Recaps

Lu Ye offered the Rogue Cultivators living on Ao Mountain a chance to join the Purple Star Dao Palace, which was preparing to establish itself as a subsidiary sect of the Crimson Blood Sect. As he explained sect ranks to Pang Huanyin, she questioned how the Dao Palace could qualify as Sixth-Rank without True Lake Realm cultivators.

• Lu Ye stopped two Rogue Cultivators who had been gathering herbs and asked how many cultivators lived on Ao Mountain.
• Lu Ye reassured the men that he would not drive them away and invited the Rogue Cultivators to offer Mountain Worship to the Purple Star Dao Palace.
• The two men accepted the news with surprise and decided to spread it among the Rogue Cultivators on Ao Mountain.
• Lu Ye told Pang Huanyin that recruiting local cultivators could help the Dao Palace, but warned her not to rely too heavily on them.
• Lu Ye explained how sect ranks were evaluated, and Pang Huanyin pointed out that the Dao Palace lacked the True Lake Realm cultivators required for Sixth-Rank status.

Lu Ye helped Pang Huanyin plan the Purple Star Dao Palace’s establishment in the Nine Provinces, then returned to the Crimson Blood Sect intending to advance to True Lake. A summons from Vast Sky City arrived, and Shui Yuan prepared to explain the crisis behind it.

• Lu Ye explained sect rankings and the Spirit Stream Battlefield to Pang Huanyin, who chose a Spirit Peak and thirty surrounding peaks for the Purple Star Dao Palace.
• Pang Huanyin planned to return to the Peerless Continent, prepare the Dao Palace cultivators, and bring several Cloud River cultivators to advance to True Lake.
• Lu Ye visited Bright Heart Peak and learned from Xiao Die that Madam Yun was repairing the Dragon Seat with Sect Master Tang.
• Lu Ye returned to Green Bamboo Peak and decided to use his Golden Spirit Signs to advance to True Lake after the Cloud River Battlefield closed.
• Zhao Che arrived with an order from the Council of Elders requiring the Crimson Blood Sect to send at least one disciple to Vast Sky City within three days.
• After Zhao Che left, Shui Yuan gathered Lu Ye, Hua Ci, and Jujia and said she needed to tell them what had happened.

Shui Yuan explained that Crimson Blood Sect had to send Cloud River Realm cultivators to the Bing Province Guard in Vast Sky City, Soldier Province’s defense force, after years of protection from the order. Lu Ye accepted the transfer and planned to go alone, while Shui Yuan began to mention benefits of joining the Guard.

• Shui Yuan explained that the Nine Provinces were divided between the Vast Sky Alliance and Myriad Demon Ridge, with Soldier Province contested by both camps.
• Shui Yuan revealed that sects had to supply members to their Province Guards and that the Sect Master and she already served in the Bing Province Guard.
• Shui Yuan said the Sect Master and Deputy Alliance Master Pang had previously shielded Crimson Blood Sect from the draft, but a new order required at least one member to report to Vast Sky City within three days.
• Lu Ye accepted the order and suspected someone wanted him exposed to danger, while Jujia and Hua Ci offered to go with him.
• Lu Ye decided to scout alone and forbade Jujia and Hua Ci from accompanying him, as Shui Yuan started to explain the benefits of joining the Bing Province Guard.

Shui Yuan explained the Bing Province Guard’s Battle Merit system and cultivation demands to Lu Ye, who prepared to join after receiving a transfer order to Vast Sky City. After studying a map and using a Golden Spirit Sign to cultivate, he departed, while the Sect Master and Madam Yun suspected factions in Vast Sky City were behind the order and feared for his safety.

• Shui Yuan told Lu Ye that the Bing Province Guard paid monthly Battle Merit and explained its missions, ranks, and resource-intensive cultivation above the True Lake Realm.
• Lu Ye sold materials from the Crimson Blood Sect treasury, bought a Ten-Part Map, and studied the Twelve Passes and Vast Sky City’s role in Soldier Province.
• Lu Ye used a Golden Spirit Sign to cultivate for a day and a night before setting out for Vast Sky City to join the Bing Province Guard.
• Shui Yuan watched Lu Ye depart, while the Sect Master and Madam Yun discussed who might be monitoring him and Madam Yun vowed to retaliate if anyone harmed her disciple.

