Chapter Summaries

Qin Fengming watched the Xiao clan’s branch contests as Xiao Qinghao questioned him about the contestants and their weapons. After assessing Qin Fengming’s chances against the Fanyue Lake branch’s powerful spiritual artifact, Xiao Qinghao decided that Honghu Island would challenge them, leaving Qin Fengming to face the wielder of the Nine-Cycle Chain Blades.

• More than a dozen Xiao clan branches challenged one another, but fewer than a quarter won as the contests continued.
• Xiao Qinghao asked Qin Fengming about the contestants’ strength and why the clan contest prohibited magic treasures.
• Qin Fengming explained that the Fanyue Lake clansman’s Nine-Cycle Chain Blades were a formidable imitation of a magic treasure.
• Xiao Qinghao asked how likely Qin Fengming’s red flying-needle spiritual artifact was to hit an unwary opponent, and Qin Fengming estimated a seventy-to-eighty-percent chance within thirty zhang.
• Xiao Qinghao decided that Honghu Island would challenge the Xiao clan of Fanyue Lake and asked Qin Fengming to defeat the wielder of the Nine-Cycle Chain Blades.

Qin Fengming, posing as Wei Daoming, challenged Fanyue Lake’s Yan Bang and demonstrated an extraordinary movement technique by evading his attacks without using a shield or spirit tool. The fight continued as Yan Bang combined his spirit tools with the Fire Snake Technique, but Qin Fengming remained elusive.

• After Xiao Qinghao instructed him, Qin Fengming took the stage and challenged the Fanyue Lake cultivators as Wei Daoming.
• Yan Bang accepted the challenge and attacked with two top-grade spirit tools while Qin Fengming stood without a spiritual-power shield.
• Qin Fengming evaded the spirit tools with the Azure Cloud Maze movement technique, leaving the spectators and presiding elder astonished.
• Yan Bang sent his spirit tools after Qin Fengming again and used the Fire Snake Technique to hinder his movement.
• Qin Fengming shifted through the arena in unpredictable afterimages, keeping out of Yan Bang’s reach.

Qin Fengming wore down Elder Yan by evading his attacks and replenishing his magic power with the mysterious liquid. He defeated Elder Yan without injury and left the spectators astonished.

• Elder Yan filled the arena with fiery snakes, but Qin Fengming destroyed them with ice pellets while dodging.
• Elder Yan increased his attacks, believing Qin Fengming would run out of magic power, while Qin Fengming secretly replenished his strength with the mysterious liquid.
• After Elder Yan's spiritual power dwindled, Qin Fengming released four top-grade spiritual artifacts and cleared away the remaining fiery snakes.
• Elder Yan recognized that he could no longer turn the fight around and surrendered.
• Qin Fengming recalled his spiritual artifacts and won without shedding blood, astonishing the spectators.

Qin Fengming concealed his strongest abilities and defeated Xiao Chengyuan in his second bout by summoning a powerful Grade 4 black spider. The Xiao brothers became convinced that he came from Manghuang Mountain.

• Qin Fengming recovered his magic power and physical strength after defeating Elder Yan.
• Xiao Chengyuan questioned Qin Fengming about his deep reserves of magic power, and Qin Fengming claimed he used pills to replenish them.
• Xiao Chengyuan attacked with five top-grade spirit artifacts and a Grade 2 Lizard Beast, while Qin Fengming countered with five spirit artifacts of his own.
• Qin Fengming summoned a Grade 4 black spider, whose aura frightened the Lizard Beast into retreating.
• Xiao Chengyuan conceded the bout, and Xiao Qinghao became more certain that Qin Fengming was a Manghuang Mountain disciple.

Qin Fengming chose to fight Xiao Chengyan without his Grade 4 spider, then defeated him with a swift movement technique and a red spirit artifact. The arena fell silent as Xiao Chengyan struggled to accept his defeat.

• Xiao Chengyan entered the arena to challenge Qin Fengming, despite fearing the Grade 4 spider.
• Qin Fengming withdrew the spider and promised not to use it against Xiao Chengyan.
• When the battle began, Xiao Chengyan sent the Nine-Cycle Chain Blades toward Qin Fengming.
• Qin Fengming rushed forward and sent a red spirit artifact through Xiao Chengyan’s shield before the old man could react.
• Xiao Chengyan stood stunned by his defeat, while the watching cultivators stared at the arena in silence.

Qin Fengming defeated Steward Xiao and secured Honghu Island a second-grade platform, leaving the other branches wary of challenging him. Xiao Hongzhi then wagered a five-thousand-year-old Blue Star Grass against a rival elder’s ten-thousand-year Lingjing on the outcome of a contest between their clan branches.

