Chapter Summaries

Qin Shaofeng saw through the black dragon’s trial, earned a powerful dragon bone, and returned to the secret realm. There, he faced the deranged cultivator who had failed the trial a thousand years earlier and coveted his reward.

• Qin Shaofeng resisted the black dragon’s temptation, and the white-robed old man revealed that the trial had exposed the Heartbreak Poison and the fate of those who pursued wealth and power.
• The old man gave Qin Shaofeng a black dragon bone and explained that a cultivator from a thousand years earlier had lost his Dao Heart and remained trapped in the secret realm.
• Qin Shaofeng returned to the cave, where Qing Daoxun welcomed him and the dragon bone’s spiritual energy filled the dwelling.
• The white-haired cultivator tried to seize the dragon bone, but an invisible force repelled him; Qin Shaofeng recognized him as the man who had failed the trial.
• The cultivator attacked Qin Shaofeng, while Qing Daoxun was immobilized by his pressure, and Qin Shaofeng mocked him for losing his Dao Heart.

Qin Shaofeng defeated a cultivator who tried to steal his cultivation, then accepted the Qiankun Dao book the man offered to avoid expulsion from the secret realm. The book triggered a reaction between the dragon bones and Qin Shaofeng’s Blood Demon Power, and ascension calamity thunderclouds gathered over Haotian Cave Mansion.

• Qin Shaofeng used the cultivator’s attack to gather spiritual energy, allowing Qing Daoxun to absorb it and approach a breakthrough.
• Qin Shaofeng rebounded the cultivator’s spiritual arrows and wounded him with a spiritual sword.
• Old Man Haotian healed the cultivator, then said he could no longer let him guard the secret realm after his malicious attack.
• The cultivator begged Qin Shaofeng to intercede and offered him the Qiankun Dao book, which sent white light into Qin Shaofeng and fused with the dragon bones.
• Qin Shaofeng’s Blood Demon Power surged and began to dissolve as thunderclouds of an ascension calamity gathered above Haotian Cave Mansion.

Qin Shaofeng discovered that the dragon bone and Qiankun Dao had purified much of the Blood Demon Power in his body, while Qing Daoxun gained a major breakthrough. He chose to delay his own ascension so he could stay with her, and the old man offered a pill that could suppress his cultivation at a cost.

• Qin Shaofeng found that the dragon bone had purified much of the Blood Demon Power within him, and he accepted the cultivator’s copy of the Qiankun Dao before advising him to repair his Dao Heart.
• The old man sent the cultivator away to tend the cave mansion’s flowers and plants, then told Qin Shaofeng that a new fortune awaited beyond the door.
• Qing Daoxun absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy, broke through several realms, and reached the minor realm.
• Qin Shaofeng asked the old man how he could postpone ascension so he could remain with Qing Daoxun, explaining that he feared she might be taken as an Alchemy Furnace.
• The old man offered Qin Shaofeng a pill to suppress his realm, warning that ascending later would bring endless hardship, but Qin Shaofeng said he was willing to stay in the mortal world with Qing Daoxun.

Qin Shaofeng suppressed his cultivation to avert his Ascension Lightning Tribulation and helped Qing Daoxun endure her own tribulation. After Qing Daoxun succeeded, a sect's Third Elder set out to find the cultivator who had suppressed his cultivation.

• Qin Shaofeng took the old man's pill, suppressing his cultivation and changing the Ascension Lightning Tribulation clouds into ordinary Calamity Tribulation clouds.
• Qin Shaofeng protected Qing Daoxun as the lightning struck, channeling it through his barrier so she could refine its spiritual energy and advance.
• Third Elder noticed the change in the thunderclouds and decided to seek out the cultivator, hoping to recruit him for his sect.
• Qing Daoxun completed her tribulation and thanked Qin Shaofeng for drawing the lightning for her.

Qin Shaofeng helped Qing Daoxun through her tribulation, and the heavenly rain strengthened cultivators across the Lower Realm while earning her merit. After they descended the mountain, the Third Elder tried to recruit them into his once-renowned sect, but Qin Shaofeng refused and left with Qing Daoxun.

• Qin Shaofeng reassured Qing Daoxun, and the heavenly rain that followed her tribulation helped cultivators throughout the Lower Realm improve.
• Qing Daoxun gained merit from the cultivators’ gratitude, and she and Qin Shaofeng embraced before descending the mountain.
• The Third Elder met Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun and questioned them about who had undergone the tribulation.
• The Third Elder offered to take Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun into his sect, but Qin Shaofeng refused and led her away.

Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun repeatedly encountered the Third Elder, who disguised himself to persuade them to visit his sect. After learning the sect had a Spiritual Spring Lake and a cultivation technique that might help Qing Daoxun, Qin Shaofeng agreed to go with her.

