challengers and Crane Cry True Monarch prepared the arena defenders.
• Esteem Truth Temple’s disciples defeated wave after wave of challengers and kept control of all Eight Great Arenas, including the East Arena holding the Supreme Clarity Nascent Soul Transformation Glazed Pearl.
• Xiao Chen arrived at the Arena Zone and told the steward that he would challenge the East Arena.

Xiao Chen defended the East Arena by swiftly defeating an Esteem Truth Temple Disciple, overcoming a Blood Curse, and breaking Azure Sword True Person’s strongest sword strike with his bare hands. After Azure Sword True Person conceded, Xiao Chen remained the Arena King as the watching True Lords grew increasingly uncertain about his origins and abilities.

• Xiao Chen knocked an Esteem Truth Temple Disciple out of the East Arena in a single move and claimed the first-victory Spirit Tool reward.
• Gou Low Old Man challenged Xiao Chen and tried to force him to withdraw with a Dark Curse, but the curse backfired and he admitted defeat.
• Xiao Chen’s effortless victory over Gou Low Old Man’s Blood Curse astonished the cultivators and True Lords watching the arena.
• Azure Sword True Person challenged Xiao Chen and unleashed his strongest sword strike, Sword Shatters the Sky.
• Xiao Chen caught the thousand-zhang sword with his bare hands and shattered it from within, prompting Azure Sword True Person to concede.

Xiao Chen and Zhang Shouquan defended their arenas as Esteem Truth Temple launched a late counterattack to reclaim the stages. Zhang Shouquan defeated his challenger with a blood-powered formation, and Xiao Chen effortlessly overcame Shi Chang as the arena defense period ended.

• Xiao Chen’s victory over a thousand-zhang sword technique astonished cultivators, while Mountain Opening True Person urged the Heavenly Dipper Sect disciples to learn from his Body Refining.
• The major sects seized six arenas, and Zhang Shouquan claimed the East Side Arena by defeating an Esteem Truth Temple disciple with his Golden Blade Technique.
• After the arenas fell quiet, Crane Cry True Monarch planned to reclaim them with prepared disciples, talismans, and spirit tools designed to counter the challengers.
• Esteem Truth Temple’s disciples defeated the other sects in succession, then Shi Chang challenged Zhang Shouquan on the East Side Arena.
• Zhang Shouquan turned his spilled blood into a formation and defeated his challenger, then accepted a healing pill from Iron Fan True Monarch.
• Shi Chang challenged Xiao Chen with talismans that turned the arena into a swamp and web of white light, but Xiao Chen broke through with one punch as the arena defense ended.

Xiao Chen won the Eight Directions Arena and received the Supreme Clarity Nascent Soul Transformation Glazed Pearl before attending Purple Sun True Monarch’s Dao lecture. Afterward, he left Red Flower Island for Listening Wave Market, where he found display-only Wanted Notices bearing names he recognized.

• Xiao Chen defeated every arena opponent in one move, while the rogue cultivators reconsidered Chen Qingsong’s loss and the Nascent Soul True Lords praised Xiao Chen’s strength.
• Crane Cry True Monarch handed over the promised rewards, and Esteem Truth Temple ended the arena segment before announcing Purple Sun True Monarch’s preaching session.
• Xiao Chen examined and stored the Glazed Pearl, then returned to the Core Area the next day to hear Purple Sun True Monarch discuss cultivation habits, breathing techniques, and cryptic verses about breaking through a Major Realm.
• Esteem Truth Temple concluded the ceremony, announced patrols around Red Flower Island, and provided a banquet; Xiao Chen decided to seek an alchemist and information at Listening Wave Market.
• Xiao Chen arrived at Listening Wave Market and recognized Chen Xiao and other familiar names on invalid Wanted Notices displayed as souvenirs.

Xiao Chen sought a Fourth-tier Alchemist to refine a Jade Marrow Nascent Soul Pill and agreed to obtain a Thousand-Year Dragon Turtle’s Heart Blood for Alchemist Geng. After reaching Cangran Island and waiting for the Cangran Secret Realm to open, he watched cultivators enter through its array.

