Chapter Summaries

Li Qing took advantage of a battle with the Flying Eagle Bandits to leave Longevity Valley and travel to Tianhe Marketplace. After Liu Sheng helped him pass through the formation, Li Qing rode Rice Bucket into the forest, wondering about the tension surrounding Liu Bailin and Liu Hongyuan.

• Li Qing packed his belongings and prepared to leave Longevity Valley while the Liu Family fought the Flying Eagle Bandits.
• Liu Sheng questioned Li Qing at the formation, and Li Qing claimed his qi and blood were depleted from mishandling the Precious Wood Body Tempering Art.
• Liu Hongyuan arrived, examined the entry and exit registry, and departed to investigate urgent matters outside the valley.
• Liu Sheng gave Li Qing a token and warned him to beware of the Flying Eagle Bandits as he passed through the formation.
• Li Qing released Rice Bucket and rode him toward Tianhe Marketplace, pondering Liu Sheng's reaction to Liu Bailin and Liu Hongyuan.

Li Qing traveled toward Tianhe Marketplace with Rice Bucket and met Shi Nantian, a young cultivator from the powerful Shi Family, but declined to travel with him. The next day, Li Qing encountered a battle ahead and turned aside to avoid getting involved.

• Li Qing rested in the forest while Rice Bucket showed signs of advancing to the Mid First-tier.
• Shi Nantian flew down to admire Rice Bucket, introduced himself as a Sixth Layer of Qi Refining cultivator from Mount Jingnan, and invited Li Qing to travel with him to Tianhe Marketplace.
• Li Qing refused Shi Nantian's invitation because he preferred to travel alone and remained cautious after Shi Nantian left.
• Less than a day later, Li Qing sensed cultivators fighting on a mountain ridge and turned away with Rice Bucket to avoid them.

Li Qing hid in the forest as Liu Hongyuan attacked Liu Bailin, but Shi Nantian intervened and fought the Liu Family elder with his swords and a barrage of talismans. The duel was turning against both fighters when three hidden Liu Family cultivators revealed themselves, leaving Liu Hongyuan surrounded.

• Li Qing concealed himself and fled after overhearing Liu Hongyuan pursue Liu Bailin and accuse her of resisting the lineage’s orders.
• Liu Hongyuan used the Jade Seal to drain Liu Bailin’s spiritual power as she tried to escape.
• Shi Nantian appeared and attacked Liu Hongyuan, then used a stack of talismans to overwhelm the elder’s defenses.
• Liu Hongyuan blocked Shi Nantian’s next sword strike with a Mysterious Iron Flying Shield and advanced on him as both men’s magical power ran low.
• Three hidden Liu Family cultivators revealed themselves and announced that the Liu Family would settle its own affairs.

Liu Hongyuan confronted the Liu Family over being denied a Foundation Establishment Pill and attacked before escaping with Wood Shadow Escape. Liu Santong pursued him while Liu Bailin recovered and Li Qing headed for Tianhe Marketplace.

• Shi Zhen arrived with two Liu Family elders, and Shi Nantian left with his third uncle.
• Liu Hongyuan accused the Liu Family of repeatedly denying him a Foundation Establishment Pill despite his service and revealed that they had hidden an Origin Melting Fruit.
• Shi Zhen took Shi Nantian away after learning about the Origin Melting Fruit.
• Liu Hongyuan activated his Jade Seal as a feint, then escaped using Wood Shadow Escape.
• Liu Santong pursued Liu Hongyuan with Wood Shadow Escape while Liu Zhan took Liu Bailin's Storage Bag and followed.
• Li Qing released Rice Bucket and rode the tiger toward Tianhe Marketplace.

Li Qing arrived at Tianhe Marketplace, a spectacular floating city where cultivators gathered and traded. After paying the entrance fee and learning the rules, he teleported inside and found himself amid its bustling shops and stalls.

• Li Qing flew toward Tianhe Marketplace on the Peerless Hammer and saw Foundation Establishment cultivators riding a Cloud Crane and drifting through the clouds.
• Shi Nantian arrived with Shi Zhen on a spirit boat, recognized Li Qing, and introduced him to his Third Uncle.
• Shi Zhen warned Shi Nantian against befriending low-status rogue cultivators, and Li Qing overheard the exchange before continuing to the entrance.
• Li Qing paid one spirit stone for a one-day entry token, learned the marketplace rules, and used a Teleportation Array to enter the city.
• Li Qing emerged into a busy plaza lined with shops for pills, artifacts, formations, and talismans.

Li Qing explored Tianhe Marketplace and bought pills to improve his cultivation, while considering how his poor spiritual aptitude would limit his progress. He left the Pill Cauldron Pavilion and continued shopping, determined to avoid unnecessary risks and cultivate steadily.

