Chapter Summaries

Chen Mobai prepared for his Talisman make-up exam while processing Spirit Rice and taking over Little Sun Ridge. He welcomed classmates and sect seniors with wine, and Qi Rui and Xi Jinghuo came to the ridge to drink before the Sect Grand Competition.

• Chen Mobai reserved one hundred vials of Qi Replenishing Spirit Water from Wang Xingyu and returned to his Small Wooden House to check his drying rice.
• Chen Mobai reviewed Talisman material for his make-up exam, and Zhuang Jialan and Si Guanyu visited with notes and offered to tutor him.
• Chen Mobai husked his Spirit Rice and made wine while Lu Jun completed the transfer of Little Sun Ridge and handed him a Second-tier Mountain Array.
• Chen Mobai gave Lu Jun a pot of two-year-old Yellow Wine as thanks for helping him take over the ridge.
• Qi Rui and Xi Jinghuo visited Little Sun Ridge, where Chen Mobai opened five jars of wine and wished them success in the Sect Grand Competition.

Chen Mobai excelled in his Dao Academy Talisman exams while his father, Chen Xinglan, failed Foundation Establishment but survived by stopping the process before it became fatal. After returning to school, Chen Mobai vowed to succeed at Foundation Establishment himself and finished his second year with perfect scores.

• Qi Rui reached the top fifty in the Sect Grand Competition, while Xi Jinghuo failed to enter the top three hundred.
• Chen Mobai passed his Talisman make-up exam with full marks after drawing three successful Thunder Attraction Talismans.
• Chen Mobai took first place in the Talisman monthly exams, then swept every exam in the first half of the year.
• Chen Xinglan attempted Foundation Establishment, failed, and stopped the process at the cost of self-injury, preserving his life and vitality.
• Chen Xinglan and Tang Pancui left to recover in Green Mountain Village, and Chen Mobai returned to the Dao Academy determined to succeed at Foundation Establishment.
• Chen Mobai completed his second year with full marks and first place in every Talisman exam.

Chen Mobai finished another year at Wuqi Dao Academy as one of the Wuqi Ten Elites, then focused on farming for the Divine Wood Sect and earned a large amount of Sect Contribution. He ended the year celebrating a bountiful harvest with his helpers.

• Chen Mobai ranked first in Puppetry and Agriculture, joining the Wuqi Ten Elites alongside other top students.
• Zhongli Tianyu advanced to the third layer of Foundation Establishment, drawing attention from senior disciples and teachers.
• Chen Mobai left the Dao Academy for the holiday, called Qing Nü, and learned she was preparing for her Second Grade Alchemist exam.
• Chen Mobai cultivated his fields and recruited three Divine Wood Sect disciples to tend the plots he could not manage himself.
• After harvesting the fields, Chen Mobai shared spirit wine with Lu Jun and Teng Jie and received 3,000 points of Sect Contribution.

Chen Mobai used a Breakthrough Qi Pill and a third-grade cultivation room to advance to Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer, then considered how to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill. He planned to check whether Uncle-Master Zeng had refined the Divine Wood Sect’s pills and to earn enough Sect Contributions, possibly seeking help from Sun Gaochang.

• Chen Mobai exchanged three Credits for a Breakthrough Qi Pill and rented a third-grade low-grade Spirit Vein cultivation room to prepare for his breakthrough.
• Chen Mobai used his Performance Puppet to check the breakthrough process, swallowed the pill, and successfully advanced to Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer after three days.
• Chen Mobai tested the nine Sword Lights from his Sword Casting Ring and found he could release them at once.
• Chen Mobai calculated that he would need to keep earning Sect Contributions to obtain the Divine Wood Sect’s Orthodox Foundation Establishment Pill after the Jade Marrow Golden Ganoderma matured.
• Chen Mobai remembered the furnace of Foundation Establishment Pills made with a Demon Beast Inner Core and decided to ask Lu Jun whether Uncle-Master Zeng had refined them.
• Chen Mobai considered borrowing Sect Contributions from Sun Gaochang but concluded he should first become a True Disciple.

