Chapter Summaries

Ji Yifeng offered Lan Chang'an a place in Yellow Dragon Mountain, but Lan Chang'an declined, while Lin Ye refined pills for him and gave him an alchemy inheritance. Lan Chang'an and Shi Manrong discussed their secrets and a possible search for ancient ruins together, and the chapter ended with Lan Chang'an opening a letter about the battlefield.

• Ji Yifeng delivered materials to Lan Chang'an at cost and invited him to join Yellow Dragon Mountain, but Lan Chang'an refused.
• Lin Ye refined several batches of pills for Lan Chang'an, accepted his generous payment, and gave him a Second-Order High-Grade alchemist inheritance before leaving Wuqi Mountain.
• Shi Manrong confronted Lan Chang'an about hiding his Youth Preservation Pill; he gave her one and recounted what he knew about the ancient ruins.
• Shi Manrong proposed that she and Lan Chang'an search for the ancient ruins together, and they agreed to leave cooperation as a possibility for the future.
• Lan Chang'an received a letter from Zhao Tan'er about the campaign and opened it, wondering how Zhao Siyao and Zhang were faring.

Lan Chang'an learned more about the war and visited Song Wenshu, where he discovered that Song was engaged to Shen Bixin and at odds with Jiang Yechen. After leaving, Lan Chang'an was stopped by Jiang, who demanded his help arranging a meeting with Shen Bixin.

• Lan Chang'an read Zhao Siyao's account of the Feng Kingdom battlefield, learned Zhang Tieshan had earned military merits and Lin Lu remained missing, and wrote back that he would not join the front lines.
• Lan Chang'an visited Song Wenshu and learned that Liang Kingdom's sects chiefly sought to plunder resources rather than occupy enemy territory.
• Jiang Yechen arrived at the stronghold and accused Song Wenshu of using underhanded methods to win Shen Bixin's engagement.
• Lan Chang'an left the stronghold, but Jiang Yechen intercepted him and claimed Song had driven him and Shen Bixin apart.
• Jiang Yechen asked Lan Chang'an and Fairy Shi to mediate and arrange a meeting with Shen Bixin, insisting Lan Chang'an would agree.

Lan Chang'an learned that Jiang Yechen could potentially repair Shi Manrong's damaged memories, but she hesitated to trust him with her Sea of Consciousness. Song Wenshu and Shen Bixin visited Wuqi Mountain as an engaged couple, while a hidden Pseudo-Core True Person followed them to guard against Jiang Yechen.

• Lan Chang'an refused Jiang Yechen's pressure, then agreed to tell Shi Manrong about his offer to repair her memories.
• Shi Manrong met Jiang Yechen and learned that treatment would require opening her Sea of Consciousness; she chose to wait and asked Lan Chang'an to protect her if she accepted it later.
• Shi Manrong left Wuqi Mountain, and a month later Song Wenshu and Shen Bixin arrived together and announced their engagement.
• Lan Chang'an congratulated the couple, while Ye Fei watched Shen Bixin leave with visible disappointment.
• Lan Chang'an sensed a Pseudo-Core True Person nearby, and the thin man in a straw hat followed Song Wenshu and Shen Bixin to ensure Jiang Yechen did not interfere.

More than half a year after receiving news of a major step by a woman in the south, Lan Chang'an met Li Congren, who repaid his grandfather’s debt and revealed how the Xuemei Mountain Li Clan had prospered near the Liang Kingdom border. Three years later, news that Shen Bixin and Song Wenshu had postponed their marriage contract made Lan Chang'an suspect the war had changed, and he considered where to seek reliable intelligence.

• Lan Chang'an welcomed Li Congren to Small Turtle Peak, accepted ore and Spirit Stones as repayment and thanks, and heard how Li Congren had established the Xuemei Mountain Li Clan.
• Li Congren described Jing Kingdom’s neutrality and wartime trade, then bought Puppets and Talismans from Lan Chang'an before departing with a male spirit-rat pet.
• Lan Chang'an suspected Li Congren’s clan had benefited from a treasure-seeking or mine-finding rat, but chose not to investigate.
• Three years later, Shi Manrong told Lan Chang'an that Shen Bixin and Song Wenshu’s marriage contract had been postponed.
• Lan Chang'an suspected Song Wenshu might have been drafted or that the front-line war had changed, especially after Zhao Tan'er stopped sending him war news.
• Lan Chang'an decided there was another place where he could obtain the latest war intelligence.