• Li Qing surveyed Tianhe Marketplace’s stalls, shops, and cave dwellings, then decided to prioritize cultivation pills, aged spiritwood, and artifact-refining supplies.
• Li Qing entered the Pill Cauldron Pavilion, where a young female cultivator explained its sound-blocking restriction and recommended Peiyuan Pills and Guangling Pills.
• Li Qing bought five Guangling Pills and two Peiyuan Pills for 285 spirit stones, then left the pavilion.
• Li Qing learned that the nearby Beast Fighting Arena hosted demonic-beast matches and betting, but declined to watch or enter Rice Bucket in a fight.
• Li Qing reflected on the limits imposed by his Four Spiritual Roots and resolved to cultivate steadily, then headed toward other pill shops.

Li Qing bought cultivation pills, extended his stay at Tianhe Marketplace, and tested a Guangling Pill before heading to the plaza district to look for artifact-refining supplies and spiritwood seeds. There, he saw Shi Nantian offer to buy a battered blade from a stall selling objects said to come from Daoist Lingmiao’s cave abode.

• Li Qing compared pill prices, bought pills, and paid for three days at an inexpensive inn so he could remain in Tianhe Marketplace.
• Li Qing swallowed a Guangling Pill and cultivated overnight, finding that it advanced his Mid Qi Refining cultivation by several days’ worth of progress.
• Li Qing went to the plaza district to search for artifact-refining items or spiritwood seeds and encountered a stall hawking freshly excavated objects from Daoist Lingmiao’s cave abode.
• The stall owner claimed that ordinary-looking objects might conceal treasures, drawing cultivators to inspect the dirt-stained wares.
• Shi Nantian offered to buy a broken, decayed blade, though the gathered cultivators could not discern anything unusual about it.

At Tianhe Marketplace, Li Qing watched Shi Nantian buy a mysterious broken blade, then found an incomplete artifact-refining manual and a secret art for preserving transplanted spirit plants. He promised a down-and-out stall owner that he might repair a Top-grade Magic Tool someday, and continued searching for spirit trees and seeds.

• Shi Nantian paid eighty spirit stones for a broken blade, drawing suspicion from nearby cultivators, while Li Qing watched without approaching him.
• Li Qing examined the old items but found nothing of value, then turned to Tianhe Marketplace’s stalls to seek information.
• Li Qing found a Fragmentary Artifact Refining Manual and learned it contained mostly lightness-type and speed-type spirit runes, but no instructions for refining a spirit boat.
• The stall owner offered Li Qing the manual and another book at a discount if he would promise to repair a Magic Tool once his skills improved; Li Qing agreed, with the condition that he would avoid any danger.
• Li Qing bought the Fragmentary Artifact Refining Manual and the Sealing Wood Secret Art, then continued through the plaza looking for spirit trees or seeds.

Li Qing learned about Meng Fan’s family’s destruction and searched Tianhe Marketplace for spirit wood, then visited Myriad Treasures Tower to inspect artifact-refining furnaces. He chose to buy the sturdy, secondhand Black Furnace.

• Li Qing paid an old cultivator to learn that Meng Fan was the sole survivor of the Meng Family, which the Shi Family had wiped out, and that Meng Fan sought an Artifact Refiner to repair his family’s damaged Top-grade Magic Tool.
• The old cultivator told Li Qing that spirit wood could be found at Tianhe Marketplace’s auction or through certain family shops and Myriad Treasures Tower, but the next auction was more than two years away.
• Li Qing entered Myriad Treasures Tower and was startled by its wealth, including Second-tier Demonic Beast crystal cores displayed on the first floor and a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator overseeing the tower.
• Li Qing asked a female cultivator to show him artifact-refining furnaces and judged the expensive options before considering the plain, used Black Furnace.
• Li Qing agreed to buy the Black Furnace for three hundred and seventy spirit stones.

Li Qing bought a Black Furnace and materials for two Water Entanglement Nets at Myriad Treasures Tower, then visited Gathering Wind Tower to enjoy a meal and hear news. He learned that a Foundation Establishment cultivator had been seriously injured by a restriction inside Daoist Lingmiao’s cave abode.

• Li Qing asked about spiritwood and artifact-refining materials at Myriad Treasures Tower, but declined the costly Golden Jade Nanmu Wood.
• Li Qing spent six hundred and thirty spirit stones on the Black Furnace and materials for two Water Entanglement Nets, then returned to his inn and planned to leave Tianhe Marketplace after one more day.
• Li Qing went to Gathering Wind Tower to gather news, ordered Braised Ink Profound Turtle and Hundred Flower Spirit Brew, and enjoyed the meal.
• A cultivator announced that a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator had been seriously injured after triggering a restriction in Daoist Lingmiao’s cave abode, and Li Qing listened closely.

