Recaps

Lu Ye tracked down Liu Ruyin, who had arranged an attack on him, and killed her after learning she had acted out of greed. Back at the cave, he reflected on his inexperience in battle and discovered that the saber he had taken from the fair-skinned cultivator suited him better than his damaged longsword.

• Lu Ye pursued the fleeing attacker with Spiritual Power gathered in his legs and recognized her as Liu Ruyin.
• Big Tiger blocked Liu Ruyin, and Yiyi’s ambush gave Lu Ye the opening to cut off her arm.
• Lu Ye questioned Liu Ruyin, learned she had targeted him out of greed, and killed her.
• Lu Ye took Liu Ruyin’s Storage Bag and ordered Yiyi to deal with the corpse before collecting the fair-skinned cultivator’s belongings.
• At the cave, Lu Ye treated his wounds and reflected on his lack of combat skill and his poor fit with the longsword.
• Lu Ye found that the fair-skinned cultivator’s saber felt unexpectedly good in his hands.

Lu Ye discovered that the saber he had acquired was a Spiritual Artifact and divided the spoils with Yiyi. After warning her to leave the area, he prepared to move on and examined the Merit shown on his Battlefield Mark.

• Lu Ye tested the saber and found that its Spiritual Pattern reinforced the blade, making it a durable Spiritual Artifact he could further strengthen with Sharpness.
• Yiyi told Lu Ye that she had dealt with the other corpse, and he split the loot with her while keeping the saber.
• Lu Ye warned Yiyi that the Merchant Alliance might investigate Liu Ruyin’s death and told her to leave the area; he planned to depart soon himself.
• Lu Ye inventoried his supplies and realized he had enough Spiritual Pills to cultivate to Spirit Stream Tier Three.
• Lu Ye checked his Battlefield Mark, saw that his cultivation had reached the Twenty-First Aperture and his Merit was eight, and suspected Merit came from killing people.

Lu Ye sold Primordial Magnetic Ore at the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild and bought a map and supplies before returning to his cave. He used the map to locate the Crimson Blood Sect camp and learned he would need to travel west across a quarter of the battlefield's outer edge to reach it.

• Lu Ye recalled how Liu Ruyin had learned about his ore sales, grown greedy, and helped the fair-skinned man pursue him before both were killed.
• Lu Ye sold twelve pieces of Primordial Magnetic Ore at the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild and received more than six hundred Spirit Stones, a White Jade Disk map, pills, and other goods.
• Lu Ye exchanged his Spirit Stones for food and daily necessities, then returned to his cave with fourteen pieces of Primordial Magnetic Ore remaining.
• Lu Ye activated the Ten-Part Map of the Spirit Stream Battlefield and learned that his current location was near Green Cloud Market Three on Green Cloud Mountain.
• Lu Ye found the Crimson Blood Sect on the map and determined he needed to head west across a quarter of the battlefield's outer edge.

Lu Ye planned his route to the Crimson Blood Sect's camp, while Yiyi asked him to take her and Big Tiger along. After Yiyi argued that they could help him, Lu Ye began to consider the proposal.

• Lu Ye studied the Ten-Part Map and planned a route to the Crimson Blood Sect's camp.
• Yiyi asked Lu Ye to take her and Big Tiger with him because their home was no longer safe.
• Lu Ye refused, and Yiyi accused him of being a pervert after he called her too small.
• Yiyi persuaded Lu Ye that she and Big Tiger could help him scare off enemies, travel quickly, and launch sneak attacks.

Lu Ye agreed to travel with Yiyi and Big Tiger after setting rules for their cooperation, and Yiyi led him to a hidden cave to claim two Barrier Breaking Fruits. There, Big Tiger attacked the Serpent Demon guarding the fruit tree and was quickly overwhelmed, leaving Lu Ye to strike.

