Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu learned from Old Hao that Jilong Dao Lower Courtyard’s farming quota and cultivation costs could trap him in years of debt. As Old Hao began teaching him to farm, Chen Mu discovered the courtyard wells drew water from veins carrying Earth Spirit Vital Qi, which Yellow Sprout Rice needed to grow.

• Chen Mu moved into his stone courtyard and invited his farming instructor and neighbor, Old Hao, to dinner.
• Old Hao warned Chen Mu that he owed three thousand jin of Yellow Sprout Rice at harvest and might fall into debt, delaying his Spirit-Soul Unification.
• Chen Mu counted his limited money and realized that food, farming supplies, and cultivation costs threatened to exhaust his savings.
• The next day, Old Hao inspected Chen Mu’s field and explained that courtyard wells had been placed over water veins carrying Earth Spirit Vital Qi.

Old Hao taught Chen Mu how to plant Yellow Sprout Rice and warned him about the dangers and costs of farming in the Lower Courtyard. In private, Old Hao and Small-Eyed Fatty plotted to use Chen Mu’s frustrations and news about his companions to persuade him to sell his treasure for White Jade Spirit Coins.

• Old Hao explained Yellow Sprout Rice cultivation, the threat of Mutant Beasts, and the likely costs of farming and practicing the Unification Secret Method.
• Old Hao trained Chen Mu for seven days, helped him plant one mu of Yellow Sprout Rice, and obtained fertilizer on credit for him.
• Old Hao told Chen Mu that he could earn rewards by helping him meet the grain delivery quota, and Chen Mu thanked him for his guidance.
• Small-Eyed Fatty asked Old Hao whether Chen Mu would sell his treasure, and Old Hao said he planned to pressure Chen Mu after letting him struggle with farming.
• Small-Eyed Fatty agreed to gather information about Chen Mu’s companions so Old Hao could use it to persuade Chen Mu to sell his treasure.

Chen Mu used his Paper Effigy Yinhun to plant Yellow Sprout Rice overnight while convincing Old Hao that his unusually strong crops came from hard work. He completed the Cloud Mirage Spirit Armor Technique and, troubled by his worsening appetite and dwindling funds, decided to ask Old Hao about a gray-market place to sell Calming Spirit Pills.

• Old Hao visited Low Hill expecting Chen Mu's Yellow Sprout Rice to have failed, but found thriving crops and learned Chen Mu had planted five additional mu.
• Chen Mu secretly used his Paper Effigy Yinhun to plant another mu of rice overnight, while pretending to Old Hao that he stayed up working.
• Chen Mu noticed that his appetite was unusually large as he neared completion of the Cloud Mirage Spirit Armor Technique.
• Eight days later, Chen Mu completed Spirit-Soul Unification through the Cloud Mirage Spirit Armor Technique and discovered he could continue cultivating it.
• Chen Mu realized his appetite had increased again and worried that selling a large batch of Calming Spirit Pills through the Hundred Herbs Pavilion might attract attention.
• Chen Mu decided to ask Old Hao whether he knew of a gray-market trading spot.

Chen Mu learned that the Scripture Transmission Courtyard offered paid cultivation guidance and continued improving his farming and cultivation in the Lower Courtyard. After Yellow Sprout Rice took root, he asked Old Hao about the Underground Market so he could sell Calming Spirit Pills, and Old Hao realized he might earn a commission after all.

• Chen Mu planned to ask around cautiously and learned from Old Hao that the Scripture Transmission Courtyard offered lectures, secret arts, and paid cultivation guidance.
• Chen Mu noticed that farming lessons increased his Planting Proficiency and suspected that Earth Spirit Vital Qi explained his faster cultivation in Yunzhou and the Lower Courtyard.
• Chen Mu spent his days tending Yellow Sprout Rice, which grew to human height and passed its most vulnerable early stage.
• Old Hao decided Chen Mu was extraordinarily lucky and considered taking him to the Gambling Ship, but chose not to lead him astray.
• Chen Mu asked Old Hao about the Underground Market, explaining that he wanted to trade unwanted goods and considering selling his Calming Spirit Pills.
• Old Hao was delighted when he realized Chen Mu's plan could bring back his commission.

