Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Talent Enhancement: Neither Laughing Nor Crying+”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Genshuo sends Lin Yue away because the manor contains too many secrets to be safe or suitable for her.
• He returns to the study and reflects on the Yang Family’s weakness. Concerned that the family has only one heir, Yang Shi, he decides that Yang Shi should eventually marry Jiang Xiaobai and produce descendants.
• Yang Genshuo learns from Liu Wuhen that Spiritual Roots are almost impossible to inherit if neither parent possesses one. This reinforces his plan for Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai, since Jiang Xiaobai has cultivation potential.
• As the fourth year of the game’s evolution begins, Yang Shi completes bone tempering and breaks through to the Sixth Layer of Body Tempering: Inner Force Infusing the Body.
• The Yang Family gains increased martial virtue and unlocks a new Blessing, Tranquility, which calms the mind and improves comprehension.
• Yang Genshuo applies Tranquility to both Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai. Yang Shi immediately experiences a surge of inspiration while cultivating the Mind Illumination Formula.
• Yang Genshuo also uses Vitality on Yang Shi, further enhancing his cultivation speed.
• Yang Shi’s talent Neither Laughing Nor Crying evolves into Neither Laughing Nor Crying+, increasing its mood-based efficiency bonus from 20% to 25%.
• With the combined effects of Qi Valve Body, Vitality, Tranquility, and his improved talent, Yang Shi’s cultivation progresses rapidly.
• Liu Wuhen visits the Yang Family Estate with his daughter, Liu Zihan, suggesting that she and Yang Shi spend more time together. Jiang Xiaobai becomes jealous and uses Little Flame to frighten Liu Zihan.
• The Treasured Goods Pavilion headquarters investigates whether Liao Cao has encountered members of the Ge Family. Liao Cao denies it and is warned not to become involved in the Ge Family’s affairs.
• Liao Cao worries that the Ge Family may target them, but Yang Genshuo reassures him that cultivators cannot attack without evidence and that killing mortals is generally forbidden—though Innate Grandmaster Realm experts are an important exception.

Character Development

• Yang Genshuo: Becomes increasingly focused on strengthening the Yang Family and securing its future through marriage and descendants. He also demonstrates greater strategic understanding of cultivation-world customs and political dangers.
• Yang Shi: Advances to the Sixth Layer of Body Tempering, raises his comprehension significantly through Tranquility, and begins making rapid progress with the Mind Illumination Formula. His talent’s improvement gives him a permanent advantage when maintaining a positive mental state.
• Jiang Xiaobai: Grows into a beautiful young woman and receives Yang Genshuo’s Tranquility Blessing. Her jealousy toward Liu Zihan reveals her growing attachment to Yang Shi.
• Liu Zihan: After recovering, she becomes graceful, cultured, and clearly affectionate toward Yang Shi. Her interaction with Jiang Xiaobai creates romantic tension.
• Liu Wuhen: Continues acting as an important mentor and source of cultivation knowledge, while also subtly encouraging a possible relationship between his daughter and Yang Shi.
• Liao Cao: Becomes anxious about the Ge Family’s investigation but relies on Yang Genshuo’s reassurance and guidance.

Significant Themes

• Family survival and legacy: Yang Genshuo sees marriage, descendants, and cultivation talent as essential to preventing the Yang Family from disappearing.
• Talent and cultivation enhancement: The chapter emphasizes how blessings, mental techniques, physical constitutions, and emotional states can combine to improve growth.
• Mind and emotion: The Mind Illumination Formula strengthens Yang Shi’s comprehension and even modifies his existing talent, showing that mental cultivation affects more than simple meditation.
• Political rules and deterrence: The cultivation world maintains taboos against killing mortals because such violence would endanger every family’s non-cultivating members. Reputation and reciprocal consequences help preserve order.
• Romantic competition: Jiang Xiaobai’s jealousy and Liu Zihan’s affection introduce a developing love triangle around Yang Shi.

Important Character Interactions

• Yang Genshuo privately plans for Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai to marry and have children.
• Yang Shi tells Jiang Xiaobai that the Tranquility Blessing comes from the ancestors, prompting her to thank them.
• Yang Shi becomes self-conscious when he realizes that Yang Genshuo may approve of Jiang Xiaobai as a future partner.
• Liu Zihan visits with Liu Wuhen and shows affection toward Yang Shi, while Jiang Xiaobai responds by having Little Flame scare her away.
• Liao Cao seeks Yang Genshuo’s advice about the Ge Family, and Yang Genshuo calms him by explaining the limitations and social restrictions of cultivators.

Chapter Summary: “Rogue Cultivator Market”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Shi learns that Innate Grandmasters are powerful enough to threaten Qi Refining cultivators, explaining why his master, Liu Wuhen, does not fear immortals.
• Jiang Xiaobai breaks through to the Second Layer of Embryonic Breath after using the Spirit Rain Art in Tiger-Leopard Forest.
• Yang Genshuo realizes that her cultivation method, the Mystic Stone Qi-Guiding Art, is poorly suited to her Five-Element Spiritual Root. Her strongest affinity is wood, but the technique emphasizes earth and metal, suppressing her wood aptitude and slowing her progress.
• Following the Manifestation’s instruction, Yang Shi questions Jiang Xiaobai about her cultivation method.
• Jiang Xiaobai reveals that she was once accepted as an outer disciple of the powerful Blackstone Sect, where she learned the Mystic Stone Qi-Guiding Art and several spells. She later escaped and eventually became part of Yang Shi’s household.
• She explains that she abandoned the sect because she did not want to pursue immortality for its own sake. Instead, she wanted enough strength to protect Yang Shi and help maintain the family’s Spirit Fields.
• Since Jiang Xiaobai knows no other Qi Refining Art and Liao Cao cannot provide a replacement, she must continue using the unsuitable technique for now.
• Jiang Xiaobai struggles to cultivate and manage the family’s farmland. Her breakthrough allows her to use the Mystic Stone Soil Enrichment Art, but casting it over multiple fields leaves her exhausted.
• The Spirit Rice and Spirit Wheat are harvested with slightly improved yields due to her careful cultivation. The Magma Fruit Tree also produces fruit, though its uses remain uncertain and potentially dangerous.
• Rumors spread of a Rogue Cultivator Market near Whitewater River, attracting cultivators and resources to the region. The increased traffic fills the Yang Family’s Board Game Teahouse.
• Several unusual-looking cultivators arrive at the teahouse, prompting Yang Genshuo to stop accelerating time and observe them closely.

Character Developments

• Jiang Xiaobai demonstrates considerable dedication despite her poor cultivation compatibility. Her motivation is primarily to protect Yang Shi and support their household, not to pursue immortality or status.
• Her past as a former Blackstone Sect disciple reveals that she possesses a more significant background than previously known.
• Yang Shi becomes more attentive to Jiang Xiaobai’s cultivation needs and shows deep emotional concern for her. Her confession strengthens their bond.
• Yang Genshuo applies his understanding of the Five Elements to diagnose Jiang Xiaobai’s cultivation problem and recognizes the difficulty of finding her a suitable replacement technique.
• Little Flame continues growing rapidly, reaching the size of an adult tiger and becoming the dominant beast of Tiger-Leopard Forest.
• Liu Wuhen’s warnings reinforce his experience and caution regarding powerful sects and dangerous spiritual materials.

Significant Themes

• Cultivation and aptitude: The chapter emphasizes that a powerful talent is not enough if one lacks a cultivation method suited to their spiritual roots.
• Loyalty and devotion: Jiang Xiaobai’s willingness to endure hardship for Yang Shi transforms ordinary farming into an act of affection and loyalty.
• Hidden backgrounds: Her connection to the Blackstone Sect introduces a larger world of powerful immortal institutions and suggests that her past may become important.
• Practical survival versus ambition: Jiang Xiaobai rejects the conventional pursuit of immortality, preferring a simple life centered on protecting loved ones and preserving the family’s livelihood.
• The widening cultivation world: The Rogue Cultivator Market signals increased contact with outside cultivators, resources, and possible threats.

Character Interactions

• Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai discuss her origins and cultivation technique. Her explanation that she cultivates to avoid being helpless when he is threatened deeply moves him.
• Jiang Xiaobai affectionately cares for Little Flame while tending the Spirit Fields, showing her nurturing nature and connection to the household.
• Yang Genshuo and Yang Shi again react in synchronized confusion when Jiang Xiaobai says she did not want to cultivate immortality despite being accepted into Blackstone Sect.
• Yang Genshuo observes the newcomers to the teahouse, setting up the chapter’s transition toward the Rogue Cultivator Market and its potential conflicts.

Chapter Summary: “Too Many Big Shots, Better Lie Low”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A group of four rogue cultivators arrives at Yang Shi’s teahouse and discusses the relocation of the Rogue Cultivator Market to Whitewater River. The original venue was taken over by dangerous demonic cultivators, reportedly led by Foundation Establishment experts.
• The four cultivators are revealed to be at the Embryonic Breath Tenth, Ninth, and Eighth Layers. Their arrival confirms that many cultivators are already gathering before the market begins.
• Yang Shi realizes that the teahouse is filled with powerful individuals: several Innate Grandmasters, many Half-Step Innate experts, and an apparently ordinary beggar who is actually at the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining.
• Yang Shi initially plans to sell part of the Yang Family’s Spirit Rice and Spirit Wheat harvest at the market. He hopes to exchange them for Spirit Stones and purchase a better Qi Refining technique for Jiang Xiaobai, along with other cultivation resources.
• Yang Genshuo, however, warns him that the market is too dangerous. The family’s resources would be useless if Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai were killed or robbed before returning home.
• Following Yang Genshuo’s manifestation, Yang Shi decides that the family should remain in Bluestone County, gather information, and avoid drawing attention.
• Yang Genshuo instructs Yang Shi to feed the beggars in the county, particularly the old beggar at the teahouse entrance. Yang Shi offers him coffee, but the beggar becomes fascinated by it and repeatedly demands more.
• The chapter ends when five impressive Daoist cultivators from the Blackstone Sect enter the teahouse. Their arrival silences the room, and their beautiful female leader exerts overwhelming pressure. Liu Wuhen recognizes them and shows clear resentment.

Character Developments

• Yang Shi: Initially excited by the opportunity to trade resources and improve the family’s cultivation, he becomes more cautious after recognizing the enormous gap between his strength and that of the visiting cultivators. He accepts that the family must lie low rather than recklessly pursue opportunities.
• Yang Genshuo: Continues acting as the family’s strategic guide. He evaluates the dangers of the cultivation world, prioritizes survival, and demonstrates a more realistic understanding of the risks surrounding Spirit Fields and wealth.
• Jiang Xiaobai: Shows loyalty and restraint by refusing to ask for a better cultivation technique, urging Yang Shi to preserve the family’s resources instead. Her concern is for the family’s long-term stability.
• The old beggar: His true strength is hinted at by his Seventh Layer Qi Refining cultivation, despite his shabby appearance. He displays an eccentric, cheerful personality and develops an unexpected addiction to Yang Shi’s coffee.
• Liu Wuhen: Appears wary and resentful when the Blackstone Sect disciples arrive, suggesting a prior conflict or hostility toward the sect.

