Chapter Summaries

Han Yi prepared for the Return-to-Sect Assessment by stabilizing his condition, then returned to the Mystic Pill Sect and reached the Alchemy Hall on Black Tortoise Peak. The stewards assigned him to refine Qi Nourishing Pills, and he began the assessment.

• Han Yi spent ten days in a cultivation chamber tempering his body and mana instead of attempting a breakthrough.
• Han Yi bought ingredients for Qi Nourishing Pills and Evil Warding Pills, then applied for the Return-to-Sect Assessment at the sect administration hall.
• Han Yi went to the Alchemy Hall on Black Tortoise Peak and waited behind seven other dispatched disciples.
• The Old Man steward reviewed Han Yi's record and chose Qi Nourishing Pills for his assessment.
• Han Yi set out his Bronze Hexagonal Cauldron and ingredients and began refining pills before the three stewards.

Han Yi passed the Return-to-Sect Assessment by refining ten high-quality ordinary Qi Nourishing Pills, drawing offers from several Outer Peaks. He chose to return to his former courtyard on Little Spirit Void Peak and settled in behind its protective formation.

• Han Yi refined ten Qi Nourishing Pills that Shen Yu and the other stewards judged to be among the best ordinary-quality pills, and he passed the assessment.
• Shen Yu, Luo Qi, and the Plump Woman invited Han Yi to join their respective Outer Peaks, but Han Yi decided to keep a low profile and remain on Little Spirit Void Peak.
• Han Yi returned to Vermilion Bird Peak, completed his formalities with Ma Yu, and learned that his former courtyard was still available.
• Ma Yu retrieved the deed token for Han Yi's old courtyard, and Han Yi returned to Little Spirit Void Peak and activated its courtyard formation.

Han Yi returned to the Mystic Pill Sect, settled his misunderstanding with Guan Sheng through Guan Di, and began breaking through to Qi Refining Layer 4. The chapter left his breakthrough underway while Guan Sheng considered the letter and pills sent to him.

• Han Yi inspected his courtyard on Little Spirit Void Peak, then went to visit Zheng Hai but found no answer at his residence.
• Han Yi found Guan Di and told him he had passed the Return-to-Sect Assessment, then explained why he had left Mengshan City without meeting Guan Sheng.
• Han Yi gave Guan Di three bottles of Evil Warding Pills and three bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills to pass to Guan Sheng as repayment and compensation.
• Guan Di accepted the pills, praised Han Yi’s progress, and invited him to move to Little Dragon Beard Peak, but Han Yi declined.
• Han Yi returned to his courtyard and began cultivating toward Qi Refining Layer 4, using pills and spirit stones to drive his breakthrough.
• Several days later, Guan Sheng received Guan Di’s letter and Han Yi’s pills in Mengshan City and studied them in silence.

Han Yi advanced to Qi Refining Layer 4, consolidated his cultivation, and refined a stock of pills with improved skill. He reunited with Zheng Hai and boasted that his rising cultivation and alchemy would carry them both toward greater heights.

• Guan Sheng reconsidered his suspicions about Han Yi and put aside his plan to hunt him down for the time being.
• Han Yi emerged from two months of seclusion on Little Spirit Void Peak at Qi Refining Layer 4 and stabilized his cultivation.
• Han Yi reviewed his proficiency panel, noted his increased lifespan and alchemy progress, and decided to keep his talent concealed while aiming for an Inner Peak.
• Han Yi refined twenty-three bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills, including three bottles of standard quality, and seven bottles of Evil Warding Pills, spending his last spirit stone.
• Zheng Hai visited Han Yi after reaching Qi Refining Layer 3, and Han Yi revealed his own breakthrough before boasting about his alchemy and promising to help Zheng Hai rise.

After returning to the Mystic Pill Sect, Han Yi celebrated with Zheng Hai and exchanged his pills for contribution points, then decided to sell future batches through markets to avoid attracting attention. At Little Spirit Void Peak, he met two female cultivators from Little Sea View Peak who had come looking for him.

• Han Yi reassured Zheng Hai that his alchemy skills had improved, and the two went to Little Spirit Void Tower for drinks.
• Han Yi exchanged his pills at Vermilion Bird Hall for 3,500 contribution points, then traded some of them for spirit stones and alchemy materials.
• After Ma Yu remarked on the value of his pills, Han Yi resolved to use Outer Peak markets instead of the Administration Hall to keep his sales discreet.
• Han Yi planned to seek more pill formulas and spells at a market.
• Han Yi met Chu Jinmo and Yan Ru at the entrance to Little Spirit Void Peak, and Chu Jinmo said they were from Little Sea View Peak.

