Chapter Summaries

Lin Chang'an rented a cave abode in Sea Abyss City and spent five years preparing for Core Formation, bringing his cultivation to its limit and gathering several powerful aids. As he registered to attempt Core Formation, True Person Tan considered sending him to the politically unsettled Five Dragon Island Sea Region, but Lin Chang'an focused on the trial ahead.

• Lin Chang'an rented a high-grade cave abode and learned that successful cultivators who formed cores under Azure Sea Palace protection had to guard the region for one hundred years.
• Lin Chang'an released the Green-Horned Ox and Phoenix Cry Bird into the cave abode and began five years of secluded cultivation and pill refinement.
• True Person Tan urged Lu Yushu to settle his troubled state of mind before attempting Core Formation, while his elder sister warned Tan against meddling in the Five Dragon Island Sea Region.
• After five years, Lin Chang'an reached Foundation Establishment Late Stage (98/100) and gathered Mystic Water Liquid, Fine Crystal Condensation Pills, the Three-Turn Core Condensation Art, and demon cores for his attempt.
• Lin Chang'an went to Sea Abyss Immortal City to register for a Core Formation cave abode, where True Person Tan offered to help and asked whether he would serve in the Five Dragon Island Sea Region.
• Lu Yujian told Lin Chang'an that Island Master Long had failed to form a Nascent Soul and that new arrangements were underway for the Five Dragon Island Sea Region, but Lin Chang'an said he would consider nothing before Core Formation.

Lin Chang'an entered seclusion in Sea Abyss City and successfully formed a low-grade golden core, surpassing Lu Yushu’s failed attempt at a true core. After discovering the power of his new cultivation, Lin Chang'an began stabilizing his realm and looked ahead to improving his golden core.

• Lu Yushu entered a cave abode to attempt Core Formation but emerged with a false core, disappointing True Person Tan and leaving him bitter about missing a true core.
• After Lu Yushu signed his Spirit Contract, Lin Chang'an entered the cave abode and began his breakthrough by refining three demon cores and consuming his Core Formation Spirit Items.
• Lin Chang'an’s Core Formation phenomenon surpassed Lu Yushu’s, and True Person Tan recognized that Lin Chang'an had an exceptionally solid foundation and likely possessed a top-quality Core Formation Spirit Item.
• Lin Chang'an stopped short of risking a mid-grade golden core and successfully formed a low-grade golden core, reaching the Early Golden Core realm with a lifespan of 586 years.
• Lin Chang'an discovered that his divine sense, magical power, and self-healing had greatly strengthened, then began stabilizing his cultivation and reflected that he could now face his former pursuer with confidence.

After reaching Core Formation, Lin Chang'an awakened the External Incarnation ability and learned that his breakthrough had made him a target for recruitment. He accepted True Person Tan’s proposal to cooperate with the Mystic Sound Pavilion in the Five Dragon Island Sea Region, while Fairy Nishang continued trying to recruit him as an elder consultant.

• Lin Chang'an formed an External Incarnation from a revived Profound Heaven Immortal Vine leaf, discovering that it shared his senses, had thirty percent of his strength, and could take his place in a crisis.
• Dozens of cultivators, including True Person Tan and Lu Yushu, congratulated Lin Chang'an and tried to recruit him after he left his cave abode.
• True Person Tan introduced Lin Chang'an to Fairy Nishang, who wanted the Mystic Sound Pavilion to gain Azure Sea Palace support and suppress the Long Family’s influence.
• Lin Chang'an revealed that he was a Third-Order Formation Master, increasing his value to True Person Tan and Fairy Nishang.
• True Person Tan explained that he wanted Lin Chang'an and the Mystic Sound Pavilion to protect the Lu Family and his sister’s merchant ships; Lin Chang'an agreed to guard Five Dragon Island and cooperate with the Lu Family.
• After True Person Tan and Lu Yushu left, Fairy Nishang again invited Lin Chang'an to join the Mystic Sound Pavilion, but he remained hesitant about becoming directly involved in its factional struggles.

