Chapter Summaries

Lu Xuan arranged for Hong Qinghai to nourish the Nine Confucian Treasure Tree with poems and Confucian classics, then collected shop profits and returned to his Cave Mansion. There, he discovered that his neglected Yin Locust had reached a hundred years of growth and harvested a Fifth Grade Grand Yin Wooden Box.

• Lu Xuan gave Hong Qinghai a Foundation Establishment Pill and hired him to cultivate the Nine Confucian Treasure Tree by reciting poems and essays.
• Wen Qian reported strong sales at You Jian General Store, and Lu Xuan collected 2,800 Middle Grade Spirit Stones and restocked the shelves.
• Lu Xuan brought Hong Qinghai to his Cave Mansion, built him a stone house beside the Nine Confucian Treasure Tree, and restricted his access to other Spirit Fields.
• Several days later, Lu Xuan found the Nine Confucian Treasure Tree responding to Hong Qinghai's recitations and tending it with spells.
• Lu Xuan noticed a Light Orb on the Yin Locust, identified it as a hundred-year-old Spirit Plant, and harvested a Fifth Grade Grand Yin Wooden Box.

Lu Xuan harvested rewards from the Yin Locust and Bewitching Peaches, then checked his crops and reflected on his slow cultivation progress. Hong Qinghai settled into life in Lu Xuan’s Cave Mansion and prepared to pursue Foundation Establishment.

• Lu Xuan obtained a Fifth Grade Grand Yin Wooden Box from the Yin Locust and considered seeking out more age-type spirit plants.
• Lu Xuan harvested the third batch of Bewitching Peaches and received rewards including Bewitching Desire Pills, a Bewitching Sound Pearl, and cultivation materials.
• Hong Qinghai cultivated the Nine Confucian Treasure Tree in Lu Xuan’s Cave Mansion and felt grateful for its safety and resources.
• Hong Qinghai planned to attempt Foundation Establishment after further cultivation and adjustment.
• Lu Xuan collected twenty-six Ice Firefly Grass Spirit Seeds and worried that his cultivation had barely advanced since reaching Early Stage Core Formation.

Lu Xuan harvested a Third Grade Flood Dragon Vine and continued preparing Spirit Seeds, then accepted Ye Xuanyin’s invitation to Star Envoy Xing’s banquet. On the way to Black Water Star Cave, his Alligator Dragon Pearl reacted to a stretch of sea, leaving him curious about what lay beneath it.

• Lu Xuan harvested the Third Grade Flood Dragon Vine but received only a common Third Grade treasure, so he considered improving it to obtain the follow-up arts of the Grand Void Dragon Transformation Art.
• Lu Xuan used the Seed Condensation Methods on the Earth Fire Heart Lotus and Five Elements Fruit, hoping to cultivate more seeds and improve the Spirit Plants.
• Ye Xuanyin invited Lu Xuan to Star Envoy Xing’s celebration banquet for breaking through to Late Stage Core Formation, and Lu Xuan agreed to attend.
• Ye Xuanyin guided Lu Xuan through Black Water Star Cave and explained its spiritual liquids, dangerous Secret Realms, and other hazards.
• Lu Xuan sensed the Alligator Dragon Pearl reacting to a stretch of sea, learned that a Seventh Grade Variant Flood Dragon had once appeared there, and memorized the location as they continued toward Star Envoy Xing’s Cave Mansion.

Lu Xuan attended Xing Kun’s underwater banquet, met fellow cultivators Jade Forest Rogue Cultivator and Wang Suihuai, and sensed an unseen hostile gaze. Meat Mountain Cultivator identified the scent of Taishui Meat on Lu Xuan and wanted to eat him.

• Ye Xuanyin brought Lu Xuan to Xing Kun’s underwater cave mansion, where a giant turtle checked their invitations and escorted them through the restrictions.
• Lu Xuan and Ye Xuanyin greeted Xing Kun, who had recently advanced to Late Stage Core Formation, and presented their congratulatory gifts.
• Lu Xuan met Jade Forest Rogue Cultivator and Wang Suihuai, then exchanged spirit-plant cultivation insights with Jade Forest Rogue Cultivator.
• Xing Kun opened the banquet, where Lu Xuan enjoyed rare dishes and performances by Merfolk and Clam People.
• Lu Xuan sensed malice in a gaze but could not find its source.
• Meat Mountain Cultivator and the voice within him recognized the scent of undigested Taishui Meat on Lu Xuan and craved eating him.

