Chapter Summaries

On his hundredth birthday, Ji Haoyuan resolved to make one final attempt at Foundation Establishment despite the Ji Family’s decline and his own failing health. A newly unlocked talent, Max-Level Comprehension, revealed why his past attempts had failed and left him wondering whether he could revise the Blazing Fire True Art before trying again.

• Ji Haoyuan recalled how his two failed Foundation Establishment attempts had weakened the Ji Family and how its influence and resources had continued to dwindle.
• Ji Haoyuan decided to risk one last Foundation Establishment attempt rather than continue watching the Ji Family collapse.
• At midnight on his hundredth birthday, Ji Haoyuan unlocked his unique talent, Max-Level Comprehension.
• Ji Haoyuan realized the Blazing Fire True Art lacked a Water Brilliance Crystal tempering step needed to control its mana and condense it into liquid.
• Ji Haoyuan wondered whether he could revise the Blazing Fire True Art to suit his upcoming breakthrough.

After gaining Max-Level Comprehension, Ji Haoyuan perfected the Blazing Fire True Art for his Foundation Establishment attempt. He went to the Family Treasury to request the supplies for one final attempt, and Ji Haohuan agreed to grant his wish.

• Ji Haoyuan entered an epiphany and perfected the Blazing Fire True Art, raising his Foundation Establishment success rate to 99.9999%.
• After ten days, Ji Haoyuan left his stone house and headed for the Family Treasury, reflecting on his clan's lingering resentment.
• Ji Haoyuan asked Ji Haohuan to exchange his remaining family contributions for a Water Brilliance Crystal and pills to restore spiritual power and vital energy.
• Ji Haoyuan told Ji Haohuan he planned to make one final Foundation Establishment attempt and asked him to grant this last wish.
• Ji Haohuan agreed to fulfill Ji Haoyuan's request, and Ji Haoyuan vowed he would not regret the attempt or blame the clan.

Ji Haoyuan entered death seclusion to attempt Foundation Establishment, and the Ji Family learned of it a month later. Ji Bochang told Ji Yunfan to prepare for the family’s decline by decisively abandoning some people and businesses, and Ji Yunfan accepted the cruel necessity.

• Ji Haoyuan used the Family Treasury’s resources to enter sealed death seclusion and attempt Foundation Establishment.
• After a month, the Ji Family Elders discovered the activated sealing formation and realized Ji Haoyuan was inside.
• Ji Yunfan decided to inform Old Ancestor Ji Bochang, while choosing not to tell Ji Haohuan what he already knew.
• Ji Bochang told Ji Yunfan that the family’s weakness left little time or room for choices and urged him to abandon some businesses and family members.
• Ji Yunfan bowed to Ji Bochang and left resolved to make the necessary arrangements.

Ji Haoyuan successfully condensed Liquid Mana and drew vast amounts of Spiritual Energy while undergoing Foundation Establishment, restoring his youthful appearance. The Ji Family elders gathered to guard his chamber, and after ten more days, a new Spiritual pressure began to emerge from within.

• Ji Haoyuan condensed Liquid Mana smoothly, then absorbed pills, Spirit Stones, and energy from the Spiritual Vein to strengthen his body and cultivation.
• Ji Bochang sensed the upheaval and rushed toward Ji Haoyuan's Seclusion Chamber.
• Ji Yunfan and Ji Haohuan also sensed the disturbance and went to the chamber, while other Ji Family cultivators noticed the anomaly.
• Ji Bochang and the Ji Family Elders surrounded the chamber and kept watch as the phenomenon continued for three days.
• Ji Bochang told the worried elders that Ji Haoyuan had likely passed the Flesh Barrier and Mana Barrier and needed only to break through the Soul Barrier.
• After seven more days, Spiritual Energy surged around the chamber and a new Spiritual pressure began to radiate from inside.

Ji Haoyuan succeeded in reaching Foundation Establishment at the age of one hundred, displaying extraordinary spiritual sense and magical power. He emerged from seclusion looking decades younger and received congratulations from his family before kneeling before Ji Bochang.

