Chapter Summaries

Li Qing modified the Serpent-headed Spirit Boat mid-flight, replacing its offensive patterns with speed patterns while Elder Suxin closed in. The boat accelerated enough for him to reach Liang Kingdom territory, but Suxin continued the pursuit into Shangqing Sect territory.

• Li Qing rejected traveling to the Eternal Night World as too risky and decided to alter the Serpent-headed Spirit Boat to gain speed.
• Li Qing erased the boat's offensive spirit patterns and carefully inscribed new speed patterns while fleeing and replenishing his spiritual power with two Mid-grade Spirit Stones.
• Elder Suxin spotted Li Qing modifying the boat and fired an ink-black arrow to disrupt him.
• Li Qing completed the patterns, causing the boat to accelerate and evade the arrow as he recognized Suxin as the Tianhe Sect elder who had tested the Liu Family.
• Li Qing called to Suxin as he entered Liang Kingdom territory, but she continued pursuing him toward Shangqing Sect territory.

Li Qing reached Liang Kingdom after escaping Suxin and discovered that Tianhe Sect was tracking him with a Divination Instrument. While recovering his mana, he followed a group of mortals searching for a demonic beast and watched the Lu Family prepare to capture it.

• Li Qing escaped Suxin’s pursuit, searched six Storage Bags, and found ingredients for nearly one Foundation Establishment Pill formula.
• Li Qing found a Divination Instrument in Yang Xi’s Storage Bag and confirmed that its pointer tracked his location.
• Li Qing began restoring his mana in the woods and overheard young mortals say the Lu Family had sent them to find a Strange Ape.
• Li Qing followed the mortals in secret, hoping to use the Lu Family to alert Shangqing Sect that Tianhe Sect elders had entered Liang Kingdom.
• The Lu Family’s cultivators surrounded the mountain ravine and began setting up a formation to capture the Joyful Ape.

Li Qing hid inside his Black Furnace while the Lu Family prepared a formation to capture a second-tier demonic beast, and Suxin found a way to enter the sealed ravine to pursue him. The mortals then spotted the beast and sent up a signal, prompting the hunt to begin.

• Li Qing sensed the Lu Family's trapping formation, hid inside his Black Furnace, and restored his Spiritual Power.
• Suxin's Divination Instrument failed near the formation, and Lü Feiyu warned his family that an unfamiliar Foundation Establishment cultivator might interfere with their hunt.
• Suxin learned from the Snow Charm Fox that Li Qing was inside the ravine and used the Cloud Crossing Ladder to slip through the formation.
• Li Qing emerged from the Black Furnace as the mortals found the demonic beast and sent a signal with a red light.

A Second-tier Joyful Ape attacked mortals used as bait, while Suxin fought it and Li Qing learned of the battle. After the wounded ape fled into a crack behind the waterfall, Suxin cried out about Desire Miasma and a Heavenly Desire Flower, prompting Li Qing to cautiously investigate.

• The Joyful Ape rushed into the forest and ate several mortals before Suxin intervened with a black arrow.
• Lü Feiyu and Zhong Ya agreed to drive away rival cultivators in exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill.
• Suxin used the Calming Heart Incantation to torment the ape's Demon Spirit, while the ape broke her arrow-shaped artifact.
• Li Qing learned from a mortal that Suxin was fighting the ape and approached the battle while hiding his aura.
• The wounded ape smashed through the mountain behind the waterfall and escaped into a crack, with Suxin pursuing it.
• Li Qing heard Suxin cry out about Desire Miasma and a Heavenly Desire Flower, then went to investigate.

Li Qing lured the wounded Joyful Ape out of the fissure with a crimson crystal and killed it with Rice Bucket’s help, though it wounded him before dying. While harvesting the ape for its Demonic Beast Core and valuable parts, Li Qing was exposed to Desire Miasma and charged into the fissure toward Suxin, leaving them both overcome by desire.

