Chapter Summaries

Aaron resumed cultivating on Spirit Herb Island, where his Bright Jade Art accelerated his progress and transformed his bones. After his Longlife Turtle egg hatched, he bound the hatchling to himself and named it Xiaoqing.

• Aaron salvaged a living Longlife Turtle egg from Ye Jiuniang's belongings and chose several spells to keep as cultivation alternatives.
• Ten years later, Aaron returned to Spirit Herb Island after breaking through to the middle stage of Qi Refinement and found his cave mechanisms undisturbed.
• Aaron cultivated the Bright Jade Art, which changed his bones and helped him break through the Bone-Shrinking Art's bottleneck.
• After another decade, Aaron reached the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refinement, and the Longlife Turtle egg began to hatch.
• Aaron used the Blood Pact Seal to bind the newborn turtle, named it Xiaoqing, and decided it would have to grow slowly without a spirit vein or spring.

Aaron reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement and gained an opportunity for Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, but rejected the risky breakthrough and decided to seek Foundation Establishment Pills. He flew to Great Marsh Prefecture City, where Old Madam Bai watched a departing banquet guest with a dazed expression.

• Aaron advanced the Bright Jade Art to its tenth layer and reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement, triggering an opportunity for Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.
• Aaron refused the natural breakthrough because it could fail, choosing instead to plan for Foundation Establishment Pills.
• Aaron reflected on his age, emotional numbness, and need for new experiences, then visited Xiaoqing and checked on the growing Nine-Eyed Begonias.
• Aaron flew to Great Marsh Prefecture City, where the Heavenly Snake Gang controlled Three Waters Wharf.
• At Old Madam Bai's seventieth-birthday banquet, Old Madam Bai watched a departing guest and failed to respond to her relatives' congratulations.

Aaron traveled toward Three Mountains Market with Qian Fu'er and Shen Zui while probing them for information about the region and the war that shaped it. He learned that Azure Cauldron Sect’s Patriarch Azure Pill was the Golden Core cultivator who defeated the Black Blood Sect’s ambush—and realized that his enemy was still alive.

• Qian Fu'er explained that Three Mountains Market lay in East Gate Valley, a buffer zone between Forest Kingdom and Martial Kingdom governed by the Three Mountains Association.
• Aaron asked about the war sixty-five years earlier, and Qian Fu'er described the devastation it brought to Rogue Cultivators and smaller factions.
• Aaron asked about lodging and East Gate Family, and Qian Fu'er said the family had defected to the demonic path and relocated to Martial Kingdom.
• After Shen Zui shared his wine, Qian Fu'er revealed that Azure Cauldron Sect had hidden a newly advanced Golden Core cultivator who wounded the Black Blood Sect Master and ended the fighting.
• Qian Fu'er identified the cultivator as Patriarch Azure Pill, and Aaron realized his enemy was still alive.

Aaron visited Three Mountains Market to sell spirit herbs, buy supplies, and consider expanding his talisman business. He left after selling stolen Black Blood Sect artifacts, keeping a few items for himself.

• Aaron reflected that Azure Pill had become a Golden Core patriarch and considered waiting for him to die of old age before seeking revenge.
• Aaron parted ways with Shen Zui and Qian Fu'er at Three Mountains Market, then browsed the market and examined his talisman-crafting skills and potential profits.
• Aaron sold century-old Cinnabar Red Ginseng and Black Marrow Ganoderma to Hundred Herbs Hall for spirit stones, while the shopkeeper warned an assistant not to target him.
• Aaron bought medicinal herb seeds and left Three Mountains Market.
• Several days later, Aaron sold most of the stolen Black Blood Sect magical artifacts at Heavenly Craft Pavilion, keeping the Hundred Ghost Banner, Black Cloud Veil, and inkstone.

Aaron sold loot to buy openly usable artifacts, then turned to talisman crafting and opened Little Talisman Hall in Three Mountains Market. The shop began business with a half-price opening sale, while Qian Fu'er and Shen Zui celebrated Aaron’s unexpected career as a talisman master.

• Aaron bought an Octagonal Shield, an Azure Cloud Boat, and a spirit beast pouch, while keeping his more conspicuous treasures hidden as trump cards.
• Aaron rented a cave residence and found that his talisman-crafting skill produced some Fireball Talismans and Golden Light Talismans but no Spring Return Talismans.
• Aaron tried selling his talismans at a market stall, found the business slow, and decided to rent a storefront instead.
• Aaron opened Little Talisman Hall in a remote corner of Three Mountains Market and advertised a half-price sale.
• Qian Fu'er and Shen Zui visited to congratulate Aaron and expressed surprise that he was a talisman master.