Zhao Siyao and Zhang Tieshan joined forces to kill the pursuing True Person Purple Maple with Zhang Tieshan’s self-destructing treasure and a powerful talisman Lan Chang'an had given her. After surviving the attack, Zhang Tieshan told Zhao Siyao that the Liang Kingdom’s forces had suffered a crushing defeat, with several Golden Core cultivators dead and a Nascent Soul-level battle reported.

• Zhao Siyao helped defend Golden Cloud Valley’s damaged stronghold after its battle with Feng Kingdom cultivators, while Junior Brother Qin treated her shoulder wound.
• Wounded Zhang Tieshan arrived at the stronghold with True Person Purple Maple pursuing him, and Zhao Siyao and the other cultivators prepared to face the Pseudo-Core enemy.
• True Person Purple Maple’s reinforcements approached as Zhang Tieshan and Zhao Siyao attacked, but their wounded group struggled against his defenses.
• Zhang Tieshan detonated his metal Magic Treasure Prototype as Zhao Siyao activated a third-rank talisman, allowing the water dragon to break through True Person Purple Maple’s defenses and kill him.
• Zhao Siyao recognized the talisman Lan Chang'an had given her, and Zhang Tieshan revealed that the Liang Kingdom’s army had suffered a crushing defeat at the Tantai Clan, with several True Core cultivators killed and a Nascent Soul-level battle erupting.

Lan Chang'an sensed that Zhao Siyao had used the Treasure Talisman he gave her, then bought Class-A intelligence revealing Liang Kingdom’s crushing defeat and the risk that war could reach its territory. He left Liaoyuan Immortal City with a plan to strengthen his defenses and secured Shen Bixin’s help in gathering rare materials.

• Lan Chang'an sensed the Treasure Talisman he had given Zhao Siyao had been used and feared she had faced a grave crisis.
• Lan Chang'an bought Class-A intelligence from the Heavenly Knowledge Pavilion and learned that Liang Kingdom’s forces had suffered heavy losses, Master Lihuo was badly injured, and the war might reach Liang Kingdom within about ten years.
• Lan Chang'an decided to advance his body-refining and puppet skills, but found that third-rank spiritual sand and other rare materials were difficult to obtain.
• Lan Chang'an visited Shen Bixin and asked her to gather materials through the Tengxing Chamber of Commerce’s connections.
• Shen Bixin agreed to seek the materials within half a year, and Lan Chang'an promised her a favor in return.

Lan Chang'an learned that True Person Yellow Dragon was near death and that the Liang Kingdom's forces had suffered a crushing defeat in the Feng Kingdom war, while Zhao Siyao returned from the battlefield wounded. After buying rare materials, Lan Chang'an began using third-rank Spiritual Sand Stone to advance his long-stalled body-refinement cultivation.

• Shen Bixin told Lan Chang'an that True Person Yellow Dragon was critically ill and warned him that forces might target Yellow Dragon Mountain after his death.
• News of the Liang Kingdom's defeat in the Feng Kingdom war spread, and Fairy Shi told the Wuqi Mountain Peak Masters that the losses were worse than public reports suggested.
• Lan Chang'an received Zhao Siyao's letter saying she and Zhang Tieshan had killed an enemy Pseudo-Core True Person, suffered heavy injuries, and withdrawn from the battlefield.
• Lan Chang'an bought third-rank spiritual sand, Puppets, and other materials from the Tengxing Chamber of Commerce without being followed.
• Lan Chang'an used third-rank Spiritual Sand Stone in a medicinal bath and felt his Cloud Sand Body Refining Art begin to progress again.

Half a year after refining a powerful Second-Order Top-Grade Archer Puppet, Lan Chang'an reunited with Zhao Siyao and Zhang Tieshan, then spoke privately with Zhao Siyao about the Treasure Talisman he had secretly given her. Two months later, he received an invitation to True Person Yellow Dragon's funeral and wondered whether he should attend.

• Lan Chang'an refined and tested a Second-Order Top-Grade Archer Puppet, whose attack could threaten even powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators.
• Lan Chang'an visited Zhao Siyao and Zhang Tieshan in Golden Cloud Valley, where they discussed their recovery, his cultivation, and his prospects for advancing.
• Zhao Siyao privately thanked Lan Chang'an for the talisman that had saved her, but he pretended not to understand and asked her to repay him by successfully forming her core.
• Lan Chang'an and Zhao Siyao discussed his relationship with Fairy Shi and his intentions should he someday achieve a Pseudo-Core.
• Lan Chang'an received an invitation to True Person Yellow Dragon's funeral and asked Fairy Shi whether he should attend.

