Recaps

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.

After helping capture an Evil Cultivator, Mo Hua received a meal and one hundred Spirit Stones from Zhang Lan, who warned him that public recognition could invite revenge. Zhang Lan and Situ Fang brought Mo Hua to meet Old Master An, and the chapter ended as Mo Hua studied the An Family’s formations on the way to the reception hall.

• Mo Hua told Elder Yu about the silver-white-robed cultivators, and Elder Yu blamed the Qian Family and promised to investigate.
• Zhang Lan treated Mo Hua and Situ Fang to a meal, gave Mo Hua one hundred Spirit Stones as his reward, and explained why the Dao Court Office would keep his contribution quiet.
• Zhang Lan revealed that Old Master An wanted to meet Mo Hua, and Mo Hua guessed that the Evil Cultivator had targeted an An Family girl.
• Zhang Lan and Situ Fang escorted Mo Hua to the An Family estate, where he inspected and identified the formations throughout the grounds.
• Mo Hua arrived at the reception hall and saw the elderly, dignified Old Master An seated inside.

Mo Hua learned why Old Master An was grateful for helping capture the Evil Cultivator, then realized the elder was trying to arrange a match with an An Family disciple. After Mo Hua left with Fatty An, Fatty An confessed that he felt his family had given up on him and believed he could never become capable enough to lead the clan.

• Old Master An explained that the Evil Cultivator had drained an An Family girl and thanked Mo Hua for helping Zhang Lan capture him.
• Old Master An questioned Mo Hua about his family and future, but Mo Hua dodged his questions with vague answers.
• Old Master An introduced An Family disciples and invited Mo Hua to stroll with them, revealing his hopes of matching Mo Hua with someone from the clan.
• Mo Hua declined the invitation, then recognized Fatty An and agreed to let him show him around.
• Fatty An told Mo Hua that he feared his family’s disappointment and thought he was too stupid to become clan head.

Mo Hua toured the An Family residence with Fatty An, who told him about the family’s plans to marry him in and the marriage alliances of great clans. Meanwhile, Old Master An reconsidered recruiting Mo Hua and criticized the An Family’s weaknesses, especially its supposedly secure arrays.

• Mo Hua cheered Fatty An up and encouraged him to think about what he wanted from life, and Fatty An realized he liked eating.
• Fatty An told Mo Hua that Old Master An seemed to want him to marry into the An Family and explained how great clans arranged spiritual-root-based marriages.
• Fatty An described how clan members might obey arranged matches publicly while pursuing their own relationships privately, leaving Mo Hua astonished.
• After Zhang Lan and Situ Fang left, Old Master An told An Yonglu that the An Family had long fallen behind the Qian Family and questioned whether Xiao Fu should become family head.
• An Yonglu asked why Old Master An had abandoned the idea of recruiting a live-in son-in-law, and Old Master An said the An Family was unworthy because Mo Hua had recognized all its arrays.

After reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining, Mo Hua tried to draw a nine-pattern array but found his divine sense insufficient. With Mr. Zhuang’s advice, he practiced until he drew the First-Grade Golden Armor Array ten days later, then wondered where the supposed threshold had been.

• Mo Hua said goodbye to Fatty An, and Zhang Lan and Situ Fang bought Monster Meat from his family’s eatery before leaving.
• Mo Hua broke through to the sixth level of Qi Refining and began practicing the First-Grade Golden Armor Array, but his divine sense ran out before he could finish the ninth pattern.
• Mo Hua asked Mr. Zhuang about the difficulty of drawing nine patterns, and Mr. Zhuang urged him to keep practicing while privately predicting he would succeed within days or weeks.
• Mo Hua practiced the Golden Armor Array each day, gradually strengthening his divine sense and drawing more of its patterns.
• Ten days later, Mo Hua naturally completed the Golden Armor Array and wondered why he had not noticed the threshold Mr. Zhuang described.

Mr. Zhuang explained how the Dao Court grades Array Masters and warned Mo Hua that connections could keep Rogue Cultivators from receiving an assessment slot. He urged Mo Hua to pursue array mastery beyond titles and suggested that reaching Second Grade would give him a stronger position, leaving Mo Hua with a renewed goal.

• Mo Hua asked Mr. Zhuang whether drawing nine Array Patterns made him a First-Grade Array Master, and Mr. Zhuang explained that it only meant he had crossed the threshold.
• Mr. Zhuang told Mo Hua that the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion graded Array Masters and that assessments depended on both skill and connections.
• Mo Hua worried that Rogue Cultivators might be denied chances to be graded, and Mr. Zhuang said array mastery was not defined by worldly ranks.
• Mr. Zhuang advised Mo Hua to seek a grade anyway for its practical benefits, then said that a Second-Grade Array Master would be harder for the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion to dismiss.
• Mr. Zhuang explained that Second Grade had initial, middle, and high tiers, and said Mo Hua could reach the initial tier after Foundation Establishment; he concluded that raising the threshold kept cultivators below it from stepping over.

