Chapter Summaries

Mountain Mover True Person praised Shen Changchuan’s talent but lamented that he and Qian Yuan lacked the time to guide him. He gave Shen Changchuan a pendant whose stone proved to be a fragment of an Enlightenment Stone.

• Mountain Mover True Person saw through much of Shen Changchuan’s strength and praised how he had risen from the Tiannan Domain to win the Grand Competition.
• Mountain Mover True Person recalled that Qian Yuan had long predicted Shen Changchuan’s potential, while Hou Ping wondered at the Patriarch’s unusually warm praise.
• Mountain Mover True Person explained that he and Qian Yuan were too old to nurture Shen Changchuan, though he regretted that Ten Thousand Ren Peak had found him too late.
• Mountain Mover True Person gave Shen Changchuan a pendant as a token of support.
• Shen Changchuan recognized the pendant’s dull gray stone as a fragment of an Enlightenment Stone.

Shen Changchuan went to the Yuqing Immortal Sect’s Scripture Depository Pavilion to gather spells that might help him comprehend Years True Intent and strengthen himself. He returned safely to his Cave Abode and sealed it to begin testing his plan.

• Shen Changchuan declined Hou Ping’s offer to escort him and accepted a Communication Talisman before leaving for the Scripture Depository Pavilion.
• On his way, Shen Changchuan worried that the attention he had drawn after the grand competition made him vulnerable, and resolved to comprehend True Intent and develop more trump cards.
• Shen Changchuan used his Inner Sect Genius Token to enter the Scripture Depository Pavilion and selected thirty second-order spells related to his Longevity Sword.
• Shen Changchuan returned to his Cave Abode without encountering Situ Yuan and activated its sealing formation to begin testing his idea.

Shen Changchuan discovered that the pendant Mountain Mover True Person gave him contained a genuine Enlightenment Stone fragment and used its enhanced comprehension to study the Myriad Dao Diagram. He gained insight into nascent Years True Intent, but stopped when he realized that continuing could consume nearly all the fragment’s power.

• Shen Changchuan examined the pendant and confirmed that it contained a genuine Enlightenment Stone fragment with far greater effects than the aura-tainted jade platform he had used before.
• Shen Changchuan wondered how Mountain Mover True Person had obtained the fragment, then set aside his suspicions and put the necklace on.
• Shen Changchuan used the Enlightenment Stone’s enhanced comprehension to study the Myriad Dao Diagram, which he had previously been unable to understand.
• After three days, Shen Changchuan gained insight into the diagram and the nascent Years True Intent of the Longevity Sword.
• Shen Changchuan stopped using the Enlightenment Stone when he realized that fully grasping the True Intent could nearly exhaust the fragment, and he weighed whether the cost was worthwhile.

Shen Changchuan decided not to consume the Enlightenment Stone fragment and instead strengthened his foundation by perfecting spells to lower the threshold for comprehending the Myriad Dao Diagram. After a month of practice, he sensed a slight change in the diagram, but estimated that reaching the threshold for the Years True Intent could still take at least five years.

• Shen Changchuan weighed using the Enlightenment Stone fragment to gain an early grasp of True Intent against cultivating related spells, and chose to preserve the fragment.
• Shen Changchuan severed his connection to the fragment's power, put away the Myriad Dao Diagram, and focused on more than thirty spells borrowed from the Scripture Depository Pavilion.
• Over the next month, Shen Changchuan cultivated all thirty spells to the Perfect realm, building experience in their traits.
• Shen Changchuan put away the Enlightenment Stone pendant and sensed the Myriad Dao Diagram's lines move slightly, confirming that perfecting related spells could help him comprehend it.
• Shen Changchuan estimated that accumulating enough experience to gain an initial grasp of the Years True Intent could take at least five years.

Shen Changchuan revised his training plan after realizing that mastering Space Power alone would not prepare him for the upcoming joint grand competition, then asked Hou Ping to spar so he could assess his strength against a Spirit Wandering realm expert. Their match began with Shen Changchuan appearing behind Hou Ping at startling speed.

• Shen Changchuan concluded that he needed to master true intent and develop more offensive methods within two or three years to compete with prodigies such as Lin Wushuang, Su Lengyue, and Xuan Daoji.
• Shen Changchuan decided to use the Enlightenment Stone fragment to speed up spell cultivation and rely on perfected spells to lower the difficulty of learning new ones.
• Shen Changchuan left seclusion to return thirty borrowed Dharma Gates, borrow more spells, and meet Hou Ping, who had invited him to explore Ten Thousand Ren Peak.
• Three days later, Shen Changchuan and Hou Ping met in a remote wilderness for a sparring match, with Shen Changchuan asking Hou Ping to help test his abilities.
• Shen Changchuan used Treading Air Steps to appear silently behind Hou Ping, who was impressed by his speed and prepared to respond with earthen-yellow light.

