Recaps

Li Xiuchang’s Smoked Spirit Meat sold out quickly, leaving him with enough Spirit Stones to expand production and invest in cultivation. He planned to spend heavily to reach the Third Layer of Qi Condensation, hoping Spiritual Sense would let him raise his Cultivation Level by directly increasing his magic power.

• Li Xiuchang abandoned plans to smoke Tier 1 Demonic Beast Meat in large batches after it took too long to cure.
• Li Xiuchang paid the fire tenders and worked with Wang Long to cut and sell the first 1,500 strips of Smoked Spirit Meat, earning a profit.
• Wang Long sold the meat to wealthy Qi Condensation disciples within the Immortal Dust Sect, and the second batch of 2,500 strips sold out in under two hours.
• Li Xiuchang and Wang Long decided to expand from eighty to one hundred furnaces while limiting future growth according to sales.
• Li Xiuchang resolved to spend heavily to reach the Third Layer of Qi Condensation so he could form Spiritual Sense and look inward at his magic power.

Li Xiuchang spent lavishly on cultivation supplies and used them to cultivate in seclusion, reaching the Second Layer of Qi Condensation after ten days. He then set out with Wang Long to buy a flying boat, insisting on choosing an ordinary one.

• Li Xiuchang spent more than three hundred Spirit Stones on cultivation supplies, despite Wang Long urging him to be frugal.
• Li Xiuchang set up a Spirit Gathering Fire Formation, used fire-boosting wine and other aids, and poured over a hundred Spirit Stones into his Spirit Eye to intensify his cultivation.
• Li Xiuchang cultivated in seclusion for ten days while Wang Long synchronized the furnace schedule to reduce interruptions; two batches of Smoked Spirit Meat earned Li Xiuchang nearly fifteen hundred Spirit Stones.
• Li Xiuchang emerged having advanced from the First Layer to the Second Layer of Qi Condensation, leaving Wang Long astonished and privately troubled by his spending.
• Li Xiuchang told Wang Long he wanted to buy a flying boat, then said he would choose the most ordinary one to save Spirit Stones.

Li Xiuchang went shopping with Senior Brother Wang Long for a practical flying boat and discovered a cheap, unusual model that suited him better than the costly options. After test-flying it, he decided to buy the ten-Spirit-Stone boat for everyday travel around the sect.

• Li Xiuchang and Wang Long visited Flying Immortal Beyond the Heavens, where the shopkeeper showed them a top-grade flying boat priced at sixty mid-grade Spirit Stones.
• Li Xiuchang asked for a cheaper option, and the shopkeeper offered a ten-low-grade-Spirit-Stone flying boat with tall sides and a canvas canopy.
• Li Xiuchang test-flew the boat with Wang Long, finding its enclosed cabin comfortable, quiet, and sheltered from the wind and rain.
• Wang Long admitted the boat was practical for traveling around the sect, and Li Xiuchang decided to buy it.

Li Xiuchang and Wang Long discussed the limits of their Smoked Spirit Meat business while Zhang Wanzhi returned and planned to move Li Xiuchang’s furnaces. That night, a ghost bewitched the workers and Wang Long, who lunged at an apparition and found a skeleton in his arms.

• Li Xiuchang and Wang Long agreed that Smoked Spirit Meat sales would eventually slow and that they would scale back or stop production when the market became saturated.
• Zhang Wanzhi returned with Old Mo, praised Li Xiuchang’s progress, and rejected Old Mo’s suggestion to force him to advance through demonic techniques.
• Zhang Wanzhi and Old Mo decided to find a way to move Li Xiuchang’s furnaces away from Eastern Geng District No. 18.
• Wang Long left the Quiet Room and found the fire tenders and smoke collectors bewitched, then saw a beautiful fairy and lunged at her.
• Wang Long realized the fairy in his arms was a skeleton with scraps of flesh, and recognized it as a ghost.

Li Xiuchang and the other disciples were attacked by Yin souls that escaped from Mo Tu’s control, but Mo Tu captured them before anyone was seriously hurt. After Zhang Wanzhi compensated the frightened disciples, Li Xiuchang decided to move his spirit-meat workshop and heard Zhang’s offer to help find a new use for his courtyard.

