Chapter Summaries

Gu He and Xuan Kongzi’s group found the Bodhi Meditation Cushion’s likely location in the ancient palace and fought its powerful guardian. Gu He destroyed the puppet, leaving the cushion within reach as other experts were drawn toward the palace.

• Gu He and Xuan Kongzi’s group gathered medicinal pills and formulas in a pill hall before a distant palace rose from underground.
• Gu He identified the palace as the likely main hall and led the group toward the light sphere containing a cushion-shaped object.
• Xuan Kongzi spotted a stone-like guardian beneath the sphere, but Gu He rushed onto its pedestal despite the warning.
• The puppet attacked Gu He, who blocked its strike with blue-black flames and used spatial power to break its arm.
• Gu He pressed his attack, battered the wounded puppet with flaming fists, and blasted it apart.

Gu He tried to claim the Bodhi Meditation Cushion, but Old Man Dark Evil ambushed him and forced him off the platform. Gu He later manipulated the sphere of light to trigger the long-awaited melee, which began with Old Man Dark Evil battling the surrounding experts.

• Old Man Dark Evil tore open a rift and attacked Gu He, forcing him to retreat from the raised platform.
• Gu He warned Xuan Kongzi and the others that more experts were coming and told them to stay close when the battle began.
• More experts and factions arrived, gathered around the sphere of light, and cautiously formed alliances as tensions rose.
• Gu He secretly influenced the sphere of light to fly toward Old Man Dark Evil, who rushed to seize it.
• The gathered experts attacked Old Man Dark Evil, and he summoned a black demonic dragon that shattered their attacks and lashed back at them.

Gu He nearly killed Old Man Dark Evil with a concealed sword strike, but Sky Axe Elder intervened and forced him to retreat. After learning Sky Axe Elder was likely an Intermediate Half-Saint, Gu He asked Xuan Kongzi and the others to keep him occupied so he could finish off Old Man Dark Evil.

• A Half-Saint palm strike sent the experts trying to stop Old Man Dark Evil flying into the great hall, clearing his path to the light sphere.
• Gu He secretly released a condensed sword qi at Old Man Dark Evil, who tore his sleeve and injured his hands while blocking it.
• Gu He moved in to attack Old Man Dark Evil, but Sky Axe Elder intercepted him with a powerful axe radiance and forced him to retreat.
• Old Man Dark Evil thanked Sky Axe Elder, and the two exchanged insults while Gu He asked Xuan Kongzi to identify the newcomer.
• Xuan Kongzi explained Sky Axe Elder's history and estimated his cultivation, and Gu He told Xuan Kongzi and the others to hold him back while he dealt with Old Man Dark Evil.

Gu He attacked Old Man Dark Evil while Xuan Kongzi, Xuan Yi, and Tian Lei Zi held off Sky Axe Elder. Gu He caught up with the wounded Old Man Dark Evil and struck at his head, intent on killing him.

• Gu He asked Xuan Kongzi, Xuan Yi, and Tian Lei Zi to hold Sky Axe Elder back, and they agreed they could do so for a quarter of an hour.
• Xuan Kongzi, Xuan Yi, and Tian Lei Zi combined their Dou Qi to defend against Sky Axe Elder’s axe strikes, driving many experts from the hall.
• Gu He attacked Old Man Dark Evil with a flaming disc and sword qi, while Old Man Dark Evil countered with a demonic dragon.
• Gu He endured the energy ripples and pursued Old Man Dark Evil as he fled, leaving him badly wounded.
• Gu He caught up with Old Man Dark Evil and struck toward his head despite the man’s threat.

Gu He defeated Old Man Dark Evil’s attempted self-destruction and fought the experts who rushed to seize the cushion. He unleashed Saint Flame fire dragons that killed most of the Dou Zuns, leaving only a few badly injured survivors.

• Old Man Dark Evil tried to kill Gu He with a self-destruction attack, but Gu He escaped through space before the explosion destroyed the hall and revealed the glowing cushion.
• The experts recognized that the cushion’s aura could strengthen their Dou Qi and rushed to seize it, while Gu He attacked anyone who approached.
• The remaining Dou Zuns joined forces against Gu He, but he warned them to leave and then summoned Saint Flame across the sky.
• Gu He shaped the flames into fire dragons that absorbed incoming fire attacks and quickly regenerated after being struck.
• The fire dragons exploded among the Dou Zuns, killing nearly all of them and seriously injuring the few who survived.

Gu He defeated the remaining Dou Zun experts who had sought the Bodhi Meditation Cushion and then faced Sky Axe Elder while Xuan Kongzi and the others recovered. Sky Axe Elder left after promising to keep the battle and the cushion secret and giving Gu He a Heaven Dou Technique, while Gu He remained wary and searched the ruined hall for valuables.