Lu Xuan examined Xing Yanran’s failing Dust Light Grass and identified its origin and unusual need for intense light. He left the problem’s solution unresolved as Xing Yanran asked how he could save it.

• Lu Xuan met Xing Yanran and her two Li Yang Dao Sect Fellow Disciples at a banquet, where she asked him to inspect a sickly Spirit Plant.
• Lu Xuan agreed to help Xing Yanran after learning that Jade Forest Rogue Cultivator had been unable to diagnose the plant.
• Lu Xuan examined the Dust Light Grass in Xing Yanran’s Cave Mansion and learned that the Fifth Grade Spirit Plant came from the Divine Light Realm.
• Lu Xuan identified the Dust Light Grass’s origin and discovered that it was weakening because it needed vast amounts of intense light.
• Xing Yanran praised Lu Xuan’s knowledge and asked how he could cure the Dust Light Grass.

Lu Xuan diagnosed the declining Dust Light Grass and received a Rank 5 Spirit Seed as a reward from Xing Yanran. After sensing that someone was spying on him with malicious intent, he avoided traveling alone and left Black Water Star Cave with the other Core Formation Cultivators, resolving to settle the debt later.

• Lu Xuan explained that the Dust Light Grass needed much more spiritual light during its Light Exposure period, and Xing Yanran illuminated it with Golden Pearls, reviving the plant.
• Xing Yanran praised Lu Xuan and promised to reward him, then later gave him a Jade Box containing a Rank 5 Spirit Seed as a return gift.
• Lu Xuan sensed his Clear Mayfly Feather Garment reacting to a cultivator spying on him and considered the danger posed by an unknown attacker.
• Lu Xuan decided to avoid the suspected enemy and told Ye Xuanyin he would return to Thunder Fire Star Cave with the other cultivators instead of exploring alone.
• Lu Xuan traveled with the five Core Formation Cultivators from Thunder Fire Star Cave, and the spying sensation eventually faded as he resolved to settle the matter in the future.

Lu Xuan returned to his Cave Mansion and strengthened its defenses while preparing for the malicious cultivator who might be pursuing him. He planted the Fifth Grade Jade Bottle Willow, a healing Spirit Plant gifted by Xing Kun, and learned how to care for it.

• A flesh mountain emerged from the black water and revealed its plan to hunt Lu Xuan at Thunder Fire Star Cave so its Evil Spirit tongue could consume him.
• Lu Xuan invited Daoist Huang and Daoist Xuan Yuan to his Cave Mansion, and they left satisfied after half a day.
• Lu Xuan reinforced his Cave Mansion with two Fifth Grade Array Formations and used the Voidsky Nightmare Eye to monitor the area.
• Lu Xuan considered seeking protection from Qi Wuheng, the Sea Pavilion Merchant Guild, or the Variant Azure Horn Thunder Rhinoceros if the malicious cultivator approached.
• Lu Xuan planted the Fifth Grade Jade Bottle Willow from Xing Kun and learned it needed Spirit Spring water or similar spiritual liquid, not anything strange or evil.

Lu Xuan cultivated Spirit Plants and worked to improve several varieties while living in his guarded Cave Mansion. After a Crimson Flame Gourd matured, its Light Orb gave him a Fifth Grade Primordial Yang True Fire Pearl, which he planned to use to nourish his Phoenix Wood.

• Lu Xuan focused on improving Water Firefly Grass, Earth Fire Heart Lotus, and Five Elements Fruit, and he condensed Fourth Grade Spirit Seeds.
• Lu Xuan patrolled his Spirit Field, replenished the Grass Puppet and Arrow Vines with a Spirit Gathering Grass Orb, and found a mature Crimson Flame Gourd.
• Lu Xuan harvested the Crimson Flame Gourd and learned that it contained a wisp of Fourth Grade Crimson Spirit Flame.
• Lu Xuan opened the Light Orb and received a Fifth Grade Primordial Yang True Fire Pearl.
• Lu Xuan decided to save the Primordial Yang True Fire Pearl to help his Sixth Grade Phoenix Wood mature.