• Li Xiuchang watched female ghosts chase the outer disciples and saw that many, including Wang Long, remained trapped in an illusion.
• Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu arrived, and Mo Tu used a bell to capture the ghosts and free the disciples from the illusion.
• Zhang Wanzhi explained that the Yin souls had escaped while he visited Mo Tu, who revealed that he was a Soul Master and had captured the wild ghosts.
• Zhang Wanzhi distributed ten low-grade Spirit Stones to each disciple as an apology, and Li Xiuchang sent the workers home after the danger passed.
• Li Xiuchang, Wang Long, Zhang Wanzhi, and Mo Tu cleaned the courtyard, and Li Xiuchang asked Wang Long to find another place for the spirit-meat workshop.
• Zhang Wanzhi offered to provide a new place for the workshop and suggested putting Li Xiuchang’s courtyard to use for a different purpose.

Li Xiuchang learned that growing Netherfrost Grass could earn him spirit stones, so Mo Tu gave him seeds and offered to plant them for him. When Liuchang saw Mo Tu’s ghosts tending the plants, he realized they could handle the ongoing work.

• Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu showed Li Xiuchang Mo Tu’s Netherfrost Grass, which earned Mo Tu three thousand spirit stones a year in flower sales.
• Mo Tu gave Li Xiuchang ten seeds and the cultivation method, asking him not to share the seeds or pass them on.
• Zhang Wanzhi explained that he and Mo Tu hoped to borrow Li Xiuchang’s unusual magical power for research, and Li Xiuchang agreed.
• Mo Tu agreed to grow Li Xiuchang’s Netherfrost Grass and taught him how to cultivate it.
• Mo Tu summoned his female ghosts, who tended the plants, and Li Xiuchang realized ghosts could serve as a productive workforce.

Li Xiuchang saw how Mo Tu used Yin Souls as labor and decided to learn Soul Mastery, but Mo Tu instead began teaching him Spirit Plant Cultivation Arts while they planted Netherfrost Grass. Li Xiuchang succeeded twice and saw his Length Value soar, leaving him convinced he had exceptional talent for the art.

• Li Xiuchang learned that Mo Tu employed female ghosts to tend Spirit Grass and over a thousand male ghosts to mine, and he resolved to pursue Soul Mastery.
• Li Xiuchang asked to buy Yin Souls for practice, and Mo Tu offered to teach him Soul Mastery.
• Mo Tu led Li Xiuchang to Eastern Geng District No. 18 and explained how to prepare a suitable environment for Netherfrost Grass.
• Li Xiuchang planted a Netherfrost Grass seed successfully under Mo Tu's guidance, then took the lead in planting another seed and succeeded again.
• Li Xiuchang saw his Length Value rise from below 1.7 to 2.89 and concluded he had a gift for Spirit Plant Cultivation Arts.

Li Xiuchang finished planting Netherfrost Grass and began learning spirit control from Mo Tu, despite Zhang Wanzhi advising him to focus on spirit plants. He accepted Mo Tu’s Jade Flute and started practicing with two First-tier malevolent spirits, while his Length Value rose more slowly than it had during his farming lessons.

• Mo Tu praised Li Xiuchang’s exceptional talent for spirit plants as Li Xiuchang planted the seven remaining Netherfrost Grass seeds.
• Zhang Wanzhi advised Li Xiuchang to focus on spirit plants, but Li Xiuchang insisted that he wanted to learn multiple skills like Zhang Wanzhi.
• Mo Tu lent Li Xiuchang a Jade Flute containing two First-tier malevolent spirits, a married couple, and explained how to command them.
• Mo Tu taught Li Xiuchang the basics of spirit control and explained that nurturing malevolent spirits was its true core.
• Li Xiuchang practiced controlling the two spirits, and his Length Value began rising more slowly than it had during his spirit-plant lessons.

Li Xiuchang moved his Smoked Spirit Meat production away from his doorway and worked with Zhang Wanzhi on ideas for an upgraded flying boat. He settled back into cultivation, then remembered that Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu had meant to borrow his Charcoal Attribute Mana for research.

