Chapter Summaries

Chu Mu explored the Phoenix Cry Mountain Black Market and found the Basic Weapon Refinement book he needed to advance his understanding of Puppet Art, but its thousand-Spirit-Stone price was beyond his means. He weighed selling one of his inherited arts to raise money, yet struggled to choose between honoring Old Li’s teachings and risking the consequences of revealing Puppet Art.

• Chu Mu paid one Low-Grade Spirit Stone to enter the black market, where a humanoid puppet explained the fees and rules.
• Chu Mu surveyed the crowded stalls and saw that the free-trade market sold cultivation methods, spells, materials, artifacts, and foundational knowledge.
• Chu Mu found a Basic Weapon Refinement book priced at one thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, asked about it, then left without buying it.
• Chu Mu learned that Heavenly Balance Pavilion appraised goods and guaranteed compensation for a fee, while buyers leaving the black market received no protection.
• Chu Mu considered selling Old Li’s Alchemy inheritance or his Puppet Art knowledge to earn Spirit Stones, but struggled with the moral and personal risks of either choice.

Chu Mu sold his Alchemy Fundamentals and Bigu Pill Formula in the Black Market, attracting covetous attention while assembling the tools and materials needed to practice alchemy. He stayed in the marketplace to plan how to survive the watchers and leave Phoenix Cry Mountain alive.

• Chu Mu weighed the risks and potential benefits of claiming the Blood Kill Token while considering the Blood Kill Pavilion’s hidden presence in the Longevity Sect’s territory.
• A fearless girl named Ling Er bought Chu Mu’s Alchemy Fundamentals for five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones and swore not to disclose its contents.
• Ling Er’s powerful father arrived carrying a Top-Grade Magical Artifact Pill Furnace, and his presence silenced the street before he and Ling Er left.
• Chu Mu failed to sell his materials for several days, then sold the Bigu Pill Formula on the sixth day as the watchers around his stall multiplied.
• Chu Mu spent 612 Spirit Stones on a damaged Pill Furnace, a Storage Talisman, and alchemy supplies, kept 89 Spirit Stones for his stay, and extended his time in the Black Market while planning his escape.

Chu Mu entered the Blood Kill Pavilion contact point and learned how its missions and rank system worked. He left with his contribution advanced to Yellow Rank Middle Grade, but declined a dangerous assassination mission and was warned to find a safe way out of the Black Market.

• Chu Mu disguised himself in the Marketplace and realized that a local gang was still searching for him, then decided to visit the Blood Kill Pavilion before leaving the Black Market.
• Chu Mu used his Blood Kill Token to open the hidden contact point, where a silver-white puppet awakened and confirmed that his mission contribution had advanced him to Yellow Rank Middle Grade.
• The puppet offered Chu Mu a mission to assassinate two Longevity Sect enforcement disciples in Jade Emperor Valley and frame the Sun Family, but Chu Mu suppressed his interest and declined.
• The puppet explained the standing mission for valuable spiritual materials and revealed that it was a vessel for a spirit-descending technique, not an ordinary puppet.
• Chu Mu claimed to be at Qi Refining Third Layer, swore an oath not to reveal the pavilion’s secrets, and heard the puppet warn him to find a way out before leaving the Black Market.

Chu Mu claimed the inheritance left by a previous Blood Kill Token owner and escaped Phoenix Cry Mountain after taking precautions against pursuit. With his preparations for alchemy complete, he considered where to go next.

• Chu Mu suspected Blood Kill Pavilion used Puppetry for surveillance and wondered whether its puppetry methods were connected to the Phoenix Cry Mountain Black Market.
• Chu Mu used the Heavenly Balance Pavilion card to open Cabinet Sixteen and collected Spirit Stones and a Jade Bottle as his inheritance.
• Chu Mu changed his appearance several times, waited for the Marketplace disturbance to subside, and left the Black Market under cover of night on the fourteenth day.
• Chu Mu traveled cautiously until dawn, then reflected that he needed resources to advance his cultivation and planned to build wealth through alchemy and Bigu Pill.
• Chu Mu surveyed his surroundings and pondered his next destination.