Lu Xuan discovered a suspicious fat cultivator repeatedly lurking near his Cave Mansion and decided to report the threat to Heavenly Star Grotto rather than attack without confidence. A Core Formation Cultivator and guards soon arrived to investigate.

• Lu Xuan used the Voidsky Nightmare Eye to spot a fat cultivator spying near his Cave Mansion and judged him to be a dangerous Core Formation Cultivator.
• The Flesh Spirit God sensed the fat cultivator and eagerly wanted to eat him, but Lu Xuan fed it Demon Beast Meat and told it to wait.
• After watching the cultivator linger for a month, Lu Xuan decided he needed a way to drive him away before confronting him himself.
• Lu Xuan sent Qi Wuheng a message warning that an Evil Cultivator was acting furtively near Thunder Fire Star Cave and asked for patrols to investigate.
• Within two hours, Lu Xuan saw a Core Formation Cultivator from Heavenly Star Grotto leading guards past his Cave Mansion.

Lu Xuan resumed his errands after the Meat Mountain Cultivator stopped watching his Cave Mansion, then spent two months cultivating in seclusion. His Vajra Bodhi finally matured, leaving him poised to harvest its reward.

• The Meat Mountain Cultivator fled from Heavenly Star Grotto's patrols and decided to wait for Lu Xuan to leave his Cave Mansion before trying again.
• Lu Xuan used earth-escape techniques and a disguise to visit the Sea Pavilion Merchant Guild and You Jian General Store, where he collected Spirit Stones and delivered new Treasures to Wen Qian.
• Lu Xuan returned secretly to his Cave Mansion and spent two months cultivating and tending his Spirit Plants.
• Lu Xuan finished tempering the Peacock King Ming Sword and Gluttony Insect Pouch, strengthening both as they approached the form of low-grade magical treasures.
• A Buddhist chant sounded from the Spirit Field, and Lu Xuan saw that the Vajra Bodhi had matured.

Lu Xuan harvested a Vajra Bodhi and received a Sixth Grade Suppression Prison Vajra Statue, a powerful Buddhist treasure that could summon a Dharma Idol. He tended his sword grass and inspected his high-grade varieties, reflecting on how to obtain better Spirit Seeds and waiting for his Fifth Grade Sword Grasses to mature.

• Lu Xuan stored the Vajra Bodhi without consuming it and harvested its Light Orb, which rewarded him with a Suppression Prison Vajra Statue.
• Lu Xuan examined the statue’s ability to summon a powerful Buddhist Dharma Idol and put it away to refine later.
• Lu Xuan considered trading some of his Fifth Grade treasures for high-grade Spirit Seeds and other cultivation resources.
• Lu Xuan cultivated his Third Grade Thunderlight Sword Grass and inspected his maturing Fourth and Fifth Grade Sword Grasses.
• Lu Xuan suppressed the killing impulse stirred by the White Bone Killing Sword Grass and used the Light Splitting Sword Art beside the Light Splitting Shadowing Sword Grass.

Lu Xuan hosted Jade Forest Rogue Cultivator, declined her invitation to explore the Thunder Sea, and harvested a mature Nether Spring Flower. Its Light Orb rewarded him with the Sixth Grade cultivation technique Netherworld True Water Forbidden Art.

• Lu Xuan reflected on seeking more High-Grade Sword Grass Spirit Seeds from the Profound Cave Sword Sect and continued tending his Spirit Plants during a peaceful stretch.
• Jade Forest Rogue Cultivator visited Lu Xuan and praised his Jade Cleansing Spirit Dew and Spirit Fruits.
• Jade Forest Rogue Cultivator invited Lu Xuan to explore the Thunder Sea for Spirit Thunder and rare thunder liquid, but he declined because he felt unprepared for combat.
• After Jade Forest Rogue Cultivator left, Lu Xuan inspected his netherworld Spirit Plants and discovered that his Nether Spring Flower had matured.
• Lu Xuan harvested the Nether Spring Flower and received the Sixth Grade cultivation technique Netherworld True Water Forbidden Art from its Light Orb.