• After Mo Tu's lesson, Li Xiuchang considered asking Zhao Yuansi for alchemy instruction but decided to focus on his existing techniques.
• Li Xiuchang took Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu to the empty flying boat plot, where Zhang suggested they build and sell a more comfortable flying boat together.
• Li Xiuchang listed features for the upgraded boat, including reclining seats, temperature control, and automatic navigation, and Zhang agreed to start building it.
• Li Xiuchang and Wang Long moved the Smoked Spirit Meat production line to the rented medicinal fields, freeing Li Xiuchang's doorway.
• As Li Xiuchang resumed cultivating, he remembered that Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu had wanted to borrow his Charcoal Attribute Mana but had apparently forgotten.

Li Xiuchang expanded his Smoked Spirit Meat business through traveling merchants, then entered seclusion and broke through to the Third Layer of Qi Condensation. His first attempt to use length cultivation appeared to push him into the Fourth Layer, but Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu sensed that his condition was deteriorating.

• Li Xiuchang and Wang Long expanded Smoked Spirit Meat production to supply merchants across the Immortal Shade Realm, then stopped production after building a large surplus.
• Wang Long entered seclusion to pursue Tier 2 Talisman Master, while Li Xiuchang secluded himself to advance his cultivation.
• Li Xiuchang broke through to the Third Layer of Qi Condensation and used his new Spiritual Sense to inspect the magical power in his body.
• Li Xiuchang tried adding length to his magical power while keeping healing pills ready in case something went wrong.
• Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu sensed Li Xiuchang reach the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation shortly after his first breakthrough, then realized his condition was poor.

Li Xiuchang stabilized his body after a reckless increase in magical power raised him to the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation, then decided to improve his physical strength before using length to advance further. While he stayed in seclusion and practiced his Spirit Plant Cultivation Arts, he discovered that every seed he planted had sprouted successfully.

• Li Xiuchang swallowed healing pills and circulated his cultivation technique until his strained meridians and dantian stabilized.
• Li Xiuchang decided to stay in his residence for several months, build his physical strength, and avoid drawing attention to his rapid advancement.
• Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu discussed Li Xiuchang's unexplained breakthrough and agreed not to act rashly until Gui Wuyan returned.
• Li Xiuchang hung an In Seclusion sign and filled the available courtyard space with First-grade Spirit Plants.
• Li Xiuchang achieved a hundred percent success rate planting seeds and realized that mastering forced maturation could qualify him for the First-grade Spirit Planter examination.

Li Xiuchang discovered that his Charcoal Attribute Mana could fertilize Spirit Plants, then spent over two months in seclusion practicing cultivation arts, Alchemy, and Spirit Cooking. He reached a Length Value of 5.03, but messages from the General Affairs Hall and Zhao Yuansi forced him to consider leaving his courtyard.

• Li Xiuchang realized he could use Charcoal Attribute Mana as fertilizer and increased the growth of his First-grade Spirit Plants, though it had a weaker effect on Netherfrost Grass.
• Li Xiuchang continued cultivating Spirit Plants, studying Alchemy, and practicing Spirit Cooking while the ghost couple helped collect smoke from his fires.
• Li Xiuchang spent more than two months in seclusion and raised his Length Value to 5.03, with Spirit Plant Cultivation Arts ranking as his strongest talent.
• Li Xiuchang received a message from the General Affairs Hall asking him to attend a coming-of-age examination and collect his gift after turning eighteen.
• Li Xiuchang received Zhao Yuansi's summons to attend a lecture at Zhao Manor half a month later and wondered how he could leave his courtyard.

Li Xiuchang worried that his rapid cultivation progress would draw attention, but decided to test Wang Long’s reaction after learning that Wang Long had become a Tier 2 Talisman Master. Meanwhile, Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu discussed finding Li Xiuchang a secret method to conceal his Cultivation Level, leaving the choice to him.

