Chapter Summaries

Zhao Xing crafted Mighty Straw Puppets beneath East Lake Mountain and watched a Bamboo Horse Knight search the ravine before three Vermilion Fruits fell from the sky. As he reached to collect the Spiritual Elegance, a woman called out to him from across the stream.

• Zhao Xing planted more Adamantine Bamboo and Green Vine, then made four Vajra Puppets and hid them as guards.
• Zhao Xing spent an hour crafting fifteen Vajra Puppets, ate Green Vine Fruits, and wondered whether his friends and Zong Shichang had entered the mountain.
• Zhao Xing spotted a Bamboo Horse Knight leaping across a ravine and searching for Spiritual Elegance, but decided not to investigate.
• Three Vermilion Fruits fell among the Adamantine Bamboos, and Zhao Xing sensed that they were at least Low-Grade Spiritual Elegance.
• As Zhao Xing bent to pick up the fruits, the Evil Aversion Almanac flipped a page and a woman called to him from across the stream.

Zhao Xing saw through Lu Qian’s charm technique and defeated her with his puppets when she tried to take the Vermilion Fruit. He took her Peacock Feather Magic Garment but knocked her unconscious rather than release her immediately.

• Lu Qian approached Zhao Xing with a charm technique and claimed they had been lovers, but he resisted her and refused to give her the Vermilion Fruit.
• Lu Qian tried to escape, but Zhao Xing’s Vajra Puppets overwhelmed her and his Entangling Straw Puppets tied her between two trees.
• Zhao Xing recognized the Peacock Feather Magic Garment beneath Lu Qian’s clothes and demanded it as payment for sparing her.
• Lu Qian surrendered the garment, but Zhao Xing used the Bright Eyes Art to block its charm.
• When Lu Qian asked to leave, Zhao Xing had a Vajra Puppet knock her unconscious so he could keep her there until he departed.

After leaving Lu Qian with a straw man, Zhao Xing hid in a cave on East Lake Mountain and consumed three Vermilion Fruits, gaining extra lifespan and enough yuan energy to reach the Gathering Yuan Sixth Level. At dawn, he led his puppets and straw men out to patrol the mountain.

• Lu Qian woke, confirmed Zhao Xing had left her unharmed, and realized he had kept his promise by leaving a straw man behind.
• Zhao Xing found a cave, used the Vajra Puppet to scout it, stationed straw men at the entrance, and blocked it with boulders.
• Zhao Xing ate two small Vermilion Fruits and gained thirty-three years of additional lifespan.
• Zhao Xing spent the night consuming the head-sized Pure Yuan Vermillion Fruit, breaking through to the Gathering Yuan Fifth Level and then the Gathering Yuan Sixth Level.
• At dawn, Zhao Xing ordered the Vajra Puppet and straw men to follow him as he began patrolling the mountain.

Zhao Xing used his straw puppets to scout Spirit Mountain and steal a Low-Grade Spiritual Elegance lingzhi while Qin Feng and his companions fought Zhou Gang and Fang Jie. After the theft was discovered, Zhao Xing’s puppets blocked the pursuers, and Qin Feng prepared to face them alone.

• Zhao Xing spotted Qin Feng and three companions fighting Zhou Gang and Fang Jie over a lingzhi in a pine forest.
• Zhao Xing sent two Entangling Straw Puppets to pluck the lingzhi while the fight continued.
• Qin Feng defeated Zhou Gang and Fang Jie, then realized the lingzhi had vanished and sent his companions after the fleeing puppet.
• Zhao Xing revealed more than a dozen straw puppets to block Qin Feng and warned him against pursuing.
• Qin Feng dismissed the straw puppets and challenged Zhao Xing, calling him a mere Minister of Agriculture.

Zhao Xing defeated Qin Feng and his companions with Vajra Puppets, then took their valuables before learning from Fang Jie and Zhou Gang about Spiritual Elegance in a dangerous cave. He reached the cave and prepared to scout it with a Reconnaissance Straw Puppet.

