Chapter Summaries

After killing the leaders of Melodious Sound Pavilion, Jiang Ping'an fled with Bai Ruoxue, Xiu Yun, and Xuan Shuang to Azure Origin City, hoping to escape the sect’s reach. He decided to join the Azure Origin Sect first, and Bai Ruoxue set out ahead of him while they agreed to pretend they were strangers.

• Jiang Ping'an returned to the courtyard with Bai Ruoxue, told Xiu Yun and Xuan Shuang they had to leave because he had killed Melodious Sound Pavilion’s leaders, and prepared to flee without Gu Yunxu.
• Jiang Ping'an bought four Thousand Mile Horses, and Bai Ruoxue explained that they could avoid Melodious Sound Pavilion by heading to the territories of the demonic sects.
• Jiang Ping'an chose the Azure Origin Sect, and the four traveled to Azure Origin City, where they confirmed there was no Melodious Sound Pavilion.
• Jiang Ping'an bought a residence for Xiu Yun and Xuan Shuang, then planned to join the Azure Origin Sect with Bai Ruoxue, who insisted on going despite his concerns.
• Bai Ruoxue asked Jiang Ping'an to act as though they did not know each other and rode toward Azure Origin Mountain ahead of him, while Jiang Ping'an waited by the roadside.

Jiang Ping'an joined Azure Origin Sect, paid the ten-spirit-stone entrance fee, and chose Mystic Array Peak. He met He Zudao and learned that the sect’s one-spirit-stone recruits were assigned to peaks at random, with Mystic Array Peak receiving many of them.

• Jiang Ping'an arrived at Azure Origin Sect and saw cultivators gathering to register for recruitment.
• He learned that applicants who paid ten spirit stones could choose a peak, while those who paid one were assigned randomly, and he spotted Bai Ruoxue among the newcomers.
• The scarred registrar demanded extra spirit stones from Jiang Ping'an before accepting his registration.
• Jiang Ping'an chose Mystic Array Peak, received his identity token, and dismissed the registrar’s claim that he had wasted his money.
• At the end of recruitment, Jiang Ping'an met Mystic Array Peak disciple He Zudao, while Bai Ruoxue joined Joyful Union Peak.
• Steward Elder Wang Ruxin randomly assigned the one-spirit-stone recruits, sending about half of them to Mystic Array Peak.

Jiang Ping'an joined Mystic Array Peak, where He Zudao guided him through his first night and helped him collect sect supplies. He Zudao then took him to the peak’s Logistics Hall to choose a task.

• He Zudao led Jiang Ping'an aboard Mystic Array Peak’s flying ship, leaving more than a hundred newcomers behind.
• He Zudao arranged a temporary dormitory for Jiang Ping'an and warned him to be careful around disciples from other peaks.
• The next morning, He Zudao took Jiang Ping'an to the storeroom, where Jiang collected cultivation methods, robes, an insignia, and a sect map.
• He Zudao explained that new disciples were usually assigned tasks by force during their first three years, and Jiang Ping'an asked him to help find a good task.
• He Zudao flew Jiang Ping'an to Mystic Array Peak’s branch of the Logistics Hall.

Jiang Ping'an chose the relatively safe array stone engraving task and sought a shared rental near Mystic Array Peak. He reached the engraving workshop, where steward Cao Yongle learned that Jiang Ping'an was an intermediate Talisman Master.

• He Zudao advised Jiang Ping'an to avoid dangerous mining, gathering, and array ink work, so Jiang Ping'an accepted the array stone engraving task and paid a five-spirit-stone deposit.
• He Zudao escorted Jiang Ping'an to the Crow Perch Division branch quarters, where Jiang Ping'an chose to inquire about a shared rental at Cave Mansion A on Mirror Lake Mountain and sent its landlord a paper-crane message for dusk.
• Jiang Ping'an retrieved his thousand mile horse from the mountain gate and rode to the Array Stone Engraving Workshop.
• A menial disciple directed Jiang Ping'an to steward Cao Yongle, who asked whether he had studied arrays before.
• Jiang Ping'an admitted he had not but revealed that he was an intermediate Talisman Master, mildly surprising Cao Yongle.

