Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary:

Black Colt Tower Again

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun hires two Pan Clan disciples—one at Intermediate Qi Refining and one at Early Qi Refining—to guard him. In exchange, they may cultivate within his powerful Spirit-Gathering Array. Their rotating schedule is light, allowing them ample time for cultivation and study.
• Huangfu Wuxia visits Feng Jun and reveals that she has temporarily borrowed the Black Colt Tower, which she calls the White Colt Pagoda. She enlarges it and successfully tests Feng Jun’s Earth-Vein Guidance Technique, confirming that the technique improves the tower’s performance.
• Feng and Huangfu discuss the value of their respective artifacts: Feng’s Mountain-River Seal and the Black Colt Tower. Huangfu proposes exchanging access to the tower for ten days of access to the seal, later reducing her offer to eight and then five days.
• Feng refuses all of Huangfu’s proposed ratios, insisting on an equal one-day exchange. He refuses to undervalue his own artifact, while Huangfu considers the Black Colt Tower superior and remains cautious about revealing its secrets.
• Feng reflects on the cooldown period of his Heaven-Devouring Technique. He may soon be able to break through from Qi Refining into the Dust-Free Realm, but the exact timing is uncertain.
• Feng decides that he will not attempt the breakthrough on Blue Star because its spiritual energy is too scarce and he does not want to further damage his homeland’s declining cultivation environment. Instead, he plans to advance in the Phone Plane.
• Huangfu reveals that Pine-Cypress Peak’s Contribution Point System has been delivered and is about to become operational. The Yan Family has requested that Zhige Mountain send someone to participate.
• Feng unexpectedly decides to go personally to the Cultivation Realm. He sees the trip as an opportunity to test whether his goods will sell there and recognizes that his approaching breakthrough makes remaining in the mortal world increasingly impractical.
• Huangfu is surprised by Feng’s decision and begins considering whether he needs a flying artifact for the journey.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Becomes more confident and assertive in negotiations, refusing to let Huangfu undervalue the Mountain-River Seal. He also moves closer to a major transition in his cultivation and begins preparing to enter the Cultivation Realm personally. His attachment to Blue Star reveals a protective, sentimental side beneath his practical behavior.
• Huangfu Wuxia: Demonstrates growing trust in Feng by allowing him to borrow the Black Colt Tower without direct supervision. However, she remains cautious and politically aware, recognizing that Feng’s Earth-Vein inheritance likely comes from a powerful hidden force. Her surprise at his decision to travel personally shows that she still underestimates his ambitions and progress.
• Pan Clan disciples: Serve as reliable guards and gain valuable cultivation time through access to Feng’s Spirit-Gathering Array, strengthening the practical relationship between Feng and the Pan Clan.

Significant Themes

• Mutual trust and guarded cooperation: Feng and Huangfu share secrets and cooperate closely, but both carefully protect their interests and reputations.
• Value and prestige: The negotiation over the artifacts is as much about status and self-respect as it is about practical exchange. Feng refuses to appear dependent or accept an unfavorable valuation.
• Cultivation and resource scarcity: Spirit-Gathering Arrays, Earth Veins, and spiritual energy are essential resources. Their availability determines where cultivators can progress.
• Loyalty to one’s homeland: Feng’s refusal to break through on Blue Star reflects his concern for its fragile spiritual environment and his emotional connection to it.
• Transition and ambition: Feng is approaching a new realm and preparing to leave the familiar mortal world for the larger Cultivation Realm, signaling a major expansion of the story’s scope.

Character Interactions

• Feng and the Pan Clan disciples establish a mutually beneficial arrangement: they protect him while using his Spirit-Gathering Array.
• Feng and Huangfu engage in a tense but respectful artifact negotiation, each attempting to secure the better exchange without openly damaging their cooperative relationship.
• Huangfu compliments the Mountain-River Seal and tests its Earth-Vein-related abilities, while Feng remains deliberately reserved about its full destructive power.
• Huangfu provides Feng with news about the Contribution Point System and the Yan Family’s request, indirectly opening the way for his first visit to the Cultivation Realm.
• Their final conversation shifts from business to practical preparation, as Huangfu hints that Feng may need a flying artifact for the journey.

Chapter Summary: “Experts Gathering”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Huangfu Wuxia initially underestimates Feng Jun’s wealth, assuming that his Mountain-River Seal may have been purchased and that he probably lacks a flying artifact.
• Feng Jun reveals that he does possess one: the Light-Time Shuttle, a compact flying artifact powered by spiritual energy rather than Spirit Stones.
• Before leaving, Feng Jun organizes Zhige Mountain’s defenses:
  • He takes Chen Junsheng, Mi Yunshan, Yu Changzhu, and later Shangguan Yunjin.
  • Lang Zhen remains behind to oversee defense, assisted by Chen Junwei and Tian Yangni.
  • Yu Changqing agrees to protect and manage internal affairs at Zhige Mountain.
  • Feng Jun installs Illusion and Entrapment Formations around the server room and Spirit Plant Formation, with backup available from Heavenlink Trade Alliance, Carefree Platform, or the Pan Clan descendants.
• During heavy rain, Feng Jun retrieves the Gathering Spirit Formation Disk from the mountains.
• The group departs using the Light-Time Shuttle. Huangfu Wuxia is impressed by its efficiency and attempts to trade her more expensive flying vessel for it, suspecting that its energy-saving design could be highly profitable. Feng Jun refuses unless she pays an exorbitant one hundred thousand Spirit Stones.
• After traveling over ten thousand li in roughly a week, the group reaches a vast saline-alkali region in northeastern Donghua Kingdom.
• At the center lies a huge area of white mist that serves as an entrance to the Cultivation Realm. Hundreds of people, many of them cultivators, have gathered there hoping to enter the Immortal Market.
• Feng Jun discovers that numerous Mortal Transcendence cultivators are offering themselves or their relatives as servants in exchange for his sponsorship into the Cultivation Realm.
• Yu Changzhu explains that these people are trying to enter the Cultivation Realm and need a powerful cultivator to act as their guarantor.
• Chen Junsheng reveals that he once waited at this location as an Innate Expert and entered the Cultivation Realm twice.
• An Innate Expert named Fuhai Jingqingyang advertises bodyguard services in exchange for temporary entry, illustrating the various ways experts seek access.

2. Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates greater wealth and resourcefulness than Huangfu Wuxia expected. He is cautious about revealing the Light-Time Shuttle’s origin and recognizes the commercial value of its technology.
• He also shows increasing responsibility as a leader by carefully arranging Zhige Mountain’s defenses before departing.
• Huangfu Wuxia becomes more interested in Feng Jun after seeing the Light-Time Shuttle. Her initial condescension shifts toward curiosity and commercial calculation.
• Yu Changzhu is eager to visit the Cultivation Realm and successfully joins the expedition. She also displays practical knowledge about the situation at the entrance.
• Yu Changqing proves her loyalty and capability by volunteering to protect Zhige Mountain while her sister travels.
• Chen Junsheng reveals his past experience with the Cultivation Realm and helps Feng Jun understand its entry system.
• Feng Jun’s view of Donghua Kingdom changes when he encounters many surprisingly powerful cultivators desperate to enter the Cultivation Realm.

3. Significant Themes

• Wealth versus true value: Huangfu Wuxia’s expensive flying vessels are not necessarily more useful than Feng Jun’s inexpensive, energy-efficient artifact.
• Technological advantage: Blue Star’s Dharma-Ending Plane possesses technologies that are primitive or nearly extinct in the Cultivation Realm, particularly methods of conserving energy.
• Caution and secrecy: Feng Jun refuses to sell the Light-Time Shuttle because its unusual design could expose its origins or invite investigation into Blue Star.
• The allure of the Cultivation Realm: Entry is so valuable that powerful cultivators are willing to become servants, bodyguards, or guarantors’ dependents.
• Power and social hierarchy: Even high-level Mortal Transcendence and Innate cultivators may be socially disadvantaged if they lack access to the Cultivation Realm or a sponsor.
• Leadership and responsibility: Feng Jun balances exploration with protecting his base and allies.
• Changing perceptions: Feng Jun realizes that Donghua’s apparent weakness is misleading; it contains many talented cultivators whose abilities are constrained by limited opportunities.

4. Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Huangfu Wuxia discuss travel plans, defense arrangements, and the potential sale of the Light-Time Shuttle. Their exchange highlights her commercial instincts and his guarded pragmatism.
• Feng Jun relies on Yu Changqing and Yu Changzhu’s sisterly relationship to ensure Zhige Mountain remains protected during his absence.
• Feng Jun’s companions are astonished when Huangfu Wuxia offers to exchange a much more expensive flying vessel for his shuttle.
• At the Cultivation Realm entrance, desperate cultivators approach Feng Jun indirectly, offering their children, grandchildren, or personal service in exchange for sponsorship.
• Yu Changzhu warns Feng Jun that accepting such people would make him responsible for guaranteeing their entry.
• Chen Junsheng provides firsthand experience that clarifies why Innate Experts gather at the site and how they trade protection services for access to the Cultivation Realm.

Chapter Summary: When One Kind Saw Another Suffer

Key Plot Points and Events

• Chen Junsheng explains the status of Innate Experts in the Cultivation Realm. Although they can easily transition into Qi Refining, most are older and are therefore regarded as having limited potential. Those who achieve Entering the Dao Through Martial Arts, however, possess both powerful combat ability and promising growth prospects.
• He describes the exploitative bodyguard contracts offered to wandering martial cultivators. They may work for three months with some freedom, but acting for their employer extends the contract, gradually reducing their independence.
• Huangfu Wuxia warns that many people outside the Immortal Gates are predators seeking to identify and exploit inexperienced newcomers.
• A scarred, lame teenage girl named Yun Buyao approaches the group, offering to serve whoever will take her into the Immortal Gates after her failed cultivation induction.
• Mi Yunshan is deeply affected by the girl’s suffering, realizing that her own father may once have endured similar humiliation. She breaks down crying and blames herself for having complained about him without understanding his hardships.
• Moved by compassion—and after using his unique appraisal method—Feng Jun accepts Yun Buyao. His investigation reveals that she possesses a rare Pure Gold Constitution, making her an exceptionally talented cultivation prospect despite never having cultivated before.
• Huangfu Wuxia confirms Yun Buyao’s enormous potential, estimating that she is destined to reach at least the Dust-Free Realm and may even achieve the Gold Core stage. Her discovery attracts the covert attention of several greedy onlookers, though Huangfu’s intimidating warning prevents them from acting.
• Mi Yunshan gives Yun Buyao a tent and clean clothes so she can change.
• Chen Junsheng recommends Jing Qingyang, a righteous but impoverished martial expert, as a trustworthy bodyguard. Feng Jun agrees to hire him for the journey.
• Jing Qingyang asks for only five taels of gold for three months, claiming money is not important to him. Chen Junsheng criticizes his shortsightedness, warning that expenses may become severe if the employment lasts six or nine months.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates compassion and decisiveness by accepting Yun Buyao despite her low cultivation level. His appraisal ability allows him to recognize the hidden value others overlooked. He also agrees to hire Jing Qingyang, showing sympathy toward people forced into desperate circumstances.
• Mi Yunshan: Displays strong emotional sensitivity. Yun Buyao’s condition reminds her of her father’s past suffering, leading her to regret her former complaints and reveal unresolved guilt and grief.
• Huangfu Wuxia: Appears blunt and cynical about the exploitative culture outside the Immortal Gates, but she is also protective and confident in her ability to punish anyone who targets Feng Jun’s group. She admits she would have accepted Yun Buyao had she known about her constitution.
• Chen Junsheng: Acts as an experienced guide, explaining the social realities of the Cultivation Realm. He sympathizes with both Yun Buyao and Jing Qingyang and intervenes to help them.
• Yun Buyao: Changes from a desperate, frightened beggar into a hopeful new member of Feng Jun’s group after her rare aptitude is discovered.
• Jing Qingyang: Is revealed as a principled but humbled martial expert. Once bold and rebellious, he now waits anxiously for employment and accepts a very low wage.

