Chapter Summaries

Xu Xiaoshou showed Elder Sang and Mu Zixi his new spirit liquids, provoking their nausea while Elder Sang assessed the liquids’ medicinal value and storage needs. Xu Xiaoshou collected thousands of Purple Treasury Jade bottles and a piece of Whale-Candle Jade, then asked Elder Sang for a Yuan Ting Pill formula so he could develop Yuan Ting Fluid.

• Xu Xiaoshou asked Elder Sang about the Red-Gold Elixir, and Elder Sang said its medicinal effect surpassed tenth-grade pills and could be considered ninth-grade.
• Xu Xiaoshou revealed Spirit-Refining Liquid, causing Mu Zixi and Elder Sang to vomit again.
• Elder Sang said he needed several days to study Soup-Stewing Style alchemy and suggested Purple Treasury Jade as a temporary way to preserve the spirit liquids.
• Elder Sang gave Xu Xiaoshou several thousand Purple Treasury Jade bottles, then handed over a piece of Whale-Candle Jade after Xu Xiaoshou mentioned developing Yuan Ting Fluid.
• Xu Xiaoshou realized he lacked the Yuan Ting Pill formula and asked Elder Sang for it.

Xu Xiaoshou accepted several pill formulas and ingredients from Elder Sang, who praised his alchemy talent and urged him to leave the Spirit Palace with Mu Zixi. Xu Xiaoshou resisted the idea, suspecting Elder Sang was arranging his fate, but learned the immediate plan was simply to obtain alchemist badges in Tiansang Commandery.

• Elder Sang gave Xu Xiaoshou the Innate Pill formula, the Star-Separation Pill formula, and a ring of ingredients after Xu Xiaoshou asked for increasingly advanced alchemy resources.
• Mu Zixi questioned why Elder Sang trusted Xu Xiaoshou with a seventh-grade pill, and Elder Sang explained that he believed Xu Xiaoshou had exceptional alchemy talent.
• Elder Sang asked whether Xu Xiaoshou and Mu Zixi had ever left the Spirit Palace, and both considered what they might find beyond it.
• Xu Xiaoshou strongly refused to leave, suspecting Elder Sang's repeated interventions had been arranging major turns in his life.
• Elder Sang told Xu Xiaoshou to take Mu Zixi to the Alchemist Association in Tiansang Commandery in a few days to obtain their alchemist badges.

Elder Sang sent Xu Xiaoshou and Mu Zixi to Tiansang Commandery for her Alchemist Association mission and warned them to show no mercy outside the Spirit Palace. Before they left, he gave Xu Xiaoshou jade slips containing Dragon-Fusion Realm and White Flame, leaving him conflicted about whether to cultivate them.

• Elder Sang gave Mu Zixi a sealed letter for the Alchemist Association president and instructed Xu Xiaoshou not to cause trouble.
• Elder Sang warned them to kill decisively when necessary, and Xu Xiaoshou revealed that he had killed Zhang Xinxiong, shocking Mu Zixi.
• Elder Sang told Xu Xiaoshou to return within a month for an important matter and gave Mu Zixi a ring of medicinal ingredients.
• Elder Sang offered Xu Xiaoshou the White Flame technique, warning that cultivating it could mean ten deaths and no life, so Xu Xiaoshou tried to refuse it.
• Xu Xiaoshou discovered that Elder Sang had hidden a Dragon-Fusion Realm jade slip in Mu Zixi's ring, and Elder Sang gave him the White Flame slip as well.

Xu Xiaoshou asked Elder Sang about the Blackfall Sword Scabbard, the Seal Stone, and Ghost Beasts, uncovering connections to the Eighth Sword Immortal and the dangers surrounding Mo Mo. Elder Sang then finally offered to tell him about Saint Slave.