After Little Talisman Hall lost money, Aaron hired Lin Yuanping and discovered that the young clerk descended from the Lin Family, though he chose not to acknowledge their connection. Aaron bought two rare spells from Myriad Arts Pavilion, while a dark-faced man arrived in Three Mountains Market seeking spells and manuals.

• Aaron decided to hire a clerk, and Qian Fu'er brought Lin Yuanping to Little Talisman Hall for a trial.
• Aaron used the Soul-Confusing Art to learn Lin Yuanping came from Little Lin Village and recognized him as a descendant of the Lin Family.
• Aaron hired Lin Yuanping for one spirit stone a month, with lodging included, and had him learn the talisman prices.
• Aaron visited Myriad Arts Pavilion and bought the Wind Wings Technique and Thunderstrike Technique from Shopkeeper You.
• A few days later, a dark-faced burly man entered a secluded shop in Three Mountains Market and asked whether the spells and manuals he had requested were ready.

Aaron visited a Secret Shop seeking an alchemy inheritance and the Demonic Flame Art, then attended an auction where he bought the forbidden art but failed to obtain an alchemy manual or find a Foundation Establishment Pill. Meanwhile, Lin Yuanping ignored Aaron’s warnings about a dangerous cave expedition, profited from it, and returned to work more eager to take risks.

• Aaron learned that an alchemy inheritance and the Demonic Flame Art would be offered at an upcoming auction, and he bought the Breath Concealment Art and an invitation from the Secret Shop proprietor.
• Lin Yuanping asked Aaron for leave to explore a cultivator’s cave abode, and Aaron warned him that the expedition could be a trap.
• At the clandestine auction, Aaron lost the bidding for the alchemy inheritance but bought the Demonic Flame Art for five hundred spirit stones.
• Aaron found no Foundation Establishment Pills at the auction and returned to Little Talisman Hall disappointed.
• Lin Yuanping returned safely from the cave expedition with spirit stones, cultivation techniques, and two mid-grade magical artifacts, leaving him more willing to take risks.

Aaron mastered the Demonic Flame Art and improved his talisman-making, then supplied premium Diamond Talismans to Little Talisman Hall. By year’s end, the shop had turned a profit, giving Aaron a path toward saving for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

• Aaron practiced the Wind Wing, Thunderstrike, and Breath Concealment Techniques before learning the Demonic Flame Art.
• Aaron summoned Black Sun Demonic Fire, found that it barely consumed his vast lifespan, and tested its power by burning through the remains of a low-grade magical artifact.
• Aaron successfully made a Vajra Talisman after several failed attempts and began supplying Diamond Talismans to Little Talisman Hall.
• Lin Yuanping sold Diamond Talismans to customers, and Little Talisman Hall attracted more business with its premium stock.
• Aaron discovered the shop had earned more than seventy spirit stones after expenses and planned to save for a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Aaron renewed Little Talisman Hall’s lease with Jin Buhuan and watched Lin Yuanping continue pursuing cave-abode expeditions with Qingshan Wanderer and White Crane Fairy. When the pair invited Aaron to help open a hidden realm, he suspected they had used Lin Yuanping as bait to target him.

• Jin Buhuan asked Aaron to raise the shop’s rent, and they agreed to renew the lease at 120 low-grade spirit stones a year.
• Lin Yuanping asked Aaron for two days off to explore with White Crane Fairy and Qingshan Wanderer, and Aaron allowed him to go despite his misgivings.
• The next day, Lin Yuanping brought White Crane Fairy and Qingshan Wanderer to Aaron’s cave abode and introduced them as close friends.
• White Crane Fairy asked Aaron to help break the array protecting a hidden realm and offered to split the profits equally.
• Aaron suspected the pair had manipulated Lin Yuanping’s greed to lure him into a trap, while Lin Yuanping vouched for their trustworthiness.

Aaron learned that Shopkeeper You and the Enchantress Bandits planned to lure him into an expedition for his talisman-master inheritance, so he ambushed her before she could gather reinforcements. He killed her with Black Sun Demonic Fire, leaving the bandits’ plot and backing unresolved.

• Aaron pretended to hesitate when Qingshan Wanderer and White Crane Fairy invited him to join an expedition, then kept Lin Yuanping behind for questioning.
• White Crane Fairy and Qingshan reported back to Shopkeeper You at the Myriad Arts Pavilion, where she revealed her plan to seize Aaron’s talisman-master inheritance and ordered reinforcements gathered.
• Shopkeeper You left East Gate Valley, but Aaron intercepted her less than a hundred li away while disguised as a demonic-path cultivator.
• Shopkeeper You attacked Aaron with flying daggers, but he blocked them with his artifacts and a Vajra Talisman before trapping her in the Hundred Ghost Banner’s mist.
• Aaron concealed himself in the ghostly mist and struck Shopkeeper You with Black Sun Demonic Fire, burning her to ashes.

