Recaps

The Nine Stars Sect struggled with heavy casualties as Dong Shuye tried to recruit Luo Ji to kill Mountain Crossing Tiger. Meanwhile, Lu Ye contacted Chu Tian, opened his twenty-ninth Spiritual Aperture, and discovered Taotie Meal really could double cultivation efficiency.

• Cao Ye told Dong Shuye that nearly sixty Nine Stars Sect disciples had died, many at Mountain Crossing Tiger's hands, while their Tier Five cultivators were kept in check.
• Dong Shuye ordered Cao Ye to promise Ziyi to Luo Ji if he brought back Mountain Crossing Tiger's head.
• Chu Tian received a brief message from Lu Ye, replied, and got no further response.
• Lu Ye recovered from battle and opened his twenty-ninth Spiritual Aperture while cultivating Taotie Meal.
• Lu Ye circulated Taotie Meal and found that it made his abdomen grind a Spiritual Pill's medicinal power into Spiritual Power at double efficiency.

Lu Ye discovered that Taotie Meal worked exceptionally well with his Talent Tree, speeding his pill cultivation and even absorbing some ambient Spiritual Energy. He realized Spirit Gathering might be useful inside a Spiritual Aperture, but his first attempt was scattered by the Spiritual Power flowing through it.

• Lu Ye found that Taotie Meal increased his pill-refining efficiency, and the Talent Tree burned away the Pill Toxin that limited other cultivators.
• Lu Ye discovered that Taotie Meal’s Spiritual Apertures helped him absorb food and noticed their arrangement resembled the Spirit Gathering Spirit Pattern.
• Lu Ye realized Taotie Meal could gather ambient Spiritual Energy and inferred that its design and Spirit Gathering shared a common source.
• Lu Ye decided to apply Spirit Gathering to a Spiritual Aperture, avoiding his Source Spirit Aperture and choosing another one.
• Lu Ye’s first attempt to place Spirit Gathering inside the Spiritual Aperture failed when the Spiritual Power flowing through his body scattered it.

Lu Ye successfully imbued all twenty-nine of his Spiritual Apertures with small Spirit Gathering patterns, which steadily gathered Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy and improved his cultivation. Needing a higher-tier cultivation technique but unable to leave Sky-Rending Gorge, he asked Chu Tian to sell him one, prompting the Mystic Gate camp to arrange a discounted sale.

• After repeated failures, Lu Ye reshaped a Spirit Gathering Spirit Pattern into a tiny funnel and successfully imbued it into one Spiritual Aperture.
• Lu Ye applied Little Funnel Spiritual Patterns to all twenty-nine of his Spiritual Apertures, then found that a full day of their cultivation benefits would roughly equal one Spirit Nurturing Pill.
• Lu Ye realized that expanding the method to all three hundred and sixty Spiritual Apertures could greatly aid his cultivation, but he lacked a technique beyond the Golden Cicada Free and Unfettered Art's Spirit Stream Tier Three limit.
• Unable to leave Sky-Rending Gorge to buy a technique, Lu Ye messaged Chu Tian and asked him to sell a Mystic-tier Cultivation Technique.
• Wang Yang and Xiao Zhu decided to offer Lu Ye a discounted technique and told Chu Tian to ask about his cultivation attribute.

Lu Ye awaited a cultivation technique from Chu Tian while preparing to practice, but Luo Ji of Boundless Island tracked him down and attacked. Lu Ye realized that the seemingly low-tier Spell Cultivator had unusually powerful Spiritual Power and likely cultivated a Heaven-Grade Cultivation Technique.

• Lu Ye counted his Spirit Stones and considered selling his Small Bell Spiritual Artifact or other treasures to afford a cultivation technique.
• Chu Tian told Lu Ye that a suitable technique for his cultivation attribute would arrive from camp within a day or two.
• Amber returned wounded, and Luo Ji introduced himself as a cultivator from Boundless Island.
• Lu Ye charged Luo Ji, who blinded him with White Scorch and followed with Earth Spike, Ice Spike, and Golden Arc.
• Lu Ye blocked Luo Ji's Golden Arc and recognized that Luo Ji's spellcasting and Spiritual Power were far beyond what a Tier Two cultivator should possess.