• Qin Fengming defeated Steward Xiao, who admitted defeat and yielded the platform to Honghu Island.
• Xiao Qinghao and the Honghu Island cultivators celebrated reclaiming a quota, while other branches avoided challenging Qin Fengming as he meditated.
• Xiao Hongzhi’s clan elder mocked Qin Fengming’s chances against his branch, and Xiao Hongzhi defended his cultivator’s prospects.
• Xiao Hongzhi wagered a five-thousand-year-old Blue Star Grass that his clan branch would win against the elder’s branch.
• The elder offered a small piece of ten-thousand-year Lingjing, and Xiao Hongzhi accepted the wager.

After five days of clan challenges, Xiao Qinghao received his Supreme Ancestor’s order to have Honghu Island challenge Twin Snake Valley, whose formidable Mandarin Duck Thousand Needle Pouch had defended its rank for centuries. Qin Fengming accepted the challenge and faced Xiao Songting in the arena, with both sides ordered to fight without mercy.

• Five days of matches passed, and Xiao Qinghao worried that further challenges might exhaust Qin Fengming’s talismans.
• Xiao Qinghao received his Supreme Ancestor’s command to challenge Twin Snake Valley and promise Qin Fengming a Calming Heart Pill if he won.
• Xiao Qinghao warned Qin Fengming about Twin Snake Valley’s dangerous Mandarin Duck Thousand Needle Pouch, and Qin Fengming agreed to fight.
• Qin Fengming challenged Twin Snake Valley on the central arena, and Xiao Songting stepped forward to face him.
• The presiding elder began the match as Xiao Songting watched Qin Fengming warily, gripping an object in his hand.

Qin Fengming defeated Xiao Songting by overwhelming him with ten top-grade spirit artifacts, forcing him to admit defeat. A sinister cultivator surnamed Huang then entered the arena to challenge Qin Fengming, who recognized him as Venerable Red Demon’s disciple and prepared to fight.

• Xiao Songting raised a shield while Qin Fengming offered to let him attack with all his strength, but Xiao hesitated when Qin showed no defenses.
• Qin Fengming summoned ten nimble top-grade spirit artifacts and shattered Xiao Songting’s shield with a single assault.
• Xiao Songting retreated and admitted defeat, and Qin Fengming recalled his spirit artifacts and accepted the victory.
• A black-robed cultivator surnamed Huang mocked Xiao Songting and volunteered to face Qin Fengming next.
• Huang threatened Qin Fengming, while an elder told him Huang was Venerable Red Demon’s disciple and urged him to use his abilities.
• Qin Fengming recognized Huang’s connection to Venerable Red Demon and challenged him to demonstrate his means.

Qin Fengming faced Huang, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, whose Black Demon Banner trapped him in a cloud of demonic mist and unleashed a horde of souls. Qin Fengming defended himself with talismans and the Yin Yang Pagoda, while recognizing the banner’s limits and waiting for his next move.

• Huang began the contest by summoning his Black Demon Banner and enveloping Qin Fengming in black demonic mist.
• Qin Fengming used three Five Elements Defense Talismans to shield himself from the banner’s attack.
• Huang released hundreds of demon souls, including Foundation Establishment cultivator souls, to attack Qin Fengming.
• Qin Fengming summoned the Yin Yang Pagoda, whose cold and hot flames kept the demon souls at bay.
• Qin Fengming identified the banner as a soul-absorbing treasure similar to a Thousand Soul Banner and noticed that its stronger souls held back from attacking.

Qin Fengming fought off the Black Demon Banner’s resentful souls with powerful talismans, then discovered his battle drum could disperse them with its sonic attacks. He advanced on the banner and cracked it with a barrage of Wind Blade Talismans, leaving the battle unresolved.

• The cultivator surnamed Huang unleashed the Black Demon Banner’s resentful souls in a mass assault against Qin Fengming.
• Qin Fengming hurled unusually powerful Fireball, Ice Bullet, and Wind Blade Talismans, dispersing wave after wave of resentful souls.
• The Nascent Soul spectators recognized the talismans’ extraordinary power and questioned Xiao Hongzhi, who hinted that Qin Fengming was connected to Manghuang Mountain.
• Qin Fengming brought out a battle drum and used its sonic ripples to disperse the resentful souls, including those at the Foundation Establishment Realm.
• Qin Fengming advanced toward the Black Demon Banner and cracked it with hundreds of Wind Blade Talismans.

Qin Fengming destroyed Huang’s Black Demon Banner and survived a surprise attack from Huang’s master, Venerable Red Demon. With the red-robed elder gone, Qin Fengming faced Xiao Songyuan of Twin Snake Valley for the next contest.

