Chapter Summaries

Lu Ye explored Green Cloud Market to learn how cultivators traded and set up a roadside stall to assess his ore. A neighboring female cultivator taught him how to use Spiritual Power to gauge others’ cultivation and warned him to avoid people who concealed their auras.

• Lu Ye wandered through Green Cloud Market, learned that cultivators traded with Spirit Stones, and studied the prices of goods.
• Lu Ye set out several chunks of ore and Primordial Magnetic Ore at an empty roadside spot, hoping to learn their value.
• Lu Ye watched passing cultivators, but the female cultivator at the next stall recognized that he was trying to judge their cultivation by sight.
• The female cultivator taught Lu Ye to gather Spiritual Power around his eyes, allowing him to see and compare the Spiritual Light around cultivators.
• Lu Ye asked about people with no visible Spiritual Light, and the female cultivator explained that they likely used Spiritual Artifacts to conceal their auras and advised him to flee if he encountered them.
• Lu Ye thanked the female cultivator and offered her jerky, which she accepted.

Lu Ye tested the value of his ores at a marketplace stall, learned that the Primordial Magnetic Ore was valuable but difficult to sell there, and went to the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild. He entered the guild to sell his goods and was led toward its private rooms.

• Lu Ye observed cultivators' Spiritual Light and estimated their cultivation levels, recognizing that the unusually murky Spiritual Light of one buyer likely came from accumulated Pill Toxin.
• Several cultivators asked about Lu Ye's ores, but he rejected a low offer and made no sales; a Spirit Stream Fourth Layer cultivator offered twenty Spirit Stones for the Primordial Magnetic Ore.
• A female cultivator advised Lu Ye to sell valuable ores at the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild, where prices were fair though slightly below market rate.
• Lu Ye packed up his stall and went to the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild, a large building in the marketplace.
• A Female Demon Cultivator greeted Lu Ye at the guild and escorted him toward the private rooms after he said he had come to sell.

Lu Ye sold his ores to the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild after negotiating with Liu Ruyin, accepting Spirit Stones and Spirit Nurturing Pills as payment. He learned that the guild also offered lodging and other services, then left without realizing he was expected to tip.

• Lu Ye waited in a private room and drank three pots of Spirit Tea before Liu Ruyin arrived to handle his sale.
• Liu Ruyin inspected Lu Ye's ores and offered fifty Spirit Stones, then raised the price to fifty-four after he bargained.
• Lu Ye chose five bottles of Spirit Nurturing Pills and four Spirit Stones as payment for his ores.
• Liu Ruyin offered Lu Ye a room at the Merchant Alliance and hinted at additional services, but Lu Ye declined.
• Liu Ruyin watched Lu Ye leave and complained that he had not tipped her.

Lu Ye tested Spirit Stone cultivation, stocked up on supplies, and returned to his cave on Green Cloud Mountain. After chasing Yiyi and Big Tiger out, he compared Spirit Nurturing Pills and confirmed the Merchant Guild sold higher-quality pills.

• Lu Ye set up a stall and tested cultivating with a Spirit Stone, concluding that it was safer but less efficient than using Spirit Nurturing Pills.
• Lu Ye sold a piece of ore for five Spirit Stones, bought food, and left the market before dawn for Green Cloud Mountain.
• Lu Ye returned to his former cave and found Yiyi and Big Tiger occupying it, so he drove them out.
• Lu Ye cultivated with pills from the market and the Merchant Guild, then confirmed that the Guild's pills matched the quality of those from the Sect Master.

Lu Ye used up his Spirit Nurturing Pills while advancing his cultivation to fifteen apertures, then set out to trade ore for Spirit Stones. On the way, he robbed Yiyi and Big Tiger of the Storage Bags they had taken from three cultivators, questioned Yiyi about their intimidation, and continued down the mountain after returning the goods.

• Lu Ye cultivated for half a month, opening fifteen apertures and exhausting his supply of Spirit Nurturing Pills.
• Lu Ye found Yiyi and Big Tiger frightening three cultivators into surrendering their Storage Bags.
• Lu Ye snatched the bags, kept some of the Spirit Nurturing Pills, and tossed the rest to Yiyi.
• Lu Ye asked Yiyi why cultivators feared Big Tiger, and she explained that Monster Beasts able to speak human language were powerful experts.
• Lu Ye returned the stolen goods and headed down the mountain while Yiyi complained to Amber that they were pitiful.

Lu Ye sold ore and four locked Storage Bags to the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild, then learned that a complete Spirit Stream Battlefield map cost far more than he could afford. He spent nearly all his earnings on Spirit Nurturing Pills and left without a map to guide him to the Crimson Blood Sect's camp.

