Chapter Summaries

After leaving Tianquan Xiancheng, He Song declined Master Luo Jing’s offer to arrange a residence for him in Cloud Province and returned to the Thick Earth Sect. He exchanged his limited sect contributions for ordinary cultivation resources, then left the mountain gate to continue his search for opportunities.

• Master Luo Jing asked He Song where he planned to go and offered to have True Person Yun Jing arrange a residence for him in Cloud Province, but He Song said he would search across many places instead.
• He Song bade farewell to Master Luo Jing and flew away from Tianquan Xiancheng, leaving her wondering when they would meet again.
• He Song entered the Thick Earth Sect, confirmed at the Internal Affairs Hall that he had relinquished his post as resident of Tianquan Xiancheng, and recalled how Meng Guan and Wei Fan had left to seek opportunities.
• He Song visited the sect treasury but found that his contributions were insufficient for precious items, so he exchanged them for ordinary cultivation resources.
• He Song stored the resources in his Storage Pouch and left the Thick Earth Sect mountain gate.

After leaving the Thick Earth Sect, He Song changed his appearance and traveled to White Egret Immortal City to buy materials for refining a Congealed Golden Core and the Golden Core Great Array. He left his next steps open while keeping his Mixed Gold Spirit Fruit secret.

• He Song left the Thick Earth Sect, reflecting that its rules had freed him from the sect’s obligations and allowed him to seek opportunities or join another force.
• He Song hid in an uninhabited valley, changed his appearance and attire, and suppressed his cultivation to the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.
• He Song traveled to White Egret Immortal City, which lay within the Pure Yin Sect’s jurisdiction and far from the Thick Earth Sect.
• He Song entered the Treasure Gathering Pavilion in disguise and asked its pavilion master about purchasing supplementary ingredients for the Congealed Golden Core and materials for the Golden Core Great Array.
• He Song avoided contacting Master Luo Jing because he feared she would infer that he possessed a Mixed Gold Spirit Fruit.

He Song bought the rare materials needed to refine the Congealed Golden Core and craft the Golden Core Great Array, then left White Egret Immortal City without trouble. He headed away with his purchases after retrieving the arrays he had set up outside the city.

• He Song asked the Treasure Gathering Pavilion’s branch master to gather the precious materials he needed, and agreed to wait a month for them to arrive.
• He Song spent the month in White Egret Immortal City and set up three arrays in a nearby valley as a precaution.
• The branch master delivered the materials, and He Song paid six hundred and thirty thousand low-grade Spirit Stones for them.
• He Song changed his appearance at his inn, quietly left White Egret Immortal City, and waited several days in the valley.
• He Song retrieved the three arrays and departed, satisfied that the pavilion had not tried to follow or ambush him.

He Song continued cultivating in seclusion inside the Golden Core Great Array until a Sound Transmission Paper Crane from Su Qian reached him. Su Qian asked for his guidance before attempting Foundation Establishment, and He Song recalled their meeting decades earlier.

• He Song returned to the Golden Core Great Array near Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market and resumed secluded cultivation.
• He Song sensed a disturbance in the array, cautiously inspected the area, and found a Sound Transmission Paper Crane blocked outside.
• He Song drew in the crane and read Su Qian’s message asking for guidance before her attempt to break through to Foundation Establishment.
• He Song remembered meeting Su Qian decades earlier, when she was a Qi Refining Layer 1 girl at Flying Cloud Immortal Market.

He Song reflected on how much of Su Qian’s life had passed while he advanced through cultivation, then sent her a reply and Foundation Establishment insights to aid her attempt. He also concealed the valley’s array so her future messages would not expose his location.

• He Song realized that while he had broken through one minor realm, Su Qian had advanced to Qi Refining Great Perfection and was nearing the end of half her lifespan.
• He Song wrote a reply to Su Qian along with Foundation Establishment insights, hoping to give her a better chance at Foundation Establishment.
• He Song sent the papers to Su Qian with a Sound Transmission Paper Crane.
• He Song recalled that he had told Su Qian to stop sending monthly messages while he investigated the Golden Core Great Array, and that her latest paper crane had triggered the array.
• He Song set up a Nether Smoke Array around the Golden Core Great Array to conceal future Sound Transmission Paper Cranes.