Chen Mobai prepared for the Sect Grand Competition, obtained a Green Wood Sword from the Spiritual Plant Department, and advanced through the early rounds. He defeated a fellow Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer disciple to enter the top forty-eight.

• Chen Mobai asked Qi Rui and Xi Jinghuo for advice about the Sect Grand Competition, and they encouraged him despite his doubts about his combat skills.
• Chen Mobai visited Sun Gaochang and learned from Lu Jun that the inspector did not expect him to reach the true disciples; Lu Jun arranged a first-grade high-rank Green Wood Sword for him.
• Chen Mobai gave Lu Jun a jar of Jade Sprout Spirit Wine and asked about Foundation Establishment Pill refinement, which had not yet begun.
• Chen Mobai defeated his first four opponents with the advantage of his Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer and Green Wood Sword.
• Chen Mobai saw through a Talisman Department disciple's formation and defeated him, advancing into the top forty-eight.

Chen Mobai exchanged for Foundation Establishment resources and began his first attempt, intending to use the Critical Point Method to reach Half-Step Foundation Establishment rather than succeed immediately. As he prepared for this year’s Sect Grand Competition, he received a borrowed Divine Wood Sword and asked whether winning Top True Disciple would earn him a Foundation Establishment Pill.

• Chen Mobai obtained the Foundation Establishment Trio and two portions of Mysterious Fire Spirit Liquid from Teacher Luo, then arranged to exchange one portion with Qing Nü for a Jade Marrow Pill.
• Kong Feichen delivered the Jade Marrow Pill to Chen Mobai and took the prepared Mysterious Fire Spirit Liquid in return.
• Chen Mobai planned to use the Foundation Establishment resources and Critical Point Method to reach Half-Step Foundation Establishment and improve his chances in the Sect Grand Competition.
• Chen Mobai applied for a Third-Grade Mid-Rank Spirit Vein Cultivation Room and began Foundation Establishment by taking the Pulse Protecting Pill, Mysterious Fire Spirit Liquid, and Jade Marrow Pill.
• Lu Jun gave Chen Mobai a borrowed second-grade low-rank Divine Wood Sword for the year’s competition, and Chen Mobai asked whether winning Top True Disciple would earn him a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Chen Mobai harvested his Spirit Fields, lost Liang Xinhuo as a farmhand when Liang chose to join the Cloud Dream Marsh expedition, and prepared for the Sect Grand Competition by making Crimson Flame Sword Talismans. He finished with a batch of Silver-edged leaf talismans and four usable talismans from his attempts on the Gold-edged leaves.

• Chen Mobai harvested his Spirit Rice and received 3,100 Sect Contribution for the sect's harvest, including an improved crop of Dew Condensing Grass.
• Liang Xinhuo told Chen Mobai he would leave next year to join the sect's Cloud Dream Marsh expedition, and Chen gave him a Crimson Flame Sword Talisman.
• Chen Mobai ground high-quality Cinnabar Talisman Ink and drew Crimson Flame Sword Talismans on the Silver-edged Bamboo Leaves.
• Chen Mobai turned all twenty-six Silver-edged Bamboo Leaves into Crimson Flame Sword Talismans and used four of his eight Gold-edged leaves, making two Crimson Flame Three Sword Talismans and salvaging two failed attempts as Crimson Flame Two Sword Talismans.

Chen Mobai crafted three Yi Wood Divine Thunder Talismans, then learned that his borrowed Second Tier Divine Wood Sword made him a focus of the Spiritual Plant Department’s internal power struggle. As the Sect Grand Competition began, he prepared to fight for a True Disciple position and met an acquaintance in the first round.

• Chen Mobai used three of four Gold-edged Bamboo Leaves to successfully draw Yi Wood Divine Thunder Talismans, but found a crack in his brush.
• Chen Mobai asked Ming Yihua to help find an Artifact Refiner who could make him a Second Tier Talisman Brush.
• Chen Mobai, Qi Rui, and Xi Jinghuo watched the Sect Grand Competition preliminaries in Divine Wood City.
• Xi Jinghuo told Chen Mobai that the Spiritual Plant Department had lent him a Second Tier Divine Wood Sword and explained the political stakes of his competing for a True Disciple position.
• The preliminaries ended and the official matches began, with Chen Mobai drawing an acquaintance as his first-round opponent.