Chu Mu returned to Jingmen and reunited with Xu Yuan and Wangcai, then decided to take them into the Cultivation World. As they prepared to leave amid rumors of a mysterious East Lake Secret Realm, Chu Mu weighed where to settle and leaned toward returning to Jade Emperor Valley under the Longevity Sect.

• Chu Mu entered Jingmen and visited Hundred Herbs Pavilion, where Wangcai recognized him and Xu Yuan welcomed him back.
• Chu Mu learned that Xu Yuan had reached Spirit Manifestation and told him he had returned to bring him into the Cultivation World; he also said Wangcai would come along.
• Xu Yuan mentioned rumors of white mist and cultivators around East Lake, but Chu Mu said they should leave Jingmen and avoid the suspected Secret Realm.
• Chu Mu considered nearby Marketplaces and rejected settling under the Sun Family, whose rules restricted Rogue Cultivators and Alchemy.
• Chu Mu reflected on the possible rift between the Sun Family and the Longevity Sect and decided that Jade Emperor Valley was still his best available destination.

Chu Mu returned to Jade Emperor Valley and found the area transformed under the Longevity Sect, which had imposed a strict ban on fighting after a display of overwhelming power. He explored the market and learned that its improved protections and facilities came with higher rents, entry fees, and new rules for doing business.

• Chu Mu approached Jade Emperor Valley with Xu Yuan and Wangcai, while nearby cultivators watched them warily.
• A Longevity Sect sword-wielder announced that attackers of the sect’s Enforcement Team would be executed and banned private fighting within two hundred li of the market.
• Chu Mu saw that the former lake had become Jade Emperor Square and that a settlement of low houses had sprung up outside the market.
• At the gate, Chu Mu recognized the white-robed attendant as a puppet and paid one Fragmented Spirit to enter for twelve hours.
• Chu Mu surveyed the market, noting its denser spiritual energy, higher rents, entry fees, and new requirements for business permits.

Chu Mu brought Xu Yuan into Jade Emperor Valley Market, helped him begin learning about cultivation, and reunited with Wang Mazi, who had been forced into a Soul Contract after mining for Longevity Sect. After renting a house for them, Chu Mu discovered that the Marketplace’s abundant Spirit Energy was much cheaper than Spirit Stones seemed to imply because converting energy into stones wasted most of it.

• Xu Yuan told Chu Mu that he had a Waste Spiritual Root and had been advised to choose a Metal Attribute Cultivation Method, so Chu Mu gave him a book of common Cultivation World knowledge.
• Chu Mu reunited with Wang Mazi, who explained that Longevity Sect had forced him to mine for half a year and then bound him with a Soul Contract to work for a Cultivator.
• Chu Mu bought a Metal Attribute Cultivation Method, a Metal Attribute Attack Spell, and a Fire Attribute Defense Spell from Wang Mazi for thirty-two Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Chu Mu rented a house in Ding-3 District under a shared-rental arrangement, giving Xu Yuan the right to settle in the Marketplace.
• Inside the house, Chu Mu saw that its Spirit Energy supply was ten degrees per day and realized that Spirit Stones contained far less usable energy than their cost suggested because conversion wasted most of it.

After moving into a spiritual-energy-rich loft, Chu Mu used Three Harmony Pills to cultivate through a season and reached the Qi Refining Second Layer, while the Illusory Long Blade continued to temper his Mana. Wangcai approached the threshold of Spirit Manifestation, and Xu Yuan found work at the Longevity Sect's Spirit Talisman Pavilion; Chu Mu then left the loft with the Bigu Pill progress on his mind.

