Chapter Summaries

Chen Mu learned he had been assigned to Mist Smoke Mountain to refine Fasting Pills, then prepared for the dangerous journey and warned Shang Huan to keep out of trouble. Before leaving, he overheard Shang Huan justify selling goods to the mountain folk and decided the merchant still needed a stronger warning.

• Zhu Yi assigned Chen Mu to Mist Smoke Mountain because Qi Hui's pill output had fallen and the Yanxia Sect needed its Yellow Sprout Rice refined into Fasting Pills.
• Bai Xiuwen and Feng Haoxiu told Chen Mu that Qi Hui had sold their extracted Essence of Five Grains to a fat bald man who paid twice the Affairs Office's rate.
• Chen Mu realized the buyer was likely Shang Huan and prepared supplies for his trip, including artifact trousers, Detox Pills, and provisions.
• Chen Mu overheard Shang Huan insisting that Gongsun Sheng had only forbidden selling Wood Spirit Guards to the Heretical Sects, not other goods.
• Chen Mu told Shang Huan he was leaving for Mist Smoke Mountain and warned him not to cause trouble, then used Seven Souls Return to Origin when Shang Huan swore he would behave.

Chen Mu traveled with a supply convoy to Yanxia Mountain and secretly stored away the surplus Fasting Pills his unusually efficient alchemy produced. Meanwhile, Wei Donglai recruited Xin Ya to use a destructive forbidden technique against Jilong Dao, and the chapter left Chen Mu unaware of the danger gathering at Yanxia Mountain.

• At Jade Spring Workshop, Bai Xiuwen told Chen Mu that the Heavenly Demon Rebirth Pill might be changing the physiques of people from Dagan because Pavilion Master Zhu had rushed production.
• Patrol Officers assigned Chen Mu and other workers to load supplies and scriptures onto Seven-Star Centipedes bound for Yanxia Sect.
• Wei Donglai urged Xin Ya to join him in taking revenge on the Jilong Dao Other Courtyard, and Xin Ya agreed after hearing that Daoist Dong Li was injured and in seclusion.
• Wei Donglai said he planned to use the Two Forms Life-Generating Forbidden Technique at Mist Smoke Mountain, even though it would destroy the mountain's Earth Vein Spirit Spring.
• After more than ten days at Yanxia Mountain, Chen Mu hid thousands of surplus Fasting Pills in his Five Ghosts Bag to conceal his exceptional alchemy success rate.

Chen Mu learned that Sun Wuhuan’s Dao Discussion Gathering was a front for exchanging insights and items for Dao Merit, and considered attending to find a tunnel-digging secret art. Meanwhile, he kept excavating a hidden underground chamber and passage toward the Underground Yin River, but decided to wait before visiting the gathering.

• Sun Wuhuan told Chen Mu that he had obtained an Aperture Condensing Secret Technique from his father after claiming to save Dao Merit through hard work.
• Sun Wuhuan invited Chen Mu to a Dao Discussion Gathering that offered advice on accumulating Dao Merit and an exchange of insights and items.
• Chen Mu realized the gathering’s exchange segment was its real purpose and left to consider the invitation.
• Three days later, Chen Mu used Divine Listening to check his secret underground chamber and found that the Underground Yin River was still more than two hundred meters away.
• Chen Mu considered attending the Dao Discussion Gathering to seek a Tunnel-Digging Secret Art, but chose to wait until he was sure it was safe.

Chen Mu visited Vice Dean Sun’s Dao Discussion Gathering and was pressured into buying an alchemist’s manual. Later, his True Hearing Technique revealed two Aperture Condensing Adepts secretly digging beneath Mist Smoke Mountain, leaving him aware that the tunnel plot had been discovered.

• Bai Xiuwen told Chen Mu that Vice Dean Sun’s Dao Discussion Gathering was backed by powerful groups and had valuable goods, and Chen Mu gave him insights into the Golden Pearl Talisman.
• Chen Mu arrived at the gathering, where Sun Wuhuan urged the sellers to get him to spend his Dao Merit, and Chen Mu bought an alchemist’s manual before leaving.
• Beneath Mist Smoke Mountain, Wei Donglai asked Xin Ya to use Insect Puppets to dig an altar tunnel for the Two Forms Life-Generating Forbidden Technique.
• Xin Ya and Wei Donglai discussed splitting the Primordial Qi that would come from draining a mountain’s spiritual essence, while the Insect Puppets rapidly excavated the tunnel.
• Chen Mu’s True Hearing Technique detected the underground activity and revealed two hidden Aperture Condensing Adepts.

