Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu survived the Mutant Beast tide by sheltering underground, then learned that the attack had involved the elusive Cold Moon Toad and that its fate remained uncertain. He continued expanding his escape tunnel and successfully learned the Spirit Nurturing Spell, allowing him to wield Yin Fault Yang Deviation’s Bone Orb and Dark Moon Blade.

• Chen Mu and Old Hao stayed hidden in a cellar while Supervisor Song drove back the Mutant Beast tide, and Chen Mu emerged after three days when Moon Embracing Mountain began clearing the aftermath.
• Shang Huan and Old Hao told Chen Mu that the Cold Moon Toad had returned to reclaim Cold Moon Pool, fought Supervisor Song, and escaped without anyone confirming whether it had been killed.
• Chen Mu dug a deeper underground chamber and began extending a tunnel toward an escape route beneath Moon Embracing Mountain.
• Chen Mu practiced Yin Fault Yang Deviation and gained the Spirit Nurturing Spell entry on the Gray Wall.
• Chen Mu tested Yin Fault Yang Deviation, summoning the Bone Orb and controlling the Dark Moon Blade to strike and return from a stone wall.

After a poor Yellow Sprout Rice harvest, Chen Mu faced rising food prices and worried about his supplies, though his savings gave him room to keep cultivating. A month of practice advanced his Spirit Nurturing Spell, allowing Yang Deviation to raise a Bone Shield automatically and adding another layer to his defenses.

• Chen Mu harvested only a little over six hundred jin of Yellow Sprout Rice, and Old Yang warned him that the poor harvest could drive prices up.
• Chen Mu bought more rice, but the price doubled and a new monthly purchase limit prevented him from buying additional grain.
• Chen Mu found that meat prices had also risen, then watched food prices remain high as Moon Embracing Mountain grew quiet for the cold season.
• Chen Mu spent a month cultivating at home and advanced his Spirit Nurturing Spell to the second tier.
• Chen Mu discovered that Yang Deviation could detect an incoming stone and automatically form a Bone Shield, adding another layer to his defenses.

Chen Mu discovered an underground route and lake that could serve as an escape passage and a plentiful source of fish. Meanwhile, Fu Zi plotted to lure the Cold Moon Toad so Supervisor Song Wuji would die and Fu Zi could claim Cold Moon Pool for his cultivation.

• Chen Mu cautiously explored a fissure beneath his cabin, found a cavern stream, and began digging a possible underground escape route.
• During heavy snowfall, Shang Huan offered to guide Chen Mu to the Cold Moon Pool Training Ground if Chen Mu built him a heating set, but learned Chen Mu had already made one for Old Hao.
• Fu Zi learned that Song Wuji might be afflicted by the Qianji Worm and planned to lure the Cold Moon Toad with Demon Summoning Incense so Song Wuji would die and Fu Zi could claim Cold Moon Pool.
• Chen Mu followed underground waterways to a vast lake fifty or sixty li from Moon Embracing Mountain and celebrated the fish he could harvest there.

Chen Mu visited the Cold Moon Pool Affairs Office and bargained for a month in the cheapest Training Ground, hoping to cultivate skills in private. He entered the cave and discovered that the Wushan Six Siblings were already practicing there, leaving him to share the space under Ai Ji's threat.

• Chen Mu went to the Affairs Office, where a plump man surnamed Sun pitched him on a special Training Ground and warned him about the dangers of overly rich or thin Earth Spirit Vital Qi.
• Chen Mu haggled Sun down to sixty-five White Jade Coins for a month in the worst Training Ground, Batch E, Number 11.
• Sun gave Chen Mu a Bronze Token and warned him not to enter other Training Grounds or risk expulsion and a fine.
• Chen Mu arrived at the cave expecting to have it to himself, but found the Wushan Six Siblings cultivating inside.
• Ai Ji threatened to kill Chen Mu if he disturbed them, and Chen Mu politely introduced himself and promised to get along.