Significant Themes

• Compassion toward the downtrodden: The title reflects Chen Junsheng and Mi Yunshan recognizing their own or others’ suffering and responding with empathy.
• Exploitation and survival: Wandering experts and failed cultivation prospects are treated like commodities, forced to sell their abilities or dignity to remain in the Cultivation Realm.
• Hidden potential: Yun Buyao’s scars, disability, and lack of cultivation conceal an extraordinary constitution, emphasizing that outward appearance and present status do not determine true worth.
• The dangers of greed: The moment Yun Buyao’s aptitude is revealed, others begin considering how to seize or exploit her.
• Moral action versus self-interest: Feng Jun, Mi Yunshan, and Chen Junsheng choose to help vulnerable people, contrasting with the schemers and opportunists surrounding them.
• Understanding through shared suffering: Mi Yunshan’s reaction and Chen Junsheng’s defense of Jing Qingyang show how personal experience can inspire empathy for others in similar situations.

Character Interactions

• Chen Junsheng and Huangfu Wuxia debate the value and treatment of Innate Experts.
• Huangfu warns Feng Jun about the dangers posed by predatory newcomers and opportunists.
• Yun Buyao’s plea triggers Mi Yunshan’s emotional breakdown, while Feng Jun comforts her and offers the girl protection.
• Huangfu and Feng Jun discuss Yun Buyao’s potential and the risks of accepting someone whose origins are unknown.
• Mi Yunshan welcomes Yun Buyao by providing clothes and shelter.
• Chen Junsheng advocates for Jing Qingyang, and Feng Jun agrees to hire him.
• Chen Junsheng then challenges Jing Qingyang’s unrealistic expectations about the financial burden of surviving in the Cultivation Realm.

Chapter Summary: “Checkpoint”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun and his companions enter the white mist, discovering that the supposed “immortal gate” is actually an immortal path. By circulating spiritual energy, cultivators reveal a road through the otherwise endless mist.
• After traveling more than two li, they arrive at a vast plaza filled with roughly a thousand people and several inspection checkpoints.
• Huangfu Wuxia uses her Heavenlink black card to lead the group through a priority passage, though everyone must still undergo identity verification.
• Feng Jun purchases an identity token and is treated as a quasi-Dust-Free cultivator because of his pure aura and Qi Refining Level Nine cultivation.
• The group’s Mortal Transcendence cultivators and affiliated members are registered without much trouble, but the two mortals, Yu Changzhu and Yun Buyao, create complications because ordinary mortals are normally forbidden from entering or leaving the Cultivation Realm.
• Feng Jun guarantees Yun Buyao, while Shangguan Yunjin guarantees Yu Changzhu through her connection to Carefree Platform.
• A guard openly questions Feng Jun’s motives for associating with Yun Buyao, whose Innate Metal Constitution could make her a target for exploitation by evil cultivators seeking a cultivation furnace.
• Huangfu Wuxia forcefully defends Feng Jun, warning that anyone who troubles him will be opposing the Huangfu Family. The guard backs down and disguises his warning as friendly advice.
• The group reaches the enormous Immortal Market, a sprawling settlement containing grand buildings, training grounds, residences, commercial areas, and public camping spaces.
• Feng Jun declines to stay at the Heavenlink Trade Alliance’s base because he does not want to appear dependent on Heavenlink. He becomes interested in camping in the market instead.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates growing status and confidence. His high cultivation and pure aura earn him special treatment, but his classification as an independent cultivator leaves him more vulnerable to scrutiny than members of major organizations.
• He also shows responsibility toward his companions, personally guaranteeing Yun Buyao and accepting the danger and legal consequences tied to her protection.
• Huangfu Wuxia becomes openly protective of Feng Jun. Her aggressive defense suggests their partnership carries genuine personal concern, despite her insistence that they are merely business partners.
• Shangguan Yunjin proves bold and politically aware by invoking Carefree Platform’s authority to protect Yu Changzhu when the guards challenge their arrangement.
• Yun Buyao’s Innate Metal Constitution is revealed to make her especially valuable—and vulnerable—in the Cultivation Realm, emphasizing the dangers surrounding her.
• Mi Yunshan has quietly reached Mortal Transcendence, Fourth Layer, nearly matching Chen Junsheng despite beginning with weaker circumstances and relying less on formal cultivation facilities.
• Chen Junsheng remains proud of his achievements and determination. His rapid advancement once gave him an advantage, but Mi Yunshan’s steady progress is narrowing the gap.

Significant Themes

• Privilege and hierarchy: Heavenlink, Carefree Platform, major families, and independent cultivators receive very different treatment. Institutional status determines how easily people pass inspections and protect their companions.
• Law versus power: The rules technically forbid mortals from entering the Cultivation Realm, but powerful organizations can bypass or soften those restrictions.
• Danger beneath civilization: Although the market appears orderly, the guards’ comments reveal hidden threats such as trafficking, exploitation, and evil cultivation practices.
• Identity and belonging: Feng Jun deliberately maintains his independence rather than becoming identified as a Heavenlink subordinate, showing his concern for autonomy and reputation.
• Cultivation and aptitude: The chapter contrasts natural constitutions, personal effort, access to resources, and environmental spiritual energy. Advancement depends on more than talent alone.
• Protection and loyalty: Characters use their affiliations and influence to shield one another, strengthening the bonds within Feng Jun’s group.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Huangfu Wuxia: Their exchange after the checkpoint contains playful romantic tension. Feng Jun thanks her for “declaring ownership,” while she embarrassedly denies any possessive intent and insists they are only partners.
• Huangfu Wuxia and the guards: She confronts them directly when they imply Feng Jun may be exploiting Yun Buyao, using the threat of the Huangfu Family to end the dispute.
• Shangguan Yunjin and the guards: She responds assertively when they accuse the group of privately arranging guarantees, invoking her Carefree Platform status to protect Yu Changzhu.
• Feng Jun and his companions: His decision to guarantee Yun Buyao establishes him as her legal protector and reinforces his willingness to take responsibility for the people accompanying him.
• Mi Yunshan and Chen Junsheng: Their cultivation progress creates a quiet contrast between Mi Yunshan’s natural aptitude and Chen Junsheng’s perseverance and pride.
• Feng Jun and the Immortal Market: His curiosity about camping and refusal to use Heavenlink’s facilities reflect his desire to experience the Cultivation Realm independently rather than through an organization’s protection.

Chapter Summary: “Martial Arts Manuals Are So Expensive”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun and his companions arrive at the Immortal Market and consider staying at an inn. However, lodging costs at least twenty Spirit Fragments per person per day, making a room for their seven-person group far too expensive.
• After inspecting the shabby rooms, Feng Jun decides they will camp instead. The group obtains temporary residence badges, paying six Spirit Stones as deposits.
• They establish a campsite on a shaded slope using advanced equipment from Zhige Mountain. Feng Jun provides sturdy tents, portable air conditioners, a generator, and lighting, creating much more comfortable conditions than the local inns offer.
• The group spends their first evening exploring the market, purchasing various foods and several kinds of Spirit Beast meat. They eat, drink, and socialize late into the night.
• Over the following days, they browse the market and purchase supplies. Feng Jun focuses on finding cultivation manuals, which are scarce and extremely expensive.
• He discovers two valuable water-element manuals:
  • Hundred Rivers Converging into the Sea, a foundational technique reaching the Dust-Free Peak Realm and compatible with more advanced methods, priced at 36,000 Spirit Stones.
  • Myriad Waters True Scripture, a manual focused on applying water-element techniques and containing eighteen spell models, priced at 18,000 Spirit Stones.
• Feng Jun cannot afford the first manual and hesitates to purchase the second. Instead, he spends 2,000 Spirit Stones on the Five-Element Sword Qi technique, though he is unimpressed by it.
• The group then travels toward the artifact district, where Feng Jun discovers that equipment is also dramatically more expensive. A fire-element Yang Armor comparable to one he previously bought for 3,000 Spirit Stones costs 12,000 Spirit Stones in the market.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains practical and cost-conscious. Despite his wealth and status, he is unwilling to waste Spirit Stones on poor lodging or overpriced goods. His search for a cultivation manual also shows his growing concern for his companions’ advancement, particularly Zhang Caixin’s imminent breakthrough.
• Yu Changzhu and Mi Yunshan initially look forward to staying at an inn but quickly recognize that the rooms are overpriced and uncomfortable. Their wealthy backgrounds make them especially sensitive to the poor conditions.
• Shangguan Yunjin readily agrees to camp, revealing that she has little experience with inns and also considers them too expensive.
• Jing Qingyang is impressed and confused by Feng Jun’s modern equipment, especially the air conditioners and generator. His conversation with Chen Junsheng causes him to suspect that Chen once possessed Innate-level strength.
• Chen Junsheng continues to behave mysteriously. He hints that his past involved a lost opportunity and offers the cryptic remark that an opportunity only becomes one when it is seized. He also takes responsibility for guarding and improving the campsite.
• Zhang Caixin, though absent from most of the events, remains important to Feng Jun’s motivations because she is approaching the Mortal Transcendence Eighth Layer and needs a stronger cultivation method.

