Chapter Summaries

Chen Lin agreed to refine a Blood Demon Pill for Yu Yuehai after securing an Inner Demon Oath, but remained trapped under Yu Yuehai’s watch and struggled to find a way out. He began a deliberately slow attempt, ruined the first batch, and Yu Yuehai and the Shuiyue Pavilion proprietor questioned whether Chen Lin could actually make the pill.

• Chen Lin made Yu Yuehai swear an Inner Demon Oath to protect him and take him away if he produced the Blood Demon Pill, and Yu Yuehai agreed.
• Yu Yuehai secretly placed a mark on Chen Lin and warned him not to leave the courtyard before handing over the ingredients and Pill Cauldron.
• Chen Lin weighed the danger of helping Yu Yuehai advance with the Blood Demon Technique against the certainty of being killed if he failed, then decided to delay refining the pill.
• After resting overnight, Chen Lin began refining the Blood Demon Pill, but mishandled the Pill Cauldron and destroyed the first batch of ingredients.
• The Shuiyue Pavilion proprietor questioned Yu Yuehai about Chen Lin’s abilities, and Yu Yuehai admitted that his own many attempts to refine the pill had all failed.

Chen Lin struggled to refine pills and learned that his mana could not sustain a complete attempt, while Yu Yuehai threatened him over the Blood Demon Pill. After Yu Yuehai killed a neighboring cultivator, Chen Lin carried her body to the courtyard gate to test whether he could leave, only for Yu Yuehai’s black glimmer to block his way.

• Yu Yuehai told the Shuiyue Pavilion woman that they were trapped in Kaiyuan City and said he planned to use the Blood Demon Pill to reach foundation establishment and escape.
• Chen Lin discovered that the pill cauldron consumed more mana than he had, so he stopped refining and asked Yu Yuehai for Qi Replenishing Pills.
• Yu Yuehai gave Chen Lin a bottle of pills and warned him to produce the required pills within three days.
• The Sallow-Faced Female Cultivator mocked Yu Yuehai about the pills, and he killed her with a black glimmer.
• Chen Lin covered the woman's wound, carried her body toward the courtyard gate, and tried to leave without Yu Yuehai intervening.
• A black glimmer swept in and hovered in front of Chen Lin as he reached the gate.

Chen Lin continued refining the Blood Demon Pill under Yu Yuehai and the Shuiyue Pavilion woman's watch, secretly preparing Thunderbolt Beads as a possible means of resistance. He completed the pill and hid it, but remained trapped and watched as he considered his slim chances against his captors.

• Yu Yuehai took the Sallow-Faced Female Cultivator's corpse, warned Chen Lin to keep refining, and watched over his room with the Shuiyue Pavilion woman.
• Chen Lin resumed pill refining and secretly made two Thunderbolt Beads while Yu Yuehai kept guard.
• Chen Lin learned his headaches continued without taking another Enlightenment Pill, then spent the night resting under surveillance.
• Chen Lin refined three batches in a row and completed the Blood Demon Pill, which he hid in a concealed compartment.
• Chen Lin made ten Thunderbolt Beads, but realized their size and the need for precise simultaneous detonations made them unlikely to defeat Yu Yuehai and the woman.

Chen Lin finished refining the Blood Demon Pill, but Yu Yuehai revealed that a Monstrosity would soon devour everyone in the city and that escaping required Yu Yuehai’s help. Yu Yuehai then forced Chen Lin to swallow a Melanin Insect to control him, leaving Chen Lin alive but under Yu Yuehai’s power.

• Chen Lin completed another Blood Demon Pill while Yu Yuehai guarded the door, and Yu Yuehai praised the result.
• Yu Yuehai revealed that a Monstrosity had nourished itself on the city’s cultivators and would fully form within a month, devouring everyone there.
• Yu Yuehai explained that the Monstrosity trapped people in the city with red threads and said Chen Lin needed his help to sever them and escape.
• Yu Yuehai used his gaze to immobilize Chen Lin and forced a Melanin Insect into his mouth, claiming it would ease the Enlightenment Pill’s aftereffects and help his spiritual sense grow.
• Yu Yuehai left with the Pill Cauldron, and Chen Lin searched his body for the insect but found no trace of it.

