Chapter Summaries

Lin Fan enlisted Zhou Na to distribute Great Strength Pills to worthy people, knowing the work could provoke powerful enemies and endanger his family. He began preparing to strengthen himself and attract the authorities’ attention, then returned to refining pills as Old Chen experimented with electrotherapy on spirit medicines.

• Lin Fan and Zhou Na agreed to use Great Strength Pills to save people who had helped others, while refusing to aid those who would harm people.
• Lin Fan warned Zhou Na that powerful people might target her and her family, gave her a jade pendant, and encouraged her to spend time in the Greenhouse Area.
• Lin Fan decided to accelerate his cultivation, improve his parents’ safety, and expose himself enough to draw the authorities into negotiations.
• At the Greenhouse Area, Lin Fan found Old Chen electrocuting a spirit medicine to test whether spiritual energy and electricity could be converted into each other.
• Lin Fan gave Old Chen a notebook of array diagrams, gathered spirit medicines, and returned home to begin refining genuine spirit medicines.

Lin Firmament refined hundreds of Spiritual Energy Pills and used them to advance her substitute from Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage to Golden Core Mid-Stage. She traveled to Mount Wuyi to seek an Alchemy Furnace and meet her online friend, only to discover that the friend was a burly man who had deceived her.

• Lin Fan refined 327 Spiritual Energy Pills over two days, but crossed over before he could leave Lin Firmament a message.
• Lin Firmament made jade bottles from Pseudo Spiritual Stones, then consumed the pills and absorbed the stones' spiritual qi to reach Golden Core Mid-Stage.
• Lin Firmament decided to find an Alchemy Furnace and traveled to Mount Wuyi, hoping to meet her online friend Xiao Wan.
• Lin Firmament used the Heaven and Earth Grand Deduction Art to trace Xiao Wan's Karma and discovered a forty-year-old burly man chatting with her on Feixin.
• Lin Firmament headed toward the man, furious that he had deceived her.

Lin Firmament confronted Chen An after discovering that her online friend Xiao Wan was a middle-aged man posing as a woman. She destroyed his computer equipment in anger and left, while Chen An reviewed the footage and feared he had encountered a ghost.

• Lin Firmament broke into Chen An’s home and demanded to know whether he was Xiao Wan.
• Chen An admitted that Xiao Wan was his online name and explained that pretending to be a woman was part of his tea-selling work.
• Lin Firmament accused Chen An of deceiving her, then destroyed his computer desk and equipment and knocked him off his stool before leaving.
• Chen An limped to his old computer and watched the surveillance footage, which showed Lin Firmament appearing out of nowhere and smashing his door apart.
• The footage showed Lin Firmament vanish in a blur, after which Chen An’s computer setup and stool were reduced to powder.

Chen An fled after a ghost attacked him, then shared surveillance footage that terrified his tea-selling colleagues and prompted them to seek help. He went to a police station to report the ghost, but Zhao Tongtong told him catching ghosts was not the police’s responsibility.

• Chen An decided the handsome man who had contacted him online was a wandering spirit, copied the surveillance footage, and escaped to a crowded place.
• Chen An shared the footage with his colleagues, who watched it and concluded it showed a real ghost attacking him.
• Chen An’s colleagues warned him that the police might dismiss or arrest him for reporting a ghost, so they planned to contact an Old Taoist Priest as well.
• Chen An went to the police station after his wound was stitched and asked Zhao Tongtong to help catch a ghost.
• Zhao Tongtong told Chen An that ghost-catching was outside the police’s scope and warned him that harassing an officer could get him detained.

Chen An reported a ghost sighting to the police, but his video leaked online as Lin Firmament searched Mount Wuyi for a pill furnace. After meeting a genuine Old Taoist, she exchanged a Spiritual Energy Pill for a robe and continued her search.

