Chapter Summaries

Lu Ye learned about the rare uses of Rest Fruit Cores and watched the Vast Sky Alliance prepare to claim the nine fruits. When the fruits ripened, the Alliance gave one to Lu Ye and Hua Ci in recognition of their service in the Spirit Stream Garrison War.

• Li Baxian and Feng Yuechan explained the valuable uses of Rest Fruit Cores, and Li Baxian said the sects would usually auction the fruits.
• Lu Yushan showed Lu Ye a flying Mechanical Construct, invited him to visit Thousand Machines Pavilion, and told him about Artificer Armor.
• The nine Rest Fruits ripened, and the barrier around the tree disappeared as the Vast Sky Alliance watched over it.
• At the cultivators’ urging, Li Baxian picked a Rest Fruit and handed it to Lu Ye and Hua Ci on behalf of their sects.
• Meng Si and the gathered cultivators affirmed that Lu Ye and Hua Ci had earned the fruit through their contributions to the war.

Lu Ye and Hua Ci returned to the Crimson Blood Sect after the Spirit Stream Garrison War, and the sects auctioned the Rest Fruits. At the camp, Chen Yu asked Lu Ye to consider recruiting the local Rogue Cultivators, who wanted to join the Crimson Blood Sect despite the danger.

• Lu Ye accepted a Rest Fruit from Li Baxian and passed it to Hua Ci, then watched as Li Baxian presided over the auction of the remaining fruits.
• The Garrison Envoys bid fiercely, and eight sects won Rest Fruits while the Crimson Blood Sect stood to receive the auction proceeds.
• The Spirit Stream Garrison War ended, and Lu Ye and Hua Ci returned to the Crimson Blood Sect camp with a Mechanical Wolf loaded with Storage Bags.
• Lu Ye sent Hua Ci to inform the Sect Master and Second Senior Sister that they were safe, then spoke with Chen Yu outside Heaven's Mystery Hall.
• Chen Yu asked Lu Ye to consider recruiting the Rogue Cultivators at the camp, explaining that many wanted to join the Crimson Blood Sect and defend it despite the risks.

Lu Ye and Hua Ci returned safely to the Crimson Blood Sect, where Sect Master learned that their actions in the Spirit Stream Garrison War had saved the Vast Sky Alliance from a major threat. After resting, Lu Ye received the Rest Fruit Pit from Shui Yuan and began testing its power.

• Lu Ye returned to the Crimson Blood Sect for Second Senior Sister’s meal and paid his respects to Sect Master.
• Pang Zhen told Sect Master that Lu Ye and Hua Ci had made a great contribution in the Chess Sea, and Sect Master received congratulations and thanks from leaders across the Nine Provinces.
• Pang Zhen said he would keep news of the disciples’ actions from spreading and help prevent Myriad Demon Ridge from targeting the Crimson Blood Sect.
• Sect Master joined the disciples for dinner and cooked for them, then Lu Ye slept for a day and night to recover.
• Lu Ye noticed that Yiyi seemed more physical and teased her about gaining weight, while Amber absorbed Blood Qi from the Scale Armor.
• Shui Yuan gave Lu Ye the Rest Fruit Pit, and Lu Ye circulated Spiritual Power into it, sensing a feeling like entering the Heaven's Mystery Vault.

Lu Ye tested the Rest Fruit Core, then organized the Crimson Blood Sect’s recruitment drive and improved its cultivation facilities. The notice sparked a rush of interest from market Rogue Cultivators, and the first applicant reached Hua Ci’s desk.

• Lu Ye spent fifty Merit to enter the Mirage Realm through the Rest Fruit Core, but its mental strain left him in severe pain; Shui Yuan later confirmed it could improve combat skills if used carefully.
• Shui Yuan told Lu Ye to make decisions about recruiting Rogue Cultivators, and he gathered the sect members to approve recruitment for the Main Sect.
• Lu Ye assigned Deputy Envoy Hua Ci to create recruitment rules while he strengthened the Cultivation Rooms with Spirit Gathering Spirit Patterns.
• Hua Ci and the others finalized preliminary recruitment standards and had Shui Yuan review them.
• Ruan Lingyu posted the Crimson Blood Sect’s recruitment notice in the market, prompting Rogue Cultivators to rush toward the Heaven’s Mystery Hall.
• Hua Ci, Kong Niu, and Yiyi prepared to register applicants, and the first female cultivator arrived asking to sign up.

