Chapter Summaries

Chen Lin watched the auction at the Zhao Family Firm, unable to afford its expensive treasures, and saw Han Lingyue win a Marrow-Cleansing Pill. During open trading, he exchanged moon-mirror grass for a Blood Escape Talisman, gaining a means to escape danger.

• Chen Lin watched the Blood Shadow Dagger sell to the hunchbacked cultivator and the Gold Escape Talisman sell to the scantily clad female cultivator.
• The Zhao Family Firm presented a Marrow-Cleansing Pill, and Han Lingyue won it with a bid of one hundred and twelve medium-grade spirit stones.
• Chen Lin observed the open trading and offered a stalk of moon-mirror grass in exchange for a defensive or escape item.
• The old man offered Chen Lin a Blood Escape Talisman, and Chen Lin accepted it in exchange for the moon-mirror grass.

At the Exchange Meeting, Bai Yunyue tried to trade an improved God-Nourishing Pill formula for True Yang Precious Jade, but Li Chongshan threatened anyone who helped him. When a blue-robed youth challenged Li Chongshan, he revealed himself as Qiu Chenggang, a Blazing Sun Sect Inner Disciple.

• Bai Yunyue offered an improved God-Nourishing Pill formula for True Yang Precious Jade, and Li Chongshan questioned the formula and tried to prevent the trade.
• Bai Yunyue swore that the formula had produced pills, but he refused offers of spirit stones and other treasures, insisting on True Yang Precious Jade.
• A blue-robed youth produced a piece of True Yang Precious Jade and asked whether Bai Yunyue's formula was a complete improvement.
• Li Chongshan exposed himself, threatened the youth, and demanded that Bai Yunyue hand over the formula; no one at the meeting spoke up for Bai Yunyue.
• As Bai Yunyue headed for the door, the blue-robed youth called him back and revealed himself as Qiu Chenggang of the Blazing Sun Sect.

At the exchange gathering, Qiu Chenggang rejected Bai Yunyue’s restricted pill formula, while Chen Lin held back from trading for it and gained insight from a cultivation lecture. After leaving, Chen Lin found the fat cultivator’s puppet stall and asked to buy the crafting method instead.

• Qiu Chenggang invoked his status as an inner sect disciple of the Blazing Sun Sect, causing Li Chongshan to apologize and leave.
• Bai Yunyue offered Qiu Chenggang an improved but unreliable God-Nourishing Pill formula, restricted by an Inner Demon Oath, and Qiu Chenggang refused it.
• Chen Lin considered trading a treasure for Qiu Chenggang’s True Yang Precious Jade but refrained because Li Family and Mountain-Backing Sect cultivators were present.
• An elderly Qi Condensation cultivator lectured on cultivation, helping Chen Lin resolve questions and sense an opportunity to reach the fifth layer of qi refining.
• Chen Lin obtained an Invitation Talisman for the next gathering, returned his mask, and visited the fat cultivator’s puppet stall.
• Chen Lin declined to buy the Tiger Puppet and asked the fat cultivator whether he would sell its crafting method.

At the Trading Convention, Chen Lin discovered Wuzhen Tower, watched Bai Yunyue refuse to enter Baoguang Pavilion, and tried to catch Qiu Chenggang to discuss his True Yang Precious Jade. He returned to Guyuan City without meeting Qiu Chenggang, only for a figure to suddenly block his path.

• Chen Lin failed to buy the fat cultivator’s puppet-refining method but purchased materials for ten batches of Enlightenment Pills.
• Chen Lin learned that Wuzhen Tower was a brothel where cultivators paid for dual cultivation, then left without going inside.
• Chen Lin saw Bai Yunyue hesitate outside Baoguang Pavilion before leaving without trading for its True Yang Precious Jade.
• Chen Lin went to the Zhao Family Firm, saw Qiu Chenggang leave with the elder surnamed Yuan, and followed him to the Market entrance but lost sight of him.
• Chen Lin returned to Guyuan City and headed toward his rented courtyard, where a figure suddenly appeared and blocked his way.

Chen Lin traded the Monster Transformation Talisman method to Qiu Chenggang for True Yang Precious Jade and Spirit Restoring Pills, then exchanged the jade for a God-Nourishing Pill formula and a sword technique from Bai Yunyue. He adopted a new identity, bought a secluded residence in Guyuan City, and found that the pill formula used cheap ingredients.

• Qiu Chenggang confronted Chen Lin, who traded him the Monster Transformation Talisman method for True Yang Precious Jade and ten Spirit Restoring Pills.
• Chen Lin disguised himself and traded the True Yang Precious Jade to Bai Yunyue for a jade slip containing the God-Nourishing Pill formula and a special sword technique.
• Chen Lin changed into his white-clad female identity, rented a house, and then bought a large residence after failing to find a suitable rental.
• Chen Lin moved into the residence and studied the God-Nourishing Pill formula, learning that its revised ingredients were cheap spiritual herbs despite its lower potency and success rate.