Aaron helped expose Myriad Arts Pavilion as a demonic force, then spent a year improving his talisman-making. When Jin Buhuan offered to sell him a shop for 2,500 spirit stones, Aaron withheld his answer and sent Lin Yuanping to investigate.

• Aaron hosted Qian Fu'er and Shen Zui when Three Mountains Association patrolmen announced that Myriad Arts Pavilion was a demonic force and issued warrants for Madam You, Qingshan Wanderer, and White Crane Fairy.
• The Three Mountains Association raided Myriad Arts Pavilion and several hideouts but failed to find the women's main nest, while Lin Yuanping gave up adventuring and worked diligently.
• A year later, Aaron successfully drew a Fire Feather Arrow Talisman and took it to Little Talisman Hall.
• Jin Buhuan offered to sell Aaron the shop deed for 2,500 spirit stones, saying he needed money for his thirteenth concubine's bride price.
• Aaron told Lin Yuanping to investigate recent events and gather information about Jin Buhuan before deciding whether to buy the shop.

Aaron learned that the Azure Cauldron Sect’s Golden Core cultivator had died, putting Three Mountains Market at risk of invasion and war. He bought Jin Buhuan’s shop at a steep discount and prepared to evacuate.

• Aaron refused Jin Buhuan’s first offer to sell his shop and planned to leave Little Talisman Hall in Lin Yuanping’s care while he traveled.
• Shen Zui and Red Whisk Fairy visited to invite Aaron to their Dao companion ceremony and revealed that the Azure Cauldron Sect’s old Golden Core cultivator had likely died.
• Aaron realized Three Mountains Market could soon be caught in a war and decided to move his valuables and lie low elsewhere.
• Aaron confronted Jin Buhuan about withholding the dangerous news and negotiated the shop’s price down to nine hundred spirit stones.
• Aaron and Jin Buhuan completed the shop transfer at the Three Mountains Association.

At Shen Zui’s wedding feast, news of an impending war emptied Three Mountains Market, and Aaron prepared to leave. Just as he joined Shen Zui and Zi Xinchen’s family to travel together, the Three Mountains Association’s new leader arrived with a terrifying spirit beast that Shen Zui identified as a third-rank Longlife Turtle.

• Aaron attended Shen Zui’s wedding and declined Qian Fu’er’s offer to find him a Dao companion.
• Guests began leaving after receiving news of the Azure Cauldron Sect leader’s death, Martial Kingdom mobilization, and the Black Blood Sect recalling its disciples.
• Aaron left Three Mountains Market the next day and met Shen Zui and Zi Xinchen’s family preparing to depart amid chaos beyond East Gate Valley.
• Foundation Establishment cultivators announced that the new Association Head, Ancestor Hongyu, was clearing the area with her spirit beast.
• Ancestor Hongyu arrived atop a huge beast and threatened those who dared offend the Three Mountains Association, while Shen Zui recognized it as a third-rank Longlife Turtle.

Three years after Patriarch Hongyu and her third-rank Longlife Turtle helped avert the crisis at Three Mountains Market, Aaron returned and heard cultivators recount how the Miao Family turtle had advanced and secured the Three Mountains Association’s rise. Back at Little Talisman Hall, he found the ruined Jin Buhuan outside and warned Lin Yuanping to be wary of him.

• Three years after the crisis, Aaron returned to Three Mountains Market once he confirmed the Black Blood Sect had made no major moves.
• Cultivators in a teahouse explained that Patriarch Hongyu came from the Miao Family and that its Longlife Turtle had advanced to the Golden Core realm with the Three Mountains Association’s support.
• Aaron compared Xiaoqing with the Longlife Turtle and urged his spirit beast to grow faster.
• Aaron found Jin Buhuan sitting outside Little Talisman Hall, impoverished and reduced to Qi Refining Early Stage after being robbed and abandoned.
• Aaron told Lin Yuanping to keep the shop door locked and to be wary of Jin Buhuan.

Over the years, Aaron watched old friends pass away and new generations grow up, while he remained at Qi Refinement Great Perfection. When Shen Zui reported that a Foundation Establishment Pill would be auctioned, Aaron committed his resources to pursuing it and attended the grand auction, where the crowd waited for the pill to appear.

