Chapter Summaries

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.

Li Xiuchang used his Charcoal Attribute Mana to force a Southern Spirit Plant seedling to mature, shocking the examiners and securing another perfect score. He passed the Tier 1 Spirit Planter examination and received more than five thousand seeds and a private medicine field.

• Li Xiuchang asked permission to use his own fertilizer, then used his Charcoal Attribute Mana to mature the Southern Spirit Plant seedling.
• The examiners were shocked by Li Xiuchang's success, and Yan Song reminded them to wait until the assessment ended before questioning him.
• Li Xiuchang successfully matured all the seedlings and earned a perfect score in the forced-maturation round.
• Li Xiuchang earned another perfect score in the harvesting round, while the examiners overlooked flaws in his work.
• Li Xiuchang passed the Tier 1 Spirit Planter examination and received more than five thousand Tier 1 seeds and a private medicine field.

Li Xiuchang received his Tier 1 Spirit Planter Skill Credential with a Gold Medal mark after earning full marks, and explained how he used his mutated Charcoal Attribute Mana to fertilize spirit plants. Yan Song promised to apply for his reward, while Li Xiuchang collected the sixty spirit stones he had won in their bet.

• The chief examiner gave Li Xiuchang a Skill Credential marked Gold Medal for his perfect Tier 1 Spirit Planter assessment.
• Li Xiuchang explained that his Charcoal Attribute Mana had developed through a mutation of the Fire Starting Skill and that he had discovered it could fertilize spirit plants.
• The examiners confirmed Li Xiuchang had broken no assessment rules, though they could not borrow the sect's Fire Starting Skill to study it.
• Yan Song said he would apply for Li Xiuchang's seed gift package and medicinal field, and Yan Xue paired Identity Tokens with Li Xiuchang so she could notify him when the reward arrived.
• Yan Song paid Li Xiuchang the sixty spirit stones they had wagered, while maintaining that Li Xiuchang would still face the separate punishment for practicing multiple Cultivation Techniques without a Skill Credential.

Li Xiuchang celebrated becoming a Gold Medal Spirit Planter, visited Song Yu, and met his previously unseen neighbor Chen Changsheng. After returning to Eastern Geng District, he prepared for Zhao Yuansi’s lecture while arranging access to more medicine-field space.

• Yan Song decided Li Xiuchang’s spirit-plant talent was best left to develop on its own and ordered more spiritual energy supplied to his residence using his confiscated salary.
• Li Xiuchang visited Song Yu and told him he had passed the Spirit Planter examination with full marks and become a Gold Medal Spirit Planter.
• Li Xiuchang returned to Eastern Geng District and met Chen Changsheng, his long-secluded neighbor from No. 32.
• Li Xiuchang told Zhang Wanzhi, Mo Tu, and Chen Changsheng about his examination results, and Zhang Wanzhi offered him half of a medicine field to rent.
• Li Xiuchang asked Mo Tu about buying yin souls, but Mo Tu had none he could control and offered to take him soul hunting later.
• Li Xiuchang returned to No. 18 and began preparing for Zhao Yuansi’s lecture in two days.

Li Xiuchang crammed to learn how to refine Grain-Aversion Pills before Zhao Yuansi’s alchemy lecture, with Zhang Wanzhi’s guidance helping him master the process. He attended Zhao Yuansi’s lecture and was surprised to find that his Length Value had barely increased.

• Li Xiuchang asked Zhang Wanzhi to teach him to refine Grain-Aversion Pills, and Zhang demonstrated the process.
• Li Xiuchang practiced with Zhang’s pointers, successfully forming pills by his third attempt.
• Li Xiuchang returned home to practice until his success rate exceeded eighty percent and his Length Value reached two inches.
• Li Xiuchang attended Zhao Yuansi’s lecture with the other disciples and listened to his explanations of alchemy’s basic principles.
• After the lecture, Li Xiuchang checked his Length Value and froze at how little it had increased.

Li Xiuchang compared the gains from Zhao Yuansi’s lecture with earlier lessons and suspected that profound material was less useful to him than practical instruction. After Zhao Yuansi discovered Li Xiuchang’s exceptional skill at refining Grain-Aversion Pills, Li Xiuchang asked for help with Essence Restoration Pills to compare their one-on-one teaching.

• Li Xiuchang reasoned that his small gain from Zhao Yuansi’s lecture came from struggling to absorb advanced theory, unlike the practical lessons from Mo Tu and Zhang Wanzhi.
• Zhao Yuansi answered his disciples’ alchemy questions, then asked Li Xiuchang to stay behind and discuss his progress.
• Li Xiuchang refined eight excellent Grain-Aversion Pills, shocking Zhao Yuansi, who realized his disciple had already mastered the pill.
• Li Xiuchang claimed he had been trying to learn Essence Restoration Pills and asked Zhao Yuansi for guidance so he could compare the lesson with Zhang Wanzhi’s.
• Zhao Yuansi guided Li Xiuchang through refining Essence Restoration Pills, leaving both of them with a tremendous psychological letdown.

Li Xiuchang failed to refine Essence Restoration Pills under Zhao Yuansi’s instruction and grew suspicious that Zhang Wanzhi and Mo Tu were concealing their true abilities. After receiving his reward for the Tier 1 Spirit Planter examination, he opened his new Medicine Field and was stunned by what he saw.