• Li Qing identified the pink miasma as Desire Miasma and used a crimson crystal to lure the wounded Joyful Ape out of the fissure.
• Li Qing and Rice Bucket fought the Joyful Ape together, and Li Qing killed it after it pierced his abdomen with a bone spike.
• Li Qing healed himself, recovered the Demonic Beast Core, and began harvesting the ape’s body for valuable materials.
• Desire Miasma mixed with Heavenly Desire Flower pollen burst from the ape’s corpse and seeped into Li Qing’s body, overwhelming his reason.
• Li Qing rushed into the fissure and encountered Suxin, who was also under the miasma’s influence, and they were drawn together.

Li Qing woke after being affected by the Heavenly Desire Flowers and discovered that he had reached Qi Refining Stage Great Perfection. As the Lu Family’s cultivators approached, Suxin agreed to take him out of the ravine, but Lü Feiyu and Zhong Ya recognized her as a Tianhe Sect elder and moved to stop her.

• Li Qing woke beside Suxin and realized his cultivation had advanced to the tenth layer of Qi Refining, while the Heavenly Desire Flowers had withered.
• Li Qing considered killing Suxin and escaping into the Eternal Night World, but waited cautiously when he sensed her breathing change.
• Li Qing spoke to Suxin, who woke, dressed, and said she would not blame him for what happened under the flowers’ influence.
• Li Qing and Suxin sensed Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators approaching, and Suxin led him out of the crevice on a divine rainbow.
• Lü Feiyu ordered the Lu Family disciples to activate the formation and trap Suxin, while Zhong Ya recognized her as a Tianhe Sect elder he had fought years earlier.

Suxin and Li Qing were trapped in the Wood Elemental Demon Locking Formation while Lü Feiyu and Zhong Ya pursued them. Suxin borrowed Li Qing’s Spiritual Sense to unleash a powerful technique and break through the formation, but their pursuers believed she was nearly spent and continued after them.

• Lü Feiyu ordered the formation activated after Zhong Ya urged him to kill Suxin and claim the Second-order Demonic Beast Core.
• The Wood Elemental Demon Locking Formation trapped Suxin and Li Qing, and its vines slowed their escape as Lü Feiyu and Zhong Ya closed in.
• Suxin asked whether Li Qing’s Spiritual Sense was strong, then transmitted the Spirit Merging Art incantation so he could lend her its power.
• Suxin used their merged Spiritual Sense to unleash a Core Formation Realm fluctuation that broke through the formation at the ravine’s edge.
• Lü Feiyu and Zhong Ya guessed that Suxin had used a Forbidden Secret Technique and pursued her, believing she was nearly exhausted.

Li Qing and the exhausted Suxin fled the Wood Elemental Demon Locking Formation aboard the Serpent-headed Spirit Boat, but Lü Feiyu and Zhong Ya pursued them in the Golden Warship. As Zhong Ya unleashed a golden spiritual sword at their boat, Suxin had revealed the truth behind Li Qing’s crimes and condemned the Tianhe Sect disciples who had massacred mortals.

• Li Qing helped Suxin onto the Serpent-headed Spirit Boat and sped away from the formation, but Lü Feiyu and Zhong Ya followed in Zhong Ya’s powerful Golden Warship.
• Suxin used her remaining spiritual power to increase the Serpent-headed Spirit Boat’s speed, while Li Qing replenished his own strength with spirit stones.
• Li Qing told Suxin that Ye Feng had tried to poison and kill him, and that Tianhe Sect disciples had massacred mortals and tried to blame him.
• Suxin condemned the disciples and promised to report their actions, while Li Qing doubted the sect would meaningfully punish its own members.
• Zhong Ya and Lü Feiyu agreed to attack the fleeing boat, and Zhong Ya activated the Golden Warship’s formation to launch a massive golden sword at it.

Li Qing and Suxin fled the Zhong Family’s Golden Warship, whose formation-powered strikes Suxin blocked once and Li Qing narrowly dodged twice. As their pursuers followed them south toward Mu Kingdom, the Tianhe Sect learned that Suxin’s Soul Lantern had dimmed and called an elders’ meeting.

