Chapter Summaries

Lin Chen left Azure Ripple Island for Thousand Machine Domain because the war between Azure Ripple Sect and Eight Desolations Sect made him fear a larger threat and push to grow stronger. In Guangwu City, Yin Yue found Quenching Crystal Sand at an auction and explained how it could help Lin Chen condense more powerful Xiantian Crystals.

• Lin Chen decided to travel with Yin Yue to Thousand Machine Domain, despite her warning that Azure Ripple Island was safer, and she insisted on honoring their one-year protection deal.
• Lin Chen visited Jiang Manor, learned Senior Sister Jiang was in seclusion, left a letter for Instructor Yu, and said farewell to his family and Lin Xi.
• Lin Chen and Yin Yue flew to Nine Mountains Island, disguised their appearances, and reserved passage on the Dragon King Ship for three days later.
• The innkeeper offered Lin Chen an auction booklet, and Yin Yue spotted Quenching Crystal Sand among the items.
• Yin Yue explained that Quenching Crystal Sand combined with Xiantian Stones could help Lin Chen condense additional crystals in hidden acupoints, and Lin Chen understood he could secure it by bidding far above other buyers' limits.

Lin Chen and Yin Yue attended the Guangwu City auction, where Lin Chen learned its rules and heard that anonymous bidding was possible. Before the auction began, Lu Feng agreed to cancel the sale of Quenching Crystal Sand to repay a favor owed to Xu Siyuan.

• Lin Chen and Yin Yue arrived at the auction house, and its guards directed them to a private room with maid Yu Yan.
• Yu Yan explained the bidding rules and revealed that a private-room maid would belong to a guest who spent three thousand Yan Coins; Lin Chen sent her out, and Yin Yue discussed the woman with him.
• Yu Yan returned and showed Lin Chen the auction stage through colored glass that blocked soul-sense detection.
• Behind the auction house, Xu Siyuan asked Lu Feng to cancel the auction of Quenching Crystal Sand as repayment for saving Lu Feng's life.
• Lu Feng summoned the steward and ordered him to tell the auctioneer to cancel the sale of Quenching Crystal Sand.

Lin Chen went to the Guangwu Auction House to buy Quenching Crystal Sand, but its withdrawal led him to confront the owner, Lu Feng. After defeating a rival bidder and raising the price to six thousand Yan Coins, Lin Chen learned that Lu Feng would sell him information about the sand’s source instead of the auction lot.

• Yu Jin told Lin Chen that the auction house had withdrawn the Quenching Crystal Sand, and he demanded to speak with someone who could explain why.
• Lu Feng offered compensation to the Xiantian experts who had come for the sand, but several refused and he reopened bidding among the remaining bidders.
• Lin Chen bid six thousand Yan Coins after outbidding Chen Shan, then repelled Chen Shan’s attack with a casual palm.
• Chen Shan and the other remaining bidders left, unable to match Lin Chen’s price.
• Lu Feng told Lin Chen that he would sell him information about the source of the Quenching Crystal Sand rather than give him the auction lot.

Lin Chen, posing as Fang Zhan, agreed to join Lu Feng's expedition to find Quenching Crystal Sand in a dangerous undersea cavern. Three days later, he boarded Lu Feng's ship with four other experts, including Zhu Ru of Pingxiang Sect, as the group set sail without knowing its destination.

• Lin Chen negotiated with Lu Feng and agreed to join a five-person expedition to obtain Quenching Crystal Sand, with the spoils divided equally.
• Yu Jin asked Lin Chen to protect her after overhearing the secret; Lin Chen agreed to take her away and have her look after Yin Yue.
• Yu Jin told Lin Chen that her family had left Han Country on Azure Ripple Island after Great Liang became dominant, and Lin Chen secretly followed her home to confirm she kept the expedition secret.
• Three days later, Lin Chen joined Lu Feng aboard a ship with four other experts, and Lu Feng ordered it to set sail without revealing their destination.
• Zhu Ru introduced herself as an elder of Pingxiang Sect, prompting wariness from one of the other experts; Lin Chen realized his master's jade slip had not mentioned the sect.

