Chapter Summaries

Sect Master Li Daoran prepared to publicly debate Zhou Xuan, but Liu Ruyan accused Zhou of past and present wrongdoing and demanded his punishment. Just as the crowd believed Zhou was doomed, he arrived at the mountain gate and challenged the Sect to hear his side.

• Sect Master Li Daoran announced he would personally interrogate Zhou Xuan and debate him before the Sect.
• Liu Ruyan stepped forward and identified Zhou Xuan as an old acquaintance from the mortal world.
• Liu Ruyan accused Zhou Xuan of scheming and disrupting the Sect, then urged Li Daoran to cripple him and expel him without further investigation.
• Elder Huo Yun echoed Liu Ruyan’s accusations, while Qin Mu and Dan Chenzi watched with concern.
• Zhou Xuan arrived at the mountain gate and questioned the fairness of condemning someone without hearing his reasons, offering to debate the Dao.

Zhou Xuan arrived at the Spirit Sword Sect’s public trial and drew the crowd’s attention with his composure and hidden strength. Sect Master Li Daoran sensed his extraordinary aura and began to take a keen interest in hearing his case.

• Zhou Xuan entered the Mountain Gate Plaza in a plain servant robe, stunning the gathered disciples with his appearance and bearing.
• Zhou Xuan ignored Liu Ruyan, winked at Zhang Ling, and casually waved to Qin Keqing before greeting the sect elders and Sect Master Li Daoran.
• Li Daoran sensed an ancient, powerful chaos aura within Zhou Xuan and concluded that he was no ordinary chore disciple.
• Li Daoran invited everyone to discuss Zhou Xuan’s situation, while Elder Huo Yun looked furious and Liu Ruyan appeared uneasy.

Zhou Xuan admitted to taking Artifact Peak’s business, then demonstrated that his extraordinary repair skills and Cloud Pavilion’s fair prices had drawn customers away. Witnesses accused Artifact Peak of harassing him and revealed that former Artifact Peak disciple Han Qi now worked for him, leaving Elder Huo Yun under suspicion.

• Zhou Xuan admitted that he had taken most of Artifact Peak’s business and presented an old sword as the reason.
• Li Daoran and the Great Elder examined the sword and found Zhou Xuan had restored it into a First-grade Mid-tier Magical Artifact.
• Zhou Xuan claimed he could perform about ten thousand such repairs a day, prompting the crowd and Elder Huo Yun to laugh at him.
• Disciples testified that Cloud Pavilion sold quality goods cheaply and said Artifact Peak had threatened Zhou Xuan and spread rumors to suppress his business.
• A disciple revealed that Han Qi had left Artifact Peak to work at Cloud Pavilion, turning the crowd’s attention toward Elder Huo Yun with suspicion and contempt.

Zhou Xuan proved that Han Qi’s Super Artifact Refining Platform could perfectly repair damaged Dharma Artifacts with minimal cost, winning the crowd’s belief in his business. He then accused Elder Huo Yun of abusing disciples and acting as if Artifact Peak stood apart from the Spirit Sword Sect, leaving the Sect Master glaring at Huo Yun with displeasure.

• Elder Huo Yun called Zhou Xuan a liar, but Zhou Xuan summoned Han Qi to demonstrate his repair method.
• Han Qi used the Super Artifact Refining Platform and one Low-grade Spirit Stone to repair seven or eight damaged Dharma Artifacts in an hour.
• Sect Master Li Daoran and the Great Elder of Artifact Peak confirmed the repairs were perfect, and the crowd realized Zhou Xuan could repair tens of thousands of items with enough platforms.
• Zhou Xuan explained that his business bought scrap, improved valuable items, and sold Dharma Artifacts cheaply to benefit the Sect and its disciples.
• Zhou Xuan accused Elder Huo Yun of repeatedly sending disciples to threaten his shop and asked whether Huo Yun considered Artifact Peak separate from the Spirit Sword Sect.
• Sect Master Li Daoran looked at Elder Huo Yun with cold displeasure, and Huo Yun realized his position was in danger.

