Chapter Summaries

Chen Fei encountered Shi Xueqin while fleeing toward the Sect Residence and resisted her charm long enough to wound her with a concealed dagger. He escaped as Shi Xueqin treated her injuries and pursued him in anger.

• Chen Fei sensed a Weird falling behind and continued toward the Sect Residence, but Shi Xueqin blocked his path.
• Shi Xueqin tried to bewitch Chen Fei, who used the Heart Cleansing Art to resist while pretending to remain under her spell.
• Chen Fei lured Shi Xueqin close, then interrupted her charm and stabbed her palm and chest with a concealed dagger.
• Shi Xueqin struck Chen Fei, but his Starry Night Sword Shield blocked the blow and he retreated toward the Sect Residence.
• Shi Xueqin swallowed medicine and treated her wound before pursuing Chen Fei.

Chen Fei escaped Shi Xueqin by using his techniques and calling for help, then warned Qian Lindu about a possible Divine Flame Sect encampment and a Viscera Refining Realm demoness. Qian Lindu brought him to the encampment, where fighting was already underway, and charged in while Chen Fei stayed behind.

• Chen Fei used Soul Chasing Step and Swift Movement to evade Shi Xueqin, whose injuries worsened after she used a Secret Art.
• Chen Fei shouted for help, causing Shi Xueqin to abandon her pursuit and flee.
• Qian Lindu met Chen Fei, who reported a suspected Divine Flame Sect camp and warned him about the injured demoness.
• Qian Lindu took Chen Fei to the camp, where they found a chaotic battle in progress.
• Qian Lindu told Chen Fei to wait for the other disciples and charged toward the fighting.

Chen Fei joined Qian Lindu and the Big Dipper Pavilion in helping Guo Linshan defeat the Divine Flame Sect, then revealed that the demoness hunting him was Shi Xueqin. The chapter ended with Chen Fei demonstrating his Disguise Technique to Guo Linshan.

• Chen Fei followed Qian Lindu to the battlefield and helped Guo Linshan and the Big Dipper Pavilion fight the Divine Flame Sect.
• Qian Lindu and the others quickly defeated the Divine Flame Sect, but its poisoned captives and cleaned-up hideout yielded no useful information.
• Guo Linshan told the group that the Divine Flame Sect had begun withdrawing before the Big Dipper Pavilion arrived, and Qian Lindu suspected the demoness had reported back.
• Guo Linshan privately asked Chen Fei about his rapid progress in the Starry Night Sword, and Chen Fei clarified that only some forms had reached Perfection.
• Chen Fei showed Guo Linshan a portrait of Shi Xueqin and revealed that he recognized her because he knew Disguise Technique, then changed his face to resemble Guo Linshan.

Chen Fei and Guo Linshan discussed the Divine Flame Sect and arranged to investigate the demoness, then Feng Xiupu arrived to protect the group. When Feng Xiupu tested Chen Fei’s cultivation, Chen Fei demonstrated unexpectedly advanced Starry Night Sword and Soul Chasing Step techniques while concealing their full extent.

• Chen Fei revealed that he had disguised himself as Kuang Dingbo, and Guo Linshan agreed to investigate the portrait’s connection to the Divine Flame Sect.
• Feng Xiupu arrived with Yuan Chen Sword Sect members and ordered everyone to stay at the camp for several days to guard against retaliation.
• Guo Linshan told Feng Xiupu that he had perfected the Tongyuan Art Fifth Level and expected to enter the Viscera Refining Realm soon.
• Chen Fei demonstrated his Perfected Level Starry Night Sword Shield, surprising Feng Xiupu.
• Chen Fei showed Feng Xiupu his Perfected Level Soul Chasing Step, startling Guo Linshan with his speed.

Chen Fei impressed Feng Xiupu with his technique comprehension and rapid progress in the Tongyuan Art, prompting Feng Xiupu to teach him its Third Layer. Guo Linshan then revealed that reaching the Tongyuan Art’s Fourth Layer could greatly speed Chen Fei’s path to the Marrow Refining Realm.