Lin Chen and the others descended into an East Sea canyon to search for Quenching Crystal Sand, but their escape from pursuing sea demons led them into a swarm of Blood Mist Beasts. They faced clouds of red mist blocking both directions and struggled to break out before their strength ran out.

• Lu Feng led Lin Chen and the others underwater, where they fought or evaded sea demons on the way to the canyon cave.
• Xu Siyuan drew dozens of sea demons toward the cave, so Lu Feng, Zhu Ru, Lin Chen, and the others helped him escape before the group fled deeper inside.
• The group outran the sea demons in the narrow cavern until Lin Chen struck a rock wall and revealed a Blood Mist Beast.
• Blood Mist Beasts poured from the walls and filled the cavern with red mist, trapping the group between blocked paths.
• Shao Chaozong warned that they had to escape the swarm before their Power of Xiantian ran out.

Lin Chen and the others fought through a deadly swarm of Blood Mist Beasts and found six passages lined with Quenching Crystal Sand. After collecting the largest share and searching the other passages, Lin Chen followed Lu Feng and Xu Siyuan’s route, where he sensed something ahead and concealed himself.

• Shao Chaozong led the six through the blood mist while Lin Chen used his divine sense to protect the group and direct them to blast open a rock wall.
• The group discovered Quenching Crystal Sand in six passages and split up, with Lu Feng taking the injured Xu Siyuan along.
• Lin Chen used Xiantian Fire to keep the Blood Mist Beasts away and collected five hundred liters of Quenching Crystal Sand from his passage.
• Lin Chen returned to the other passages and gathered the remaining Quenching Crystal Sand, finding that Shao Chaozong’s passage had the most after his own.
• Lin Chen entered Lu Feng and Xu Siyuan’s passage and, three hours later, sensed something ahead and melted into the darkness.

Lu Feng confronted Xu Siyuan after learning that his former benefactor had attacked him to seize the Sword Dao Will, the Lu family's fortune, and a jade slip. Lin Chen rescued Lu Feng, killed Xu Siyuan, and left Lu Feng to take revenge.

• Xu Siyuan failed to draw the sword from the statue and revealed his plan to kill Lu Feng and take the Lu family's wealth.
• Xu Siyuan admitted he had arranged the Quenching Crystal Sand auction to lure Lu Feng here and steal the jade slip that could imprint Perfect Martial Arts Will.
• Xu Siyuan attacked Lu Feng, but Lin Chen appeared, broke Xu Siyuan's sword, and crippled him with a single strike.
• Lin Chen let Lu Feng avenge himself, and Lu Feng killed Xu Siyuan.

After killing Xu Siyuan, Lin Chen obtained the Perfect-grade Sword Dao Will from the statue and returned most of Lu Feng’s possessions to him. The survivors waited for Xu Siyuan in the underground plaza before leaving the seabed cavern without him.

• Lu Feng gave Lin Chen his Hundred Things Box and explained that it contained the rare Dao-Bearing Jade Slip Xu Siyuan had wanted.
• Lin Chen used the jade slip to record the Perfect-grade Sword Dao Will from the statue’s scabbard, after which the statue shattered.
• Lin Chen returned the Hundred Things Box to Lu Feng after taking the Yan Coins, and the two continued through the tunnel.
• Lin Chen and Lu Feng reached the underground plaza, where Shao Chaozong, Zhang Sheng, and Zhu Ru were waiting for Xu Siyuan.
• Lin Chen suggested waiting half an hour, and the group eventually left after Xu Siyuan failed to appear.

After returning to Nine Mountains Island, Lin Chen learned that Chen Shan had taken Yin Yue to Lotus Island and discovered that she had hidden her colorful treasure box for him. Lu Feng promised to seek his master's help, then found something shocking when he inspected his Hundred Things Box.

