Chapter Summaries

He Song completed his seclusion with his cultivation at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage and his Talisman Dao advanced enough to create offensive and defensive Nascent Soul Spirit Talismans. He kept the breakthrough secret and visited Han Yuezi through Mingyue to discuss the two Enlightenment Tea Leaves and potentially obtain more.

• He Song recognized that making his own offensive and defensive Nascent Soul Spirit Talismans would save resources and strengthen his ability to survive, and he had reached a guaranteed success rate for both types.
• After sensing the improvements from the two Enlightenment Tea Leaves, He Song considered obtaining more and decided Han Yuezi was his best source.
• He Song chose to conceal his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage and continued presenting himself as a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator.
• He Song directed Mingyue to visit Han Yuezi at her residence in the Treasure Gathering Pavilion branch.
• Han Yuezi asked whether He Song had refined both tea leaves and guessed that he had advanced to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.
• He Song confirmed that he had refined both leaves but explained that he used them to improve his spells, secret arts, and skills rather than to break through.

He Song concealed his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage while Han Yuezi mistook his rapid refinement of Enlightenment Tea Leaves for exceptional aptitude. Han Yuezi offered him more leaves, and He Song cautiously weighed how to acquire them without revealing his wealth; the chapter ended with Han Yuezi making the case that they were worth the cost.

• He Song hid his breakthrough and let Han Yuezi believe his progress came from unusually strong aptitude.
• Han Yuezi considered the benefits of befriending He Song and offered him the Enlightenment Tea Leaves she had received.
• He Song expressed interest but pretended he could not afford many leaves and questioned whether their diminishing effects justified the price.
• Han Yuezi argued that Enlightenment Tea Leaves were a rare bargain that could improve cultivation and understanding of the Dao.

He Song bought five Enlightenment Tea Leaves from Han Yuezi at a discount and learned that ordinary leaves stopped working after ten uses. He put the new leaves away to finish consolidating his cultivation, while Han Yuezi returned her attention to studying a powerful defensive formation for the Cold Family.

• Han Yuezi offered He Song five Enlightenment Tea Leaves for the price of four, and He Song accepted the deal despite suspecting her sales pitch was partly misleading.
• After completing the transaction, Han Yuezi explained that ordinary Enlightenment Tea Leaves worked for only ten leaves per cultivator, while leaves from the mother tree had no such limit.
• He Song realized he had consumed only two leaves so far and expected the five new leaves to help him advance toward the peak of the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.
• He Song delivered the five leaves to his true body, which stored them and continued consolidating its cultivation instead of consuming them immediately.
• Han Yuezi considered whether she should meet Cang Songzi in person next time, decided to remain cautious, and resumed studying a powerful defensive formation near the Treasure Gathering Pavilion's headquarters.

An Ning broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm while He Song and Han Yuezi were in seclusion at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion branch in Zetianjing. After He Song arranged for An Ning to receive a Nascent Soul Guest Elder Token, Han Yuezi took his advice on nurturing juniors and sent her branch’s descendants away to cultivate independently.

• An Ning’s breakthrough caused a powerful aura and spiritual energy vortex at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion branch, and He Song told her to stabilize her cultivation in seclusion.
• He Song upgraded An Ning’s token privileges so she could obtain spells and secret arts from the pavilion treasury.
• Han Yuezi recognized that An Ning was the disciple of He Song’s old friend and agreed to meet her after she emerged from seclusion.
• He Song described how An Ning had been raised and trained, and Han Yuezi resolved to adopt a similar approach with her family’s younger generations.
• Han Yuezi ordered many descendants of her branch to cultivate alone in Golden Core or Nascent Soul sects, plunging the branch into turmoil without He Song knowing his advice had prompted it.

After arranging An Ning’s Nascent Soul cultivation and consolidating his own, He Song used a third cup of Enlightenment Tea to master refining Top-grade Spirit Artifacts. He then chose to devote his remaining tea leaves to the Dao of formations, beginning to study how to create a powerful composite array.

