Chapter Summaries

Shen Changchuan returned to Great Bay Village and focused on using his improved aptitude to advance his cultivation rather than learn new spells. His secluded cultivation plans were interrupted when Shen Tingchu arrived and was astonished by his rapid progress and solid spiritual power.

• After absorbing two Purple Gold Pills in five days, Shen Changchuan reached the peak of the mid-stage Qi Induction Eighth Level.
• Shen Changchuan decided to postpone buying new spells and returned to Great Bay Village to focus on raising his cultivation realm.
• Shen Changchuan saw that Great Bay Village had grown into a thriving settlement and resolved to take advantage of its prosperity to gather resources.
• As Shen Changchuan prepared to enter secluded cultivation, Shen Tingchu arrived secretly and marveled at how much he had advanced since their last meeting.
• Shen Tingchu recognized Shen Changchuan's spiritual power as unusually solid and resolved to invest more in building a relationship with him.

Shen Tingchu offered Shen Changchuan a chance to obtain an opportunity that could improve his odds of advancing, provided he reached the Ninth Layer Apex within a year. After Shen Tingchu left, Shen Changchuan focused on cultivating in seclusion as the conflict surrounding the Azure Origin Water Grass grew more turbulent.

• Shen Tingchu praised Shen Changchuan’s cultivation and promised him an opportunity related to advancing if he reached the Ninth Layer Apex within a year.
• Shen Changchuan told Shen Tingchu what he knew about the Azure Origin Water Grass, the Wu family, and the battle surrounding the grass’s appearance.
• Shen Tingchu departed after considering Shen Changchuan’s account, leaving his motives unclear.
• Shen Changchuan set aside his worries about powerful cultivators and entered secluded cultivation, refining Purple Gold Pills to advance his cultivation.
• Shen Changchuan’s cultivation rose from the peak of the eighth-layer middle stage to the eighth-layer completion stage while the conflict outside intensified and drew in more onlookers.

The Azure Origin Water Grass drew cultivators into increasingly bloody conflicts, while Great Bay Village remained safe under the Tiannan Shen Clan’s protection. The Rainy Season then brought torrential floods and swarms of Mountain Leeches, forcing cultivators to seek shelter and temporarily suppressing the fighting.

• Azure Origin Water Grass’s promise of improving aptitude and making Ninth Layer Qi Gathering attainable drove cultivation families and factions to compete for it.
• Fighting intensified across the region, and wounded cultivators and bloodied loot began appearing in Great Bay Village.
• The Tiannan Shen Clan’s reputation and Zhang Qingyuan’s strength deterred outsiders from attacking Great Bay Village, while Shen Changchuan focused on secluded cultivation.
• Si Houqing and the chamber of commerce shopkeepers worried that the spreading conflict could reach the village, but hesitated to leave because their profits had risen.
• The Rainy Season brought heavy rain, floods, and Mountain Leeches across the forests, forcing cultivators to find shelter and temporarily quelling the killing.

The Rainy Season drove cultivators out of the Yao Beast Mountain Forest as swarms of Mountain Leeches made travel deadly, crowding Great Bay Village’s shelters. Meanwhile, a group of Ninth Layer Qi Gathering cultivators entered the forest from Qing City to capture Shen Chong and considered accusing Shen Changchuan of helping him.

• Torrential rain and Mountain Leeches forced cultivators to retreat from the forest, while some who underestimated the creatures were drained of blood.
• A flood of cultivators sought shelter in Great Bay Village, filling its inns and other accommodations and prompting further construction.
• Several Ninth Layer Qi Gathering cultivators traveled south from Qing City through the rain, complaining about the conditions and blaming Shen Chong for bringing them there.
• The group planned to rest in Great Bay Village before searching for Shen Chong and discussed whether Shen Changchuan might be sheltering him.
• The pursuers suggested they could accuse Shen Changchuan of conspiring with Shen Chong and capture them both for a reward from First Madam.

Shen Changchuan broke through to the Ninth Layer of Qi Gathering and realized that repeated improvements to his aptitude had made breakthroughs far easier. Meanwhile, Shen Clan members from Tiannan City arrived in Great Bay Village, learned how it had become a bustling trade center, and began secretly investigating Shen Chong.

• Shen Changchuan broke through to the Ninth Layer and spent three days stabilizing his realm.
• Shen Changchuan concluded that the Earth Vein Spirit Milk and earlier opportunities had greatly improved his aptitude, letting him advance without relying on pills.
• Several Shen Clan members from Tiannan City arrived in Great Bay Village and were astonished by its crowds of cultivators and prosperous marketplace.
• A passerby explained that Great Bay Village had flourished after the Wu Family Market closed amid upheaval in the Wu family.
• The Shen Clan members decided to investigate Shen Chong discreetly and headed to the Sanhe Chamber of Commerce.