• Zhu Ru invited Lin Chen to visit Pingxiang Sect, while Shao Chaozong, Zhang Sheng, and Zhu Ru left the ship before it reached Nine Mountains Island because they distrusted Lu Feng.
• After arriving on Nine Mountains Island, Lu Feng accompanied Lin Chen to the inn, where Yu Jin revealed that a man surnamed Chen had taken Yin Yue twenty days earlier and left instructions to find her on Lotus Island.
• Lu Feng suspected Chen Shan and offered to ask his Xiantian Third Realm master to intervene; Lin Chen learned that Yin Yue had hidden her colorful treasure box inside a clothes chest.
• Lu Feng told his grandfather that Lin Chen had saved his life and that Chen Shan had taken Yin Yue, but he concealed Xu Siyuan's betrayal and death.
• Lu Feng selected treasures from the family treasury and inspected his Hundred Things Box for the first time, then froze at what he found inside.

Lu Feng persuaded Yin Chenliang to ask Hu Tingchun to release Yin Yue, while Hu Tingchun suspected Lin Chen’s disappearance was tied to a hidden opportunity and ordered Chen Shan to investigate. After learning that two groups had questioned Yu Jin about Lin Chen, Lin Chen realized Chen Shan was stalling and decided he could wait no longer to rescue Yin Yue.

• Lu Feng gave Yin Chenliang Quenching Crystal Sand as a gift from Lin Chen and asked him to intervene with Hu Tingchun on Yin Yue’s behalf.
• Hu Tingchun questioned Chen Shan, learned he had kept Yin Yue captive for over half a month, and ordered him to investigate Lin Chen through the Lu family.
• Hu Tingchun told Chen Shan to keep Yin Yue locked up and planned to tell Yin Chenliang that Chen Shan was away and would release her when he returned.
• Lu Feng told Lin Chen that Hu Tingchun had promised to release Yin Yue once Chen Shan returned, but concealed the demand for Quenching Crystal Sand.
• Yu Jin told Lin Chen that two groups had questioned her about his background and whereabouts, and Lin Chen concluded Chen Shan was buying time while investigating him.
• Lin Chen decided he could not wait any longer to rescue Yin Yue because revealing his identity risked drawing the Moon Soul Clan’s attention.

Lin Chen rescued Yin Yue from Chen Shan on Lotus Island, then killed Chen Shan, the island master Hu Tingchun, and the island’s other Xiantian experts before escaping with Yin Yue. Back on Nine Mountains Island, Lu Feng learned that Lotus Island’s powerful fighters had been wiped out and realized Lin Chen might be responsible, leaving him wondering who Brother Fang really was.

• Chen Shan questioned Yin Yue about Fang Zhan and ordered his men to strike her, but Lin Chen arrived and killed the two men and Chen Shan.
• Hu Tingchun confronted Lin Chen, but Lin Chen used the Eye of Azure Ripple to kill the island master and took his Thousand Things Box.
• Lin Chen hid Yin Yue, killed the eight Xiantian fighters who came to investigate, looted the island master’s residence, and escaped from Lotus Island.
• On Nine Mountains Island, Yin Chenliang freed Lu Feng from prison and claimed Senior Brother Zhang had tortured him without orders.
• After returning to the Lu family, Lu Feng heard that every Xiantian expert on Lotus Island had been killed and suspected Lin Chen was responsible.

Lin Chen told Yin Yue about the perfect-grade Sword Dao Will he found in the undersea cavern and agreed to travel with her to the Thousand Machine Domain to cultivate safely. In Hundred Refinement City, he bought a Thousand Things Box and sold ten Hundred Things Boxes to the Li Trading Company, whose shopkeeper mistook him for a rogue cultivator dealing in stolen goods.

• Yin Yue inferred that Lin Chen had found the cavern's greater opportunity, and Lin Chen admitted he had obtained a perfect-grade Sword Dao Will.
• Yin Yue warned Lin Chen that returning to Azure Ripple Island was not an option and proposed the Thousand Machine Domain as a safe place to cultivate.
• Lin Chen agreed and traveled with Yin Yue to Hundred Refinement City, where he bought a high-quality Thousand Things Box for fifty thousand Yan Coins.
• Lin Chen offered ten Hundred Things Boxes for sale at the Li Trading Company, startling the assistant.
• The shopkeeper bought all ten boxes at the original price and invited Lin Chen to bring him more treasures, believing Lin Chen was a rogue cultivator selling stolen goods.