Significant Themes

• The enormous cost of cultivation: Valuable manuals, artifacts, lodging, and resources are priced in Spirit Stones, emphasizing how difficult advancement is in the immortal world.
• Material comfort versus cultivation tradition: The Immortal Market has spiritual resources but lacks modern conveniences. Feng Jun’s technology gives his group a level of comfort far beyond that of ordinary cultivators.
• Practicality and resource management: Feng Jun repeatedly weighs the usefulness of purchases against their cost, demonstrating that even powerful cultivators must manage limited resources carefully.
• Cultural and technological contrast: Modern vehicles, air conditioners, generators, and lighting appear highly advanced to cultivators accustomed to tents, lamps, and primitive lodging.
• Missed and seized opportunities: Chen Junsheng’s cryptic statement introduces the idea that opportunities have value only when someone acts decisively to claim them.
• Economic separation between mortals and immortals: The Spirit Fragment token system reflects the market’s attempt to establish an independent immortal economy detached from ordinary mortal currency.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun negotiates the group’s lodging and camping arrangements, balancing everyone’s preferences against the cost.
• Yu Changzhu and Mi Yunshan share his disappointment with the inns despite initially wanting to stay in one.
• Jing Qingyang struggles with modern technology and later questions Chen Junsheng about his past. Chen’s guarded response deepens the mystery surrounding him.
• The group cooperates efficiently while setting up camp, and the cooling equipment creates a shared sense of comfort and amusement.
• Everyone spends the evening eating Spirit Beast meat and drinking together, strengthening the group’s camaraderie.
• Feng Jun’s financial frustration continues as he compares the market’s prices with what he previously paid elsewhere, especially for cultivation manuals and artifacts.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun and Shangguan Yunjin shop in the Cultivation Realm. They discover that specialized items—especially fire-element armor and Talismans—are extremely expensive. A piece of armor for advanced Qi Refining cultivators costs twelve thousand Spirit Stones, while Talismans are generally more than twice the price of those sold at Carefree Platform.
• Feng Jun accepts the high prices as part of merchant economics, though he remains dissatisfied. He purchases two hundred tons of upper-mid-grade Spirit Rice for two thousand Spirit Stones, intending to use it at Zhige Mountain and introduce it to the Blue Star Plane as a luxury product.
• He asks to rent a Dust-Free High Stage cultivation ground and is quoted ninety Spirit Stones per day. Feng Jun considers the price excessive because his own Spirit-Gathering Arrays, combined with the Heaven-Swallowing Formation, would cost less to operate.
• Shangguan Yunjin offers to arrange a site for eighty Spirit Stones per day, but the management staff member claims Dust-Free High Stage cultivation grounds are extremely rare. The discussion establishes that these sites approach the level of True Person cultivation resources.
• Huangfu Wuxia unexpectedly appears and explains that such high-grade cultivation grounds are genuinely expensive. She also reveals that Heavenlink’s intelligence network noticed Feng Jun’s large Spirit Rice purchase.
• Huangfu questions why Feng Jun bought from other shops instead of Heavenlink, particularly the Five-Element Sword Qi technique, which cost him two thousand Spirit Stones. Feng Jun avoids admitting that he is deliberately preventing himself from becoming dependent on Heavenlink.
• When Huangfu asks why he bought the technique, Feng Jun claims he needed Sword Qi to nourish a magical artifact. Pressed to show it, he displays his Sword-Qi Gourd in a deserted public area.
• The gourd releases countless strands of Sword Qi into the water, instantly killing dozens of fish. Huangfu is impressed and recognizes the artifact’s reputation.

2. Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates growing financial independence and strategic caution. He is willing to spend heavily on quality resources but carefully avoids becoming reliant on Heavenlink. He also becomes more confident after acquiring additional magical artifacts, allowing him to reveal the Sword-Qi Gourd without fear.
• Shangguan Yunjin: Shows practical knowledge of market prices, especially for Talismans, and acts as Feng Jun’s guide. She also attempts to help him obtain cheaper cultivation facilities, suggesting that she can profit from arranging them.
• Huangfu Wuxia: Reveals the reach of Heavenlink’s information network and her continued interest in recruiting or winning Feng Jun’s trust. She is confident, direct, and openly probes into his purchases and capabilities.
• Management staff: Initially treat Feng Jun as an ordinary customer, but become cautious and respectful once they learn Huangfu Wuxia’s identity as Heavenlink’s branch guildmaster and a member of the Huangfu Family.

3. Significant Themes

• Commerce and exploitation: Specialized cultivation resources are expensive because of scarcity, connections, and market control. The chapter repeatedly contrasts reasonable business profit with what Feng Jun regards as profiteering.
• Independence versus dependence: Feng Jun deliberately avoids relying too heavily on Heavenlink, even when its prices may be lower. His purchasing choices are part of a broader effort to preserve autonomy.
• Information and surveillance: Heavenlink’s ability to track Feng Jun’s purchases demonstrates the power of commercial intelligence networks and makes it difficult for newcomers to remain private.
• Power concealed behind wealth: Feng Jun’s seemingly extravagant spending and casual behavior obscure his growing strength and resources. His ability to display a rare and powerful artifact shows that his true capabilities exceed what others assume.
• Cultural and economic exchange: The Spirit Rice purchase connects the Cultivation Realm and Blue Star Plane, with Feng Jun recognizing that taste and quality can transform an ordinary staple into a luxury commodity.

4. Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Shangguan Yunjin compare prices and discuss the fairness of the market, with Yunjin providing practical knowledge and Feng Jun offering a broader merchant’s perspective.
• Feng Jun argues with the cultivation-ground administrator over the ninety-Spirit-Stone daily fee, while Yunjin tries to negotiate a cheaper alternative.
• Huangfu Wuxia interrupts the dispute and then privately challenges Feng Jun about his purchases and refusal to patronize Heavenlink. Their exchange is polite but highly strategic, with both concealing their true motives.
• Huangfu’s questions about the Five-Element Sword Qi technique push Feng Jun into revealing a partial explanation for his purchase. He then demonstrates the Sword-Qi Gourd, impressing her while still withholding the full extent of his abilities.

Chapter Summary: Floating Life, Weak Water

Key Plot Points and Events

• Huangfu Wuxia questions Feng Jun about the Five-Element Sword Qi artifact he previously revealed. Feng Jun dismisses her concerns, claiming it is merely a Qi Refining Stage artifact and warning her not to question him so aggressively again.
• Huangfu admits she had monitored Feng Jun in the marketplace, explaining how she learned of his purchase so quickly. Although her surveillance was intrusive, she wants to deepen their cooperation before other major merchants notice Feng Jun and Zhige Mountain’s growing influence.
• She asks why Feng Jun is willing to spend heavily on water-element cultivation techniques, especially Hundred Rivers Converging into the Sea, if his sect supposedly possesses every kind of technique.
• Feng Jun explains that he recently accepted Yun Buyao as a disciple. Because of her Innate metal constitution—and because “metal generates water”—he wants both metal- and water-element techniques to determine which path suits her best.
• Feng Jun reveals that Yun Buyao previously failed an attempt at Mortal Transcendence, and he does not want to put her through another traumatic experience. He therefore seeks an appropriate technique so she can successfully transcend.
• When Huangfu remains skeptical about his willingness to spend thirty-six thousand Spirit Stones, Feng Jun claims that transporting a mortal is troublesome and that he wants Yun Buyao to reach Mortal Transcendence before his next visit. His extravagant explanation convinces Huangfu that he is wealthier than he appears.
• Feeling responsible for having pressed Feng Jun about the Five-Element Sword Qi, Huangfu offers to locate suitable metal- and water-element techniques and let him pay later. Feng Jun initially refuses, but accepts the offer indirectly by allowing her subordinates to search.
• Her people find several techniques. Feng Jun selects:
  • Floating Life, Weak Water, a powerful Great Dao water-element technique.
  • Heavenly Net Edge, a metal-element technique.
• Floating Life, Weak Water reaches the Dust-Free Realm and has a successor, the Limitless Water Scripture, which can lead toward Dao-Unification. It also allows practitioners to shift from Five Elements cultivation toward yin-yang or even chaos cultivation.
• Huangfu offers both techniques for twenty-five thousand Spirit Stones, a favorable price that Feng Jun still cannot currently afford. The chapter ends with her waiting to see how he will obtain the manuals without writing an IOU.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun remains guarded, sarcastic, and skilled at concealing his true circumstances. He manipulates Huangfu’s assumptions, presenting his spending as casual wealth rather than revealing his actual financial limitations.
• Despite his deception, Feng Jun shows genuine responsibility toward Yun Buyao. He is carefully considering her constitution, future cultivation path, and emotional vulnerability after her previous failed transcendence.
• Huangfu Wuxia becomes increasingly invested in understanding and cooperating with Feng Jun. Her curiosity sometimes crosses into intrusion, but she is also willing to accept responsibility, offer favorable terms, and use her authority to help him.
• Huangfu unconsciously begins viewing herself as Feng Jun’s pursuer or someone trying to win his approval. She is proud of her reasoning ability, yet repeatedly falls for his misleading explanations.
• Yun Buyao does not appear directly, but her adoption as Feng Jun’s disciple drives the chapter’s central conflict and motivates his search for cultivation techniques.

Significant Themes

• Trust and secrecy: Feng Jun and Huangfu want cooperation but neither fully trusts the other. Feng Jun protects his secrets through evasive answers and calculated boasts.
• The cost of cultivation: Techniques are treated as valuable commodities, while financial limitations influence major decisions about discipleship and advancement.
• Responsibility toward disciples: Feng Jun’s concern for Yun Buyao emphasizes the importance of choosing a cultivation path suited to both her constitution and her emotional state.
• Perception versus reality: Huangfu repeatedly interprets Feng Jun’s behavior incorrectly, especially his apparent wealth and motivations. Feng Jun benefits from being underestimated or misunderstood.
• Strategic cooperation: Their relationship is built through bargaining, wagers, favors, and controlled concessions rather than open trust.
• Destiny and suitability: The chapter stresses that the strongest technique is not automatically the best; a cultivation method must match the practitioner.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Huangfu exchange sharp banter, with Huangfu pressing him for information and Feng Jun responding with sarcasm and deliberate misdirection.
• Huangfu’s anger at being called stupid briefly gives way to understanding when Feng Jun explains the connection between Yun Buyao’s metal constitution and water-element cultivation.
• Feng Jun uses Yun Buyao’s vulnerability to justify his actions, while Huangfu challenges the sincerity of his explanation and ultimately accepts it.
• After Feng Jun rejects her offer of assistance, Huangfu cleverly provokes him by offering expensive techniques on credit, knowing he will not want to admit he cannot afford them.
• Their conversation shows growing familiarity and tension: Huangfu seeks greater closeness and cooperation, while Feng Jun repeatedly tries to keep her at a distance.

