Chapter Summaries

Shi Yue defeated Lei Tianming in the arena by overpowering his silver eagle and survived its lightning attacks. He planned to place a bet at the Spirit Law Hall the next morning, then returned to the inn and entered Palm Heaven Space.

• Lei Tianming sent his Thunder Eagle Saber’s silver eagle at Shi Yue, but Shi Yue seized its talons and nearly tore it apart.
• Lei Tianming admitted defeat, and Shi Yue released the eagle and recalled his Profound Fire Swords.
• Chen Yurou told Shi Yue that the Spirit Law Hall would take bets at the hour of Chen, and Shi Yue said he would come the next morning.
• Wu Ming and Lei Tianming invited Shi Yue to Juying Pavilion for tea, but Shi Yue declined and exchanged addresses with them.
• Shi Yue escorted Li Yan to Immortal Herb Pavilion, returned to Gathering Immortals Inn, and entered Palm Heaven Space after changing clothes.
• Xiaoyaozi teased Shi Yue about being scorched by Lightning Spells, and Shi Yue planned to buy quality robes while shopping for Array Arranging Materials.

Shi Yue rested while Xiaoyaozi reminisced about his love of Spirit Stones. Elsewhere, the forces at Sanxin Market tightened security over Su Qingfeng’s arrival and investigated Li Muxian, while Su Qingfeng reprimanded Lei Tianming and urged him to befriend Li Muxian.

• Xiaoyaozi said he could not remember what demon beast he had been, but believed he had loved eating Spirit Stones, and then ate several as Shi Yue prepared a bath.
• Li Liang reported that Su Qingfeng had brought Wind Fire Sect disciples to Sanxin Market for experience, and the black-robed man ordered heightened defenses and surveillance.
• Li Liang described Li Muxian’s abilities, his Immortal Herb Pavilion, and his rumored master, Carefree Wanderer, prompting the black-robed man to investigate whether Li Muxian could supply Thousand-Year Spirit Herbs.
• The black-robed man told the middle-aged Daoist that Purple Bamboo Wanderer had predicted a result within a few years and revealed he had brought materials for a Teleportation Array to summon headquarters if needed.
• Su Qingfeng scolded Lei Tianming for facing Li Muxian without using a Defensive Spirit Tool, then told him to train diligently and make friends with Li Muxian.

Shi Yue bought rare materials from Jin Xiangyu and considered earning Spirit Stones by selling talismans as his fame made duels and betting less profitable. At the Immortal Herb Pavilion, Su Chen invited him to the Market Town Management Office to meet Elder Li, but Shi Yue tried to postpone the visit.

• Su Qingfeng decided to ask Sanxin Market’s administrators for help locating the group of high-level cultivators while his companions continued investigating.
• Shi Yue bought materials costing two hundred thousand Spirit Stones from Jin Xiangyu at Jin Yu Xuan.
• Xiaoyaozi urged Shi Yue to place a fifty-thousand-Spirit-Stone bet for him and suggested Shi Yue earn money by selling talismans.
• Shi Yue realized his fame would reduce his profits from duels and fights, and considered selling Meridian Connecting Talismans and Lightning Protection Talismans instead.
• Su Chen met Shi Yue outside the Immortal Herb Pavilion and invited him to the Market Town Management Office to speak with Elder Li, but Shi Yue said he was busy.

Shi Yue was summoned to meet Li Liang, but discovered the Market Town elder only wanted to discuss ordering Spirit Herbs from the Immortal Herb Pavilion. After leaving, Shi Yue hurried off with his betting tokens, while Li Yan waited for him at the shop.

• Shi Yue asked Su Chen to place a hundred-thousand-Spirit-Stone bet for him and agreed to meet Elder Li.
• Shi Yue told Li Yan to stay inside the Immortal Herb Pavilion, then followed Su Chen to the Management Office.
• Li Liang asked Shi Yue about ordering Thousand-Year and five-hundred-year Spirit Herbs, and Shi Yue explained the shop's requirements, prices, and delivery times.
• Li Liang said he would consider placing an order, and Shi Yue left the Management Office to collect his betting tokens from Su Chen.
• Shi Yue returned to the Immortal Herb Pavilion and sent Li Yan a Sound Transmission Talisman; Li Yan came out and asked whether he was all right.