• Chen Fei realized his current cultivation limited his ability to fully use the Starry Night Sword and Soul Chasing Step, and Feng Xiupu praised his comprehension while warning him to conceal his talent.
• Chen Fei told Feng Xiupu and Guo Linshan that he expected to finish the Tongyuan Art’s second layer the next day, astonishing them with his progress.
• After a peaceful day at the sect, Feng Xiupu taught Chen Fei the Third Layer of the Tongyuan Art and explained that its difficulty increased as the giant strength trait awakened.
• Guo Linshan told Chen Fei that cultivating the Tongyuan Art to its fourth level could greatly shorten the time needed to reach the Marrow Refining Realm.

Chen Fei and the Yuan Chen Sword Sect began evacuating the herb gatherers after the Azure Ridge Sword sensed a powerful Weird approaching. Chen Fei and Guo Linshan encountered several Green Ghouls on the mountain road and fled when Guo Linshan’s attack failed to stop one from regenerating.

• Chen Fei considered seeking pills to protect his meridians and continued cultivating the Tongyuan Art as the herb gathering passed its halfway mark.
• Feng Xiupu’s Azure Ridge Sword trembled, and he and Qian Lindu ordered the disciples to escort the herb gatherers down the mountain while the elders stayed behind.
• Chen Fei noticed his Bone-Attached Gangrene reacting as the group fled, then saw a blood-red glow and heard a piercing howl from behind.
• A Green Ghoul swallowed a herb gatherer and spat him out transformed into a ghoul, which Guo Linshan fought off before striking the Green Ghoul.
• The Green Ghoul regenerated its severed arm, and Chen Fei pulled Guo Linshan away as at least five Green Ghouls surrounded them.

Chen Fei and Guo Linshan fought through the Green Ghouls attacking the fleeing disciples, then Guo Linshan lit a White Candle to draw the creatures away. Chen Fei chose to join him, and they led the horde toward a detour down the mountain.

• Chen Fei carried Guo Linshan downhill as Green Ghouls caught up with the fleeing herb gatherers and disciples.
• Guo Linshan and Chen Fei repeatedly drove Green Ghouls away to rescue Yuan Chen Sword Sect disciples.
• Guo Linshan lit a White Candle and charged uphill to draw the ghouls away from the fleeing people.
• Chen Fei decided to go with Guo Linshan, and the two fought their way past the pursuing Green Ghouls.
• Guo Linshan directed Chen Fei toward a detour, and Chen Fei leaped onto a huge boulder as they led the horde away.

Chen Fei and Guo Linshan led the Green Ghouls toward Immortal Cloud City, then returned to the Yuan Chen Sword Sect after the creatures turned back toward the mountain. Feng Xiupu and the others made it back with injuries, and the next morning Chen Fei found a loud argument outside Feng Xiupu’s courtyard.

• Guo Linshan recorded Chen Fei facing the Green Ghouls with an Image Recording Stone as they hurried down the mountain.
• Chen Fei asked Guo Linshan about Spirit Swords and learned that Feng Xiupu had once reached the Aperture Refining Realm before an injury caused his realm to fall.
• A distant sword light appeared, and the Green Ghouls abruptly turned back up the mountain after the Greater Specter was apparently injured.
• Chen Fei and Guo Linshan returned to the Yuan Chen Sword Sect, where they found that some people had not come back.
• Feng Xiupu and the others returned an hour later, injured but alive, and told everyone to rest.
• The next morning, Chen Fei arrived at Feng Xiupu’s courtyard and heard people arguing loudly.

Chen Fei and Guo Linshan’s role in luring the Weird away during the ghoul disaster came under dispute after Xie Jindong claimed the credit. Feng Xiupu brought Chen Fei and Guo Linshan to the Merit Hall to present their account, where their arrival silenced the gathered disciples and elders.