Chen Mobai met Zhuo Ming in the first round of the Sect Grand Competition, hired her to work at Little Sun Ridge, and caught up with her and Liu Wenbai over drinks. After the competition schedule revealed that he could face Ding Ying in the fifth round, Chen Mobai said he considered the matchup good luck.

• Zhuo Ming conceded to Chen Mobai in their first-round match, and he invited her to have a drink.
• Chen Mobai, Zhuo Ming, and Liu Wenbai discussed their lives in the Divine Wood Sect; Liu Wenbai revealed that he had reached Qi Cultivation Level 8 while exploring Cloud Dream Marsh.
• Chen Mobai offered Zhuo Ming work tending the fields at Little Sun Ridge and the chance to watch him make talismans, and she accepted.
• Chen Mobai told Zhuo Ming to resign from her talisman-shop apprenticeship and return with him to Little Sun Ridge after the competition.
• Qi Rui told Chen Mobai that he might face Ding Ying in the fifth round, and Chen Mobai said he thought that was good luck.

Chen Mobai advanced through the Sect Grand Competition and demonstrated the power of his Divine Wood Sword and Liquid Spiritual Power by defeating Guo Sheng. After the match, Yuan Chiye invited him to a private courtyard and asked about Ding Ying turning him away.

• Chen Mobai said he wanted to face Mu Yuan, despite Qi Rui warning him about Mu Yuan’s strength and advising him to concede if necessary.
• Chen Mobai and Qi Rui won their second-round matches quickly, while Xi Jinghuo used a Crimson Flame Sword Talisman to defeat his experienced opponent.
• Chen Mobai defeated two Late Qi Cultivation opponents in the third and fourth rounds while testing the Divine Wood Sword.
• Chen Mobai fought Guo Sheng, using the Divine Wood Sword and a Crimson Flame Sword Talisman until Guo Sheng exhausted his defenses and conceded.
• Yuan Chiye invited Chen Mobai to a private courtyard and asked whether Ding Ying had shut the door in his face.

Chen Mobai refused Yuan Chiye’s offer to join his faction in exchange for a True Disciple position, though he said he would acknowledge their connection because he owed E Yun a favor. He prepared to face Ding Ying in the Sect Grand Competition, while Mu Yuan began the contest for the True Disciple quotas by defeating an incumbent disciple.

• Yuan Chiye offered to help Chen Mobai become a True Disciple if he joined the faction and later took over duties in Cloud Dream Marsh, but Chen Mobai refused the risky assignment.
• Chen Mobai said he would call himself one of Yuan Chiye and E Yun’s people because he owed E Yun a favor, and Yuan Chiye warned he might wait years for another chance at the position.
• E Yun and Yuan Chiye discussed Chen Mobai’s potential and decided to let him face setbacks before seeking their help again.
• Chen Mobai returned to find Qi Rui drinking after losing his match, while Xi Jinghuo expected all three of them to be eliminated the next day.
• The contest for the Twenty-Four True Disciple quotas began, and Mu Yuan struck his opponent, an incumbent True Disciple, off the arena.

Chen Mobai defeated Ding Ying in the sixth-round arena match with a single overwhelming sword strike, securing his place as a True Disciple. After the stunned crowd recognized his victory, he invited his friends to celebrate.

• Ding Ying attacked Chen Mobai with talismans, but he blocked her fireball and faced her Heavenly Wood Talisman.
• Chen Mobai infused the Divine Wood Sword with Liquid Spiritual Power and cleaved through Ding Ying's Heavenly Wood Spiritual Light Spear.
• Ding Ying used the Two Aspects Technique to strengthen her Flying Flower Talisman Armor, but Chen Mobai's Sword Qi shattered it and sent her out of the arena.
• The presiding Elder eventually announced Chen Mobai's victory while Qi Rui, Xi Jinghuo, Zhuo Ming, Yuan Chiye, and Liu Wenbai watched in shock.
• Qi Rui praised Chen Mobai's rise, and Chen Mobai invited him and the others to celebrate at their usual restaurant.

