Arc 10The Soul Nurturing Bell

Li Qing survived the upheaval around Tianhe Marketplace, opened the Soul Nurturing Temple, and strengthened his cultivation before reconnecting with Ye Feng and Daoist Qingyang. After helping repair Qingyang’s cauldron, Li Qing tested a blood-purified Red Moon crystal on Rice Bucket, whose transformation left him stronger but changed his eyes.

  • Li Qing killed Gu Ming, explored the Hidden Realm, and found Ye Feng gravely wounded, and Ye Feng asked him to find a body, and Li Qing later helped him possess a dead cultivator.
  • Li Qing acquired Sky Star Grass and the Soul Nurturing Bell, overcame the temple’s restrictions, and broke through to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining.
  • Li Qing learned from Ye Feng’s letters that the Shangqing Sect had infiltrated the Shi Family and that the war with the Tianhe Sect had reached a stalemate.
  • After reuniting with Ye Feng, Li Qing left the Black Sand River when an underwater grotto-heaven discovery sparked a dispute between the two sects.
  • Li Qing met Daoist Qingyang and repaired his damaged cauldron, while Qingyang agreed to look for someone willing to jointly refine a Foundation Establishment Pill.
  • Li Qing tested a blood-purified Red Moon crystal on Rice Bucket, who endured a violent transformation and emerged stronger with one red eye and one black eye.
Chapters 228–252 Vol. 3 Read

Ch. 228Ambush

Li Qing and Rice Bucket ambushed Gu Ming as he emerged from the Hidden Realm and killed him after a fierce fight. In the Eternal Night World, Li Qing counted the spoils and found that Ye Feng’s Soul Lantern still held a spark, leaving his fate uncertain.

  • Li Qing and Rice Bucket concealed their auras near the hill and waited for the Hidden Realm’s moon gate to open, while Ye Feng’s Soul Lantern dimmed to a lone ember.
  • Gu Ming emerged from the moon gate, and Li Qing trapped him with a Water Entanglement Net as a muscular figure attacked with the Peerless Hammer.
  • Rice Bucket charged Gu Ming but was driven back by a spiritual sense attack, and Gu Ming recovered some Spiritual Power after resisting Li Qing’s Lightning Flash Talisman.
  • Li Qing struck Gu Ming with the Stormy Pear Blossom Nail and finished him with a Dragon-like Dagger before Rice Bucket tore into the corpse.
  • Li Qing gathered Gu Ming’s belongings and traveled to the Eternal Night World, where he saw that Ye Feng’s Soul Lantern still glowed and began sorting the spoils.

Ch. 229Jade Pendant

Li Qing searched Gu Ming’s belongings, finding valuable pills, herbs, magic tools, a mysterious jade pendant, and a lightning-blocking drum. After the pendant drew crimson moonlight and attracted danger, Li Qing rushed to Rice Bucket and found three strange beasts approaching.

  • Li Qing inventoried Gu Ming’s Storage Bag and took his spirit stones, pills, Foundation Establishment Pill ingredients, and magic tools.
  • Li Qing found a crescent jade pendant that drew Spiritual Power and Blood Moon light, then put it away before the crimson radiance could mutate him.
  • Li Qing identified a Small Leather Drum that could block a limited number of lightning attacks and kept it as a secret artifact.
  • Li Qing stored the stolen goods separately, kept Ye Feng’s Storage Bag, and planned to return to the secret realm to check whether Ye Feng was alive.
  • Rice Bucket’s roar alerted Li Qing to an enemy, and Li Qing rushed over to find three strange beasts approaching.

Ch. 230Fighting Exotic Beasts

Li Qing, Rice Bucket, and the Water Entanglement Net fought three frenzied exotic beasts in the Eternal Night World, and Li Qing captured two while Rice Bucket killed the third. Li Qing collected a Red Moon crystal core but refused to let Rice Bucket eat it, then prepared to leave and recover his Spiritual Power before nightfall.