• Li Xiuchang repeatedly failed to refine Essence Restoration Pills, while Zhao Yuansi mistook his limited progress for a lack of talent and resolved to teach him more patiently.
• Li Xiuchang compared Zhao Yuansi’s lessons with Zhang Wanzhi’s and concluded that Zhang Wanzhi might be hiding an alchemy level above Second Tier, making him suspect that Mo Tu was concealing his skills too.
• Li Xiuchang decided to stay cautious around his neighbors and leave the Eastern Geng District if anything seemed amiss, then ended his lesson with Zhao Yuansi.
• Yan Xue notified Li Xiuchang that his full-marks reward for the Tier 1 Spirit Planter examination was ready, and he collected seeds and a token granting access to Human-grade Medicine Field No. 52.
• A senior brother guided Li Xiuchang to the plot, and Li Xiuchang activated the token to open its formation, leaving both of them stunned by the sight inside.

Li Xiuchang discovered a plot full of abandoned Thousand Year Fragrance and arranged to sell the flowers. He also accepted Senior Brother Chu Ya’s offer to grow Lovesick Moonpetals, then planned to spend his days cultivating plants and practicing his skills.

• Li Xiuchang opened medicinal herb field No. 52 and found it filled with Thousand Year Fragrance, which he learned had been abandoned by its previous owner.
• Li Xiuchang gave some flowers to the field guard and summoned Senior Brother Wang Long to help sell the rest.
• Wang Long explained that the flowers likely belonged to Senior Brother Chu Ya, known as the Inner Sect's Number One Devotion, after an Outer Sect Junior Sister rejected his confession.
• Li Xiuchang asked Senior Brother Song Yu about Chu Ya, and Song Yu offered him a job growing ninety-nine Lovesick Moonpetals for fifty spirit stones each.
• Li Xiuchang accepted Chu Ya’s job, which came with a thousand-spirit-stone deposit, then harvested the Thousand Year Fragrance with Wang Long and planned to sell or refine it into scented dew.

After a year in the Immortal Dust Sect, Li Xiuchang had built up wealth, expanded his spirit-planting work, and accumulated 20.54 inches of Length. He decided to spend some of it strengthening himself and began by summoning his Vajra Dharma Image in his medicine field.

• Li Xiuchang earned nearly seven thousand spirit stones from selling smoked meat and scented dew, and planted Senior Brother Chu Ya’s ninety-nine Lovesick Moonpetals.
• Li Xiuchang struggled to manage his expanding medicine fields, so he assigned his ghost spouses to help and asked Senior Brother Mo to find him more ghosts.
• After Senior Brother Mo invited him on a ghost hunt, Li Xiuchang declined because he distrusted the risk and chose to stay in the sect tending his fields.
• Over the next half-year, Li Xiuchang improved his spirit-planting, alchemy, and cooking skills while saving all the Length he gained.
• Li Xiuchang reached 20.54 inches of Length and decided to spend some to improve his strength and gain combat ability.
• Li Xiuchang stored his ghost spouses in the Jade Flute, activated the Vajra Dharma Form Art, and examined how adding Length changed the Skinny Dog Vajra’s proportions.

Li Xiuchang discovered that enlarging the shortest dimension of his Vajra Dharma Image gave him the greatest physical improvement, then used his remaining Length Value to break through to Second Order Body Cultivation. He ended the chapter with Foundation Establishment-level combat strength, though he still lagged behind especially formidable Foundation Establishment cultivators.

• Li Xiuchang added one inch to the Vajra Dharma Image’s width and found that it greatly improved his physical strength, leading him to suspect enhancement depended on the image’s volume.
• Li Xiuchang added inches to the image’s thickness, confirmed his theory, and advanced through First Order Mid Stage to First Order Late Stage Body Cultivation.
• Li Xiuchang alternated additions to the image’s width and thickness until his body reached the First Order limit.
• Li Xiuchang spent more Length Value pushing against the Second Order bottleneck, then broke through after adding another inch and launching an all-out assault.
• Li Xiuchang reached Second Order Body Cultivation and gained strength theoretically comparable to Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Li Xiuchang became a Tier 2 Body Cultivator and raised his Qi Condensation cultivation to the peak of the Sixth Layer while concealing his true strength. After receiving messages about flying-boat profits and his sect mission, he learned that Pang Yuanfu wanted to meet him and headed back to the Eastern Geng District.

• Li Xiuchang practiced his punches, confirmed his new strength, and used the Dantian Shadow Creation Technique to conceal his cultivation.
• Li Xiuchang spent eighteen inches of Length Value to raise his magic power, advancing to the peak of the Sixth Layer of Qi Condensation.
• Li Xiuchang released the Yin Soul couple and received Zhang Wanzhi's message inviting him to collect his share of the new flying-boat profits.
• Yan Xue reminded Li Xiuchang to complete his annual sect mission, and he considered postponing it.
• Wang Long told Li Xiuchang that Pang Yuanfu had come looking for him, so Li Xiuchang asked Wang Long to have Pang wait at Number Eighteen in the Eastern Geng District.