Chapter Summaries

Ji Yan used the Jianmu Tree to draw Nine Heavens astral winds and starlight down to Ling Qing’s Dharma Altar. Ling Qing refined the winds while the Three Lights Divine Sword gathered divine water, and the chapter left both processes underway.

• Ji Yan presented the Jianmu Tree, which he had transformed from the Myriad Transformations Spirit Seed, and offered to plant it on Ling Qing’s Dharma Altar.
• Ling Qing helped Ji Yan extend the Jianmu Tree through all Nine Heavens, where it grew branches and gathered astral winds, heavenly fire, and starlight.
• Ji Yan drew down the Nine Heavens’ astral winds and the light of the sun, moon, and stars, while Ling Qing caught the light with the Three Lights Divine Sword and softened the winds with his harvesting technique.
• The Three Lights Divine Sword collected enough divine light to form droplets of divine water that fell into the Eight-Treasure Glazed Bottle.
• Ling Qing used his authority and the Astral Force Harvesting Technique to refine the descending astral winds into clear qi, which gathered into a rotating tornado above the altar.

Ling Qing refined the Nine Heavens Astral Wind into a divine ability and worked with Ji Yan to draw down celestial energies, helping Ji Yan’s Jianmu Tree grow while they discussed rulership. Ling State concluded a land exchange with Zhu State and prepared to select officials for its expanded territory.

• Ling Qing refined the Nine Heavens Astral Wind and unleashed a gale so powerful that he had to borrow the Wind God's authority to gather it back before it could destroy Ling State.
• Ling Qing and Ji Yan agreed to keep the Jianmu Tree raised, allowing it to absorb celestial energies while Ling Qing gathered and refined astral wind, lightning, and fire.
• Ji Yan discussed the affairs of the feudal states with Ling Qing, hoping to learn how to restore Zhou State, while Ling Qing gained insight into rulership and the Primordial One Qi.
• Duke Cao Kong of Zhu agreed to exchange the lands of South Yi for his crown prince, Cao Ge, which would more than double Ling State's territory once the agreement was signed.
• Minister of Works Yan Ru announced a second Spirit Terrace Talent Selection Trial to recruit officials for the new territory, drawing scholars to Lingqiu City and setting out equal testing for candidates from Ling State and other nations.

Liu Yunfeng conducted Gray Mountain Village’s preliminary Spirit Platform Talent Selection, and ten villagers qualified to advance to the capital. Nearby, Zhang Yang and Chang Miaoyu decided to reach Lingqiu City and contact the Mohists before seeking an audience with Ling Qing.

• Liu Yunfeng used a jade platform to test Gray Mountain Village’s residents, explaining that those whose light reached the stele could enter the capital’s selection.
• Tie activated the platform’s stele and qualified for the capital selection, while his parents received the basic techniques but did not qualify.
• Ten villagers qualified, including seven children, an old man, a middle-aged person, and a young woman.
• Zhang Yang and Chang Miaoyu discussed Ling Qing’s rule and concluded that Ling State would likely welcome the Mohist craftsmen and knights accompanying them.
• Zhang Yang and Chang Miaoyu descended the hill, joined the more than two hundred Mohists resting in a valley, and prepared to travel to Lingqiu City.

Zhang Yang and Qu Ju led the Mohist disciples into Ling State, where Du Xin and Ling Qi escorted them safely to Lingqiu City. The chapter showed how Ling Qing had strengthened Ling State’s forces and presented them to visiting schools.

• Zhang Yang and Qu Ju set out with the Mohist disciples, while Qu Ju released his Iron Claw Flying Eagle and scouts went ahead.
• Du Xin’s jade-armored soldiers and Soaring Cavalry intercepted the Mohists, and Zhang Yang introduced himself as their leader.
• Qu Ju recalled the Iron Claw Flying Eagle, and Ling Qi offered to escort the Mohists to Lingqiu City.
• Ling Qi led the Mohists to Lingqiu City without trouble, as Soaring Cavalry escorted other large school delegations too.
• Ling State’s Tiger Might Soldiers had grown to sixty chariots, and its Soaring Cavalry had expanded to three hundred riders.

