Recaps

After surviving repeated ambushes amid spreading war and the Prayer Cult’s rise, Chen Lin traveled to the Wuding Sea in search of a safe place to cultivate. He encountered Xu Ruolan in disguise and learned that even the cheapest island rental was costly and offered no protection.

• Chen Lin decided to seek a secluded island in the Wuding Sea after discovering that war, the Prayer Cult, and heretical cultivators made the mainland unsafe.
• At a busy transit island, Chen Lin recognized Xu Ruolan from Kaiyuan City but passed her without revealing his identity, and she did not recognize him.
• Chen Lin visited the Sea King Sect Reception Office and examined its map and rental manual for available islands.
• Chen Lin learned that fifth-grade islands cost two high-grade spirit stones a year and lacked sect protection, while protected islands were far more expensive; he concluded that renting one would be unaffordable or draw too much attention.

Chen Lin rented Xiaoqiu Island as a safe base and equipped it with defensive and sound-blocking formations. After setting up fishing devices, he began refining pills to prepare for secluded cultivation.

• Chen Lin rented Xiaoqiu Island for a year and learned that its ink seed fish could help offset the cost.
• Chen Lin inspected the island, traveled to Xuanyuan Island, and bought seafood and a Lesser Five Elements Defense Array.
• Chen Lin installed the defensive array, which drew power from an underground spiritual vein and withstood his spiritual tool.
• Chen Lin set up a sound-blocking Trapping Formation around his cultivation building using equipment taken from the three women at Jinfeng Pavilion.
• Chen Lin placed devices for catching ink seed fish around Xiaoqiu Island and began refining pills for secluded cultivation.

After reaching Qi Condensation Level 9, Chen Lin learned that a blood-red phenomenon was spreading across the Broken Dream Mountain Range and prepared for the turmoil he feared was coming. He made Demon-Suppression Talismans, then set out from Xiaoqiu Island toward the Outer Sea.

• Chen Lin broke through to Qi Condensation Level 9 and visited Xuanyuan Island under the alias Ye Fan.
• At Tongtian Pavilion, Chen Lin traded a Marrow-Cleansing Pill for a peak first-rank metal-attribute monster core and learned that the red phenomenon was rapidly spreading across the Broken Dream Mountain Range.
• The shopkeeper warned Chen Lin to prepare Evil-Repelling and Demon-Subduing measures and improve his cultivation, while Chen Lin suspected the phenomenon was connected to the monstrosity from Kaiyuan City.
• Chen Lin bought materials for Foundation Establishment Pills, a Foundation Establishment Puppet, Demon-Suppression Talismans, and the Azure Flood Dragon Halberd, but still lacked ingredients for the pills.
• After returning safely to Xiaoqiu Island, Chen Lin made Demon-Suppression Talismans and then headed toward the Outer Sea.

Chen Lin attended High Person Yunhai’s underwater Exchange Meeting in search of ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills. The gathering opened with a confrontation between the demon foundation cultivator Huoyunzi and another attendee, which High Person Yunhai stopped before trading began.

• Chen Lin buried Monkey Puppets and Thunderbolt No. 4 on two islands near the meeting site as precautions before approaching the guides.
• Chen Lin verified the guides’ Identity Token, paid the participation fee, and followed one of them underwater to the submarine-like venue.
• Chen Lin entered the hall, declined an attendant’s offer, and took a seat among the masked cultivators.
• High Person Yunhai opened the gathering, and Huoyunzi angrily attacked a Qi Refining cultivator after misinterpreting his flattery.
• High Person Yunhai forced Huoyunzi to stop and gave him a Qingxin Pill, after which Huoyunzi sat quietly.

Chen Lin traded for a water-attribute Monster Core, spiritual herbs, and purple gold glazed liquid at High Person Yunhai’s convention. After Yunhai warned that demons might be reviving, Chen Lin took precautions to evade possible tracking and left the sea three days later.