After becoming a True Disciple, Chen Mobai discussed the next steps for Qi Rui and Liu Wenbai with his companions, while Xi Jinghuo explained the Sword Cultivation Department’s exchange trip to Golden Light Cliff. Chen Mobai continued his overwhelming run in the Sect Grand Competition, advancing to the ninth round after defeating two formidable opponents.

• Liu Wenbai relayed Yuan Chiye’s message that E Yun wanted to meet Chen Mobai after the Sect Grand Competition, then congratulated Chen on becoming a True Disciple.
• Xi Jinghuo suggested Qi Rui seek a Second Tier talisman array or consider the Two Aspects Technique, and told Liu Wenbai how to reserve a place on the Sword Cultivation Department’s trip to Golden Light Cliff.
• Chen Mobai told Xi Jinghuo he might visit Golden Light Cliff, then watched Yuan Chiye win his final battle of the round.
• In the seventh round, Chen Mobai defeated a returning True Disciple with seven slashes of Divine Wood Sword Qi, leaving his opponent unconscious and bleeding from his seven orifices.
• In the eighth round, Chen Mobai used Liquid Spiritual Power and the Divine Wood Sword to blast a True Disciple and his defensive Magic Tool out of the arena, advancing to the ninth round.

After Chen Mobai revealed his Sword Qi Like a Rainbow, Zhou Wangshen arranged for Feng Hongxue to use a defensive talisman against him but instructed Feng to yield the Top True Disciple position afterward. Chen Mobai then watched Mu Yuan defeat Yuan Chiye, setting up the duel he had been waiting for.

• Zhou Wangshen and Feng Hongxue recognized Chen Mobai's Sword Qi Like a Rainbow, and Feng admitted he could not face Chen Mobai without help.
• Ding Ying decided to pursue Foundation Establishment after realizing Chen Mobai's rising status threatened her standing in the sect.
• Zhou Wangshen gave Feng Hongxue a Spirit Leaf Talisman and told him to defeat Chen Mobai with it, then concede the Top True Disciple position to him.
• Chen Mobai arrived to watch Mu Yuan fight Yuan Chiye, while Zhuo Ming asked him who he expected to win.
• Mu Yuan defeated Yuan Chiye after a close spell duel, becoming Chen Mobai's opponent in the ninth round.

Meng Hong and Cang Qi discussed Chen Guixian’s talent, background, and claim to the Foundation Establishment Pills being refined by Junior Zeng. They decided to let him continue cultivating in Giant Wood Ridge while considering how to balance his needs against Mu Yuan’s.

• Meng Hong told Mu Yuan to concede if he could not withstand his formidable opponent, but Mu Yuan insisted he would not lose.
• Cang Qi reported that Chen Guixian lived as an ascetic cultivator and had avoided the Sect Grand Competition until the past two years, apparently because he was seeking a Foundation Establishment Pill.
• Meng Hong and Cang Qi considered whether Chen Guixian should receive the pills before Mu Yuan, noting that the sect’s rules gave the Top True Disciple priority.
• Meng Hong explained that Chen Guixian had entered a Water Mansion during the chaos of a dynastic war and obtained Liu Lengpei’s cultivation method, which accounted for the techniques he had revealed.
• Meng Hong and Cang Qi concluded that Chen Guixian was no other sect’s agent and agreed that he should cultivate undisturbed at Giant Wood Ridge.

Chen Mobai faced Mu Yuan in the grand competition, determined to avenge last year's defeat. He countered Mu Yuan's Domain Expansion and successive attacks with sword talismans, then drew his flying sword as Mu Yuan blocked a powerful Purple Fire Sword Qi.

• Mu Yuan activated a Heavenly Wood Talisman and a Second Grade Azure Sun Spirit Tree to unfold the Heavenly Wood Divine Light Array.
• Mu Yuan sent two sword-qi leaves at Chen Mobai, who stopped them with a Crimson Flame Two Sword Talisman.
• Chen Mobai unleashed eight Crimson Flame Sword Talismans, and Mu Yuan defended himself and the spirit tree with the Spirit Leaf Technique.
• Mu Yuan gathered Heavenly Wood Spiritual Light, but Chen Mobai used a Crimson Flame Three Sword Talisman to force him to bring out a Second Grade Jade Spirit Pearl.
• Mu Yuan used the Jade Spirit Pearl to block Chen Mobai's Purple Fire Sword Qi, and Chen Mobai finally drew his pure-green flying sword.