In Hundred Refinement City, Lin Chen cultivated in a rented courtyard using Yin Yue’s Moon Fusion Grass, Xiantian Stones, and Quenching Crystal Sand to open his hidden acupoints. After he consumed a million Xiantian Stones, Yin Yue added her clan’s Moon Radiance Stone to keep his breakthrough going.

• Lin Chen rented and activated a secluded courtyard protected by formations that blocked divine sense probing.
• Yin Yue explained how to prepare Quenching Crystal Sand with Xiantian Stones and Moon Fusion Grass, then mixed the ingredients in a bronze cauldron.
• Lin Chen entered the cauldron and absorbed the liquid’s energy, condensing Xiantian Crystals in his hidden acupoints.
• Yin Yue replenished the cauldron as Lin Chen cultivated for a month, using up a million Xiantian Stones.
• Yin Yue decided not to interrupt Lin Chen’s breakthrough and placed her clan’s Moon Radiance Stone into the cauldron.

Lin Chen fused his cultivation arts into the Undying Scripture and reached the first stage of the Undying Body, while the Yan Imperial Dynasty’s imperial family discovered that its divine seal was fading. The imperial family opened Martial Path Mountain’s Tower of Ascension, setting the stage for martial artists across the dynasty to compete.

• Lin Chen absorbed eleven Moon Radiance Stones as his acupoints and energies transformed, and Yin Yue kept supplying stones despite his weakening condition.
• Lin Chen completed the fusion of his body and soul, created the Undying Scripture, and awakened the first stage of the Undying Body.
• Lin Chen tested his new strength against the courtyard formation, demonstrating power beyond that of an ordinary Xiantian Third Realm martial artist.
• The imperial family learned that the divine seal was fading faster and ordered Martial Path Mountain opened to protect its lineage.
• The imperial family announced the Tower of Ascension and the Ascension Ranking, offering rewards to the top hundred challengers under one hundred years old.

Lin Chen learned that creating and fusing his own art had cost Yin Yue more than ten million Xiantian Stones, and he agreed to help her when needed. After hearing that the Yan Imperial Dynasty had announced a Tower of Ascension and Heaven Ranking, he learned from Yin Yue that the move was tied to the imperial family’s divine seal and a hidden struggle.

• Yin Yue praised Lin Chen’s fused Undying Art but warned that he would have to develop his cultivation path without guidance; Lin Chen said Seize Every Second could guide him.
• Yin Yue revealed that Lin Chen had consumed over ten million Xiantian Stones’ worth of resources in a month, and Lin Chen thanked her and offered to help before their agreement ended.
• Yin Yue advised Lin Chen not to return to the Azure Ripple Sect for the next few months and gave him an auction invitation from Li Chongshan, whose auction had already passed.
• Lin Chen decided to sell the treasures he had gathered on Lotus Island, then went with Yin Yue to a restaurant the next day.
• Lin Chen and Yin Yue heard that the Yan Imperial Dynasty had issued a decree creating a Tower of Ascension and Heaven Ranking.
• Yin Yue told Lin Chen that greater chaos would hasten the imperial family’s divine seal dissipating, and that the Heaven Ranking was intended to prevent it despite offending certain people.

Lin Chen and Yin Yue entered Martial Path Mountain to observe Zuo Chuan's Tower of Ascension challenge, learning that former Martial Path Mountain champions could enter anonymously and that challengers could be intercepted for their qualifications. Zuo Chuan cleared only six levels, and Yin Yue advised Lin Chen to wait before attempting the tower.

• Lin Chen learned that the imperial family would let Martial Artists challenge former Martial Path Mountain champions for the right to enter the Tower of Ascension.
• Lin Chen and Yin Yue entered the Tower of Ascension plaza, where a middle-aged man tried to grab Yin Yue and was killed by a lightning strike for violating the ban on fighting.
• The Tower of Ascension emerged, and Zuo Chuan began his challenge without anyone contesting his qualification.
• Zuo Chuan returned after half an hour, having cleared six levels, and many observers concluded that the tower was meant for Xiantian Fourth and Fifth Realm Martial Artists.
• Back in the restaurant, Yin Yue identified the man who had approached her as a member of an affiliated family and advised Lin Chen to wait before challenging the tower.