Shen Zeyu discovered that Shen Chong had appeared in Great Bay Village, prompting the conspirators to abandon their planned takeover and pursue him. Shen Changchuan watched them leave, revealing that he had been listening nearby.

• Shen Zeyu surveyed Great Bay Village’s prosperous Commercial District and privately planned to take it from Shen Changchuan.
• A passerby in a conical hat and straw rain cape triggered the Blood Talisman in Shen Zeyu’s Storage Bag, and he realized the person was Shen Chong.
• Shen Zeyu rushed to the conspirators’ meeting and warned them that Shen Chong had appeared.
• The conspirators postponed their plan to seize Great Bay Village and left to pursue Shen Chong before First Madam’s deadline.
• After the conspirators disappeared into the rain, Shen Changchuan emerged from behind the house and watched them go.

Shen Changchuan followed Shen Zeyu and the other Shen Family pursuers, intending to kill them after they caught up with Shen Chong. Meanwhile, Shen Tingchu neared his destination in the underground caves, where someone called out to stop him and proposed cooperation.

• Shen Changchuan learned that Shen Family members had targeted Great Bay Village and decided to eliminate them.
• Shen Zeyu and the others tracked Shen Chong with a Blood Talisman and worried he was leading them toward Wu Family Market.
• Shen Changchuan watched the pursuers leave, then followed them, planning to let them catch Shen Chong before striking.
• After five days of walking through the underground caves, Shen Tingchu neared his destination and heard someone offer to cooperate.

Shen Tingchu confronted a group of Devil Cultivators in an underground cave, while Shen Changchuan prepared to kill the Shen family members pursuing Shen Chong. A sudden catastrophe struck near Wu Family Market, leaving the market swallowed by a massive collapse.

• Shen Tingchu recognized the black-robed figures as Devil Cultivators from Nanyue Kingdom and refused their offer to cooperate.
• The leading black-robed man attacked Shen Tingchu, and the two Nascent Soul cultivators unleashed their power against each other inside the cave.
• Shen Changchuan realized the pursuers had failed to catch Shen Chong and worried that a fight near Wu Family Market would draw too much attention.
• Shen Changchuan disguised his face and rushed ahead, deciding to kill the Shen family members to protect his plans and access to Spirit Stones.
• A violent upheaval split the land, and the region around Wu Family Market collapsed, swallowing the entire market.

Wu Family Market collapsed into an abyss as a pillar of spiritual energy erupted, drawing hidden cultivators and more than ten Out of Body experts into a chaotic struggle. Shen Changchuan abandoned his cautious schemes and raced to kill the Shen family members before the danger around the market overwhelmed him.

• The ground around Wu Family Market collapsed, and a massive pillar of spiritual energy burst into the sky.
• More than ten Out of Body cultivators revealed themselves, while hundreds of hidden onlookers reacted by rushing toward the light, fleeing, or hesitating.
• Shen Changchuan realized the upheaval had made his pursuit more dangerous and regretted delaying his attack on the Shen family members.
• Shen Changchuan resolved to kill them before they could return alive and sped toward their visible figures.

Shen Changchuan tried to reach the Shen family members before escaping, but the collapse of the light pillar at Wu Family Market unleashed a shockwave that swept him away. He survived and found the area transformed, but lost track of his targets as cultivators rushed toward the scattered treasures and the battle resumed.

• Shen Changchuan ignored the opportunity at Wu Family Market and hurried to deal with the Shen family members before fleeing.
• Out of Body Stage cultivators fought over the light pillar, and a dying cultivator hurled a jade ruyi-like artifact into it.
• The pillar shattered and collapsed, scattering streaks of white light and unleashing a massive shockwave.
• Shen Changchuan protected himself with the Golden Bell Technique and mana shields as the shockwave swept him several miles away.
• After the storm passed, Shen Changchuan saw people searching for treasures and Out of Body Stage cultivators fighting again near Wu Family Market.
• Shen Changchuan searched for the Shen family members but could not find them.

Shen Changchuan escaped the chaos at Wu Family Market and planned how to handle the threat posed by First Madam, then turned back when he saw Nangong Cheng being overwhelmed by four Devil Cultivators. A lightning strike shattered their attack, leaving the identity of the rescuer unresolved.