After forming a True Core, Lin Chang'an returned from Sea Abyss City under a hundred-year contract to guard the Five Dragon Island Sea Region and considered the treasures he needed to strengthen himself. On the journey back, Fairy Nishang offered him a corrupted Fusang Divine Tree for refining a Life-Bound Dharma Treasure, and Lin Chang'an recognized it as a treasure from the Yue Kingdom Secret Realm.

• Lin Chang'an tested his new Core Formation flight, revealed himself as a Third-Order Formation Master, and decided he needed a Wood-Attribute Life-Bound Dharma Treasure and the other Immortal Vine Withered Leaves.
• Lin Chang'an signed Azure Sea Palace's hundred-year Spirit Contract, received an Identity Jade Token representing the Sixth Elder's faction, and departed Sea Abyss City with the Lu Family.
• The Sixth Elder reviewed Lin Chang'an's information and considered him a potential asset, while Fairy Nishang examined his history and came to value his cautious nature.
• Fairy Nishang offered to arrange Lin Chang'an's Core Formation Ceremony and proposed making him a Guest Elder in exchange for a Fusang Divine Tree to refine his Life-Bound Dharma Treasure.
• Fairy Nishang explained that the tree had lost its vitality and been tainted by filth, then revealed it had come from the Yue Kingdom Secret Realm, prompting Lin Chang'an's interest.

Lin Chang'an returned to Five Dragon Island as a True Core Cultivator and Third-Order Formation Master, became a guest elder of the Mystic Sound Pavilion, and took charge of Heavenly Spring Peak. His grand core formation celebration drew factions from across the region, and the Mystic Sound Pavilion finally delivered the Fusang Divine Tree.

• Fairy Nishang offered Lin Chang'an the Fusang Divine Tree, and he agreed to become a Mystic Sound Pavilion guest elder on terms that kept him out of factional struggles while granting him access to its formation inheritances.
• Lin Chang'an returned to Five Dragon Island with Fairy Nishang and the Lu Family, where the Mystic Sound Pavilion welcomed him and introduced him as its guest elder.
• Fairy Nishang assigned Lin Chang'an Heavenly Spring Peak as his residence and post; he settled in, considered how to help the Lu Family gain a foothold, and planned to rely on the Mystic Sound Pavilion within his jurisdiction.
• Five months later, the Mystic Sound Pavilion hosted Lin Chang'an's core formation celebration, where local factions and representatives from the Seven Kingdoms came to congratulate him and seek his connections.
• The Mystic Yin Divine Sect and the Long Family sent representatives to the celebration, while Lin Chang'an kept clear of regional power struggles.
• The Mystic Sound Pavilion delivered the Fusang Divine Tree to Lin Chang'an.

After forming his core, Lin Chang'an discovered that the seemingly dead Fusang Divine Tree still held life and began reviving it with his Profound Heaven Spiritual Qi. He planned to purify the tree over decades before refining a complete set of Life-Bound Dharma Treasures, while the Five Dragon Island Sea Region remained unsettled.

• Lin Chang'an sensed a faint thread of life in the Fusang Divine Tree through his Profound Heaven Immortal Vine, then received Yun Yao's warning that Li Fire Palace and the Mystic Yin Divine Sect were investigating the third-tier Phoenix Cry Bird.
• Lin Chang'an considered using the Phoenix Cry Bird to draw attention away from himself and the Long Family's Talisman Treasure, and the bird revived the Fusang Divine Tree slightly with its golden flames.
• Lin Chang'an settled into cultivation as the clans around Heavenly Spring Peak adjusted to the changing powers and the Long Family kept a low profile.
• After six months, Lin Chang'an found the Fusang Divine Tree rooted in magma and used his Profound Heaven Spiritual Qi to purify it, while discovering that black qi still defiled the tree.
• Lin Chang'an studied the Fusang Divine Tree's refining method and decided to wait until it was sufficiently purified before making a complete Sun-Piercing Sword Array.
• Lin Chang'an used External Spirit Transformation to create a linked duplicate capable of wielding his abilities, and resolved to cultivate and improve his artifact refining skills while the region remained turbulent.

After forming his core, Lin Chang'an realized his slow cultivation made improving his Spirit Root and Golden Core a priority, and letters from the Yue Kingdom reminded him that his old friends were aging and dying. He arranged to escort a merchant ship back next year, planning to visit his homeland, investigate the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, and hunt materials for Spirit-Supplementing Pills.

