Chapter Summaries

Long Ao accused the Sea of Stars Alliance of killing Divine Lord Huan Zhen and You Yue Divine Lord, framing Lei Chiyan, and plundering Base No. 1’s star ore. Jiang Boyue, Jia Zhen, and Chu Cai struggled to explain the conflicting evidence as Long Ao demanded that they hand over Lei Chiyan.

• Jiang Boyue questioned Long Ao about when and how Divine Lord Huan Zhen had sent him messages, and Long Ao said a message talisman had arrived at the third quarter of the Xu hour.
• Long Ao said Divine Lord Huan Zhen had credited Lei Chiyan with helping him escape and had ordered the bases to defend themselves and clear Lei Chiyan’s name.
• Chu Cai suggested Divine Lord Huan Zhen had sent the messages under Lei Chiyan’s threat, but Long Ao rejected the explanation and accused the Sea of Stars Alliance of plotting the deaths.
• Long Ao demanded that Jiang Boyue hand over Lei Chiyan and accused the alliance of preparing an image to frame him for the killings.
• Long Ao accused the Sea of Stars Alliance of mining out Base No. 1’s star ore and argued that Lei Chiyan would have no use for it.

Long Ao left after concluding that the Sea of Stars Alliance had harmed the Yin Court, while Jiang Boyue resolved to seek Zuo Menghui’s help and pursue Lei Chiyan at the Imperial Decree Platform. Xu Yi entered Spring City to collect two Origin Embryo Pills, but learned that Yan Jingming was caught up in an audit and could not return.

• Long Ao rejected Jia Zhen’s explanations and threatened the Sea of Stars Alliance with the Yin Court’s wrath, leaving Jiang Boyue to collapse in distress.
• Jia Zhen and Chu Cai persuaded Jiang Boyue that Lei Chiyan might go to the Imperial Decree Platform, and Jiang Boyue decided to meet him there.
• Xu Yi entered Spring City with the little wolfhound following underground and went to Jingyue Xuan to collect two Origin Embryo Pills.
• Zhao Che told Xu Yi that Yan Jingming had gone to the main hall to report two artificers for assessment and asked him to wait.
• A squad of armored soldiers raided Jingyue Xuan after both artificers proved fraudulent, and Zhao Che explained that Yan Jingming’s rivals had prompted an audit.
• Xu Yi worried that Yan Jingming’s delay would prevent him from collecting the pills and exchanging his resources.

Xu Yi claimed to be a master artifact forger and used his bluffing to gain entry to the Righteous Alliance’s main hall, where Yan Jingming was under pressure from Qi Xiongbei. He left Yan Jingming with a chance to turn the dispute around.

• Xu Yi offered to help Yan Jingming and told Zhao Che he had crafted over a thousand Spirit Weapons.
• Zhao Che took Xu Yi to the main hall, where Xu Yi bluffed his way past Steward Zhu by threatening to leave and keep Yan Jingming’s gifts.
• Steward Zhu brought Xu Yi into a gathering where Qi Xiongbei was arguing with Yan Jingming and Deputy Alliance Leader Song Huanshan.
• Xu Yi insulted Qi Xiongbei and the Righteous Alliance, then began to leave after Song Yu ordered him out.
• Song Huanshan asked Yan Jingming to keep Xu Yi, and Yan Jingming stopped him and pleaded for him to stay.

Xu Yi defended Yan Jingming in the Righteous Alliance by claiming expertise in artifact refining, then agreed to refine weapons for three months. He insisted on working in seclusion to keep his secret techniques hidden.

• Xu Yi insulted Song Yu, and Song Huanshan sent the angry youth out before apologizing to Xu Yi.
• Xu Yi challenged Lan Caiyu to reveal his artifact-refining record and mocked his low success rate.
• Xu Yi offered to repay Yan Jingming by refining divine weapons for the Righteous Alliance, and Yan accepted his help.
• Song Huanshan said the materials were ready, while Xu Yi refused to let anyone observe his work and demanded complete seclusion.

