Chapter Summaries

He Song used the Congealed Golden Core’s medicinal potency to transform his spiritual power into a Golden Core inner core, beginning his attempt to condense a core. With the Congealed Golden Core exhausted, he had only one or two hours to form a Golden Core embryonic form before the inner core would dissolve.

• He Song balanced his spiritual power with the Congealed Golden Core’s medicinal potency and used a secret technique from the Great Circulation Breathing Technique to speed their transformation.
• He Song’s aura grew stronger as a portion of his spiritual power became Golden Core inner core, though he remained at Perfect Foundation Establishment.
• The Congealed Golden Core’s medicinal potency was completely consumed, leaving a Golden Core inner core that could remain in his dantian for only one or two hours.
• He Song stirred the vast divine sense in his Mud Palace Pill, preparing to form a Golden Core embryonic form.

He Song began tempering his Golden Core nucleus with divine sense to prepare for Spirit Infusion, but discovered that his unusually powerful divine sense was damaging it. After replenishing the nucleus with another Congealed Golden Core, he resumed tempering more cautiously.

• He Song guided his divine sense into his dantian and began hammering the Golden Core nucleus through a thousand temperings.
• As the nucleus grew brighter, He Song felt a mounting sense of foreboding and stopped to investigate.
• He Song saw the nucleus return to normal and begin to erode, so he swallowed a second Congealed Golden Core to restore its energy.
• He Song realized his powerful divine sense had placed too much pressure on the nucleus and resolved not to rely on brute force.
• After the nucleus regained energy, He Song began the thousandfold tempering again.

He Song stabilized his unstable Golden Core nucleus by taking a third Congealed Golden Core Pill, then continued tempering it with divine sense. He returned his divine sense to its previous intensity to conserve the pill’s remaining medicinal power.

• He Song discovered that his Golden Core nucleus had become unstable under repeated divine sense tempering.
• He Song swallowed a third Congealed Golden Core Pill to repair the problems hidden in the nucleus.
• He Song used the pill’s medicinal power to stabilize the nucleus and intensified his divine sense tempering while it replenished the nucleus.
• He Song realized that more pills could speed the infusion of spirituality, but decided not to waste them for a faster breakthrough.
• He Song reduced his divine sense to its original intensity so the pill’s medicinal power would last longer.

While He Song remained unreachable during his Golden Core breakthrough, his friends noticed his silence and the war between the Righteous Dao Alliance and the Devilish Dao Alliance intensified. The Righteous Dao Alliance killed a Devilish Dao Golden Core True Lord, leaving the outnumbered Devilish Dao leaders to move together and struggle to hold their ground.

• Su Qian noticed He Song had stopped replying, worried he might have died, and continued sending news while concealing her identity and location.
• Meng Guan assumed He Song was in seclusion, while Ping'er and Clear Moon Real Person noticed his silence but were too occupied by the war to investigate.
• The Righteous Dao Alliance and Devilish Dao Alliance escalated their conflict as their Golden Core True Lords fought more often, including joint attacks and ambushes.
• The Righteous Dao Alliance gathered four Golden Core True Lords and killed a lone Devilish Dao Golden Core True Lord.
• The Devilish Dao Alliance's remaining three Golden Core True Lords began appearing together, avoiding isolation but limiting the territory they could defend.

After five years in seclusion, He Song successfully infused his Golden Core nucleus with spirit and formed a Golden Core prototype. He began controlling it to absorb spiritual power as the war between the Righteous Dao Alliance and the Devilish Dao Alliance escalated under the influence of the One Yang Sect and the Locking God Sect.

• The Righteous Dao Alliance and Devilish Dao Alliance reached a stalemate, and the One Yang Sect and Locking God Sect raised banners to draw more Golden Core Forces into the war.
• As the alliances expanded, the Thick Earth Sect lost its leadership position, battles between Golden Core True Lords became more frequent, and the fighting spread away from He Song's location.
• He Song spent five years saturating his Golden Core nucleus with divine sense until it transformed into a Golden Core prototype.
• He Song used the Great Circulation Breathing Technique to control the prototype, which began drawing spiritual power from his body and pulling dense spiritual energy in from the surrounding area.

He Song used the Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array to draw in spiritual energy while forming his Golden Core, causing the energy around Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market to dwindle. After more than a hundred years of preparation, he successfully entered the Golden Core realm and declared himself Cang Song True Lord.

