Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu tested how the Black Orb Talisman affected his secret arts, then learned how rare and expensive Aperture Condensation methods were and decided to take things slowly. As his Yellow Sprout Rice flourished, he considered crafting a Wood Spirit Guard to watch over his fields.

• Chen Mu confirmed that he could still use his secret arts after drawing their Divine Intent Talismans into the Black Orb Talisman, and tested several techniques.
• Chen Mu spent several days relaxing and experimenting with cooking before resuming practice with the Fire Cloud Incantation.
• Old Hao and Shang Huan told Chen Mu that Aperture Condensation Experts were rare and that an Aperture Condensing Method could cost over a hundred Red Jade Coins, so he decided to lie flat for a few years.
• Shang Huan asked Chen Mu for his insect-repelling incense formula after explaining that wilderness hunting teams might pay for it.
• More than a month later, Chen Mu studied a Jade Slip containing instructions for crafting a Wood Spirit Guard and considered making one to protect his fields.

Chen Mu studied mana and attempted to craft a Wood Spirit Guard, but his first attempt failed. Liang Cheng then informed him that the Lower Courtyard would begin a dangerous mountain opening in three days, leaving Chen Mu weighing the threat to his crops and safety.

• Chen Mu planned to reveal his Spiritual Light cultivation gradually while continuing to save money and Dao Merit.
• Chen Mu examined the Five Ghosts Moving Mountains spell talisman inside his Jade Seed and learned to control the mana he had cultivated.
• Chen Mu harvested a century-old tree heart and prepared it as material for a Wood Spirit Guard.
• Chen Mu carved a Little Wooden Horse and tried to imbue it with the Wood Spirit Guard talisman, but it exploded and the talisman vanished from his mind.
• Liang Cheng told Chen Mu that all Lower Academy Disciples had to join a mountain opening in three days to sweep for Mutant Beasts, and advised him to buy Spiritual Light Talismans.

Chen Mu worked with the Pioneer Team while Shang Huan explained how he had built a profitable Insect Repelling Incense business by invoking Mo Wuzhou’s name. Shang Huan gave Chen Mu his share of the profits and revealed that he had recruited Mo Wuzhou’s old acquaintances to help make the incense.

• Chen Mu worked as a tree cutter in the Pioneer Team and discussed the dangers of joining the Hunting Team with Old Hao.
• Wu Lie learned Shang Huan was using Mo Wuzhou’s name to protect his business and decided the Patrol Institute should support Shang Huan in exchange for ninety percent of the profits.
• Shang Huan gave Chen Mu a jar filled with White Jade Coins as his share of the Insect Repelling Incense profits.
• Chen Mu warned Shang Huan that Mo Wuzhou might demand more money, but Shang Huan said he would pay from his own assets if necessary.
• Shang Huan revealed that Mo Wuzhou’s old acquaintances were making the incense, with those closer to Mo Wuzhou receiving higher pay.

Chen Mu refined his first Wood Spirit Guard and considered selling them through Shang Huan and Mo Wuzhou. When Wu Lie tried to seize Shang Huan’s Insect Repelling Incense profits, Shang Huan fled toward Moon Embracing Mountain but was intercepted, and Mr. Gongsun appeared after Wu Lie’s neck was snapped.

• Chen Mu used his refining knowledge to merge a Wood Spirit Guard Talisman with a wooden horse, then tested the finished guard as a remotely controlled scout.
• Chen Mu considered selling Wood Spirit Guards with Shang Huan and Mo Wuzhou, and sent the Little Black Horse to contact Shang Huan.
• Wu Lie and two Patrol Institute members confronted Shang Huan over the profits from his Insect Repelling Incense business, but Shang Huan invoked Mo Wuzhou’s name and bluffed them into leaving.
• Shang Huan secretly set out before dawn to reach Senior Brother Mo, but Wu Lie intercepted him and threatened to take his money.
• As Wu Lie grabbed Shang Huan by the neck, his neck suddenly snapped, and Shang Huan saw Mr. Gongsun standing nearby.

Chen Mu used the Heart-Linking Gu to intimidate Shang Huan and tasked him with pitching Wood Spirit Guards and Artifact Scout Horses to Mo Wuzhou. While working with the land reclamation team, Chen Mu heard rumors of a Beast Tide and saw a swarm of insects strip the undergrowth bare, prompting him to prepare.