• Xiao Chen read a Wanted Notice about the Bronze Mask cultivator, then asked the Spirit Communication Pavilion for a nearby Fourth-tier Alchemist and found Alchemist Geng.
• Alchemist Geng offered to refine Xiao Chen’s pills if he fulfilled one of three requests; Xiao Chen rejected two distant tasks and agreed to bring back a Thousand-Year Dragon Turtle’s Heart Blood from Armored Dragon Island.
• Xiao Chen learned about the Fan Family’s husband recruitment and the World Crossing Assembly, then decided to prioritize the Cangran Secret Realm before choosing whether to attend the assembly or hunt the Dragon Turtle.
• Xiao Chen traveled to Cangran Island, rented a Cave Residence, and spent seven days refining his Demon Cores while waiting for the Secret Realm to open.
• A vast Spiritual Energy Vortex formed an Emerald Green Talisman Array, and cultivators holding Cangran Secret Tokens entered the Secret Realm.

Xiao Chen entered the Cangran Secret Realm and traveled alone through the Sprite Forest and Miasmic Marsh toward Blood Vine Forest, collecting Wood Hearts from attacking Sprites along the way. At the forest’s edge, he found two masked cultivators pursuing a woman, and turned back when she offered him Dao Comprehension Crystals for help.

• Xiao Chen bought a Secret Realm guide, entered through the teleportation array, and identified his destination as the Sprite Forest.
• Xiao Chen studied past expedition records and learned that the Blood Vine Forest was the best place to seek Dao Comprehension Crystals.
• Xiao Chen crossed a misty area, killed attacking Sprites, and collected several Wood Hearts and special pollen.
• Xiao Chen crossed the Miasmic Marsh and reached the Blood Vine Forest without encountering other cultivators.
• Xiao Chen initially ignored a woman being chased by two masked cultivators, but turned back after she offered him Dao Comprehension Crystals for help.

Xiao Chen rescued Ruan Lingchun from two Cloud Wave Sword Abode disciples, received her Dao Comprehension Crystal and map of seven locations, then searched the Blood Vine Forest for more crystals. At the deepest location, he found another crystal and defeated thirty-six powerful tree Sprites, collecting their tree hearts.

• Xiao Chen intervened when Mei Zhanpeng and another Cloud Wave Sword Abode disciple pursued Ruan Lingchun, and the two disciples recognized him and left after he asked them to withdraw.
• Ruan Lingchun gave Xiao Chen the promised wood-element Dao Comprehension Crystal, then offered him her map of seven places where crystals had appeared.
• Xiao Chen found no crystal at the second or third locations, noticed signs that another cultivator had reached the third location, and hurried toward the seventh.
• Xiao Chen found a wood-element Dao Comprehension Crystal at the seventh location and burned the blood vines that attacked him.
• Xiao Chen cut through a barrier of vines, then fought thirty-six tree Sprites that rose from the ground and collected their tree hearts.

Xiao Chen discovered an underground vine network and a basin where a wounded Demonic Beast was healing with Sky Vault Sars. He took a Dao Comprehension Crystal and Storage Ring, absorbed enough Killing Intent to form a Yang Wood Seal, and prepared to leave the basin.

• Xiao Chen found a broken jade belt and discovered that Blood Vines had dragged its dead owner and belongings underground.
• Xiao Chen fell into a vast underground nest of vines and followed its tunnels until he found a light-filled basin.
• Xiao Chen spotted the dead cultivator’s Storage Ring and a Dao Comprehension Crystal beside a sleeping Demonic Beast, then realized the beast was using Sky Vault Sars to heal.
• Xiao Chen collected the Dao Comprehension Crystal and Storage Ring, then absorbed Sky Vault Sars at the basin’s edge while the Demonic Beast remained focused on healing.
• After five days, Xiao Chen formed a Yang Wood Seal that merged with his Yin Wood Seal, then stopped absorbing Killing Intent and prepared to leave.

Xiao Chen escaped the Cangran Secret Realm with seven Dao Comprehension Crystals and bought another from a cultivator who had waited for him on Cangran Island. On a Desolate Island, he opened two Storage Rings and discovered Spirit Stones, survival tools, and valuable spiritual items, including Six-Leaf Spirit Tea.

• Xiao Chen searched the basin beneath the Secret Realm for Dao Comprehension Crystals, found several more, and brought his total to seven.
• Xiao Chen dug his way out of the Underground Maze and used the Cangran Secret Token to leave the Secret Realm as its runic formation began to fail.
• A young man in a dark blue long robe offered Xiao Chen a Dao Comprehension Crystal for one million Spirit Stones, and Xiao Chen accepted the deal.
• Xiao Chen traveled to a Desolate Island and spent eight hours breaking the restrictions on two Storage Rings he had found in the basin.
• Xiao Chen examined the rings’ contents, including Spirit Stones, talisman tools, tracking-countermeasures, and Six-Leaf Spirit Tea that could replenish the power inside his Star Core.