Significant Themes

• Survival over ambition: The chapter emphasizes that opportunities for cultivation resources are meaningless without enough strength to protect them.
• The danger of wealth: Spirit Fields and Spirit Stones attract powerful enemies, reinforcing the idea that “a man’s wealth is his ruin if he lacks the strength to protect it.”
• Keeping a low profile: Yang Shi and the family choose caution, information gathering, and concealment rather than exposing themselves at the Rogue Cultivator Market.
• The widening cultivation world: The sudden presence of numerous high-level cultivators reveals how limited the Yang Family’s knowledge and strength remain.
• Hidden strength beneath appearances: The old beggar looks helpless but is actually a powerful cultivator, while the Blackstone Sect disciples’ refined appearance and aura immediately distinguish them from ordinary rogue cultivators.
• Kindness and human connection: Yang Shi’s willingness to feed the beggars and care for the old man reflects his compassion, which may also earn him unexpected protection or goodwill.

Character Interactions

• The four rogue cultivators casually discuss the Rogue Cultivator Market and the dangers posed by demonic cultivators, giving Yang Shi valuable information.
• Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai debate whether to spend their harvest on cultivation resources. Their exchange highlights Jiang Xiaobai’s selflessness and Yang Shi’s desire to strengthen the family.
• Yang Genshuo directly intervenes through his manifested golden words, warning Yang Shi against attending the market and instructing him to gather information instead.
• Yang Shi treats the old beggar kindly, offering him coffee and later buying him wine. Their interaction becomes humorous when the beggar mistakes coffee for a strange, intensely bitter tea and demands more.
• The arrival of the Blackstone Sect disciples changes the atmosphere completely. Their presence intimidates the other cultivators, while Liu Wuhen’s reaction hints at unresolved hostility between him and the sect.

Chapter Summary: “After Food and Drink, Thoughts Turn to...?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Five disciples from the powerful Blackstone Sect arrive at Yang’s Board Game Teahouse in the Rogue Cultivator Market.
• Their presence intimidates the entire teahouse, especially because the group includes Murong Ziyan, a twenty-five-year-old Foundation Establishment cultivator with extraordinary Immortal Apex Talent.
• The disciples occupy a private room while the other customers discuss the Blackstone Sect’s recruitment system and the vast difference between official disciples, outer sect disciples, and struggling rogue cultivators.
• Murong Ziyan allows her junior disciples to explore the teahouse and nearby town as part of their training. They disguise themselves as ordinary rogue cultivators and scatter through Bluestone County.
• While her juniors leave, Murong secretly enjoys an osmanthus spirit cake, revealing a softer and more playful side beneath her cold, dignified exterior.
• The influx of rogue cultivators and experts causes Bluestone County’s economy to boom. Customers pay honestly, sometimes even offering Spirit Stones for food and entertainment.
• After eating and drinking, the cultivators turn to board games. Three Kingdoms Kill and Werewolf become immensely popular.
• Within three days, cultivators effectively take over the teahouse, displacing the mortal customers. The establishment remains open throughout the night, with players constantly queuing for games.
• Yang Shi becomes increasingly central to the market, receiving Spirit Stones and praise for providing the cards. Rather than escaping the chaotic situation, he becomes indispensable to the visiting cultivators.

Character Developments

• Yang Shi/Yang Genshuo: Yang Genshuo is terrified by the arrival of Foundation Establishment cultivators and hopes to return to a safer period of development. However, the popularity of the board games instead draws him deeper into the Rogue Cultivator Market and increases his importance.
• Murong Ziyan: Although she appears aloof and intimidating, Murong is patient with her juniors and genuinely concerned with giving them proper experience. Her secret enjoyment of spirit cake shows a childish, indulgent side hidden beneath her cold image.
• The Blackstone Sect’s junior disciples: They are curious, energetic, and mischievous rather than solemn. Their questions about mortal food, disguises, washing techniques, and games make them seem like excited children exploring the world.
• Rogue cultivators: Initially nervous and self-conscious around the Blackstone Sect, they soon regain their confidence through food, drink, and games. Their enthusiasm transforms the teahouse into the region’s premier entertainment venue.

Significant Themes

• The gap between social classes in cultivation: The Blackstone Sect disciples view weak cultivators and mortals with open disdain, while the rogue cultivators struggle merely to survive and advance.
• Experience beyond cultivation: Murong brings her juniors down the mountain to learn about the wider world, suggesting that practical exposure and human interaction are important forms of training.
• Entertainment as a social equalizer: Board games allow cultivators of different backgrounds to relax, compete, and bond despite differences in status and strength.
• Unexpected economic influence: A simple teahouse and ordinary games dramatically reshape Bluestone County’s economy and social life.
• Hidden sides of people: Murong’s private delight in sweets and the junior disciples’ playful behavior contrast with the intimidating reputation of the Blackstone Sect.

Important Character Interactions

• Murong patiently answers her juniors’ questions and restrains their more troublesome impulses, especially their desire to cast spells on ordinary people.
• The junior disciples cling to Murong and repeatedly seek her permission, while she acts as both their stern leader and protective senior sister.
• The Blackstone Sect’s arrival silences and unsettles the rogue cultivators, who discuss the sect cautiously once the visitors are out of sight.
• Yang Shi respectfully directs the disciples to the private room, maintaining his role as host despite his fear.
• The rogue cultivators become deeply engaged with Yang Shi’s games, praising him, rewarding him with Spirit Stones, and begging to purchase their own decks.

Summary

Key plot points and events

• A Rogue Cultivator offers increasingly high prices for the scarce Three Kingdoms Kill card sets, eventually proposing a Low-Grade Magical Artifact—the Moonlight Mirror—in exchange.
• The Moonlight Mirror absorbs moonlight spiritual energy and, after charging for half a year, can unleash a strike equivalent to a full-force attack from a cultivator at the tenth layer of Embryonic Breath. Though many dismiss it as impractical because of its long cooldown, Yang Shi and Yang Genshuo recognize its value as a life-saving weapon for the weaker Yang family.
• Yang Shi refuses to sell the card sets, arguing that the teahouse’s purpose is to provide enjoyment and that the cards are not yet plentiful enough. His considerate response earns the Rogue Cultivators’ approval.
• Murong Ziyan continues visiting the teahouse, enjoying its milk tea while observing her junior disciples happily integrating with the Rogue Cultivators.
• Yang Shi privately negotiates with the Moonlight Mirror’s owner, learning that the artifact will cost twelve Spirit Stones. The Yang family must find a way to obtain the money without revealing their Spirit Field and making themselves vulnerable to robbery.
• Yang Shi devises a plan: he announces the existence of twelve unique, “out-of-print” Divine General cards. He reveals a powerful Divine Lü Bu card with five exceptional skills, immediately generating excitement and offers to buy it.

Character developments

• Yang Shi demonstrates maturity, commercial cleverness, and strong awareness of the teahouse’s role. He protects the customers’ enjoyment while secretly creating a profitable opportunity.
• Yang Genshuo supports Yang Shi’s judgment and recognizes the strategic importance of obtaining the Moonlight Mirror.
• Murong Ziyan becomes increasingly attached to the teahouse, particularly its milk tea, despite maintaining her normally aloof and immortal demeanor. She also judges Yang Shi favorably for his ability to handle the situation.
• Jiang Xiaobai’s weakness is emphasized: at only the Second Layer of Embryonic Breath and lacking offensive techniques, she would struggle in combat, making the Moonlight Mirror especially valuable to the family.
• The Rogue Cultivators are shown as enthusiastic customers, competitive buyers, and increasingly invested in the card game.

Significant themes

• Scarcity and perceived value: The limited supply of authentic cards makes them far more desirable than crude imitations, while Yang Shi deliberately creates a new scarcity around the Divine Generals.
• Practical strength versus theoretical power: The Moonlight Mirror is powerful but limited by its six-month charging period, illustrating how usefulness depends on circumstances and the user’s level.
• Cleverness over force: The Yang family must rely on trade, deception, and entrepreneurship rather than openly displaying their true resources or fighting stronger cultivators.
• Hospitality and community: Yang Shi values the teahouse as a place of leisure and connection, refusing to sacrifice the customers’ shared enjoyment for immediate profit.
• Hidden power and reputation: Yang Shi’s business success and the teahouse’s popularity gradually give him influence, even though he remains outwardly weak.

Character interactions

• The Rogue Cultivators argue over the price and usefulness of the Moonlight Mirror, with some mocking its slow recharge and others recognizing its value to low-level cultivators.
• Yang Shi politely refuses their offers for the cards, earning their respect rather than alienating them.
• Murong Ziyan silently observes the teahouse and enjoys the milk tea delivered by the waiter, while her junior disciples play cards downstairs.
• Yang Shi and Yang Genshuo privately agree that acquiring the Moonlight Mirror is essential and strategize about funding it.
• Yang Shi then interacts directly with the entire teahouse audience, using the dramatic reveal of Divine Lü Bu to turn the customers’ enthusiasm into a likely source of Spirit Stones.

Chapter Summary: Demon Venerable Tournament

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Shi successfully sells twelve divine general cards from Three Kingdoms Kill through a hunger-marketing strategy. The cards earn 38 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, while the Moonlight Mirror costs 12, leaving the Yang family with 26 stones.
• The Moonlight Mirror stores spiritual energy and can release a powerful attack once fully charged. Since Yang Shi cannot use spiritual energy, Jiang Xiaobai becomes its wielder and receives it as a new defensive trump card for the family.
• To encourage Rogue Cultivators to reveal and trade their valuable possessions, Yang Genshuo begins devising a broader plan centered on the growing popularity of the games.
• As demand for Three Kingdoms Kill outgrows the available sets and indoor space, Yang Shi adapts Werewolf into a cultivation-themed version called

Demonic Dao Kill

• Werewolves become Demonic Dao practitioners.
• Gods become righteous immortals.
• Villagers become immortal sect disciples.
• Roles such as Seer, Witch, Hunter, and Guard are renamed to fit the cultivation world.
• Demonic Dao Kill quickly becomes extremely popular. Players and spectators gather around large outdoor tables, while Bai Heyu uses a Silencing Art to isolate the players’ discussion and make their arguments easier for the crowd to hear.
• Yang Shi announces the Demon Venerable Tournament, which will continue until the day before the Rogue Cultivator market opens. The winner will be determined by accumulated daily points.
• Bai Heyu enthusiastically sponsors the tournament by offering his former Middle-Grade Dharma Artifact, the Flowing Water Sword, as the championship prize.
• Yang Shi adds further rewards: the top three contestants will each receive a set of Three Kingdoms Kill cards. His generosity greatly improves the cultivators’ opinion of him, causing them to regard him as a fellow Daoist despite his mortality.
• Three days later, masked cultivators from Bloodsoul Valley arrive in Bluestone County. Their goal is to sabotage the new Rogue Cultivator market and recruit susceptible cultivators while concealing their Demonic Dao identities.

