Chapter Summaries

Li Qing returned to the Eternal Night World hoping to cultivate with its faster passage of time, but discovered that it had no spiritual energy. After leaving Rice Bucket at his old blacksmith shop in Giant Rock City, he encountered a gang member who said the Righteous Gang had become the Azure Gang.

• Li Qing cultivated on Little Cui Ridge with Rice Bucket nearby and estimated that he needed about another year to reach the first layer of Qi Refining.
• After searching the vast forest for cultivators, Li Qing gave up and returned to the Eternal Night World to gather information in Giant Rock City.
• Li Qing sensed that the Eternal Night World contained no spiritual energy, though the spiritual power in his dantian remained.
• Li Qing left the listless Rice Bucket at his old blacksmith shop and went out to investigate the city after more than ten years away.
• A street loafer confronted Li Qing for entering the Azure Gang's forbidden ground, and Li Qing recognized the houses as former property of the Righteous Gang.

Li Qing returned to Giant Rock City and learned that the Azure Gang had risen to power under An Xuan, while Xiang Fa, an immortal cultivator, controlled the city’s three great powers. After hearing about Xiang Fa’s past and current influence, Li Qing decided to confront him, confident in his own strength.

• Li Qing interrogated an Azure Gang thug and learned how the Righteous Gang had become the Azure Gang and established a three-way balance in Giant Rock City.
• Li Qing went to Miao Qi’s residence, where Miao Qi recognized him and welcomed him back after more than a decade.
• Miao Qi told Li Qing that Xiang Fa, an immortal cultivator, had gained control of the City Lord’s Mansion, the Red Fish Merchant Guild, and the Azure Gang.
• Miao Qi described Xiang Fa’s love of power, careful habits, fondness for alcohol, and control over livestock production and hunting.
• Li Qing concluded that the Age of Dharma’s End had weakened Xiang Fa and announced that he would pay him a visit.
• Li Qing told Miao Qi that he could kill two or three Internal Energy experts with one slap.

Li Qing confronted Xiang Fa at the Red Fish Merchant Guild after Xiang Fa rejected the Azure Gang’s request to borrow a Cultivation Method. Li Qing defeated Xiang Fa and began questioning him about hidden cultivation-related items, but Xiang Fa tried to attack him with a concealed dart.

• Miao Qi asked Xiang Fa to exchange a Cultivation Method for wine on behalf of the Azure Gang, but Xiang Fa demanded that An Xuan bring him the rest of the wine in person.
• Li Qing revealed himself and attacked Xiang Fa, destroying his arm with a single blow and identifying himself as the Azure Gang’s “Azure.”
• Li Qing sent Miao Qi and the servant away, then asked Xiang Fa where he had hidden cultivation-related items.
• Xiang Fa fired a concealed dart at Li Qing, but Li Qing knocked it aside with a silver Dragon-like Dagger.
• Li Qing warned Xiang Fa to cooperate and let him live out his remaining years.

Li Qing forced Xiang Fa to reveal how to open his Storage Bag, then learned about the Age of Dharma's End and Heavenly Measure Mountain before killing him to protect his secret. He claimed Xiang Fa's possessions, discovered the power and cost of the Crimson Iron Umbrella, and found a complete Qi Refining cultivation method in a jade slip.

• Li Qing opened Xiang Fa's Storage Bag with Spiritual Power and learned that Xiang Fa was a Mid Qi Refining cultivator who had practiced for nine years.
• Xiang Fa explained that Heavenly Measure Mountain was a small Daoist temple founded by the Foundation Establishment cultivator Liang Tian, and that the sun had disappeared nearly sixty years earlier as spiritual energy vanished.
• When Xiang Fa realized Li Qing was too young to have survived the Age of Dharma's End, Li Qing killed him to conceal his secret of Two Realms Travel.
• Li Qing examined Xiang Fa's belongings, found that the spirit stones had become useless, and activated the Crimson Iron Umbrella, which consumed most of his Spiritual Power.
• Li Qing named the artifact the Crimson Shadow Umbrella and used a jade slip to discover that it contained a complete Qi Refining stage cultivation method.

After looting Xiang Fa, Li Qing found two Qi Refining cultivation methods and an alchemy manual, then remembered a jade slip he had stored in his blacksmith shop. It contained Zhang Weifeng’s artifact-crafting inheritance, which taught Li Qing the fundamentals of shaping, spirit tempering, and inscription patterns and left him eager to develop his skills.