Xiao Chen investigated reports of strange activity in the east, then traveled to Illuminating Void Sect territory to buy intelligence about the New Ruin and its Black Market. After entering the Black Market on a Desolate Island, he began looking for Lord Silver Rat before the midnight trading.

• Xiao Chen read a Cloud Wave Sword Abode letter warning of rising Spiritual Qi Tide and Giant Sea Beast traces in the east, and recalled hearing Nascent Soul Stage Demonic Beasts in the ice and snow near the Wu Mausoleum.
• Xiao Chen learned from a family letter that the Black Market would gather in Illuminating Void Sect territory on the ninth day of the final month of each season, so he postponed his Dragon Turtle hunt and traveled to Three Leaf Islands.
• Xiao Chen bought regional, New Ruin, and Black Market intelligence from the Mirror Reflection Pavilion, including reports of an enormous Buddha Body appearing in the east and a gigantic scallop far to the north.
• Xiao Chen bought a concealment bamboo hat and, on the ninth day of the sixth month, used his token to enter the Black Market inside a hollowed-out mountain on a Desolate Island.
• Xiao Chen surveyed the Black Market’s stalls and winding staircase, then set out to find Lord Silver Rat before the midnight trading.

Xiao Chen sold accumulated treasures through the Black Market’s concentrated trading and lost Spirit Stones gambling on a Storage Ring. He joined the dangerous final sale, traded a Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Mushroom for a Demonic Legacy Jade Slip from the Black Abyss Demon Sect, and ended with the jade slip in his possession.

• Xiao Chen handed Silver Rat his goods for concentrated trading, sold the Talismans Tool Set directly for 200,000 Spirit Stones, and received Spirit Contracts for the rest.
• Xiao Chen bought a Storage Ring for 100,000 Spirit Stones, broke its restriction, and found mostly worthless items and a little over 2,000 Spirit Stones inside.
• Golden Ox auctioned Xiao Chen’s Azure Sea Heavy Water, Spirit Tools, and Formation Flags for substantial sums during the concentrated trading.
• Xiao Chen followed Golden Ox into the side hall, where Late-stage Golden Core cultivators bid on dangerous items, including a cultivation scripture, a fourth-order thunder pearl, and a Demonic Legacy Jade Slip.
• Xiao Chen offered a Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Mushroom for the Black Abyss Demon Sect jade slip and negotiated an additional 150,000 Spirit Stones instead of taking the demonic artifact fragment.

Xiao Chen sold spiritual treasures at the Black Market, then killed a mysterious cultivator who had followed him and called him a Witch Clan Remnant. Unable to find anything in the attacker’s Storage Ring, Xiao Chen returned to the Three Leaf Islands to sell his tree cores, where a female cultivator was impressed by the thirty-six he brought.

• Xiao Chen watched the Thunder Shakes Mountains and Rivers Painting sell to the Wang Family Clan Member for 600,000 Spirit Stones and received 1,435,000 Spirit Stones for his eleven items.
• Xiao Chen returned from the Black Market and was followed by the Bronze Mask Cultivator, who had previously competed with him at the Listening Wave Sea Auction.
• Xiao Chen broke through the Bronze Mask Cultivator’s Spiritual Power Barrier, defeated him, and used his Mechanical Grappling Claw to stop his escape before killing him.
• Xiao Chen found the Bronze Mask Cultivator’s Storage Ring empty after breaking its complicated restrictions and decided to seek an appraisal.
• Xiao Chen rejected a low offer for his tree core, then showed thirty-six tree cores to a female cultivator who offered to inspect them.

Xiao Chen studied the Demonic Legacy and used its clues to seek detailed Outer Sea charts, hoping to find the gorge where Killing Intent had accumulated. Cloud Cliff True Person helped him obtain Azure Sea Immortal Sect maps, while the Wang Family learned Xiao Chen’s identity and began searching for him; Xiao Chen set out toward a suspicious location and postponed hunting the Dragon Turtle.

• Xiao Chen examined the Demonic Legacy, memorized the gorge and nearby islands, and realized the location was outside Compassion Sea.
• Xiao Chen consulted the Mirror Reflection Pavilion, learned the Long-finned Fish Swarms ranged across the southwestern Outer Sea, and decided to seek charts from the Azure Sea Pavilion.
• The Wang Family identified Xiao Chen from the shop’s portrait and sent cultivators to find him, but he had already left the Three Leaf Islands.
• At the Azure Sea Pavilion, Cloud Cliff True Person recognized Xiao Chen and arranged for him to receive detailed sect sea charts despite the manager’s initial refusal.
• Xiao Chen used the charts to identify two possible locations, chose the nearer one to search for Killing Intent first, and set out from Azure Sea Market.