Lu Xuan cultivated his Netherworld spirit plants, refined pills, and harvested a mature Yin Cry Wood. Its light orb rewarded him with the Sixth Grade Ghost Wail Strange Diagram.

• Lu Xuan received and examined the Sixth Grade Netherworld True Water Forbidden Art, then considered finding more Purification Glazed Tea Leaves and spirit plant seeds.
• Lu Xuan fed his Netherworld spirit plants, watched the Demon Ghost Vine defeat the Fiendish Granny Treant, and encouraged the Saint Infant Fruit Mother Plant to produce more seeds.
• Lu Xuan offered fresh organs to the Five Organs Treasure Plant and powerful yin souls to the Ghost Eating Evil Vine, then returned to his Cave Mansion to refine pills.
• Less than a month later, Lu Xuan harvested the mature Fifth Grade Yin Cry Wood and received the Sixth Grade Ghost Wail Strange Diagram from its light orb.

Lu Xuan identified unusual spirit plants for the Sea Pavilion Merchant Guild, asked Daoist Wen to find Purification Glazed Tea, and declined the guild’s offer to sell the wares from his You Jian General Store. He left planning to add some of his unused Fifth Grade treasures to the shop.

• Lu Xuan examined the Sixth Grade Ghost Wail Strange Diagram and learned it could control weaker cultivators and sap others’ will to fight.
• At the Sea Pavilion Merchant Guild, Lu Xuan identified about sixty percent of the spirit plants while deliberately concealing how much he knew.
• Lu Xuan asked Daoist Wen to search the guild’s headquarters and other branches for Purification Glazed Tea seeds or seedlings.
• Daoist Wen asked Lu Xuan to sell his general store’s treasures through the guild, but he declined, saying the goods belonged to several people.
• Lu Xuan left for You Jian General Store and decided to sell some of his unused Fifth Grade treasures.

Lu Xuan decided to sell the fifth-grade Nine Heads Dragon Chart through You Jian General Store, and Wen Qian announced the rare Treasure to attract buyers. Three days later, cultivators including three Core Formation True Persons gathered to compete for the chart, priced at forty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

• Lu Xuan chose to sell the Nine Heads Dragon Chart because he had stronger Treasures and wanted to draw attention to the general store.
• Wen Qian agreed to sell the chart and became more determined to keep working for Lu Xuan.
• Wen Qian announced that the general store would offer a fifth-grade Treasure in three days, prompting cultivators to save Spirit Stones and prepare to compete for it.
• Three days later, Wen Qian admitted twenty qualified cultivators to the shop, including three Core Formation True Persons.
• Wen Qian demonstrated the Nine Heads Dragon Chart, and a Core Formation True Person confirmed it was a genuine fifth-grade Treasure.
• Wen Qian set the price at forty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones and warned the buyers against causing trouble.

Lu Xuan’s Nine Heads Dragon Chart sale drew a crowd to You Jian General Store, where a Foundation Establishment cultivator won the purchase by drawing lots on behalf of a Core Formation cultivator. Lu Xuan then collected the shop’s earnings and bought a Purification Glazed Tea Spirit Seed through the Sea Pavilion Merchant Guild, leaving him more confident in his new role as a Guest Elder.

• A Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator won the first purchase qualification, bought the Nine Heads Dragon Chart, and handed it to the Core Formation middle-aged cultivator he served.
• Wen Qian ruled that the purchase complied with the rules, and cultivators left him Communication Talismans in hopes of hearing about future fifth-grade treasures.
• Lu Xuan praised Wen Qian, collected more than three hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones in sales, and said he would bring out more fifth-grade treasures later.
• Lu Xuan met Female Cultivator Wen at the Sea Pavilion Merchant Guild branch and bought a Rank 5 Purification Glazed Tea Spirit Seed for eighteen thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Lu Xuan reflected that his Guest Elder status made acquiring high-level Spirit Seeds much easier and strengthened his sense of belonging to the merchant guild.

