Chapter Summaries

Qiu Wang and Wen Hai investigated Daoist Cang Lian’s past, but their search yielded only a lead to Qingyuan Temple before Wen Hai went north and Qiu Wang remained on True Sun Mountain. Ten years passed amid upheaval across the cultivation world, and the chapter ended with Hong Yuan arriving at Thousand Wood Temple to visit True Monarch Changqing.

• Qiu Wang told Wen Hai that their investigation of Daoist Cang Lian had traced his movements to Qingyuan Temple in the north, but had found no verified contacts.
• Zuo Xuan sent Wen Hai north to investigate Qingyuan Temple and ordered Qiu Wang to continue investigating Wang Ping on True Sun Mountain.
• The Dao Palace destroyed Dingshui Sect, and conflict between southern cultivators and Haizhou Road’s factions escalated into repeated bloodshed.
• Ten years later, conflict among Buddhist factions in the Snow Region led to a coup in Shangning City, while Fourth Realm cultivators summoned their disciples amid signs of upheaval.
• Hong Yuan arrived at Thousand Wood Temple with a calling card from his master and asked to visit True Monarch Changqing.

While Liu Shuang attempted to fuse her soul with her spirit body, Zi Luan arrived with an order from Daoist Wanzhi concerning the struggle for the divine artifact in Central Province. He required cultivators above the Second Realm to withdraw from the conflict within a month, leaving Thousand Wood Temple responsible for enforcing the ban in the south.

• Liu Shuang paused her cultivation when Xia Weny reported that Zi Luan had come to see Wang Ping on Daoist Wanzhi's orders.
• Daoist Yucheng sent Daoist Yuanzheng and Liu Shuang to receive Zi Luan and explain that Wang Ping was in secluded cultivation for five to eight years.
• Zi Luan said that cultivators above the Second Realm were forbidden from interfering in the Central Province struggle and ordered them to recall those already sent within a month.
• Zi Luan clarified that basic trade and teaching could continue, but higher-realm cultivators could not appear in or contact anyone connected to the front lines.
• Zi Luan told the gathered cultivators to report violations by praying at a nearby True Lord's shrine and warned that Thousand Wood Temple would enforce the rules in the south.

Zi Luan briefed Thousand Wood Temple on the turmoil surrounding the struggle for divine artifacts and learned that Wang Ping would not intervene. As Wang Ping continued his secluded cultivation, he discovered a naturally formed Wood Spirit Spiritual Meridian and worried that cultivating Divine Arts could overwhelm his humanity; he ended by hoping Xing Huai would survive his difficulties.

• Zi Luan told Ruan Chunzi and the Thousand Wood Temple Daoists that sect conflicts could continue so long as they did not affect the secular struggle for divine artifacts, and warned that Central Province would soon descend into chaos.
• Zi Luan reported that the Datong Imperial Court might move its capital to Anqing and that Zhang Xinghuai could no longer remain its Prime Minister because of his ties to the Jimin Association.
• Zi Luan read Wang Ping's message declining to meet him and asking him to take charge of Thousand Wood Temple, then left Shang'an Prefecture with Hong Yuan.
• During his secluded cultivation, Wang Ping discovered a naturally formed Wood Spirit Spiritual Meridian beneath the Mountain Top Dojo and secretly built an underground cultivation site with Yulian.
• Wang Ping and Yulian discussed how believers' thoughts could anchor a cultivator's humanity, while Wang Ping feared that Divine Arts and the Heaven Connecting Talisman would make him lose control.
• Wang Ping hoped that Xing Huai could overcome his current troubles.

After the coup left Shangning City in mourning, the Heir confronted the Prime Minister’s empty office and learned that Zhang Xinghuai had no intention of returning. At a hidden stronghold, Zhang prepared to intervene in the Snow Region Buddhist sects’ internal conflict and backed the Zhongchuan Sect.

