Chapter Summaries

Jiang Ping'an mastered the Light Body Talisman and Azure Cloud Aperture Refining Scripture, then drew and tested a Wind Riding Talisman. Gu Yunxu and the others learned that he had become an intermediate Talisman Master, leaving them hopeful that their lives would improve.

• Jiang Ping'an mastered the Light Body Talisman and derived the mid-grade Wind Treading Talisman.
• Gu Yunxu gave Jiang Ping'an the Azure Cloud Aperture Refining Scripture, and he used Proficiency Points to comprehend it.
• Jiang Ping'an asked Gu Yunxu to buy talisman-making supplies, then successfully drew a Wind Riding Talisman but worried that drawing talismans consumed too much spiritual power.
• Jiang Ping'an activated the Wind Riding Talisman and ran through the air around the courtyard, drawing Gu Yunxu and the others to watch.
• Jiang Ping'an confirmed to Gu Yunxu that he had drawn the talisman, and she congratulated him on becoming an intermediate Talisman Master.

Bai Ruoxue and Xiu Yun opened their spirit apertures, while Jiang Ping'an prepared to move his family away from Daming City before Bai Ruoxue returned to the Melodious Sound Pavilion. His original body's mother became pregnant, easing his concern about fulfilling his filial duty.

• Bai Ruoxue opened her spirit aperture, and Jiang Ping'an congratulated her and gave her three Wind Riding Talismans and a defensive magic tool.
• Bai Ruoxue planned to delay returning to the Melodious Sound Pavilion and told Jiang Ping'an to leave Daming City before she went, so Pavilion Master Mi could not track him through her.
• Xuan Shuang teased Jiang Ping'an about spending the night with Bai Ruoxue, and he returned to their room.
• A few days later, Xiu Yun opened her spirit aperture and became a Spirit Aperture Realm cultivator.
• Jiang Ping'an's original body's mother became pregnant, and his original body's father rewarded the physician who confirmed it.

Jiang Ping'an moved with Gu Yunxu, Xiu Yun, and Xuan Shuang to Taiming Mountain Market and rented a small courtyard for them to settle in. After they furnished it and shared a celebratory meal, Xiu Yun and Xuan Shuang came to Jiang Ping'an’s room to serve him.

• Jiang Ping'an led Gu Yunxu, Xiu Yun, and Xuan Shuang to Taiming Mountain Market, where Xiu Yun and Xuan Shuang were delighted by the rich Spiritual Qi.
• Jiang Ping'an rented a small three-room courtyard and agreed to let Gu Yunxu stay with them after she said she could not afford rent.
• The group discovered that the courtyard’s layout left only two bedrooms, so Gu Yunxu offered to sleep in the hall.
• Jiang Ping'an gave Xiu Yun and Xuan Shuang money, and the four bought furniture and daily necessities for the courtyard.
• Gu Yunxu cooked a celebratory dinner, and the four shared food, wine, and a toast to long life.
• After Jiang Ping'an began cultivating, Xiu Yun and Xuan Shuang visited his room and asked to serve him.

Gu Yunxu adjusted to her new duties in Jiang Ping'an’s household while reflecting on how her status had fallen. Jiang Ping'an visited Zhu Yan, told her he was a Talisman Master, and presented her with a Wind Riding Talisman.

• Gu Yunxu heard Xiu Yun and Xuan Shuang visit Jiang Ping'an together and gave up cultivating for the night.
• Jiang Ping'an assigned Gu Yunxu to cook and sell Spirit Talismans at the monthly market, leaving her to compare her position with Xiu Yun and Xuan Shuang’s.
• Jiang Ping'an visited Zhu Yan at her cave abode and told her he had settled in a courtyard at the market.
• Zhu Yan offered to help Jiang Ping'an find work, and he revealed that he could draw Light Body Talismans and Wind Riding Talismans.
• Jiang Ping'an gave Zhu Yan a Wind Riding Talisman, and she deliberately brushed his hand as she accepted it.

