Chapter Summaries

Ling Wuyuan cared for Pei Yi after their strenuous encounter, and she made him promise to conceal why she was exhausted. After he revealed his breakthrough, the two were interrupted by a vast celestial spectacle that Ling Wuyuan recognized as a Heavenly Change.

• Pei Yi ate the food Ling Wuyuan fed her and ordered him to tell her Master, Senior Sister, and Junior Sister that she was exhausted from helping out.
• Ling Wuyuan told Pei Yi he had reached the Source Gathering Realm—Spirit Disturbance Stage, and she asked whether he had secretly used dual cultivation techniques.
• Ling Wuyuan teased Pei Yi about trying those techniques next time, and she eventually fell asleep.
• Ling Wuyuan quietly left the room and saw a torrent of multicolored light sweep across the sky, remaking the heavens in a dazzling display.
• Pei Yi woke to the roaring sounds, joined Ling Wuyuan outside, and watched the Heavenly Change with him.

Ling Wuyuan watched a third [Heavenly Change] and reflected on how his reactions to the phenomenon had changed as he grew stronger. He sensed that the spectacle was unusual because he could not detect any energy within it, but he found no explanation before it ended.

• Ling Wuyuan recalled seeing his first [Heavenly Change] in [Black Stone City], when hunger and fear made him think the world was ending.
• Ling Wuyuan remembered calmly watching the second [Heavenly Change] during the [White Crow Gang]’s triennial Gang Competition after he had begun cultivating and acquired resources.
• Ling Wuyuan compared the current spectacle with the vast and powerful things he had witnessed in [Dragon Beast Sea Ridge], yet felt it might be significant.
• Ling Wuyuan examined the sky and realized he could not sense any energy in the [Heavenly Change], despite its covering the surrounding region.
• Ling Wuyuan failed to discover a clue before the [Heavenly Change] ended.

After the [Heavenly Change], Ling Wuyuan wondered why no energy had leaked during the phenomenon, but he set aside investigating it for more urgent matters. Xi Xianlan questioned Pei Yi about her supposed exhaustion, and Ling Wuyuan redirected the gathering toward the reasons everyone had come to see him.

• Ling Wuyuan asked why the [Heavenly Change] had produced no energy leakage, and Xi Xianlan explained that Yuan Yujun had once investigated it without uncovering its truth.
• Ling Wuyuan said he might research the [Heavenly Change] but had other matters to prioritize.
• Xi Xianlan asked Pei Yi whether she had recovered from the overexertion Yan Xiujin had described, and Pei Yi answered in riddles.
• Ling Wuyuan warned everyone not to pry into the private events of the previous day and asked what business they had come to discuss.
• Wu Yanlian denied that she had come only for breakfast and appealed to Yao Yueyan, who wondered why she was being asked.

Yao Yueyan tried to learn what deal Ling Wuyuan had made with Yuan Yujun, but he refused to reveal it, and she took her frustration out by eating his food. Ling Wuyuan told Pei Suxia that she might not have to wait a century to explore [Dragon Beast Sea Ridge] again, hinting that he could open its passage early.

• Ling Wuyuan refused to tell Yao Yueyan what he and Yuan Yujun had discussed, so Yao Yueyan gulped down the porridge to get back at him.
• Wu Yanlian silently decided to forgive Yao Yueyan for taking her bowl, while Pei Suxia shut her eyes as Wu Yanlian, Yao Yueyan, and Yan Xiujin fought over food.
• Pei Suxia told Ling Wuyuan that the elders were still studying the items brought back from [Dragon Beast Sea Ridge] and asked whether he was hiding a secret.
• Ling Wuyuan admitted that he and the others were concealing something, but told Pei Suxia to ask Yuan Yujun if she wanted to know more.
• Pei Suxia guessed that Ling Wuyuan planned to open the passage to [Dragon Beast Sea Ridge] before its next scheduled opening, and he told her to look forward to it.

A week after returning from Dragon Beast Sea Ridge, Ling Wuyuan and his companions continued to earn points as the elders appraised their collected resources. Ling Wuyuan tested his new Spirit Disturbance abilities and realized he needed to grow stronger to preserve his fading connection to the Soul Beacon in another spacetime.

• The Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion elders slowly identified the uses of the Dragon Beast Sea Ridge resources and awarded Ling Wuyuan, Xianlan, Bai Jingshu, and Yan Lian increasing amounts of internal points.
• Ling Wuyuan found that his Spirit Disturbance ability could severely hinder even stronger cultivators like Bai Jingshu from using spiritual qi and mental power.
• Ling Wuyuan sensed that his strengthened mental power had brought him closer to the Soul Beacon, though their connection still flickered.
• Ling Wuyuan realized Dragon Beast Sea Ridge was moving farther from the Main Spacetime and that he had to keep growing stronger or risk losing contact with the Soul Beacon.
• Ling Wuyuan considered Yuan Yujun’s help important for strengthening his connection to the Soul Coordinate.