Lan Chang'an and Shi Manrong avoided True Person Yellow Dragon’s funeral after He Yuanwu threatened them, then learned Yellow Dragon Mountain had been attacked and Fu Xuemei had fled. He Yuanwu later broke into Wuqi Mountain, abducted Ye Fei, and warned the others not to shelter anyone seriously injured.

• Lan Chang'an agreed to accompany Shi Manrong to Yellow Dragon Mountain’s funeral, but He Yuanwu arrived at Wuqi Mountain and threatened them into staying away.
• Lan Chang'an sent Yellow Dragon Mountain a letter explaining his absence, then received Zheng Wugong’s account of the funeral and the attack that killed Ji Yifeng and left the Earth Dragon Beast’s fate unknown.
• Fu Xuemei escaped with severe injuries, while Blazing Fire Palace’s cultivators arrived the next morning and took control of Yellow Dragon Mountain and Yellow Dragon Immortal City.
• He Yuanwu returned to Wuqi Mountain, broke Small Pill Peak’s formation, and took Ye Fei away, claiming he would only keep him for a few days.
• Before leaving, He Yuanwu warned Lan Chang'an and Shi Manrong not to take in outsiders, especially anyone seriously injured, and they examined Small Pill Peak to investigate what had happened.

Lan Chang'an and Shi Manrong suspected He Yuanwu had abducted Ye Fei to prevent him from treating an injured Yellow Dragon Mountain cultivator. Fu Dongqiao then brought the unconscious Fu Xuemei to Small Turtle Peak, where Lan Chang'an discovered her severe injuries and began treating her under the guidance of the dying Old Servant, True Person Yellow Dragon.

• Lan Chang'an and Shi Manrong concluded that He Yuanwu had taken Ye Fei because he opposed Yellow Dragon Mountain's surviving line and might threaten Wuqi Mountain.
• Fu Dongqiao arrived at Small Turtle Peak with his gravely injured sister, Fu Xuemei, and asked Lan Chang'an to examine her after learning Ye Fei had been abducted.
• Lan Chang'an recognized that Fu Xuemei's old servant was True Person Yellow Dragon, who had only one chance to act and could not risk using it to heal her.
• Lan Chang'an examined Fu Xuemei and found severe internal injuries that were damaging her True Core and had irreversibly destroyed her ability to bear children.
• At Old Servant's urging, Lan Chang'an pressed his Evergreen Mana against Fu Xuemei's abdomen, and she cried out in pain.

Lan Chang'an treated Fu Xuemei’s severe injuries at Small Turtle Peak while He Yuanwu and Miss Zhou discussed how to prevent her recovery. True Person Yellow Dragon rewarded Lan Chang'an and proposed that he become Fu Xuemei’s Dao companion, leaving him tempted by Yellow Dragon Mountain’s inheritance.

• Lan Chang'an carefully treated Fu Xuemei, stabilizing her injuries and helping her regain a trace of consciousness.
• He Yuanwu and Miss Zhou watched the Fu siblings’ movements and considered a plan to stop Fu Xuemei from recovering.
• True Person Yellow Dragon gave Lan Chang'an third-order spirit tea, a section of spirit bamboo, and two inheritances as thanks for his treatment.
• True Person Yellow Dragon proposed that Lan Chang'an become Fu Xuemei’s Dao companion and share Yellow Dragon Mountain’s inheritance.
• Lan Chang'an considered the proposal and felt tempted by the chance to gain Yellow Dragon Mountain’s treasures.

Lan Chang'an rejected True Person Yellow Dragon’s proposal that he become Fu Xuemei’s Dao companion, then examined the petrified Earth Dragon Beast and admitted he could not save it. Fu Xuemei woke and thanked him, while Yellow Dragon arranged for her to address Lan Chang'an as an elder brother, leaving him wary of the old cultivator’s intentions.

• Lan Chang'an judged that becoming Fu Xuemei’s Dao companion would leave him responsible for nursing and protecting her, then politely refused True Person Yellow Dragon’s proposal.
• True Person Yellow Dragon asked Lan Chang'an to save his petrified Earth Dragon Beast and offered his lifebound magic treasure and a Seven-Core Mysterious Moon Flower, but Lan Chang'an said he could not help.
• Fu Xuemei awoke in the carriage, apologized to True Person Yellow Dragon for failing to preserve Yellow Dragon Mountain, and greeted Lan Chang'an as an old acquaintance.
• Fu Xuemei thanked Lan Chang'an for helping stabilize her injuries, while he credited True Person Yellow Dragon and the secret medicine.
• True Person Yellow Dragon urged Fu Xuemei to call Lan Chang'an Brother Lu because of their past connection, and Lan Chang'an suspected the dying Core Formation cultivator was trying to bring them closer.