Lu Ye left the Crimson Blood Sect for Vast Sky City but stopped to rescue villagers from a sudden flood. After saving them with Yiyi and Amber, he discovered that the flood threatened a nearby city and rushed to find its source.

• Madam Yun told the Sect Master to go to Vast Sky City after the Dragon Seat was repaired, and he agreed to serve on the Council of Elders.
• Lu Ye encountered a flood that had submerged a village and used the Nine Formation Map to rescue its inhabitants with Yiyi and Amber.
• Clear Spring Sect cultivators arrived and recognized Lu Ye, who spotted the flood advancing toward a nearby city.
• Lu Ye gave Yiyi the Nine Formation Map and flew toward the flood's source while the Clear Spring Sect cultivators went to warn the city and evacuate its people.
• Yiyi released the rescued villagers on high ground, where two former Mine Slaves from Evil Moon Valley recognized Lu Ye and reflected on how their paths had diverged.

Lu Ye halted the flood by forming a barrier across the breached embankment, then killed the water monster responsible for the disaster. After Yuan Chou of Clear Spring Sect arrived and sealed the breach, Lu Ye departed, while the sect’s cultivators discovered the monster’s corpse.

• Lu Ye used Formation Flags to create a protective barrier across the embankment breach, but a water monster dragged him underwater before the formation was complete.
• Yiyi followed Lu Ye into the river and saw his saber light as he fought the monster beneath the surface.
• Lu Ye killed the Demonic General-level water monster, returned to sustain the formation, and stopped the flood from reaching a nearby city.
• Yuan Chou of Clear Spring Sect arrived, thanked Lu Ye, and used stones to stabilize and seal the breach while Lu Ye left.
• Clear Spring Sect cultivators arrived and completed the repairs, then found the water monster’s corpse and realized it had caused the embankment collapse.

Yuan Chou grew suspicious that someone had deliberately used a water monster to delay Lu Ye, who continued toward Vast Sky City after leaving the river. After surviving a clash between rival cultivators, Lu Ye was ambushed by a True Lake Realm spellcaster near a Spirit Peak, just as a familiar figure appeared.

• Yuan Chou wondered whether someone had planted the water monster to keep Lu Ye from reaching Vast Sky City before his summons deadline.
• Lu Ye rested in the wilderness and used his Protective Spirit Array to foil a wounded Myriad Demon Ridge cultivator trying to seize him.
• A pursuing Sword Cultivator killed the black-clothed man after Lu Ye told him to fight without holding back.
• Lu Ye resumed his journey and, near a Spirit Peak, raised a Defense Spirit Pattern against a spell that pursued him through the air.
• A figure with a familiar aura appeared and charged toward the Spirit Peak as Lu Ye realized his guess had been correct.

Lu Ye survived an ambush on the road to Vast Sky City and learned that someone had arranged several incidents to delay or test him. He reached the city before his deadline, but the Order Transmission Division’s guards kept him waiting while its Division Master and a companion discussed his report.

• Shui Yuan wounded the Spell Cultivator who had attacked Lu Ye, then warned Lu Ye that someone was trying to delay him and advised him to keep a low profile in the Bing Province Guard.
• Lu Ye realized the flooding and the fleeing Myriad Demon Ridge Cultivator had been tests to see whether a powerful protector was following him.
• After Shui Yuan assured him there would be no further trouble, Lu Ye continued on and arrived at Vast Sky City around dusk.
• Lu Ye entered the city, where its power activated his Battlefield Mark, and went to the Order Transmission Division to report back before the transfer deadline.
• The guards told Lu Ye to wait because the Division Master was receiving guests, and one refused to announce him when he pressed for an answer.
• Inside, the Division Master continued examining a Jade Slip while her companion warned that Lu Ye's deadline could pass and that Shui Yuan might fight her over it.

