Chapter Summaries

After nearly a year in the mountains, Chu Mu learned the Blazing Fire Art and reached Qi Refining First Layer, but his cultivation progressed painfully slowly. He left for Jade Emperor Valley Market seeking a way forward and discovered that the market was preparing for an influx of cultivators fleeing attacks on Changning Market.

• Chu Mu emerged from months of study and entered Qi Refining First Layer using the Blazing Fire Art and Spiritual Energy Basics.
• Chu Mu spent more than half a month consolidating his cultivation, but his Blazing Fire Art advanced only one proficiency point per day despite Spirit Radiance Blessing.
• Chu Mu observed that his blade technique continued to improve quickly while his cultivation remained slow, then packed supplies and headed for Jade Emperor Valley Market.
• Chu Mu reached the market without any Spirit Stones but entered after finding that the usual gatekeeper was gone.
• Chu Mu overheard cultivators say that the Sun Family was moving part of its business to Jade Emperor Valley after Heretical Cultivators attacked Changning Market, and that rooms were already scarce.

Chu Mu weighed work options in Jade Emperor Valley and learned why Li's Mineral Materials struggled to recruit workers: smelting ore caused lingering corrosion. Seeing a chance to earn Spirit Stones while studying materials for Puppet Art, he decided to try the job, though he had not found an Alchemy position.

• Chu Mu considered how the Sun Family's relocation to Jade Emperor Valley might affect local businesses and his own search for work.
• Chu Mu reviewed recruitment notices and decided that he wanted a stable job connected to the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, while hoping to bring Xu Yuan to the valley.
• At the Mission Hall, Chu Mu noticed that Li's Mineral Materials had lowered its cultivation requirement for workers despite keeping its recruitment notice posted for a long time.
• Chu Mu learned that prolonged smelting work exposed cultivators to mixed Mineral Material corrosion that consumed time and effort to purge.
• Chu Mu decided to try working at Li's Mineral Materials to earn Spirit Stones and study Mineral Materials for his Puppet Art foundation.

Chu Mu joined Li's Mineral Materials and explored the workshop and his new room. While studying an ordinary glazed lamp, he discovered its runes absorbed spiritual energy and controlled its light, but an anti-prying mechanism hid their details, leading him to recognize the potential value of the puppet inheritance in his mind.

• Steward Wu showed Chu Mu the workshop, explained the smelting work and benefits, and invited him to sign a contract.
• Chu Mu signed the Divine Soul Contract after verifying its terms and learned the rules and hierarchy of Li's Trading Company.
• Chu Mu toured the company, met its workers, and returned to the room assigned to him.
• Chu Mu examined the glazed lamp and identified a rune that absorbed ambient spiritual energy to replenish its glowing stone.
• Chu Mu found that another rune inside the stone controlled the lamp's response to light and darkness, but anti-prying measures obscured it.
• Chu Mu considered the wealth represented by the lamp's runes and realized his puppet inheritance might be far more valuable than he had assumed.

Chu Mu planned to develop his alchemy and puppet inheritances while building his mineral-material knowledge at Li's Mineral Materials. After refining Sparrow Spirit Ore for the first time, he calculated his likely wages and found that removing its corrosive effect from himself took over half a double-hour, leaving him concerned about hidden dangers.

• Chu Mu mapped out how he would pursue alchemy, Puppet Art, mineral-material study, and saber practice, with his two inheritances as his main priorities.
• Chu Mu asked Steward Wu for work and examined the warehouse's First Order Low-Grade mineral materials before choosing Sparrow Spirit Ore to study.
• Chu Mu used his Divine Sense and magic power to refine a piece of Sparrow Spirit Ore, learning about its yin-attribute spirituality and removing its impurities.
• Chu Mu sensed the ore's gloomy corrosion in his Divine Sense and magic power, then spent over half a double-hour stripping it away.
• Chu Mu estimated that his work could earn three Low-Grade Spirit Stones a month, but he remained dissatisfied and decided to investigate whether his colleagues faced any lingering dangers from the ore.