• Wen Ziqian and other disciples argued that Chen Fei and Guo Linshan, not Xie Jindong, had lit the white candle and lured the Weird away.
• Chen Fei asked how many Weird Xie Jindong claimed to have lured, and Luo Jun said witnesses backed Xie’s claim that he had drawn away a dozen and been injured.
• Guo Linshan explained that Xie Jindong had an outstanding Movement Technique, while Feng Xiupu learned that his disciples had risked themselves to lure the Weird.
• Feng Xiupu agreed to report Chen Fei and Guo Linshan’s deed and led them to the Merit Hall.
• At the Merit Hall, Qian Lindu praised Xie Jindong for luring the Weird away, and Feng Xiupu declared that Chen Fei and Guo Linshan had done the same.

Chen Fei and Guo Linshan disputed Xie Jindong’s claim to the credit for luring away Weirds, and Chen proved his extraordinary Movement Technique by catching a bird before Xie could. Guo then showed a recording confirming that they had lured away around fifty Weirds, leaving Xie to realize they had saved many lives, including his own.

• Xie Jindong claimed he had lured away Weirds, while Feng Xiupu said Chen Fei and Guo Linshan deserved credit too.
• Chen Fei caught a bird and returned to the Merit Hall faster than Xie Jindong, proving his Movement Technique was far superior.
• Guo Linshan said they had lured away around fifty Weirds, compared with Xie Jindong’s dozen or so.
• Guo Linshan played an Image Recording Stone showing Chen Fei facing nearly fifty Weirds.
• Qian Lindu told Xie Jindong that Chen Fei and Guo Linshan had saved his life, and Xie lowered his head.

After receiving rewards for surviving the Weird disaster, Chen Fei discussed his next steps with Guo Linshan and resumed his pill business with Chi Defeng. He bought a Meridian Pill to support his cultivation and ended the night training after his supposed attempt to challenge his weakness at Drunken Fragrance Restaurant.

• The Merit Hall awarded Xie Jindong five thousand Contribution Points, Chen Fei eight thousand, and Guo Linshan five thousand for their actions during the Weird disaster.
• Guo Linshan told Chen Fei that other disciples would finish the medicinal herb mission after the sect purged the mountain, and urged him to advance his cultivation.
• Chen Fei told Chi Defeng that the group had encountered the Divine Flame Sect and a suspected revenge-driven Weird disaster, then agreed to resume refining Ever Floating Pills.
• Chen Fei bought a bottle of Meridian Pills after comparing prices at Immortal Cloud City's apothecaries.
• Chen Fei went with Chi Defeng to Drunken Fragrance Restaurant, returned to his rented courtyard, and swallowed a Meridian Pill before cultivating the Tongyuan Art.

Chen Fei found that Meridian Pills let him cultivate the Tongyuan Art for much longer, and he accepted a Pill Refiner Alliance mission to refine Youth Preserving Pills from fifty-year-old herbs. He continued advancing the Tongyuan Art Third Layer, which was nearing perfection, while reflecting on the growing danger from Weird during troubled times.

• Chen Fei cultivated the Tongyuan Art for three double-hours after taking a Meridian Pill and decided that buying the pills was more practical than learning their recipe.
• Chi Defeng told Chen Fei that a family had moved in next door after fleeing Weird, and said Weird appeared more often when people suffered through turbulent times.
• Chi Defeng told Chen Fei about a Pill Refiner Alliance mission to refine Youth Preserving Pills, and Chen Fei accepted it after learning it involved fifty-year-old herbs.
• Chen Fei spent the three days before the mission refining pills and cultivating the Tongyuan Art Third Layer, reaching 2589 of 6000 proficiency.

Chen Fei won the Zhao family’s Youth Preserving Pill commission and recognized Zhao Peixiu’s companion as Shi Xueqin by her scent. After learning that a Human Skin Mask could explain her changed appearance, he sent a warning to his sect and noticed that Chi Defeng knew nothing about the children he remembered next door.