  • Rice Bucket and Li Qing fought three powerful exotic beasts, and the Water Entanglement Net trapped a Headless Black Ape.
  • Li Qing wounded the Red-haired Twin-horned Lizard with the Crimson Shadow Umbrella and Flying Sword, then subdued it with the Peerless Hammer and his physical strength.
  • Li Qing stored the dying Red-haired Twin-horned Lizard and the trapped Headless Black Ape in his Beast Taming Pouch.
  • Rice Bucket tore apart the tentacled monster and revealed a large red crystal core containing Red Moon Secret Power.
  • Rice Bucket wanted to eat the crystal core, but Li Qing refused and decided to test its effects on wild demon beasts instead.
  • Li Qing prepared to take Rice Bucket out of the Eternal Night World so he could recover his Spiritual Power before nightfall.

Ch. 231Body Possession

Li Qing entered the Hidden Realm and found Ye Feng apparently dead, but discovered that a trace of Ye Feng’s soul survived inside a glowing green bottle. Ye Feng asked Li Qing to help him find a dying person or a recently dead body for possession, and Li Qing agreed as long as he did not have to kill anyone.

  • Li Qing used the Jade Pendant to open a moonlight door and entered the Hidden Realm, where he saw enormous Sky Star Grass growing on restriction-protected mountain peaks.
  • Li Qing followed battle traces to a Daoist temple and found Ye Feng lying motionless with fatal wounds, though Ye Feng’s Soul Lantern still glowed faintly.
  • Li Qing searched Ye Feng and found a glowing green bottle that carried a trace of Ye Feng’s soul.
  • Ye Feng told Li Qing he needed to possess a dying person or someone dead for less than two hours to live again, and that his soul would vanish if he found no body within half a year.
  • Li Qing agreed to help Ye Feng find a suitable body but refused to kill anyone for the possession.

Ch. 232Exploring the Secret Realm

Li Qing learned that the Soul Nurturing Temple might contain a bell that could strengthen his spiritual sense, but the realm’s restrictions kept him from reaching its summit. He collected some Sky Star Grass and left, intending to seek a way past the restrictions later.

  • Li Qing heard Ye Feng explain that the Soul Nurturing Temple might contain the Soul Nurturing Bell, a Secret Treasure that nourished the divine soul and increased spiritual sense.
  • Li Qing decided to search for the bell, believing it could make up for his weakness in spiritual sense, while Ye Feng fell asleep inside the small bottle to conserve his divine soul.
  • Li Qing climbed a Medicine Field Mountain Peak but was struck by a restriction and forced back by its attack.
  • Li Qing tried other peaks and encountered powerful attacks, including restrictions that targeted spiritual sense, so he abandoned his attempt to reach the main peak.
  • Li Qing used the Crimson Shadow Umbrella to gather mature Sky Star Grass from several mountain slopes, searched the realm once more, and prepared to return to Tianhe Marketplace to consider studying restrictions.

Ch. 233Jade Ruyi

After returning to Tianhe Marketplace, Li Qing cultivated with Sky Star Grass, pills, and the Essence Augmentation Secret Art while taking advantage of the busy marketplace to sell magic tools. A young cultivator offered an ancient Jade Ruyi in barter, and Li Qing became absorbed in its mysterious internal inscriptions.

  • Li Qing returned to his cave abode and began consuming Sky Star Grass to gradually strengthen his Spiritual Sense.
  • Li Qing divided his time between cultivating with Guangling Pills, practicing the Essence Augmentation Secret Art, and increasing his Spiritual Sense.
  • Li Qing spent more than a month cultivating while selling magic tools in the crowded Tianhe Marketplace ahead of the Ascension Ceremony.
  • A plain young man asked Li Qing to barter a Low-grade Magic Tool for his Golden Platform Seal.
  • The young man showed Li Qing an ancient Jade Ruyi, whose unusually carved internal inscriptions baffled and intrigued him.

Ch. 234Ascension Ceremony (Part 1)

Li Qing tested a Jade Ruyi that concealed his aura, only to realize its seller had escaped with his Golden Platform Seal. As the Tianhe Sect's Ascension Ceremony approached, Li Qing left his cave dwelling, studied the event's contenders, and heard rumors that a Heavenly Spiritual Root would participate.