Chapter Summary: “Bargain-Hunting Plan (First Update)”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun calculates that he needs at least 43,000 Spirit Stones to acquire the Heavenly Net Edge and two core cultivation methods, even after Guildmaster Huangfu’s discount.
• To raise money, he asks Huangfu Wuxia whether the Heavenlink Trade Alliance can purchase some of his treasures at fair prices. She agrees, though Feng Jun jokingly reminds her that she initially tried to undervalue his Netherworld Pearl.
• Instead of immediately selling his own items, Feng Jun decides to use his appraisal ability to hunt for undervalued treasures in the Immortal Market.
• Huangfu wants to accompany him, but Feng Jun refuses because her Treasure-Appraising Eye is famous. Her presence would cause vendors to raise their prices and ruin his chance of finding bargains.
• Feng Jun’s group disguises their association by splitting into three smaller groups and browsing the open-air markets. They begin in the materials market, where they spend nearly an hour surveying goods without buying anything.
• Feng Jun then gives Chen Junsheng secret instructions. Chen returns to the market with Jing Qingyang and Yun Buyao to investigate a stall selling supposedly rare Water-Sand Fragrant Nanmu.
• The stall owner, judging them by their appearance and apparent lack of status, treats them dismissively and doubts they can afford the wood.
• Yun Buyao requests that a sample be burned to verify its authenticity. After the owner mocks her, she boldly declares that they will buy the largest piece if it proves genuine.
• When the stall owner suddenly raises the price of the largest piece from two to three Spirit Stones per jin, Jing Qingyang steps forward to challenge the questionable change. The chapter ends as the confrontation begins.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates increased financial awareness and strategic planning. He understands that cultivation expenses are enormous and looks for practical ways to obtain wealth without prematurely selling valuable possessions.
• He also shows strong commercial judgment, recognizing that Huangfu Wuxia’s reputation would make bargain hunting impossible if she accompanied him openly.
• Huangfu Wuxia reveals more about her past. Her Treasure-Appraising Eye once made her successful at finding bargains, but public recognition caused vendors to inflate prices whenever she appeared. She admires Feng Jun’s foresight despite being mildly disappointed that he excluded her.
• Yun Buyao displays confidence and pride despite her young age, ordinary appearance, and lack of cultivation. She refuses to be intimidated by the stall owner and takes the initiative in testing the wood.
• Jing Qingyang acts as the group’s protector and negotiator, intervening when the vendor changes the terms unfairly.
• Chen Junsheng follows Feng Jun’s instructions carefully, suggesting that Feng Jun is increasingly relying on him to execute discreet plans.

Significant Themes

• The high cost of cultivation: Powerful techniques and weapons require immense wealth, emphasizing the difficult economic reality of advancement.
• Resourcefulness and strategic thinking: Feng Jun seeks indirect ways to increase his wealth, using appraisal skills and market knowledge rather than relying only on force.
• Reputation as both advantage and burden: Huangfu’s appraisal ability once brought her fame, but that same reputation now prevents her from making profitable purchases.
• Judging people by appearances: The vendor assumes Chen Junsheng’s group is poor and inexperienced because of their looks, setting up the possibility that he will underestimate them.
• Fairness versus exploitation: The vendor’s dismissive attitude and sudden price increase highlight the questionable ethics common in competitive marketplaces.
• Hidden value: The Water-Sand Fragrant Nanmu may be extremely valuable, but recognizing its authenticity requires expertise, reinforcing the chapter’s focus on discernment and concealed treasures.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Huangfu Wuxia exchange teasing but commercially sharp remarks over the value of the Netherworld Pearl and the risks of bargain hunting together.
• Feng Jun and Mi Yunshan coordinate the group’s movement through the market, while he later privately directs Chen Junsheng’s investigation.
• Chen Junsheng, Jing Qingyang, and Yun Buyao deliberately present themselves as unrelated newcomers to avoid attracting attention.
• Yun Buyao directly challenges the stall owner’s contempt, while the owner responds with sarcasm and skepticism.
• Jing Qingyang’s intervention shifts the exchange from a vendor bullying inexperienced buyers to a potential dispute with someone capable of resisting him.

Summary

• At the Immortal Market, Chen Junsheng, Yun Buyao, and Jing Qingyang negotiate with a stall owner over a large piece of Aged Fragrant Nanmu. The owner explains its price and agrees to burn a sample to prove its quality. The fragrance confirms that it is genuine, and the group decides to buy it.
• When the stall owner jokingly claims the large log costs three Spirit Stones per pound, Chen Junsheng impulsively accepts the challenge and buys the entire log—nearly 3,500 pounds—for over 10,000 Spirit Stones. He also tries to obtain the stall owner’s strange little dog as a bonus, but the owner substitutes a small piece of Sandwood.
• Two opportunistic men follow the group, hoping to exploit someone carrying so many Spirit Stones. They are immediately incapacitated by a Divine Sense attack, revealing that the group is protected by someone at least in the Dust-Free Realm. The attackers are left alive but are too frightened to pursue the matter.
• Back at the riverside, Chen Junsheng gives the Sandwood to Huangfu Wuxia. Feng Jun identifies it as exceptionally rare Water-Sand Fragrant Nanmu with lightning-struck heartwood. Its combination of Sandwood’s elemental properties, fire from incense burning, and lightning’s affinity with metal makes it nearly complete in all Five Elements. The discovery is far more valuable than its purchase price.
• Huangfu Wuxia is delighted and praises Feng Jun’s talent for finding bargains, though she also regrets not discovering the wood herself. She estimates that it could sell for 50,000–150,000 Spirit Stones, possibly as much as 170,000–180,000 at auction.
• Huangfu proposes placing the wood in a Heavenlink Trade Alliance auction, but Feng Jun worries that doing so would expose the item’s origin and attract buyers to Autumn Star Market. Such attention could make future bargain-hunting difficult and undermine his goal of remaining inconspicuous.
• Shangguan Yunjin interrupts by explaining that Carefree Platform has missions requiring materials with nearly complete Five Elements. Her elders might buy the wood directly for 50,000 Spirit Stones. Huangfu counters that the Heavenlink auction could still earn her mission credit.
• Irritated by Huangfu’s tendency to make decisions on his behalf, Feng Jun offers Shangguan’s organization the wood directly for 60,000 Spirit Stones. Huangfu is shocked and asks what she did to offend him.

Character developments and interactions

• Feng Jun remains cautious and strategic. He values long-term secrecy over maximum profit and dislikes Huangfu Wuxia taking control of his decisions.
• Huangfu Wuxia demonstrates both sharp commercial judgment and enthusiasm for rare treasures. Her confidence leads her to assume Feng Jun will use the auction, creating tension between them.
• Shangguan Yunjin acts assertively by interrupting the negotiation but remains wary of Huangfu’s influence. Her practical proposal offers Feng Jun a profitable, low-profile alternative.
• Chen Junsheng and Yun Buyao successfully play their roles in the market purchase, with Yun’s apparent indignation helping provoke the stall owner and Chen ultimately committing to the large purchase.
• The stall owner shifts from suspicion to amusement, then unknowingly sells an extraordinarily valuable treasure at a bargain price. His growing suspicion of the strange dog hints that it may also be unusual.

Major themes

• Hidden value and perception: A seemingly ordinary piece of wood is actually a rare, nearly complete Five-Element treasure, emphasizing the gap between appearance and true worth.
• Strategic secrecy versus profit: Feng Jun must balance earning the highest price with avoiding attention that could threaten his future plans.
• Bargaining and provocation: The purchase is shaped by pride, teasing, and social pressure as much as by rational commerce.
• Power beneath the surface: The group’s apparent vulnerability conceals overwhelming strength, demonstrated by the mysterious Divine Sense attack.
• Competing loyalties and influence: The negotiation exposes subtle tension between Feng Jun, Huangfu Wuxia, and Shangguan Yunjin over who controls the deal and whose interests take priority.

Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun clarifies that he has not yet committed the Water-Sand Fragrant Nanmu to Heavenlink Trade Alliance’s auction. Because of his longstanding relationship with the Carefree Platform, he is willing to help Shangguan Yunjin obtain it.
• Huangfu Wuxia withdraws from competing for the item, recognizing that further conflict could damage her relationship with Feng Jun and Shangguan’s sect. Shangguan thanks her and agrees to notify her elders.
• Huangfu advises Shangguan to have her sect bring suitable water- and metal-element cultivation methods, since these may be more valuable than the item’s straightforward Spirit Stone price.
• Feng Jun proposes that Heavenlink introduce stricter sales-performance targets. Huangfu immediately recognizes the idea’s potential to improve her branch’s standing within the alliance, while also noting that safeguards are needed to prevent rigid or abusive implementation.
• Huangfu correctly deduces Feng Jun’s intended arrangement: Heavenlink will negotiate directly with the Carefree Platform rather than auctioning the wood. Feng Jun sets 60,000 Spirit Stones as the minimum value and offers Heavenlink a commission on anything above that.
• Huangfu negotiates her commission from 30% to 40%, and Feng Jun accepts. All three parties are satisfied with the agreement.
• Huangfu exchanges two cultivation methods and 17,000 Spirit Stones—together valued at 60,000—for the Water-Sand Fragrant Nanmu. Feng Jun takes only the cultivation methods for now, trusting Heavenlink to settle the remaining Spirit Stones later.
• Huangfu worries that Feng Jun will stop bargain hunting and reminds him that he promised to sell unusual treasures to Heavenlink. He agrees to visit the antiques market the next day, though he warns her not to expect another exceptionally valuable find.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates strategic generosity and caution. He prefers to remain behind the scenes, preserve his relationships, and avoid repeatedly exploiting obvious market mistakes that could attract attention.
• Huangfu Wuxia shows political maturity by backing down from the dispute, but she remains highly calculating and commercially aggressive. She quickly grasps Feng Jun’s business ideas, negotiates a better commission, and identifies loopholes in his promises.
• Shangguan Yunjin gains a valuable opportunity to earn sect credit and prestige. She also acknowledges her debt to Huangfu and becomes an active participant in the negotiation.
• Huangfu and Feng Jun increasingly recognize each other as useful business partners, despite their teasing, irritation, and mutual attempts to gain leverage.

Significant Themes

• Pragmatism versus pride: Huangfu suppresses her competitiveness to protect long-term alliances.
• Commercial innovation: Feng Jun introduces performance-based management ideas from the Blue Star Plane, highlighting differences between the two worlds’ business cultures.
• Trust and cooperation: Feng Jun’s willingness to accept delayed payment and Huangfu’s role as negotiator show growing mutual confidence.
• The dangers of excessive success: Feng Jun realizes that repeatedly finding huge bargains could expose him, attract suspicion, and make future opportunities harder to find.
• Hidden strength and strategic anonymity: Feng Jun continues building resources quietly while allowing Heavenlink to handle public negotiations.

