Chapter Summaries

Ji An prepared to break through to the Golden Core Stage as True Lord Yuxiao arranged supplies and sealed the Golden Spirit Sect against outsiders. At Sunrise Peak, Ji An began forming his core and quickly condensed the first core seed.

• True Lord Yuxiao explained the dangers and requirements of the Golden Core breakthrough, gave Ji An instructions, and promised the sect's Stone Marrow for his attempt.
• True Lord Yuxiao ordered Jia Yu to retrieve the Stone Marrow and arranged for the mountain-protecting formation to close the sect and clear everyone from Sunrise Peak.
• Jia Yu hinted to Zhu Xiangrong that Ji An's breakthrough was behind the sect's preparations.
• Three days later, Ji An traveled to the sealed cave abode on Sunrise Peak, where True Lord Yuxiao gave him the Stone Marrow and sent him inside to begin.
• Ji An drew in spiritual qi and compressed it in his dantian until a yellow core seed formed in less than two hours.

Ji An refined his dan seed with the Golden Core Pill and Five Elements Spiritual Liquid, then altered the final secret art and formed a radiant Golden Core. Thunder clouds gathered over Sunrise Peak, leaving True Lord Yuxiao bewildered as a tribulation approached.

• Ji An swallowed the Golden Core Pill and used the Primordial Life Fire to purge impurities from his dan seed.
• Ji An replenished his Soul Power with a new Soul Nurturing Pendant and continued tempering the dan seed as his Golden Core Pill retained its medicinal power.
• Ji An repeatedly attempted the final secret art, then realized its method contradicted the principle of yin descending and yang ascending.
• Ji An inverted himself and altered the secret art, producing golden spiritual liquid that refined his dan seed into a clear, radiant Golden Core.
• Ji An's Golden Core replenished his mana and strengthened his Primordial Life Fire as spiritual energy gathered over Sunrise Peak.
• True Lord Yuxiao rose in alarm when thunder rumbled across the sky before the Golden Core's dragon and tiger roars had spread.

Ji An completed his Golden Core breakthrough and endured the unusually powerful Five Elements and Chaos Thunder Tribulations. After the Heavenly Dao healed him and his spirit tools, the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner manifested as a Kirin, confirming his success as a Golden Core cultivator.

• Ji An formed his Golden Core and moved it into his Middle Dantian as thunderclouds gathered over Sunrise Peak.
• Ji An faced the Fire, Wood, Water, Metal, and Earth Element Thunder Tribulations, using his banners, spirit tools, spells, and stone marrow to endure them.
• True Lord Yuxiao watched anxiously as Ji An prepared for the final Chaos Thunder Tribulation and worried that its power would overwhelm him.
• A single strike from the Chaos Thunder Tribulation smashed Ji An into the ground and badly damaged his body, Divine Mansion, immortal veins, and spirit tools.
• The thunderclouds dispersed, and a phantom full moon healed Ji An and his spirit tools with silver radiance.
• The Kirin pattern on the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner became a real Kirin Beast, and True Lord Yuxiao recognized that Ji An had successfully become a Golden Core cultivator.

Ji An survived the Golden Core tribulation, stabilized his cultivation, and used the Stone Turtle to raise several Dao Seeds to top-grade. He discovered how paired Metal Dao Seeds behaved and assessed the damage to his treasures, leaving him prepared to repair them and develop his new strength.

• True Lord Yuxiao congratulated Ji An on becoming the sect’s third Golden Core cultivator, and Ji An entered seclusion to stabilize his realm.
• Zhang Yuanshan and Zhao Mengyao discussed waiting five years for Foundation Replenishing Pills and wondered what gift to give Ji An if he hosted a banquet.
• After half a month, Ji An examined his gains and found that the Stone Turtle had drawn Dao Rhyme from the tribulation and become more lifelike.
• Ji An used the Stone Turtle to upgrade his Gui Water, Jitu, Yi Wood, and Xin Metal Dao Seeds to top-grade, while their Dao Rhyme decreased.
• Ji An watched the Xin Metal and Geng Metal Dao Seeds circle one another like the Yin Yang fish instead of merging.
• Ji An inspected his damaged treasures and found cracks in the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner, severe damage to the Li Di Flame Light Banner and Green Lotus Treasure Color Banner, and broken Sky Soaring Armor plates.