Jiang Ping'an learned about the different kinds of qi from Zhu Yan, who said she would consider becoming his Cultivation Partner if he reached the Qi Refining Realm before turning twenty-four. He returned to Daming City and told his parents he planned to move away to keep them safe, then went to find Bai Ruoxue.

• Zhu Yan explained the categories of qi and advised Jiang Ping'an to refine righteous qi rather than dangerous Turbid Qi.
• Zhu Yan showed Jiang Ping'an her Drunk Sun Red and said she would consider becoming his Cultivation Partner if he entered the Qi Refining Realm before age twenty-four.
• After Yan Xin returned, Jiang Ping'an and Zhu Yan ate and chatted before he left for his courtyard.
• Jiang Ping'an gave Gu Yunxu ten Wind Riding Talismans to sell and instructed Xiu Yun and Xuan Shuang before returning to Daming City.
• Jiang Ping'an told his parents he planned to move away because he had offended people and feared they might be implicated, but he kept their destination secret.
• Jiang Ping'an went to find Bai Ruoxue.

Jiang Ping'an and Bai Ruoxue spent the night teasing each other before Bai Ruoxue sent Quezhi to his room to attend him in bed. Two hours later, Quezhi returned to find Bai Ruoxue waiting and questioning her.

• Bai Ruoxue told Jiang Ping'an she would go to the Melodious Sound Pavilion after he left Daming City the next day.
• Bai Ruoxue visited Jiang Ping'an late at night, teased him, and sat on his lap before leaving his room.
• Bai Ruoxue ordered Quezhi to go attend Jiang Ping'an in bed, and Quezhi went to his room.
• Jiang Ping'an recognized that the original owner's buried desire for Quezhi had stirred, and he carried her to bed.
• Quezhi returned to her room two hours later and found Bai Ruoxue waiting; Bai Ruoxue sniffed her and remarked on her fragrant sweat.

After returning to Taiming Mountain Market, Jiang Ping'an struggled to earn enough spirit stones and lost his chance to buy better talisman manuals from Zhu Yan. A neighbor offered him a Fireball Talisman Manual at a discount if he helped defeat a demonic beast, but Jiang Ping'an refused and Chen Shiguang left him the option to reconsider.

• Jiang Ping'an returned to Taiming Mountain Market, heard that Zhu Yan had come looking for him, and received seven spirit stones from Gu Yunxu for selling Wind Riding Talismans.
• Jiang Ping'an visited Zhu Yan, who angrily rebuked him and sent him away, leaving him unable to ask her for higher-value Talisman Manuals.
• Jiang Ping'an continued drawing Wind Riding Talismans and welcomed Chen Shiguang and Li Xianzi, then other late-stage Spirit Aperture Realm neighbors, as visitors.
• Chen Shiguang offered Jiang Ping'an a Fireball Talisman Manual for forty spirit stones, then proposed lowering the price by ten if Jiang Ping'an helped defeat a demonic beast guarding a cave abode.
• Jiang Ping'an declined to help because he lacked combat experience, and Chen Shiguang left, telling him to seek him out if he changed his mind.

Chen Shiguang and Li Xianzi tried to draw Jiang Ping'an into helping them deal with a supposed demonic beast, while Jiang Ping'an quietly encouraged their belief that he had ample spirit stones. Li Xianzi later flirted with him and asked him to teach her talisman-making, leaving her intentions unclear.

• Chen Shiguang told Li Xianzi that Jiang Ping'an believed his story but was too timid to agree to help, and asked her to befriend Jiang Ping'an's concubines to persuade him.
• Jiang Ping'an allowed Xiu Yun to go shopping with Li Xianzi and gave her spirit stones, instructing her to spend generously and not reveal where they came from.
• Xiu Yun returned without buying anything for herself, and Jiang Ping'an told her to keep the money so she would not appear stingy to the neighbors.
• Li Xianzi reported Xiu Yun's generosity to Chen Shiguang, and she continued visiting and spending time with Xiu Yun over the following days.
• Li Xianzi visited Jiang Ping'an, flirted with him, and asked him to teach her how to draw talismans.