Chu Mu studied the erosion caused by Sparrow Spirit Ore, cultivated the Blazing Fire Art, and considered whether his Consummate Mastery blade technique protected him from the ore’s cold yin aura. After reading the Sun Family Laws, he understood that the rulers of Jade Emperor Valley controlled cultivation by monopolizing Spirit Veins and enforcing harsh rules in their Marketplaces.

• Chu Mu finished his shift after purifying seven catties of Sparrow Spirit Ore and got to know the other storeroom workers, especially Hou Cheng.
• Chu Mu compared his fire-attribute magic power with the ore’s cold yin aura and suspected that the sharpness rooted in his spirit by his blade technique helped him dispel the erosion faster.
• Chu Mu cultivated the Blazing Fire Art for two hours, then stopped because the strain on his spiritual sense had become too great.
• Chu Mu examined his Jade Emperor Valley registration card and read the Sun Family Laws, learning that the Sun Family controlled Spirit Veins and regulated access to spiritual energy through rented residences.
• Chu Mu realized that the Marketplace’s laws bound cultivators through taxes, labor, trade restrictions, and severe punishments, while serving the ruler’s interests.

Chu Mu spent nearly half a year working at Li's Mineral Materials, advancing his blade technique and learning about cultivation supplies while saving Fragmented Spirit. As Jade Emperor Valley Market expanded and grew crowded after dozens of Trading Companies relocated there, he considered how to spend his savings and noted that affordable housing remained scarce.

• Chu Mu reconsidered whether the Cultivation World's entrenched rules seemed natural because cultivators had grown accustomed to them, then focused his efforts on blade practice.
• Over nearly half a year, Chu Mu advanced his Basic Blade Technique to 2230/5000 while continuing his work, cultivation, and study of the Marketplace.
• Chu Mu learned about Bigu Pills, Spirit Grain, and the scarcity of storage artifacts, and he accumulated 128 Fragmented Spirit without enough money to pursue Alchemy or buy a Storage Dharma Artifact.
• Chu Mu observed that dozens of Trading Companies had transformed Jade Emperor Valley Market, bringing more cultivators and expanding the crowded streets and lakefront.
• Chu Mu recalled that a new housing cluster with spiritual-energy supplies had sparked a deadly scramble, and he judged that future housing expansion would likely be costly and inadequate for poorer cultivators.

Chu Mu bought Fireball Spell materials from Wang Mazi and began studying the three Fire Attribute Inscriptions that formed its Spell Model. He discovered that the books omitted the foundational knowledge he wanted, leaving him to investigate their underlying structure himself.

• Chu Mu explained that he lacked Spirit Stones to buy Fireball Spell materials from Wang Mazi, then bargained until he paid one hundred and twenty pieces of Fragmented Spirit for the materials and a Spell Experiment Hall pass.
• Wang Mazi told Chu Mu that spell experiments in the Marketplace had to take place in the Spell Experiment Hall, where each experiment cost at least one Spirit Stone.
• Chu Mu considered whether a larger Black Market might exist and decided to look for a chance to ask about it.
• Chu Mu returned to Li's Mineral Materials and studied the three books on the Fireball Spell behind the room's restrictions.
• Chu Mu used his spiritual sense to examine the three Fire Attribute Inscriptions and found that the books glossed over their construction and offered none of the underlying knowledge he sought.

Xu Yuan studied the Fireball Spell and, after a month of work and practice, successfully built its spell model. He tested the spell at the Spell Experiment Hall, where its first attack scorched a Humanoid Target but caused only minor damage.

• Xu Yuan studied his Mineral Materials handbook and continued working at Li's Mineral Materials while setting aside plans to bring Xu Yuan into the Cultivation World.
• Xu Yuan used the Spirit Radiance Blessing to learn the Fireball Spell and successfully constructed its spell model.
• After collecting his stipend, Xu Yuan went to the Spell Experiment Hall and entered the Early Qi Refining Stage public experiment area with his voucher.
• Xu Yuan tested his punch on a Humanoid Target, and the display measured its power at 0.13 degrees with minor damage.
• Xu Yuan cast a basketball-sized Fireball at the target, and the display measured the attack at 0.33 degrees with minor damage.