Lu Ye fought Luo Ji, a Heaven-Grade cultivator whose true strength far exceeded his apparent Spirit Stream Second Layer, in a narrow passage. Lu Ye’s allies briefly distracted Luo Ji, but Luo Ji trapped Lu Ye behind a massive block of ice and realized he had underestimated him.

• Lu Ye recognized that Luo Ji had opened at least fifty Spiritual Apertures with a Heaven-Grade Cultivation Technique, making him far stronger than his apparent cultivation suggested.
• Lu Ye charged Luo Ji but was driven back by spells; despite the disadvantage of the narrow passage, he chose to keep fighting rather than retreat.
• Luo Ji tricked Lu Ye with a feigned White Scorch and struck him with Ice Spikes, slowing his advance.
• Yiyi tried to intervene, but Luo Ji fired a Golden Arc Slash at her; Amber’s unusual roar staggered Luo Ji and gave Lu Ye an opening.
• Luo Ji shouted White Scorch again and froze scattered ice fragments into a barrier, forcing Lu Ye to retreat behind a massive block of ice.
• Luo Ji breathed a sigh of relief and realized the battle was harder than expected because Lu Ye was unlike other Spirit Stream Tier Three cultivators.

Lu Ye and Luo Ji fought fiercely in a tunnel, trading spells, Spiritual Patterns, and Spirit Talismans until both were nearly depleted. Luo Ji fled, but Lu Ye pursued him with Amber, and the two prepared to resume their fight with Golden Body Talismans protecting them.

• Luo Ji discovered that Lu Ye could use a Defense Spirit Pattern and renewed his attacks after Lu Ye broke through the Ice Prison Art.
• Lu Ye charged through Luo Ji's spells while his Defense Spirit Pattern blocked them, then pressed him with repeated saber strikes as Yiyi distracted him.
• Luo Ji used Mist Shield and a succession of spells to hold Lu Ye off, but both fighters rapidly drained their Spiritual Power.
• Luo Ji and Lu Ye unleashed Spirit Talismans at the same time, causing a powerful water-and-fire explosion that sent them flying.
• Luo Ji fled from the tunnel and threw another talisman at Lu Ye, who pursued him on Amber.
• Luo Ji stopped and used a Golden Body Talisman before challenging Lu Ye, who also applied a Golden Body Talisman.

Lu Ye and Luo Ji fought through their remaining talismans until Luo Ji unleashed a powerful Great Seal Spiritual Artifact, turning the pursuit against Lu Ye. Both sides exhausted themselves, and the chapter ended with them facing off at a distance while each concealed what strength remained.

• Lu Ye realized Luo Ji had nearly exhausted his offensive Spirit Talismans and chased him on Amber.
• Luo Ji summoned a Great Seal Spiritual Artifact that repeatedly struck at Lu Ye and Amber, forcing them to flee.
• The Great Seal staggered Amber, but Lu Ye formed successive Defense Spirit Patterns that stopped it and drained its power.
• Lu Ye collapsed before reaching Luo Ji, and Yiyi and Amber held back when Lu Ye warned that Luo Ji might still have strength in reserve.
• Luo Ji concealed his remaining reserves, watched Lu Ye's group keep their distance, and said he would recover before killing Lu Ye.

Xiao Zhu reached Lu Ye and gave him an Earth-tier cultivation technique for two Spirit Stones as goodwill from the Mystic Gate. After Cao Ye drew Xiao Zhu away, Lu Ye and Luo Ji resumed their fierce battle.

• At the Nine Stars Sect camp, Dong Shuye learned that Xiao Zhu had left the Mystic Gate camp and sent Cao Ye to investigate.
• Xiao Zhu asked Chu Tian about Lu Ye and learned that Lu Ye and Luo Ji had fought almost continuously without either gaining the upper hand.
• Cao Ye arrived beside Luo Ji as Xiao Zhu approached, and both Lu Ye and Luo Ji took the opportunity to recover.
• Xiao Zhu sold Lu Ye an Earth-tier cultivation technique for two Spirit Stones, thanking him through the Mystic Gate's goodwill for helping its disciples.
• Cao Ye challenged Xiao Zhu to change locations, and the two left while Lu Ye charged back at Luo Ji.