Character Interactions

• Huangfu and Feng Jun exchange sarcastic remarks throughout the discussion, especially over her appearance, his market habits, and her commission.
• Huangfu and Shangguan move from rivalry over the item to cooperation, with Huangfu offering advice and Shangguan acknowledging her favor.
• Feng Jun and Huangfu establish a formal business partnership: she handles negotiation and sales, while he supplies valuable goods and remains behind the scenes.
• The chapter ends with Huangfu pressuring Feng Jun to honor his promise to provide Heavenlink with more treasures, leading to his planned visit to the antiques market.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun remains unimpressed by the antiques market, considering it less profitable than the materials market. Nevertheless, he discovers a hidden treasure while searching there.
• He secretly instructs Shangguan Yunjin and Yu Changzhu to return to a stall and purchase three old formation manuals: the Yin-Yang Two-Talents Formation, Three-Talent Formation, and Four Symbols Formation.
• Feng Jun reveals that he personally bought an Upper Three Talents Formation manual for 650 Spirit Stones. Huangfu Wuxia initially assumes it is merely a worthless basic formation.
• Feng Jun points out that the manual contains a concealed layer inside its title page. Huangfu carefully cuts it open and discovers a bloodstained white silk token marked “Heart of Heaven.”
• Shangguan Yunjin identifies it as a favor-repayment token issued by the Heart of Heaven Platform, specifically by Yisuo Zhenren, its twenty-seventh platform master.
• Huangfu’s Treasure-Appraising Eye confirms that the token is authentic and recognizes the token itself rather than its holder.
• The token’s value is effectively impossible to calculate because the Heart of Heaven Platform rarely issues such tokens, and one personally granted by its platform master is extraordinarily significant.
• Shangguan Yunjin regrets that she helped obtain the Water-Sand Fragrant Nanmu instead of discovering the token herself. Feng Jun prevents the matter from causing tension and reiterates that he promised the token to Huangfu Wuxia.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates his exceptional ability to identify hidden treasures, even when Huangfu’s Treasure-Appraising Eye cannot detect them. He remains deliberately mysterious about his methods.
• Huangfu Wuxia shifts from skepticism and irritation to excitement and conviction after seeing the hidden token. She values the discovery highly and asserts her claim to it.
• Shangguan Yunjin initially assists Feng Jun but becomes deeply envious and regretful when she realizes the token is far more valuable than the treasure she helped secure. She ultimately refrains from challenging Huangfu’s claim.
• Yu Changzhu successfully completes the purchase without arousing the seller’s suspicion, helping preserve Feng Jun’s secret investigation.

Significant Themes

• Hidden value and perception: Ordinary-looking objects may conceal priceless treasures, and conventional appraisal methods may fail to reveal their true worth.
• Trust and cooperation: Feng Jun relies on his companions to carry out the purchase, while Huangfu and Shangguan must navigate competing interests without damaging their relationships.
• Favor and influence: The token represents institutional debt and potentially grants access to immense power or assistance from the Heart of Heaven Platform.
• Regret and opportunity: Shangguan’s disappointment highlights how rare opportunities can be lost even when one is already involved in a successful mission.
• Mystery and unequal knowledge: Feng Jun knows more than he reveals, maintaining an advantage through his unexplained treasure-detection abilities.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun privately directs Shangguan and Yu to repurchase the manuals, while Huangfu pressures him to disclose what he found.
• Huangfu initially mocks the low-grade formation manual, but Feng Jun’s hidden-layer revelation changes her attitude.
• Shangguan identifies the token and emphasizes its priceless nature, prompting Huangfu to warn her not to interfere after Huangfu had previously yielded the Water-Sand Fragrant Nanmu to her.
• Feng Jun intervenes when the discovery threatens to create resentment, firmly awarding the token to Huangfu and asking her to explain its value.

Chapter Summary: “Willing to Gamble, Willing to Accept Defeat”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun and Huangfu Wuxia negotiate the value of a Gratitude Token discovered inside an ordinary formation book. The token was once issued by Yisuo Zhenren of the Heart of Heaven Platform, making it extremely difficult to price.
• Huangfu offers Feng Jun two choices:
  1. Sell the token directly to the Heavenlink Trade Alliance for 30,000 Spirit Stones.
  2. Use the token to help Heavenlink defeat the Heart of Heaven Platform in a proxy struggle over mineral-exploration rights in the Verdant Mist Sea, potentially granting Feng Jun a 3–4% share.
• Huangfu explains that the contested territory is a vast region of beach and sea containing possible deposits of Ink Crystal, Spirit Stones, rare treasures, and Beast Crystals, including a suspected Spirit Stone Mine.
• The venture is highly risky. It would require major investment in exploration and defense against Spirit Beasts, demon beasts, and possibly great demons. If the mine failed to materialize, the investment would be lost.
• Feng Jun asks about the point at which the investment would become dangerous for him. Huangfu estimates that annual profits above 500,000 Spirit Stones could attract trouble, while income above one million would make it impossible for him to retain his shares safely.
• Feng Jun ultimately chooses the guaranteed 30,000 Spirit Stones, deciding that converting his original 1,800-Spirit-Stone investment into thirty thousand is already an excellent return. He does not want the risks, responsibilities, or political complications of the mining venture.
• After agreeing to the sale, Feng Jun plans to spend the Spirit Stones on medicinal pills ranging from the Mortal Transcendence stage to the Dust-Free Realm.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates practical judgment and emotional detachment from potential wealth. Rather than chasing a possibly enormous but dangerous profit, he prioritizes stability, personal safety, and continued cultivation. His business experience has taught him that possessing more wealth is not always useful.
• He also shows a broader sense of responsibility. His planned purchases are intended not only for himself but also for Sister Hong, Hao Fengjing, his parents, and possibly Chen Junsheng, whose cultivation resources he wants to improve.
• Huangfu Wuxia reveals herself as both a shrewd businesswoman and a relatively honest negotiator. Although she presents Heavenlink’s interests, she explains the token’s risks and admits that Feng Jun could later sell his shares for more if the venture succeeds. She respects his final decision and avoids pressuring him.
• Shangguan Yunjin acts protectively toward Feng Jun, repeatedly questioning whether he is selling the token too cheaply. Her concern reflects her understanding of the token’s connection to the Heart of Heaven Platform.
• Huangfu becomes suspicious of Feng Jun’s willingness to support Chen Junsheng, whom she considers mediocre, but she does not openly challenge his decision.

Significant Themes

• Risk versus guaranteed reward: The chapter centers on whether Feng Jun should accept a certain, moderate profit or gamble on a potentially enormous but dangerous return.
• Knowing one’s limits: Feng Jun recognizes that wealth can attract enemies and that he lacks the manpower and influence to protect a major mining share.
• Business and compromise: Huangfu notes that successful business requires pursuing monopoly when possible but also understanding the value of cooperation and shared profits.
• Contentment and restraint: Feng Jun’s statement that “too much is as bad as too little” reflects his decision to avoid greed and unnecessary complications.
• Responsibility and resource allocation: His choice to buy pills for family and companions shows that wealth is valuable mainly as a means of protecting and strengthening those under his care.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Huangfu Wuxia engage in a tense but respectful negotiation, with Huangfu explaining the economic and political consequences of each option.
• Shangguan Yunjin repeatedly interrupts to warn Feng Jun that the token is likely worth far more than thirty thousand Spirit Stones.
• Feng Jun acknowledges her good intentions but rejects her more optimistic assumptions, insisting that not every asset can be sold at its theoretical maximum value.
• Huangfu ultimately supports Feng Jun’s decision, praising his insight and accepting that a willing gambler must also accept defeat.
• Their discussion then shifts from the token’s sale to Feng Jun’s plans for medicinal pills, revealing his concern for his allies, family, and future cultivation support.

Summary of “Driven by Necessity”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Huangfu Wuxia attempts to win Feng Jun over by offering him heavily discounted pills through Heavenlink Trade Alliance connections. She gives him a VIP card but warns that the prices are only available through her personally.
• After two successful bargain-hunting trips, Feng Jun has earned roughly 35,200 Spirit Stones and, after buying pills and rewarding his companions, still possesses more than 40,000 Spirit Stones.
• Yu Changzhu desperately needs a Water Spirit Pill to compensate for the weakness in her wood attribute and begin cultivation. However, the pill is expensive and difficult to obtain.
• Feng Jun refuses to immediately go bargain hunting again, believing that repeatedly pressing his luck could bring disaster. Instead, he plans to rent a Dust-Free High Stage cave residence and focus on advancing his cultivation.
• While guarding the camp during a rainy night, Feng Jun is approached by Yu Changzhu, who uses physical and emotional persuasion to ask him to help her obtain the pill.
• Feng Jun explains that bargain hunting is risky and refuses to make promises. Yu Changzhu insists that she is willing to gamble and accept any losses, revealing how strongly she desires the chance to cultivate.
• Feng Jun rebuffs her romantic advances, warning that her behavior will worsen his impression of her. She leaves angrily but remains willing to help him in other ways.
• The next morning, Shangguan Yunjin also asks Feng Jun to bargain hunt again, offering her 100 Spirit Stones as investment capital. Feng Jun initially questions why she needs to contribute, but acknowledges her loyalty and assistance.
• He finally agrees to search for another worthwhile target. Mi Yunshan and Chen Junsheng then appear, evidently hoping their own Spirit Stone rewards will also be included.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Demonstrates growing financial security and caution. Despite his recent success, he understands the danger of overconfidence and refuses to keep gambling recklessly. He also maintains firm personal boundaries with Yu Changzhu, while recognizing the value of loyalty and cooperation.
• Yu Changzhu: Reveals a vulnerable, desperate side beneath her usual unruly “Second Young Master” persona. Her desire to cultivate and avoid falling behind her sister drives her to take risks, invest her limited resources, and even make romantic advances toward Feng Jun.
• Shangguan Yunjin: Shows continued loyalty and practical ambition. She wants another chance to profit and emphasizes that she has consistently supported Feng Jun without betraying or burdening him.
• Huangfu Wuxia: Strengthens her effort to recruit Feng Jun through generosity and preferential business treatment.
• Mi Yunshan and Chen Junsheng: Remain loyal followers who benefit from Feng Jun’s success and quietly hope to participate in another profitable venture.

Significant Themes

• Necessity driving risk: Yu Changzhu’s urgent need to cultivate pushes her to gamble with her limited Spirit Stones and dignity.
• The danger of success: Feng Jun recognizes that repeated victories can create overconfidence and attract trouble.
• Trust and reciprocity: Feng Jun rewards those who assist him and begins to understand that sharing profits helps preserve long-term cooperation.
• Personal boundaries versus obligation: Although Yu Changzhu offers emotional and practical appeals, Feng Jun refuses to help her solely out of pity or attraction. He is more willing to assist when she contributes meaningfully.
• Cultivation inequality: Access to pills, spiritual resources, and innate aptitude determines who can pursue cultivation and how easily they can progress.

Character Interactions

• Huangfu Wuxia and Feng Jun negotiate a mutually beneficial business relationship through discounted pills and exclusive access.
• Yu Changzhu appeals to Feng Jun both as an investor and through an intimate, flirtatious encounter, but Feng Jun rejects her advances while promising that genuine assistance could earn his help.
• Shangguan Yunjin reminds Feng Jun of her unwavering support and persuades him to undertake another bargain-hunting trip.
• Feng Jun’s relationship with his followers becomes increasingly cooperative: he rewards their efforts, listens to their needs, and prepares to involve them in future opportunities.