Zhang Yang and Chang Miaoyu explored Lingqiu City, met Ling Ji and Wenjun, and learned that Ling Qing was refining the Brilliant Light Treasure Flame in seclusion. They headed to the palace to visit him, while he continued preparing to open the Path of Elements.

• Zhang Yang and Chang Miaoyu admired how spells were woven into everyday life in Lingqiu City.
• They met Ling Ji, who was helping an old woman carry grain as he accumulated merit through small good deeds.
• Chang Miaoyu explained the value of noticing ordinary acts, and Ling Ji took her words to heart.
• Ling Ji and Wenjun joined Zhang Yang and Chang Miaoyu on their way to the palace, where the children expected Ling Qing to check their lessons.
• Ling Qing refined the Brilliant Light Treasure Flame with Primordial One Qi and Three Lights Divine Water, aiming to open the Path of Elements.

Ling Qing refined the Brilliant Light Treasure Flame with his Threefold Samadhi True Fire and appointed Ji Yan vice director of a new Directorate of Astronomy. He left the Observatory Platform and welcomed Zhang Yang and Chang Miaoyu to his sleeping quarters after reuniting with Ling Ji and Wenjun.

• Ling Qing combined his Sacred Embryo, innate primal essence, and Primordial One Qi to refine the Brilliant Light Treasure Flame into a pearl-like flame linked to his power.
• Ling Qing collected the Three Lights Divine Water and offered Ji Yan the post of vice director of the Directorate of Astronomy, which Ji Yan accepted.
• Ling Qing explained the Directorate's duties observing celestial phenomena and calculating the seasonal calendars, then left the Observatory Platform.
• Ling Qing waited for Ling Ji and Wenjun, who returned with Zhang Yang and Chang Miaoyu, and greeted his old acquaintances as Dao Qing.
• Ling Qing invited Zhang Yang and Chang Miaoyu into his sleeping quarters.

Ling Qing learned how Zhang Yang’s mechanism cores powered mechanical beasts and experimented with using a Wildness Talisman to enhance a mechanical tiger. The experiment succeeded after Zhang Yang repaired the core, and the two began discussing how to create stronger beasts by combining mechanism arts and Wildness Talismans.

• Ling Qing hosted Zhang Yang and Chang Miaoyu and heard how Zhang Yang had joined the Mohists and led Mohist Works to Ling State.
• Zhang Yang showed Ling Qing the mechanical tiger’s mechanism core, explaining how it powered and controlled the beast.
• Ling Qing marked the core with a Wildness Talisman and refined the mechanical tiger, causing it to take on a lifelike form before its restrictions began to fail.
• Zhang Yang repaired the damaged restrictions, and the enhanced mechanical tiger became more agile and gained new abilities.
• Ling Qing and Zhang Yang gave the mechanical tiger to Ling Ji and discussed combining mechanism arts with Wildness Talismans.

Ling Qing and Zhang Yang studied how to combine Wild Spirit Artifacts with mechanism beasts, and Ling Qing founded a Mechanical Office for their development. Later, Ling Qing used his four gathered treasures to activate the Path of Elements inheritance and obtained the Book of Elements.

• Ling Qing and Zhang Yang devised two ways to merge Wildness Talismans with mechanism beasts, but left the choice undecided.
• Ling Qing taught Zhang Yang the outer restrictions of Wild Spirit Artifacts and helped resolve how their energy beasts could work with mechanism beasts.
• Ling Qing ordered Meng Zhuo to establish a Mechanical Office at Sikong Manor, with Zhang Yang as its director, to research and manufacture Wild Mechanism Beasts.
• After Meng Zhuo, Zhang Yang, and Chang Miaoyu left, Ling Qing guarded his cultivation chamber with spirit deities and gathered Turbid Sha Essence, Brilliant Light Treasure Flame, Three Lights Divine Water, and Nine Heavens Gang Wind.
• Ling Qing used Elemental Perception to draw out the air, water, fire, and earth elements, successfully activating the Path of Elements inheritance and obtaining the Book of Elements.