Jiang Ping'an accepted a task to engrave Spirit Gathering Array Stones and went to Mirror Lake Mountain to study the diagram. He met the cave abode’s formidable owner, Dongfang Jintang, and proved he could defend himself when she attacked him; she then agreed to let him move in after paying three months’ rent.

• Cao Yongle explained the Array Stone engraving requirements, and Jiang Ping'an chose the more complex Spirit Gathering Array Stone task.
• Cao Yongle gave Jiang Ping'an the diagram jade slip and task token, and Jiang Ping'an swore not to reveal the diagram.
• Jiang Ping'an studied the diagram at Mirror Lake Mountain and waited there until evening before riding to Cave Mansion A.
• Dongfang Jintang questioned whether Jiang Ping'an was brave enough to share her cave abode, then attacked him with an ice spike.
• Jiang Ping'an shattered the ice spike with five flying knives, and Dongfang Jintang invited him to move in after paying three months’ rent.

Jiang Ping'an negotiated a one-month rental agreement with Dongfang Jintang and moved into her cave abode on Mirror Lake Mountain. After learning the Basic Spirit Gathering Array Diagram, he traveled to Fulong Daping Valley and rented a stall to sell Magic Tools and Spirit Talismans.

• Jiang Ping'an initially rejected Dongfang Jintang's room offer, but accepted after she lowered the rent to one month's payment and they agreed on mutual restrictions.
• Jiang Ping'an paid Dongfang Jintang twenty-two spirit stones, received the cave abode's jade token and key, and chose three rooms on the left side.
• Jiang Ping'an settled his horse in the stable, installed a Night Pearl in one room, and used one thousand Proficiency Points to master the Basic Spirit Gathering Array Diagram.
• Jiang Ping'an cultivated in the cave abode overnight, benefiting from its dense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
• Jiang Ping'an rode to Fulong Daping Valley and rented a stall on Bluestone Street for five hundred taels of gold to sell Magic Tools and Spirit Talismans.

Jiang Ping'an moved into the cave abode he shared with Dongfang Jintang, endured her threats, and negotiated a deal to ride her in exchange for spirit stones. Dongfang Jintang took his hundred spirit stones and challenged him to follow her to her bedroom.

• Jiang Ping'an spent twenty-two spirit stones on supplies and furnished his stone chamber after returning to the cave abode.
• Dongfang Jintang drank wine and threatened Jiang Ping'an over his horse mating with hers, but she watched the horses mate without harming his horse.
• Dongfang Jintang offered to let Jiang Ping'an ride her for a month in exchange for three hundred spirit stones, and Jiang Ping'an negotiated for three months.
• Jiang Ping'an handed Dongfang Jintang one hundred spirit stones, and she went to her bedroom, telling him to come if he was not afraid to die.

Jiang Ping'an comprehended the Azure Nether Illusory Array Canon, advanced his cultivation, and sold Golden Marrow Pills at the Fulong Daping Valley market. On his return to Mirror Lake Mountain, a swarm of venomous insects attacked him, and their owner demanded compensation after he killed them.

• Jiang Ping'an used Proficiency Points to comprehend the Azure Nether Illusory Array Canon and found that it greatly increased his cultivation speed and ability to refine Golden Marrow Pills.
• Dongfang Jintang demanded the remaining Two Hundred Spirit Stones, but Jiang Ping'an refused, and she pressured him before returning to her bedroom.
• Jiang Ping'an swallowed a Golden Marrow Pill and opened his fourth Spiritual Aperture, the Danzhong Spiritual Aperture.
• Jiang Ping'an sold four bottles of Golden Marrow Pills at the Fulong Daping Valley market, then bought herbs and returned to Mirror Lake Mountain.
• A swarm of gold- and silver-colored venomous insects attacked Jiang Ping'an, who killed them with a Divine Soul shockwave.
• A female cultivator mourned the dead insects and demanded that Jiang Ping'an compensate her.

