Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu prepared Warehouse Number Sixty-Seven to extract Essence of Five Grains from Yellow Sprout Rice and calculated the profits his alchemy could bring. Meanwhile, Yang Huan learned that Snow Demon Qing Liu was near the former Jilong Dao Lower Courtyard and ordered more captures as he plotted to seize Qing Liu’s body.

• Chen Mu rented Warehouse Number Sixty-Seven and, after cleaning and drying it, received eight thousand jin of Yellow Sprout Rice from the Wushan Six Siblings and Shang Huan.
• Shang Huan gave Chen Mu 337 White Jade Coins in Drunken Bait earnings and said Liang Yi’s share had already been delivered; Chen Mu warned the group to withdraw if the unrest worsened.
• Chen Mu used a Five Elements Qi Absorption Talisman to extract Essence of Five Grains, found his efficiency was only about half of what he expected, and estimated the potential profits from alchemy.
• Yang Huan heard from the Dark-Faced Man that Snow Demon Qing Liu likely occupied an Earth Vein Spirit Spring south of the former Jilong Dao Lower Courtyard.
• Yang Huan ordered the Dark-Faced Man to keep capturing Jilong Dao Lower Courtyard disciples to locate Qing Liu, hoping to seize the Snow Demon’s body and become the next True Person Bai Ta.

Chen Mu discovered that Chongshan Dao was surveilling Shang Huan and captured the two spies. He sent Shang Huan to take them to Mo Wuzhou and urge him to seek Liang Yi’s help.

• Chen Mu extracted Essence of Five Grains, collected payment from Shang Huan for Insect Repelling Incense, and learned Shang Huan felt protected by Liang Yi and Mo Wuzhou.
• Two Chongshan Dao men watched Shang Huan’s shop and planned to capture him and his associates.
• Chen Mu overheard the men with his True Hearing Technique, confronted them, and used an invisible force to drag them back inside when they tried to flee.
• Chen Mu recognized the men’s transformation as the Heavenly Demon Rebirth Method and suspected Chongshan Dao was secretly targeting people in Tianhe Water Mansion.
• Chen Mu brought the injured spies to Shang Huan and told him to hand them over to Mo Wuzhou and have him contact Liang Yi.

Song Wuji chose to draw Yang Huan into revealing his intentions toward Moon Embracing Mountain while arranging protection for the Water Mansion’s residents. Suspecting the residents might be bait for a trap, Chen Mu moved to Sky-Piercing Tower No. 9 and rented a room near Song Wuji and Liang Yi.

• Song Wuji refused to kill Yang Huan immediately and arranged free food and lodging for disciples who returned to the Water Mansion, hoping to learn how badly Yang wanted Moon Embracing Mountain.
• Chen Mu stopped refining Yellow Sprout Rice at the warehouse after learning that Yang Huan was in Tianhe Market, then left without leaving clues.
• Chen Mu prodded Shang Huan into asking Old Hao to seek information from Mo Wuzhou, who said residents would be safe if they stayed at the inn and that the situation would soon be resolved.
• Chen Mu suggested the inn’s residents might be bait for Chongshan Dao, then left and rented a room on the Sixty-Third Floor near Liang Yi and Song Wuji.

Chen Mu advanced his Five Elements Qi Absorption Method and began studying the Five Qi Primordial Fusion Method while settling into his room in the Sky-Piercing Tower. Unbeknownst to him, Manager Zhang and his companion plotted to use him as a scapegoat while abducting Mo Wuzhou.

• Chen Mu planned his cultivation, practiced the Five Elements Qi Absorption Method for four days, and advanced it to Tier 3.
• Chen Mu received dinner from an attendant and met the dark-faced Manager Zhang, who secretly judged him an easy target.
• Manager Zhang and the Long-Armed Man planned to abduct Mo Wuzhou and damage the floor, intending to make Chen Mu delay the Water Mansion's investigation.
• Chen Mu used the Heartless Bell to ease his fatigue, then reflected on the many talismans and resources required to make pills as he studied the Five Qi Primordial Fusion Method.

Chen Mu overheard Manager Zhang and the Long-Armed Man plotting to kill him during an attack on Mo Wuzhou, then killed both men before discovering that Yuanbao had eaten one of them. He ended the chapter in Mo Wuzhou’s room, where the failed attempt to capture a Chongshan Dao attacker left them without a prisoner to interrogate.