Shen Changchuan learned from Hou Ping that his Space Power and Treading Air Steps could help him evade Spirit Wandering cultivators, but did not make him their equal in close combat. He renewed their sparring by creating five space avatars and launching a coordinated attack, while Hou Ping began to counter with mountain-like defenses and sword intent.

• Hou Ping struck at Shen Changchuan with true intent, forcing him to retreat and revealing the limits of his spatial defenses.
• Hou Ping explained that powerful attacks and Spiritual Sense could counter Shen Changchuan’s speed, and Shen Changchuan realized the gap between the Out of Body Stage and Spirit Wandering realms.
• Hou Ping reassured Shen Changchuan that his spatial teleportation could still make him difficult to catch if he focused on evasion and escape.
• Shen Changchuan asked Hou Ping to continue their sparring and created five space avatars that attacked together with Space Slashes.
• Hou Ping raised his sword intent and surrounded himself with the phantom of a great mountain as the slashes descended.

After losing a sparring match to Hou Ping, Shen Changchuan spent a year perfecting more than eighteen hundred second-order spells and accumulated enough foundation to approach the threshold of True Intent. He considered using an Enlightenment Stone to cross the final step, but instead decided to try cultivating third-order spells.

• Shen Changchuan lost to Hou Ping and learned that he should flee rather than fight enemies at the third level of the Spirit Wandering realm or above.
• Shen Changchuan returned to secluded cultivation and spent a year borrowing spells from the Scripture Depository Pavilion and perfecting them with Enlightenment Stone fragments.
• Shen Changchuan perfected more than eighteen hundred second-order and Second Order Top Grade spells, building a foundation that let him learn new second-order spells with ease.
• Shen Changchuan realized that his accumulated Perfect Level trait experience had brought him within one step of comprehending True Intent.
• Shen Changchuan chose to test whether cultivating a third-order spell could provide enough experience to cross the final threshold without using an Enlightenment Stone fragment.

Shen Changchuan reached the Out of Body Stage Ninth Layer Apex and began considering preparations for advancing to the Spirit Wandering realm. Situ Yuan then warned him that the battle in the Southern Yue Land had turned against You Longzi’s disciples, leaving Shen Changchuan worried about his fellow disciples.

• Shen Changchuan reflected on his rapid cultivation progress and decided it was time to prepare for advancing to the Spirit Wandering realm.
• Shen Changchuan left his Cave Abode and found Situ Yuan waiting outside, whom he coldly rebuffed as a traitor to Ten Thousand Ren Peak.
• Situ Yuan reported that the Netherworld Sect and other Devil Dao forces had launched a counterattack in the Southern Yue Land, where You Longzi’s disciples were suffering heavy losses and one had died.
• Situ Yuan suggested Shen Changchuan could help but said the immortal sect would likely stay out of the conflict unless You Longzi’s plans failed, then departed.
• Shen Changchuan worried about Senior Brother Hong Yang, Senior Sister Wei, Senior Brother Wu Tianhao, and the other disciples in the Southern Yue Land.

After learning that the Netherworld Sect had entered the conflict in Southern Yue Land, Shen Changchuan worried about his master and senior brothers and sisters but decided to strengthen himself before going there. He headed to the Immortal Sect’s Scripture Depository Pavilion to pursue an initial grasp of true intent.

• Shen Changchuan considered the strength of Southern Yue Land’s Devil Dao powers and concluded that the Netherworld Sect might have several peak Spirit Wandering realm experts.
• Shen Changchuan worried about Senior Brother Hong Yang, Senior Sister Wei, Senior Brother Wu Tianhao, and Master, but realized he was not yet strong enough to turn the conflict around.
• Shen Changchuan suspected Situ Yuan might have an ulterior motive and resolved to proceed cautiously rather than rush to Southern Yue Land.
• Shen Changchuan decided to grasp true intent and raise his strength before setting out.
• Shen Changchuan returned a borrowed Jade Slip at the Scripture Depository Pavilion and went toward the teleportation formation on the third floor, while the front-desk steward judged him to be learning spells too hastily.

Shen Changchuan discovered that he could not cultivate third-order spells without Spirit Wandering realm cultivation techniques, so he abandoned that plan and returned to his secluded Cave Abode to focus on reaching True Intent. He looked forward to breaking through by mastering more Second Order Top Grade spells and using Enlightenment Stone fragments and the Myriad Dao Diagram.