After Yu Yuehai stopped restricting his movements, Chen Lin visited the Market in Shanty Town, still troubled by the gu insect inside him and the looming calamity. His breakthrough to the mid Qi Refinement Realm drew the Zhang Clan Trading Firm’s interest, but he declined their offer to join the Zhang Family.

• Chen Lin waited two days after Yu Yuehai left, then ventured out and confirmed that no one stopped him from leaving his courtyard.
• At the Market in Shanty Town, Chen Lin reflected on the coming destruction and concluded that he could do little beyond relying on Yu Yuehai to help him survive.
• Chen Lin entered the Zhang Clan Trading Firm to buy pill-refining materials and hoped to find a spell or tool to conceal his cultivation.
• Zhang Mazi noticed Chen Lin had reached the mid Qi Refinement Realm and replaced his earlier scorn with congratulations and an offer to make him a Zhang Family guest elder.
• Zhang Mazi also offered to arrange a marriage into the Zhang Family, but Chen Lin declined both proposals because he wanted to remain unbound.

After refusing Zhang Mazi’s offer, Chen Lin bought supplies and a new flying sword, then decided to stay with Yu Yuehai while awaiting his Foundation Establishment breakthrough. On his way out of the Market, Xu Ruolan, a cultivator he had met before, approached him and revealed she wanted pills to increase her cultivation.

• Zhang Mazi hinted that he knew about the Monstrosity, and Chen Lin left the Zhang Clan Trading Firm troubled by the danger and the family’s recruitment.
• Chen Lin bought pill-refining ingredients and an ordinary flying sword at the Multitreasure Pavilion, then resolved to stay with Yu Yuehai and wait for him to reach Foundation Establishment.
• Xu Ruolan recognized Chen Lin by his smell and led him away from the Market to speak privately.
• Xu Ruolan offered to become Chen Lin’s dual cultivation companion, but he demanded to know what she really wanted.
• Xu Ruolan asked whether Chen Lin had pills or a way to obtain them, and said his recent cultivation progress suggested he had used pills.

Chen Lin traded two Chuyuan Pills to Xu Ruolan for an inherited method for forging the Azure Flood Dragon Halberd. After they parted, Xu Ruolan briefly changed demeanor before her jade pendant glimmered and she hurried away worriedly.

• Xu Ruolan approached Chen Lin after overhearing him discuss pills at the Zhang Clan Trading Firm, and he refused to supply her.
• Xu Ruolan offered her family heirloom, a method for forging a spiritual tool, in exchange for pills to help her reach mid Qi Refinement.
• Chen Lin examined the scroll and agreed to trade two Chuyuan Pills, while warning that they might not guarantee her breakthrough.
• Xu Ruolan accepted the pills, and Chen Lin took the scroll before leaving without exchanging an address.
• Xu Ruolan's aura suddenly changed, but her jade pendant glimmered and she returned to normal before hurrying away worriedly.

Chen Lin used an Enlightenment Pill to make progress in learning Vajra Cover, then discovered that Ye Jingyun knew about his pill-refining and talisman-making abilities. Ye Jingyun gave him a jade slip with a talisman method and asked whether he could make it.

• Chen Lin refined several Enlightenment Pills while Ye Jingyun secretly watched him.
• Chen Lin took an Enlightenment Pill and gained a rough understanding of Vajra Cover before the pain of comprehension was eased by a cool current from his dantian.
• Chen Lin refined another Enlightenment Pill, prompting Ye Jingyun to approach him and introduce herself as a Qi Condensation Level 9 cultivator.
• Ye Jingyun revealed that Yu Yuehai had told her Chen Lin could make Soul-Detaining Talismans, and Chen Lin admitted his success had been luck.
• Ye Jingyun handed Chen Lin a jade slip containing a talisman-making method and asked whether he could make it.