Chen Lin studied a mortal sword technique hidden in a rusty iron shard, made a new disguise, and successfully refined God-Nourishing Pills. He returned to the Market to ask a puppet maker about buying his refining method, hoping to test whether his talent ability worked on Mechanism Puppets.

• Chen Lin read the Aurora Sword Technique in the iron shard and found it was a mortal technique focused on speed with little use against cultivators.
• Chen Lin made a Disguise Mask, changed his appearance, and bought materials for God-Nourishing Pills from stalls around the Market.
• Chen Lin refined three God-Nourishing Pills and tested their safety by feeding pill powder to a rabbit, which remained lively the next morning.
• Chen Lin returned to the Market and tested a Tiger Puppet, finding that it could only raise a paw.
• Chen Lin asked the fat cultivator who made the puppet whether he would sell his Mechanism Puppet refining method.

Chen Lin traded four Chuyuan Pills for the Wu Family Puppet Codex, bought a stronger flying sword, and returned to seclusion. After studying the Tiger Puppet and the Aurora Sword Technique, he prepared to attack the Melanin Insect as soon as the Enlightenment Pill wore off.

• Chen Lin persuaded the fat cultivator to trade the Wu Family Puppet Codex for four Chuyuan Pills, and both men swore oaths over the deal.
• The fat cultivator asked Chen Lin to carry the Puppetry Art forward and someday find a disciple surnamed Wu to inherit it.
• Chen Lin exchanged two low-grade spiritual herbs at the Zhao Family Firm for a secondhand rank 1 mid-grade flying sword, then left the Trading Convention without getting an invitation to the cultivation insights discussion.
• After several days of secluded cultivation, Chen Lin decided to kill the Melanin Insect before it could expose him to Yu Yuehai.
• Chen Lin swallowed an Enlightenment Pill, studied the Tiger Puppet section of the Wu Family Puppet Scripture, and then took out the rusty iron shard bearing the Aurora Sword Technique.

Chen Lin destroyed the weakened Melanin Insect, recovered from his injuries, and began using God-Nourishing Pills to reduce the Enlightenment Pill’s aftereffects. After studying puppet-making and buying supplies, he learned that an Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode had been discovered near Guyuan City, drawing cultivators and driving up prices.

• Chen Lin used the Mortal Sword Technique and Nameless Sword Qi to destroy the weakened Melanin Insect, damaging nearby meridians but preserving his Dantian Qi Sea.
• Chen Lin recovered over ten days, then took three God-Nourishing Pills and found that they eased the Enlightenment Pill’s aftereffects.
• Chen Lin tested the Aurora Sword Technique and pierced a massive rock with his Flying Sword.
• Chen Lin learned that the Wu Family Puppet Classic lacked instructions for Spirit-Connecting Puppet Seals, then went to the Market to buy puppet materials, pill ingredients, and a spell manual.
• Chen Lin discovered that an Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode had been found at Maple Leaf Lake, northwest of Guyuan City, bringing more cultivators and raising demand and prices.

Chen Lin stayed in Guyuan City to profit from the influx of cultivators exploring an Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode, while he practiced puppet crafting with his talent ability. After mastering a basic Tiger Puppet, he spent all his spirit stones on materials to attempt a more powerful Snake Puppet.

• Chen Lin rejected the idea of exploring the Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode and made money by mass-producing talismans, pills, and Thunderbolt Beads.
• As news of Foundation Establishment-level treasures and deaths in the cave abode spread, cultivators flooded Guyuan City, while Chen Lin stayed home and dug an escape tunnel.
• Chen Lin successfully made a Tiger Puppet that obeyed several commands, then studied the Wu Family Puppet Scripture and mastered its ordinary Puppet Seal after using three Enlightenment Pills.
• Chen Lin chose to craft a late Qi Condensation-stage Snake Puppet, bought ten sets of materials at the market, and spent all his spirit stones.

Chen Lin successfully refined and tested a powerful Snake Puppet, then discovered that it consumed a medium-grade spirit stone after only two attacks. After ten days of cultivating and crafting talismans, he advanced to the fifth layer of Qi Refining and went to investigate wedding music nearby.

• Chen Lin refined a late-stage Qi Condensation Snake Puppet and tested its Sword Transformation and Ice Thorn Spell attacks.
• Chen Lin discovered that the Snake Puppet drained a medium-grade spirit stone after two attacks, so he replaced it and stored the puppet away.
• Chen Lin spent ten days cultivating and crafting talismans, then advanced to the fifth layer of Qi Refining.
• Chen Lin heard wedding music nearby, left his courtyard, and walked toward the celebration.