• Qin Shaofeng recognized the Third Elder disguised as a teahouse owner and refused his invitation to visit the sect.
• The Third Elder complained to the Second Elder that Qin Shaofeng would not be persuaded, then resolved to keep trying.
• The Third Elder adopted several disguises along the road, but Qin Shaofeng saw through them.
• Qin Shaofeng discovered that the innkeeper was the Third Elder in disguise, and the Third Elder described a Spiritual Spring Lake and a cultivation technique suited to Qing Daoxun.
• Qin Shaofeng asked Qing Daoxun what she wanted, and she agreed to follow his decision.
• Qin Shaofeng agreed to visit the sect with Qing Daoxun, delighting the Third Elder.

Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun reached the dilapidated Tian Xuan Sect, where the Third Elder rushed ahead to confront intruders. Qin Shaofeng followed and faced Zhao Hong of the Myriad Beast Sect as he threatened the elders and their disciples.

• Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun arrived at Tian Xuan Sect and found its mountain gate in disrepair.
• The Third Elder gave Qing Daoxun a jade piece and hurried up the mountain to deal with villains, while Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun sensed a faint demonic aura.
• Qin Shaofeng decided to help the Third Elder and led Qing Daoxun up to the summit.
• Zhao Hong demanded that the Tian Xuan Sect elders surrender their land and a person's belongings, then shattered their protective barriers with his power.
• Qin Shaofeng stepped forward, accused Zhao Hong of bullying the sect while its master was absent, and called the Myriad Beast Sect shameful.

Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun confronted Zhao Hong and the Myriad Beast Sect disciples after they bullied the people at the sect. Qin Shaofeng killed Zhao Hong’s Eighth-tier Spirit Beast and remained unaffected by Zhao Hong’s Mahayana Stage pressure, leaving Zhao Hong and his disciples shaken.

• Qing Daoxun condemned Zhao Hong and his disciples for bullying the weak, then dispelled Zhao Hong’s sword attack with a sweep of her sleeve.
• Zhao Hong summoned the Five-colored Antelope and tried to recruit Qing Daoxun, but she refused and mocked him.
• Qin Shaofeng mounted the charging Five-colored Antelope, subdued it, and killed it with his dagger.
• Zhao Hong attacked Qin Shaofeng and unleashed his Mahayana Stage pressure, injuring disciples and cracking the protective barrier.
• Qin Shaofeng remained unaffected by Zhao Hong’s pressure and mocked his strength, while Zhao Hong’s disciples panicked because they could not discern Qin Shaofeng’s cultivation.

Qin Shaofeng drove Zhao Hong and the Myriad Beast Sect disciples away, then accepted Tian Xuan Sect’s invitation to visit its Spirit Spring Water with Qing Daoxun. As the sect’s disciples feasted on the Eighth-tier Spirit Beast, Qing Daoxun discovered that its meat also improved her cultivation, while Zhao Hong vowed revenge.

• Qin Shaofeng stripped Zhao Hong with a strike of white light, forcing him and the Myriad Beast Sect disciples to flee.
• The Third Elder told Qin Shaofeng that Tian Xuan Sect’s sect master had disappeared and that the claim of his secluded cultivation was meant to deter other sects.
• The Third Elder invited Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun to Tian Xuan Sect and offered them access to its Cold Spring and Spirit Spring Water.
• Qin Shaofeng gave Tian Xuan Sect the Eighth-tier Spirit Beast to divide among its disciples and agreed to see the Spirit Spring Water with Qing Daoxun.
• Zhao Hong spat blood on his way back to Myriad Beast Sect and vowed revenge after learning Tian Xuan Sect had divided up his Spirit Beast.
• Qing Daoxun ate a small piece of the roasted Spirit Beast, felt her cultivation improve, and told Qin Shaofeng.

Qin Shaofeng persuaded Qing Daoxun to join the declining Tian Xuan Sect, whose elders promised to nurture them and described its remaining heritage. After they settled in, the Third Elder visited Qin Shaofeng to ask him to repair the sect’s incomplete Mountain Protection Formation.

• Qin Shaofeng pointed out that Qing Daoxun had gained spiritual energy from the spirit beast meat and urged her to cultivate at the Tian Xuan Sect.
• Qing Daoxun agreed to join the Tian Xuan Sect, and Qin Shaofeng told the three elders that they were willing to consider joining.
• The elders welcomed Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun, outlined the sect’s disciples and structure, and described its lost and surviving inheritances.
• Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun settled in the sect for two days.
• The Third Elder visited Qin Shaofeng and asked him to repair the incomplete Mountain Protection Formation, citing his skill in formations.

