Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Home-Field Advantage”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun decides to leave the Southern Region because its major dangerous areas have already been cleared. He sees little reason to remain merely for the smaller sites, especially while Yi Jue is in seclusion.
• Yide hopes to follow Feng Jun elsewhere, while Shanlin tries to persuade him to stay by mentioning remaining dangerous areas and scenic locations. Feng Jun refuses.
• The Azure Snow Sect’s Grand Elder arrives at Myriad Isles Lake after the area has been cleared. He first visits True Lord Qian Zhong out of courtesy, since the sect benefited greatly from Feng Jun and the two True Lords through the Yin-Yang Essence and the natural grand formation of the Nine-Ten-Thousand Mountains.
• Qian Zhong responds perfunctorily and leaves. Xuanyuan Buqi is unavailable because he is repairing spatial rifts, an issue that embarrasses the Azure Snow Sect due to its previous mishandling of similar matters.
• The Grand Elder explains that Azure Snow has been overwhelmed by the sudden opportunities in the Nine-Ten-Thousand Mountains and Myriad Forms Stone Forest. The sect has mobilized many disciples and even Meritorious Hall personnel, leaving few available to assist at Myriad Isles Lake.
• He attempts to persuade Feng Jun to remain in the Southern Region, emphasizing that Azure Snow is collecting valuable regional specialties for him, including a mutated Eight-Leaf Charm Lotus.
• Through the “big shot,” Feng Jun learns that the Kongmeng Domain Consciousness can help locate rare treasures and regional specialties. However, he rejects the idea of relying on it too heavily, fearing that doing so could interfere with Heaven’s Way.
• The Grand Elder continues pressing Feng Jun to stay or take Azure Snow disciples with him to other regions so they can claim additional opportunities. Feng Jun warns that greedily pursuing too much may lead to humiliation.
• After Xuanyuan Buqi returns, he openly mocks the Grand Elder’s attempts to delay their departure. The Grand Elder insists that Azure Snow’s collected specialties demonstrate the sect’s sincerity.
• True Immortal Shanlin supports the Grand Elder’s argument that opportunities must be seized. At that moment, True Immortal Wanhui of the Golden Crow Sect arrives and challenges Shanlin, asking whether he intends to seize the Golden Crow Sect’s opportunities.
• The Mirror Spirit appears and bluntly declares that Azure Snow’s opportunities lie only in the Southern Region and that the sect must not interfere with its cooperation with Feng Jun.
• Feng Jun is privately irritated by the Mirror Spirit’s sudden claim of cooperation, since he believed their previous arrangement had ended. He later summons the Mirror Spirit and questions it about their agreement that resources in the Domain would be obtained according to individual ability.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Becomes increasingly determined to leave the Southern Region and resist the Azure Snow Sect’s pressure. He remains outwardly composed but is frustrated by both the Grand Elder’s persistence and the Mirror Spirit’s opportunistic reversal. He also demonstrates caution toward the Kongmeng Domain Consciousness and Heaven’s Way.
• Azure Snow Sect’s Grand Elder: Reveals himself as persistent, politically practical, and strongly motivated by sect interests. Although he recognizes Feng Jun’s reasoning, he continues bargaining and appealing to emotion in hopes of securing further benefits.
• Xuanyuan Buqi: Returns to his blunt, sarcastic style, directly criticizing the Grand Elder’s attempts to retain Feng Jun and defend the sect’s interests without concern for diplomatic niceties.
• Shanlin: Supports the philosophy that opportunities must be seized, but is embarrassed when Wanhui catches him discussing the matter. His eagerness also exposes his desire to continue benefiting from Feng Jun’s journey.
• Mirror Spirit: Shows its domineering and unpredictable nature by asserting a renewed partnership with Feng Jun, despite their apparent separation. It intimidates the Grand Elder and firmly excludes Azure Snow from future opportunities.
• Kongmeng Domain Consciousness: Is presented as unusually active and intelligent, secretly communicating with the big shot and offering assistance in locating treasures. Its motives and reliability remain questionable.

Significant Themes

• Opportunity versus restraint: The Azure Snow Sect embodies relentless expansion and the desire to seize every possible opportunity, while Feng Jun argues that knowing when to stop is wiser than overreaching.
• Sect interests and diplomacy: The Grand Elder’s behavior shows how organizational interests can override personal judgment, forcing him to continue negotiations even when he knows Feng Jun’s position is reasonable.
• Home-field advantage and territorial influence: Azure Snow’s control and reputation in the Southern Region allow it to dominate access to local opportunities, even outside its formal territory.
• Heaven’s Way versus individual power: Feng Jun’s caution toward the Domain Consciousness reflects the limits of even powerful cultivators and Guardians when faced with the larger laws and evolution of Heaven’s Way.
• Unstable alliances: Cooperation in the cultivation world is fluid and self-interested. The Mirror Spirit’s sudden reassertion of its partnership with Feng Jun highlights how quickly allies can redefine agreements when new benefits appear.

Character Interactions

• The Grand Elder repeatedly pressures Feng Jun to stay, first through explanations, then through appeals to sincerity and sect-wide effort.
• Qian Zhong dismisses the Grand Elder’s formal visit, reflecting her lack of interest in Azure Snow’s political concerns.
• Xuanyuan Buqi counters the Grand Elder with sarcasm and direct criticism, while the Grand Elder attempts to defend Azure Snow’s conduct.
• Shanlin backs the Grand Elder’s argument about seizing opportunities, prompting Wanhui to confront him about encroaching on Golden Crow’s gains.
• The Mirror Spirit intimidates the Grand Elder and declares that future resources belong to Feng Jun’s cooperation with it, while Feng Jun privately resents the Spirit’s presumptuous claim.
• The chapter ends with Feng Jun confronting the Mirror Spirit over the meaning of their agreement, setting up a dispute over resource-sharing and trust.

Chapter Summary: “Harvest”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Mirror Spirit regrets separating from Feng Jun’s group after realizing that the dangerous regions it cleared contain enormous amounts of mist—more valuable in total than the Soul Bodies it can directly kill.
• Although the Mirror Spirit can destroy large numbers of Soul Bodies, its endurance is poor because its current host is only a Dust-Free Stage treasure. It must repeatedly stop to recover, and it cannot efficiently absorb the surrounding mist.
• Qian Zhong proposes returning to sites already cleared by the Mirror Spirit to harvest the remaining mist, intensifying the Mirror Spirit’s frustration. It feels others are profiting from what it worked hard to obtain.
• Unable to tolerate being excluded, the Mirror Spirit approaches Feng Jun and proposes renewed cooperation, claiming that its field-control abilities would make future operations safer and more efficient.
• Feng Jun points out that his group’s current limitation is not combat but the speed of their lamp’s mist absorption, implying that the Mirror Spirit is no longer essential. The Yin Soul expert further argues that their group already possesses sufficient battlefield control and intelligence.
• The Mirror Spirit explains indirectly that its greatest difficulty is handling enormous dangerous sites because it must pause to replenish energy. Feng Jun’s group has a stronger formation of attackers, supporters, and backup, making them more efficient.
• The Mirror Spirit offers to accept a twenty-percent share of the harvest. The Yin Soul expert readily agrees for safety’s sake, surprising Feng Jun and forcing the Mirror Spirit to reassess him.
• Feng Jun ultimately retains a flexible share and agrees to cover part of the Yin Soul expert’s portion. The new alliance is accepted by the others.
• The lamp finishes refining the mist the following day, producing more than one million drops of Soul-Nourishing Liquid.
• Feng Jun distributes a combined one-percent share to Yide and Heshanlin, giving them over thirteen thousand drops. The two True Lords receive over twenty-six thousand drops each.
• Yide offers to help extract the Soul-Nourishing Liquid, but Qian Zhong and Xuanyuan Buqi reject the implication that they need assistance, with Buqi proudly insisting that the Xuanyuan Family can perform the extraction themselves.

Character Developments

• Mirror Spirit: Shows pride, jealousy, and reluctant pragmatism. It recognizes that its previous insistence on independence was a mistake and swallows its pride to negotiate with Feng Jun. Its willingness to accept a smaller share reveals both its awareness of its limitations and its desire to preserve dignity.
• Feng Jun: Becomes more confident in his group’s strength. He refuses to overvalue the Mirror Spirit’s contribution and bluntly emphasizes that his side can already operate efficiently without it.
• Yin Soul expert: Demonstrates wealth, strategic judgment, and social sophistication. Rather than haggling over a small percentage, he prioritizes safety and cooperation, earning the Mirror Spirit’s respect and friendship.
• Qian Zhong: Continues to be observant and calculating. Her deductions about the Mirror Spirit’s actual absorption capacity give Feng Jun’s side leverage in negotiations.
• Xuanyuan Buqi: Displays strong pride in his family’s abilities and refuses to let the Xuanyuan Family appear dependent on another sect.
• Yide and Heshanlin: Benefit from Feng Jun’s generosity but occupy a weaker bargaining position within the sect hierarchy.

Significant Themes

• Pride versus practicality: The Mirror Spirit must choose between preserving its pride and regaining access to a profitable alliance.
• Unequal abilities and resource distribution: The chapter emphasizes that killing Soul Bodies and harvesting mist are different forms of labor, creating disputes over fair shares.
• Cooperation and mutual dependence: Even powerful individuals are limited by endurance, equipment, or specialization, making collaboration more valuable than acting alone.
• Wealth and perspective: The Yin Soul expert’s willingness to surrender a small share contrasts with the Mirror Spirit’s sensitivity to every percentage point, showing how wealth shapes one’s priorities.
• Sect hierarchy and entitlement: The distribution of Soul-Nourishing Liquid reflects the established order between Upper and Lower Sects, with the Upper Sects claiming greater authority and refining capabilities.
• Face and recognition: The Mirror Spirit cares not only about material gain but also about receiving acknowledgment and avoiding humiliation.

Character Interactions

• The Mirror Spirit and Feng Jun engage in a tense renegotiation, with Feng Jun initially resisting its return and the Mirror Spirit attempting to justify its usefulness.
• The Yin Soul expert interrupts to defend the group’s existing capabilities, limiting the Mirror Spirit’s bargaining power.
• After the Yin Soul expert accepts the twenty-percent arrangement without haggling, the Mirror Spirit recognizes his generosity and formally acknowledges him as a friend.
• Feng Jun and the Yin Soul expert negotiate the final distribution, with Feng Jun offering to absorb part of the latter’s share.
• Yide’s offer to extract the True Lords’ Soul-Nourishing Liquid becomes a subtle contest of sect prestige, as Xuanyuan Buqi rejects the suggestion that his family lacks the necessary expertise.