• Chen An showed Zhao Tongtong surveillance footage of a strange figure appearing and disappearing in his home, prompting the police to investigate.
• Chen An left the police station to seek a grandmaster, and Zhao Tongtong discovered that his video had been uploaded online.
• Lin Firmament searched Mount Wuyi and found mostly fraudulent Daoists and people hiding from their troubles.
• Lin Firmament met an Old Taoist chanting in a cave and asked whether immortals existed; he said those who attained mastery were immortals.
• Lin Firmament accepted a Taoist robe from the Old Taoist and gave him a Spiritual Energy Pill before continuing on her way.

The Old Taoist regained his youth after taking Lin Firmament’s Spiritual Energy Pill, while Lin continued searching Mount Wuyi for an Alchemy Furnace. At Wude Temple, Chen An and Jia Zhengliang mistook Lin for the ghost they feared, and after she vanished, they went to the police for help.

• The Old Taoist saw that the pill had restored his black hair and youthful appearance, then bowed toward the direction Lin Firmament had gone to thank her.
• Lin Firmament changed into the Daoist robe the Old Taoist had given her and continued searching Mount Wuyi for an Alchemy Furnace.
• Chen An and Jia Zhengliang arrived at Wude Temple to ask the little Daoist for help catching the ghost they had seen in a video.
• Lin Firmament approached the temple, and Chen An and Jia Zhengliang recognized her as the ghost and panicked.
• Lin Firmament vanished after looking into the courtyard, leaving Jia Zhengliang terrified; the little Daoist told the men his master was away and advised them to contact the police.
• Chen An and Jia Zhengliang went down the mountain and reported the incident to police officer Zhao Tongtong.

After Chen An reported another alleged ghost, Zhang Jianjun’s team traced the figure to Lin Fan but could not determine whether he was alive or supernatural. They launched a search for Lin Fan while Qi Zixiao flew toward Longhu Mountain, and the Mount Wuyi ghost sighting went viral online.

• Chen An told Zhao Tongtong he had recorded the alleged ghost and returned to report it.
• Technology staff confirmed the footage was authentic and said the figure had left at extreme speed rather than vanished.
• Zhang Jianjun’s team matched the figure to Lin Fan using his appearance and records of his recent unusual activities.
• The team decided to contact Lin Fan and investigate whether he was alive, but his phone was switched off.
• Zhang Jianjun ordered officers to check with C City and use the Sky Eye System to trace Lin Fan’s movements.
• Qi Zixiao boarded a plane toward Longhu Mountain as the Mount Wuyi ghost sighting drew millions of online comments and another hot search appeared.

An online article connected Lin Fan to several viral incidents and labeled him a dangerous ghost, prompting police in C City and beneath Mount Wuyi to coordinate an investigation. Unaware of the uproar, Lin Firmament arrived at Longhu Mountain to search for a pill furnace.

• A viral article linked the ghost beneath Mount Wuyi to earlier videos of a buffet eater and a man carrying a car underwater, and netizens circulated a new video showing the ghost vanish inside a Daoist temple.
• Zhang Jianjun contacted Wu Guodong about the case and asked him to help determine whether Lin Fan was alive and make contact with him.
• Wu Guodong suspected Lin Fan was behind the incidents, agreed to cooperate, and decided to wait until he could reach Lin Fan before making plans.
• Lin Firmament traveled to Longhu Mountain and reasoned that its history of pill refinement made it a promising place to find a pill furnace.
• Lin Firmament reached the mountain, where she found more tourists and Daoist temples than at Mount Wuyi.

Lin Firmament learned that her Mount Wuyi exploits had made people believe she was a ghost, and she told Wu Guodong to report her existence as a cultivator to his superiors. She continued toward Longhu Mountain while Wu Guodong ordered an investigation and began preparing his report.

• Lin Firmament attracted attention on Longhu Mountain as tourists recognized her and followed her from a distance.
• Lin Firmament called Wu Guodong, who told her the public and police were investigating her Mount Wuyi appearance and suspected she was a ghost.
• Lin Firmament admitted she had deliberately revealed some of her abilities and proposed that Wu Guodong gather evidence and report what he knew to his superiors.
• Lin Firmament told Wu Guodong she was a cultivator, claimed she was the only one, and said she would avoid harming anyone unless they attacked her.
• Wu Guodong agreed to her plan, ordered his officers to investigate Lin Fan, and began writing a report.