He Song received Su Qian’s message that her Foundation Establishment attempt had failed, leaving her badly injured and unable to try again for ten years. He comforted her and asked her to resume gathering information while she recovered.

• He Song’s Nether Smoke Array caught Su Qian’s Sound Transmission Paper Crane without exposing his valley.
• Su Qian told He Song that she had failed to establish her foundation despite using his insights, and that she would spend ten years healing.
• He Song reflected on Su Qian’s slim prospects and the difficulty of Foundation Establishment for ordinary cultivators.
• He Song wrote back to comfort Su Qian and asked her to resume sending information that month.

He Song gathered intelligence from Su Qian and Clear Moon Real Person, learning that the war was easing and the area around his cave dwelling was becoming safer. He considered shutting down the costly Golden Core Great Array but decided to keep it running to protect his cultivation, medicinal garden, and Mixed Gold Spirit Fruit Tree.

• He Song comforted Su Qian after her failed breakthrough and asked her to send him information from Flying Cloud Immortal Market.
• He Song compared Su Qian’s reports with Clear Moon Real Person’s and learned that clashes between the Righteous Dao Alliance and the Devilish Dao Alliance had diminished, though the Golden Sword Sect continued attacking.
• He Song worried that maintaining the Golden Core Great Array, alongside his cultivation expenses, was rapidly draining his Spirit Stones.
• He Song considered withdrawing the array because the surrounding region seemed safer, but decided its spiritual energy was essential to his cultivation and medicinal garden.
• He Song kept the array in place to ensure the Mixed Gold Spirit Fruit Tree could ripen its fruit for another batch of Congealed Golden Core pills.

He Song realized his Golden Core Great Array and long-term cultivation required more Spirit Stones than his current crafts and pill refining could provide. He planned to establish herb gardens across several sect territories, expanding into One Yang Sect if necessary, before his funds ran out.

• He Song calculated that his annual expenses approached a hundred thousand Spirit Stones, far more than his pill, talisman, and artifact work could earn.
• He Song ruled out opening many herb gardens within the Thick Earth Sect because draining too much spiritual energy could attract Fayan Zhenjun or Yan Shan True Monarch.
• He Song decided to open a small number of herb gardens in several Golden Core Sect territories so their combined spirit herbs could generate substantial income without drawing notice.
• He Song planned to open more herb gardens in One Yang Sect territory if the gardens across the Golden Core Sects failed to cover his expenses.
• He Song concluded that securing more Spirit Stones was essential before enemies might be drawn to his Golden Core cave dwelling and Mixed Gold Spirit Fruit Tree, though his current funds could sustain more than twenty years of seclusion.

He Song prepared to leave his Golden Core cave dwelling to earn Spirit Stones for the Golden Core Great Array and his cultivation. After equipping four gold-armored guards, he set out for the Pure Yin Sect to establish medicinal gardens.

• He Song released the four gold-armored guards and inspected their cores, finding thousands of mid-grade Spirit Stones still inside.
• He Song filled each guard's core with Spirit Stones until it held two thousand, then returned the cores to their bodies.
• He Song decided to establish medicinal gardens, grow spirit herbs, and sell pills to support the Golden Core Great Array and his cultivation.
• He Song prepared his belongings, traveled underground away from the Golden Core Great Array, then flew toward the Pure Yin Sect.

He Song traveled into Pure Yin Sect territory in disguise to locate his hidden cave dwelling and find a secluded site for medicinal gardens. After confirming the cave remained undisturbed, he chose a nearby valley for the gardens.

• He Song traveled west on the White Jade Boat and changed his appearance and aura after entering Pure Yin Sect territory.
• He Song used the Seven Fragrance Tracking Technique to locate the hidden cave dwelling he had opened decades earlier.
• He Song inspected the concealed entrance and found no sign that anyone had visited the stone mountain.
• He Song searched the nearby area for a compact site to establish ten medicinal gardens and found suitable ground along a stream in a valley.

He Song established ten medicinal gardens in a hidden valley, enclosing them with four arrays, and prepared spirit puppets to plant and tend herbs once the soil became spirit soil. After leaving supplies and instructions for the arrays and puppets, he departed the valley.