Shi Yue cleaned the basement of the Immortal Herb Pavilion and prepared to set up a formation, but learned that he first needed to refine a formation plate. Xiaoyaozi explained that Palm Heaven Space might be upgraded again after Shi Yue dissipated his cultivation and reached Foundation Establishment, and Shi Yue bought materials to begin learning artifact refining.

• Shi Yue had two Monkey Puppets clean the basement and prepared to set up a formation, but Xiaoyaozi reminded him that he needed to refine a formation plate first.
• Xiaoyaozi gave Shi Yue two hundred thousand Spirit Stones, adding them to his debt, and urged him to grow Spirit Herbs to earn more.
• Shi Yue learned that Palm Heaven Space could theoretically be upgraded again after Xiaoyaozi consumed enough Spirit Stones and Shi Yue dissipated his cultivation and reached Foundation Establishment again.
• Shi Yue told Xiaoyaozi he would learn artifact refining after his match and dissipate his cultivation once he could refine spirit artifacts.
• Shi Yue went to Jin Yu Xuan and bought artifact-refining materials from Jin Xiangyu for two hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

Shi Yue bought a low-grade artifact-forging furnace and continued studying his manual while short on materials and Spirit Stones. Meanwhile, Su Qingfeng secured limited help from Sanxin Market’s leaders to search for the people threatening the Great Tang Five Sects, and Elder Bai ordered a broader search that could also target troublesome residents.

• Shi Yue bought a low-grade Spirit Artifact forging furnace at Divine Weapon Palace and returned to Immortal Herb Pavilion to study his artifact-refining manual.
• Su Qingfeng asked Fellow Daoist Bai to help find a group plotting against the Great Tang Five Sects, and Bai agreed to search most of Sanxin Market’s residents in a couple of days.
• Bai told Su Qingfeng that his disciples could join the search but must consult him before acting on any clues.
• After Su Qingfeng left, Bai and the black-robed man discussed the risks of a fight in the market and decided to use the search to remove troublesome people.
• Li Liang reported that Li Muxian offered Thousand-Year Spirit Herb reservations for at least five hundred thousand Spirit Stones, but Bai declined to pursue the offer and ordered Li Liang to prepare the search.

Shi Yue faced Chen Feng in a Spirit Law Hall duel, where she used a pipa Melody Attack that he resisted with the Spirit Splitting Art. Chen Feng conceded after playing a full song, leaving Shi Yue’s reputation and the spectators’ confidence in him intact.

• Elder Bai ordered Li Liang to drive away the small flies and blame Wind Fire Sect, and Li Liang withdrew to carry out the plan.
• Chen Yurou told Shi Yue that his future opponents would have to be stronger, while Chen Feng explained that she planned to challenge him with Melody Attacks.
• Chen Feng proposed that Shi Yue let her play one song from beginning to end, and he agreed before she brought out her green pipa.
• Chen Feng played Illusory Immortal Sound, but Shi Yue dispelled its dizziness by circulating the Spirit Splitting Art.
• Chen Feng played until the song ended, conceded the duel, and Shi Yue humbly praised her; Chen Yurou removed the restriction.

After winning his duel, Shi Yue collected his winnings and took Li Yan out for a meal, then encouraged her to focus on cultivation. The next day, Market Town Management Office cultivators arrived at Immortal Herb Pavilion to question them about Evil Cultivators in Great Tang.

• Shi Yue collected the betting winnings and the rewards from Chen Yurou, then declined invitations from cultivators eager to meet him.
• Shi Yue treated Li Yan to a feast and urged her to stop watching duels, help open the shop, and cultivate toward Foundation Establishment.
• Shi Yue and Li Yan bought spirit robes at Sheng Ji Magic Robe Shop, spending forty thousand Spirit Stones.
• Li Yan opened Immortal Herb Pavilion for two hours that evening, then returned upstairs to cultivate.
• Market Town Management Office cultivators came to Immortal Herb Pavilion and questioned Shi Yue about Evil Cultivators recently seen in Great Tang.