• Chen Mu advanced the True Hearing Technique to Rank 5 and overheard the Dark-Faced Man explain rumors that the Golden Pearl Dao Field was suffering from a shortage of Earth Spirit Vital Qi.
• Chen Mu used the technique to hear Manager Zhang and the Long-Armed Man plan to kill him before attacking Mo Wuzhou.
• Chen Mu transformed and killed Manager Zhang and the Long-Armed Man when they broke into his room.
• Yuanbao ate the Long-Armed Man’s body, and Chen Mu brought Manager Zhang’s corpse to Mo Wuzhou as a supposed gift.
• Chen Mu learned that the dead attackers had been Chongshan Dao disciples, but Mo Wuzhou explained that Yuanbao had already eaten one and left no prisoner to interrogate.

Chen Mu stayed secluded in the Tianhe Water Mansion, examined the spoils he had received, and began learning the Golden Pearl Talisman while awaiting news about the threat from Chongshan Dao. After Song Wuji and the others launched a surprise attack on Chongshan Dao’s stronghold, Chen Mu learned that Dao Master Dongli had returned safely and True Person Bai Ta would not return.

• Chen Mu inspected the Long-Armed Man’s talismans, pills, and White Jade Coins, then discovered that the Dark-Faced Man’s Fang held three reusable storage spaces filled with pills and more coins.
• Chen Mu learned from Mo Wuzhou that Song Wuji had negotiated with Chongshan Dao, Yang Huan had gone to Moon Embracing Mountain, and the group might soon leave the Water Mansion.
• Chen Mu advanced the Five Qi Primordial Fusion Method to Tier 1 and began constructing the Golden Pearl Talisman from the Jade Slip’s instructions.
• After Song Wuji, Liang Yi, and Cold Moon Toad vanished from Chen Mu’s hearing range, Chen Mu prepared for their departure and coaxed Shang Huan into asking Mo Wuzhou when they would leave.
• Old Hao told Chen Mu that Song Wuji had joined Jilong Dao’s Upper Courtyard experts in a surprise attack on Chongshan Dao’s stronghold, and that Dao Master Dongli was safe while True Person Bai Ta would not return.

Chen Mu studied the Wind Fire Nexus Incantation while rumors about Chongshan Dao and the reclaimed territories circulated. He traveled with the others to Tianhe Market, where Junior Supervisor Liang Yi revealed that they would board a massive Cloud Bat airship.

• Chen Mu listened to gossip at the inn, then focused on mastering the final incantation needed to operate his Primordial Five Qi Furnace.
• Three days later, Chen Mu joined Old Hao, Shang Huan, and more than two hundred people near Dragon Gate No. 9 to travel to Tianhe Market.
• Shang Huan revealed that Junior Supervisor Liang had bought a large batch of Insect Repelling Incense, prompting Chen Mu and Old Hao to suspect they were going to open up new land rather than manage a reclaimed Lower Courtyard.
• At the riverbank outside Tianhe Market, Old Hao explained how mortal noble and royal families served cultivators, including by arranging marriages.
• Junior Supervisor Liang Yi summoned the group to board a Cloud Bat airship, which descended from the clouds and landed on the Heaven-Reaching River, leaving Chen Mu awed and excited.

Chen Mu traveled to Jade Spring Mountain and demonstrated his ability to extract Essence of Five Grains for Liang Yi. Liang Yi arranged for him to work in the Pill Treasure Pavilion, but explained that the Branch’s collective rules prevented Chen Mu from accumulating Dao Merit through alchemy as planned.

• Chen Mu learned that Elder Sun and several hundred Upper Courtyard disciples had boarded the Cloud Bat Airship, and Shang Huan told him Mo Wuzhou had recommended him to Liang Yi.
• The Cloud Bat Airship departed Jilong Dao Upper Courtyard, and half a month later Chen Mu reached Jade Spring Mountain.
• Chen Mu considered trying alchemy but decided to visit Liang Yi after a records clerk began checking the Lower Academy Disciples’ ranks.
• Chen Mu demonstrated the Five Elements Qi Absorption Method to Liang Yi, extracting Essence of Five Grains from Yellow Sprout Rice.
• Liang Yi arranged for Chen Mu to join the Pill Treasure Pavilion but said the Branch’s collective arrangements prevented him from earning Dao Merit through alchemy.