Fu Zi realized the Cold Moon Toad had stopped appearing because winter weakened it and made it wary of Song Wuji, so he decided to wait and use it to test Song Wuji later. Meanwhile, Chen Mu’s Tier 3 Spirit Nurturing Spell awakened the Yin Fault Moon Blade, and after learning that some trainees had left early, he resolved to make his remaining cultivation visits more comfortable.

• Fu Zi explained that the Cold Moon Toad had gone into hiding for winter and decided to wait until it reappeared so he could use it to test Song Wuji.
• During training, Ai Ji complained that something was watching him, while Chen Mu concealed the awakened Yin Fault Moon Blade that had been targeting him.
• Chen Mu reached Tier 3 in the Spirit Nurturing Spell and realized the Yin Fault Moon Blade could pursue and attack targets on its own.
• The stout middle-aged man warned the trainees to return their Bronze Tokens if they left, after two people had disappeared without handing theirs in.
• Chen Mu considered the uncomfortable training conditions and planned to bring bedding, dried meat, and snacks for his remaining visits.

After seven disciples disappeared from the training ground, Chen Mu feared the Cold Moon Toad was behind it, while Song Wuji confirmed the demon was meddling at Cold Moon Pool. That night, Chen Mu stumbled upon Fu Zi celebrating his plans to kill Song Wuji, then tried to talk his way out of trouble as six others emerged from a Scripture Cave.

• Chen Mu learned that seven disciples had vanished from the training ground and worried that the Cold Moon Toad had returned.
• Song Wuji told Liang Yi that the Cold Moon Toad was confusing weak-willed disciples and that he would soon draw it out.
• Fu Zi revealed to himself that he planned to lure the Cold Moon Toad next spring, kill Song Wuji, and take over Cold Moon Pool.
• Chen Mu encountered Fu Zi in the Scripture Cave and claimed he had stayed late because he was engrossed in reading, offering him three White Jade pieces.
• Chen Mu called for the other readers to pay, and six figures emerged from the cave, leaving Fu Zi convinced his reputation was ruined.

Chen Mu and the Wushan Six Siblings continued training while relying on the Scripture Dean for protection, but a supernatural snowstorm struck the Scripture Cave and a hidden presence attacked them. Chen Mu led the group to seek the Scripture Dean after Supervisor Song disappeared and the storm’s unnatural origin became clear.

• Chen Mu brought the Wushan Six Siblings to the Scripture Transmission Courtyard each night, and Lu Ku insisted they keep going despite Ai Ji’s objections.
• Chen Mu discovered that Yin Nether Silk drew Earth Spirit Vital Qi into the Wushan Six Siblings, though the Training Ground had far less vital qi than the Exquisite Jade Disk.
• Ai Ji and the others suddenly fell into vacant, puppet-like states, and Chen Mu’s Hollow Bone Ball and Black Moon Blade reacted to an unseen presence at the cave entrance.
• The Black Moon Blade struck the wooden screen, revealing gale and snow and a glimpse of indifferent red crystal eyes before the dazed disciples awoke.
• Chen Mu and the others found Supervisor Song missing and learned that the unnatural storm resembled weather from far to the north, despite their southward migration.
• Chen Mu led the group toward the Scripture Dean for help.

Chen Mu and the Wushan Six Siblings fled Moon Embracing Mountain as monsters and a snowbound illusion trapped them in a repeating route. Chen Mu used Seven Souls Return to Origin to break the deception, and the group finally reached the Wooden Cabin.

• Chen Mu found the Scripture Cave empty and led the Wushan Six Siblings away as an unseen threat attacked them.
• The group fought Red-Eye Flying Heads and invisible monsters before reaching Cold Moon Workshop’s boundary stele, where the silent streets warned of further danger.
• Chen Mu and the others repeatedly descended the mountain only to return to the boundary stele, and Xu Rao destroyed it in frustration.
• Chen Mu realized their senses were being deceived and used Seven Souls Return to Origin until the false wind, snow, and workshop burned away.
• Chen Mu told Lu Ku to ignore whatever they saw, and the group followed him down the mountain to the Wooden Cabin.

After fleeing Moon Embracing Mountain, Chen Mu led the Wushan Six Siblings through the underground passages and across a vast lake. They encountered the injured Song Wuji, who drained the Earth Spirit Vital Qi from Chen Mu’s White Jade Coins and began to recover.