Zhou Xuan exposed Elder Huo Yun’s selfish attacks on him and the disciples who benefited from Cloud Pavilion, prompting the crowd to turn against the elder. Sect Master Li Daoran stripped Huo Yun of his position, crippled his cultivation, and confined him for a hundred years, while Zhou Xuan recognized that Li had used him as a useful instrument in the Sect’s power struggle.

• Zhou Xuan challenged Huo Yun’s loyalty to the Spirit Sword Sect by listing how the elder had targeted him, Han Qi, and disciples who benefited from Cloud Pavilion.
• Huo Yun tried to silence the crowd with his Nascent Soul pressure, then insulted ordinary disciples as useless parasites, provoking widespread outrage.
• Qin Mu and Dan Chenzi told Li Daoran that Zhou Xuan had repaired the Sect Grand Array with an Ancient Spirit Treasure and might possess more rare treasures.
• Li Daoran found Huo Yun guilty of abusing his authority, insulting fellow disciples, and attacking Zhou Xuan, then stripped him of his elder position, reduced his cultivation to the late Golden Core Realm, and confined him for a hundred years.
• The disciples cheered as the Law Enforcement Hall dragged Huo Yun away, and Zhou Xuan realized Li Daoran had made him a sharp and useful tool in the Sect.

After Zhou Xuan defeated Elder Huo Yun and won the Sect Master’s favor, Li Daoran made him a Privileged Disciple and charged him with expanding Cloud Pavilion across the Cultivation World. Zhou Xuan accepted the mission with a life-saving Command Token in hand.

• Disciples praised Zhou Xuan after Law Enforcement Hall disciples dragged Elder Huo Yun away, while Liu Ruyan watched with a troubled expression.
• Elders from the Main Peaks tried to recruit Zhou Xuan until Sect Master Li Daoran silenced them and asked about his Artifact Refining Platform.
• Zhou Xuan claimed his refining method was an unteachable innate divine ability from an ancient ruin, and Li Daoran accepted his explanation.
• Li Daoran named Zhou Xuan a Privileged Disciple and gave him a Command Token with three powerful strikes of protection.
• Li Daoran ordered Zhou Xuan to expand Cloud Pavilion throughout the Cultivation World, and Zhou Xuan vowed not to fail him.

After returning to Cloud Pavilion as a celebrated hero, Zhou Xuan examined the Sect Master's Purple Gold Command Token and weighed its protection against the danger of being used in the Sect's power struggle. He then met a crowd of Inner Sect disciples seeking repairs and trade, as Cloud Pavilion's business began to grow.

• Thousands of disciples welcomed Zhou Xuan back to Cloud Pavilion, where Zhou Ye and Han Qi greeted him with relief and admiration.
• Alone in the inner chamber, Zhou Xuan examined the Command Token and discovered it contained three devastating attacks from a Spirit Transformation powerhouse.
• Zhou Xuan recognized that Sect Master Li Daoran's support offered protection and resources while also binding him to the conflict with Artifact Peak.
• Zhou Ye told Zhou Xuan that Inner Sect disciples had arrived with treasures and business to discuss.
• Inner Sect disciples brought Zhou Xuan damaged Magical Artifacts and unusual materials, hoping to use Cloud Pavilion's services.

After the Sect Master’s trial and Elder Huo Yun’s fall, the Cloud Pavilion’s repair business boomed, earning Zhou Xuan a fortune and letting Han Qi profit from the new workshop system. Just as Zhou Xuan considered upgrading his Artifact Refining Platforms, Spirit Sword Sect Chief Disciple Long Que arrived, bringing the chapter to an abrupt turn.