Chen Mu avoided getting drawn into Liang Yi’s secret work on Mist Smoke Mountain and focused on refining Fasting Pills. While examining a coded herbal scroll, he discovered that his writing skill could help him decipher it.

• Chen Mu encountered Liang Yi and the Cold Moon Toad after they emerged from underground, then learned Liang Yi was preparing a Mountain Protection Formation with Xin Ya.
• Liang Yi invited Chen Mu to help locate the Underground Yin River, but Chen Mu persuaded him to let him remain at Mist Smoke Mountain refining Fasting Pills.
• Chen Mu spent five days refining pills and avoiding Liang Yi before returning to his Bamboo Building to study the coded scroll he had bought at the Dao Discussion Gathering.
• Chen Mu checked his gray wall and discovered that his writing skill could help him understand the scroll’s coded text.

Chen Mu deciphered Xie Wen and discovered that the scroll recorded detailed information about spirit herbs and their refined Spell Talismans. While he continued refining pills and built a hidden passage at Mist Smoke Mountain, Sun Wuhuan arranged to sabotage the Essence of Five Grains used in Chen Mu’s Fasting Pills.

• Chen Mu raised his Writing to Tier 3 and understood that Xie Wen recorded images, sounds, herb knowledge, and Spell Talisman patterns; he recognized the scroll as a valuable record of 108 spirit herbs and stones.
• Chen Mu delivered Fasting Pills at the Mist Smoke Mountain Affairs Office and collected an Identity Jade Token holding more than six thousand Dao Merit; he declined Sun Wuhuan’s invitation to the Dao Discussion Gathering for now.
• Chen Mu used Black Smoke to cut a hidden passage through the cliffs north of Mist Smoke Mountain, planning to use the Great Method of Evasion instead of exploring the Underground Yin River.
• Chen Mu reviewed his Gray Wall progress and decided to devote more time to the Fire Cloud Incantation now that pill refinement was on track and his hidden passage was complete.
• Sun Wuhuan learned that two Alchemy Apprentices had agreed to alter the Essence of Five Grains according to a Spell Talisman he supplied, intending to cause problems with Chen Mu’s Fasting Pills.

Chen Mu caught Zhang Lang and Li Huan conspiring with an Academy Supervisor to sabotage the Essence of Five Grains and ruin his reputation. After overhearing their plot, he decided that Heaven had charged him with upholding justice.

• Zhang Lang and Li Huan nervously delivered tampered Essence of Five Grains to Chen Mu, who inspected it closely and praised its quality.
• Bai Xiuwen told Chen Mu that Senior Brother Liu's Finger Points to Steel Secret Art could shape earth, but Liu was away at Poison Dragon Pool; Chen Mu then asked about the Insect Repelling Pill.
• Chen Mu considered waiting until his Medicine Crafting skill reached its maximum before pursuing the Insect Repelling Pill.
• Chen Mu noticed lights in Zhang Lang's residence and went to check on him, but left after hearing other people inside.
• An Academy Supervisor assured Zhang Lang and Li Huan that the impurities would make the pills spoil after half a month and cause Chen Mu to be blamed for poor refining.
• Chen Mu overheard the conspiracy and resolved to uphold justice on Heaven's behalf.

Chen Mu killed the Sallow Man with Orange Peel Face after uncovering the plot against him, then tried to conceal his involvement when Sun Wuhuan questioned him about the disappearance of Zhang and Li. Worried that Sun Wuhuan suspected him, Chen Mu sought refuge in helping Liang Yi map Mist Smoke Mountain’s underground Water Veins.

• The Sallow Man with Orange Peel Face planned to kill Zhang and Li to protect his role in the scheme against Chen Mu, but Chen Mu snapped his neck and killed him with the Black Moon Blade.
• Five days later, Sun Wuhuan learned that Zhang and Li had disappeared and told Superintendent Li to search for them, though the Patrol Institute expected the worst.
• Chen Mu pretended to share Sun Wuhuan’s concern and complained to nearby warehouse disciples that he had lost two workers and needed replacements.
• Alone in the alchemy room, Chen Mu worried that Sun Wuhuan suspected him and lamented that his weakness left him with few ways to respond.
• Chen Mu visited Liang Yi with a detailed map of the underground Water Veins and insisted he wanted to help the Other Courtyard’s plan, while Liang Yi doubted his excuse.