• Lin Chang'an calculated that his cultivation would take centuries to advance and decided to gather materials for Spirit-Supplementing Pills to improve his Spirit Root and Golden Core.
• A reopened trade route brought Lin Chang'an decades-old letters from Shen Lie, Er Niu, Wei Yiyi, and other old friends, prompting him to reflect on their aging and his own loneliness.
• Lin Chang'an resolved to return to the Yue Kingdom and investigate the Cloud Mist Mountain Range for Third-Order Mid-Grade Wood Attribute Monster Cores and Spirit Liquid.
• Lin Chang'an asked Fairy Nishang to assign him a merchant ship escort mission, and she agreed to send him back on a ship departing the following year.
• Lin Chang'an planned his preparations for the journey and promised to gather Core Formation Spirit Items for the Green-Horned Ox.

Lin Chang'an returned to Yue Kingdom after nearly fifty years away and reunited with his old friends and their descendants in Clearwater Bay Market. He learned that many of his friends had died, while Lu Qingqing was nearing the end of her life, and he stayed with her to reminisce.

• Lin Chang'an escorted Mystic Sound Pavilion's merchant ship through Azure Sea Palace's territory and reached the mainland after less than half a year at sea.
• After the ship docked in Yue Kingdom, Lin Chang'an secured it and rode the Green-Horned Ox toward Clearwater Bay Market.
• The Li Family and Shen Family welcomed Lin Chang'an outside the Market, where he reunited with Lu Qingqing, Li Yifan, Shen Fan, and Wei Yingying.
• Lin Chang'an visited Lu Qingqing's residence and heard how his old friends had died and how the Li Family had grown into a cultivator Lineage.
• Lin Chang'an and Lu Qingqing shared stories about their old friends and his years in the Monster Sea Abyss.

Lin Chang'an returned to Clearwater Bay and Green Bamboo Mountain, where he mourned old friends and learned that Zhou Bingyun had been killed by Li Fire Palace remnants. He avenged her by killing the six Cultivator Bandits, then ventured into the Cloud Mist Mountain Range to hunt poisonous insects.

• Lin Chang'an visited the graves of Li Erniu, Shen Lie, Wei Yiyi, and Master Lu, and told his departed friends that he had achieved Core Formation.
• At a banquet in Gathering Immortal Pavilion, Lin Chang'an met Li Yifan, Shen Fan, Wei Yingying, and their descendants before leaving Clearwater Bay.
• Lin Chang'an visited Old Man He's grave and the Zhou Family, where Zhou Renmao revealed that Zhou Bingyun had died in a raid by Li Fire Palace Cultivator Bandits and gave him her unfinished Jade Slips.
• Lin Chang'an tracked down the six Foundation Establishment bandits who had attacked Zhou Bingyun eight years earlier and killed them all.
• The Zhou Family discovered the six bandits' heads, and the Zhou, Li, and Shen lineages formed an alliance as Lin Chang'an entered the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.
• Lin Chang'an approached a valley inhabited by two Third-Order Mid-Stage Poisonous Insects and warned his Spirit Pets that he wanted their Wood Attribute Monster Cores.

Lin Chang'an and the Phoenix Cry Bird hunted two poisonous insects in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range and claimed their Demon Cores. After considering the region's deadly secrets, Lin Chang'an decided to seek a miasma-contaminated Spirit Spring that could benefit his Life-Bound Spirit Plant.

• Lin Chang'an trapped two Third-Tier Mid-Stage poisonous insects in the Blood Sha Red Sun Array and attacked them alongside his False Core duplicate and the Phoenix Cry Bird.
• The Phoenix Cry Bird used its natural resistance to poison to kill one poisonous insect and take its Demon Core, then helped Lin Chang'an defeat the other.
• Lin Chang'an let the Phoenix Cry Bird and Green-Horned Ox share the poisonous insect corpses, healed the ox, and collected several poison flowers.
• Lin Chang'an counted the two Wood Attribute Demon Cores toward the materials needed for a Spirit-Supplementing Pill and recalled that powerful cultivators had perished deep within the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.
• Lin Chang'an ruled out exploring the region's most dangerous depths until he reached the Core Formation Late Stage, but resolved to seek a miasma-contaminated Spirit Spring near a swarm of poisonous bees.