  • Li Qing activated the Jade Ruyi and discovered that its aura-concealing ability was exceptionally strong, but its seller had vanished with the Golden Platform Seal.
  • Li Qing packed his belongings, carefully retrieved the Jade Locust Tree sapling, and discussed finding a body for Ye Feng during the Ascension Ceremony.
  • Li Qing left his cave dwelling and turned to buying scripture inheritances when the crowded marketplace made it difficult to secure a stall.
  • Li Qing bought a detailed Ascension Ceremony intelligence report and read about contenders including Shi Nantian, Xiao Wuya, and Huo Lingyu.
  • Li Qing heard cultivators at Gathering Wind Tower discuss a rumored Heavenly Spiritual Root participant who was already a Supreme Elder's final disciple.

Ch. 235Ascension Ceremony (Part Two)

As the Ascension Ceremony began, Li Qing avoided Tianhe Marketplace and released two exotic beasts from the Eternal Night World in the forest. When the beasts absorbed immense amounts of spiritual energy and grew more dangerous, cultivators arrived nearby, leaving Li Qing concealed and watching.

  • Li Qing decided to avoid the Ascension Ceremony, bought cultivation pills and an incomplete artifact-refining inheritance, and left Tianhe Marketplace.
  • Shi Nantian coldly ignored Li Qing, while nearby cultivators mocked Li Qing for trying to approach him; Liu Hanyue also recognized Li Qing and passed him without speaking.
  • After Li Qing left, Shi Nantian dominated his first match, while Xiao Wuya, Huo Lingyu, and the unknown Jiuxiao drew attention at the Ascension Ceremony.
  • Li Qing released the two exotic beasts from the Eternal Night World in the forest after checking that Ye Feng's remnant soul remained asleep.
  • The beasts absorbed a vast amount of spiritual energy, grew several times larger, and became more savage as Li Qing concealed himself with a Jade Ruyi.
  • When sounds of cultivators approaching came from the sky, Li Qing used a Breath Concealing Talisman to hide himself further.

Ch. 236Eagle Bandits Battle Strange Beasts

Li Qing secretly watched the Flying Eagle Bandits battle and capture two newly transformed strange beasts, then learned that they served an Upper Sect and planned to wipe out the Tianhe Sect. The chapter left the Bandits confident their operation would succeed despite Liu Hongyuan’s suspicion that the Tianhe Sect’s Ascension Ceremony was bait.

  • Li Qing hid from the Flying Eagle Bandits as Demon Eagle Guest and Liu Hongyuan arrived to investigate the transformed Headless Black Ape and Red-haired Twin-horned Lizard.
  • The Red-haired Twin-horned Lizard killed and devoured several bandits, but Li Qing saw that feeding on blood did not calm its violent frenzy.
  • Demon Eagle Guest led the bandits and his Sky-Rending Eagle in a fierce battle, and they captured both strange beasts at heavy cost.
  • Demon Eagle Guest found the beasts could not be tamed, ordered the Red-haired Twin-horned Lizard sent to the Upper Sect, and had the Headless Black Ape slaughtered.
  • Li Qing overheard Demon Eagle Guest say the Flying Eagle Bandits planned to wipe out the Tianhe Sect, while Liu Hongyuan suspected the Sect’s Ascension Ceremony was bait.

Ch. 237Rebirth

Li Qing helped Ye Feng possess the body of a young cultivator, and Ye Feng revealed that Shangqing Sect was behind the Flying Eagle Bandits and was preparing for conflict with Tianhe Sect. Ye Feng declined Li Qing’s offer to hide in the Hidden Realm and set off for Tianhe Marketplace, resolved to survive the coming chaos and repay Li Qing.

  • A Flying Eagle Bandit found a strange scarlet crystal in the Headless Black Ape, and Demon Eagle Guest kept it rather than letting his Sky-Rending Eagle eat it.
  • Li Qing stayed hidden until the Flying Eagle Bandits and their scouting eagle left, then searched their fallen comrades for a body Ye Feng could possess.
  • Li Qing helped Ye Feng’s remnant soul enter a seventeen-year-old cultivator’s body with a Three-element Spiritual Root, and Ye Feng eventually awakened.
  • Ye Feng told Li Qing that Shangqing Sect backed the Flying Eagle Bandits and that a nearby Cultivation Family had supplied them with Foundation Establishment Pills.
  • Li Qing returned Ye Feng’s Storage Bag and gave him Sky Star Grass, but Ye Feng declined to hide in the Hidden Realm and headed toward Tianhe Marketplace.