• Zhao Xing beat Qin Feng and his three sworn brothers with Vajra Puppets and made them surrender their valuables.
• Zhao Xing demanded payment from Fang Jie and Zhou Gang for saving them, and they offered to lead him to a cave containing Spiritual Elegance.
• Fang Jie and Zhou Gang guided Zhao Xing's straw puppets through the forest to the cave, warning that a ferocious beast lived inside.
• Zhao Xing gave Fang Jie and Zhou Gang medicinal salve and had two straw puppets watch them while he circled the cave entrance.
• Zhao Xing sensed powerful Spiritual Elegance inside the cave and prepared to send a Reconnaissance Straw Puppet to investigate.

Zhao Xing ate the Violet Lightning Lingzhi, gaining lifespan, yuan energy, and lightning art insight, then sent puppets into a vast cave to investigate a dangerous exotic beast. After the beast destroyed two scouting parties, Zhao Xing concluded it guarded High-Grade Spiritual Elegance and began planning to lure it away.

• Zhao Xing consumed the Violet Lightning Lingzhi, gaining two years of lifespan, nearly a thousand yuan energy, and increased proficiency in Thunderclap and Guiding Thunder.
• Zhao Xing sent a Reconnaissance Straw Puppet into the cave and found increasingly large bones, including the skeleton of a possible ranked exotic beast.
• Zhao Xing mistook the beast's glowing eyes for Spiritual Elegance, and the beast swiftly destroyed the Reconnaissance Straw Puppet.
• Zhao Xing sent a second squad of puppets to identify the beast, but it cut the Vajra Puppet in half and pulverized the Entangling Straw Puppets before destroying the scout.
• Zhao Xing realized the beast was a powerful ranked exotic beast guarding High-Grade Spiritual Elegance and began considering how to lure it away from the cave.

Zhao Xing cultivated Fragrant Berry Vine Fruits and Hundred Fragrance Grass to lure the exotic beast guarding a cave away from its treasure. He discovered the beast was a mountain cat cub and drew it three li from the cave, leaving it chasing a trail of fruit and grass.

• Zhao Xing prepared Swift Steps Straw Puppets, gathered bait, and grew Fragrant Berry Vine Fruits and Hundred Fragrance Grass near the cave.
• Zhao Xing waited through the morning, while Zhou Gang and Fang Jie left after he warned them that a commotion was coming.
• Zhao Xing sent straw puppets to throw stones and small animals into the cave, but the beast only reacted when they threw in Fragrant Berry Vine Fruits.
• Zhao Xing saw that the cave's guardian was a mountain cat cub, which destroyed the straw puppets while chasing the fruit.
• Zhao Xing used successive groups of puppets and a planted trail of Hundred Fragrance Grass to draw the mountain cat three li from the cave.

Zhao Xing retrieved several treasures from the cave while fleeing the returning wildcat, then raced to Heavenly Altar Plaza with Spiritual Elegance as hostile climbers tried to stop him. He reached the plaza just as its sundial marked the hour of the Dog and activated a ceasefire.

• Zhao Xing sent straw puppets into four cave passages, where they found a lightning-crackling purple stone, Yellow Paper, blue lotuses, and a glowing golden cup.
• When the wildcat returned, Zhao Xing chose to save the lotus seedpod and sent the golden cup away by tossing it between puppets, but the wildcat caught it after leaping from a cliff.
• Zhao Xing called down thunder, Icy Rain, and Yin Wind, then rode a Swift Steps Straw Puppet toward Heavenly Altar Plaza with the remaining treasures.
• At the plaza, climbers attacked and tried to restrain Zhao Xing, but he broke free, used Yin Wind to shake them, and leaped into the plaza.
• Zhao Xing reached the sundial as its pointer entered the hour of the Dog, when the engraved ceasefire forbade fighting in the plaza.

After retreating to Heavenly Altar Plaza, Zhao Xing protected his three newly seized Spiritual Elegances from other clerks and examined the lightning-infused Thunderstone. His comprehension of it sharply advanced his Thunder Arts, breaking through two spells.