Chapter Summary: “Hot on the Trail”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After finishing operations in the Southern Region, Feng Jun and his group travel to the Central Region. Yide and True Immortal Shanlin accompany them, intending to repay Feng Jun for the benefits they received rather than accept more Soul-Nourishing Liquid without contributing.
• The group clears the Central Region’s four medium-sized dangerous areas. Feng Jun absorbs the mist while the Mirror Spirit and the two True Lords handle other locations simultaneously.
• Several strange treasures are recovered and given to the Scarlet Gold Sect. Although most are mediocre, they are valuable to a Lower Sect.
• Feng Jun’s group then clears three large dangerous areas without informing the other nearby sects. In the third area, they discover a massive Celestial Demon nest containing dozens of Nascent Soul Celestial Demons, hundreds of Gold Core demons, and thousands of weaker ones.
• The nest is connected to the outer realms and summons reinforcements, including a Spirit Severing Realm Celestial Demon. Despite the danger, the Mirror Spirit and the powerful expert accompanying Feng Jun keep the battle under control. The fight lasts several days, followed by seven days of mist absorption.
• The strange treasure found there is a Chaos Wonderstone contaminated by Celestial Demon aura. Even diminished, it greatly pleases the Scarlet Gold Sect.
• Feng Jun questions the Scarlet Gold Sect’s leader about the danger of allowing Celestial Demon nests to form. The leader argues that frontier development always carries risks and that the Upper Sects and neighboring Lower Sects can provide assistance. He also promises that the Scarlet Gold Sect will repair the spatial rift connected to the nest.
• At the fourth large dangerous area, the group encounters True Immortal Monu and the Spirit Mountain Sect. Monu claims the region for his sect because Spirit Mountain established a boundary marker before Feng Jun’s arrival.
• True Immortal Wanhui and Monu argue over ownership and the division of future gains. They eventually agree to split the profits evenly, partly because Wanhui wishes to show the same generosity Feng Jun has shown them.
• The dangerous area takes two days to conquer and five days to clear. Its treasure is a dead Innate Spirit Embryo, still valuable enough to refine into a powerful True Treasure.
• Unhappy with the increasing interference and bargaining among the sects, Feng Jun announces that he will leave the Voidmist Realm and return to Libo Shoal rather than continue to the final dangerous area.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains powerful, generous, and pragmatic, but his patience is wearing thin. He dislikes sectarian profiteering and the complications caused by too many parties joining his expedition.
• Yide and True Immortal Shanlin demonstrate loyalty and social awareness by accompanying Feng Jun and offering their strength instead of simply taking rewards.
• True Immortal Wanhui shows personal growth. Though initially protective of the Scarlet Gold Sect’s interests, he accepts a fair division with Spirit Mountain and consciously avoids becoming like the opportunistic Azure Snow Sect.
• True Immortal Monu is revealed as clever, socially manipulative, and skilled at negotiation. Although he claims to have done nothing wrong, his mid-expedition arrival and demand for half the rewards contribute directly to Feng Jun’s decision to leave.
• The Scarlet Gold Sect gains substantial benefits but is also forced to confront the dangers of careless frontier expansion.
• Xuanyuan Buqi supports Feng Jun’s decision and bluntly suggests that those causing complications should leave.

Significant Themes

• Reciprocity and social bonds: Cultivators may value relationships when strength and benefits are involved. Loyalty is shown through mutual contribution rather than empty gratitude.
• Greed versus generosity: The sects repeatedly compete for Feng Jun’s rewards, contrasting with Feng Jun’s willingness to distribute gains fairly.
• The dangers of unchecked expansion: The Celestial Demon nest illustrates how neglecting dangerous regions can threaten an entire Domain.
• Power and influence: Feng Jun’s strength allows him to attract allies and command respect, but it also draws opportunistic sects seeking to profit from his efforts.
• The burden of success: As Feng Jun’s expedition becomes more profitable and famous, more observers and claimants appear, making his work increasingly complicated.

Important Character Interactions

• Feng Jun challenges the Scarlet Gold Sect’s leader over the consequences of leaving Celestial Demon nests unchecked, prompting a discussion about cooperation between Lower and Upper Sects.
• Wanhui and Monu engage in a tense but humorous dispute over territorial rights and ownership of the fourth dangerous area.
• Monu invokes his relationship with Venerable Jiu Si to justify cooperating with Feng Jun, then demands half the gains for Spirit Mountain.
• Wanhui accepts the division despite his objections, influenced by Feng Jun’s earlier generosity and his desire not to become greedy.
• When Feng Jun announces his departure, Monu is shocked and asks whether he offended Feng Jun. Feng Jun clarifies that Monu did nothing specifically wrong; he simply dislikes the complications created by too many participants.
• Xuanyuan Buqi reinforces Feng Jun’s position by telling Monu that leaving immediately is still an option.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Monu True Immortal realizes that his presence has angered Feng Jun and privately offers him valuable information in exchange for forgiveness.
• He reveals that his senior brother once discovered Qianxi Venerable cultivating spiritwood in Smokecloud Valley, a highly dangerous region in the Eastern Region where Soul Bodies gather.
• The senior brother had entered the valley hoping to destroy the Soul Bodies’ nest and end or weaken the Soul Tide, but instead discovered Qianxi Venerable conducting secret activities there. He escaped but later died in the Soul Tide, leaving Monu suspicious that Qianxi may have caused his death.
• Feng Jun recognizes the potential importance of the information, particularly because of his conflict with the Wood Spirit Dao, but chooses to consult his companions before acting.
• The Yin Soul elder suggests asking the Kongmeng Domain Consciousness for clarification. The Domain Consciousness agrees to communicate with Feng Jun directly, partly because it wants to avoid Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong.
• The Domain Consciousness explains that it did not know about Qianxi’s recent activities in Smokecloud Valley. Although Qianxi had informed it that he was carrying out a sect secret, the Domain Consciousness did not monitor the valley closely because it detected no major threat to the Voidmist Realm.
• It admits that, despite its control over the realm, it cannot observe every event constantly and must divide its attention among countless matters.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates his growing authority and influence. Even True Lords and the Domain Consciousness recognize that he is the decisive figure in the group.
• Monu True Immortal shows both caution and pragmatism. Although loyal to Jiu Si Venerable and connected to the Seven Emotions Dao, he is willing to reveal a sect-related secret to protect himself.
• Xuanyuan Buqi acts protectively toward Feng Jun, openly interpreting and defending Feng Jun’s feelings.
• The Yin Soul elder remains eager to oppose the Wood Spirit Dao but displays unusual restraint by recommending that Feng Jun seek further information first.
• The Kongmeng Domain Consciousness is portrayed as powerful but limited. It possesses authority within the Voidmist Realm yet fears provoking major Upper Realm sects and cannot monitor everything.
• The Mirror Spirit continues to serve as a powerful deterrent, preventing the others from spying on Feng Jun’s private discussion.

Significant Themes

• Power and authority: Feng Jun’s temper and status have become influential enough that even powerful beings carefully consider his reactions.
• Trust and betrayal: Monu trades potentially dangerous information about his own broader faction, while Qianxi’s secretive activities raise questions about his intentions and possible betrayal.
• The limits of knowledge: The Domain Consciousness, despite its near-omnipresent reputation, admits that it cannot know everything occurring within its realm.
• Political caution: Powerful factions must balance personal interests against the danger of offending sects such as the Seven Gates and Eighteen Daos.
• Moral ambiguity: Monu’s decision is motivated less by justice for his deceased senior brother than by self-preservation, while the senior brother’s attempt to destroy the Soul Bodies’ nest reflects both courage and reckless idealism.

Character Interactions

• Xuanyuan Buqi confronts the situation on Feng Jun’s behalf, while Qian Zhong privately doubts his right to make decisions for Feng Jun.
• Monu cautiously approaches Feng Jun and attempts to regain his favor by offering information about Qianxi Venerable.
• Feng Jun listens without hostility but refuses to act immediately, choosing collective deliberation.
• The Yin Soul elder communicates with the Kongmeng Domain Consciousness, which then bypasses the elder and speaks directly with Feng Jun because it recognizes him as the group’s true leader.
• The Mirror Spirit protects Feng Jun’s privacy, discouraging even the curious Qian Zhong and preventing the two True Lords from interfering.
• Feng Jun questions the Domain Consciousness’s lack of awareness, prompting it to explain the practical and political limits of its surveillance.

Chapter Summary: “Adaptability”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun remains skeptical of Kongmeng Domain Consciousness’s claim that nothing harmful is hidden in Smokecloud Valley. He suspects Qianxi may have befriended or manipulated the Domain Consciousness during their discussions on the Dao to prevent it from investigating the valley closely.
• The Soul-Nourishing Liquid and Chaos Wonderstone obtained from the fourth dangerous zone are distributed between Spirit Mountain Sect and Scarlet Gold Sect. Other powerful cultivators refrain from taking the Chaos Wonderstone, partly because of concerns about causality and partly out of concern for maintaining the dignity expected of great powers.
• Feng Jun’s group disappears from public view and travels to the Eastern Region, targeting Smokecloud Valley rather than returning to Spirit Mountain’s territory.
• They discover that Chunren Sect has improperly placed boundary markers around Smokecloud Valley. True Immortal Monu admits he had previously done something similar and jokes that Chunren Sect copied his approach.
• Several cultivators from different sects agree to accompany Feng Jun into the valley, using the pretext of a rescue mission to avoid directly challenging Chunren Sect while still investigating the area.
• Inside Smokecloud Valley, the group notices unusually beautiful scenery, persistent rain, and mist containing chaotic and suspicious rule fluctuations.
• They detect a concealed formation that appears to cultivate Spirit Wood through an evil, Yin-nurturing method. Further investigation reveals that the formation is also raising Celestial Demons and allowing the Spirit Wood to absorb their aura.
• Feng Jun additionally senses an aura connected to the Void, suggesting that the Wood Spirit Dao’s activities are far more dangerous and complicated than ordinary cultivation.
• Qian Zhong orders the group to intervene carefully, preserving the formation as evidence rather than destroying it outright.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates increasing caution and political awareness. He does not blindly trust Kongmeng Domain Consciousness and quickly recognizes that Qianxi may be exploiting personal relationships to conceal the truth.
• Kongmeng Domain Consciousness shows uncertainty and limited independence. Although it insists it has not neglected the Domain’s development, Feng Jun’s reasoning forces it to reconsider whether it has been manipulated.
• True Immortal Monu appears opportunistic and shamelessly pragmatic. He admits to claiming territory for advantage but also proves useful because of his prior knowledge of Smokecloud Valley.
• Yide and Shanlin strengthen their alliance with Feng Jun by volunteering to enter the valley first and framing their involvement as repayment for Azure Snow Sect’s past gains.
• Wanhui also follows Feng Jun’s group despite Scarlet Gold Sect having little chance of gaining resources in the Eastern Region, showing his willingness to build goodwill.
• Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong act as cautious, experienced leaders. They quickly identify the abnormal formation and prioritize preserving evidence.
• The Mirror Spirit remains detached from minor disputes but provides crucial identification of the formation’s connection to Celestial Demons.

Significant Themes

• Adaptability and opportunism: Both great powers and minor cultivators adjust their behavior according to circumstances and potential profit. Monu openly argues that everyone becomes less restrained when valuable opportunities appear.
• Trust and manipulation: Feng Jun questions whether relationships—especially Qianxi’s discussions of the Dao with Kongmeng Domain Consciousness—are being used to conceal a larger scheme.
• Responsibility and territorial claims: The characters debate whether sects can simply occupy dangerous zones without accepting responsibility for the threats and Soul Bodies produced there.
• The danger of corrupted cultivation: The formation’s use of mist, Spirit Wood, Celestial Demon aura, and Void energy suggests that seemingly beneficial cultivation methods may conceal destructive or forbidden purposes.
• Political restraint and face: The group carefully balances investigation against the need to avoid openly offending Chunren Sect. Their intervention is presented as a rescue mission to preserve alliances and appearances.
• Evidence over destruction: Qian Zhong emphasizes that uncovering the full truth is more important than immediately destroying the suspicious formation.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun challenges Kongmeng Domain Consciousness directly, suggesting that Qianxi manipulated it through their friendship and Dao discussions.
• The Mirror Spirit discourages Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong from claiming the Chaos Wonderstone, arguing that powerful outsiders should leave resources for local cultivators.
• Monu’s claims about territorial rights provoke criticism from Wanhui, Yide, and Xuanyuan Buqi, while Feng Jun reflects on the weakness caused by a lack of population and power.
• Yide, Shanlin, Wanhui, and Monu coordinate with Feng Jun to enter Smokecloud Valley, each motivated by different combinations of loyalty, repayment, self-interest, and necessity.
• Shanlin initially suggests the formation might simply be using dangerous energy productively, but Yide sharply rebukes him for failing to recognize the long-term risks of cultivating Spirit Wood through such means.
• The group collectively investigates the formation, with Qian Zhong taking command once its evil and potentially Void-related nature becomes clear.