Chen Lin watched a wedding procession and briefly sensed something strange about the bride, but his spiritual water revealed nothing unusual. At Ruyi House, he sold his talismans and learned that Spiritual Tools were far rarer than he had thought, making the Upper-Grade Spiritual Tool found in the Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode a highly coveted prize.

• Chen Lin watched the Liu family's wedding procession, sensed a fleeting strange aura when the bride's palanquin curtain lifted, and used mingqing spiritual water to check her without finding anything unusual.
• Chen Lin decided to wait and watch rather than flee, then went to the Market to sell his Fireball Talismans and Vigor Talismans.
• The shopkeeper at Ruyi House paid Chen Lin for his talismans and added a medium-grade spirit stone as a bonus.
• The shopkeeper explained that Spiritual Tools were scarce and that Qiu Chenggang owned one because of his powerful family and Foundation Establishment father, Qiu Shouli.
• Chen Lin asked whether the Upper-Grade Spiritual Tool found in the Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode would provoke fierce competition.

Chen Lin learned that an Upper-Grade Spiritual Tool had been seized by an outside Foundation Establishment Cultivator, prompting the Mountain-Backing Sect and Qingyun Sect to pursue him and the Blazing Sun Sect to potentially send experts. He searched for a high-grade spirit stone for his puppet, then returned home to prepare and train while wondering whether Xu Ruolan had escaped.

• The shopkeeper warned Chen Lin that the Upper-Grade Spiritual Tool had drawn powerful cultivators to Guyuan City and urged him to avoid trouble.
• Chen Lin learned that the Blazing Sun Sect controlled Yan Country’s only high-grade spirit stone mine and that the Zhao Family Firm had one stone for sale at 120 medium-grade spirit stones.
• Chen Lin left the firm without buying the stone because he lacked enough funds and did not want to attract attention.
• Chen Lin bought Evil-Warding Talismans and an Exorcism Talisman, then increased his talisman crafting and practiced with his puppet.
• Chen Lin nurtured his Nameless Sword Qi and wondered whether Xu Ruolan had escaped after possibly seeing her on the Han Family’s Flying Sword.

Chen Lin used his earnings from selling Vigor Talismans to buy a high-grade spirit stone and craft a Monkey Puppet. After testing a plan to arm it with a Thunderbolt Bead and protect it with Vajra Talismans, he confirmed the puppet could survive the explosion and remain functional.

• Chen Lin bought a high-grade spirit stone and chose to craft a Monkey Puppet because Snake Puppet materials were scarce and expensive.
• Chen Lin took an Enlightenment Pill to learn the Monkey Puppet crafting method, then spent several days making one.
• Chen Lin tested the puppet’s movement and skills, including its Charge Art, which he had chosen for his plan.
• Chen Lin equipped the Monkey Puppet with a Thunderbolt Bead and two Vajra Covers, then sent it charging into a flowering tree.
• Chen Lin detonated the Thunderbolt Bead, destroying the tree and shattering the covers, but the puppet remained intact and moved normally.

Chen Lin tested ways to use the Monkey Puppet to carry Thunderbolt No. 4, then discovered that falling talisman prices had wiped out his recent income. After deciding to seek a new source of money, he browsed the busier Market and examined a magical tool unearthed from the Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode.

• Chen Lin found that the Monkey Puppet could carry Thunderbolt No. 4 strapped to its back, though the extra weight slowed it down.
• Chen Lin moved his belongings between his Storage Bags, practiced the Dodge Technique, and finished refining a batch of talismans.
• Chen Lin learned from Zhou Fu at Ruyi House that cave-abode developments and the arrival of Foundation Establishment cultivators had caused talisman prices to return to normal.
• Chen Lin sold his talismans for fewer than twenty medium-grade spirit stones and decided not to buy more materials or sell pills and puppets.
• Chen Lin visited the crowded Market and picked up a magical tool that had been unearthed in the Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode.

Chen Lin bought a cracked ancient jade talisman and several other cheap curios at the Market, then returned to his lodgings to wait for the cave-abode exploration to end. With little work available, he studied spells and became proficient in the Dodge Technique, bringing his mastered first-rank spells to ten.

• Chen Lin examined a damaged flying sword and a cracked jade Earth Escape Talisman at a bald cultivator’s stall, then bought the talisman for ten low-grade spirit stones.
• Chen Lin browsed other stalls and shops, bought several cheap items to study, and found no suitable talisman-making methods.
• Chen Lin returned to his lodgings and decided to wait until the Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode exploration ended before traveling overland to Pingyang City.
• Chen Lin spent his free time refining pills and studying spells, mastering the Dodge Technique and pairing it with the Aurora Sword Technique.
• Chen Lin counted ten first-rank spells he had mastered and concluded that his mana was not yet sufficient for high-level first-rank spells.

