Chapter Summaries

Xu Yi brought Yan Zi home and settled her into his household, while his thoughts returned to rescuing Qiu Wa and strengthening himself. Yuan Qinghua revealed that he had sent Skinny Monkey to Zhongzhou, and Xu Yi ordered him to find a larger house.

• Xu Yi finished eating with Yan Zi, then worried that he lacked the strength to go to Tianshan Sect and bring Qiu Wa back.
• Xu Yi introduced Yan Zi to Yuan Qinghua and decided that Yuan Qinghua would share his room so Yan Zi could have the other.
• Yan Zi brought Xu Yi hot water to soak his feet, leaving him flustered and quietly moved by her care.
• Xu Yi kicked Yuan Qinghua off the bed after catching him smiling, then asked what had happened to Skinny Monkey.
• Yuan Qinghua said he had disguised Skinny Monkey, given him three hundred gold coins, and sent him with a theater troupe to Zhongzhou, avoiding the search for the Hat Man's associates.
• Xu Yi told Yuan Qinghua to rent a larger house near the Patrol Division and gave him gold notes, assigning half to Yan Zi for household expenses.

Xu Yi arranged a new home for Yan Zi and settled the Feng Family’s prisoner release with Head Steward Feng, then shared the payment with Gao Junmo. He left to prepare for the Ullambana Festival and reunited with Elder Song at the Alchemy Hall.

• Xu Yi told Yan Zi to stay safe and moved with her toward a new courtyard beside the Patrol Division, where Yuan Qinghua had arranged the rental.
• Head Steward Feng paid Xu Yi ten thousand gold to retrieve the Feng Family prisoner after learning of Xu Yi’s leverage and the Feng Family’s troubles following Feng Xinglie’s death.
• Gao Junmo took his usual two-thousand-gold share, and Xu Yi told him he would be away for ten days or half a month.
• Xu Yi went to the Alchemy Hall and showed Elder Song’s jade token to reach his room.
• Elder Song joyfully welcomed Xu Yi, who had been rumored dead after his tomb expedition.

Xu Yi asked Elder Song to help him buy a Top-grade magic robe after claiming his Dragon Crocodile Armor had been destroyed. Elder Song secured him a meeting with Hall Master Zheng, who set a price of thirty thousand gold before warning that Xu Yi’s low standing meant the price might rise.

• Xu Yi gave Elder Song Qi Replenishing Pills and asked him to find protective armor after saying his Dragon Crocodile Armor had been destroyed.
• Elder Song explained that Top-grade magic robes were not normally for sale, but Xu Yi offered him four thousand gold to arrange a meeting with the hall master.
• Elder Song introduced Xu Yi to Hall Master Zheng at the Alchemy Hall.
• Hall Master Zheng quoted thirty thousand gold for one Top-grade magic robe, and Xu Yi immediately accepted.
• Hall Master Zheng stopped Xu Yi and said that thirty thousand gold was the price for customers of equal standing, not a junior at the Body Tempering Stage.

Xu Yi traded Liu Fengzhu's Blood Artifact for a Top-grade magic robe and left with 346,000 gold. He then bought discarded weapons containing Cloud Burst essence and, five days later, finished forging a pile of Cloud Burst Arrows.

• Xu Yi gave Hall Master Zheng's Alchemy Hall a Blood Artifact in exchange for a Top-grade magic robe and twenty thousand gold.
• Xu Yi visited Steward Xie at the Guili Room and asked him to find discarded weapons containing Cloud Burst essence.
• Steward Xie and the other stewards gathered the scrap weapons and sold them to Xu Yi for ten thousand gold, plus a six-thousand-gold fee.
• Xu Yi brought the half-cartload of weapons to Guangwu Pavilion.
• Five days later, Xu Yi sat in a high-grade forge room beside a pile of newly forged Cloud Burst Arrows.

Xu Yi forged a hundred and twenty Cloud Burst Arrows, broke open Jiang Nanxun’s Sumeru Ring, and consolidated his equipment and wealth. He then went to a training ground to test his unpracticed archery with a powerful bow and his new arrows.

• Xu Yi forged a hundred and twenty Cloud Burst Arrows after hundreds of attempts.
• Xu Yi used his top-grade Five Elements Flags to break Jiang Nanxun’s Sumeru Ring’s seal and found a spear, pills, a magic robe, money, and mysterious items inside.
• Xu Yi opened Chen Fenglei’s Sumeru Ring, inspected its contents, and reorganized his weapons, treasures, rings, and money.
• Xu Yi recovered his strength, washed and changed, then went to the training ground instead of heading home.
• Xu Yi paid the weapons steward for a hard bow and two quivers of arrows, then headed to the far end of the range to test his archery.