Chapter Summary: “Emperor’s Rest”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun’s group launches a direct assault on Smokecloud Valley, ignoring Chunren Sect’s boundary monument and striking toward the valley’s center.
• Xuanyuan Buqi, Qian Zhong, and the Mirror Spirit release Nascent Soul Peak-level auras, forcing weaker Soul Bodies to flee. Their retreat unintentionally blocks Chunren’s disciples from entering.
• Chunren’s guards are initially confused rather than enraged. Most ordinary disciples view Smokecloud Valley as an opportunistic acquisition rather than truly belonging to their sect.
• A Chunren Nascent Soul True Immortal cautiously organizes the sect’s response, warning weaker cultivators not to enter and notifying the sect. He understands that the valley contains numerous powerful Soul Bodies and Celestial Demons, as well as secrets connected to the Upper Sects.
• Feng Jun and his allies fight for nearly a day, destroying almost seventy Nascent Soul-level enemies, divided roughly evenly between Soul Bodies and Celestial Demons.
• They deliberately limit the battle’s collateral damage because the valley contains an enormous network of formations established by the Upper Sects. These formations provide defense, concealment, energy conversion, restraint, pruning, and spatial-temporal manipulation.
• The group discovers that tens of thousands of spirit trees are absorbing the aura of Soul Bodies and Celestial Demons, suggesting that Chunren’s experiments have advanced from isolated testing to mass production.
• They also uncover a maintained passageway connected to the Celestial Demon world. A spirit tree is merging with a Soul Emergence Realm Celestial Demon, creating the possibility of a Spirit Severing Realm-level threat.
• The Yin Soul identifies the material supporting the experiment as Emperor’s Rest Wood and advises Feng Jun to use a Soul-Severing Divine Ability.
• Xuanyuan Buqi first attempts to sever the tree’s consciousness, but Qian Zhong follows with the more destructive Soul-Sundering technique and instantly destroys it. The Mirror Spirit then kills the weakened Celestial Demon in two attacks.
• Feng Jun raises the lamp as planned and claims the Emperor’s Rest Wood for himself, despite several others wanting it.
• The chapter ends when someone from Chunren Sect declares that the Emperor’s Rest Wood belongs to Chunren.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun acts decisively and pragmatically, leading the assault while remaining alert to the larger danger posed by the Celestial Demon passageway. He also demonstrates confidence by openly claiming the Emperor’s Rest Wood.
• Xuanyuan Buqi displays his family’s powerful Soul-Severing technique, though he holds back somewhat because of concerns involving the Domain. His failure to fully remove the tree consciousness briefly embarrasses him.
• Qian Zhong reveals the Yao Family’s exceptionally powerful Soul-Sundering art, decisively destroying the tree spirit.
• The Mirror Spirit proves its strength by annihilating a Soul Emergence Realm Celestial Demon while inhabiting only a Dust-Free Stage Magic Treasure.
• The Chunren Nascent Soul cultivator is shown to be cautious and politically aware. He understands the danger of Smokecloud Valley and knows that Chunren’s occupation is tied to hidden Upper Realm interests.
• Chunren’s ordinary disciples are portrayed as opportunistic rather than ideologically committed. They seek benefits from the valley but do not feel strong personal ownership of it.

Significant Themes

• Hidden experimentation and moral danger: The mass cultivation of spirit wood using the aura of Soul Bodies and Celestial Demons reveals the Upper Sects’ reckless and potentially monstrous experimentation.
• Power concealed beneath appearances: The One-Leaf Blinds the Eye Formation hides the valley’s true secrets even from the Domain Consciousness, emphasizing how much has been concealed.
• Political hypocrisy and opportunism: Chunren Sect claims ownership of Smokecloud Valley, yet its disciples recognize that they are largely exploiting a place they never truly controlled.
• Dangerous negligence: Maintaining an open Celestial Demon passageway without proper guards is portrayed as reckless and potentially catastrophic.
• Cooperation among powerful cultivators: Feng Jun’s group combines different abilities effectively, with the Yin Soul providing knowledge, Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong using Soul-Severing arts, and the Mirror Spirit delivering the killing blow.
• Possession, identity, and life force: The conflict surrounding the locust tree, Emperor’s Rest Wood, and Celestial Demon raises questions about whether consciousness can inhabit or borrow the power of different forms of life.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun consults the Yin Soul about the mysterious spirit wood and follows its advice regarding Soul-Severing.
• He asks Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong which of them can use the required technique, prompting Xuanyuan Buqi to act first and Qian Zhong to finish the attack.
• The Mirror Spirit coordinates with the others by attacking the Celestial Demon while they deal with the tree consciousness.
• Feng Jun and the “big shot” discuss the nature of Emperor’s Rest Wood and how the locust tree used it to merge with the Celestial Demon.
• After Feng Jun claims the wood, a distant Chunren representative immediately challenges his right to possess it, setting up a confrontation for the next chapter.

Chapter Summary: “Refusing to Yield”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Chunren Sect’s force—one Nascent Soul cultivator and sixty-eight Gold Core cultivators—struggles to enter Smokecloud Valley, a notorious perilous land filled with Soul Bodies. Their specialized techniques allow them to survive, though some are injured.
• Feng Jun’s lamp weakens and disperses the Soul Bodies, allowing the Chunren cultivators to advance more quickly.
• When Chunren’s Nascent Soul cultivator realizes Feng Jun’s group is taking the Emperor’s Rest Wood, he sends a warning through Divine Sense. Feng Jun ignores him and stores the wood in a Spirit-Beast Bag because it is too large for his Storage Pouch.
• Feng Jun consults the Yin Soul boss, who explains that the Emperor’s Rest Wood remains alive and is being sustained by several spirit trees connected to the formation.
• Chunren’s Mu Mu True Immortal confronts the outsiders, accusing them of forcibly taking Chunren’s property. Shanlin and Yide True Immortals reject the accusation, arguing that they came to seek opportunities rather than steal.
• Mu Mu claims Smokecloud Valley as Chunren Sect territory, saying boundary markers had been established. Shanlin and Wanhui dispute this, stating they never saw any markers and had not knowingly entered Chunren territory.
• Mu Mu activates a hidden teleportation formation, revealing that Chunren had maintained a secret base and escape route inside the perilous land. Monu True Immortal angrily condemns Chunren for secretly controlling the area while using outsiders’ manpower to defend it against the Soul Tide.
• Chunren’s First Elder and Second Elder arrive through the formation. The Second Elder’s attempt to assert authority is immediately cut down by Xuanyuan Buqi.
• The First Elder admits that Chunren’s handling of the situation was questionable but argues that their secret cultivation base was merely an experiment. He insists that the Emperor’s Rest Wood belongs to the Upper Sect’s Wood Spirit Dao and demands its return.
• Xuanyuan Buqi challenges the First Elder about the wondrous object that stabilized the perilous land. The First Elder claims ignorance, accidentally suggesting that the stabilizing treasure may already have been removed.
• The group becomes suspicious that the Emperor’s Rest Wood may be the remaining important treasure, though its quality seems insufficient to serve as the true stabilizing object.
• Feng Jun directly challenges Chunren’s claim of ownership by asking whether the surrounding formations also belong to them.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains calm, decisive, and openly defiant. He takes the Emperor’s Rest Wood without hesitation and refuses to be intimidated by Chunren’s warnings or claims of ownership.
• Mu Mu True Immortal shifts from threatening outsider to defensive negotiator. Though he tries to assert Chunren’s territorial rights, the revelation of the teleportation formation exposes his sect’s questionable conduct.
• Shanlin True Immortal presents himself as reasonable but firmly protects his group’s interests. He challenges Chunren’s sudden territorial claim while maintaining a polite façade.
• Wanhui True Immortal supports Shanlin’s account and refuses to accept Mu Mu’s insinuation that he is lying, revealing his willingness to confront Chunren directly.
• Monu True Immortal emerges as a sharp opportunist. Though previously quiet to avoid attention, he immediately exploits Chunren’s hypocrisy once the hidden formation is revealed.
• Xuanyuan Buqi displays his characteristic aggressiveness and skill in confronting arrogance. He silences Chunren’s Second Elder and exposes the weakness in the First Elder’s explanations.
• Chunren’s First Elder proves more diplomatic than the others but is forced into increasingly weak explanations. His statements inadvertently reveal that Chunren may have already removed the perilous land’s true stabilizing treasure.

Significant Themes

• Refusal to yield and power politics: Neither side accepts the other’s claims, turning the discovery into a struggle over authority, ownership, and face.
• Hypocrisy and legitimacy: Chunren claims Smokecloud Valley as its territory only after outsiders enter, while secretly relying on them to fight the Soul Tide. Its legal and moral claims are therefore undermined by its own actions.
• Secrecy versus communal responsibility: Chunren’s secret experiments and hidden formations may be understandable as private cultivation efforts, but concealing the danger of the perilous land forces others to bear the costs.
• Ownership of opportunities: The chapter questions whether treasures found in a dangerous location belong to the original cultivator, the discoverer, or whoever has the strength to claim them.
• Strength and reputation: Xuanyuan Buqi’s words carry weight because of the Xuanyuan Family’s longstanding prestige, showing that reputation remains a form of power even when a faction’s current position has weakened.
• Truth revealed through conflict: The argument exposes hidden facts about Chunren’s base, its formations, and the missing stabilizing object that would likely have remained concealed otherwise.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun ignores Mu Mu’s Divine Sense warning and takes the Emperor’s Rest Wood, establishing the central confrontation.
• Mu Mu argues with Shanlin over whether outsiders are trespassing; Shanlin and Yide insist that seeking opportunities is legitimate.
• Wanhui backs Shanlin, prompting Mu Mu to accuse him of damaging the image of Upper Realm cultivators. Wanhui interprets this as a threat and pushes back.
• Monu attacks Chunren’s credibility after discovering the teleportation formation, accusing the sect of manipulating everyone into providing free defensive labor.
• Xuanyuan Buqi humiliates Chunren’s Second Elder and then interrogates the First Elder about the perilous land’s stabilizing treasure.
• The First Elder insists that the Emperor’s Rest Wood belongs to the Upper Sect, but Feng Jun ends the chapter by questioning whether Chunren can truly claim the wood while also claiming the formations surrounding it.