Shi Yue received portraits during the Market Town Management Office’s search for Evil Cultivators, while the search unsettled the hidden group led by Elder Chen and drew scrutiny from Su Qingfeng. In Taixu Sect, Murong Xiaoxiao and Luofu Hai were ordered to travel to Sanxin Market for experience, and Luofu Hai asked Murong Xiaoxiao where Shi Yue had gone.

• A Market Town Management Office officer gave Shi Yue portraits of two wanted people and told him to report suspicious cultivators, so Shi Yue warned Li Yan to go out less.
• Sun Hong worried that the search might expose his group, but Elder Chen dismissed his fears and ordered the members not to leave their lodgings or the market.
• Wind Fire Sect disciples told Su Qingfeng that the Market Town Management Office had distributed portraits and arrested suspicious cultivators without finding the killer, so Su Qingfeng ordered Junior Nephew Chen and Junior Nephew Zhao to watch the exits for Core Formation Cultivators.
• Murong Feng praised Murong Xiaoxiao’s progress, then told her and Luofu Hai to travel to Sanxin Market to gain experience and overcome their cultivation difficulties.
• Luofu Hai declined Murong Xiaoxiao’s invitation and asked whether she knew where Senior Brother Shi had gone, but she did not.

Shi Yue completed a profitable spirit-herb order at Immortal Herb Pavilion and secured a larger preorder from Zhang Feng. Elsewhere, Qu Feiyan found a way to reconnect a damaged Sound Transmission Bean Soldier using the Origin Seeking Technique.

• After a month of studying artifact refining, Shi Yue brought Zhang Feng his order of spirit herbs, which Zhang Feng praised for their quality.
• Zhang Feng paid the remaining eighty-five thousand Spirit Stones and ordered seven kinds of hundred-year-old Spirit Herbs, a hundred of each, for pickup in five months.
• Shi Yue agreed to Zhang Feng's preorder without a deposit, setting a six-month deadline before he could sell the herbs to someone else.
• Shi Yue gave Li Yan fifty Mid-grade Spirit Stones as wages and returned to the basement.
• Qu Feiyan found in an old book that the Origin Seeking Technique could reconnect a damaged Sound Transmission Bean Soldier to its mother bean.

Qu Feiyan reconnected with Shi Yue using a Sound Transmission Bean Soldier and learned that his sister had recovered. After she invited him and his sister to work as attendants at Feiyan Pavilion, Shi Yue realized who she was and decided he would not risk meeting her.

• Qu Feiyan used a Sound Transmission Bean Soldier to contact Shi Yue and asked whether his sister had recovered.
• Shi Yue replied that his sister had recovered, thanked Qu Feiyan for rescuing him, and told her he was buried in debt again.
• Qu Feiyan invited Shi Yue and his sister to work as attendants at Feiyan Pavilion for ten thousand Spirit Stones a month.
• Shi Yue recognized Qu Feiyan's name and rejected the idea of working for her because he feared provoking her.

Shi Yue refused Xiaoyaozi’s offer of a dual cultivation technique and focused on caring for his spirit beasts and earning Spirit Stones. After selling golden silk balls for fifty thousand Spirit Stones, he went to Hui Chun Building to buy spirit herbs and negotiated a bulk price.

• Shi Yue turned down Xiaoyaozi’s offer, saying he needed to care for his younger sister, and ended his contact with Qu Feiyan for the time being.
• Qu Feiyan heard Shi Yue’s message from the yellow bird and was pleased that they had made contact.
• Shi Yue tended to his Golden Silk Silkworms and fed Neon Grass to Black Phoenix, then flew out of Palm Heaven Space.
• Shi Yue sold seventy-five golden silk balls to Hu Xuan at Tai Sheng Tower for fifty thousand Spirit Stones.
• Shi Yue asked Chen Hua at Hui Chun Building to sell him seven hundred spirit herbs, and Chen Hua quoted a bulk price of eighty-four thousand Spirit Stones.

Shi Yue negotiated bulk herb purchases and orders for Thousand-Year Spirit Herbs with Chen Hua, using an invented master to explain his supply. Chen Hua’s Elder Liu chose to wait and see whether Shi Yue delivered before investigating him.