Ling Qing activated the Path of Elements and used Primordial One Qi to transform all four Druid inheritance paths, making the Heart of the Druid his own and forming a square Mysterious Altar on the Spirit Treasure Talisman Banner. An unknown being tried to seize him and then reclaim the Heart, but mysterious forces stopped it, while powerful figures across the Warring States sensed the disturbance; Ling Qing remained unaware as he sorted through the knowledge he had gained.

• Ling Qing activated the Path of Elements, evolving earth, water, fire, and wind into a world and receiving the Book of Elements.
• The four Druid paths formed the Heart of the Druid, but Ling Qing used the Spirit Treasure Talisman Banner and Primordial One Qi to divide it and transform each path.
• The four transformed paths became a square Mysterious Altar on the Spirit Treasure Talisman Banner instead of reforming the Heart of the Druid.
• An unknown humanoid phantom tried to pull Ling Qing into its hand, but a gray stream of air made him vanish; the phantom's later attempt to retrieve the Heart was interrupted by silver threads.
• Xu Xing, Mencius, and people across the Warring States sensed the disturbance, while Ling Qing continued sorting through the knowledge from the Spirit Treasure Talisman Banner.

Ling Qing assessed his newly unlocked Druid inheritance and Ling State’s preparations to expand into South Yi. He delayed negotiations with Zhu State until the Spirit Platform talent selection was complete, while state offices continued to grow.

• Ling Qing realized the Druid inheritance contained a vast range of abilities and paths, though he would still need to cultivate them gradually.
• Ling Ji and Wenjun left after breakfast to accumulate merit, while Ling Qing considered completing the three paths of his Mysterious Altar and anticipated resistance from Cao Kong over South Yi.
• Yan Ru reported that the initial Spirit Platform selection had finished across five cities, and Ling Qing ordered him to begin the examinations promptly.
• Wenren Li reported that Zhu State envoys had arrived with a map of South Yi and wanted to take Crown Prince Cao Ge home, but Ling Qing postponed their audience until after the selection.
• Meng Zhuo and Zhang Yang reported on the new Mechanical Office, while Ji Yan established the Directorate of Astronomy and a celestial observatory instrument as Ling State continued to strengthen.

Ling Qing analyzed the abilities of practitioners and considered how to incorporate them into his cultivation methods. He began organizing the Path of Elements around Primordial Qi, while leaving the creation of a new method for refining oneself as an easy task for later.

• Ling Qing returned to cultivating the Azure Emperor Jade Canon after sorting out Ling State's affairs.
• He reviewed how race, attributes, class abilities, feats, and equipment shaped a practitioner's strength, and considered how to integrate them into his cultivation methods.
• Ling Qing decided that bloodlines, feats, spells, and extraordinary traits could be organized as talismans within his imperial lord avatars.
• He developed an approach to the Path of Elements that treated Primordial Qi as the root and earth, water, fire, and wind as its foundation.
• Ling Qing reflected that all cultivators needed methods to refine their own Primordial Qi and join with the Primordial Qi of heaven and earth.

Ling Qing devised the Treasure Canon of Primal Unity Transforming Spirits and Nurturing Life, a cultivation method that combined primordial qi and elemental bloodlines into spirit worms, though much of its ultimate practice remained theoretical. After recording the method, he learned that Zhang Yang had arrived to discuss an idea about wild mechanical beasts.