• Inner Sect disciples flocked to the Cloud Pavilion, where Zhou Ye and Han Qi offered quick, affordable repairs for damaged Dharma Artifacts.
• Zhou Xuan collected damaged artifacts and other discarded treasures, converting them into Gold Touch Value as the workshop’s stockpiles and his wealth grew.
• Han Qi mastered the repair assembly line and earned substantial commissions and savings by working efficiently.
• After seven days, Zhou Xuan counted more than one hundred thousand Spirit Stones and 300,000 Gold Touch Value, then considered upgrading the Artifact Refining Platforms.
• Long Que, the Spirit Sword Sect’s Chief Disciple and a pursuer of Liu Ruyan, arrived at the Cloud Pavilion and froze the bustling shop.

Long Que confronted Zhou Xuan at his shop and warned him to stay away from Liu Ruyan, but Zhou Xuan remained unaffected and dismissed his jealousy. After Long Que left, Qin Keqing stormed in and demanded to know what Zhou Xuan had done to Senior Sister Liu.

• Long Que visited Zhou Xuan's shop and questioned him about his relationship with Liu Ruyan.
• Zhou Xuan refused to answer to Long Que, prompting Long Que to press him with his Sword Intent, which had no effect on Zhou Xuan.
• Long Que warned Zhou Xuan to stay away from Liu Ruyan and threatened to kill him if he upset her again.
• Qin Keqing entered the shop after Long Que left and demanded that Zhou Xuan explain what he had done to Senior Sister Liu.

Zhou Xuan appeased Qin Keqing with a steep discount after she blamed him for Liu Ruyan’s coldness, then spent a peaceful week preparing to expand beyond the Spirit Sword Sect. The chapter ended with him reviewing his wealth and cultivation in seclusion and recognizing that he still faced a bottleneck.

• Qin Keqing confronted Zhou Xuan, blamed him for Liu Ruyan ignoring her, and demanded compensation for her emotional distress.
• Zhou Xuan offered Qin Keqing a one-tenth price discount on anything in Cloud Pavilion, and she bought several valuable Second-Grade Dharma Artifacts.
• After Qin Keqing left, Zhou Xuan decided to prepare to expand beyond the Spirit Sword Sect.
• Over the next seven days, Cloud Pavilion’s business stabilized and the Sect’s defective Dharma Artifacts were nearly cleared out.
• Zhou Xuan reviewed his system panel in the secret chamber and saw that, despite his wealth and progress, he still faced a bottleneck.

Zhou Xuan upgraded an Artifact Refining Platform, greatly increasing its repair speed, then received the Sect Master's assignment to expand Cloud Pavilion into the Fengqin Kingdom. He set out with Qin Mu's support and vowed to make the business famous there within three months.

• Zhou Xuan spent 10,000 Gold Touch Value points to enlighten an Artifact Refining Platform to the second tier.
• Zhou Xuan tested the upgraded platform by repairing a Wind-Splitting Blade in half an hour using one Low-grade Spirit Stone.
• Zhou Xuan decided to upgrade all fifteen Artifact Refining Platforms despite the cost.
• Elder Qin Mu told Zhou Xuan that the Sect Master wanted him to expand Cloud Pavilion into the Fengqin Kingdom.
• Qin Mu gave Zhou Xuan a Qin Family Command Token and 100,000 Low-grade Spirit Stones as start-up capital.
• Zhou Xuan vowed to make Cloud Pavilion famous throughout the Fengqin Kingdom within three months.

Zhou Xuan left the Spirit Sword Sect and traveled to Fallen Leaf City to assess the local cultivation market before contacting the Qin Family. At a restaurant, he discovered a Spirit Root in a mistreated child and stepped in to take him, confronting the shopkeeper.

• Zhou Xuan entrusted Han Qi and Zhou Ye with his artifact-refining business, gave them operating funds, and left the Spirit Sword Sect alone.
• Zhou Xuan disguised himself as a low-level wandering cultivator and entered Fallen Leaf City to gauge its people and business.
• Zhou Xuan found that Dharma Artifacts in the city sold for far more than the goods he could produce and considered undercutting local shops.
• At the Drunken Immortal Restaurant, Zhou Xuan saw the shopkeeper drag out and threaten a ragged child who had a Spirit Root.
• Zhou Xuan ordered the shopkeeper to stop and announced that he was taking the child, prompting the shopkeeper to curse at him.

