Chapter Summaries

Lu Xuan toured the Heaven Sword Sect and learned about its cultivation grounds, spirit-beast facilities, and disciple missions. He settled into temporary quarters before formally entering the sect, where most of his fellow newcomers grew distant after learning of his humble background and focus on spirit plants.

• A Heaven Sword Sect cultivator showed Lu Xuan and the other newcomers the Sword Washing Pond, Fallen Sword Peak, and Sword Fighting Lodge.
• The cultivator introduced Thousand Dragon Lake, where many flood dragons and other demon beasts were kept behind powerful restrictions and fed by sect disciples.
• Lu Xuan learned that outer disciples could pursue cultivation and skills, take sect missions, and earn Sword Seals to exchange for supplies and techniques.
• The cultivator brought Lu Xuan and the others to a mountain lodging and warned them not to explore the sect without disciple Identity Tokens.
• Lu Xuan spent several days reading and cultivating, got to know the other newcomers, and saw most of them grow cold toward him because he came from an ordinary background and favored spirit-plant cultivation.
• Lu Xuan remained confident in his White Light Orb and resolved to focus on farming steadily.

After joining the Heaven Sword Sect, Lu Xuan chose a secluded Cave Mansion with spacious Spirit Fields, a Spirit Spring, and facilities for raising Spirit Beasts. He moved his plants and beasts out of the Life-Preserving Bag and began settling into his new home.

• Lu Xuan received his Outer Disciple robes, flying sword, and Identity Token after officially joining the Heaven Sword Sect.
• Lu Xuan chose a remote Cave Mansion on a mountain and cleared its overgrown Spirit Fields, using the weeds' ashes to enrich the soil.
• Lu Xuan inspected the Cave Mansion's Spirit Spring, Spirit Well, Beast Pen, and Rock Cave, and reflected on how far his living conditions had improved.
• Lu Xuan released the Cloud Stepping Lynx and Grass Puppet from the Life-Preserving Bag, and they explored the Cave Mansion and adjusted to their new surroundings.
• Lu Xuan released four hungry Iron Pincer Crab Young Beasts, which crawled into the Spirit Spring and quickly regained their energy.

After settling his transplanted Spirit Plants into his new Cave Mansion, Lu Xuan refused lessons on cultivation and swordsmanship, choosing instead to focus on farming. He then went to the Heaven Sword Sect's Si Nong Hall to look for Spirit Plants to cultivate.

• Lu Xuan replanted the Illusory Mist Luo Fruit, Flood Dragon Vine, Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea, and Copper Bone Bamboo, then activated the Mist Concealing Formation around his Cave Mansion.
• Lu Xuan planted two hundred Spirit Firefly Grass seeds and twenty-eight Blood Jade Ginseng seeds before reading a manual about the sect.
• Bai Li Jian Qing invited Lu Xuan to attend lectures on cultivation techniques and swordsmanship, but Lu Xuan declined because he wanted to tend Spirit Plants.
• When Bai Li Jian Qing questioned Lu Xuan's priorities, Lu Xuan mentioned Sword Grass, prompting Bai Li Jian Qing to offer to bring him lecture notes in exchange for help cultivating it.
• Lu Xuan followed the manual to the Si Nong Hall to search for suitable Spirit Plants to grow.

Lu Xuan asked Guo Shixiong how to obtain Spirit Plants through Si Nong Hall and chose two Second Grade varieties to cultivate. He bought two Flowing Light Wood seeds and two Yin Locust saplings, then paid Guo Shixiong 230 Spirit Stones.

• Lu Xuan told Guo Shixiong about his Spirit Plant cultivation experience while concealing that he had raised higher-grade plants.
• Guo Shixiong explained that Si Nong Hall offered spirit seeds for Spirit Stones or Sword Seals, with rarer varieties subject to additional requirements.
• Lu Xuan reviewed the available First and Second Grade Spirit Plants and chose Flowing Light Wood and Yin Locust.
• Guo Shixiong brought Lu Xuan two Flowing Light Wood seeds and two Yin Locust saplings, explaining that Yin Locust needed a yin-attribute environment and protection from strong light.
• Lu Xuan paid Guo Shixiong 230 Spirit Stones for the seeds and saplings.