• Qin Fengming shattered Huang’s Black Demon Banner, and Huang collapsed unconscious from the damage to his blood-refined treasure.
• Venerable Red Demon appeared and slashed at Qin Fengming, who used the Yin Yang Pagoda and his movement technique to evade the killing blow.
• Venerable Red Demon threatened Qin Fengming, took Huang away, and left the valley after Xiao Hongzhi failed to stop his attack.
• Xiao Hongzhi reassured Qin Fengming and told him to focus on the contests, while Qin Fengming put away his remaining spirit tools.
• Xiao Songyuan entered the arena to fight Qin Fengming, and an aged voice warned him to beware of Qin Fengming’s talismans.

Qin Fengming faced Xiao Songyuan in the final battle against Twin Snake Valley and struggled to deal with the Mandarin Duck Thousand Needle Pouch. He brought out the Ink Cloud Dou, whose black liquid hindered the silk cloths, but the fight remained unresolved.

• Xiao Songyuan began the match by raising a defensive shield and summoning two Flying Crow Snakes, which Qin Fengming's enormous spider intercepted.
• Xiao Songyuan deployed the Mandarin Duck Thousand Needle Pouch, whose spinning silk cloths deflected Qin Fengming's giant blades and forced him to evade.
• Qin Fengming realized that dodging while sustaining two spiritual artifacts would drain his magic power, and searched his storage ring for a counter.
• Qin Fengming summoned the Ink Cloud Dou and released foul-smelling black liquid that enveloped and slowed the silk cloths.
• Xiao Songyuan forced the silk cloths free of the sticky black liquid with great effort.

Qin Fengming used the Ink Cloud Dou to trap Xiao Songyuan’s flying needles, then survived Xiao Songyuan’s powerful blade attacks with spiritual artifacts and talismans. Xiao Songyuan’s repeated strikes were intercepted, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Xiao Songyuan sent more than a thousand flying needles into the black liquid, but Qin Fengming used the Ink Cloud Dou to collect them as the liquid stopped the needles and severed his control.
• Xiao Songyuan unleashed a powerful blade of light, which broke two of Qin Fengming’s top-grade spiritual artifacts before its remaining force dissipated.
• Xiao Songyuan launched another blade attack, and Qin Fengming blocked it with several hundred talismans.
• Xiao Songyuan attacked three more times, but Qin Fengming intercepted every strike with further talismans.

Qin Fengming defeated Xiao Songyuan and secured Honghu Island’s place as a first-rank Xiao clan branch. After resting for several days, he was summoned by the Xiao Household ancestor and followed Xiao Qingquan to a hidden cave dwelling in the mountains.

• Qin Fengming exhausted Xiao Songyuan’s spiritual power by intercepting his secret arts with talismans, winning the challenge for Honghu Island.
• Xiao Hongzhi thanked Qin Fengming for helping him win a wager and asked for the flying needles Qin Fengming had collected; Qin Fengming returned them.
• Honghu Island won a first-rank branch slot, giving it the chance to send three descendants with exceptional spiritual roots for core disciple training.
• Qin Fengming rested at the manor for several days after Xiao Qinghao and his brother left.
• Xiao Qingquan escorted Qin Fengming into the mountains, where the Xiao Household ancestor revealed a concealed cave dwelling and invited him inside.

Qin Fengming met with Xiao Hongzhi, who thanked him for helping the Xiao Household of Honghu Island secure a first-class clan branch position and gave him valuable pills and Spirit Stones. Qin Fengming then explained that he had come to Thousand Lakes Prefecture to help the Xiao family from Quzhou reconnect with its ancestral clan.

• Xiao Qinghao led Qin Fengming into Xiao Hongzhi’s hidden Cave Abode, where the Old Ancestor and the Xiao branch head welcomed him.
• Xiao Hongzhi gave Qin Fengming a storage ring containing thirty thousand Spirit Stones, a Calming Heart Pill, and two Crimson Sun Pills as thanks for his service.
• Xiao Hongzhi asked Qin Fengming what matter he had wanted the Xiao Household to handle.
• Qin Fengming explained that the two cultivators surnamed Xiao who had traveled with him were descendants of the Xiao family of Thousand Lakes Prefecture, whose branch had moved to Quzhou after declining.
• Qin Fengming recounted how one of the Xiao cultivators had rescued him after a Core Formation cultivator gravely injured him, and how he agreed to escort the pair to Thousand Lakes Prefecture in repayment.

Qin Fengming brought Xiao Jingxuan and Xiao Ning before the Xiao Household’s elders, who examined their family records and heard the history of the Quzhou Xiao family. Xiao Hongzhi recognized them as descendants of a lost branch but said their incorporation still required approval from the Elder Council.

