Chapter Summaries

Li Ye left the mineral vein with Earthy Balm Aroma Ore and bought a mechanism space gate for a three-month mining period. He then purchased Dew-Bearing Magnolias, Crystalline Spirit Bees, spirit turtles, and a Pocket Mountain-River Box, returning home with experiments and mining arrangements ahead.

• Li Ye gave the Whitefur Rat a piece of Earthy Balm Aroma Ore, learned why the Mo Family wanted Buddha's Crown Gold, and registered to take a mechanism space gate for three months.
• Li Ye bought five Dew-Bearing Magnolia trees after learning they collected morning dew but rejected most bees.
• Li Ye found Crystalline Spirit Bees that the magnolias accepted and purchased them.
• Li Ye bought soil-dwelling spirit turtles and a Pocket Mountain-River Box from the Mo Family's shop, then returned home with an instruction manual.

Li Ye bound an Earth Turtle to the Bitter Spirit Gourd, and the two formed a symbiotic pair as the turtle carried the gourd through the soil. He also bound Queen Bees to a Dew-Bearing Magnolia and prepared a new home for his beavers before turning to search for ore.

• Zhao He told Li Ye that his residence had been built and that Immortal Yang had invited him to study at the Hall of Affairs, and Li Ye told him to go.
• Li Ye bound an Earth Turtle to the Bitter Spirit Gourd, and the turtle dragged the gourd plant and its roots through the courtyard while carrying three item-filled gourds on its shell.
• Li Ye recorded the Earth Turtle and Bitter Spirit Gourd's symbiosis and wondered whether the turtle's long lifespan could extend the gourd's remaining month of life.
• Li Ye planted the Dew-Bearing Magnolia and bound it to five Queen Bees, which began collecting its dew.
• Li Ye buried a Pocket Mountain-River Box beside the spiritual spring for the beavers, bound the newly acquired Hungry Bones, and went to search for ore.

Li Ye investigated a disturbance in his mine, then received his summer assignment: a Radiant Dawn Spirit Mulberry and Age-Tilting Silkworms. The Black Cat reappeared and showed him spells for using silkworm silk to extend spirit plants’ roots, though the method required expensive materials.

• Li Ye sent Zhao He to fetch Senior Brother Rat after discovering that the markers in his mine had vanished, and Senior Brother Rat suspected an Earth Tremor Worm.
• Senior Brother Rat warned Li Ye to avoid the mine’s deep layers while it investigated the danger with the Mo Family.
• Qian Fang delivered Li Ye’s sealed Radiant Dawn Spirit Mulberry and Age-Tilting Silkworms, which Li Ye inspected and planted in his courtyard.
• The Black Cat appeared from the Huai Spirit Scroll and showed Li Ye the Silk-Weaving Root Technique and the method for producing Life-Breath Spirit Ink.
• Li Ye learned that the spells could produce special silkworms whose silk helped spirit plants extend their roots, but that the process cost thousands of Spirit Stones.

Li Ye learned more about Spirit Stones and focused on raising the Age-Tilting Silkworms while his courtyard’s abundant spiritual energy brought him close to Foundation Establishment. The chapter ended with Beaver and the other Beavers revealing that they had all reached Foundation Establishment, while Beaver refined Buddha’s Crown Gold into a radiant disc.

• Black Cat explained how Spirit Stones were used and why their supply and quality reflected a sect’s strength.
• Li Ye moved the Age-Tilting Silkworm eggs into a jade box and planned to care for the Radiant Sun Mulberry Tree with the Dawnlight Seed-Soothing Art.
• The spirit plants and beasts flooded Li Ye with spiritual energy, leaving him close to breaking through to Foundation Establishment.
• A squad of Golden Horn Ants brought Li Ye several pieces of Buddha’s Crown Gold from the mechanical spatial gate.
• Beaver melted a piece of Buddha’s Crown Gold into a shining disc and revealed that it had reached Foundation Establishment.
• The other four Beavers gathered and showed Li Ye that they had also reached Foundation Establishment.