Lin Chang'an explored the poisonous depths of the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, harvested Crimson Flame Bees’ Gold Crystal, and revived his Profound Heaven Immortal Vine with a poisoned Spirit Spring. After gaining twelve years of lifespan and deciding not to venture farther, he returned toward Clear Water Bay Market, intending to see Lu Qingqing before her lifespan ran out.

• Lin Chang'an gathered poisonous plants and herbs, then sent the Phoenix Cry Bird to devour the Crimson Flame Bees, whose poisonous fire could not harm it.
• Lin Chang'an found the bees’ hives and a Spirit Spring inside a cliff, drove off the swarm with the Phoenix Cry Bird, and collected the Gold Crystal hives and bee larvae.
• Lin Chang'an discovered the Spirit Spring had turned poisonous and planted the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine’s roots in it, restoring its leaf and strengthening his physique and abilities.
• Lin Chang'an gained twelve years of lifespan from the vine’s feedback, judged the deeper mountain too dangerous, and decided to end his expedition.
• Lin Chang'an found no Spirit Liquid in Celestial Mystery City and learned Mystic Sound Pavilion collected it every ten years.
• Lin Chang'an returned toward Clear Water Bay Market, thinking this might be his last chance to see Lu Qingqing before her lifespan ended.

Lin Chang'an mourned Lu Qingqing and other old companions, then returned to Mystic Sound Pavilion and strengthened his resolve to continue cultivating. He arranged support for his friends’ descendants, devised a false identity for his External Incarnation as a Third-Order Alchemist, and received a long-delayed message from Hu Jin.

• Lu Qingqing told Lin Chang'an she had no regrets about her life with Shen Lie and their family, then passed away as her loved ones mourned.
• Lin Chang'an offered Shen Fan, Wei Yingying, and Li Yifan the choice to follow him to the Monster Sea Abyss, but they chose to remain in Yue Kingdom, so he improved their family formations and gave them supplies.
• Lin Chang'an visited the Zhou Family, then returned to Mystic Sound Pavilion, where a deacon promised the sect would care for his descendants.
• Lin Chang'an asked Fairy Nishang for resources by claiming he knew a Third-Order Alchemist named Wen, and she offered a Third-tier Mid-grade Demon Core and Red Fire Peak to recruit him.
• Lin Chang'an returned to Heavenly Spring Peak and opened Hu Jin's Sound Transmission Jade Talisman, hearing Hu congratulate him on forming his core and begin recounting his experiences.

Lin Chang'an reconnected with Hu Jin, established a cover as the Third-Order Alchemist Wen Fang, and strengthened Mystic Sound Pavilion while secretly securing another Spirit Vein. As Hu Jin arrived for a visit, Lin Chang'an prepared to trade for the remaining materials needed for his Spirit-Supplementing Pill at the upcoming Five Dragon Island gathering.

• Lin Chang'an learned that Hu Jin had become an Azure Sea Palace Law Enforcement Golden Core Attendant and welcomed the renewed contact with his old friend.
• Lin Chang'an impersonated a Long Family Core Formation Cultivator in the Heaven-Reaching Fog Sea, then arranged for his clone, Wen Fang, to join Mystic Sound Pavilion as a Guest Elder.
• Fairy Nishang signed a Third Tier Spirit Contract with Wen Fang and assigned him Red Fire Peak, where Lin Chang'an secretly planned to connect its formation to Heavenly Spring Peak.
• Mystic Sound Pavilion gained influence after Wen Fang refined Crystal Condensation Pills, and Lin Chang'an secretly gathered materials for his Spirit-Supplementing Pill.
• Two years later, Hu Jin sent word that he was visiting Lin Chang'an while escorting an Azure Sea Palace Merchant Ship, and Lin Chang'an planned to seek the remaining demon cores at the upcoming Five Dragon Island gathering.

Lin Chang'an managed his mountain, considered the fortune and growth offered by his Profound Heaven Immortal Vine, and used his incarnation to refine pills and improve his skills. He then traveled with Xu Lingfeng and Liu Ruyu to the Five Dragon Island Trading Fair, where he hoped to find a Third-tier Mid-grade Demon Core to repay Wen.