Lu Ye reported to the Order Transmission Division in Vast Sky City by barging into the hall, where the Division Master had him sentenced to three lashes and ten days in the Penal Prison. As he entered the prison, he saw a True Lake Realm cultivator suffer terribly from a single lash.

• Lu Ye stormed into the Order Transmission Division and presented the transfer order, fulfilling it before the deadline.
• The Division Master pressured Lu Ye and asked Qian Wudang to name his punishment; Qian Wudang reduced the penalty from beheading to three lashes and ten days in prison.
• Qian Wudang escorted Lu Ye to the Penal Prison and told the prison guards to take him in.
• A prison attendant led Lu Ye past the cells and explained the Guard's strict laws and Lu Ye's punishment.
• Lu Ye watched an executioner lash a defiant True Lake Realm cultivator, who convulsed in agony before letting out a scream.

Lu Ye endured punishment with the Reverse Dragon Thorn before being imprisoned in a Dragon Confinement Gate for ten days. Though the whip inflicted severe pain on his body and soul, he soothed his soul with Soul Cleansing Water and settled in with Amber.

• Old One-Eye whipped a bald cultivator unconscious, then prepared to punish Lu Ye, who had been brought in by order of Division Master Qian Wudang.
• Lu Ye endured three lashes from the Reverse Dragon Thorn without passing out, surprising Old One-Eye with the strength of his soul.
• The middle-aged elder gave Lu Ye healing advice and escorted him into an empty Dragon Confinement Gate, where his Spiritual Power was sealed.
• Lu Ye comforted Amber and Yiyi, then used Soul Cleansing Water to ease the pain in his soul.

Twelve Divine Sea Realm division heads divided up the new Bing Province Guards, but Elder Yu discovered Lu Yiye was missing from the roster and sought to claim him for Heaven's Gate Pass. She learned Lu Ye was imprisoned after offending Qian Wudang and Fan Xiangyi, then began contacting her connections to get him released.

• Twelve division heads selected new guards from a list of cultivators who had reported to Vast Sky City.
• Elder Yu objected that the list omitted Lu Yiye of the Crimson Blood Sect and demanded to know whether he had reported in.
• The Recruitment Division representative confirmed that Lu Yiye had reported several days earlier but had not reached the Recruitment Division because Qian Wudang had sent him to the Penal Prison.
• Elder Yu learned Lu Ye had been sentenced to three lashes and ten days' confinement, with five days already served, and ordered that he be released to register.
• The young man stopped the representative from intervening in the Penal Prison, so Elder Yu sent a message through her Battlefield Mark to arrange Lu Ye's release.

Lu Ye was released from the Penal Prison early and sent to register as a Bing Province Guard, while Fan Xiangyi arranged for someone to prevent the old woman from taking him away. At the Recruitment Division, Lu Ye’s past Battle Merit stunned the cultivators on duty, and he estimated that he had earned several hundred thousand points.

• Fan Xiangyi told Qian Wudang to release Lu Ye, saying someone would stop the old woman from taking him away.
• The Penal Prison released Lu Ye after five days and ordered him to report to the Recruitment Division.
• Lu Ye met Leshan of the Righteous Qi Sect, who warned him that his early release and urgent registration seemed unusual.
• Leshan explained that the Battle Merit Disk would determine Lu Ye’s Military Rank as a Bing Province Guard.
• The Battle Merit Disk’s light shifted to a brilliant yellow, astonishing the Recruitment Division cultivators, and Lu Ye estimated that he had earned several hundred thousand Battle Merit points.

Lu Ye’s accumulated Battle Merit earned him the unusually high initial rank of Lieutenant Guard, so Leshan sent him to the Personnel Affairs Division to receive his Guard Token. After Lu Ye left, Old Man Shi and a woman discussed the political maneuvering around his assignment and doubted that a plan to send him to Heaven’s Gate Pass would proceed easily.

