Chapter Summaries

Ji An sought to join Chen Moxuan’s monster-hunting squad and demonstrated his magic tools and combat abilities. The squad accepted him for two missions, while Zhang Yuanshan prepared to enter seclusion to pursue Foundation Establishment.

• Ji An assessed the squad’s strength, and Chen Moxuan warned him that monster hunting was dangerous and tested whether he could contribute.
• Zhang Yuanshan announced that he would stop taking tool-refining work and enter seclusion to prepare for Foundation Establishment.
• After Zhang Yuanshan left, Chen Moxuan asked Ji An to explain his combat abilities, and Ji An demonstrated his control of the Stone Turtle Shield.
• Ji An showed the squad his Dark Iron Seal, and Chu He welcomed the added offensive support.
• Ji An revealed that he also had a Qi Condensation Layer 5 Spirit Seeking Rat as a beast companion.

Ji An and Chen Moxuan’s team prepared for a hunting trip, and Ji An revealed he had twenty mid-grade Water Curtain Talismans and twenty Geng Metal Talismans. The team reached Azure Cloud Ridge and prepared to seize ripening Azure Spirit Fruits from a troop of Green Wood Apes.

• Chen Moxuan explained that the team usually preferred Golden Armor Talismans and Exploding Flame Talismans, while Jiang Qiuyue recalled how Ji An’s Water Curtain Talismans had once saved them.
• Ji An told the team he had twenty mid-grade Water Curtain Talismans and twenty Geng Metal Talismans, prompting the others to believe he could earn crystal stones quickly.
• The team left the market district, flew into the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, and discussed the costs and limits of traveling by flying boat.
• Chen Moxuan led the team to Azure Cloud Ridge, where a troop of Green Wood Apes guarded Azure Spirit Fruit trees.
• The team landed and reviewed their plan to lure away some apes, seize the Azure Spirit Fruits, and escape without getting drawn into a prolonged fight.

Ji An joined his team’s hunt for Green Wood Apes and was chosen to face one as a test of his combat ability. When an Eighth Layer of Qi Condensation ape demon ambushed him, Ji An killed it with a sudden strike of golden light, leaving the hidden team members to witness his strength.

• Ji An asked whether the team could kill the whole group of Green Wood Apes, and the others explained the dangers of fighting the coordinated beasts.
• The team planned to lure one ape demon toward Ji An while they hid nearby, and Ji An prepared to test his perfected Geng Metal Finger.
• Tian Yulei sent his Spirit Seeking Rat into the forest with a Red Pine Fruit to draw an ape demon out.
• An Eighth Layer of Qi Condensation Green Wood Ape chased the rat to Ji An and bound his ankles with vines before leaping to attack.
• Ji An released a streak of golden light that killed the ape demon instantly.

Ji An survived a Green Wood Ape’s unexpected binding spell by killing it with his perfected Geng Metal Finger, but the fight exposed his slow battle reactions. His team realized his spell might make a decapitation strike against the Ape King feasible and left to revise their plan.

• Ji An was bound by the ape demon’s vines but killed it with a Geng Metal Finger strike through its cheek and skull.
• Chen Moxuan and Chu He rushed to help, then found the ape demon dead and saw the force of Ji An’s spell.
• Ji An explained that the ape demon had caught him with a second innate spell, and the team cut him free and harvested the beast.
• Jiang Qiuyue asked about Ji An’s spell, and he revealed that he had perfected it before leaving for Cliff Mountain.
• Tian Yulei proposed that Ji An’s spell could injure the Ape King, and Chen Moxuan agreed to relocate and reconsider their plan for a decapitation strike.

Ji An and Chen Moxuan’s squad tested Ji An’s Geng Metal Talismans and planned to hunt the Green Wood Apes on Azure Cloud Ridge. After five days of fighting, they exhausted the Ape King’s Demonic Power and killed it, though the battle left the squad surrounded by ape demon corpses.

• Chen Moxuan tested Ji An’s Geng Metal Talisman on a boulder and found it more destructive than his Magic Sword attack.
• Ji An proposed drawing out and ambushing the Green Wood Apes before confronting the Ape King, and Chen Moxuan agreed to the plan.
• Over five days, the squad killed several ape demons, then launched a frontal assault and struggled against the Ape King’s healing spell, speed, and defense.
• Jiang Qiuyue and Ji An killed the remaining ape demons while Chen Moxuan and the others held off the Ape King.
• Ji An blocked the Ape King with Water Curtain Talismans until it exhausted its Demonic Power, then struck its brow with the Geng Metal Finger and helped kill it.

Ji An's squad defeated the ape demons and searched their cave for loot, but Yang Lie's squad arrived before they could finish collecting the spoils. Yang Lie gave them three Storage Bags as a loan and left, suggesting their squads might cooperate in the future.