The Yi Family Old Ancestor ambushed Xiao Chen to seize his vital life force, but Xiao Chen escaped and continued searching for Killing Intent. He found the hidden battlefield beneath an island and formed a new Yin Metal Seal, which he named Severed Blade Sars.

• The Yi Family Old Ancestor tracked Xiao Chen from Azure Sea Market, marked him with a Spiritual Sense imprint, and attacked him near Compassion Sea, claiming he would make Xiao Chen a medicinal ingredient.
• Xiao Chen fought off the Old Ancestor’s attacks long enough to escape with Night's Edge, while the Old Ancestor pursued the wrong direction and later seized a rogue cultivator instead.
• The Yi Family Old Ancestor ordered his informants to increase their surveillance of Compassion Sea markets and report Xiao Chen’s return.
• Xiao Chen searched two islands for the ancient battlefield described in the Inheritance Jade Slip, eventually discovering a deep fissure that his Spiritual Sense had failed to detect.
• Xiao Chen followed the underground passage to a canyon filled with bones and Killing Intent, absorbed its yin-aligned metal energy for three days, and formed the Yin Metal Seal Severed Blade Sars.

Xiao Chen condensed the Yin Five Elements Seal, then found Yang Metal Killing Intent in a hidden battlefield chamber and formed the Yang Metal Seal. After discovering a colossal octopus near the island, he avoided it and headed toward the southeastern Compassion Sea.

• Xiao Chen circulated true essence through his five Yin Seals until he formed the Yin Five Elements Seal, which accelerated his cultivation and offered other benefits.
• Xiao Chen explored the ancient battlefield, found a concealed altar chamber, and absorbed its Yang Metal Sars.
• Xiao Chen smashed the altar to release its remaining Killing Intent and successfully condensed the Yang Metal Seal, then recovered a valuable golden Spirit Ore.
• Xiao Chen left the battlefield and spotted a moving island-sized creature that proved to be a giant octopus devouring sea life and uprooting a reef.
• Xiao Chen judged the octopus to be at least a Nascent Soul Demonic Beast, kept his distance, and flew toward the southeastern corner of the Compassion Sea.

Xiao Chen traveled through the Outer Sea, where giant Sea Fish had become increasingly dangerous, and arrived at the island where cultivators were gathering before the New Ruin opened. After hearing that Buddhist Arhats were offering free healing, he went to investigate a crowded courtyard, leaving his suspicions unresolved.

• Han Chuan True Monarch warned his disciples about the dangers in the east, while Thousand Machines Valley chose to send only a small group to the New Ruin.
• Xiao Chen fought off Golden Core Sea Fish during his journey and killed three Giant Sea Fish that were threatening a spirit boat; the cultivators aboard recognized him as Daoist Xiao.
• Xiao Chen reached the island where tens of thousands of cultivators had gathered and learned that the New Ruin would open the following evening at You Hour.
• Xiao Chen heard rogue cultivators discuss Bright Lantern Arhat's free healing and went to inspect the Buddhist courtyard, where hundreds of rogue cultivators had gathered.

Xiao Chen entered a Buddhist Sect courtyard, rejected an attempt to recruit him, and sought information about the New Ruin before having Kuang Ruihong appraise a mysterious Storage Ring. He destroyed its restrictions and uncovered a fortune, unusual cultivation materials, and clues suggesting the Bronze Mask Cultivator had an extraordinary background.

• Xiao Chen discovered that rogue cultivators gathered to receive Spirit Fruits, refused to help a lean old man fake his arrival time, and left when a monk tried to recruit him.
• Xiao Chen visited the Jade Leaf Commerce Association, where Kuang Ruihong explained that the Storage Ring concealed a second space and gave him a secret method to break its restrictions in exchange for a future favor to the Kuang Family.
• Kuang Ruihong told Xiao Chen that the New Ruin was expected to open the following night, though reliable information about it was scarce.
• Xiao Chen rejected Shopkeeper Qian's offer of a Joy Union Token, returned to an inn, and destroyed the Storage Ring's restrictions after four hours of work.
• Xiao Chen found 1,294,000 Low-grade Spirit Stones, 5,680 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, Spirit Tools, and the Supreme Bright King Salvation Sutra inside the ring.
• Xiao Chen also discovered a Three Treasures Soul Nourishing Pill recipe, six identical fourth-order Water Spirit Pearls, four Spirit Accumulating Treasure Boxes, two parchment scrolls, and a letter.