Zhou Xuan rescued Little Stone from the Drunken Immortal Restaurant after Shopkeeper Liu tried to demand fifty Spirit Stones for him. As Zhou Xuan left with the boy, a brocade-robed young man ordered a guard to learn his identity and report the incident to a young lady.

• Zhou Xuan offered Spirit Stones to buy Little Stone, but Shopkeeper Liu raised his price and cited the boy's Spirit Root.
• Zhou Xuan seized Shopkeeper Liu by the throat, broke his bones, and silenced the diners.
• Zhou Xuan asked the frightened boy his name, invited him to come cultivate, and Little Stone agreed.
• Zhou Xuan left the restaurant with Little Stone, leaving two Spirit Stones as the price of the boy's life.
• A brocade-robed young man sent a guard to identify Zhou Xuan and report what happened to the young lady.

Zhou Xuan took Little Stone in and discovered that the boy had an Earth Attribute Heavenly Spirit Root blocked by a Withered Spirit Death Curse. As Zhou Xuan weighed the cost of removing it, Lin Qingzhu offered a possible cure in exchange for an alliance with her family.

• Zhou Xuan brought Little Stone to an inn, gave him clean clothes, and learned that the boy had no name or memory of his parents.
• Zhou Xuan discovered Little Stone had an exceptionally pure Earth Attribute Heavenly Spirit Root, but the system identified a Withered Spirit Death Curse that would cost 100,000 Gold Touch Value to remove.
• Zhou Xuan saw that black energy surrounding Little Stone's Spirit Root prevented him from absorbing Spiritual Energy, then reassured him and ordered a feast.
• Lin Qingzhu visited Zhou Xuan and offered the Lin Family's help mediating with the Li Family, but Zhou Xuan rejected the proposal.
• Lin Qingzhu recognized Little Stone's condition as the Withered Spirit Death Curse and offered a possible cure if Zhou Xuan allied with the Lin Family.

Lin Qingzhu told Zhou Xuan that Little Stone was likely the last descendant of the Shi Family, whose bloodline suffered from the Withered Spirit Death Curse, and revealed the lost clan Secret Realm might hold a cure. She then asked Zhou Xuan to help her bring down the City Lord's Mansion and kill Fallen Leaf City's City Lord.

• Zhou Xuan considered Lin Qingzhu's knowledge of Little Stone's curse and weighed working with her as a local partner.
• Lin Qingzhu explained that Little Stone might belong to the Shi Family, a once-powerful clan slaughtered by a demon that cursed its descendants.
• Lin Qingzhu revealed that Shi Family records described a Secret Realm that might contain a way to lift the curse, but its location was lost and its key was tied to Shi Family bloodline.
• Zhou Xuan realized Little Stone could be the key to the Secret Realm and considered searching for it with Lin Qingzhu.
• Lin Qingzhu said her true goal was to enlist Zhou Xuan's help in destroying the City Lord's Mansion and killing Fallen Leaf City's City Lord.

Lin Qingzhu asked Zhou Xuan to ally with the declining Lin Family against City Lord Li Wei, who had murdered her father and threatened to force her into becoming his concubine. Zhou Xuan accepted after learning she had Spirit Transmutation Powder that could help kill Li Wei, leaving Lin Qingzhu relieved and Zhou Xuan determined to keep her alive.

• Lin Qingzhu explained that Li Wei had killed her father, seized the Lin Family’s resources, and planned to make her his concubine.
• She offered Zhou Xuan an alliance, protection duties, information about the Shi Family Secret Realm and the Withered Spirit Death Curse, a share of the treasure, and support for his business.
• Lin Qingzhu revealed that she possessed Spirit Transmutation Powder powerful enough to poison a Foundation Establishment Peak Stage cultivator, though using it would kill her too.
• Zhou Xuan agreed to become the Lin Family’s ally, and Lin Qingzhu thanked him with tears of relief.
• Zhou Xuan privately resolved to prevent Lin Qingzhu from dying.