• Lin Chang'an tended his mountain and wondered whether his Profound Heaven Immortal Vine granted him elusive fortune, while the Green-Horned Ox eagerly absorbed his dharma power.
• Lin Chang'an inspected the Fusang Divine Tree, whose formation continued to seal away the Black Qi it expelled, and considered how his External Incarnation could help cultivate his skills.
• Lin Chang'an decided to prioritize his strength and gather materials for Spirit-Supplementing Pills, then absorbed his incarnation after it completed a furnace of pills.
• Lin Chang'an met Xu Lingfeng and Liu Ruyu, explained that he owed Wen a favor and needed to find a Third-tier Mid-grade Demon Core, and set out with them for the trading fair.
• Lin Chang'an and the two Mystic Sound Pavilion cultivators arrived at the Five Dragon Island Market and entered the restaurant hosting the fair, where more than twenty False Core Cultivators had gathered.

At a Five Dragon Island Trading Fair, Lin Chang'an sought a Third-Order Mid-Grade Demon Core and used the opportunity to negotiate with the Long Family over an old grievance and further compensation. The Long Family and Mystic Sound Pavilion signaled a truce and agreed to meet, while the Grand Gathering’s larger Trading Fair still lay ahead.

• Lin Chang'an, Xu Lingfeng, and Liu Ruyu attended the Trading Fair, where Liu Ruyu traded a Medicinal Pill for a Moonlight Pearl despite Xu Lingfeng’s objections.
• Lin Chang'an offered Spirit Stones and Third-Order Arrays in exchange for a water- or metal-attribute Third-Order Mid-Grade Demon Core, and Xu Lingfeng objected to his trading arrays outside the Mystic Sound Pavilion.
• A Long Family cultivator offered a water-attribute Demon Core and apologized for the Spirit Ship incident that had caused Lin Chang'an losses.
• Lin Chang'an accepted the Long Family’s offer to inspect and repair its damaged arrays, while privately seeking further compensation, including wood-attribute cultivation resources.
• Liu Ruyu accepted the Long Family’s invitation to meet after the fair, and the Long Family later produced Third Tier Supreme-Grade material as the Trading Fair continued.

Lin Chang'an visited the Long Family with Mystic Sound Pavilion representatives, accepted compensation for the past spirit-ship incident, and discovered that Long Changqing possessed another Withered Leaf of the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine. He returned satisfied with the visit and considered waiting for a chance to obtain the leaf as the Long Family prepared Changqing to become its next Core Formation cultivator.

• The Long Family warmly received Lin Chang'an, Liu Ruyu, and Xu Lingfeng, while Lin Chang'an assessed the island's factional balance and noticed Xu Lingfeng's emotions seemed unusually steady.
• The Long Family apologized for the bandit attack that had robbed Lin Chang'an aboard its spirit ship and offered him a Third-tier Mid-grade water-attribute Demon Core as compensation.
• Lin Chang'an examined nine wood-attribute cultivation methods in the Long Family treasury but found that the dual-cultivation method he wanted only contained its Golden Core-stage portion.
• Long Changqing arrived with the demon core, and Lin Chang'an sensed that the Withered Leaf of the Profound Heaven Immortal Vine was in Changqing's possession.
• The Long Family and Mystic Sound Pavilion held a banquet, finalized business partnerships, and tacitly settled their past dispute.
• After the guests left, the Long Family elders urged Long Changqing to prepare to form his core and switch to the ancient cultivation method, while Lin Chang'an returned home planning to seek the withered leaf when an opportunity arose.

Lin Chang'an reunited with Hu Jin, his old friend from the Yue Kingdom, who had also reached Core Formation and joined Azure Sea Palace's Law Enforcement Hall. After learning about True Person Blood Sha's history and inheritance, Lin Chang'an decided to reveal his Sword Cultivator strength while concealing his main cultivation method, and he ended the chapter considering a hunt for the materials he needed.