• Leshan explained the nine military ranks and told Lu Ye that his Battle Merit qualified him for a rank beyond the Recruitment Division’s authority to assign.
• Old Man Shi arrived and brought Lu Ye to the Personnel Affairs Division, where a woman confirmed his Battle Merit and issued him a Guard Token.
• Old Man Shi told Lu Ye to remain in Vast Sky City until someone notified him where he would be assigned.
• After Lu Ye left, the woman worried that the Crimson Blood Sect was still being targeted and mentioned the possibility of Lu Ye being sent to Heaven’s Gate Pass.
• Old Man Shi said Qian Wudang and Fan Xiangyi’s connections to the Crimson Blood Sect meant the plan to take Lu Ye to Heaven’s Gate Pass might be thwarted.

Nian Yuexian intercepted Lu Ye’s assignment to Heaven’s Gate Pass and drove off the old woman who wanted to take him there. Lu Ye registered with the Bing Province Guard as a Lieutenant Guard, while Nian Yuexian kept his assignment list.

• The old woman tried to claim Lu Ye’s registration Jade Slip for Heaven’s Gate Pass, but Nian Yuexian appeared and seized it.
• Nian Yuexian refused to hand over the Jade Slip, and the old woman left after their confrontation escalated.
• Nian Yuexian attacked the old woman, injured her, and watched her flee as the main hall collapsed.
• The Law Enforcement Division patrol withdrew without investigating, and Nian Yuexian disappeared with Lu Ye’s assignment list.
• Lu Ye checked his Battlefield Mark and learned his Military Rank was Lieutenant Guard.
• Lu Ye poured Spiritual Power into his Guard Token, making it glow bright yellow.

Lu Ye reported to Azure Flame Mountain Pass and discovered that only its Pass Master, Nian Yuexian, was there. After settling in, he began cultivating while awaiting further orders.

• Lu Ye received orders to report to Azure Flame Mountain Pass and set out from Vast Sky City the next morning.
• Lu Ye found the pass deserted and entered it cautiously, where Nian Yuexian saw through his concealment and took his Guard Token.
• Nian Yuexian registered Lu Ye as a Pass Stationed Captain Guard and told him that only the two of them were at Azure Flame Mountain Pass.
• Lu Ye learned Nian Yuexian’s name, found a place to stay, and built a three-story Bamboo Lodge on a nearby Spirit Peak.
• Lu Ye received no reply when he contacted Nian Yuexian for tasks, so he began cultivating with Golden Spirit Signs alongside Yiyi.

Nian Yuexian secretly witnessed Lu Ye’s extraordinary cultivation method and discovered Yiyi, then left without being noticed. Lu Ye used the remaining Golden Spirit Sign to condense his spiritual power, stabilized his breakthrough into True Lake Tier One, and resumed cultivating with Yiyi and Amber.

• Nian Yuexian slipped into the Bamboo Lodge, observed Lu Ye and Yiyi cultivating, and realized how unusual they were before quietly leaving.
• Seven days later, Lu Ye’s spiritual power surged as he neared the True Lake Realm, and he circulated the Great Sun Glazed Art to condense it.
• Lu Ye continued condensing spiritual power while his Spirit Gathering Funnel absorbed more, eventually completing his first turn and stabilizing at True Lake Tier One.
• Lu Ye recognized the immense increase in his strength and told Yiyi he had reached True Lake.
• Yiyi resolved to keep up with Lu Ye, and she and Lu Ye returned to cultivation while the Golden Spirit Sign remained active.

After finishing his cultivation, Lu Ye discovered that Nian Yuexian wanted a place to stay and began completing her Guard Token missions for Battle Merit. The chapter ended with Nian Yuexian eating the food Lu Ye had prepared for her.

• Nian Yuexian appeared inside Lu Ye's Bamboo Lodge without him noticing, then vanished after praising his Formation Dao and the lodge.
• Lu Ye asked Nian Yuexian for a mission, and she assigned him to find her a place to stay.
• Lu Ye offered her his Bamboo Lodge, earning 2,000 Battle Merit, then built another lodge on a nearby Spirit Peak.
• Nian Yuexian assigned Lu Ye a mission to catch game and prepare food, so he cooked a meal beneath her lodge.
• Yiyi welcomed Nian Yuexian and Lu Ye served her the roasted meat, which she ate without comment.