• Gu He killed the five surviving Dou Zuns, collected their Rings and corpses, and put away the Bodhi Meditation Cushion.
• Gu He relieved Xuan Kongzi and the other two fighters, then confronted Sky Axe Elder as they withdrew to recover.
• Sky Axe Elder asked to leave and promised not to reveal what had happened; Xuan Kongzi vouched for his reputation.
• Sky Axe Elder gave Gu He the Fire God Palm, a Low-Tier Heaven Dou Technique, and departed after Gu He agreed to their reconciliation.
• Gu He remained concerned that Sky Axe Elder might reveal the secret and searched the ruins, collecting weapons that had survived the battle.

After obtaining the Bodhi Meditation Cushion, Gu He and the three Pill Tower giants left Dou Sheng's Cave Mansion, unaware that Soul Hall had prepared an ambush outside. Bone Ghost Saint's formation captured Gu He's Soul Clone as he exited and separated him from the others, leaving him to urge them to summon the Great Elder.

• Gu He shared some of the Rings with Xuan Kongzi, Xuan Yi, and Tian Lei Zi, then persuaded them to leave the cave mansion before news of the Bodhi Meditation Cushion spread.
• Gu He and the three Pill Tower giants traveled to the exit without obstruction and reached the Space Channel.
• Outside the cave mansion, Bone Ghost Saint told Shadow Ghost Venerate that a mark on the meditation cushion would reveal when Gu He approached the exit.
• Bone Ghost Saint waited until Gu He emerged, then activated the formation to bind him and separate him from the three Pill Tower giants.
• Gu He failed to break free as a Soul Clone and urged Xuan Kongzi, Xuan Yi, and Tian Lei Zi to leave and summon the Great Elder.

Gu He was abducted by Bone Ghost and brought before a Soul Hall formation, where he refused an offer to join. Bone Ghost began attacking him with the Dark Skeleton King, while Xuan Kongzi and Tian Lei Zi searched for clues to his disappearance.

• Xuan Kongzi sent Xuan Yi to notify the Small Pill Tower's Great Elder while he and Tian Lei Zi searched for traces of the spatial disturbance.
• Gu He appeared in a void surrounded by a vast Soul Hall formation led by Bone Ghost, who offered him high status and access to the Hall's medicinal ingredients and pill formulas.
• Gu He assessed the Mysterious Nether Spirit Sealing Array and identified how much of its members' strength it could combine, surprising Bone Ghost.
• Gu He refused to join the Soul Hall and mocked its treatment of members and their souls after death, making some weaker members waver.
• Bone Ghost declared that Gu He would die and unleashed the Dark Skeleton King, whose frigid pressure chilled the surrounding formation.

Gu He discovered Soul Qing watching the battle and ambushed him, confirming that he was a newly advanced Two-Star Dou Sheng. While Gu He’s Soul Clone self-destructed to escape the formation, Bone Ghost fled; Gu He then took a pill for his soul injury and attacked Bone Ghost as the confrontation with Soul Qing began.

• Gu He found a concealed black figure near the battle and identified him as a likely Two-Star Dou Sheng, then struck him by surprise and drew blood.
• As Bone Ghost and the others watched Gu He’s true body fight the black figure, Gu He’s Soul Clone prepared to self-destruct, forcing Bone Ghost to flee the formation.
• The Soul Clone’s explosion killed those remaining in the formation, and Gu He caught its Ring as the blast damaged his soul.
• The black figure identified himself as Soul Qing Saint and admitted he had underestimated Gu He, while Bone Ghost apologized for failing to detect the Soul Clone.
• Gu He took an Eight-colored Pill Lightning pill and charged toward Soul Qing, but turned to attack Bone Ghost first, prompting Bone Ghost to cry for Soul Qing’s help.

Gu He and Soul Qing Saint fought fiercely, with Bone Ghost waiting to ambush Gu He while Soul Qing unleashed his Thousand Soul Life-Taking technique. Gu He escaped the resulting mass detonation, leaving both fighters amid the destruction near the Dou Sheng's Cave Mansion.

• Soul Qing Saint shielded Bone Ghost from Gu He and ordered him to retreat and wait for an opening to attack.
• Gu He confronted Soul Qing Saint with a blue-black fire dragon, which broke free after Soul Qing trapped it with Ten Thousand Soul Lock.
• Gu He attacked Soul Qing Saint from above, sealing his escape routes and putting him at a disadvantage.
• Soul Qing Saint summoned nearly a thousand Dou Zun-strength phantoms with Thousand Soul Life-Taking, then made them self-destruct.
• Gu He sensed the danger and retreated before the explosions, which devastated the surrounding space and shook the Dou Sheng's Cave Mansion.