• Ji Haoyuan's spiritual sense emerged from his seclusion chamber, confirming that he had passed the Foundation Establishment trials.
• His spiritual sense expanded far beyond the usual range, revealing that his breakthrough had given him strength comparable to an ordinary Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator in some respects.
• Ji Bochang praised Ji Haoyuan's perseverance and explained that his past setbacks had helped him accumulate strength for this breakthrough.
• Ji Haoyuan stabilized his cultivation, opened the formation, and emerged looking like a man in his early thirties.
• The Ji family congratulated Ji Haoyuan, and Ji Haohuan felt moved and grateful that his younger brother had succeeded.
• Ji Haoyuan approached Ji Bochang, knelt, and kowtowed three times.

After Ji Haoyuan reached Foundation Establishment, Ji Bochang gave him the family’s accumulated cultivation resources and entrusted him with protecting the Ji Family. Ji Haoyuan entered seclusion to consolidate his cultivation, while the family prepared to hold a grand Foundation Establishment ceremony once he emerged.

• Ji Haoyuan thanked Ji Bochang for his past kindness, and Ji Bochang brought him to the Back Mountain to choose a Cave Mansion.
• Ji Bochang gave Ji Haoyuan a High-Grade Storage Pouch filled with cultivation resources and urged him to grow stronger for the Ji Family.
• Ji Haoyuan gave Ji Bochang a Jade Slip containing his Foundation Establishment insights and his revised Blazing Fire True Art, revealing flaws in the family’s original cultivation art.
• Ji Bochang told Ji Yunfan to put their original plan on hold until Ji Haoyuan finished consolidating his cultivation, then hold a Foundation Establishment ceremony to restore the family’s prestige.
• Ji Haoyuan opened the Storage Pouch and found Spirit Stones, a Crimson Flame Pattern Spear, Second Order True Spirit Pills, and a cracked Talisman Treasure.

Ji Haoyuan completed his seclusion and learned that masked cultivators had broken Luohe Market Town’s defensive array with a Thunderclap Seed. Ji Yunfan reported the attack to Ji Haoyuan and Ji Bochang, leaving the Ji Family facing an urgent crisis.

• Ji Haoyuan discovered that Ji Bochang’s Storage Pouch contained a nearly spent Talisman Treasure, then consolidated his cultivation, refined the Crimson Flame Pattern Spear, and mastered the Flowing Fire Art and Earth Spirit Shield Art.
• Seven or eight masked cultivators attacked Luohe Market Town’s defensive array, and Scarface used a Thunderclap Seed to shatter it.
• Ji Yunshan and the Ji Family cultivators fought back as a battle erupted inside Luohe Market Town.
• Ji Haoyuan left seclusion and saw that Ji Bochang’s Twilight Qi had worsened, leaving him perhaps one or two years to live if he avoided action.
• Ji Yunfan hurried to Ji Haoyuan and Ji Bochang with news that Luohe Market Town’s array had fallen and its attackers were high-level Qi Refining cultivators.

Ji Haoyuan went to defend Luohe Market Town after attackers tested whether the Ji Family had gained a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He arrived in time to save Ji Yunshan’s group and began pursuing the fleeing invaders.

• Ji Haoyuan and Ji Bochang recognized that the attack was a scheme to test whether Ji Haoyuan had reached Foundation Establishment, and Ji Haoyuan chose to respond personally.
• Ji Haoyuan left for Luohe Market Town with his Crimson Flame Pattern Spear after Ji Bochang warned him to put his safety first.
• The attackers overwhelmed Ji Yunshan and the other Ji Family defenders after breaking the town’s defensive array, while outsiders fled.
• Ji Haoyuan arrived and killed several invading Rogue cultivators with his spear, revealing his Foundation Establishment strength.
• The Scarface Man and the remaining attackers fled, so Ji Haoyuan cast his improved Tier 2 Flowing Fire Art to pursue them.

Ji Haoyuan defended Luohe Market Town from Rogue cultivators and revealed his strength by battling a masked Foundation Establishment cultivator. As the Zhang and Liu Families watched from afar, Ji Haoyuan drove his opponent into a corner and sealed off his escape routes.