Lu Xuan visited the Scripture Pavilion to select a cultivation method and two spells suited to his needs as a Spirit Plant Master. He chose the Minor Five Elements Art, Cloud Soaring Art, and Savage Elephant Strength, and received jade slips containing their instructions.

• Lu Xuan paid a Spirit Stone to a Spirit Crane and rode it to the Scripture Pavilion.
• Lu Xuan met the White-haired Elder on duty, who explained that disciples could select cultivation methods and spells and later exchange Sword Seals for more.
• Lu Xuan chose the Minor Five Elements Art for its adaptability and boost to five elements spells.
• Lu Xuan chose Cloud Soaring Art to improve his movement and Savage Elephant Strength to strengthen his defense.
• The White-haired Elder summoned three jade slips for Lu Xuan and explained that they would absorb into his forehead and destroy themselves afterward.

Lu Xuan planted Flowing Light Wood and Yin Locust in his Cave Mansion, studied new cultivation methods, and spent a month tending his Spirit Plants. With his plants growing well, he went to the General Affairs Hall to find a task and earn Sword Seals for rare Spirit Seeds.

• Lu Xuan planted the Flowing Light Wood Spirit Seeds and Yin Locust saplings, choosing the shaded Rock Cave for the Yin Locust.
• Lu Xuan absorbed three cultivation methods from jade slips, then fell asleep after struggling to digest the information.
• Over the following month, Lu Xuan cultivated his methods and spells, attended two lectures with Bai Li Jian Qing, and tended his Spirit Plants.
• Lu Xuan observed the Flowing Light Wood patterns and found that the Yin Locust had grown amid dense Yin Qi in the Rock Cave.
• Lu Xuan decided to earn Sword Seals so he could obtain rare, high-grade Spirit Plants, then went to the General Affairs Hall to inspect its task board.

Lu Xuan chose a low-risk mission caring for Second Grade Monkey Face Orchids at a Medicine Garden in a mountain valley. After meeting Yao Shijie, he learned the daily work would take two to three shichen and that he could return to his Cave Mansion afterward.

• Lu Xuan reviewed the available missions and rejected dangerous assignments in favor of caring for the Monkey Face Orchids.
• He accepted the three-month mission, traveled by Spirit Crane to the mountain valley, and met Yao Shijie at the Medicine Garden.
• Yao Shijie explained the garden’s staffing and told Lu Xuan he could return to his Cave Mansion after completing the daily care.
• Yao Shijie showed Lu Xuan the Monkey Face Orchid Spirit Field and said he did not need to worry if the faces in the petals seemed to change.

Lu Xuan and Yan Ping began cultivating Monkey Face Orchids, and Lu Xuan noticed that one orchid’s expression changed after he fed it a spirit insect. He suspected the expressions followed a hidden pattern and resolved to investigate further.

• Yao Shijie introduced Lu Xuan to Yan Ping and explained that they would care for the Monkey Face Orchids with the Spirit Rain Technique and spirit insects.
• Lu Xuan showed Yan Ping his precise, accomplished Spirit Rain Technique while nourishing his assigned orchids.
• Lu Xuan fed the Monkey Face Orchids spirit insects and watched them devour the insects through their petal spines.
• Lu Xuan noticed that an orchid he had fed changed from an angry expression to a faint smile.
• Yan Ping told Lu Xuan that earlier experiments had found no pattern in the orchids’ expressions, but Lu Xuan remained convinced they changed for a reason.
• Lu Xuan considered digging up an orchid to test what caused its expressions to change.

Lu Xuan discovered that Monkey Face Orchids’ expressions reflected their reactions to cultivation methods only after a delay, allowing him to judge the effects of rain and different insects. He planned to confirm the discovery and profit by informing the Foundation Establishment Cultivator responsible for the orchids.