• Chu Mu settled into the loft with Xu Yuan and examined his supplies, finding that his savings totaled one hundred and thirteen Low-Grade Spirit Stones and six Fragmented Spirits.
• Chu Mu took a Three Harmony Pill and discovered that the Illusory Long Blade tempered the disordered Mana produced by the pill.
• Over the season, Chu Mu consumed ten Three Harmony Pills and advanced to the Qi Refining Second Layer.
• Chu Mu examined Wangcai and judged that the dog was near the threshold of Spirit Manifestation, though he would not spend scarce resources to help it cross.
• Xu Yuan told Chu Mu he had found a job grinding Talisman powder at the Longevity Sect's Spirit Talisman Pavilion, and Chu Mu gave him money for the rent.
• Chu Mu studied the Bigu Pill progress on his Light Screen Panel, then left the loft.

After months of recovery in Jade Emperor Valley, Chu Mu began refining Bigu Pills with the help of Spirit Radiance Blessing. His first batch produced a One-Pattern Bigu Pill, but his attempt without the blessing ended in failure.

• Chu Mu reunited with Chang Hongyi, who resumed selling him mundane food and ingredients.
• Chu Mu prepared his pill furnace and Spirit Grain, then reviewed the Bigu Pill formula and its costs.
• Chu Mu used Spirit Radiance Blessing to control the fire and medicinal properties, successfully refining five Bigu Pills, including one with a pill pattern.
• Chu Mu swallowed the One-Pattern Bigu Pill and carefully observed its slow, gradual effects for several hours.
• Chu Mu tried refining another batch without Spirit Radiance Blessing, but burned the ingredients into a charred lump.

Chu Mu struggled to profit from refining Bigu Pills, then used the false identity Li Gang to approach Wang Mazi and arrange a sales partnership. Their cooperation began smoothly, with Wang Mazi supplying cheaper ingredients and selling Chu Mu’s pills.

• Chu Mu failed most of his Bigu Pill refinements and realized that selling through trading firms would not recover his costs.
• Chu Mu observed Wang Mazi for more than half a month, then disguised himself as the young alchemist Li Gang and gradually revealed his pill-making talent.
• Wang Mazi proposed sourcing cheaper ingredients and selling Li Gang’s pills for a share of the profits, and Chu Mu agreed to a sixty-forty split.
• Wang Mazi sold Chu Mu’s Bigu Pills and returned with more than four hundred Spirit Stones’ worth of ingredients at below-market prices.
• Chu Mu refined nearly three hundred and twenty Bigu Pills from the ingredients, kept more than twenty One Pill Pattern pills, and handed three hundred pills to Wang Mazi.

Chu Mu continued developing his Bigu Pill business with Wang Mazi while training in the Blazing Fire Barrier spell. After earning his first substantial profit, he agreed to begin preparing for a new pill formula, the Nourishing Meridian Pill.

• Chu Mu reviewed his Light Screen Panel, assessed his Bigu Pill refining proficiency, and studied the Blazing Fire Barrier spell in his new dwelling.
• Chu Mu repeatedly practiced the Blazing Fire Barrier and recorded his experiments, gradually increasing his proficiency.
• Wang Mazi brought Chu Mu 139 low-grade spirit stones from their Bigu Pill sales and arranged to return in half a month with more raw materials.
• Wang Mazi proposed that they buy a Nourishing Meridian Pill formula, and Chu Mu agreed to handle the alchemy while Wang Mazi managed the rest.
• Chu Mu reflected on his new income and the great expense and effort required to reach his current Bigu Pill success rate.

Chu Mu spent Spirit Stones on pills, food, and wine while considering the Longevity Sect as a fallback if Li Gang’s identity became unsafe. As he read the sect’s Di Bao, he learned more about the power struggle between the Longevity Sect and its five powerful affiliated families, then left the inn late at night feeling relaxed.

• Chu Mu bought seven Nourishing Meridian Pills at the Returning Spring Pavilion and considered joining the Longevity Sect as a backup plan.
• Chu Mu reflected on how his new source of wealth let him stop worrying over small amounts of Spirit Stones and entered the Yuelai Inn for a meal.
• Chu Mu read the Longevity Sect’s Di Bao and learned that the sect planned to raise affiliated families’ annual offerings from twenty to thirty percent.
• Chu Mu identified the five powerful families as the Langya Wang Family, East Lake Xie Family, Hanhai Chen Family, Changping Zhao Family, and Nanshan Li Family.
• Chu Mu ate and drank at the inn, then left late at night after indulging in a rare, expensive meal.