• Qian Fu'er died peacefully, and Aaron saw his old friend off.
• Shen Zui and the Red Whisk Fairy welcomed a daughter, Shen Qingchen, who had dual spiritual roots.
• Twenty years later, Shen Zui told Aaron that a Foundation Establishment Pill would be offered at the Three Mountains Association's grand auction.
• Aaron said he had mortgaged Little Talisman Hall and borrowed spiritual stones to prepare for the auction, while Shen Zui promised to help.
• Aaron checked his attributes and resolved to establish his foundation in a cave dwelling near Patriarch Hongyu's turtle-rearing pond if he obtained the pill.
• At the grand auction, disguised as a black-faced demonic cultivator, Aaron watched the bidding begin as other high-level Qi Refinement cultivators waited for the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Aaron attended an auction where competition between Golden Core sects drove the price of a Foundation Establishment Pill beyond his reach. He found an alternative in Meridian Protection Pills, which could prevent a failed Foundation Establishment attempt from killing him, and resolved to buy as many as he could.

• The auctioneer sold a Foundation Establishment Pill, and bids from the Song Family and others quickly pushed its price upward.
• Aaron bid ten thousand spirit stones, but disciples from the Azure Cauldron Sect and the Black Blood Sect outbid him, and Senior Brother Zhang won the pill for more than fifteen thousand spirit stones.
• Aaron worried that revealing his wealth might bring trouble after the auction and decided not to raise his bid further.
• The auctioneer offered three Meridian Protection Pills and explained that they protected meridians during a failed Foundation Establishment attempt but did not improve the chance of success.
• Aaron decided to buy as many Meridian Protection Pills as he could so he could survive repeated attempts at Foundation Establishment.

After the auction, Aaron secluded himself in a spirit-vein cave dwelling and attempted Foundation Establishment with a Vein-Protecting Pill. He succeeded on his first try, discovered his new realm’s strength, and considered replacing his magical artifacts.

• Aaron entered seclusion after the auction and swallowed a Vein-Protecting Pill before attempting Foundation Establishment.
• Aaron compressed his mana into liquid true essence, broke through to the eleventh level of the Bright Jade Art, and successfully established his foundation.
• Aaron tested his divine sense and found that it reached nearly a hundred zhang, far beyond what he expected for a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator.
• Aaron used his new true essence mana to activate the Hundred Ghost Banner and decided he needed to replace his magical artifacts, though their cost worried him.

After successfully establishing Foundation, Aaron emerged from Peach Blossom Hollow and revealed his new cultivation to the Three Mountains Association. He returned his cave abode and reunited with Shen Zui, Shen Qingchen, and Zi Xinchen, who congratulated him on his breakthrough.

• The Three Friends of Blue Skull Mountain plotted to rob Aaron if his Foundation Establishment attempt failed, but Aaron’s newly revealed Foundation Establishment divine sense frightened them into fleeing.
• Aaron decided to abandon his demonic cultivator identity and planned to wait until the Three Friends left Three Mountains Market before killing them.
• Aaron returned his cave abode token to the Three Mountains Association and received his remaining spirit stones.
• Shen Zui, Shen Qingchen, and Zi Xinchen waited anxiously outside Aaron’s former cave abode, believing he was in seclusion attempting Foundation Establishment.
• Aaron approached them in white, and Zi Xinchen bowed to congratulate him on successfully establishing Foundation.

After Aaron established his foundation, he cultivated in his cave abode and received a visit from Zhong Wuyou of the Three Mountains Association. Zhong Wuyou revealed that the Association had dealt with Steward Huang, while Aaron remained a potential recruit.

• Aaron sacrificed demon beast flesh to the Spirit of Void and learned that his Foundation Establishment strength could not open a passage between worlds.
• Aaron released Xiaoqing, now an early Qi Refinement spirit beast, and considered how it might be useful without harming its growth.
• After a month of cultivation, Aaron’s Bright Jade Art reached the eleventh layer, and he accepted an invitation from the Three Mountains Association.
• Zhong Wuyou visited Aaron and praised his determination in attempting Foundation Establishment.
• Zhong Wuyou told Aaron that the Three Mountains Association had dealt with the misbehaving steward surnamed Huang.

Aaron accepted the Three Mountains Association’s offer to become a guest elder in exchange for access to a cave abode, while avoiding fixed duties and payments. After Zhong Wuyou reported back, Miao Hongyu decided Aaron should be watched before the Association entrusted him with more valuable resources.

• Zhong Wuyou presented Aaron with a high-grade White Cloud Shuttle and an ancient artifact-refining inheritance as gifts from Miao Hongyu.
• Aaron weighed the Association’s offer and agreed to become a guest elder, gaining the right to use a cave abode without a fixed stipend or compulsory missions.
• After Zhong Wuyou departed, Aaron reflected that cultivation without factional backing made spirit veins and second-tier resources difficult to obtain.
• Zhong Wuyou reported Aaron’s background and limited combat experience to Miao Hongyu, noting his talent as a first-tier talisman master.
• Miao Hongyu ordered Zhong Wuyou to observe Aaron before granting him a second-tier inheritance, while her hatred of the Black Blood Sect remained evident.