Chen Mu learned that Old Hao and Shang Huan planned to cheat him when he sold his belongings, so he used Spirit-Disturbing Smoke to rob them. The next morning, he told Old Hao he would wait before selling anything, leaving Old Hao worried about losing his commission.

• Old Hao warned Chen Mu that the Underground Market was risky and offered to introduce him to Shang Huan, while secretly planning to profit from Chen Mu's sale.
• Old Hao told Shang Huan to cheat Chen Mu because he expected Chen Mu to buy the Unification Secret Method and stop doing business afterward.
• Chen Mu overheard their scheme and used his improved Spirit-Disturbing Smoke to incapacitate them and steal their valuables.
• Old Hao visited Chen Mu the next morning and urged him to prepare items for sale, but Chen Mu said he would wait half a year or a year before trading.

After securing supplies by taking Old Hao and Shang Huan’s possessions, Chen Mu settled into a steady life cultivating Yellow Sprout Rice and improving his skills. When Antlered Black Sheep invaded his field, he captured them and decided to eat them rather than sell them.

• Chen Mu used Black Smoke to clear the Yellow Sprout Rice Field, then inspected the goods and White Jade Coins he had taken from Old Hao and Shang Huan.
• Chen Mu continued tending his crop, delaying lessons at the Scripture Transmission Courtyard until he could learn more about his Spirit Armor Technique and the marked bracer.
• Over the following half month, Chen Mu focused on farming and discovered that his Culinary skill had reached Tier 4, allowing him to identify Essence of Five Grains in Fasting Pills.
• The Paper Effigy Yinhun alerted Chen Mu to a group of Antlered Black Sheep entering the Yellow Sprout Rice Field.
• Old Hao helped Chen Mu assess the captured sheep, and Chen Mu chose to eat them instead of selling them for White Jade Coins.

Chen Mu visited the Underground Market, learned about Mustard Seed Talismans, and returned to find emerald beetles devouring his Yellow Sprout Rice. He used the Heartless Bell to drive them away before they could ruin the field.

• Old Hao sold mutant beast materials at the Underground Market, and Chen Mu followed him there using Shang Huan’s name to pass the entrance guard.
• Chen Mu inspected the market’s Yellow Sprout Rice and discovered that the seller had hidden inferior grain beneath the good stock.
• Chen Mu saw a stall owner sell a Mustard Seed Talisman and learned that the talisman could open and close thirty-six times.
• Chen Mu noticed through his yin soul that emerald beetles were multiplying as they ate the Yellow Sprout Rice at Low Hill.
• Chen Mu’s Spirit Armor Technique protected him from a beetle’s bite, and he rang the Heartless Bell to make the swarm vanish in black smoke.

Chen Mu studied the unfamiliar Jade Green Beetles, learned more about the White Sun True Elucidation, and ended by asking Old Hao how much it cost. He remained interested in its mysteries despite learning that the cheap scripture was incomplete without a Secret Art Jade Slip.

• Chen Mu examined the Jade Green Beetles and learned from Old Hao that they were an unknown pest threatening the Yellow Sprout Rice Fields.
• Old Hao paid Chen Mu two White Jade Coins for the Antlered Black Sheep hide and bones, and Chen Mu gave him dried sheep meat in return.
• Chen Mu learned Shang Huan's Mustard Seed Talisman incantation and used it to reveal a Wooden Cabinet filled with assorted goods and books.
• Chen Mu found Shang Huan's ledger and learned that the White Sun True Elucidation sold for only one White Jade Coin.
• Old Hao explained that the scripture was genuine but incomplete without a Secret Art Jade Slip conveying its true intent, and Chen Mu asked how much a copy cost.

Chen Mu advanced his White Sun True Elucidation, improved his Yellow Sprout Rice cultivation, and discovered that the technique’s path differed from the Cloud Mirage Spirit Armor Technique. As his rising food costs strained his finances, he decided to find a way to sell Calming Spirit Pills, while Dong Cheng plotted to profit from ruining his rice field.