• He Song’s breakthrough drew vast quantities of spiritual energy through the Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array, thinning the energy around Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market.
• Cultivators in the mortal world and Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market noticed the shortage, and many began preparing to flee.
• He Song continued feeding mana into his embryonic Golden Core, unaware of the turmoil outside.
• After his dantian’s mana was absorbed, He Song formed a perfectly round Golden Core and felt his strength surge.
• He Song named himself Cang Song True Lord, changing his title from Cang Song True Person.

He Song completed his breakthrough to the Golden Core realm, and his divine sense began growing stronger as the surrounding spiritual energy returned to normal. The anomaly drew the attention of cultivators around Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market, while some continued searching for its cause.

• He Song entered the Golden Core realm, changed his title to Cang Song True Lord, and sensed his divine sense rapidly expanding.
• He Song's absorption of spiritual energy slowed, and the Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array stopped drawing in energy at an abnormal rate.
• The spiritual energy around Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market returned to normal, relieving Li Shan True Person, who had reported the anomaly to the Thick Earth Sect.
• Cultivators in the market and nearby areas noticed the recovery and considered whether a treasure or another opportunity had caused the disturbance.
• Some cultivators resumed their return to Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market, others waited, and some departed while investigations continued.

After breaking through to the Golden Core realm, He Song discovered that his breakthrough had caused the spiritual energy around him to fluctuate, drawing attention from nearby cultivators. He realized the Thick Earth Sect would likely investigate and began considering how to respond.

• He Song's divine sense surged after his Golden Core breakthrough, eventually reaching a range of one hundred and fifty li.
• He Song sensed that Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market held far fewer cultivators than before, while others searched the surrounding mountains.
• He Song eavesdropped and learned that cultivators had noticed the spiritual energy concentration drop and recover around the time of his breakthrough.
• He Song concluded that the Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array had drawn in spiritual energy during his breakthrough, causing the anomaly.
• He Song anticipated that the Thick Earth Sect would send cultivators to investigate the disturbance in its territory.

After realizing the Thick Earth Sect might discover his lair, He Song decided to abandon the valley and leave the area before investigators arrived. He dismantled and packed his belongings, then headed to retrieve Yu'er before departing.

• He Song weighed the danger of staying after his presence had been exposed and decided to leave rather than risk confronting other Golden Core True Lords.
• He Song monitored the area for unfamiliar Foundation Establishment Real Persons while packing his belongings and uprooting the Spirit Fields and medicinal gardens.
• He Song stored the Mixed Gold Spirit Fruit Tree and Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array, destroyed his cave dwelling, and left the Nether Smoke Array running for one month.
• He Song headed underground toward the riverbank to retrieve Yu'er before leaving.

After breaking through to the Golden Core realm, He Song took Yu'er away from the war-threatened Thick Earth Sect and brought her to his hidden cave abode near Flying Cloud Immortal Market. He settled in to consolidate his cultivation and learned that the war had escalated while he was secluded, leaving his allies scattered and active elsewhere.

• He Song collected Yu'er from the riverside and traveled with her through Qionghua Sect territory into One Yang Sect territory.
• He Song brought Yu'er to his hidden cave abode near Flying Cloud Immortal Market, reinforced it with two formations, and expanded it to fit her.
• He Song restored the Spirit Fields and medicinal garden, then entered seclusion to consolidate his Golden Core cultivation while reviewing messages from his contacts.
• He Song learned that Golden Core True Lords were increasingly joining the war and that Thick Earth Sect had lost its former prominence.
• Clear Moon Real Person took Ping'er away to seek opportunities, while Meng Guan and Wei Fan joined forces and fought in other Nascent Soul Sect territories.

After breaking his five-year silence, He Song learned that Ningyin Real Person had been killed, removing a lingering threat. He continued cultivating as a Golden Core cultivator but recognized that he needed a Golden Core cultivation technique and planned to strengthen his skills and equipment.

• He Song replied to messages from Meng Guan, Ping'er, Clear Moon Real Person, Su Qian, and others, explaining that he had been trapped after encountering fortuitous opportunities.
• Fayan Zhenjun sent a report on the Righteous Dao Alliance's battlefield successes, and He Song saw that Ningyin Real Person had been slain by Red Sword True Monarch.
• He Song felt relieved that Ningyin Real Person, his former enemy, could no longer threaten him, then put away the report and resumed cultivating.
• He Song realized that the Foundation Establishment-realm Thick Earth Technique limited his Golden Core cultivation speed and decided that finding a Golden Core cultivation technique was urgent.
• He Song planned to practice the Golden Core earth-element offensive technique from Silver Moon True Monarch's cave dwelling and select Low-grade Spiritual Artifacts to improve his capabilities.