Han Yi rejected invitations to move to the Outer Peaks and focused on cultivation and alchemy, later selling pills privately to Little Sea View Peak’s disciples. He kept a low profile and diversified his sales as three years passed.

• Han Yi turned down Chu Jinmo’s invitation to move to Little Sea View Peak and resolved to reject any other peak’s invitation as well.
• Han Yi practiced the Sword Control Technique, whose proficiency progress gradually filled in the gaps in its incomplete form.
• Han Yi rejected invitations from Little Green Cloud Peak and Little Blazing Fire Peak, while the peak master of Little Spirit Void Peak gave him the Body Lightening Technique; Han Yi refused a better courtyard and kept his wealth discreet.
• Three months later, Han Yi sold Qi Nourishing Pills and Evil Warding Pills at a discount to Little Sea View Peak’s female cultivators, and Chu Jinmo offered to matchmake him and later become his Dao companion.
• Han Yi split his pill sales among sect channels, Little Sea View Peak, and the market district, and continued cultivating as three years passed.

Han Yi was ambushed by four rogue cultivators while leaving Sunset Market, but he killed their leader and escaped. He returned to Little Spirit Void Peak shaken, concluded his combat strength was formidable, and decided not to visit Sunset Market again.

• Han Yi sold pills at Sunset Market, then noticed three cultivators following him as he left.
• A masked rogue cultivator blocked Han Yi’s way and demanded his storage bag while three accomplices approached from behind.
• Han Yi struck the leader with two Spirit Void Finger attacks, then used his dagger to kill him and took his storage pouch.
• Senior Zhuang and the other two accomplices found Li Kui dead, judged Han Yi too dangerous to pursue, and dissolved the corpse before fleeing.
• Han Yi returned to Little Spirit Void Peak, reviewed the ambush, and decided to avoid Sunset Market.

After three years of steady cultivation and trading pills, Han Yi assessed his skills and the spoils from a defeated rogue cultivator. He reached Qi Refining Layer 5 and planned to enter seclusion to break through a bottleneck in Spirit Void Finger, delaying his next trade for about half a year.

• Han Yi reviewed his cultivation and skills, judging that he could likely defeat a cultivator at Qi Refining Layer 6 but was not ready to face Layer 7.
• Han Yi removed the mark from the rogue cultivator's storage pouch and collected spirit stones, spirit sand, and other items.
• Han Yi visited Little Sea View Peak, where Yan Ru noticed he had advanced to Qi Refining Layer 5 and teased him about finding a Dao companion.
• Han Yi traded pills with Yan Ru, then learned Chu Jinmo had left with Uncle Qi a year earlier and had not returned.
• Han Yi told Yan Ru he planned to enter seclusion and would delay their next trade for about half a year, then headed toward Little Spirit Void Peak after failing to find Zheng Hai.

A Heavenly Demon invaded Little Spirit Void Peak, destroying its protective formation and attacking the disciples. Han Yi survived its assault, and an immensely powerful cultivator destroyed the demon, leaving the peak devastated.

• Han Yi saw a black rift tear through Little Spirit Void Peak’s protective formation and destroy its central hub.
• Fan Mo failed to resist the rift, warned the disciples of a Heavenly Demon invasion, and fled the peak.
• Black qi spread across Little Spirit Void Peak, striking down fleeing cultivators and forcing Han Yi to run.
• Han Yi used Spirit Void Finger to repel a Black Qi Mass, then readied his three daggers when it survived the attack.
• An airborne cultivator gathered the black qi into a Black Giant and destroyed it with a fiery artifact before flying toward the Inner Peak.

After the Heavenly Demon True Body attacked Little Spirit Void Peak, Han Yi took refuge on Vermilion Bird Peak and later returned once the Outer Peaks were secured. A week later, he reunited with Chu Jinmo, who warned him that the attack hid a deeper truth and that a sect conscription order might be coming.

• Fan Mo returned to Little Spirit Void Peak after the battle and faced criticism for fleeing while the disciples were in danger.
• Han Yi fled to Vermilion Bird Peak, where he learned that a Golden Core cultivator surnamed Fu had destroyed the Heavenly Demon True Body.
• After a Foundation Establishment cultivator declared the Outer Peaks safe, Han Yi returned to Little Spirit Void Peak and found its formations fully activated.
• Seven days later, Han Yi met Chu Jinmo on Vermilion Bird Peak and congratulated her on reaching Qi Refining Layer 7.
• Chu Jinmo told Han Yi that the attack was not what it seemed and warned him to prepare for a possible sect conscription order.