Chu Mu used the Spell Experiment Hall to test the Fireball Spell, recorded detailed data, and found a casting method suited to his current cultivation. He left concerned about the cost of the facility and the spell’s slow casting time, then resumed his Qi-refining cultivation.

• Chu Mu repeatedly tested Fireball Spell casts with different mana amounts and memorized the results recorded by the Spell Experiment Field.
• Chu Mu spent three double-hours experimenting, used Fragmented Spirits to restore mana, and raised his Fireball Spell progress to 63/100.
• Chu Mu left the Spell Experiment Hall and went to Li's Trading Company, where he compiled his experimental results in his Experiment Handbook.
• Chu Mu determined that spending about a quarter of his mana produced an optimal Fireball Spell power of 0.35 degrees, with a casting time of around six seconds.
• Chu Mu worried that six seconds was too long for combat, then sat on his bed and began his daily Qi-refining cultivation.

Five months of experimentation had let Chu Mu master the Fireball Spell’s structure and cut its casting time to about two seconds, though his cultivation still limited further progress. After leaving the Spell Experiment Field, he considered renting a Marketplace room for Xu Yuan and then read the latest Di Bao delivered by Hou Cheng.

• Chu Mu tested the Fireball Spell’s precision and found that an inscription restricted the shape of its flames.
• Chu Mu reviewed five months of experiments and saw that his Fireball Spell and blade technique had advanced, with the spell nearly reaching the next stage.
• Chu Mu determined that he could cast the Fireball Spell in about two seconds, but his cultivation limited further improvement.
• Chu Mu left the experiment field and considered renting a room in the expanded Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace for Xu Yuan.
• Hou Cheng brought Chu Mu the latest Di Bao, and Chu Mu began reading it in his room.

After studying the Di Bao, Chu Mu concluded that joining the Longevity Sect could give him the protection and access to knowledge he needed. He realized his current path was draining his savings, so he decided to focus on Old Li’s Alchemy inheritance and use Spirit Grain to begin practicing.

• Chu Mu learned from the Di Bao that the Longevity Sect ruled Great Chu while families like the Sun Family controlled local territories, and he considered entering the sect for support.
• Chu Mu spotted a report about mysterious fog over East Lake near Jingmen and chose not to return because the area would draw countless cultivators.
• Chu Mu reviewed his grain and remaining Spirit Stones and realized five months of work had left him with only two Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Chu Mu concluded that he needed to stop spending solely on cultivation and the Fireball Spell, and shift his focus to Puppetry and Alchemy.
• Chu Mu chose to pursue Old Li’s basic Alchemy inheritance, seeing Spirit Grain as a resource he could use to turn knowledge into wealth.

Chu Mu studied different Spirit Foods and concluded that he needed broader knowledge before he could refine Bigu Pills and ease his financial troubles. After six months devoted to Alchemy, Li's Mineral Materials closed and he learned that the Longevity Sect had leased its shops, leaving him without a job and wondering why the sect had appeared in Jade Emperor Valley Market.

• Chu Mu examined six types of Spirit Food and considered their uses and properties.
• Chu Mu reasoned that Bigu Pills could be made from Spirit Food and that he needed to expand his knowledge before attempting to refine them.
• Chu Mu spent six months studying Alchemy and Spirit Food, setting aside saber practice as he worked toward refining Bigu Pills.
• The shopkeeper told Chu Mu and the other assistants that Li's Mineral Materials had gone bankrupt and its shops had been leased to the Longevity Sect.
• Chu Mu received his wages and three Low-Grade Spirit Stones in severance pay, then wondered why he had never seen the Longevity Sect in the Marketplace.