Lu Ye objected to Nian Yuexian assigning him trivial chores, but she ordered him to fetch Blood Red Trout for soup. He returned to the Crimson Blood Sect under a tight deadline and learned from Shui Yuan that Nian Yuexian was a powerful Rogue Cultivator, leaving him wondering why she was tormenting him.

• Lu Ye overturned his meal and asked Nian Yuexian for proper duties instead of food-related errands.
• Nian Yuexian ordered Lu Ye to bring her Blood Red Trout soup within five days, then kept Yiyi and Amber with her as Lu Ye departed.
• Lu Ye raced to the Crimson Blood Sect and caught Blood Red Trout from Moon Lake after reaching Ao Mountain.
• Lu Ye greeted Shui Yuan and Pang Huanyin, who congratulated him on reaching the True Lake Realm.
• Shui Yuan told Lu Ye that Nian Yuexian was a Rogue Cultivator and that she should call her Senior Sister.
• Lu Ye asked why Nian Yuexian was tormenting him, and Shui Yuan had not yet answered.

Lu Ye learned that Nian Yuexian’s demands came from an old connection to the Crimson Blood Sect, then returned to find Yiyi appointed as Cangyan Mountain Pass’s attendant. He accepted a patrol assignment from Nian Yuexian and gained a new post, though he remained uneasy about the Battle Merit he had earned through her earlier errands.

• Shui Yuan told Lu Ye that Nian Yuexian was making things difficult for him in revenge for how someone from the Crimson Blood Sect had once treated her, but she bore him no ill will.
• Lu Ye returned to Cangyan Mountain Pass and learned that Nian Yuexian had given Yiyi a Guard Token and appointed her Attendant of the pass, supposedly below one person and above ten thousand.
• Nian Yuexian joined Lu Ye, Yiyi, and Amber for fish soup, and Lu Ye asked her to stop issuing him trivial tasks through his Guard Token.
• Nian Yuexian offered Lu Ye three tasks: assassinate her Divine Sea Realm rival Wanzhang Gang, repair the pass’s defenses, or patrol the area; Lu Ye chose the patrol.
• Nian Yuexian made Lu Ye the Cangyan Mountain Pass Patrol Captain Guard, while Amber escaped her attention and Lu Ye noted that his Battle Merit had reached 59,870.

Lu Ye patrolled beyond Cangyan Mountain Pass and discovered a volcanic crater in Myriad Demon Ridge territory, where he hoped to gather Fire Attribute energy for his Talent Tree. After he leaped into the crater, Nian Yuexian left to visit Lone Mountain City and confront Wanzhang Gang.

• Lu Ye set out with Amber and concealed Yiyi to patrol the defensive line around Cangyan Mountain Pass.
• As Lu Ye traveled deeper, he noticed rising heat and a pungent smell, then used the Ten-Part Map to confirm a volcanic crater lay in Myriad Demon Ridge territory.
• Lu Ye recalled Amber and Yiyi, approached the crater alone, and jumped into its boiling lava to absorb its abundant Fire Attribute energy.
• Nian Yuexian, who had secretly followed Lu Ye, watched him enter the crater and decided not to intervene.
• Nian Yuexian headed for Lone Mountain City to visit Wanzhang Gang, whom she had harassed with past incursions.

Lu Ye used the volcanic crater’s heat to awaken a new Spirit Pattern through the Talent Tree, though it was not the Void Spirit Pattern he had hoped for. He then concealed himself when a Myriad Demon Ridge patrol arrived and recognized its leader as an old acquaintance who might now be stationed opposite him at Lone Mountain Pass.

• Lu Ye descended into the crater, protected himself with the Talent Tree, and fed it scorching power while cultivating.
• Lu Ye extended the Talent Tree’s roots into the lava, accelerating its devouring until a new Spirit Pattern awakened.
• Lu Ye learned that the new Spirit Pattern was not the Void Spirit Pattern, then steadied himself by recalling his master’s advice and noticed another set of leaves beginning to ignite.
• Lu Ye sensed a group approaching, concealed his aura, and overheard them identify their leader as Lord Ying, a newly appointed Province Guard officer.
• Lu Ye recognized Lord Ying as the cultivator who had cursed during the Nine Provinces Squad’s desperate battle in Heavenly Saint Hall and wondered whether he was stationed at Lone Mountain Pass.