Chen Mobai defeated Mu Yuan with the Rainbow of Sword Qi, leaving him poised to pursue the Top True Disciple position and obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill. That evening, Yuan Chiye relayed E Yun’s request to meet, and Chen Mobai agreed to meet after the Sect Grand Competition.

• Chen Mobai shattered Mu Yuan’s defenses with the Rainbow of Sword Qi and knocked him out of the arena.
• Mu Yuan recognized Chen Mobai’s sword art as Sword Qi Like a Rainbow, conceded defeat, and declared Chen Mobai his next opponent to pursue.
• Chen Mobai focused on the final round and his chance to become the Top True Disciple and obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill.
• At dinner, Yuan Chiye congratulated Chen Mobai and conveyed that E Yun wanted to meet him.
• Chen Mobai agreed to meet E Yun after the Sect Grand Competition, and Yuan Chiye left to report his answer.

Chen Mobai defeated Feng Hongxue with a second, stronger Rainbow of Sword Qi after Feng Hongxue blocked his first strike with a Spirit Leaf Talisman. The final round ended with Chen Mobai securing first place, while Feng Hongxue was left unconscious and injured.

• Li Yixian conceded the final round, recognizing that his damaged Crimson Sun Puppet could not defeat Chen Mobai.
• Chen Mobai opened his match against Feng Hongxue with the Rainbow of Sword Qi.
• Feng Hongxue used a Spirit Leaf Talisman to block Chen Mobai's strike and asked him for guidance on his sword art.
• Chen Mobai launched another Rainbow of Sword Qi, breaking Feng Hongxue's sword and knocking him unconscious.
• Cang Qi redirected the sword strike's aftershock into the sky, preventing Feng Hongxue from suffering worse injuries.

After becoming Top True Disciple, Chen Mobai met E Yun, who promised him a Foundation Establishment Pill if the refining succeeded and offered to shield him from sect duties. When Chen Mobai went to return the borrowed Divine Wood Sword, he found the Spiritual Plant Department treating him with unusual deference.

• Yuan Chiye brought Chen Mobai to meet E Yun, who discussed the competition to choose the next sect leader and said Chen Mobai could focus on cultivating the sword.
• Chen Mobai asked E Yun about exchanging for a Foundation Establishment Pill, and E Yun promised him one if the refining produced any.
• E Yun served Chen Mobai and Yuan Chiye Second Tier Jade Bamboo Spirit Rice and told Chen Mobai he could send any sect requests to him.
• Chen Mobai went to the Spiritual Plant Department to return the borrowed Divine Wood Sword and found Teng Jie and Lu Jun treating him deferentially.
• Lu Jun told Chen Mobai that Inspector Sun Gaochang had been waiting for him since early morning.

After becoming Top True Disciple, Chen Mobai endured unwanted attention while waiting for the Yao Beast Foundation Establishment Pills to be refined. He obtained his pill and planned to leave the Divine Wood Sect to attempt foundation establishment with the resources available on Earth Origin Star.

• Sun Gaochang praised Chen Mobai for becoming Top True Disciple, offered him extra spirit stones, and offered to lend him Sect Contribution for a Foundation Establishment Pill.
• At the Logistics Department, Chen Mobai received three Mid-grade Spirit Stones, while Li Li objected to receiving only one and left angrily after Liu Guilong rebuked him.
• Chen Mobai fled the crowds and Invitation Letters at the inn, then stayed at Little Sun Ridge with Zhuo Ming, though disciples soon gathered to watch the mountain.
• E Yun informed Chen Mobai that two Yao Beast Foundation Establishment Pills had been refined, and Chen Mobai exchanged for one at the Spirit Treasure Pavilion.
• E Yun advised Chen Mobai to prepare carefully and resolve any regrets before foundation establishment; Chen Mobai planned to leave the sect and attempt it using resources on Earth Origin Star.