Xu Yi practiced archery with the Ox Horn Bow and asked Zhao Baling for instruction as he prepared for his appointment with Pavilion Master Fang. By sunset, he had shot more than a thousand arrows and greatly improved his accuracy.

• Xu Yi drew the Ox Horn Bow easily, but his first two arrows flew over the wall and drew laughter from the onlookers.
• Xu Yi adjusted his technique and improved enough to hit the target regularly, astonishing the crowd with his stamina.
• Zhao Baling recognized Xu Yi, dismissed the onlookers, and thanked him for saving his life, but Xu Yi stopped him from kneeling.
• Xu Yi asked Zhao Baling for archery pointers because he wanted to prepare for his appointment with Pavilion Master Fang and improve his use of the Cloud Burst Arrow.
• Zhao Baling taught Xu Yi archery, and Xu Yi raised his accuracy to six or seven hits out of ten before continuing to practice until sunset.

Xu Yi practiced archery with Zhao Baling and discovered that his powerful Soul Power let him hit targets with his eyes closed. After sharing a meal, the two strengthened their friendship, and Zhao Baling offered to help Xu Yi if he ever needed him.

• Xu Yi practiced archery until he could nearly hit the bull's-eye with every shot, and Zhao Baling judged his skill to be second rank.
• Xu Yi asked Zhao Baling to teach him to hit moving targets, and Zhao explained that reaching the highest levels required talent, repetition, and feel.
• After hearing Zhao describe feel as hitting a target with closed eyes, Xu Yi used his perception to strike the target repeatedly and form a perfect circle.
• Zhao Baling marveled at Xu Yi's innate talent, while Xu Yi attributed his perception to training his Soul Power.
• Over dinner, Xu Yi explained that he wore a mask because powerful families might be plotting against him.
• Zhao Baling promised to come to Xu Yi's aid if he sent a message to Guangwu Pavilion, and Xu Yi toasted him.

Xu Yi trained his archery with Zhao Baling until the Ox Horn Bow broke, then returned home and arranged for Yuan Qinghua and Yan Zi to train at Guangwu Pavilion while he was away. The chapter left Xu Yi preparing for another long trip and his household with instructions and funds for their cultivation.

• Xu Yi practiced shooting coins with Zhao Baling through the night and learned to hit them three or four times out of ten.
• Xu Yi gave Zhao Baling a thousand-gold banknote and Qi Replenishing Pills after the Ox Horn Bow's string snapped.
• Xu Yi returned home, noticed Yan Zi's beauty, and brought steamed buns for her and Yuan Qinghua.
• Yuan Qinghua complained that he had no work, so Xu Yi told him and Yan Zi to train at Guangwu Pavilion during his upcoming trip.
• Xu Yi gave them three thousand gold for training expenses and told them to seek Zhao Baling's help only if necessary.

Xu Yi sent Yuan Qinghua and Yan Zi to Guangwu Pavilion to improve their Martial Arts cultivation, then went to Linglong Pavilion for his meeting with Pavilion Master Fang. Disguised as Xue Xiang, he joined the four other guests for the Ullambana Festival, and their attention turned to him as he entered.

• Xu Yi ordered Yuan Qinghua and Yan Zi to train at Guangwu Pavilion until each advanced by at least one stage, and Yuan Qinghua reluctantly agreed.
• After sleeping through the night, Xu Yi escorted them to Guangwu Pavilion and headed to Linglong Pavilion to meet Pavilion Master Fang.
• Xu Yi asked how the festival would protect attendees' privacy and chose the alias Xue Xiang.
• Xu Yi used the Hundred Transformations Box to disguise himself as a sickly, blue-faced man with a mustache.
• Pavilion Master Fang led Xu Yi to a hall where four guests were waiting, and all but the short, fat man silently watched Xu Yi enter.

Xu Yi joined Linglong Pavilion’s group for the Ullambana Festival and established his strength by striking the Yun Family Steward after the man provoked him. The group boarded a Flying Treasure Ship and set off, leaving Xu Yi marveling at the view over Guang'an City.

• Pavilion Master Fang introduced Xu Yi as Linglong Pavilion’s new honorary guest, and Xu Yi struck the Yun Family Steward when he questioned his ability.
• Pavilion Master Fang introduced Elder Lei, Madam Feng, the Shui Family Second Elder, and the governor’s brother-in-law as the group’s representatives.
• The governor’s brother-in-law questioned whether Xu Yi could supply his share of the treasures required for the festival, and Xu Yi insisted he would provide his own.
• Pavilion Master Fang activated a red compass-shaped object, raising a Flying Treasure Ship from the ground.
• Xu Yi boarded the ship and watched it rise through the clouds above Guang'an City.

