Chapter Summaries

He Song returned to Hundred Herbs Immortal Workshop after secretly traveling through Thick Earth Sect territory and secured his residence before sorting through the spoils from Golden Snake Immortal Workshop. He left with a fortune worth potentially over two hundred thousand Spirit Stones, then resolved to avoid such dangerous entanglements in the future.

• He Song used the Mountain-Linked Earth Escape Technique to evade detection, crossed into Thick Earth Sect territory, and reached the area near Hundred Herbs Immortal Workshop after half a month.
• He Song informed Fang Yu of his return, left him in charge of the Immortal Market, and secluded himself behind the Nether Smoke Array.
• He Song emptied and sorted the loot from True Person Cangjian, the Enforcement Squad, the Magic Artifact Pavilion, and the Spirit Medicine Pavilion.
• He Song counted 63,529 Spirit Stones, over a hundred mid-grade Magic Artifacts, two high-grade Magic Artifacts, and numerous Spirit Talismans among the spoils.
• He Song estimated the haul could exceed two hundred thousand Spirit Stones and warned himself to avoid repeating the dangerous incident at Golden Snake Immortal Workshop.

After killing True Person Cangjian, He Song learned of a guarded Foundation Establishment cave dwelling in Golden Sword Sect territory but chose not to risk returning for it. Three years later, He Song had grown stronger in seclusion, and the Golden Sword Sect was preparing to target the Seven Star Sect over an attack falsely blamed on Ningyin Real Person.

• He Song discovered through True Person Cangjian's memories that a guarded Foundation Establishment cave dwelling lay in Golden Sword Sect territory, but decided to avoid the danger of going there.
• He Song relaxed for several days, then entered seclusion and cultivated for three years, greatly increasing his strength and spell mastery.
• The Golden Sword Sect accused Ningyin Real Person of the Seven Star Sect of attacking one of its Immortal Markets and killing its stationed Foundation Establishment Real Person.
• The Golden Sword Sect issued a kill order for Ningyin Real Person and lobbied the other three sects to turn against the Devil Dao Sects.
• After reading Clear Moon Real Person's message, He Song felt relieved that his attempt to shift the blame onto Ningyin Real Person and the Seven Star Sect had succeeded.

Over three years, He Song strengthened his body, secured a hidden cave beneath his medicinal gardens, sorted his treasure haul, and advanced in talisman-making and alchemy while hearing no news of Ningyin Real Person or the sect conflict. He realized the spirit herbs in his gardens had finally matured.

• He Song remained unaware of what had happened to Ningyin Real Person and the conflict between the Seven Star Sect and the Golden Sword Sect, as no news arrived for three years.
• He Song carved a concealed cave abode more than a thousand meters underground beneath one of his five medicinal gardens and stocked it with resources.
• He Song continued cultivating the Mysterious God Body Refining Technique, gaining strength and defense while becoming concerned that his increasingly flawless appearance would attract attention.
• He Song sorted the items from the Golden Snake Immortal Workshop, bringing the total value of his Spirit Stones to more than two hundred thousand.
• He Song improved his talisman-making and learned to skillfully refine Qi-Gathering Pills, then began practicing Qi-Congealing Pills.
• He Song awoke from cultivation, calculated the timing, and realized the spirit herbs in his medicinal gardens had matured.

After ten years, He Song harvested four kinds of mature spirit herbs from his gardens and replanted them, leaving the Spirit Protection Fruit to mature for another decade. Discovering that Yu'er had reached the Qi Refining Middle Stage, he decided to raise her properly and secretly bought Hundred Beasts Pill formulas and ingredients in Yuheng Xiancheng.

• He Song harvested Sha Dissolving Spirit Flowers and the other mature herbs from his gardens, then replanted their seeds.
• He Song left the Spirit Protection Fruit unharvested because it needed twenty years to mature, and returned to Hundred Herbs Immortal Workshop with Yu'er.
• He Song discovered that Yu'er had grown to washbasin size and reached the Qi Refining Middle Stage, so he resolved to cultivate her as a future helper.
• He Song disguised himself and entered Yuheng Xiancheng to keep his identity as an alchemist secret.
• He Song spent five hundred Spirit Stones on the Qi Refining stage Hundred Beasts Pill formula and five thousand on the Foundation Establishment realm formula.
• He Song bought several hundred portions of pill ingredients, then changed his disguise and left Yuheng Xiancheng.

He Song mastered refining Hundred Beasts Pills and used one to accelerate Yu’er's cultivation. After producing a supply for Yu'er, he focused on the higher-grade Qi-Congealing Pill and finally refined his first successful batch.