Lin Chen accepted Li Chongshan’s invitation to Hundred Refinement City’s forging competition, intending to compete for soul techniques rather than just watch. He chose alchemy and, after practicing, successfully refined Xiantian-grade Profound Heaven Pills on his first attempt.

• Li Chongshan paid Lin Chen three hundred thousand Yan Coins for his goods and invited him to the forging competition in three days.
• Lin Chen told Yin Yue he planned to compete in the forging competition to win a soul technique reward.
• Lin Chen bought pill recipes and alchemy materials, then refined five types of Upper-Grade pills at once.
• Lin Chen decided to test himself with the Xiantian-level Profound Heaven Pill recipe.
• Lin Chen successfully refined twelve flawless Profound Heaven Pills on his first attempt.

Lin Chen, competing under the name Xiao Yan, entered the Alchemy Competition despite having little experience and advanced to its second round. When he revealed his Xiantian Fire, it disrupted the other contestants’ flames and prompted Master Chen to recognize him as a potential dark horse.

• Lin Chen registered for the preliminaries without an artifact refiner’s certificate and refined three batches of pills simultaneously, taking first place.
• The judges and spectators discussed Xiao Yan’s unusual result, while Li Chongshan told Li Qin that Lin Chen had only recently learned about the competition.
• Lin Chen arrived at the second round without a pill furnace, then chose the most difficult Returning Sun Pill formula for the assessment.
• Lin Chen put all the ingredients into his furnace at once, drawing puzzled and critical looks from the contestants and spectators.
• Lin Chen summoned his Xiantian Fire, causing the flames across the square to surge and several contestants’ furnaces to explode.
• Master Chen stopped the other contestants and allowed them to retake the assessment, while Li Qin asked Li Chongshan to arrange a meeting with Lin Chen after the competition.

Lin Chen negotiated with Li Qin to represent the Li family in the Alchemy Competition, seeking soul-spirit cultivation techniques and access to Hundred Refinement City's Flame Repository Pagoda. Li Qin agreed to secure him ten days in the pagoda, where Lin Chen planned to refine the Azure Dawn True Flame.

• Li Qin told Lin Chen that outsiders could not claim Hundred Refinement City's preliminary rewards, then invited him to represent the Li family in the final competition.
• Lin Chen asked for three thousand soul-spirit cultivation techniques and two top-tier techniques if he placed in the top ten, and Li Qin accepted those terms.
• Lin Chen asked for entry to the Flame Repository Pagoda, revealing that he wanted to reach the Azure Dawn True Flame after Seize Every Second showed it could evolve the Undying Scripture.
• Li Qin warned Lin Chen that the pagoda allowed visitors to borrow the Azure Dawn True Flame for alchemy but prevented them from awakening it.
• Li Qin agreed to obtain Lin Chen a ten-day spot in the Flame Repository Pagoda before the final competition in a month.

Lin Chen entered the Flame Repository Pagoda intending to refine the Azure Dawn True Flame, while using the Li family’s cultivation manuals to deepen his understanding of the divine soul. When he finally activated the pagoda’s flame, his three Xiantian Fires fused with it and were drawn into the opening beneath the pill furnace.

• Li Qin agreed to provide Xiao Yan with three thousand divine-soul cultivation arts and two supreme arts if he reached the overall competition’s top ten, and granted him ten days in the Flame Repository Pagoda.
• Lin Chen told Yin Yue that Xiao Yan, not he, would be blamed if the Azure Dawn True Flame was refined, then spent fifteen days studying the manuals the Li family delivered.
• Lin Chen entered the Flame Repository Pagoda, found alchemy room B4, and waited two days while reading and refining pills with his Li Fire.
• Lin Chen placed his number tag in the room’s groove and summoned the Azure Dawn True Flame beneath the pill furnace.
• Lin Chen touched the Azure Dawn True Flame, and it fused with his three Xiantian Fires before drawing all four flames into the opening below.