• Chu He and the squad wiped out the ape demon herd, then recovered their spiritual power and gathered the spoils.
• Ji An sent the Spirit Seeking Rat to search for spiritual items while the squad cleared the battlefield.
• Chen Moxuan and Ji An searched the ape demons' cave and found damaged magical artifacts, two intact artifacts, and forty-five Spirit Stones.
• The squad received a warning that cultivators were approaching, and Jiang Qiuyue recognized their leader as Yang Lie.
• Yang Lie said his squad had wanted the ape demons' territory, then gave Chen Moxuan three Storage Bags as a loan and departed.

Ji An’s team returned from Azure Cloud Ridge with valuable loot and earned over a thousand Spirit Stones from their expedition. After settling expenses and dividing the proceeds, Ji An received 214 Spirit Stones and saw a path toward saving for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

• Ji An’s Spirit Seeking Rat found Blood Replenishing Ginseng, checked the Storage Bags for tampering, and later brought back a ground beetle while searching for herbs.
• Chen Moxuan’s team searched Azure Cloud Ridge, recorded the locations of immature spirit herbs, and returned to the Cliff Mountain market to rest and sell their gains.
• The team sold Azure Spirit Fruits, Blood Replenishing Ginseng, monster beast hides, essence blood, and meat for a total of 1,005 Spirit Stones.
• Chen Moxuan reimbursed Ji An and Jiang Qiuyue for their personal talismans, kept 30 Spirit Stones for the team, and gave Ji An an extra 10 Spirit Stones for his contribution.
• The team divided the remaining proceeds equally, leaving Ji An with 214 Spirit Stones, then celebrated together at the Drunken Immortal Inn.

After returning from the demon hunt, Ji An replenished his mana, assessed his weaknesses, and learned the Cold Wind Art before spending three days cultivating. The squad then set out to hunt Fire Horned Rhinoceroses, with Ji An supplying Water Curtain Talismans for the team.

• Ji An refined the Spirit Food’s spiritual power, replenished his mana, and considered how his spells and speed had fallen short during the demon hunt.
• Ji An chose the Cold Wind Art over the Vine Art and began practicing the difficult hybrid spell.
• Ji An cultivated with the Spirit Absorption Array, opened a tiny branch vein, and used Kan Spirit and Xun Spirit to raise the Cold Wind Art to minor mastery.
• Ji An spent three days cultivating and reviewing his combat techniques while the squad rested in the market town.
• The squad set out to hunt Fire Horned Rhinoceroses, and Ji An gave Chen Moxuan twelve Water Curtain Talismans to distribute among the team.

Chen Moxuan’s squad reached the Fire Horned Rhinoceros territory and prepared an ambush, aiming to kill the herd’s two strongest beasts in their opening attack. As the plan began, Ji An faced a charging rhinoceros at close range.

• Chen Moxuan and Jiang Qiuyue discussed the dangers of traveling through the mountains and the maps made by cultivators who had died exploring them.
• The squad entered the Fire Horned Rhinoceros territory, and Chen Moxuan assigned roles for luring and attacking the herd.
• Jiang Qiuyue lured the herd toward the squad, with the two Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation rhinoceroses charging ahead of the others.
• Tian Yulei used his Scorpion Shell Shield to draw one leader away while Ji An struck the other with the Mountain River Seal.
• The rhinoceros charged Ji An, leapt in front of him, and raised its hooves to trample him as flames poured from its mouth.

Ji An and the Monster Hunting Squad fought a powerful Fire Horned Rhinoceros and prepared to face the approaching herd, but four masked cultivators on Talisman Birds arrived to rob them. Ji An concealed the squad beneath a vast rain cloud, though one attacker dove through the rain and targeted him.

• Ji An and his companions combined water and cold-wind spells to kill a Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation Fire Horned Rhinoceros with a precise Geng Metal Finger strike to its eye.
• The squad advanced against a second powerful rhinoceros while the herd charged, and Chen Moxuan ordered everyone to fight while retreating.
• Chu He spotted four masked cultivators approaching on Talisman Birds, and the robbers announced they would wait for the herd to attack before dealing with the squad.
• Ji An cast the Minor Cloud and Rain Art twice, creating a huge rain cloud that concealed the squad from the airborne attackers.
• A lean robber dove into the rain with his shield raised and sent his Magic Sword slashing toward Ji An.

Ji An killed a rogue cultivator who tried to ambush the group, while the surviving rogues fled and the sect disciples finished defeating the Fire Horned Rhinoceroses. The team began recovering and harvesting the beasts, with Ji An standing watch.