Character Developments

• Yang Shi proves himself an effective merchant and strategist, using limited divine cards and controlled sales to generate resources. He also demonstrates creativity by reshaping Werewolf into a game that resonates with cultivators.
• Jiang Xiaobai gains responsibility as the only person able to wield the Moonlight Mirror, becoming an important defensive asset for the Yang family.
• Yang Genshuo continues to think strategically from outside the game world, recognizing the need to make Rogue Cultivators voluntarily display their treasures.
• Bai Heyu becomes an enthusiastic and highly visible supporter of Yang Shi’s games. Though not always skilled at Demonic Dao Kill, his passion and willingness to sponsor the tournament strengthen his reputation.
• The Rogue Cultivators evolve from casual players into increasingly serious strategists, developing specialized terminology and treating the game as a test of intelligence and even Dao-heart cultivation.
• The Bloodsoul Valley cultivators introduce a new external threat, showing caution and discipline as they plan to infiltrate the market community rather than act openly.

Significant Themes

• Ingenuity overcoming limitations: Yang Shi’s success comes from finding unconventional solutions rather than relying on cultivation power.
• Entertainment as social influence: Games create community, alter relationships, and allow Yang Shi—a mortal—to gain respect among cultivators.
• Commerce and strategic resource management: The sale of rare cards and the Moonlight Mirror demonstrate the importance of timing, scarcity, and calculated spending.
• Identity, deception, and social deduction: Demonic Dao Kill mirrors the chapter’s broader concerns with hidden motives, false identities, and distinguishing allies from enemies.
• The reversal of power: Yang Shi’s entertainment business gradually gives him influence over cultivators, potentially shifting the balance between the weak and the strong.
• Hidden danger beneath prosperity: While the tournament brings excitement and unity, Bloodsoul Valley’s arrival signals that the growing market and Yang family may soon face sabotage.

Character Interactions

• Yang Shi entrusts Jiang Xiaobai with the Moonlight Mirror, reinforcing their cooperation and the family’s reliance on her abilities.
• Bai Heyu openly supports Yang Shi’s tournament proposal and challenges the others to defeat him, creating friendly rivalry and excitement.
• The cultivators engage in intense debates and psychological battles during Demonic Dao Kill, while spectators enthusiastically analyze their performances.
• Yang Shi uses the tournament and prizes to strengthen his relationship with the Rogue Cultivators, transforming them from customers into supporters.
• The Bloodsoul Valley group observes Yang Shi’s public campaign from the shadows, setting up a conflict between the market’s growing community and concealed Demonic Dao forces.

Chapter Summary: “Practice More If You’re Bad!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A public “Demon Venerable Tournament” is announced in Bluestone County, astonishing three genuine Demonic Cultivators from Bloodsoul Valley. They are even more shocked when Rogue Cultivators openly discuss disguising themselves as Divine Mechanism Daoist and using deception to eliminate immortal-sect cultivators.
• The Rogue Cultivators describe increasingly extreme strategies for the tournament, including:
  • Pretending to be righteous cultivators.
  • Falsely accusing others of being Demonic Dao.
  • Faking death and relying on Medicine Sect elders for rescue.
  • Having Demonic Dao teammates self-detonate to create opportunities for mass slaughter.
• Impressed and intimidated by these “senior” techniques, Ding Zhen decides that he and his two subordinates should enter the tournament rather than hide their identities.
• They register at Yang’s Board Game Teahouse, where Yang Shi explains that the tournament is actually based on the deduction game Demonic Dao Kill. Participants must use specially crafted masks that prevent them from seeing others’ nighttime actions.
• Ding Zhen’s group joins a game and happens to be assigned to the Demonic Dao side. Their overly direct threats to “slaughter entire families” immediately expose them, causing them to lose.
• Bai Heyu, who normally performs poorly at the game, unexpectedly identifies all three Demonic Cultivators in the first round. His feather fan displays the message: “Practice more if you’re bad.”
• Over the following days, the trio repeatedly loses to the Rogue Cultivators, even when assigned to the righteous side. Some sympathetic players teach them basic strategies, receiving promises that the trio will stop threatening to massacre their families.
• The tournament attracts more than three hundred Rogue Cultivators. Blackstone Sect disciples reveal themselves and maintain order to prevent real fights in the mortal city.
• Ding Zhen and his companions receive a special warning because of their constant talk of mass murder. Gradually, they begin to suspect that some of the supposed Rogue Cultivators are actually disguised disciples of the Blackstone Sect.

Character Developments

• Ding Zhen begins as a cautious Demonic Cultivator but becomes fascinated by the confidence and sophistication of the tournament participants. He initially mistakes ordinary game strategies for profound Demonic Dao schemes.
• His two subordinates enthusiastically admire the “true Demonic Dao” methods they hear about, though their excitement is tempered by repeated humiliation during the game.
• All three learn that genuine cultivation and murderous intent do not automatically translate into skill at deception or deduction. Their blunt behavior makes them easy to identify.
• Bai Heyu unexpectedly succeeds at the game despite usually being bad at it. His accidental success gives him the amusing impression that he may secretly be a genius.
• Yang Shi acts as the tournament registrar and organizer, treating the trio’s confusion seriously while quietly guiding them into the game’s rules.
• The Blackstone Sect’s disguised disciples demonstrate that the tournament is not merely a gathering of Rogue Cultivators but also a controlled operation involving hidden identities.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: Genuine Demonic Cultivators are outperformed by people merely pretending to be demons, while righteous cultivators hide among Rogue Cultivators.
• Deception and misinterpretation: Ding Zhen repeatedly interprets ordinary behavior through the lens of Demonic Dao intrigue, creating comic misunderstandings.
• Practice and humility: The title’s lesson is literal—being powerful or ruthless is not enough; success requires learning, observation, and repeated practice.
• Role-playing and identity: The tournament blurs the boundaries between righteous and demonic factions, showing how easily identity can be fabricated or manipulated.
• Comedy through dramatic contrast: The trio believes they are witnessing terrifying demonic experts, but the “deadly schemes” are actually exaggerated discussions surrounding a board game.

Character Interactions

• Ding Zhen questions the Rogue Cultivators about impersonating Divine Mechanism Daoist, leading to an extended exchange in which he mistakes their game strategies for real plans to massacre immortals.
• Yang Shi registers the trio and explains why their own masks are forbidden, while Ding Zhen interprets the restriction as part of an advanced trial.
• Bai Heyu defeats the trio through the game and mocks their poor performance with the message, “Practice more if you’re bad.”
• The trio’s frustration nearly escalates into real violence, but Ding Zhen restrains his subordinates and recognizes that they cannot simply attack stronger opponents.
• Kind-hearted Rogue Cultivators eventually teach them how to play, creating a humorous relationship between the genuine Demonic Cultivators and the people pretending to be demons.
• The chapter ends with Ding Zhen beginning to realize that some participants may be disguised Blackstone Sect disciples, hinting that the tournament contains deeper layers of deception.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ding Zhen and his two Bloodsoul Valley companions grow increasingly anxious after realizing that four Blackstone Sect disciples are undercover in the Demon Venerable Tournament. They fear the tournament may be a trap.
• Despite their fear, Ding Zhen refuses to flee, since doing so would expose them. He insists they continue participating while secretly preparing to recruit demonic-minded rogue cultivators and plant the Bloodburst Landmine Formation at the upcoming Rogue Cultivator Market.
• The group realizes that the supposedly righteous Blackstone Sect disciples are far more convincing and ruthless in their demonic roles than the actual Bloodsoul Valley cultivators, causing them to question their own identities.
• Yang Genshuo, who has already identified the Bloodsoul Valley infiltrators through character cards, quietly puts countermeasures in place and warns Yang Shi not to approach them too closely.
• Yang Shi prepares fresh strawberry milk tea for Murong Ziyan. Though she initially maintains her aloof senior-sister persona, she secretly enjoys the drink immensely, revealing a much softer and more childlike side.
• Yang Genshuo uses Murong Ziyan’s reaction to determine her preferences and plans to build a favorable relationship with her through food.
• Yang Shi’s reputation among the rogue cultivators continues to grow. His fairness, expertise in the tabletop games, and willingness to resolve disputes impartially earn him considerable trust and influence.
• The Demon Venerable Tournament finals begin. Bai Heyu reaches the top twelve through shameless dedication and assistance with tournament arrangements, while Ding Zhen becomes the unwilling host instead of carrying out his intended sabotage.
• Jiang Xiaobai wins the tournament through superior skill, earning the title of Demon Venerable and receiving a Middle-Grade Dharma Artifact, the Flowing Water Sword, as her prize.
• After the tournament, the rogue cultivators reflect on the lessons they learned and the friendships formed during the games. They recognize that the upcoming market may return them to the dangerous reality of competing for cultivation resources.
• As everyone worries about possible violence after the market, Yang Shi steps forward to address the crowd.

Character Developments

• Ding Zhen remains cautious and strategically minded, but his predicament becomes increasingly ironic: despite being a genuine demonic cultivator, he appears less ruthless and less convincing than the Blackstone Sect impostors. His frustration deepens when he is forced to host the finals.
• The Bloodsoul Valley underlings share Ding Zhen’s anxiety and self-doubt, realizing that their straightforward behavior makes them seem more like righteous cultivators.
• Yang Genshuo demonstrates careful planning and superior intelligence by uncovering the infiltrators in advance and arranging safeguards while also manipulating relationships through seemingly ordinary acts of hospitality.
• Yang Shi gains social authority among the rogue cultivators. His impartiality and competence make him respected despite his lack of spiritual roots.
• Murong Ziyan briefly drops her dignified, distant image while enjoying Yang Shi’s milk tea, exposing her concealed childishness and strong fondness for sweets.
• Jiang Xiaobai proves that her two and a half years of practice have made her overwhelmingly skilled at Demonic Dao Kill. Her victory validates her expertise and strengthens her bond with Yang Shi, whom she proudly calls “Brother.”
• Bai Heyu shows his talent for shameless self-promotion and social maneuvering by securing a finals position and volunteering for ceremonial duties.

Significant Themes

• Appearance versus reality: Righteous Blackstone Sect disciples can behave more convincingly like demons than actual demonic cultivators, challenging assumptions based on labels and appearances.
• Actions versus words: The tabletop game teaches the rogue cultivators to judge people by their behavior rather than their claims.
• Temporary harmony amid danger: The tournament creates cooperation, trust, and enjoyment among people who may soon become enemies over resources.
• The contrast between play and reality: The peaceful, social world of the game is only temporary; outside it lies the brutal struggle of cultivation and survival.
• Influence through ordinary kindness: Food, fairness, and entertainment allow Yang Shi and Yang Genshuo to build relationships and political influence without relying on force.
• Hidden identities and role reversal: Demonic cultivators pretend to be harmless, righteous disciples pretend to be demons, and a mortal without spiritual roots becomes an important figure among cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Ding Zhen and his companions discuss how to deceive the Blackstone Sect disciples and recruit suitable rogue cultivators, though their honesty makes them feel inadequate as demons.
• Yang Genshuo indirectly monitors Murong Ziyan and instructs Yang Shi to cultivate her goodwill through milk tea.
• Murong Ziyan accepts Yang Shi’s service with outward indifference but privately enjoys it, creating a humorous contrast between her words and behavior.
• Yang Shi’s fair handling of disputes earns him the respect of the rogue cultivators and strengthens his position as a trusted organizer.
• Bai Heyu appoints Ding Zhen as the finals host, unintentionally preventing him from carrying out the Bloodsoul Valley’s sabotage plan.
• Jiang Xiaobai celebrates her victory by waving the Flowing Water Sword toward Yang Shi and calling out to him, reinforcing their close mentor-like relationship.
• At the chapter’s end, Yang Shi prepares to speak to the assembled rogue cultivators about the dangers surrounding the market transaction.