• Chen Mu used Remote Sensing through the Heart-Linking Rope to convince Shang Huan that Gongsun Sheng could monitor him, then had Five Ghosts Moving Mountains consume Wu Lie's corpse.
• Chen Mu gave Shang Huan a Little Wooden Horse and a scroll, asking him to offer Mo Wuzhou Wood Spirit Guards and Artifact Scout Horses in exchange for twenty percent of the profits and use of Mo's name.
• Chen Mu secretly killed two men who were about to murder Shang Huan near the Fourth Land Reclamation Team.
• Chen Mu returned to chopping trees with the Second Land Reclamation Team and overheard Old Hao and the other workers discuss rising deaths and rumors of a Beast Tide.
• A swarm of gray insects swept through the forest and devoured the undergrowth, and Chen Mu decided to make preparations.

Mo Wuzhou considered Shang Huan’s offers of White Jade Coins and a Wood Spirit Guard, while Chen Mu returned to Moon Embracing Mountain after more than a month away. Chen Mu checked the land-clearing team and found his cultivation had advanced quickly, leaving him confident he could soon fill the Jade Seed.

• Mo Wuzhou refined another batch of White Jade Coins and lamented how slowly he was saving for the Aperture Condensing Method and a return to the Upper Courtyard.
• Shang Huan gave Mo Wuzhou two hundred White Jade Coins from his Insect Repelling Incense business, and Mo Wuzhou questioned whether the venture was legitimate before accepting its potential.
• Shang Huan showed Mo Wuzhou a Wood Spirit Guard made by Gongsun Sheng, and Mo Wuzhou insisted on negotiating the terms personally before allowing his name to be used.
• Chen Mu flew back to Moon Embracing Mountain, saw that weeds had ruined his Yellow Sprout Rice harvest, and cleaned his cabin without drawing attention to himself.
• Chen Mu checked the land-clearing team through the Five Ghosts Yin Soul and found his magical power had increased by nearly one-tenth, so he estimated he could fill the Jade Seed within half a month.

Chen Mu met Mo Wuzhou to negotiate the profit from selling Wood Spirit Guards, expecting an extortionate demand but agreeing when Mo asked for only twelve White Jade Coins per guard. Mo also offered to approach Junior Supervisor Liang about buying them for the Pioneer Teams, giving Chen Mu a possible large-scale sales channel.

• Chen Mu contacted Shang Huan and learned that Mo Wuzhou wanted to negotiate in person over the profit share.
• Chen Mu met Mo Wuzhou in the forest and heard him explain the pressure and expenses he expected to bear by lending his name to the Wood Spirit Guard business.
• Mo Wuzhou demanded twelve White Jade Coins per Wood Spirit Guard, and Chen Mu accepted after concealing his delight.
• Mo Wuzhou offered to ask Junior Supervisor Liang whether the courtyard would buy Wood Spirit Guards for the Pioneer Teams.
• Chen Mu told Mo Wuzhou to contact Shang Huan as the intermediary, then left before he could laugh.

Chen Mu continued reclaiming land while secretly advancing his incantations and harvesting Tree Hearts to prepare for the Wood Spirit Guard business. Shang Huan reported that the first order was for one hundred guards, and Chen Mu left to gather more materials.

• Chen Mu accepted that Pioneer Hunting slowed his cultivation and planned to improve his secret techniques while avoiding unnecessary risks.
• While resting with Pioneer Second Squad, Chen Mu discovered that his Heart-Linking Incantation was close to ranking up and celebrated with the others after Old Yang found a giant Pig Rabbit.
• After the camp settled for the night, Chen Mu secretly removed Tree Hearts from felled trees and considered how to profit from the demand for Spirit Drawing Paste.
• Shang Huan told Chen Mu that Mo Wuzhou's first order was for one hundred Wood Spirit Guards.
• Chen Mu gave Shang Huan five Wood Spirit Guards, including four for Mo Wuzhou to inspect, and left to prepare more materials.

Chen Mu worked through repeated failures to craft Wood Spirit Guards while Fu Zi and Zhang Jin discussed how the guards threatened their plans for the Pioneer Team. After three days of overwork, Chen Mu looked pale and admitted artifact refining was draining his mind.

