Chapter Summaries

Lin Heng learned from Sun Hao that Yi Pavilion and the Black Market had grown out of the dismantled Red Demon Society, then accompanied him to meet Wang Tao. He discovered that the Wang Family planned to lure Mu Liuxi to Western Suburb Mountain and seize the Mu Family’s Spirit Mine Mountain, while Wang Tao threatened to take Mu Liuxi for himself and hinted at powerful backing.

• Lin Heng met Sun Hao at Spring Dawn Pavilion and agreed to share wine and music with him.
• Sun Hao explained that Yi Pavilion had ties to the Red Demon Society, the Black Market, and the Flower Pavilions, and connected the Red Demon Society to Hundred Flowers Valley’s downfall.
• Lin Heng accompanied Sun Hao to meet Wang Tao, who complained about Ye Tian and recounted how Ye Tian had insulted him at a banquet.
• Wang Tao revealed a plan to lure Mu Liuxi to Western Suburb Mountain, take control of the Mu Family’s Spirit Mine Mountain, and claim Mu Liuxi for himself.
• Sun Hao and another companion warned Wang Tao that Mu Liuxi was a Green Pavilion Sect core disciple, but Wang Tao laughed and asked whether they thought the Wang Family had only the Dynasty behind it.

Lin Heng discovered that the Dream-Making Mirror had upgraded into the Illusory World Mirror and entered its illusory realm to test it. There, he found his Mirror Person continuing to open the Spirit Wheel and encountered a mysterious old man who recognized the completed mirror.

• Lin Heng learned that Sun Hao would consult Sun Daoya about the City Lord's Mansion's plan to capture Mu Liuxi, while Wang Tao appeared interested in Second Senior Sister.
• Lin Heng rented a room overlooking the Spring Dawn Pavilion and instructed the shop assistant to report major events and keep others away.
• Lin Heng discovered that the Dream-Making Mirror had become the complete Illusory World Mirror and realized its upgrade had interrupted his Spirit Wheel opening.
• Lin Heng touched the mirror and entered its illusory realm, where he found his Mirror Person and ordered it to continue opening the Spirit Wheel.
• A mysterious old man floated toward Lin Heng and asked whether someone had finally completed the Illusory World Mirror.

Lin Heng met a remnant Sage inside the Illusory World Mirror, created a vivid world for him, and learned the Time Sword, mastering its first form in three days. After completing his Gold Element Body, Lin Heng learned that the Dynasty Envoy had been attacked at Western Suburb Mountain and anticipated a confrontation between Senior Brother Ye and the Wang Family.

• The Sage offered to teach Lin Heng his sword technique in exchange for Lin Heng using his Mind Sense to create a world inside the Illusory World Mirror.
• Lin Heng transformed the mirror’s blank world into a detailed vision of Fairy Cloud Peak, and the Sage taught him the four forms of the Time Sword.
• Lin Heng ordered the Mirror Person to prioritize learning the sword technique, then left to prepare to cultivate his Gold Element Body.
• Four days later, Lin Heng completed the Gold Element Body and had reached minor completion in the Time Sword’s first form, Time Sword Light, in three days.
• The Shop Assistant told Lin Heng that the Dynasty Envoy had been attacked at Western Suburb Mountain and that many people had died.
• Lin Heng anticipated a move in the conflict between Senior Brother Ye and the Wang Family, then wondered whether Senior Sister Xiao Yao and Senior Sister Liuxi missed him.

Lin Heng tried to persuade Li Nan to reject the Li Family’s marriage agreement with Mu Liuxi, arguing that marrying into the Mu Family would cost him his freedom and future standing in his own family. Li Nan began reconsidering the match, and Lin Heng left expecting him to answer at the West City Medical Hall the next day before turning his attention to the Zhao Family.