• The elderly steward advised Shen Changchuan to focus on mastering a few spells, but Shen thanked him and borrowed dozens of Second Order Top Grade spells.
• Shen Changchuan left the Scripture Depository Pavilion troubled after learning that third-order spells required Spirit Wandering realm cultivation techniques and power.
• Shen Changchuan decided to cultivate several dozen more Second Order Top Grade spells and use Enlightenment Stone fragments and the Myriad Dao Diagram to break through the True Intent bottleneck.
• Shen Changchuan flew toward his secluded cultivation Cave Abode, excited to begin his final push toward True Intent.

Hou Ping warned Shen Changchuan that Situ Yuan might be scheming against him and urged him to remain at Ten Thousand Ren Peak while Hou Ping investigated the crisis in the Southern Yue Land. After discussing Shen Changchuan’s spell research, Hou Ping offered help, and Shen Changchuan realized he had a matter to ask him about.

• Hou Ping told Shen Changchuan that he had come after sensing Situ Yuan’s aura, and Shen Changchuan recounted Situ Yuan’s warning about trouble in the Southern Yue Land.
• Hou Ping said You Longzi had refused support from Ten Thousand Ren Peak’s leaders and cautioned Shen Changchuan that Situ Yuan might have hidden motives.
• Shen Changchuan explained that he understood the danger of confronting Situ Yuan and would not rush to the Southern Yue Land without careful preparations.
• Hou Ping advised Shen Changchuan to stay at Ten Thousand Ren Peak and promised to investigate the situation and pass along any news.
• Hou Ping asked whether Shen Changchuan needed help with his extensive spell research, and Shen Changchuan realized there was something he could ask Hou Ping to do.

Shen Changchuan asked Hou Ping to spar so he could test his strength, then revealed that he had mastered around eighteen hundred Second-tier Spells in one year. Hou Ping was stunned by Shen Changchuan’s spell talent, while Shen Changchuan compared himself unfavorably with Lin Wushuang, who had mastered a third-tier spell.

• Shen Changchuan asked Hou Ping to spar, and Hou Ping agreed, believing the fight might warn him about the dangers of traveling to the Southern Yue Land.
• Shen Changchuan and Hou Ping traveled to a desolate wilderness and fought at full strength for half an hour.
• Hou Ping asked whether Shen Changchuan had mastered two thousand spells, and Shen Changchuan said he had mastered around eighteen hundred.
• Shen Changchuan explained that his talent for spell cultivation had helped him master so many spells and had earned him resources in the Tiannan Domain.
• Shen Changchuan said he could not even begin learning a third-tier spell and noted that Lin Wushuang had already mastered one.

Shen Changchuan learned from Hou Ping why Lin Wushuang could cast a Third-tier Outer Dao dharma gate and realized he could not cultivate Third-tier techniques yet. He set aside the idea and prepared to focus on perfecting Second-tier Spells before his final secluded cultivation.

• Shen Changchuan reflected on the limits of his Progress Bar Panel after realizing he could not meet the prerequisites for Third-tier Spells.
• Hou Ping warned Shen Changchuan not to boast about perfecting eighteen hundred spells in a year and explained that an Immortal Sect Old Ancestor had planned Lin Wushuang's cultivation path.
• Hou Ping explained that Lin Wushuang's bloodline-powered Third-tier technique was an Outer Dao dharma gate rather than an orthodox spell.
• Shen Changchuan concluded that he could not cultivate Third-tier Spells before reaching the Spirit Wandering realm and decided to perfect his Second-tier Spells and build true intent.
• Hou Ping declined Shen Changchuan's invitation for tea and left after confirming that Situ Yuan's aura had reappeared without anything being wrong.
• Shen Changchuan returned to his cultivation chamber and began his final secluded cultivation.

After a month of cultivation with the Enlightenment Stone and Myriad Dao Diagram, Shen Changchuan gained initial insight into Years True Intent and confirmed that his panel tracked its progress. He tested the power and resolved to keep improving it before advancing to the Spirit Wandering realm.

• Shen Changchuan opened his eyes after cultivating for a month, and Years True Intent spread through his Cave Abode, decaying everything nearby into dust.
• Shen Changchuan used the Enlightenment Stone and Myriad Dao Diagram to confirm that he had gained initial insight into True Intent.
• Shen Changchuan checked his Progress Bar Panel and saw Years True Intent at 1.1 percent.
• Shen Changchuan reminded himself that other cultivators also possessed True Intent and that his comprehension still had far to go.
• Shen Changchuan gathered Years True Intent in his palm and further reduced the rock beneath him to dust.

Shen Changchuan tested his newly comprehended Years True Intent and found that it could rapidly decay everything around him, but its short range and heavy soul-power cost limited its use. He left the wilderness convinced it was his strongest attack and could potentially injure or kill powerful Spirit Wandering cultivators.