Liu Ling ordered Sun Wuhuan to leave Chen Mu alone, and Sun Wuhuan decided to make peace with the alchemist. After helping Liang Yi complete Mist Smoke Mountain’s protection formation, Chen Mu returned home with three thousand Dao Merit and wondered whether Qi Hui had arrived to replace him.

• Liu Ling told Sun Wuhuan to stop interfering with Chen Mu and refused to explain the Other Courtyard’s secrets.
• Sun Wuhuan realized Chen Mu had powerful backing and decided to send him a gift to settle their conflict.
• Chen Mu watched Senior Brother Liu and Liang Yi build the final Meridian Aperture underground and learned that the apertures could move once the formation was complete.
• Liang Yi announced that the Mountain Protection Formation was finished, awarded each worker three thousand Dao Merit, and ordered them to keep the work secret.
• Chen Mu cleaned his Bamboo House and considered returning to Jade Spring Mountain if Qi Hui arrived to replace him.

Wei Donglai and Xin Ya broke through a rocky passage and sent a black thread drill deeper toward the central Meridian Aperture, while Chen Mu tried to avoid Sun Wuhuan but was chased into the air. Chen Mu used Three Yin Slaying Demon to knock Sun Wuhuan off course and escaped into the forest.

• Wei Donglai punched through the rock blocking the passage, and he and Xin Ya prepared to reach the central Meridian Aperture and harvest Primordial Qi.
• Chen Mu decided to hide at home until he could meet Liang Yi, but Sun Wuhuan tracked him to the Bamboo Building.
• Chen Mu fled underground with the Five Ghosts Great Evasion Method, and Sun Wuhuan pursued him through the passage.
• Chen Mu escaped into the air and attacked Sun Wuhuan with Three Yin Slaying Demon, but Sun Wuhuan’s Jade White Spiritual Light shattered the blades.
• Chen Mu redirected the blades to catch Sun Wuhuan off guard, sending him plunging into the forest, then fled while he had the chance.

Chen Mu fled Sun Wuhuan through Poison Dragon Pool into the underground yin river, where Sun Wuhuan continued attacking him with a powerful Flying Sword. As a mysterious black-light formation spread across Mist Smoke Mountain, Sun Wuhuan chased a figure wearing Chen Mu’s clothes and encountered a decaying double with his own face.

• Chen Mu used the Bone Ball to block Sun Wuhuan’s Flying Sword, then plunged into Poison Dragon Pool with Sun Wuhuan following him.
• Seventy-two black-light pillars appeared around Mist Smoke Mountain, forming an eye-shaped pattern that froze living creatures and alarmed Liu Ling.
• In the underground yin river, Sun Wuhuan’s Flying Sword battered Chen Mu’s Bone Ball until Chen Mu escaped through a narrow rock crevice.
• Sun Wuhuan sent a flaming talisman after Chen Mu, then pursued a figure in Chen Mu’s clothes instead.
• Sun Wuhuan found the figure wearing his own face, its flesh rotting as it repeated his words, and demanded to know what it was.

Chen Mu encountered Yin Soul Monsters beneath Mist Smoke Mountain and discovered they had trapped Sun Wuhuan in a looping illusion. As Chen Mu tried to slip away unseen, a black-and-red Yin Soul Monster appeared beside him.

• Sun Wuhuan’s apparition cornered Chen Mu in a cave, but Chen Mu later escaped a group of Yin Soul Monster clones by hiding in Five Ghosts Black Smoke.
• Wei Donglai and Liu Ling ambushed Xin Ya in his Meridian Aperture, destroyed his escape options, and left him convinced he could not survive.
• Chen Mu wondered whether the mountain-protecting forbidden formation had summoned the Yin Soul Monsters and considered where to go after leaving the underground river.
• Sun Wuhuan fought hallucinated monsters and repeatedly found himself returned to the same cave, unable to escape their illusion.
• Chen Mu drifted past Sun Wuhuan unseen, but a black-and-red Yin Soul Monster suddenly appeared beside him and chirped.

Chen Mu escaped the underground cave after leaving Sun Wuhuan to face the Yin Soul Monster, while Liu Ling and Wei Donglai unleashed a Forbidden Technique that swept the mountain region. After the Yin Souls vanished, Chen Mu learned Sun Wuhuan had not returned and believed he could remain at Jade Spring Mountain Villa without fear.