Chapter Summary: “Bluestone Market, Open!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Shi addresses the gathered Blackstone Sect disciples and Rogue Cultivators about the unfairness and danger of robbery in traditional Rogue Cultivator markets.
• He exposes the hypocrisy of cultivators who fear being robbed by stronger opponents but remain unwilling to promise they will not rob weaker ones.
• Ding Zhen, a demonic cultivator, openly defends the law of the jungle, arguing that cultivators should seize opportunities for their own advancement.
• Yang Shi challenges Ding Zhen’s confidence by pointing out that no cultivator can be certain they are the strongest person present. Even a powerful cultivator could be defeated by hidden experts or coordinated resistance.
• Yang Shi, guided by Yang Genshuo’s manifested words, delivers an impassioned speech arguing that tradition does not make killing and plundering right. He proposes a market based on exchange, mutual benefit, and cooperation.
• He suggests moving the Rogue Cultivator Market from Whitewater River to Bluestone County, where the Blackstone Sect can provide protection.
• Murong Ziyan grants Yang Shi the official title and authority of Blackstone Walker, represented by a talisman that allows him to command local Blackstone Sect guards.
• With this endorsement, Yang Shi announces the opening of the Bluestone Market, promising that it will be “standardized, transparent, and supervised.”
• The Rogue Cultivators quickly accept the new arrangement and rush to claim stalls, successfully establishing the market under the Yang Family’s leadership.
• Meanwhile, the old Whitewater River Market is nearly deserted, demonstrating the immediate success of Bluestone Market.
• At the Ge Family’s estate, Ge Xiangying equips Ge Tan with an Iron-Spined Gray Wolf and sends him toward Bluestone County. Ge Tan intends to recover the Fasting Cake recipe and considers his mission and opponent beneath him.

Character Developments

• Yang Shi grows from a clever market organizer into a persuasive public leader. His speech demonstrates political awareness, moral conviction, and an ability to unite disparate cultivators.
• Yang Genshuo gains confidence in his planning after seeing his strategy succeed. He recognizes that Yang Shi’s execution and charisma exceed his expectations.
• Murong Ziyan shows practical support for Yang Shi and the Yang Family by granting him Blackstone Walker status, though she warns him to protect the Blackstone Sect’s reputation.
• Ding Zhen is revealed as openly ruthless and committed to survival through domination and plunder. Yang Shi’s argument forces him to reconsider whether he is truly invincible.
• Bai Heyu and the other Blackstone Sect disciples gain greater understanding of the hardships faced by Rogue Cultivators and the social conditions that encourage demonic cultivation.
• Ge Tan becomes more confident after advancing to the Qi Refining Realm. His arrogance suggests he underestimates the dangers awaiting him in Bluestone County.
• Old Beggar Qiao remains secretly amused and irritated by Yang Shi’s unintentional suggestion that he might be a hidden expert.

Significant Themes

• Order versus lawlessness: The chapter contrasts unregulated markets, where strength determines ownership, with a supervised system based on rules and protection.
• Mutual benefit versus selfish advancement: Yang Shi argues that trade allows everyone to gain, while robbery creates a cycle in which all cultivators fear becoming victims.
• Tradition does not equal justice: The claim that Rogue Cultivator markets have “always been like this” is challenged as an excuse for continuing harmful practices.
• Power and legitimacy: The Blackstone Sect’s official backing transforms Yang Shi’s proposal from an idealistic speech into a credible institution.
• Social reform through cooperation: The Bluestone Market represents an attempt to improve the lives of weaker cultivators through organization rather than individual strength.
• Hidden strength and uncertainty: Yang Shi emphasizes that no one can know who may be stronger or more dangerous, discouraging reckless aggression.

Character Interactions

• Yang Shi debates the Rogue Cultivators and directly challenges Ding Zhen’s worldview.
• Bai Heyu and her junior disciples discuss why Rogue Cultivators struggle to obtain resources, prompting Bai Heyu to acknowledge their difficult circumstances.
• Yang Shi’s argument causes the assembled cultivators to reflect on their own vulnerability and the instability of their current system.
• Murong Ziyan publicly supports Yang Shi by giving him the Blackstone Walker talisman, establishing a formal alliance between him and the Blackstone Sect.
• Yang Shi respectfully thanks Murong Ziyan and accepts responsibility for managing the market.
• Ge Xiangying equips Ge Tan for his journey, while Ge Tan confidently declares his intention to reclaim the Fasting Cake recipe.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Blackstone Sect’s five-person group remains in Bluestone County, deterring rogue cultivators and creating an unusually safe, orderly market. Legitimate commerce flourishes.
• Yang Shi sells the family’s surplus Spirit Rice for 50 Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Combined with previous earnings, the Yang Family possesses 73 Spirit Stones.
• Yang Shi gives Jiang Xiaobai 12 Spirit Stones to support her cultivation. Although she initially refuses, he emphasizes that her strength is vital to the family.
• Guided by Yang Genshuo’s ability to detect spiritual power, Yang Shi purchases two valuable items:
  • A Marrow Cleansing Pill for 18 Spirit Stones, which can purify the body, improve aptitude, and strengthen Martial Cultivators.
  • The Springwood Longevity Technique for 40 Spirit Stones, a wood-element cultivation method suitable for Jiang Xiaobai. It allows cultivation to Peak Qi Refining, absorbs plant essence, extends lifespan, and includes three spells: Universal Growth Art, Springwood Rejuvenation Technique, and Wood Spirit Possession.
• The purchases leave the family with only three Spirit Stones. Yang Shi considers selling three Magma Fruits but follows Yang Genshuo’s advice to feed them to Little Flame so it can grow into a protective Spirit Beast.
• As the market closes, Ding Zhen and his subordinates admit they failed to recruit anyone into the Demonic Dao. The peaceful and prosperous market has deprived them of the hatred, jealousy, and rage they usually exploit.
• Ding Zhen recalls how his father was murdered while trying to buy him a Marrow Cleansing Pill, leading him into the Demonic Dao. Despite his past, he ultimately refuses to sabotage Yang Shi’s teahouse because Yang Shi treated him kindly.
• Bai Heyu and the Blackstone Sect disciples confront Ding Zhen. Murong Ziyan, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, suppresses the group. Because they stopped themselves from committing violence, she spares them but orders them to accompany her to Blackstone Sect.
• That night, Ge Tan secretly enters the Treasured Goods Pavilion and awakens Liao Cao by presenting an enormous wolf’s head. He demands to know who killed the Ge Family’s retainer.

Character Developments

• Yang Shi demonstrates increasing responsibility as a family leader. He prioritizes Jiang Xiaobai’s cultivation and spends nearly all the family’s resources on items that will improve their long-term strength.
• Jiang Xiaobai becomes more emotionally attached to Yang Shi and reacts shyly when he refers to them as “family.” Her concern for his well-being also reveals her affection and selflessness.
• Yang Genshuo continues to serve as the family’s strategic guide, identifying valuable goods and recognizing the greater benefit of raising Little Flame rather than selling the Magma Fruits.
• Ding Zhen experiences a moral hesitation. Though shaped by trauma and committed to the Demonic Dao, he cannot bring himself to harm people who have shown him kindness. His decision suggests that his hatred is weakening.
• Ding Zhen’s subordinates also display independent moral judgment, refusing to attack the teahouse because Yang Shi treated them fairly.
• Murong Ziyan acts as a stern but merciful authority, rewarding Ding Zhen’s last-minute restraint while ensuring he faces consequences.
• Ge Tan is shown as threatening and relentless, beginning an interrogation connected to the death of a Ge Family retainer.

Significant Themes

• Prosperity through order and trust: The regulated market demonstrates how safety and fairness can replace violence and exploitation.
• Family and sacrifice: Yang Shi spends almost all available resources to strengthen the family, while Jiang Xiaobai’s reluctance reflects her concern for him.
• Redemption and moral restraint: Ding Zhen and his followers are capable of choosing mercy despite their Demonic Dao background.
• The cycle of hatred: Ding Zhen’s traumatic past explains his cultivation path, while the peaceful market offers a glimpse of a life free from the violence that created him.
• Long-term investment: The family chooses cultivation methods, body refinement, and a future Spirit Beast over immediate profit.

Character Interactions

• Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai discuss cultivation resources, family responsibilities, and their increasingly intimate relationship.
• Yang Shi relies on Yang Genshuo’s judgment when selecting the Marrow Cleansing Pill, Springwood Longevity Technique, and the use of the Magma Fruits.
• Ding Zhen’s group reflects on Yang Shi’s kindness and debates whether to betray him, ultimately refusing to do so.
• Bai Heyu and Murong Ziyan confront the Demonic Dao cultivators, combining mockery, intimidation, and conditional mercy.
• Ge Tan confronts Liao Cao in a sudden, threatening encounter, setting up a new mystery involving the murdered Ge Family retainer.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai study the Jade Slip of the Springwood Longevity Technique. Jiang explains that the slip contains spiritual-power trajectories, making it inaccessible to ordinary Martial Cultivators without spiritual energy.
• Ge Tan and the Iron-Spined Gray Wolf arrive at the Yang residence bound and spiritually sealed by the Old Beggar. A message reveals that the Old Beggar took all the coffee from the teahouse while saving the Yang family from the attackers.
• Yang Shi and Huzi interrogate the captives through repeated whipping. The scene becomes comedic when Jiang Xiaobai points out that Ge Tan’s mouth was sealed the entire time. Once freed, Ge Tan angrily reveals that they were pursuing the Compressed Biscuit recipe to create a cheaper version of the Grain-Repelling Pill, which could sell for valuable Spirit Stones.
• Yang Genshuo realizes that replacing ordinary wheat flour with Spirit Wheat Flour could allow the Yang family to produce a profitable low-grade Spirit Meal. He plans to manufacture it and send it into the cultivation world.
• Over the following months, several major developments occur:
  • Bluestone Market’s rogue cultivators leave, and Murong Ziyan departs with her disciples and the demonic cultivators. Yang Shi gives her candy and chocolate; she secretly leaves him three defensive Talismans.
  • Yang Shi breaks through from the seventh to the eighth level of Body Tempering after using a Marrow Cleansing Pill, increasing the family’s martial virtue.
  • Jiang Xiaobai masters the Springwood Longevity Technique, uses Growth of All Things to enhance the Spirit Field, and awakens the Earth-Grade talent Wood Affinity.
  • After repeatedly being revived and fed Fire Dragon Fruit, the Iron-Spined Gray Wolf submits and becomes the Yang family’s guardian Spirit Beast.
  • Jiang Xiaobai reaches the Third Layer of Embryonic Breath by absorbing a Low-Grade Spirit Stone.
• During the annual ancestral sacrifice, Yang Genshuo receives Spirit Wheat, Spiritual Soil, and Essence-Sealing Rejuvenation Pills from the descendants.
• Yang Genshuo receives a large shipment of modern goods—coffee, milk tea powder, candy, chocolate, and Three Kingdoms Kill cards—and sends them into the cultivation world. The coffee shortage caused by the Old Beggar is especially troublesome for the Yang family’s teahouse.
• After consuming Spirit Rice and using the pills, Yang Genshuo rapidly loses weight and regains a youthful appearance. Delighted by his transformation, he admires himself and boasts about his renewed attractiveness.
• He transports Spiritual Soil and Spirit Wheat to Shimen Agricultural University, asking Cheng Bo to develop Hybrid Spirit Rice Paddy, then drives to the Red Maple Food Factory to investigate mass-producing Spirit Wheat-based Compressed Biscuits.