• Lu Ye sold Primordial Magnetic Ore and other ores to Liu Quan for fifty-one Spirit Stones.
• Lu Ye sold four locked Storage Bags to the Merchant Alliance for twenty Spirit Stones after deciding against paying to have them opened.
• Lu Ye asked Liu Quan about Spirit Stream Battlefield maps and learned that a Ten-Part Map cost six hundred Spirit Stones.
• Lu Ye used seventy of his seventy-one Spirit Stones to buy seven bottles of Spirit Nurturing Pills, keeping one Spirit Stone.

Lu Ye cultivated with the Spirit Nurturing Pills he had bought and advanced to Spirit Stream Second Layer. He studied the Golden Cicada Free and Unfettered Art to prepare for his next breakthrough, while Yiyi asked when he planned to leave.

• After Lu Ye left the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild, a woman recognized him as the Rogue Cultivator who had sold ores there before and wondered how he had gathered so many Spirit Stones.
• Back at his cave, Lu Ye used his remaining pills to fill his fifteenth aperture and begin advancing toward the sixteenth.
• Twelve days later, after opening eighteen apertures and filling the eighteenth with Spiritual Power, Lu Ye formed a second Minor Heavenly Circulation and reached Spirit Stream Second Layer.
• Lu Ye ate, bathed at a mountain spring, and studied the Golden Cicada Free and Unfettered Art to locate the apertures needed for Spirit Stream Third Layer.
• Yiyi emerged from behind a tree and asked when Lu Ye would leave, but he ignored her and returned to the cave, leaving her furious.

Lu Ye cultivated until he ran out of Spirit Nurturing Pills, then sold Primordial Magnetic Ore at the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild to buy more. On his return to Green Cloud Mountain, a fair-skinned cultivator ambushed him, and Lu Ye used a Golden Body Talisman to survive the attack as his opponent prepared another technique.

• Lu Ye opened the Nineteenth Aperture with nearly eleven Spirit Nurturing Pills, then used the rest of his supply to advance to the Twenty-First Aperture.
• Lu Ye sold two pieces of Primordial Magnetic Ore at the Heaven's Mystery Merchant Guild and bought eighty-one Spirit Nurturing Pills.
• A woman at the Merchant Guild watched Lu Ye leave, tapped her yellow mark, and spoke a few words to it.
• Lu Ye sensed he was being followed while returning through Green Cloud Mountain, then spotted a figure appearing and disappearing nearby.
• A fair-skinned man attacked Lu Ye with an Ice Spike and a saber, but Lu Ye blocked the strikes and activated a Golden Body Talisman to protect himself.
• The man recognized the Golden Body Talisman and gathered Spiritual Power at his fingertips as Lu Ye faced him.

Lu Ye was ambushed by a fair-skinned cultivator who demanded to know where he had found his ore, and he was forced to flee after his Golden Body Talisman failed. He led his pursuer to Big Tiger, but the tiger refused to let either of them leave.

• Lu Ye fought the fair-skinned cultivator, enduring repeated Ice Spikes while trying to close the distance.
• The fair-skinned cultivator demanded the location of Lu Ye’s supposed ore vein, and Lu Ye realized the attack was tied to the ore he had sold.
• After breaking Lu Ye’s Golden Body Talisman, the cultivator charged, but Lu Ye turned and ran.
• The cultivator pursued Lu Ye through a Chaotic Stone Forest and across a small river, expecting him to run out of Spiritual Power.
• In an open clearing, Big Tiger appeared and confronted the fair-skinned cultivator, while Lu Ye pleaded for the tiger to spare them.

Lu Ye used Big Tiger and Yiyi’s staged robbery to catch his pursuer off guard and kill him, then discovered someone else was nearby. He and his companions pursued a fleeing female cultivator who had arranged the attack.

• Lu Ye and the fair-skinned cultivator surrendered their belongings to Big Tiger, and Lu Ye persuaded the tiger to make the man drop his saber too.
• As they retreated, Lu Ye grabbed his sword and attacked the fair-skinned cultivator, killing him with a thrust through the heart.
• A red light entered the back of Lu Ye’s hand, and Yiyi realized he had used her and Big Tiger’s robbery scheme to create an opening for the kill.
• Hearing someone nearby, Lu Ye warned Yiyi and Big Tiger that their secret was exposed and told them to follow him.
• A fleeing female cultivator recalled hiring the fair-skinned man to kill Lu Ye and realized her plan had failed.

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.