• Chen Mu packed food and supplies with the Wushan Six Siblings before they left the cave beneath the wooden cabin.
• Chen Mu guided the group through the underground waterways and across a vast lake on Black Smoke and Black Cloud.
• The Wushan Six Siblings learned that Chen Mu had been posing as Gongsun Sheng, while Chen Mu considered using the Shape Shift Technique to assume another identity.
• The Five Ghosts Yin Soul found the injured Song Wuji floating on the lake, and Chen Mu identified himself as Lower Academy Disciple Shang Huan.
• Song Wuji demanded White Jade Coins, and Chen Mu lent him several crates at usurious interest.
• Song Wuji drained the Earth Spirit Vital Qi from the coins, then rose into the air on an Emerald Insect Cloud looking slightly revived.

Chen Mu learned that Snow Demon Qing Liu had taken over Moon Embracing Mountain, while Song Wuji claimed he had subdued the Cold Moon Toad. After the group fled and made camp, Song Wuji set out to confront Qing Liu, leaving Chen Mu uneasy about his confidence.

• Chen Mu told Song Wuji that a red-eyed demon had appeared at Moon Embracing Mountain, and Song Wuji identified it as Snow Demon Qing Liu, whose growing nest made the mountain nearly impossible to reclaim.
• Song Wuji revealed that he had subdued the Cold Moon Toad, but the toad swallowed him and spat him out before he could show off his control over it.
• Chen Mu revived Song Wuji with White Jade Coins, and the group left Moon Embracing Mountain.
• The next morning, Song Wuji confirmed that Qing Liu had claimed the mountain and said he would return to rescue its people once he had recovered.
• Song Wuji insisted Qing Liu would be easy to defeat and flew off to confront it, while Chen Mu wondered whether he should flee first.

Chen Mu and the other survivors gathered at Low Hill as Supervisor Song fought Snow Demon Qing Liu, while more Lower Courtyard disciples escaped the illusion. With Moon Embracing Mountain’s disaster spreading and Song Wuji still trying to save his disciple, Chen Mu told the others to prepare for the worst.

• Song Wuji repeatedly returned from fighting Qing Liu with a baffled expression, then brought the Cold Moon Toad to Moon Embracing Mountain, whose croaks helped more disciples escape.
• Wu Ruo reported that the first arrivals were Lower Academy Disciples who had lived farther from Cold Moon Pool and avoided the Training Ground.
• Old Hao and Shang Huan reached Low Hill with Mo Wuzhou, who had rescued several dozen disciples from the illusion.
• Chen Mu’s Spirit Nurturing Spell reached completion, and he charged Shang Huan for roasting a deer meal for the Wushan Six Siblings.
• Wu Ruo reported that the mountain’s wind and snow were spreading, Liang Yi and the Scripture Dean were still missing, and Song Wuji might disband the Lower Courtyard; Chen Mu urged the survivors to stockpile supplies.

After Moon Embracing Mountain fell to Snow Demon Qing Liu, Chen Mu and the surviving Lower Academy disciples prepared to flee for Tianhe Water Mansion. As their journey began, Chen Mu traded stored food to Song Wuji for secret techniques and discovered that the Wushan Six Siblings could rapidly master techniques he had cultivated.

• Liang Yi arrived at Low Hill with dozens of Lower Academy personnel, while Chen Mu watched Snow Demon Qing Liu's influence spread and prepared to escape.
• Song Wuji decided to lead the survivors away, and Mo Wuzhou told Chen Mu they were heading to Tianhe Water Mansion while Chongshan Dao remained occupied elsewhere.
• During the journey, Song Wuji pressed Chen Mu to supply food, and Chen Mu negotiated secret techniques in exchange for helping feed the group.
• Chen Mu borrowed Shi Xian's True Hearing Secret Technique to copy it, then learned Xu Rao had broken through a bottleneck by using Chen Mu's Three Yin Slaying Demon Technique.