• Xu Xiaoshou learned that the Blackfall Sword Scabbard was the scabbard of the Eighth Sword Immortal’s personal Yousi Sword, and Elder Sang warned him to keep it hidden.
• Elder Sang realized Xu Xiaoshou had taken four realm-suppressing treasures from the Heavenly Mystery Gate, while Xu Xiaoshou tried to distract him from asking for details.
• Xu Xiaoshou described how he had encountered the Gray Mist Man and sealed the Ghost Beast back inside Mo Mo.
• Elder Sang warned Xu Xiaoshou that surviving the Ghost Beast encounter was fortunate, then sensed that Mo Mo had left the Spirit Palace and identified her as the second spy.
• Elder Sang asked whether Xu Xiaoshou still wanted to ask about Saint Slave, and Xu Xiaoshou eagerly agreed.

Elder Sang explained the threat posed by Ghost Beasts and Holy Spirit Hall’s Red Robes, prompting Xu Xiaoshou to connect Saint Slave’s search for the Blackfall Sword Scabbard to Mo Mo and White Cavern. Xu Xiaoshou deduced that White Cavern might reopen soon and challenged Elder Sang over his one-month deadline.

• Elder Sang told Xu Xiaoshou that Ghost Beasts were powerful calamities and that Holy Spirit Hall’s Red Robes were responsible for sealing them.
• Elder Sang suggested that Saint Slave might seek to exploit Ghost Beasts, and Xu Xiaoshou reasoned that Mo Mo was not one of its members.
• Xu Xiaoshou connected Mo Mo’s possession near White Cavern to Saint Slave’s search for the Blackfall Sword Scabbard and concluded that Saint Slave was looking for clues about the Ghost Beast there.
• Xu Xiaoshou surmised that White Cavern might reopen amid an upheaval and that the Blackfall Sword Scabbard could relate to the Eighth Sword Immortal’s ruins or the Yousi Sword’s birth.
• Xu Xiaoshou accused Elder Sang of giving him a one-month deadline because of the coming White Cavern matter, and Elder Sang fell onto his backside in shock.

Xu Xiaoshou questioned Elder Sang about Mu Zixi’s dangerous abilities and learned that she possessed a rare Life-Swallowing Wood Body. Elder Sang explained that he could manage its risks, but warned Xu Xiaoshou to keep an eye on her.

• Elder Sang praised Xu Xiaoshou’s deductions about the Ghost Beast and Saint Slave, then corrected him by saying Saint Slave sought Snowfall over Tomb City and all twenty-one famous swords.
• Elder Sang refused to explain his second correction, prompting Xu Xiaoshou to leave after sarcastically claiming he had learned much.
• Xu Xiaoshou asked Elder Sang what kind of person Mu Zixi was, citing her growing power and the danger he sensed from her.
• Elder Sang explained that spiritual bodies were rare and revealed that Mu Zixi had the exceptionally rare Life-Swallowing Wood Body, which needed abundant life force to grow.
• Elder Sang said he could sustain Mu Zixi with life-rich divine objects or Life Profound Pills and warned Xu Xiaoshou to watch her, since he could be held responsible if something happened to her.

Elder Sang explained the limits of Xu Xiaoshou’s master-level body and warned him about the mysteries surrounding Mu Zixi. As Xu Xiaoshou left the Spirit Treasury Pavilion, its silent carver revealed a connection to Elder Sang and departed after urging him to consider returning.

• Elder Sang told Xu Xiaoshou that Sacred Bodies could overpower spirit bodies and briefly contend with master-level bodies, though they were exceptionally rare.
• Xu Xiaoshou asked whether Mu Zixi’s Life-Swallowing Wood Body had let her break the Headmaster’s illusion, but Elder Sang did not know and warned Xu Xiaoshou not to be soft-hearted if she became his enemy.
• At the Pavilion’s exit, the silent carver asked Xu Xiaoshou where he was going, then told him to go after Xu Xiaoshou said he was leaving for Tiansang Commandery.
• After Xu Xiaoshou left, Elder Sang confronted the carver, who called Xu Xiaoshou his half-disciple and said he had wanted to see how he was doing.
• The carver showed Elder Sang a purple token depicting a shackled, weeping woman, then left and urged Elder Sang to decide whether to return, repeating, “Unless one becomes a Saint, one remains a slave!”