• Shi Yue agreed to buy common Spirit Herbs from Chen Hua and claimed his nonexistent master needed them for pill practice.
• Shi Yue explained the Immortal Herb Pavilion’s VIP ranks, order limits, prices, and delivery times for Spirit Herbs.
• Chen Hua ordered two hundred four-hundred-year-old Yellow Luo Grasses and a Thousand-Year Purple Luo Ginseng for five hundred and eighty thousand Spirit Stones, paying the deposit after deducting Shi Yue’s herb purchase.
• Shi Yue accepted the herbs, paid the balance, and gave Chen Hua a receipt for the future order.
• Chen Hua asked Elder Liu whether they should watch Shi Yue, but Elder Liu said they should wait until Shi Yue proved he could deliver the Thousand-Year Spirit Herbs.

Taixu Sect disciples arrived at Sanxin Market, where they prepared to gain experience under strict supervision. Shi Yue continued cultivating Spirit Herbs and planned how to fulfill his orders and fund a new purchase of Yellow Luo Grass.

• Chen Hua asked whether Hui Chun Building should test Li Muxian, but the middle-aged man told her to focus on business and avoid provoking the force behind him.
• Lu Er and Chen San saw Taixu Sect arrive by dragon boat and speculated that its disciples might challenge Li Muxian for a chance to earn Spirit Stones.
• Shi Yue cultivated herbs in Palm Heaven Space and planned to buy Yellow Luo Grass from other stores after Qin Shuang paid for her order.
• A Taixu Sect disciple opened Taixu Pavilion, and the Green-robed Old Man warned Murong Xiaoxiao, Luofu Hai, and the others to stay in the market and travel in groups.

Shi Yue refined his first Low-grade Magic Tool inside Palm Heaven Space while Murong Xiaoxiao arrived at Sanxin Market and heard Wu Ming describe Li Muxian’s strength. The chapter left Shi Yue beginning another Profound Iron Sword as Murong Xiaoxiao asked Wu Ming to introduce her to Li Muxian.

• Wu Ming led Murong Xiaoxiao and the Taixu Sect disciples around Sanxin Market, while Luofu Hai left for a talisman shop and several disciples followed him.
• Wu Ming told Murong Xiaoxiao about Li Muxian, a Great Tang Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator trained by Xiaoyaozi who could defeat stronger opponents.
• Shi Yue forged and inscribed a sword inside Palm Heaven Space, successfully making a Low-grade Magic Tool with two restrictions.
• Xiaoyaozi urged Shi Yue to refine the formation tools for the Nine Palaces Spirit Gathering Array, and Shi Yue began forging another Profound Iron Sword.
• At Juying Pavilion, Wu Ming recounted how Li Muxian endured Lei Tianming’s intermediate Lightning Spell, and Murong Xiaoxiao asked to meet him.

Murong Xiaoxiao visited Shi Yue’s Immortal Herb Pavilion and grew suspicious when Li Yan’s voice reminded her of someone she knew. Worried that Murong Xiaoxiao might uncover their identities, Shi Yue sought a way to disguise his voice but was left to come up with a plan himself.

• Wu Ming told Murong Xiaoxiao that Li Muxian ran the Immortal Herb Pavilion, and he agreed to take her there that evening.
• Sun Hong informed Elder Chen that Taixu Sect cultivators had arrived at Sanxin Market, and Elder Chen ordered their group to stay put before leaving in a few days.
• Murong Xiaoxiao visited the pavilion with Wu Ming and noticed that Li Yan’s voice sounded like that of a disciple she once knew.
• Li Yan warned Shi Yue that Murong Xiaoxiao might recognize them, so he told her to keep the visitors occupied while he prepared to meet them.
• Shi Yue entered Palm Heaven Space and asked Xiaoyaozi how to change his voice, but Xiaoyaozi offered no immediate solution, leaving Shi Yue to calm himself and improvise.

Shi Yue, disguised as Li Muxian, met Murong Xiaoxiao when she visited his shop with Wu Ming and suspected his identity. After she left, Shi Yue expected her to return and decided to meet her rather than flee.