• High Person Yunhai opened the trading convention, where early offers from Huoyunzi and other cultivators drew no buyers.
• Chen Lin exchanged ten Ninghua Pills for a water-attribute Monster Core and learned that his pill refining had earned Yunhai’s favor and a Transmission Talisman.
• Chen Lin traded a Marrow-Cleansing Pill for four spiritual herbs and a Demon-Suppression Talisman for purple gold glazed liquid.
• High Person Yunhai said that strange phenomena likely signaled demons reviving and described how demons had once been slain at the cost of cleaving the Tianyuan Continent from the Main Continent.
• Chen Lin left using a Water Escape Talisman, sent Yunhai’s Transmission Talisman away on a fish, hid underwater for three days, then changed his appearance and emerged.

Chen Lin killed a second-rank Giant Prawn, then survived an ambush by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator through escape talismans and explosives before killing him. After destroying the cultivator’s escaping soul, Chen Lin gathered the spoils and returned to Xiaoqiu Island in disguise.

• Chen Lin fought the Giant Prawn, trapped it with the Emerald Bracelet, killed it with the Hanbing Sword, and took its corpse.
• A Foundation Establishment Cultivator ambushed Chen Lin with a sword strike, but Chen Lin fled with a Gold Escape Talisman and detonated explosives on the island.
• The cultivator survived the first explosion with a defensive Jade Talisman and chased Chen Lin, who escaped into the sea and triggered another explosive trap.
• Chen Lin crushed the badly injured cultivator with the Splitting Mountain Seal, then burned away the soul that fled from the Blood-red Dagger.
• Chen Lin gathered the spoils, washed the island clean, disguised himself, and returned to Xiaoqiu Island as Chen Zhili.

After defeating the elderly Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Chen Lin inspected his spoils and learned the man had pursued him for purple gold glazed liquid to cultivate Golden Body Transformation and suppress the dangers of his yin foundation. A map to the Ocean Floor Ruins and the first volume of the yin-foundation technique left Chen Lin shocked by what he read.

• Chen Lin safely inspected the elderly cultivator’s Storage Bag and found a Jade Slip containing the Golden Body Transformation method, an imitation of the Ziguang Tribe’s innate ability that required purple gold glazed liquid and a compatible Body-Refining Technique.
• Chen Lin read Zhou Ping’s diary and learned that Zhou had achieved Foundation Establishment by devouring yin spirits, but suffered from corrosive yin qi and the spirits’ lingering memories.
• Chen Lin realized Zhou had pursued him after failing to trade for the purple gold glazed liquid at the convention, and that Zhou’s yin foundation explained his weakness against the explosions.
• Chen Lin found a map to the Ocean Floor Ruins and the first volume of Zhou’s nameless yin-foundation technique, then was shocked as he read it.

Chen Lin discovered that the Yin Foundation Method offered a possible path to Core Formation, but realized the scroll or a Dark Red Dagger had stirred an unnatural urge in him. After cleansing the dagger and deciding to avoid the ruins and technique, he refined the weapon, recovered from his injuries, and set off for Xuanyuan Island.

• Chen Lin studied the Yin Foundation Method and considered searching the Ocean Floor Ruins for its Yin Elixir Formation Technique.
• Chen Lin sensed that his desire to explore the ruins was unnatural, then found and burned a hidden strand of black qi inside the Dark Red Dagger with Burning Lotus True Fire.
• Chen Lin discarded the Yin Foundation Method scroll, the ruins map, and related materials, then refined the dagger and tested its speed and power.
• Chen Lin inspected the Foundation Establishment old man's remaining treasures, processed the giant shrimp, and began healing and preparing to refine Foundation Establishment Pills.
• A month later, Chen Lin left the Quiet Room and rode his Flying Shuttle toward Xuanyuan Island.

Chen Lin discovered his Talent Ability could produce two Foundation Establishment Pills per batch and traveled to Xuanyuan Island to obtain more ingredients. After refusing the Sea King Sect’s alchemy recruitment because it would keep all pills he made, he reconsidered the shopkeeper’s offer to trade ingredients for a pill and decided the risk was worth taking.