Chen Lin discovered that a cracked jade fragment had begun emitting faint fluctuations, then went to investigate a violent disturbance at the newlyweds’ home. The bride transformed into a Blood-Colored Figure, and after the Old Taoist destroyed it, a Pale Red Shadow possessed him.

• Chen Lin practiced the Dodge Technique, ate, and examined ancient scraps and jade fragments, finding that most were useless or unreadable.
• Chen Lin noticed a cracked jade fragment from the bald man's stall emitting faint fluctuations, but could not activate it.
• Hearing cries for help, Chen Lin went to the newlyweds’ home and saw the bride viciously attacking the groom and others.
• The Old Taoist attacked the bride, who exploded into a Blood-Colored Figure that slipped past his whisk before he destroyed it with a punch.
• A Pale Red Shadow darted into the Old Taoist, turning his eyes blood-red and filling him with an eerie aura.

Chen Lin survived the red shadow’s attack when his Jade Talisman expelled and injured it, allowing him to destroy it with an Exorcism Talisman. Afterward, he learned the old Taoist, Yuyang Zi, had survived too, and Yuyang Zi suspected the recent madness in nearby cities was connected to the Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode.

• The red shadow escaped Yuyang Zi, possessed people in the crowd, and then attacked Chen Lin, bypassing his Vajra Cover.
• Chen Lin’s Jade Talisman expelled and weakened the red shadow, and he destroyed it with his Exorcism Talisman.
• Chen Lin found the injured Yuyang Zi and discovered that he was still alive as the Groom’s family thanked them both.
• Yuyang Zi identified himself as a Taoist of the Five Directions Temple and suspected the strange incidents in Guyuan City and nearby cities were connected to the Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode.

Chen Lin discovered that the black particles left by the slain heretical entity had vanished and suspected the Jade Talisman had absorbed them, perhaps allowing it to be repaired. After failing to buy talisman-making methods at the Market, he headed to the Five Directions Temple to ask Yuyang Zi for help.

• Yuyang Zi suspected the heretical entity was connected to the Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode, then helped the Government Office handle the aftermath while Chen Lin returned to his lodgings.
• Chen Lin found several black particles where the entity had died, but they disappeared from his pocket before he could examine them.
• Chen Lin suspected the Jade Talisman had absorbed the particles and tested whether it could absorb a spirit stone, pills, or spirit herbs, but saw no reaction.
• Chen Lin searched the Market for methods to make Evil-Warding Talismans, Exorcism Talismans, and Five Elements Escape Talismans, but found none for sale.
• Chen Lin learned that the Five Directions Temple supplied evil-expelling and demon-banishing talismans, so he set off there to seek Yuyang Zi's help.

Chen Lin visited Yuyang Zi, who gave him the crafting methods for three talismans and warned him about the dangers of making too many Inner Demon Oaths. Chen Lin left with talisman ink and a favorable impression of Yuyang Zi, while the threat of growing evil qi and the Blazing Sun Sect’s work at the Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode remained unresolved.

• Chen Lin visited Yuyang Zi, hoping to discuss how to craft Evil-Warding Talismans and Exorcism Talismans.
• Yuyang Zi offered Chen Lin a Jade Slip containing the methods for Evil-Warding, Exorcism, and Demon-Suppression Talismans as thanks for saving his life.
• Yuyang Zi warned Chen Lin that Inner Demon Oaths could accumulate and attract inner demons, and Chen Lin thanked him for the advice.
• Yuyang Zi voiced concern that evil qi was growing stronger while the Blazing Sun Sect continued unraveling the formation at the Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode.
• A young Taoist escorted Chen Lin out and gave him bottles of ink for making Evil-Warding and Exorcism Talismans.
• Chen Lin reflected that Yuyang Zi had likely witnessed his fight with the Red Shadow Evil Entity and decided that Yuyang Zi was an upright cultivator worth befriending.

Chen Lin studied Yuyang Zi’s talisman legacy and improved his Evil-Warding Talisman crafting, while the Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode revealed a mysterious temple. His search for God-Nourishing Pill ingredients ended with news that Great Alchemist Lu had been poisoned.

• Chen Lin discovered that Yuyang Zi’s Jade Slip contained methods for three talismans, including a Second-Tier Demon-Suppression Talisman, and began crafting Evil-Warding Talismans.
• Chen Lin’s talisman success rate improved as he used up his ink, and he found that the God-Nourishing Pill had sharpened his memory and concentration.
• The shopkeeper at Ruyi House told Chen Lin that a temple had appeared after the formation at the Ancient Cultivator Cave Abode broke, but no cultivator had entered it.
• Chen Lin bought more talisman supplies and searched the market for sweet cloud herb juice, but found that it had suddenly become unavailable.
• The shopkeeper told Chen Lin that sweet cloud herb juice was scarce because Great Alchemist Lu of the Mountain-Backing Sect had been poisoned.