• He Song gave An Ning high-grade spirit artifacts and selected techniques and spells to help her consolidate her new Nascent Soul cultivation.
• He Song consolidated his Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivation and drank a third cup of Enlightenment Tea to advance his artifact-refining skills.
• He Song mastered the ability to refine Top-grade Spirit Artifacts and decided that further study of the Way of Artifacts was not worth another cup of tea.
• He Song chose to study the Dao of formations so he could create a composite array capable of greatly strengthening him and his Nascent Soul Puppets.
• He Song began comprehending the Dao of formations but did not yet attempt to create an array.

He Song used Enlightenment Tea to deepen his understanding of the Dao of Arrays while gathering news during his seclusion. After the Zetian Immortal Domain’s Nascent Soul abode yielded treasures for the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, He Song discovered that a pearl he had acquired was a Nine-Turn Tribulation Lightning Pearl that could greatly strengthen a puppet, and summoned Clear Wind to bring it to him.

• He Song studied the Nine Abyss Return-to-Void Array with Enlightenment Tea, hoping to improve his array comprehension before creating a composite array of his own.
• He Song received intelligence about a Nascent Soul abode in the Zetian Immortal Domain, where its three great Nascent Soul Sects claimed most of the treasures while many other cultivators suffered losses.
• He Song acquired numerous treasures from the abode through the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, including a pearl that Mingyue showed an unusual craving for.
• He Song searched the pavilion’s records and identified the pearl as a Nine-Turn Tribulation Lightning Pearl, which could greatly enhance a puppet when fused into its core.
• He Song controlled Clear Wind to set up a Myriad Swords Return to Origin Array and teleportation array, and Clear Wind traveled through them to reach He Song.

He Song fused the Nine-Turn Tribulation Lightning Pearl into Clear Wind, raising the puppet to Nascent Soul Great Perfection and improving He Song’s safety. After several years in seclusion refining his third cup of Enlightenment Tea, He Song advanced his array comprehension and began developing an offensive grand array.

• He Song fused the Nine-Turn Tribulation Lightning Pearl with Clear Wind’s core while leaving a way to remove the treasure later.
• Clear Wind’s strength rose to Nascent Soul Great Perfection, and He Song recognized how the puppet could strengthen his arrays and protect his allies.
• He Song sent Clear Wind to perform tasks outside and entered seclusion to study the Dao of arrays with the Enlightenment Tea’s medicinal power.
• After several years, He Song finished refining his third cup of Enlightenment Tea and gained new insight into creating arrays.
• He Song chose to create an offensive grand array, reasoning that it could kill enemies and turn an attack on his cave abode against them.

He Song created a powerful composite grand array by combining the Mysterious Nether Ice Soul Array with four auxiliary arrays, including the Extreme Yang Reflection Array. After completing the array, he gained a means to face Nascent Soul Cultivators without losing confidence.

• He Song chose the Mysterious Nether Ice Soul Array as his main formation because it was compatible with a composite array and could freeze cultivators and attack them with ice weapons.
• He Song used Enlightenment Tea to advance his cultivation while combining the main array with four auxiliary arrays.
• He Song noticed that relying on extreme cold alone made the array vulnerable, so he searched for a formation with different effects.
• He Song added the Extreme Yang Reflection Array, which could instantly switch the array’s environment between extreme cold and extreme heat.
• He Song completed the five-layer composite grand array, which could unleash the formations’ full power and threaten even Nascent Soul Cultivators.

After a century in seclusion, He Song completed a powerful seven-layer composite array and advanced to the middle of the Nascent Soul Middle Stage. He planned to save his remaining Enlightenment Tea Leaf for a future breakthrough and continue cultivating while his puppets searched for opportunities.