• Shen Changchuan weighed the risks of First Madam learning about Great Bay Village and planned to have his maternal grandfather watch for the group while Little Wind guarded the road to Tiannan City.
• Shen Changchuan fled Wu Family Market and traveled more than ten miles without being stopped by cultivators drawn to the treasures.
• Shen Changchuan spotted Nangong Cheng fighting four Ninth Layer black-robed Devil Cultivators and rushed to help him.
• Nangong Cheng’s defenses failed, and he prepared to die as the Devil Cultivators launched another attack.
• A lightning strike tore apart the attackers’ combined assault, and Nangong Cheng wondered whether he was hallucinating.

Shen Changchuan ambushed the black-robed men who were attacking Nangong Cheng and used spells to split their formation. He killed two of them in rapid succession, leaving the other two fleeing in opposite directions.

• Shen Changchuan interrupted the black-robed men's attack on Nangong Cheng with three thunderbolt sword lights, then mocked them for invoking martial honor while ganging up on one person.
• Shen Changchuan used the Earth Stone Gravity Technique and Vine Strangling Technique to disrupt the black-robed men and separate the four Ninth Layer Qi Gathering cultivators.
• Shen Changchuan unleashed a storm of sword spells and killed the leftmost black-robed man before he could resist.
• Shen Changchuan bound the slowest black-robed man with spiritual threads and vines, struck him with Falling Wood, and burned him to death with fire spells.
• The two surviving black-robed men recovered, exchanged a glance, and fled in opposite directions.

Shen Changchuan rescued Nangong Cheng from the black-robed cultivators at Wu Family Market, shocking the onlookers with his Ninth Layer cultivation and powerful spells. Nangong Cheng recognized him despite his disguise and warned that two Devil Cultivators were escaping with a precious treasure.

• Nearby cultivators watched Shen Changchuan break the black-robed men’s attack and kill two of them, then quietly dispersed while remembering his false face.
• Shen Changchuan disguised himself as Yang Ming when he greeted Nangong Cheng, who recognized him as Shen Changchuan from his voice and fighting style.
• Nangong Cheng realized Shen Changchuan had reached the Ninth Layer and felt overwhelmed by the gap between their talents and combat abilities.
• Nangong Cheng warned Shen Changchuan that two escaping Devil Cultivators from the Nanyue Kingdom had acquired a precious treasure that could greatly increase their strength.

After Shen Changchuan killed the last black-robed Devil Cultivator, he recovered a thirty-year Spirit Peach and learned how valuable it was. Nangong Cheng explained that Out of Body Pills were far more expensive and scarce outside Shen Changchuan’s family, leaving Shen Changchuan to reconsider what he knew about the Cultivation World.

• Shen Changchuan killed the last black-robed man and took the Spirit Peach from his Storage Bag.
• Nangong Cheng identified the peach as a rare thirty-year fruit from the Wu family's Spirit Peach tree, with the potential to aid advancement to the Out of Body Stage.
• Shen Changchuan questioned why anyone would pay over twenty thousand Spirit Stones for the peach when Out of Body Pills cost only several thousand within his family.
• Nangong Cheng explained that the Shen Family's pill prices were internal and came with limits and obligations, while Out of Body Pills were scarce and effectively priceless to outsiders.
• Nangong Cheng suggested that great powers such as the Tiannan Shen Clan did not want too many Out of Body Stage cultivators among subordinate families.

Shen Changchuan learned why powerful clans restricted Out of Body Pills and worried that advancing would draw the First Madam’s attention. After Nangong Cheng explained how he found the Devil Cultivators’ underground lair, a terrifying aura surged from the fissure and froze them in place.

• Shen Changchuan concluded that major cultivation forces controlled Out of Body Pills to limit the rise of new rivals, and he worried he would have to seek one through the Shen Family.
• Shen Changchuan set aside his concern about obtaining a pill and asked Nangong Cheng why he had come to the area.
• Nangong Cheng explained that he had tracked Devil Cultivators through the underground caverns and discovered their lair beneath Wu Family Market.
• Nangong Cheng said he had seen a streak of white light, which he recognized as the Wu family's spirit peach, fall into the Devil Cultivators’ hands when the ground split.
• Shen Changchuan decided to leave the dangerous area, but a vast, dark aura erupted from the fissure and left him and Nangong Cheng nearly unable to move.

An Out of Body Stage Devil Cultivator emerged from the fissure and attacked Nangong Cheng and Shen Changchuan with a crushing blood-red palm. Shen Changchuan’s soul power suddenly broke through, letting him unleash an instant Triple Layer Azure Wood Sword Light and disperse the attack.