Chen Mu used and improved the True Hearing Secret Technique to scout for food during the group’s journey through the wilderness, earning a large reward from Song Wuji. After the group reached the Heaven-Reaching River and waited for a Spirit Shuttle, one finally arrived, bringing Chen Mu closer to the Tianhe Water Mansion and a chance to restock supplies.

• Chen Mu repeatedly trained True Hearing until it reached Tier 3, expanding its scouting range to more than ten li.
• Chen Mu gave Mo Wuzhou a map of nearby beasts, and Song Wuji rewarded him with thirty thousand White Jade Coins.
• After a month and a half, the group reached the Heaven-Reaching River, where Chen Mu provided Medicated Bait to help them catch fish.
• Mo Wuzhou explained that Song Wuji could use a token to summon a Spirit Shuttle to carry the group to the Tianhe Water Mansion.
• After waiting more than twenty days, the group saw a massive white Spirit Shuttle emerge from the river, and Chen Mu eagerly anticipated replenishing supplies and eating a proper meal.

Chen Mu assessed the danger facing Jilong Dao, then tested how well Shi Xian could inherit his secret techniques and learned that she could acquire his skills with some loss. After spending days at the Red Sleeve Workshop improving his True Hearing Technique, he left when the group reached the Tianhe Water Mansion.

• Chen Mu overheard that Chongshan Dao and Jilong Dao were in a temporary balance and decided to stay with Jilong Dao for now, fleeing if the situation worsened.
• Chen Mu used Seven Souls Return to Origin to pass his True Hearing Technique to Shi Xian, who gained it at Tier 3 while he had reached Tier 4.
• Ai Ji asked Chen Mu to cultivate more secret techniques for the Wushan Six Siblings so they would be better prepared for the coming conflict, and Chen Mu told him to get lost.
• Chen Mu spent five days at the Red Sleeve Workshop recovering from his frustration, then stayed seven more days and gained over two thousand experience points in True Hearing Technique.
• Chen Mu reluctantly left the Red Sleeve Workshop when the group arrived at the Tianhe Water Mansion.

Chen Mu arrived at the immense Tianhe Water Mansion, learned about its districts and living costs, and rejected Shang Huan’s risky tavern plan. The chapter ended with Mo Wuzhou delivering Song Wuji’s promised secret art: methods for refining Fasting Pills.

• Shang Huan told Chen Mu that the Water Mansion was the enormous corpse of a Golden Pearl Mussel Great Demon and described the lost Dragon Palace and its Water Mansions.
• Shang Huan proposed opening Little Eight Delicacies near Eight Delicacies Tower, but Chen Mu refused because he feared retaliation from the established business.
• Chen Mu explored the Water Mansion’s layout and realized that Lower Academy Disciples would need to find ways to cover their own expenses after the first month of lodging.
• After Chen Mu spent the day gathering information at the inn, Mo Wuzhou delivered Song Wuji’s Secret Art Jade Slip containing the Five Elements Qi Absorption Method and Five Qi Primordial Fusion Method for refining Fasting Pills.
• Mo Wuzhou warned Chen Mu that practicing alchemy secret arts recklessly could waste energy and White Jade Coins, while Chen Mu privately trusted his cheat to help him learn.

Chen Mu learned how demanding alchemy was, then traveled to the Sky-Piercing Tower, where Song Wuji offered him an alchemy inheritance in exchange for extracting ingredients and eventually refining pills. The chapter ended with Song Wuji and Liang Yi discussing a newly discovered Earth Vein Spirit Spring and the need to wait for an adept before claiming it.

• Chen Mu studied the Five Elements Qi Absorption Method and realized that alchemy required learning many costly spell talismans.
• Mo Wuzhou led Chen Mu through the Sky-Piercing Tower to meet Song Wuji, while Chen Mu observed the rivalries among the Lower Courtyard Supervisors.
• Chen Mu tried to return the alchemy secret art, but Song Wuji told him to keep it and promised Dao Merit and a chance to exchange for an Aperture Condensing Secret Technique if he helped extract Yellow Sprout Rice essence.
• Chen Mu left intending to learn alchemy, despite doubting Song Wuji would honor his promise, and considered using the skill to earn money himself.
• Song Wuji explained to Liang Yi that Chen Mu’s keen consciousness made him suited to alchemy, then revealed that Liu Ling had found an Earth Vein Spirit Spring in Eastern Ridge of Yunzhou.