Character Developments

• Yang Shi becomes stronger, reaching the eighth Body Tempering level, and proves capable of handling threats after the attackers’ spiritual power is sealed.
• Jiang Xiaobai makes major cultivation progress. Her mastery of the Wood-aligned technique enhances both her spiritual aptitude and the Yang family’s farming prospects.
• Yang Genshuo increasingly acts as the family’s strategist and entrepreneur, recognizing the commercial value of Spirit Wheat and planning large-scale agricultural and food-production projects.
• Ge Tan is reduced from a threatening young cultivator to a frightened, cooperative captive after interrogation.
• The Iron-Spined Gray Wolf transitions from enemy to loyal guardian after repeated mistreatment, near-death experiences, and care from the Yang family.
• Murong Ziyan remains outwardly cold but demonstrates goodwill by secretly leaving Yang Shi defensive Talismans.

Significant Themes

• Cross-world innovation: Modern food technology and cultivation resources are combined to create new products such as Spirit-based fasting cakes.
• Commercialization of cultivation: Spiritual materials are treated as valuable commodities, with the Yang family seeking to turn agricultural products into a major source of wealth.
• Growth through adaptation: Characters and creatures change their roles as circumstances shift—the wolf becomes a guardian, Jiang Xiaobai develops into a capable spiritual farmer, and Yang Genshuo expands from ancestor and observer into an active planner.
• Humor amid danger: Brutal interrogation, sealed mouths, coffee theft, and the wolf’s repeated resuscitations keep the chapter comedic despite its cultivation conflicts.
• Family prosperity and protection: The Yang family’s rising strength, improved products, defensive Talismans, and Spirit Beast guardian all contribute to building a safer and more prosperous household.

Character Interactions

• Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai study cultivation together, with Jiang teaching him about spiritual techniques.
• Yang Shi, Huzi, and Jiang Xiaobai participate in the interrogation of Ge Tan and the wolf, producing a mixture of intimidation and slapstick.
• Yang Genshuo directs Yang Shi’s future business efforts while Yang Shi manages the family’s affairs in the cultivation world.
• Jiang Xiaobai’s cultivation directly improves the Spirit Field, linking her personal growth to the family’s agricultural success.
• The Yang family gradually forms a relationship of reluctant trust with the Iron-Spined Gray Wolf, culminating in its acceptance as their guardian.
• Yang Genshuo begins cooperating with Cheng Bo and the Red Maple Food Factory to move Spirit agriculture and Spirit food production toward large-scale development.

Chapter Summary: “Thieves”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Genshuo visits Red Maple Food Factory in Huquan County to arrange production of his Spirit Wheat–based compressed biscuits.
• He unexpectedly reunites with his former classmate, Xu Mengqi, now working in the factory’s business department. She helps him rent a production line, and he pays a 20,000-yuan startup fee.
• Yang warns the factory that the fifty jin of Spirit Wheat is extremely valuable and must not be wasted. The first samples will be ready in two days.
• Xu Mengqi is impressed by Yang’s wealth and mysterious business confidence, especially after seeing him arrive and leave in a Bentley Bentayga. She invites him to dinner.
• Back at the teahouse, Yang notices three previously hidden Character Cards outside the entrance. The figures are concealed by Light-Bending Art.
• The intruders are members of the Miao family: Miao Renfeng and two companions. They plan to steal nine boxes of Three Kingdoms Kill cards, which can be sold for ten Spirit Stones per box on the black market.
• The thieves believe the teahouse lacks defenses and intend to kill anyone who discovers them.
• Yang realizes that Yang Shi, Jiang Xiaobai, and Huzi are inside the teahouse sorting supplies. He immediately grants all three a blessing that improves their vitality and mental clarity.
• Yang warns them that hostile thieves are approaching and marks the enemies’ positions and strengths. The three extinguish the lights and prepare to defend the building.
• The Miao family thieves enter the dark teahouse, while Yang Shi begins planning a counterattack using coordinated techniques, military strategy, and the Thirty-Six Stratagems.

Character Developments

• Yang Genshuo: Demonstrates growing confidence and influence in the modern world. He successfully uses his resources to establish a production arrangement and recognizes the danger posed by the thieves, quickly taking command of the situation.
• Xu Mengqi: Reconnects with Yang as a former classmate. Her initial professional reserve shifts into admiration and curiosity after seeing his expensive car and realizing that he is involved in an unusual, potentially lucrative business.
• Yang Shi: Becomes more perceptive and responsible, immediately recognizing that Yang Genshuo’s blessing signals danger. He takes charge of the defensive response and prepares to use strategy rather than relying only on brute force.
• Jiang Xiaobai and Huzi: Both respond quickly to the emergency and follow Yang Shi’s commands. Huzi experiences Yang Genshuo’s blessing for the first time, deepening his awareness of the ancestor’s power.
• Miao Renfeng and the other thieves: Are revealed as skilled infiltrators with concealment and theft abilities, but they are overconfident about the teahouse’s lack of defenses and underestimate its occupants.

Significant Themes

• Modern wealth versus cultivation-world power: Yang’s Bentley and business dealings contrast with the Spirit Stones, cultivation techniques, and supernatural abilities of the thieves.
• Protection of valuable resources: The Spirit Wheat and Three Kingdoms Kill cards represent rare commodities that attract both legitimate business interest and criminal threats.
• Faith and ancestral protection: Yang Shi interprets Yang Genshuo’s intervention as an ancestral blessing, showing how the family’s belief system strengthens their unity and readiness.
• Strategy over strength: The coming confrontation emphasizes preparation, coordination, concealment, and tactical thinking rather than direct combat alone.
• Appearances and hidden power: The thieves use Light-Bending Art to remain unseen, while Yang’s ordinary-looking teahouse hides capable defenders and supernatural support.

Character Interactions

• Yang Genshuo and Xu Mengqi reconnect warmly, teasing each other about their appearance and discussing his new product. Their conversation develops into a possible renewed personal connection when Xu invites him to dinner.
• Yang Genshuo communicates with Yang Shi, Jiang Xiaobai, and Huzi through blessings and written golden warnings, guiding them without physically entering the cultivation world.
• Yang Shi and the others cooperate closely, trusting Yang Genshuo’s warning and following his instructions to extinguish the lights and prepare an ambush.
• The Miao thieves coordinate among themselves, with the younger members expressing concern about provoking the Blackstone Sect while Miao Renfeng dismisses the danger and orders them to kill any witnesses.
• The chapter ends with both sides inside the darkened teahouse, poised for a strategic confrontation.

Chapter Summary: Encircling and Slaying Rogue Cultivators

Key Plot Points and Events

• The three Miao Family cultivators use the Light-Bending Art to infiltrate Yang Shi’s teahouse, but the darkness around them betrays their positions. Yang Shi quickly devises a plan to separate and defeat them individually.
• When the Miao brothers split up to search the building, Huzi orders the Iron-Spined Gray Wolf to ambush Miao San. The powerful Azure Wolf knocks him unconscious in a single charge.
• Miao Renfeng attacks the wolf with flames, while Miao Lao’er attempts to assault Yang Shi and the others. The attackers spray Miao Lao’er with concentrated chili water, temporarily overwhelming his senses.
• Yang Shi takes advantage of the opening and engages Miao Lao’er with the Flowing Water Sword and his Trace-Free Sword Technique. Miao Lao’er’s defensive tortoise-shell Magical Tool protects him from repeated strikes.
• Miao Renfeng battles the Azure Wolf with fire techniques, forcing it to retreat and burning it several times. Jiang Xiaobai attempts to extinguish the flames with the Spirit Rain Art, but her initial effort is overwhelmed.
• Yang Shi strengthens the Spirit Rain Art through the blessing system, producing a torrential downpour that suppresses Miao Renfeng’s fire and gives the wolf the opportunity to attack.
• While Miao Renfeng is distracted, Little Flame kills the unconscious Miao San.
• Yang Shi eventually shatters Miao Lao’er’s defensive artifact and kills him with a sword strike to the throat.
• Realizing the fight is lost, Miao Renfeng uses the Entanglement Art and a smoke-producing technique to escape across the rooftops.
• At Yang Shi’s command, Jiang Xiaobai fires the Moonlight Mirror, severely wounding Miao Renfeng. Yang Shi catches up and finishes him with a single sword strike.
• The group retrieves the Miao brothers’ bodies to search for valuables.

Character Developments

• Yang Shi demonstrates strong tactical judgment, coordinating the ambush and exploiting each enemy’s weakness. His swordsmanship improves significantly when combined with the Flowing Water Sword, allowing him to defeat a higher-level cultivator.
• Huzi continues to serve as an effective battlefield coordinator, directing the Azure Wolf’s attacks at crucial moments.
• The Iron-Spined Gray Wolf proves its extraordinary physical strength and speed, though its low cultivation level leaves it vulnerable to powerful fire techniques.
• Jiang Xiaobai shows initiative by using the Spirit Rain Art to counter Miao Renfeng’s flames. Although her first attempt fails, Yang Shi’s enhanced version turns the battle in their favor.
• Little Flame displays stealth and combat intelligence, quietly killing Miao San while the others are distracted.
• Miao Renfeng is revealed to be cautious and skilled but ultimately unable to overcome coordinated teamwork and elemental counterattacks. His attempt to flee fails.
• Miao Lao’er relies heavily on his defensive Magical Tool and underestimates Yang Shi, whom he dismisses as a mere martial fighter.

Significant Themes

• Teamwork versus individual strength: The Miao brothers are individually capable, but Yang Shi’s group defeats them by coordinating attacks and isolating targets.
• Strategy and adaptability: The protagonists use darkness, chili water, ambushes, spirit beasts, and elemental techniques rather than relying solely on direct combat.
• Elemental opposition: Water counters fire, illustrating the importance of understanding and exploiting the Five Elements.
• Underestimation and arrogance: Miao Lao’er’s contempt for Yang Shi causes him to overlook the danger posed by his swordsmanship and magical equipment.
• Preparation and hidden advantages: The protagonists’ traps, spirit beasts, blessings, and charged Moonlight Mirror show how preparation can overcome differences in cultivation.
• Merciless survival: The battle ends with the complete destruction of the Miao Family group, emphasizing the harsh and unforgiving nature of the cultivation world.