Li Xianzi used lessons in talisman drawing as a pretext to get close to Jiang Ping'an and was sent to visit him by Chen Shiguang. She seduced Jiang Ping'an in his bedroom, while he pretended to be nervous and played along.

• Li Xianzi told Chen Shiguang she had arranged to meet Jiang Ping'an again under the pretext of learning talisman drawing, and Chen Shiguang agreed to accompany her.
• Chen Shiguang and Li Xianzi visited Jiang Ping'an with a gift worth three spirit stones, and Chen Shiguang left Li Xianzi to study with him.
• Li Xianzi asked to move indoors and then followed Jiang Ping'an into his bedroom, where he taught her the Light Body Talisman.
• Li Xianzi admitted she had no real interest in talisman drawing and had sought a chance to be alone with Jiang Ping'an.
• Li Xianzi sat on Jiang Ping'an's lap and urged him to repay Chen Shiguang through her, and Jiang Ping'an placed his hands on her waist.

Jiang Ping'an resisted Li Xianzi’s seduction while pretending to trust her and Chen Shiguang, then agreed to help them confront a demonic beast guarding a cave abode. He left Taiming Mountain Market with the couple for the Wensu Mountain Range, while Xiu Yun, Xuan Shuang, and Gu Yunxu stayed behind.

• Jiang Ping'an tipped his chair over to avoid sleeping with Li Xianzi, then cultivated with Xiu Yun.
• Li Xianzi returned to seduce Jiang Ping'an, and Gu Yunxu warned him that she and Chen Shiguang likely had another purpose.
• Jiang Ping'an told Gu Yunxu he was using their scheme against them.
• Li Xianzi revealed a cave abode guarded by a demonic beast, and Jiang Ping'an agreed to help her hold it back.
• Chen Shiguang discussed the plan with Jiang Ping'an and swore he had no ill intentions; they agreed to leave early the next morning.
• Jiang Ping'an told Xiu Yun, Xuan Shuang, and Gu Yunxu he might be gone for several days, then departed with Chen Shiguang and Li Xianzi for the Wensu Mountain Range.

Jiang Ping'an killed Chen Shiguang and Li Xianzi before they could ambush him, then searched their belongings and discovered a treasure map. He learned the Golden Marrow Pill recipe was false but used his Proficiency Points to comprehend the true recipe, and decided to investigate the map’s marked location at Huihe Mountain.

• Jiang Ping'an struck first with fifteen flying daggers, killing Chen Shiguang and Li Xianzi as they prepared to attack him.
• Jiang Ping'an took their Storage Bags, destroyed their corpses, sent their horses running into the valley, and left for a nearby town.
• Jiang Ping'an inventoried their belongings and found a fake Golden Marrow Pill recipe and a map suspected to lead to treasure.
• Jiang Ping'an spent three thousand Proficiency Points to comprehend the true Golden Marrow Pill recipe.
• Jiang Ping'an compared the treasure map with a map of Nanwu Prefecture, located its mark at Huihe Mountain, and decided to go there.

Jiang Ping'an entered Huihe Mountain in search of the treasure marked on his map and fought his way through its dangerous gorge. After defeating a heavily armored Golden Python, he stored its corpse, encouraged by the valuable materials it might provide.

• Jiang Ping'an learned from Old Man Zhang that Huihe Mountain was home to man-eating Red-crowned Cranes and a mysterious Mountain God that killed everything in its path.
• Jiang Ping'an entered the mountain alone, killed a flock of Red-crowned Cranes with flying knives, and traveled to the gorge marked on his map.
• Jiang Ping'an waited for noon sunlight to disperse the gorge's poisonous miasma, then entered with his flying knives and searched for the treasure.
• Jiang Ping'an killed a mutated Black-browed Serpent whose scales were harder than steel and realized something valuable might be hidden in the gorge.
• Jiang Ping'an defeated a Golden Python after dodging its poisonous gas, then placed its corpse in a Storage Bag to keep its valuable scales.