• Suxin used her Bronze Mirror Secret Treasure to dissolve the Golden Warship’s first Golden Greatsword, then warned Li Qing that she could not keep using the technique.
• Li Qing evaded the Golden Warship’s second sword strike with a sharp turn of the Serpent-headed Spirit Boat and learned from Suxin how formations had been combined with artifact refinement to create the rare Golden Warships.
• Li Qing dodged the third strike as Zhong and Lü decided to stop attacking and follow the fleeing pair toward Mu Kingdom.
• The Tianhe Sect’s Soul Lantern Hall elder reported that Suxin had pursued Li the Demon into Shangqing Sect territory and that her Soul Lantern had grown dim.
• The Tianhe Sect’s sect master ordered an elders’ meeting to discuss Suxin’s peril.

Li Qing fled to Lingyun Sect with Suxin, where a genuine Ascension Token gained him the sect’s protection from his pursuers. He reunited with his old friend Wu Chong and became a Lingyun Sect disciple, beginning a new chapter in his cultivation.

• Li Qing and Suxin shared a tender farewell before she flew northwest toward Feng Kingdom, while Li Qing continued toward Lingyun Sect.
• Zhong Ya and Lü Feiyu pursued Li Qing to Lingyun Sect’s mountain gate, where Elder Chen confirmed Li Qing’s Ascension Token was genuine and declared him a sect disciple.
• Zhong Ya accused Li Qing of being a Tianhe Sect spy, but Elder Wu recognized Li Qing as his old friend and stood up to protect him.
• Wu Chong threatened to summon his master, the Sky Swallowing Ancestor, and Elder Chen joined him in ordering Zhong Ya and Lü Feiyu to leave.
• Zhong Ya and Lü Feiyu withdrew as other Lingyun Sect cultivators approached, and Elder Chen welcomed the new disciples, including Li Qing, into the sect.

Li Qing refused Zheng Donghe’s attempt to buy his Foundation Establishment Pill and learned that Wu Chong had arranged for Elder Chen to refine another batch. As Li Qing prepared to pursue Foundation Establishment, he envied Wu Chong’s fortunate encounter with the Sky Swallowing Ancestor.

• Li Qing read that the Heavenly Desire Flower’s pollen could aid cultivation when released through dual cultivation and reflected on the value of its pollen.
• Zheng Donghe offered Li Qing Blood Jade Ginseng and help securing an easy sect duty, then revealed he wanted to buy Li Qing’s Foundation Establishment Pill.
• Li Qing refused, explaining that the pill was his chance to pursue Foundation Establishment and that earning enough contributions for another might take years.
• After Zheng Donghe left, Li Qing acknowledged that Wu Chong’s backing helped protect him from disciples seeking his pill.
• Wu Chong told Li Qing that Senior Brother Chen had agreed to refine Foundation Establishment Pills using ingredients supplied through Wu Chong’s master.
• Wu Chong recalled that Li Qing’s advice had helped him survive the bandit attack and eventually meet the Sky Swallowing Ancestor, making Li Qing regret not hiding with him.

Li Qing joined ten other standout disciples on Cloudy Sky Island to receive Foundation Establishment Pills from Sect Master Xu Yun. After the others left, Xu Yun questioned Li Qing about his ties to the Tianhe Sect, accepted his oath that he was not a spy, and sent him away with his pill and renewed confidence in the Lingyun Sect.

• Li Qing arrived at Cloudy Sky Island and spoke with the other disciples while they waited for Sect Master Xu Yun.
• Xu Yun gave each of the eleven disciples a Foundation Establishment Pill and advised them to cultivate patiently.
• Xu Yun asked Shen Ningbing to take Martial Aunt Bingyun's cultivation technique if she successfully achieved Foundation Establishment.
• Xu Yun kept Li Qing behind and asked whether he was a spy sent by the Tianhe Sect.
• Li Qing swore he was not a spy, and Xu Yun reassured him that he was a member of the Lingyun Sect before Li Qing left with his second Foundation Establishment Pill.