Chen Mu listened as Old Hao and Shang Huan discussed the cost of living and a possible business selling Mo Wuzhou’s fish-attracting bait. He then studied alchemy, deciding to use it to earn money and Dao Merit faster, and began practicing the Five Elements Qi Absorption Method.

• Old Hao considered leaving for a cheaper place while waiting for Supervisor Song to rebuild the Lower Courtyard, but Chen Mu urged him to stay and Shang Huan offered to cover his food and lodging in exchange for helping find Mo Wuzhou.
• Shang Huan proposed selling Mo Wuzhou’s Drunken Bait to Wild Cultivator fishermen, using Mo Wuzhou’s and possibly Junior Supervisor Liang’s names for protection and offering them a share of the profits.
• Chen Mu reviewed the alchemy secret art and calculated that refining Fasting Pills could help him earn enough money and Dao Merit to pursue the Aperture Condensing Secret Technique sooner.
• Chen Mu resolved to master alchemy and began studying the Five Elements Qi Absorption Method, adding it to the Gray Wall’s proficiency list.

Chen Mu devised a foldable enclosure that let him use the Exquisite Jade Disk as a concealed portable cultivation field, then rapidly advanced his Five Elements Qi Absorption Method. After reaching its first tier, he prepared to learn the Five Grains Talisman and begin refining Fasting Pills.

• Chen Mu rejected the expensive lodging at Golden Pearl Dao Field and realized the Exquisite Jade Disk drew vital qi more effectively than a White Jade Coin.
• Chen Mu tested ways to conceal the disk’s vital qi, then completed a portable field using nested Yingyu swim bladders, Qi-Hiding Vines, and Black Smoke.
• Chen Mu cultivated inside the portable field and sent Shang Huan a simplified, weakened Drunken Bait formula for mass production.
• After half a month of cultivation, Chen Mu raised the Five Elements Qi Absorption Method to its first tier and decided to practice the Five Grains Talisman that night.

Chen Mu unsuccessfully extracted impure Essence of Five Grains, searched for an Aperture Condensing Secret Technique, and visited Tianhe Water Mansion’s market. After a month of practice, he mastered the Five Grains Talisman and successfully extracted pure Essence of Five Grains.

• Chen Mu used his Five Grains Talisman to extract Essence of Five Grains from Yellow Sprout Rice, but his low Proficiency left it contaminated with yellow impurities.
• At Splendor Pavilion, Chen Mu learned that the Tianhe Mansion Lord possessed Aperture Condensing Secret Techniques and could teach one to a retainer, but he chose not to pursue the position.
• Chen Mu wandered through Ding District, visited Red Sleeve Workshop Headquarters, and encountered Le Yang'an at the Imperial Quality Pavilion.
• One month later, Chen Mu extracted a flawless white pearl of Essence of Five Grains from Yellow Sprout Rice after reaching the Five Grains Talisman's limit.

Chen Mu tried to buy Yellow Sprout Rice to refine Essence of Five Grains, but Le Yang'an's idea of a bulk order was far larger than he needed. After a Dragon Gate collapsed in Geng District, Chen Mu sought the Water Repelling Incantation for safety, then learned that the resulting repair costs had doubled the inn rent and were driving residents to Tianhe Market.

• Chen Mu asked Le Yang'an to arrange a large purchase of Yellow Sprout Rice, but rejected the enormous quantities Le Yang'an proposed and left to shop elsewhere.
• An explosion shook Tianhe Water Mansion, and Chen Mu heard that the entrance Dragon Gate at Gengzi District No. 12 had collapsed and flooded nearby areas.
• Chen Mu asked Mo Wuzhou to help him learn the Water Repelling Incantation, explaining that he remained worried about the Dragon Gate collapse.
• Chen Mu learned that Prefect Jiao had doubled the rent to fund Water Mansion repairs, forcing some residents to move to Tianhe Market.