Lu Ye and Hua Ci recruited Rogue Cultivators into the Crimson Blood Sect, welcoming the first hundred as Registered Disciples and allowing the rest to attach themselves to the camp. After distributing the camp’s newly earned sect Merit, Lu Ye prepared to improve the camp’s Spiritual Energy.

• Lu Ye, Hua Ci, and Chen Yu screened all 432 Rogue Cultivators and selected the first hundred to join the Crimson Blood Sect as Registered Disciples.
• Chen Yu posted the list of selected cultivators, while Lu Ye reported the recruitment to Shui Yuan and received Spirit Stones and Spiritual Pills for the new disciples.
• Lu Ye stamped each new disciple with his Garrison Envoy Great Seal and distributed their monthly stipends; the remaining Rogue Cultivators attached themselves to the camp under Hua Ci’s direction.
• Lu Ye exchanged 88 Spirit Stream Garrison War enhancements for 44,000 sect Merit and issued Hua Ci and himself 4,400 personal Merit each.
• Lu Ye and Hua Ci prepared to use their gains to raise the camp’s Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy concentration.

Lu Ye spent Merit to strengthen the Crimson Blood Sect camp’s Spiritual Energy, then used Core Fire to awaken more Talent Tree leaves and uncover new Spiritual Patterns. He began examining the remaining leaves, having discovered that the fifth and sixth patterns linked other patterns together.

• Lu Ye spent most of his remaining Merit on blessings, raising the camp’s Spiritual Energy density to 120 percent above the wilderness.
• Lu Ye explained the cost of losing a camp’s blessings and discussed the Spirit Stream Garrison War’s rewards and risks.
• Lu Ye let Hua Ci try the Rest Fruit Core, and she reacted with alarm before returning it and warning him not to get injured again.
• Lu Ye bought ten portions of Core Fire and used them to ignite fourteen leaves on his Talent Tree.
• Lu Ye discovered that the fifth and sixth Spiritual Patterns linked other patterns, then continued examining the burning leaves.

After mastering four new Spiritual Patterns, Lu Ye visited Madam Yun to learn more about the Spirit Pattern Path. Madam Yun agreed to teach him and began asking about the incomplete inheritance he had received.

• Lu Ye examined the burning leaves and mastered Sunlight, Foundation Strengthening, Windwalk, and Heavy Pressure, bringing his total to eight Spiritual Patterns.
• Lu Ye decided to seek guidance from Madam Yun, and Shui Yuan advised him to bring Blood Red Trout and avoid mentioning the Sect Master.
• Lu Ye rode Amber to Moon Lake, caught several Blood Red Trout, and continued to Mingxin Peak.
• Lu Ye presented the fish to Madam Yun and asked to learn the Spirit Pattern Path.
• Madam Yun agreed to teach Lu Ye and concluded that his inheritance was incomplete or had been directly imparted into his mind.

Lu Ye began learning the foundations of Spirit Patterns from Madam Yun, studying Yin-Yang Dual Elements and practicing their construction. After returning to Shouzheng Peak, he found the camp quiet and the Cultivation Rooms crowded with disciples focused on cultivation.

• Madam Yun gave Lu Ye Inquiry into the Fundamentals of Spirit Patterns and tested his understanding of Yin-Yang Dual Elements.
• Lu Ye learned that Spiritual Patterns were built from combinations of Yin and Yang Elements and discussed the work of past Spirit Pattern Masters with Madam Yun.
• Madam Yun showed Lu Ye how to form each Element and had him practice; he produced both, though they were too large and unstable.
• Madam Yun gave Lu Ye more books and told him to practice until he could form stable, rice-grain-sized Elements before returning.
• Lu Ye returned to Shouzheng Peak, greeted Senior Sister Shui Yuan, and learned that nothing had happened at the camp.
• Lu Ye found the Cultivation Rooms packed as disciples took advantage of the improved cultivation environment.