• Murong Xiaoxiao questioned whether Shi Yue resembled a Taixu Sect disciple, but Shi Yue denied knowing the sect and Wu Ming supported his story.
• Murong Xiaoxiao left with Wu Ming after saying she would invite Shi Yue for tea another day.
• Li Yan worried that Murong Xiaoxiao had recognized them and offered to take the blame, while Shi Yue suspected she had indeed recognized them but would not betray them.
• Shi Yue told Li Yan to send Murong Xiaoxiao upstairs if she returned, then prepared tea and spirit cakes for their meeting.
• Carefree Wanderer suggested Shi Yue hide until Murong Xiaoxiao left, but Shi Yue chose to stay, believing their reunion could become an opportunity.

Xiaoyaozi explained to Shi Yue the vast resources and unusual cultivation methods of High-Level Cultivation Stars, urging him to earn Spirit Stones and leave his barren Low-level Cultivation Star. Murong Xiaoxiao arrived and revealed that she recognized Shi Yue, leaving their encounter poised to continue.

• Xiaoyaozi suggested Shi Yue could trade a Thousand-Year Spirit Herb with Murong Xiaoxiao for Taixu Sect's older Spirit Herbs.
• Xiaoyaozi described how High-Level Cultivation Stars used affiliated Low-level Cultivation Stars as enormous Spirit Herb Planting Bases and sold Thousand-Year Spirit Herbs in bulk.
• Xiaoyaozi explained that mortals could gain acquired spiritual roots through implanted magical artifacts, Phoenix Blood Spirit Rice, or the lost Ascension Pill formula.
• Xiaoyaozi told Shi Yue that mortals could become powerful body refiners and urged him to earn resources and leave his Low-level Cultivation Star.
• Murong Xiaoxiao came upstairs, greeted Shi Yue as Fellow Daoist Li, and made clear that she recognized him.

Shi Yue revealed to Murong Xiaoxiao that he was Li Muxian, and they discussed his accomplishments, his departure from the sect, and why he opened a Spirit Grass Store. Murong Xiaoxiao worried that his Thousand-Year Spirit Herb would attract danger, but Shi Yue insisted he could protect himself.

• Shi Yue dropped his disguise and then demonstrated that he could transform between his true appearance and Li Muxian’s face, confirming Murong Xiaoxiao’s suspicion.
• Murong Xiaoxiao asked whether Shi Yue had begun practicing a fire-type sword art, and he reassured her while asking her to keep his and Yan’er’s presence secret.
• Murong Xiaoxiao said the sect was quiet, Uncle-Master Zhou had not sent anyone after Shi Yue, and Junior Brother Luo had asked where he was.
• Shi Yue explained that he opened the Spirit Grass Store to earn Spirit Stones for cultivation resources, then asked Murong Xiaoxiao whether she believed he had a Thousand-Year Spirit Herb.
• Murong Xiaoxiao warned that the herb could draw dangerous attention and offered to give or teach him to make pills, but Shi Yue declined and said high-level cultivators would not get the better of him.

Shi Yue explained away his rare Spirit Herbs by claiming he worked for a Great Merchant Alliance, and Murong Xiaoxiao asked him to obtain a Thousand-Year Ice Soul Flower. They negotiated a trade, but she then asked whether he could provide two flowers.

• Murong Xiaoxiao worried that Shi Yue had joined the demonic path, and he denied it by claiming he worked for a Great Merchant Alliance.
• Shi Yue asked to buy Murong Xiaoxiao's remaining three bottles of Spirit Feeding Pills, and she offered them in exchange for a favor.
• Murong Xiaoxiao requested two eight-hundred-year-old Ice Soul Flowers, and Shi Yue instead offered a Thousand-Year Ice Soul Flower in return for pills and Spirit Herbs.
• Shi Yue proposed several possible trade quantities, and Murong Xiaoxiao agreed to provide thirty bottles of Spirit Feeding Pills and sixty three-hundred-year-old Yellow Luo Grass.
• Murong Xiaoxiao asked whether Shi Yue could obtain two Thousand-Year Ice Soul Flowers, leaving him troubled.