Han Yi learned that a Demon Cave near Jade Capital Mountain Sacred Ground had unleashed powerful heavenly demons, prompting Great Qian to conscript Mystic Pill Sect disciples for a campaign. After the sect announced its quotas, Han Yi considered how to avoid being selected and went to seek help.

• Chu Jinmo told Han Yi that Great Qian had ordered every sect to join the campaign against a Demon Cave between Jade Capital Mountain Sacred Ground and Void Sect.
• Han Yi asked Zheng Hai and Guan Di about the danger; Guan Di confirmed that the sect felt unsettled and warned them not to leave the mountain.
• The sect announced that it had to send three Golden Core cultivators, twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators, four hundred late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, and three thousand middle-stage Qi Refining cultivators.
• Han Yi learned that heavenly demons had destroyed Great Que Mountain and that the Demon Cave’s forces included Heavenly Demon Lords and Heavenly Demon Gods.
• Han Yi told Zheng Hai that the sect would select disciples rather than draw lots, and reasoned that Layer 4 cultivators might be less likely to be chosen than Layer 5 cultivators.
• Han Yi returned to Little Spirit Void Peak and went to its main building to meet someone.

Han Yi paid Zhou Xiong for a chance to avoid conscription against the Heavenly Demons, and he was left off the selection list. He later realized Fan Mo had likely orchestrated the quota scheme, then watched the expedition force depart for northern Qian Prefecture.

• Han Yi paid Zhou Xiong thirty Medium-grade Spirit Stones' worth of value for a quota that gave him a chance to avoid conscription.
• Han Yi returned to his courtyard to cultivate and was relieved when the conscription list did not include him or Zheng Hai.
• While drinking with Zheng Hai, Han Yi overheard that Fan Mo had been ordered to redeem himself through merit and suspected Fan Mo had used the quota scheme to extract money from him.
• Han Yi kept his suspicions to himself, reasoning that he had benefited by avoiding the expedition.
• A Mystic Pill Sect force led by a Supreme Elder departed aboard a Skyflying Warship for northern Qian Prefecture, and its departure lasted three years.

Han Yi advanced his skills and built his wealth through alchemy while remaining at Qi Refining Layer 5, and he learned how catastrophic the Demon Cave battle had been. He went to reconnect with a source of sect information and was met by Yan Ru, who had survived the campaign with a chilling presence.

• Han Yi broke through to Peak Mastery in Spirit Void Finger, alchemy, Sword Control Technique, and Body Lightening Technique, while his cultivation remained at Qi Refining Layer 5.
• Han Yi expanded his pill business by acquiring Spirit Sensing Pill and Qi Fusion Pill formulas and selling pills at Outer and Inner Peak Markets.
• Han Yi learned that the Demon Cave battle had devastated the Mystic Pill Sect and the Great Qian cultivation world, and he felt fortunate that he had paid to avoid joining the expedition.
• Han Yi went to Little Sea View Peak to maintain his connections and keep up with sect news.
• Han Yi reunited with Yan Ru, who had survived three years of slaughter and radiated an unconscious killing intent.

After returning from the Demon Cave, Yan Ru and Guan Di told Han Yi how devastating the Immortal-Demon War had been. Guan Di revealed that the sect might let Qi Refining Layer 6 Outer Peak disciples move into vacant Inner Peak residences, leaving Han Yi eager to qualify despite fierce competition.

• Han Yi congratulated Yan Ru on reaching Qi Refining Layer 6, and she thanked him for the Breakthrough Pills that had saved her in the Demon Cave.
• Yan Ru described how possessed cultivators gave Heavenly Demons physical bodies and explained that even matched-level cultivators needed to outnumber them to fight back.
• Han Yi learned that Ma Yu had died, Chu Jinmo had stayed in the sect, and Guan Di had returned from the expedition and reached Qi Refining Layer 7.
• Han Yi and Zheng Hai visited Guan Di on Overseas Peak, where Guan Di warned that the Demon Cave battle had made even Foundation Establishment cultivators seem insignificant.
• Guan Di said the sect might open more than a hundred vacant Inner Peak residences to Qi Refining Layer 6 disciples, but warned Han Yi that over sixteen hundred candidates would compete for the spots.

Han Yi spent a month consuming three thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones to reach Qi Refining Layer 6, hoping to qualify for an Inner Peak courtyard. When he emerged from seclusion, he learned that registration for Inner Peak slots ended that day.

• After descending Overseas Peak, Han Yi entered seclusion to break through to Qi Refining Layer 6, while Zheng Hai secretly applied for a one-year outside assignment.
• Han Yi used three thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones to advance to Qi Refining Layer 6 in one month and tested his improved Sword Control Technique.
• Han Yi reviewed his cultivation progress, noted his lifespan had increased to 118, and decided to broaden the range of his skills.
• Han Yi learned that registration for Inner Peak slots ended that day and that disciples at Qi Refining Layer 5 or above could apply.