Lu Ye studied the Spirit Pattern Path while using the Mirage Realm to hone his combat skills against increasingly numerous Mantises. After five days of training, he mastered the requirements Madam Yun had set and rode Amber toward Mingxin Peak for the next step.

• Lu Ye left Spirit Gathering Spirit Patterns in several Cultivation Rooms, then studied Madam Yun’s Scriptures and practiced constructing the Yin-Yang Dual Elements.
• Lu Ye entered the Mirage Realm with the Crag Mountain Saber and fought waves of Mantises until nine overwhelmed and killed him.
• Lu Ye woke in his Cultivation Room with depleted Spiritual Power and a painful mind, then recognized the Mirage Realm as a place to train combat skills at the cost of real fatigue and recovery time.
• Lu Ye spent the next several days studying, practicing Spirit Patterns, and fighting Mantises in the Mirage Realm, steadily improving his skills.
• After confirming the Camp was peaceful, Lu Ye rode Amber to Mingxin Peak because he had finished the Scriptures and met Madam Yun’s requirements.

Madam Yun praised Lu Ye’s talent and taught him how to dismantle Spirit Patterns, then assigned him to practice Spirit Pattern Thirty. After struggling to construct it, Lu Ye vented his frustration in the Mirage Realm, where he killed six monsters before they overwhelmed him.

• Madam Yun tested Lu Ye’s ability to switch between Yin and Yang Elements and praised his progress.
• Madam Yun gave Lu Ye a useless Spirit Pattern to dismantle; he identified its thirty Base Elements as twelve Yin and eighteen Yang.
• Madam Yun taught Lu Ye foundational Spirit Pattern knowledge, lent him books, and told him to practice constructing Spirit Pattern Thirty.
• Lu Ye returned to Shouzheng Peak, spoke with the Sect Master, and began practicing Spirit Pattern Thirty in his Cultivation Room.
• After repeated failures, Lu Ye entered the Mirage Realm and killed six porcupine-like monsters before their bone spikes killed him.

Lu Ye reached the Spirit Stream Realm Seventh Layer, advanced his Spirit Pattern studies, and began learning artifact control from Li Baxian. After testing his new ability to control techniques beyond his body, he startled He Xiyin, who feared he would punish her for laughing.

• Lu Ye defeated nine insect monsters in the Mirage Realm, then encountered a mist-shrouded Tier Seven cultivator and resolved to return the next day.
• He raised his Spirit Pattern Thirty construction success rate to about seventy percent, broke through to the Spirit Stream Realm Seventh Layer, and formed a Minor Heavenly Circulation.
• Madam Yun taught Lu Ye new Spirit Pattern techniques and assigned him Spirit Patterns Eighty-Three and One Hundred Sixty-Five to master.
• Shui Yuan advised Lu Ye to ask Li Baxian about artifact control, and Li Baxian explained its principles through messages.
• Lu Ye controlled a Fire Phoenix Art in midair for the first time, then questioned He Xiyin, who panicked and apologized before he left.

Lu Ye struggled to learn the Weapon Manipulation Technique and grew discouraged after seeing Chen Yu control his artifact with ease. Shui Yuan discovered that Lu Ye’s Crag Mountain Saber was unsuitable for the technique and explained what kind of Spiritual Artifact he needed, leaving him eager to find one.