Lu Ye and Luo Ji continued their exhausting battle until Luo Ji tried to leave after the Mystic Gate defeated the Nine Stars Sect. Lu Ye refused to let him end the fight on his own terms and attacked again, believing Luo Ji’s overuse of Spiritual Pills would let him win.

• Lu Ye and Luo Ji spent three days fighting and recovering without either gaining an advantage, while Amber and Yiyi harassed Luo Ji.
• Luo Ji told Lu Ye the Nine Stars Sect had retreated after losing to the Mystic Gate, and Lu Ye confirmed the news with Chu Tian.
• Lu Ye charged Luo Ji despite the battle between the sects being over, saying that he would decide when their fight ended.
• Luo Ji defended himself with a Golden Body Talisman and a Great Seal, then retreated as Lu Ye pressed the attack.
• Lu Ye recognized that Luo Ji’s heavy use of Spiritual Pills was making his Spiritual Power murky and his spells weaker, and planned to wear him down until he could kill him.

After three days of fighting, Lu Ye and Luo Ji ended their battle when Luo Ji offered his Great Seal and Storage Bag in exchange for his life. Lu Ye recovered, heard that the Mystic Gate had won the declaration of war, and found useful pills and talismans among Luo Ji’s belongings.

• Luo Ji offered Lu Ye his Great Seal and Storage Bag to end their fight, and Lu Ye accepted.
• Luo Ji left the valley, while Lu Ye admitted to himself that he had been at a disadvantage because Amber and Yiyi had helped him and Luo Ji had fought alone.
• Lu Ye rested in a passageway with Amber and Yiyi keeping watch, then woke to messages from Chu Tian.
• Chu Tian invited Lu Ye to the Mystic Gate’s Victory Feast, but Lu Ye declined and ignored his later messages.
• Lu Ye inspected Luo Ji’s Storage Bag and found Spirit Stones, defensive Spirit Talismans, and nearly a hundred Spiritual Pills.

Lu Ye recovered at Sky-Rending Gorge, studied the Crimson Lotus Soaring Art, and prepared to travel to the Crimson Blood Sect camp. After reaching his thirtieth aperture and noticing his saber skills had improved, he asked Yiyi whether Amber could use spells.

• Lu Ye checked his Battlefield Mark and assets, then took a Minor Restoration Pill and recovered his Spiritual Power with the Taotie Meal and Spirit Gathering Spirit Patterns.
• Lu Ye studied the Crimson Lotus Soaring Art and determined he needed to open eighteen more apertures before he could advance to Spirit Stream Tier Four and fully switch techniques.
• Lu Ye offered Chu Tian 251 Spirit Stones for Spirit Nurturing Pills and food, and Chu Tian agreed to prepare everything by the next morning.
• Lu Ye opened his thirtieth aperture and found his saber movements had become more fluid after his battles with Luo Ji.
• Lu Ye fed Amber and asked Yiyi whether Amber could use spells, recalling how its Tiger Roar had disrupted Luo Ji and affected him.

Lu Ye left the Mystic Gate camp with Amber after collecting food and Spirit Nurturing Pills, while Wang Yang prepared to seize the Nine Stars Sect camp. Wang Yang learned that Dong Shuye had left to hunt Lu Ye, exposed and executed the Nine Stars Sect’s Hidden Agent, and led several hundred cultivators to attack.

• Chu Tian gathered food and more than two hundred Spirit Nurturing Pills for Lu Ye, who departed with Amber at daybreak.
• Wang Yang assembled the Mystic Gate disciples and Rogue Cultivators and announced his plan to seize the Nine Stars Sect camp.
• Wang Yang told Chu Tian that Dong Shuye had left to hunt Lu Ye and ordered him to send Lu Ye a warning.
• Chu Tian realized Rogue Cultivators had leaked Lu Ye’s departure, and Wang Yang accused Shi Jun of being a Nine Stars Sect Hidden Agent.
• Wang Yang executed Shi Jun and led several hundred Mystic Gate cultivators out to destroy the Nine Stars Sect camp.