• Qin Fengming recounted his escape from a Core Formation cultivator and the Quzhou Xiao Household’s offer of mid-grade Spirit Stones, impressing Xiao Hongzhi and the other elders.
• Xiao Qinghao recognized the movement technique of Xiao Jingxuan and Xiao Ning as resembling the Xiao clan’s, so the head of the Xiao Household summoned them.
• Qin Fengming brought Xiao Jingxuan and Xiao Ning to meet Xiao Hongzhi, who asked them to prove their ancestry and explain their family’s migration.
• Xiao Jingxuan presented ancestral records and a family jade tablet, and Xiao Hongzhi verified that both were genuine clan relics.
• Xiao Jingxuan described the Quzhou family’s history, and Xiao Hongzhi connected their migration to an ancient war that had scattered the Xiao clan’s branches.
• Xiao Hongzhi said the Quzhou Xiao Household could seek incorporation into the clan, subject to the Elder Council’s approval.

Xiao Jingxuan offered hundreds of mid-grade Spirit Stones to secure the Xiao Household of Quzhou's recognition by the Xiao clan, while Xiao Hongzhi promised to help and offered Qin Fengming a favor. Four days later, the Xiao Household head summoned Qin Fengming and his companions to the main council hall for a discussion.

• Xiao Jingxuan presented several hundred mid-grade Spirit Stones to Xiao Hongzhi as a gesture of goodwill from the Xiao Household of Quzhou.
• Xiao Hongzhi accepted the stones and said the Xiao Household of Quzhou's integration into the Xiao clan should proceed more smoothly.
• Xiao Hongzhi offered Qin Fengming help with pills, spirit artifacts, or ancient texts, and Qin Fengming declined to claim any credit for his assistance.
• Xiao Hongzhi told Xiao Qinghao and Qingdong to keep the meeting secret and gave each of them ten mid-grade Spirit Stones.
• Four days later, the Xiao Household head sent Qin Fengming a voice-transmission talisman asking him to bring the other two companions to the main council hall.

Qin Fengming and the Quzhou Xiao Household delegation learned that the Xiao clan council had rejected their merger proposal, though approval from the Supreme Elder remained possible. Qin Fengming gained permission to consult the clan branch’s alchemy classics, while Xiao Jingxuan prepared to reveal a confidential matter to the Xiao clan leaders.

• Xiao Hongzhi told Qin Fengming and the Quzhou Xiao Household delegation that the council had rejected their merger proposal, pending the Supreme Elder’s decision.
• Xiao Jingxuan said the Quzhou Xiao Household would not reclaim its gift of more than two hundred mid-grade Spirit Stones even if the proposal ultimately failed.
• Qin Fengming asked to study the Xiao clan’s alchemy records, and Xiao Hongzhi granted him two days to consult the branch’s classics.
• Xiao Hongzhi sent Qingdong to escort Qin Fengming to the Scripture Repository while Xiao Jingxuan and his nephew stayed behind.
• Xiao Jingxuan asked to discuss a confidential matter, and Xiao Hongzhi dismissed the other cultivators and raised a barrier around the hall.

Xiao Jingxuan offered a Spirit Essence Stone to the Xiao clan to secure the Quzhou Xiao Household's acceptance, while Qin Fengming studied pill-refinement records in the Scripture Repository. The Quzhou Xiao Household was formally reunited with the clan, bringing Qin Fengming's task in Thousand Lakes Prefecture to a successful end.

• Xiao Jingxuan revealed a Spirit Essence Stone and offered it to Xiao Hongzhi and the Xiao clan in exchange for accepting the Quzhou Xiao Household.
• Xiao Jingxuan told the elders that the miners who had seen the stone were dead, the Quzhou Xiao Household had sworn secrecy, and Qin Fengming knew nothing about it.
• Xiao Hongzhi and Xiao Jingxuan ordered Xiao Jingxuan and his companion to keep the matter secret and planned to prevent them from leaving Sacred Nether Island.
• Qin Fengming spent two days studying pill-refinement insights and spirit-herb records in the Scripture Repository, gaining extensive knowledge.
• Xiao Jingxuan and his nephew told Qin Fengming that the Quzhou Xiao Household had rejoined the Xiao clan under Xiao Hongzhi's branch.

After helping Xiao Jingxuan and his nephew settle with the Xiao clan, Qin Fengming left Sacred Nether Island and planned to cultivate in seclusion before continuing to Manghuang Mountain. He headed toward a remote mountain range to attempt a breakthrough to the late Foundation Establishment stage.

• Xiao Jingxuan told Qin Fengming that Xiao Qinghao and another clansman had left Sacred Nether Island, while three Qi Gathering cultivators stayed for training.
• Qin Fengming accepted one hundred thousand spirit stones from Xiao Jingxuan and said farewell to the Xiao Household.
• Qin Fengming flew away from Sacred Nether Island and reflected on the dangers posed by powerful cultivators and his need to improve his cultivation.
• Qin Fengming studied a jade slip and learned that reaching Manghuang Mountain by flight would take years, while teleportation could shorten the journey.
• Qin Fengming chose a remote mountain range thirty thousand li away as a place to enter seclusion and attempt a breakthrough.