• Lu Ye practiced weapon manipulation, learned the Fire Dragon Art, and struggled against Tier Seven insect-like creatures in the Mirage Realm.
• After five days of slow progress, Lu Ye watched Chen Yu control his Spiritual Artifact and felt inferior.
• Lu Ye told Shui Yuan that he lacked talent in artifact control, so she offered to give him pointers after a meal.
• During their practice, Shui Yuan noticed that Lu Ye’s Crag Mountain Saber was heavy and lacked a Spirit Storage Restriction, which explained its short range, slow speed, and brief duration.
• Shui Yuan explained the restrictions and weight suited to weapon manipulation, and Lu Ye eagerly went to Heaven’s Mystery Hall to find a better Spiritual Artifact.

Lu Ye chose a Handleless Short Blade from Hua Ci’s collection and learned to control it, then tested the technique in the Mirage Realm and reached the eighth stage. The chapter ended with Fourth Senior Brother warning him that a Bug Tide was coming.

• Lu Ye realized he could get a suitable Spiritual Artifact from Hua Ci instead of buying one at the Heaven's Mystery Vault.
• Hua Ci gave Lu Ye access to Storage Bags full of Spiritual Artifacts, and he chose a nine-restriction Handleless Short Blade.
• Lu Ye nurtured the blade with his Spiritual Power and practiced controlling it, discovering that his range, speed, and power exceeded those of typical Tier Seven Cultivators.
• Lu Ye entered the Mirage Realm and used artifact control to kill bugs, reaching the eighth stage before they overwhelmed him.
• Fourth Senior Brother sent Lu Ye a warning that the Bug Tide was coming.

Lu Ye confirmed that a Bug Tide had emerged near the Crimson Blood Sect camp and organized the sect’s disciples and attached Rogue Cultivators to fight it. He left them preparing for an assault on Worm Valley, armed with information about the Insect Race and promised rewards for their achievements.

• Lu Ye and Chen Yu inspected Worm Valley and found thousands of destructive insects pouring from an Insect Cave.
• Lu Ye returned to camp, where Hua Ci had gathered more than seven hundred Registered Disciples and attached Rogue Cultivators.
• Lu Ye explained the Bug Tide’s danger and urged the assembled cultivators to attack before the insects could multiply and overwhelm the camp.
• Lu Ye announced team requirements and rewards, including Spirit Stones, Nine-Restriction Spiritual Artifacts, and a special request for members of an outstanding team.
• He Xiyin asked whether the special reward could be used on Hua Ci, and Lu Ye agreed on the condition that it was only for He Xiyin.
• The cultivators formed teams while Lu Ye prepared Jade Slips detailing Insect Race traits and weaknesses for the coming march on Worm Valley.

Lu Ye led the Crimson Blood Sect in clearing the insects from Worm Valley and prepared the cultivators to explore the Insect Cave for the nest causing the Bug Tide. After the valley was cleared, the seven hundred cultivators descended into the cave to investigate.

• The Crimson Blood Sect's cultivators traveled to Worm Valley and fought their way through the growing hordes of insects.
• Lu Ye charged through the insects with his saber and fire spells, then entered the Insect Cave alone to search for the Insect Nest but turned back when he found too many branching paths.
• Hua Ci treated the injured and taught medical arts while the cultivators continued clearing the valley and collecting insect corpses for Merit.
• The Crimson Blood Sect slaughtered every insect in Worm Valley, and Lu Ye ordered the squads to rest before entering the cave.
• Lu Ye, Amber, Yiyi, Chen Yu, and the squads descended into the Insect Cave, where they began exploring its passages by torchlight.

Lu Ye and the Crimson Blood Sect searched the Insect Cave, mapping its passages until a team found the Insect Nest. He rushed to reinforce Chen Yu’s group, where Amber and Yiyi fought powerful insects, and helped them push back the swarm.

• Lu Ye established a recovery area at the cave entrance and sent cultivators to explore the passages, fight insects, and map the underground maze.
• The exploring teams suffered injuries as they encountered stronger insects, while Hua Ci treated the wounded and compiled their maps.
• After a day, Lu Ye learned that the Insect Nest had been found and studied the partial map with Hua Ci before heading there.
• Lu Ye found Chen Yu, He Xiyin, Yiyi, Amber, and their group retreating under attack from numerous insects near the Nest.
• Lu Ye flung He Xiyin out of danger and joined the fight, stabilizing the group’s defense as Amber and Yiyi displayed their growing strength.