• Ji An baited a rogue cultivator into attacking, then pierced his head with a Geng Metal Finger shot after deflecting the Magic Sword.
• Ji An's golden-brown rat stole the dead cultivator's Storage Bag, and Ji An retrieved the Magic Sword before returning to the rain curtain.
• The surviving rogue cultivators feared the Golden Spirit Sect would identify them and fled toward the territory of the other two sects.
• Ji An stopped attacking to conserve spiritual power for the Minor Cloud and Rain Art while Chen Moxuan and the team killed the remaining Fire Horned Rhinoceroses.
• Tian Yulei and Ji An checked for enemies, then the team restored spiritual power and harvested the rhinoceroses for valuable materials and meat.

After returning from the hunt with more monster beast meat than their Storage Bags could hold, Ji An and Chen Moxuan reported their ambush to the sect’s Enforcement Hall. The squad celebrated their earnings at Drunken Immortal Inn, where Ji An revealed that several of his spells had reached perfection.

• Ji An used a cold wind spell to preserve the leftover monster beast meat, and the squad carried it back to Cliff Mountain.
• Chen Moxuan and Ji An went to the Enforcement Hall, where Ji An reported the ambush and submitted the Magic Sword taken from one of the attackers.
• The Enforcement Hall extracted the aura from the Magic Sword and promised Ji An 100 Contribution Points if its investigation confirmed the report.
• At Drunken Immortal Inn, Ji An counted his share of the spoils and told Jiang Qiuyue that his Minor Cloud and Rain Art, Geng Metal Finger, and Water Curtain Art were all at perfection.

Ji An inspected his seized spoils, then returned to the sect after several more monster-hunting trips to tend the Spirit Field. He celebrated Huang Feihu’s breakthrough with his friends at Hundred Flavors Tower.

• Ji An sorted through the Storage Bag’s contents, kept a low-grade Magic Sword, and resolved not to make a living through robbery.
• Over the next two months, Ji An joined three more hunting trips and gathered over a hundred Wood Origin Pearls before returning to the sect with 525 Spirit Stones and 100 Contribution Points.
• Ji An returned to the Spirit Field, praised Huang Feihu’s care, and nourished the Azure Corn and fire-attributed plants with spells and Wood Origin Pearls.
• Huang Feihu broke through to Late Qi Condensation, and Ji An, Wei Songnian, Liang Qiu, and Huang Feihu celebrated together at Hundred Flavors Tower before discussing cultivation.

Ji An and his companions discussed earning enough resources for Foundation Establishment, then exchanged spirit stones, pills, talisman supplies, and information about a valuable ore. After months of cultivation, Ji An perfected the Minor Cloud and Rain Art and awakened a Dao Seed that enhanced his comprehension of Gui Water spells.

• Liang Qiu left to watch over his spirit fish, and Wei Songnian said Liang might eventually save enough Contribution Points for a Foundation Establishment Pill.
• Huang Feihu asked Wei Songnian and Ji An which cultivation craft he should learn, and they advised that talisman crafting was comparatively accessible while warning that competition was fierce.
• Ji An showed Wei Songnian a piece of Scarlet Blood Copper, which Wei identified as high-grade artifact-refining material worth about twenty Spirit Stones.
• Wei Songnian sold Huang Feihu five Shengyuan Pills and gifted him another, then sold Ji An talisman paper, ink, and forty pills.
• After months of tending his fields and cultivating, Ji An neared the Ninth Layer bottleneck and refined Spiritual Potential into the Minor Cloud and Rain Art until he formed the Cloud and Rain Art Dao Seed.

Ji An discovered that his Minor Cloud and Rain Art had advanced after forming Dao Seeds, improving its range and nourishment of his crops. He received Zhang Yuanshan’s invitation to a Foundation Establishment Celebration at Red Copper Mountain and agreed to attend with Chu He.

• Ji An tested his enhanced Minor Cloud and Rain Art and found that it covered ten mu while its rain soaked into the soil without disturbing the dust.
• Ji An planted fifteen mu of Spirit Fields, focused on Talisman Grass, and decided to pursue the Great Perfection of Thick Earth Art and Sharp Metal Art while advancing his cultivation.
• Half a month later, Chu He visited Ji An to buy Geng Metal Talismans and Water Curtain Talismans and delivered a letter from Zhang Yuanshan.
• Ji An learned that Zhang Yuanshan had achieved Foundation Establishment and accepted his invitation to the celebration at Red Copper Mountain five days later.
• Chu He arranged to travel with Ji An to the celebration and then left to deliver a letter to Senior Sister Zhao.

Ji An attended Zhang Yuanshan’s Foundation Establishment celebration with Chu He, Zhao Mengyao, and Yue Rong, and saw the gap between Qi Condensation disciples and Foundation Establishment cultivators. The gathering ended with cultivators debating Ji An’s potential and the difficulty he would face securing a Foundation Establishment Pill.