Li Ye discovered a huge Earth Tremor Worm giving birth beneath the mine and captured one of its hatchlings with the Spirit Vein Willow’s help. He escaped through the Spatial Mechanism Gate as a creature attacked from inside, leaving a severed claw behind.

• Li Ye examined the Buddha’s Crown Gold Beaver had infused with Buddha light, then followed the Golden Horn Ants into the mine.
• Li Ye learned from the Ant Queen that something enormous lay below and followed the ants to a crack overlooking a golden coral grove.
• Li Ye saw an Earth Tremor Worm giving birth to hatchlings and used the Spirit Vein Willow to guide one toward him.
• Li Ye grabbed the Earth Tremor Worm hatchling and hurried out of the Spatial Mechanism Gate with the ants and the Spirit Vein Willow.
• A shrill cry sounded from within the mine, and when Li Ye shut the gate, it severed a creature’s claw that had reached through.

White Rat and Spirit Vine arranged to publicize the dangers and rewards of a mine after its Earth Tremor Worms died, while Li Ye learned that the deaths could spawn Mine Wraiths. Su Ya and Qian Fang offered to help him explore the vein, and Li Ye agreed to share the mined minerals with them.

• White Rat secured the Mo Family's mine map and arranged for news of the dangerous but resource-rich mine to be made public.
• Spirit Vine sent Qian Fang and Su Ya to meet Li Ye and investigate the Earth Tremor Worms' deaths near Returning Shore Market.
• Li Ye identified the monster's flowing liquid as Blood Copper Ore and kept an Earth Tremor Worm contained in his courtyard.
• Su Ya and Qian Fang explained that Earth Tremor Worms repaired damaged mineral veins and that their deaths would likely create Mine Wraiths.
• Qian Fang offered to help Li Ye mine the vein, and Li Ye agreed to give the brothers a share of the minerals they found.

Li Ye agreed to help Qian Fang cultivate Spirit Water Fluorite with his Earth Tremor Worm, and joined Qian Fang and Su Ya to gather ore in the mine. After the senior brothers effortlessly cleared several ghosts, the group reached a Crimson Jade Flower Sea and grew cautious.

• Qian Fang showed Li Ye a Mineral Tai Sui that could produce valuable flesh from ore, and Li Ye agreed to help him cultivate spirit ore.
• Li Ye summoned his Earth Tremor Worm, and Qian Fang explained how its spiritual fluid could slowly nourish minerals.
• Li Ye agreed to discuss cultivating Qian Fang's Spirit Water Fluorite after they had gathered ore and made a nest for the worm.
• Su Ya destroyed a Blood Copper Ghoul with a Firestorm Pill, and Qian Fang collected its remains with a mechanical toad.
• Qian Fang used his Magic Tools and Su Ya used pills to defeat more mine ghosts while Li Ye gathered the scattered ores.
• The three reached a swaying Crimson Jade Flower Sea, where Qian Fang and Su Ya became serious.

Li Ye learned the Earth Sentiment Art and used it to locate the Mine Wraith hidden beneath the Crimson Jade Flower Sea. Su Ya and Qian Fang destroyed it, revealing Crimson Jade Skull Crystal, and the group prepared to continue with the mineral vein cleared.

• Su Ya gave Li Ye a jade slip containing the Earth Sentiment Art and explained how it could help him sense the Mine Wraith.
• Li Ye studied the art, connected with the earth beneath the flowers, and sensed a hostile aura about three hundred meters to the southeast.
• Su Ya and Qian Fang bombarded the indicated area, dispelling the flower sea illusion and destroying the Mine Wraith.
• Qian Fang identified the remains as third-grade Crimson Jade Skull Crystal, which could be crafted into containers for Spiritual Materials.
• Qian Fang asked Li Ye to grow Bitter Spirit Gourds for him, and Li Ye agreed.

After the mine expedition, Su Ya left the market to gather materials for his natal Magic Treasure, and Li Ye hosted him for a farewell meal. The next morning, Li Ye discovered that his Crystalline Spirit Bees had built hives in the Dew-Bearing Magnolias and begun producing fragrant golden honey.