Ling Wuyuan gathered rare divination and will-tempering tools from Yuan Yujun and used them to prepare for projecting his will along the wild path. After enduring the projection, he checked the Incubation Control Tower and found its operations normal, while his application for temporary Level Twelve authority still had over thirty days before review.

• Ling Wuyuan received rare rune items, cultivation manuals, and other valuable resources from Yuan Yujun through their smooth transaction.
• Yuan Yujun posted high-value bounties to obtain several difficult-to-find items for Ling Wuyuan.
• Ling Wuyuan used a pill, a rune altar, and other aids to steady and strengthen his mind before projecting his will across an ultra-long distance.
• Ling Wuyuan's Soul Beacon stirred inside the room of flesh and blood, and he complained about the discomfort of projecting through the wild path.
• Ling Wuyuan checked the Incubation Control Tower's records and confirmed it had operated normally while he was away.
• Ling Wuyuan discovered that his application for temporary Level Twelve management authority had a little over thirty days left before review, and planned to use it to seek temporary regional authority.

Ling Wuyuan tested whether his Self-Will could reach the Incubation Control Tower in Dragon Beast Sea Ridge through his Soul Beacon and suffered serious injuries from the effort. The test succeeded with surprising ease, leaving him able to contact the tower across spacetime despite the barriers that had defeated powerful factions.

• Ling Wuyuan ended his half-hour projection and realized spacetime turbulence had severely damaged his will.
• Ling Wuyuan took a medicinal pill and reflected that the Soul Beacon had let him reach Dragon Beast Sea Ridge.
• Ling Wuyuan recalled that even Divine Ability Realm powerhouses and Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion had failed to force open a passage to Dragon Beast Sea Ridge.
• Ling Wuyuan noted that the Soul Beacon let him locate Dragon Beast Sea Ridge and pass through its spacetime barrier with ease.
• Ling Wuyuan remained dumbfounded by how smoothly his attempt had gone.

Ling Wuyuan successfully projected his will across spacetime into Dragon Beast Sea Ridge far more easily than expected, making him suspect either a trap or a special ability tied to his past as a transmigrator. Ten days of testing another spacetime barrier proved he had simply been overthinking it.

• Ling Wuyuan crossed the spacetime currents and barrier into Dragon Beast Sea Ridge with surprising ease, using rune artifacts and the Soul Beacon.
• Ling Wuyuan wondered whether his smooth entry was a trap set by a hidden mastermind in Dragon Beast Sea Ridge.
• Ling Wuyuan considered whether his past as a transmigrator had given him special abilities to withstand spacetime currents and cross barriers.
• Ling Wuyuan imagined using those abilities to sneak into other factions' territories and steal resources across spacetime.
• Ten days later, Ling Wuyuan failed to pass through another spacetime barrier and cursed, realizing his theory had been wrong.

Ling Wuyuan failed to prove he could freely cross spacetime barriers, though he discovered he could resist some spacetime turbulence. Yuan Yujun then questioned how he had entered Dragon Beast Sea Ridge so easily and grew more suspicious that it was a trap.

• Yuan Yujun asked Ling Wuyuan whether his attempt to cross spacetime barriers had worked.
• Ling Wuyuan admitted he could not cross barriers freely but could negate some of spacetime turbulence’s effects.
• Yuan Yujun accepted the limited result and wondered why Ling Wuyuan had entered Dragon Beast Sea Ridge so easily.
• Yuan Yujun grew suspicious that Dragon Beast Sea Ridge concealed a conspiracy, since its powerful spacetime barrier should have been extremely difficult to breach.

Yuan Yujun considered Ling Wuyuan a possible key to overcoming the Dragon Beast Sea Ridge’s spatial barrier and planned to cultivate his goodwill, but his effortless entry into the region raised suspicions. Her divination found too much interference to uncover the truth, leaving Ling Wuyuan to wonder whether a token or his being native to the space explained his access.

• Yuan Yujun planned to support Ling Wuyuan and build a close relationship with him so the Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion could benefit from his future success in the Dragon Beast Sea Ridge.
• Yuan Yujun learned that Ling Wuyuan had entered the Dragon Beast Sea Ridge without difficulty, but later tests showed he could not generally pass through spatial barriers.
• Yuan Yujun wondered whether the Dragon Beast Sea Ridge concealed a trap for Ling Wuyuan or whether the vanished Thorn Civilization was involved.
• Yuan Yujun used bone tokens and a starry compass to divine the Dragon Beast Sea Ridge, but spatial interference prevented her from obtaining reliable results.
• Ling Wuyuan asked Yuan Yujun what could let someone freely enter and leave a secret realm, and she suggested a special token or being native to that space.