• Chen Mu moved his rocking chair near the well, began reciting the White Sun True Elucidation, and chose the Jade-Eyed Golden Ape Body Tempering Technique to alter.
• Chen Mu discovered a worm inside his Yellow Sprout Rice and gained insights that improved his second-tier planting ability.
• Dong Cheng and the Bald Strongman discussed sabotaging Chen Mu’s rice field and pressuring him into buying from them.
• Chen Mu’s scripture practice caused Soul Force to enter and brighten the Jade-Eyed Golden Ape Divine Intent, reinforcing his suspicion that the Cloud Mirage Spirit Armor Technique followed a different path.
• Chen Mu bought expensive Fasting Pills to manage his growing appetite and resolved to find a way to sell Calming Spirit Pills.

Chen Mu caught Shang Huan and Old Hao adulterating bone meal and punished them, then forced Shang Huan to sell his goods and six bottles of Spirit Calming Pills. After Chen Mu disappeared, Shang Huan decided the pills could be his chance to build a lasting connection with the masked taoist.

• Shang Huan and Old Hao mixed cheap bone meal into their fertilizer to increase their profits, and Chen Mu overheard their scheme.
• Chen Mu rendered Shang Huan and Old Hao unconscious, then chose Shang Huan to sell his Calming Spirit Pills without revealing himself.
• Chen Mu searched Old Hao's belongings without taking anything, then frightened Shang Huan into agreeing to sell a Wooden Cabinet and six bottles of Spirit Calming Pills.
• After Chen Mu vanished, Shang Huan considered seeking protection from Dong Cheng's Lower Courtyard Supervisor but decided the pills offered a better opportunity.
• Shang Huan resolved to establish a long-term connection with Chen Mu by selling the pills.

Shang Huan began selling Chen Mu’s Calming Spirit Pills, while Chen Mu expanded his income and continued cultivating and farming in Low Hill. Dong Cheng and the Bald Strongman planned to wait for Chen Mu to leave for the Scripture Transmission Courtyard ceremony in a month and a half.

• Shang Huan sold Chen Mu’s Calming Spirit Pills and returned with seven White Jade Coins and eighteen pills left; Chen Mu paid him one coin and gave him another six bottles to sell in secret.
• Chen Mu adopted the name Gongsun Sheng and arranged to sell two batches of twelve bottles each month through Shang Huan.
• Chen Mu enjoyed his improved income while cooking Exotic Beast Meat, cultivating the White Sun True Elucidation, and tending Yellow Sprout Rice.
• The Bald Strongman complained that Chen Mu had not left Low Hill in a month, but Dong Cheng warned him not to act rashly.
• Dong Cheng predicted that Chen Mu would attend the Scripture Transmission and Preaching ceremony in a month and a half, giving them a chance to act.

Chen Mu advanced his White Sun True Elucidation and discovered that his Soul Force could coat weapons, while the Bald Strongman sabotaged his rice field with Earth Spirit Rats. Dong Cheng planned to wait and assess Chen Mu’s wealth before striking, then target Shang Huan as well.

• Chen Mu finished tending his Yellow Sprout Rice and dried more than a thousand Calming Spirit Pills, deciding to seek materials at the Underground Market and warn Shang Huan to be discreet.
• Chen Mu’s Divine Intent grew clearer and rounder through reciting the White Sun True Elucidation, and he realized his Soul Force could attach to his ebony short sword.
• The Bald Strongman watched Chen Mu leave for the Scripture Transmission Courtyard, then released White Striped Earth Spirit Rats into Chen Mu’s Yellow Sprout Rice Field.
• The Bald Strongman reported to Dong Cheng that he had staged the rat attack to look like a natural disaster and had also damaged nearby households.
• Dong Cheng ordered the Bald Strongman to wait two days and monitor Chen Mu’s White Jade Coins and Shang Huan before they made their next move.

Dong Cheng and the Bald Strongman planned to kill Chen Mu by exploiting the danger around his Yellow Sprout Rice Field, but Chen Mu had been watching them and attacked first. He killed the Bald Strongman and broke Dong Cheng’s Spiritual Light Talisman shield, leaving Dong Cheng dead and Chen Mu to vanish from the room.