Lu Ye learned that Dong Shuye was pursuing him while the Mystic Gate launched an assault on the Nine Stars Sect camp. Suspecting the Mystic Gate had exposed his departure to draw Dong Shuye away, he declared their debt settled and blocked Chu Tian, leaving their dealings behind.

• Lu Ye received Chu Tian’s warning that Spirit Stream Realm Seventh Layer cultivator Dong Shuye was hunting him and urged Amber to flee.
• Chu Tian explained that the Mystic Gate was attacking the Nine Stars Sect camp and expected Dong Shuye to return once he heard the news.
• Lu Ye realized the Mystic Gate may have revealed his departure to lure Dong Shuye away from its attack.
• Lu Ye told Chu Tian, “All square,” and blocked him, deciding that their mutual assistance had settled their debts.
• Chu Tian told Wang Yang that Lu Ye had erased his imprint, and Wang Yang called Lu Ye sensible and interesting.

Lu Ye and Amber fled across the plain toward the mountains while Dong Shuye pursued them by gliding and attacked with powerful fire spells. They survived his barrage with burns, but Dong Shuye remained close behind and their escape was still uncertain.

• Lu Ye inspected the Ten-Part Map and decided to flee toward the mountains on Amber, but Dong Shuye spotted them and gave chase.
• Lu Ye used a Windwalk Spirit Talisman on Amber, then exhausted his last one as Dong Shuye continued closing the distance.
• Lu Ye tried to distract Dong Shuye by revealing that Mystic Gate had attacked the Nine Stars Sect's camp, but Dong Shuye dismissed the claim and launched a fireball barrage.
• Lu Ye rode facing backward and used his saber and Defense Spirit Pattern to protect himself and Amber from the fireballs.
• Lu Ye and Amber survived with burns, while Lu Ye's hand trembled from blocking the spells and Dong Shuye continued pursuing them.

Lu Ye and Amber survived Dong Shuye’s massive fireball, but Dong Shuye received word that Wang Yang was attacking the Nine Stars Sect camp and chose to delay returning. As the camp came under siege, Luo Ji arrived with Ziyi and declared that she was leaving the sect.

• Dong Shuye launched a huge fireball at Lu Ye and Amber, but Lu Ye expanded a Defense Spirit Pattern and blocked it before they escaped the ensuing explosion.
• Dong Shuye received Cao Ye’s message that Wang Yang had brought six hundred Mystic Gate cultivators to attack the Nine Stars Sect camp, but he told Cao Ye to hold on while he continued pursuing Lu Ye.
• Cao Ye activated the camp’s Protective Grand Array and organized the defenders as the Mystic Gate forces surrounded them.
• Luo Ji arrived at the camp holding Ziyi’s hand and told Cao Ye that he was leaving with her.
• Luo Ji told Cao Ye that Ziyi was no longer a disciple of the Nine Stars Sect.

Luo Ji took Lan Ziyi from the Nine Stars Sect, and Cao Ye realized she had changed her Battlefield Mark and was no longer bound by the sect. As they escaped through the Heaven’s Mystery Pillar, the Mystic Gate’s Spirit Talisman attack threatened to break the Nine Stars Sect’s protective array.

• Luo Ji told Cao Ye that Lan Ziyi had agreed to leave the Nine Stars Sect with him, but Cao Ye refused to let her go.
• Cao Ye threatened to use the Heavenly Mechanism to cripple Lan Ziyi’s cultivation if she betrayed the sect, but Luo Ji led her toward the main hall anyway.
• Cao Ye entreated the Heavenly Mechanism to cripple Lan Ziyi, then realized she showed no reaction because she had changed her Battlefield Mark.
• Cao Ye rushed into the main hall and saw Luo Ji and Lan Ziyi using the Heaven’s Mystery Pillar to leave; Luo Ji warned him to evacuate before a calamity struck.
• The Mystic Gate’s attacker unleashed a Spirit Talisman that formed nine multicolored dragons and battered the Nine Stars Sect’s protective array.