• He Song considered using the new array to help Ghost Soul hunt demonic path Nascent Soul Cultivators, but postponed the plan until Ghost Soul grew stronger.
• He Song discovered that he had spent a full century in seclusion and consumed four Enlightenment Tea Leaves while refining his array and cultivating.
• He Song redesigned the composite array to remove its dependence on natural arrays and completed it with one main array and six auxiliary arrays.
• He Song's cultivation reached halfway through the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, and he kept his last Enlightenment Tea Leaf for a future bottleneck.
• Clear Wind and Idle Cloud found two hidden locations containing natural arrays, further strengthening He Song's security as he planned to use his new array to obtain corpses for powerful puppets.

After a century of seclusion, He Song emerged with a new offensive composite array, relocated his hidden cultivation grounds, and prepared to strengthen his puppets. He then visited Han Yuezi to thank her for the Enlightenment Tea Leaves, and she asked whether he had reached the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

• He Song considered using his puppets and new array to lure unsupported Nascent Soul Cultivators into traps, and memorized intelligence on cultivators across distant regions.
• He Song moved his Nine Abyss Return-to-Void Array to a secluded natural array near the Zetian Immortal Domain, converted his former site into a medicinal garden, and made a second natural array near the One Yang Sect a concealed fallback dwelling.
• He Song refined and installed the Profound Yang Ice Soul Array, tested its power, and prepared to send copies to his puppets.
• After a hundred years of seclusion, He Song controlled Mingyue to visit Han Yuezi and repay her for the Enlightenment Tea Leaves.
• Han Yuezi welcomed He Song and asked whether he had advanced to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage and stabilized his cultivation.

He Song revealed that he had advanced to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage and paid Han Yuezi for one Enlightenment Tea Leaf, leaving five leaves’ worth of debt. After discussing the Dao with her, he turned to strengthening his four Nascent Soul Puppets with Profound Yang Ice Soul Arrays.

• He Song told Han Yuezi that he had broken through to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage and lamented the cost of the seven Enlightenment Tea Leaves.
• Han Yuezi reminded He Song that she had waived payment for one leaf and explained how his higher cultivation could help him earn resources faster.
• He Song presented accumulated resources to Han Yuezi, who accepted enough for one Enlightenment Tea Leaf and counted the surplus toward his debt, leaving five leaves unpaid.
• He Song discussed the Dao with Han Yuezi for several days before bidding farewell and departing.
• He Song began refining Profound Yang Ice Soul Array plates and flags, and Clear Wind Bright Moon, Idle Cloud, and Ghost Soul each received a set.

He Song selected a defensive array for his Nascent Soul Puppets and advised An Ning as she prepared to travel abroad for training and Treasure Gathering Pavilion missions. He gave her supplies and a token that would summon his aid, then assured her he could protect her from threats within the Nascent Soul Realm.

• He Song chose the Myriad Image Mountain River Array to defend his Nascent Soul Puppets and began studying it.
• An Ning visited He Song after years of training, and he shared his insights into the spells and secret arts she had learned.
• An Ning asked to leave Zetianjing for experience and to complete missions toward becoming a Treasure Gathering Pavilion branch master.
• He Song warned An Ning about dangerous missions, forbidden regions, and relying on her own strength, then gave her spirit pills, Spirit Talismans, and a token linked to his divine sense.
• An Ning promised to act cautiously and destroy the token if she faced danger, and He Song told her he would come to her aid against any Nascent Soul-level enemy.

He Song arranged for Idle Cloud to secretly protect An Ning as she began traveling and taking missions, hoping she would learn to survive on her own. When a demonic Nascent Soul cultivator nearly overwhelmed her, An Ning destroyed He Song’s token, and Idle Cloud intervened; He Song praised her for calling for help but warned her to be more cautious.

• He Song explained his strength to An Ning, gave her a token to summon aid, and secretly assigned Idle Cloud to protect her while she traveled.
• An Ning visited Snow Wind Palace, then left to take missions and gradually gained experience as Idle Cloud watched over her.
• Several years later, An Ning accepted a mission to eliminate demonic Golden Core cultivators near the border between the righteous and demonic paths.
• A Nascent Soul Middle Stage demonic cultivator discovered An Ning and forced her into a desperate flight, so she destroyed He Song’s token when her supplies ran low.
• He Song waited until An Ning was close to peril, then sent Idle Cloud to drive off the demonic cultivator and escort her toward an immortal city.
• He Song gave An Ning a replacement token, spirit pills, and Spirit Talismans, then praised her for summoning help and urged her to travel more cautiously.