• The Heir arrived at the Prime Minister’s Office, ordered the Dragon Tiger Guards to clear the street, and demanded to see the Prime Minister.
• The Chief Secretary told the Heir that Zhang Xinghuai was at the Dragon Tiger Guards’ garrison with the National Teacher, then revealed that Zhang would not return.
• The Heir threatened that the Dragon Tiger Guards’ Inner Courtyard would soon disappear and invited the Chief Secretary to serve at his residence, but the Chief Secretary did not answer.
• At a secret stronghold, Zhang Xinghuai told Monk Ming Kong that Lord Marquis was well enough to last until the capital moved to Anqing.
• Zhang said he intended to help the Snow Region Buddhist sects end their internal conflict and chose the Zhongchuan Sect, which he called the true Buddha.

Zhang Xinghuai confirmed that Master Minghe was near death and discussed the Snow Region’s Buddhist sects and his plans with Ming Kong. Ming Kong cautioned him to wait twenty years before acting against the Snow Region Cultivation World and urged him to seek help from his Martial Uncle at Thousand Wood Temple.

• Ming Kong told Zhang Xinghuai that Master Minghe had likely entered death seclusion after exhausting his strength to help his disciple.
• Ming Kong explained that the Snow Region’s Buddhist sects refused to acknowledge their inheritance from Vajra Temple and that the rival sects kept Zhongping Temple from being destroyed.
• Zhang Xinghuai described his anger over the proposed regulations and said he intended to challenge Heaven, while Ming Kong calmed him and warned that some things could be done but not spoken.
• Ming Kong deduced that Zhang Xinghuai had arranged for Lord Marquis to move the capital to Anqing while preserving influence over the Great Harmony Imperial Court through Zhongping Temple.
• Ming Kong advised Zhang Xinghuai to wait twenty years before moving against the Snow Region Cultivation World and to seek out his Martial Uncle at Thousand Wood Temple.

As rebellions spread across the Central Continent, Zhonghui County remained prosperous under Thousand Wood Temple’s protection, and Wang Ping’s fame grew through statues and stories. Wang Ping heard a crowd ask for a tale about General Liu Yue and reflected that Liu Yue had already become a legendary figure.

• The Yang Family, the Liu Family, and other factions declared new states as rebellions and rival regimes erupted across the Central Continent.
• Great southern clans moved to Zhonghui County, where a temple dedicated to Thousand Wood Temple displayed elaborate statues of Wang Ping and his disciples.
• Pilgrims crowded the temple to offer incense and seek Registered Disciple status, while Thousand Wood Temple disciples maintained order.
• A storyteller’s audience asked to hear how General Liu Yue had single-handedly broken the Northern Army.
• Wang Ping heard the crowd from a private room and sighed that Liu Yue had become a figure in stories.

Wang Ping listened to a storyteller recount General Wang Kang’s life, then returned to his courtyard and watched the ordinary routines of mortal life. An inner sect disciple token belonging to Zhang Xinghuai appeared in the sky, interrupting his quiet afternoon.

• Yulian and Wang Ping discussed human nature as a storyteller began recounting General Wang Kang’s life and Wang Ping’s connection to Thousand Wood Temple.
• Wang Ping left before hearing the rest of Wang Kang’s story, then met an old man who lamented the general’s death and his sect’s role in it.
• Wang Ping bought flatbread from a Peddler and returned to his courtyard, where he played Go with his scholar neighbor as the neighbor’s family prepared to move to Yongshan County.
• Wang Ping spent the afternoon resting until Zhang Xinghuai’s inner sect disciple token appeared in the sky.

Wang Ping ignored Zhang Xinghuai’s wish to return to seclusion and continued cultivating while wars and upheavals unfolded beyond his hidden retreat. After years of experiments with the Heaven Connecting Talisman and Transfer Talisman, he sensed that Xiao Zhu was about to enter the Immortal Realm.

• Wang Ping concealed himself and Yulian in his underground cavern as a violent spiritual eruption marked Daoist Zhi Gong’s attack on Haizhou Road.
• Ruan Chunzi, Daoist Yuanzheng, Daoist Yucheng, and Zhang Xinghuai awaited news, and Wang Ping later learned that Daoist Zhi Gong had won with Daoist Wanzhi’s backing.
• Zuo Xuan returned badly injured and entered secluded cultivation, and Wang Ping sent her a Blessing Talisman bearing the Green Wood Technique.
• The Chu Kingdom and the Liu-Wu Regime fought over Liangjiang and Houjiang, while Wang Ping remained secluded and continued cultivating.
• Over five years, Wang Ping advanced his Heaven Connecting Talisman fusion to 98/100 and tested teleportation and communication through the Cave Heaven Mirror.
• Wang Ping cast a divination and realized that Xiao Zhu was about to enter the Immortal Realm.