Lin Firmament’s resonance with Longhu Mountain’s Dao Rhyme made its ancient bell ring, confirming an old prophecy that the golden age would begin anew. The Old Celestial Master recognized Lin Firmament as the young person foretold and approached her as she finished her sudden enlightenment.

• Wu Guodong began a report arguing that Lin Fan would not endanger society or national security, adding his personal opinion.
• Lin Firmament arrived at the Celestial Master Residence and sensed its abundant Dao Rhyme, which resonated with her True Essence.
• The ancient bell rang by itself, startling the crowd and prompting Zhang Xuanzhi to recall the Third Celestial Master’s prophecy about the bell, a renewed golden age, and a young visitor.
• Zhang Xuanzhi heard visitors speculate that Lin Firmament was a ghost connected to the bell, then spotted her and felt certain she was the person he sought.
• Lin Firmament awakened from her enlightenment with a deeper understanding of the Celestial Master Residence’s Dao Rhyme and expected Qi Zixiao could soon reach the mid-stage of Void Refinement.
• Zhang Xuanzhi saluted Lin Firmament as a lay Buddhist, while the Celestial Master Residence disciples greeted him as the Old Celestial Master.

Lin Firmament visited the Celestial Master Residence to obtain its inherited Alchemy Furnace and learn about the decline of Spiritual Energy. After she exchanged two Spiritual Energy Pills for the furnace, the rejuvenated Zhang Xuanzhi shared ancient records linking Spiritual Energy’s decline to the Qin and Han dynasties and the First Emperor’s order to sever three Dragon Veins.

• Lin Firmament met Zhang Xuanzhi, who invited her into the Celestial Master Residence to talk.
• Lin Firmament asked for the inherited Alchemy Furnace, and Zhang Xuanzhi agreed to give it to her.
• Lin Firmament exchanged two Spiritual Energy Pills for the furnace, and Zhang Xuanzhi swallowed them and regained his youth.
• Lin Firmament asked Zhang Xuanzhi about the decline of Spiritual Energy and the disappearance of cultivators.
• Zhang Xuanzhi said the records placed the beginning of Spiritual Energy’s decline in the Qin and Han dynasties and said cultivators had vanished by the end of the Tang dynasty.
• Zhang Xuanzhi recounted a legend that the First Emperor ordered three Dragon Veins converging near present-day Nanjing to be severed.

Lin Firmament learned how Earth's Dragon Veins had been damaged and told Zhang Xuanzhi that an age of prosperity might not be far away. After claiming an ancient Alchemy Furnace, she left Zhang Xuanzhi to face disciples who believed he had been killed, though his real problem was proving that he was himself.

• Zhang Xuanzhi told Lin Firmament that the First Emperor had damaged two Dragon Veins, contributing to Earth's loss of spiritual energy, and described how later geomancers further disrupted the remaining veins.
• Lin Firmament told Zhang Xuanzhi that Earth's spiritual energy might return before long, and he offered the Celestial Master Residence's help if she needed it.
• Zhang Xuanzhi led Lin Firmament to a courtyard, where she summoned and refined the ancient Alchemy Furnace left by the Third Generation Old Celestial Master.
• The trio and Celestial Master Residence disciples mistook Zhang Xuanzhi's rejuvenated appearance for evidence that the Old Celestial Master had been killed.
• As an alarmed group rushed into the courtyard, Zhang Xuanzhi went to confront them and promised Lin Firmament they would not stop her from taking the furnace.

Zhang Xuanzhi’s disciples failed to recognize him after he rejuvenated, and he explained that Lin Firmament had helped him. Lin Firmament left the Celestial Master Residence by leaping from a cliff with an alchemy furnace, insisting there were no immortals or ghosts and that everyone should believe in science.