Lan Chang'an treated Fu Xuemei before the Yellow Dragon Mountain visitors left, then discovered an old letter from Mu Bingyun and learned that Zhou Qingxuan was seeking information about the group. As Lan Chang'an chose not to side with either party, a powerful disturbance erupted hundreds of li away.

• Lan Chang'an helped Fu Xuemei recover and saw the three Yellow Dragon Mountain visitors leave Wuqi Mountain before nightfall.
• Lan Chang'an inspected the cave abode with the Earth Rock Rat and found a letter Mu Bingyun had left confessing her feelings for him.
• Zhou Qingxuan visited Lan Chang'an and questioned him about Fu Xuemei, her injuries, and True Person Yellow Dragon.
• Lan Chang'an gave Zhou Qingxuan only general information and resolved to stay out of the conflict between her and Yellow Dragon Mountain.
• A powerful fluctuation of magic power and an earth-shaking rumble came from hundreds of li away.

Lan Chang'an and Shi Manrong investigated the aftermath of True Person Yellow Dragon's final strike, found He Yuanwu dead, and rescued Ye Fei from a nearby hut. A flying beast then delivered a message from Fu Xuemei, who claimed she had survived and asked Lan Chang'an to meet her in a bamboo forest.

• Lan Chang'an recognized that True Person Yellow Dragon's enormous strike likely came from the self-detonation of his lifebound Yellow Dragon Mountain Seal.
• Lan Chang'an and Shi Manrong investigated the battlefield, found fragments of the Yellow Dragon Mountain Seal and He Yuanwu's remains, and concluded that the two had perished together.
• Lan Chang'an used the Earth Rock Rat to track Ye Fei's belongings to a hidden hut, where Shi Manrong broke the restriction keeping Ye Fei immobile.
• Lan Chang'an noticed a second-order flying beast pass overhead but did not pursue it.
• A Sound Transmission Talisman delivered Fu Xuemei's message saying she had survived, was badly injured, and wanted Lan Chang'an to meet her in a bamboo forest.

Lan Chang'an rejected Zhou Qingxuan's request to cooperate against Fu Xuemei, but she came to Small Turtle Peak and attacked him with a Hundred-Host Soul Gu. The Nine Imprint Tablet swallowed the insect, and Lan Chang'an discovered a new change within the tablet.

• Lan Chang'an inspected the bamboo grove with his spiritual sense, then returned to rescue Ye Fei with Shi Manrong and learned Ye had no knowledge of He Yuanwu's accomplices.
• Zhou Qingxuan received Lan Chang'an's refusal to join her, then went to Small Turtle Peak and offered to share Yellow Dragon Mountain's legacy if he helped her pursue Fu Xuemei.
• Lan Chang'an declined to cooperate or treat Zhou Qingxuan, who collapsed and spat a corrosive blood arrow at him before unleashing the Hundred-Host Soul Gu.
• The Nine Imprint Tablet expelled and erased the Hundred-Host Soul Gu from Lan Chang'an's Sea of Consciousness, and he found a new change within the tablet.

Lan Chang'an discovered that the Nine Imprint Tablet could absorb the Hundred-Host Soul Gu and partially illuminate its Fourth Life, revealing fragments of the gu’s memories and a way to control the restriction in Zhou Qingxuan’s Sea of Consciousness. As the Heavenly Moon Wolf feared its split gu’s sudden destruction, it decided to abandon the Black Mist Mountain Range near Liang Kingdom.

• The Nine Imprint Tablet devoured the Hundred-Host Soul Gu and lit part of its Fourth Life, surprising Lan Chang'an.
• Lan Chang'an found Zhou Qingxuan unconscious and discovered a dangerous gu restriction in her Sea of Consciousness.
• Lan Chang'an entered the Fourth Life’s illuminated area and experienced fragments of the Hundred-Host Soul Gu’s memories, including its flight from Three Saints Hall and its arrival in Azure Province.
• Lan Chang'an learned that the gu’s memories contained a method to control Zhou Qingxuan’s restriction, though fully removing it would be difficult.
• The Heavenly Moon Wolf sensed that its split gu had perished and feared Lan Chang'an might be a reincarnated great cultivator, so it decided to leave the area around Liang Kingdom.

Lan Chang'an secured Zhou Qingxuan’s cooperation after rescuing her from the Hundred-Host Soul Gu’s control, binding her to secrecy and sixty years of service. Their public relationship grew closer as she supplied him with cultivation resources, and the chapter ended with Lan Chang'an reaching the seventh layer of the Cloud Sand Body Refining Art.