Ling Wuyuan questioned whether his [Subordinate Authority] could prove he came from another world and considered that Earth might exist in the same universe as [Dragon Beast Sea Ridge]. He left the matter unresolved, focusing instead on why he could freely travel between [Dragon Beast Sea Ridge] and the Main Spacetime and whether he could benefit from having dual citizenship.

• Ling Wuyuan rejected the idea that his [Subordinate Authority] wristband could serve as a token proving his origin.
• Ling Wuyuan considered that Earth might exist in the universe containing [Dragon Beast Sea Ridge] and wondered whether he had been transferred from one region of the same world rather than another world.
• Ling Wuyuan decided that proving his origins or returning to Earth mattered little to him.
• Ling Wuyuan focused on whether his ability to freely enter and leave [Dragon Beast Sea Ridge] had a hidden cause and whether he might have a home-field advantage there.
• Ling Wuyuan wondered whether he could claim dual citizenship between the Secret Realm Space-Time and the Main Spacetime and reap benefits from both.

Ling Wuyuan continued investigating his identity but, with no decisive leads, focused on cultivating and studying at the Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion’s mountain library. While Yan Xiujin waited for him to finish so they could go out, he reflected on Pei Yiman’s immense cold-producing physique and the danger it could pose if she failed to control it.

• Ling Wuyuan slowed his exploration of the Dragon Beast Sea Ridge after his investigation into his identity reached a bottleneck, and devoted himself to cultivation and study.
• Ling Wuyuan read in a mountain Library Pavilion while Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion members watched him with curiosity, admiration, and some hostility.
• Yan Xiujin arrived after her daily cultivation and tried to persuade Ling Wuyuan to take her down the mountain and buy her snacks.
• Ling Wuyuan told Yan Xiujin he would finish reading in another hour, after Pei Yiman completed her daily cultivation.
• Ling Wuyuan recalled that Pei Yiman’s physique released extreme cold, could freeze powerful cultivators, and might eventually turn all of White Mist Country into an icy snow country if left uncontrolled.

Ling Wuyuan reflected on Pei Yi’s powerful, poorly understood special constitution and the need to help her control it through cultivation. He explained to Yan Xiujin why he read obscure books and declared his intention to memorize the collections of all twelve Library Pavilions.

• Ling Wuyuan considered the lack of records about Pei Yi’s constitution and supported her cultivation so she could learn to control its naturally growing power.
• After finishing a book, Ling Wuyuan woke Yan Xiujin and said they would go find her Sixth Senior Sister.
• Yan Xiujin questioned why Ling Wuyuan read obscure books about folk tales, music scores, and observations of the sun and moon.
• Ling Wuyuan said seemingly useless knowledge might become important someday, so he chose to absorb it all.
• Ling Wuyuan told Yan Xiujin he planned to read and memorize the books in five other mountain Library Pavilions and six more in Jade Night Snow City.

Ling Wuyuan explained that he pursued knowledge and swordsmanship as tools to increase his strength, while Yan Xiujin imagined visiting him often as he read through the Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion’s books. She asked him to carry her on his back, then teased and attacked him, leaving him amused by her childish behavior and imagining how embarrassed she might feel when she grew older.

• Ling Wuyuan explained that books and longswords were means to pursue strength and profit, not things he loved for their own sake.
• Yan Xiujin realized Ling Wuyuan would spend a long time reading in the Library Pavilions and looked forward to visiting him there.
• Yan Xiujin asked Ling Wuyuan to carry her on his back, and he agreed.
• Ling Wuyuan praised how nice her thighs felt, so Yan Xiujin blushed and bumped his head, pinched his waist, and bit his neck.
• Yan Xiujin stayed on Ling Wuyuan’s back despite her complaints, while he amused himself by imagining her future embarrassment over her behavior.

Pei Yi told Ling Wuyuan about her progress and wondered about his height as they walked down the mountain with Yan Xiujin. The story then introduced Wuchen Province, a sparsely populated borderland threatened by an underground spatial passage that was about to stabilize again.

• Pei Yi told Ling Wuyuan that her master expected her to reach the Source Gathering Realm within a year and praised her control over her growing strength.
• Pei Yi asked Ling Wuyuan how tall he was and quietly imagined him carrying her on his back one day.
• Yan Xiujin and Ling Wuyuan wondered why Pei Yi had suddenly smiled, while Yan Xiujin thought Pei Yi's head-patting felt like petting a pet.
• The chapter explained that Wuchen Province was divided among four countries because its spatial passage periodically unleashed underground creatures.
• The spatial passage was nearing the time when it would temporarily stabilize again.

