Chapter Summaries

Mo Hua helped Da Hu, Shuang Hu, and Xiao Hu kill and harvest a Split-Claw Wolf Demon, then they sold its materials and shared the earnings. The three brothers pooled their Spirit Stones for Aunt Meng, who was moved to tears when they gave them to her.

• Mo Hua used the Blood Extraction Technique to collect ten bottles of monster blood from the recently slain Split-Claw Wolf Demon.
• Da Hu, Shuang Hu, and Xiao Hu skinned the demon beast and removed its valuable materials while Mo Hua explored nearby.
• The group sold the Split-Claw's materials at the market for more than eighty Spirit Stones, and each of them received twelve after expenses.
• The four wandered through the lively streets before parting ways, and the three brothers decided to give their earnings to Aunt Meng.
• Da Hu gave Aunt Meng a Storage Bag containing more than thirty pooled Spirit Stones, and she wept with joy.

Mo Hua and his friends hunted demon beasts in Great Black Mountain using traps and formations, but a dangerous encounter revealed their secret to Mo Shan. Mo Shan forbade Mo Hua from returning, while Liu Ruhua reminded him that they could not protect their son forever.

• Mo Hua taught Da Hu and the others to hunt wounded demon beasts with trap arrays, and their teamwork improved.
• A powerful Fire-Mane Dog escaped their encirclement and charged at Mo Hua, who evaded its attacks with Flowing Water Step.
• As the enraged Fire-Mane Dog prepared a desperate attack, Mo Hua readied Fireball Technique, but Mo Shan killed it with a blade from afar.
• Mo Shan sent Da Hu and the others home, then returned with Mo Hua and ate dinner in silence.
• Mo Shan told Liu Ruhua that Mo Hua had carefully planned the hunts but insisted he must never enter Great Black Mountain again.
• Liu Ruhua reminded Mo Shan that they could not stay beside Mo Hua for his whole life.

Mo Shan tested Mo Hua’s Flowing Water Step and was surprised by how well his son evaded him. The next morning, Mo Shan took Mo Hua out of Immortal City and revealed that they were heading into Great Black Mountain.

• Liu Ruhua told Mo Shan that they should teach Mo Hua to face danger rather than try to shield him from it.
• Mo Shan tested Mo Hua’s Movement Technique, and Mo Hua evaded his attacks with increasing composure before Mo Shan finally caught him.
• Mo Shan admitted Mo Hua’s Movement Technique was stronger than he expected and demonstrated the practical footwork he had pieced together through combat.
• Mo Hua asked if Mo Shan was still angry, and Mo Shan told him to get up early the next morning.
• After breakfast, Mo Shan led Mo Hua beyond Immortal City and said he was taking him into Great Black Mountain.

Mo Shan took Mo Hua through Great Black Mountain’s Outer Mountain, teaching him its hazards and how Monster Hunters survived. After Mo Hua learned the terrain, Mo Shan taught him to assess enemies, plan carefully, and strike without hesitation; the chapter left Mo Hua with his father’s warning to prioritize staying alive.

• Mo Shan led Mo Hua through the Outer Mountain, explaining dangerous terrain, miasma, poisonous swamps, and other hazards.
• Mo Shan and Mo Hua spent seven days traversing the Outer Mountain and stayed overnight in a concealed campsite; Liu Ruhua treated Mo Hua after he returned exhausted.
• After recovering, Mo Hua visited Mr. Zhuang, Old Kui, and the Bai Family siblings, then continued making shorter trips into the mountain with Mo Shan.
• Once Mo Hua knew the Outer Mountain well, Mo Shan taught him to understand his own abilities and a demon beast’s strengths before deciding whether to fight or withdraw.
• Mo Shan told Mo Hua to plan for contingencies and to strike decisively when he chose to act, explaining that Monster Hunters faced life and death rather than honor or disgrace.