• Li Nan learned that Lin Heng had booked the three girls he liked at Spring Dawn Pavilion and went to meet him.
• Lin Heng introduced himself as Mu Liuxi’s junior brother and asked Li Nan to persuade his family to dissolve the marriage agreement.
• Li Nan rejected the request, saying that marrying Mu Liuxi would benefit him and the Li Family.
• Lin Heng warned Li Nan that Mu Liuxi might never return his affection, that he could lose his place as the Li Family’s future head, and that his younger brother could take his place.
• Li Nan reconsidered the marriage, and Lin Heng asked him to give his answer at the West City Medical Hall at noon the next day.
• Lin Heng left Spring Dawn Pavilion confident he could win over the Li Family and decided to approach the Zhao Family next.

Lin Heng asked the Zhao Family to ally with the Mu Family against the Wang Family, warning that the Zhao Family would be targeted next and offering a share of the Spirit Mine profits. Zhao Mother agreed to help only if Lin Heng would use dual cultivation to treat Zhao Wanqing’s illness, leaving Lin Heng and Wanqing stunned.

• Zhao Wanqing welcomed Lin Heng to the estate, where Zhao Mother recognized him as the Chosen One foretold to help the Zhao Family.
• Lin Heng told Zhao Mother and Zhao Wanqing that the City Lord’s Mansion planned to swallow the Mu Family and asked the Zhao Family to support it.
• Zhao Mother initially refused, citing the Zhao Family’s preference for neutrality and the Wang Family’s growing strength.
• Lin Heng reminded them that Zhao Wanqing had been attacked by Wang Envoys and warned that the Wang Family would target the Zhao and Li Families after the Mu Family fell.
• Lin Heng offered the Zhao Family thirty percent of the Spirit Mine’s profits, and Zhao Mother said she would forgo the profits if Lin Heng agreed to help treat Wanqing through dual cultivation.

Lin Heng returned from the Zhao Family after securing their help and promising to aid Zhao Wanqing, then learned that the Justice Bureau was pressuring Mu Manor over an attack on a Dynasty Envoy. He told Mu Liuxi and Mu Xuting that Young Master Li would annul his marriage agreement the next day, and wagered Yun Yao’s wine gourd on it.

• Lin Heng agreed to help Zhao Wanqing and won Zhao Mother’s trust during his visit to the Zhao Family.
• Lin Heng returned to Mu Manor and learned from Yun Yao that the Justice Bureau was investigating the attack on a Dynasty Envoy in territory belonging to the Mu Family.
• Lin Heng told Mu Liuxi and Mu Xuting that the Zhao Family would support them and that Young Master Li would break his marriage agreement the next day.
• Lin Heng proposed a wager with Yun Yao: if Young Master Li annulled the agreement, she would let him demonstrate his abilities; otherwise, he would fill her wine gourd.
• Yun Yao accepted the wager and gave Lin Heng her gourd, and he promised to fill it to the brim.

Lin Heng borrowed Spirit Stones from Mu Liuxi and bought a mysterious sword before arranging for Yun Yao to help stage a scene at a massage clinic. The chapter ended with Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi arriving just as Lin Heng and Li Nan were receiving massages.

• Lin Heng asked Mu Liuxi for fifty thousand Spirit Stones, and she gave him thirty thousand instead.
• Lin Heng went to North King Street to buy a weapon, but the ink-black sword he wanted had been reforged, so he bought the Fourth Grade Nine Heavens sword after sensing killing intent from it.
• Lin Heng waited near the West City Massage Clinic for Li Nan, while Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi headed there to carry out his plan.
• Yun Yao explained that she would pose as Lin Heng's dao companion and catch him with Li Nan at the clinic, though neither she nor Mu Liuxi understood how this would help break the engagement.
• Li Nan arrived to discuss the Mu Family matter with Lin Heng, but Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi appeared at the clinic before they could talk.

Lin Heng’s staged quarrel with Yun Yao helped push Li Nan to cancel his engagement to Mu Liuxi, while Lin Heng left for Western Suburb Mountain to deal with the envoy’s assassination. On the way, he killed five attackers with the Time Sword and collected their valuables.