• Chen Lin realized his Talent Ability had produced two Foundation Establishment Pills in one batch, doubling his expected yield.
• Chen Lin met the Tongtian Pavilion shopkeeper, who explained that the Prayer Cult had demanded the continent’s factions submit and that the major Golden Core sects had allied against it.
• The shopkeeper offered Chen Lin generous rewards to refine Foundation Establishment Pills for the Sea King Sect, but Chen Lin refused because the sect would retain every pill he produced.
• The shopkeeper offered to exchange a hundred sets of ingredients for a Foundation Establishment Pill, explaining that he was seventy and had only one more chance to break through.
• Chen Lin decided to accept the risk and pursue the ingredient trade so he could refine enough pills for his own breakthrough.

Chen Lin established his foundation after consuming twelve Foundation Establishment Pills, then hid from the Righteous Alliance and Prayer Cult while the war reshaped the cultivation world. After more than a year in seclusion, he emerged and headed for Danding City as the Righteous Alliance gained momentum against the Prayer Cult.

• Chen Lin returned to Xiaoqiu Island and secluded himself while the Prayer Cult conquered Yan Country and the Righteous Alliance formed to oppose it.
• Sea King Sect patrol disciples found Xiaoqiu Island deserted and discovered that Chen Zhili had left.
• Chen Lin successfully established his foundation using twelve Foundation Establishment Pills, recovered, and learned that Danding City had become a Righteous Alliance headquarters.
• Unable to cultivate freely outside the two powers, Chen Lin hid in a mountain cave and waited as the conflict settled into a stalemate.
• Over the next two years, the Righteous Alliance’s merit system drew rogue cultivators into its ranks, and the Prayer Cult began to falter.
• After more than a year in seclusion, Chen Lin emerged and headed for Danding City.

Chen Lin entered Danding City under the identity of Lin Feiyu and applied to join the Righteous Alliance, hoping its protection would help him survive the war. After Li Xuanming questioned his background, Chen Lin claimed ties to the Qingyang Sect as an alchemist, prompting Li Xuanming to summon Master Mu for verification.

• Chen Lin introduced himself to the West City Gate guards as Lin Feiyu, a newly established Foundation Establishment cultivator seeking to join the Alliance.
• The Guard Unit Captain inspected Chen Lin for signs of the Prayer Cult, then escorted him to meet the Enforcing Elder on duty.
• Chen Lin met Li Xuanming, who questioned his origins and his cultivation history.
• Chen Lin said that he had once received pill-refining guidance from Qingyang Sect master alchemist Mu Xingchen.
• Li Xuanming ordered the Guard Unit Captain to summon Master Mu to verify Chen Lin’s claim.

Chen Lin joined the Alliance’s Pill Pavilion in Danding City after Mu Xingchen vouched for him, and learned that the Qingyang Sect had been scattered after losing its mountain gate. He settled into his assigned courtyard and considered earning merit through alchemy while keeping clear of combat.

• Mu Xingchen recognized Chen Lin, vouched for his innocence to Li Xuanming, and secured him a position in the Pill Pavilion.
• Li Xuanming told Mu Xingchen to prioritize research into improving the Demon-Clearing Pill as demonic qi intensified.
• Mu Xingchen told Chen Lin that the Qingyang Sect had lost its mountain gate and that Luo Qinglan was overseeing Tenglong City; Chen Lin declined to visit her.
• Mu Xingchen registered Chen Lin as a Pill Master, assigned him a courtyard and two apprentices, and explained that Alliance members had to earn merit through tasks.
• Chen Lin inspected his courtyard with divine sense and decided he could earn merit by refining pills rather than fighting.

After reaching Foundation Establishment, Chen Lin discovered his talent ability had improved to Five Guaranteed Hits and began settling into his new role as a Pill Pavilion alchemist. He took Sun Yun'er and Sun Xingwang as pill-refining apprentices, explored the Alliance’s mission system, and ended up choosing to refine Foundation Establishment Pills because he lacked merit to obtain other formulas.