Chen Mu moved into the Pill Treasure Pavilion but failed to convince Zhu Yi that he could refine Essence of Five Grains. As he trained his techniques and considered how to earn Dao Merit, Shang Huan contacted Gongsun Sheng with a plan to expand the Insect Repelling Incense business, and Chen Mu agreed to find someone to back him.

• Zhu Yi mistook Chen Mu for an unskilled nepotism hire and assigned him a secluded Cave Dwelling, despite Chen Mu insisting he could refine Essence of Five Grains.
• Chen Mu settled into his Cave Dwelling and spent five days training the Wind Fire Nexus Incantation and True Hearing Technique.
• Chen Mu discovered that the True Hearing Technique had reached Tier 6, letting him selectively hear sounds across several hundred meters.
• Chen Mu sensed that Shang Huan had cultivated his Jade Seed and that Wu Ruo had achieved Spiritual Light through the Heart-Linking Incantation.
• Shang Huan proposed expanding the Insect Repelling Incense business to the thousands of workers at Jade Spring Mountain, and Chen Mu agreed to arrange backing while concealing his identity.
• Shang Huan said he had searched for Chen Mu because he missed his cooking, and Chen Mu promised him a surprise.

Chen Mu considered delaying his first attempt at pill refining until his Wind Fire Nexus Incantation improved, then received Shang Huan, who sought his help protecting a profitable insect-repellent business. Chen Mu demanded increasingly large shares and made Shang Huan do the splits before revealing himself, leaving Shang Huan stunned.

• Chen Mu inspected the Primordial Five Qi Furnace and decided to wait until his cultivation techniques improved before refining pills.
• Chen Mu considered learning about Pill Treasure Pavilion’s Dao Merit exchange system and heard someone climbing to his Cave Dwelling.
• Shang Huan arrived by order of Mr. Gongsun and begged Chen Mu to help protect his insect-repellent business from greedy rivals.
• Shang Huan offered Chen Mu a share of the profits, but Chen Mu rejected each offer and demanded more.
• Chen Mu ordered Shang Huan to do the splits, then opened the door and revealed himself, leaving Shang Huan shocked.

Chen Mu negotiated a share of the Insect Repelling Incense business with Shang Huan, then learned from his neighbor Bai Xiuwen how Dao Merit could be earned and how alchemy apprentices received instruction. He realized refining Fasting Pills could earn him Dao Merit soon, while Bai Xiuwen’s suggested path to alchemy guidance required unpaid labor.

• Chen Mu told Shang Huan to distribute the Insect Repelling Incense business under different family brands, and Shang Huan agreed to give him thirty percent.
• Shang Huan brought furniture to Chen Mu’s Cave Dwelling with several people, and Old Hao and the group learned that Chen Mu had succeeded in becoming an alchemy apprentice.
• Bai Xiuwen visited Chen Mu and explained that Dao Merit could be earned by providing ingredients for needed pills, while Essence of Five Grains no longer earned it.
• Bai Xiuwen told Chen Mu that refining two bottles of Fasting Pills earned one point of Dao Merit and nine White Jade Coins, and Chen Mu saw that he would soon be ready to try refining them.
• Bai Xiuwen explained that Senior Brother Qi Hui offered alchemy pointers in exchange for help extracting Essence of Five Grains and assisting with pill refining, and Chen Mu suspected the offer meant free labor.

Chen Mu brushed off Bai Xiuwen’s attempt to recruit him to Senior Brother Qi’s alchemy arrangement, then spent half a month mastering the furnace and trying to make Fasting Pills. His first attempts failed, but the Gray Wall recorded new progress in Alchemy.

• Chen Mu pretended to be interested in Senior Brother Qi’s offer, then used his connection to Liang Yi and his request for basic instruction to make Bai Xiuwen leave.
• Half a month later, Chen Mu used the Primordial Five Qi Alchemy Furnace to cook Exotic Beast Meat and discovered that his Wind Fire Nexus Incantation had reached its limit.
• Chen Mu began experimenting with refining Essence of Five Grains into Fasting Pills, but his first batch was misshapen and unusable.
• Chen Mu repeated the pill-making process throughout the afternoon and found that his final pill still failed when he cracked it open.
• Chen Mu checked the Gray Wall and saw that Alchemy (Fasting Pill) had reached 5/10000.