• Lu Ye accepted Yiyi and Big Tiger as companions after they agreed to his three rules for working together.
• Yiyi and Big Tiger guided Lu Ye to a hidden cave where a Serpent Demon guarded a Barrier Breaking Fruit Tree.
• Lu Ye and Big Tiger entered the scorching cavern while Yiyi waited outside, unable to endure the heat.
• The Serpent Demon attacked Big Tiger, biting and binding him while its fiery Demonic Energy protected it from harm.
• Lu Ye used the clash as cover, charged in, and struck the Serpent Demon with his saber.

Lu Ye and Big Tiger killed the Great Serpent guarding the Barrier Breaking Fruit Tree and collected its Barrier Breaking Fruits. When Lu Ye’s Talent Tree absorbed the cave’s hidden fiery power, two leaves ignited, a third changed, and the cave cooled as the fruit tree withered.

• Lu Ye and Big Tiger worked together to wound the Great Serpent, and Lu Ye killed it by thrusting his blade through its head.
• Lu Ye praised Big Tiger, confirmed the serpent was dead, and collected the two Barrier Breaking Fruits.
• Lu Ye felt a disturbance in his Source Spirit Aperture and sent Big Tiger outside while the Talent Tree drew fiery power from the Barrier Breaking Fruit Tree.
• Two Talent Tree leaves burst into flames and a third changed as the fruit tree withered and the lava cave lost its heat.
• Lu Ye realized the Talent Tree had absorbed the scorching power hidden in the cave.

Lu Ye left the karst cave after killing the Serpent Demon and traveled with Yiyi and Big Tiger toward the direction indicated by his War Imprint. That night, he rested in a sheltered hollow, shared out the serpent meat, and practiced his saber strikes.

• Lu Ye sensed that the Talent Tree was inside his Source Spirit Aperture, then cut up the Serpent Demon's corpse and stored its meat.
• Lu Ye met Yiyi and Big Tiger, treated Big Tiger's wound with a Healing Pill, and rode with them toward the mountain's foot.
• After a day of travel, Lu Ye arrived at a natural hollow, where Yiyi laughed at his sore, awkward gait from riding Big Tiger.
• Lu Ye offered Yiyi a share of his Barrier Breaking Fruits, and she explained that Big Tiger could eat Spirit Stones and only needed two Spiritual Pills a day.
• Lu Ye roasted and ate the snake meat, then practiced chopping with his saber while Yiyi watched and Big Tiger slept.

Lu Ye endured the painful revelation of a new Talent Tree Spiritual Pattern and discovered Guard, a powerful defensive ability that consumed significant Spiritual Power. He postponed examining the third pattern and began investigating whether the Talent Tree explained why pill-based cultivation had no hidden dangers.

• After warning Yiyi that he might pass out, Lu Ye focused on a burning Talent Tree leaf and endured a torrent of information without losing consciousness.
• Lu Ye calmed down and identified the new Spiritual Pattern as Guard, then formed a triangular shield of Spiritual Light on his palm.
• Lu Ye tested Guard and found its defense far stronger than his protective Spiritual Power, though it consumed an entire Spiritual Aperture’s reserves.
• Lu Ye decided to wait several days before examining the third Spiritual Pattern and swallowed a Spirit Nurturing Pill to investigate the Talent Tree’s connection to safe pill cultivation.

Lu Ye discovered that the Talent Tree purified pill-tainted Spiritual Power in his Source Spirit Aperture, eliminating the dangers of cultivating with pills. He continued traveling with Yiyi and Big Tiger, reached Green Cloud Market Five, and began cultivating toward his Twenty-Second Aperture.

• Lu Ye observed the Talent Tree burn away Pill Toxin from Spiritual Power passing through his Source Spirit Aperture, then realized it expelled the toxin from his body as gray vapor.
• Lu Ye practiced his saber at dawn, traveled with Yiyi and Big Tiger, and gradually learned to cultivate while riding Big Tiger.
• Lu Ye and his companions continued across Green Cloud Mountain, resting and cultivating along the way.
• Lu Ye reached Green Cloud Market Five and entered it with Big Tiger, attracting attention from the market’s cultivators.
• Lu Ye paid a Spirit Nurturing Pill for a room at the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild, fed Big Tiger a pill, and began cultivating toward his Twenty-Second Aperture.