• Li Xiuchang weighed whether to skip Zhao Yuansi’s upcoming lesson or explain his rapid progress as the result of spending money and taking a Breakthrough Pill.
• Li Xiuchang received Wang Long’s message announcing his advancement to a Tier 2 Talisman Master and went out to meet him as a test of how others might react to his cultivation.
• Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu discussed the risks of Li Xiuchang entering the Immortal Dust Sect’s inner circles and decided to seek Chen the Turtle’s concealment method for him.
• Mo Tu suggested using the Preaching Ranking to arrange the secret method without revealing too much about their identities.
• Wang Long congratulated Li Xiuchang on his Spirit Chef Apprentice success and asked whether his skills had improved during seclusion, while Li Xiuchang concluded that few people had noticed his breakthrough.

Zhang Wanzhi showed Li Xiuchang a new flying boat based on Li's ideas, and they agreed to share its profits while Wang Long offered to handle sales. After seeing Li's rapidly growing spirit plants, Wang Long discovered that Li had reached the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation.

• Zhang Wanzhi showed Li Xiuchang a comfortable new flying boat and offered him a deluxe version, which Li declined.
• Zhang Wanzhi agreed to give Li Xiuchang twenty percent of the flying boat profits in return for future improvement plans, and Wang Long volunteered to sell the boats.
• Mo Tu asked to see Li Xiuchang's Netherfrost Grass, and the visitors saw his flourishing spirit plants and his use of Charcoal Attribute Mana as fertilizer.
• Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu collected some of Li Xiuchang's Charcoal Attribute Mana in a jade bottle.
• Zhang Wanzhi lifted an invisible veil from Wang Long's perception, and Wang Long exclaimed that Li Xiuchang was at the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation.

Li Xiuchang learned that his early Breakthrough Pill violated Outer Sect rules and could bring trouble from Yan Song at the General Affairs Hall. His Senior Brothers suggested using the Preaching Ranking to find a way to conceal his Cultivation Level, and explained its origins and benefits.

• Wang Long warned Li Xiuchang that taking a Breakthrough Pill before the sixth layer of Qi Condensation violated Yan Song’s rules, and urged him to keep it secret.
• Li Xiuchang learned that his eighteenth-birthday examination was overseen by Yan Song and considered delaying it, though that could mean missing Elder Zhao’s lecture.
• Mo Tu suggested concealing Li Xiuchang’s Cultivation Level, but Zhang Wanzhi said Outer Sect techniques could not hide it well enough.
• Wang Long and Zhang Wanzhi advised Li Xiuchang to seek help through the Preaching Ranking and explained that it was a Confucian Treasure where cultivators exchanged knowledge anonymously.
• Zhang Wanzhi explained that the Annual Preaching Ranking’s top one hundred received a yearly opportunity for the Preaching Ranking’s Anointing.

Li Xiuchang visited the Preaching Ranking to explore its cultivation insights, while Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu recruited Chen Changsheng to join them there. Li Xiuchang reached the ranking and found its lists filled with unexpectedly bold titles.

• Zhang Wanzhi explained that the Preaching Ranking grew livelier after its control key was lost and gave Li Xiuchang a list of cultivators to consult.
• Li Xiuchang disguised himself and flew to the Preaching Ranking, curious whether it could help his growth.
• Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu searched Chen Changsheng's home, exposed his layered clones, and persuaded his true body to accompany them.
• Li Xiuchang became absorbed in the Preaching Ranking's painting, gained no clear insight, and then examined its two lists.
• Li Xiuchang recognized that the titles on the ranking were even bolder than the ones Zhang Wanzhi had recommended.

Li Xiuchang entered the Preaching Ranking, chose the conspicuous title “The Longest Man,” and learned how its posts and Dao Tassels worked. He searched for a way to conceal his Cultivation Level and found the Cage Gauze Technique, though he remained unsure it would hide him from Nascent Soul cultivators.

• Li Xiuchang examined the Annual Preaching Ranking and entered the Preaching Ranking by sending his Spiritual Sense into it.
• Li Xiuchang chose “The Longest Man” as his permanent title and explored the rankings and Preaching Posts.
• Li Xiuchang learned that reading a post cost one Dao Tassel and that he had received ten as a newcomer.
• Li Xiuchang searched for ways to conceal his Cultivation Level and opened a post describing the Cage Gauze Technique.
• Li Xiuchang learned the technique could conceal his Cultivation Level across two major realms, but decided it might not protect him from Nascent Soul cultivators.