• Chen Fei won the Zhao family’s alchemist assessment and refined three Youth Preserving Pills for Zhao Peixiu.
• Chen Fei recognized Zhao Peixiu’s companion as Shi Xueqin from her familiar scent and the smell of Trauma Medicine.
• Chi Defeng told Chen Fei that a Human Skin Mask could change someone’s appearance without leaving signs of disguise.
• Chen Fei wrote a warning about Shi Xueqin and sent it to his sect by Messenger Pigeon.
• Chen Fei asked about the children next door, but Chi Defeng said there had never been children there.

Chen Fei realized that Si Yinan had trapped him and Chi Defeng in an illusion, then confronted her and her grandfather, Si Yuanhai. After Si Yinan apologized and Si Yuanhai offered him Thousand Snow Bamboo to resist illusions, Chen Fei returned to his courtyard.

• Chen Fei pulled Chi Defeng out of their courtyard after suspecting his strange behavior, then recognized that the busy street around them was an illusion and shattered it with a Sword Finger.
• Chen Fei heard Si Yinan crying in the neighboring courtyard and rushed over, but Si Yuanhai's Strange Hands blocked him from reaching her.
• Si Yuanhai scolded Si Yinan for using her power to frighten Chen Fei, and she apologized to Chen Fei.
• Si Yuanhai explained that Si Yinan had an unusual constitution and offered Chen Fei Thousand Snow Bamboo as an apology and protection against illusions.
• Chen Fei accepted the gift from a safe distance and returned to his courtyard with Chi Defeng, while Si Yuanhai smacked Si Yinan for her mischief.

Chen Fei discovered that his neighbors, Si Yinan and Si Yuanhai, were Demon Controllers, then fell into an ambush by Shi Xueqin and Bi Lan. Si Yinan intervened and Chen Fei killed Bi Lan, but Shi Xueqin recognized him and attacked before pale hands seized her ankles.

• Chen Fei and Chi Defeng identified the neighbors' strange abilities as Demon Controller methods, and Chen Fei resolved to improve his Heart Cleansing Art.
• Shi Xueqin and Bi Lan drugged Chen Fei with Soul Severing Incense and decided to kill him because they suspected he was the Yuan Chen Sword Sect fighter who had injured Shi Xueqin.
• Si Yinan appeared and used her silver-eyed illusion to incapacitate Bi Lan as she moved to kill Chen Fei.
• Chen Fei rose from his feigned unconsciousness and stabbed Bi Lan through the forehead while she was trapped in the illusion.
• Shi Xueqin recognized Chen Fei as her attacker and struck him through his Starry Night Sword Shield, but deathly pale hands suddenly grabbed her ankles.

Chen Fei, Si Yuanhai, and Si Yinan fought Shi Xueqin in a desperate courtyard battle, leaving both sides badly injured before Guo Linshan arrived and knocked Shi Xueqin unconscious. Chen Fei collapsed in relief after they finally stopped her escape.

• Shi Xueqin broke free of Chen Fei’s and Si Yinan’s attacks, kicked Chen Fei through a wall, and threatened Si Yuanhai as she advanced on him.
• Si Yuanhai used a lifespan-consuming sealing technique to freeze Shi Xueqin, then collapsed from exhaustion.
• Chen Fei unleashed Sword Six, which shattered the ice and severed Shi Xueqin’s right arm, but left him unable to pursue her.
• Shi Xueqin recovered her severed arm and tried to flee, but Chen Fei called for Guo Linshan to stop her.
• Guo Linshan blocked Shi Xueqin and knocked her unconscious with a blow from his broadsword, while Chen Fei collapsed in relief.

Guo Linshan saved Chen Fei from Shi Xueqin, and Feng Xiupu took the captured enemy to the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. After recovering and returning to the sect, Chen Fei received a Nayuán Pearl from Feng Xiupu to aid his cultivation.