Over half a year, Chu Mu advanced to the fourth layer of Qi Refining and built a profitable Bigu Pill business with Wang Mazi. He invested his savings in a Nourishing Meridian Pill formula and ingredients, then began studying the thirteen herbs needed to refine it.

• Chu Mu refined Bigu Pills from four hundred spirit stones' worth of materials and handed all three hundred and twenty-one pills to Wang Mazi.
• For more than half a year, Chu Mu earned about one hundred and fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones monthly from Bigu Pill sales while cultivating and practicing his skills.
• Wang Mazi brought Chu Mu a Storage Talisman and Jade Slip in exchange for three hundred spirit stones from each of them, pooling their earnings to buy the Nourishing Meridian Pill formula and ingredients.
• Chu Mu studied the formula and an alchemist's refining records, then used Spiritual Radiance to organize the knowledge.
• Chu Mu began experimenting with the medicinal properties of the formula's thirteen Spirit Herbs, and continued for nearly two months without interruption.

After nearly two months of seclusion, Chu Mu explored the expanding Jade Emperor Valley Market and learned about the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion’s auction. Back home, he tested a Spirit Feeding Pill on Wangcai and realized the dog still had room to grow toward becoming a Monster Beast, though further progress depended on his limited funds.

• Chu Mu surveyed Jade Emperor Valley Market and reflected on how the Longevity Sect’s policies had expanded the settlement and attracted Rogue Cultivators.
• Chu Mu visited the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, learned it sold many kinds of goods and held auctions, and regretted missing an auction featuring a Foundation Establishment Pill.
• Chu Mu received Wang Mazi’s Sound Transmission Talisman messages about the Nourishing Meridian Pill and replied in Li Gang’s voice to placate him.
• Chu Mu fed Wangcai a Spirit Feeding Pill and observed that its body and Qi-Blood could still grow beyond their previous limit.
• Chu Mu concluded Wangcai had not yet reached the true secular limit required to progress toward Spirit Manifestation and a Monster Beast transformation.

Chu Mu returned to his alchemy work and used Spirit Radiance Blessing to refine Nourishing Meridian Pills, succeeding in four of eight furnaces and reaching Entering the Hall in the skill. He set aside twenty-one pills to report to Wang Mazi while keeping the rest, including a pill with One Pill Pattern, as he planned to conceal his true success.

• Chang Hongyi delivered two months of ingredients and said she was quitting the small-time trade after finding a new big business.
• Chu Mu, disguised as Li Gang, told Wang Mazi to return in seven days for results, then cleaned up his research room and rested.
• Chu Mu began refining the Nourishing Meridian Pill, but his first four furnaces failed at different stages.
• Chu Mu succeeded in four of eight furnaces, producing forty-six Nourishing Meridian Pills and one with One Pill Pattern, and advanced his alchemy skill to Entering the Hall.
• Chu Mu set aside twenty-one pills for Wang Mazi and kept the remaining twenty-five, considering the value of the pill with One Pill Pattern.

Chu Mu recorded his Nourishing Meridian Pill insights and cultivated, reflecting on bottlenecks and the unusual strength of his Mana and soul. An explosion shook his residence, and he saw a mangled corpse outside the pavilion across the street, leaving the cause unclear.

• Chu Mu wrote a detailed record of refining the Nourishing Meridian Pill and his insights.
• Chu Mu considered the minor and major bottlenecks facing cultivators and took a Nourishing Meridian Pill to cultivate.
• Chu Mu sensed the Illusory Long Blade tempering his Mana and soul as he cultivated.
• Chu Mu checked his Light Screen Panel and estimated that Nourishing Meridian Pills had become less effective as his cultivation advanced.
• An explosion shook Chu Mu's residence, and he saw a mangled corpse clutching a Talisman at the entrance of the pavilion across the street.

