Recaps

Fang Chen, a bullied menial worker with no Spiritual Root, went to Thousand Bamboo Ridge to cut Exquisite Bamboo and discovered that a strange black sword sent cool air through his body. He reached a secluded stream to examine it, and the sword’s energy immediately erased the ache in his shoulder.

• Cao Bin led Fang Chen and the other workers to Thousand Bamboo Ridge, where they rushed to claim tools and left Fang Chen only scrap metal.
• Fang Chen found a rusted black sword that vibrated and sent cool air through his Meridians, clearing his mind.
• Fang Chen hid the black sword among two similar-looking rusty swords, collected a whetstone, and carried the swords up the mountain.
• Fang Chen went to a secluded mountain stream and tested the black sword again, and its cool current made his aching shoulder feel better.

Fang Chen bonded with the Floating Immortal Sword and discovered that striking objects with it let him absorb different kinds of energy. He chose to keep cutting Exquisite Bamboo to grow stronger and earn money.

• Fang Chen cut his finger and bonded with the Floating Immortal Sword, which absorbed his blood and merged into his palm.
• Fang Chen learned that he could summon the sword from his palm and send it back with a thought.
• Fang Chen struck Exquisite Bamboo and felt a soothing cool current flow through his body.
• Fang Chen struck Stone and the earth, discovering that each gave him a different current of energy.
• Fang Chen decided to avoid testing the sword on people and returned to cutting Exquisite Bamboo for strength and silver.

Fang Chen cut down an Exquisite Bamboo and summoned Steward Cao Bin to verify his work, but Senior Servant Tian Hu claimed the bamboo for himself and Cao Bin backed him. The chapter left Fang Chen injured and ordered to cut down two more bamboos before dark.

• Fang Chen cut down an Exquisite Bamboo, then delayed calling Cao Bin so his unusually quick work would not arouse suspicion.
• Fang Chen summoned Cao Bin and Tian Hu after spending extra time hacking at a rock.
• Tian Hu kicked Fang Chen aside and claimed the bamboo, and Cao Bin marked it for Tian Hu instead of Fang Chen.
• Fang Chen protested that Tian Hu had stolen his work, but Cao Bin ignored him and Tian Hu kicked him again.
• Cao Bin ordered Fang Chen to cut down two more Exquisite Bamboos before dark and left with Tian Hu.

After Cao Bin and Tian Hu beat and exploited Fang Chen, he kept chopping bamboo and rocks to grow stronger with the Floating Immortal Sword’s help. That night, a surge of purple light announced that Zixiao Peak had gained a Saintess for the first time in five hundred years, while Fang Chen’s sword seal briefly glowed.

• Cao Bin and Tian Hu left Fang Chen injured and ordered him to cut more Exquisite Bamboo before dark, so he kept working to avoid further punishment and gain strength.
• Fang Chen used the Floating Immortal Sword to absorb energy as he chopped, then timed the third bamboo stalk for just before sunset.
• Fang Chen and the other workers ate and spent the evening at Thousand Bamboo Ridge, where the Dragon Tiger Mountain workers did not bully him in front of their hosts.
• A purple beam erupted from Zixiao Peak, Fang Chen’s Floating Immortal Sword Seal glowed, and a booming voice announced that the peak had a Saintess after five hundred years.
• The workers celebrated Zixiao Peak’s new Saintess, then went to sleep crowded together in the dormitory, leaving Fang Chen squeezed into a corner.

After a month at Thousand Bamboo Ridge, Fang Chen was transferred there when Xu Yi assigned the spiritually gifted Zhang Tieniu to Dragon Tiger Mountain. Fang Chen joined Wu Qingfeng’s struggling group, whose servants welcomed him and gave him proper blades for chopping bamboo.

• Fang Chen grew stronger during a month of eating well and chopping bamboo at Thousand Bamboo Ridge.
• Xu Yi arrived with Zhang Tieniu, a new servant with a Three-Element Mixed Spiritual Root, and ordered him assigned to Dragon Tiger Mountain.
• Wu Qingfeng protested that Thousand Bamboo Ridge was short-handed, so Xu Yi ordered Cao Bin to transfer one of his servants there.
• Cao Bin chose Fang Chen, and the servants of Dragon Tiger Mountain mocked him as his Identity Token was changed to Thousand Bamboo Ridge.
• Wu Qingfeng welcomed Fang Chen, introduced him to the other servants, and gave him two good blades before sending him to work.

Fang Chen worked at cutting Exquisite Bamboo for Thousand Bamboo Ridge, using the Floating Immortal Sword when no one was watching. Zhang Tieniu and Tian Hu caught him with the sword and tried to take it, leaving Fang Chen facing them as he refused to hand it over.