• Li Qingyi mistook the rejuvenated Zhang Xuanzhi for an impostor and accused him of harming the Old Celestial Master.
• Zhang Xuanzhi beat Li Qingyi until he recognized his master, then told his disciples to clear the way for Lin Firmament.
• Lin Firmament carried a huge alchemy furnace out of the courtyard while Zhang Xuanzhi offered to escort her.
• Lin Firmament told the three-person group that she was neither an immortal nor a ghost and said they should believe in science.
• Lin Firmament leaped from the cliff with the alchemy furnace, leaving everyone present stunned.

Lin Firmament flew away from Longhu Mountain carrying the Alchemy Furnace, and the tourists’ video of her flight and the rejuvenated Old Celestial Master went viral. As people across the country reacted to the apparent proof of cultivation, Wang Dong called Lin Firmament, who answered him as “Dongzi.”

• Lin Firmament flew from Longhu Mountain to C City and reasoned that the Old Celestial Master would absorb the attention and trouble caused by his rejuvenation.
• The trio posted their video of Lin Firmament flying away with the Alchemy Furnace and footage of the Old Celestial Master, setting off widespread online speculation about cultivation.
• Wu Guodong watched the video and worried that the authorities would investigate Lin Firmament’s increasingly public actions.
• Station Chief Zhang Jianjun realized Lin Firmament was likely a cultivator rather than a ghost and worried about his unresolved case.
• Wang Dong watched the video, remembered Lin Fan’s claim that he would cultivate immortality, and called him hoping to ask about his path and the girlfriends he had promised to introduce.
• Lin Firmament answered Wang Dong’s call and greeted him as “Dongzi.”

After Lin Firmament’s sudden fame stirred public interest in cultivators, Old Celestial Master Zhang Xuanzhi briefly cast the Golden Light Spell and posted proof online. His post drew a crowd to the Celestial Master Residence, including officials from the suspiciously named Resident Happiness Living Department.

• Lin Firmament reassured Wang Dong that she would introduce him to a girlfriend, then failed to refine pills and ruined more than a dozen spirit herbs.
• Zhang Xuanzhi convinced the Celestial Master Residence’s disciples to wait for DNA test results and search their Daoist Canon for techniques.
• Zhang Xuanzhi briefly cast the Golden Light Spell, but could not repeat it after his remaining spiritual energy ran out.
• Zhang Xuanzhi found Li Qingyi’s old Weibo post denying the Golden Light Spell’s combat abilities and used Li Qingyi’s account to post a photo proving otherwise.
• Zhang Xuanzhi’s post went viral, and Li Qingyi brought Liu Gang and a group from the Resident Happiness Living Department to meet him.

The Resident Happiness Living Department examined Zhang Xuanzhi after his sudden return to youth and discussed how to approach Lin Fan, whom they considered an unpredictable factor. In the Cultivation World, Qi Zi learned from Qi Zixiao’s recordings that she was urgently gathering materials to refine an Avatar, then received a message from Mo Daolin ordering him to bring the materials.

• Liu Gang brought doctors to examine Zhang Xuanzhi, whose test results showed excellent health and confirmed his identity.
• Zhang Xuanzhi told Liu Gang that medicine from his young Daoist friend had made him younger and warned him not to act recklessly toward Lin Fan.
• Liu Gang left a squad to watch over Zhang Xuanzhi, while the Resident Happiness Living Department’s leaders decided to learn more about Lin Fan and approach him cautiously.
• Qi Zi reviewed Qi Zixiao’s recordings and realized she was gathering materials to refine an Avatar, then wondered what it would be like to share a body with her.
• Mo Daolin messaged Qi Zi to come over and bring the materials.

Qi Zi learned that refining the Mortal Body required a rare Immaculate Relic held by the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect, and chose to seek one there rather than give up or wait. Su Muxue took Qi Zi to the sect, while Mo Daolin reluctantly accepted that her underhanded experience gave them the best chance of obtaining the relic.