• Yun Yao angrily grabbed Lin Heng’s ear and sent him flying into a wall, then agreed to honor their Dual Cultivation bet after Mu Liuxi’s matter was settled.
• Li Nan returned home distraught and persuaded his family to let him cancel his engagement, then visited Mu Manor and formally asked Mu Xuting to end it.
• Yun Yao helped Mu Liuxi handle the handover involving the Li Family and the Zhao Family while Lin Heng rode alone toward Swallow Cloud City.
• Five armed men confronted Lin Heng and demanded his Dragon Scale, but Lin Heng killed them with the Time Sword in a brief fight.
• Lin Heng searched the bodies, finding three Storage Rings, Spirit Stones, gold-elemental stones, and Golden Flood Dragon Twin Axes.

Lin Heng discovered a soul-suppressing Formation on Spirit Mine Mountain and was caught inside it by a group led by a Golden Core Realm cultivator. Sun Hao recognized him and persuaded his father to spare him, leaving Lin Heng required to stay with them while they carried out their plan.

• Lin Heng crossed Western Suburb Mountain and reached Spirit Mine Mountain, wondering whether Ye Tian had arranged the earlier attempt on his life.
• Lin Heng found four giant stones arranged as a Formation and suspected the Wang Family’s cultivators meant to use it against his Second Senior Sister.
• Daoist Bai activated the Formation and trapped Lin Heng with four others, including a Golden Core Realm cultivator.
• Sun Hao recognized Lin Heng and told his father that Lin Heng was his friend.
• Sun Daoya agreed to spare Lin Heng but ordered him to remain with their group until they completed their task.

Lin Heng warned Sun Daoya and Sun Hao that Ye Tian might betray the recruited cultivators and use the conflict between the Wang and Mu families to seize the benefits. He proposed that they stay out of the attack on Mu Liuxi and instead protect Young Master Wang, leaving Sun Daoya to consider the plan.

• Lin Heng told Sun Hao that he, Ye Tian, and Mu Liuxi shared the same master, and Sun Hao condemned Ye Tian for plotting against his senior sister.
• Lin Heng deliberately drew Sun Daoya into their conversation and warned him to beware of Ye Tian.
• Lin Heng explained that Ye Tian might kill Young Master Wang and silence the recruited cultivators to ignite a feud between the Wang and Mu families, then profit from the chaos.
• Lin Heng advised Sun Daoya to avoid joining the encirclement of Mu Liuxi and to guard Young Master Wang instead.
• Sun Daoya fell into thought about Lin Heng's proposal.

Lin Heng helped the Mu, Zhao, and Li Families prepare to confront the Wang Family, while Ye Tian secretly planned to exploit the coming battle. When Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi entered White Robe’s formation, Lin Heng revealed that he had let them be trapped to give Ye Tian an opening.

• Sun Daoya agreed to Lin Heng’s strategy and allowed him to move freely.
• Mu Liuxi and Yun Yao completed an alliance with the Zhao and Li Families, and their combined force marched toward the western suburbs.
• Ye Tian watched from a mountain peak and told Fairy Hua Qi that he planned to use the battle to kill his enemies and fulfill his wish.
• Lin Heng cultivated on Spirit Mine Mountain, reaching Qi Refining Fifth Layer and opening his Fifth Spirit Wheel.
• White Robe’s forces ambushed Yun Yao, Mu Liuxi, and Lin Heng, but Yun Yao’s sword attack destroyed White Robe’s earthen guardian.
• White Robe activated the Heavenly Star Soul-Exterminating Formation, and Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi demanded to know why Lin Heng had not warned them.

Lin Heng explained his plan for dealing with the Wang Family’s young master, then entered the Illusory World Mirror and rebuilt his Mirror Person after Saint Ye destroyed the first one. He asked Saint Ye for help breaking the Heavenly Star Soul-Exterminating Formation, but Saint Ye had never heard of it.