Ch. 238Ascension Ceremony (Part 2)

Liu Huai'an, a Heavenly Spiritual Root disciple of a Core Formation True Person, challenged the Ascension Ceremony's top cultivators while the Tianhe Sect elders allowed him to spar. Meanwhile, Ye Feng warned the elders that the Shangqing Sect planned to attack Tianhe Marketplace, and an explosion at the protective formation confirmed the assault had begun.

  • Liu Huai'an appeared on the final day of the Ascension Ceremony and challenged the leading contestants, revealing his tenth-layer Qi Refining cultivation and Heavenly Spiritual Root.
  • Elder Suxin confirmed that Liu Huai'an was Uncle-Master Wan's disciple, and the elders permitted him to spar with the top contestants without affecting their rankings.
  • Liu Huai'an began fighting the rogue cultivator surnamed Lei as the Tianhe Sect elders watched closely in case either fighter was seriously injured.
  • Ye Feng arrived in a seized body and told the elders that the Shangqing Sect controlled the Flying Eagle Bandits and planned to attack Tianhe Marketplace after the ceremony.
  • An explosion struck the entrance to Tianhe Marketplace's protective grand formation, as high-grade barrier-breaking talismans destroyed a floating island.

Ch. 239Great Chaos Loomed

Shangqing Sect attacked Tianhe Marketplace, blasted open its protective formation, and sent its Mountain-Bearing Tortoise to face Tianhe Sect’s defenders. True Man Wanshan confronted the invasion, but Shangqing Sect’s Exquisite Treasure Body appeared and challenged him as the battle began.

  • Shangqing Sect attackers used six Third-tier Forbidden Breaking Talismans to damage Tianhe Marketplace’s formation, then bombarded its gaps with Second-tier talismans.
  • Tianhe Sect elders activated the Five Elements Dragon Transformation Formation, but Shangqing Sect’s Mountain-Bearing Tortoise blocked its killing beam as invaders charged toward the Ascension Ceremony.
  • True Man Wanshan arrived to defend the marketplace, prompting Tianhe Sect’s cultivators to rally around him.
  • Shangqing Sect’s Exquisite Treasure Body appeared, accused Wanshan of invading her sect over twenty years earlier, and vowed to kill him and target his Heavenly Spiritual Root disciple.
  • Wanshan ordered Huai'an to leave and fought the Exquisite Treasure Body, who claimed her Exquisite Immortal Sound could injure his Spiritual Sense even while she remained in the False Core realm.

Ch. 240Secluded Cultivation

Li Qing warned the Liu Family about the coming upheaval, then learned that the Shangqing Sect had attacked Tianhe Marketplace and the Exquisite Treasure Body had returned with overwhelming power. He entered his Hidden Realm to cultivate in seclusion, planted his Jade Locust Tree, and began considering how to uncover the treasures behind the realm’s restrictions.

  • Li Qing delivered the Liu Family a letter about the coming chaos and the Flying Eagle Bandits, then left before the family could find him.
  • News spread that the Shangqing Sect had captured Tianhe Marketplace and that the Exquisite Treasure Body had returned at the False Core Formation realm.
  • Li Qing received Ye Feng's letter, learned that True Man Wanshan's incarnation had been killed, and burned the message before entering the Hidden Realm with Rice Bucket.
  • Li Qing warned Rice Bucket away from the restricted peaks, planted the Jade Locust Tree sapling, and built a wooden hut nearby.
  • Li Qing surveyed the restricted mountains and their treasures, resolved to find a way through the restrictions, and prepared to cultivate.