Gu He fought Soul Qing Saint, who escaped after revealing the power of his clan mark and taking Bone Ghost with him. After Xuan Yi reached Sacred Pill City and reported Gu He's disappearance to the Great Elder, Gu He reunited with Xuan Kongzi and Tian Lei Zi near the Bodhi Cave Mansion.

• Gu He tried to kill the weakened Soul Qing, but Soul Qing activated his clan mark and struck back with the Soul Annihilation Palm.
• Gu He retreated as Soul Qing's strength surged, and Soul Qing left with Bone Ghost after warning that he would treat Gu He as a true opponent.
• Gu He regretted the losses from the battle but took comfort in having gained complete control of his Dou Qi.
• Xuan Yi rushed to the Small Pill Tower and told the Great Elder that Soul Hall had likely abducted Gu He in the space channel.
• The Great Elder set out for the Bodhi Cave Mansion to investigate, while Gu He encountered Xuan Kongzi and Tian Lei Zi there.

Gu He told Xuan Kongzi, Tian Lei Zi, and the Pill Tower Grand Elder how he had defeated Soul Qing Saint and the Soul Hall forces, while revealing that he had reached peak One-star Dou Sheng. The Great Elder promised to protect Gu He from the Soul Hall Master, leaving Gu He to suspect that the Pill Tower Ancestor was nearby.

• Xuan Kongzi explained that he and Tian Lei Zi had searched for Gu He after Xuan Yi informed them of his situation.
• Gu He revealed that he had advanced to Dou Saint and driven Soul Qing Saint and Bone Ghost away, though they escaped.
• Gu He clarified that he was at peak One-star Dou Sheng and had relied on the Heavenly Flames against Soul Qing Saint.
• Xuan Kongzi, Tian Lei Zi, and Gu He waited in the void for the Pill Tower Grand Elder to arrive.
• The Great Elder examined the battle damage, heard Gu He's account, and promised to protect him even if the Soul Hall Master came.
• Gu He realized the Great Elder's confidence likely meant the Pill Tower Ancestor was near the Pill Tower.

After returning to the Small Pill Tower, Gu He settled into its affairs and prepared to enter seclusion to reach Two-Star Dou Sheng. He gathered ingredients for a Nine Nether Yellow Springs Pill to strengthen his soul, then arrived at the frigid herb garden guarded by Old Monster Hou.

• Gu He confirmed the Soul Hall experts’ souls had not survived and returned to the Small Pill Tower with the others.
• The Great Elder entrusted Gu He with more duties, and Gu He spent nearly a month becoming familiar with the Small Pill Tower’s affairs.
• Gu He asked the Great Elder for permission to enter seclusion and attempt a breakthrough to Two-Star Dou Sheng, then requested ingredients for a Nine Nether Yellow Springs Pill.
• The Great Elder agreed and reflected that Gu He might one day surpass the Pill Tower Ancestor.
• Gu He flew to the Small Pill Tower’s frigid herb garden to gather ingredients, knowing that Old Monster Hou was currently guarding it.

Gu He gathered the ingredients needed for the Nine Nether Yellow Springs Pill in the Small Valley, then returned to Dan Gu Courtyard to begin a secluded breakthrough to Two-Star Dou Sheng. He ended the chapter cultivating with an Eighth-grade pill and the energy of heaven and earth, steadily raising his aura toward the peak of One-star Dou Sheng.

• Gu He entered the Small Valley to collect medicinal ingredients, and Old Monster Hou scolded him for sweeping the area with Soul Power.
• Gu He sensed a faint fluctuation from the Pill Tower Ancestor and avoided arguing with Old Monster Hou, who then returned to his hut.
• Gu He harvested a Yellow Springs Flower from the Extreme Cold Spring and gathered other missing yin-cold medicinal ingredients.
• Gu He registered the ingredients with Old Monster Hou, returned to Dan Gu Courtyard, and ordered everyone not to disturb him during his seclusion.
• Gu He swallowed an Eighth-grade pill and used the Devouring Flame inside his body to refine it as he absorbed energy and cultivated toward Two-Star Dou Sheng.

Gu He broke through from peak One-Star Dou Sheng to Two-Star Dou Sheng after more than a month of cultivation. His breakthrough shook Dan Gu Courtyard and drew the attention of Xuan Kongzi, Yao Kongzi, and the Great Elder.