• Lin Chang'an and Hu Jin reunited on Heavenly Spring Peak as Core Formation Cultivators and reminisced about their difficult path from Foundation Establishment.
• Fairy Nishang, the Long Family, and other forces learned that Hu Jin had arrived from Azure Sea Palace and planned to pay him a visit.
• Hu Jin gave Lin Chang'an detailed intelligence about True Person Blood Sha and revealed that he had repaired two throwing-knife Magic Treasures from the ruins.
• Lin Chang'an decided to publicly present himself as a Sword Cultivator by revealing the Blood Sha Sword and Sha Yuan Sword Art, using the inheritance to explain his strength and conceal his main cultivation method.
• Hu Jin left the peak to meet the waiting forces, while Lin Chang'an realized he lacked the Spirit Stones and a gold-element Third-tier Mid-grade Demon Core needed for his plans.

Lin Chang'an attended the Five Dragon Island Market Grand Fair auction with Hu Jin and acquired a Third-tier Soul-Stabilizing Talisman Inheritance and a Third-tier Low-grade Spirit Brush through his friend's help. After studying the inheritance, Lin Chang'an decided to seek clues to a Yin Spirit Beast King Nest and prepare for a hunt.

• Hu Jin agreed to help Lin Chang'an bid on the Soul-Stabilizing Talisman Inheritance and Spirit Brush in exchange for Lin Chang'an searching for Five Elements Gold.
• Lin Chang'an and Hu Jin attended the auction in private rooms alongside other Core Formation Cultivators.
• Hu Jin won the Soul-Stabilizing Talisman Inheritance, while Lin Chang'an bid on two spiritual items for Hu Jin.
• Hu Jin spent nearly sixty thousand mid-grade spirit stones to secure the Third-tier Low-grade Spirit Brush for Lin Chang'an.
• Lin Chang'an received the inheritance and Spirit Brush, then decided that a Soul-Stabilizing Talisman would help him hunt a Yin Spirit Beast King and began planning to find its nest.

After the Market Grand Fair ended, Lin Chang'an prepared to refine a Spirit-Supplementing Pill and traveled to the Heaven-Reaching Fog Sea for a demon core. He defeated two Yin Spirit Beast Kings with the Phoenix Cry Bird, gathered their cores and other resources, and decided to return rather than risk hunting further.

• Lin Chang'an and Hu Jin exchanged parting gifts at Five Dragon Island, with Hu Jin giving him Magic Treasure repair methods and Lin Chang'an giving him an upgraded Lost Track Five Elements Array design.
• After the Five Dragon Island Sea Region began to stabilize, Lin Chang'an decided to seek a Third-tier Mid-grade Demon Core for his Spirit-Supplementing Pill and prepared to travel to the Heaven-Reaching Fog Sea.
• Lin Chang'an left Five Dragon Island in secret with the Phoenix Cry Bird, taking Third-Order Talismans and leaving the Green-Horned Ox to guard his Cave Abode.
• Lin Chang'an trapped two Third-Order Early Stage Yin Spirit Beast Kings in an array and used a Soul-Stabilizing Talisman to immobilize one, allowing the Phoenix Cry Bird to kill them both.
• Lin Chang'an collected the two Demon Cores, Yin Spirit Ash, and Mystic Water Liquid from the Yin Pulse Spirit Spring, then decided to leave the dangerous sea and return later.

Lin Chang'an returned to the Blue Wave Island black market under an alias to find a third-tier mid-grade metal-attribute demon core. After arranging a trade through Fatty Lei and Red Third Mother, he learned Fatty Lei was offering a chained human-monster hybrid with the Heavenly Spirit Sword Body as part of the deal.

• Lin Chang'an disguised himself as a menacing Core Formation cultivator and visited Fatty Lei's shop to seek a third-tier mid-grade metal-attribute demon core.
• Lin Chang'an offered two third-tier low-grade yin-attribute demon cores, and Fatty Lei contacted Red Third Mother, who wanted to trade fire-attribute materials for one of them.
• Red Third Mother and Fatty Lei haggled over the exchange, and Lin Chang'an objected when their proposed terms undervalued his demon cores.
• Fatty Lei offered to make up the difference with a spiritual item that could help a sword treasure develop a sword spirit.
• Fatty Lei presented a chained female cultivator with the Heavenly Spirit Sword Body and explained that she was a human-monster hybrid whose mixed bloodline made cultivation and Core Formation exceptionally difficult.