After surviving his Golden Core tribulation, Ji An discovered the Stone Turtle could endure lightning and absorb Dao resonance, though he could not determine whether it affected anyone else’s tribulation. He met with True Lord Yuxiao, discussed sect responsibilities and Golden Core cultivation, and planned to remain on Crimson Flame Peak to cultivate Third-grade Spirit Plants while waiting for his Gourd World to develop.

• Ji An inspected the badly damaged Sky Soaring Armor and watched the Stone Turtle vanish into the earth before it returned.
• Ji An ordered the Stone Turtle to float and learned it was unafraid of lightning tribulations, but it ignored his questions about whether it changed their strength.
• Jia Yu reflected on Ji An’s rise to the Golden Core Stage and left the Treasure Pavilion.
• True Lord Yuxiao proposed holding a Golden Core ceremony after True Lord Zhengyang returned and explained the sect’s support and obligations for Golden Core cultivators.
• True Lord Yuxiao gave Ji An the Five Elements Cycle Scripture cultivation method on credit and described his understanding of Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivation.
• Ji An recorded True Lord Yuxiao’s guidance and planned to cultivate Third-grade Spirit Plants on Crimson Flame Peak while waiting for his Gourd World to develop.

After breaking through to the Golden Core Stage, Ji An discussed repairing his damaged treasures, the sect’s plans for cultivating Third-grade Spirit Plants, and the rewards for a spell he contributed. He revealed that he had formed an Immortal Golden Core, then went to Zhu Xiangrong to plan repairs for his treasures.

• True Lord Yuxiao advised Ji An to seek Primal Spirit Mud, Phoenix Stone, and a replacement flagpole to repair his damaged treasures.
• True Lord Yuxiao told Ji An that a nearby spirit beast would face a separate share of a Golden Core tribulation rather than making the lightning stronger, and Ji An secretly looked forward to using this for profit.
• Ji An asked the sect to build Teleportation Arrays to its top second-grade Spirit Plants and to buy Golden Core Stage Farming Spells so he could cultivate Third-grade Spirit Plants.
• Ji An gave True Lord Yuxiao the Spiritual Roar formula and received fifty thousand minor merits, plus five minor merits each time a disciple exchanged for it over sixty years.
• True Lord Yuxiao asked about Ji An’s Golden Core, and Ji An said it should be an Immortal Golden Core before leaving to visit Jia Yu and Zhu Xiangrong.
• Ji An asked Zhu Xiangrong to devise a detailed repair plan for his damaged Magic Treasures and Spirit Tools.

Ji An consulted Zhu Xiangrong about repairing and upgrading his damaged spirit artifacts, then returned to Crimson Flame Peak to test how his Golden Core breakthrough had strengthened his spells and inspect his spirit plants. He found that his gardens had flourished, while the Azure Flame Purple Spirit Gourd had flowered earlier than he wanted.

• Zhu Xiangrong explained how to restore the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner and recommended Primal Spirit Mud and Wuhua Earth to improve it.
• Zhu Xiangrong offered to repair the Green Lotus Treasure Color Banner with Azure Dragon Wood and the Li Di Flame Light Banner with Phoenix Stone, but said he could not restore the Sky Soaring Armor without its blueprint.
• Ji An returned to Crimson Flame Peak, gave his disciples celebratory Spirit Stones, and asked them to prepare ingredients and summon Lin Lan and Han Shan.
• Ji An tested his strengthened spells on the spirit gardens and found their effects had improved, while the Pure Water Lotus seemed close to advancing in rank.
• Ji An inspected his thriving spirit plants, including the newly top-grade second-tier Nethermoon Azure Jade Tree and Bodhi Tree, and decided to keep only two gourds from the four flowers on his Azure Flame Purple Spirit Gourd.

Ji An cultivated the spirit plants in the Molten Cave and Crimson Flame Peak, then used Dao essence to raise the Spirit Vein and the Gathering Origin Tree. He discovered the Gathering Origin Tree had reached low-grade second-tier and learned to enter and leave the Gourd World without the Stone Turtle’s help.

• Ji An tended the Molten Cave’s spirit plants and considered taking the Fire Crystal Ant queen and her strongest ants when he left the sect.
• Ji An instructed Feng Xing and Liu Ruhai to deliver felled Azure Dragon Wood to Zhu Xiangrong’s cave dwelling on Red Copper Mountain.
• Ji An commanded the Stone Turtle to raise the Gourd World until the Spirit Vein advanced, then discovered he could enter by touching a silver point of light inside the World Stone.
• Ji An found the Gathering Origin Tree had reached low-grade second-tier and that every spirit plant in the small world had advanced to the same grade.
• Ji An expanded the Spirit Fields, sowed Pearl Blood Rice, and found a misty boundary node that returned him to his quiet chamber.