• Su Muxue explained that the Immaculate Relic was exceptionally rare and offered Qi Zi the choices of asking the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect, waiting for one to appear, or abandoning the Mortal Body.
• Qi Zi chose to go to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect, declaring that he would seize the moment rather than wait thousands of years.
• Su Muxue promised to accompany Qi Zi and obtain the relic, even if they had to steal it, then led him away to impart her experience.
• Xiao Zhan asked whether Mo Daolin would stop Su Muxue, but Mo Daolin decided the Mortal Body's protection was worth letting her take Qi Zi along.
• Xiao Zhan suggested inviting Jiu Wu to play cards, but Mo Daolin refused and proposed playing Chinese chess instead.

Su Muxue took Qi Zi to collect phones before setting out to obtain the wondrous objects and the Immaculate Relic. After teleporting them to the edge of the Eastern Wasteland, she proposed that they raid the Central Province’s holy lands together.

• Qi Zi reasoned that sharing bodies and responsibilities with Qi Zixiao had made their personalities increasingly alike.
• Su Muxue told Qi Zi that Fire of Separation Metal and Water Metal Flame could be bought, or taken by force, but Qi Zi warned that they should avoid attracting attention before visiting the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect for the Immaculate Relic.
• Su Muxue teleported Qi Zi to the Artifact Refining Pavilion, where he collected the phones refined that day.
• Su Muxue teleported with Qi Zi from Purple Mansion to a plain near the edge of the Eastern Wasteland.
• Su Muxue complained that Central Province’s holy lands had restricted her movements and invited Qi Zi to join her in raiding them.

Qi Zi and Su Muxue traveled toward Three Saints City to obtain the remaining materials before attempting Su Muxue’s more disruptive plans. At the Boundary River, Su Muxue revealed that she had once robbed the boundary boats belonging to all three Central Province holy lands, leaving Qi Zi worried about what other trouble awaited them.

• Su Muxue persuaded Qi Zi to help her target the three Central Province holy lands, but Qi Zi insisted they first complete their trip’s original purpose and obtain the materials for their Saintess.
• Su Muxue agreed to go to Three Saints City first and explained how the city had grown between the competing territories of Taiyi, Nine Dragons, and Yaochi.
• Qi Zi guessed that another holy land might secretly support Three Saints City to divert Central Province’s attention, and he teased Su Muxue when she asked him to guess.
• Su Muxue explained that the Boundary River separated Central Province from the Four Desolations and that the holy lands controlled safe crossings to preserve their advantage.
• Su Muxue said she would force her way across the Boundary River rather than pay for a boundary boat, then admitted she had robbed the boats of all three holy lands in the past.
• Qi Zi realized Su Muxue had already caused trouble at the border and wondered what other past deeds might endanger their journey.

Su Muxue brought Qi Zi across the Boundary River into Central Province, where they discussed the region’s resources and the conflict between Central Province and the Four Desolations. Her arrival triggered Supreme Unity Holy Land’s warning barrier, and Tai Yi Holy Master Jiang Yi learned that the Purple Mansion Demoness had entered.

• Su Muxue crossed the Boundary River with Qi Zi, warning him to use overwhelming force against brainless Ferocious Beasts as she slew several of them.
• Su Muxue pointed out Central Province, and Qi Zi sensed its spiritual energy was denser than that of ordinary regions in the Eastern Wasteland.
• Su Muxue explained that Central Province’s rulers would not willingly share their rich land, while Qi Zi reflected on the cycle of rebellion and oppression.
• Su Muxue decided to take Qi Zi to Three Saints City and stopped explaining the wider conflict.
• The warning barrier in Supreme Unity Holy Land detected Su Muxue’s entry into Central Province, and its guardian reported the alarm to Jiang Yi.
• Jiang Yi recognized Su Muxue and worried that harming her could give the Four Desolations an excuse to attack Central Province.