Ye Jingyun asked Chen Lin to make a complex talisman and supplied the materials, strange fire, and training he needed to attempt it. Chen Lin agreed in exchange for her protection, and Ye Jingyun promised him a Storage Bag as a reward if he succeeded.

• Chen Lin told Ye Jingyun that the talisman required true fire and more mana than he could provide, but she said her strange fire and pills could solve those problems.
• Chen Lin agreed to try making the talisman despite his limited skills, and Ye Jingyun asked him to keep the matter secret from Yu Yuehai.
• Ye Jingyun promised to protect Chen Lin from Yu Yuehai and laid out high-grade talisman paper, a brush, ink made from an ink-scaled flood dragon's essence blood, and a clump of cold nether flame.
• Ye Jingyun gave Chen Lin a Jade Slip containing a secret art for controlling spiritual entities and promised him a spare Storage Bag if he made the talisman.
• Ye Jingyun left Chen Lin with the materials and instructions to learn the secret art before studying the talisman-making method.

Chen Lin studied the Spirit-Connection Secret Art and Ye Jingyun’s mysterious talisman method, then began making the talisman with the cold nether flame. After several dangerous failures, he completed one and was left holding a talisman with powerful, obscure fluctuations.

• Ye Jingyun gave Chen Lin ten Spirit Restoring Pills, and he wondered whether the exact number meant she had discovered something.
• Chen Lin learned the Spirit-Connection Secret Art and used it to control the cold nether flame Ye Jingyun had given him.
• Chen Lin studied the unexplained talisman method, took an Enlightenment Pill, and decided to make the talisman for Ye Jingyun.
• Chen Lin’s first attempt exploded, but the talisman brush’s golden hoop shielded his hand from the blast.
• Chen Lin practiced controlling the brush and flame, then made repeated attempts until he completed a black talisman with strange, powerful fluctuations.

Chen Lin claimed the Storage Bag Ye Jingyun promised him and continued studying the Vajra Cover spell while waiting for her. Yu Yuehai returned after reaching Foundation Establishment, gave Chen Lin supplies and warned him about the Enlightenment Pills, while Chen Lin later used Mingqing spiritual water to see the red lines in the sky.

• Chen Lin imprinted the Storage Bag with his spiritual sense, stored his belongings inside it, and concealed it beneath his robe.
• Yu Yuehai entered Chen Lin’s room after successfully reaching Foundation Establishment, and Chen Lin respectfully congratulated him.
• Yu Yuehai warned Chen Lin that prolonged use of the modified Enlightenment Pills could damage his spiritual sea, then gave him Blood Qi Pills and promised to let him leave after one more task.
• Yu Yuehai gave Chen Lin Mingqing spiritual water before leaving with Ye Jingyun, who appeared pleased after Chen Lin nodded to her.
• Chen Lin took an Enlightenment Pill, mastered the Vajra Cover spell, and tested its defense against a Flying Sword.
• After the Bronze Bell rang, Chen Lin used Mingqing spiritual water and saw red lines filling the sky.

Chen Lin prepared for a possible escape from the city while investigating the chaos caused by looted shops. After returning a talisman and other items to Ye Jingyun, he met Xu Ruolan, who sought to trade for another pill, and demanded a barter.

• Chen Lin went to the Inner City Market to buy materials for Thunderbolt Beads and discovered that six shops had been looted overnight.
• Ye Jingyun met Chen Lin privately, accepted the talisman and other items he had made, and warned him to hide their dealings from Yu Yuehai and stay home as the city grew chaotic.
• Chen Lin realized Yu Yuehai had assigned Ye Jingyun to watch him, but wondered why she had revealed her warning and kept her motives secret.
• Xu Ruolan approached Chen Lin to trade for another pill after using the two she had previously obtained without achieving a breakthrough.
• Chen Lin offered to sell his last pill only in exchange for a treasure, and Xu Ruolan arrogantly insisted she would not take advantage of him.