Mo Hua mapped Outer Mountain, joined Da Hu and his brothers to hunt demonic beasts, and worried that he could not gather enough demonic blood safely. He met Yu Chengyi while Yu was hunting a troublesome beast and asked to borrow a few Monster Hunters.

• Mo Hua completed a detailed map of Outer Mountain and demonstrated to Mo Shan that he had memorized its dangers and routes.
• Mo Hua entered Outer Mountain with Da Hu, Xiao Hu, and Shuang Hu, helping drain demonic blood while they hunted beasts and shared the proceeds.
• Mo Hua decided he needed more demonic blood for practicing arrays but judged that hunting beasts himself with Fireball Technique was too dangerous.
• Mo Hua encountered Yu Chengyi leading Monster Hunters in a search for a difficult mid-first-grade monster beast.
• Yu Chengyi was shocked to find Mo Hua alone in Outer Mountain, but Mo Hua explained that Mo Shan had allowed him to stay there while forbidding him from entering Inner Mountain.
• Mo Hua asked Yu Chengyi to lend him a few Monster Hunters.

Mo Hua borrowed Monster Hunters from Yu Chengyi and led them to hunt a mid-stage First Grade monster using traps and an Array Technique. After the successful hunt, he collected its blood for his array work and shared the proceeds with the hunters.

• Mo Hua asked Yu Chengyi to lend him several Qi Refining Level Six Monster Hunters, and Yu Chengyi sent Old Zhao along to watch over him.
• Mo Hua led Zhou Daping, Old Zhao, and the others to a narrow mountain pass, where he concealed a trap and an Array Technique.
• A goat-like monster entered the trap, and Mo Hua activated the formation, letting the Monster Hunters kill it.
• Mo Hua collected the monster's blood for drawing Array Techniques and had the hunters process the carcass.
• Mo Hua calculated the costs and told the hunters to split the remaining proceeds, then headed home as they realized each would earn seven or eight Spirit Stones.

After Old Zhao reported that Mo Hua had helped mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators kill a mid first-grade monster beast with a formation, Yu Chengyi decided to investigate before leading his team to the Inner Mountain. He realized the formation could let small groups of novice Monster Hunters take down powerful prey.

• Yu Chengyi and his Monster Hunters killed a cunning monster beast, then rested at a nearby Monster Hunting Camp with wine and meat.
• Old Zhao returned and told Yu Chengyi that Mo Hua had gone home safely after helping kill a mid first-grade monster beast.
• Old Zhao explained that Mo Hua had trapped the Red-Eyed Sheep and used a formation ignited by Fireball Technique to wound it, allowing several mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators to finish it off.
• Yu Chengyi decided to visit Mo Hua the next day to learn what formation he had used, delaying the team's journey to the Inner Mountain.
• Yu Chengyi concluded that the formation could enable three or four mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators to kill a mid-stage first-rank monster, and the Monster Hunters recognized its significance for novices.

Mo Hua and Yu Chengyi arranged a deal to use Earth Fire Arrays to help novice monster hunters earn Spirit Stones, with Mo Hua receiving a share and the monster blood. After the first attempts failed because the traps were poorly placed, Mo Hua brought in Chu Guangshan, whose work let the squad hunt successfully and earn him a share as well.

• Yu Chengyi asked Mo Hua to draw Earth Fire Arrays for the novice monster hunters, and Mo Hua proposed taking a share of their earnings in exchange for the arrays and the monster blood.
• Mo Hua drew several Earth Fire Arrays, but the monster hunters failed to use them because their traps were badly placed.
• Mo Hua recommended Chu Guangshan, who rejoined the Monster Hunting Squad to track monsters, set traps, and trigger the arrays with flint-tipped arrows.
• The squad successfully hunted monsters with Chu Guangshan's help, and he received a share of the Spirit Stones.
• Chu Guangshan and Jiang Yun brought Mo Hua gifts to thank him, though neither knew what to say.