Character Interactions

• Yang Shi directs Huzi, Jiang Xiaobai, and the spirit beasts throughout the fight, acting as the group’s central strategist.
• Huzi and the Iron-Spined Gray Wolf work together to ambush Miao San and pressure Miao Renfeng.
• Jiang Xiaobai’s water-based techniques support the wolf and neutralize Miao Renfeng’s fire attacks.
• Little Flame secretly assists the group by killing Miao San at the decisive moment.
• Yang Shi and Miao Lao’er engage in a direct duel, with Yang Shi overcoming the latter’s defensive artifact and killing him.
• Miao Renfeng repeatedly calls for his brothers and reacts emotionally to their deaths, but ultimately attempts to flee alone before being killed by Yang Shi.

Chapter Summary: “The Linkage Between Martial Cultivators and Immortal Cultivators”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Shi and his companions defeat the three Miao brothers, notorious thieves from the Miao Family. Using the Middle-Grade Flowing Water Sword and his Trace-Free Sword Technique, Yang Shi personally kills two Embryonic Breath cultivators.
• The Iron-Spined Gray Wolf plays a crucial role by immediately defeating one enemy and restraining Miao Renfeng, the strongest opponent, allowing Yang Shi to eliminate Miao Er.
• Jiang Xiaobai uses the Moonlight Mirror to prevent the final enemy from escaping, though the artifact is completely drained and will require six months to recharge.
• The group returns to the damaged teahouse and divides the spoils: Spirit Stones, concealed weapons, Spirit-Recovery Pills, a Low-Grade Spellbreaking Dagger, and the Five-Element Transfer Art.
• The Five-Element Transfer Art is designed for cultivators with Five-Element Spiritual Roots. It promises exceptional strength and the ability to fight above one’s realm, but requires five times the normal cultivation time. Yang Genshuo dismisses it as impractical because cultivators may die before completing it.
• The technique also contains five basic elemental spells, while the Miao brothers’ more specialized abilities—Light-Bending Art and Empty-Handed Theft—appear to be secret lineage techniques.
• Yang Genshuo examines Yang Shi’s updated attributes and discovers that the Marrow Cleansing Pill improved his lifespan and comprehension, while continued cultivation and the Mind Illumination Formula upgraded his talent.
• He begins considering whether martial internal arts can enhance immortal cultivators’ talents, suggesting a possible connection between martial cultivation and immortal cultivation.
• The accelerated timeline records several later developments: Jiang Xiaobai begins practicing the Mind Illumination Formula, Huzi advances and gains the “Overlord” talent, Little Flame reaches the Embryonic Breath Fourth Layer, Yang Shi improves his sword technique through sudden enlightenment, and Jiang Xiaobai turns eighteen.

Character Development

• Yang Shi: Demonstrates major combat growth, advancing to the Eighth Level of Body Tempering and successfully killing two Embryonic Breath cultivators. His mastery of the Flowing Water Sword and Trace-Free Sword Technique increases dramatically, eventually reaching a level described as mastery born of long practice.
• Jiang Xiaobai: Shows tactical importance by using the Moonlight Mirror to secure victory. She later begins practicing the Mind Illumination Formula, potentially opening a path to improving her already valuable Wood Affinity talent.
• Huzi: Continues progressing as a martial cultivator, reaching the Body Tempering Sixth Layer, beginning the Overbearing Qi Formula, and gaining the Overlord talent.
• Iron-Spined Gray Wolf: Establishes itself as a decisive battle asset and later guards the teahouse, deterring hostile cultivators.
• Little Flame: Advances rapidly after consuming a Magma Fruit, reaching the Embryonic Breath Fourth Layer.
• Yang Genshuo: Gains a deeper understanding of how pills, talents, internal arts, and cultivation may interact. He becomes particularly interested in testing martial cultivation principles on immortal cultivators.

Significant Themes

• Cooperation between different cultivation paths: The victory depends on the combined strengths of martial cultivators, immortal cultivators, and spirit beasts rather than one person acting alone.
• Talent versus cultivation time: The Five-Element Transfer Art raises the question of whether overwhelming potential is worthwhile when advancement is painfully slow.
• Hidden potential and growth: Yang Shi’s improved attributes show that cultivation, pills, and mental techniques can alter a person’s natural limits.
• The connection between martial and immortal cultivation: Yang Genshuo theorizes that internal martial arts might strengthen spiritual talents, while improved talents could in turn accelerate spellcasting and cultivation.
• Preparation and defensive advantages: Yang Shi’s willingness to take risks is made possible by the powerful defensive Talismans provided by Murong Ziyan, emphasizing the importance of preparation and equipment.
• Reputation and security: The Miao brothers’ corpses and the presence of the Iron-Spined Gray Wolf warn other cultivators not to target the teahouse.

Character Interactions

• Yang Shi and the Iron-Spined Gray Wolf work together closely in battle, with the wolf restraining the strongest opponent while Yang Shi handles the weaker enemies.
• Jiang Xiaobai supports Yang Shi’s plan by using the Moonlight Mirror to block escape, despite the heavy cost to the artifact.
• Huzi assists after the battle by looting and organizing the enemies’ possessions.
• Yang Genshuo analyzes the group’s development from outside the world, commenting on the effectiveness of their weapons, pills, techniques, and talents.
• Yang Shi later spars with Liu Wuhen, and the practice session triggers a sudden breakthrough in his sword technique.

Chapter Summary: The Origins of the “Mind Illumination Formula”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai marry in a lavish wedding attended by nearly everyone important in Bluestone County, though the secluded Xiang Residence remains uninvolved. Their marriage also fulfills Yang Genshuo’s original matchmaking plan.
• After the wedding, the couple reflects on their shared past as two lonely people who became one another’s family.
• Their marriage unlocks a new Yang Family blessing: Spirit Infusion, which can increase the innate talent of a fetus carried by a pregnant Yang Family member. Each use costs 200 Incense Value, but Yang Genshuo has only 168, making the blessing temporarily unaffordable.
• Yang Genshuo accelerates time and observes several developments:
  • Liu Wuhen and his daughter Liu Zihan visit the Yang household.
  • The spirit rice and wheat harvests improve because Jiang Xiaobai uses the Universal Growth Art.
  • Jiang Xiaobai successfully enters the Mind Illumination Formula, develops inner breath, and strengthens her Wood Affinity talent.
• Concerned by the technique’s unusual effects, Yang Genshuo orders Yang Shi to ask Liu Wuhen about its origins.
• Liu Wuhen reveals that he did not create the technique. He obtained it during a youthful adventure and later discovered its deeper value after reaching the Innate Grandmaster Realm.
• The technique was created by the mysterious Great Nai Martial God, regarded as the greatest Innate Grandmaster under Heaven. Despite being a martial artist, he was powerful enough to kill Qi Refining cultivators.
• Yang Genshuo decides that Yang Shi should pursue the martial path and potentially seek out the Great Nai Martial God, since Yang Shi lacks a Spiritual Root and has little realistic chance of entering immortal cultivation.
• The chapter ends with Jiang Xiaobai becoming pregnant, creating the first opportunity to test the Spirit Infusion blessing once enough Incense Value is accumulated.

Character Developments

• Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai transition from adopted siblings and companions into a married couple. Their relationship is portrayed as genuine, affectionate, and rooted in years of mutual dependence.
• Jiang Xiaobai demonstrates major progress in both cultivation and practical abilities. Her mastery of the Mind Illumination Formula evolves her Wood Affinity into Wood Affinity+, increasing her wood-element cultivation speed and spell power by 13%.
• Yang Genshuo becomes increasingly focused on long-term family development. He weighs the high cost of Spirit Infusion against other valuable uses of Incense Value and begins planning for the unborn child’s future.
• Liu Wuhen reveals more of his mysterious past, including his connection to the Mind Illumination Formula and the existence of Yang Shi’s powerful cultivator mistress.
• Liu Zihan continues to show romantic affection for Yang Shi despite his marriage, while Liu Wuhen openly encourages the possibility of him taking multiple wives.

Significant Themes

• Family and belonging: Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai’s marriage completes their emotional journey from isolated survivors to a true family.
• Investment in future generations: Spirit Infusion introduces the idea that Yang Genshuo’s greatest power may lie in improving descendants rather than directly strengthening current family members.
• Martial arts versus cultivation: The chapter emphasizes the limits imposed by Spiritual Roots while presenting martial training as a viable alternative for those excluded from the immortal path.
• Hidden origins and inherited power: The Mind Illumination Formula has an unknown history tied to an extraordinary martial figure, hinting at greater secrets and future opportunities.
• The cumulative value of talent: Jiang Xiaobai’s 3% talent improvement demonstrates how even seemingly small increases can become extremely meaningful over a long cultivation lifespan.

Important Character Interactions

• Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai share a tender conversation after their wedding, reaffirming that they have always regarded one another as family.
• Liu Zihan playfully invites Yang Shi to accompany her before teasingly dismissing him, revealing her continued affection and jealousy.
• Liu Wuhen criticizes Yang Shi for refusing to consider multiple wives, while Yang Shi counters by pointing out that Liu Wuhen himself has remained single.
• Yang Shi questions Liu Wuhen about the Mind Illumination Formula, leading to revelations about the Great Nai Martial God and Liu Wuhen’s mysterious wife.
• The final pregnancy connects Jiang Xiaobai and Yang Shi’s personal relationship to the larger Yang Family system and its future inheritance of talent.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Genshuo celebrates Jiang Xiaobai’s pregnancy, hoping the child will possess a Spiritual Root and become the beginning of a larger Yang Family lineage.
• To increase Incense Value before the annual market, he uses Manifestation to teach Yang Shi a “hunger marketing” strategy.
• At the next Bluestone Market, Yang Shi auctions fourteen newly produced sets of Three Kingdoms Kill cards, each bundled with a limited-edition divine card. The cards sell for 125 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, raising the Yang Family’s total assets above 100 Spirit Stones and granting 50 Incense Value.
• The ancestral tablets bestow the blessing Spiritual Essence on Jiang Xiaobai’s unborn child, strengthening the pregnancy and prompting Jiang Xiaobai to thank the ancestors.
• Yang Shi purchases three Marrow Cleansing Pills for himself, Jiang Xiaobai, and Huzi. He also buys a set of five Five-Element Spirit Pearls and five single-use formation stones from a talented but eccentric rogue-cultivator formation master.
• The Spirit Pearls are low-grade artifacts that can attack and track enemies, return automatically, and form a Five-Element Spirit-Gathering Formation. Jiang Xiaobai later uses them to increase her cultivation speed by 20%.
• During the market, Yang Genshuo discovers two masked Qi Refining cultivators from Bloodsoul Valley. They are observed escorting supplies from the Xiang Family estate, confirming that the Xiang Family may still be cooperating with the enemies responsible for the Yang Family’s blood feud.
• Because the Yang Family remains too weak to confront the Xiang Family or Bloodsoul Valley, Yang Genshuo orders Yang Shi to investigate cautiously and wait for a better opportunity.
• After the annual ancestral worship ceremony, the Yang Family receives Spirit Wheat and a Marrow Cleansing Pill as offerings. Yang Genshuo rewards the family with 100 tubs of Nescafé, which has become popular among rogue cultivators.
• In the fifth year, Huzi advances to the Seventh and then Eighth Level of Body Tempering after taking a Marrow Cleansing Pill. His aptitude and “Overlord” talent improve.
• Jiang Xiaobai reaches the Fourth Layer of Embryonic Breath while cultivating in the Spirit-Gathering Formation.
• While working in the Spirit Field at Tiger-Leopard Forest, Jiang Xiaobai suddenly experiences abdominal pain, suggesting that the birth of her child is imminent.