Chapter Summary: “There Is Always Someone Stronger”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun discovers that nearly everyone wants him to make another profitable bargain-hunting purchase, except Yun Buyao and Jing Qingyang, who gained nothing from his previous deals.
• Reluctantly, he agrees to try again, warning that this opportunity will be a one-time occurrence.
• He spends an entire day searching the daily goods market with Mi Yunshan but finds no item offering a sufficiently large or reliable profit. Rather than buy something mediocre, he pauses his search.
• The following day, Feng Jun consults Huangfu Wuxia about market prices and common commercial knowledge. She must ask Heavenlink Trade Alliance personnel for help, revealing that even a guildmaster does not personally know the value of every product.
• Feng Jun later invites Huangfu Wuxia to accompany him to the market, claiming that “the plot requires it.” Intrigued, she eagerly agrees and brings two bodyguards, one of whom is a Dust-Free Mid-Stage expert.
• Feng Jun, Mi Yunshan, Huangfu Wuxia, and her guards visit a miscellaneous-goods stall. Feng Jun examines a small Shaking-Heaven Crossbow but rejects the merchant’s unreasonable price of thirty thousand Spirit Stones.
• He then notices a three- or four-year-old Nine-Flower Jade Fungus. After haggling, he agrees to pay one thousand Spirit Stones, believing the plant might eventually become a valuable Jade Fungus King.
• After the payment, the merchant claims he sold only the plant, not the flowerpot. Feng Jun realizes the pot may be the true treasure and insists on taking it as part of the purchase.
• The merchant’s attitude changes, revealing Dust-Free Initial Stage cultivation, and threatens Feng Jun with intervention from the market patrol if he attempts to force the issue.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Shows caution and discipline by refusing to purchase marginally profitable items simply to satisfy others. He studies market prices before trying again, demonstrating adaptability and a desire to avoid careless decisions. His sharp bargaining and sudden interest in the flowerpot suggest he may have detected something unusual about it.
• Mi Yunshan: Continues to act as Feng Jun’s assistant, accompanying him through the market and paying for the Nine-Flower Jade Fungus.
• Huangfu Wuxia: Becomes increasingly interested in Feng Jun’s abilities and mysterious methods. Despite her status as a guildmaster, she acknowledges her limited practical knowledge of individual market prices. Her youthful curiosity leads her to enthusiastically join Feng Jun and even provide strong protection.
• The stall owner: Initially appears like a harmless, ordinary merchant, but reveals unexpectedly powerful cultivation when challenged. His defensive reaction suggests that the flowerpot may indeed be valuable.
• Chen Junsheng: Demonstrates authority and restraint by stopping the others from following Feng Jun without permission, reinforcing discipline within the group.

Significant Themes

• There is always someone stronger: Appearances are deceptive. An ordinary-looking stall owner can conceal formidable cultivation, while an unremarkable flowerpot may hide greater value than the plant it contains.
• Knowledge versus intuition: Feng Jun recognizes that profitable trading requires reliable market knowledge, not merely the ability to identify potentially valuable objects.
• Commercial ethics and information asymmetry: Prices, appraisals, and merchant expertise are treated as valuable secrets. The chapter highlights the difficulty of distinguishing genuine bargains from exaggerated claims.
• Caution and restraint: Feng Jun refuses to make a purchase merely to meet expectations, emphasizing the importance of acting only when the opportunity is worthwhile.
• Power and social status: Huangfu Wuxia’s position attracts respect and cooperation, but the market merchants remain independent and do not automatically defer to her authority.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun reluctantly negotiates with the group after they pressure him to hunt for another bargain.
• He consults Huangfu Wuxia, establishing a cooperative relationship based on her commercial knowledge and his unusual ability to identify opportunities.
• Huangfu’s enthusiasm contrasts with Feng Jun’s guarded attitude; she treats the outing as an exciting mystery, while he remains focused on the transaction.
• Chen Junsheng asserts control over the Zhige Mountain attendants, preventing Shangguan Yunjin and Yu Changzhu from interfering.
• Feng Jun and the stall owner engage in increasingly tense bargaining. Their dispute over whether the flowerpot was included in the sale transforms a routine purchase into a potential confrontation.

Chapter Summary: “Scheming Against Each Other”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Feng Jun buys a Nine-Flower Jade Fungus from a short, stout stall owner, only to discover that the attractive flowerpot it was growing in has been replaced. Technically, the stall owner is within the market’s rules because Feng Jun purchased only the spirit plant, not the pot.
• Feng Jun insists on buying the flowerpot as well. The stall owner demands an exorbitant price of fifty thousand spirit stones, claiming it is a magical artifact.
• Huangfu Wuxia intervenes according to a prearranged signal with Feng Jun. Using her Treasure-Appraising Eye, she exposes that the stall owner is actually only at Qi Refining Level Nine, despite pretending to be at Dust-Free Level Two.
• She also identifies the flowerpot as a counterfeit made from ordinary materials such as meteoric iron, refined gold, and Celestial Star Sand. She threatens to report the stall owner for selling fake magical artifacts, which could lead to severe fines.
• Under pressure, the stall owner offers to refund Feng Jun’s thousand spirit stones and refuses to sell the flowerpot. Feng Jun nevertheless insists that he wants the pot, claiming he likes it and does not want anyone else to be deceived by it.
• The stall owner realizes Feng Jun may be trying to establish a case against him for selling counterfeits. He finally admits that the flowerpot is fake and argues that, since no transaction for it occurred, he cannot be punished.
• Huangfu Wuxia attempts to calm the dispute and proposes that Feng Jun simply pay one thousand spirit stones for both the jade fungus and the flowerpot. The stall owner protests, revealing that he himself originally paid over two thousand spirit stones for the counterfeit.
• The chapter ends with the stall owner’s history exposed: he had been fooled into buying the fake pot, then modified and artificially aged it so that he could deceive others. He used the spirit plants as a steady source of income and hoped to sell the counterfeit artifact whenever he found a particularly suitable victim.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Initially made a questionable bargain-hunting move, but refuses to back down once the stall owner tries to manipulate him. His apparent stubbornness is revealed to be strategic: he wants to obtain the flowerpot and prevent the stall owner from continuing to deceive others. He also demonstrates strong backing through his connection to Heavenlink.
• Huangfu Wuxia: Acts as both Feng Jun’s accomplice and mediator. She uses her authority, reputation, and appraisal ability to expose the stall owner’s lies, while repeatedly trying to prevent Feng Jun from escalating the matter too far.
• The stall owner: Revealed to be a crafty but ultimately frightened swindler. He exploits market rules and buyers’ greed, but his confidence collapses when confronted with evidence of counterfeiting and the influence of Heavenlink. His own scheme began after he was deceived by another seller.

Significant Themes

• Mutual exploitation and “reaping what you sow”: Feng Jun tried to obtain a bargain, while the stall owner preyed on bargain hunters. Both sides are participating in a culture where buyers and sellers attempt to outwit one another.
• Legality versus morality: The stall owner’s initial substitution of the flowerpot is technically permitted, even though it is deliberately misleading. The chapter explores how someone can follow the rules while behaving dishonestly.
• Schemes within schemes: The stall owner’s fraud is itself rooted in an earlier deception. He turns a worthless counterfeit into a profitable trap by combining it with the sale of overpriced spirit plants.
• Power and connections: Market rules are not enforced impartially. Huangfu Wuxia’s status and Heavenlink’s influence give Feng Jun leverage that ordinary customers would lack.
• Greed and shame: Victims often remain silent because admitting they were fooled would damage their pride. This allows the stall owner’s business to continue unchecked.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and the stall owner engage in a tense bargaining contest, each attempting to control the terms of the dispute.
• Huangfu Wuxia supports Feng Jun through a coordinated tactic, publicly challenging the stall owner’s cultivation and the authenticity of the flowerpot.
• The stall owner alternates between defiance, fear, and attempted compromise as he realizes the consequences of being exposed.
• Huangfu Wuxia repeatedly urges Feng Jun to accept a refund, while Feng Jun deliberately maintains pressure.
• The crowd’s reactions reinforce the social and financial stakes, especially when the possible penalty of 150,000 spirit stones is mentioned.

Summary of “Counterfeit, but Not Fake”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A short, fat stall owner has been running a carefully prepared scam in Autumn Star Market, bribing patrol cultivators to protect himself from interference.
• Feng Jun and his companions confront him over a Nine-Flower Jade Fungus and an unusual flowerpot. The stall owner initially refuses to surrender the pot or accept the proposed settlement because he paid over a thousand Spirit Stones for it.
• Huangfu Wuxia, who had previously protected the stall owner, turns against him when he refuses to cooperate. Her threatening attitude, combined with her status in the Huangfu Family and the Heavenlink Trade Alliance, intimidates him.
• When Inspector Bai arrives, the stall owner falsely claims the dispute is merely a misunderstanding and reluctantly agrees to give Feng Jun’s group the flowerpot. Inspector Bai avoids openly supporting him, recognizing the seriousness of Huangfu Wuxia’s presence.
• After Feng Jun’s group leaves, Inspector Bai confirms that the woman was Huangfu Wuxia and questions whether the supposedly fake flowerpot might actually be valuable.
• Back at Feng Jun’s camp, Huangfu Wuxia reveals that the flowerpot is a crude imitation of the legendary Cloud-Wreathed Cauldron. However, it is not a genuine cauldron because it has weakened the Nine-Flower Jade Fungus rather than nourishing it.
• Feng Jun has the plant transplanted into a thornwood pot supplied by the Heavenlink Trade Alliance.
• Examination reveals that the flowerpot contains a concealed inner pot made of extremely valuable Yujin Stone, hidden beneath layers of gold essence, meteorite iron, and Celestial Star Sand.
• Realizing that the “counterfeit” may conceal a genuine treasure, Huangfu Wuxia summons Heavenlink craftsmen to investigate the inner pot.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun demonstrates strategic intelligence and caution. He deliberately brings Huangfu Wuxia to the market because her authority is essential to forcing the stall owner to surrender the flowerpot. He also withholds the full details of his suspicions because he does not completely trust her business ethics.
• Huangfu Wuxia shifts from protecting the stall owner to confronting him when he abuses her goodwill. Her intimidating presence proves more effective than Feng Jun’s reputation. She also displays exceptional appraisal abilities by identifying the flowerpot as a poor imitation and noticing the fungus’s declining vitality.
• The stall owner, Old Liang, is exposed as a manipulative merchant who has profited from staged transactions and bribed officials. His greed makes him refuse a settlement even when doing so threatens his safety and reputation.
• Inspector Bai appears outwardly neutral but understands the stall owner’s methods. His refusal to intervene on Old Liang’s behalf shows that he recognizes Huangfu Wuxia’s greater influence and the danger of escalating the dispute.
• Shangguan Yunjin contributes her material knowledge, noticing that the flowerpot is unusually light and helping identify its concealed construction.
• Master Xu remains vigilant during the journey, suggesting that Feng Jun’s group takes security seriously and does not assume the market is safe.