Xu Yi used the Righteous Alliance’s resources to restore the Thousand Illusions Heavy Thunder Sword and forge the weapons Song Huanshan had requested. As Xu Yi remained in seclusion, Qi Xiongbei questioned his abilities, and Song Huanshan defended the decision to trust him.

• Song Huanshan arranged a protected forging chamber and supplied Xu Yi with resources for three hundred Spirit Weapons and twenty Azure Grade Divine Weapons.
• Xu Yi rested for three days, then reforged the Thousand Illusions Heavy Thunder Sword and added three Azure Weapon Spirits to it.
• Xu Yi completed the three hundred Spirit Weapons and twenty Azure Grade Divine Weapons ahead of schedule, then stayed in the chamber to read.
• Qi Xiongbei warned Song Huanshan that Xu Yi was a fraud and cited Master Wu’s production of thirteen Azure Grade Divine Weapons in a month.
• Song Huanshan rejected Qi Xiongbei’s warning and said the alliance needed a weapon forger for a purpose beyond expanding its armory.

Xu Yi completed a month-long task by forging hundreds of weapons, impressing the Righteous Alliance and silencing Qi Xiongbei’s challenge. While relaxing with Yan Jingming, he learned that Song Huanshan hoped to recruit him to help the alliance secure a leading role in forging Star Refining Furnaces.

• Xu Yi emerged from the refining room and revealed three hundred Spirit Weapons and twenty divine weapons, which flew to their owners in response to their will.
• Song Huanshan praised Xu Yi, while Qi Xiongbei lost hope and Master Wu acknowledged Xu Yi’s skill before proposing a future contest.
• Song Huanshan arranged a hot spring for Xu Yi and left Yan Jingming to accompany him.
• Yan Jingming explained that the Spring City Council needed expert refiners to forge Star Refining Furnaces and that Song Huanshan hoped the opportunity would advance his bid for deputy council chairman.

Xu Yi learned that the Star Refining Furnace was central to Spring City's control of star ore, and Yan Jingming urged him to compete to become Chief Refiner. Yan Jingming explained that the role could help Xu Yi obtain the resources and Imperial Decree Tablet he needed for the upcoming Imperial Decree Battle, and Xu Yi agreed to compete.

• Yan Jingming explained how ore-bed channeling methods and Spring City's seven Star Refining Furnaces enabled the city to dominate star ore production.
• Yan Jingming urged Xu Yi to compete for Chief Refiner, saying Master Wu could not match his skill and that the alliance needed a capable refiner.
• Yan Jingming told Xu Yi that the Righteous Alliance would support him with resources if he helped create a Star Refining Furnace, giving him a path toward obtaining an Imperial Decree Tablet.
• Xu Yi agreed to compete after learning the next Imperial Decree Battle was only a year away.
• Yan Jingming gave Xu Yi a Sumeru Ring containing five Origin Embryo Pills as a goodwill gift from Deputy Alliance Leader Song.
• Yan Jingming arranged a room for Xu Yi, who rested and read while anticipating difficulties ahead.

Qi Xiongbei discovered that Master Wu was considering an offer from the Sea of Stars Alliance, threatening Qi’s ambitions in the Righteous Alliance. As Qi stood stunned by the news, someone suggested that Master Wu should stay.

• Fang Zheng told Qi Xiongbei that Master Wu thought Xu Yi might be a hidden master and was reluctant to compete with him.
• Qi Xiongbei learned from Fang Zheng that the Sea of Stars Alliance had contacted Master Wu and rushed to confront him.
• Master Wu said the Sea of Stars Alliance had offered him one of its three Furnace Master slots, though he had not yet accepted.
• Qi Xiongbei realized Master Wu had little reason to risk competing for the Righteous Alliance’s single Furnace Master slot.
• As Qi Xiongbei stood dazed in Master Wu’s courtyard, an unidentified voice said Master Wu would be better off staying in the Righteous Alliance.

Xu Yi investigated a supposed underground fire vein and discovered Qi Xiongbei had lured him into an ambush. Xu Yi escaped underground and turned the attackers’ pursuit into a deadly counterattack, leaving Qi Xiongbei’s remaining forces trapped in the tunnel.