• Chen Lin welcomed Sun Yun'er and Sun Xingwang, learned about their spiritual roots and cultivation, and gave them the Pill Refining Records to study as his apprentices.
• Chen Lin explored the city, saw that Jinfeng Pavilion and his former residence had been taken over, and inspected the Alliance’s mission board.
• Chen Lin visited the Pill Pavilion mission hall and selected the Qingshuang Pill, Luobi Pill, and Great Returning Spirit Pill formulas to learn.
• The receptionist told Chen Lin that pill formulas required merit, so he requested a Foundation Establishment Pill formula and five hundred sets of ingredients instead.

Chen Lin visited the mission hall to collect Foundation Establishment Pill ingredients, where Mu Xingchen gave him Demon-Clearing Pills and explained his duty to care for the Sun Siblings. A Qi Refining woman then detonated herself in a sneak attack on Mu Xingchen, unleashing a monster that Li Xuanming drove away, but nearly everyone in the hall died.

• The receptionist told Chen Lin that his low Identity Level limited how many Foundation Establishment Pill ingredients he could collect without a deposit, and Mu Xingchen arrived to place the ingredients on his credit.
• Mu Xingchen gave Chen Lin three Demon-Clearing Pills and explained that the Sun Siblings' family had died fighting the Prayer Cult, so the Sect Master had entrusted them to him.
• A Qi Refining woman charged Mu Xingchen and detonated herself, blasting apart the mission hall and summoning tentacles from a black hole.
• Chen Lin fought off a tentacle with his purple-flamed fist but suffered ruptured meridians and spat blood.
• Li Xuanming appeared and drove the tentacled creature back into the black hole with his Dharmic Treasure.
• Chen Lin found Mu Xingchen unharmed but trapped in a barrier, while the other people in the hall had been killed.

After surviving an attack by a Tentacle Monster, Chen Lin decided to remain in Danding City and focused on refining pills and building up his resources. He browsed the Merit Exchange Catalog for a Foundation Establishment cultivation technique, narrowing his choices to two but not yet deciding between them.

• Chen Lin returned home injured, warned the Sun Siblings to stay in the courtyard, and decided that remaining in the city was safer than leaving.
• After several days of recovery, Chen Lin collected three hundred sets of Foundation Establishment Pill ingredients, refined them, and submitted five pills for merit points.
• Chen Lin decided to keep his reported pill success rate low, collected more ingredients, and exchanged merit points for the Qingshuang Pill formula.
• Chen Lin visited the Merit Exchange Office and studied the available Foundation Establishment cultivation techniques, rejecting the Spirit Condensation Art because of its poor prospects for advancement.
• Chen Lin narrowed his choices to two cultivation techniques after finding that the other options had requirements he could not meet.

Chen Lin reviewed cultivation techniques and exchange options, then redeemed four escape techniques. Outside the Exchange Office, he encountered Xu Ruolan and Ye Jingyun, denied they knew him, and fled; Ye Jingyun decided to investigate his current identity and seek a deal.

• Chen Lin compared the Heavenly Thunder Wood-Transforming Art and the Taiqing Naive Art, then browsed escape techniques, magical tools, and pills in the Alliance catalogs.
• Chen Lin redeemed the Metal, Wood, Water, and Fire Escape Techniques and left the Exchange Office.
• Xu Ruolan recognized Chen Lin outside and approached him, but he denied being the person she knew.
• Ye Jingyun appeared and teased Chen Lin, who rejected her claim to be his master and hurried away.
• Xu Ruolan confirmed her soul-based ability had identified Chen Lin, and Ye Jingyun decided to investigate his identity before approaching him with a deal.

Chen Lin weighed the risks posed by Ye Jingyun and searched for a suitable Foundation Establishment cultivation technique. After Mu Xingchen warned him away from his choices, Luo Qinglan sent him a technique through Mu Xingchen, leaving him wondering what she intended.

• Chen Lin decided to deny being Chen Lin to Ye Jingyun and resolved to learn more about Xu Ruolan's ability while continuing his work at the Pill Pavilion.
• Ye Jingyun learned Chen Lin was a Pill Pavilion alchemist connected to Mu Xingchen and asked Yuan Kuo to invite him to speak with her.
• After a month of earning merit, Chen Lin asked Mu Xingchen for advice, and Mu Xingchen rejected the Heavenly Thunder Wood-Transforming Art and Taiqing Naive Art as unsuitable.
• Yuan Kuo invited Chen Lin to a Pill Master exchange meeting, and Chen Lin considered attending if he could not find a cultivation technique before then.
• Mu Xingchen gave Chen Lin a Jade Slip containing a cultivation technique that Luo Qinglan had sent after hearing of his difficulty choosing one.