Mo Hua’s Earth Fire Arrays made monster hunting safer and more efficient, while his friendships with the Monster Hunters brought him food, mountain spices, herbs, and ores to gather. As more hunters began using his arrays, he struggled to collect monster blood before the carcasses went cold and began considering how to prevent the waste.

• Yu Chengyi sent more Monster Hunters to finish off beasts so fewer Earth Fire Arrays were needed, and Mo Hua became acquainted with hunters throughout the Outer Mountain.
• Mo Hua traded sliced beef for the snacks and wild fruits hunters shared with him, and they gave him a booklet showing useful mountain spices.
• Mo Hua collected spices for Liu Ruhua, whose seasoned meat dishes pleased the Monster Hunters, Bai Zisheng, Bai Zixi, and Mr. Zhuang.
• Mo Hua gathered medicinal herbs for Elder Feng and ores for Master Chen while continuing to draw arrays and collect monster blood.
• As more hunters used Mo Hua’s Earth Fire Arrays, he found that beasts were being killed faster than he could reach them, leaving their blood undrainable, and he decided he needed a solution.

Mo Hua searched for a way to detect when demonic beasts died and learned about the Sinan Parent-Child Array, a compound array that sensed spiritual-power fluctuations. Mr. Zhuang gave him a collection of compound arrays to study, and Mo Hua memorized the Sinan array diagram before going to sleep.

• Mo Hua asked Bai Zixi about scouting arrays, and she told him the Sinan Parent-Child Array could sense spiritual-power fluctuations.
• Mo Hua asked Mr. Zhuang to teach him the array, and Mr. Zhuang gave him Introductory Collection of Compound Arrays to study first.
• Old Kui questioned whether Mo Hua was ready for compound arrays, and Mr. Zhuang said he wanted to see how far Mo Hua could progress on his own.
• Mo Hua reread his compound-array basics, found the Sinan Parent-Child Array diagram, and memorized its patterns and Array Hub structure.
• Mo Hua went to sleep after midnight, and the Dao Stele appeared in his sea of consciousness.

Mo Hua drew and tested the Sinan Parent-Child Compound Array, then asked Mr. Zhuang to explain how Array Hubs worked. Mr. Zhuang clarified their role and cautioned Mo Hua to master his current studies before attempting Grand Arrays.

• Mo Hua used the Dao Stele to draw the Sinan Parent-Child Compound Array, restoring his Divine Consciousness through meditation when he needed to continue.
• Mo Hua activated the Child Array and saw the corresponding point on the Parent Array light up, confirming that the compound array worked.
• Mo Hua visited Mr. Zhuang and asked about Array Hubs after practicing the Sinan Compound Array several more times.
• Mr. Zhuang explained that a compound array’s Array Hub acted like a special Array Technique that coordinated Lingli and the component arrays.
• Mo Hua connected the Array Hub’s amplification function to the Wood-Fire Spirit Control Compound Array he had repaired, then asked about Grand Arrays.
• Mr. Zhuang told Mo Hua to study what was before him first, and Mo Hua left the Bamboo Chamber.

Mo Hua tested the Sinan Parent-Child Array and used it to monitor Great Black Mountain, gathering monster blood as his cultivation advanced toward the sixth level of Qi Refining. After a heavy rain, he learned that Old Zhao had gone missing in the mountain and joined his father in the search effort.

• Mo Hua tested the Sinan Parent-Child Array in Great Black Mountain and confirmed that its Compass detected activity near a Stone Needle.
• Mo Hua planted several dozen Child Array Stone Needles across the Outer Mountain, then used the Compass to locate battles and collect monster blood.
• Mo Hua’s cultivation neared the sixth level of Qi Refining, and he accumulated hundreds of bottles of monster blood in preparation to become a nine-line First-Grade Array Master.
• After a heavy rain, Mo Shan told Mo Hua that Old Zhao was missing, and Mo Hua went with him to Elder Yu’s home.
• Elder Yu explained that Old Zhao had returned to the mountain to search for Atractylodes Ginseng he had lost, and that his pregnant wife feared he would not return.