Shen Xiaozhu used the Huai Tree to draw a Spirit Talisman and began advancing into the Immortal Realm. After weeks of struggle with the Wood Spirit Qi and her spiritual veins, she regained control of her body and stabilized her advancement.

• Shen Xiaozhu connected with the Huai Tree and drew a Spirit Talisman, triggering a pillar of Wood Spirit Qi above Thousand Wood Temple.
• Wang Ping, Yulian, Daoist Yucheng, Liu Shuang, Ruan Chunzi, and Daoist Yuanzheng gathered outside Shen Xiaozhu's dojo as she endured the Wood Spirit Qi's assault.
• Daoist Yucheng explained that ordinary cultivators could remain dazed for days or longer during advancement, while Wang Ping monitored Shen Xiaozhu and prepared to awaken her if necessary.
• After nearly two weeks, Shen Xiaozhu's soul became active and began competing with her spiritual veins for control of her body.
• Shen Xiaozhu absorbed the energy vortex, gasped awake when the pillar faded, and spent more than half a month mastering her body and suppressing her spiritual veins.

After Shen Xiaozhu entered the Immortal Realm, Wang Ping prepared her for a journey beyond the sect, hoping she would gain experience in the Mortal World. She planned to visit Hushan Kingdom and the Cloud Sea Grassland, then travel to the West Continent, and left with new cultivation arts and protective treasures.

• Shen Xiaozhu awakened after her advancement, and Wang Ping told her to familiarize herself with her changes before meeting him at the Mountain Top Dojo.
• Shen Xiaozhu met Wang Ping and Yulian at the dojo, where Yulian examined her condition and Wang Ping asked about her cultivation and understanding of humanity.
• Shen Xiaozhu said she wanted to revisit Hushan Kingdom, see the Cloud Sea Grassland, and seek opportunities in the West Continent.
• Wang Ping taught Shen Xiaozhu the Seven Star Killing Array and the second volume of the Taiyan Talisman, then gave her Iron Bamboo Swords, Golden Armored Puppets, and two Transfer Talismans.

Wang Ping reached the perfect fusion of the Heaven Connecting Talisman and used the opportunity to complete a Primordial Spirit spellcasting. He successfully formed and sealed a Soul Lure, then activated the Spirit Talisman.

• Shen Xiaozhu left Thousand Wood Temple to travel south and return to Hushan Kingdom.
• Zhang Xinghuai settled in Zhonghui County under a new identity and opened a clinic as an Outer Disciple of Thousand Wood Temple.
• Wang Ping traveled through the south as an ordinary mortal and saw the new military defenses along Houjiang Road.
• While night fishing, Wang Ping used the Luck Borrowing Talisman to obtain a Sacred Divination, then returned to his underground cavern with Yulian.
• Wang Ping entered meditation, perfected the Heaven Connecting Talisman, and drew on the Huai Tree consciousness to form a Soul Lure.
• Wang Ping sealed the completed Soul Lure in a crystal and successfully activated the Spirit Talisman.

Wang Ping briefly lost control after wielding the Heaven Connecting Talisman, nearly draining the vitality from the land and its people before Yulian helped him restore order. He then used the talisman to heal Zuo Xuan and aid Daoist Yucheng and Liu Shuang, and later planned his next cultivation steps while worrying about his Master's limited lifespan.

• Wang Ping's chaotic consciousness revived the land around Thousand Wood Temple, then began draining vitality from the earth and nearby people.
• Ruan Chunzi, Daoist Yuanzheng, Daoist Yucheng, and Liu Shuang witnessed the disaster, and Daoist Yucheng calmed the panicked disciples.
• Yulian helped Wang Ping regain control, and he used the Heaven Connecting Talisman to restore the land, heal Zuo Xuan, help Daoist Yucheng fuse with the Luck Borrowing Talisman, and help Liu Shuang digest her Wood Spirit Spiritual Meridian.
• Wang Ping told Yulian that his Master's lifespan might not be enough to complete the fusion and advance, though he still wanted to help him.
• Wang Ping spent half a year forming a Qi Sea within his Primordial Spirit and planned to use the Cave Heaven Mirror and install a communication device beneath Sanhe Prefecture.