Chapter Summary: “Origins of the Formation”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Grand Elder reluctantly admits that the enormous formation belongs to the Upper Sects, though he refuses to accept responsibility for the formation maintaining the entrance to the Celestial Demon Passage.
• Yide True Immortal reveals that the passage definitely exists in the Eastern Region. Shanlin warns that if the Chunren Sect continues to treat the deaths caused by Soul Bodies with indifference, he will expose the matter to the entire region and provoke widespread outrage.
• To deflect suspicion, the Grand Elder suggests that the ancient formation may have originated from either the Wood Spirit Dao or the Spirit Plant Dao, implying that both factions could be implicated.
• Feng Jun challenges the Grand Elder’s claims by pointing out that an activation or binding formation has been removed from the site.
• Feng Jun identifies the missing formation as the Ground-Seizing Heaven Two-Talents Formation, which had previously been used by Qianxi Venerable against him. Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong confirm this from personal experience and deduction.
• The Grand Elder attempts to distance the Lower Sects from the actions of Upper Sect Venerables, but Qian Zhong threatens to kill him if he continues insulting superior cultivators.
• Feng Jun then asks about another missing formation. Qian Zhong deduces that it was the Heaven-Stealing Sun-Swapping Formation, a spatial formation capable of transporting or exchanging objects over great distances.
• Xuanyuan Buqi reasons that the formation’s other end was likely near the Spirit Plant Dao’s Mountain Gate, allowing the Wood Spirit Dao to move Battle Spirit Woods there in preparation for a future conflict.
• Xuanyuan Buqi reveals that Qianxi had used the same formation against the Xuanyuan Family to steal their resources. This makes it increasingly impossible for the Grand Elder to claim that the site was created by the Spirit Plant Dao.
• The Grand Elder is left speechless, while Wanhui further presses him by suggesting that the Emperor’s Rest Wood also originated from the Wood Spirit Dao.

Character Developments

• The Grand Elder becomes increasingly defensive and anxious. He tries to preserve the Chunren Sect’s reputation by shifting responsibility to the Upper Sects and by implicating the Spirit Plant Dao, but his evasions gradually collapse under the others’ evidence. His fear of offending True Lords and powerful clans becomes obvious.
• Feng Jun demonstrates strong formation knowledge and remains calm, sarcastic, and confident. He exposes inconsistencies in the Grand Elder’s account and links the formations to Qianxi’s attacks.
• Qian Zhong shows the strength of her deductive abilities by identifying both missing formations. She is also increasingly forceful, openly threatening the Grand Elder when he shows disrespect.
• Xuanyuan Buqi reveals his sharp political and strategic intelligence. He quickly understands the purpose of the spatial formation and aggressively challenges the Grand Elder’s excuses.
• Shanlin takes a moral and public-pressure approach, emphasizing the consequences of the Soul Bodies’ killings for ordinary cultivators and their families.
• Yide True Immortal confirms the seriousness of the Celestial Demon Passage and shifts the discussion from local ownership to the larger danger posed by its existence.

Significant Themes

• Responsibility and accountability: The Grand Elder repeatedly tries to separate the Chunren Sect from the Upper Sects’ actions, but the discussion shows that responsibility cannot be avoided simply by shifting blame.
• Political maneuvering and reputation: The Grand Elder is more concerned with preserving the Chunren Sect’s public image than confronting the dangers of the Celestial Demon Passage or Soul Tides.
• Truth revealed through evidence: Feng Jun and Qian Zhong use technical knowledge and past encounters to reconstruct the site’s history, overcoming evasive political arguments.
• Conflict between the Wood Spirit and Spirit Plant Daos: The formations suggest long-term military preparations and strategic hostility between the two factions.
• Power hierarchy and intimidation: The Grand Elder’s repeated attempts to speak carefully—and Qian Zhong’s threat to kill him—highlight the dangerous imbalance between Lower Sects, Upper Sects, True Lords, and major clans.
• The human cost of indifference: Shanlin’s warning emphasizes that the deaths caused by Soul Bodies are not abstract events; they could trigger widespread anger among cultivators and families.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and the Grand Elder engage in a tense verbal contest, with Feng Jun exposing gaps in the Grand Elder’s knowledge and the Grand Elder responding with sarcasm and deflection.
• Shanlin confronts the Grand Elder over his indifference toward the Celestial Demon Passage and threatens to reveal the Chunren Sect’s attitude publicly.
• Qian Zhong supports Feng Jun through her deductions and directly intimidates the Grand Elder when he insults or dismisses superior cultivators.
• Xuanyuan Buqi backs up Feng Jun and Qian Zhong, using his knowledge of formations and Qianxi’s previous attack on the Xuanyuan Family to dismantle the Grand Elder’s claims.
• The Grand Elder repeatedly attempts to invoke the Spirit Plant Dao as a possible culprit, but Feng Jun’s allies demonstrate that the evidence points overwhelmingly toward the Wood Spirit Dao.
• The chapter ends with the Grand Elder cornered politically and rhetorically, as Wanhui begins questioning the origin of the Emperor’s Rest Wood as well.

Chapter Summary: “Infected?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Wanhui the True Immortal challenges Chunren Sect’s claim to the Emperor’s Rest Wood, ridiculing the Grand Elder for demanding an item controlled by an upper sect. The Grand Elder ultimately withdraws rather than risk Chunren Sect’s destruction.
• Feng Jun presses Mu Mu the True Immortal about Chunren Sect’s suspicious teleportation array. Unable to justify it without humiliating the sect, Mu Mu remains silent.
• Feng Jun and his allies collect the hazy mist and valuable Wood Spirit Dao resources. Xuanyuan Buqi and the others also seal the Celestial Demon Passage, an action Chunren Sect cannot oppose.
• Wanhui seizes a powerful locust tree from Chunren Sect’s territory. When the Grand Elder protests, Wanhui claims it as compensation for his junior brother Wanqing, who was allegedly harmed by the Wood Spirit Dao, despite the Grand Elder pointing out that Wanqing was actually harmed by the Myriad Illusions Sect.
• Frightened by Feng Jun’s group, Chunren Sect removes its boundary markers from several dangerous areas and retreats from the conflict. This allows Feng Jun and his companions to clear the areas while leaving some lesser opportunities for Chunren cultivators.
• Yide True Immortal persuades Wanhui not to strip Chunren Sect of everything, reminding him that the Spirit Plant Dao and Wood Spirit Dao will eventually merge and that Chunren should retain some room to survive.
• Feng Jun’s group clears several dangerous areas for Spirit Mountain Sect and other lower sects, helping them obtain resources and reducing the Soul Tides that threaten the Voidmist Realm’s inhabitants.
• The Kongmeng Domain Consciousness warns the group that they have cleared enough dangerous areas. Removing too many would destabilize the Domain and cause serious consequences. Since the group cannot safely be opposed, it reluctantly delivers the warning through the Yin Soul.
• Feng Jun agrees to leave the Voidmist Realm after explaining matters to the lower sects. His expedition lasts nearly four months and resolves the mystery surrounding Qianxi Venerable’s schemes, including the dangerous formations hidden in Smokecloud Valley.
• Back at Libo Shoal, Feng Jun handles accumulated affairs but postpones requests to refine Virtual Combat Systems. He then travels to Luohua to watch over Yu Qingzhu’s delayed advancement.
• Beauty Lin reports that the Evergreen Elixir has entered production, but Feng Jun refuses samples because he does not want further involvement with the Blue Star Realm.
• Feng Jun’s mother, Zhang Junyi, arrives to report that Seeking Immortals Manor has been completed and asks him to inspect it.
• When Feng Jun releases a trace of his aura before leaving, Yu Qingzhu suddenly begins her breakthrough. Feng Jun jokes that he may have been “infected” by the Kindred-Path Aura, which seems to trigger or influence others’ advancements.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly dominant and influential. Even upper-sect representatives and heavyweight figures no longer intimidate him, while his actions also show growing responsibility toward the Voidmist Realm and its inhabitants.
• Wanhui displays arrogance, ruthlessness, and strong loyalty to his sect. He uses his power to retaliate against perceived enemies, though he accepts Yide’s counsel and shows some strategic restraint.
• Chunren Sect’s Grand Elder shifts from attempted negotiation to cautious submission, recognizing that resistance could destroy the entire sect.
• Mu Mu learns that defending Chunren’s questionable actions is impossible against Feng Jun and chooses silence rather than worsen the situation.
• Yide True Immortal acts as a moderating influence, preventing Wanhui from completely annihilating Chunren Sect and encouraging long-term political thinking.
• Kongmeng Domain Consciousness is embarrassed by having been deceived by the hidden One-Leaf Obscuring Array. Unable to challenge Feng Jun and the Yin Soul directly, it reluctantly cooperates and warns them of the Domain’s limits.
• Yu Qingzhu remains unusually slow to advance but finally begins her breakthrough immediately after sensing Feng Jun’s return, emphasizing the mysterious influence between the two.
• Feng Jun’s mother, Zhang Junyi, reinforces the connection between Feng Jun’s cultivation life and his ordinary roots by bringing news of their shared hometown’s new manor.

Significant Themes

• Power and hierarchy: Lower sects must recognize the overwhelming authority of upper sects and powerful cultivators; political survival often requires retreat rather than confrontation.
• Restraint and long-term strategy: Although Feng Jun’s group could seize everything, they leave some opportunities behind to preserve balance and future relationships.
• Responsibility toward the Domain: The group’s actions benefit the Voidmist Realm’s humans by reducing Soul Tides, but excessive intervention could destabilize the entire Domain.
• Cause and consequence: Feng Jun’s actions eliminate hidden dangers and clarify Qianxi Venerable’s plans, but they also generate Domain Causality and force him to consider broader repercussions.
• Cooperation born from weakness: The Kongmeng Domain Consciousness cannot defeat the intruders, so it must cooperate with them and serve as a messenger for the Domain’s will.
• Mysterious mutual influence: Yu Qingzhu’s breakthrough after sensing Feng Jun suggests that Feng Jun may unconsciously affect the cultivation or advancement of those connected to him.

Character Interactions

• Wanhui verbally overpowers the Chunren Grand Elder and intimidates Mu Mu into silence.
• Feng Jun deliberately provokes Mu Mu about the teleportation array, exposing Chunren Sect’s inability to defend its conduct.
• Wanhui and the Grand Elder clash over ownership of the locust tree, with Wanhui using Wanqing’s grievance as justification for taking it.
• Yide privately counsels Wanhui to spare Chunren Sect, balancing revenge with future alliances.
• The Kongmeng Domain Consciousness communicates with the Yin Soul because it fears directly confronting Feng Jun’s group.
• Feng Jun maintains practical ties with the lower sects by promising to return and help them later, while also caring about his connection to Yu Qingzhu and his family.
• The chapter ends humorously with Feng Jun wondering whether he has been “infected” by the aura of the Kindred-Path Dao because his return appears to trigger Yu Qingzhu’s advancement.

Chapter Summary: The Insectoid World’s Demand

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yu Qingzhu’s long delay in advancing to the Third Layer of the Dust-Free Realm is revealed to stem from lingering trauma after her earlier failed breakthrough. Her rivalry with Zhang Caixin—Luohua’s acknowledged “second person”—adds further psychological pressure.
• After sensing Feng Jun’s return, Yu Qingzhu unexpectedly begins her breakthrough. Feng Jun remains nearby to guard her, despite calculating that his absence would raise her failure probability only slightly.
• Zhang Caixin also senses that she is ready to advance. Because the usual cultivation areas are occupied, Luohua’s members rearrange their cultivation locations, with some temporarily moving to Sunrise County.
• Yu Qingzhu successfully advances, followed three days later by Zhang Caixin. Zhang’s breakthrough is exceptionally smooth, and neither woman clearly widens the gap over the other. Feng Jun deliberately guards both of them to avoid showing favoritism.
• Their breakthroughs force Feng Jun to postpone his trip to Libo Shoal. Once both women stabilize their realms, he leaves urgently to address matters there.
• At Libo Shoal, Xia Nichang informs Feng Jun that Golden Crow has been seeking him about purchasing Soul-Nourishing Liquid. Demand is especially high in the Insectoid World, whose cultivators rely on Divine Thought and suffer heavy Divine Soul depletion in battle.
• Feng Jun discusses selling or refining different grades of Soul-Nourishing Liquid, including Nascent Soul-grade liquid. Xia Nichang explains that Golden Crow can technically refine it but suffers excessive losses, making the process impractical.
• Huasheng the True Immortal arrives on behalf of Venerable Xiao Dong to negotiate for the Soul-Nourishing Liquid. Feng Jun insists that he prefers barter over Spirit Stones and questions why the Insectoid World relies so heavily on Soul-Nourishing Liquid instead of medicinal pills.