After a Foundation Establishment expert killed the buyer of a Foundation Establishment Pill near Chu Mu’s loft, Chu Mu grew wary of the marketplace’s safety and used Nourishing Meridian Pills to cultivate in seclusion. He advanced to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, then learned through sound transmissions that the Longevity Sect had expanded its industries around Jade Emperor Valley and that Wang Mazi had finally prepared more spirit herbs.

• Chu Mu answered the Longevity Sect Enforcement Team’s questions about the attack and learned from Wang Mazi that the victim had bought a Foundation Establishment Pill and was killed by a Foundation Establishment expert.
• Chu Mu gave Wang Mazi twenty-one pills from two successful furnaces and asked him to obtain spirit herbs so he could try refining veined Nourishing Meridian Pills.
• Chu Mu worried that the marketplace had blind spots and recalled the Blood Kill Pavilion puppet’s plan to assassinate the Longevity Sect’s Enforcement Team and frame the Sun Family.
• Chu Mu cultivated with more than twenty Nourishing Meridian Pills for nearly a month and advanced smoothly to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.
• Chu Mu listened to Xu Yuan’s sound transmissions about the Longevity Sect moving industries and jobs outside the marketplace, and learned from Wang Mazi’s messages that the Jade Emperor Black Market had been destroyed and rebuilt before the herbs were finally prepared.

Chu Mu used Alchemy to earn a fortune from Nourishing Meridian Pills while steadily improving his cultivation and spells. After half a year, he had reached the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining and demonstrated newly mastered, instantly cast Fireball and Blazing Fire Barrier spells.

• Chu Mu accepted materials for thirty batches of Nourishing Meridian Pills from Wang Mazi and promised to return after a month.
• Chu Mu refined the pills with a fifty-percent success rate, gave Wang Mazi one hundred and seventy pills, and kept the rest.
• Chu Mu spent the following months refining pills, selling them, and gathering more spirit herbs, eventually raising his Alchemy success rate to seventy percent.
• Chu Mu advanced his Fireball Spell and Blazing Fire Barrier to Return to Original Simplicity and practiced rapidly casting multiple spells in a private Spell Experiment Hall.
• Chu Mu advanced to the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining, accumulated substantial wealth through Alchemy, and passed his monthly vouchers and pills to Xu Yuan.

After Wang Mazi was discovered and warned that multiple groups, including the Longevity Sect, were watching their dealings, Chu Mu decided to protect himself by abandoning his Li Gang identity. He rented a home in Jade Serenity Town under a new identity, beginning another life near the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace.

• Wang Mazi met Chu Mu in disguise and revealed that several groups had pursued him after he left the Black Market.
• Wang Mazi gave Chu Mu the materials for their next batch and warned him to change identities before their trail exposed him.
• Chu Mu inspected the Storage Talisman, considered the danger of being controlled by sect or Lineage members, and resolved to create another safeguard.
• Chu Mu rented a residence in Jade Serenity Town under a completely new identity and set aside Li Gang's identity.

After counting his wealth, Chu Mu hit a bottleneck at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer and investigated whether Pill Poison Impurities were responsible. His experiments suggested the Divine Soul Blade had purified his Mana, leading him to suspect that the impurities had instead affected his body, which he had neglected in his cultivation.

• Chu Mu counted his pills, Spirit Stones, and raw materials, then decided to lie low before using his resources to cultivate.
• After three days and three Nourishing Meridian Pills, Chu Mu found his progress blocked by a bottleneck at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.
• Chu Mu attributed the bottleneck to Pill Poison Impurities and tested whether the Divine Soul Blade could remove them from his Mana.
• After ten days of observation, Chu Mu found that the Divine Soul Blade continued purifying his Mana without producing more black smoke, despite his cultivation remaining stuck.
• Chu Mu realized that Pill Poison might affect his body or Divine Soul as well as his Mana, and focused his attention on the body he had neglected.