• Shang Huan learned that Wood Spirit Guards needed Spirit Drawing Paste after several days of use and resolved to stockpile it.
• Chen Mu cultivated his magical power, then repeatedly attempted to craft Wood Spirit Guards, increasing his Artifact Refining Technique experience despite wasting many Tree Hearts.
• Zhang Jin told Fu Zi that Mo Wuzhou was supplying the Wood Spirit Guards, and Fu Zi suspected their maker was hiding among the Lower Courtyard laborers.
• Fu Zi rejected Zhang Jin's suggestion to kill Mo Wuzhou and said they would lure more Mutant Beasts so deaths on both sides would conceal their scheme.
• Chen Mu spent three days cultivating and practicing artifact refining, succeeding at only one Wood Spirit Guard out of ten attempts.
• Old Hao noticed Chen Mu looked pale in the rain, and Chen Mu said artifact refining had been draining his mind.

Chen Mu discovered that the Heart-Linking Incantation could ease the mental strain of artifact refining and draw energy from the Seven Siblings of Wushan. Meanwhile, Ai Ji collapsed during an arm-wrestling contest after a strange sensation spread through the group, and Lu Ku suspected Gongsun Sheng.

• After exhausting himself making Wood Spirit Guards, Chen Mu decided to stop pushing himself and sell only what he could produce.
• While working in Yiyou District, Chen Mu found that the Heart-Linking Incantation soothed his mind and replenished his energy when he connected to one of seven lights he believed belonged to the Wushan siblings.
• In Bingchen District, Ai Ji won arm-wrestling matches against Xu Rao and Yu Lin before Shi Xian pinned his hand to the stump.
• After Shi Xian teased Ai Ji about farting, he collapsed with sudden weakness, and Lu Ku recognized a strange sensation affecting everyone and suspected Gongsun Sheng.

Chen Mu refined fifty Wood Spirit Guards and arranged for Shang Huan to deliver them to Mo Wuzhou in exchange for White Jade Coins. Shang Huan completed the trade and took possession of the payment, while Mo Wuzhou discovered that Chen Mu had been hiding inside the delivery box.

• Chen Mu refined Wood Spirit Guards until his Artifact Refining Technique was close to completion.
• Chen Mu delivered fifty Wood Spirit Guards to Shang Huan and told him to collect and hold the payment, promising him six White Jade Coins per guard.
• Shang Huan carried the guards to Mo Wuzhou, who handed over 4,942 White Jade Coins after subtracting his share.
• Shang Huan stored the payment and Mo Wuzhou began checking the box, then spotted Black Smoke emerging from it and realized Chen Mu was hiding inside.

Chen Mu advanced his Fire Cloud Incantation, monitored a high-value trade, and refined another Wood Spirit Guard as he worked toward completing an order. Meanwhile, the Wushan Six Siblings discussed Gongsun Sheng’s nightly use of the Heart-Linking Gu and considered how to free themselves from his control.

• Chen Mu advanced the Fire Cloud Incantation, then used the Five Ghosts Perspective to confirm that Mo Wuzhou and Shang Huan had left the trading site with the payment.
• Chen Mu refined the sixth Little Wooden Horse into a Wood Spirit Guard and found that his Artifact Refining Technique had reached its limit.
• Chen Mu connected through the Heart-Linking Incantation to ease his mental strain, though his magical power still fell short of filling the Jade Seed.
• Ai Ji sensed Gongsun Sheng using the Heart-Linking Gu again, leaving him mentally exhausted.
• Lu Ku reasoned that Gongsun Sheng was drawing power from the siblings to support a mentally demanding activity and advised them to act before dawn or during the day.
• Lu Ku proposed that the Wushan Six Siblings either leave Moon Embracing Mountain or find Gongsun Sheng and try to reclaim the Heart-Linking Rope.

Chen Mu watched Shang Huan complete a deal involving Wood Spirit Guards and Spirit Drawing Paste, then learned that the Guards had accelerated forest-clearing work and brought him unwanted blame. Meanwhile, Shang Huan recruited the Seven Siblings of Wushan to help distribute the paste, and Lu Ku agreed on their behalf.