Li Qing waited calmly while the Lingyun Sect’s newly recruited immortal seedlings began Foundation Establishment, and several succeeded while others failed. After Wu Chong arrived with four freshly refined pills, Li Qing swallowed his first genuine Foundation Establishment Pill and began his own attempt.

• Lingyun Sect disciples speculated about Li Qing’s chances and criticized him for receiving a Foundation Establishment Pill despite having Four Spiritual Roots.
• Ji Bai and several other immortal seedlings began Foundation Establishment, while Li Qing stayed in his courtyard and waited.
• Ji Bai succeeded, but other attempts ended in failure; Shen Ningbing also succeeded, while Pan Xiao failed.
• Wu Chong brought Li Qing four newly refined Foundation Establishment Pills, adding to the pills Li Qing already possessed.
• Li Qing asked Wu Chong to guard him, then swallowed a genuine Foundation Establishment Pill to begin Foundation Establishment.

Li Qing attempted Foundation Establishment with his Foundation Establishment Pills, overcoming the dangers of purifying and liquefying his Spiritual Power before successfully forming his Dao Foundation. He ended the chapter as a newly established Foundation Establishment cultivator, while disciples and Zheng Donghe reacted to his attempt.

• Li Qing used his first Foundation Establishment Pill to purify his Spiritual Power, exhausting the pill before he could begin liquefaction.
• Li Qing took a second pill and began liquefying his Spiritual Power as disciples gathered to watch and Zheng Donghe angrily learned that Li Qing had used the pill.
• When the second pill’s power ran low, Li Qing swallowed a third pill he had kept in his mouth and completed Spiritual Power liquefaction.
• Li Qing took a fourth, inferior-grade Foundation Establishment Pill to help his liquefied Spiritual Power settle into his Dantian and unite his essence, energy, and spirit.
• Li Qing successfully achieved Foundation Establishment, and someone outside his courtyard congratulated Elder Li Qing.

Li Qing successfully achieved Foundation Establishment despite having Four Spiritual Roots, drawing attention across the Lingyun Sect. He reflected on his new realm’s benefits and considered how to advance, ending as he began consolidating his cultivation.

• Li Qing emerged from his courtyard after achieving Foundation Establishment, accepted congratulations from the disciples, and became an elder of the Lingyun Sect.
• News of Li Qing’s breakthrough spread through the sect, while Zheng Donghe bitterly resented that Li Qing had succeeded after refusing him a Foundation Establishment Pill.
• Wu Chong thanked Li Qing for their friendship, urged him to report his breakthrough to the sect master, and left his courtyard.
• Li Qing considered choosing a new cultivation method, reporting to the sect, and exploring Heavenly Measure Mountain in the Eternal Night World.
• Li Qing examined his Foundation Establishment Realm, noting his increased lifespan and Spiritual Sense, and tested his Innate True Fire.
• Li Qing considered using his new true fire to refine a High-grade Magic Tool, since he needed stronger means to protect himself.

After establishing Foundation, Li Qing visited Sect Master Xu Yun and learned about the privileges and responsibilities of becoming a Soaring Cloud Sect elder. He and the other new elders chose to seek cave abodes and cultivate in seclusion for several years before taking sect positions.

• On his way to Cloudy Sky Island, Li Qing considered choosing the daoist name Wuji.
• Li Qing met Ji Bai, Shen Ningbing, and Wu Hong, the other three disciples who had established Foundation.
• Sect Master Xu Yun gave the four Identity Tokens and explained their cave-abode privileges, access to the Merit Hall, and annual stipends.
• Xu Yun offered the new elders vacant positions in the Pill Hall, Array Hall, and Law Enforcement Hall, but all four chose to cultivate in seclusion first.
• Xu Yun sent the four new elders out to choose their cave abodes.