• He Song refined his first furnace of Hundred Beasts Pills and fed one to Yu'er, whose cultivation began advancing faster.
• He Song refined three hundred Qi Refining Middle Stage Hundred Beasts Pills over several months and told Clear Wind to feed Yu'er one each day.
• He Song turned to studying the Qi-Congealing Pill formula, using his Foundation Establishment cultivation and Qi Observation Technique to improve his understanding.
• He Song successfully refined his first furnace of Qi-Congealing Pills.

He Song refined Poison Dragon Spirit Grass into Poison Dragon Spirit Liquid and concealed it inside pills as a trap for future enemies. A monthly message from Su Qian then reported that Foundation Establishment Pills had caused deadly conflicts near Eight Vein Immortal City and that Foundation Establishment Real Persons had claimed them all.

• After repeated failed attempts to refine Qi-Congealing Pills, He Song shifted his attention to the poisonous herbs he had harvested.
• He Song went to a remote place, set up three arrays, and purified the Poison Dragon Spirit Grass into Poison Dragon Spirit Liquid.
• He Song bottled the poison and secretly filled detoxification and Spirit Recovery Pills with it, keeping a few genuine pills separate.
• He Song returned to Hundred Herbs Immortal Workshop and received Su Qian's monthly message reporting her promotion and recent events in Cloud Province.
• Su Qian reported that Foundation Establishment Pills near Eight Vein Immortal City had triggered deadly clashes, and Foundation Establishment Real Persons had taken them while Qi Refining cultivators suffered heavy casualties.

After learning that rival Golden Core sect alliances were stockpiling supplies and preparing for conflict, He Song warned Wei Fan and Meng Guan and quietly bought cultivation resources. He returned to Hundred Herbs Immortal Workshop, prepared for the danger ahead but awaiting further news.

• He Song asked Su Qian to investigate rising prices in Flying Cloud Immortal Market, then received her report that the Four-Sect Alliance and a rival alliance around the Locking God Sect were preparing for confrontation.
• He Song considered the danger to the region and concluded that his hidden cave abodes gave him escape routes.
• He Song warned Wei Fan and Meng Guan to prepare for unrest and keep the news secret.
• He Song went to Yuheng Xiancheng disguised as a Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivator and spent tens of thousands of Spirit Stones on Foundation Establishment cultivation resources.
• He Song changed his appearance again and returned safely to Hundred Herbs Immortal Workshop.

He Song received Meng Guan’s message proposing that he transfer from the dangerous Hundred Herbs Immortal Workshop to the safer Tianquan Xiancheng. After confirming that he could remain there as a guardian even if the war worsened, He Song accepted the plan, relieved that his hidden cultivation breakthrough would satisfy the requirement.

• Meng Guan told He Song that he and Wei had requested his transfer to Tianquan Xiancheng so the three friends could protect one another.
• He Song weighed the city’s rear-area position against his plan to hide in a secret cave and questioned whether he might later be sent to the front lines.
• He Song sent Meng Guan a message asking whether the transfer would leave him vulnerable to reassignment if the war became dire.
• Meng Guan replied that the Sect Master True Lord had approved the transfer and that the three would serve as Tianquan Xiancheng’s guardians, with at most one of them possibly transferred away.
• He Song felt reassured because he had already reached Foundation Establishment Middle Stage in secret and could easily meet the stated cultivation requirement.

He Song prepared to leave Hundred Herbs Immortal Workshop for Tianquan Xiancheng, visiting Ping'er and Clear Moon Real Person before departing. After warning Clear Moon Real Person about the Demon Sect alliance, he packed his belongings and faced a decision about the spiritual herbs in his garden.

• He Song understood that Tianquan Xiancheng had room for him and planned to await his transfer order after saying farewell to his friends.
• He Song visited Ping'er at Azure Wolf Immortal Market and told her he was leaving to serve at Tianquan Xiancheng.
• He Song visited Clear Moon Real Person, congratulated her on reaching the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, and warned her that the northern Demon Sects had formed an alliance.
• Clear Moon Real Person accepted He Song's warning and began preparing for the possibility of war between the alliances.
• He Song returned to Hundred Herbs Immortal Workshop, packed his belongings, brought Yu'er with him, and considered whether to uproot the five herbs in his medicinal garden.

He Song left Hundred Herbs Immortal Workshop after receiving his transfer order and traveled to Tianquan Xiancheng, where Meng Guan and Wei Fan welcomed him alongside Black Crane True Person and White Cloud True Person. The five settled into a celebratory gathering in the city, as He Song began his new post as its resident True Person.

• He Song left his medicinal garden and Spirit Fields intact, replenished their formations, and marked the garden so he could find it again.
• He Song received his transfer order, returned to Hundred Herbs Immortal Workshop, and handed over his guardian duties to Yin Yang True Person.
• He Song traveled for several days with Yu'er and arrived at Tianquan Xiancheng.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan came with Black Crane True Person and White Cloud True Person to greet He Song and introduce him to the other cultivators.
• Meng Guan hosted He Song and the others with spirit fruits and fine dishes, and He Song thanked them before they began drinking and chatting.