Li Qing learned that the Flying Eagle Bandits had grown stronger after a Liu Family traitor joined them, while the Liu Family had suffered casualties in a failed pursuit. He bought protective talismans and, unable to find spiritwood, left Tianhe Marketplace to return to the Liu Family.

• Li Qing listened to cultivators discuss Daoist Lingmiao’s abandoned cave abode but decided not to risk exploring it.
• Li Qing heard that a Liu Family traitor had joined the Flying Eagle Bandits, who had defeated two Liu Family pursuers, killing one and severely wounding the other.
• Li Qing questioned whether the Flying Eagle Bandits had captured the Liu Family’s Foundation Establishment Pill ingredient and reasoned that they might avoid confronting the Liu Family for now.
• Li Qing bought Breath Concealing Talismans and other life-preserving talismans, then searched the marketplace for spiritwood without success.
• Li Qing decided to return to the Liu Family, turned in his marketplace token, and rode the Peerless Hammer away from Tianhe Marketplace.

Li Qing returned to the Liu Family, found its operations recovering, and worried that the missing Origin Melting Fruit might empower the Flying Eagle Bandits. As the region was distracted by treasures in Daoist Lingmiao's cave mansion, news that Liu Hanyue had returned to the family sparked speculation about whether she would attempt Foundation Establishment.

• Li Qing returned to Longevity Valley after a nine-day journey and was admitted to the Liu Family after Liu Feng verified his identity with Chen Xin's help.
• Li Qing settled into his courtyard and considered how the Liu Family's situation had improved, while remaining uncertain how the Flying Eagle Bandits had trapped the family and whether they had obtained the Origin Melting Fruit.
• The Liu Family received inquiries about the Origin Melting Fruit, while the Flying Eagle Bandits disappeared and Daoist Lingmiao's cave mansion drew attention with rare spirit herbs and fierce fighting among Foundation Establishment cultivators.
• Li Qing heard reports about the cave mansion but remained focused on the Flying Eagle Bandits and suspected they were quietly strengthening themselves with the Origin Melting Fruit.
• News spread that Liu Hanyue had returned from the Tianhe Sect, prompting speculation that she might attempt Foundation Establishment or that the Liu Family was preparing for conflict.

Li Qing refined a Qi Condensing Pill and used his Martial Arts Grandmaster vitality and blood to clear most of its accumulated pill toxins. He then assessed his remaining spiritual materials and decided to practice refining magic tools from demon beast parts.

• Li Qing took a Qi Condensing Pill and advanced his cultivation while noticing that it contained more pill toxins than Guangling Pills.
• Li Qing washed the accumulated toxins from his organs with his vigorous vitality and blood, confirming that body cultivation helped him tolerate frequent pill use.
• Li Qing considered how to explain his slowly aging appearance and concluded that a Youth Preserving Pill would eventually be the best solution.
• Li Qing reviewed his spiritual materials and chose the Earth Rock Bear's claws and fangs for his next artifact-refining practice.

Li Qing began forging Earth Rock Bear claws and fangs into Stormy Pear Blossom Nails, then devised a mechanism that could make the nails function as a single consumable magical artifact. He finished planning a prototype and prepared to forge its components.

• Li Qing chose the Black Furnace to process the Earth Rock Bear claws and fangs, using ordinary flames to purge their Killing Intent and anneal the materials.
• Li Qing polished and quenched twenty-two nail-like hidden weapons, then successfully spirit-tempered them.
• Li Qing realized the nails did not need complete spiritual patterns if a launching mechanism handled the remaining functions.
• Li Qing adapted an incomplete artifact-forging inheritance related to speed and nimbleness into a plan for the Stormy Pear Blossom Nail mechanism.
• Li Qing settled on a triggering handle, a nail cylinder, and a framework as the mechanism's three parts, then took out materials to begin forging.

Li Qing finished crafting the Stormy Pear Blossom Nail mechanism, recovered from exhaustion, and cultivated before returning to the Liu Family’s spirit mine. After he and the other workers left, a terrifying eruption struck the Tianhe Sect mine, and Liu Haitian ordered everyone to flee back to the family.

• Li Qing completed the Stormy Pear Blossom Nail mechanism after five days of forging, then slept for three days and dreamed repeatedly of the Black Furnace drifting through the Chaotic Void.
• Li Qing cultivated with a Qi Condensing Pill, managed his Pill Toxin, and later joined the spirit mine workers for another shift.
• Li Qing found a Mid-grade Spirit Stone in the mine and rested before handing over his harvest and receiving his share.
• Liu Haitian led the Liu Family team away from the mine, but a massive aura erupted behind them shortly afterward.
• A spiritual signal for aid rose from the mine and was cut off, leading Liu Haitian to conclude it was under attack and order the workers to return to the Liu Family.

After Tianhe Sect questioned the Liu Family’s mine workers about the attack and found no clear leads, Li Qing realized that his mining job had made him complacent. He decided to refine a Stormy Pear Blossom Nail and leave the Liu Family for Tianhe Marketplace.