Chen Lin chose to cultivate the Sanyang Burning Wood Technique despite its dangerous tribulations, then received a request from Yuan Kuo to try refining a luck-based pill. The chapter ended with Chen Lin examining the unfamiliar Yin-Yang Twin Birth Pill formula.

• Chen Lin read the Sanyang Burning Wood Technique and decided to cultivate it for its increased chance of forming a golden core, despite the tribulations at minor breakthroughs.
• Chen Lin found Luo Qinglan's admonition against dalliances and dual cultivation in the jade slip, then set aside his speculation about her motives to study the technique.
• Sun Yun'er announced Yuan Kuo's visit, and Yuan Kuo asked Chen Lin to try refining a pill based on a formula modified by the Qi Luck Pill Refining Technique.
• Chen Lin suspected Ye Jingyun had sent Yuan Kuo but concealed his knowledge, and Yuan Kuo left him the pill formula.
• Chen Lin read the jade slip and discovered that the formula was for a Yin-Yang Twin Birth Pill.

Chen Lin decided to leave Danding City rather than risk drawing the Black Demon Sect's attention, then settled outside Tiger Roar City under a concealed identity. Ye Jingyun failed to find him and turned to other plans, while the Prayer Cult's growing activity left Chen Lin wary of traveling farther.

• Chen Lin rejected the Yin-Yang Twin Birth Pill formula and decided to leave Danding City after gathering supplies, including more than twenty Demon-Clearing Pills.
• Chen Lin gave the Sun Siblings pills and instructions before disappearing from his residence under the cover of seclusion.
• Ye Jingyun learned from Yuan Kuo that Chen Lin had not emerged, then visited his residence with Xu Ruolan but found only Sun Yun'er and no trace of his aura.
• Ye Jingyun told Xu Ruolan to cultivate the Soul Secret Art quickly so they could pursue a Secret Realm and its ancient Teleportation Formation.
• Half a month later, Chen Lin stayed outside Tiger Roar City to avoid exposing his registered identity and examined a ghost face fruit pit he had bought to conceal his divine soul fluctuations.

Chen Lin fortified an underground hideout, spent a year cultivating, and learned that the Alliance was losing badly to the Prayer Cult. After he avoided being recruited into the City Guard, a disguised pursuer followed him into a formation, where a Light Sword attacked.

• Chen Lin dug a maze of tunnels beneath his room, set up defensive formations, and cultivated underground for a year.
• Chen Lin mastered the Sanyang Burning Wood Technique and Metal Escape Technique, then learned from Old Five that the Alliance’s nine Enforcing Elders had lost to the Prayer Cult’s Seven Fiends.
• Chen Lin asked Captain Yu about the worsening war and learned that cultivators would be organized into units the next day.
• After Chen Lin left, a grey-robed man used a magical tool to track him, followed him outside the city, and entered a formation that attacked him with a Light Sword.

Chen Lin killed Captain Yu and learned through soul-searching that the Alliance might lose and major powers were preparing to flee Tianyuan Continent aboard Sea-Crossing Ships. While hiding among mortals in Tong County and looking for a way to leave, he encountered a Prayer Cult infiltrator.

• Chen Lin killed Captain Yu, captured his soul, and used a Soul-Searching Secret Art to learn that the Alliance was likely finished and the major powers were preparing to escape across the Wuding Sea.
• Chen Lin learned that Captain Yu belonged to Chu Country's Royal Family and had a boarding token for the Purple Dragon Boat, but the token's soul binding made impersonation impossible.
• Chen Lin decided to search for a Teleportation Formation or a way to secure passage aboard a Sea-Crossing Ship, then went to Tong County disguised as a scholar.
• Chen Lin sensed that a female performer in a teahouse belonged to the Prayer Cult and left without revealing himself.
• After Chen Lin left, the performer released red vapor that drove the teahouse patrons into frenzied behavior before she departed.