He Song settled into Tianquan Xiancheng after learning that Meng Guan and Wei Fan had arranged for him to eventually replace White Cloud as a guardian. After securing his residence with formations, he went to a brokerage house to hire subordinates to manage the city’s affairs.

• Meng Guan, Wei Fan, White Cloud, and Black Crane told He Song about Tianquan Xiancheng and revealed that White Cloud would eventually leave, allowing He Song to take his place.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan showed He Song his new residence and explained how he could hire subordinates through the brokerage houses.
• After they left, He Song inspected the residence, set up several formations, and placed Yu'er in a pool.
• He Song visited a brokerage house, where Li Yu offered to show him servants, guards, and other goods.
• He Song stopped Li Yu from introducing anything else and asked for subordinates to manage the immortal city's affairs, prompting Li Yu to escort him to the VIP Hall.

He Song selected subordinates to manage his duties in Tianquan Xiancheng, then focused on cultivation and grew closer to White Cloud and Black Crane. He realized his friends had arranged the gatherings so he could learn from the two sect elites, while major news from the Thick Earth Sect arrived months later.

• He Song dismissed unsuitable candidates, hired Sun Zhen and Liu Xiang, and bought several Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators to handle his affairs in Tianquan Xiancheng.
• He Song returned to his residence and cultivated, finding that Tianquan Xiancheng’s richer spiritual energy helped his cultivation advance faster.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan repeatedly gathered He Song with White Cloud and Black Crane, and He Song learned that the two were talented Thick Earth Sect elites with masters and backing.
• He Song exchanged cultivation and combat knowledge with White Cloud and Black Crane, gradually improving his strength and appreciating his friends’ efforts.
• Several months after He Song arrived in Tianquan Xiancheng, the Thick Earth Sect’s upper ranks released major news.

He Song, Meng Guan, and Wei Fan discussed the newly announced Demon Sect Alliance and the prospect of war. He Song argued that Tianquan Xiancheng was safe enough for them to focus on cultivation, while the sect’s Golden Core True Lords handled the fighting.

• The Demon Sect Alliance, led by Bloodhawk Sect and joined by Seven Star Sect, Soul-Sealing Sect, and Ten Thousand Poisons Valley, formed to oppose the Righteous Dao Alliance.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan visited He Song at his residence without White Cloud and Black Crane, and He Song remarked that the Demon Sect Alliance must have existed in secret for some time.
• Meng Guan thanked He Song for warning them about the alliance and helping them leave the vulnerable Hundred Herbs Immortal Workshop before war could threaten it.
• Wei Fan reflected that Foundation Establishment cultivators who joined the Thick Earth Sect later lacked the loyalty and support of sect elites raised within it.
• He Song said Tianquan Xiancheng lay deep in the rear and would likely be protected by a Golden Core True Lord, so they should cultivate rather than risk their lives for their stipends.

He Song reasoned with Meng Guan and Wei Fan that they could safely fulfill their duties by guarding Tianquan Xiancheng rather than risking their lives for the Thick Earth Sect. When He Song asked why Wei Fan resented the sect so deeply, Wei Fan began to reveal a secret about the Golden Core Path.

• He Song explained that Foundation Establishment cultivators who had joined the Thick Earth Sect halfway through could guard Tianquan Xiancheng without betraying the sect or risking their lives.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan agreed that they could remain in the city and leave battlefield fighting to the sect elites.
• Wei Fan lamented that Rogue Cultivators at Foundation Establishment would always remain outsiders compared with sect elites.
• He Song asked Wei Fan whether he had learned of an injustice that explained his resentment toward the Thick Earth Sect.
• Wei Fan shielded their conversation with his divine sense, warned He Song to keep what he heard secret, and asked whether He Song knew about the Golden Core Path.

Wei Fan explained that reaching the Golden Core realm required Golden Core secret arts and Congealed Golden Core pills, resources the Thick Earth Sect reserved for its elites. He Song understood why Wei Fan and Meng Guan had grown resentful and were considering leaving after repaying the sect’s remaining favors.

• Wei Fan explained that cultivators needed Golden Core secret arts and Congealed Golden Core pills to advance, and that the Thick Earth Sect excluded Foundation Establishment Rogue Cultivators from competing for them.
• Wei Fan and Meng Guan’s history of service to the Thick Earth Sect showed He Song that they had nearly repaid the sect’s favors and felt little obligation to keep risking their lives for it.
• He Song realized that the sect’s unequal rules had changed his friends’ attitudes and left them with no path to advance within the Thick Earth Sect.
• He Song asked Wei Fan whether the Golden Core Path explained his earlier behavior, and Wei Fan admitted that resentment over being barred from the opportunity remained in his heart.
• He Song understood that Wei Fan and Meng Guan intended to leave the Thick Earth Sect after repaying what they owed and seek opportunities elsewhere.