Character Developments

• Yu Qingzhu: Confronts the hidden psychological damage from her earlier failure. Her breakthrough shows that Feng Jun’s presence gives her confidence, though she remains sensitive to Zhang Caixin’s perceived challenge.
• Zhang Caixin: Her competitiveness and concern over maintaining her status are emphasized. She advances rapidly and smoothly, demonstrating that her pride is matched by strong cultivation ability.
• Feng Jun: Acts as a fair-minded guardian, refusing to favor one woman over the other. He also becomes increasingly aware that his Soul-Nourishing Liquid could attract powerful factions and dangerous attention.
• Xia Nichang: Serves as Golden Crow’s intermediary and reveals the scale of demand from the Insectoid World. Her embarrassment over discussing prices reflects cultivator society’s discomfort with overt bargaining.
• Yue Qing: Reaches the Ninth Layer of the Gold Core Realm and jokingly criticizes Feng Jun’s idea of what counts as “quick.”
• Huasheng the True Immortal: Approaches Feng Jun as a representative of higher authorities, signaling that the Soul-Nourishing Liquid has become an item of major strategic interest.

Significant Themes

• Psychological barriers in cultivation: Advancement depends not only on talent and resources but also on overcoming past failures and internal pressure.
• Rivalry and insecurity: Yu Qingzhu and Zhang Caixin’s unspoken competition influences their breakthroughs, even though neither openly declares hostility.
• Fairness and impartiality: Feng Jun strives to treat both women equally, postponing his plans so he can guard each during their breakthroughs.
• Supply, demand, and strategic resources: Soul-Nourishing Liquid is revealed to be valuable across multiple worlds, especially to Divine Thought cultivators whose combat methods heavily damage the soul.
• Cultivator society versus commerce: The discussion highlights the tension between barter, status, and practical negotiation in the cultivation world.
• Hidden danger of wealth: Feng Jun recognizes that possessing large quantities of Soul-Nourishing Liquid could make him a target for robbery or exploitation.

Important Character Interactions

• Yu Qingzhu and Zhang Caixin never openly confront one another, but their mutual awareness and rivalry shape their cultivation progress.
• Feng Jun reassures both through his actions by guarding each breakthrough and refusing to show favoritism.
• Xia Nichang presses Feng Jun for prices and explains Golden Crow’s difficulties with refining Nascent Soul Soul-Nourishing Liquid.
• Feng Jun and Huasheng exchange blunt but familiar remarks while negotiating, with Feng Jun insisting on barter and Huasheng stressing the enormous Insectoid demand.
• Yue Qing’s exchange with Feng Jun provides comic relief while highlighting the vast difference between Feng Jun’s cultivation speed and that of ordinary cultivators.

Chapter Summary: “A Large Quantity”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Huasheng the True Immortal informs Feng Jun that the price of Divine Soul-replenishing pills and their materials has risen sharply because cultivators entering the Insectoid World are suffering severe Divine Thought depletion.
• More importantly, many cultivators have sustained actual Divine Soul injuries. Treasures that can nourish and repair the soul—especially Soul-Nourishing Liquid—have become extremely scarce and are now considered essential supplies.
• The Primal Steel Gate and Profound Yellow Sect, which lead the development of the Insectoid World, want to purchase Soul-Nourishing Liquid in bulk. Their goal is to provide every cultivator entering the world with at least one drop, or possibly offer it through a rental system to improve morale and survival chances.
• Huasheng initially requests an enormous amount: 200,000 drops of Gold Core Soul-Nourishing Liquid and 1,000 drops of Nascent Soul Soul-Nourishing Liquid.
• Feng Jun angrily rejects the demand, explaining that higher-grade Soul-Nourishing Liquid is vastly more difficult to obtain and that his own reserves are limited. He counteroffers 20,000 Gold Core drops and 100 Nascent Soul drops, though even that supply is not guaranteed.
• Huasheng realizes that Feng Jun’s counteroffer matches the Primal Steel Gate’s actual minimum requirement, revealing that Venerable Xiao Dong’s inflated initial quote was merely a negotiating tactic.
• Feng Jun defends his limited supply by explaining that the Mistveil Realm expedition produced less Soul-Nourishing Liquid than outsiders believe, and that much of the harvest had to be distributed among his sect and allies.
• He rejects Huasheng’s proposal for future cooperation in hunting Soul Bodies, arguing that involving the major sects would create complications and that his existing partnership with Xuanyuan Buqi and the other family cultivators is more efficient.
• Just as Huasheng suggests the Primal Steel Gate could assist in exchange for twice the share Feng Jun obtained from the Mistveil Realm, Xuanyuan Buqi suddenly appears and accuses the sect of trying to steal his business.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates firm control over his resources and refuses to be pressured by the major sects, even when their request is motivated by a genuine humanitarian need. He is willing to help, but not at the cost of exhausting his own sect’s reserves.
• He also shows increasing confidence in negotiating with True Immortals and major organizations. Rather than conceal behind vague excuses, he directly explains his limitations and insists that his sect’s needs come first.
• Huasheng the True Immortal acts as an intermediary between the Primal Steel Gate and Feng Jun. Although he presses for a large supply, he understands Feng Jun’s position and accepts that Feng Jun’s gains are not public property.
• Venerable Xiao Dong is revealed to have intentionally exaggerated the requested amount to test Feng Jun’s reserves and secure the sect’s true minimum requirement through negotiation.
• Xuanyuan Buqi reinforces his role as Feng Jun’s protective ally and business partner. His immediate intervention shows that he closely monitors outside attempts to interfere with their cooperation.

Significant Themes

• Scarcity and resource management: Soul-Nourishing Liquid is valuable not merely because it restores energy, but because it repairs lasting Divine Soul damage. Feng Jun must balance helping others with preserving enough for his own sect.
• Responsibility versus self-interest: The Two Sects have a duty to protect cultivators in the Insectoid World, but they are not charitable organizations. Their attempt to buy and redistribute the liquid reflects the tension between public responsibility and commercial necessity.
• Negotiation and trust: The discussion centers on how much Feng Jun truly possesses, how much he is willing to reveal, and whether the sects will respect his boundaries. Both sides use strategic bargaining rather than speaking openly at first.
• Confidence in dangerous ventures: Even if Soul-Nourishing Liquid is rarely needed, carrying it gives cultivators psychological security. The chapter emphasizes that morale and perceived preparedness can be nearly as important as actual supplies.
• Loyalty and cooperation: Feng Jun prioritizes his established allies and sect, preferring reliable partners over large organizations whose internal hierarchies could complicate operations.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Huasheng: Their conversation is a tense but fundamentally practical negotiation. Huasheng appeals to the Two Sects’ obligations, while Feng Jun counters with the realities of extraction difficulty, limited reserves, and his own responsibilities.
• Feng Jun and the Two Sects: Feng Jun respects their need but refuses to let their status justify an unreasonable demand. He also criticizes their reliance on waiting for his supplies instead of gathering Soul Bodies themselves.
• Feng Jun and Xuanyuan Buqi: Their partnership is presented as more efficient and trustworthy than cooperation with the major sects. Xuanyuan’s sudden intervention confirms his willingness to defend that arrangement.
• Xuanyuan Buqi and Huasheng: Xuanyuan confronts Huasheng humorously and aggressively, accusing the Primal Steel Gate of attempting to poach Feng Jun’s cooperation and profits.

Chapter Summary: “Scramble for Supplies”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Huasheng the True Immortal defends the Two Sects’ control over access to the Insectoid World, claiming the passage remains restricted because it is still being explored and its rules have not yet been finalized.
• Xuanyuan Buqi accuses the Two Sects of hypocrisy and self-interest, arguing that they invoke humanity’s greater good while excluding family cultivators.
• Xuanyuan announces that he will review the matter on Feng Jun’s behalf and refuse to discuss Feng Jun’s entry into the lower realm until family cultivators are granted broader access to the passage.
• Huasheng subtly implies that Feng Jun is being manipulated by family cultivators. Feng Jun becomes angry and firmly defends his right to make his own decisions, citing his relationship with Fairy Yi Jue and his dissatisfaction with sect cultivators’ past lack of support.
• Feng Jun refuses to negotiate the Soul-Nourishing Liquid’s price with Huasheng, arguing that Huasheng lacks the authority and strength to safely complete the transaction.
• Wei Sancai of the Wei Family appears and attempts to purchase the scarce Soul-Nourishing Liquid. He demands priority over the Primal Steel Gate because his need is urgent.
• Wei forcibly throws Huasheng into a spatial rift, allowing himself to complete the purchase first. He buys twenty-five drops of Nascent Soul-grade liquid and one hundred drops of Gold Core-grade liquid for fifty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Feng Jun jokingly accepts that Wei’s payment is slightly short and provides the extra Gold Core-grade liquid because of their relationship.
• Huasheng returns furious and curses Wei, but Feng Jun avoids directly revealing whether he supplied Wei. He urges Huasheng to hurry and consult his sect before the remaining stock is sold.
• After Huasheng leaves, Qian Zhong reveals that the Soul Tide in the Voidmist Realm has weakened considerably. Lower Sects are spreading the news and seeking cultivators capable of extracting Soul-Nourishing Liquid, causing demand for Feng Jun’s supplies to surge.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes more assertive and politically independent. He refuses to let the Two Sects dictate his alliances or business dealings and openly rejects their insinuations about his motives.
• Xuanyuan Buqi continues acting as a forceful advocate for family cultivators. He uses Feng Jun’s position to pressure the Two Sects and treats their objections with sarcasm and confidence.
• Huasheng the True Immortal is shown to be politically constrained. Although authorized to negotiate prices, he lacks sufficient authority to settle larger issues and is repeatedly humiliated by Feng Jun and Wei Sancai.
• Wei Sancai demonstrates a blunt, aggressive personality and strong concern for his clan. His willingness to use force reflects both his urgency and his confidence in his status.
• Qian Zhong provides crucial intelligence about the spreading Soul Tide crisis and appears to be helping family cultivators obtain access to Feng Jun’s products.

Significant Themes

• Factional self-interest versus public righteousness: Both the Two Sects and family cultivators claim to be acting for humanity’s benefit, but their competition reveals underlying political and economic motives.
• Control of scarce resources: The Soul-Nourishing Liquid has become extremely valuable because of widespread Divine Soul injuries and the weakening Soul Tide. Access is determined by authority, wealth, urgency, and personal relationships.
• Power and status: True Lords and Venerables can disregard normal etiquette and use their strength to impose their will, while weaker representatives must endure humiliation or seek higher-ranking support.
• Loyalty and reciprocity: Feng Jun favors those who have supported him, particularly the family cultivators, while criticizing sect cultivators for expecting benefits without having invested in him.
• Information as power: News about the Voidmist Realm rapidly increases demand, showing how intelligence can reshape political and commercial dynamics.