Lu Ye organized the Crimson Blood Sect's assault on the Insect Nest, preparing nine teams to expand the narrow passage entrances into defensible battlefields. The coordinated charge began, and the cultivators fought to hold their ground while preventing the Nest from absorbing the corpses of slain bugs.

• Lu Ye stayed at the Insect Nest, luring bugs into the passage and killing them while discovering that other bugs carried the corpses back inside.
• The Crimson Blood Sect breached the remaining passages, mapped the underground routes, and confirmed that nine entrances led to the Nest, though the fighting had already killed more than a dozen cultivators.
• Lu Ye checked the teams' readiness and assigned Hua Ci to guard a passage, telling her to be strong despite her fear of bugs.
• Lu Ye charged into the Nest, and cultivators at all nine entrances followed, forming front lines and attacking the swarming Insect Race.
• A cultivator urged those with injuries or lower cultivation to collect bug corpses before the flesh walls absorbed their vitality and energy.

Lu Ye used his flight, powerful spells, and restorative Rest Fruit Wine to support the Crimson Blood Sect’s defenses inside the Insect Nest and kill the Tier Eight bugs pursuing him. The battle turned in the cultivators’ favor, but stronger creatures were still believed to remain inside the nest.

• Lu Ye illuminated the Insect Nest and drew six Tier Eight bugs away from the cave entrances, rushing between positions to help stabilize the defenses.
• Lu Ye used Fire Dragon Art and his controlled artifact to kill the pursuing bugs, replenishing his Spiritual Power with Rest Fruit Wine.
• After the bug offensive weakened, Lu Ye killed the last Tier Eight bug pursuing him, and the cultivators advanced inward to clear the remaining bugs.
• Lu Ye found Hua Ci shaken after the danger passed and asked Ruan Lingyu to stay with her.
• Lu Ye returned to the battle area, wary that two or three unusually powerful creatures might still be inside the Insect Nest.

Lu Ye’s forces defeated the Insect Nest’s three powerful guards and began farming Merit by killing newly hatched bugs instead of destroying the nest’s Vitality Cores. After Yiyi found an unexplored passage, Lu Ye, Yiyi, and Amber followed it and discovered Spiritual Power activity ahead.

• Lu Ye and more than a hundred Crimson Blood Sect cultivators killed the three bug guards with a coordinated barrage.
• Lu Ye found a Vitality Core inside the central flesh sac but returned it so the sect could keep killing newly hatched bugs for Merit.
• Lu Ye checked on Hua Ci, then followed Yiyi to an unexplored opening where fresh slime showed bugs had recently passed through.
• Lu Ye asked Chen Yu to watch the area before riding Amber into the passage with Yiyi.
• After traveling for an hour, Lu Ye, Yiyi, and Amber heard commotion and Spiritual Power fluctuations and approached the flickering light ahead.

Lu Ye exploited the connection between the Crimson Blood Sect’s Insect Nest and Heavenly Fiend Hall’s by feeding the latter insect corpses and Vitality Cores, causing it to hatch a new wave of creatures. As Heavenly Fiend Hall’s defenses began to collapse, Lu Ye and Yiyi prepared to begin the next step of their plan.

• Lu Ye identified the nearby Insect Nest as belonging to Heavenly Fiend Hall and realized its cultivators were slowly clearing it.
• Lu Ye sent Yiyi back to retrieve Storage Bags of insect corpses and Vitality Cores while Hua Ci took the Crimson Blood Sect’s disciples out to rest.
• Lu Ye dumped the insect corpses into Heavenly Fiend Hall’s Insect Nest, and its creatures carried them away and absorbed their energy.
• Lu Ye added eight Vitality Cores to the Insect Nest, which began hatching many new Insect Race creatures.
• The newborn creatures overwhelmed Heavenly Fiend Hall’s defenses, and Lu Ye called to Yiyi as they prepared to leave.