• Chen Mu retrieved the payment after Shang Huan and Mo Wuzhou completed their transaction, while Shang Huan gave Mo Wuzhou Spirit Drawing Paste, instructions, and a list of sellers, along with a warning about Patrol Institute inquiries.
• Chen Mu rested, then joined the reclamation team as Old Yang relayed an order to advance two li each day, reportedly made possible by the Lower Courtyard's Detection Artifacts.
• Chen Mu realized the new Wood Spirit Guards were likely responsible for the increased workload, then secretly jabbed the Red-Nosed Old Man and others with Hundred Mile Qi Seal needles after the man cursed the artifact's creator.
• Shang Huan asked the Seven Siblings of Wushan to help sell Spirit Drawing Paste and promised generous rewards, while Lu Ku agreed to help and requested advance notice.

Chen Mu finished filling his dharma power and considered which Secret Art to learn before Shang Huan told him the Lower Courtyard wanted two hundred more Wood Spirit Guards. He celebrated the prospect of a huge profit, then grimaced at the artifact-refining work ahead.

• Lu Ku told Yu Lin that they would use the chance to learn more about Gongsun Sheng before deciding whether to act.
• Zhang Jin tested a Wood Spirit Guard, which helped kill a red-skinned Great Toad, and considered finding an artifact refiner through a list of names or Spirit Drawing Paste.
• Chen Mu filled the Jade Seed with dharma power and reviewed his skill progress, deciding to consider new Secret Arts for better detection and protection.
• After two days of weighing Secret Arts, Chen Mu received Shang Huan's message that the Lower Courtyard wanted another two hundred Wood Spirit Guards.
• Chen Mu ended the Remote Sensing connection, delighted by the potential profit but dreading the work of refining so many artifacts.

Shang Huan’s dealings with the Wushan Six Siblings drew Zhang Jin’s attention to the Spirit Drawing Paste network, while Chen Mu secretly used Tree Heart to make Little Wooden Horses and plundered Xu Rao’s cultivated Secret Art talisman. The chapter left the six siblings alarmed and ready to make a move against Gongsun Sheng.

• Shang Huan met a goateed old man to collect White Jade, then hired the Wushan Six Siblings to help deliver Spirit Drawing Paste after they detected someone following them.
• Shang Huan promised the siblings a share of his payment and said the Lower Courtyard would soon buy two hundred Wood Spirit Guards, prompting them to turn their attention to Ai Ji.
• Zhang Jin concluded that the Spirit Drawing Paste route was difficult to track and killed the crooked-mouthed man who had asked to speak, but remained determined to find the leak.
• Chen Mu used Tree Heart to craft Little Wooden Horses, inscribed them with white marks, and continued after using Seven Souls Return to Origin.
• Xu Rao suddenly lost the Three Yin Slaying Demon Technique talisman he had cultivated for years, and the Wushan Six Siblings decided they could no longer wait and would make a move.

Chen Mu discovered that Seven Souls Return to Origin could plunder secret technique talismans, then used the Three Yin Slaying Demon Technique to break through to Tier 3. Meanwhile, Shang Huan’s Spirit Drawing Paste operation drew an ambush, and Zhang Jin followed a wooden horse to a cellar before being led into a toad attack; Chen Mu ended by considering how he could copy plundered techniques from the Gray Wall.

• Chen Mu found the Three Yin Slaying Demon Technique recorded on the Gray Wall after plundering a Dao Soldier’s secret technique talisman, then trained until it reached Tier 3.
• Lu Ku, Shi Xian, and Wu Ruo detected another ambush targeting Shang Huan’s Spirit Drawing Paste, while Zhang Jin followed a wooden horse toward the informant.
• Shang Huan inspected his hidden cellar of Spirit Drawing Paste and counted a bag of White Jade before a Pig Rabbit startled him at the entrance.
• Zhang Jin followed the wooden horse to a pool, where a red-skinned Great Toad attacked him and he destroyed it with Yin Fiend Secret Arrows.
• Xu Rao showed Lu Ku and the others that his Three Yin Slaying Demon Technique had returned and his year-long bottleneck had broken through.
• Chen Mu confirmed the technique remained on the Gray Wall and reasoned that he could rebuild plundered Spell Talismans from their recorded structures.

After completing two hundred Wood Spirit Guards, Chen Mu discovered that Shang Huan had spent all his White Jade on Spirit Drawing Paste. Zhang Jin then tracked them down and offered Chen Mu protection and a share of artifact profits, but betrayed him and attacked; Chen Mu realized no one else knew about him.