• Ji Haoyuan killed six Rogue cultivators, then stopped two more from escaping when a masked Foundation Establishment cultivator intervened.
• Ji Haoyuan rejected the masked old man's offer to end the matter and killed the two surviving Rogue cultivators, provoking the old man into battle.
• Ji Haoyuan and the masked old man clashed, while members of the Zhang Family and Liu Family observed the fight from afar.
• Ji Haoyuan gained the upper hand, and the masked old man realized he was outmatched and tried to retreat.
• Ji Haoyuan unleashed three blazing spear attacks that blocked every route of escape.

Ji Haoyuan pursued and killed the Masked old man after defeating him in battle, then learned from Ji Yunshan that the man might have been the Foundation Establishment Ancestor of the Sun Family of Fuyang Prefecture. The Ji Family members were left wondering how the ancestor survived after his family perished in a Demon Calamity decades earlier.

• The Masked old man fled after Ji Haoyuan's attacks wounded him, but Ji Haoyuan used a technique to boost his speed and caught up.
• The Masked old man used a Golden Shield Talisman and sent his flying sword against Ji Haoyuan's Crimson Flame Pattern Spear.
• Ji Haoyuan's spear pierced the Masked old man's chest and killed him.
• Ji Haoyuan showed the corpse to Ji Yunshan and asked whether anyone recognized the man.
• Ji Yunshan identified the corpse as possibly the Foundation Establishment Ancestor of the Sun Family of Fuyang Prefecture, whose family had supposedly perished in a Demon Calamity decades earlier.

After defeating the Sun Family’s attackers, Ji Haoyuan assessed their spoils and suspected they had planned to seize Ganyang Mountain, possibly with backing from another Nanning Prefecture family. He returned to Ganyang Mountain as news of his victory spread, confirming that the Ji Family had gained a powerful second Foundation Establishment cultivator.

• Ji Haoyuan ordered Ji Yunshan and the others to display the attackers’ corpses outside Luohe Market Town and stayed there for several days.
• Ji Haoyuan removed the restrictions on the attackers’ Storage Pouches and found a Ten-Year Pill, spirit artifacts, and the Sun Family’s cultivation and Daoist art inheritances.
• Ji Haoyuan suspected the Sun Family’s leader had intended to rebuild the family on Ganyang Mountain and wondered whether the Zhang Family or Liu Family had supported him.
• After Luohe Market Town was rebuilt, Ji Haoyuan returned to Ganyang Mountain.
• News spread that Ji Haoyuan had killed a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and the displayed corpse confirmed the Ji Family’s second Foundation Establishment cultivator was exceptionally strong.

Ji Haoyuan presented Ji Bochang with a life-extending pill and the Sun Family’s cultivation inheritances before holding his Foundation Establishment Ceremony. At the ceremony, Liu Hongyu raised suspicions about a family backing Sun Renzheng, and Zhang Mingze offered Ji Haoyuan a gift while urging unity among the three families.

• At Dongming Mountain, Zhang Mingze advised Zhang Mingyuan to eliminate the remaining members of the Sun Family and leave no loose ends.
• Ji Haoyuan told Ji Bochang about Sun Renzheng, and they agreed that someone powerful was likely targeting the Ji Family while keeping up appearances.
• Ji Haoyuan gave Ji Bochang a Ten-Year Pill and the Sun Family’s inherited cultivation Jade Slips, delighting the old ancestor with their potential benefits.
• Several months later, Ji Haoyuan held his Foundation Establishment Ceremony at Ganyang Mountain with Ji Bochang and guests from the Zhang and Liu Families.
• Liu Hongyu questioned Ji Haoyuan about a family supporting Sun Renzheng, and Ji Haoyuan said the Ji Family would not pursue the matter if it ended with Sun Renzheng’s death.
• Zhang Mingze called for the three families to stand together against outsiders and presented Ji Haoyuan with Blazing Gold Red Iron as a congratulatory gift.

Ji Haoyuan accepted gifts from Zhang Mingze and Liu Hongyu, then learned that the Zhang Family had a Heavenly Spiritual Root disciple at the Crimson Cloud Sect and that its old ancestor might advance in cultivation. The chapter ended with Zhang Mingze and Zhang Mingyuan returning to Dongming Mountain, confident that the Zhang Family only needed time.