Significant Themes

• Greed and risk: Old Liang values recovering his investment more than avoiding punishment, illustrating how greed can override reason.
• Power and influence: Official rules are less important than the backing of major organizations. Huangfu Wuxia’s status forces the stall owner to comply where ordinary customers would have failed.
• Business ethics and distrust: The characters recognize that commerce requires both cooperation and suspicion. Feng Jun understands that even a seemingly trustworthy merchant may exploit information for personal gain.
• Appearances versus reality: The flowerpot is a counterfeit Cloud-Wreathed Cauldron, but it is not worthless. Its outer form is fake while its hidden inner material may be extraordinarily valuable.
• Knowledge as power: Appraisal skills, market knowledge, and awareness of scams allow Feng Jun’s group to uncover value that others overlook.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Huangfu Wuxia: Their relationship is cooperative but cautious. Feng Jun relies on her authority while withholding sensitive information, and she recognizes his distrust without taking offense.
• Huangfu Wuxia and Old Liang: She initially protects him but becomes cold and threatening when he refuses her proposed resolution. His defiance is treated as a betrayal of her goodwill.
• Old Liang and Inspector Bai: They have a friendly relationship and have shared drinks, but Bai does not risk supporting him openly once Huangfu Wuxia’s identity and influence become clear.
• Feng Jun’s group and the market crowd: Their public victory causes the onlookers to disperse, reinforcing the impression that the stall owner has been decisively defeated.
• Feng Jun, Huangfu Wuxia, Shangguan Yunjin, and the craftsmen: Together they investigate the pot, combining appraisal, material expertise, and technical skill to uncover the hidden Yujin Stone.

Chapter Summary: Lovesick Goblet

Plot Points and Events

• Heavenlink’s craftsmen examine the flowerpot Feng Jun purchased and notice that it is slightly lighter than expected, suggesting something is concealed inside.
• After learning that the flowerpot contains Yujin Stone, the craftsmen devise a careful method to remove the outer layer without damaging the hidden object.
• They uncover the legendary Lovesick Goblet, a magic treasure created three thousand years earlier by the renowned Three-Absolutes Adept.
• The goblet is famous for brewing Lovesick Dream, a powerful spirit wine capable of intoxicating cultivators to the point of death. Its estimated value is at least 200,000 Spirit Stones, with the possibility of reaching 500,000 or even a million at auction.
• Cultivator Xu, a passionate wine lover, becomes extremely agitated and eager to see the goblet fully excavated.
• After several hours of careful work, the craftsmen remove the surrounding material. Huangfu Wuxia confirms that the goblet is genuine with ninety-nine percent certainty and approximately eighty-five percent intact, with damage that does not affect its use.
• Cultivator Xu suggests brewing wine in it immediately. Feng Jun agrees, while also discussing how best to sell the treasure.
• Huangfu Wuxia recommends consigning it to auction with a starting price of 200,000 Spirit Stones and personally guarantees that price if it fails to sell.
• Jing Qingyang mentions that Adept Qiu, the Grand Purity Sect’s chief lecturer, is famous for loving wine and might be interested.
• Huangfu Wuxia sharply rebukes Jing Qingyang for interrupting the cultivators’ discussion. Feng Jun objects to her treating his hired subordinate as though she had authority over him.
• Realizing her mistake, Huangfu Wuxia apologizes. Feng Jun decides to let Heavenlink handle the auction and asks whether Adept Qiu should be invited. Huangfu unexpectedly advises against notifying him.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: His appraisal skills are validated as crucial to discovering and safely extracting the goblet. He remains practical and uninterested in the goblet’s sentimental or historical value, focusing instead on its financial worth and potential auction proceeds. He also asserts his authority as Jing Qingyang’s employer when Huangfu Wuxia reprimands him.
• Huangfu Wuxia: She gains a deeper respect for Feng Jun’s abilities, recognizing that his appraisal technique surpassed the limitations of her Treasure-Appraising Eye. Her attitude toward him softens, and she sincerely thanks him, though her pride and impulsiveness still cause her to overstep. Her immediate apology shows some improvement.
• Cultivator Xu: His love of wine becomes especially apparent. The discovery of the Lovesick Goblet leaves him excited and restless, and he openly hopes to use it for brewing wine.
• Jing Qingyang: Although usually quiet, he contributes useful information about Adept Qiu. However, his unsolicited remark exposes the complicated status differences between the cultivators and himself.
• The craftsmen: Their professionalism and caution are emphasized. Once given the correct information, they work efficiently and safely, despite their excitement over handling a legendary treasure.

Significant Themes

• Expertise and complementary abilities: Feng Jun’s unusual appraisal method provides information that conventional treasure appraisal cannot, while the craftsmen possess the technical skill to act on that knowledge.
• Value beyond combat power: The Lovesick Goblet has little direct battle utility, yet its craftsmanship, history, rarity, and emotional associations make it extraordinarily valuable.
• Desire and emotional indulgence: The goblet represents cultivators’ continued attachment to pleasure, wine, and emotion despite their pursuit of immortality.
• Social hierarchy and authority: Huangfu’s rebuke of Jing Qingyang highlights the rigid status distinctions between immortal cultivators and martial practitioners. Feng Jun’s response reinforces his authority as employer.
• Commercial opportunity and strategic caution: Feng Jun sees the discovery as a chance to greatly increase his wealth, while Huangfu’s reluctance to notify Adept Qiu hints at possible complications involving powerful buyers.

Character Interactions

• Cultivator Xu repeatedly urges the craftsmen to finish, while they warn him that his nervousness is making their work more difficult.
• Huangfu Wuxia thanks Feng Jun for preserving the goblet, but he reminds her that he was protecting his own property, not assisting her.
• Feng Jun and Huangfu negotiate the goblet’s potential sale, with her offering a guaranteed minimum value.
• Jing Qingyang’s suggestion about Adept Qiu leads to conflict when Huangfu dismisses him. Feng Jun reacts coldly, defending the boundaries of his authority.
• The chapter ends with Feng Jun and Huangfu disagreeing over whether the wine-loving Adept Qiu should be invited to the auction, creating anticipation for the reason behind Huangfu’s warning.

Chapter Summary: “Earned Far Too Much”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Huangfu Wuxia advises Feng Jun not to notify Realman Qiu Dujiang about the auction of the Lovesick Goblet. As a Gold Core cultivator and one of the Grand Purity Sect’s “Three Capitals,” Qiu’s participation would intimidate all other bidders and prevent the artifact from reaching a high price.
• Her warning reminds Feng Jun that his recent success has made him overconfident. He resolves to remain cautious, develop quietly, and avoid drawing the attention of powerful figures.
• Feng Jun settles the payment arrangements for the two craftsmen involved in extracting the Lovesick Goblet. Heavenlink Auction agrees to cover their wages.
• One craftsman asks to use the Lovesick Goblet to brew wine. Master Xu explains that the artifact can either brew spirit wine or improve existing wine, with the enhancement taking roughly three days for good results.
• Huangfu Wuxia hesitates to acquire the Lovesick Goblet immediately, since she has already obtained Feng Jun’s other two bargain-hunted treasures. She wishes to avoid appearing greedy and plans to negotiate with the master from Carefree Platform first.
• Master Xu nevertheless offers to provide one hundred jin of spirit wine and take half of the improved product in return. Feng Jun agrees, while clarifying that he cannot guarantee the final quantity.
• That evening, Feng Jun and his companions celebrate their extraordinary profits. The third bargain hunt cost only about one thousand Spirit Stones but produced treasures worth at least two hundred thousand.
• Shangguan Yunjin voluntarily reduces her expected share from twenty thousand Spirit Stones to two thousand, recognizing that Feng Jun, Huangfu Wuxia, and the craftsmen contributed most of the effort and risk.
• Feng Jun compromises by awarding her five thousand Spirit Stones. The others also lower their claims, feeling that such enormous profits would attract danger.
• Chen Junsheng accepts only two hundred Spirit Stones and refuses the rest unless he reaches Qi Refining. Yu Changzhu takes one thousand Spirit Stones, intending to purchase Water Spirit Pills. Mi Yunshan is satisfied simply not to lose money, while Yun Buyao receives no dividend because she had not participated in the investment.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun: Becomes more cautious and self-aware after Huangfu Wuxia’s warning. He recognizes that success has made him reckless and recommits to maintaining a low profile. He also demonstrates fairness and generosity when distributing the profits.
• Huangfu Wuxia: Shows strategic judgment and restraint. Although powerful within Heavenlink, she is wary of offending Feng Jun or monopolizing all his treasures, revealing that she values their long-term cooperation.
• Jing Qingyang: Realizes that his earlier suggestion was naïve and that his knowledge of the Immortal Market is limited. Feng Jun reassures him rather than blaming him.
• Master Xu: Displays strong interest in the Lovesick Goblet and willingly offers both resources and labor to experiment with its wine-enhancing ability. Despite his higher cultivation, he remains deferential to Huangfu Wuxia and Feng Jun.
• Shangguan Yunjin: Demonstrates honesty and humility by voluntarily accepting far less than her original share.
• Chen Junsheng: Shows practical caution, understanding that suddenly possessing too many Spirit Stones could endanger him and his family.
• Yu Changzhu: Learns to recognize Feng Jun’s greater contribution and adjusts her expectations, choosing a modest but useful reward.
• Yun Buyao: Remains an outsider to the profit-sharing arrangement. Her gratitude is focused on having shelter and stability after previously struggling to survive.

Significant Themes

• Humility after success: Feng Jun’s windfall briefly makes him arrogant, but Huangfu Wuxia’s warning restores his sense of danger and proportion.
• Power and social hierarchy: A powerful cultivator’s presence can determine the outcome of an auction before bidding even begins, showing how status outweighs ordinary competition.
• Caution and self-preservation: The characters understand that wealth can attract theft, envy, or disaster. Earning too much too quickly may be more dangerous than earning nothing.
• Fairness and contribution: The group debates how profits should be divided, ultimately acknowledging that expertise, planning, risk, and labor matter more than the original investment alone.
• Long-term cooperation: Huangfu Wuxia avoids taking another treasure immediately because she does not want to damage her relationship with Feng Jun.
• Value beyond cultivation: Although Master Xu possesses greater cultivation than Huangfu Wuxia, organizational authority and social position determine their interaction.

Character Interactions

• Huangfu Wuxia counsels Feng Jun about the dangers of involving Realman Qiu, helping him recognize his recent overconfidence.
• Feng Jun encourages Jing Qingyang and the others to discuss their ideas openly rather than fear making mistakes.
• Master Xu first approaches Huangfu Wuxia about using the goblet, then respectfully negotiates directly with Feng Jun.
• Feng Jun and Huangfu Wuxia carefully navigate the issue of who should obtain the Lovesick Goblet, balancing immediate profit against trust and future cooperation.
• Feng Jun rewards Shangguan Yunjin more generously than she requests, while the other companions similarly negotiate modest shares out of fear that excessive wealth could bring trouble.
• The group’s discussion of money reveals differing personalities: honesty from Shangguan, caution from Chen, practicality from Yu Changzhu, and contentment from Mi Yunshan and Yun Buyao.

