Chapter Summaries

Wu Tao asked Lin Xinquan to procure first-rank level 9 spiritual materials and learned about the rare rogue cultivators who had reached that rank. When Wu Tao returned to his shop, Zhou Qimao invited him to meet Luo Changshan, who had come to the West Inner City.

• Wu Tao waited for Lin Xinquan, then asked him to help obtain first-rank level 9 spiritual materials.
• Lin Xinquan agreed to procure Wu Tao's requested materials through his regular trade route, with delivery expected in two months.
• Lin Xinquan told Wu Tao about Luo Changshan, a rogue cultivator who had reached first-rank level 9 before joining Five Spring Mountain, and asked whether Wu Tao might join as well.
• Wu Tao returned to the Mystic Origin Magic Tool Shop and met Zhou Qimao, who said Wu Daoruan had sent him to invite Wu Tao to meet Luo Changshan.

Wu Tao met Luo Changshan through Wu Daoruan and asked him about artifact refinement and the Five Spring Artifact Refining Hall. Luo Changshan offered to recommend Wu Tao in the future, then explained that Loose Cultivator Artifact Refiners had little status and needed Merit Points to learn, leaving Wu Tao to consider what joining the Hall would entail.

• Zhou Qimao brought Wu Tao to Wu Daoruan’s residence to meet Luo Changshan.
• Luo Changshan praised Wu Tao’s progress and recognized him as the First-Rank Level 5 Artifact Refiner he had met four years earlier.
• Wu Tao asked Luo Changshan about difficult artifact refinement problems, and Luo Changshan answered them.
• Luo Changshan offered to recommend Wu Tao to the Five Spring Artifact Refining Hall if he became a First-Rank Level 9 Artifact Refiner.
• Wu Tao asked what the Five Spring Artifact Refining Hall was like, and Luo Changshan explained that Loose Cultivator Artifact Refiners had little status and generally needed Merit Points to learn.

Wu Tao learned from Luo Changshan how difficult it was for rogue cultivator artifact refiners to advance within Five Spring Artifact Refining Hall, especially toward Tier 2. Luo Changshan then tested Wu Tao’s restriction-inscribing skill and praised his proficiency.

• Luo Changshan explained that rogue cultivator artifact refiners faced low status and hardship at Five Spring Artifact Refining Hall because they lacked formal training and struggled to earn Merit Points.
• Wu Tao asked whether joining as a Second Tier Artifact Refiner or a Foundation Establishment cultivator would bring preferential treatment, and Luo Changshan said both would be valued.
• Luo Changshan explained that advancing to Tier 2 required Foundation Establishment, access to Earth Fire, and a Tier 2 Magic Tool Refinement Inheritance, which rogue cultivators found difficult to obtain.
• Luo Changshan told Wu Tao that rogue cultivator artifact refiners often lacked enough time to accumulate Merit Points before old age, though Wu Tao’s youth might give him a chance.
• Luo Changshan asked Wu Tao to inscribe the Green Leaf Boat’s restriction on a Formation Practice Board, and Wu Tao completed it smoothly.
• Luo Changshan examined the restriction and praised Wu Tao’s proficiency.

Wu Tao left Luo Changshan after demonstrating his skill at inscribing Restrictions, and Luo Changshan concluded that he possessed an Artifact Refinement Technique. Tempted to kill Wu Tao and take it, Luo Changshan resisted briefly before admitting to himself that the desire was his own, while Wu Tao weighed his path toward becoming a Tier 2 Artifact Refiner.

• Wu Tao thanked Luo Changshan for his guidance, received his address, and left.
• Luo Changshan inferred that Wu Tao's rapid progress came from an Artifact Refinement Technique and considered killing him to steal it.
• Luo Changshan briefly feared he was being influenced by a heart demon, then acknowledged his greed and concealed his thoughts when Wu Daoruan and his companion arrived.
• Wu Tao returned to the Mystic Origin Magic Tool Shop, practiced the Sword Formation Technique with Chen Yao, and went to the Artifact Refining Room.
• Wu Tao decided that joining the Five Spring Artifact Refining Hall as a first-rank refiner was not what he wanted and reviewed the missing requirements for reaching Tier 2.