Ji An advanced to the Golden Core Stage while True Lord Zhengyang returned to the sect after decades in Central Continent. Zhengyang learned of Ji An’s Immortal Golden Core and discussed the sect’s prosperity, while Han Yan discovered that Ji An—not Lin Jiuxiao or Lin Qiubai—had become a sect ancestor.

• Ji An depleted his remaining Dao Rhymes to improve the Gourd World, then welcomed Lin Lan and Han Shan and discussed their cultivation and possible succession to his Department of Agriculture post.
• After five years, True Lord Zhengyang and Han Yan returned to the sect, and Han Yan left to settle back in.
• True Lord Yuxiao told True Lord Zhengyang that Ji An had broken through to the Golden Core Stage five years earlier and achieved an Immortal Golden Core.
• True Lord Zhengyang recounted his successful Central Continent journey, and he and True Lord Yuxiao discussed buying Golden Core-level Farming Spells and establishing a trading caravan.
• Han Yan learned from her maid that Ji An of Crimson Flame Peak was the sect’s newly ascended ancestor.

Han Yan returned to the sect, learned that Ji An had become a Golden Core True Person, and visited He Yuhan to help prepare a pill for Ji An’s Rock Armor Bear. Ji An chose the Daoist name True Lord Xuanqing, arranged his Golden Core ceremony and sect duties, and went to the secret vault with True Lord Zhengyang to prepare for buying spells in Azure Cloud Immortal City.

• Han Yan learned that Ji An had broken through to Golden Core and visited He Yuhan, who asked her to refine an Earth Vein Flame Heart Pill for Ji An’s Rock Armor Bear.
• Ji An chose the Daoist name True Lord Xuanqing, and he and True Lord Zhengyang set his Golden Core ceremony for half a year later.
• Ji An discussed the Department of Agriculture’s next Hall Master, exchanged for two Golden Core spells, and asked the sect to buy Farming Spells and lightning spells from the Central Continent merchant airship.
• True Lord Zhengyang took Ji An to the secret vault, where Jia Yu gave Ji An access and the two met the Earth Dragon Beast, which recognized that the sect had gained another True Person.

Ji An and True Lord Zhengyang discussed the sect’s finances, acquired Third Order resources on credit, and traveled to Azure Cloud Immortal City to buy Golden Core-level spells. The chapter ended as True Lord Zhengyang negotiated over the price of the Geng Metal Divine Thunder after agreeing to purchase the Farming Spells.

• The Earth Dragon Beast recalled Ji An’s past gift and agreed to exchange insights with him, while hinting that the sect should offer it spirit fruits too.
• True Lord Zhengyang described the sect’s limited resources and rising prospects, and Ji An borrowed Third Order materials worth Eleven Thousand Five Hundred Great Merit.
• Ji An asked about Foundation Replenishing Pills, and True Lord Zhengyang said he would go to Azure Cloud Immortal City with Zhang Zizhao once the latter finished his work.
• Ji An and True Lord Zhengyang arrived at Azure Cloud Immortal City and went to the Scripture Pavilion to purchase Golden Core-level spells.
• Daoist Yun Song recommended three Farming Spells for Twenty High-grade Spirit Stones each, and Ji An confirmed he wanted the Geng Metal Divine Thunder.
• True Lord Zhengyang accepted the Farming Spell price and asked what discount the Pavilion would offer if they also bought the Geng Metal Divine Thunder.

Ji An bought Yimu Wood Divine Thunder and spirit soil, then returned to the sect to study Golden Core Farming Spells. He advanced the Earth Vein Spirit Ascension Incantation to Major Mastery and perfected the Azure Dragon Water Moon Art.

• Ji An and True Lord Zhengyang bought Geng Metal Divine Thunder and Yimu Wood Divine Thunder from True Lord Yun Song.
• Ji An sold three Azure Dragon Woods, bought highly sentient puppets, and purchased top-grade Second-tier spirit soil.
• Ji An returned to Crimson Flame Peak and learned the Earth Vein Spirit Ascension Incantation at Beginner level.
• Ji An used the Stone Turtle's Spirit Opportunity to raise the Earth Vein Spirit Ascension Incantation to Major Mastery.
• Ji An studied the Azure Dragon Water Moon Art and used Spirit Opportunity to advance it from Beginner to Perfected.