Mo Hua used his array map and divine sense to help the Monster Hunters track Old Zhao through Great Black Mountain. After finding him hanging from branches below a cliff, the search party discovered that he was still barely alive.

• Mo Hua used his Sinan Parent-Child Array and detailed map to identify where fighting had occurred along Old Zhao’s route.
• The Monster Hunters found signs of Old Zhao’s Mountain Splitting Palm and blood, then divided up to search the routes Mo Hua marked.
• Mo Hua reasoned that Old Zhao could not have gone far, but the searchers found only more battle traces and fragments of Vine Armor.
• Mo Hua shut out his five senses and used divine sense to search the mountain, eventually sensing someone below a cliff.
• Mo Shan and the Monster Hunters found Old Zhao caught among the branches below the cliff, barely clinging to life.

Mo Hua learned that Old Zhao had been attacked by a person, then returned to Great Black Mountain after failing to break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining. There, he overheard three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators searching for a thief and was recognized by Zhang Lan.

• Elder Feng saved Old Zhao's life, and Old Zhao's wife thanked Mo Hua with hand-sewn robes.
• Mo Hua cultivated an extra hour each day but failed to break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining.
• Mo Hua went back to Great Black Mountain and learned that Elder Yu had sent Monster Hunters to investigate Old Zhao's attacker and reduce mountain patrols.
• Mo Hua disguised himself with grass and twigs and continued patrolling the mountain despite the danger.
• Mo Hua overheard three late-stage Qi Refining cultivators arguing as they searched for a cunning thief.
• Zhang Lan detected someone watching the group, drew his sword, and was stunned when the disguised figure revealed himself as Mo Hua.

Mo Hua encountered Zhang Lan and the Situ siblings in Great Black Mountain and learned they were hunting a flower-plucking thief. He agreed to guide them through the Outer Mountain, suspecting the criminal might be the cultivator hunting Uncle Zhao.

• Mo Hua explained the many tasks he did in the mountains, then introduced himself to Situ Fang and Situ Xiu.
• Zhang Lan agreed to let Mo Hua guide the group after Mo Hua warned they could get lost without him.
• Zhang Lan revealed that the Dao Court Office was pursuing a flower-plucking thief believed to be hiding between Lone Cloud Peak and Broken Mountain Cliff.
• Mo Hua agreed to help find the thief and suspected he might be the cultivator hunting Uncle Zhao.

Mo Hua guided Zhang Lan, Situ Fang, and Situ Xiu through Great Black Mountain toward Lone Cloud Peak, where they planned to pursue criminals, but a fight with demonic beasts delayed them until nightfall. At camp, Mo Hua asked Zhang Lan whether dual-cultivation harvesting was a serious crime, and Zhang Lan asked if he knew what it meant.

• Mo Hua led Zhang Lan, Situ Fang, and Situ Xiu through the mountain, avoiding dangers until Situ Xiu’s loudness drew the attention of a Red-Eyed Sheep Demon and a Split-Claw Wolf Demon.
• Zhang Lan, Situ Fang, and Situ Xiu fought the demons; Situ Xiu was wounded, the Split-Claw Wolf Demon was killed, and the sheep demon fled.
• Mo Hua collected demonic blood to make Spirit Ink, then reminded the others that he had warned them to detour because he knew there were two demons.
• Mo Hua guided the group to a campsite, told a passing Monster Hunter to inform his mother he would return tomorrow, and shared food with the others.
• At camp, Mo Hua asked Zhang Lan about flower thieves and whether dual-cultivation harvesting was a serious crime; Zhang Lan asked Mo Hua what he thought it meant.

Mo Hua learned from Zhang Lan how harvesting and supplementation differed from dual cultivation and why the Dao Court Office prohibited both. The group then reached Lone Cloud Peak, where Mo Hua identified an abandoned camp as the flower thief's likely hideout, and Zhang Lan prepared to surround it.