Wu Tao planned to reach Qi Refining Perfection and ideally join Five Spring Mountain as a Tier 2 Artifact Refiner. Meanwhile, Luo Changshan prepared to trap Wu Tao and force him to reveal an Artifact Refinement Technique, then lured him into his residence and sent Zhou Qimao away.

• Wu Tao decided to spend the next two and a half years pursuing Qi Refining Perfection while hoping to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill or a Tier 2 Magic Tool Refinement Secret Manual.
• Luo Changshan resolved to seize Wu Tao's Artifact Refinement Technique and traveled to Five Spring Mountain to rent a formation that could trap and kill him.
• Luo Changshan set up the formation at his West Inner City residence and sent Zhou Qimao to invite Artifact Master Li.
• Wu Tao left the Mystic Origin Magic Tool Shop after Zhou Qimao delivered Luo Changshan's invitation.
• Luo Changshan welcomed Wu Tao into his residence and sent Zhou Qimao away, leaving the two alone.

Wu Tao was lured into Luo Changshan’s three-in-one formation, where Luo tried to seize his Artifact Refinement Technique and kill him. Wu Tao broke the formation and killed Luo Changshan, then realized he would have to abandon his identity and flee West Inner City with Chen Yao; he considered what he could do before anyone discovered the killing.

• Luo Changshan invited Wu Tao for tea, then revealed that he wanted the Artifact Refinement Technique and trapped him in a three-in-one magic array.
• Wu Tao realized Luo Changshan intended to kill him for the technique and decided to fight back, despite the consequences of killing a Five Spring Mountain member.
• Luo Changshan activated the Water Arrow Formation and Gold Arrow Formation, but Wu Tao used corpse puppets, nether souls, a shield, and Qi Recovery Pills to withstand them and attack the Earth Flow Formation.
• Wu Tao’s accumulated Spear Intent empowered a strike that destroyed the Earth Flow Formation and collapsed the other two formations.
• Luo Changshan tried to flee, but Wu Tao used the Blood Escape Secret Technique to kill him and took his Storage Bag and formation disk.
• Wu Tao found that Luo Changshan had activated a Sound-Proofing and Anti-Peeping Array and considered how to minimize the trouble before the killing was discovered.

After killing Luo Changshan, Wu Tao decided to conceal the death and flee West City before Five Spring Mountain could investigate. He shut down his shop, sent Chen Yao to prepare to leave, and parted ways with Yu Hai as he began putting his escape plan into action.

• Wu Tao rejected plans to frame Luo Changshan for abandoning the sect or to impersonate him, fearing both would draw Five Spring Mountain's attention.
• Wu Tao cleaned the tea room, burned away Luo Changshan's bodily remains, and packed them into a Storage Bag so the death would not be discovered there.
• Wu Tao returned to the Mystic Origin Magic Tool Shop and told Chen Yao to pack their belongings and wait at home.
• Wu Tao dismissed Yu Hai with the contract penalty, gave him a Green Leaf Boat, and advised him to leave the area under Five Spring Mountain's jurisdiction.
• Yu Hai decided to head to East City and later seek a place to settle under Purple Gold Grotto's jurisdiction, while Wu Tao left without saying farewell to Lin Xinquan or Gu Mingsheng.

Wu Tao disguised himself as Luo Changshan and used his identity token to enter Five Spring Mountain’s Resource Office, where he exchanged merit points for Five Qi Pills. He left with most of Luo Changshan’s merit points still unspent, and the Zhou Family disciple offered to help him exchange for more.

• Wu Tao found Luo Changshan’s identity token and discovered that his transformed aura let him access Luo Changshan’s 2,650 merit points.
• Wu Tao told Zhou Qimao that he was returning to Five Spring Mountain, then entered the Wuquan Office disguised as Luo Changshan.
• A Five Spring Mountain disciple led Wu Tao to the Resource Office, where Wu Tao exchanged 100 merit points for ten bottles of Five Qi Pills.
• The Zhou Family disciple asked Wu Tao whether he still needed Five Qi Pills.