Chen Lin posed as a mortal scholar on the road, but a clash with Feather Divine Child and an Alliance Patrol cultivator forced him to reveal his strength and survive a deadly demonic attack. After escaping and recovering, he examined a soybean-sized piece of black crystal.

• Chen Lin killed five bandits with his sword after pretending to surrender his horse and belongings.
• Feather Divine Child and an Alliance Patrol Foundation Establishment Cultivator appeared, and she used red mist to enslave Chen Lin.
• Chen Lin ambushed and killed the Alliance cultivator, then pursued Feather Divine Child as she fled.
• Feather Divine Child transformed into a powerful monster and struck Chen Lin with a Red Beam before withering away.
• Chen Lin suppressed the evil energy with his purple flames and Buddhist power, destroyed a dark figure emerging from his head, and fled after cleaning up the battlefield.
• Chen Lin recovered in an Isolation Array, reflected on misjudging his enemy, and brought out a small piece of black crystal.

After defeating a Feather Divine Child, Chen Lin looted her companion’s Spiritual Tools and continued toward the Red Fire Sect, hoping to secure passage across the sea. He learned that the Alliance had suffered a major defeat and that the sect’s cultivators were seeking ways to escape, then headed for the sect to investigate further.

• Chen Lin stored the Feather Divine Child’s Divine Crystal and claimed two low-grade Spiritual Tools from an Alliance Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s Storage Bag.
• Chen Lin traveled through war-stricken towns, sensing Prayer Cult members and noticing that the plague spared those who worshipped the cult’s evil god.
• Chen Lin reached a city near the Red Fire Sect and decided to seek a place aboard its possible Sea-Crossing Ship.
• Chen Lin used the Soul-Bewitching Technique to question Zhou Shan, an Outer Disciple of the Red Fire Sect, about the sect and its cultivators.
• Chen Lin learned that the Red Fire Sect had heard of the Alliance’s defeat, was under orders not to let cultivators leave, and had members seeking a way out.
• Chen Lin left the city and headed toward the Red Fire Sect.

Chen Lin investigated the Red Fire Sect and discovered through a soul search that it had already built an Ocean-Crossing Large Ship and hidden it in the Distant Sea. He learned that the sect’s limited escape slots were reserved for core members and began considering how to board the ship.

• Chen Lin tracked a late-stage qi condensation disciple, Chu Chengyang, after tagging him with a Soul-Pulling Thread.
• Chen Lin overheard Chu Chengyang tell an outer disciple that the Red Fire Sect might retreat, then heard Chu kill her after she threatened to expose him.
• Chen Lin knocked Chu Chengyang unconscious, searched his soul, burned his body, and disposed of the woman’s remains.
• Chen Lin learned that the Red Fire Sect had already sent its Ocean-Crossing Large Ship to a secret location in the Distant Sea.
• Chen Lin discovered that the Red Fire Sect’s escape slots were scarce and mostly reserved for core members, leaving him to plan how to secure passage.

Chen Lin learned that the Red Fire Sect had discovered Chu Chengyang’s death and was about to seal its Mountain Gate as a great battle began. He abducted Huang Yiyi, who had recognized him as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and offered to help him in exchange for a favor.

• Chen Lin stayed hidden while the Red Fire Sect investigated Chu Chengyang’s disappearance, then learned from Zhou Shan that Chu’s Soul Lamp had gone out and another disciple was missing.
• Zhou Shan told Chen Lin that the great battle had begun and the Red Fire Sect would activate its Guardian Mountain Formation the next day.
• Chen Lin questioned another disciple, then avoided two late-stage qi condensation cultivators because subduing them was too risky.
• Chen Lin recognized Huang Yiyi as Chu Chengyang’s intended bride and followed her into a secluded alley.
• Huang Yiyi recognized Chen Lin as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and offered to help him obtain anything he wanted from the Red Fire Sect.
• Chen Lin knocked Huang Yiyi unconscious, bundled her up, and took her out of the city by carriage.