Qin Shaofeng agreed to help repair the Tian Xuan Sect's Mountain Protection Formation in exchange for Qing Daoxun's access to its Cold Spring. After seeing her cultivation improve, Qing Daoxun joined the sect as an Outer Disciple, and Qin Shaofeng remained with her.

• Third Elder offered Qing Daoxun access to the Cold Spring if Qin Shaofeng helped repair the Mountain Protection Formation, and Qin Shaofeng accepted.
• Third Elder gave Qing Daoxun a token to enter the Cold Spring while he and Qin Shaofeng inspected the formation over several days.
• Qing Daoxun cultivated in the Cold Spring and strengthened her meridians and dantian.
• Third Elder encouraged Qing Daoxun to join the Tian Xuan Sect, and Qin Shaofeng supported her decision to become an Outer Disciple.
• Third Elder gave Qing Daoxun a complementary cultivation manual and left the two of them alone.

Qin Shaofeng helped Qing Daoxun advance her cultivation and repaired Tian Xuan Sect’s Mountain Protection Formation, restoring seventy percent of its power. At the disciples’ examination in the Beast Forest, Qing Daoxun set out to tame a spirit beast on her own and succeeded in subduing a white crane.

• Qing Daoxun spent a month cultivating in Cold Spring and emerged after breaking through to the next realm.
• Qin Shaofeng asked the Third Elder to gather materials for the Mountain Protection Formation and requested that Tian Xuan Sect keep his identity secret.
• Qin Shaofeng and the Third Elder repaired the Mountain Protection Formation over a month, restoring seventy percent of its power.
• Three months after the disciples began secluded cultivation, twenty disciples entered the Beast Forest for their examination, with the Third Elder forbidding them from directly helping one another tame spirit beasts.
• Qing Daoxun asked Qin Shaofeng not to intervene, trapped a white crane with a spell, wore it down, and tamed it herself.

Qing Daoxun finally subdued the white crane after it broke free, and Qin Shaofeng reassured her as she committed to continuing her training. Their moment was interrupted by Zhao Qi and his servant, who insulted Qing Daoxun and threatened Qin Shaofeng, prompting him to confront them.

• The white crane broke free of Qing Daoxun's restraints and knocked her away, but she stopped Qin Shaofeng from intervening and subdued it herself with a master-recognition contract.
• Qing Daoxun lamented her weakness, and Qin Shaofeng comforted her; she vowed not to give up on her arduous path.
• Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun were mocked by Zhao Qi and his servant, who mistook the newly transformed hairpin for a lack of a spirit beast.
• Zhao Qi insulted Qing Daoxun and moved toward her, so Qin Shaofeng struck him to the ground.
• Zhao Qi claimed he was the son of the Eldest Princess, and his servant threatened Qin Shaofeng, who dismissed their status and challenged them.

Qin Shaofeng punished Zhao Qi for insulting Qing Daoxun, forcing him to endure a thousand slaps while Qi Fei could not stop himself. Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun continued down the road, and a distant mountain suddenly blazed with golden light.

• Zhao Qi threatened Qin Shaofeng and tried to flee, but Qin Shaofeng summoned his wolf and struck it down.
• Zhao Qi attacked with his sword, but Qin Shaofeng caught it between two fingers and shattered it.
• Qin Shaofeng seized Zhao Qi and ordered him to slap himself one thousand times, then made Qi Fei deliver the slaps when Zhao Qi held back.
• Qin Shaofeng left with Qing Daoxun after placing a barrier around Zhao Qi and Qi Fei, protecting them from spirit beasts below the eighth grade.
• Qing Daoxun asked whether leaving Zhao Qi and Qi Fei there would cause trouble, and a distant mountain suddenly shone with golden light.

Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun searched the mountain for the divine beast whose aura they had sensed and found a golden egg hidden deep beneath a cave. After they escaped with it and tried unsuccessfully to open it, the egg hatched into a fiery red chick.

• Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun climbed the mountain, found a newly formed pit inside a cave, and Qin Shaofeng descended into it alone.
• Qin Shaofeng discovered a huge golden egg floating above magma and brought it back to the surface as footsteps approached.
• The golden egg's light made the pit vanish, and Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun left the mountain before more cultivators arrived.
• Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun reached a secluded cave and failed to open the indestructible egg.
• The golden egg cracked open, and a fiery red chick emerged, leaving Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun stunned.

Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun discovered that the creature hatched from the golden egg was a Phoenix, though it had lost its cultivation and could not explain how it ended up buried in magma. They took the frightened Little Phoenix down the mountain to ask an elder about the strange discovery.