After exploiting fellow disciples’ Five Qi Pill quotas and securing supplies, Wu Tao took Chen Yao out of the city and prepared to flee to a cultivation city under the Ethereal Void Sect. They reached East City and found a Flying Void Boat leaving for their destination.

• Wu Tao exchanged for Five Qi Pills using Zhou Family Wuquan Mountain Disciple’s and Senior Brother Shen’s quotas, paid handling fees, and spent his remaining Merit Points on supplies including Flying Sword Talismans.
• Wu Tao met Chen Yao, led her out of the city, hid her in a wilderness hole with the Soul-Devouring Insects guarding her, and told her he would return within an hour.
• Wu Tao disguised himself as Luo Changshan, flew out past the city patrol, then changed back and returned safely to Chen Yao after traveling two hundred li.
• Wu Tao told Chen Yao they were going to a cultivation city under the Ethereal Void Sect, where he hoped to find First-Rank Level 9 spirit materials and artifact refiners.
• Wu Tao and Chen Yao reached East City and learned that a Flying Void Boat to Ethereal Void Cultivation City would depart in half an hour.

Wu Tao and Chen Yao paid a scalper cultivator to smuggle them aboard the Flying Void Boat bound for the Ethereal Void Region. They settled into a small room in the lower cabin as the boat took flight, keeping Wu Tao’s destination unregistered.

• Wu Tao agreed to pay the scalper cultivator 120 mid-grade spirit stones per person and handed over a deposit of 200 stones.
• The scalper led Wu Tao and Chen Yao to the Flying Void Boat, whose enormous, heavily protected structure left Wu Tao in awe of the immortal Dao sects’ resources.
• The scalper brought them aboard through a rear entrance and warned them to remain in the lower cabin for the twelve-day journey so patrols would not catch them unregistered.
• Wu Tao accepted the room jade tablet, entered the small cabin with Chen Yao, and watched through its window as the Flying Void Boat took flight.

After killing Luo Changshan, Wu Tao fled the West Inner City with Chen Yao for the Ethereal Void Region, fearing the Five Spring Artifact Refining Hall might uncover what happened. As they cultivated aboard the Flying Void Boat, the people left behind discovered their disappearance, but the investigation into Luo Changshan’s absence remained cursory.

• Wu Tao explained to Chen Yao that Luo Changshan had tried to seize the Mystic Origin Artifact Refinement Technique, so Wu Tao killed him and impersonated his aura to leave the city.
• Wu Tao told Chen Yao they were heading to the Ethereal Void Region to avoid risking an investigation by the Five Spring Artifact Refining Hall, and the two began cultivating with Five Qi Pills.
• Wu Tao discovered that the scalper cultivator was a Flying Void Boat staff member who smuggled cultivators in the lower cabin for extra money.
• Five days after Wu Tao left, Gu Mingsheng and Li Feiyao found the Mystic Origin Magic Tool Shop replaced by another shop and learned its owner and family had vanished.
• Lin Xinquan regretted losing his chance to rely on Wu Tao, while Wu Daoruan learned that Luo Changshan was the last person seen with Artifact Master Li.
• Wuquan Mountain disciples investigated Luo Changshan’s disappearance, but decided not to pursue it seriously because his status was low and Li Mo had also left the city.

Wu Tao and Chen Yao cultivated aboard the Flying Void Boat as it traveled toward the Ethereal Void Region, surviving a demonic beast attack along the way. On the twelfth day, the boat reached Ethereal Void Cultivation City, where Wu Tao planned to help Chen Yao advance her cultivation.

• Wu Tao calculated how quickly Five Qi Pills could advance his cultivation and prioritized helping Chen Yao reach late-stage Qi Refining.
• A female cultivator offered Wu Tao dual-cultivation services, then left after noticing Chen Yao inside.
• Flying demonic beasts attacked the Flying Void Boat, but its Foundation Establishment cultivator announced that the Tier 2 beast had been slain.
• Wu Tao decided to wait until they reached the cultivation city before helping Chen Yao use the Vermilion Fruit to advance to the sixth level of Qi Refining.
• On the twelfth day, the Flying Void Boat announced its arrival at the Ethereal Void Region and Ethereal Void Cultivation City.