Li Qing settled into a secluded cave dwelling on Barren Cloud Peak and prepared to seek cultivation methods from the Hall of Inherited Skills. There, he stopped two disciples from dueling and delivered a lecture on devotion to cultivation, prompting Sect Master Xu Yun to order his words engraved at the hall.

• Li Qing selected an abandoned cave dwelling on Barren Cloud Peak, cleaned it, set up restrictions, and released Rice Bucket to guard and live there.
• Li Qing furnished the cave dwelling and headed to the Hall of Inherited Skills to search for a cultivation method or secret art.
• Li Qing encountered Yang Shan challenging Li Xiaotong over Shuhua and intervened before their wagered duel could begin.
• Li Qing ordered Yang Shan and Li Xiaotong to reflect for three days, then urged the gathered disciples to cherish their cultivation opportunities and pursue the Dao.
• Sect Master Xu Yun praised Li Qing's verse and wrote a letter ordering it engraved in front of the Hall of Inherited Skills.

Li Qing explored the Lingyun Sect’s Hall of Inherited Skills, searching for a Foundation Establishment cultivation art suited to his fire attribute. He found an enticing art that could boost cultivation through Heaven and Earth Spirit Fires, but its drawbacks and incomplete transmission left him undecided.

• Li Qing entered the Hall of Inherited Skills and surveyed its abundant first- and second-grade inheritances.
• He examined a fragment containing Purple Sun Pill recipes but set it aside because he was an Artifact Refiner and the required herbs were rare.
• Li Qing considered the second-grade artifact-refining inheritance, which could teach him to make Top-grade Magic Tools, but returned it after noting its Contribution Point cost.
• He searched for a fire-attribute cultivation art and found the Crimson Radiance Burning Heaven Art fragment, which could help cultivate and subdue multiple Heaven and Earth Spirit Fires.
• Li Qing learned that the art slowed cultivation if he failed to subdue a spirit fire and only included the Foundation Establishment section, leaving him conflicted.

Li Qing chose the incomplete Crimson Blazing Heaven Art, swore not to pass it on, and began converting his cultivation to it. While preparing to attend Ji Bai's Foundation Establishment celebration, he crafted a small bell as a gift and considered how to present his value as an artifact refiner.

• Li Qing chose the Crimson Blazing Heaven Art, deciding its promise of growth through Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire outweighed its risks and incomplete inheritance.
• Li Qing swore a Heart Demon Oath, memorized the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment portions, and left the Hall of Inherited Skills.
• Li Qing began converting his Fire Source Art; after several months, more than half his true essence had become scarlet red.
• Li Qing received Ji Bai's invitation to a Foundation Establishment celebration and decided to attend to build connections.
• Li Qing used Innate True Fire to refine a spirit-gold bell as a gift, inscribing patterns inspired by the Soul Nurturing Bell and gaining five days of lifespan.

Li Qing attended Ji Bai’s Foundation Establishment celebration, where he made connections with sect elders and learned that a mysterious stone egg had absorbed much of a Core Formation spirit item. After hearing that Shen Ningbing had gone out training under Supreme Elder Bingyun, Li Qing suspected they had gone to deal with the egg.

• Li Qing gave Ji Bai a mind-calming bell he had refined and joined the celebration in Ji Bai’s cave abode.
• Li Qing earned the elders’ approval for his remarks about Foundation Establishment and discussed the hardships of cultivation with them.
• The elders discussed the Yin-Yang Spirit Condensing Liquid absorbed by a mysterious stone egg, and Elder Lu revealed that Martial Aunt Bingyun had discovered it on Forbidden Speech Snow Mountain.
• Li Qing asked why Shen Ningbing and Wu Hong were absent, and Ji Bai said Wu Hong was busy changing cultivation arts while Shen Ningbing had gone training.
• Li Qing recalled that Shen Ningbing’s master was Bingyun and suspected that she had gone with Bingyun to subdue the demonic beast inside the stone egg.