• Fang Zheng urged Qi Xiongbei to offer Master Wu stronger support, and Qi asked Master Wu to give him three days before deciding to leave the Righteous Alliance.
• Steward Hu told Xu Yi about a newly discovered fire vein at Loushan Yan, and Xu Yi hurried there to investigate.
• Xu Yi sensed that the lava river was a fake, but Qi Xiongbei and five cultivators attacked him at once.
• Xu Yi opened a hole in the ground and escaped the combined attack by digging a deep tunnel.
• Qi Xiongbei led the six cultivators into the tunnel, where Xu Yi’s treasured swords killed the old man in hemp clothes and then struck down Qi Wuzi.

Xu Yi fought off Qi Xiongbei’s ambush in a narrow underground tunnel, killing three Human Immortals before a devastating shock wave forced him and the little wolfdog to escape. Qi Xiongbei’s reinforcements arrived, and he credited Master Wu with the attack that had driven Xu Yi from his burrow.

• Qi Wuzi and two other Human Immortals died as Xu Yi’s Purple Firmament Sword Group swept through the tunnel.
• Huo Beifang, Qi Xiongbei, and Zhao Dong escaped the tunnel, and Huo Beifang refused to keep fighting Xu Yi.
• A shock wave tore through the underground passage, and the little wolfdog opened a path that let Xu Yi burst out of the ground.
• Fang Zheng, Master Wu, and two cloaked Third Realm Human Immortals arrived from the east.
• Qi Xiongbei welcomed the newcomers and praised Master Wu for driving Xu Yi out of the tunnel.

Xu Yi survived Qi Xiongbei and Master Wu’s ambush when Alliance Leader Chen intervened, then woke in the Righteous Alliance and tried to withdraw from its affairs. Song Huanshan revealed that Master Wu may have belonged to the Xing Tian Sect, leaving Xu Yi shaken by the connection to an identity he had once acquired.

• Fang Zheng and Qi Xiongbei agreed to kill Xu Yi, while Master Wu urged Qi Xiongbei to give the fight everything he had.
• Qi Xiongbei attacked Xu Yi, but Alliance Leader Chen’s black string shattered the blade aura and sent Qi Xiongbei flying.
• Xu Yi collapsed and later woke in an elegant room, where Yan Jingming apologized and said the Alliance had chosen Xu Yi as its Furnace Master representative on the council.
• Xu Yi pretended to sleep and told Yan Jingming he no longer wanted to join the Righteous Alliance’s affairs.
• Song Huanshan apologized on behalf of the Righteous Alliance and asked Xu Yi whether he had heard of the Xing Tian Sect.
• Xu Yi asked whether Master Wu belonged to the Xing Tian Sect and wondered why he had tried to kill him.

Song Huanshan explained why the Xing Tian Sect targeted Xu Yi and described the Tu Hun Alliance, the Tian Huan Star Domain, and the ranks granted through the Imperial Decree Platform. Xu Yi learned that divine ranks determined whether someone could rule a major star, establish a system on a King Star, or found a more limited doctrine.

• Song Huanshan explained that Wu had targeted Xu Yi to secure the Righteous Alliance’s Furnace Master position and its support, while the Xing Tian Sect sought control of the Furnace.
• Song Huanshan promised that the Righteous Alliance would try to secure an Imperial Decree Tablet for Xu Yi, and Xu Yi agreed to stop pressing his grievances for now.
• Song Huanshan described the Tu Hun Alliance as a loose coalition of city councils that could assume command during a major disaster on Tu Hun Star.
• Song Huanshan explained that the Tian Huan Star Domain contained seven major stars, dozens of King Stars, and more than a hundred resource stars.
• Song Huanshan outlined the five divine ranks, explaining that the highest could rule a Great World, the next offered hope of becoming a Heavenly Immortal, and the lower ranks established limited doctrines.