After losing his Marketplace job, Chu Mu rented a house in the newly expanded district, only to find it sealed and ransacked after its previous tenant was killed. His neighbor Chang Hong'er began telling him what had happened, and Chu Mu realized the matter had much greater implications than he had expected.

• Chu Mu noticed that seven Sun Family shops beside Li's Mineral Materials had closed, prompting him to reconsider his plans involving the Longevity Sect.
• After six months of work and research, Chu Mu used his savings to rent house Jia-3 No. 56 in the expanded Marketplace.
• Chu Mu found Enforcement Team seals on the house, returned with the rental manager and an Enforcement Team cultivator, and got the seals removed.
• Chu Mu entered the ransacked house, cleaned it, and discovered that its windows overlooked the Marketplace and the valley's exits.
• Chang Hong'er introduced herself as the district's waste collector, received a Fragmented Spirit from Chu Mu, and offered to explain what had happened to the previous tenant.
• After Chu Mu refused to pay for the information, Chang Hong'er began explaining the case, and Chu Mu recognized that its impact was greater than he had assumed.

Chu Mu learned about Jia-3 District’s unusual food supplier and the previous occupant, Li Han, before calculating the cost of starting Bigu Pill alchemy. He ended with less than twelve Low-Grade Spirit Stones and no clear way to obtain the roughly eight hundred he needed.

• Chu Mu paid Chang Hong'er one Fragmented Spirit for two months of secular food and realized her garbage and food businesses seemed unusually profitable for a first-level Qi Refining cultivator.
• Chang Hong'er told Chu Mu that Li Han, the room’s previous owner, had been killed after allegedly murdering a legitimate grandson of a Sun Family Foundation Establishment powerhouse.
• Chu Mu searched Li Han’s room for a hidden windfall but found nothing, then counted his possessions and found he had less than twelve Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Chu Mu calculated that buying an alchemy furnace, ingredients, spirit charcoal, fire-boosting oil, and mana-restoring pills would cost at least eight hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Chu Mu considered how long it would take him to save the money and lamented that the Cultivation World had no payday loans.

Chu Mu risked his savings to prepare for a trip to the Phoenix Cry Mountain Black Market, spending nearly everything on Spell Experiment Hall vouchers so he could strengthen himself first. His Basic Blade Technique reached the Pinnacle and manifested as a sharp, invisible blade capable of cutting through furniture, but after Chang Hongyi delivered food, Chu Mu sensed something and grew grave.

• Chu Mu decided to sell his cultivation knowledge despite the danger, and identified Wang Mazi's card as a credential for the distant Phoenix Cry Mountain Black Market.
• Chu Mu spent ten spirit stones on thirty Spell Experiment Hall vouchers and resolved to improve his blade technique and Fireball Spell before making the journey.
• Under Spirit Radiance Blessing, Chu Mu pushed his Basic Blade Technique to Reaching the Pinnacle and felt its blade-edge sharpness spread through his Divine Sense, magic power, and body.
• Chu Mu focused his Divine Sense into an invisible blade and cut a table and chairs in half, then considered testing whether Fireball Spell would reveal more about the breakthrough.
• Chang Hongyi delivered seven days' worth of food and cooking supplies, and Chu Mu became tense before sending her away and closing the door.

Chu Mu investigated the hostile surveillance around his dwelling and discovered that his saber art breakthrough was sharpening and tempering his Essence, Qi, and Spirit. The watcher disappeared after several days, but Chu Mu still did not know who was watching him or why only his saber art produced these changes.

• Chu Mu suspected the previous occupant of his dwelling had drawn the attention of a hidden watcher, and he confirmed the surveillance followed him outside but vanished inside the Spell Experiment Hall and his restricted room.
• Chu Mu advanced Fireball Spell to Consummate Mastery, recorded its faster casting and greater power, and found that his Divine Sense now reached nearly twice as far.
• Chu Mu concluded that the saber art breakthrough, rather than Fireball Spell, had strengthened his Divine Sense and magical power, but he feared the surveillance could disrupt his plans to travel to Phoenix Cry Mountain Black Market.
• Chu Mu stayed in his room for several days to study and record the changes caused by the blade-edge sharpness rooted in his spirit.
• On the sixth day, Chu Mu found no sign of surveillance and realized the blade-edge sharpness was continuously tempering his divine soul, magical power, and body, though he still did not know why only the saber art caused it.