• Li Qing counted the riches he had taken from Xiang Fa, admired the magical robes, and reminded himself not to hunt cultivators recklessly.
• Li Qing discovered that the jade slips held the Azure Wood Art, the Fire Source Art, an alchemy manual, and two pill formulas.
• Li Qing returned to his blacksmith shop in the Eternal Night World and found the jade slip he had bought at a market in Obsidian City.
• Li Qing used his spiritual power to read the Zhang Clan's Artifact Crafting Annotations: Spirit Quenching and Inscription Patterns, left by Zhang Weifeng.
• Li Qing learned the three basic stages of artifact crafting and bowed in gratitude to Zhang Weifeng for the inheritance.

Li Qing studied the Artifact Crafting Manual before helping the Azure Gang defeat the City Lord's Mansion and the Red Fish Merchant Guild. An Xuan secured control of Giant Rock City, bringing the gang to the height of its power, and returned to Li Qing to talk.

• Li Qing learned about artifact crafting and the Water Entanglement Net blueprint, but realized his cultivation was too low to craft it yet.
• Miao Qi told Li Qing that the City Lord's Mansion and Red Fish Merchant Guild had attacked the Azure Gang while Zhao Kou secluded himself to break through.
• Li Qing rushed to the Azure Gang headquarters and killed Qin Jie as he threatened An Xuan, then told her he had eliminated the enemy Martial Artists.
• An Xuan reunited emotionally with Li Qing, then took charge of the crisis while he waited for her.
• An Xuan crushed the remaining resistance, claimed Giant Rock City for the Azure Gang, and returned to Li Qing after the gang reached its peak power.

After Tian Long’s death, Li Qing reunited with An Xuan and asked the Azure Gang to search for immortal cultivators and rare artifact-refining materials. He returned to Little Cui Ridge and began cultivating the Fire Source Art, leaving his progress to grow in seclusion.

• An Xuan told Li Qing that her foster father, Tian Long, had died and asked to help him through the Azure Gang.
• Li Qing asked the Azure Gang to seek traces of immortal cultivators and gather unusual materials, then gave An Xuan a Blood-Generating Pill.
• Li Qing and An Xuan spent the night together, and he left after entrusting her with his requests.
• Li Qing returned to Little Cui Ridge with Rice Bucket and chose the Fire Source Art over the Azure Wood Art.
• Li Qing began cultivating the Fire Source Art in the mountain forests, and his cultivation gradually rose.

After two and a half years cultivating and exploring Little Cui Ridge, Li Qing entered a mysterious valley called Longevity Valley after hearing its legends from an old hunter. The valley's mist appeared as soon as he crossed inside, and the path behind him vanished.

• Li Qing finished cultivating at the second level of Qi Refining and decided to search the western mountains for denser spiritual energy.
• Rice Bucket brought Li Qing a python, and Li Qing collected its hide and ate its gall before riding west.
• Li Qing and Rice Bucket reached a valley near a village, where an old hunter warned them that visitors lost their way inside for days.
• The old hunter recounted a legend about a woodcutter who returned from Longevity Valley decades later without aging, and Li Qing gave him silver before entering the valley.
• A strange mist surrounded Li Qing and Rice Bucket, and the path they had taken disappeared behind them.

Li Qing entered the Liu Family’s protective formation and was invited inside after identifying himself as a Rogue Cultivator. He met Liu Sheng, who welcomed him and Rice Bucket into the valley.

• Liu Sheng and Liu Tianbao noticed that the formation had detected a visitor with a Pseudo Spiritual Root, then discovered that the visitor already had cultivation.
• Liu Sheng went to investigate while Liu Tianbao stayed behind to cultivate.
• Li Qing realized the white mist was a formation and waited rather than risk provoking its owners.
• Liu Sheng opened a passage through the mist and invited Li Qing to the Liu Family for a chat.
• Li Qing followed the passage with Rice Bucket and exchanged polite introductions and compliments with Liu Sheng.

Li Qing toured Longevity Valley and was offered a place in the Liu Family in exchange for marrying into the family or working as a hired cultivator. He refused marriage and chose to earn resources through work, then went with Liu Sheng to register and select a job.

• Liu Sheng showed Li Qing the beautiful Longevity Valley and asked about his past, while Li Qing told him a partly fabricated story.
• Liu Sheng offered Li Qing the choice of marrying a Liu Family woman or working for the family as a hired cultivator.
• Li Qing rejected marriage, reasoning that he wanted to focus on cultivation and avoid family obligations.
• Liu Sheng stopped trying to persuade Li Qing and led him to the Steward Hall to register and choose work.