• Lu Xuan returned to his Cave Mansion, cared for his pets and Spirit Plants, and continued cultivating the Monkey Face Orchids at Mountain Valley.
• Lu Xuan noticed that a Monkey Face Orchid’s expression did not match its immediate state after he fed it insects.
• Lu Xuan observed the orchid’s expressions over several days and realized they changed roughly an hour after watering and half an hour after feeding.
• Lu Xuan found that different insects produced different delayed expressions, revealing how their taste affected the Monkey Face Orchid’s growth.
• Lu Xuan decided to confirm his discovery before telling the Foundation Establishment Cultivator behind the Monkey Face Orchids through Yao Shijie.

Lu Xuan discovered that Monkey Face Orchids’ expressions reflected delayed responses to spirit insects and Spirit Rain, and persuaded Yao Shijie to test his cultivation method against Yan Ping’s conventional approach. When the mature flowers were harvested, Lu Xuan’s batch showed uniformly smiling expressions, and Yan Ping saw a clear difference in their quality.

• Lu Xuan told Yao Shijie that adjusting cultivation based on the orchids’ expressions could improve their quality, explaining the delayed effects of spirit-insect flavors and Spirit Rain.
• Yan Ping objected to changing the cultivation method, so Yao Shijie divided the orchids between Yan Ping’s conventional approach and Lu Xuan’s method.
• Lu Xuan and Yan Ping tended their respective orchids for nearly two months, while their relationship grew distant.
• Yao Shijie harvested the mature orchids in separate batches; Lu Xuan’s flowers all wore smiles, while Yan Ping’s expressions varied.
• Yao Shijie reported that Yan Ping’s fifty-five orchids included thirty-eight common, fourteen Good Grade, and three Superior Grade flowers, and Yan Ping noticed a striking quality difference in Lu Xuan’s batch.

Lu Xuan’s improved Monkey Face Orchid method proved successful, earning him praise and Sword Seals from the Heaven Sword Sect. He harvested mature Spirit Firefly Grass and a Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea leaf, receiving cultivation rewards, items, and a Dustfall Pill.

• The Beautiful Woman counted Lu Xuan’s Monkey Face Orchids and found their quality far higher than Yan Ping’s, then promised to report his method and apply for Sword Seal rewards.
• Yan Ping apologized to Lu Xuan for doubting his new cultivation method, and Lu Xuan accepted the apology and offered to discuss future methods.
• Lu Xuan collected ninety Sword Seals at the General Affairs Hall, including rewards for the Monkey Face Orchid task and his improved method.
• Lu Xuan harvested twenty-eight mature Spirit Firefly Grass plants, gained cultivation and other rewards from their light orbs, and gave the Grass Puppet Grass Spirit Essence Liquid and a green hat.
• Lu Xuan picked a mature Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea leaf and received a Third Grade Dustfall Pill from its light orb.

After consuming a Dustfall Pill, Lu Xuan used its mental clarity to study cultivation-world knowledge and continued harvesting Spirit Plants. A Superior Grade Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea Leaf gave him the third-grade Glass Bone Forging Art, but he learned that advancing beyond the Qi Refining stage required unlocking its lower part.

• Lu Xuan swallowed a third-grade Dustfall Pill, which purged impurities from his body and sharpened his mind.
• Lu Xuan rented three Jade Scrolls from the Scripture Pavilion and studied knowledge about Spirit Plants and Spirit Beasts in his Cave Mansion.
• Lu Xuan harvested twenty-six mature Spirit Firefly Grass, gaining cultivation, pills, talismans, Grass Spirit Essence Liquid, and an Essence Nurturing Pill Recipe Experience Pack from their White Light Orbs.
• Lu Xuan harvested three Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea Leaves and obtained a Dustfall Pill, a third-grade Spirit Cleansing Talisman, and the Glass Bone Forging Art.
• Lu Xuan learned that the Glass Bone Forging Art could only be cultivated to the Qi Refining stage unless he unlocked its Lower Part Art.

Lu Xuan selected a young Flood Dragon-raising task at Thousand Dragon Lake to earn Sword Seals and possibly obtain Demonic Beast blood. Huang Yuan introduced him to the lake’s beasts and explained the rules for using a Counterfeit Dragon Binding Ring.