Chapter Summary: “Red Alert”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Jing Qingyang feels uneasy as other cultivators celebrate their profits from the Immortal Market. As a temporary bodyguard, he believes he has no claim to the rewards and worries about whether he could safely enjoy any wealth he obtained.
• Master Xu returns with the brewing method for the Lovesick Goblet, demonstrating the Heavenlink Trade Alliance’s immense information network. He also brings three hundred catties of spirit wine.
• Feng Jun agrees to optimize only one hundred catties for Master Xu and purchases the remaining two hundred himself. He then buys thirty thousand catties of spirit wine in total, spending three thousand Spirit Stones, along with more than seven thousand Spirit Stones on supporting materials.
• Feng Jun learns that the Lovesick Goblet does most of the important work: purifying the wine, mellowing it, and infusing it with artistic conception. The resulting wine is extremely potent, though it is not technically the authentic Lovesick Dream because it lacks the proper eighty-one-day brewing process and exact recipe.
• While the wine is being optimized, Shangguan Yunjin receives word that one of her martial uncles has arrived to negotiate for Water-Sand Fragrant Nanmu. She leaves with Guildmaster Huangfu Wuxia.
• Taking advantage of Huangfu Wuxia’s absence, Feng Jun applies to rent a Dust-Free High Stage cave abode so he can safely attempt a breakthrough and cultivate the mysterious Primordial Chaos Heaven-Devouring Technique.
• No high-stage cave abode is immediately available, so Feng Jun considers an intermediate-stage one. Although its spiritual energy is sufficient, he decides to wait three days for the higher-grade abode, believing it will provide greater safety and discourage spying.
• The first batch of spirit wine produces forty-five catties of optimized wine from every one hundred catties of ordinary spirit wine. Feng Jun gives Master Xu twenty-five catties rather than the required twenty-two and a half as compensation for finding the brewing method.
• Master Xu presses for more wine, eventually taking an additional two-cattie cup under the excuse of delivering it to the craftsman who made the Lovesick Goblet.
• The wine’s fragrance spreads uncontrollably when the goblet is opened. Master Xu contains most of it but warns Feng Jun that the process must be carried out indoors in the future.
• Two cultivators follow the fragrance to Feng Jun’s camp. Master Xu invokes the authority of the Heavenlink Trade Alliance and forces them to leave. The Dust-Free cultivator, initially confident that his status would secure him some wine, becomes intimidated upon realizing he has intruded on Heavenlink’s business.
• Feng Jun abandons his plan to invite people to drink the wine, recognizing that its fragrance attracts unwanted attention and hostility. He decides to save it for when he returns to Zhige Mountain.
• He begins optimizing a second batch, expecting to continue the process inside the cave abode once it becomes available.
• Before that can happen, three massive explosions shake Autumn Star Immortal Market. Three pillars of red smoke rise from the market’s core, signaling a level-three red alert. Chen Junsheng rushes to Feng Jun and warns him, while countless flying artifacts flee the central area.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun becomes increasingly cautious and strategic. He spends lavishly on spirit wine and materials because he sees the Lovesick Goblet as a rare opportunity, but he also carefully protects his resources and personal safety.
• His decision to wait for a Dust-Free High Stage cave abode shows his distrust of the unknown cultivation technique and his awareness that privacy and defensive security are essential.
• Feng Jun’s attachment to Zhige Mountain deepens. Although the Immortal Market has better resources, he regards Zhige Mountain as his true home and feels little belonging at the market.
• Master Xu demonstrates both the Heavenlink Trade Alliance’s influence and his own opportunistic nature. He protects Feng Jun’s camp from intruders, yet shamelessly tries to claim extra wine for himself.
• Jing Qingyang remains cautious and socially detached, viewing himself as an expendable employee rather than an equal participant in the group’s wealth.
• Huangfu Wuxia’s absence temporarily relieves Feng Jun, whose activities are constrained by her sharp perception and suspicious nature.

Significant Themes

• Power of information and influence: The Heavenlink Trade Alliance’s ability to obtain the brewing method overnight—and to intimidate stronger outsiders—shows that information and institutional power can rival cultivation strength.
• Wealth and risk: Feng Jun spends enormous sums to pursue a profitable opportunity, but the chapter emphasizes that valuable resources also attract danger.
• Privacy and self-protection: Feng Jun’s insistence on a high-stage cave abode reflects the risks surrounding his unusual cultivation technique and his fear of being observed or exploited.
• Belonging and home: The Immortal Market offers superior resources, yet Feng Jun emotionally identifies with Zhige Mountain, suggesting that familiarity and security matter more to him than material advantages.
• Unexpected consequences of opportunity: The Lovesick Goblet produces extraordinary wine, but its fragrance immediately draws attention, turning a potential celebration into a security problem.
• Escalating danger: The chapter shifts from commercial activity and cultivation planning to sudden emergency, ending with the market’s red alert and an impending crisis.

Character Interactions

• Feng Jun and Master Xu: They negotiate the wine optimization arrangement, with Feng Jun setting strict limits and Master Xu trying to maximize his share. Despite the bargaining, Feng Jun rewards Master Xu for obtaining the brewing method.
• Master Xu and the visiting cultivators: Master Xu uses the Heavenlink Trade Alliance’s name to enforce Feng Jun’s camping permit and drive away the uninvited Dust-Free cultivator.
• Feng Jun and Huangfu Wuxia: Though they do not directly interact in the chapter, Feng Jun deliberately waits until she leaves before applying for a secluded cave abode, showing his concern about her ability to detect his activities.
• Shangguan Yunjin and Huangfu Wuxia: Shangguan escorts Huangfu to meet her martial uncle and discuss purchasing Water-Sand Fragrant Nanmu.
• Chen Junsheng and Feng Jun: Chen Junsheng urgently informs Feng Jun of the level-three red alert, introducing the chapter’s final emergency.
• Feng Jun and the wider market: His wine experiment unintentionally attracts outsiders, while the later explosions and mass evacuation reveal that the entire Immortal Market may be under serious threat.

Chapter Summary: “Bring Your Own Rations”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A sword cultivator announces a Savage Beast Invasion at Autumn Star Market and orders all rotation combat cultivators to report within two hours. Those who fail to appear will be punished by being sent to the most dangerous vanguard position.
• The market’s twenty thousand local combat cultivators are divided into four rotating groups, but the authorities also forcibly conscript outsiders. Feng Jun and his companions are among the first outsiders drafted because they were waiting for cave-abode cultivation and were presumed available.
• Over thirty thousand transient cultivators are recruited, including Qi Refining cultivators, Mortal Transcendents, Innate Experts, and Martial Masters. Jing Qingyang narrowly avoids conscription because the group has already contributed one Qi Refining Level Nine fighter and supposedly needs him to protect the weaker members.
• Around forty thousand cultivators ultimately assemble and divide into four armies of ten thousand. Feng Jun’s group travels southwest through a massive black archway into a vast, desert-like region bordered by an enormous city wall.
• The cultivators are organized according to cultivation level. Feng Jun joins the Qi Refining Advanced Stage group and begins cooking Spirit Rice and Spirit Beast meat, anticipating that there may be little time to eat once battle begins.
• A newly advanced Qi Refining Level Seven cultivator attempts to trade a copy of the Thick Earth Method for cooked rice. Feng Jun recognizes that the method is being overvalued and declines the proposed trade, eventually exchanging ten jin of rice for a piece of Ice Silver.
• Feng Jun allows the young man to borrow his cookware but refuses to prepare the food for him, irritated by what he sees as an attempt to take advantage of his generosity.
• While resting, Feng Jun learns more about the invasion. Wasteland Beasts are stronger evolutions of Spirit Beasts, comparable to Dust-Free Realm cultivators, and their incursions into human territory are relatively common.
• The chapter ends by establishing that conscripted cultivators must supply their own food, weapons, pills, treasures, Talismans, and other necessities. Feng Jun also begins investigating the battle’s likely scale and whether cultivators will receive merit rewards.

Character Developments

• Feng Jun is shown to be practical, cautious, and resourceful. He accepts early conscription to avoid a worse assignment, prepares food in advance, and remains alert to the dangers of both monsters and fellow cultivators. His generosity has limits, especially when he feels someone is trying to exploit him.
• Chen Junsheng demonstrates experience with market invasions and correctly predicts that the authorities will conduct multiple rounds of conscription. His advice influences Feng Jun’s decision to report early.
• Jing Qingyang is revealed to be an important protector whose Innate-level strength makes him a likely target for conscription. He avoids being drafted by presenting Feng Jun’s order and emphasizing the group’s need for protection.
• The young Qi Refining Level Seven cultivator is portrayed as inexperienced and financially strained. He mistakenly assumes the cultivation method is highly valuable because of its shop price and learns that resale value is much lower.
• The surrounding cultivators display a mixture of hierarchy, opportunism, and practical battlefield awareness: stronger cultivators receive more attention, while weaker or unaffiliated rogue cultivators are treated with less enthusiasm.

Significant Themes

• Collective obligation versus personal freedom: Both local residents and temporary visitors are compelled to fight, showing how little individual choice exists during a large-scale crisis.
• Preparation and self-reliance: The title reflects the reality that every cultivator must provide their own rations and equipment. Survival depends on preparation rather than institutional support.
• Exploitation and market value: The Thick Earth Method illustrates the difference between an item’s listed shop price and what others are actually willing to pay, especially during wartime.
• Social hierarchy and factional influence: Affiliation with major sects earns cultivators attention and status, while rogue cultivators like Feng Jun receive less recognition despite comparable strength.
• Danger from both enemies and allies: The coming battle is not only a threat because of the Wasteland Beasts; Feng Jun also worries about theft and opportunism among desperate cultivators.

Character Interactions

• Chen Junsheng persuades Feng Jun to join the first conscription round rather than risk a harsher later assignment.
• Jing Qingyang uses Feng Jun’s conscription order to justify remaining behind as the group’s protector.
• Feng Jun interacts with two Qi Refining rogue cultivators who board his Light-Time Shuttle, while stronger cultivators inspect the vessel but ultimately keep their distance.
• Feng Jun offers the impoverished young cultivator food and a fair exchange, but their interaction becomes strained when the young man proposes an inflated price for the Thick Earth Method.
• Other Qi Refining cultivators expose the method’s poor resale value, embarrassing the young man and reinforcing Feng Jun’s decision not to make further concessions.
• Feng Jun lends the young man his cookware but insists that he prepare the rice himself, preserving the boundary between generosity and being taken advantage of.