• Ji An joined Chu He, Zhao Mengyao, and Yue Rong on Red Copper Mountain, where Zhang Yuanshan welcomed them and accepted their congratulatory gifts.
• Zhang Yuanshan carried the group into his residence on a White Jade Flying Ship, and Ji An recorded the abundant spiritual energy there.
• Zhang Yuanshan seated the four guests apart from the Foundation Establishment cultivators and other Qi Condensation disciples, while Chu He reflected on his own prospects for Foundation Establishment.
• Zhao Mengyao asked Chu He about the other disciples, and Chu He praised Ji An’s spell training and accomplishments in their demon hunt.
• Foundation Establishment cultivators discussed whether Ji An might have a special physique, but one doubted his chances because of his ordinary aptitude and the fierce competition for Foundation Establishment Pills.

Ji An discovered that the Stone Turtle could absorb more kinds of Spiritual Inspiration outside the valley and later broke through to the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation while tending his fields. His Talisman Grass matured ahead of schedule, and he promised Huang Feihu the low-grade Talisman Paper from the harvest for talisman-crafting practice.

• Ji An checked the Stone Turtle’s Spiritual Inspiration gains and concluded that finding the right place could let it absorb all eight types.
• Zhao Mengyao and another woman departed, while Chu He told Ji An he would return to Cliff Mountain and asked when he might join another demon hunt.
• Ji An refined the spiritual energy from his meal, then returned to Azure Water Lake and settled into cultivating and tending his Spirit Fields.
• After months of practice, Ji An advanced to the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation and found that his Talisman Grass matured in two months instead of three.
• Ji An and Huang Feihu harvested more than ten mu of Talisman Grass, and Ji An agreed to give Huang Feihu the low-grade Talisman Paper for practice.

After producing a large stock of mid-grade Talisman Paper, Ji An realized that his usual buyers could not absorb the number of Geng Metal Talismans and Water Curtain Talismans he planned to make. He arranged to travel by sect flying boat to Azure Cloud Immortal City to find a wider market, and boarded the outbound trip.

• Ji An counted the improved Talisman Paper yield and calculated that he could draw more than twelve hundred talismans, but worried that Wei Songnian's channels could not sell them all.
• Ji An visited Wei Songnian, who estimated the local demand for Water Curtain Talismans and Geng Metal Talismans and advised him to sell in Azure Cloud Immortal City.
• Ji An learned that the sect's flying boat would travel to Azure Cloud Immortal City in a few days and paid five Spirit Stones for a round-trip ticket.
• Ji An flew southeast to the departure platform and boarded the flying boat after its Foundation Establishment Cultivator gave him a jade token and instructions for the return departure.

Ji An arrived at Azure Cloud Immortal City and sought shops to sell his talismans while preparing supplies for his cultivation and Spirit Seeking Rat. He arranged a recurring supply deal with the Treasure Talisman Pavilion, though the pavilion would defer half of each payment until the next transaction.

• Ji An considered his Foundation Establishment preparations and concluded that he needed Spirit Crystals and treasures to replenish spiritual power because Stone Turtle consumed much of the power he refined.
• Ji An entered Azure Cloud Immortal City with the Golden Spirit Sect group and hired a young broker to guide him to talisman, pill, and medicinal-material shops.
• Ji An showed his Geng Metal Talismans and Water Curtain Talismans to shops, then took samples to the Treasure Talisman Pavilion after the other shops offered only small purchases.
• Yin Ling Su, a Foundation Establishment deacon of Falling Maple Valley, tested Ji An's talismans and negotiated a supply agreement with him.
• Ji An agreed to provide five hundred Water Curtain Talismans and two hundred Geng Metal Talismans every two months, with the pavilion paying half upfront and settling the rest at the next transaction.

Ji An bought talismans, beast-taming materials, and a large supply of pills, using Li Changfeng’s token to secure a discount at the Li Clan shop. At Condensing Emerald Cliff, Ge Ying warned her disciples that a Demon Catastrophe was expected within decades and prepared her Qi Condensation Perfection disciples to attempt Foundation Establishment.

• A maid rewarded the broker youth after Ji An secured a supply agreement, and Ji An found buyers at several more talisman shops.
• Ji An bought a year’s supply of common spirit-beast medicinal materials at the Li Clan Medicinal Materials Shop and used Li Changfeng’s token to lower the price.
• Ji An spent 195 Spirit Stones on one hundred pills at Precious Pill Workshop, astonishing the maid and broker youth.
• Ge Ying assessed her disciples and revealed that sect investigations predicted a Demon Catastrophe within the next few decades.
• Du Huaiyuan and Mu Qingwan announced plans to attempt Foundation Establishment soon, while Li Lingyu said she needed another year or two.
• Ge Ying promised to refine pills from her mature medicinal ingredients and lend Li Lingyu a Foundation Establishment Pill until the sect supplied her one.