He Song sent Clear Wind to kill the demonic cultivator who had nearly killed An Ning, while Idle Cloud escorted her toward safety. Clear Wind slew the Nascent Soul Middle Stage enemy and his followers, and He Song left An Ning believing the Treasure Gathering Pavilion had sent the victorious cultivator; he gained the mission reward and the enemy’s possessions as An Ning vowed to act more cautiously.

• An Ning thanked He Song for rescuing her and promised to be more cautious and heed his advice.
• He Song sent Clear Wind to hunt down the Nascent Soul Middle Stage demonic cultivator while Idle Cloud escorted An Ning to the nearest Immortal City.
• Clear Wind killed the demonic cultivator’s Golden Core followers and defeated the demonic cultivator with successive sword strikes.
• An Ning noticed the battle’s disturbance and wanted to return, but He Song persuaded her that a Treasure Gathering Pavilion cultivator had handled the enemy.
• He Song collected the mission reward and the demonic cultivator’s fortune, while An Ning resolved to avoid repeating her mistake.

After defeating a demonic Nascent Soul cultivator who had infiltrated righteous territory, He Song searched the corpse’s memories and investigated why it had come. He discovered signs of a wider demonic incursion and warned An Ning and Meng Guan as the possibility of war between the righteous and demonic paths grew.

• He Song searched the demonic Nascent Soul’s memories and learned that the cultivator belonged to the Heavenly Yin Sect and had been sent across the border by order of its sect master.
• He Song collected the Nascent Soul cultivator’s remaining treasures and the spoils and corpses of the demonic Golden Core cultivators who had served him.
• He Song examined intelligence from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion and his own network, finding reports of other Nascent Soul infiltrators and increased demonic activity within righteous territory.
• He Song realized the incursions might signal a renewed war between the righteous and demonic paths.
• He Song warned An Ning to stay away from the border, then told Meng Guan about the danger and urged him to protect himself and Wei Fan at the borderland One Yang Sect.

He Song warned his friends and allies about the looming war between the righteous and demonic paths, then focused on strengthening his forces by refining a powerful Nascent Soul Puppet named Wild Crane. After mastering a defensive formation and continuing to cultivate, he learned about rare treasures that could accelerate his cultivation but found no sign of any available to him.

• He Song warned Meng Guan and Wei Fan about the impending conflict, then alerted Yue Lingzi, Luo Jing, and Yun Jing to stay safe.
• He Song set aside some formation research and refined a demonic Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator's corpse into Wild Crane, a Nascent Soul Late Stage puppet.
• He Song equipped Wild Crane with powerful artifacts and protective resources, then sent it into the outside world alongside Clear Wind.
• He Song discussed the Dao with Han Yuezi, mastered the Myriad Image Mountain River Array, and gave array sets to his puppets.
• Han Yuezi told He Song that rare treasures could greatly increase a Nascent Soul cultivator's cultivation, but He Song's search through his branch found nothing.

He Song prepared for the Treasure Gathering Pavilion’s grand auction and traveled there with Han Yuezi, sending his puppets ahead with most of his wealth. At the Cold Family, he met Han Yuezi in her true appearance and was introduced to her relatives while they waited for the auction to begin.

• Han Yuezi told He Song that a grand auction at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion headquarters would take place in thirty-odd years and feature treasures suited to Nascent Soul Cultivators.
• He Song stored nearly all his resources in Clear Wind and arranged for Clear Wind, Idle Cloud, and Wild Crane to attend the auction, while Mingyue accompanied him and Ghost Soul stayed behind.
• After more than thirty years, He Song and Mingyue met Han Yuezi at Zetianjing and traveled by teleportation array to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion headquarters, followed by Clear Wind, Idle Cloud, and Wild Crane.
• Han Yuezi invited He Song to stay at the Cold Family and introduced him to five Nascent Soul Cultivators from her branch.
• He Song met Han Yuezi in her true appearance, attended her banquet, and spent several days touring the Cold Family grounds with her as they awaited the auction.