• Lan Chang'an explained that he could resist the Hundred-Host Soul Gu and had negotiated to spare Zhou Qingxuan, then offered her freedom in exchange for a heart-demon oath and sixty years of service.
• Zhou Qingxuan swore to keep the soul gu secret, recovered her belongings and magical power, and learned that Lan Chang'an could control the restriction in her Sea of Consciousness.
• After recovering, Zhou Qingxuan shared information about her family’s resources and proposed pretending to be Lan Chang'an’s lover to conceal their dealings.
• Zhou Qingxuan visited Lan Chang'an repeatedly over the next two years, bringing him cultivation resources while their relationship appeared increasingly close to outsiders.
• Lan Chang'an’s Cloud Sand Body Refining Art broke through to its highest, seventh layer.

Lan Chang'an completed the seventh layer of the Cloud Sand Body Refining Art and discussed Shi Manrong’s Golden Core plans, including whether to seize Jiang Yechen’s treasure to recover her memories. After receiving Zhao Siyao’s letter about her difficulties preparing for core formation, Lan Chang'an replied that he could offer little help, while privately believing he had secured his own chance at a True Core.

• Lan Chang'an reached the highest realm of the Cloud Sand Body Refining Art, greatly strengthening his body and resolving to cultivate his magical power to Foundation Establishment Late Stage.
• Shi Manrong returned from Song Wenshu and Shen Bixin’s wedding, where she saw Jiang Yechen, and told Lan Chang'an that negotiations had begun to halt the war in Feng Kingdom.
• Lan Chang'an and Shi Manrong discussed exploring an ancient ruin to recover her lost memories and considered persuading Jiang Yechen or taking his treasure by force.
• Shi Manrong warned that Jiang Yechen was powerful and that seizing his treasure might not let anyone else repair her memories, so they agreed to wait until Lan Chang'an advanced further before deciding whether to act.
• Lan Chang'an received Zhao Siyao’s letter about the difficulty of obtaining the items needed for Golden Core formation and replied that he could not help much.

Lan Chang'an traveled in disguise to Liaoyuan Immortal City for a major auction, gathered resources, and extended his lifespan with a Longevity Pill. Back at Wuqi Mountain, he learned that Zhang Tieshan had formed a Gray Core and became True Person Tianfeng, leaving him suspicious that something had gone wrong.

• Zhou Qingxuan visited Lan Chang'an, offered help obtaining an Azure Underworld Secret Realm quota, and proposed a Blood Spirit Pool quota for his Mystic Water Turtle.
• Zhao Siyao told Lan Chang'an about her difficulties preparing to form a Golden Core, and he lent her Spirit Stones for the Liaoyuan Immortal City auction.
• Lan Chang'an secretly attended the auction, sold Puppets and other goods, bought a Longevity Pill and third-rank spirit wood, and avoided drawing attention after a Late Core Formation cultivator arrived.
• Lan Chang'an took the Longevity Pill, gained eight years of life, and estimated that he could attempt to advance to Foundation Establishment Late Stage around age one hundred forty.
• Lan Chang'an received an invitation to True Person Tianfeng's small Core Formation celebration and Zhao Siyao's letter revealing that Zhang Tieshan had formed a Gray Core with an inferior Crystal Condensation Pill.
• Lan Chang'an suspected that something was wrong with Zhang Tieshan's Core Formation breakthrough.

Lan Chang'an investigated Zhang Tieshan’s Pseudo-Core and suspected he planned to dissolve it and try for a better core. Months later, the Liang Kingdom’s sects sealed the borders, and Lan Chang'an prepared for a possible crisis while continuing his cultivation.

• Lan Chang'an reasoned that Zhang Tieshan’s Inferior Crystal Condensation Pill and ambitious Daoist Title suggested he might possess a Core Transformation Secret Technique and intend to dissolve his core.
• Lan Chang'an visited Golden Cloud Valley for Zhang Tieshan’s celebration, spoke with Zhao Siyao and Zhao Tan'er, and observed Zhang Tieshan share insights about his core-condensing process.
• Lan Chang'an left the celebration without pressing Zhang Tieshan for a private meeting, deciding to wait until he had greater cultivation and leverage before seeking the secret technique.
• Lan Chang'an told Ye Fei and Shi Manrong that the Liang Kingdom’s sects had sealed the border, based on reports from the Beast Taming Zhou Family and Li Congren’s Xuemei Mountain Li Clan.
• Lan Chang'an wrote to Zheng Wugong and Golden Cloud Valley, prepared for the worst, and devoted himself to cultivation as he approached Foundation Establishment Late Stage.