Character Interactions

• Xuanyuan Buqi and Huasheng: Their exchange is confrontational, with Xuanyuan attacking the Two Sects’ hypocrisy and Huasheng attempting to defend their policies.
• Feng Jun and Huasheng: Huasheng’s insinuations anger Feng Jun, who reasserts his independence and refuses to treat Huasheng as an equal negotiating authority.
• Feng Jun and Wei Sancai: Their interaction is familiar and teasing despite the transaction’s high stakes. Feng Jun charges firmly but gives Wei a small favor because of their shared history.
• Wei Sancai and Huasheng: Wei’s urgent clan loyalty clashes with Huasheng’s responsibility to the injured cultivators at the Insectoid passage. Wei resolves the dispute by forcibly removing Huasheng.
• Feng Jun, Xuanyuan Buqi, and Qian Zhong: Their conversation shifts from joking about Wei’s information source to serious discussion of the weakening Soul Tide and the rapidly expanding demand for Feng Jun’s abilities.

Chapter Summary: The Pride of a Genius

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun, Qian Zhong, and Xuanyuan Buqi discuss the cost and efficiency of refining Gold Core Soul-Nourishing Liquid into Nascent Soul Soul-Nourishing Liquid.
• The Xuanyuan Family’s refinement efficiency is poor, while the Yao Family performs better. Even so, both families find Feng Jun’s quoted exchange rate—seven hundred drops of Gold Core liquid for one drop of Nascent Soul liquid—reasonable because refining normally requires expensive additional materials.
• Qian Zhong initially tries to have Feng Jun refine her existing Gold Core liquid, intending to preserve her own supply for the family treasury. When Feng Jun reveals he does not possess enough Gold Core liquid, she realizes her miscalculation and accepts the same terms as Xuanyuan Buqi.
• Qian Zhong publicly declares that Feng Jun is descending to the lower realm under their protection and warns others not to interfere, revealing how valuable Soul-Nourishing Liquid has become to them.
• Vast Sea Venerable arrives after waiting months for Feng Jun and asks to be taken to the Insectoid World. He also proposes accompanying Feng Jun to a dangerous region inhabited by Celestial Demons, where resources are abundant.
• Xuanyuan Buqi strongly opposes the idea, emphasizing the danger of Celestial Demons and the potential consequences if Feng Jun or his protective treasures are harmed. He strategically insists that he, Qian Zhong, and a powerful “Mirror Spirit senior” from Feng Jun’s master’s sect accompany them, so Vast Sea Venerable will receive a smaller share of the gains.
• Vast Sea Venerable accepts the condition and decides to descend to the lower realm to obtain Soul-Nourishing Liquid for his junior fellow sect members who will enter the Insectoid World.
• Feng Jun considers lending out the mysterious lamp that produces or helps obtain Soul-Nourishing Liquid, but Xuanyuan Buqi stops him, reminding him that Feng Jun’s sect seniors also need the resource.
• Vast Sea Venerable refuses to borrow the lamp, declaring that he dislikes owing favors and prefers not to rely on others.
• The chapter ends with Elder Bianji, an alchemy expert, arriving after hearing that Feng Jun possesses Soul-Nourishing Liquid and expressing interest in examining it.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly aware that his access to Soul-Nourishing Liquid makes him a highly valuable figure. He remains generous and concerned with helping other cultivators, but begins to recognize the risks of attracting too much attention.
• Xuanyuan Buqi demonstrates both practical intelligence and protectiveness toward Feng Jun. He carefully controls negotiations, hides the true value of Feng Jun’s resources, and prevents Feng Jun from giving away too much.
• Qian Zhong reveals a strong need for Soul-Nourishing Liquid and becomes unusually outspoken and aggressive in protecting her opportunity to obtain it. She also shows foresight by wanting to preserve her family’s own supply.
• Vast Sea Venerable is portrayed as bold, proud, and adventurous. Despite his youth, he is willing to challenge older experts and pursue dangerous opportunities. His refusal to borrow the lamp highlights his independence and personal pride.
• Elder Bianji’s arrival signals that Feng Jun’s reputation is spreading beyond the current group, potentially bringing more negotiations and competition.

Significant Themes

• Resource scarcity and economic efficiency: The value of Soul-Nourishing Liquid depends not only on its raw materials but also on the efficiency and cost of refining it.
• Power and competition: Feng Jun’s unique access to the resource makes him a target for powerful cultivators and families seeking advantages.
• Protection versus exploitation: Xuanyuan Buqi claims to protect Feng Jun from danger, but he also wants to prevent others from gaining access to Feng Jun’s valuable resources.
• Pride and independence: Vast Sea Venerable’s refusal to borrow the lamp reflects the chapter’s focus on the pride of powerful geniuses and their reluctance to owe favors.
• Trust and hidden motives: Characters present practical or protective reasons for their actions, but their underlying desire to secure Soul-Nourishing Liquid strongly influences their decisions.
• Dangerous advancement: The lure of abundant resources in Celestial Demon territory contrasts with the severe risks involved in pursuing them.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun negotiates with Qian Zhong and Xuanyuan Buqi over refinement terms, while both accept his conditions despite the possibility of fluctuating results.
• Qian Zhong and Xuanyuan Buqi unite in claiming priority over Feng Jun’s lower-realm expedition and attempt to exclude competitors.
• Vast Sea Venerable challenges Xuanyuan Buqi’s caution, provoking a debate over whether the dangers of Celestial Demons justify restricting Feng Jun’s movements.
• Xuanyuan Buqi uses the supposed involvement of a powerful Mirror Spirit senior to discourage Vast Sea Venerable from competing too directly for the profits.
• Feng Jun’s desire to help Vast Sea Venerable conflicts with Xuanyuan Buqi’s insistence that he preserve his resources for his own sect.
• Elder Bianji’s arrival introduces a new potential buyer, investigator, or rival, suggesting that interest in Feng Jun’s Soul-Nourishing Liquid will continue to grow.

Chapter Summary: “Sources of Wealth”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Elder Bianji visits Feng Jun hoping to buy Nascent Soul–grade Soul-Nourishing Liquid so he can experiment with refining Soul-Nourishing Pills.
• Feng Jun explains that using the liquid to make pills is usually inefficient and expensive, since directly consuming the liquid is more effective and the results of pill refinement are uncertain.
• Bianji admits he wants to improve his alchemy skills, but Feng Jun refuses to prioritize him, pointing out that they are not close and that Feng’s existing partners must come first.
• Bianji attempts to invoke his relationship with Fairy Yi Jue and the needs of the Insectoid World, but Feng Jun rejects the emotional pressure and makes him wait.
• The encounter allows Feng Jun to retaliate against Bianji’s earlier arrogant treatment of him. Xuanyuan Buqi and the others view Feng’s response as typical of his youthful, uncompromising personality.
• The following day, Dantai Yuhu of the Dantai Family approaches Feng Jun about purchasing Soul-Nourishing Liquid.
• Rather than offering only Spirit Stones, Dantai proposes exchanging valuable information. She provides intelligence concerning the Thief Lineage through an obsidian record.
• Feng Jun judges the information valuable enough to warrant one drop of Nascent Soul Soul-Nourishing Liquid and ten drops of Gold Core Soul-Nourishing Liquid.
• Dantai then seeks to purchase a much larger supply: fifty drops of Nascent Soul liquid and five hundred drops of Gold Core liquid. Feng Jun refuses to allow such extensive stockpiling because supplies are scarce, offering only twenty and one hundred drops respectively.
• The Dantai Family pays 40,300 High-Grade Spirit Stones for the reduced quantity.
• Feng Jun is surprised by the family’s wealth and begins questioning how much money they have accumulated through their businesses and activities around Libo Shoal.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Becomes more assertive and commercially cautious. He refuses to let powerful alchemists or influential families exploit his resources and emphasizes that access to Soul-Nourishing Liquid depends on trust, priority, and fair value. His confidence has grown considerably compared with his earlier self.
• Elder Bianji: Reveals an intense dedication to alchemy and a willingness to sacrifice pride for the chance to study rare materials. Despite his reputation, he is socially awkward and struggles to persuade Feng Jun.
• Dantai Yuhu: Demonstrates intelligence, charm, and exceptional social skill. She carefully negotiates with Feng Jun, using information rather than force or status, while subtly probing the limits of his supply and pricing.
• Feng Jun’s companions: Xuanyuan Buqi and the others accept Feng Jun’s bluntness as part of his character, suggesting that his assertiveness is now an established and respected trait.

Significant Themes

• Control of scarce resources: Possessing Soul-Nourishing Liquid gives Feng Jun considerable bargaining power, allowing him to determine who receives it and under what conditions.
• Trust and personal relationships: Reputation or connections—such as Bianji’s relationship with Yi Jue—do not automatically guarantee access to Feng Jun’s resources.
• Fair exchange and negotiation: The chapter contrasts Bianji’s attempted appeals to status and duty with Dantai Yuhu’s more effective exchange of valuable information and Spirit Stones.
• Growth and changing status: Feng Jun’s increased power has transformed his position. People who once might have looked down on him must now negotiate with him.
• Wealth and hidden economic power: The Dantai Family’s ability to pay tens of thousands of High-Grade Spirit Stones raises questions about the sources of its wealth and whether its commercial activities conflict with Feng Jun’s own interests.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Elder Bianji engage in a tense, sarcastic negotiation shaped by their mutual lack of respect. Feng Jun deliberately keeps Bianji waiting rather than granting him special treatment.
• Feng Jun and Dantai Yuhu interact through a more sophisticated and flirtatious negotiation. Her charm and close physical manner unsettle him slightly, but he remains focused on evaluating the value of her information.
• Dantai Yuhu successfully shifts the exchange from a simple purchase to a broader discussion involving intelligence, medical need, family reserves, and economic influence.
• The chapter ends with Feng Jun becoming suspicious that the Dantai Family’s prosperity around Libo Shoal may involve competition with the businesses operated by his own Luohua disciples.

Summary

• Plot/events: The chapter opens in August, marking the beginning of a new month. The narrator emphasizes that the book’s rankings at this point are especially important and asks readers to vote using their monthly tickets.
• Character developments: No characters or narrative developments are introduced; the focus is on the author’s direct appeal to readers.
• Themes: The passage highlights reader participation, the importance of rankings, and the collective effort needed to support the book.
• Character interactions: There are no in-story interactions. Instead, the narrator directly addresses the audience with a request for monthly votes.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Dantai Yuhu explains that the Dantai Family’s main profits come from trading goods between regions with limited information. They buy treasures and materials cheaply in places such as Libo Shoal, then resell them elsewhere at enormous markups.
• Wei Sancai returns with 120,000 High-Grade Spirit Stones to purchase a large supply of Soul-Nourishing Liquid for the Wei Family. Feng Jun refuses to sell in bulk, fearing stockpiling and shortages, and limits the sale to five Nascent Soul-grade drops.
• Elder Hou Xi, a Ninth-Layer Nascent Soul cultivator from the Primal Steel Gate, arrives with severe Divine Soul damage. Feng Jun determines that he needs at least four drops of Nascent Soul Soul-Nourishing Liquid and sends him to recuperate in the Yiyao Sector rather than entering Primal Steel Gate territory.
• As demand for Soul-Nourishing Liquid grows, Feng Jun imposes a strict rule: anyone buying more than three drops must bring the injured cultivator to Libo Shoal. This protects supplies and prevents people from secretly hoarding the medicine.
• The Dantai Family begins reselling Nascent Soul-grade Soul-Nourishing Liquid at extremely high prices, irritating Feng Jun. Dantai Yuhu explains that the family is under financial and social pressure and cannot refuse every desperate buyer.
• Because more injured cultivators arrive than Libo Shoal can accommodate, another recovery site is opened near the Profound Water Sect in the Icefield Sector.
• After ten days, Hou Xi’s condition improves enough for him to complete a major purchase: 20,000 drops of Gold Core-grade and 100 drops of Nascent Soul-grade Soul-Nourishing Liquid, paid for with 260,000 High-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Feng Jun refuses to escort Hou Xi to the Insectoid passage entrance, fearing the demands of Venerable Xiao Dong. The True Lords declare that this may be the only large-scale sale to family cultivators unless they are allowed broader access to the Insectoid World.
• Feng Jun, the two True Lords, and the Yin Soul powerhouse prepare to descend to the Huiyuan Domain through the Two-Way Door. Vast Sea Venerable asks to accompany them, but Feng Jun limits his share of the Soul-Nourishing Liquid to three percent.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly firm and cautious about controlling Soul-Nourishing Liquid. He refuses pressure from powerful families, limits purchases, establishes conditions for buyers, and avoids exposing himself to dangerous territories or influential Venerables.
• Dantai Yuhu reveals more about the practical difficulties faced by the Dantai Family. Despite its wealth and reputation, the family must balance reserves, outside expectations, and the needs of desperate cultivators.
• Wei Sancai demonstrates the Wei Family’s growing dependence on the Soul-Nourishing Liquid after witnessing its effectiveness, but he is forced to accept Feng Jun’s restrictions.
• Elder Hou Xi receives treatment and recovers significantly, though he remains frustrated by Feng Jun’s refusal to enter Primal Steel Gate territory or escort him further.
• The Yin Soul powerhouse continues digesting the Emperor’s Rest Wood’s Life Force but still insists on joining the lower-realm expedition so the Soul-Nourishing Liquid will not benefit others without him.
• Vast Sea Venerable shows that even a powerful Venerable must negotiate for access to the scarce medicine. His sense of entitlement is checked by Feng Jun and the True Lords.