Lu Ye hid his identity from Ying Wuji in the Volcanic Crater, while Ying Wuji mistook him for the dangerous Lu Yiye and struggled to decide whether to flee. After Lu Ye proved he belonged to Myriad Demon Ridge, Ying Wuji began explaining his grudge against Lu Yiye, unaware he was speaking to him.

• Lu Ye recalled how he and Ying Wuji had fought together on the Peerless Continent and concealed his saber and face before Ying Wuji arrived.
• Ying Wuji spotted the masked man in the crater, recognized Lu Ye’s build, and feared he had found Lu Yiye.
• Lu Ye altered his voice and claimed to be a Myriad Demon Ridge cultivator, but Ying Wuji remained suspicious.
• Lu Ye showed Ying Wuji his red Myriad Demon Ridge Battlefield Mark, convincing him of his camp affiliation.
• Ying Wuji complained that Lu Yiye was a powerful, petty killer, and Lu Ye asked where he had offended him.

Lu Ye used the alias Niu Meng while cultivating in a magma crater, where Ying Wuji and a Myriad Demon Ridge team gathered Core Fire. As the Talent Tree absorbed the flames, Lu Ye gained the Moon Return Spirit Pattern and continued seeking further gains.

• Lu Ye introduced himself to Ying Wuji as Niu Meng, a Rogue Cultivator from East Hill Plain Pass, and Ying Wuji explained that his team had come to collect Earth Fire.
• Ying Wuji led Cloud River Realm cultivators to gather Core Fire while Lu Ye watched their method and heard them complain that Core Fire was being bought up from Heaven's Mystery Vault.
• Lu Ye absorbed Flame Fire with the Talent Tree, endured a sudden pain in his soul, and discovered he had gained the Moon Return Spirit Pattern.
• Lu Ye recognized Moon Return as a useful Spirit Pattern that could reflect attacks, then continued feeding Flame Fire to the Talent Tree for more gains.
• After several leaves yielded Spirit Pattern construction techniques, many leaves lit up together, signaling that the Talent Tree was producing another complex Spirit Pattern.

As Lu Ye absorbed Flame Fire power, the Talent Tree’s roots transformed while its leaves stopped lighting. The depleted volcanic crater revealed an ancient stone platform that began devouring fiery power after a cultivator accidentally activated it.

• Lu Ye noticed the Talent Tree’s roots growing sturdier and glowing red, and suspected it was undergoing a transformation.
• Ying Wuji’s squad continued gathering Earth Fire as the crater cooled, while Lu Ye considered whether to take their Core Fire to advance the Talent Tree.
• A huge stone platform rose from the magma, and Lu Ye and Ying Wuji concluded its emergence was linked to the loss of Flame Fire power.
• A cultivator activated the platform by channeling Spiritual Power, causing its patterns and more than forty flower shapes to light up as it devoured the surrounding fiery power.

Ying Wuji and the cultivators discovered that an ancient Stone Platform measured aptitude, and Lu Ye’s sixty-four-leaf result unexpectedly opened a hidden entrance. The group faced the unknown passage and considered exploring what lay beneath.

• Ying Wuji and Lu Ye realized that the Stone Platform’s flower shadows matched cultivators’ aptitude ratings.
• The cultivators tested the platform, and Ying Wuji revealed his sixty-two-leaf aptitude.
• Ying Wuji told the group about Lu Yiye’s supposedly one-leaf talent, prompting Lu Ye to test himself.
• Lu Ye activated all sixty-four flower shadows, and the Stone Platform opened a hidden entrance as it absorbed the surrounding Flame Fire power.
• Ying Wuji looked to Lu Ye for a decision, and Lu Ye nodded his agreement to proceed.