• Chen Mu attacked Sun Wuhuan with Yin Fault, then sealed the cave entrances with Three Yin Slaying Demon and escaped as the Yin Soul Monster renewed its assault.
• A Forbidden Technique sent Yin Souls across the area around Mist Smoke Mountain, killing people and creatures while Liu Ling assured Wei Donglai that the Mountain Protection Formation kept those on the mountain safe.
• Chen Mu hid underground through the night and morning until the Yin Souls disappeared, then emerged and saw people returning to the mountain.
• Bai Xiuwen told Chen Mu that the Mountain Protection Formation had protected those who stayed, while people who went down the mountain after seeing Black Light never came back.
• Chen Mu heard that Vice Dean Sun was among the missing and concluded that Sun Wuhuan's apparent death would let him remain at Jade Spring Mountain Villa safely.

Five days after Sun Wuhuan’s death, Chen Mu burned and scattered his remains, kept refining Fasting Pills, and learned that the disaster was blamed on Elder Xin Ya. More than half a month later, he retrieved Sun Wuhuan’s Red Skin Gourd and Emerald Ring from his underground hiding place, eager to examine the Flying Sword.

• Chen Mu burned Sun Wuhuan’s corpse and scattered the ashes into the Nether River, keeping his Red Skin Gourd and Emerald Ring.
• Chen Mu refined batches of Fasting Pills and wondered whether he could obtain a Cosmic Cauldron to increase his output.
• Bai Xiuwen told Chen Mu that Elder Xin Ya had caused the disaster and that the Sun Clan had searched Mist Smoke Mountain for Vice Dean Sun without finding anything.
• Chen Mu kept a regular routine of refining pills, studying Ge Clan's Minor Notes on Hundred Herbs, and practicing the Fire Cloud Incantation.
• More than half a month later, Chen Mu retrieved the Red Skin Gourd and Emerald Ring from a wooden box hidden in an underground cave and thought excitedly about the Flying Sword.

Chen Mu discovered the Yellow Springs General Outline among Sun Wuhuan’s possessions and decided to cultivate its Aperture Condensing technique. After meeting the new temporary Vice Dean, Liu Baitong, Chen Mu judged that the upheaval surrounding Sun Wuhuan’s disappearance had settled and prepared to begin his cultivation.

• Chen Mu found the Yellow Springs General Outline and the Gourd Sword Box in Sun Wuhuan’s ring, along with White Jade, talismans, and other valuables.
• After studying the General Outline for three days, Chen Mu learned that its Divine Aperture could grant abundant mana and the ability to fly, and he decided to add it to his cultivation schedule.
• Chen Mu sorted Sun Wuhuan’s stored goods and resolved to hide the Red Skin Gourd and jade ring until the affair had blown over.
• Bai Xiuwen told Chen Mu that Liu Baitong, a clansman of Liu Ling, had become the new Academy Supervisor and that Liu Ling had driven a Sun Clan cultivator from Cloud Top Palace.
• Chen Mu handed his month’s Fasting Pills to Liu Baitong, then concluded that the new Vice Dean followed the rules and that the trouble over Sun Wuhuan’s disappearance had subsided.
• Chen Mu returned from the Affairs Office eager to begin cultivating the Yellow Springs General Outline.

Chen Mu began cultivating the Yellow Springs General Outline but discovered that its Jade Plates were nearly depleted and tried to find a way to preserve the technique by copying it in Xie Wen. Meanwhile, Sun Chengye pressed Li Guangfu to investigate who had lured his missing elder brother away, and Mist Smoke Mountain’s future status remained uncertain.

• Chen Mu adjusted his routine and attempted to form the first Spell Talisman of the Yellow Springs Aperture Condensing Method, but it collapsed and consumed a tenth of his dharma power.
• Sun Chengye told Li Guangfu he suspected someone had lured his elder brother away and ordered him to investigate the Vice Dean’s contacts and enemies, despite learning that many Dao Discussion Gathering attendees might resent him.
• Chen Mu discovered that fifty-one of the Jade Slip’s sixty-three plates had dimmed and feared the remaining plates would fail before he reached the beginner level.
• Bai Xiuwen told Chen Mu that the Warehouse Formation had been repaired, Fasting Pill prices had fallen, and Mist Smoke Mountain might become a Lower Courtyard as more Upper Courtyard disciples arrived.
• Chen Mu continued copying the Yellow Springs General Outline in Xie Wen to record it, despite his writing proficiency still being insufficient.