• A blood-patterned black-robed Devil Cultivator burst from the fissure and found Nangong Cheng and Shen Changchuan beside a dead cultivator.
• The Devil Cultivator struck at them with a massive blood-red palm that pinned them under its pressure.
• Shen Changchuan’s sea of consciousness cracked open, and a cool sensation sharpened his mind and slowed his perception of the attack.
• Shen Changchuan instantly cast Triple Layer Azure Wood Sword Light and clashed with the blood-red palm.
• The palm dispersed in the explosion, though Shen Changchuan was injured and Nangong Cheng was thrown away.

Shen Changchuan broke through his spirit-refining technique and blocked an Out of Body Stage cultivator’s first attack, but was left helpless against the man’s stronger spell. Wu Tianhao saved him, drove off the attacker, and asked Shen Changchuan to help with a matter before taking him deeper into the mountains.

• Shen Changchuan’s Nine Essences Spirit Refining Technique broke through, strengthening his Spiritual Sense enough to cast Azure Wood Sword Light and shatter the blood-patterned black-robed man’s attack.
• The blood-patterned black-robed man launched a powerful blood-red spell at Shen Changchuan, who realized he had no strength left to resist.
• Wu Tianhao appeared and intercepted the spell with a golden longsword, saving Shen Changchuan from the explosion.
• Wu Tianhao and the blood-patterned black-robed man traded accusations, and the attacker fled after noticing the abyssal fissure was close to breaking open.
• Wu Tianhao recognized Shen Changchuan through his disguise, asked for his help, and carried him toward the mountains.

After the upheaval at Wu Family Market, Shen Changchuan brought Xiao Yu to Half-Mountain Courtyard and agreed to care for her. As he settled into the courtyard to keep her close and reflect on his recent battles, he discovered an unexplained question-mark progress bar on his Nine Essences Spirit Refining Technique.

• Cultivators flocked to Wu Family Market after news of the upheaval spread, leaving Great Bay Village’s streets nearly deserted.
• Shen Changchuan introduced Xiao Yu to Han Qinhu and asked him to arrange a room for her at Half-Mountain Courtyard.
• Shen Changchuan recalled that Wu Tianhao had entrusted Xiao Yu to him because the Wu family could not protect her during the turmoil.
• Xiao Yu clung to Shen Changchuan and grew anxious when she was away from him, so he moved his cultivation grounds to the courtyard plaza.
• Shen Changchuan examined his Progress Bar Panel and found a new (??%) progress bar beside the Nine Essences Spirit Refining Technique.

After surviving the battle at Wu Family Market, Shen Changchuan discovered that his Spiritual Sense could leave his body and control objects from a distance, though its range remained limited. As he continued recovering, reports described a sealed pit beneath Wu Family Market, warring Out of Body Stage experts, and scattered treasures that fueled widespread chaos.

• Shen Changchuan tested his newly manifested Spiritual Sense by moving a pebble without spiritual power and realized it resembled the soul-leaving-body ability of Out of Body Stage cultivators.
• Shen Changchuan found that he could control the pebble from only sixty or seventy meters away and concluded that his Spiritual Sense remained far weaker than a true Out of Body Stage expert's.
• Shen Changchuan spent the following days reviewing his breakthrough during the fight with the blood-patterned black-robed Devil Cultivator, but failed to find a reliable way to repeat it.
• News arrived that Out of Body Stage experts had raised a sealing formation over the pit where Wu Family Market had stood, while they fought among themselves over its benefits.
• Scattered white lights carried precious Heavenly Treasures across the region, sparking clashes and rumors that the treasures came from an ancient ruin beneath Wu Family Market.

Shen Changchuan stayed away from the growing chaos around Wu Family Market and focused on digesting his recent gains and improving his cultivation. He decided to cultivate slowly for a few months before resorting to pills, then considered using a thirty-year spirit peach to advance further.

• Rumors that Ancient Grotto-Heaven Ruins lay beneath Wu Family Market drew cultivators to Great Bay Village, where battles over scattered treasures intensified.
• Shen Changchuan avoided the turmoil and spent several days mastering his expanded Spiritual Sense while Xiao Yu quietly stayed nearby.
• After reviewing his Spirit Stones and recent gains, Shen Changchuan considered buying pills to quickly raise his cultivation but worried about pill toxins and hidden injuries.
• Shen Changchuan planned to cultivate naturally for a few months and use pills only if needed to meet his agreement with Senior Shen Tingchu to reach the Ninth Layer Apex within a year.
• Shen Changchuan took out a thirty-year spirit peach and weighed whether to consume it to improve his cultivation.