Xu Xiaoshou and Mu Zixi left Tiansang Spirit Palace after an explosive argument, while Elder Sang prepared to leave and secured two places for the White Cavern. Lan Xinzi and He Yuxing also headed down the mountain toward the Zhang Clan, where He Yuxing vowed to kill everyone for her.

• Mu Zixi waited for Xu Xiaoshou at the Outer Court gate, and he arrived late without explaining why.
• Xu Xiaoshou teased Mu Zixi until she lost control of her power and caused explosions in the forest.
• Elder Sang told Ye Xiaotian he was leaving and asked him to reserve two places for the White Cavern.
• Lan Xinzi left the Spirit Law Pavilion with He Yuxing and told him they were going to the Zhang Clan.
• When Lan Xinzi said He Yuxing looked good in his bloodstained prison uniform, he unleashed his Master-level sword intent and vowed to help her kill the Zhang Clan.

Xu Xiaoshou and Mu Zixi entered Tiansang City and headed to the Gold-Rich Trading Company, where they bickered about shopping and Xu Xiaoshou’s Sharpness. At the city gates, three swordsmen sensed Sword Will and vanished to search for it without paying the entry fee.

• Xu Xiaoshou and Mu Zixi entered Tiansang City after Mu Zixi paid two Spirit Crystals at the gate.
• Xu Xiaoshou noticed his Passive Value rising as they walked through the crowded streets, then stopped at the Gold-Rich Trading Company instead of going straight to the Alchemist Association.
• Mu Zixi cut herself on Xu Xiaoshou’s Sharpness, and he explained that it was his passive skill while she continued to doubt him.
• Xu Xiaoshou persuaded Mu Zixi to follow him inside by saying he planned to buy clothes for a baby, leaving her confused about whose baby it was.
• Three swordsmen arrived at the city gates, identified themselves as cultivators of Ancient Sword Arts, and sensed Sword Will.
• The three swordsmen vanished to search for Sword Will, leaving the gatekeepers calling after them for the unpaid Spirit Crystals.

Xu Xiaoshou and Mu Zixi visited Gold-Rich Trading Company, where a receptionist showed them a fifth-grade spirit artifact called the Murder-Sensing Dragon. Xu Xiaoshou noticed a mysterious white cat that only his Perception could see, while the receptionist explained the artifact’s ability to detect killing intent.

• Xu Xiaoshou and Mu Zixi followed an Innate receptionist to the spirit cultivator floors of Gold-Rich Trading Company.
• The receptionist described the trading company as a continent-wide sect with its own cultivation methods and showed them the seventh floor’s displays.
• Xu Xiaoshou noticed a white cat perched on a purple crystal ball and asked the receptionist what it was.
• The receptionist revealed the Murder-Sensing Dragon, a fifth-grade grandmaster spirit artifact that transformed into a white dragon when infused with spirit essence.
• Mu Zixi coveted the artifact’s life force, while Xu Xiaoshou realized that only his Perception could see the cat staring at him.
• The receptionist explained that the Murder-Sensing Dragon sensed nearby killing intent and turned red in response.

Xu Xiaoshou haggled with a shop receptionist over a fifth-grade perception artifact that could sense life force, while Mu Zixi eagerly wanted it. He drove the price down from five hundred thousand Spirit Crystals, but the chapter ended before they reached a deal.

• Xu Xiaoshou rejected the artifact, but Mu Zixi showed that she wanted it and asked how much it cost.
• The receptionist priced the artifact at five hundred thousand Spirit Crystals, and Xu Xiaoshou immediately turned to leave.
• Xu Xiaoshou criticized the artifact’s limitations and offered only five hundred Spirit Crystals for it.
• The receptionist lost his temper, then offered a ten percent discount after noticing other customers watching.
• Xu Xiaoshou and the receptionist bargained over the price, eventually bringing it down from one hundred thousand to fifty thousand Spirit Crystals.
• Xu Xiaoshou suggested that the receptionist shout at him twice more so the price would fall further.