• Fang Chen cut Exquisite Bamboo with a Cleaver while Wu Qingfeng watched, then secretly used the Floating Immortal Sword to finish a stalk and earn a mark on his Identity Token.
• Fang Chen moved to a difficult patch of ground and used the Floating Immortal Sword to cut bamboo beside a large Stone.
• Zhang Tieniu and Tian Hu confronted Fang Chen and ordered him to leave the bamboo behind.
• Tian Hu demanded Fang Chen's Cleavers, and Fang Chen threw them down before trying to leave.
• Zhang Tieniu recognized the Floating Immortal Sword's cutting power and demanded it, while Tian Hu backed him up.
• Fang Chen glared at Tian Hu and asked what would happen if he refused to give up the sword.

Fang Chen fought Tian Hu and Zhang Tieniu in the bamboo woods, relying on the Floating Immortal Sword’s mysterious energy to withstand their attacks. After Tian Hu joined Zhang Tieniu, Fang Chen was wounded and knocked down a slope, where both men pursued him with their Cleavers.

• Fang Chen dodged Tian Hu’s attacks until Tian Hu drew his Cleaver and nearly cut his throat.
• Fang Chen struck Tian Hu’s Cleaver with the Floating Immortal Sword, chipping it and drawing scorching energy into his body.
• Zhang Tieniu attacked Fang Chen, who cut the Deep Sea Black Iron strapped to Zhang Tieniu’s shin with his sword.
• Zhang Tieniu repeatedly struck Fang Chen, but the energy from the Floating Immortal Sword helped him endure and grow stronger.
• Zhang Tieniu called for Tian Hu’s help, and Tian Hu cut Fang Chen’s arm while Zhang Tieniu pinned his sword and kicked him down the slope.
• Zhang Tieniu and Tian Hu chased Fang Chen to the sandstone boulder and swung their Cleavers at him.

Fang Chen killed Tian Hu and Zhang Tieniu with the Floating Immortal Sword, whose surging energy pushed him into a breakthrough. As he began cultivating the Glazed Qi Refining Art, his consciousness entered a murky gray space.

• The Floating Immortal Sword absorbed energy after Fang Chen's blood touched it, allowing him to sever Tian Hu's and Zhang Tieniu's cleavers and kill Tian Hu.
• Fang Chen killed Zhang Tieniu despite his warning that his elder brother was an Outer Sect Disciple, then felt a powerful energy surge through him.
• Menial workers and Wu Qingfeng arrived and found Tian Hu and Zhang Tieniu dead while Fang Chen writhed in pain.
• Fang Chen's breakthrough formed Body Protection Spiritual Light, revealing that he had reached the Qi Refining Realm.
• Wu Qingfeng urged Fang Chen to circulate the Glazed Qi Refining Art, and Fang Chen's consciousness entered a murky gray space.

Fang Chen broke through to the Qi Refining Realm after killing Tian Hu and Zhang Tieniu in self-defense, shocking the menial workers and enraging Cao Bin. Xu Yi arrived to take Fang Chen away, leaving his new cultivation and the deaths to be judged by the sect.

• Fang Chen completed his breakthrough to the Qi Refining Realm, and Wu Qingfeng and the Thousand Bamboo Ridge workers congratulated him.
• Cao Bin demanded to know how Tian Hu and Zhang Tieniu had died, and Fang Chen admitted killing them while defending himself.
• Wu Qingfeng insisted that the Enforcement Hall decide Fang Chen's punishment, and Fang Chen's aura forced the Dragon Tiger Mountain workers to let them pass.
• Cao Bin ordered his workers to carry away Tian Hu and Zhang Tieniu's bodies as Fang Chen and Wu Qingfeng returned to the foot of the mountain.
• Xu Yi arrived to collect Fang Chen, who said goodbye to Wu Qingfeng and flew away with Xu Yi on his sword.

Xu Yi brought Fang Chen to the Qi Sensing Pavilion to register as an Outer Sect Disciple, but the crystal Compass showed no spiritual root despite confirming his cultivation. As the gathered disciples questioned Fang Chen’s claim, an old man in a green robe entered the hall.

• Xu Yi explained the Glazed Sword Sect’s hierarchy and brought Fang Chen to the Qi Sensing Pavilion for a cultivation test.
• Fang Chen joined the registration line, then poured True Qi into the crystal Compass when his turn came.
• The Compass displayed Fang Chen’s cultivation level but showed no spiritual root attribute or grade.
• Fang Chen said he had no spiritual root and presented his identity badge, which Xu Yi and the Pavilion disciple checked and found to confirm his claim.
• The Pavilion disciple and Xu Yi speculated that Fang Chen’s spiritual root had awakened after his earlier test, while other Outer Sect Disciples questioned how he could cultivate without one.
• An old man in a green robe entered and asked why everyone had gathered.