• Little Phoenix woke up, claimed to be a phoenix, and threatened Qin Shaofeng after he and Qing Daoxun studied its sparse feathers.
• Qin Shaofeng learned that Little Phoenix was the daughter of the Valley Lord of Phoenix Valley, but Little Phoenix refused to explain how it had fallen into the mountain magma.
• Qin Shaofeng threatened to drop Little Phoenix from the mountain, but Qing Daoxun rescued him and comforted him.
• Qin Shaofeng and Qing Daoxun collected the golden eggshell and took Little Phoenix down the mountain to find Third Elder.

Third Elder agreed to keep Little Phoenix’s existence secret, and Little Phoenix told Qin Shaofeng how the Nine-tailed Fox betrayed its mother and took over Phoenix Mountain. Qin Shaofeng offered to save the phoenix clan in exchange for Little Phoenix forming a contract with his junior sister, leaving Little Phoenix surprised by his offer.

• Third Elder warned Qin Shaofeng that divine beasts were difficult to contract with and promised not to reveal Little Phoenix’s existence.
• Qin Shaofeng offered to help Little Phoenix return home, and Little Phoenix recounted how the Nine-tailed Fox imprisoned its mother and seized Phoenix Mountain.
• Little Phoenix explained that its mother had sent it away, but the Nine-tailed Fox’s barrier and its mother’s depleted blood made returning dangerous.
• Qin Shaofeng proposed saving the phoenix clan in exchange for Little Phoenix contracting with his junior sister.
• Little Phoenix offered the phoenix clan’s obedience if Qin Shaofeng saved them, but Qin Shaofeng asked for the clan to acknowledge his junior sister instead.

Qin Shaofeng arranged for Little Phoenix to cultivate in Phoenix Mountain and give Qing Daoxun the Phoenix Clan’s support. Then Daoist Qingxuan confronted him over his disciples’ beating, and Qin Shaofeng agreed to take the dispute to the Law Enforcement Hall.

• Qin Shaofeng persuaded Qing Daoxun to accept the Phoenix Clan’s allegiance, then learned that time passed differently in Phoenix Mountain and offered Little Phoenix a protected place to cultivate there.
• Daoist Qingxuan burst into Qin Shaofeng’s room after hearing that his disciples had been beaten and attacked him with a fly-whisk, which Qin Shaofeng shattered.
• Zhao Qi and the other disciple accused Qin Shaofeng of making Qi Fei slap them one thousand times, while Qin Shaofeng said he had punished them for flirting with Qing Daoxun.
• Daoist Qingxuan tried to seize Qin Shaofeng and send him to the Law Enforcement Hall, but an invisible force repelled him.
• Daoist Qingxuan threatened to send Qing Daoxun to the Law Enforcement Hall, and Qin Shaofeng agreed to go there and demand a fair hearing.

Qin Shaofeng effortlessly turned Daoist Qingxuan’s lightning against him, humiliating the Mahayana Stage cultivator in front of the Third Elder and the others. After Daoist Qingxuan left, Qin Shaofeng blasted Qi Fei and Zhao Qi and drove them from the mountain peak.

• Daoist Qingxuan attacked Qin Shaofeng after Qi Fei and Zhao Qi complained, but the Third Elder rushed over and warned him that Qin Shaofeng was an honored guest of the Tian Xuan Sect.
• Daoist Qingxuan ignored the Third Elder and sent lightning at Qin Shaofeng, who calmly caught and toyed with it.
• Qin Shaofeng used a powerful bolt of lightning to strip Daoist Qingxuan down to his inner garments, then mocked his Mahayana Stage strength.
• The Third Elder stopped Qin Shaofeng from escalating further, and Daoist Qingxuan left in humiliation to change clothes.
• Qin Shaofeng shoved Qi Fei and Zhao Qi out the door, blackened them with lightning, and stripped them bare before they fled the mountain peak.

After Qin Shaofeng rejected the Third Elder’s pleas to forgive Daoist Qingxuan, he fulfilled his promise to reinforce the Tian Xuan Sect’s Mountain Protection Formation with a talisman. The elders saw the formation grow vastly stronger and resolved to treat Qin Shaofeng with respect while keeping Daoist Qingxuan away from his mountain.

• The Third Elder pleaded with Qin Shaofeng to let Daoist Qingxuan’s punishment stand, and Qin Shaofeng refused to soften his stance.
• Qin Shaofeng gave the Third Elder a talisman to reinforce the Mountain Protection Formation and warned him to keep Daoist Qingxuan and other intruders away from his mountain.
• The Third Elder took the talisman to the Second Elder and the Great Elder, and they examined it before testing it at the formation core.
• The three elders affixed the talisman to the formation core, and golden light enveloped the sect as the Mountain Protection Formation grew much stronger.
• The elders marveled at Qin Shaofeng’s power, and the Third Elder told them to address him normally rather than with grand titles.