• Ling Qing created a Primordial Talisman and developed its spirit into elemental spirit worms using primordial qi and Druid bloodline information.
• Ling Qing combined one cycle of 129,600 kinds of primordial qi into a human-shaped primordial spirit worm and envisioned multiplying spirit worms to refine a powerful true body.
• Ling Qing named his cultivation method the Treasure Canon of Primal Unity Transforming Spirits and Nurturing Life, while acknowledging that its later stages were still ideas.
• A servant reported that Zhang Yang had come seeking an audience to discuss an idea concerning wild mechanical beasts.

Zhang Yang and Qu Ju planned standardized civilian and military mechanism beasts, then designed custom guardians for Ling State’s cities. As Ling State prepared to take over five South Yi cities, Yan Ru reported that about half of their officials could remain in place while the Spirit Platform officials stood ready.

• Zhang Yang explained how to mass-produce civilian mechanism beasts, standardize military models, and custom-build powerful city guardians.
• Ling Qing approved Zhang Yang’s plans, directed him to consult Xu Xing and Cao Xu, and authorized him to take materials from the treasury for custom beasts.
• Zhang Yang coordinated farming and military designs with Xu Xing and Cao Xu, then worked with Qu Ju and other masters to plan city defenses.
• Qu Ju and Zhang Yang selected guardians for Lingqiu City and finalized mechanism beasts for the cities across Ling State and South Yi.
• The Spirit Platform talent selection concluded, with more than three thousand Ling State citizens qualifying among the participants.
• Yan Ru reported that about half the officials in South Yi’s five cities remained usable, and Ling Qing ordered Spirit Platform officials to stay ready.

Ling Qing’s forces took control of South Yi’s five cities after Cao Kong surrendered the territory, and Cao Kong vowed revenge. Ling Qi then reported that thirty thousand Qi soldiers were marching toward Ling State, leaving Ling Qing facing a new threat.

• Cao Xu reported that Tiger Might Soldiers were ready to suppress South Yi and defend Dugu City, while Zhang Yang said mechanical beasts and Mohist operators had been assigned to the cities.
• Ling Qing ordered Cao Xu to march toward Yi City if Cao Kong used force, then ended court so preparations could proceed.
• Ling Qing used the Spirit Illumination Treasure Seal to claim South Yi’s five cities, as Tiger Might Soldiers, Spirit Platform officials, and Mohist disciples took control and detained corrupt officials.
• Cao Kong suffered backlash from Zhu State’s lost national fortune and vowed to invade Ling State once Cao Ge returned.
• Ling Qi reported that thirty thousand Qi soldiers had assembled near Xue City and were marching toward Ling State, with Huyi City as their likely destination.

Ling Qing ordered Ling State’s forces to defend the capital and Huyi City while he flew to meet Qi’s invading army. At Huyi, he rejected a plan to target Tian Ying and summoned more than five thousand divine soldiers to face the enemy.

• Ling Qing ordered Cao Xu to remain at Dugu City, sent Zhang Yang and the Mohist disciples to garrison Huyi City, and tasked Yan Ru and Zuo Qiu Yi with defending Lingqiu City.
• Ling Qing announced that he would confront Qi’s army and take Xue City, then flew to Huyi City on the Azure Lion.
• Zhang Yang warned Ling Qing that Qi’s army had Mohist siege engineers and could overwhelm Huyi City’s defenses.
• Chang Miaoyu proposed infiltrating Xue City to capture or kill Tian Ying, but Ling Qing refused and vowed to defeat Qi’s army openly.
• Ling Qing scattered beans before Huyi City and summoned seventy-two Di Sha divine generals and more than five thousand celestial soldiers.

Ling Qing’s Earth Sha army trapped Qi’s martial technicians in its formation as Chu Zi and Tian Ying split their forces to attack Huyi City. Ling Qing ordered the eastern and western walls to prepare for the advancing armies.

• Ling Qing explained that Ling State’s spirit gods had been refined through a special method, while Qi’s nearly thousand martial technicians charged the Earth Sha army.
• Earth Chief Star formed the Earth Sha Array, trapping the martial technicians, including five Human Immortals.
• Chu Zi and Tian Ying agreed to leave the trapped fighters behind and divide their troops to attack Huyi City’s eastern and western gates.
• The advancing armies manifested divine general primordial spirits, and Ling Qing recognized their formations as another way to gather many into one.
• Ling Qing ordered Zhang Yang to ready the eastern and western walls, and Zhang Yang commanded the city-guarding beasts to prepare.