Fang Chen passed the test to become an Outer Sect Disciple despite having no spiritual root, and Xu Yi brought him to the Enforcement Hall to answer for two killings. Elder Hu Yi sentenced Fang Chen to pay a fine of one thousand and ten stones or have his cultivation abolished and be expelled from the sect.

• Elder Bai Lie examined Fang Chen and confirmed that he had no spiritual root, but ruled that his first layer of the Qi Refining Realm qualified him to become an Outer Sect Disciple.
• Fang Chen received his Outer Sect Disciple identification token and left the Qi Sensing Pavilion with Xu Yi.
• Xu Yi escorted Fang Chen to the Enforcement Hall, where Fang Chen expected to receive a fine for his killings.
• Elder Hu Yi fined Fang Chen one thousand and ten stones for killing Tian Hu and Zhang Tieniu, warning that refusal would mean losing his cultivation and being expelled.

Fang Chen settled the fines for killing Tian Hu and Zhang Tieniu with a high-interest loan, then received his Outer Sect benefits and chose a damaged Black Iron Sword that he successfully refined into his body. Xu Yi took him to Lingquan Mountain, where they stopped at a mist-covered entrance.

• Fang Chen signed a Judgment Document and a high-interest Loan Contract for the 1,010 Spirit Stone fine, and Xu Yi explained that Zhang Tieniu's low rank had kept his portion of the fine small.
• Xu Yi took Fang Chen to obtain the complete Glazed Qi Refining Art and explained how Contribution Points were used to acquire sect resources.
• Fang Chen chose a damaged Black Iron Sword at the Treasure Pavilion, bound it with his blood, and drew it into his dantian.
• Xu Yi congratulated Fang Chen on refining the sword and carried him by Flying Sword to the hills where Outer Sect disciples lived.
• Xu Yi led Fang Chen up a mountain path to a boulder marked Lingquan Mountain, with an oval recess beside it and mist concealing what lay beyond.

Xu Yi took Fang Chen to seek a place on several outer-sect mountains, but they rejected him because he had no Spiritual Root. Li Yanshan accepted Fang Chen onto Dog Head Ridge, where Fang Chen began his new home under the name Uncle Li.

• Xu Yi brought Fang Chen to Lingquan Mountain, but Liu Xu refused him after learning he had no Spiritual Root.
• People at Lingluo Mountain insulted Fang Chen and threw his Identity Token to the ground, and Xu Yi retrieved it for him.
• After more than a dozen peaks rejected Fang Chen, Xu Yi brought him to Dog Head Ridge and introduced him to Li Yanshan.
• Li Yanshan accepted Fang Chen onto Dog Head Ridge, and Fang Chen thanked Xu Yi before following Li Yanshan up the mountain.

Fang Chen arrived at Dog Head Ridge, where Elder Yun and Li Yanshan welcomed him and helped him settle into an empty house. After learning about their pasts, Fang Chen followed Li Yanshan outside when a sudden crash and Xiao Liu’s barking alarmed him.

• Li Yanshan brought Fang Chen to Dog Head Ridge, where Elder Yun welcomed him and gave him Cow Dung Incense.
• Li Yanshan showed Fang Chen the house of a deceased companion and began cleaning it, while Fang Chen helped.
• Li Yanshan told Fang Chen that Elder Yun had been maimed in a pill furnace accident and had once saved him after a deadly fight.
• A tremendous crash shook the house, Xiao Liu barked, and Li Yanshan rushed outside as Fang Chen followed.

Fang Chen and Li Yanshan discovered that Elder Yun had destroyed his house in another failed attempt to refine a pill, then rebuilt it while Elder Yun went to visit Old Ghost Qu. The chapter ended with Li Yanshan and Fang Chen sharing Chinese sausage rice.

• Fang Chen followed Li Yanshan to Elder Yun's home, where they dug the soot-covered Elder Yun out of the rubble after an explosion.
• Xiao Liu retrieved Elder Yun's walking stick, and Elder Yun rode Little Donkey to visit Old Ghost Qu with the dog following.
• Li Yanshan told Fang Chen that Elder Yun had once been a talented First-grade Alchemist, but a furnace explosion had injured him and he still stubbornly tried to refine pills.
• Fang Chen and Li Yanshan rebuilt Elder Yun's house, reusing its materials because Elder Yun insisted on living in the place where he had once successfully refined a pill.
• Li Yanshan cooked Chinese sausage rice and shared it with Fang Chen, explaining that Elder Yun would eat at Old Ghost Qu's place.