• Shen Changchuan saw the Years True Intent turn stone into dust and considered how to use it in close combat.
• He left his cultivation chamber and practiced his planned combination of Years True Intent and Space Power above a remote forest.
• His practice withered the forest within several li, while revealing that the True Intent’s strongest range was only about a zhang and that it took time and substantial soul power to activate.
• Shen Changchuan found that the True Intent could strengthen his spells and might break through the defenses of third- or fourth-level Spirit Wandering cultivators.
• He concluded that the Years True Intent surpassed his Space Power in damage and had become his strongest means of attack.

Shen Changchuan practiced incorporating Years True Intent into his fighting style and began preparing for his journey to the Southern Yue Land. At the Scripture Depository Pavilion, members of the Xundao Association challenged him to fight Xuan Tianxing again in seven days.

• Shen Changchuan integrated Years True Intent into his combat system and grew confident that he could defeat Lin Wushuang more decisively in a rematch.
• Shen Changchuan decided to ask Hou Ping about the domain-like method for spreading True Intent, then sent him a message through a Communication Jade Talisman.
• Shen Changchuan headed to the Scripture Depository Pavilion to study spells, True Intent, and the Outer Dao Dharma Gates while preparing to meet his Master and Senior Brothers and Sisters in the Southern Yue Land.
• Several members of the Xundao Association confronted Shen Changchuan and delivered a challenge for him to fight Xuan Tianxing at the Inner Sect arena seven days later.

Xuan Tianxing begged Xuan Daoji for help after Shen Changchuan shattered his confidence, and Xuan Daoji later completed Starry Sky True Intent. Now the Xundao Association blocked Shen Changchuan’s way, preparing for a confrontation.

• Xuan Tianxing lamented that Shen Changchuan had defeated him and ruined the invincible momentum built on his family’s backing.
• Xuan Tianxing begged Xuan Daoji to help him comprehend True Intent and defeat Shen Changchuan, and Xuan Daoji agreed on the condition that it would be the last time.
• A month before the present, Xuan Daoji completed Starry Sky True Intent and ordered the Xundao Association to block Shen Changchuan so he could challenge him.
• Shen Changchuan recognized the people blocking his way as members of the Xundao Association, including Cen Yuantong, who hid behind the others.

Shen Changchuan received a challenge from Xuan Tianxing but refused to fight him again, angering the Xundao Association members. He left them with his overwhelming aura hanging over the crowd.

• Shen Changchuan saw Cen Yuantong hiding among the Xundao Association members and dismissed their challenge visit without mocking him.
• The Xundao Association leader presented a challenge letter from Xuan Tianxing for a rematch seven days later.
• Shen Changchuan refused the letter, saying he had no interest in fighting an opponent he had already defeated.
• When the Xundao Association members accused him of looking down on Xuan Tianxing, Shen Changchuan admitted that he did.
• The Xundao Association members grew furious, and Shen Changchuan unleashed a terrifying aura that swept over the area.

Shen Changchuan intimidated the Xundao Association members who tried to confront him, then ignored Xuan Tianxing’s challenge and studied spells and Spirit Wandering realm records in the Scripture Depository Pavilion. After three days, he confirmed he could not cultivate third-tier spells without a Spirit Wandering realm technique and found no records of Outer Dao Dharma Gates.

• Shen Changchuan froze the Xundao Association members with his aura and walked through them, while bystanders debated whether Xuan Tianxing’s grasp of True Intent made him likely to win.
• Shen Changchuan entered the Scripture Depository Pavilion, collected spells related to Years True Intent, and searched the third floor for Spirit Wandering realm knowledge and Outer Dao Dharma Gates.
• Rumors spread through the Inner Sect portraying Shen Changchuan as a coward who had won the grand competition by luck, and his reputation began to sour.
• Shen Changchuan spent three days studying third-tier spells and Spirit Wandering realm records, using his spell knowledge to understand their principles.
• Shen Changchuan confirmed that he could not cultivate third-tier spells without a Spirit Wandering realm cultivation technique and found no Outer Dao Dharma Gates on the third floor.

Shen Changchuan learned why Outer Dao Dharma Gates could not be cultivated without their matching techniques and decided to focus on perfecting Second-tier Spells instead of pursuing third-tier ones. He then realized he could record spells on his Progress Bar Panel simply by browsing them, and turned back toward the Scripture Depository Pavilion’s collection.

• Shen Changchuan learned that Outer Dao Dharma Gates depended on their corresponding cultivation techniques and were not collected in the Scripture Depository Pavilion.
• Shen Changchuan decided to focus on perfecting Second-tier Spells to build Perfect Trait Experience rather than spend years cultivating third-tier Spells.
• Shen Changchuan realized that viewing and mentally simulating a Spell could make it appear on his Progress Bar Panel without borrowing its Jade Slip.
• Shen Changchuan grew excited at the prospect of recording spells from the Scripture Depository Pavilion’s vast collection.