Chen Lin accepted a Sword Formula from Xu Ruolan, received life-saving talismans and a Storage Bag from Yu Yuehai, and studied spells while confined to his room. After learning three more spells, he suffered a sudden pain in his dantian and reached for a Blood Qi Pill.

• Xu Ruolan gave Chen Lin an ancestral Sword Formula in exchange for a Chuyuan Pill, then received a Red Token from a masked woman and headed to the Han Family for protection.
• Chen Lin returned to the courtyard, found Zhao Zhengyuan absent, and reflected on Yu Yuehai's murderous nature and Ye Jingyun's attempt to convey something to him.
• Yu Yuehai visited Chen Lin and gave him a Transmission Talisman, an Earth Escape Talisman, a Liuding Xuanjia Talisman, and a Storage Bag.
• Chen Lin arranged his two Storage Bags, studied the Liuding Xuanjia Talisman, and concluded that the Cold Nether Flame had helped him craft Ye Jingyun's advanced talisman.
• Chen Lin used two Enlightenment Pills to learn the Cleansing Spell, Fireball Spell, and Awe Spell, then convulsed from a sudden pain in his dantian and took out a Blood Qi Pill.

Chen Lin swallowed a Dark Red Pill to quiet the Melanin Insect, then faced Lu Li, who had tracked him down and demanded another Soul-Detaining Talisman. Ye Jingyun intervened by claiming Chen Lin as her accepted disciple, but Lu Li insisted he had to come with him to craft the talisman.

• Chen Lin swallowed the Dark Red Pill, and the pain and discomfort from the Melanin Insect vanished.
• Lu Li found Chen Lin and revealed he had marked him, while Chen continued to deny they knew each other.
• Lu Li threatened Chen with his Black Little Sword, and Chen prepared Vajra Cover and a Transmission Talisman.
• Ye Jingyun arrived and stopped Lu Li from attacking Chen, claiming Chen was her accepted disciple.
• Lu Li insisted on taking Chen away, explaining that he needed Chen to craft a replacement Soul-Detaining Talisman.

Lu Li pressured Chen Lin to craft another Soul-Detaining Talisman, and Ye Jingyun negotiated a Soul-Nourishing Pill and a Mid-Grade Magical Tool as payment. Chen Lin repeatedly failed without using the Soul-Splitting Secret Art, then swallowed the pill as Lu Li watched.

• Lu Li asked Chen Lin to craft a Soul-Detaining Talisman and offered payment after Ye Jingyun demanded a worthwhile reward.
• Lu Li gave Chen Lin a Soul-Nourishing Pill and a dark green Mid-Grade Magical Tool, and Chen agreed to try crafting the talisman.
• Chen Lin asked Ye Jingyun and Lu Li to wait outside, then began making talismans without using the Soul-Splitting Secret Art.
• Chen Lin failed five attempts, and Lu Li complained that Chen was wasting his limited materials.
• Chen Lin took out more talisman paper, swallowed the Soul-Nourishing Pill, and prepared to continue.

Chen Lin deliberately failed to craft Lu Li’s Soul-Detaining Talisman, and Ye Jingyun protected him when Lu Li attacked. After refining the Soul-Nourishing Pill and improving his Thunderbolt Bead crafting, Chen Lin considered combining finished beads into a more powerful device.

• Chen Lin swallowed the Soul-Nourishing Pill and deliberately failed several attempts at crafting Lu Li’s Soul-Detaining Talisman.
• Lu Li attacked Chen Lin, but Ye Jingyun stopped his flying sword and forced him to retreat.
• Chen Lin thanked Ye Jingyun and accepted her as his master, though he remained uncertain about her intentions.
• Chen Lin refined the pill and crafted Enlightenment Pills and Thunderbolt Beads, finding that he could succeed without relying on his talent ability.
• Chen Lin developed a method for modifying the Thunderbolt Bead arrays and decided to test whether he could combine finished beads into a more powerful device.