Ji An reviewed his Golden Core spells, advised Lin Lan and Han Shan as they prepared to break through, and arranged support for their fellow disciples. He then cultivated Crimson Flame Peak’s spirit plants with his new spells and considered how to use the gourds growing in his fields.

• Ji An checked his upgraded spells and reflected on the strengths and limits of his Golden Core magic.
• Lin Lan and Han Shan asked Ji An for guidance before their upcoming breakthroughs, and he gave them gifts to deliver to Li Lingyu, Mu Qingwan, Zhang Yuanshan, and Zhao Mengyao.
• Ji An appointed Lin Lan as Hall Master and Han Shan as Deputy Hall Master of the Department of Agriculture after their cultivation stabilized.
• Ji An cast the Azure Dragon Water Moon Art, Azure Sky Yang Ming Art, and Earth Vein Spirit Ascension Incantation across his orchards, fields, and spirit gardens.
• Ji An saw that two Azure Flame Purple Spirit Gourds were nearing maturity and considered selling them to fellow disciples for resources and goodwill.

Ji An cultivated his Spirit Fields, tested the Gathering Origin Tree’s leaves, and began repairing his magic treasures while arranging for Zhu Xiangrong to restore the Li Di Flame Light Banner. The chapter ended with his disciples Lin Lan and Han Shan visiting Crimson Flame Peak after both broke through to Origin Seeking, and Ji An preparing to teach them.

• Ji An tended the Spirit Fields in the Molten Cave and small world, then buried colored Gathering Origin Tree leaf ashes beside five spiritual plants for a ten-year experiment.
• Ji An refined Primal Spirit Mud and Wuhua Earth to repair the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner and his Natal Magic Treasure, recovering his divine sense with spirit tea and incense.
• Ji An brought Zhu Xiangrong the Phoenix Stone and Li Di Flame Light Banner for repair, agreeing to exchange a future Grade 2 peak Longevity Peach and two High-grade Spirit Stones for the work.
• Lin Lan and Han Shan arrived at Crimson Flame Peak five days later, where Liu Ruhai told them Ji An was cultivating.
• Ji An came out and congratulated Lin Lan and Han Shan on breaking through to Origin Seeking, then invited them to the reception hall to discuss their cultivation.

Ji An explained Origin Seeking cultivation to Lin Lan and Han Shan, then comforted Li Lingyu after Senior Sister Mu failed her breakthrough and left the sect. A month later, He Yuhan and Han delivered an Earth Vein Flame Heart Pill, giving Big Yellow the means to break through its realm.

• Ji An taught Lin Lan and Han Shan about the stages of Origin Seeking cultivation and offered to sell them cultivation teas and Pine Nut Wine.
• Ji An learned that Senior Sister Mu had failed her breakthrough and left the sect, and he encouraged the grief-stricken Li Lingyu before helping her drink away her sorrow.
• Li Lingyu recovered her resolve and left Crimson Flame Peak, then Ji An received word that Zhang Yuanshan had also left the sect for his hometown.
• Ji An continued cultivating for a month until He Yuhan and Han arrived with the successfully refined Earth Vein Flame Heart Pill.
• Ji An inspected the pill and realized Big Yellow could use it to break through its realm.

Ji An helped He Yuhan and Han Yan acquire discounted second-tier Spirit Sealing Talismans, then guided Big Yellow through a breakthrough to the Origin Seeking Stage. While tending the Purple Gold Wutong Wood, he witnessed it become the sect’s first third-grade treasure plant and received 6,500 Great Merit, leaving the sect celebrating ahead of his Golden Core ceremony.

• Ji An revealed that he could make second-tier talisman paper and gave He Yuhan and Han Yan discounted Spirit Sealing Talismans.
• Ji An fed Big Yellow an Earth Vein Flame Heart Pill and two high-grade spirit fruits, helping the Rock Armor Bear break through to the Origin Seeking Stage.
• Six months later, Ji An used the Earth Vein Spirit Ascension Incantation on the Purple Gold Wutong Wood at Sunrise Peak, and the tree broke through to become a third-grade treasure plant.
• True Lord Zhengyang and True Lord Yuxiao arrived, praised Ji An, and awarded him 5,000 Great Merit under sect rules plus 1,500 Great Merit as personal rewards.
• True Lord Yuxiao noted that Ji An’s Golden Core ceremony was only days away and called the breakthrough a sign of the sect’s prosperity.