Chen Mu learned to cultivate Sword Pellets with the Gourd Sword Box but chose to focus on strengthening his Yin Fault Yang Deviation and mastering Xie Wen. After reaching Tier 4 writing, he prepared to transcribe the Yellow Springs General Outline while Bai Xiuwen kept him informed about the mountain.

• Sun Chengye paid Li Guangfu for a list of people who had been cheated by Vice Dean Sun, hoping it would help find his elder brother's body.
• Chen Mu studied the Gourd Sword Box and considered refining Sun Wuhuan's Flying Sword, but decided the risk was not worth it and focused instead on his Yin Fault Yang Deviation.
• Chen Mu advanced his drawing to Tier 3, sketched a Golden Pearl Talisman, and gave the pattern to Bai Xiuwen in exchange for news about Mist Smoke Mountain and the Sun Clan.
• Chen Mu secluded himself to copy Ge Clan's Minor Notes on Hundred Herbs, and his writing proficiency reached Tier 4 after more than ten days.
• Chen Mu realized his Xie Wen could record three-dimensional images but not the full sensory detail in the Minor Notes, and decided to transcribe the Yellow Springs General Outline anyway.

Chen Mu copied the Yellow Springs General Outline into Xie Wen and began cultivating it, while Bai Xiuwen warned him that the Patrol Institute was questioning attendees of Vice Dean Sun’s Dao Discussion Gathering. After successfully condensing his first spell talisman, Chen Mu was approached by a young man named Sun Chengye.

• Chen Mu spent seven days copying the Yellow Springs General Outline onto sixty-three jade plates in golden Xie Wen, discovering that its nine spell talismans each required seven plates.
• Bai Xiuwen brought poisonous-looking mushrooms to Chen Mu, then revealed that he had refined Fasting Pills and would return to Jade Spring Mountain to become an alchemist.
• Bai Xiuwen warned Chen Mu that the Patrol Institute was questioning attendees about Vice Dean Sun’s disappearance and advised him to prepare White Jade Coins.
• Chen Mu began secluded cultivation and, five days later, condensed the first silver-white spell talisman of the Yellow Springs General Outline.
• Chen Mu’s Five Ghosts Yin Soul sensed a visitor, and Sun Chengye introduced himself as he asked whether Chen Mu was Alchemist Chen.

Chen Mu learned that his success teaching alchemy had drawn the Scripture Transmission Courtyard’s attention, and he agreed to submit his Golden Pearl Talisman annotations in exchange for becoming a Scripture Doctor. He also remained wary of the Sun Clan’s interest in him and the Gourd Sword Box as he prepared to return to Jade Spring Mountain.

• Sun Chengye visited Chen Mu, congratulated him on being considered for Scripture Doctor, and tried to arrange a match with his cousin Sun Jiaojiao.
• Chen Mu learned that Bai Xiuwen, Feng Haoxiu, and Xue Yangliu had become alchemists after his guidance, prompting the Scripture Transmission Courtyard to notice him.
• At Cloud Top Palace, Liu Ling and Liang Yi discussed Chen Mu’s talent and Liang Yi was sent to explain the Scripture Doctor arrangement.
• Chen Mu successfully practiced Finger Points to Steel and considered using it to bury the Gourd Sword Box more deeply.
• Liang Yi explained the benefits of becoming a Scripture Doctor, and Chen Mu readily agreed to write Golden Pearl Talisman annotations and return to Jade Spring Mountain.

Chen Mu received recognition and Dao Merit for his scripture annotation, then returned to Jade Spring Mountain and began cultivating the Yellow Springs General Outline. He left the Gourd Sword Box hidden beneath Mist Smoke Mountain and discovered that Condensing Orifice had improved his mana recovery and ability to sustain Five Ghosts Possession.

• Liang Yi gave Chen Mu an Identity Jade Token marked Scripture Doctor and explained that he had received two thousand Dao Merit, plus half the proceeds from future sales of his annotation.
• Chen Mu buried the Gourd Sword Box deep underground beneath Mist Smoke Mountain, concealed it with Qi-Hiding Vines, and filled in the hidden passage before reporting his departure.
• Chen Mu returned to Jade Spring Mountain, checked in at the Pill Treasure Pavilion and Scripture Transmission Courtyard, and settled back into his cave dwelling.
• Chen Mu cultivated the Yellow Springs General Outline and observed that condensing a Spell Talisman slightly expanded his Jade Seed, increased his mana recovery, and seemed to change his body and mind.
• Chen Mu used Five Ghosts Possession in a forest and found that he could maintain the transformation for eight or nine minutes without Seven Souls Return to Origin.