• The Bald Strongman suggested attacking Chen Mu for his suspected White Jade Coins, and Dong Cheng explained that they would use a Mutant Beast attack to make Chen Mu’s death appear natural.
• Chen Mu’s invisible attack killed an Earth Spirit Rat in the Yellow Sprout Rice Field as Dong Cheng and the Bald Strongman discussed their plan.
• The invisible attack tore the Bald Strongman in two, and Dong Cheng used a Spiritual Light Talisman to shield himself from Chen Mu.
• Chen Mu appeared in the doorway and repeatedly sent the Five Ghosts Yin Souls to strike Dong Cheng’s shield while Dong Cheng tried to bargain and threaten him.
• The shield shattered, and Chen Mu’s four Yin Soul Paper Figures overwhelmed Dong Cheng’s Soul Force and killed him.
• Chen Mu lamented that others had forced him to kill again, then disappeared in Black Smoke.

Chen Mu attended Zhuang Fu’s lecture on Spirit-Soul Unification and learned how secret arts could strengthen Divine Intent and soul force. Afterward, he concealed the damage caused by the White Striped Earth Spirit Rats and resolved to further disguise his traces while considering whether to learn a Jade Seed secret art.

• Chen Mu listened to Zhuang Fu explain Dao Bones, Jade Seeds, and the cultivation process for Spirit-Soul Unification.
• Chen Mu transplanted Yellow Sprout Rice at night to disguise the field damaged by the White Striped Earth Spirit Rats and hide evidence of his actions.
• Chen Mu reflected on the wealth he had taken from Dong Cheng, the Bald Strongman, and their associates, while insisting he would ignore the worldly temptation.
• Chen Mu attended more of Zhuang Fu’s lectures and learned that Jade Seed secret arts could improve control over soul force and accelerate Spirit-Soul Unification.
• Chen Mu noticed a Lower Courtyard Supervisor investigating near a residence, then decided to use the Fragrance Condensing Pill to further conceal his scent.

After the Scripture Transmission lectures ended, Chen Mu reviewed what he had learned and decided he needed a Jade Seed Secret Technique to advance his cultivation. Meanwhile, Lin Su ordered an investigation into Dong Cheng’s disappearance, and Chen Mu discovered he had enough White Jade Coins to shop for a technique at the Scripture Transmission Courtyard.

• Chen Mu recalled that the Cloud Mirage Spirit Armor Technique had strengthened his body and helped him defeat Dong Cheng, then reflected on how little he knew about Spiritual Light Talismans.
• Zhuang Fu ended the fifteen days of lectures, and a report informed Lin Su that Dong Cheng and several Lower Academy Disciples had disappeared.
• Lin Su concluded Dong Cheng’s disappearance was likely connected to newly admitted Lower Academy Disciples and ordered them all investigated.
• Chen Mu tended his Yellow Sprout Rice, reviewed his lecture notes, and realized he needed a Jade Seed Secret Technique to help fuse spirit and soul.
• Chen Mu counted his savings and found over a hundred White Jade Coins, including coins from Dong Cheng’s Mustard Seed Talisman, and resolved to visit the Scripture Transmission Courtyard the next day.

Chen Mu visited the Scripture Transmission Courtyard and found its secret technique manuals far beyond his budget, leaving empty-handed. Frustrated by the Lower Courtyard’s costs, he revealed that he had obtained cheap supplementary copies of Jade Seed techniques and planned to use his Proficiency Cheat to cultivate them.

• Chen Mu entered the Scripture Transmission Courtyard, learned that reading scriptures cost one White Jade Coin per hour, and browsed its secret technique scrolls.
• Chen Mu discovered that even the cheapest Spirit-Soul Unification and Jade Seed techniques cost most of his savings, then unsuccessfully tried to bargain with the Gray-haired Elder for the Hidden Sand Technique.
• Chen Mu left empty-handed and brooded over the Lower Courtyard’s fees for manuals, lessons, and market trade while tending his work and cultivating.
• Chen Mu used Black Smoke to reveal seven or eight supplementary copies of Jade Seed secret methods that Shang Huan had gathered for three White Jade Coins.
• Chen Mu decided to cultivate the copied techniques with his Proficiency Cheat and vowed not to give the Scripture Transmission Courtyard another coin.