Ch. 241Methods of Breaking Restrictions

Li Qing used his years of secluded cultivation to master the True Explanation of Restrictions, then devised a way to use exotic beasts from the Eternal Night World to wear down the main peak’s defenses. After capturing seven low-level beasts and narrowly escaping a Second-order Exotic Beast, he prepared to lure the beasts into attacking the restrictions.

  • Li Qing remained blocked at the Late Qi Refining bottleneck but strengthened his magic power and Spiritual Sense, mastered the True Explanation of Restrictions, and watched his Jade Locust Tree grow.
  • Li Qing studied the main peak’s complex restrictions and concluded that he could weaken them by repeatedly triggering them with cannon fodder.
  • Li Qing decided to use exotic beasts from the Eternal Night World, then took Rice Bucket there and captured seven beasts of early first-order strength.
  • Li Qing and Rice Bucket fled a powerful Second-order Exotic Beast and returned safely to the secret realm.
  • Li Qing prepared to conceal his aura and use blood and scarlet crystals as bait, planning to send the exotic beasts against the main peak’s restrictions.

Ch. 242Breaking the Restrictions, Climbing the Mountain!

Li Qing used a Horned White Snake’s attack to break a crucial restriction on the Soul Nurturing Temple’s main peak, then spent two months opening a safe path to the summit. Inside the abandoned temple, he searched for the Soul Nurturing Bell and useful inheritances, but the treasures and jade-slip records he found had mostly been lost to time.

  • The Horned White Snake shattered the restricted boulder after Li Qing lured it to attack with blood and red crystals, and Li Qing collected its body and the crystals.
  • Li Qing noticed that blood seemed to reduce the Red Moon Secret Power and Killing Intent in the crystals, and considered testing whether blood-washed crystals could safely be fed to demon beasts.
  • Li Qing used his knowledge of the True Explanation of Restrictions to dismantle the main peak’s restrictions over two months and entered the Soul Nurturing Temple.
  • Li Qing found the temple’s empty main hall, where a stone bell appeared to be the object of worship, then explored the backyard in search of the Soul Nurturing Bell.
  • Li Qing searched the wooden houses and pavilion, finding jade slips with incomplete spiritual-sense techniques and a fragmented Star Soul Pill formula.

Ch. 243Finding the Bell in the Tower

Li Qing searched the Soul Nurturing Temple’s Scripture Repository, finding several incomplete inheritances and a complete method for nurturing an Artifact Spirit. A handwritten record led him to the nine-level Octagonal Stone Pagoda, where he discovered the temple’s dead cultivators and claimed the Soul Nurturing Bell from the top floor.

  • Li Qing examined the Scripture Repository’s jade slips and collected incomplete inheritances in restrictions, artifact refining, and other arts, along with a complete Treasure Artifact Spirit Nurturing Method.
  • Li Qing found a handwritten record stating that the Soul Nurturing Temple had devoted its strength to building an Octagonal Stone Pagoda.
  • Li Qing broke open the pagoda’s first-floor door and found eight temple cultivators’ skeletons chained inside, then discovered eight more skeletons on each of the next floors.
  • Li Qing reached the eighth floor and found seven skeletons and an empty chain, suspecting that the missing person had carried out the Jade Pendant used to open the Hidden Realm.
  • Li Qing climbed to the ninth floor and found the Soul Nurturing Bell suspended from eight Spirit Gold Chains above eight skeletons.
  • Li Qing severed the chains with the Dragon-like Dagger and took the Soul Nurturing Bell.

Ch. 244Late Qi Refining

Li Qing cultivated his soul with the Soul Nurturing Bell and broke through to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining. He began planning how to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills and prepared to leave seclusion to learn whether the war had ended.

  • Li Qing used the Soul Nurturing Bell and his Spiritual Sense became strong enough to extend beyond his body despite his Qi Refining cultivation.
  • Li Qing chose not to break the remaining Medicine Field Mountain Peak restrictions, hoping to preserve the starlight that sustained the Sky Star Grass.
  • Li Qing broke through to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining and stabilized his Late Qi Refining cultivation.
  • Li Qing planned to seek alchemists and a Foundation Establishment Pill while keeping the possible Ascension Token as another option.
  • Li Qing decided to leave the secret realm and read Ye Feng's letters to learn about the Cultivation World War.