• Zhang Mingze gave Ji Haoyuan Blazing Gold Red Iron, which Ji Haoyuan accepted as a congratulatory gift.
• Liu Hongyu apologized and gave Ji Haoyuan Cold Pond Jade Marrow, which could restore vitality and extend lifespan.
• Liu Hongyu revealed that the Zhang Family had a Heavenly Spiritual Root disciple taken by a Golden Core True Person at the Crimson Cloud Sect, and that its old ancestor might advance beyond Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.
• Liu Hongyu invited Ji Haoyuan and Ji Bochang to a Foundation Establishment cultivator trade fair at Mingxia Market the following year, then left.
• Zhang Mingyuan complained about Liu Hongyu's remarks, while Zhang Mingze said their family needed time until their grandfather emerged from seclusion and Zhilong grew up.
• Zhang Mingze and Zhang Mingyuan returned to Dongming Mountain.

Ji Haoyuan fused the Ji and Sun families’ wood cultivation techniques into the Azure Wood Eternal Spring Art, which Ji Bochang judged could give him a chance to advance and might even hold a tiny chance of reaching Golden Core. Ji Haoyuan left with Liu Hongyu for the Foundation Establishment trade fair at Mingxia Market, where Li Yue opened the gathering.

• Ji Haoyuan refined Sun Renzheng’s artifacts and mastered the basics of the Mountain Splitting Spear Technique and Supreme Yuan Sword Finger.
• Ji Haoyuan fused the Woody Longevity Art and Azure Wood Longevity Art into the Azure Wood Eternal Spring Art for Ji Bochang’s secluded cultivation.
• Ji Bochang praised the new technique, recognized its potential, and warned Ji Haoyuan to keep it secret from everyone else.
• Ji Haoyuan accepted Liu Hongyu’s invitation, explained his plans to Ji Yunfan, and traveled with Liu Hongyu to Mingxia Market.
• Liu Hongyu led Ji Haoyuan to Sky Cloud Tower and introduced him to cultivators attending the trade fair.
• Li Yue of the Crimson Cloud Sect arrived and announced the start of the trade fair.

At Li Yue’s trading meet, a cultivator exchanged a Geng Metal Sword Stone for Li Yue’s Second Order Spirit Breaking Pill. A bearded man then presented fragments of the Profound Fire True Technique, and Li Yue confirmed they were too incomplete to cultivate.

• Li Yue offered a Second Order Spirit Breaking Pill in exchange for a mid-grade Tier 2 Gold attribute treasure or spiritual item.
• A man traded Li Yue a mid-tier second-grade Geng Metal Sword Stone for the pill.
• A bearded man named Pei presented a Jade Slip containing fragments of the Profound Fire True Technique, once the Profound Fire Sect’s sect-defending technique.
• Pei admitted that most of the technique was missing, disappointing the attendees who had hoped to see the complete lost technique.
• Li Yue examined the Jade Slip, found it contained only unusable scraps, and advised Pei to describe its condition clearly.

Ji Haoyuan traded for an incomplete Profound Fire True Technique, used his comprehension to complete and merge it with his own art, and advanced to Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. After consolidating his cultivation, he emerged to find Ji Bochang had also reached the same stage and asked about the trade meet.

• Ji Haoyuan exchanged a Second Order Water Evasion Technique for the bearded man's incomplete Profound Fire True Technique at the trade meet.
• Ji Haoyuan returned to the Ji Family on Ganyang Mountain and deduced the Profound Fire True Technique up to early Golden Core.
• Ji Haoyuan merged the Profound Fire True Technique with the Blazing Fire True Art to create the Profound Nether Blazing Fire Art, whose limit reached mid Golden Core.
• Ji Haoyuan cultivated with his resources for about two years, reached Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, and spent several months consolidating his cultivation.
• Ji Haoyuan emerged from seclusion and found that Ji Bochang had also reached Foundation Establishment Middle Stage and regained some vitality.
• Ji Bochang asked Ji Haoyuan whether he had gained anything from attending the trade meet.