• Lin Heng told Mu Liuxi and Yun Yao that Ye Tian might kill the Wang Family’s young master and that Sun Daoya’s group could serve as a primer for Ye Tian’s rescue.
• Mu Liuxi and Yun Yao examined the Grand Formation while Lin Heng sat down to consolidate his realm.
• Lin Heng discovered that the Mirror Person was gone, and Saint Ye explained that he had killed it after it attacked him with a sword.
• Lin Heng reconstructed the Mirror Person and created a new world for Saint Ye to explore.
• Saint Ye praised the Spirit Wheel System and said he remembered some of his unique arts, then Lin Heng asked him how to break the Heavenly Star Soul-Exterminating Formation.
• Saint Ye dismissed the formation as garbage and said he had never heard of it.

Lin Heng learned that the Soul-Slaying Formation could be escaped by digging, while Ye Tian turned on Wang Tao and his allies at Spirit Mine Mountain. After killing White Robe, Ye Tian pursued the fleeing group to eliminate Wang Tao and the Prince's Mansion cultivators.

• Lin Heng learned that the Soul-Slaying Formation could be bypassed by digging a tunnel, but decided to wait before telling Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi.
• Wang Tao arrived at Spirit Mine Mountain and learned that Yun Yao and another woman were trapped in the formation.
• Ye Tian announced that he wanted to take the Mu Family for himself and attacked Wang Tao, White Robe, and their allies.
• Sun Daoya rescued Wang Tao and fled, leaving White Robe to face Ye Tian.
• Ye Tian cut off White Robe's arm, killed him, and pursued the fleeing group.

Lin Heng escaped the Heavenly Star Soul-Exterminating Formation by digging a tunnel, then looted White Robe’s remains with Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi. After he urged the group to expose the Mu, Li, and Zhao Families’ alliance, Mu Liuxi praised him and told Yun Yao to treat him like her own sister.

• Lin Heng dug through the formation barrier and led Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi out of the formation.
• Lin Heng found White Robe’s corpse, took his belongings and the formation tools, then divided some of the loot with Yun Yao and Mu Liuxi.
• Lin Heng told Yun Yao to bring the cultivators she recruited up the mountain so the Wang Family’s spies would see the Mu, Li, and Zhao Families’ alliance.
• Mu Liuxi praised Lin Heng for helping the Mu Family and warned Yun Yao not to bully him anymore.
• Yun Yao awkwardly acknowledged that she had deliberately attacked Lin Heng at the Medical Hall.

Lin Heng and Yun Yao continued their flirtation while Ye Tian returned to Spirit Mine Mountain expecting to rescue Mu Liuxi and gain her favor. He found the mountain empty and learned that the Mu, Zhao, and Li Families had allied, ruining his plans and prompting Mu Liuxi to send him back to the sect.

• Lin Heng asked Yun Yao to fulfill their agreement, but she refused and told him they should keep their distance before they resumed clinging to each other.
• Ye Tian killed the remaining cultivators except Sun Daoya and Sun Hao, then returned to Spirit Mine Mountain after failing to catch them.
• Ye Tian found the formation empty and discovered that Lin Heng had broken it and that the Mu Family had gathered more than a hundred helpers.
• Mu Liuxi told Ye Tian that the Zhao and Li Families had allied with the Mu Family, leaving him unable to use the Wang Family to pressure her.
• Mu Liuxi urged Ye Tian to return to the sect because his undercover identity had been exposed, and he agreed, mistakenly believing she was worried about him.

Lin Heng and Ye Tian’s actions helped the Mu, Zhao, and Li Families thwart the Wang Family’s plan, and the families celebrated that night. Lin Heng ended the banquet discussion by reminding Yun Yao of their promised “one-time hardware softening project.”

• Lin Heng returned from the mountain with a rabbit and joined Mu Liuxi and Yun Yao in planning their evening meal.
• Wang Tao returned safely with Sun Daoya and Sun Hao, then told his father that Ye Tian had tried to kill him.
• Sun Hao revealed that Ye Tian belonged to the Green Pavilion Sect and was connected to the Mu Family, while Sun Daoya warned the Wang Family Head against opposing the Mu Family.
• The Wang Family hosted a banquet for Sun Daoya and Sun Hao, while the Mu, Zhao, and Li Families celebrated at Mu Manor.
• Zhao Wanqing credited Lin Heng with persuading her mother to help the Mu Family, and the women agreed to visit the lantern festival.
• Lin Heng reminded Yun Yao that they had agreed to a “one-time hardware softening project under conditions based on Burning Red Cliffs.”