Character Developments

• Yang Genshuo: Becomes increasingly strategic in managing the family’s finances, reputation, and long-term growth. He develops hunger marketing for the card business, recognizes valuable talents, and remains cautious regarding the Xiang Family and Bloodsoul Valley.
• Yang Shi: Continues to act as the family’s public representative and trader. He improves his cultivation prospects through the Marrow Cleansing Pill and gains access to useful artifacts, while carefully concealing his lack of formation knowledge.
• Jiang Xiaobai: Receives the ancestral blessing during pregnancy, improves her cultivation with the Spirit Pearls, and reaches the Fourth Layer of Embryonic Breath. Her pregnancy enters its final stage.
• Huzi: Makes a major martial breakthrough, reaching the Eighth Level of Body Tempering. His improved aptitude and strengthened Overlord talent confirm his growing importance to the family.
• The rogue-cultivator formation master: Is revealed through his character information to possess extraordinary formation talent, though the Yang Family is not yet powerful enough to recruit him.

Significant Themes

• Family growth and legacy: The pregnancy represents the Yang Family’s transition from a tiny lineage toward a genuine immortal-cultivating clan.
• Resource accumulation and economic strategy: The family increases its strength through commerce, scarcity, and careful reinvestment rather than relying solely on cultivation.
• Patience and long-term planning: The Yang Family recognizes the threat posed by the Xiang Family and Bloodsoul Valley but chooses surveillance and preparation over reckless confrontation.
• Talent and opportunity: Valuable people and artifacts can appear among rogue cultivators, but the family’s ability to benefit from them depends on its current strength.
• Cultivation supported by technology and commerce: The card business, coffee, formations, and artifacts all contribute to the family’s development, blending mundane innovation with immortal cultivation.

Character Interactions

• Yang Genshuo guides Yang Shi in business and warns him not to expose weaknesses at the market.
• Yang Genshuo and Yang Shi discuss the formation master’s exceptional talent and the need to continue developing before attempting recruitment.
• The formation master sells Yang Shi the Five-Element Spirit Pearls and formation stones after explaining their uses.
• Yang Genshuo alerts Yang Shi to the Bloodsoul Valley cultivators and urges him to investigate without provoking the Xiang Family.
• Jiang Xiaobai thanks the ancestral tablets for blessing her and her unborn child.
• The Yang Family’s growing relationship with rogue cultivators is reinforced through the popularity of Three Kingdoms Kill and Nescafé, increasing both wealth and influence.

Chapter Summary: “Fallen Genius”

Key Plot Points and Events

• On the 180th day of the fifth year, Jiang Xiaobai gives birth to a son at the Yang Family Manor. The family’s prosperity increases, granting Yang Genshuo an additional 100 Incense.
• Yang Shi names the child Yang Fu and establishes a twenty-four-character generational naming system for the Yang family. The first character, “Fu,” is also declared a family precept.
• Yang Fu’s Character Card reveals exceptional potential:
  • A balanced Five-Element Spiritual Root, with each attribute initially at 30.
  • Heaven-Grade talent: Innate Wisdom Root, which further increases his spiritual roots and comprehension.
  • Earth-Grade talent: Genius’s Fall, granting nearly doubled cultivation speed before Foundation Establishment but reducing it by 99% afterward.
• Yang Genshuo realizes that Yang Fu may become an extraordinarily powerful cultivator before Foundation Establishment, but could be permanently trapped at that realm.
• Time is accelerated while the Yang family develops peacefully. Yang Shi spends his days practicing martial arts and caring for Yang Fu with Jiang Xiaobai.
• Yang Genshuo continues eating spirit rice with Lin Yue, whose health does not visibly improve despite the rice’s benefits. He remains concerned about her congenital illness.
• Yang Genshuo consumes a First-Grade Marrow Cleansing Pill. The pill expels large amounts of toxins from his body, causes him to lose significant weight, and dramatically improves his appearance, physical condition, and strength.
• Although Yang Shi appears content, reports about the Xiang Residence suggest that his unresolved hatred has not disappeared.
• The chapter ends when Xu Mengqi suddenly calls Yang Genshuo, reminding him that he has forgotten something important.

Character Development

• Yang Shi becomes a father and shows great joy and pride in Yang Fu. He also begins formalizing the Yang family’s identity and traditions by creating its generational naming order and family precept.
• Jiang Xiaobai successfully gives birth and quickly recovers due to her cultivation. She is affectionate toward Yang Fu and hopes he will inherit her ability to cultivate.
• Yang Fu is introduced as a gifted but potentially tragic genius. His immense aptitude promises rapid advancement, while his “Genius’s Fall” talent threatens to limit his ultimate achievement.
• Yang Genshuo experiences conflicting emotions over Yang Fu’s future and becomes more conscious of the need to accumulate Incense for the family’s long-term development. He also undergoes a major physical transformation after taking the Marrow Cleansing Pill.
• Lin Yue remains caring and considerate, thinking of her impoverished family and wanting to obtain spirit rice for her mother. Her illness, however, remains unresolved.
• Yang Genshuo’s observation of Yang Shi shows that he remains watchful and concerned about the family’s enemies, particularly the Xiang Residence.

Significant Themes

• Inherited legacy and family continuity: Yang Shi establishes naming traditions and family principles to ensure the Yang family survives and grows across generations.
• Great potential versus hidden limitation: Yang Fu’s talents embody the tension between extraordinary early success and an uncertain ultimate future.
• Cultivation and bodily transformation: The Marrow Cleansing Pill demonstrates how spiritual resources can restore Yang Genshuo’s health and vitality.
• Family prosperity and responsibility: The birth of Yang Fu strengthens the household but also increases Yang Genshuo’s investment in preserving and improving the family.
• Unresolved conflict beneath peaceful domestic life: Despite the family’s happiness, Yang Shi’s hatred and the threat from the Xiang Residence remain in the background.
• Limits of power and resources: Even spirit rice and powerful pills cannot immediately cure Lin Yue’s congenital illness, showing that some problems remain beyond the family’s current abilities.

Character Interactions

• Yang Shi and Yang Fu: Yang Fu immediately stops crying and appears to recognize his father, creating an emotional bond. Yang Shi proudly names him and celebrates his birth.
• Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai: They share parental hopes for Yang Fu, with Jiang Xiaobai offering to test his cultivation potential.
• Yang Shi and the Yang family members: He presents the generational naming system before the ancestral tablets, reinforcing his role as the family’s founder and spiritual leader.
• Yang Genshuo and Lin Yue: They share a warm meal and communicate through text. Lin Yue expresses concern for her mother, while Yang Genshuo quietly supports her by providing spirit rice.
• Yang Genshuo and Yang Shi’s family: Genshuo observes their peaceful life from outside the game while continuing to manage their growth and monitor possible threats.
• Yang Genshuo and Xu Mengqi: Their interaction is only beginning at the chapter’s end, when Xu Mengqi’s call interrupts his reflections and sets up the next development.

Chapter Summary: Fasting Cake Sales Problem

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Genshuo receives word that Xu Mengqi’s Compressed Biscuit samples are ready. She offers to deliver them to him and agrees to have dinner with him.
• Yang Genshuo remembers the Ge Family, a Spirit Plant Family that previously attacked the Yang Family’s interests in the Fasting Cake business. He asks Yang Shi about their reaction.
• The Ge Family has publicly declared that it will no longer participate in the Fasting Cake business, but Yang Genshuo distrusts this apparent surrender. Intelligence from the Beggars’ Sect suggests the Ge Family has tightened security around Green Bamboo Grove, implying that it may be plotting revenge.
• Liao Cao has transferred to Treasured Goods Pavilion’s headquarters in Jade Dragon Commandery to gather intelligence. He has proven loyal by selling Three Kingdoms Kill cards for Yang Shi and entrusting his family to Yang Shi’s protection.
• Yang Genshuo considers how to sell the newly prepared Spirit Meal Fasting Cakes:
  • Selling through Treasured Goods Pavilion would be safer but less profitable and could expose the Yang Family.
  • Selling elsewhere would bring higher profits and mislead the Ge Family about the cakes’ origin, but travel would expose the family to robbery or assassination.
• Because the Yang Family is still vulnerable, Yang Genshuo decides to delay sales, store the samples, and produce the remaining Spirit Wheat only after confirming the product’s quality.
• The third Demon Venerable Tournament is announced. Under Blackstone Sect supervision, Bluestone Market has become safer and more orderly, and Yang Shi has gained prestige among the Rogue Cultivators.
• Yang Genshuo holds a hundred-day banquet for Yang Fu. The child’s unusual spiritual radiance and intelligence impress the cultivators present. Bai Heyu predicts that Yang Fu has exceptional potential and gives him a protective jade pendant.
• The Yang Family’s Three Kingdoms Kill card profits collapse because imitations have flooded the market. Genuine cards earn only fourteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones, leaving the family unable to expand its assets.
• Before leaving, Bai Heyu delivers three talismans from Murong Ziyan to Yang Shi, hinting at a future message or arrangement.
• Yang Shi asks Bai Heyu why Blackstone Sect disciples ignore the stalls at the Rogue Cultivator Market. Bai Heyu explains that sect disciples consider ordinary Rogue Cultivator goods insignificant and instead trade through better channels. This prompts Yang Shi to ask where they usually obtain cultivation supplies.

Character Developments

• Yang Genshuo: Becomes increasingly cautious and strategic. He recognizes that the Ge Family’s apparent retreat is likely deceptive and prioritizes the Yang Family’s survival over immediate profit.
• Yang Shi: Continues building influence through the market and the Beggars’ Sect. He is trusted by Rogue Cultivators and demonstrates growing curiosity about higher-level trading networks.
• Liao Cao: Establishes himself as a reliable intelligence agent and ally. His transfer to Jade Dragon Commandery strengthens the Yang Family’s information network.
• Bai Heyu: Acts as a friendly intermediary for the Blackstone Sect and shows goodwill toward the Yang Family, especially by gifting Yang Fu a protective jade pendant.
• Yang Fu: Displays extraordinary intelligence and spiritual potential at only one hundred days old, attracting the attention of cultivators.
• Murong Ziyan: Remains offscreen but becomes more significant through the three talismans sent to Yang Shi.
• Xu Mengqi: Maintains a friendly relationship with Yang Genshuo and offers practical help by delivering the Compressed Biscuit samples.

Significant Themes

• Caution versus profit: The Yang Family must choose between lucrative expansion and avoiding dangerous exposure.
• Hidden threats and delayed revenge: The Ge Family’s silence is treated not as reconciliation but as evidence of a concealed plan.
• Trust and loyalty: Liao Cao’s loyalty is valuable, but Yang Genshuo remains aware that even institutions such as Treasured Goods Pavilion may contain greedy or unreliable individuals.
• Market competition and adaptation: The collapse of the Three Kingdoms Kill card monopoly shows how imitation products can undermine a successful business model.
• Influence and reputation: Yang Shi’s guarantee makes Bluestone Market safer, increasing his standing among Rogue Cultivators and strengthening the family’s indirect influence.
• Talent and destiny: Yang Fu’s remarkable signs suggest that he may become an important figure in the cultivation world.
• Building connections: The chapter emphasizes the importance of information networks, institutional relationships, and access to better trading channels.