Mo Hua gave Mo Shan a newly forged Vine Armor bearing a First-Grade Golden Armor Array before his father went hunting in Great Black Mountain. Mo Shan’s squad weakened a late first-grade Kui Wood Wolf, but the chapter ended when Mo Shan realized it was still alive and warned the others.

• Mo Hua asked Master Chen to forge reinforced Vine Armor for Mo Shan and drew a First-Grade Golden Armor Array on it.
• Mo Shan accepted the armor from Mo Hua and wore it when he entered Great Black Mountain with his Monster Hunting Squad.
• Mo Shan and the other Monster Hunters tracked down a late first-grade Kui Wood Wolf and surrounded it by a stream.
• The squad fought the Kui Wood Wolf for about two hours until it collapsed, and a Monster Hunter approached to check whether it was dead.
• Mo Shan sensed danger and shouted that the Kui Wood Wolf was not dead as it opened its eyes.

Mo Shan saved a fellow Monster Hunter from a Kui Wood Wolf that had feigned death, and his Vine Armor blocked the demon beast’s claw. At camp, the squad discovered that Liu Ruhua had drawn an intricate Array Technique into the armor, while Mo Shan worried over a scratch on it.

• The Kui Wood Wolf attacked the burly Monster Hunter, and Mo Shan kicked him clear before the beast could strike his head.
• The Kui Wood Wolf’s claw hit Mo Shan’s Vine Armor but failed to pierce it, and the Monster Hunters killed the demon beast in a flurry of blows.
• The squad withdrew to an Outer Mountain campsite, where the burly man thanked Mo Shan and the hunters marveled at his unusually tough Vine Armor.
• Mo Shan shared food and liquor with the squad, then examined his armor and found an intricate Array Technique drawn inside it.
• When the Monster Hunters admired the armor’s craftsmanship, Mo Shan noticed a scratch and lamented the damage.

After Mo Shan returned from a successful demon hunt, Mo Hua learned that the Qian Family might be behind Uncle Zhao’s attack and visited him in Apricot Forest Hall. Uncle Zhao woke after Elder Feng’s treatment and revealed that Great Black Mountain had a Spirit Mine.

• Mo Shan returned home and told Mo Hua that the Monster Hunters wanted him to draw Golden Armor Arrays, which Mo Hua agreed to do after he had time to practice.
• Mo Shan told Mo Hua that Uncle Zhao remained unconscious and that the Qian Family was suspected of pursuing him.
• Mo Hua visited Uncle Zhao at Apricot Forest Hall, where Elder Yu said the Qian Family had been secretly entering Great Black Mountain at night.
• Elder Feng treated Uncle Zhao with acupuncture, and Uncle Zhao regained consciousness.
• Uncle Zhao grabbed Elder Yu and revealed that Great Black Mountain had a Spirit Mine.

Old Zhao revealed that the Qian Family had been secretly mining a Spirit Mine in Great Black Mountain and nearly killed him to keep it secret. Elder Yu gathered the Monster Hunters and ordered them to search the mountain for the mine, leaving them prepared to fight the Qian Family.

• Old Zhao fainted after revealing the Spirit Mine, and Elder Yu confirmed he was alive before sending word to Yu Chengyi to gather the Monster Hunter leaders.
• Elder Yu explained to Mo Hua how Spirit Mines formed, why cultivators relied on Spirit Stones, and how Rogue Cultivators lacked access to the mines controlled by powerful groups.
• Elder Yu told the gathered Monster Hunters about the mine and Old Zhao’s attack, prompting them to suspect the Qian Family had also caused earlier disappearances.
• Elder Yu ordered the late-stage Qi Refining Monster Hunters to search Great Black Mountain at night and capture any Qian Family cultivators they encountered.
• When asked what they should do if they found a large group of Qian Family cultivators, Elder Yu ordered the Monster Hunters to kill them all.

Mo Hua stayed in the Monster Hunters’ mountain camp while using the Sinan Parent Array to search for the Qian Family. On the fourth night, he detected spiritual power fluctuations and followed them to find Mo Shan, telling him he knew where the Spirit Mine was.

• Mo Shan returned from the first night’s search without finding any trace of the Qian Family, then agreed to let Mo Hua accompany him on later nights.
• Mo Hua stayed in the camp, strengthened its gate with a formation, and watched the Sinan Parent Array’s Compass while the Monster Hunters searched.
• On the fourth night, a light appeared on the Compass, and Mo Hua used it and his map to identify a desolate hill near the boundary between the Outer Mountain and the Inner Mountain.
• Mo Hua left the camp and quietly found Uncle Wu, who told him Mo Shan was searching near Great Mountain Rock.
• Mo Hua reached Mo Shan and told him he knew where the Spirit Mine was.