• Zhao Xing entered Heavenly Altar Plaza with thirty-four straw men remaining and identified the archer Gu Feng and a Ritual Cultivator among those who had attacked him.
• Zhao Xing used his straw men and Wind Wall to keep other clerks from approaching while they discussed his Spiritual Elegances and past contest for First Incense.
• Zhao Xing examined the purple Thunderstone, a Mid-Grade Spiritual Elegance, and began probing its lightning-filled interior with primordial qi.
• Zhao Xing comprehended the Thunderstone, gaining 1,000 points of Thunder Arts proficiency as Thunderclap reached its eighth transformation and Guiding Thunder reached its second.

Zhao Xing absorbed the Thunderstone’s spiritual essence, deepened his mastery of thunder arts, and created two new techniques. After reaching new levels in Thunderclap and Guiding Thunder, he felt more confident about competing for the First Incense that night.

• Zhao Xing absorbed the Thunderstone as its electric light spread over him, while Wen Zhao and Zhang Boran heard faint thunder and wondered where it came from.
• Zhao Xing comprehended Thunderbolt Lasso, a subtle lightning binding technique, and Thunderclap Palm, a powerful ranged strike.
• Zhao Xing’s panel showed Thunderclap at max level, Guiding Thunder at Seven Turns, Thunderbolt Lasso at Five Turns, and Thunderclap Palm at Six Turns.
• Zhao Xing decided that his new techniques had strengthened his chances in the First Incense competition and turned his attention to the other two spiritual essences.

At Heavenly Altar Plaza, Zhao Xing consumed eight Icy Lotus Seeds, gaining Yuan energy and greatly improving his water and ice spell cultivation. He used money borrowed from Zong Shichang to repay Zhou Gang and Fang Jie, then spent his Myriad Laws Spiritual Elegance to raise Yin Wind to Nine Turns.

• Zhao Xing spotted Zong Shichang and Lu Qian at the plaza, then consumed all eight Icy Lotus Seeds and increased his Yuan energy and water-spell proficiency.
• Zhao Xing found Zhou Gang and Fang Jie, who had been injured in an ambush by Qin Feng, and asked what reward they wanted for helping him in the cave.
• Zhao Xing borrowed two hundred taels from Zong Shichang and gave one hundred taels each to Zhou Gang and Fang Jie, who then left the mountain.
• Zhao Xing used the Myriad Laws Spiritual Elegance on Yin Wind, raising the intermediate spell to Nine Turns.

Zhao Xing joined Zong Shichang’s group for the First Incense contest, then used Cloudcalling and Yin Wind to defeat several contenders. The chapter ended with him clashing with Cao Qiushui, whose stronger Flowing Cloud Art was halted by Zhao Xing’s beginner spell.

• Zong Shichang’s hired experts agreed to let Zhao Xing join their group, and he learned about the other incense contenders, including Wen Zhao, Du Jiaojiao, and Yang Junxiong.
• The temple gates opened at the Hour of the Rat, and twenty-one martial cultivators leaped to seize the ten incense offerings.
• Wen Zhao’s Harmony Ritual disrupted most of the leaping cultivators, while Du Jiaojiao and Yang Junxiong seized incense and faced off at the temple stairs.
• Zhao Xing cast Cloudcalling behind barriers of Yin Wind and Rising Wind, then secretly used Yin Wind to undermine four rival Ministers of Agriculture and take control of their clouds.
• Zhao Xing’s clouds collided with Cao Qiushui’s Flowing Cloud Art, scattering some of Zhao Xing’s clouds but stopping Cao Qiushui’s advance and surprising him.

Zhao Xing defeated Cao Qiushui with superior Cloud Art and Yin Wind, then used his power to secure four sticks of incense for Zong Shichang’s group. Afterward, he watched Lu Qian and Liu Muqing overwhelm the plaza with their Da Shao performance, leaving their cultivation on display.

• Zhao Xing outmaneuvered Cao Qiushui’s Flowing Cloud Art and struck him with Yin Wind, forcing Cao Qiushui to concede and leave Heavenly Altar Plaza.
• Zhao Xing offered to help Zong Shichang’s group claim incense, then struck down a challenger with Seventh Turn Guiding Thunder and silenced the plaza.
• Zong Shichang’s martial warriors took four sticks of incense, and Zhao Xing recognized Yuan Bo as a divine official before withdrawing with the group.
• Zhao Xing saw Yang Junxiong and Du Jiaojiao still fighting at the temple entrance, then watched the remaining incense struggle from nearby.
• Lu Qian and Liu Muqing performed Da Shao, disrupting their opponents and claiming two sticks of incense before Zhao Xing explained the battle dance to Zong Shichang.