Xu Xiaoshou bought the Murder-Sensing Dragon and discovered that its violent red glow revealed a hidden assassin waiting outside the Gold-Rich Trading Company. He suspected the Zhang Clan was behind the attempt and ended the chapter by asking the receptionist if he still wanted to kill two more.

• Xu Xiaoshou paid for the Murder-Sensing Dragon after the receptionist realized he had given him a ninety percent discount.
• Xu Xiaoshou knocked away the little white cat that emerged from the crystal and asked the receptionist about the treasure’s ability to sense killing intent.
• Xu Xiaoshou activated the crystal, and its dragon turned blood-red despite the receptionist insisting no one else was nearby.
• Xu Xiaoshou found repeated notices that someone had been watching him and concluded an assassin was waiting outside the company.
• Xu Xiaoshou gave the crystal to Mu Zixi, who activated it and made the dragon turn red again, prompting him to ask the receptionist if he still wanted to kill two more.

Xu Xiaoshou learned that the Gold-Rich Trading Company would pay five thousand Spirit Crystals for each Yuan Ting Pill and give recognized alchemists discounts. He left before hearing the full requirements, then realized his stored pills could be worth at least five million Spirit Crystals.

• Xu Xiaoshou stopped the receptionist from fleeing and took him and Mu Zixi to the pill section.
• Xu Xiaoshou learned that Yuan Ting Pills sold for ten thousand Spirit Crystals but the company bought them for five thousand.
• The receptionist explained that recognized alchemists could sell pills at market price and receive discounts, but Xu Xiaoshou left before hearing the full conditions.
• Xu Xiaoshou asked the receptionist to buy a thousand sets of clothes sized for Mu Zixi, saying they were for the baby.
• Xu Xiaoshou counted the Yuan Ting Pills in his ring and realized they could bring him at least five million Spirit Crystals, then fell onto the floor in shock.

Xu Xiaoshou bought clothes and straw hats before leaving the Gold-Rich Trading Company, while two assassins waited nearby to ambush him. He avoided their back-door trap, leaving the assassins uncertain where he would appear.

• Xu Xiaoshou stored a thousand ordinary garments in the Origin Mansion and bought ten straw hats after the attendant offered him one for free.
• Xu Xiaoshou noticed signs that an ambush had been prepared and chose to leave through the front entrance instead of the back.
• Li Qi and Xiao Sixteen watched spirit cultivators get trapped in their array while waiting to assassinate Xu Xiaoshou on behalf of the Zhang Clan.
• Li Qi warned Xiao Sixteen not to underestimate Xu Xiaoshou, who had also attracted a wanted notice from Three Incense Sticks.
• Xiao Sixteen realized Xu Xiaoshou might leave through the front, then went to watch the trading company's entrance without intending to share the credit with Li Qi.

Xu Xiaoshou left Mu Zixi outside Gold-Rich Trading Company while he went to seek the assassin, and three swordsmen from the Burial Sword Tomb arrived searching for sword thought. The Sword-Hugging Swordsman followed its faint trace to Mu Zixi and discovered a Ghost Beast.

• Xu Xiaoshou gave Mu Zixi an oversized straw hat to hide her face and left her outside the trading company while he searched for the assassin.
• Mu Zixi hid in a corner as three swordsmen descended nearby, while a white cat beast leapt onto her head and greedily drooled over her life aura.
• The Sword-Hugging Swordsman detected a faint trace of sword thought and led his junior brothers toward Mu Zixi.
• The Sword-Hugging Swordsman spotted the white cat beast on Mu Zixi and cried out that it was a Ghost Beast.

A woman and her brother discovered that Greed God had disappeared and set out for Tiansang City to find it. Meanwhile, Li Qi waited in a tavern for news about Xu Xiaoshou, unaware that two strangers had entered.