Jiang Ping'an found Golden Fiend Qi in the Golden Python’s den and prepared to dig for its source so he could cultivate the Mysterious Fiend Bodyguard Technique. After returning with tools and Miasma Pills, he began excavating but struck a large mass of rock.

• Jiang Ping'an discovered Golden Fiend Qi drifting from holes in the Golden Python’s den and decided to return with digging tools.
• Jiang Ping'an left Huihe Mountain, bought three hoes and three iron shovels in town, and stayed another night with Old Man Zhang’s family.
• Old Man Zhang gave Jiang Ping'an a bottle of Miasma Pills to protect him from the valley’s miasma.
• Jiang Ping'an returned to the cave, used flying daggers to widen its entrance, and moved the loose earth and rocks aside.
• Jiang Ping'an dug toward the Golden Fiend Qi with a hoe and iron shovel until the hoe struck a large mass of rock.

Jiang Ping'an widened the passages to the Golden Fiend Qi source, mastered the Mysterious Fiend Bodyguard Technique, and tested his powerful new shield. After sealing the source, he returned to the village and set out to rescue Old Man Zhang and Zhang Dalang from Demonic Cranes.

• Jiang Ping'an used his flying daggers to widen all four holes, then refined the escaping Golden Fiend Qi for three days until he mastered the Mysterious Fiend Bodyguard Technique.
• Jiang Ping'an tested the Golden Fiend Bodyguard Shield and found that even his ten flying daggers could not break through it.
• Jiang Ping'an sealed the holes and cave entrance, concealed the site, and flew from Huihe Mountain back to the village.
• Aunt Zhang told Jiang Ping'an that Old Man Zhang and Zhang Dalang had been trapped by Demonic Cranes for nearly three days, and he promised to rescue them.
• Jiang Ping'an flew Zhang Erlang into the mountains on his flying sword so Zhang Erlang could point out where his father and brother were trapped.

Jiang Ping'an rescued Old Man Zhang and Zhang Dalang from a flock of Demonic Cranes and discovered they had taken a golden crane egg with a powerful life force. He bought the egg for one thousand taels of gold and left the mountain village the next morning.

• Jiang Ping'an killed most of the Red-crowned Cranes attacking the cave and freed Old Man Zhang and Zhang Dalang.
• Old Man Zhang showed Jiang Ping'an the golden Demonic Crane egg, and Jiang Ping'an offered to buy it after sensing its strong life force.
• Jiang Ping'an refused Old Man Zhang's request to accept Zhang Dalang and Zhang Erlang as disciples, then flew the rescued men back to Zhang Erlang.
• Old Man Zhang brought the egg to Jiang Ping'an that night, and Jiang Ping'an paid him one thousand taels of gold while warning the family to keep their wealth secret.
• Jiang Ping'an said farewell to Hunter Zhang's family and rode away the next morning.

Jiang Ping'an returned to Taiming Mountain Market, learned alchemy by using his Proficiency Points to correct a dubious manual, and successfully refined his first batch of Golden Marrow Pills. He planned to expand his living quarters as Gu Yunxu left to sell two flying swords.

• Jiang Ping'an returned to the courtyard, gave Xuan Shuang a golden crane egg, and asked Gu Yunxu to sell the Golden Python corpse.
• Jiang Ping'an bought an alchemy book and furnace, then used Proficiency Points to turn the flawed manual into a spirit-grade Art of Alchemy.
• Gu Yunxu sold the Golden Python and agreed to sell two flying swords away from Taiming Mountain Market before leaving for more than ten days.
• Jiang Ping'an and the two women cleared the kitchen so he could use it as an Alchemy Room.
• Jiang Ping'an refined ten Golden Marrow Pills in his first successful batch and said they would move to a larger courtyard after the month ended.