As the Nine Stars Sect’s camp fell, Lu Ye fled Dong Shuye through the forest and plunged into a waterfall pool, hoping to escape. Dong Shuye’s attacks sent blood and organs to the surface, but when he checked his Battlefield Mark, he saw a message that changed his expression.

• Cao Ye ordered the Nine Stars Sect disciples to evacuate through the Heaven’s Mystery Pillar as Wang Yang’s forces broke the Protective Grand Array.
• Wang Yang caught the falling Xiao Zhu, drew his sword, and ordered his side to kill.
• Lu Ye fled Dong Shuye alone after being thrown from Amber, hoping the tiger could survive without him.
• Lu Ye changed course toward a waterfall and leaped into the pool as Dong Shuye pursued him from above.
• Dong Shuye struck the water with repeated Golden Arc Slashes, saw blood and organ fragments rise, and discovered that ten Merit had been deducted.
• Dong Shuye checked a message on his Battlefield Mark and reacted with alarm.

After escaping Dong Shuye in the water, Lu Ye drifted unconscious and woke in the care of a woman from his own faction. He learned that Lingyu had found and rescued him, but his severe injuries left him unable to move.

• Dong Shuye received Cao Ye’s urgent warning about the Nine Stars Sect camp and hurried back without learning what had happened to Lu Ye.
• Lu Ye killed an underwater cultivator by mistake, and Dong Shuye left after believing he had killed his target.
• Lu Ye tied himself to a piece of deadwood after swallowing Healing Pills, then lost consciousness as he drifted in the water.
• A woman treated Lu Ye’s wounds and confirmed that he belonged to her faction before telling him to stay still.
• The woman told Lu Ye that Lingyu had found him and brought him back.

Lu Ye recovered in a bamboo lodge after Lingyu rescued him from the river and Hua Ci treated his injuries. As Hua Ci came to check on him that evening, Lu Ye saw her clearly for the first time.

• Lu Ye woke and drank the bitter medicine Hua Ci had prescribed, with Lingyu helping him sit up and explaining that she had brought him back from the river.
• Lingyu told Lu Ye that Hua Ci had saved him and that the Vast Sky Alliance cultivators had treated him kindly.
• Lu Ye swallowed Spirit Nurturing Pills and a Healing Pill, then used the Spirit Gathering Spirit Pattern to begin restoring his Spiritual Power.
• Hua Ci returned to the lodge, noticed Spiritual Energy gathering around Lu Ye's room, and went in to check on him.
• Lu Ye saw Hua Ci's face clearly as she entered his room.

Hua Ci treated Lu Ye's injuries and revealed that she was a Medical Cultivator, charging him Spiritual Pills for her care. As Lu Ye continued recovering, Ruan Lingyu explained that their shelter was an abandoned sect camp now used by Rogue Cultivators.

• Hua Ci treated Lu Ye's burns and cuts with medicine and her Wood Spiritual Power, and Lu Ye realized she was a Medical Cultivator.
• Hua Ci charged Lu Ye ten Spirit Stones for two treatments, and he paid her with ten Spiritual Pills.
• Hua Ci told Lu Ye to rest and said she would treat him again the next day.
• Lu Ye spent the following days bedridden while Ruan Lingyu brought him bitter medicine and Hua Ci treated him at night.
• Ruan Lingyu told Lu Ye that the shelter was a ruined sect camp whose Heaven's Mystery Pillar no longer worked, and that abandoned camps often became gathering places for Rogue Cultivators.

Lu Ye recovered enough to resume saber practice while staying with the Rogue Wanderer Society, and he planned to heal fully before searching for Amber and Yiyi. Hua Ci arrived and announced that his formal treatment was about to begin, leaving Lu Ye suspicious that she was finding another way to charge him.