Lin Heng accompanied Yun Yao through Swallow Cloud City’s Lantern Festival, where they enjoyed a boat ride and discussed the contests awaiting them back at Green Pavilion Sect. After they reached shore, Yun Yao agreed to give Lin Heng a chance to break through her defenses, though she warned him that their difference in cultivation might make it impossible.

• Lin Heng joined Yun Yao, Zhao Wanqing, and Mu Liuxi on a Lantern Festival outing in Swallow Cloud City.
• Yun Yao and Lin Heng rowed along the canal, and Lin Heng returned her wine gourd after having it refilled with wine from Drunken Immortal Inn.
• Yun Yao described the competitions awaiting the sect’s disciples and urged Lin Heng to reach Foundation Establishment so he could compete for resources.
• After the boat ride, Yun Yao agreed to give Lin Heng one chance, warning that if he could not overcome her defenses, he should cultivate until his realm improved.

Lin Heng tied Yun Yao with an Immortal Binding Rope and began undressing her, then revealed that he had cultivated a Gold Element Body despite previously showing a Water Element Body. Yun Yao realized she had underestimated his strength and ended the chapter crying as he overcame her resistance.

• Lin Heng brought Yun Yao to a private courtyard and told her to sit by the window with her eyes closed and hands outstretched.
• Lin Heng bound Yun Yao’s wrists with an Immortal Binding Rope, preventing her True Yuan from circulating, and refused to untie her.
• Lin Heng began removing Yun Yao’s clothes while she protested and tried to stop him.
• Yun Yao argued that her physical strength still exceeded Lin Heng’s, but he explained that his Gold Element Body had changed the balance between them.
• Lin Heng revealed his golden metal-attribute aura, leaving Yun Yao shocked that he had cultivated a Gold Element Body in addition to his Water Element Body.
• Yun Yao begged Lin Heng for mercy, but he continued until she cried.

Yun Yao teased Lin Heng during their intimate encounter, only for his Water Element Body enhancement to leave her begging him to stop. Meanwhile, Mu Liuxi received the Mu Family Scepter and learned that her mother believed she had romantic feelings for Lin Heng.

• Yun Yao demanded that Lin Heng call her Senior Sister, then mocked him as tiny and cute when he asked her to praise him.
• Lin Heng used his Water Element Body enhancement and promised a stronger effect through his Wood Element Body, leaving Yun Yao to beg him to withdraw it.
• Old Madam Mu told Mu Liuxi how hardship and loss had shaped her rule, then gave her the Mu Family Scepter and asked her to tell Mu Xuting, “I wronged her.”
• Mu Xuting told Mu Liuxi that she would teach her to lead the Mu Family and advised her to focus on managing people and making major decisions.
• Mu Xuting mistook Mu Liuxi’s smiles at Lin Heng for romantic interest and offered to speak to him on her behalf, while Mu Liuxi denied liking him.

Lin Heng finished Dual Cultivation with Yun Yao, then returned to Mufu and spoke with Mu Xuting about Mu Liuxi. When he mentioned liking a senior sister, Mu Xuting mistook his words as proof that he and Liuxi had mutual feelings.

• Lin Heng received three units of Imperial Dragon Qi as a quest reward while Yun Yao endured their prolonged Dual Cultivation.
• Yun Yao grew angry at Lin Heng's idea of keeping her bound as a long-term plaything, but he urged her to refine the Spirit Source she had gained.
• Lin Heng left Yun Yao to rest and returned to Mufu, thinking about Meng Yutong and the changes to her fate.
• Mu Xuting invited Lin Heng to eat and asked how Mu Liuxi was doing in the sect.
• Lin Heng said he liked a senior sister, and Mu Xuting assumed he meant Liuxi and declared that they had mutual feelings.