• Chen Mu finished making two hundred Wood Spirit Guards and went with Shang Huan to collect the payment for his last batch.
• Chen Mu found that Shang Huan had spent all the White Jade buying up Spirit Drawing Paste ingredients and had diluted the paste to increase its supply.
• Chen Mu warned Shang Huan about the risks of their business and advised him to prepare to sell it to Mo Wuzhou.
• Zhang Jin appeared, revealed that he had tracked Shang Huan through the Insect Repelling Incense, and offered to have the Patrol Institute protect Chen Mu in exchange for a share of his artifact profits.
• After Chen Mu agreed, Zhang Jin attacked him with the Yin Fiend Secret Arrow, admitting he wanted to claim Chen Mu's goods and business for himself.
• Chen Mu realized Zhang Jin was the only person who knew about him and prepared to fight back.

Chen Mu fought Zhang Jin, whose Yin Fault blade and Yang Deviation bone sphere nearly overwhelmed him, but he destroyed the sphere and killed Zhang Jin. After hiding the evidence and ordering Shang Huan to keep quiet, Chen Mu spent five days recovering while keeping watch, and concluded Zhang Jin had acted alone.

• Chen Mu used the Five Ghosts Possession Great Method and Divine Travel Thousand Miles to attack Zhang Jin, evading the Yin Fault Moon Blade and battering the Yang Deviation Hollow Bone Ball.
• Chen Mu cracked and shattered Zhang Jin's bone sphere, then beat Zhang Jin to death despite being wounded by the Moon Blade.
• Shang Huan stumbled upon the aftermath, and Chen Mu ordered him to abandon the cellar and continue delivering goods as if he had seen nothing.
• Chen Mu consumed Zhang Jin and cleared away the blood and clothing before leaving the area.
• Chen Mu spent five days recovering from his wounds while working and keeping watch, then confirmed Shang Huan was unharmed and decided Zhang Jin had acted alone.

Chen Mu handed over the Spirit Drawing Paste business proceeds, learned that Fu Zi had stopped investigating Zhang Jin’s disappearance, and watched the mountain’s pioneering work disrupt supplies and cultivation time. After counting his growing wealth, he decided to practice the Dark Moon Blade and Hollow Bone Ball despite concerns that their unusual techniques might attract attention.

• Shang Huan told Mo Wuzhou that Gongsun Sheng had bought out the Spirit Drawing Paste materials, and Mo agreed to contact the Affairs Office as an intermediary.
• Shang Huan delivered Chen Mu a Mustard Seed Talisman containing the business proceeds, and Chen Mu warned him to keep a low profile because the dead man had powerful people behind him.
• Fu Zi learned that the Spirit Drawing Paste business was now overseen by Manager Sun but chose not to pursue Zhang Jin’s disappearance and risk disrupting a long-arranged plan.
• The Wood Spirit Guards helped Hunting Groups clear territory faster, but thinning defensive lines led Mutant Beasts to break through and endanger Pioneer Teams.
• Chen Mu checked his cultivation progress, lamented the ruined Yellow Sprout Rice and limited time to cultivate, then counted his wealth at twenty-seven thousand, one hundred and twenty-five.
• Chen Mu examined the Dark Moon Blade and Hollow Bone Ball and decided to practice them, despite suspecting many people knew about the unusual weapons.

Chen Mu and the pioneer team were forced to flee when a huge wave of Mutant Beasts suddenly swept through the forest. Chen Mu and Old Hao took shelter in an underground chamber while Chen Mu checked on the others, who were also escaping toward Moon Embracing Mountain.

• Chen Mu learned that the pioneer team was advancing quickly because Mutant Beasts had become scarce, and the group hoped to return to the mountain soon.
• After three days of rapid progress, a terrifying howl and widespread roars signaled a Mutant Beast onslaught, and Chen Mu urged Old Hao to flee toward Moon Embracing Mountain.
• Chen Mu spotted a black cloud of Mutant Beasts approaching and led Old Hao on foot to a hidden underground chamber.
• Chen Mu sealed the chamber entrance with a boulder while screams sounded outside, and Old Hao asked why the beasts had not been cleared out.
• Chen Mu used Remote Sensing to check on the Wushan Six Siblings and Shang Huan, then reassured Old Hao that the underground chamber was safe for now.