Xu Yi learned from Song Huanshan that the Imperial Decree Platform was perilous and filled with powerful cultivators, and that entering too soon could be fatal. Though Huang Mei urged him to wait, Xu Yi resolved to seize the upcoming opportunity, believing he had ways to handle the danger.

• Xu Yi asked Song Huanshan about the Imperial Decree Platform, and Song revealed that he had failed to obtain divine status there despite being a Third Realm Human Immortal with a White Grade Divine Weapon.
• Song Huanshan explained that cultivators from the First Realm to the Earth Immortal Realm competed on the platform, warned Xu Yi that entry was dangerous, and said its next opening might come within one to four years.
• Song Huanshan told Xu Yi that he had attached himself to an existing divine system and advised him to delay entering the platform, since most entrants had only one chance.
• After Song Huanshan left, Huang Mei warned Xu Yi not to rush into a battle against powerful opponents.
• Xu Yi told Huang Mei he could not wait another twenty years and intended to pursue the opportunity, trusting that he had room to maneuver.

Xu Yi met the captured Mr. Wu and learned that the man believed Xu Yi was a fellow Xing Tian Sect member infiltrating the Righteous Alliance. Xu Yi remained cautious as Mr. Wu urged him to deny membership and wait for the chance to advance the sect’s cause.

• Xu Yi dismissed Desolate Charm Old Ancestor’s doubts and considered relying on a Life and Death Talisman and the little wolf-dog as he waited for news from the Righteous Alliance.
• Yan Jingming told Xu Yi that the captured Mr. Wu wanted to see him, and Xu Yi agreed because he remembered Wu’s attempt to kill him.
• Xu Yi met the wounded Mr. Wu alone in an underground chamber and suspected the Righteous Alliance had arranged the meeting to test him.
• Mr. Wu used the Xing Tian Sect’s secret inscription to signal Xu Yi, who recognized it from the token he had obtained from Li Daoyuan.
• Mr. Wu told Xu Yi to deny belonging to the Xing Tian Sect and wait for his death to make the Righteous Alliance believe its spy had been eliminated.
• Xu Yi judged that Mr. Wu was probably sincere but remained unsure whether anyone was watching them.

Xu Yi killed Master Wu during their meeting and let Desolate consume his immortal soul to uncover the truth. Desolate concluded that Wu had been controlled as part of a test, while Deputy Alliance Leader Song later confirmed that the meeting had been a setup arranged to investigate Xu Yi.

• Master Wu attacked Xu Yi, who killed him and sent his immortal soul to Desolate.
• Deputy Alliance Leader Song and Yan Jingming arrived, and Xu Yi recounted his conversation with Master Wu.
• Desolate told Xu Yi that Wu had been controlled and used to test whether Xu Yi would reveal their conversation honestly.
• Deputy Alliance Leader Song told Fang Sidao that Xu Yi was not with Xing Tian Sect and revealed that the meeting with Master Wu had been a test.
• Deputy Alliance Leader Song explained that Fang Sidao had grown suspicious of Xu Yi because of his artifact-refining skill and unclear origins.

Fang Sidao continued to suspect Xu Yi of ties to Xing Tian Sect, but Xu Yi revealed that he had deliberately used the Thousand Illusions Heavy Thunder Sword to expose his identity. After Alliance Leader Chen traced Xu Yi’s history and cleared him, Xu Yi passed the Furnace Master assessment and received his Refiner Order.

• Fang Sidao warned Deputy Alliance Leader Song that Xu Yi might still be connected to Xing Tian Sect and advised against putting him forward as a Furnace Master.
• Huang Mei worried that the Righteous Alliance would never accept Xu Yi, but Xu Yi showed him the token granting him the Furnace Master position.
• Xu Yi explained that he had deliberately used the Thousand Illusions Heavy Thunder Sword to kill Wu Yashi so the Righteous Alliance could identify him.
• Alliance Leader Chen traced the sword and investigated Xu Yi’s background, confirming his history and easing Fang Sidao’s suspicions.
• Xu Yi passed the Furnace Master assessment and received his Refiner Order.