Significant Themes

• Information as a source of wealth: The Dantai Family profits by controlling trade routes and exploiting differences in regional knowledge.
• Scarcity and controlled distribution: Feng Jun treats Soul-Nourishing Liquid as a strategic resource rather than an ordinary commodity, preventing hoarding and prioritizing genuinely injured cultivators.
• Power and negotiation: Wealthy families, sects, True Lords, and Venerables all seek influence, but Feng Jun’s usefulness allows him to resist even powerful figures.
• Contentment and restraint: The chapter repeatedly emphasizes knowing one’s limits and being satisfied with available benefits, particularly in Qian Zhong’s criticism of Vast Sea Venerable.
• Trust versus self-interest: Buyers claim legitimate medical needs, while Feng Jun must determine whether they are seeking treatment or simply trying to build private reserves.
• The burdens behind status: The Dantai Family’s glamorous reputation conceals financial pressure and difficult choices, showing that powerful organizations also struggle to maintain their position.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Dantai Yuhu discuss the family’s trading methods and later clash indirectly over the Dantai Family’s resale of Soul-Nourishing Liquid.
• Feng Jun and Wei Sancai negotiate unsuccessfully over a bulk purchase, with Feng Jun firmly refusing to compromise.
• Feng Jun treats Hou Xi but refuses to enter Primal Steel Gate territory, creating an awkward mixture of cooperation, suspicion, and mutual frustration.
• Other cultivators pressure Feng Jun through intermediaries to relax his purchasing requirements, but he refuses to make exceptions.
• The two True Lords support Feng Jun’s restrictive position and warn that large-scale sales may stop unless family cultivators gain greater access to the Insectoid World.
• Vast Sea Venerable tries to join the Huiyuan expedition, but Feng Jun sets a strict three-percent limit on his compensation. Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong reinforce Feng Jun’s authority and tell the Venerable to accept what he is offered.

Chapter Summary: “So Familiar”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun and the three powerful cultivators arrive in the Huiyuan Domain and discover that, contrary to the commonly known description of the realm, much of its former ocean has become desert. The change occurred more than two thousand years earlier, when the land rose and the oceans shrank and deepened.
• The environmental transformation altered the realm’s supernatural resources. Instead of mist-born Soul Bodies, the deserts now produce Mirage Bodies formed from Mirage Qi. These beings are harder to convert into Soul-Nourishing Liquid, but they may drop valuable Mirage Pearls.
• Vast Sea Venerable explains that the Profound Water Sect maintains Lower Sects in the realm and trades Mirage Pearls for resources. Xuanyuan Buqi suspects that the sect’s activities may have contributed to the increasing Mirage Qi, though Vast Sea Venerable admits he lacks reliable information.
• Feng Jun notices a marketplace roughly twenty thousand li away and insists on visiting it to buy maps, travel journals, and learn more about the region’s history. The others would prefer to move directly toward their objective, but they accommodate him.
• Qian Zhong conceals her presence while accompanying Feng Jun into the marketplace. Even cultivators far stronger than Feng Jun fail to detect her, highlighting the extraordinary effectiveness of her concealment technique.
• Feng Jun observes that the marketplace is relatively weak, dominated by Dust-Free cultivators, with only a few Gold Core cultivators and one aging Nascent Soul True Immortal. He recognizes a nearby shop belonging to the Heavenlink Trade Alliance, an old acquaintance.
• In a tavern, Feng Jun and Qian Zhong gather information while eating and drinking. Feng Jun secretly communicates with the Yin Soul senior, who reveals that one of its hidden caches is located somewhere in the realm.
• The senior urgently wants to retrieve the cache, fearing that the realm’s drastic changes may have damaged or endangered it. Feng Jun refuses to investigate immediately because their companions and possible followers could notice the cache’s recovery.
• Feng Jun speculates that the hidden cache may have caused the land-and-sea transformation and the production of Mirage Qi. The senior admits this is possible, though it is distressed that the Soul-Nourishing Liquid produced from Mirage Qi will be shared rather than belonging solely to it.
• Before Feng Jun can leave, an unfamiliar Intermediate Gold Core cultivator sits at his table and offers him Wood Element Essence for an absurdly low price. Feng Jun recognizes the familiar pattern of someone attempting to exploit or test an outsider. He declines, pretending he cannot afford the purchase in order to avoid attracting attention.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun continues to demonstrate caution and curiosity. Rather than rushing toward immediate gains, he wants to understand the realm’s history and gather information. His experience in the Voidmist Realm has made him wary of drawing attention from local powers.
• Qian Zhong shows her exceptional stealth and composure. She enters the marketplace openly while remaining completely undetectable, even to cultivators stationed specifically to sense intruders. She also comfortably participates in Feng Jun’s tavern investigation.
• Vast Sea Venerable is revealed to be practical, efficiency-minded, and somewhat impatient with Feng Jun’s investigative approach. However, he is honest about the limits of his knowledge and does not pretend to understand the realm better than he does.
• Xuanyuan Buqi remains blunt and skeptical, especially toward the Profound Water Sect. He is more interested in immediate action and views Feng Jun’s desire to investigate as unnecessary delay.
• The Yin Soul senior becomes increasingly anxious and emotionally unstable because of the uncertain fate of its hidden cache. Feng Jun’s reassurance helps calm it, though the senior remains fearful that further delay may result in permanent loss.

Significant Themes

• Change and unintended consequences: The Huiyuan Domain’s transformation from ocean to desert has reshaped its resources, inhabitants, and cultivation economy. The possibility that the Yin Soul senior’s cache caused the change suggests that hidden actions can have enormous consequences.
• Information and local knowledge: Feng Jun’s lack of familiarity with the realm contrasts with the confidence of Xuanyuan Buqi and Qian Zhong. The chapter emphasizes the value of gathering information rather than relying solely on strength.
• Greed versus caution: The senior wants to recover its treasure immediately, while Feng Jun prioritizes secrecy and long-term safety. The Mirage Pearls and Soul-Nourishing Liquid also illustrate how cultivators assign different values to resources.
• Concealed power: Qian Zhong’s ability to remain undetected demonstrates that influence does not always come from overt strength. Feng Jun’s own restrained behavior similarly reflects his growing understanding that excessive prominence attracts danger.
• Outsider vulnerability and deception: The cheap sale of Wood Element Essence is likely an attempt to exploit Feng Jun or test him. His restrained refusal shows that he has learned to avoid appearing wealthy, powerful, or easily manipulated.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun consults Xuanyuan Buqi, Qian Zhong, and Vast Sea Venerable about the realm’s geography and resources, revealing differences in their knowledge and attitudes.
• Xuanyuan Buqi and Vast Sea Venerable argue indirectly over whether the Profound Water Sect is exploiting Mirage Bodies and worsening the realm’s Mirage Qi.
• Feng Jun and Qian Zhong work together in the marketplace and tavern, with Qian Zhong’s concealment enabling their investigation.
• Feng Jun privately counsels the distressed Yin Soul senior, balancing sympathy with firm refusal to act recklessly.
• The chapter ends with Feng Jun calmly rejecting the suspicious Gold Core cultivator’s offer, setting up a possible confrontation or further scheme while maintaining his low profile.

Chapter Summary: “Thief Crying Thief”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun rejects an apparently suspicious bargain offered by an Intermediate Gold Core cultivator. Although Qian Zhong advises him to leave before trouble arises, Feng Jun decides to stay, unwilling to be bullied simply because he is unfamiliar with the area.
• Soon afterward, five cultivators enter the tavern—two Gold Core cultivators and three Dust-Free cultivators—claiming to be searching for the criminal Chang Changxiao.
• The group uses a Painting Dao technique to display a portrait of Chang Changxiao, whose appearance differs from the earlier cultivator but whose aura and bearing reveal that they are the same person. This exposes the earlier bargain as part of a setup.
• A patron points Feng Jun out as someone who had spoken with Chang Changxiao. The two Gold Core cultivators accuse Feng Jun of involvement in the theft of medicinal herbs from a True Immortal’s household and demand that he prove his innocence.
• Feng Jun refuses to submit to their intimidation, challenging their authority. When the Gold Core cultivators release their auras and prepare to act, the tavern shopkeeper intervenes.
• The elderly shopkeeper effortlessly sends one aggressor flying from the tavern, severely injuring him, and forces the others to withdraw. However, the group remains outside, waiting to ambush Feng Jun if he leaves.
• Qian Zhong explains that her concealment technique is based on the “Way of Reality and Illusion,” causing others to overlook her completely. She also discusses the hidden abilities of Great Lord Buqi and suggests that his true strength may be difficult to perceive.
• The shopkeeper summons Feng Jun for a private discussion. Feng Jun, confident in his status and power, tells the waiter that the shopkeeper should come to him instead. The shopkeeper nevertheless agrees and visits him.
• The shopkeeper claims that the tavern protected Feng Jun from the troublemakers and demands five hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones as payment for taking on the resulting karmic entanglement.
• Feng Jun objects, arguing that he never requested protection and was merely a customer who was disturbed. The chapter ends with the shopkeeper pressing him to pay.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Displays increasing confidence and pride. Rather than retreating from a threat, he chooses to remain and confront it. He refuses to accept unjust accusations or exploitative demands, relying on his own strength and understanding of karma.
• Qian Zhong: Demonstrates advanced concealment abilities and provides insight into higher-level Dao comprehension. Her explanation reveals that she is not merely powerful but has developed a specialized understanding of reality and illusion. Her hostility toward Xuanyuan Buqi also becomes evident.
• The tavern shopkeeper: Initially appears to be a weak, elderly Early Gold Core cultivator, but reveals overwhelming strength by crippling another Gold Core cultivator with a casual gesture. He is also shrewd, cautious, and skilled at manipulating the concepts of reputation and karma for profit.
• The pursuing cultivators: Their scheme is exposed as an attempt to exploit Feng Jun, first through the suspicious bargain and then through false accusations. Despite their aggressive behavior, they become cautious once confronted by the shopkeeper.
• Man Hun: Shows that he is willing to mock the pursuing group, but ultimately avoids escalating the conflict, suggesting practical restraint beneath his defiance.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus intimidation: The pursuing cultivators attempt to use numbers, authority, and accusations to pressure Feng Jun, but their apparent power collapses before genuinely superior strength.
• Exploitation and hypocrisy: The title reflects the pursuers’ attempt to accuse Feng Jun of wrongdoing while concealing their own deceptive scheme. The shopkeeper also participates in a more subtle form of exploitation by charging Feng Jun for “protection” he never requested.
• Karma and responsibility: The shopkeeper frames his intervention as taking on karmic consequences, while Feng Jun questions whether unsolicited assistance should create a debt. Their argument shows that karma can be both a metaphysical principle and a tool for negotiation.
• Dao comprehension and concealment: Qian Zhong’s “Way of Reality and Illusion” emphasizes that true power may lie not in overt force but in remaining imperceptible. The discussion of Great Lord Buqi reinforces the danger of judging cultivators solely by what they reveal.
• Pride, independence, and freedom: Feng Jun’s refusal to flee or submit reflects the cultivator’s pursuit of personal freedom. However, his confidence also makes him appear arrogant and inexperienced to others.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Qian Zhong exchange strategic observations, with Qian Zhong advising caution and Feng Jun choosing confrontation.
• Feng Jun directly challenges the pursuing Gold Core cultivators when they demand that he prove his innocence.
• The shopkeeper overrules the pursuers, violently ejecting one and forcing the rest to retreat, demonstrating his authority within the tavern.
• The shopkeeper and Feng Jun engage in a tense negotiation over protection fees and karmic responsibility. Both understand the underlying power dynamics, but neither is willing to concede.
• The chapter closes with the conflict unresolved, as Feng Jun refuses to accept the shopkeeper’s demand without questioning its legitimacy.