Li Qing registered with the Liu Family and chose to work as a spirit mine worker, hoping to earn spirit stones while retaining time to cultivate. He settled into his assigned courtyard and waited for mining to begin.

• Li Qing received an Identity Token and examined the Liu Family's available assignments with Liu Sheng and the managing elder.
• After learning that the spirit stone vein belonged to Tianhe Sect and reviewing the mining rules, Li Qing chose the spirit mine worker assignment.
• The managing elder told Li Qing he would mine for about ten days each month, could not bring spatial artifacts into the mine, and must not absorb the stones' spiritual energy.
• Li Qing left the Affairs Hall, rode Rice Bucket to District C, Courtyard Forty-Nine, and inspected his new residence.

Li Qing moved into the Liu Family’s spiritual vein grounds and began cultivating in his new courtyard, where his progress improved after years of slow advancement. After hunger interrupted his meditation, he decided to meet his neighbors and learn about the area, and a friendly spirit farmer invited him over to talk.

• Li Qing activated his courtyard’s restrictions and circulated the Fire Source Art, cultivating for three days as Rice Bucket explored the yard.
• Hungry, Li Qing roasted python meat from his Storage Bag and worried about how he would earn spirit stones once his stored food ran out.
• Li Qing decided to socialize, ask about the Cultivation World War, and find out what his Mountain Bear King hide might be worth at the Tianhe Sect market.
• Li Qing met a young spirit farmer returning from a task and learned that his arrival on Rice Bucket had intimidated the neighbors.
• The spirit farmer recognized that Li Qing was new to the Cultivation World and invited him to his courtyard to answer his questions.

Li Qing learned from Jinchuan about the war between the Qingling Region’s major cultivation powers and received advice about mining, Spirit Rice, and an upcoming trade fair. Jinchuan pointed him toward an old miner in Area C who knew the mines well, leaving Li Qing curious about the man’s advice.

• Jinchuan told Li Qing that a prodigy with a Heavenly Spiritual Root and Exquisite Treasure Body had prompted a nine-year war among the Tianhe Sect, Shangqing Sect, and Sacred Hall Tribe.
• Jinchuan warned Li Qing that mining would likely earn him few spirit stones, then offered him Spirit Rice and explained how cultivators could buy it.
• Jinchuan advised Li Qing to feed Rice Bucket Beast Feeding Pills, Beast Raising Pills, or demonic beast flesh, and told him about a trade fair scheduled for five months later.
• Jinchuan directed Li Qing to an old miner in Courtyard Sixteen of Area C, explaining that the man had married into the Liu Family and regretted it after none of his eleven children had a Spirit Root.
• Li Qing decided he should visit the old miner and felt relieved that he had chosen hired work instead of marrying into the Liu Family.

Li Qing began practicing artifact refinement in the Liu Family courtyard, using ordinary iron to make a Heart Protection Plate. After exhausting himself tempering it with Spiritual Power, he started inscribing defensive spirit patterns but struggled to find a clear approach.

• Li Qing decided to earn Spirit Stones by refining and selling simple magical artifacts, and resolved to buy Beast Feeding Pills for Rice Bucket.
• Li Qing cooked and ate Spirit Rice porridge, then cultivated before returning to his courtyard.
• Li Qing brought his blacksmithing tools from the Eternal Night World and began refining an artifact while keeping his inheritance secret.
• Li Qing forged three iron plates into a Heart Protection Plate and repeatedly attempted to temper it with Spiritual Power until he succeeded.
• Li Qing chose earth- and metal-attribute spirit patterns for the plate, but found inscription far more difficult than expected.

After failing to inscribe the Heart Protection Plate, Li Qing identified his choice of spirit inscriptions as the problem and decided to focus on earth-attribute inscriptions. With his first trip into the mines thirteen days away, he visited Old Senior Zhou to seek mining advice but left after the old miner dismissed him.

• Li Qing failed repeatedly to inscribe the Heart Protection Plate, exhausted his spiritual power, and decided to prioritize earth-attribute spirit inscriptions.
• Li Qing carried a jar of Winter Plum Wine to Courtyard Sixteen to ask Old Senior Zhou about mining spirit stones.
• Old Senior Zhou asked whether the wine was spirit wine, then let Li Qing enter after learning it was mortal fine wine.
• Old Senior Zhou told Li Qing to leave after he set down the wine, and Li Qing departed without pressing him for advice.
• Li Qing decided to bring Old Senior Zhou more wine every few days before his first descent into the mines, then returned to his courtyard to practice qi refinement.