• He Song set up a Nether Smoke Array, a Small Spirit Gathering Array, a Seven Killing Heavenly Fire Array, and a Sea Stabilizing Yuan Array to conceal and protect the valley.
• He Song opened ten medicinal gardens, then waited for the ordinary soil to transform into spirit soil before planting herbs.
• He Song refined five small spirit puppets from leftover materials to scatter seeds and tend the gardens.
• He Song gave one puppet spirit herb seeds, Spirit Stones, and instructions to plant once the soil became spirit soil, then continue tending the gardens.
• He Song left enough Spirit Stones to power the arrays for more than ten years and flew away from the valley.

He Song traveled to Flying Cloud Immortal Market to visit the injured Su Qian and strengthen her loyalty before continuing to the One Yang Sect's territory. He left her with medicinal tea that would restore some of her ability to fight and help protect her life.

• He Song chose to pass through Flying Cloud Immortal Market on his way to the One Yang Sect's territory so he could visit Su Qian.
• He Song concealed his Foundation Establishment cultivation and quietly used his divine sense to find Su Qian in the market.
• He Song entered Su Qian's courtyard without announcing himself and prepared spirit tea suited to Qi Refining cultivators, adding a medicinal pill.
• Su Qian, still weakened by her failed Foundation Establishment attempt, greeted He Song respectfully and drank the tea he gave her.
• He Song told Su Qian to drink a cup of the tea each day, explaining that it would give her enough strength to fight and help preserve her life if an enemy attacked.

He Song treated the injured Su Qian and left her with a life-saving Spirit Talisman so she could continue gathering information for him. After leaving Flying Cloud Immortal Market, he discovered that the tracking mark on his decades-old concealed cave dwelling had vanished and went to investigate.

• He Song told Su Qian to gather information for him and visit once a month, and she promised to fulfill his request.
• He Song left Su Qian a pot of spirit tea containing a Foundation Establishment healing pill and a Qi Refining life-saving Spirit Talisman before departing.
• After leaving Flying Cloud Immortal Market, He Song restored his aura to Foundation Establishment Late Stage and traveled on his White Jade Boat.
• He Song used the Seven Fragrance Tracking Technique but could no longer sense the mark at his concealed cave dwelling.
• He Song used his map of Cloud Province to fly toward the cave dwelling, wondering whether it had been discovered or the tracking mark had disappeared over time.

He Song returned to the remote rocky mountain where he had hidden a cave abode and found it reduced to a crater by a battle among Qi Refining cultivators. He entered the cave abode and discovered that its passage had been widened by spell attacks.

• He Song found a massive crater, scattered bones, and broken Magic Artifacts where his hidden cave abode had once been.
• He Song concluded that at least several dozen Qi Refining cultivators had fought over the cave abode and that the battle had likely left its resources looted.
• He Song examined the crater and reasoned that its narrow depths had made reaching the cave abode difficult and dangerous for the cultivators.
• He Song checked that no one was nearby, descended through the passage, and entered his former hidden cave abode.
• He Song found spell marks near the passage’s end and saw that the narrow corridor had been widened enough for two people to walk side by side.

He Song explored his destroyed hidden cave dwelling and wondered how Qi Refining cultivators had found it so soon after he excavated it. After spotting a figure in the mountain forest, he confronted Jiang Gao, a suspicious Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivator, and demanded an explanation.

• He Song examined scorch marks, widened passages, and scattered skeletons, then concluded that a battle had taken place over the hidden cave dwelling.
• He Song found the storage room destroyed and its contents and tracking mark gone, and wondered how the cave dwelling had been discovered within a few decades.
• He Song left the cave dwelling and spotted someone fleeing through the distant mountain forest.
• He Song pursued the figure and found Jiang Gao, who acted terrified under his spiritual pressure.
• He Song recognized Jiang Gao's high cultivation and suspicious behavior, then demanded that he explain why he was there.

He Song questioned Jiang Gao, a Qi Refining cultivator traveling from Eight Vein Immortal City to Myriad Phenomena Immortal Market, after discovering the market was absent from his map. Jiang Gao explained that it had been established decades earlier, and realized He Song was a long-established, powerful Foundation Establishment Real Person.