Xu Yi discussed the value of Wu Yashi’s immortal soul and learned more about Xing Tian Sect’s plans and its Left Arm organization on Tu Hun Star. He and Huang Mei then reached Xi Hua Valley, a secluded base of the Spring City Council.

• Xu Yi explained why he believed Deputy Alliance Leader Song and the Righteous Alliance would conceal his identity, and Huang Mei praised his calculation.
• Xu Yi asked Huang Mei what he had learned from devouring Wu Yashi’s immortal soul, hoping to use the knowledge to improve his standing in Xing Tian Sect.
• Huang Mei explained that Xing Tian Sect’s Left Arm organization was seeking a method to make a Star Refining Furnace and that Wu Yashi had been a Black Rank Xing Zhe.
• Xu Yi reasoned that a Tu Hun Alliance sleeper agent had likely disrupted Xing Tian Sect’s long-term infiltration, and Huang Mei advised him to become a valued refiner before pursuing either organization.
• Xu Yi and Huang Mei arrived at Xi Hua Valley, a secluded Spring City Council base protected from ferocious beasts by Stealth Formations.

Xu Yi was appointed captain of the refiners gathered in Xi Hua Valley, but the group challenged his exemption from the examination and questioned his reputation. He accepted any weapon-refining challenge and raised the stakes to life and death, leaving the confrontation poised for a duel.

• Xu Yi sent Big Yellow away to forage and practice fighting while he waited with the other refiners in Xi Hua Valley.
• Dong Guo Shun announced that the weapon-refining examination would begin in three days and appointed Xu Yi captain, exempting him from the trial.
• Bei Qihan and other refiners protested Xu Yi’s appointment, prompting Dong Guo Shun to explain Xu Yi’s record of exposing Wu Yashi and refining weapons.
• Bei Qihan challenged Xu Yi to refine a White Grade Divine Weapon, and the crowd accused Xu Yi of fraud when he did not immediately accept.
• Xu Yi agreed to compete against Bei Qihan or anyone else, then proposed that the winner live and the loser die, wagering the treasures in his Starry Sky Ring.

Xu Yi displayed his wealth to deter challengers, then passed the first trial and learned that the next requirement was cultivating Jade Void Sacred Qi. He recognized it as a flawed, abbreviated form of Cloud Crane Pure Qi, but Huang Mei warned that using his own version could expose him.

• Xu Yi piled up three thousand Star Spirit Essences, and Bei Qihan withdrew from their wager while no one else dared challenge him.
• Xu Yi and the other candidates completed the month-long trial, with only three of the fifty-eight being eliminated.
• Dong Guo Shun told the candidates that they had to cultivate Jade Void Sacred Qi within a month to qualify as refiners and distributed jade slips containing its method.
• Xu Yi studied the method and recognized Jade Void Sacred Qi as a crooked, abbreviated version of Cloud Crane Pure Qi.
• Huang Mei warned Xu Yi that his Cloud Crane Pure Qi might differ in appearance from Jade Void Sacred Qi and arouse suspicion when his cultivation was inspected.

Xu Yi failed to cultivate the Jade Void Sacred Qi because the council had given the candidates a fake manual, but he saw through the deception and avoided being exposed as a member of the Xing Tian Sect. The council’s assessment was interrupted by an attack, and Zhang Chu Cheng killed the two attackers as the hall descended into chaos.

• After failing to cultivate Jade Void Sacred Qi, Xu Yi chose to pass off Cloud Crane Pure Qi and risk the assessment rather than leave.
• Dong Guo Shun dismissed the candidates who had failed to cultivate Jade Void Sacred Qi, and Bei Qihan mocked Xu Yi and challenged him to a fight in a month.
• Xu Yi accepted Bei Qihan’s challenge, then Zhang Chu Cheng arrived as armored soldiers stormed into the hall.
• Two attackers fled toward the passageway, but Zhang Chu Cheng killed them with his Black Grade Divine Weapon.
• Xu Yi realized the council had given the candidates a fake Jade Void Sacred Qi manual to expose members of the Xing Tian Sect, and that his understanding of the Minor Cloud Crane Art had helped him avoid the trap.