Wu Tao and Chen Yao arrived safely in the Ethereal Void Cultivation City without registering their identities, keeping Five Spring Mountain from learning their destination. They hired a local guide and began looking for a house, with Wu Tao specifying that he needed an artifact refining room.

• Wu Tao paid the Scalper Cultivator the remaining spirit stones and followed him off the Flying Void Boat with Chen Yao and other unregistered rogue cultivators.
• The Scalper Cultivator offered guides, and Wu Tao decided to hire one with Chen Yao.
• Guide Xu introduced the basic layout and management of the Ethereal Void Cultivation City to Wu Tao.
• Wu Tao asked Guide Xu to take him to a housing brokerage agency and described the rooms he needed.
• The brokerage steward asked whether Wu Tao was an artifact refiner after hearing that he wanted an artifact refining room, and Wu Tao confirmed that he was.

Wu Tao settled into Ethereal Void Cultivation City under the alias Han Fan and inspected the city while Chen Yao rested. He then examined the powerful Azure Sky Golden Sea Talisman he had rented under his former identity, Luo Changshan, and prepared to use it without returning it.

• Wu Tao rented a house on East Auspicious Street under the name Han Fan after learning artifact refiners could receive discounts in the city.
• Guide Xu showed Wu Tao and Chen Yao to their new home and gave Wu Tao a map of the inner city.
• Wu Tao cleaned the house and told the exhausted Chen Yao to sleep while he studied the map and checked his cultivation progress.
• Wu Tao planned to help Chen Yao advance through Qi Refining before using the Five Qi Pills to improve his own cultivation.
• Wu Tao examined the Azure Sky Golden Sea Talisman, a reusable low-grade talisman treasure capable of attacking with the strength of a Foundation Establishment Layer One cultivator.

Wu Tao settled into Ethereal Void Cultivation City with Chen Yao, remained cautious while he cooked for her and cultivated, and helped her use a Vermilion Fruit to break through to Qi Refining Layer 6. The chapter left Chen Yao newly advanced and Wu Tao still waiting for the danger surrounding Luo Changshan’s death to pass.

• Wu Tao examined an Azure Sky Golden Sea Talisman Treasure and considered its limits, its remaining uses, and whether greater Divine Sense might let him unleash its full power.
• Wu Tao sent Soul-Devouring Insects to guard the sleeping Chen Yao, then bought fresh Tier 1 Advanced Demonic Beast meat after confronting the Rongji Monster Meat Shopkeeper for trying to overcharge him.
• Wu Tao cooked the meat for Chen Yao, and the two shared a hearty meal before returning to cultivation in their room.
• Wu Tao stayed cautious in Ethereal Void Cultivation City and cultivated with Chen Yao while delaying his Body Tempering Art training until he could buy spiritual medicines.
• Wu Tao gave Chen Yao a Vermilion Fruit and channeled Spiritual Power to help her refine it, enabling her to break through to Qi Refining Layer 6.

After preparing to take the First-Rank Level 8 artifact refiner certification test, Wu Tao went to the Ethereal Void Sect Artifact Refining Hall in Ethereal Void Cultivation City. He presented his rental contract and explained that he had no previous certificate, beginning the process as a newly arrived artifact refiner.

• Chen Yao broke through to Qi Refining Layer 6, and Wu Tao celebrated with her before resuming his plans.
• Wu Tao practiced refining an Evil-Warding Magic Robe without using the Mystic Origin Artifact Refinement Technique so the Artifact Refining Hall would not discover his methods.
• Wu Tao planned to earn his certificate, update his status with the housing agency, resume body tempering, and investigate the requirements for becoming a Tier 2 artifact refiner.
• Wu Tao cooked breakfast and told Chen Yao he was going to take the certification test, then refined the Evil-Warding Magic Robe once more to check his work.
• Wu Tao arrived at the Ethereal Void Sect Artifact Refining Hall, presented his rental contract, and said he was testing for a First-Rank Level 8 certificate without holding a previous one.