He Song discussed the risks of leaving the Thick Earth Sect with Meng Guan and Wei Fan, who planned to seek opportunities after reaching the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. After weighing his own path to the Golden Core realm, He Song focused on cultivation and decided it might be time to reveal a breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

• He Song advised Meng Guan and Wei Fan to remain in the Thick Earth Sect until they reached the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, and they agreed that leaving later would be safer.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan explained that they had only come to He Song because the alliance of the four northern demon sects had made them fear dying in a war.
• After his friends left, He Song considered how the Thick Earth Sect restricted Rogue Cultivators who had achieved Foundation Establishment from competing for the Congealed Golden Core and Golden Core secret arts.
• He Song considered seeking Golden Core opportunities within the One Yang Sect's sphere of influence but decided he had time to plan while raising his cultivation and advancing his Way of Pills.
• He Song fed Yu'er a Hundred Beasts Pill, entered his meditation chamber, and thought that it might be time to display a breakthrough from the Foundation Establishment Early Stage to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

He Song spent five years cultivating in Tianquan Xiancheng and advancing his alchemy, after publicly claiming a breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage to secure his post. His spiritual power and pill-making skills improved substantially, though refining Foundation Establishment spiritual pills remained beyond him for now.

• He Song decided to reveal his existing Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivation so others could not use his apparent low cultivation to transfer him from Tianquan Xiancheng.
• In the first year, He Song announced his breakthrough to Meng Guan, Wei Fan, White Cloud, and Black Crane, and news of his cultivation spread.
• He Song took advantage of Tianquan Xiancheng’s greater access to resources, spending more Spirit Stones to strengthen his cultivation over the next five years.
• He Song mastered the high-grade Qi-Congealing Pill and raised his success rate above fifty percent, but his attempts to refine Foundation Establishment spiritual pills produced only slag.
• He Song continued practicing other high-grade pill formulas, hoping to improve enough to try refining Foundation Establishment spiritual pills again in the coming years.

Over five years at Tianquan Xiancheng, He Song improved his Talisman Dao and continued developing his Array Dao while keeping informed about the wider cultivation world. When White Cloud True Person prepared to return to the Thick Earth Sect, He Song officially became the garrison commander and attended White Cloud’s farewell gathering.

• He Song increased his success rate with Lesser Thick Earth Spirit Talismans and began studying other Foundation Establishment Spirit Talismans.
• He Song continued exploring the Array Dao, considering ways to link and stack arrays and how to learn Golden Core realm arrays in the future.
• Su Qian kept He Song informed about events around Flying Cloud Immortal Market, while the Righteous Dao Alliance and Devilish Dao Alliance avoided a full-scale war.
• After five years, White Cloud True Person prepared to return to the Thick Earth Sect, and He Song took over as Tianquan Xiancheng’s garrison True Person.
• He Song brought White Cloud True Person precious spirit tea at his farewell gathering, and White Cloud accepted the gift as they exchanged polite words about their friendship.

He Song formally became the guardian True Person of Tianquan Xiancheng after True Person White Cloud departed. Back at his residence, He Song received an elderly mortal and a youth, whose arrival seemed connected to a secret opportunity Wei Fan had mentioned.

• He Song and True Person White Cloud publicly walked together, signaling the transfer of guardianship to He Song.
• Meng Guan, Wei Fan, and True Person Black Crane gathered with He Song to see True Person White Cloud off as he left Tianquan Xiancheng.
• The three congratulated He Song on becoming the city's guardian True Person, and Wei Fan privately warned him to welcome a visitor carrying a secret opportunity.
• He Song returned to his residence and waited; an elderly mortal supported by a youth soon arrived to request an audience.

He Song learned that Zhang Li and Zhang Ying managed Tianquan Xiancheng’s yearly offerings and agreed to let them continue under his authority. As the pair left to resume their work, He Song recognized the lucrative post as the opportunity Wei Fan had mentioned and returned to cultivation.

• Zhang Li and Zhang Ying presented He Song with a booklet listing the offerings from Tianquan Xiancheng’s families, which Zhang Li had reconstructed from memory for the past year.
• He Song calculated that the offerings, together with his stipend, would bring him more than thirteen thousand Spirit Stones a year.
• He Song told Zhang Li and Zhang Ying to continue collecting and delivering the offerings as before, relieving them that he would keep them in their roles.
• People waiting outside He Song’s manor followed Zhang Li and Zhang Ying, seeking to join their network and present offerings.
• He Song returned to his meditation chamber and reflected on the path that had brought him to become Tianquan Xiancheng’s guardian True Person.