• The woman learned that Greed God had left after her brother ran out of Life Profound Pills, then beat him while demanding to know where it had gone.
• Her brother said Greed God had probably entered Tiansang City, so the woman used a purple chain to conceal her aura and he used a monk's staff to hide from spiritual perception.
• The woman and her brother flew toward Tiansang City, believing Greed God would not eat people because her brother had never fed it flesh and blood.
• In Black Street, Li Qi worried that his partner Xiao Sixteen might be trying to take credit for finding Xu Xiaoshou and suspected Xu Xiaoshou had killed Zhang Xinxiong.
• Two straw-hatted figures emerged from a spiritual array, entered Li Qi's tavern, and asked the waiter for food.

Xu Xiaoshou disguised himself and A-Jie as straw-hatted travelers and deliberately unsettled Li Qi, an assassin waiting in a tavern. After spraying wine across Li Qi's face, Xu Xiaoshou offered to wipe it off with Hidden Pain.

• Xu Xiaoshou ignored the owner's warnings, ordered braised beef and wine, and sat beside Li Qi with A-Jie.
• Xu Xiaoshou recited poetry and pretended to befriend Li Qi, leading Li Qi to suspect he was a powerful young master with an extraordinary guard.
• Xu Xiaoshou drank Li Qi's wine and acted refined enough to hide his face from view.
• When Li Qi raised his cup, Xu Xiaoshou sprayed wine over his face and offered to wipe it off with Hidden Pain.

Xu Xiaoshou ambushed Li Qi, a Grandmaster spirit array master, but Li Qi countered with a strange wind technique that began dissolving Xu Xiaoshou’s body. Xu Xiaoshou swallowed the wind and revealed a compressed fireseed nested inside another, leaving Li Qi horrified.

• Li Qi recognized Xu Xiaoshou, who had escaped his illusion by using Perception to follow the true image.
• Xu Xiaoshou attacked Li Qi with Hidden Pain, but Li Qi used a Grandmaster’s control of heaven and earth to evade the strike.
• Xu Xiaoshou distracted Li Qi by claiming the Imperial Guards had arrived, then fired five compressed fireseeds at him.
• Li Qi sealed the area with an array disk and used Wind’s Passing Breath to dissolve the fireseeds and attack Xu Xiaoshou through his Emberlight Spirit Garment.
• Xu Xiaoshou inhaled the Azure Gangue Wind and produced a black bead containing a compressed fireseed nested inside another, shocking Li Qi.

Xu Xiaoshou’s uncontrolled black energy bead caused a massive explosion over Gold-Rich Trading Company, but A-Jie ended the fight by crushing Li Qi’s head with one palm. Xu Xiaoshou and A-Jie were left at the scene as the battle’s consequences loomed.

• Xu Xiaoshou’s black energy bead pierced Li Qi and flew beyond his control, exploding over Gold-Rich Trading Company and drawing attention across Tiansang City.
• Xu Xiaoshou and Li Qi prepared to end their fight quickly, and Xu Xiaoshou revealed the black scabbard concealing his sword.
• Li Qi activated his final killing array while A-Jie approached and called out to him.
• Li Qi lowered his guard when he saw A-Jie’s childlike face, and A-Jie crushed his head with one palm.

Xu Xiaoshou defeated Li Qi with A-Jie’s intervention, then returned to the tavern to eat and found himself surrounded by the Imperial Guard. The chapter ended with Fu Yinhong introducing herself while Xu Xiaoshou continued eating.

• Xu Xiaoshou put away his sword, dressed A-Jie in fresh clothes, and reflected on his growing strength against Grandmaster-level opponents.
• Xu Xiaoshou returned to the tavern with A-Jie and ordered food from the shaken owner, who saw that the black-clad assassin was gone.
• Xu Xiaoshou gave the tavern owner three Spirit Crystals and told him one would make sense soon.
• Fu Yinhong arrived with dozens of Imperial Guards and ordered them to prevent anyone in Black Street from escaping.
• Fu Yinhong introduced herself to Xu Xiaoshou, who kept eating until she wondered whether he was deaf.