Fang Chen enjoyed his first meal of Spirit Rice and began settling into his new home on Dog Head Ridge. While tidying the kitchen, he found eighteen Spirit Stones in a jar and brought them to Li Yanshan and Elder Yun, who told him to keep them.

• Fang Chen savored the Spirit Rice Li Yanshan served and reflected on how far he had come from years of hunger and hardship.
• Fang Chen explored the valley, basked in the sunlight, and continued tidying his new courtyard.
• Fang Chen discovered eighteen Spirit Stones hidden inside a black earthenware jar in the kitchen.
• Fang Chen brought the stones to Li Yanshan and Elder Yun, offering to return them to their old friend’s family if any remained.
• Elder Yun told Fang Chen their old friend had no family and said Fang Chen could keep the stones.

Fang Chen kept the Spirit Stones Elder Yun and Li Yanshan had offered him, while the Enforcement Hall’s ruling enraged Cao Bin and Zhang Tielin. As Li Yanshan began showing Fang Chen around the outer sect, three hostile figures approached Dog Head Ridge.

• Fang Chen offered to share his Spirit Stones with Li Yanshan and Elder Yun, but they refused, so he left the stones with them for safekeeping before taking them back to hide.
• Elder Yun told Li Yanshan that Fang Chen had been in debt, had killed two servants who tried to rob him, and had broken through despite having no Spiritual Root.
• Xu Yi delivered the Enforcement Hall’s ruling and information about two new servants to Cao Bin, who flew into a rage over Fang Chen’s small fine and collapsed after reading the servants’ records.
• Zhang Tielin learned that Fang Chen had killed his younger brother Zhang Tieniu and stormed out of his residence.
• Li Yanshan set out to show Fang Chen around the outer sect, but Xiao Liu barked as three people approached with murderous intent.

Zhang Tielin came to Dog Head Ridge to avenge his brother Zhang Tieniu, but Li Yanshan stood between him and Fang Chen. After a fierce exchange, both men were injured, and Zhang Tielin had two ribs broken.

• Zhang Tielin confronted Fang Chen over Zhang Tieniu's death and demanded that Li Yanshan move aside.
• Fang Chen explained that Zhang Tieniu and Tian Hu had attacked him, and that the Enforcement Hall had already judged the case.
• Li Yanshan refused to let Zhang Tielin take revenge, pushed Fang Chen out of the fight, and blocked Zhang Tielin's opening punch.
• Zhang Tielin used Tiger Subduing Fist, but Li Yanshan met his attack and held his ground despite Zhang Tielin's greater cultivation.
• Zhang Tielin unleashed Skyfire Meteor Fist, and Li Yanshan smashed through the fiery blasts before the two exchanged chest-level punches.
• Li Yanshan and Zhang Tielin both spat blood, while Zhang Tielin staggered back with two broken ribs.

Li Yanshan and Zhang Tielin fought brutally with their swords, both suffering serious wounds. When Zhang Tielin’s followers moved to attack Fang Chen, Elder Yun drove them off with his cane, forcing Zhang Tielin and his men to leave Dog Head Ridge; Li Yanshan then collapsed from his injuries.

• Zhang Tielin drew his sword, and he and Li Yanshan charged at each other.
• Li Yanshan deliberately let Zhang Tielin’s sword pierce his shoulder, then stabbed Zhang Tielin beneath the ribs and struck him with his palm.
• Zhang Tielin ordered his two followers to seize Fang Chen, but Elder Yun’s flying cane knocked them down and injured them.
• Elder Yun warned Zhang Tielin and his followers to leave, and Zhang Tielin withdrew from Dog Head Ridge with his men.
• Xiao Liu carried Elder Yun’s cane back into the stone house, and Elder Yun came out to check on Li Yanshan, who spat blood and collapsed.

Li Yanshan recovered after fighting Zhang Tielin to protect Fang Chen, then advised Fang Chen to learn footwork before sword techniques. Fang Chen used a tortoise-shell record to learn the Misty Turtle Steps and began practicing.

• Elder Yun gave Fang Chen a pill for Li Yanshan, who recovered from his wounds after circulating his energy.
• Fang Chen thanked Li Yanshan for intervening against Zhang Tielin, and Li Yanshan explained that Zhang had held back for fear of punishment and ruin.
• Li Yanshan told Fang Chen to be ruthless toward enemies and said he should learn footwork first so he could escape stronger opponents.
• Li Yanshan gave Fang Chen a tortoise shell containing the Misty Turtle Steps and instructed him to scan it with his Spiritual Sense.
• Fang Chen viewed the technique in a Black Space, memorized its essential points, and began practicing as the shell crumbled apart.