Jiang Ping'an clashed with Shui Muhua after she tested him with her Golden-Silver Beetles, and she later visited Dongfang Jintang's cave abode to demand compensation. Shui Muhua left with twenty spirit stones and a new interest in Jiang Ping'an, while Dongfang Jintang shut her out.

• Shui Muhua confronted Jiang Ping'an after he killed her Golden-Silver Beetles, but he told her to seek compensation from Dongfang Jintang.
• Shui Muhua waited for Dongfang Jintang, who explained that Jiang Ping'an was her co-renting tenant, not her cultivation partner.
• Dongfang Jintang asked Jiang Ping'an for permission to let Shui Muhua into the cave abode, but he refused.
• Shui Muhua slipped past Dongfang Jintang and entered the cave abode, where she met Jiang Ping'an and learned his name.
• Shui Muhua explained her losses, and Dongfang Jintang gave her twenty spirit stones as compensation.
• Dongfang Jintang forced Shui Muhua out, and Shui Muhua left determined to pursue Jiang Ping'an.

Jiang Ping'an confronted Dongfang Jintang over her unpaid spirit stones and realized she intended to kill him. He began his array-stone assignment, commissioned a specialized chisel, and encountered Shui Muhua on his way to eat.

• Dongfang Jintang offered Jiang Ping'an permission to bring a guest as compensation, but he asked for one spirit stone instead, and she walked away without paying.
• Dongfang Jintang demanded the hundred spirit stones Jiang Ping'an had promised, then released her pressure; Jiang Ping'an required her to swear she would not kill him, and she returned to the cave abode.
• Jiang Ping'an went to the Array Stone Engraving Workshop, received Green Jade Stones and a Spirit Chisel from Wang Jinzhen, and found engraving drained too much spiritual power.
• Jiang Ping'an commissioned a Hundred Refined Ink Jade chisel from Zhang's Truefire Artifact Refining Workshop for fifteen spirit stones, then headed toward Everbright Street for a meal.
• Shui Muhua tried to pat Jiang Ping'an on the shoulder, and he dodged before turning to face her.

Shui Muhua lured Jiang Ping'an to dinner, then brought his seemingly drunken self to an inn and flirted with him in a guest room. Jiang Ping'an pretended to be drunk as he tried to discover her real purpose, and the chapter ended with Shui Muhua asking whether she or Dongfang Jintang was more beautiful.

• Shui Muhua seized Jiang Ping'an's hand and dragged him to Xunwei Immortal Pavilion for a meal.
• Jiang Ping'an clarified that he was Dongfang Jintang's tenant, not her Cultivation Partner, but Shui Muhua did not believe him.
• Jiang Ping'an and Shui Muhua shared dishes and Cloud Mist Jade Nectar, and he pretended to be more drunk than he was.
• Shui Muhua supported Jiang Ping'an to an inn, booked a superior room, and laid atop him in the guest room.
• Shui Muhua asked whether she or Dongfang Jintang was more beautiful, and Jiang Ping'an told her she was.

Jiang Ping'an evaded Shui Muhua, refined the Spirit Wine, and advanced his array-engraving work with a newly acquired black jade chisel. After delivering his first array stone and beginning a second, he headed to Fulong Daping Valley Market to visit He Zudao and express his gratitude.

• Jiang Ping'an pretended to feel sick to escape Shui Muhua, left the inn, and later refined the Spirit Wine as it boosted his cultivation.
• Shui Muhua discovered Jiang Ping'an had left and angrily realized he had tricked her.
• Jiang Ping'an collected his black jade chisel, engraved a Green Jade Stone, and cultivated at the Array Stone Engraving Workshop.
• Jiang Ping'an took Green Jade Stone back to his cave abode, completed a semi-finished Spirit Gathering Basic Array Stone, and submitted it to Wang Jinzhen.
• Jiang Ping'an began engraving a second array stone, then rode to Fulong Daping Valley Market to visit He Zudao.