Ch. 245Changes of Six Years

After six years in seclusion, Li Qing emerged and read Ye Feng’s letters, learning how the war between the Tianhe Sect and Shangqing Sect had developed and how Ye Feng had risen within the Tianhe Sect. Li Qing wrote to ask Ye Feng to find an alchemist for his Foundation Establishment plans and offered to share the secret realm’s Sky Star Grass, leaving him ready to seek help through Ye Feng’s connections.

  • Li Qing left the mountain after six years and collected the Spirit Bird Messages Ye Feng had left at their meeting place.
  • Li Qing learned that Ye Feng had joined the Tianhe Sect, reached the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, and helped expose the Shi Family as an undercover agent for the Shangqing Sect.
  • Li Qing read about the war’s shifting fortunes, including True Person Linglong’s rise to Core Formation and the eventual stalemate between the two sects.
  • Li Qing burned Ye Feng’s letters and wrote back, predicting the war would end within two years and asking Ye Feng to find a reputable alchemist who could help refine Foundation Establishment Pills.
  • Li Qing offered Ye Feng a share of the Sky Star Grass in the secret realm, deciding that the herbs were worthwhile payment for maintaining their relationship and gaining access to Ye Feng’s connections.

Ch. 246Reunion with Ye Feng

Li Qing met Ye Feng at Black Sand River after emerging from secluded cultivation and learned that Ye Feng had found an alchemist who could help him pursue Foundation Establishment. The chapter left Li Qing preparing to visit Daoist Qingyang, the alchemist who had once hosted a secret trade gathering.

  • Li Qing reached Black Sand River and sent up a green-smoke signal for Ye Feng.
  • Ye Feng reunited with Li Qing and brought him to a Tianhe Sect outpost, explaining that the sect was surveying the area as the war eased.
  • Li Qing and Ye Feng discussed the war, Tianhe Marketplace, and Ye Feng's experiences before sharing spirit wine.
  • Ye Feng revealed that Daoist Qingyang, whom Li Qing knew from the old secret trade gathering, was the alchemist he had found.
  • Ye Feng told Li Qing that the gathering had fallen apart and only Jiuxiao, Lingying, and he remained in contact with Senior Qingyang.

Ch. 247A Hidden Paradise Beneath the Water

After Li Qing’s farewell drinking with Ye Feng was interrupted by the discovery of an Underwater Cave Mansion beneath the Black Sand River, a Tianhe Sect elder made him stay under a spiritual seal for three days. Elder Jingguan explored the cavern and found a pool of Yin Yang Condensing Liquid, overlooking a dormant Demonic Beast Egg on a nearby platform.

  • Li Qing prepared to leave the Tianhe Sect outpost after drinking with Ye Feng for three days, but a vortex erupted in the Black Sand River and revealed an Underwater Cave Mansion.
  • Elder Jingguan stopped Li Qing from leaving and placed a spiritual seal on his shoulder, requiring him to remain for three days; Ye Feng then went to the river vortex.
  • Jingguan ordered Su Wei to report the discovery to the sect and entered the vortex to investigate the underwater cavern.
  • Jingguan found the bones of a massive Demonic Python, then followed the water-attribute spiritual energy into a cavern.
  • Jingguan discovered a pool of Yin Yang Condensing Liquid but failed to notice a Demonic Beast Egg resting on a platform in the cavern.

Ch. 248Chaos at Black Sand River

After Elder Jingguan’s tracking mark vanished, Li Qing warned Ye Feng and fled the Black Sand River, while the Tianhe Sect concluded its elder had likely died in the underwater grotto-heaven. The sects gathered to contest the river, and the chapter ended as Core Formation experts clashed overhead.

  • Li Qing discovered Elder Jingguan’s tracking mark had disappeared and suspected she had died in the underwater grotto-heaven.
  • Li Qing told Ye Feng about the vanished mark, then left the Black Sand River to avoid the impending conflict.
  • Ye Feng informed the Tianhe Sect disciples, who feared Elder Jingguan had perished and sent word back to their sect.
  • Elder Jingguan’s dried corpse drifted from a cave, while blood seeped into a stone egg deep inside the grotto-heaven.
  • The Tianhe Sect sealed off the Black Sand River, and the Shangqing Sect responded by gathering forces to dispute control of the region.
  • Kong Ming confronted the Shangqing Sect’s Core Formation Ancestor and attacked with lightning, but the ancestor blocked his strike.