Fang Chen used the Floating Immortal Sword while chopping trees and unexpectedly mastered the Misty Turtle Step. He showed his new skill to Li Yanshan, who recognized his extraordinary talent and was left astonished.

• Zhang Tielin refused to visit the Medicine Hall and vowed to avenge A Niu by finding a way to kill Fang Chen.
• Zhang Tielin sent Zhang Qining to invite Li Muyu to Tingfeng Tower for drinks.
• Fang Chen chopped trees with the Floating Immortal Sword, whose mysterious current sharpened his thoughts and accelerated his cultivation.
• A golden Silhouette appeared and demonstrated the Misty Turtle Step, and Fang Chen followed its movements until he mastered the footwork.
• Fang Chen demonstrated the Misty Turtle Step to Li Yanshan, who realized Fang Chen had reached at least major mastery in less than one One Hour and called him a genius.

Fang Chen learned the Misty Turtle Step in less than an hour and went to Dog Head Ridge to study the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique. After cutting his way through the overgrown path, he reached the summit and found the giant stone and ruined Stone House.

• Fang Chen showed Li Yanshan his Misty Turtle Step, then asked to borrow a sword manual.
• Li Yanshan told Fang Chen about the advanced sword technique carved into a giant stone atop Dog Head Ridge and gave him provisions and cooling water.
• Elder Yun learned that Fang Chen had mastered the Misty Turtle Step in less than an hour and praised Dog Head Ridge for finding a treasure.
• Fang Chen climbed the overgrown mountain path, using the Floating Immortal Sword to clear the way and drawing Spiritual Power from it.
• Fang Chen reached the summit at sunset and found a moss-covered stone beside a damaged Stone House.

Fang Chen discovered that striking the Giant Stone with the Floating Immortal Sword released powerful Spiritual Power that strengthened his True Qi and body. After sunset, he could absorb its energy only by cutting living things, and the chapter ended with him examining a venomous snake bite on his leg.

• Fang Chen found that cutting the unusual grass around the Giant Stone made the Floating Immortal Sword release powerful Spiritual Power that painfully flowed into his body.
• Fang Chen struck the Giant Stone repeatedly, absorbing Spiritual Power that tempered his body and increased the True Qi in his dantian.
• Fang Chen discovered that the Floating Immortal Sword stopped releasing Spiritual Power after sunset when he cut grass.
• A snake bit Fang Chen's calf, and he killed it; the Floating Immortal Sword then released energy that briefly eased the pain.
• Fang Chen cut the snake's head from his leg and saw that the bite was swollen and black, realizing the snake was venomous.

Fang Chen discovered that the Floating Immortal Sword’s Spiritual Power healed the venomous snake bite, then cooked the snake and reflected on the life he hoped to build. The next morning, he confirmed the sword worked normally again and returned to the mountain after eating.

• Fang Chen repeatedly struck the Venomous Serpent with the Floating Immortal Sword, whose Spiritual Power healed his calf and neutralized the venom.
• Fang Chen roasted the snake, ate half of it, and considered his goal of living freely while acknowledging that he needed to grow stronger and deal with Zhang Tielin.
• Fang Chen left the windy, serpent-infested summit and returned to his dwelling, where he bathed and went to bed.
• Fang Chen tested the Floating Immortal Sword at dawn and confirmed it had returned to normal.
• Fang Chen reheated the leftover snake meat, ate his fill, packed a Spirit Wheat Flatbread and water, and headed up the mountain.

Fang Chen uncovered the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique carved by True Monarch Liuyun and absorbed power from the Giant Stone while trying to decipher it. As the sect’s Spirit Gathering Arrays activated, the stone trembled and released a sharp Sword Intent.

• Fang Chen cleared moss from the Giant Stone, discovered True Monarch Liuyun’s sword technique, and memorized its characters while absorbing domineering energy from the Floating Immortal Sword.
• Zhang Tielin arrived injured at the Golden Bull Ridge Spirit Gathering Array, conceded his platform to Liu Sanqiang, and blamed Fang Chen for his defeat and humiliation.
• The disciples challenged one another for better Stone Platforms while Fang Chen spent two hours studying the technique without deciphering it, though his strength and True Qi increased.
• The Spirit Gathering Arrays activated, and the Giant Stone before Fang Chen trembled as Azure Runes appeared and a sharp Sword Intent radiated from it.