Jiang Ping'an visited He Zudao to thank him and learned more about Azure Origin Sect, including its dangerous fairies and the upcoming Menial Disciple Competition. He left determined to try competing despite his current cultivation level.

• Jiang Ping'an brought He Zudao gifts, Spirit Wine, and Spirit Fruits, then thanked him for his earlier help.
• He Zudao warned Jiang Ping'an to avoid the sect’s Top Ten Fairies, and Jiang Ping'an realized that Dongfang Jintang was one of them and his cave-abode companion.
• He Zudao told Jiang Ping'an that the Menial Disciple Competition would take place in six months and that its top ten contestants would receive True Qi.
• Jiang Ping'an learned that the competition’s rewards could help him advance and told He Zudao he intended to try competing.

Jiang Ping'an tried to evade Shui Muhua's coercion and Dongfang Jintang's visit, but Dongfang forced him to fulfill his promise. Their encounter helped Jiang Ping'an break through another Spiritual Aperture, and he ended the night considering how it had changed his cultivation.

• Shui Muhua threatened to tell Dongfang Jintang that Jiang Ping'an had flirted with her unless he met her at the inn the next day.
• Jiang Ping'an tried to avoid Dongfang Jintang by claiming he was refining a Spirit Pill and later saying he had gone to sleep.
• Dongfang Jintang entered Jiang Ping'an's stone chamber and demanded that he fulfill his promise, refusing to swear she would not kill him.
• Jiang Ping'an negotiated for thirty encounters within a year and used the Ode to Yin-Yang Bliss with Dongfang Jintang.
• Jiang Ping'an broke through his fifth Spiritual Aperture, while Dongfang Jintang discovered his dual-cultivation technique and left with the bloodstained bedsheet.
• After refining the benefits, Jiang Ping'an wondered whether higher-cultivation partners improved his Divine Soul's adaptation to the Dreamland Heavenly Dao and planned to test his Spiritual Sense.

Jiang Ping'an moved to a cheaper cave abode on Thousand Emerald Mountain and sold his Golden Marrow Pills to earn spirit stones. After paying Dongfang Jintang, he announced that he would stay at her cave abode for the night.

• Jiang Ping'an tested his Spiritual Power, then moved out of Dongfang Jintang's cave abode and rented a second-class cave abode on Thousand Emerald Mountain.
• Dongfang Jintang found Jiang Ping'an the next day and demanded spirit stones, and he promised to deliver them that night.
• Jiang Ping'an sold nine bottles of Golden Marrow Pills to Wei Tongcheng at Jadeite Street, earning one hundred and fifty spirit stones and an offer to sell him pills in the future.
• Jiang Ping'an bought herbs and waited until night to travel to Mirror Lake Mountain.
• Jiang Ping'an gave Dongfang Jintang one hundred spirit stones and told her he would stay the night; she drank her Spirit Wine as he entered the cave abode.

Jiang Ping'an repeatedly cultivated with Dongfang Jintang, opened his sixth spiritual aperture, and comprehended the late-stage method for his cultivation canon. He then delivered Golden Marrow Pills to Dangjin Peak, where Wei Tongcheng agreed to buy seven bottles monthly and gave him a protective token.

• Jiang Ping'an discovered that dual cultivation with Dongfang Jintang brought exceptional benefits and continued visiting her cave abode at night.
• Jiang Ping'an opened his Jiangong Spiritual Aperture and used Proficiency Points to comprehend the late-stage Spirit Aperture Realm method of the Azure Nether Illusory Array Canon.
• Jiang Ping'an brought seven bottles of Golden Marrow Pills to Dangjin Peak and presented them to Wei Tongcheng.
• Wei Tongcheng paid Jiang Ping'an one hundred and twelve spirit stones, negotiated a monthly supply of seven bottles at seventeen spirit stones each, and gave him a token of Dangjin Peak's protection.

Jiang Ping'an opened the Yuzhen Spiritual Aperture, survived Dongfang Jintang's attempt to kill him by invoking Dangjin Peak's protection, and left her cave abode. He then applied for a Merit Jade Token and went to Logistics Hall to seek a faster way to earn merit.