Important Character Interactions

• Yang Genshuo and Xu Mengqi arrange the delivery of the biscuit samples and agree to dinner.
• Yang Genshuo consults Yang Shi about the Ge Family, Liao Cao’s reliability, and the best method for selling the Fasting Cakes.
• The Beggars’ Sect provides intelligence about the Ge Family’s defensive preparations.
• Bai Heyu interacts warmly with the Yang Family, attends Yang Fu’s banquet, praises the child, and gives him a protective pendant.
• Bai Heyu delivers Murong Ziyan’s talismans to Yang Shi.
• Yang Shi questions Bai Heyu about Blackstone Sect’s trading habits, opening the possibility of accessing more profitable or secure cultivation markets.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Bai Heyu expresses admiration for Yang Shi, recognizing his success in organizing the Rogue Cultivator Market despite being a mortal. He also values the potential of Yang Shi’s son and gives the child a protective artifact to establish good karma.
• Yang Shi asks about trading resources, and Bai Heyu introduces Mystic Treasure Town, the Blackstone Sect’s enormous internal marketplace. It sells everything from food and tools to pills, talismans, formations, and cultivation materials, while also purchasing unwanted Spirit Objects for Spirit Stones.
• Bai Heyu explains that the Blackstone Sect controls the Great Nai Dynasty’s Spirit Fields and is supplied by hundreds of cultivation lineages specializing in spirit plants, mines, Spirit Meals, Spirit Brews, beast taming, and other cultivation arts.
• Realizing the sect’s immense influence, Yang Shi and Yang Genshuo decide that maintaining good relations with the Blackstone Sect is essential. The sect’s protection could shield the Yang Family from enemies such as the Ge Family.
• Yang Shi proposes selling the family’s newly developed Fasting Cakes to the Blackstone Sect. Bai Heyu offers to recommend Yang’s Shop as an official Spirit Meal supplier lineage if the product proves valuable, giving the family a promising new commercial and political connection.
• After the Bluestone Market ends, Yang Genshuo is preparing to meet Xu Mengqi and receive the Fasting Cake samples when Zhao Tianci unexpectedly arrives.
• Zhao reports that the Essence-Sealing Rejuvenation Pill has dramatically improved his health and strength. He asks for another pill and brings a lawyer to transfer ownership of a luxury Bentley to Yang Genshuo as payment.
• Yang Genshuo gives Zhao another pill, advising him to take one per week for a month. Zhao leaves satisfied in his Porsche.
• Yang Genshuo then remembers Xu Mengqi, picks her up near the subway, and takes her to eat mala tang. She reminisces about their college days and reveals that she has remained single because she has not met anyone suitable.
• Yang Genshuo leaves abruptly after the meal, claiming he forgot his phone and has matters to handle at home. His real priority is returning to eat the Fasting Cakes and evaluate their value in the cultivation world.

Character Developments

• Yang Shi demonstrates growing business sense and strategic thinking by seeking entry into the Blackstone Sect’s supply network rather than relying only on the Rogue Cultivator Market.
• Bai Heyu is shown to be practical, influential, and willing to help Yang Shi. His gift to Yang Shi’s son and offer to recommend Yang’s Shop suggest he is deliberately cultivating a favorable relationship.
• Yang Genshuo gains a clearer understanding of the Blackstone Sect’s power and becomes more focused on using its reputation as protection for the Yang Family. In the modern world, he also continues profiting from cultivation medicines while remaining distracted by developments in the cultivation realm.
• Zhao Tianci improves visibly after taking the Essence-Sealing Rejuvenation Pills. His dependence on the medicine remains strong, but his willingness to provide an expensive car shows his gratitude and the commercial value of Yang Genshuo’s remedies.
• Xu Mengqi reveals emotional loneliness and lingering openness toward Yang Genshuo, though he remains largely focused on business and the cultivation world.

Significant Themes

• Power through alliances: The Yang Family seeks protection by aligning itself with the Blackstone Sect, demonstrating the importance of political and sectarian connections.
• Commerce and cultivation: Spirit resources are organized through sophisticated supply networks, and the family’s Fasting Cakes may allow it to enter a much larger market.
• Karmic relationships: Bai Heyu’s gift to Yang Shi’s son reflects the cultivation-world belief that helping promising individuals can create valuable future returns.
• Contrasting values: Bai Heyu looks down on the humble Rogue Cultivator Market, while Yang Shi sees it as an achievement, highlighting the class and status divisions among cultivators.
• Distraction and divided priorities: Yang Genshuo balances modern-world business, personal relationships, and constant monitoring of the cultivation world, with the latter increasingly dominating his thoughts.
• Loneliness and emotional distance: Xu Mengqi’s confession contrasts with Yang Genshuo’s hurried departure, suggesting a mismatch between her emotional needs and his current priorities.

Character Interactions

• Yang Shi and Bai Heyu: Their conversation deepens their alliance, with Bai Heyu offering both information and a potential business opportunity.
• Yang Genshuo and Yang Shi: Through their discussion, they jointly recognize the Blackstone Sect as a powerful protector and plan to exploit the Spirit Meal supplier opportunity.
• Yang Genshuo and Zhao Tianci: Their relationship mixes medicine, money, and exaggerated “godfather” loyalty. Zhao’s gratitude leads him to transfer a luxury vehicle to Yang Genshuo.
• Yang Genshuo and Xu Mengqi: Their reunion revives old familiarity and emotional possibility for Xu, but Yang Genshuo remains distracted and leaves soon after their meal.
• Yang Genshuo and the mala tang owner: The owner enthusiastically serves him and personally demonstrates his cooking, adding a lighthearted modern-world interlude.

Chapter Summary: “3 Years Later”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yang Genshuo and the Red Maple Food Factory successfully develop a new version of Compressed Biscuits using spirit wheat. The biscuits retain their 200-gram size but are labeled only with their name.
• The spirit-wheat biscuits have a much stronger wheat fragrance, provide a clear sensation of spiritual energy, greatly increase satiety, and can sustain a person for roughly two days—making them superior to ordinary Fasting Pills.
• During the ancestral worship ceremony, Yang Genshuo receives 50 jin of spirit rice as an offering. He rewards the Yang Family with the remaining 149 bags of the new biscuits, renamed Fasting Cakes. Yang Shi is delighted and plans to sell them.
• Yang Genshuo calculates that spirit wheat can be transformed into Fasting Cakes with enormous profit margins. He realizes the Yang Family may soon have a steady supply of Spirit Stones, allowing them to purchase cultivation resources at the Rogue Cultivator Market.
• The Yang Family spends the intervening period in peaceful development:
  • Yang Shi and Huzi practice martial arts.
  • Jiang Xiaobai continuously tends the Spirit Fields with agricultural spells.
  • The family raises Yang Shi and Jiang Xiaobai’s young son, Yang Fu.
  • Little Flame’s cultivation improves through eating Magma Fruits, while the Iron-Spined Gray Wolf’s cultivation remains stalled.
• Because he is caring for Yang Fu, Yang Shi suppresses most adventure-related decisions, and the family temporarily stops focusing on the Xiang Family.
• Yang Genshuo worries about funding the next batch of spirit-wheat products and decides to sell Essence-Sealing Rejuvenation Pills through Zhao Tianci.
• Zhao Tianci connects him with his father, Zhao Dalong, a wealthy businessman suffering from kidney deficiency. Zhao Dalong immediately visits, buys a course of pills for two million yuan, and gives Yang Genshuo expensive electronic devices as gifts.
• Yang Genshuo uses the money to arrange the processing of 1,000 jin of spirit wheat into Fasting Cakes. He also enjoys his newfound free time by setting up a gaming system.
• Three days later, Daoist Master contacts Yang Genshuo with major news: the first-generation hybrid rice seeds have finally been cultivated.

Character Developments

• Yang Genshuo becomes more commercially minded, recognizing the tremendous economic value of spirit-wheat products. He balances his cultivation-related responsibilities with practical concerns such as production costs, cash flow, and business expansion.
• He also grows more comfortable enjoying ordinary luxuries, using Zhao Dalong’s gifts to play games and improve his home entertainment setup.
• Yang Shi continues developing as the family’s representative and cultivator while taking on the responsibilities of fatherhood. He is eager to sell the Fasting Cakes and strengthen the family financially.
• Jiang Xiaobai proves highly diligent and reliable, tirelessly using agricultural spells to improve the family’s Spirit Fields.
• Yang Fu, despite possessing an unfortunate talent, displays remarkable intelligence by speaking at only one hundred days old. His potential becomes a source of both affection and frustration for Yang Genshuo.
• Zhao Tianci is portrayed as a generous but eccentric wealthy heir whose lavish spending and unusual family attitudes amuse Yang Genshuo.
• Zhao Dalong, despite his immense wealth and social influence, treats Yang Genshuo with extreme respect after experiencing the medicine’s effects.
• Daoist Master remains deeply absorbed in his research, but his work finally produces a breakthrough with the hybrid rice seeds.

Significant Themes

• Economic transformation through cultivation: The spirit-wheat Fasting Cakes may solve the Yang Family’s financial problems and provide the Spirit Stones needed for future growth.
• Blending ordinary life with supernatural cultivation: Business production, family childcare, private jets, video games, and high-end electronics coexist with spiritual energy, magical farming, and medicinal pills.
• Family development and inheritance: The chapter emphasizes the growth of the Yang Family’s lineage, particularly through Yang Fu, whose unusual talent may shape the family’s future.
• Patience and long-term progress: The family’s achievements come through steady cultivation, agricultural work, research, and delayed rewards rather than constant adventure.
• Trust and hidden ability: Zhao Dalong and Zhao Tianci quickly recognize Yang Genshuo as extraordinary, suggesting that his secret abilities are becoming harder to conceal.
• Innovation and self-sufficiency: The development of hybrid rice and spirit-wheat products reflects the family’s effort to improve yields, secure resources, and become independent.

Character Interactions

• Yang Genshuo rewards Yang Shi with the Fasting Cakes and encourages him to sell them successfully.
• He affectionately observes Yang Fu and jokes about the child’s flawed talent, linking it humorously to Yang Shi’s own abilities.
• He communicates with Daoist Master, who remains distant while conducting research but ultimately delivers the breakthrough news about hybrid rice.
• Zhao Tianci enthusiastically helps Yang Genshuo reach his father, while joking about his family’s obsession with virility and wealth.
• Zhao Dalong visits Yang Genshuo personally, gives him lavish gifts, purchases the medicine, and offers the Zhao Family’s future assistance.
• Yang Genshuo gives electronic gifts to Lin Yue as employee benefits. She chooses a blender and happily prepares food for him, revealing her growing attachment and desire to remain by his side.
• Yang Genshuo and Xu Mengqi continue their business relationship, though she is comically disappointed when his late-night call concerns factory orders rather than romance.