Chu Mu watched the Longevity Flying Boat shatter Jade Emperor Valley Market’s protective array as conflict between the Longevity Sect and the Sun Family threw the market into chaos. After fleeing to his house, he was trapped inside by a Black Robe Man attacking its damaged restriction, and discovered a hidden wooden box that the attacker seemed to want.

• The Longevity Flying Boat forced its way through Jade Emperor Valley Market’s grand array and shattered it, while cultivators speculated that the Longevity Sect was taking control from the Sun Family.
• Chu Mu sensed a lethal threat, dodged a stray spell during a street fight, and hurried back to his house as order collapsed.
• A Black Robe Man attacked Chu Mu’s house just as he entered, making the damaged array restriction flicker under the bombardment.
• Chu Mu realized the attacker was after something inside the house and spotted a small wooden box hidden beneath the broken floorboards.

Chu Mu killed the Black Robe Man with his saber technique, but the effort damaged his divine soul and forced him to flee Jade Emperor Valley Market. After recovering in his cave, he discovered an illusory long saber was tempering his damaged soul.

• The Black Robe Man broke into the room and attacked Chu Mu, demanding the token from the wooden box.
• Chu Mu threw the token to distract the Black Robe Man, then struck him with his saber and killed him, though the attack damaged Chu Mu's divine soul.
• Chu Mu took the token and the Black Robe Man's spoils, escaped through the market's chaos, and hid in his cave on Jade Pillar Mountain.
• Chu Mu slept for five days and woke with severe divine-soul damage and a weakened body.
• Chu Mu sensed an illusory long saber engraved on his divine soul, seemingly tempering the damage and easing his pain.

After surviving the fight with Black Robe Man, Chu Mu examined his gains and discovered that his illusory blade was healing his damaged divine soul. He refined the High-Grade Magical Artifact Illusion God Mask, but learned that a damaged Storage Talisman had likely destroyed everything stored inside it.

• Chu Mu reviewed his injuries and combat experience, concluding that he lacked defensive methods and needed more varied ways to fight.
• Chu Mu recalled looting Black Robe Man and realized the strange mask he had removed from the man's face might be a Magical Artifact.
• Chu Mu used his Divine Sense to erase Black Robe Man's residual imprint and refined the Illusion God Mask, learning it could change his appearance, conceal his cultivation, and mask his Divine Soul Aura.
• Chu Mu tried different appearances with the mask and settled on an inconspicuous face.
• Chu Mu inventoried the remaining spoils, finding thirteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones, five Fragmented Spirits, and about a dozen unidentified Alchemical Pills.
• Chu Mu recognized the damaged Talisman as a Storage Talisman and realized its contents had disappeared when its temporary space shattered.

After recovering from his soul injuries, Chu Mu used the Blood Kill Token and Illusion God Mask to travel to Phoenix Cry Mountain’s Black Market. He reached its hidden entrance and stepped through the cliff, while the dangerous chaos outside left him relying on the mask to bluff potential attackers.

• Chu Mu learned that the Blood Kill Token belonged to the Blood Kill Pavilion, which recognized whoever held it and had a contact point in the Phoenix Cry Mountain Black Market.
• Chu Mu spent half a year healing his soul and another year training, improving his Fireball Spell and deciding he needed a defensive spell.
• Chu Mu left his cave and traveled toward Phoenix Cry Mountain with the token and Illusion God Mask.
• At Phoenix Cry Mountain, Chu Mu followed Wang Mazi’s card through a dangerous area where cultivators watched him and spells erupted nearby.
• Chu Mu followed the card’s arrow to a cliff, watched masked cultivators emerge and pursue one another, then walked into the rock wall.