• Tianhe Sect investigated the mine workers, using a jade disc and Elder Suxin’s ability to detect lies, but uncovered no useful information.
• Liu Hanyue invited Elder Suxin and the Law Enforcement Hall disciples to rest at Lake Heart Island, but they declined and departed.
• Li Qing returned to his courtyard and considered how the damaged mine and suspended work might leave him without income or push him into spirit farming.
• Li Qing reflected on how mining had worn down his ambition and remembered Zhou Tong’s decision to take on the Flying Eagle Bandits.
• Li Qing resolved to refine an artifact version of the Stormy Pear Blossom Nail, pack his belongings, and leave for Tianhe Marketplace.

Li Qing spent nearly half a month refining the Stormy Pear Blossom Nail into a Low-grade Magic Tool, then assessed the weapons and abilities he could use to protect himself. He stored the weapon as a hidden trump card and remained wary of the dangers in the Cultivation World.

• Li Qing repeatedly failed to engrave speed and lightness spirit patterns onto the Stormy Pear Blossom Nail's mechanism, then restored its spirituality and kept practicing until the mechanism was complete.
• Li Qing engraved gold and earth attribute spirit patterns onto all twenty-two bone nails, completing the Stormy Pear Blossom Nail as a Low-grade Magic Tool and gaining thirteen years of lifespan.
• Li Qing loaded the bone nails, tested the weapon with spiritual power, and stored it in his Storage Bag as a contingency against stronger enemies.
• Li Qing reviewed his talismans, magical artifacts, martial cultivation, and Rice Bucket's combat strength, while leaving the Dragon-like Dagger undecided until he felt ready to refine a Mid-grade Magic Tool.
• Li Qing recalled Daoist Lingmiao's power and downfall and resolved not to grow complacent about his own strength.

With the Liu Family requiring idle spirit mine workers to reclaim spirit fields, Li Qing chose to leave instead of becoming a farmer and broke through to the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining before departing. At the valley formation, Liu Tianbao asked to buy or borrow Rice Bucket for the Ascension Ceremony, but Li Qing refused and left after bidding farewell to Liu Sheng.

• The Liu Family posted a notice requiring spirit mine workers to claim abandoned spirit fields or leave, and Li Qing decided to depart rather than farm.
• On the day he left, Li Qing took a Qi Condensing Pill and unexpectedly advanced to the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining.
• Li Qing returned his Identity Token and told a Liu Family disciple he was leaving to travel through the Cultivation World.
• At the formation, Liu Tianbao asked Li Qing to sell or lend him Rice Bucket for the Ascension Ceremony, but Li Qing refused and Liu Tianbao opened the formation for him.
• Li Qing turned back to thank Liu Sheng, exchanged farewell words with him, and then departed Longevity Valley.
• Liu Tianbao watched Li Qing leave with a conflicted expression.

Li Qing and Rice Bucket fought off Liu Tianbao, who had pursued them in order to seize the tiger and advance his own prospects. After Liu Tianbao revealed that a restriction could report his death to the Liu Family, Li Qing crippled him and brought him into a cold, pitch-black world.

• Liu Tianbao secretly pursued Li Qing and Rice Bucket, intending to take the tiger for the Ascension Ceremony.
• Li Qing noticed the pursuit and led Liu Tianbao on until the cultivator began to run low on spiritual power.
• Liu Tianbao attacked with wooden spikes, but Li Qing blocked them and countered with talismans and his Peerless Hammer while Rice Bucket ambushed him.
• Li Qing restrained Liu Tianbao, but Liu Tianbao threatened that his death would send images of the fight back to the Liu Family.
• Li Qing destroyed Liu Tianbao's cultivation and meridians, then brought him into a pitch-black world that resembled hell.

Li Qing returned to Tianhe Marketplace, rented an inn room, and began selling the inferior magical artifacts he had forged. His first customer was a former Liu Family Talisman Master, who revealed that the Origin Melting Fruit had fallen into the Flying Eagle Bandits’ hands and warned that the Liu Family might face disaster.

• Li Qing hid the stolen goods in the Eternal Night World, cleaned up the battlefield, and traveled to Tianhe Marketplace.
• Li Qing rented a room at the inn and planned to earn spirit stones by selling magical artifacts.
• The Liu Family learned Liu Tianbao had disappeared and ordered the Law Enforcement Hall to search for him after his father’s Life Willow Technique gave no sign that he had died.
• Li Qing set up a stall and waited until the young Talisman Master he had met in the Liu Family came to browse his wares.
• The young Talisman Master told Li Qing that the Origin Melting Fruit had fallen into the Flying Eagle Bandits’ hands, said he had left the Liu Family fearing future trouble, and tried to claim Li Qing’s Curved Water Sword.