Han Yi learned that the Mystic Pill Sect was selecting outer disciples for early admission to the Inner Peak and registered for the assessment, confident in his cultivation, alchemy, and combat skills. He was rejected during the qualification review because he had been excluded from the Demon Cave expedition three years earlier, then returned to steady cultivation as the selection ended and another year passed.

• Han Yi learned that registration for the Inner Peak selection was open to Qi Refining Layer 5 disciples and registered on the final day.
• Li Heng explained that the selection had four stages: qualification review, Alchemy Technique assessment, combat assessment, and overall evaluation.
• Han Yi concluded that he was well prepared for the first three stages and returned to his courtyard to consolidate his cultivation.
• Three days later, Han Yi discovered that he had failed the qualification review and asked Li Heng why.
• Li Heng said Han Yi and others were excluded because they had avoided the Demon Cave expedition, and a Golden Core elder had ruled them unworthy of early Inner Peak admission.
• Han Yi accepted that his earlier decision had cost him the opportunity, resumed cultivating and selling pills, and watched the selection conclude before another year passed.

Han Yi successfully refined a Gold-Silver Pill and brought his accumulated pills to Nine Dragon Shop in Red Sun Market to sell them. Manager He appraised the pills and began calculating an offer, while Han Yi continued pursuing resources through a safer sales channel.

• Han Yi finished refining a Gold-Silver Pill after ruining three batches and stored it away.
• Han Yi set aside plans to seek a Foundation Establishment Pill formula for now, then went to Red Sun Market to sell pills and look for a magical artifact.
• Han Yi presented his accumulated pills to Manager He at Nine Dragon Shop, where Manager He quickly examined the Gold-Silver Pill.
• Manager He offered 175 Spirit Stones for the Gold-Silver Pill and calculated discounted prices for Han Yi's other pills.

Han Yi sold his pills at Nine Dragon Shop and bought the Shadowless Sword, then went to Little Sea View Peak to meet a group of junior sisters. He learned that Yan Ru had entered the Inner Peak, and the chapter ended as Chen Yujin asked him to bring the junior sisters more pills.

• Manager He agreed to buy Han Yi’s pills for nineteen hundred spirit stones.
• Han Yi examined three Mid-grade Magic Artifact swords and bought the Shadowless Sword for thirty-five hundred spirit stones.
• Manager He wondered about Han Yi’s background but decided his secrets were not worth investigating.
• Han Yi learned that Yan Ru had joined Azure Dragon Peak as a Foundation Establishment elder’s disciple and met Chen Yujin at Little Sea View Peak.
• Chen Yujin told Han Yi that the junior sisters were waiting and asked him to bring more pills for them.

Han Yi learned that prices across the Mystic Pill Sect had risen amid rumored friction with the Blood God Sect, and he investigated the situation before choosing to focus on strengthening himself. The next morning, he prepared to seek information from the Inner Peak while continuing to refine his sword artifact.

• Han Yi sold his pills to the female cultivators of Little Sea View Peak and promised Chen Yujin he would keep his prices unchanged.
• Chen Yujin told Han Yi that resources throughout the sect had risen in price and that rumors linked the increases to growing friction with the Blood God Sect.
• Han Yi recalled Manager He’s unusually generous offer and investigated markets in the Outer and Inner Peaks, where he saw widespread price increases and many Foundation Establishment cultivators.
• Han Yi returned to Little Spirit Void Peak convinced that something was wrong and decided to seek news from Senior Brother Guan Di, Chu Jinmo, or Yan Ru the next day.
• Han Yi refined his mid-grade sword artifact, the Shadowless Sword, and reviewed his cultivation panel the following morning.

Han Yi reviewed the techniques he had cultivated over the past year, including his new progress in talisman making and the Fire Pill Profound Art, then reunited with Zheng Hai after more than a year apart. The chapter ended with Han Yi treating Zheng Hai to a lavish feast at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

• Han Yi assessed his four mastered techniques, his progress in the Fire Shield, Turtle Breath, and Talisman Making Techniques, and his improved cultivation speed.
• Han Yi left his courtyard and encountered Zheng Hai, who had returned from an exhausting external assignment.
• Zheng Hai complained about his assignment and blamed Han Yi for his bad luck, then demanded that Han Yi buy him a drink.
• Han Yi agreed to treat Zheng Hai at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion and ordered a feast worth forty-eight spirit stones.
• Zheng Hai stared at the lavish spread and sighed that Han Yi had become wealthy.