• Lu Xuan harvested Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea Leaves and resolved to unlock the lower part of the Glass Bone Forging Art.
• Lu Xuan visited the General Affairs Hall and chose a task raising young Flood Dragons at Thousand Dragon Lake.
• Lu Xuan arrived at Thousand Dragon Lake and met Huang Yuan, who explained the kinds of beasts kept there and the dangers of feeding them.
• Huang Yuan showed Lu Xuan a Counterfeit Dragon Binding Ring and warned him to use it only during the task and return it when he left.

Lu Xuan fed the Flood Dragon Demonic Beasts at Thousand Dragon Lake and studied their ranks, diets, and feeding habits. After deciding to gain control from the weaker outer groups inward, he gave the Giant Python Different Boas on the lake’s perimeter a generous share of Demon Beast Meat.

• Lu Xuan fed Demon Beast Meat to the Flood Dragon Demonic Beasts and identified several, including the Two-Headed Flood Dragon, Scarlet Armor Python, and Ice Chi Dragon.
• The Two-Headed Flood Dragon charged at Lu Xuan, but his Dragon Binding Ring Replica subdued it and sent it back into the lake.
• Lu Xuan observed that the strongest Flood Dragons monopolized the central feeding area while weaker Giant Python Different Boas survived on scraps.
• Lu Xuan decided to learn which meat suited each beast, distribute food more fairly, and gradually bring the Flood Dragon Demonic Beasts under his control.
• Lu Xuan diverted the remaining Demon Beast Meat to the perimeter, where the Giant Python Different Boas hurriedly ate their first substantial share.

Lu Xuan gradually trained the Flood Dragon Demonic Beasts in Thousand Dragon Lake to follow his feeding arrangements by rewarding obedience and punishing disobedience. After subduing the Ice Chi Dragon, he organized the beasts into rows and prepared to feed them according to their needs.

• Lu Xuan used preferred Demon Beast Meat to draw the outer-area Giant Python Different Boas toward him and restrained those that tried to take food from the central area.
• Lu Xuan announced that he would distribute suitable food to beasts that obeyed his arrangements and punish those that disobeyed, then withheld a meal from a group of Second Grade Giant Python Different Boas that broke his rules.
• Over the next three days, Lu Xuan rewarded obedient beasts, restrained those that fought over food, and reduced the portions of the Ice Chi Dragon and its underlings.
• The Ice Chi Dragon attacked Lu Xuan with an ice spear, but his barrier stopped it, and he restrained it with the Golden Ring and suspended it as punishment.
• After the Ice Chi Dragon nodded in submission, Lu Xuan released it and promised to find it ice-attributed Demon Beast Meat; its underlings then obeyed his orders.
• Lu Xuan arranged the Flood Dragon Giant Pythons and other beasts in rows and told them to come to their assigned places for meals.

Lu Xuan asked Huang Yuan to arrange a customized menu for the Flood Dragons he raised, and proved that they followed his feeding routine obediently. After returning to his cave abode, he fed the waiting Cloud Stepping Lynx and checked on his thriving Spirit Field.

• Lu Xuan decided to request specific portions of Demon Beast Meat for his Flood Dragons after noticing that the barrels’ contents did not suit them all.
• Lu Xuan told Huang Yuan that the Flood Dragons under his care lined up for food, prompting Huang Yuan to agree to witness their feeding.
• Lu Xuan fed the Flood Dragons while Huang Yuan watched them remain orderly, then explained that he was testing whether a more suitable diet could promote their growth and evolution.
• Huang Yuan introduced Lu Xuan to the disciples handling Demon Beast Meat and asked them to fulfill his menu requirements as closely as possible.
• Lu Xuan returned to his cave abode, fed the Cloud Stepping Lynx, and saw that the Grass Puppet was still patrolling his flourishing Spirit Field.

Lu Xuan harvested spirit plants and advanced to Qi Refining Stage 9, then discovered a wounded Fire Red Exotic Boa among the beasts he fed and treated its injury. The chapter left him considering how to prevent the beasts from fighting among themselves.