Han Fan and Zhou Shen took the First-Rank Level 8 Artifact Refiner assessment under Zhang Ming, and both passed. Zhang Ming praised Han Fan’s skill and invited him to seek advice in the future, while Zhou Shen invited Han Fan for a drink to begin a friendship.

• Han Fan paid the assessment fee and met Zhou Shen, who explained that Zhang Ming was a helpful First-Rank Level 9 Artifact Refiner.
• Zhang Ming arrived and gave Han Fan and Zhou Shen time to prepare before starting the assessment.
• Han Fan refined a First-Rank Level 8 Evil-Warding Magic Robe while Zhou Shen completed a First-Rank Level 8 Magic Tool.
• Zhang Ming approved both artifacts and praised Han Fan’s potential to become a First-Rank Level 9 Loose Cultivator Artifact Refiner.
• Zhou Shen and Han Fan asked Zhang Ming questions about artifact refinement, and Zhang Ming invited Han Fan to visit him for future advice.
• After collecting their certificates, Zhou Shen invited Han Fan to have a drink.

Wu Tao learned about Ethereal Void Cultivation City's loose cultivator artifact refiners from Zhou Shen and bought medicinal herbs before returning home. In his cultivation room, Master Nail destroyed a hidden Five Spring Mountain tracking mark on the Azure Sky Golden Sea Talisman, revealing the sect's safeguard.

• Wu Tao reclaimed his assessment fee, then joined Zhou Shen for a meal and agreed to attend a gathering of artifact refiners in five days.
• Zhou Shen explained that the Ethereal Void Sect kept first-rank level 9 loose cultivator artifact refiners in the cultivation city, allowing artifact-refining knowledge to pass down and supporting many level 8 refiners.
• Wu Tao left the tavern, bought a five-day supply of Marrow Refining herbs, and returned home to Chen Yao.
• Wu Tao asked Master Nail to temper his divine sense, but the coffin nail sent black light from his sea of consciousness to strike the Azure Sky Golden Sea Talisman.
• Wu Tao realized Master Nail had removed a hidden Five Spring Mountain mark that could reveal the talisman treasure's location when activated.

Wu Tao tempered his Divine Sense, continued his Marrow Refining, and went to buy materials for the Golden Gilded Robe and Blazing Flame Spear. At the Ethereal Void Zhou Family Spirit Material Shop, the shopkeeper recognized him as a First-Rank Level 9 Artifact Refiner and said the shop stocked most of what he needed.

• Wu Tao thanked Master Nail for removing the mark from his Azure Sky Golden Sea Talisman and asked it to temper his Divine Sense.
• After enduring another painful tempering, Wu Tao restored his condition, refined medicinal liquid, and completed his Marrow Refining before cultivating with Chen Yao.
• Wu Tao left Chen Yao at home with the Soul-Devouring Insect to protect her and went out to purchase First-Rank Level 9 spiritual materials.
• Wu Tao entered the Ethereal Void Zhou Family Spirit Material Shop and asked Zhou Zhongguan for eleven types of materials.
• Zhou Zhongguan identified Wu Tao as a First-Rank Level 9 Artifact Refiner and said his shop had most of the requested materials.

Wu Tao purchased available First-Rank Level 9 spiritual materials from Zhou Zhongguan, learned that the Zhou Family Spirit Material Shop held an exclusive permit to sell them, and returned home. He successfully refined a Blazing Flame Spear and tested its smooth Restriction Circuit.

• Wu Tao bought Thousand-Fathom Wood, Golden Velvet, and Platinum Iron from Zhou Zhongguan and left an address for the remaining materials.
• Zhou Zhongguan showed Wu Tao a Sect Office certificate granting his shop the exclusive right to sell First-Rank Level 9 spiritual materials.
• Wu Tao checked other shops, confirmed none sold those materials, and returned home.
• Wu Tao prepared the four spiritual materials for a Blazing Flame Spear and smelted them using a Starfire Stone.
• Wu Tao completed the spear’s refinement and found that spiritual power flowed smoothly through its Restriction Circuit.