The lord of Northern Wuchen Province prepared for an approaching surge of underground creatures and learned how many outside cultivators had gathered in the city. He ordered the military warehouse supplies used to recruit them for dangerous missions, hoping to protect the city's own forces.

• The city lord worried that the approaching underground creature tide might include a Divine Ability Realm threat capable of destroying the fortress city.
• The city lord asked how many outside powerhouses had registered in the city.
• The deputy city lord reported 1,641 Qi Nourishing Realm cultivators, 103 Source Gathering Realm cultivators, 15 Spirit Infusion Realm cultivators, and two Enlightened Intent Realm cultivators.
• The city lord delegated authority over military warehouse supplies and ordered missions issued to the outsiders, especially for troublesome tasks that would otherwise endanger his own troops.

The spacetime passage opened several days ahead of schedule, unleashing an underground beast tide and several Divine Ability Realm beasts into the surface world. As the City Lord tried to summon help, the surrounding nations activated their golden defensive net, and their Sovereigns sensed the crisis.

• The Deputy City Lord saw the countdown clock suddenly race to its end while he, the City Lord, and the general were discussing their plans.
• Lightning struck across the horizon and earthquakes shook the provinces as people realized the underground beast tide was emerging early.
• Black Wuchen dust filled the sky, signaling that the spacetime passage was opening, and the City Lord tried to contact the Sovereign in the Imperial Capital.
• Several Divine Ability Realm subterranean beasts crossed into the surface world and released their overwhelming auras, killing nearby weaker lifeforms.
• The surrounding nations activated their final measures, forming a vast golden net over the region and trapping the powerful beasts as the Sovereigns sensed the changes.

Yuan Yujun told Ling Wuyuan, Yan Xiujin, and Pei Yiman that eight Divine Ability Realm Subterranean Beasts had reached the surface in Northern Wuchen Province and invited them to observe the calamity. She explained that Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion would not intervene beyond protecting Snow Deer Prefecture, leaving the White Mist Royal Family to handle the crisis.

• Yuan Yujun appeared beside Ling Wuyuan, Yan Xiujin, and Pei Yiman and told them that eight Divine Ability Realm Subterranean Beasts had surfaced in Northern Wuchen Province.
• Ling Wuyuan, Yan Xiujin, and Pei Yiman agreed to go with Yuan Yujun to see the disturbance.
• Yuan Yujun summoned her disciples to the Jade Night Tower Ship and explained how Blood Peak City's mining had opened a passage to the underground world fifteen thousand years earlier.
• Bai Jingshu asked whether Yuan Yujun would stop the beast tide, and Yuan Yujun said Snow Moon Cloud Heaven Pavilion would only protect Snow Deer Prefecture while the White Mist Royal Family handled the rest.

Ling Wuyuan and the others arrived in Northern Wuchen Province and surveyed the enormous Golden Light Pillar cage holding back subterranean creatures. He identified the swarming Black Scale Bat Beasts, then spotted some unusually shaped ones.

• Ling Wuyuan recalled what he knew about subterranean creatures and learned that Wuchen Province's passage led to a violent species whose disasters had persisted for ten thousand years.
• Ling Wuyuan and his companions reached Northern Wuchen Province aboard the Jade Night Tower Ship after traveling for more than ten hours.
• Ling Wuyuan saw the Golden Light Pillars enclosing over a million square kilometers and trapping both subterranean creatures and local demon beasts and birds.
• Ling Wuyuan recognized the numerous flying creatures as Black Scale Bat Beasts and assessed their strength and threat.
• Ling Wuyuan noticed some unusually shaped Black Scale Bat Beasts.

Ling Wuyuan saw more than a million Black Scale Bat Beasts flying beneath the Jade Night Tower Ship, including many powerful variants. Yuan Yujun fired one secondary cannon, nearly annihilating the flock and its Spirit Infusion Realm leader.

• Ling Wuyuan observed that the Black Scale Bat Beast flock contained over ten thousand unusual individuals, including some potentially at the Spirit Infusion Realm.
• Yan Xiujin asked Yuan Yujun to clear away the clouds and the dark creatures below so she could see better.
• Yuan Yujun activated one of the Jade Night Tower Ship’s secondary cannons, blasting open the clouds and striking the flock’s leader.
• The cannon’s blue lightning spread through the flock, vaporizing nearly all the Black Scale Bat Beasts in less than a second while Yuan Yujun calmly stroked Yan Xiujin’s head.