Zhou Xuan settled into the Lin Family Estate and secretly investigated the weakened family and Lin Qingzhu’s hidden preparations. The chapter ended when Lin Bao stormed into his courtyard and confronted him for freeloading.

• Lin Qingzhu welcomed Zhou Xuan and Little Stone to the estate, placing them in her late father's favorite courtyard.
• Zhou Xuan taught Little Stone cultivation fundamentals while secretly surveying the Lin Family and Fallen Leaf City.
• Zhou Xuan discovered that Lin Qingzhu had reached the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining and visited a heavily protected secret chamber each night.
• Lin Family members grew suspicious of Zhou Xuan because he appeared to spend his days lounging instead of helping them.
• Lin Bao kicked open Zhou Xuan's courtyard gate, called him a fraud, and demanded that he get up.
• Zhou Xuan reassured Little Stone, sat up, and calmly asked Lin Bao what he wanted.

Zhou Xuan learned that the City Lord's Mansion was pressuring the Lin Family to force Lin Qingzhu to marry Li Yunfei, while divisions within the family undermined her resistance. Lin Qingzhu said Li Wei's birthday banquet the day after tomorrow was her last chance.

• Lin Bao confronted Zhou Xuan for idling at the Lin Family and accused him of being a swindler, but Zhou Xuan's calm warning made Lin Bao back down.
• Lin Qingzhu arrived, defended Zhou Xuan as her honored guest, and rebuked Lin Bao for suggesting she marry Li Yunfei.
• Zhou Xuan realized Li Wei planned to subdue the Lin Family and claim its wealth and a mysterious treasure by making Lin Qingzhu submit to his son.
• Lin Qingzhu apologized to Zhou Xuan, confirmed Li Yunfei's interest in her, and vowed not to yield to the Li Family.
• Lin Qingzhu told Zhou Xuan that Li Wei's birthday banquet in two days was her last chance.

At Li Wei’s birthday banquet, Zhou Xuan stopped Li Yunfei from grabbing Lin Qingzhu and broke the young man’s wrist. He then feigned innocence and offered Li Wei a thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones, leaving the furious City Lord and the guests uncertain how to respond.

• Zhou Xuan entered the banquet with Lin Qingzhu, disguised as a Seventh Layer Qi Refining attendant, and assessed Li Wei and Li Yunfei.
• Li Yunfei claimed his father would arrange his marriage to Lin Qingzhu and tried to seize her wrist.
• Zhou Xuan intervened and crushed Li Yunfei’s wrist in front of the guests.
• Li Wei unleashed his Foundation Establishment pressure and accused Zhou Xuan of injuring his son, but Zhou Xuan pretended Li Yunfei had fallen on his own.
• Zhou Xuan offered Li Wei a thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones as compensation and begged him to spare his life.

Zhou Xuan used a thousand Spirit Stones to leave Li Wei’s birthday feast with Lin Qingzhu, while secretly anticipating the City Lord’s response. In a secluded alley, assassins surrounded them on Li Wei’s orders.

• Li Wei accepted Zhou Xuan’s thousand Spirit Stones, learned he was a rogue cultivator seeking work with the Lin Family, and let him and Lin Qingzhu leave the feast.
• The guests mocked Zhou Xuan as a coward, while Li Wei ordered his injured son taken for treatment and resumed the banquet.
• Lin Qingzhu angrily confronted Zhou Xuan for paying Li Wei and feared the City Lord would retaliate against the Lin Family.
• Zhou Xuan explained that the incident would put the City Lord’s Mansion on alert and disrupt Lin Qingzhu’s plan to assassinate Li Wei.
• More than ten armed assassins blocked the alley and announced that the City Lord had ordered Zhou Xuan and Lin Qingzhu killed.