He Song attended the Treasure Gathering Pavilion’s once-in-five-hundred-years auction with Han Yuezi and used Clear Wind to bid on heavenly treasures. After securing the Nine-Turn Dragon-Scale Fruit and Void Azure Lotus Seed, he stopped bidding, believing the treasures would greatly improve his cultivation and abilities.

• Han Yuezi brought He Song to a prestigious private room at the Treasure Gathering Pavilion headquarters, while Clear Wind and the other puppets entered another room using He Song’s branch master identity.
• He Song watched Clear Wind bid as the auction’s heavenly treasures drew fierce competition and prices far above the cost of the Enlightenment Tea Leaves Han Yuezi had sold him.
• Han Yuezi explained that the Nine-Turn Dragon-Scale Fruit could boost cultivation and greatly strengthen a Nascent Soul Cultivator’s body, so He Song decided to obtain it.
• He Song controlled Clear Wind to outbid others and successfully acquired the Nine-Turn Dragon-Scale Fruit.
• After Han Yuezi described how the Void Azure Lotus Seed could improve cultivation and divine sense, He Song bid for it and secured it as well.
• He Song concluded that the two treasures would bring him close to the peak of the Nascent Soul Middle Stage and stopped bidding on the remaining auction items.

After the auction, He Song toured the Treasure Gathering Pavilion’s territory and the Gluttonous Ghost Market with Han Yuezi while his true body consumed the Nine-Turn Dragon-Scale Fruit to improve his cultivation and physical strength. He eventually prepared to leave, explaining that his Nascent Soul Puppet needed to earn resources so he could repay Han Yuezi for five Enlightenment Tea Leaves.

• He Song and Han Yuezi visited the Gluttonous Ghost Market in puppet bodies and bought rare treasures while Clear Wind, Idle Cloud, and Wild Crane’s mission to deliver the Nine-Turn Dragon-Scale Fruit and Void Azure Lotus Seed succeeded.
• He Song’s true body consumed the Nine-Turn Dragon-Scale Fruit inside the Nine Abyss Return-to-Void Array and used the Five Elements Origin-Gathering Art and Stellar Body Tempering Art to strengthen his cultivation and body.
• He Song and Han Yuezi spent a month sightseeing around the Treasure Gathering Pavilion headquarters while He Song’s true body continued refining the fruit.
• He Song told Han Yuezi he needed to return to Zetianjing so a Nascent Soul Puppet could oversee the branch and earn resources.
• Han Yuezi urged He Song to stay, but He Song explained that he owed Han Yuezi five Enlightenment Tea Leaves and needed the puppet to help repay the debt.

He Song brought Han Yuezi’s Nascent Soul Late Stage puppet back to Zetianjing, where the two resumed their friendly association. After twenty years in seclusion refining the Nine-Turn Dragon-Scale Fruit, He Song greatly strengthened his body and advanced his cultivation, then returned to seclusion to prepare for using the Void Azure Lotus Seed and Enlightenment Tea Leaf to attempt a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Late Stage.

• Han Yuezi agreed to return to Zetianjing with He Song and sent a puppet bearing her appearance to accompany him.
• Han Yuezi told He Song that her puppet had Nascent Soul Late Stage strength and promised it could protect him from even a Nascent Soul Great Perfection cultivator.
• He Song and Han Yuezi returned to Zetianjing, and the Treasure Gathering Pavilion branch resumed operations.
• After twenty years refining the Nine-Turn Dragon-Scale Fruit, He Song advanced his cultivation and gained enough physical strength to casually kill a Golden Core Great Perfection cultivator.
• He Song briefly left seclusion to discuss the Dao with Han Yuezi, then resumed cultivating to prepare for consuming the Void Azure Lotus Seed and Enlightenment Tea Leaf.