Li Qing successfully forged the Earth Origin Heart Protection Plate and gained six years of lifespan. After sharing wine and food with Old Senior Zhou, he finally learned about the Liu Family’s Spirit Stone mine and its potential dangers and rare materials.

• Li Qing completed the Earth Origin Heart Protection Plate, gained six years of lifespan, and tested its Earth Origin Shield.
• Li Qing brought Winter Plum Wine and braised dishes to Old Senior Zhou, who invited him to stay and drink.
• Old Senior Zhou agreed to explain the mine pit after Li Qing admitted he wanted information about it.
• Old Senior Zhou described the mine’s location, the Liu Family’s secret passage, the mining rules, and the Spirit-Eating Lizards.
• Old Senior Zhou told Li Qing that rare accompanying materials such as Mystic Cloud Mica Iron had been found in the vein, then began explaining how to search for ore.

Li Qing joined the Liu Family’s mining expedition and entered a Tianhe Sect spirit stone mine. Inside his assigned tunnel, he realized he might be able to smuggle the spirit stones he mined into the Eternal Night World, though he still needed to test whether the mine’s formation would detect his travel.

• Li Qing left Rice Bucket and his Storage Bag in his courtyard, then joined Zhou Tong and the other mine workers for the journey to the mine.
• Liu Haitian led more than forty cultivators on Spirit Colts to the Tianhe Sect mine, where Yan Hong greeted them and oversaw their inspection.
• The workers passed through the formation, received mining Storage Bags and restriction tokens, and were assigned separate tunnels.
• Li Qing entered his tunnel and began considering how to mine spirit stones with his crude Inferior Magical Artifact.
• Li Qing realized he might be able to send mined spirit stones to the Eternal Night World, keep them there until he returned, and turn in only a reasonable share.

Li Qing secretly moved one hundred Spirit Stones into the Eternal Night World after mining far more than he planned to report. He left the mine with only his declared share and hurried back toward his courtyard to retrieve his hidden fortune.

• Li Qing mined for nine days, gathering 126 Spirit Stones and replenishing his strength by eating Spirit-Eating Lizards.
• He crossed into the Eternal Night World and stashed 100 Spirit Stones there, then returned to the mine with the remaining 26.
• When the mining deadline arrived, Li Qing told Zhou Tong he had found only 26 Spirit Stones and collected his two-stone share amid the miners’ laughter.
• After passing the Tianhe Sect’s inspection, Li Qing mounted a Spirit Colt and set off to retrieve his hidden Spirit Stones.

After returning from the mines, Li Qing rested, strengthened his connection with Zhou Tong, and learned about Cultivation World prices before buying spirit rice. He then forged a new magical mining pickaxe, the Night Star Pickaxe, and resolved to reforge his Peerless Hammer when he found the opportunity.

• Li Qing confirmed Rice Bucket was safe, stored his spirit stones, and slept to recover from his nine days of mining and long journey.
• Li Qing brought Winter Plum Wine to Zhou Tong, who advised him to learn a cultivation craft and answered his questions about prices.
• Li Qing bought twelve pounds of spirit rice from Jinchuan and cooked a pound after returning to his courtyard.
• Li Qing forged and spirit-tempered a new mining pickaxe, repeatedly refining his spirit patterns until he succeeded.
• Li Qing named the Inferior Magical Artifact the Night Star Pickaxe and gained six years of lifespan from forging it.
• Li Qing tested the pickaxe's power and decided to seek a chance to reforge the Peerless Hammer.

After half a year mining for the Liu Family, Li Qing earned enough spirit stones to qualify for a better mining area. On the journey home, he met the Liu Family prodigy Liu Baishu and learned Liu Hanyue was preparing for Foundation Establishment, leaving Li Qing more determined to pursue the Dao.

• Li Qing handed over seventy spirit stones mined from a barren area, earning praise from his fellow workers.
• The miners discussed their plans for the upcoming trade fair as they rode back from the mine.
• Liu Haitian stopped the group after spotting movement in the forest, but Liu Baishu soon emerged and greeted him.
• Liu Baishu told Liu Haitian that Liu Hanyue had reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining and planned to return for the Clan Sacrifice.
• Li Qing watched the other miners grow discouraged by the prodigies' progress and silently strengthened his resolve to advance.