Zhao Xing entered the temple, passed the True Lord’s trial, and obtained a wind chime that let him tame the Mountain Cat. He left the cave with the cat and the Golden Cup, where golden air gathered inside it.

• Zong Shichang rewarded Liu Muqing and Lu Qian after they performed, while Zhao Xing noticed his friend’s interest in Liu Muqing.
• Yang Junxiong defeated Du Jiaojiao, who yielded the First Incense to protect her friends; Yuan Bo then used a yin god to control Zhang Boran and clear the way for Zhao Xing to claim the Fifth Incense.
• Zhao Xing summoned the True Lord and answered its trial by proposing rain at night, clear skies by day, and wind that stayed off the pear orchard.
• The True Lord sent Zhao Xing to the Mountain Cat’s cave with a wind chime, and Zhao Xing persuaded the Mountain Cat to become his companion.
• The Mountain Cat retrieved the Golden Cup from the Icy Lotus pool, and golden air began to fill the cup.

Zhao Xing used his Mountain Cat to rob Qin Feng and his companions of Spiritual Elegance twice, then consumed the treasures and advanced to the Gathering Yuan Seventh Level. While waiting in a bamboo grove, he spotted Wen Zhao and Zhang Boran approaching with loot stolen from a valley guarded by apes.

• Zhao Xing discovered that the ordinary Stone Cup still gave him a sense of peace and left the cave without feeling reluctant.
• Zhao Xing and the Mountain Cat took Qin Feng's three purple fruits from a cliff and later stole two Spiritual Elegance eggs from Qin Feng's group at a pool.
• Zhao Xing consumed the fruits and eggs, advanced to the Gathering Yuan Seventh Level, and increased his additional lifespan to thirty-eight years.
• Wen Zhao and Zhang Boran escaped a troop of ape-like beasts after Zhang Boran raided a valley's Monkey Tree and collected loot.
• Zhao Xing heard voices in the bamboo grove and recognized Wen Zhao and Zhang Boran.

Zhao Xing and Mountain Cat ambushed Zhang Boran and Wen Zhao, seized their Spiritual Elegance, and gained a major cultivation boost from Golden Chestnuts and Monkey Wine. On the final night at Heavenly Altar Plaza, Zhao Xing learned that the incense contest would be fierce, while Zhang Boran and Wen Zhao glared at him.

• Zhao Xing sent Mountain Cat to knock Zhang Boran unconscious and scatter his Golden Chestnuts and Monkey Wine.
• Zhao Xing whipped Wen Zhao six times, triggered the backlash of Wen Zhao’s apology ritual, and reduced his ritual cultivation by a level.
• Mountain Cat ate most of the Golden Chestnuts and half the Monkey Wine, while Zhao Xing drank enough to break through to Gathering Yuan Eighth Level.
• Rumors spread at Heavenly Altar Plaza that Mountain Cat robbed people and demanded thanks, while Du Jiaojiao suspected someone was raising him.
• Zhao Xing reached the plaza with Mountain Cat, confirmed he was the cat’s owner, and learned from Zong Shichang about the cultivators’ gains and the final night’s fierce competition.
• Zong Shichang told Zhao Xing that Zhang Boran and Wen Zhao kept looking at him.

Shen Zhui returned after gaining a ninth-rank breakthrough in a deadly chessboard trial, while Zhao Xing revealed his strength and Mountain Cat before the battle for the first incense began. As Zhao Xing’s allies fought off Gu Feng, Yang Junxiong launched his own bid for the incense, and his bamboo horse revealed itself as a War Soul Bamboo Horse.