Xu Yi took control of Pavilion Master Fang's flying vessel and nearly crashed it through a narrow mountain pass before Blood Bat Demons ambushed the passengers. The group slaughtered the attackers, but Pavilion Master Fang suspected the unusual daylight assault had been planned.

• Xu Yi and Pavilion Master Fang discussed cultivation and the flying vessel's oil-powered mechanical design.
• Xu Yi took the compass and piloted the vessel wildly, angering the passengers before steering it through a narrow gap between two peaks.
• Dozens of Blood Bat Demons emerged from the pass and attacked the vessel.
• Elder Lei and the other cultivators fought back, killing nearly a hundred Blood Bat Demons.
• Pavilion Master Fang noted that Blood Bat Demons usually avoided light and questioned whether the ambush had been planned.

Xu Yi and the others fought off successive waves of Blood Bats while traveling on the flying boat, but a powerful Blood Bat Demon King appeared and threatened them. Pavilion Master Fang warned everyone to cooperate as the Demon King faced them.

• The Yun Family Steward and the stern middle-aged man criticized Xu Yi for not helping fight the first wave of Blood Bats, but Xu Yi challenged them and Pavilion Master Fang defused the quarrel.
• Countless Blood Bats attacked the flying boat, and Pavilion Master Fang ordered the shield array activated.
• Xu Yi raised and then lowered the boat as the Blood Bats battered the shield until it shattered.
• Elder Lei and the others held back the remaining Blood Bats while the archers fired Thunderbolt Arrows, killing many of them.
• A shrill cry made the Blood Bats retreat into two ordered wings as a massive Blood Bat Demon King arrived.
• Pavilion Master Fang warned everyone that the Demon King had reached the Sapience Stage or possibly the Mid Enlightenment Stage and urged them to fight together.

The Blood Bat Demon King demanded a human blood sacrifice, while Pavilion Master Fang tried to unite the group against it. After the Shui Family Second Elder sowed distrust among the guards, the demon attacked and shattered the group’s defenses, leaving him captured and Xu Yi thrown into the pavilion.

• The Blood Bat Demon King revealed its intelligence by writing in blood, and Pavilion Master Fang warned that it had reached at least the Mid Enlightenment Stage.
• The demon demanded a dozen or twenty people as a blood sacrifice, and Elder Lei offered to provide fish instead.
• Pavilion Master Fang urged everyone to stand together, but the Shui Family Second Elder suggested sacrificing guards, causing the Black Armored Guard to lose trust and turn their arrows toward the group.
• The Blood Bat Demon King lunged through the group’s weapons and swept more than thirty Black Armored Guards into the lake.
• Xu Yi was flung into the pavilion, and the Blood Bat Demon King seized the Shui Family Second Elder and carried him into the air.

The Blood Bat Demon King revealed how he had manipulated the cultivators into abandoning the Black Armored Guard, then slaughtered Second Elder Shui and fed the fallen guards to his followers. With the survivors cornered aboard the flying boat, he attacked Pavilion Master Fang’s group, whose limited True Qi made it unclear how they could withstand him.

• The Blood Bat Demon King explained that he had planned to use the demand for blood offerings to divide the cultivators and target the Black Armored Guard, whose Thunderbolt Arrows threatened him most.
• The Blood Bat Demons killed the Black Armored Guard and captured Second Elder Shui, whom the Blood Bat Demon King tore apart and drained before devouring the guards’ corpses.
• Pavilion Master Fang ordered the survivors to defend the entrances and avoid the water, while Yun Er mocked Elder Xue and Elder Lei rebuked him.
• The Blood Bat Demon King lunged at Pavilion Master Fang, seized his halberd, and forced him to release it after the group struck him with weapon qi.
• Pavilion Master Fang and the others worried that their finite True Qi could not withstand the demon king, who attacked again with a new strategy.

Pavilion Master Fang and the others rejected the Blood Bat Demon King’s demand for human sacrifices, but the demon split their group by offering the two men in white a chance to escape. After a fierce battle, the survivors boarded the flying boat and fled into the clouds.

• Pavilion Master Fang formed a circle with the others as the Blood Bat Demon King halted and offered to spare them in exchange for blood from other cultivators.
• The white-clothed scholar and the stern middle-aged man accepted the demon’s demand, but Pavilion Master Fang refused to help it prey on humans.
• The Blood Bat Demon King offered to spare the two men in white, and they fled, only to be intercepted by the Blood Bat Demons.
• A red flash blasted off half the Demon King’s wing, and a second strike killed it, leaving its steel claws behind.
• Pavilion Master Fang, Elder Lei, and the cold and beautiful woman survived the swarm, and the sickly man in green piloted the flying boat away with the two battered men aboard.