After opening his third spirit aperture, Jiang Ping'an prepared to seek out Bai Ruoxue at the Melodious Sound Pavilion, selling pills and acquiring stronger flying knives along the way. He found no trace of her and returned to the pavilion at evening, where he tried to request a meeting with Mi Yunshang.

• Jiang Ping'an took a Golden Marrow Pill and opened his third spirit aperture, though the strain left his meridians in pain.
• Jiang Ping'an ordered seventeen Star-Sinking Iron Flying Knives and later sold two bottles of perfect-quality Golden Marrow Pills to Shopkeeper Chen for twenty-four spirit stones.
• Jiang Ping'an collected the knives and rode to Daming City to look for Bai Ruoxue at the Melodious Sound Pavilion.
• Jiang Ping'an found Bai Ruoxue absent from the pavilion and discovered that the rented courtyard had been deserted for at least a month and a half.
• Jiang Ping'an returned to the Melodious Sound Pavilion and offered gold to the Maidservants to request a meeting with Mi Yunshang, but they said she did not receive guests.

Jiang Ping'an visited the Melodious Sound Pavilion to find Bai Ruoxue, learned she had joined the Melodious Sound Sect, and received her letter. When Mi Yunshang and Chen Youlan tried to seize his fortuitous opportunity, he fought back and killed Chen Youlan, leaving Mi Yunshang stunned.

• Jiang Ping'an entered the Melodious Sound Pavilion and was led to Mi Yunshang.
• Mi Yunshang told Jiang Ping'an that Bai Ruoxue had become a Registered Disciple of the Melodious Sound Sect and gave him Bai Ruoxue's letter.
• Jiang Ping'an feigned an attack on Mi Yunshang, but she escaped through a trapdoor and Chen Youlan arrived, demanding his fortuitous opportunity.
• Jiang Ping'an countered Chen Youlan's yellow ring and wind blades while his flying daggers wounded Mi Yunshang.
• Chen Youlan activated a protective talisman, but Jiang Ping'an's flying dagger array broke through her shield and killed her.
• Mi Yunshang's flying sword failed to harm Jiang Ping'an, and she stared in shock at her master's death.

Jiang Ping'an rescued Bai Ruoxue from an underground prison after killing Chen Youlan and Mi Yunshang. With enough Worry-Free Pills recovered to sustain Bai Ruoxue for years, they escaped Daming City under cover of night.

• Jiang Ping'an killed Tang Yue, forced Mi Yunshang to reveal Bai Ruoxue's location, and pretended he would spare Mi Yunshang if she led him there.
• Jiang Ping'an took Mi Yunshang to an underground prison, killed her when he found Bai Ruoxue, and cut through the cell bars and Bai Ruoxue's shackles.
• Bai Ruoxue examined the pills taken from Mi Yunshang's and Chen Youlan's Storage Bags and found more than a hundred and forty low-grade Worry-Free Pills, along with mid-grade pills.
• Jiang Ping'an gave Bai Ruoxue an empty Storage Bag, then flew with her out of Daming City on the Black Iron Round Shield, away from Mount Tai Ming.

Jiang Ping'an and Bai Ruoxue escaped Daming City and set off for Mount Tai Ming, where Xiu Yun and Xuan Shuang were staying. They stopped at a mountain pool so Bai Ruoxue could wash and change clothes, then continued their flight with her riding on Jiang Ping'an’s back.

• Bai Ruoxue told Jiang Ping'an that Quezhi had been tortured to death while her captors tried to learn his whereabouts, and Jiang Ping'an grieved that he had drawn her into the danger.
• Jiang Ping'an put away the heavy Black Iron Round Shield and carried Bai Ruoxue on his flying sword toward Mount Tai Ming, about two hundred li away.
• Bai Ruoxue asked Jiang Ping'an to land near a pool so she could bathe, then changed into clothes from Mi Yunshang's Storage Bag.
• After Bai Ruoxue teased Jiang Ping'an about his smell, he changed clothes behind some shrubs before they took off again.
• Bai Ruoxue clung to Jiang Ping'an’s back and made him hold her thighs so she could loosen her grip around his waist.