• Shen Zhui told Zhao Xing and Zong Shichang how a Peach Blossom Spring chess battle had raised him to the ninth rank, and he offered to help Zhao Xing seize the first incense.
• Shen Zhui discovered Zhao Xing had reached the Gathering Yuan Ninth Level and subdued Mountain Cat, while the onlookers discussed Zhao Xing’s exploits and Lu Qian’s grudge over her Peacock Feather Magic Garment.
• At Rat Hour, Gu Feng attacked Zhao Xing with arrows, but Shen Zhui deflected them as Zhao Xing’s Nine-Turn Yin Wind weakened Gu Feng and knocked Wen Zhao unconscious.
• Yang Junxiong charged for the incense, and his bamboo horse revealed its War Soul Bamboo Horse power as Du Jiaojiao shouted for Zhao Xing and Zong Shichang to dodge.

Zhao Xing defeated Yang Junxiong and his bamboo horse War Soul, then claimed the First Incense and led his allies into the temple. The True Lord sent him to the ravines where Yang Junxiong had searched for a High-Grade Spiritual Elegance, and Zhao Xing began exploring them on the bamboo horse.

• Yang Junxiong unleashed his bamboo horse War Soul against Zhao Xing, but Zhao Xing restrained it with Thunderbolt Lassos, weakened it with Yin Wind, and shattered it with Thunderclap Palm while Mountain Cat fought Yang Junxiong.
• Mountain Cat defeated Yang Junxiong and drove off Du Jiaojiao when she challenged Zhao Xing, leaving Zhao Xing as the uncontested winner of the incense contest.
• Zhao Xing gave eight incense sticks to himself, Shen Zhui, and their allies, while Hu Yang and Cao Qiushui claimed the remaining two; Shen Zhui returned with Gu Feng's bow and accepted the second place in entering the temple.
• Zhao Xing entered the temple first and asked the True Lord for a High-Grade Spiritual Elegance, then was transported with Mountain Cat and the bamboo horse to a cliff near the ravines Yang Junxiong had searched.
• Zhao Xing suspected Yang Junxiong had been seeking the Spiritual Elegance and rode the bamboo horse toward the ravines to search for it.

Zhao Xing gathered a full cup of High-Grade Spiritual Elegance in the ravine, raising his luck from Derivation Two to Derivation Three, then descended Spirit Mountain as the three-day trial ended. Officials and families awaited the returning clerks, and the chapter ended with startled cries as another Gucheng clerk emerged with enormous gains.

• Yang Junxiong drove off people trying to steal his treasures, then watched Zhao Xing gather the ravine’s golden Spiritual Elegance with the Luck Golden Cup.
• Zhao Xing absorbed the full cup of Spiritual Elegance, raised his luck to Derivation Three, and started down the mountain with Mountain Cat.
• Lu Qian searched for Zhao Xing while Xue Wenzhong, Chen Shijie, the Zhao family, and Zong Yonglong waited at Earth Altar Plaza.
• Qin Feng and the others forgot their experiences after crossing the Forget Sorrow Stele, while Zong Shichang emerged with improved cultivation and discovered that Wang Dong had died.
• Gao Linong praised the gains of Zong Shichang and Li Chengfeng, then Xue Wenzhong angrily silenced him and the other officials.
• A Gucheng clerk emerged with enormous gains, prompting Chen Shijie to rush outside.

Zhao Xing emerged from Spirit Mountain having reached the Ranked Realm, with a Bamboo Horse, a powerful Mountain Cat, and a trove of loot despite his hazy memories. As officials awaited the temple’s assessment, Yang Junxiong and Lu Qian realized Zhao Xing had their missing Bamboo Horse and Peacock Feather Magic Garment, while Zhao Xing prepared to check his records.

• Shen Zhui emerged from Spirit Mountain in the Ranked Realm, and Chen Shijie and Xue Wenzhong waited anxiously for Zhao Xing.
• Zhao Xing rode out on a Bamboo Horse with a Mountain Cat and discovered banknotes and a Peacock Feather Magic Garment among his belongings; the officials recognized that he had reached the Ranked Realm.
• Yang Junxiong emerged and realized Zhao Xing was riding his missing Bamboo Horse, while Lu Qian discovered her Peacock Feather Magic Garment was gone and spotted it with Zhao Xing.
• At the viewing platform, Lu Qian wondered if she had given Zhao Xing the garment, while Zhao Xing suspected he had stolen it and dismissed her attention.
• Xue Wenzhong told Zhao Xing to stay seated for the results, and Zhao Xing examined his panel and records.