Li Xiuchang searched the Preaching Ranking for a secret art that could hide his Cultivation Level from powerful cultivators. He found the long-absent Domineering Arrogant Heaven had returned and received an offer of a concealment technique.

• Li Xiuchang reviewed Preaching Posts but found none that met his demanding need to hide his Cultivation Level from cultivators across many realms.
• He searched Zhang Wanzhi’s list of prominent cultivators and found that most had been inactive for decades or longer.
• Li Xiuchang discovered that Domineering Arrogant Heaven had posted a new Preaching Post after more than a century away.
• He sent Domineering Arrogant Heaven a request for a Cultivation Level concealment art and paid 1 Dao Grain.
• Domineering Arrogant Heaven replied that he had a secret art he used himself and offered it to Li Xiuchang.

Li Xiuchang obtained the Dantian Shadow Creation Technique from Domineering Arrogant Heaven, unaware that Chen Changsheng had deliberately understated its power. He then searched the Preaching Ranking for a Body Refining Technique and chose the Vajra Dharma Form Art.

• Domineering Arrogant Heaven offered Li Xiuchang a secret art that could conceal his cultivation across four major realms, along with crafting methods for two magical treasures.
• Li Xiuchang accepted the Dantian Shadow Creation Technique and learned that it created a fake dantian to disguise his real cultivation.
• Li Xiuchang grew wary that his good fortune might have been arranged and resolved not to use the Length Cheat in the Eastern Geng District.
• Chen Changsheng told Mo Tu and Zhang Wanzhi that he had concealed the technique's true effectiveness from Li Xiuchang and warned that they might eventually be unable to see through Li Xiuchang's cultivation.
• Li Xiuchang searched the Preaching Ranking for Body Refining Techniques and selected the Vajra Dharma Form Art.

Li Xiuchang studied the Vajra Dharma Form Art and searched Preaching Posts for useful cultivation knowledge. He discovered that two highly ranked cultivators shared clear, valuable insights alongside frequent declarations of affection, and he began digesting the husband’s spirit cuisine teachings.

• Li Xiuchang chose the Vajra Dharma Form Art and wondered whether increasing the size of its Dharma Form could strengthen his body.
• Li Xiuchang paid one Dao Spike to unlock an introductory spirit cuisine post by Fairy, You Aid My Cultivation and found its insights easy to understand but worth pondering further.
• Li Xiuchang noticed that Fairy, You Aid My Cultivation was highly ranked despite posting about his wife every year.
• Li Xiuchang discovered that his Dao Companion, Fairy, I Aid Your Cultivation, ranked even higher and posted alchemy insights whenever she felt happy.
• Li Xiuchang browsed the couple’s affectionate posts and concluded that they deserved the curses they received.

Li Xiuchang tested whether the Length Cheat could strengthen the Vajra Dharma Form Art and discovered that improving its Dharma image enhanced his physical body. After reaching the First Order Mid Stage of body refinement, he turned to mastering the Dantian Shadow Creation Technique, wary that it too might go awry.

• Li Xiuchang left the Preaching Ranking after gaining 0.1 Length Value and flew to Wang Long's residence to avoid using the Length Cheat in the Eastern Geng District.
• Li Xiuchang learned the basics of the Vajra Dharma Form Art and successfully added one inch to his Vajra Dharma Image, gaining physical strength when he withdrew it.
• Li Xiuchang spent three more inches to enlarge the image, stretching it into a comically thin figure he dubbed the Skinny Dog Vajra.
• Li Xiuchang's enhanced body reached the First Order Mid Stage of body refinement, equivalent to the Mid Qi Condensation stage.
• Li Xiuchang began focusing on the Dantian Shadow Creation Technique to conceal his cultivation, while worrying that his cultivation might distort it too.

