Recaps

Zhou Ling advanced as an inscriber and cultivator, secured a Blood Lotus, and fused the Green Lotus Fire Seed into a Profound Grade Spirit Flame. He left the stretch with new strength and the prospect of a rare assessment quota, while Yuan Hu sought his advice about marriage.

• Zhou Ling passed the first-grade Inscription Master examination, joined the Heavenly Crafts Division, and became involved in expanding his family’s Spirit Wine business.
• Zhou Ling traveled into Black Cloud Mountain with He Zijian and He Lingyun, found a Blood Lotus, helped defeat Blood Crows and three bandits, and returned with herbs, artifacts, and cultivation techniques.
• Zhou Ling exchanged Contribution Value for the Three Yang Art, improved his Great Yang Fist, and awakened the Blazing Sun Blood Moving talent.
• Wang Yu gave Zhou Ling a Blood Lotus Fire Melting Pill and warned him that his cultivation might not be enough to control the Green Lotus Fire Seed, but Zi Ling urged him to fuse it at home.
• Zhou Ling endured the Green Lotus Fire Seed’s flames until the Sunbird Fire Melting Technique fused them into an Azure Lotus Spirit Flame, opening seven spiritual acupoints and advancing him to the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining.
• Zhou Ling practiced through the night and successfully inscribed a Gold-Wood Composite Engraving, then brought a Golden Silk Magic Robe to Steward Qin for review.
• Steward Qin praised Zhou Ling’s inscription work and offered to try to secure him Lingxia Immortal City’s sole annual assessment quota if he passed the Six Great Daoist Academies Assessment.
• Zhou Ling learned that Yuan Hu wanted his advice about Shopkeeper Zhao’s offer for Yuan Hu to marry his niece and become a live-in son-in-law, then left to cultivate and tell his master about the flame fusion.

Zhou Ling passed the academy assessments, defeated Jin Sheng to win the combat competition, and secured admission to Xuanyuan Daoist Academy. After the Li Family attacked Xu Jiu over a spirit mine, Zhou Ling joined He Zijian to claim the mine, then learned the Li Family planned to wipe out his family.

• Zi Ling taught Zhou Ling the Five Elements Sword Scripture, and he trained his sword arts and spirit flame while preparing for the academy assessments.
• Zhou Ling earned top marks in the inscription assessment, repaired the Yuanhe Five Extremes Seal, and passed Xuanyuan Daoist Academy’s special recruitment test.
• Zhou Ling defeated An Ping, Bai Yuan, and Li Yinfeng in the spell duels, then beat Kong Jili and Nan Feng to reach the final.
• Zhou Ling advanced to the Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation and defeated Jin Sheng in the final, winning the combat assessment and the Foundation Establishment Seed spot.
• Zhou Ling chose Xuanyuan Daoist Academy, received Zi Ling’s Ancient Cloud Realm Spatial Passage Jade Seal, and celebrated with his family.
• Chu Xing told Zhou Ling that Li Mu had attacked Xu Jiu’s team after they found a spirit mine, and Zhou Ling helped treat Xu Jiu before agreeing to join He Zijian against the Li Family.
• Zhou Ling learned to craft Cracking Fire Thunder devices, while He Zijian set up arrays at Black Cloud Mountain and Zhou Ling’s group began mining the spirit mine.
• The Stone Rock Rat’s Blood Bead Fruit helped Zhou Ling form a True Yang Body, and the Golden Fire Crow later alerted him to Li Mu’s presence as Zhou Ling overheard the Li Family’s plan to wipe out his family.

Zhou Ling left Lingxia Immortal City for Xuanyuan Daoist Academy, won the Foundation Establishment Seed Assessment, and developed his cultivation and swordcraft while taking control of Purple Cloud Sect. He finished the stretch by winning the Second-Grade Heavenly Crafts Division assessment and being named its top-ranked candidate.

• Zhou Ling and He Zijian killed Li Yan and helped the Herb Seekers claim the Spirit Mine, then Zhou Ling shared his gains with his family before leaving for the academy with Wang Xin.
• Zhou Ling restored Wang Xin’s Dark Fire Spirit Body, reached sixty-five Spiritual Acupoints, and discovered that the academy’s Foundation Establishment test judged his Five Elements cultivation as unsuitable for foundation building.
• Zhou Ling continued with the Five Elements technique, studied inscriptions and sword formations, and forged a Crimson Sun Sword that earned him first place in the Foundation Establishment Seed Assessment.
• Zhou Ling moved with Wang Xin into a stronger spirit-vein residence, forged the Five Thunder Sword for He Zijian, and mastered Vast Thunder Sword Intent and the Soul Blade technique.
• Zhou Ling entered the Ancient Cloud Realm, killed the Blood Beast Gate’s Third Elder and the raiders at Purple Cloud Sect, then revealed his master’s seal and took command of the sect.
• Zhou Ling gathered resources at Purple Cloud Mountain, strengthened his body and spirit beasts, and killed Deng Hu and his ambushers while accompanying Liu Yue'er to the mine.
• Zhou Ling returned to Qingyun Immortal City, advanced his Spirit Sealing Restriction skills, and entered the Second-Grade Heavenly Crafts assessment despite being only at the Eighth Layer of Qi Condensation.
• Zhou Ling repaired the Three-Colored Sword, then forged the Thunderwood Sword with a Purple Light Engraving and Thunder Sword Qi, earning Top Grade A and the assessment’s top rank.

Zhou Ling gained Heaven-Grade Foundation Establishment, expanded his skills and resources, and claimed the Five Elements Profound Yang Sword in the Sword Forest. He left this stretch experimenting with sword qi pill refining while Wang Xin prepared for her own Foundation Establishment.

• Director Qin appointed Zhou Ling a Second-Grade Steward, and Zhou Ling absorbed the Metal Attribute Spirit Flame before returning home for the New Year.
• Zhou Ling brought his parents to Qingyun Immortal City, developed his Five Elements Sword Formation, and prepared to seek resources in the Ancient Cloud Realm.
• Zhou Ling defeated Du Sheng, then entered Black Mountain Valley and sealed the Earth Spirit Land Fire after evading the Fire Scale Beast.
• Zhou Ling absorbed the Earth Spirit Land Fire, reached the perfection of Qi Condensation, and won first place in the Golden Core Seed Assessment by forging five Five Elements Spirit Swords.
• Zi Ling gave Zhou Ling the Mysterious Ice Crystal Flame, and Zhou Ling used it and a Heaven-Grade Foundation Establishment Pill to establish his foundation at Heaven-Grade.
• Zhou Ling became Zi Ling’s formal disciple, joined the Sword Forging Division, crafted Five Elements Puppets, and advanced his Soul Cultivation.
• In the Sword Forest, Zhou Ling subdued the Five Elements Profound Yang Sword’s sword intents and formed a Furnace Sword Soul, earning Instructor Wu’s recognition.
• Zhou Ling fused Green Wood Sword Qi with his Azure Lotus Spirit Flame to refine three High-grade Qi Gathering Pills for Wang Xin, who was waiting for her meridians to recover before attempting Foundation Establishment.