• Li Ye, Qian Fang, and Su Ya ended their mine exploration after the Mine Wraiths hid, taking valuable Spiritual Materials and feeding most of them to the Mineral Tai Sui.
• Qian Fang left to seek a Pocket Mountain-River Box and promised to help Li Ye build a nest for the Earth Tremor Worm.
• Su Ya told Li Ye he would leave the market to gather materials in the Eastern Yang Sea and deliver letters to junior brothers with merfolk bloodlines.
• Li Ye prepared a farewell feast and Peach Blossom Wine, and he and Su Ya talked through the night before Su Ya departed at sunrise.
• Li Ye noticed the Crystalline Spirit Bees had turned the Dew-Bearing Magnolia blossoms into hives and were producing fragrant pale-golden honey.

Li Ye sampled the Crystalline Spirit Bees’ honey and began cultivating his land with the Earth Sentiment Technique. Qian Fang arrived with several new disciples and showed Li Ye a shape-changing Pocket Mountain-River Box.

• The Locust Spirit Courier brought Li Ye honey water, which he found faintly sweet and rich in gentle spiritual power.
• After waking at dusk, Li Ye began using the Earth Sentiment Technique, his Divine Sense, and the Earth Surge Technique to cultivate the soil.
• Li Ye continued working the land over the next few days until Zhao He informed him that Qian Fang and several cultivators had come to visit.
• Qian Fang introduced the new junior apprentices, sent them to dig ore, and told Li Ye that inner sect disciples were responsible for teaching their juniors.
• Qian Fang showed Li Ye the Pocket Mountain-River Box he had won from the Mo Family, and the box expanded as its mechanisms activated.

Li Ye helped Qian Fang set up a Pocket Mountain-River Box to house an Earth Tremor Worm, then offered him purified ores and a mysterious silver sprout. Qian Fang bought the ores for three thousand Spirit Stones and recognized the sprout as rare Moon Essence Spirit Metal, leaving him eager to recruit Li Ye.

• Qian Fang explained that the Pocket Mountain-River Box could store lifeless objects but not living creatures, and showed Li Ye his sect-issued storage ring.
• Li Ye and Qian Fang arranged minerals inside the box, where the Earth Tremor Worm settled in and began eating the ores.
• Qian Fang entrusted Li Ye with the earthy-yellow jade needed to nurture his natal Magic Treasure and asked him to help with materials for forging.
• Li Ye brought out purified ores and a silver sprout, and Qian Fang bought the ores for three thousand Spirit Stones.
• Qian Fang identified the silver sprout as Moon Essence Spirit Metal, a material usually encountered at the Golden Core stage, and considered recruiting Li Ye.

Li Ye learned that the Moon Essence Spirit Metal would accept only his spiritual energy and considered using it to forge a yin-yang Magic Tool. After cultivators discovered an Earthfiend Ginseng controlling Mine Wraiths, Uncle Spirit Vine assigned Li Ye to treat it as a sect mission, leaving him in a quiet chamber before a glowing bronze ruler.

• Qian Fang explained the Moon Essence Spirit Metal’s origins and advised Li Ye about using it to forge a Magic Tool.
• Cultivators returned from the mine injured and showed Qian Fang and Li Ye a recording of a demonic ginseng controlling Mine Wraiths.
• Qian Fang took Li Ye to Uncle Spirit Vine, who identified the creature as an Earthfiend Ginseng and ordered Li Ye to treat it.
• Uncle Spirit Vine told Qian Fang to summon nearby family heads and led Li Ye into a quiet chamber, where a glowing bronze ruler rested on a jade platform.

Li Ye received the Azure Lotus Flight Art and a primal spirit plant from the Shennong Ruler, then joined Spirit Vine and Qian Fang in preparing for a mission to contain Earthfiend Ginseng. The Zhou Family was chosen to provide spirit land, while the white-robed cultivator considered the threats facing the Eastern Domain and Li Ye’s upcoming choices.