• Guo Linshan crippled Shi Xueqin's dantian, bound her, and stopped her from taking her own life.
• Chen Fei learned that Guo Linshan had come to share his breakthrough to the Viscera Refining Realm, then spent the night treating his injuries.
• Feng Xiupu arrived, heard how Chen Fei and Si Yuanhai had captured Shi Xueqin, and took her to the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.
• Chen Fei and Si Yuanhai moved their households to new courtyards, and Chen Fei decided to exchange for the Flying Mausoleum Pill recipe.
• After five days of recovery, Chen Fei returned to the sect, where Feng Xiupu gave him a Nayuán Pearl.

Feng Xiupu explained the Nayuán Pearl and other spiritual materials to Chen Fei, then learned that Chen Fei was close to perfecting the Third Layer of the Tongyuan Art in only ten days. Chen Fei went to the Scripture Pavilion to seek a pill recipe and stronger mental defenses, but found a crowd of disciples hawking techniques outside.

• Feng Xiupu explained that the Nayuán Pearl helped absorb Essence Qi and gave Chen Fei a Spiritual Artifact Compendium.
• Feng Xiupu identified Shi Xueqin’s Jade Pendant as a Half-Spirit Artifact and the Thousand Snow Bamboo as a material that could resist mental attacks and aid future artifact crafting.
• Feng Xiupu warned Chen Fei to conceal his valuable items and advised Guo Linshan to prepare for a True Inheritance challenge.
• Chen Fei said he would perfect the Third Layer of the Tongyuan Art the next day, astonishing Guo Linshan and satisfying Feng Xiupu.
• Chen Fei headed to the Scripture Pavilion to find the Flying Mausoleum Pill recipe and a technique for mental defense.
• Chen Fei arrived to find disciples hawking techniques in a busy crowd outside the pavilion.

Chen Fei searched the Yuan Chen Sword Sect's Scripture Pavilion for a way to strengthen his mind and chose the Heart Source Incantation, along with the Flying Mausoleum Pill recipe. After simplifying and fusing his techniques, he began studying the Spiritual Artifact Compendium.

• Chen Fei ignored a stall owner's mind-defense manual and entered the Scripture Pavilion to search its collection.
• Chen Fei found that the Heart Source Incantation could strengthen his mind over time, while the Heart Locking Incantation offered stronger immediate defense, and chose the Heart Source Incantation.
• Chen Fei exchanged 7,500 Contribution Points for the Heart Source Incantation and the Flying Mausoleum Pill recipe, then copied both manuals.
• Chen Fei simplified the pill recipe and fused the Heart Source Incantation with the Tranquil Heart Incantation to create the Tranquil Source Incantation.
• Chen Fei read the Spiritual Artifact Compendium and, after an initial failure, successfully circulated it once in his mind.

Chen Fei perfected the Tongyuan Art’s Third Layer, awakened the Great Strength trait, and discovered that the Nayuán Pearl could greatly accelerate his cultivation by absorbing Primordial Qi. After exhausting the pearl and resuming his training, he noticed that Chi Defeng had become alarmingly weak.

• Chen Fei simplified the Spiritual Artifact Compendium into drawing visualization diagrams, perfected the Tongyuan Art’s Third Layer, and awakened Great Strength.
• Chen Fei drew diagrams through the night and raised the Spiritual Artifact Compendium to Mastery.
• Chen Fei used the Nayuán Pearl to absorb Primordial Qi, gaining three hundred points of inner strength cultivation in less than a quarter of an hour, but overdrawn mental energy left him with a headache.
• Chen Fei saw that the Nayuán Pearl had become shriveled and resumed drawing diagrams while waiting for it to recover.
• Chi Defeng arrived with medicine packets, and Chen Fei noticed that his complexion and strength had deteriorated severely.