True Lord Zhengyang told True Lord Yuxiao that weakening seals on demonic lairs might herald a future True Demon Tribulation, while Ji An continued repairing his Natal Magic Treasure and tending his Spirit Plants. The sect prepared for its celebration as the distant danger remained an omen rather than an immediate threat.

• Ji An asked True Lord Zhengyang and True Lord Yuxiao for major contributions in exchange for cultivating Third-grade Spirit Plants, and they agreed to reward him.
• After Ji An left, True Lord Zhengyang told True Lord Yuxiao that a Nascent Soul acquaintance had warned him that demonic lair seals were weakening and a True Demon Tribulation might eventually come.
• True Lord Zhengyang explained the origins of demonic lairs, True Demons, and demonic cultivation, and said the great Nascent Soul Sects were already making plans.
• True Lord Zhengyang said he would tell Ji An about the danger when he prepared to leave, while True Lord Yuxiao accepted that their generation might not witness the calamity.
• Ji An returned to his cave residence and spent months refining Primal Spirit Mud and Wuhua Earth liquid to repair the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner.
• Ji An inspected his small world, where several Spirit Plants had advanced in grade and more Spirit Devouring Insects had evolved into Jade Pupae.

Ji An improved his spirit fields and rice harvest, received the repaired Li Di Flame Light Banner, and celebrated his Golden Core ceremony. Afterward, he and the sect leaders discussed growing tensions with their allied sects and the possibility of the other two sects joining forces to suppress them.

• Ji An tended the lands and spirit plants in his small world, harvested Pearl Blood Rice at a higher yield, and advanced his farming spells.
• Zhu Xiangrong returned the repaired Li Di Flame Light Banner, and Ji An asked how to temper it into a magic treasure.
• Ji An attended his Golden Core ceremony on Sunrise Peak alongside guests from Falling Maple Valley and Harmony Peak.
• True Lord Zhengyang and Ji An discussed how the sect’s growing strength might provoke friction or a united effort by the other two sects to restrict its development.

Ji An discussed Falling Maple Valley’s cultivation needs and plans to trade abroad, then stayed at the sect while True Lord Yuxiao and True Lord Zhengyang prepared to investigate the Far North. Three months later, Ji An found that his Vajra Bodhi Tree had borne fruit, tended his spirit plants, refined his Natal Magic Treasure, and resumed cultivation.

• True Lord Yuxiao proposed trading artifacts and puppets with the Southern Continent and Far North to secure resources and pill supplies.
• Ji An said he planned to cultivate toward Golden Core Layer 2 and remain in the sect until he saw whether the Stone Turtle could absorb Dao resonance from his fellow disciples’ tribulations.
• True Lord Yuxiao and True Lord Zhengyang decided to lead a merchant caravan to the Far North and Southern Continent, investigate demonic cultivators, and leave Ji An in charge of the sect’s defenses.
• Three months later, Ji An discovered that his second-tier top-grade Vajra Bodhi Tree had borne fruit and continued nourishing spirit plants across several mountains.
• Ji An refined Primal Spirit Mud and Wuhua Earth into the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner, which took the form of a miniature qilin, then began circulating the Five Elements Cycle Scripture.

Ji An explored the depths of Crimson Flame Peak, where a lava lake held an enormous red-gold spirit fish he hoped to catch. After returning to the sect, he learned that Lin Jiuxiao and Lin Qiubai had returned from their travels and discovered Ji An had already become a Golden Core cultivator.

• Ji An descended into Crimson Flame Peak, planted Fire Coral in its side passages, and found that the lava lake was too hot for the plants to survive.
• A red-gold giant carp leaped from the lava lake, and Ji An sensed it was at the fourth revolution of the Origin Seeking stage.
• Ji An waited for the spirit fish for two hours, then left the crater and suspected the lava lake connected to passages leading to high-grade Fire Element Spiritual Items.
• Ji An returned to the sect to discuss his discovery with his two Senior Brothers.
• True Lord Yuxiao told Lin Jiuxiao and Lin Qiubai that Ji An had become the sect's third Golden Core cultivator six years earlier, shocking them.
• True Lord Zhengyang began explaining how Lin Jiuxiao and Lin Qiubai should cultivate toward the Golden Core realm.