• Li Ye touched the Shennong Ruler, learned the Azure Lotus Flight Art, and received the Flight Azure Lotus Seed.
• Spirit Vine gathered the Golden Core family heads and tasked them with helping contain Earthfiend Ginseng by providing spirit land.
• Spirit Vine selected the Zhou Family to provide the first plot, and the Old Matriarch agreed to cooperate.
• Spirit Vine warned Li Ye not to accept bribes and told Qian Fang to teach him as they prepared to depart for the Zhou Family.
• Spirit Vine spoke with the white-robed cultivator, who discussed possible intruders in the Eastern Domain and worried that Li Ye might place too much importance on Myriad Gods Shrine.

Li Ye joined the Zhou Family’s effort to contain Mine Wraiths tainted by the Earthfiend Ginseng’s resentment, using azure lotuses to sense and purify them. With the Beaver’s Buddhist light helping him endure the pain, he began suppressing the wraiths beneath the spiritual ground.

• Li Ye gathered his treasures and the Beaver before leaving home, and Qian Fang assured him that he could return through the spatial formation if needed.
• Zhou Qiumai led Li Ye and Qian Fang to a spiritual ground where Mine Wraiths crawled from a cavern, and explained that the formation would release them in batches.
• Li Ye grew a Flight Azure Lotus and cast lotus petals for the cultivators to place on the Mine Wraiths’ spiritual energy nodes.
• The lotuses rooted into the Mine Wraiths and connected their resentment to Li Ye, while the Beaver’s Buddhist light helped him filter and dissolve it.
• Li Ye endured the lingering pain of the resentment and, over the following days, purified the wraiths as more azure lotuses bloomed across the ground.

After a day fighting Mine Wraiths, Li Ye soothed the exhausted Zhou Family disciples with a changed Dawnlight Bell and discovered his silver sprouts had gained warmth. The next morning, Earth Sentiment Mycelia appeared among the lotuses, and Li Ye chose to investigate rather than destroy them, even as he considered eating their strange offerings.

• The Zhou Family disciples withdrew from the Mine Wraiths, and Li Ye emerged from his cocoon exhausted after creating dozens of lotus flowers.
• Li Ye rang the Dawnlight Bell, spreading warm, rainbow-tinged light that comforted the injured cultivators, then discovered his silver sprouts had changed.
• Qian Fang explained that the sprouts were spirit metal of Yin-Yang Intermingling, and Li Ye joined the others for a banquet before staying near the spiritual ground overnight.
• The next morning, Li Ye found Earth Sentiment Mycelia spreading over the lotuses, with humanoid shadows building a camp among the fungi.
• Li Ye read the mycelia's panel, saw that they longed to be eaten, and persuaded Qian Fang not to remove them immediately.
• Li Ye used the Flying Light Azure Lotus to retrieve a skewer of black candied hawthorns and considered taking a bite.

Li Ye discovered that the mycelium fed livestock while drawing power from the Mine Wraith, and he proposed using it to weaken the Earthfiend Ginseng and benefit the sect. The Old Matriarch put Zhou Qiumai in charge of inviting nearby families to bring their livestock, with all admission fees to be handed to Li Ye.

• Li Ye tested a mycelium-made treat on a Spotted Pig, confirmed it was safe to eat, and had Zhou Liqiu bring the clan's livestock to feed on the fungi.
• The mycelium produced food endlessly as the livestock ate, grew, and even gave birth or laid eggs, leaving the cultivators astonished.
• Li Ye warned Qian Fang not to destroy the mycelium carelessly; when Qian Fang burned a piece, its nearly fourth-rank baleful resentment erupted inside his Magic Tool.
• Li Ye proposed exploiting the mycelium's link to the Earthfiend Ginseng to drain its strength and collect useful fungi for the sect, and Qian Fang agreed to let him lead.
• Li Ye asked Zhou Qiumai to invite nearby families to bring livestock for a fee, and the Old Matriarch ordered Zhou Qiumai to organize it and give all the spirit stones to Li Ye.

Li Ye and Qian Fang helped the Zhou Family feed the Earth Sentiment Mycelia by bringing in huge quantities of livestock, while monitoring the mycelia’s effects on the Mine Wraiths. Their plan took a dangerous turn when a Hungry Ghost Evil Bone began to rise from the spirit land.