Chen Mu collected Yellow Sprout Rice, extracted Essence of Five Grains, and focused on improving his alchemy while Bai Xiuwen watched him for signs of his abilities. After more than half a month of practice, Chen Mu successfully refined a Fasting Pill, bringing him closer to earning Dao Merit for the Aperture Condensing Secret Technique.

• Chen Mu exchanged Essence of Five Grains and his apprentice wages for a token to collect two thousand jin of Yellow Sprout Rice, then learned that the Affairs Office's main storeroom used a miniature realm technique.
• Bai Xiuwen paid the white-haired storekeeper to monitor Chen Mu's Yellow Sprout Rice withdrawals and considered recruiting him for Senior Brother Qi.
• Old Hao and Shang Huan brought Chen Mu household supplies, and Shang Huan gave him over six hundred White Jade Coins from their Insect Repelling Incense profits.
• Chen Mu extracted Essence of Five Grains from Yellow Sprout Rice and decided to prioritize refining pills over increasing his Five Elements Qi Absorption Method.
• After more than half a month of practice, Chen Mu successfully refined a Fasting Pill and confirmed that his alchemy skill had advanced enough to produce pills for Dao Merit.

Chen Mu proved to Zhu Yi that he was a genuine alchemist and gained official status in the Pill Treasure Pavilion. By mastering more efficient Fasting Pill methods, he cut his estimated wait for the Aperture Condensing Secret Technique from sixteen or seventeen years to potentially seven or eight, and wondered if learning other pills could shorten it further.

• Zhu Yi offered to arrange Chen Mu's alchemist status for extra Dao Merit, but Chen Mu demonstrated his skill by refining a Fasting Pill, prompting Zhu Yi to approve the status change.
• Two days later, Chen Mu received a new Identity Jade Token and calculated that earning the Dao Merit for the Aperture Condensing Secret Technique would take at least sixteen or seventeen years at his current pace.
• Chen Mu considered the dangers of the Other Courtyard's planned campaigns into the Low Hills and decided he preferred to earn Dao Merit by refining pills from the rear.
• After twenty days of focused alchemy, Chen Mu maxed out his Fasting Pill experience and discovered how to refine eighty-one pills in a quarter of an hour, though his mana limited his output.
• Chen Mu realized the improved method could roughly halve the time needed to save enough Dao Merit and White Jade Coins, and considered learning other pills to reach his goal in four or five years.

Bai Xiuwen learned that Chen Mu was a verified alchemist and feared he would take Dao Merit and supplies from Senior Brother Qi, while Chen Mu overheard the plotting and prepared for an attack. The three men instead came to pledge themselves to Chen Mu and ask for alchemy guidance, but he insisted that diligence alone had made him successful.

• Bai Xiuwen paid the White-Haired Steward to learn that Pavilion Master Zhu had verified Chen Mu as an alchemist who had taken many Fasting Pill assignments.
• Bai Xiuwen met two friends, and they worried that Chen Mu would reduce Senior Brother Qi's Dao Merit and supplies; they discussed warning Chen Mu about a possible assassination.
• Chen Mu overheard the conversation and prepared his techniques and magical items for a fight, but Bai Xiuwen and his friends knelt to pledge themselves to him.
• Bai Xiuwen offered to help collect Essence of Five Grains in exchange for alchemy guidance, but Chen Mu said he had learned through relentless practice.
• Bai Xiuwen protested that they already practiced all day without sleeping, leaving Chen Mu speechless.

Chen Mu arranged to produce Fasting Pills while avoiding conflict with Qi Hui, then refined more than twelve thousand pills and submitted a first batch for Dao Merit. He received confirmation that two hundred Dao Merit had been recorded on his Identity Jade Token.

• Chen Mu decided to refine twelve thousand Fasting Pills each month so Qi Hui would still have room to earn Dao Merit.
• Chen Mu had Bai Xiuwen and two other Alchemy Apprentices help extract Essence of Five Grains, and he taught them about the Golden Pearl Talisman.
• The three apprentices promised to keep Chen Mu's work secret, though Bai Xiuwen mistakenly offered to spy on Qi Hui for him.
• Chen Mu spent six days refining more than twelve thousand Fasting Pills and submitted four thousand to the storeroom.
• Old Third Zhu verified the pills and recorded two hundred Dao Merit on Chen Mu's Identity Jade Token.