Chen Lin attempted to combine two Thunderbolt Beads into a stronger, concealed magical tool, moving his work into a deep vegetable cellar to contain any explosion. His first attempt failed with an unexpectedly weak blast, leaving him puzzled about why the combined beads were less powerful than a single one.

• Chen Lin studied the Artifact Refining Grimoire with the help of an Enlightenment Pill, then inscribed array patterns on two Thunderbolt Beads.
• Chen Lin wrapped the beads in dark silver and began inscribing a connecting Magic Array to fuse them into one tool.
• Chen Lin moved the unfinished work into the vegetable cellar and protected himself with a Vajra Cover and a Vajra Talisman.
• Chen Lin connected the array patterns, but the resulting explosion was too weak to break through his protective barrier.
• Chen Lin rejected the idea that the beads were unusually weak and searched for another explanation.

Chen Lin successfully refined larger Thunderbolt Beads by combining ordinary ones, then hid himself away to continue cultivating and study an unusual sword formula. The chapter ended with him considering whether the sword qi’s ability to move within his body could enable a new technique.

• Chen Lin discovered that connecting the array patterns merged the Thunderbolt Beads into a half-finished product, reducing the force of failed attempts, and he successfully made a Thunderbolt No. 2.
• Chen Lin combined his creations into three Thunderbolt No. 2 beads and one Thunderbolt No. 3, while judging that making stronger versions would strain his materials and defenses.
• Chen Lin kept his work secret, posted a secluded-cultivation sign, and spent time refining in the cellar.
• Chen Lin used his remaining Chuyuan Pill ingredients, then studied the unnamed Sword Formula Jade Slip he had obtained from Xu Ruolan.
• Chen Lin learned that the formula formed a strand of sword qi that grew stronger with nurturing and could be released as a hidden attack, and he considered exploiting its ability to move within his body.

Chen Lin endured a painful day of cultivation to form a sword qi embryo, then learned that Yu Yuehai planned to leave that night. Zhao Zhengyuan and two attendants of Ye Jingyun arrived at the courtyard, and Ye Jingyun returned just as Chen Lin began to question Zhao.

• Chen Lin used an Enlightenment Pill to understand the Nameless Sword Formula and painfully refined Spirit Restoring Pills into a sword qi embryo.
• Yu Yuehai interrupted Chen Lin's meditation and ordered him to prepare to leave that night.
• Chen Lin found Zhao Zhengyuan and two young women waiting in the courtyard, and learned Zhao had been rescued by Yu Yuehai.
• The women introduced themselves as Xia Yunshu and Xia Yuqing, attendants to Pavilion Master Ye of Shuiyue Pavilion.
• Ye Jingyun descended from the sky as Chen Lin was about to question Zhao Zhengyuan.

Chen Lin and the others prepared to use Yu Yuehai's five-element array disk when the red lines appeared again. An enormous hazy form manifested above the city, clearer than before, leaving Chen Lin afraid it might notice and correct their abnormalities.

• Ye Jingyun arrived and warned everyone to rest before the expected trouble that night, then went to Yu Yuehai's room.
• Chen Lin packed supplies and continued nurturing his newly condensed sword qi as he waited for midnight.
• Yu Yuehai gathered Chen Lin, Zhao Zhengyuan, the Xia Sisters, and Ye Jingyun around a five-element array disk and assigned each person a corresponding position.
• Yu Yuehai instructed the group to channel mana into the array disk when he gave the signal, while they waited for the red lines to appear.
• A chime sounded from Chen Lin's room as red lines filled the sky and an enormous hazy form appeared above the city, causing Chen Lin to fear it would notice their abnormalities.