Xu Yi accepted jade tokens from Madam Feng and Elder Lei after secretly using two powerful Cloud Burst Arrows to kill the Blood Bat Demon King. When the white-clothed scholar accused him of waiting too long to help, Xu Yi killed him with a streak of weapon aura.

• Madam Feng and Elder Lei offered Xu Yi their family tokens in gratitude, and Pavilion Master Fang urged him to accept them.
• Xu Yi recalled hiding in the pavilion and fashioning a bow from iron essence and Dragon Beard before firing two Cloud Burst Arrows at the Blood Bat Demon King.
• Xu Yi collected the demon king’s steel claws and accepted the jade tokens, while lamenting the loss of his two precious arrows.
• The white-clothed scholar accused Xu Yi of deliberately letting everyone suffer, and Xu Yi swept weapon aura across his neck, beheading him.

After the group reached Huiyin Mountain, Xu Yi prepared for an exchange event amid reports that violent demons were attacking travelers. He entered a stone cavern to have his offering inspected and presented Chen Fenglei's Judge's Brush.

• Zuo killed the white-clothed scholar, destroyed his Yin soul, and planned to blame the death on the Blood Bat Demon King.
• Xu Yi practiced drawing the silver bow with the dragon whisker until exhaustion, then slept as the flying boat traveled to its destination.
• Xu Yi arrived at Huiyin Mountain and was told to stay in his room after the organizers reported demon attacks and moved the exchange forward.
• Xu Yi read the Myriad Demon Records while waiting for Pavilion Master Fang to summon him to the exchange venue.
• Xu Yi entered a stone cavern for qualification inspection and presented Chen Fenglei's Judge's Brush, which the white-bearded old man dismissed as low-grade junk.

Xu Yi sold several valuable artifacts to the white-bearded appraiser in exchange for red jade palms and credit to spend at the Ullambana Festival gathering. After receiving his bidding tokens, he followed a maid into a chamber where a black robe awaited.

• Xu Yi traded Shui Zhongjing's Flame Spear for one red jade palm and Jiang Nanxun's Golden Spear for two.
• The white-bearded old man told Xu Yi that the gathering had top-grade magic robes, Heavenly Thunder Pearls, pills, and other rare treasures.
• Xu Yi sold Qi Ming's Sumeru Ring and Chen Fenglei's Sumeru Ring for four more red jade palms.
• The old man gave Xu Yi a crystal holding 410,000 gold in credit and told him he had to spend at least 200,000 gold.
• Xu Yi followed a maid in green through a small door and found a long black robe on a stone table.

Xu Yi attended the Ullambana Festival exchange and watched rare medicines, Blood Artifacts, and armor sell at auction. He entered the bidding for a Top-grade magic robe and drove the price to fifty thousand gold, leaving the other bidders stunned.

• Xu Yi followed the festival rules, attended the opening ceremony, and took a seat in the exchange hall.
• The auction began with Precious Medicines, including a Yin Embryo Fruit, which sold for twelve thousand gold; Xu Yi made no bids.
• Blood Artifacts and defensive armor followed, with a golden saber selling for two hundred and thirty thousand gold and a Moon Rhino Armor for twenty thousand.
• When a Top-grade magic robe came up for auction, Xu Yi used his red jade palm to join the bidding and waited as the price rose.
• Xu Yi aggressively bid fifty thousand gold for the robe, prompting numbers eighty-seven and thirty to withdraw.

Xu Yi used aggressive bids to secure two Top-grade magic robes and two bottles of Top-grade Essence Restoration Pills, while his tactics drove up the prices of the remaining robes and discouraged rivals. After establishing a strong presence in the auction, he stopped bidding on later bottles and conserved his money.

• Xu Yi bid fifty thousand gold to win the second Top-grade magic robe after buying the first one.
• Number Eight won the third Top-grade magic robe for sixty-two thousand gold, and Number Forty-Eight took the last one for seventy thousand gold.
• Xu Yi ignored the less useful pills, then bid against Number Twenty-Five until the latter won the first bottle of Top-grade Essence Restoration Pills for ninety-three thousand gold.
• Xu Yi won the second bottle of Top-grade Essence Restoration Pills with a sixty-thousand-gold bid after the hall fell silent.
• Xu Yi let two more bottles go without bidding, choosing to conserve the momentum he had built.