Chapter Summary: “Cleanup”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun disputes the Iron Mountain Market shopkeeper’s demand for five hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, arguing that he has done nothing wrong and should not need to pay for protection or assistance.
• The shopkeeper explains the market’s pragmatic rules: although fighting is forbidden inside, Feng Jun is being targeted because he is supposedly connected to bandits. The fee would cover escorting him, contacting his family, or compensating for the trouble caused by opposing the attackers.
• Feng Jun and Qian Zhong leave the shop and head for the market gate. Several cultivators pursue them, including the injured group’s allies.
• Market guards attempt to stop them. Feng Jun uses his powerful Divine Sense to knock down two Dust-Free Realm guards, while the gate’s Early Gold Core cultivator is briefly incapacitated by an unknown technique. Feng Jun and Qian Zhong then force their way out.
• More than twenty cultivators chase them outside the market, accusing them of being bandits and threatening them with retaliation.
• A Nascent Soul cultivator attacks with a giant manifested hand, but Feng Jun and Qian Zhong evade it and approach Xuanyuan Buqi and Vast Sea Venerable, who have been waiting nearby.
• Xuanyuan Buqi uses the Character-Setting Art to freeze every pursuer. The attackers realize that the people they were pursuing are backed by cultivators far above their own level.
• Feng Jun reveals that the pursuers are connected to the Painting Dao, implying involvement with Upper Realm forces and a larger conspiracy.
• Qian Zhong seals the pursuers’ cultivation and interrogates the Intermediate Gold Core cultivator. Feng Jun cuts off his arm and destroys it when he fails to answer properly.
• The man admits that a traitorous disciple of the Four Arts Sect created the painting and that the market group arranged the scheme for profit. Qian Zhong discovers through soul-searching that he has lied and kills him.
• Feng Jun explains that the dead man is a descendant of the Chen Family and says they will visit the family next.
• Qian Zhong captures the Early Gold Core gatekeeper, who claims he was only following orders and does not know where Chang Changxiao is.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains calm, analytical, and unwilling to accept unfair treatment. He dislikes the market’s narrow, exploitative customs and responds decisively when attacked. Although he has powerful methods available, he avoids wasting trump cards and relies on his allies once they arrive.
• Qian Zhong demonstrates her status as a terrifyingly powerful True Lord. She is direct, merciless toward liars, and willing to investigate enemies personally before killing them. Her concern that Feng Jun might object to the execution also shows her awareness of his comparatively compassionate nature.
• Xuanyuan Buqi displays overwhelming authority through the Character-Setting Art, effortlessly immobilizing the entire pursuing force. His amused reaction to the accusations contrasts with the attackers’ panic.
• Vast Sea Venerable remains detached and practical. Once he understands that the group is tied to the Painting Dao, he immediately supports interrogation and the elimination of the threat.
• The old shopkeeper embodies the market’s cynical survival logic. He believes charging for protection is justified as compensation for the trouble caused by interfering with powerful outsiders.
• The market pursuers shift from confidence and aggression to terror once they realize they have attacked cultivators from the Upper Realm or those with True Lord-level backing.

Significant Themes

• Pragmatism versus justice: The shopkeeper treats protection and intervention as services that deserve payment, while Feng Jun believes a market should naturally protect its own customers.
• Power and social hierarchy: The pursuers rely on the market’s authority to intimidate Feng Jun, but their confidence collapses instantly when confronted by superior cultivation.
• Consequences of arrogance: The attackers misjudge Feng Jun and Qian Zhong, transforming a scheme for profit into a catastrophic confrontation.
• Truth and punishment: Qian Zhong’s execution of the lying cultivator emphasizes that deception becomes especially intolerable when someone knowingly lies in the presence of overwhelming power.
• The Upper Realm’s influence: The mention of the Painting Dao reveals that the incident is part of a broader conflict involving the Upper Realm and the Four Arts Sect.
• “Cleaning house”: The protagonists move beyond self-defense and begin dismantling the local network connected to the Painting Dao, potentially implicating the Chen Family and other conspirators.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and the shopkeeper debate whether protection and family notification justify the demanded payment, revealing their opposing views of responsibility and business.
• Qian Zhong understands Feng Jun’s dissatisfaction with the Lower Realm’s limited perspective and comments on its narrowness.
• The market guards and pursuers attempt to use their numbers and institutional backing to stop Feng Jun and Qian Zhong, but Feng Jun overwhelms them with Divine Sense.
• Xuanyuan Buqi and Vast Sea Venerable intervene when the chase reaches them. Xuanyuan freezes the attackers, while Vast Sea endorses interrogation and punishment.
• Feng Jun identifies the Painting Dao connection, prompting the pursuers to realize they have provoked powerful outsiders.
• Qian Zhong interrogates the conspirators, while Feng Jun enforces punishment. Their coordinated actions establish them as a formidable investigative and punitive force.
• The captured gatekeeper pleads that he was merely performing his assigned duty, setting up further questioning about Chang Changxiao and the market’s deeper involvement.

Summary of “Ruthless Methods”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After an extortion attempt at Iron Mountain Market, Feng Jun’s group investigates the attackers through Soul Searching. Vast Sea Venerable and Xuanyuan Buqi uncover that the men belong to a ruthless local extortion ring.
• The gang targets wealthy outsiders—especially Gold Core cultivators—by first swindling them and then ambushing or killing them if they resist. The market tavern sometimes exploits outsiders as well, though it is not directly part of the gang.
• The investigation reveals that the gang is led by a Nascent Soul market enforcer and backed by the powerful Tian Family, which controls Iron Mountain Market. The Hong Family and other locals also cooperate with or tolerate the criminals.
• A stolen-goods peddler using the alias “Chang Changxiao” is exposed as a disguised cultivator whose appearance was captured in a Painting Dao portrait by Leng Hongxia, a former member of the Four Arts Sect and the Dao companion of the Tian Family’s second Nascent Soul cultivator.
• Feng Jun and his allies launch a brutal two-day purge:
  • Chang Changxiao and his associates are executed.
  • The Chen and Hong Families lose nearly all cultivators at the Dust-Free Stage and above.
  • The Tian Family is effectively destroyed, including its two Nascent Soul cultivators, nine Gold Core cultivators, over a hundred Dust-Free cultivators, and its treasury.
  • Other powerful families connected to the market’s corruption are warned or forced to pay heavily to avoid annihilation.
• The massacre shocks the entire Huiyuan Domain. Three Nascent Soul cultivators, more than ten Gold Core cultivators, and hundreds of Dust-Free cultivators die.
• A threatened family offers a rare piece of Wood Essence to survive. Feng Jun realizes that the essence came from the “hidden stash” of the mysterious big shot, though his companions allow him to keep it.
• The purge changes the region’s behavior for centuries: bullying outsiders, extorting customers, and charging tavern “protection fees” largely disappear. The broader cleanup of Iron Mountain Market continues for nearly two years.
• By the end of the chapter, Feng Jun and the other powerful cultivators leave the market and head into the desert to confront the mirage entity.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun displays both investigative judgment and ruthless decisiveness. He helps expose the market’s corruption and oversees a punishment far exceeding the original offense, while also recognizing the importance of the Wood Essence to the mysterious big shot.
• Vast Sea Venerable acts directly and violently, conducting a Soul Search and immediately killing the guilty Gold Core cultivator. His actions establish the group’s uncompromising approach.
• Xuanyuan Buqi proves equally ruthless, Soul Searching and crushing the Nascent Soul enforcer. He intimidates even powerful outsiders, including a Heavenlink Trade Alliance elder, into silence.
• The market enforcer and the Tian Family are revealed to be far more corrupt and influential than initially suspected. Their authority over the market had allowed criminal activity to flourish.
• Leng Hongxia becomes implicated in the scheme because she produced the portrait that enabled Chang Changxiao to operate under a false appearance. Her past betrayal of the Four Arts Sect is also cast in doubt.
• The Heavenlink Trade Alliance elder chooses self-preservation over revealing the group’s identities, fearing retaliation against his entire clan.
• The tavern manager narrowly avoids punishment and learns that exploiting customers can be fatal when the customers possess overwhelming power.

Significant Themes

• Justice through overwhelming force: The chapter presents brutal retribution as the only effective response to entrenched corruption.
• Collective responsibility: Families and authorities that tolerate or profit from wrongdoing are punished alongside the direct perpetrators.
• Abuse of power: The market’s enforcers use their official positions to protect criminal enterprises rather than maintain order.
• Fear as social deterrence: The massacre becomes a lasting warning, changing behavior across the Huiyuan Domain for centuries.
• Outsiders versus local collusion: The extortion ring depends on locals cooperating against unfamiliar visitors, exposing the dangers of xenophobia and institutional corruption.
• Hidden treasures and larger mysteries: The Wood Essence links the market’s events to the mysterious big shot’s lost resources and hints at unresolved secrets beyond the immediate conflict.

Character Interactions

• Qian Zhong pressures Feng Jun to Soul Search the captured cultivator, but Vast Sea Venerable takes responsibility instead.
• Vast Sea Venerable’s execution prompts the market’s other Nascent Soul cultivators to beg for mercy.
• Xuanyuan Buqi rejects their pleas, Soul Searches the enforcer, and threatens to kill them as well.
• Xuanyuan Buqi warns the Heavenlink elder not to reveal his identity, forcing the elder to retreat in silence.
• Feng Jun’s group confronts the market’s ruling families indirectly through the purge, compelling one family’s ancestor to surrender the Wood Essence and disclose its origin.
• Vast Sea Venerable and the others let Feng Jun retain the Wood Essence because of his connection to Yi Jue and the Spirit Plant Dao.