• Gu He reached the peak of One-Star Dou Sheng, strengthened his body through continued cultivation, and began assaulting the barrier to the second star.
• Gu He endured repeated assaults on the barrier until his Dou Qi surged through his meridians and a powerful energy vortex formed above him.
• The vortex destroyed Gu He's secret chamber and sent his aura across Dan Gu Courtyard, alerting Xuan Kongzi and two other leaders.
• Xuan Kongzi recognized that Gu He was breaking through to Two-Star Dou Sheng, while the aura's fluctuations helped him deepen his understanding of the Half-Saint realm.
• Yao Kongzi arrived and spoke with Xuan Kongzi about Gu He's rapid progress as Gu He absorbed the vortex's energy and completed his breakthrough.
• The Great Elder emerged from the Small Pill Tower, protected nearby pill refiners from Gu He's aura, and watched as Gu He exhaled a hurricane-inducing breath.

After advancing to Two-Star Dou Sheng, Gu He uncovered and destroyed a Soul Hall Soul Token hidden in his meditation cushion, drawing the Soul Hall Master's attention. The Great Elder promised him access to valuable medicinal ingredients, and Gu He agreed to spar with Xuan Kongzi in the Star Realm.

• Gu He felt the increase in strength from advancing to Two-Star Dou Sheng and searched his meditation cushion for the hidden trick he had sensed.
• Gu He found and erased a black Soul Token inside the cushion, while the Soul Hall Master sensed its destruction and ordered someone to summon Hun Qing.
• Yao Kongzi congratulated Gu He, and the Great Elder offered him medicinal ingredients from the Small Pill Tower if his resource-intensive method proved effective.
• Xuan Kongzi asked Gu He to spar so he could learn about the Dou Saint realm, and Gu He agreed.
• Gu He and Xuan Kongzi entered the Star Realm for their match, followed by Yao Kongzi, Tian Lei Zi, and Xuan Yi.

Gu He sparred with Xuan Kongzi and the other elders, helping Xuan Kongzi approach the Half-Saint realm. He then returned to Dan Gu Courtyard, practiced refining Ninth-grade Treasure Pills, and began preparing to refine the Nine Nether Yellow Springs Pill.

• Gu He and Xuan Kongzi exchanged attacks in the Star Realm, where Gu He's simple punch shattered Xuan Kongzi's Crimson Origin Palm.
• Gu He continued sparring with Xuan Kongzi, whose insights brought him close to becoming a Half-Saint; Yao Kongzi and the other elders also joined in.
• After nearly a day, Xuan Kongzi and the others left to organize their insights, while Gu He returned to Dan Gu Courtyard to refine pills.
• Gu He refined two batches of ingredients for other Ninth-grade Treasure Pills, successfully producing one pill and gaining experience from the failed batch.
• With greater confidence, Gu He began refining the Nine Nether Yellow Springs Pill.

Gu He refined the Nine Nether Yellow Springs Pill and consumed it to strengthen his soul. After a month of absorbing its power, he reached the Heavenly Realm Late Stage, leaving the Great Elder of the Small Pill Tower to recognize Gu He as his equal in strength.

• Gu He condensed a blue-black Medicine Cauldron from Saint Flame and successfully refined the Nine Nether Yellow Springs Pill, overcoming the Black Demon Lightning.
• After recovering, Gu He swallowed the pill and used his soul cultivation technique to absorb its medicinal power.
• As Gu He's soul grew, its pressure spread through the surrounding area, and he perceived everything within a thousand zhang.
• Over the course of a month, Gu He absorbed nearly all the pill's power, then drew in its final, purest essence.
• Gu He broke through to the Heavenly Realm Late Stage, and the Great Elder of the Small Pill Tower realized Gu He had matched him in strength.

The narrator complained that the new project was difficult and that they had to take the day off before working overtime the next day.

• The narrator said they had to take the day off.
• The narrator complained that the new project was a pain.
• The narrator said they still had to work overtime the next day.

Gu He stabilized his Heavenly Realm Late Stage soul, tested its ability to form a lifelike clone, and returned to seclusion to master his new strength. The Pill Tower Ancestor left after advising the Great Elder, while news of a massacre of Soul Hall members near the Bodhi Cave Mansion began to shake the Central Continent.

• Gu He confirmed that the Pill Tower Ancestor was no longer watching him and tested the lifelike soul figure he could form at Heavenly Realm Late Stage.
• Gu He withdrew the soul figure and resumed cultivating alchemy in seclusion while he worked to master his strength.
• The Great Elder found the Pill Tower Ancestor and reported recent events, and the ancestor approved his actions and urged him to bind Gu He more closely to the Pill Tower.
• The Pill Tower Ancestor left the Great Elder and departed through the void on his green ox.
• Word spread that many Soul Hall members had died near the Bodhi Cave Mansion, and the Central Continent was shaken by the news.