• Jiang Ping'an delayed giving Dongfang Jintang the last hundred spirit stones and persuaded her to spend the final two days accompanying him in cultivation.
• Jiang Ping'an opened the Yuzhen Spiritual Aperture and advanced to the seventh level of the Spirit Aperture Realm.
• Dongfang Jintang took the hundred spirit stones and attacked Jiang Ping'an, but he blocked her strike and used his flying knives to force her back.
• Jiang Ping'an showed Dongfang Jintang Dangjin Peak's token, and she stopped trying to kill him and ordered him to leave.
• Jiang Ping'an registered a Spirit Gathering Basic Array Stone with Wang Jinzhen, applied for a Merit Jade Token, and decided to seek a faster way to earn merit.
• Jiang Ping'an rode to Logistics Hall to look for another task.

Jiang Ping'an accepted a six-month procurement task to submit Spirit Devouring Bug Molts for three thousand merit points and arranged a monthly supply through Liu Feizui. The chapter left them set to meet in fifteen days to exchange one hundred molts for spirit stones.

• Jiang Ping'an registered for the Spirit Devouring Bug Molt task after Wang Yan'hai recommended it, paying a fifteen-spirit-stone deposit.
• Jiang Ping'an collected merit points and Green Jade Stones at the Array Stone Engraving Workshop, then returned home to refine Golden Marrow Pills for money.
• Jiang Ping'an sold five bottles of Golden Marrow Pills at a market shop and rented a stall to buy ingredients and Spirit Devouring Bug Molts.
• Liu Feizui offered to gather one hundred Spirit Devouring Bug Molts each month, and Jiang Ping'an agreed to pay one spirit stone per molt and five spirit stones in tea money per meeting.
• Jiang Ping'an and Liu Feizui agreed to meet at Spirit Mist Tea House in fifteen days for their first exchange.

Jiang Ping'an continued earning spirit stones and merit, exchanged for the next portion of his cultivation art, and prepared to visit Xiu Yun and Xuan Shuang in Azure Origin City. As he reached the sect gates, he ran into Shui Muhua again.

• After failing to find Jiang Ping'an, Shui Muhua visited Dongfang Jintang and concluded that Jiang Ping'an had left her, while Dongfang Jintang drank heavily and brooded over him.
• Jiang Ping'an sold Golden Marrow Pills, traded Liu Feizui one hundred Gold Devouring Insect molts for spirit stones, and submitted them for five hundred merit.
• Jiang Ping'an exchanged spirit stones and merit for the late Spirit Aperture Realm portion of the Azure Nether Illusory Array Canon, then returned to Thousand Emerald Peak without visiting the Transmission Hall.
• After collecting merit at the start of the next month, Jiang Ping'an decided to visit Xiu Yun and Xuan Shuang in Azure Origin City.
• At the sect gates, Jiang Ping'an noticed Shui Muhua staring at him.

Jiang Ping'an escaped Shui Muhua's advances by insisting she pay him twenty spirit stones and then rode to visit Xiu Yun and Xuan Shuang. After reuniting with them and sharing food and Spirit Wine, he carried Xiu Yun into the bedroom and invited Xuan Shuang to join them.

• Shui Muhua intercepted Jiang Ping'an at the sect gates, dismissed two suitors, and tried to persuade him to go with her.
• Jiang Ping'an told Shui Muhua that he was only Dongfang Jintang's tenant and demanded twenty spirit stones before agreeing to spend a day with her.
• Shui Muhua hesitated and let Jiang Ping'an ride away, deciding to investigate whether he was truly Dongfang Jintang's tenant.
• Jiang Ping'an arrived at Xiu Yun and Xuan Shuang's courtyard, where both women rushed to embrace him.
• Xiu Yun and Xuan Shuang told Jiang Ping'an how they had spent the past two months cultivating, and the three shared a meal and Spirit Wine.
• After Xiu Yun became drunk and kissed him, Jiang Ping'an carried her to the bedroom and invited Xuan Shuang to follow.