He Song consolidated his cultivation at the early Golden Core stage and selected the earth-element Golden Core spell Crushing Mountain to practice. He also chose defensive and offensive Spiritual Artifacts to strengthen his protection and combat power before leaving seclusion.

• He Song set aside thoughts of Ningyin Real Person's death and focused on consolidating his cultivation.
• Several months later, He Song stabilized his cultivation at the early Golden Core stage.
• He Song selected the earth-element Golden Core spell Crushing Mountain, whose attacks could devastate mountains and severely injure Golden Core cultivators.
• He Song chose the Starfall Pearl, a defensive Spiritual Artifact that formed a protective barrier against attacks from any direction.
• He Song chose the Purple Lightning Spirit Snake Seal, which summoned a powerful Purple Lightning Spirit Snake to fight for him.

He Song received Meng Guan’s news that he and Wei Fan had found a formation-hidden opportunity in Golden Snake Sect territory, and he considered helping his old friends after improving his strength. Five years later, He Song had mastered the Crushing Mountain technique and refined two Low-grade Spiritual Artifacts, and he prepared to leave seclusion with a clearer sense of his capabilities and needs.

• He Song received Meng Guan’s message about the opportunity he and Wei Fan had found and their plans to spend years breaking its formation.
• He Song decided he might visit Meng Guan and Wei Fan after mastering his technique and refining his Spiritual Artifacts, hoping to repay their past help and learn about the opportunity.
• Five years passed as He Song cultivated in a hidden cave abode near Flying Cloud Immortal Market, mastering the Crushing Mountain technique and refining two Low-grade Spiritual Artifacts.
• He Song assessed his strength against the Golden Core True Lords drawn into the expanding war between the Righteous Dao Alliance and the Devilish Dao Alliance, while noting that his array and flying boat consumed many Spirit Stones.
• He Song left his quiet chamber and reflected that Yu'er and the Mixed Gold Spirit Fruit Tree had suffered from living in the hidden cave abode, but he had previously lacked the strength to seek a safer place.

After refining his techniques and artifacts, He Song left Yu'er behind and traveled toward the Golden Snake Sect to find Meng Guan and Wei Fan, who had discovered a possible Golden Core cave dwelling. The chapter ends with Meng Guan taking over the spell assault on the weakened array while Wei Fan rested.

• He Song left Yu'er in the hidden cave with protective arrays, pills, and Spirit Stones before traveling south.
• He Song used Silver Moon True Monarch's flying boat to head for the Golden Snake Sect and resolved to remain cautious as he entered the world of stronger cultivators.
• He Song recalled that Meng Guan and Wei Fan had found a possible Golden Core cave dwelling and planned to reach them before they obtained its opportunity.
• In the Golden Snake Sect's territory, Meng Guan and Wei Fan continued wearing down the cave dwelling's array after five years of effort and exhausting most of their pills and Spirit Stones.
• Meng Guan saw Wei Fan tiring as he scorched the nearly broken array with spiritual flames, so he offered to take over while Wei Fan rested.

He Song traveled into Golden Snake Sect territory to find Meng Guan and Wei Fan, who had spent five years weakening an array with spirit fire. He found them before the array collapsed and secretly approached, leaving his next move undecided.

• Meng Guan and Wei Fan took turns burning the array with spirit fire and recovering their magical power with Spirit Stones.
• He Song crossed into Golden Snake Sect territory and learned about the neighboring Nascent Soul Sects while traveling.
• He Song entered Purple River Prefecture, obtained a detailed map, and planned a route to search for his friends.
• After two months of searching secluded locations, He Song sensed Meng Guan and Wei Fan and confirmed the array had not yet dispersed.
• He Song pretended to leave, concealed his presence, and returned to the pair without either noticing him.

He Song secretly replaced the failing Golden Core Defense Array with his Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array, studied the original formation until it collapsed, and entered the exposed Golden Core cave dwelling. He suppressed its four golden-armored guards and found no surviving Golden Core True Lord or other immediate threat.