Ch. 249Paying Respects to Qingyang

After the Black Sand River conflict ended in a truce, Li Qing traveled to Qinghua Pond to meet Daoist Qingyang. Qingyang revealed that his alchemy cauldron needed repairs, and Li Qing began inspecting it.

  • The Tianhe Sect and Shangqing Sect agreed to settle access to the underwater grotto-heaven through an arena contest between Qi Refining disciples.
  • Li Qing learned that Ye Feng might compete in the contest, then continued southwest toward Qinghua Pond.
  • Li Qing reached Qinghua Pond, found Daoist Qingyang’s cave dwelling, and presented the letter Ye Feng had prepared.
  • Daoist Qingyang welcomed Li Qing and recalled their meeting at the trade fair six years earlier.
  • Daoist Qingyang brought out a damaged alchemy cauldron, and Li Qing stood to examine its cracks and damaged fire-control dao markings.

Ch. 250Repairing the Alchemy Cauldron

Li Qing repaired Daoist Qingyang’s damaged High-grade Alchemy Cauldron and returned it to him. After spending twenty-seven days restoring its inner layer and fire-control spirit patterns, Li Qing saw that the cauldron’s formidable power had been restored, though its repairs could not fully match the original spirituality.

  • Li Qing identified Daoist Qingyang’s cauldron as a High-grade Magic Tool forged from Secret Copper Essence and enhanced with Backlight Dust, then agreed to repair it.
  • Daoist Qingyang gave Li Qing three pieces of Secret Copper Essence, and Li Qing rented a courtyard near Qinghua Pond for a year.
  • Li Qing smelted the Secret Copper Essence for twenty days and used it to repair the cauldron’s cracked inner layer.
  • Li Qing spent another seven days reconnecting the fire-control spirit patterns and tested the restored cauldron’s powerful flames.
  • Li Qing delivered the repaired cauldron to Daoist Qingyang and said he had not failed his trust.

Ch. 251Red Crystal

Li Qing asked Daoist Qingyang to help him find an opportunity to jointly refine a Foundation Establishment Pill, then discovered that tiger blood could suppress the madness caused by Red Moon crystals. After Rice Bucket chose to consume a purified crystal, an unknown mutation began.

  • Li Qing told Daoist Qingyang that he lacked a Foundation Establishment Pill's main ingredient, and Qingyang agreed to watch for someone willing to jointly refine a batch.
  • Li Qing decided to cultivate in seclusion for a year while the war between the two sects continued.
  • Li Qing found that his blood reduced the madness in Red Moon crystals and tested whether Rice Bucket's blood had the same effect.
  • Li Qing explained the possible risks to Rice Bucket, who chose to eat a crystal despite the chance of mutation.
  • Rice Bucket swallowed the blood-purified red crystal, and Li Qing sensed his blood beginning to churn.

Ch. 252Metamorphosis

Li Qing watched Rice Bucket undergo a painful metamorphosis after he swallowed a red crystal, rejecting mutations that could have dramatically increased his strength. By dawn, Rice Bucket had recovered enough for Li Qing to assess his improved aptitude and newly acquired Heterochromatic Eyes.

  • Rice Bucket swallowed the red crystal, and his body began a violent transformation as Li Qing reinforced the courtyard's soundproof restriction.
  • Rice Bucket expelled filthy blood and bone impurities, then grew pale scales that he shook off voluntarily.
  • Fleshy wings grew from Rice Bucket's sides, but he severed them and rejected that mutation as well.
  • Scarlet radiance repaired Rice Bucket, and Li Qing fed him Beast Raising Pills after he collapsed from exhaustion.
  • At dawn, Li Qing found that Rice Bucket's strength had increased to nearly Late First-tier and that his pupils were now one red and one black.
Arc 10 of 47