• Zhang Lan explained that harvesting and supplementation drained a victim's vitality and spiritual power, and that the flower thief they pursued had crippled a woman and faced a likely death sentence.
• Zhang Lan described why the Dao Court Office banned dual cultivation, warning that it could disguise harvesting and supplementation and turn into it between Dao companions.
• Mo Hua asked whether cultivators of the same sex could harvest one another, leaving Zhang Lan speechless before they settled down for the night.
• At dawn, Mo Hua, Zhang Lan, and the others continued to Lone Cloud Peak and searched the hidden locations Mo Hua marked on the map.
• Mo Hua found traces near an abandoned camp and said the flower thief was likely hiding there; Zhang Lan ordered the group to surround it and told Mo Hua to keep his distance.

Zhang Lan, Situ Fang, and Situ Xiu captured the Evil Cultivator, but he revealed that he had been hiding his strength and poisoned the Situ siblings. As Zhang Lan fought him, the Evil Cultivator vanished and reappeared behind Mo Hua, threatening him.

• Zhang Lan, Situ Fang, and Situ Xiu attacked the Evil Cultivator at the abandoned camp and subdued him after a fierce battle.
• Mo Hua urged them to cripple the Evil Cultivator and destroy his Qi Sea, but the bound man broke free and attacked.
• The Evil Cultivator struck Situ Xiu and poisoned Situ Fang with his sinister Lingli, while Zhang Lan continued fighting him.
• Zhang Lan used the Falling Flower Step to match the Evil Cultivator's footwork and kept him at bay with Sword Qi.
• The Evil Cultivator vanished from Zhang Lan's Divine Consciousness and appeared behind Mo Hua, threatening him for wanting to break his legs.

Mo Hua evaded the Evil Cultivator’s attempts to seize him and helped Zhang Lan defeat the ninth-level Qi Refining attacker. The Evil Cultivator survived, and Mo Hua began carrying out his promised punishment before they could take him back to the Dao Court Office.

• The Evil Cultivator tried to grab Mo Hua as a hostage, but Mo Hua dodged and Zhang Lan attacked him with Sword Qi.
• Mo Hua taunted the Evil Cultivator, who charged at him, but Mo Hua repeatedly evaded his grabs using Flowing Water Step.
• Mo Hua cast a fast Fireball Technique that struck the Evil Cultivator, giving Zhang Lan time to hit him with Water Form Sword Qi and knock him down.
• Zhang Lan confirmed the Evil Cultivator was alive but too injured and exhausted to fight, while Situ Fang and Situ Xiu recovered after taking pills.
• Before they could take the Evil Cultivator back to the Dao Court Office, Mo Hua took Zhang Lan’s sword and severed one of the Evil Cultivator’s legs.

Mo Hua and the others brought the captured evil cultivator down from Great Black Mountain, while Zhang Lan realized Mo Hua had mastered the Zhang Family's Flowing Water Step unusually well. At the mountain's foot, Mo Hua questioned the captive about a Monster Hunter and learned that several silver-white-robed cultivators had pursued him.

• Mo Hua led Zhang Lan, Situ Fang, and Situ Xiu down the mountain as they took turns dragging the evil cultivator.
• Situ Fang praised Mo Hua's movement technique, and Zhang Lan suspected it resembled the Zhang Family's Flowing Water Step before realizing Mo Hua had surpassed the family's usual skill with it.
• Zhang Lan begged Mo Hua not to reveal that he had taught him the technique, and Mo Hua promised not to sell him out.
• Mo Hua shared his family's beef with the group during their rest, and Zhang Lan began to suspect Mo Hua also cast Fireball Technique unusually quickly.
• At the foot of Great Black Mountain, Mo Hua asked the evil cultivator about the Monster Hunter he had chased, and the captive said several cultivators in silver-white daoist robes had hunted him.