• Jiang Gao told He Song that he had traveled from Eight Vein Immortal City and was heading to Myriad Phenomena Immortal Market.
• Jiang Gao wondered why He Song had stopped him and considered probing the reason for He Song's presence.
• He Song asked Jiang Gao where Myriad Phenomena Immortal Market was because his map did not show it.
• Jiang Gao explained that the guardian True Person of Eight Vein Immortal City had established the market decades earlier and that it lay several hundred li ahead.
• Jiang Gao abandoned his assumption that He Song was newly advanced and feared that any misstep could cost him his life.

He Song learned through Jiang Gao that the newly established Myriad Phenomena Immortal Market had exposed his hidden cave abode, then used Soul Searching Technique to confirm Jiang Gao's account and killed him. He left to find a new secluded site and continue establishing medicine gardens, while wondering why the market had been built there.

• He Song realized that increased traffic between Myriad Phenomena Immortal Market and Eight Vein Immortal City had led cultivators to discover his hidden cave abode.
• He Song identified Jiang Gao as an evil cultivator and suppressed him as Jiang Gao tried to unleash his blood aura and escape.
• He Song protected himself with four golden-armored guards and two top-grade Magic Artifacts, then cast Soul Searching Technique on Jiang Gao.
• After confirming Jiang Gao had told the truth, He Song burned his body, collected the ashes and Storage Pouch, and left the area.
• He Song questioned why the True Person guarding Eight Vein Immortal City had established another market near Flying Cloud Immortal Market, then searched for a new hidden cave abode where he could establish ten medicine gardens.

He Song established another hidden cave dwelling and herb garden, continuing to expand his Spirit Stone income so he could operate Golden Core Great Arrays. He left the Myriad Phenomena Immortal Market unexplored and entered Qionghua Sect territory, where he began searching for a mark from a hidden cave dwelling he had made decades earlier.

• He Song considered how the fifty-five herb gardens could fund Golden Core Great Arrays and strengthen his combat power.
• He Song found a secluded mountain, opened a hidden cave dwelling, and left a few thousand Spirit Stones' worth of supplies inside.
• He Song established another herb garden with arrays and a spirit puppet, then departed on his White Jade Boat.
• He Song dismissed his suspicions about the Myriad Phenomena Immortal Market and prioritized earning Spirit Stones and improving his cultivation.
• He Song entered Qionghua Sect territory and used the Seven Fragrance Tracking Technique to follow a mark he had left decades earlier.

He Song established the remaining medicinal gardens across Qionghua Sect, One Yang Sect, and Golden Sword Sect territory, completing all fifty planned gardens. He returned safely to the Golden Core Great Array, where he planned to cultivate for ten years before harvesting Five Elements Spiritual Ginseng and selling the pills refined from it.

• He Song used the Seven Fragrance Tracking Technique to locate his hidden cave residence in Qionghua Sect territory and established ten medicinal gardens nearby.
• He Song established ten medicinal gardens each in One Yang Sect and Golden Sword Sect territory without encountering trouble.
• He Song traveled openly through Golden Sword Sect territory and returned safely to Thick Earth Sect territory.
• He Song returned to the Golden Core Great Array after completing all fifty medicinal gardens and leaving spirit puppets to sow spiritual herb seeds.
• He Song planned to cultivate for ten years, harvest Five Elements Spiritual Ginseng, refine it into spiritual pills, and sell them to fund his cultivation and the array.

He Song continued his secluded cultivation inside the Golden Core Great Array, working on secret techniques, cultivation, and Golden Core array equipment. Su Qian sent word that dense fog had engulfed Myriad Phenomena Immortal Market and that people who entered had disappeared; He Song decided to await further information.

• He Song began seclusion, planning to cultivate the Great Circulation Breathing Technique, improve his spiritual power, and forge Golden Core array plates and flags.
• He Song gave Su Qian life-preserving items, and she became more diligent about sending him news from Eight Vein Immortal City.
• Su Qian sent a Sound Transmission Paper Crane reporting that dense fog had enveloped Myriad Phenomena Immortal Market and that neither its guardian nor its Qi Refining cultivators had emerged.
• Su Qian reported that investigators entered the market and never returned, while Foundation Establishment Real Persons had arrived and plunged inside.
• He Song recalled his earlier suspicions about Myriad Phenomena Immortal Market and chose to wait for further news from Su Qian rather than investigate himself.