• Lu Ye assessed the Rogue Wanderer Society’s strength and concluded he needed to recover before looking for Amber and Yiyi.
• With his Spiritual Power restored, Lu Ye resumed saber practice outside the Bamboo Lodge despite his lingering injuries.
• Hua Ci returned with Kong Niu, and Ruan Lingyu watched as Hua Ci sent Kong Niu off to rest.
• Hua Ci grumbled that Lu Ye had recovered too quickly for her to earn more Spiritual Pills, then claimed she had only praised his recovery.
• Hua Ci told Lu Ye to bathe while she prepared for his formal treatment, and Lu Ye wondered if she was trying to swindle him again.

Hua Ci treated Lu Ye's injuries and removed the lingering Fire Poison, explaining how untreated wounds could hinder future cultivation. After charging him ten Spiritual Pills, she left Lu Ye expecting to recover in less than ten days and determined to leave as soon as he healed.

• Hua Ci examined Lu Ye and observed that his abundant Blood Qi was helping his injuries heal quickly, while Lu Ye denied wanting to become a Body Cultivator.
• Hua Ci explained that Lu Ye's wounds could conceal dangerous damage and that Fire Poison from Spell Cultivator attacks could make opening apertures difficult.
• Hua Ci pressed and patted Lu Ye's chest to draw out the Fire Poison, then applied medicinal juice and bandaged his chest, arms, and back.
• Hua Ci said Lu Ye would likely recover in less than ten days, charged him ten Spiritual Pills, and teased him before leaving.
• Lu Ye shut the door himself and resolved to leave as soon as his injuries healed.

While recovering and cultivating, Lu Ye learned that the Mystic Gate had captured and destroyed the Nine Stars Sect camp, then traveled with Hua Ci and others to Liusu Marketplace to buy Spiritual Pills and sell Primordial Magnetic Ore. After a lockpicker opened the Nine Stars Sect Young Sect Master's Storage Bag, Lu Ye asked him to remove the restriction on a Small Bell-shaped Spiritual Artifact.

• Hua Ci told Lu Ye that the Mystic Gate had breached the Nine Stars Sect camp, plundered it, and burned it down before withdrawing.
• Lu Ye went with Hua Ci and the others to Liusu Marketplace because he was running low on Spiritual Pills.
• Lu Ye sold four pieces of Primordial Magnetic Ore and bundled three Storage Bags for fifteen Spirit Stones at the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild.
• Lu Ye paid a lockpicker to open the Nine Stars Sect Young Sect Master's Storage Bag.
• Lu Ye handed the lockpicker a Small Bell-shaped Spiritual Artifact and asked him to open its restriction.

Lu Ye learned how to claim the Small Bell Spiritual Artifact and inspected the Young Sect Master's belongings before visiting Hua Ci's treatment tent in Liusu Marketplace. Hua Ci enlisted him to help force medicine down a struggling patient.

• An old cultivator explained that Lu Ye could slowly nurture the Small Bell's restrictions with his Spiritual Power to erase its previous owner's traces and make the artifact his own.
• Lu Ye thanked the old cultivator, then found pills, Spirit Stones, and women's clothing in the Young Sect Master's Storage Bag.
• Lu Ye arrived at Hua Ci's treatment tent and saw her treating a poisoned cultivator while Kong Niu held him down.
• Hua Ci ordered Lu Ye to feed the patient medicinal broth, and Kong Niu opened the man's mouth so Lu Ye could pour it in.

Lu Ye helped Hua Ci treat patients, then brought her pills to identify and accidentally exposed her to a powerful aphrodisiac, though she only pretended to faint. At dawn, Lu Ye left the Rogue Wanderer Society, leaving ten Spirit Nurturing Pills to pay for a horse.

• Lu Ye reflected on Hua Ci's compassionate treatment of poor patients and accepted two Spirit Stones for helping her.
• Lu Ye asked Hua Ci to identify pills taken from the Young Master of Nine Stars Sect's Storage Bag, and she recognized several as dangerous poisons.
• Hua Ci sniffed a pink aphrodisiac pill and pretended to faint, so Lu Ye carried her to bed and secretly removed the bottles.
• Hua Ci revealed to herself that she had only been teasing Lu Ye and was impressed by his steadfast response.
• Ruan Lingyu told Hua Ci that Lu Ye had left with a horse and left ten Spirit Nurturing Pills behind, and Hua Ci accepted his departure.