Wang Ping inspected the hidden underground cave that Guangxuan had prepared in Sanhe Prefecture, intending to make it a secluded base for constructing formations. After Guangxuan left and erased his memories of the place, Wang Ping began preparing the cave and testing communication between it and the outside.

• Wang Ping met Guangxuan at the concealed stream and confirmed that no one else knew the location.
• Guangxuan led Wang Ping and Yulian through the vast underwater passages to a hidden cave where Patriarch Yuxiao's lingering energy prevented Wang Ping from using his Transfer Talisman.
• Wang Ping illuminated the cave and found its plaza, ventilation shafts, and dampness-prevention formations already prepared by Guangxuan.
• Guangxuan asked whether Wang Ping would need him again, then left and said he would erase his memories of the cave.
• Wang Ping released gold and silver, set ten formation-drawing Puppets to work, and tested the communication device, receiving a noisy voice reply from a Puppet outside.

Wang Ping began refining the communication device and determined that the process would take at least two years. Meanwhile, Zhao Gan reported intelligence linking a Southeast Sea Region gathering to a plot involving Great-Grandmaster Changqing, and Daoist Yucheng set out to consult Zuo Xuan.

• Wang Ping used the Heaven Connecting Talisman to investigate and refine the communication device, discovering its layered Transfer Talisman formations would take at least two years to master.
• Zhao Gan received a coded report from an internal affairs disciple and ordered Zhao Zhen to give the messenger a new identity.
• Zhao Gan informed Daoist Yucheng that Wen Hai had traced a search for Great-Grandmaster Changqing's whereabouts to a gathering in the Southeast Sea Region.
• Zhao Gan reported that Cheng Xi and his Dao companion Que Cai were behind the Wood Spirit cultivator offering rewards for information, though their location remained unknown.
• Daoist Yucheng asked Zhao Gan to accompany him to meet Zuo Xuan, who had worked most closely with Wen Hai.

Zuo Xuan advised Daoist Yucheng and Zhao Gan to recall Wen Hai while using the assignment to probe the enemy’s undercover agents. Years later, Wang Ping learned that two Third Realm Taiyan cultivators might be involved and suspected they were using Wen Hai as bait, so he prepared to contact Wen Hai through a Puppet.

• Zuo Xuan told Daoist Yucheng and Zhao Gan that Wen Hai’s cover was too conspicuous and proposed recalling him while turning the task into a way to investigate the enemy’s agents.
• Zuo Xuan said she would focus on preparing for her Third Realm advancement, and Daoist Yucheng decided to take charge of the matter himself.
• Three years later, Wang Ping learned from Daoist Yucheng that Wen Hai had returned and that his intelligence pointed to two Third Realm Taiyan cultivators in the Southeast Islands.
• Wang Ping suspected the Taiyan cultivators were using Wen Hai as bait to draw him out, but believed their plan could be countered in the Southern Cultivation World.
• Wang Ping chose a Puppet disguised as Li Hui to contact Wen Hai and began preparing communication tokens and a consciousness projection formation.

After emerging from Secluded Cultivation, Wang Ping met with Zi Luan and Wu Quan to discuss growing conflicts between the Great Sects and the Imperial Court. Zi Luan offered to handle the matter, while Wang Ping agreed to stay out of Secluded Cultivation for two years and said communication tokens would be ready within a year.

• Wang Ping reviewed regional intelligence and invited Zi Luan, Wu Quan, and Gan Xing to Thousand Wood Temple, but Gan Xing was away in West Continent.
• Zi Luan and Wu Quan arrived with disciples, and Wu Quan explained that Gan Xing had been searching for a demonic weapon after receiving Wang Ping’s secret art.
• Wang Ping, Zi Luan, and Wu Quan discussed Imperial Court conflicts that had killed disciples and threatened the Great Sects’ influence.
• Zi Luan offered to address the growing conflict with the Imperial Court, and Wang Ping agreed to remain available for the next two years.
• Wang Ping told Zi Luan and Wu Quan that he had refined the communication device and expected to provide communication tokens within a year.
• Yulian arrived with fruit wine from Qianqian at Baishui Lake.