Chen Mu tested the Hidden Sand Technique and discovered that practicing it after White Sun True Elucidation increased both techniques’ Proficiency. Later, the Lower Courtyard Patrol searched his home for a suspect in Dong Cheng’s disappearance, leaving Chen Mu worried that the incident was not over.

• Chen Mu tested the Hidden Sand Technique, measured its range and power, and decided to focus on improving it before learning other secret arts.
• Chen Mu found that practicing the Hidden Sand Technique after half an hour of White Sun True Elucidation also raised the latter’s Proficiency.
• When the Lower Courtyard Patrol arrived to search for a vicious criminal, Chen Mu hid suspicious items and bribed the lead Patrol Officer with two White Jade Coins.
• The Patrol questioned Chen Mu about Dong Cheng and a peddler, then warned him to farm honestly before leaving.
• Old Hao told Chen Mu that Dong Cheng had swindled outsiders and was suspected dead, while Chen Mu complained that he had been dragged into the affair.

Chen Mu discovered that Dong Cheng’s White Jade disk could extract Earth Spirit Vital Qi from White Jade Coins and accelerate cultivation, but using it rapidly drained his savings. After a month of cultivating with the disk, Chen Mu advanced the White Sun True Elucidation to its second tier and realized he still had a long way to go.

• Chen Mu saw patrolmen arrest Song Wei after mistaking his angry complaint about Dong Cheng for a threat, then watched them extort him and bought more Yellow Sprout Rice while planning to stay home.
• At Low Mountain Courtyard, Chen Mu examined the jade disk from Dong Cheng’s Mustard Seed Talisman and found that inserting a White Jade Coin made it glow.
• Chen Mu tested the disk and discovered that it drew Earth Spirit Vital Qi from the coin, greatly increasing the rate of his cultivation.
• After a month of using the disk alongside the Hidden Sand Technique, Chen Mu advanced the White Sun True Elucidation to its second tier and recognized that his Jade Seed still needed further cultivation.
• Chen Mu noted that the disk consumed two White Jade Coins a day and had already cut his assets in half.

Chen Mu confronted Shang Huan about counterfeiting Calming Spirit Pills, then arranged for him to sell more pills and revealed that half of Chen Mu’s own supply was fake. Meanwhile, Lin Su halted the investigation into Dong Cheng’s disappearance after hearing that a Dao Seal tracking artifact might help.

• Shang Huan explained his counterfeit-pill scheme to Old Hao, and Chen Mu overheard them.
• Chen Mu appeared at Shang Huan’s residence, gave him eighteen Porcelain Bottles, and asked him to sell twenty-four bottles of Calming Spirit Pills each month.
• Shang Huan defended mixing in fake pills as a way to protect Chen Mu’s supply, and Chen Mu told him not to counterfeit the pills he provided.
• Chen Mu revealed that half the pills in his own bottles were already fake, leaving Shang Huan stunned.
• A patrol officer told Lin Su that searches for Dong Cheng had uncovered two Chongshan Dao spies but no clues about Dong Cheng’s disappearance.
• Lin Su ordered the investigation into Dong Cheng’s disappearance closed and forbade the officer from pursuing the Dao Seal tracking artifact.

Chen Mu improved the Hidden Sand Technique but kept neglecting his cultivation of the White Sun True Elucidation because he found the technique too entertaining. Meanwhile, Lin Su tried to bribe Junior Brother Liang into tracing a missing relative's Dao Seal and learned that Supervisor Song would likely return in two months.

• Chen Mu justified making a cheaper version of Calming Spirit Pills and continued rolling them.
• Chen Mu tested the Hidden Sand Technique's second tier and found that its concentrated attack pierced a thick rock with greater speed and force.
• Chen Mu repeatedly gave in to practicing the Hidden Sand Technique instead of focusing on the White Sun True Elucidation.
• Lin Su asked Junior Brother Liang to use the Mirror of Illumination to trace his missing blood relative's Dao Seal and offered him White Jade Coins.
• Junior Brother Liang said Supervisor Song had taken the mirror to the Upper Courtyard and would likely return in about two months, then privately considered charging Lin Su more.