After advancing the Five Ghosts Moving Mountains Incantation, Chen Mu gained the ability to fly and eagerly tried out the Five Ghosts Netherflame Evasion Art, but fled when mountain patrol officers spotted him. Meanwhile, Qi Hui learned that Chen Mu had accepted assignments to refine twelve thousand Fasting Pills and reacted with alarm.

• Chen Mu finished a large meal, reviewed his Gray Wall skills, and planned to prioritize the Five Ghosts Moving Mountains Incantation while also practicing other techniques.
• After three days of training, Chen Mu advanced the Five Ghosts Moving Mountains Incantation and gained the Five Ghosts Netherflame Evasion Art.
• Chen Mu tested his new flying ability, crashed into a forest, and realized he could finally fly under his own power.
• Mountain-guarding Patrol Officers spotted Chen Mu, so he concealed himself with Five Ghosts Black Smoke and fled.
• Bai Xiuwen told Qi Hui that Chen Mu had accepted twelve thousand Fasting Pill assignments, and Qi Hui was alarmed.

Chen Mu secretly monitored Qi Hui and learned that the man only planned to report him if he took too many Fasting Pill missions. After finding a safe place to practice the Five Ghosts' Netherflame Evasion Art, Chen Mu mastered free flight and reached second-tier Piloting.

• Chen Mu overheard Qi Hui say he would report him to the pavilion master if he took Fasting Pill missions without restraint, then watched Qi Hui for several days and confirmed he meant no harm.
• Chen Mu found a forest on Jade Spring Mountain where he could practice without attracting Patrol Officers or venturing into a remote, dangerous area.
• Chen Mu tested the Five Ghosts' Netherflame Evasion Art and discovered that controlling the Five Ghosts' shifting weight was essential to flying.
• Chen Mu practiced the evasion art for several nights, improving his Piloting skill while continuing to grind the Three Yin Slaying Demon Technique during the day.
• Chen Mu reached second-tier Piloting, learned to combine Five Ghosts Possession with the Great Method of Evasion, and judged the technique useful for fast bursts, escapes, and attacks.

Chen Mu explored Jade Spring Workshop and ordered highly elastic clothing to accommodate his transforming cultivation techniques. He settled into a steady training routine and, a month later, brought the Three Yin Slaying Demon Technique to its limit.

• Chen Mu visited Embroidered Clothing Pavilion and learned that Star Sand Silver Thread clothing could stretch to fit dramatic changes in body size.
• Chen Mu ordered a full set of custom clothes, then settled on one pair of trousers and ten sets of outer clothes after balking at the full set's price.
• Chen Mu returned to refining pills and followed a daily routine of cultivating the Three Yin Slaying Demon Technique, practicing the Great Method of Evasion, and restoring his dharma power.
• A month later, Chen Mu reached the limit of the Three Yin Slaying Demon Technique at tier 5 and celebrated maxing out another skill.

Chen Mu resumed making Wood Spirit Guards and refining pills while Jade Spring Mountain’s conflict continued to grow. When Zhu Yi assigned him a major Fasting Pill job at newly captured Mist Smoke Mountain, Chen Mu worried that the front-line location would put his life at risk.

• Shang Huan asked Chen Mu to make more Wood Spirit Guards, and Chen Mu agreed while warning him not to hoard Spirit Drawing Paste.
• Shang Huan and Jia Tian planned to sell Wood Spirit Guards and other supplies to Heterodox Path cultivators so the conflict would continue and bring them profits; Chen Mu overheard them and knocked Shang Huan unconscious with Seven Souls Return to Origin.
• Chen Mu confirmed the snowfall was natural, warned Shang Huan, and returned to alchemy and crafting Wood Spirit Guards.
• A month later, Chen Mu taught Bai Xiuwen, Xue Yangliu, and their companion how to construct the Golden Pearl Talisman, then continued training his Fire Cloud Incantation.
• Two months later, Zhu Yi told Chen Mu that the Yanxia Sect’s mountain gate on Mist Smoke Mountain had fallen and assigned him to refine its Yellow Sprout Rice into Fasting Pills.
• Chen Mu worried that the job would place him in danger on the front lines of the conflict.