Ji Yunfan told Ji Haoyuan and Ji Bochang that the Ji Family had found a Cloud Iron Ore Vein near North Ridge Valley, but the Han Family of Danyang Prefecture had found it too and clashes had already caused casualties. As Ji Yunfan reported that both families were still probing one another, a Message Talisman arrived and left him visibly shaken.

• Ji Haoyuan told Ji Bochang about the trade fair while concealing that he had improved the Profound Fire True Technique, and congratulated him on reaching the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.
• Ji Yunfan visited Ji Haoyuan and Ji Bochang after they emerged from seclusion and reported that the Ji Family had discovered a Cloud Iron Ore Vein near North Ridge Valley.
• Ji Bochang asked whether the Ji Family had stationed people and set up formations, and Ji Yunfan revealed that the Han Family of Danyang Prefecture had also found the vein and that the families had suffered casualties in clashes.
• Ji Haoyuan asked whether Han Family Foundation Establishment cultivators had entered the conflict, and Ji Yunfan said the families were still probing and restraining each other.
• A Message Talisman flew to Ji Yunfan, and its contents made his face turn unsightly and his pupils contract.

After the Han Family sent Foundation Establishment cultivator Han Pengshan to seize the Cloud Iron Ore Vein, Ji Haoyuan took command of the Ji Family and set out to confront him. At the vein, Han Pengshan attacked Ji Yunfeng and the other Ji Family cultivators, shattering their formation and leaving them injured.

• Ji Yunfan informed Ji Haoyuan and Ji Bochang that a Han Family Foundation Establishment cultivator had appeared in Danyang Prefecture.
• Ji Haoyuan volunteered to face the Han cultivator, and Ji Bochang formally made his decisions binding on the entire Ji Family.
• Ji Yunfan gave Ji Haoyuan the vein's location, and Ji Haoyuan flew from Ganyang Mountain toward North Ridge Valley.
• Han Pengshan ordered Ji Yunfeng and the Ji Family cultivators to abandon the Cloud Iron Ore Vein, but Ji Yunfeng protested that the Ji Family had discovered it first.
• Han Pengshan unleashed his six Dark Light Blades, and Ji Yunfeng's temporary formation shattered, causing several cultivators to spit blood.

Ji Haoyuan intervened when Han Pengshan attacked Ji Yunfeng and the others, overpowering the Han Family cultivator with his spear and sword techniques. Han Pengshan fled using a blood-burning secret technique, but Ji Haoyuan tore off part of his arm and Storage Pouch as he escaped.

• Han Pengshan sent six Dark Light Blades toward Ji Yunfeng and the others, intent on forcing the Ji Family to yield.
• Ji Haoyuan arrived and used the Crimson Flame Pattern Spear to overwhelm Han Pengshan's blades, injuring him with the backlash.
• Ji Haoyuan pierced Han Pengshan's hastily cast defense with the Supreme Yuan Sword Finger, forcing him to rely on his inner armor and a Tier 2 Low-Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact.
• Ji Haoyuan struck Han Pengshan's Round Shield with the Mountain Splitting Spear Technique and shattered its protection.
• Han Pengshan burned his Essence Blood to flee, but Ji Haoyuan tore off more than half his arm and his Storage Pouch.

Ji Haoyuan defeated Han Pengshan and discovered that his comprehension had made him a Tier 1 low-grade Formation Master. Han Pengshan returned to the Han Family badly injured, where his brothers suspected Ji Haoyuan was the cultivator rumored to have reached Foundation Establishment at one hundred.

• Ji Haoyuan let the wounded Han Pengshan flee to avoid provoking a war between the Ji and Han Families.
• Ji Haoyuan checked on Ji Yunfeng and ordered him and the others to repair their shattered formation.
• Ji Haoyuan studied the damaged formation, comprehended the fundamentals, and became a Tier 1 low-grade Formation Master.
• Ji Haoyuan sent a message to the Ji Family requesting its cultivation-art inheritances, then entered a cave mansion to break the restrictions on Han Pengshan's Storage Pouch.
• Han Pengshan returned to the Han Family severely injured and told Han Penghu and Han Pengfeng how Ji Haoyuan had defeated him.
• Han Pengfeng identified Ji Haoyuan as a likely match for the rumored cultivator who reached Foundation Establishment at one hundred.