Li Xiuchang accidentally created a Second Dantian while practicing the Dantian Shadow Creation Technique, then used it to conceal his cultivation and returned to the sect. He went to the Outer Sect General Affairs Hall to register for a Spirit Planter examination and undergo inspection, where he faced the stern Yan Song.

• Li Xiuchang discovered that his attempt to create a false dantian had produced a Second Dantian, which he used to master the Dantian Shadow Creation Technique and conceal his cultivation at the Third Layer of Qi Condensation.
• Wang Long returned, failed to see through Li Xiuchang's disguise, and Li Xiuchang left for his residence after realizing it was his eighteenth birthday.
• Li Xiuchang harvested the mature Spirit Grass and Spirit Medicine in his courtyard, then decided to handle his routine inspection, examination registration, and stipend collection at the General Affairs Hall.
• Li Xiuchang arrived at the General Affairs Hall and saw that the disciples there acted stiffly because they feared Yan Song.
• A senior sister led Li Xiuchang to a small room, where he waited before Yan Song arrived and called his name.

Yan Song questioned Li Xiuchang about his cultivation and studies, then offered him a bet tied to the Tier 1 Spirit Planter assessment. Afterward, Li Xiuchang collected his coming-of-age gifts, including an upgraded Identity Token.

• Yan Song asked Li Xiuchang whether he had taken Breakthrough Pills and how many techniques he was studying, and Li Xiuchang admitted to studying Spirit Cooking, alchemy, and Spirit Plant Cultivation Arts.
• Yan Song said Li Xiuchang had violated sect rules by studying three paths and threatened to dock his pay, but Li Xiuchang claimed his Spirit Plant Cultivation Arts had reached Tier 1.
• Yan Song arranged for Li Xiuchang to take the next day's Spirit Planter assessment and bet that he would pay Li Xiuchang's stipend for three months if Li Xiuchang passed; if he failed, Li Xiuchang would give up Spirit Cooking and Spirit Plant Cultivation Arts.
• Yan Song sent a tall Senior Sister to escort Li Xiuchang to collect his coming-of-age gifts after his routine inspection.
• The tall Senior Sister explained that Li Xiuchang's upgraded Identity Token would grant access to adult-only resources and places and allow him to transmit messages to paired tokens within the sect's territory.

Li Xiuchang received over a thousand Tier 1 talismans as a sect gift, then took the Tier 1 Spirit Planter examination. He earned full marks on the theory test, and the chapter left him heading to a medicinal field for the practical test.

• Li Xiuchang received his upgraded Identity Token and a gift of over a thousand Tier 1 talismans, which the tall Senior Sister explained were surplus stock from the sect's many Talisman Masters.
• Li Xiuchang returned to the Eastern Geng District and prepared for the Spirit Plant Cultivation Arts assessment.
• Li Xiuchang took the theory test alongside three other outer disciples, completing the paper before time ran out.
• The examiners announced that all four examinees had passed, while Li Xiuchang earned full marks and impressed the chief examiner and Yan Song.
• Li Xiuchang and the other examinees moved to one of Immortal Dust Sect's medicinal fields for the practical test.

Li Xiuchang excelled in the spirit-planting portion of the practical examination, earning a rare seed pack and becoming the leading candidate for a perfect score. The remaining tests could win him a century-long right to use a medicinal herb field, which he eagerly wanted for his thousands of seeds.

• Yan Song brought the examiners and candidates to a medicinal herb field, where the practical examination began with planting ten First-grade Spirit Plant seeds.
• The chief examiner taught the candidates how to plant three unfamiliar Southern Spirit Plants, and Yan Song announced that anyone who successfully planted all ten seeds would receive a First-grade Spirit Plant Seed Pack.
• Li Xiuchang planted all three difficult Southern Spirit Plants on his first try, then quickly planted the remaining seven seeds and earned the seed pack.
• Two other candidates passed the planting test, while Wu Fuhai failed after planting only six seeds and was barred from taking the examination again for six months.
• Yan Song offered a hundred-year medicinal herb field usage right to anyone who earned full marks in every section, and Li Xiuchang eagerly considered the reward.