Lu Xuan returned to his Cave Mansion, planted a Purification Glazed Tea Spirit Seed, and resumed tending his Spirit Plants. When Jade Forest Rogue Cultivator arrived with three wounded Core Formation Cultivators seeking refuge from a Sixth Grade Demon Beast, Lu Xuan let them rest inside his outer formation and gave them healing pills while keeping them out of his Cave Mansion’s core area.

• Lu Xuan returned to his Cave Mansion cautiously after evading the Evil Cultivator and planted the Purification Glazed Tea Spirit Seed in the purest Spirit Soil.
• Lu Xuan treated the Fat Bird and the other Spirit Beasts to food before returning to his farming routine.
• Lu Xuan spotted Jade Forest Rogue Cultivator and three injured Core Formation Cultivators approaching his Cave Mansion.
• Jade Forest Rogue Cultivator explained that a Sixth Grade Demon Beast had attacked them in a Secret Realm in the Thunder Sea, killing one companion and badly injuring the survivors.
• Lu Xuan allowed the four cultivators to rest inside the Illusionary Extinction Five Elements Formation but barred them from the Cave Mansion’s core area.
• Lu Xuan gave the group a Third Grade Jade Muscle Elixir and a Fourth Grade Dust Cleansing Pill.

Lu Xuan hosted four recovering Core Formation Cultivators before they departed, then tended to his Spirit Plants. The Mind Ape Fruit matured and its Light Orb rewarded him with the Ape Demon Wine recipe, while the Sixth Grade Phoenix Wood neared maturity.

• The four Core Formation Cultivators rested in Lu Xuan’s Cave Mansion and discussed his caution and the risks of pursuing opportunities.
• After five or six days, the four cultivators thanked Lu Xuan and left, with some promising to visit or bring him rare Spirit Seeds.
• Lu Xuan inspected the Phoenix Wood and saw that it was close to maturing, then fed it a wisp of Primordial Yang True Fire.
• Lu Xuan harvested a mature Mind Ape Fruit and received the fifth-grade Ape Demon Wine recipe from its Light Orb.
• Lu Xuan learned that Ape Demon Wine could strengthen the body and qi and blood, trigger a berserk state, and help ape-type Demonic Beasts purify their bloodlines and advance.

Lu Xuan tended the Nine Confucian Treasure Tree and encouraged Hong Qinghai to focus on reaching Foundation Establishment. Hong Qinghai succeeded with Lu Xuan’s protection and received a cultivation method as a gift.

• Lu Xuan inspected the Nine Confucian Treasure Tree, tended it, and rewarded Hong Qinghai with Second Grade Spirit Accumulation Elixirs.
• Lu Xuan told Hong Qinghai to prepare for Foundation Establishment and promised to protect him during the breakthrough.
• Half a month later, Hong Qinghai swallowed a Foundation Establishment Pill while Lu Xuan watched over him, and successfully advanced.
• Lu Xuan congratulated Hong Qinghai and gave him a Foundation Establishment cultivation method as a gift.

Lu Xuan entered the Thunder Sea to replenish spirit thunder and thunder liquid, where he met his Thunder Hǒu Beast friends and gathered supplies. The Mutated Thunder Hǒu Beast brought him to its clan’s hidden dwelling so he could visit the Azure Horn Thunder Rhinoceros.

• Lu Xuan left his Cave Mansion and fed Spirit Fruits and Ice Marrow Spirit Wine to the Thunder Hǒu Beast near the passage entrance.
• Lu Xuan avoided a Core Formation True Person in the Thunder Sea and let the Mutated Thunder Hǒu Beast charge into his embrace.
• The Mutated Thunder Hǒu Beast brought Lu Xuan to the hidden land, where he collected Ink Green Spirit Thunder and thunder liquid.
• Lu Xuan asked the Mutated Thunder Hǒu Beast to take him to the Thunder Hǒu Beast Clan’s dwelling so he could visit the Azure Horn Thunder Rhinoceros and clear Thunder Death Crystals.
• The Thunder Hǒu Beasts recognized Lu Xuan as the cultivator who had ridden on the Thunder Rhinoceros Ancestor.