Lu Ye broke through another aperture and awakened the Spirit Gathering Spiritual Pattern, which drew in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy but seemed less useful to him than his other patterns. After trading two pieces of Primordial Magnetic Ore, he saved his Spirit Stones and was approached by a cultivator offering a cultivation technique.

• Lu Ye broke through the barrier of his Twenty-Second Aperture without using a Barrier Breaking Fruit.
• Lu Ye examined the Talent Tree’s third burning leaf and learned the Spirit Gathering Spiritual Pattern, which gathered Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy and could be maintained with little expenditure.
• Lu Ye dismissed the pattern, practiced swinging his saber through the night, and traded two pieces of Primordial Magnetic Ore at Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild for one hundred and three Spirit Stones.
• A sharp-mouthed Tier Two cultivator approached Lu Ye outside the guild and offered him a technique that supposedly doubled cultivation efficiency.

Lu Ye bought the supposedly efficiency-boosting Taotie Meal technique from Chen He for three Spirit Stones, then discovered its simple circulation route and wondered how it worked. He continued toward the Crimson Blood Sect camp, knowing the journey would take a long time but traveling with Yiyi and Big Tiger.

• Chen He swore a Heaven's Mystery Oath that his technique was genuine, and Lu Ye bought it for three Spirit Stones after Chen He accepted his low offer.
• A cultivator told Lu Ye that the technique was useless and admitted he had been scammed too; Lu Ye suggested the man sell it himself, then rode away on Big Tiger.
• Lu Ye identified the technique as Taotie Meal and found that its fifteen Spiritual Apertures mostly overlapped with those of his Golden Cicada Free and Unfettered Art.
• Lu Ye compared his route on the Ten-Part Map and calculated that reaching the Crimson Blood Sect camp would take a very long time.

After half a month on the road, Lu Ye reached Sky-Rending Gorge with Big Tiger and Yiyi, having advanced to twenty-five opened apertures. When Big Tiger sensed Yiyi was in trouble, Lu Ye followed it to a camp where four cultivators had trapped her inside a Spiritual Artifact.

• Lu Ye arrived at Sky-Rending Gorge and studied the map, noting the nearby Nine Stars Sect and Mystic Gate camps.
• Lu Ye chose a rocky campsite for the night while Yiyi went to scout the area.
• Lu Ye worried that Big Tiger's growing appetite for Spirit Nurturing Pills would leave him short of pills for cultivation.
• Big Tiger sensed that Yiyi was in danger and raced toward her, with Lu Ye following on its back.
• Lu Ye found Yiyi trapped inside a great bell Spiritual Artifact guarded by four cultivators at Spirit Stream Tiers Two through Four.

Lu Ye and Big Tiger ambushed four cultivators to rescue Yiyi, who was trapped inside a Mystic Spirit Bell. After Big Tiger charged in, Lu Ye used a Fire Serpent Talisman to break through the body cultivator's defenses and cut his throat, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Lu Ye and Big Tiger watched the four cultivators and learned that the young master had trapped Yiyi inside his Mystic Spirit Bell.
• Brother Zhang punched the bell and injured Yiyi, provoking Big Tiger to charge out of hiding.
• Lu Ye followed Big Tiger and rushed toward the young master, but the solidly built body cultivator blocked his path.
• Lu Ye launched a Fire Serpent Talisman at the body cultivator, who endured the flames with a Golden Body Talisman and charged back at him.
• Lu Ye slashed the body cultivator's throat with his saber, leaving the man gasping as his hammer fell.