Wang Ping spent more than two years refining Communication Tokens and building a network for Thousand Wood Temple and his allies. With the devices installed and his Primordial Spirit’s Qi Sea formed, he moved closer to completing the next stage of cultivation.

• Wang Ping secluded himself on an offshore island and spent nearly two months tuning his first Iron Bamboo Communication Token, then made more than sixty over the following year.
• Wang Ping returned to Thousand Wood Mountain as Daoist Yucheng’s Heavenly Passage Hall neared completion amid reports of wars and mass conscription across Central Province.
• After Heavenly Passage Hall was completed, Wang Ping finished one hundred Communication Tokens and planned their allocation among cultivators, disciples, Sanhe Temple, allies, and Puppets.
• Wang Ping established four communication channels, placing their devices in Heavenly Passage Hall, the Front Hall, a hidden cavern, and the Cave Heaven Mirror.
• Wang Ping’s Primordial Spirit formed its Qi Sea, leaving the formation of the Hundred Meridians before he could cultivate the realm of Nothing.

Daoist Yuanzheng and Daoist Yucheng prepared to convene the gathering and discussed recruiting new members. Yucheng reflected on his past and his wish to leave the mountain if the future became hopeless, while Yuanzheng agreed to recommend Ruan Chunzi and noted that Changqing would remain absent.

• Daoist Yuanzheng told Daoist Yucheng that the members had received communication tokens, including the Yang Family, while Liaoyuan's Disciple had cut off contact.
• Daoist Yucheng urged Yuanzheng to find someone in the Zhongshan Kingdom and encouraged Yucheng to fuse with the Luck Borrowing Talisman to pursue the Third Realm.
• Daoist Yucheng recalled his early cultivation, his adventures with Gu Heng, and his unfulfilled wish to restore peace to the world.
• Daoist Yucheng said he hoped to leave the mountain and wander before passing away in meditation if the final situation became impossible to salvage.
• Daoist Yuanzheng reported that Ruan Chunzi was a dependable outsider within the True Sun Sect, and Yucheng agreed to recommend him to the gathering.
• Daoist Yucheng declined to attend the gathering, while Yuanzheng said Changqing would likely stay away because his cultivation was at a critical juncture and others were watching him.

Wang Ping observed mortal life in Zhonghui County Town while secretly cultivating his Primordial Spirit beneath the Mountain Top Dojo. After Yulian urged him to choose whether to pursue Divine Arts, he returned with her to the courtyard without deciding.

• Wang Ping spent the day watching the elderly neighbors at the teahouse and explained to Yulian how mortals pursued dignity.
• Wang Ping bought Steamed Buns from a boy studying for Zhonghui Academy and reflected on rising prices in Zhonghui County Town.
• Wang Ping cultivated his Primordial Spirit beneath the Mountain Top Dojo, using the Returning Origin Art to circulate spiritual energy and estimating he could establish a Qi Sea in under ten years.
• Yulian suggested Wang Ping spend the next ten years cultivating the first volume of the Divine Art Secret Method in a state of Self-Control, warning him not to waver.
• Wang Ping did not answer Yulian and used the Cave Heaven Mirror to return with her to the courtyard.

After completing ten years of self-control cultivation, Wang Ping emerged with Yulian and caught up on events across Central Province. He set aside Divine Art cultivation for now and focused on forming a Qi Sea within his Primordial Spirit, which he expected to complete soon.

• Wang Ping completed ten years of cultivating self-control, then brought Yulian to the island dojo south of Shang'an Prefecture.
• Wang Ping told Yulian that Linshui Prefecture's civil war had spread through the Southeast Sea Region while the Dragon Lord stayed uninvolved.
• Wang Ping shared Zi Luan's reports about his political games with the Chu Kingdom Imperial Court, and Yulian read them and discussed the consequences with him.
• Wang Ping decided to postpone refining Divine Art Radiance and continue cultivating a Qi Sea within his Primordial Spirit.
• Yulian plunged into the Great Sea while Wang Ping examined the fragile meridians forming inside his Primordial Spirit.