Ling Qing used the Earth Sha Diagram to capture the Qi State forces attacking Huyi City, while Zhang Yang’s mechanical beasts held off Tian Ying’s army. The chapter ended with Chu Zi and the remaining troops subdued and bound.

• Zhang Yang deployed six colossal Ironclad Oxen and nearly a thousand mechanical beasts against Tian Ying’s twenty-thousand-strong army, holding back its advance.
• Ling Qing covered the Earth Sha Array’s red mist with his painting, knocking out the combatants and five Human Immortals trapped inside and having them taken to prison.
• Ling Qing sent the seventy-two Earth Sha divine generals against Chu Zi’s army, where they broke its formation and captured Chu Zi and the other generals.
• Ling Qing unleashed the Earth Sha Diagram’s baleful aura and captured the remaining Qi troops.

After capturing the Qi and Xue City armies, Ling Qing took Xue City and heard Tian Wen argue that keeping it would draw attacks from Qi, Chu, and Song. Tian Wen proposed returning it to Qi in exchange for other territories, leaving Ling Qing to consider his plan.

• Ling Qing ordered the captured Qi soldiers transferred to Lingqiu City and told Pu Chang that Ling State had enough grain and people to keep them.
• Ling Qing led Pu Chang and Zhang Yang to take Xue City, where the mechanical beasts quickly captured the city.
• Tian Wen offered to serve Ling Qing and warned that holding Xue City could provoke Qi, Chu, and Song to attack Ling State.
• Tian Wen proposed returning Xue City to Qi in exchange for Li Gu and Martial City, then hinted that he had another plan.

Ling Qing accepted Tian Wen’s plan to offer Xue City to both Qi State and Chu State, then managed the growing conflict with Zhu State while settling Qi’s prisoners. He returned to his cultivation and focused his Druid’s Way of Nature on plants, growth, and life.

• Tian Wen proposed offering Xue City to Chu State after securing gains from Qi State, and Ling Qing entrusted him with the diplomatic mission.
• Ling Qing ordered Zhang Yang and Pu Chang to strip Xue City of its grain, wealth, and people, then assigned Wenren Li to help Tian Wen.
• Zuo Qiu Yi reported that Duke Cao Kong of Zhu State had marched toward Dugu City, where Sima Cao was already confronting him with the Tiger Might Soldiers.
• Ling Qing sent Zuo Qiu Yi with the Earth Sha Array Diagram and ordered that Cao Kong cede land to redeem Cao Ge and Zhu State’s envoy.
• Yan Ru and Ling Huai arranged the Qi State prisoners’ fates, while Ling Qing returned to his bedchamber to develop his plant-focused Druid’s Way of Nature.

Ling Qing studied Xu Xing’s principles of the Myriad Transformations Spirit Seed and combined them with the Alienated Plant Authority to create a Way of Nature method for refining the Primordial Spirit. He named the scripture and its Emperor Lord incarnation, then began planning how to integrate the remaining inherited techniques.

• Ling Qing recalled Xu Xing’s teachings and combined the principles of the Myriad Transformations Spirit Seed with the Alienated Plant Authority as the foundation of the Way of Nature.
• Ling Qing determined that the Way of Nature would complete the missing spirit-refinement branch of his four-part Druid path.
• Ling Qing created a Longevity Talisman True Seed and devised a method to nurture it into a treasure-tree Primordial Spirit.
• Ling Qing named the method the Natural Life-God Cavern Mystery Scripture and its incarnation the Myriad Transformations Natural Wondrous Being Emperor Lord.
• Ling Qing brought out three other cultivation methods and planned to sort through them and integrate compatible inheritance into each.