Lu Ye killed two of Zhang Wu’s companions and captured the young master, forcing Zhang Wu to release Yiyi from the Mystic Spirit Bell. After Yiyi escaped, Lu Ye shoved the young master away and killed him, leaving Zhang Wu furious.

• Lu Ye used his saber and Spiritual Patterns to kill the Body Cultivator and the woman, then captured the young master.
• Zhang Wu’s attack sent Big Tiger crashing into a rock wall, but Lu Ye held the young master hostage and demanded that Yiyi be released.
• Lu Ye stabbed the young master’s thigh and cut off his arm when Zhang Wu delayed, forcing the young master to recall the Mystic Spirit Bell.
• Yiyi escaped the bell and joined Big Tiger, while Zhang Wu offered a Heaven’s Mystery Oath in exchange for the young master’s release.
• Lu Ye shoved the young master forward and then cut his throat, prompting Zhang Wu to roar in anger.

Lu Ye, Big Tiger, and Yiyi fought Zhang Wu and the young master, killing the young master and leaving Zhang Wu gravely wounded. As Zhang Wu invoked the Nine Stars Sect and attacked again, Lu Ye noticed a red glow on his hand, and the clash continued.

• Lu Ye kicked the wounded young master toward Zhang Wu and stabbed through the young master's chest as Zhang Wu caught him.
• Big Tiger and Yiyi attacked Zhang Wu together, helping Lu Ye drive his saber through Zhang Wu's chest.
• The young master fell dead, while Zhang Wu survived with a severe wound and threatened Lu Ye with the Nine Stars Sect's revenge.
• Zhang Wu activated a red glow on the back of his hand, and Lu Ye charged him as Big Tiger and Yiyi joined the fight again.
• Zhang Wu kicked Big Tiger away, blasted Yiyi off his back, and sent a streak of saber light toward Lu Ye.

Lu Ye killed Zhang Wu after a brutal battle, then collapsed while fleeing with Big Tiger and Yiyi. At the battlefield, Cao Ye ordered a search for the saber-wielding youth, and Wang Yang of the Mystic Gate appeared before him.

• Lu Ye used the Defense Spirit Pattern and fought alongside Big Tiger and Yiyi to kill Zhang Wu, but suffered severe wounds and exhausted much of his Spiritual Power.
• Lu Ye gathered the Storage Bags and Mystic Spirit Bell, then rode Big Tiger toward Sky-Rending Gorge before passing out.
• Cao Ye arrived at the battlefield, examined the dead disciples, and ordered a search for a youth traveling with a White Tiger.
• Cao Ye issued rewards for clues, killing, or capturing the fugitive, and inferred that the youth had greater strength than Zhang Wu's message indicated.
• Wang Yang appeared from the darkness, and Cao Ye recognized the stronger Mystic Gate cultivator as a dangerous adversary.

After learning that a youth with a White Tiger had killed the Nine Stars Sect’s young master, Wang Yang launched a hunt while Cao Ye escaped to report to Dong Shuye. The Nine Stars Sect began sealing off the area, and Cao Ye planned to retrieve the young master’s body the next day.

• Wang Yang questioned Cao Ye about the young master’s killer, then attacked the Nine Stars Sect group with Xiao Zhu when Cao Ye tried to flee.
• Wang Yang and Xiao Zhu killed two of the three Nine Stars Sect disciples, while Cao Ye and the remaining disciple escaped.
• Wang Yang ordered Xiao Zhu to begin a hunt and watch for the youth with a White Tiger.
• Cao Ye returned to the Nine Stars Sect camp wounded and told Dong Shuye that Wang Yang had confronted him.
• Dong Shuye and Cao Ye concluded that the Mystic Gate had probably not killed the young master, and Cao Ye said he would retrieve the body the next day.

Lu Ye woke from a day and night of unconsciousness inside Sky-Rending Gorge, where the Nine Stars Sect was searching for him after he killed their young master and Zhang Five. He reassured Yiyi that rescuing her was his responsibility, then warned that they might have to part ways if she could not control Amber.