• He Song used the Qi Observation Technique to inspect the Golden Core Defense Array and realized he could not enter it unnoticed while Meng Guan and Wei Fan were nearby.
• He Song set up a Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array and secretly used it to replace the part of the defense array that Meng Guan was burning, leaving Meng Guan and Wei Fan unaware.
• He Song spent three months studying the Golden Core Defense Array until it crumbled, then found its underground array plate and formation flags and confirmed he could reactivate it.
• He Song inspected the exposed cave dwelling and found spirit fields, medicinal gardens, and four golden-armored guards hidden inside.
• He Song used the Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array to immobilize the four golden-armored guards, stored them in his Storage Pouch, and found no other immediate threats.

He Song explored Star Rock True Monarch’s Golden Core cave dwelling, taking a small amount of unfamiliar spirit rice and learning about its former owner from a jade slip. He left the medicinal herbs and talisman-making tools for Meng Guan and Wei Fan, and the chapter ended with him reflecting on Star Rock True Monarch’s struggles and the many cultivators trapped at their cultivation bottlenecks.

• He Song inspected the cave dwelling after eliminating its four golden-armored guards, then collected several thousand catties of unfamiliar spirit rice.
• He Song examined the medicinal gardens, decided their herbs were not worth taking, and left them for Meng Guan and Wei Fan.
• He Song searched the reception hall and took a tiny jade bead, then left the talisman-making room without taking its tools.
• He Song entered Strange Tales Pavilion, protected himself, and read the jade slips stored there.
• He Song learned that Wu Yan, titled Star Rock True Monarch, had risen from rogue cultivator origins to Golden Core but remained trapped at middle Golden Core until his death.

He Song inspected Star Rock True Monarch’s quiet chamber and Storage Pouch, checking that the Golden Core held no hidden threat and weighing the value of the remaining items. He realized Star Rock True Monarch’s wealth had likely been spent on a Longevity Pill, while the talisman-making materials suggested a possible future source of Golden Core spiritual talismans.

• He Song considered whether the Jade Slip describing Star Rock True Monarch’s life should be destroyed so Meng Guan and Wei Fan would not suspect the two Congealed Golden Core pills.
• He Song entered the quiet chamber, examined Star Rock True Monarch’s Golden Core for abnormalities, and returned it to its place.
• He Song searched Star Rock True Monarch’s Storage Pouch and found several hundred thousand Spirit Stones, two middling Low-grade Spiritual Artifacts, a flying boat, Jade Slips, and talisman-making supplies.
• He Song recognized that the talisman-making supplies were for creating Golden Core spiritual talismans and considered using them to make his own.
• He Song recalled that Golden Core Longevity Pills were extremely expensive and concluded that Star Rock True Monarch had probably spent most of his savings on one.

He Song searched Star Rock True Monarch’s belongings and found a cultivation technique that reached the Nascent Soul Realm and a defensive earth-element spell. He left two Congealed Golden Cores in the Storage Pouch, destroyed the record of Star Rock True Monarch’s life to protect his identity, and restored the cave dwelling before preparing to leave.

• He Song examined Star Rock True Monarch’s talisman-making tools and Jade Slips, then kept the Purple Mansion Strengthening Yuan Technique and the Earth Spirit Bodyguard Technique.
• He Song reaffirmed that revealing his Golden Core cultivation or his help to Meng Guan and Wei Fan could expose his unusually long lifespan and endanger him.
• He Song placed two Congealed Golden Cores in Star Rock True Monarch’s Storage Pouch to make its contents appear authentic.
• He Song decided the Jade Slip recording Star Rock True Monarch’s life had to be destroyed and returned to Strange Tales Pavilion to take it.
• He Song restored the cave dwelling, returned two golden-armored guards to the quiet chamber, and prepared to leave.

He Song discovered the hidden Small Spirit Gathering Array and Foundation Establishment concealment array in Star Rock True Monarch’s cave dwelling, then took its Golden Core Defense Array components and planned to leave his own Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array for Meng Guan and Wei Fan. After the two entered the cave dwelling, they fought its golden-armored guards, and Meng Guan revealed a blood-red longsword with astonishing power.

• He Song uncovered the concealed arrays and realized the Nether Smoke Array could protect his medicinal gardens from Golden Core True Lords.
• He Song collected the Golden Core Defense Array’s array plate and flags, removed the Spirit Stones from his own array, and left the Heavenly Dipper Divine Thunder Array for Meng Guan and Wei Fan.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan entered the cave dwelling after the defensive barrier vanished and began exploring it.
• Meng Guan and Wei Fan fought the two golden-armored guards in the cultivation chamber but struggled to destroy their sturdy puppet bodies.
• Meng Guan drew a blood-red longsword and unleashed a crimson blade light that struck down both guards, astonishing He Song.