• Lu Xuan harvested thirty mature Spirit Firefly Grass and absorbed their light orbs, advancing to Qi Refining Stage 9.
• Lu Xuan harvested four Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea Leaves and gained Dustfall Pills, a Spirit Cleansing Talisman, and the upper section of the Glass Bone Forging Art.
• Lu Xuan tended the spirit plants before traveling to the Flood Dragon Demonic Beast base to distribute their food.
• A Fire Red Exotic Boa showed Lu Xuan a deep wound, and he learned it had likely been injured fighting a beast raised by another cultivator.
• Lu Xuan applied Sweet Dew Ointment to the boa's wound and considered unifying the beasts to stop their infighting.

Lu Xuan trained the Flood Dragon Giant Pythons to protect one another, then used their trust in his care to draw blood from them for the Flood Dragon Vine. He left with samples from several dozen beasts, including precious blood from the Strange Ice Chi Dragon and Two-Headed Flood Dragon.

• Lu Xuan told the Flood Dragon Giant Pythons to memorize their companions’ auras, cries, and territories so they could rush to one another’s aid.
• After two days of feeding the beasts, Lu Xuan rode the Fire Red Exotic Boa across Thousand Dragon Lake as the other pythons followed.
• Lu Xuan announced that he would give the Flood Dragon Giant Pythons full-body examinations and draw small blood samples to support their growth.
• Lu Xuan collected blood from the Fire Red Exotic Boa, the Two-Headed Flood Dragon, and the Strange Ice Chi Dragon, adapting when the Two-Headed Flood Dragon’s scales resisted his needle.
• Lu Xuan returned to the platform with samples from several dozen beasts and planned to use their blood to nourish the Flood Dragon Vine.

Lu Xuan dismissed complaints that the Flood Dragon Giant Pythons under his care were attacking other cultivators’ beasts, then watched two of his nurtured creatures advance in grade. When a Snow White Chi Dragon reached Third Grade just as Huang Yuan questioned Lu Xuan’s contribution, Lu Xuan turned the breakthrough into evidence of his success.

• Li Shixiong asked Lu Xuan to restrain the Two-Headed Flood Dragon and other beasts after they repeatedly injured a flood dragon under his care, but Lu Xuan brushed off the complaint as children squabbling.
• While feeding the Flood Dragon Giant Pythons, Lu Xuan saw his Scarlet Armor Python advance from First Grade to Second Grade and anticipated earning Sword Seals.
• Huang Yuan questioned Lu Xuan about drawing blood from the sect’s flood dragons, and Lu Xuan claimed he did it to examine their health and showed him the Scarlet Armor Python’s advancement.
• A Snow White Chi Dragon absorbed spiritual energy from Thousand Dragon Lake and advanced from Second Grade to Third Grade as Huang Yuan watched.
• Lu Xuan asked Huang Yuan whether this breakthrough, too, counted as an advancement that happened when water flowed and a channel formed.

Lu Xuan oversaw an Ice Chi Dragon’s breakthrough to Third Grade, earning Sword Seals and praise from Huang Yuan. Back at his Cave Mansion, he harvested Spirit Plants and gained rewards including the Purification Mantra, a spell that could dispel desire and force someone into a tranquil state.

• The Ice Chi Dragon emerged as a Third Grade demonic beast, bid farewell to Lu Xuan, and returned to Thousand Dragon Lake for the Foundation Establishment Martial Uncles to raise.
• Huang Yuan told Lu Xuan that the Ice Chi Dragon’s breakthrough earned him fifty Sword Seals, while the Scarlet Armor Python’s Second Grade breakthrough brought his total reward to sixty.
• Lu Xuan returned to his Cave Mansion, harvested thirty-four mature Spirit Firefly Grass stalks, and collected their cultivation and other rewards.
• Lu Xuan harvested five mature Clear and Wonderful Spirit Tea Leaves and received pills, a Spirit Cleansing Talisman, a Glass Bone Forging Art experience pack, and the Purification Mantra.
• Lu Xuan learned that the Purification Mantra could dispel desires and wondered if it forcibly put someone into sage mode.