• Lu Ye woke in a passage inside Sky-Rending Gorge and found that Yiyi had bound his wounds while he was unconscious.
• Yiyi told Lu Ye that Nine Stars Sect cultivators were searching nearby and that they had become lost in the gorge's maze.
• Lu Ye reasoned that he could not face the Nine Stars Sect alone and hoped the nearby Mystic Gate might intervene, though he could not approach them directly.
• Yiyi apologized for getting trapped by the Mystic Spirit Bell, but Lu Ye told her that saving her had been the right thing to do.
• Lu Ye said they might have to go their separate ways if Yiyi could not control Amber, leaving her confused.

After rescuing Yiyi, Lu Ye recovered in a passage inside Sky-Rending Gorge and prepared to advance to Spirit Stream Tier Three. He broke through the Twenty-Seventh Aperture and began his advancement, leaving his cultivation surging around him.

• Yiyi scolded Amber for rushing into danger during her rescue, and Lu Ye warned them not to repeat the mistake.
• Lu Ye discovered that his Twenty-Sixth Aperture barrier had loosened and checked his Merit, which had risen to thirty-four after he killed four cultivators.
• Lu Ye replenished his Spiritual Power while Yiyi and Amber watched both ends of the passage.
• After recovering, Lu Ye decided to raise his cultivation before leaving the passage, then opened and filled his Twenty-Seventh Aperture.
• Lu Ye circulated Spiritual Power through his apertures until he broke through the bottleneck and began advancing to Spirit Stream Tier Three.

After recovering and reaching Spirit Stream Tier Three, Lu Ye left his hiding place with Yiyi and Big Tiger as Mystic Gate and Nine Stars Sect fought across Sky-Rending Gorge. He discovered the war declaration made the two sides easy to identify and watched a Mystic Gate group being overwhelmed, leaving him poised to use the conflict to escape.

• Lu Ye completed the Golden Cicada Free and Unfettered Art, advanced to Spirit Stream Tier Three, and assessed how his cultivation and combat skills had improved.
• After his injuries healed, Lu Ye left the tunnel with Yiyi and Big Tiger, intending to rely on Mystic Gate’s strength to get out of Sky-Rending Gorge.
• Lu Ye sent Yiyi ahead to scout while he and Big Tiger followed, then watched seven cultivators fight in a gorge passage.
• Lu Ye noticed that the fighters’ hand marks glowed in different colors, revealing which cultivators belonged to Mystic Gate and Nine Stars Sect.
• Wang Yang used Mystic Gate’s Heaven’s Mystery Pillar to declare war on Nine Stars Sect, forcing Dong Shuye to accept and causing the Battlefield Marks to identify each side during combat.

Lu Ye and Amber ambushed the three Nine Stars Sect cultivators who were driving the Mystic Gate cultivators into despair. Lu Ye killed all three enemies in a brief fight, leaving the Mystic Gate cultivators stunned.

• A Mystic Gate cultivator activated a Golden Wheel Talisman, but the Nine Stars Sect cultivators blocked its attacks with a defensive Spiritual Artifact.
• Lu Ye and Amber charged in from behind the Mystic Gate cultivators, and Lu Ye immediately attacked the Tier Four Nine Stars Sect cultivator.
• Lu Ye pierced the Tier Four cultivator's chest, blocked his counterattack with the Defense Spirit Pattern, and beheaded him.
• A Tier Three cultivator wounded Lu Ye, but Lu Ye killed him with a saber strike after his sword broke against it.
• Lu Ye and Amber joined forces to kill the final Tier Three cultivator, wiping out all three Nine Stars Sect cultivators in about ten breaths.

Lu Ye traded the spoils from his fight for Spiritual Pills from four Mystic Gate cultivators, then continued through Sky-Rending Gorge. He encountered two Nine Stars Sect cultivators who mistook him for an ally, and attacked as soon as they revealed their camp.