• Spirit Vine discussed the Earth Sentiment Mycelia with the woman in white, who suspected Hell Dao cultivators had caused the disaster and wondered about Li Ye’s unusual abilities.
• Zhou Qiumai used the Zhou Family’s seal and the Four Seasons Sect’s name to summon livestock from other families, and Spirit Vine redirected the spatial formation to the Zhou Family.
• Zhou Family disciples managed the livestock as the Earth Sentiment Mycelia fed on them, and Li Ye and Qian Fang watched from a soundproofed tower.
• Qian Fang showed Li Ye that the mycelia were draining Mine Wraiths before the wraiths sought refuge among the Flying Light Azure Lotuses and were trapped.
• Li Ye and Qian Fang saw a purple-red Hungry Ghost Evil Bone slowly rising deep within the mycelia-entangled spirit land.

Li Ye discovered that the mycelia were draining the Hungry Ghost Evil Bone and decided to use Flying Light Azure Lotuses to contact the resentment within it. His Micro-Stream Beaver instead fed and purified the trapped hungry ghosts, leaving Li Ye protected as the souls gathered around it.

• Li Ye and Qian Fang watched as the mycelia wrapped around the Hungry Ghost Evil Bone and began consuming its resentment and spiritual power.
• Li Ye asked Qian Fang to retrieve the Ink Wash Hungry Bone and sent him away with Red Bean, while Qian Fang gave Li Ye a Jadeite Jade Deity leaf for emergencies.
• Li Ye ordered Zhou Qiumai and the Zhou Family cultivators to bring Flying Light Azure Lotuses to the mycelia and supply them with more spiritual energy.
• Li Ye used the lotuses to reach into the red resentment and encountered countless hungry ghosts who rushed toward his Divine Sense.
• The Micro-Stream Beaver showered the hungry ghosts with food, purifying them with golden radiance until they gathered around it and protected Li Ye.

Li Ye used the beavers and his Azure Lotus to suppress the Hungry Ghost Evil Bone and draw out Earthfiend Ginseng’s roots. When a mysterious fox appeared through his Divine Sense, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Four Seasons Sect intervened, and another figure urged Li Ye to strike back.

• Li Ye transferred resentment into Azure Lotus blossoms while the Zhou Family cultivators helped him bear the burden.
• The Azure Bird brought four beavers and an Ink Wash Hungry Bone, helping Li Ye find and snap the ginseng roots suppressing the Hungry Ghost Evil Bone’s seal.
• Li Ye had Qian Fang lead the livestock away, drawing the mycelium out of the spirit field as the Evil Bone closed and its resentment stopped flowing.
• Li Ye followed the severed roots underground, where a many-tailed fox addressed him through its Divine Sense.
• A Nascent Soul female cultivator from the Four Seasons Sect arrived in wind and snow, and a second figure handed Li Ye a wooden ruler and told him to hit the fox.

Su Xing Zhenren rescued Li Ye from the Earth Wish Spirit Fox, made him his sixth disciple, and took him to the Myriad Gods Shrine to receive a blessing. Li Ye obtained Jianmu’s seed and returned to the grassland, where Su Xing Zhenren sent him to handle his affairs before entering the sect.

• Li Ye used Su Xing Zhenren’s wooden ruler to sever three of the Earth Wish Spirit Fox’s tails, and the fox fled underground while the white-robed female cultivator pursued it.
• Su Xing Zhenren made Li Ye his disciple, refined the severed tails into a fly-whisk that could save Li Ye from danger three times, and gave him a Four Seasons Harmony Token.
• Su Xing Zhenren brought Li Ye to the Myriad Gods Shrine, where he was registered as an inner sect disciple under Su Xing Zhenren.
• Li Ye walked through the shrine and received Jianmu’s blessing, gaining a seed in his dantian and the divine ability Life-Breath Breaking Earth, World Shaping.
• Su Xing Zhenren returned Li Ye’s cultivation and companions, told him to settle his affairs before entering the sect in three years, and sent him away through a spatial gateway.