• Lu Ye returned to the four Mystic Gate cultivators, exchanged the spoils he had collected for their sixteen Spiritual Pills, and rode away.
• The Mystic Gate group gathered the returned equipment and decided to head back to the Camp to recover.
• Lu Ye checked his gains, saw his Merit rise from thirty-four to fifty-six, treated his wound, and continued through the gorge.
• Yiyi reported that two cultivators were approaching, so Lu Ye hid Amber and went to meet them.
• The two Spirit Stream Tier Three cultivators assumed Lu Ye belonged to their camp and invited him to travel with them.
• When one cultivator revealed his glowing Battlefield Mark, Lu Ye recognized them as targets and charged with his saber.

Lu Ye spent several days hunting Nine Stars Sect cultivators in Sky-Rending Gorge, improving his combat skills and accumulating Spiritual Pills and Merit. As Mystic Gate and Nine Stars Sect squads grew larger, he joined a major battle and swooped in to attack an enemy, drawing a complaint from a Mystic Gate cultivator whose kill he had stolen.

• Lu Ye rested in a mountain passage after three battles, counted his Merit, and replenished his Spiritual Power with Spiritual Pills.
• Lu Ye hunted enemies for several days, learned how Merit was calculated, and became more effective in combat.
• Lu Ye found that Nine Stars Sect had guarded the only exit from Sky-Rending Gorge and had begun deploying larger squads to hunt him.
• Mystic Gate and Nine Stars Sect cultivators fought a battle involving nearly twenty people, and Big Tiger's roar announced Lu Ye's arrival.
• Big Tiger knocked down a Spirit Stream Tier Three enemy while Lu Ye attacked a Spirit Stream Tier Four cultivator, prompting a Mystic Gate fighter to protest that Lu Ye had stolen his kill.

Lu Ye fought alongside Chu Tian and the Mystic Gate cultivators to destroy a Nine Stars Sect group, then accepted compensation and a contact mark while refusing an invitation to visit the Mystic Gate. He rode away after Chu Tian warned him that a Boundless Island cultivator might be among the Nine Stars Sect.

• Lu Ye and Chu Tian killed the Nine Stars Sect cultivator they had cornered, and Chu Tian claimed the red light that emerged from the dead man’s hand.
• The Mystic Gate defeated the Nine Stars Sect group, losing three cultivators while Lu Ye and the survivors were wounded.
• Chu Tian asked Lu Ye’s name, and Lu Ye introduced himself as One Leaf before refusing Wang Yang’s invitation to visit the Mystic Gate.
• Lu Ye agreed to exchange information with the Mystic Gate, and Chu Tian sent a blue light into Lu Ye’s Battlefield Mark.
• Chu Tian warned Lu Ye that a Boundless Island cultivator might be with the Nine Stars Sect, and Lu Ye rode away on Amber.

Mystic Gate’s Wang Yang learned that Lu Ye, known as Mountain Crossing Tiger and One Leaf, had killed many Nine Stars Sect cultivators and could cast a powerful defensive Spiritual Pattern. He refused to help Lu Ye, ordered the war against Nine Stars Sect intensified, and prepared to end it quickly so his larger plan could begin.

• Chu Tian told Wang Yang that Mountain Crossing Tiger had refused the invitation to visit the Mystic Gate camp.
• Xiao Zhu reported that Mountain Crossing Tiger called himself One Leaf, carried a fine Spiritual Artifact, and could cast a defensive Spiritual Pattern powerful enough to block attacks from Spirit Stream Tier Four cultivators.
• Wang Yang concluded that Lu Ye was a disciple of a top-tier sect, but refused Xiao Zhu’s suggestion to help him in secret.
• Wang Yang explained that Lu Ye had helped give him an opportunity to declare war on the Nine Stars Sect before he entered the Inner Circle.
• Xiao Zhu reported thirty deaths, most of them Rogue Cultivators, and Wang Yang ordered the Mystic Gate to increase pressure and end the war quickly.