Chapter Summaries

Lin Chang'an bought the First-Rank Mid-Grade Flying Sword Talisman inheritance from True Treasure Pavilion and quickly advanced his skill in drawing it. As the great lineages began distributing inheritances and Li Fire Palace arrived at Green Bamboo Mountain Market with a large force, he focused on strengthening himself and avoiding obligations to the Zhou Family.

• Lin Chang'an disguised himself and bought the First-Rank Mid-Grade Flying Sword Talisman inheritance, signing a Spirit Contract and spending nearly all his Spirit Stones.
• Li Erniu told Lin Chang'an that the Zhou Family was offering externally hired Talisman Masters and Alchemists another Mid-Grade inheritance, then confided his fear of dying and leaving his family behind.
• Lin Chang'an practiced the Flying Sword Talisman and found that his skill had advanced to the proficient stage in one night.
• Lin Chang'an decided that he would not risk his life for the Zhou Family and saw the public release of inheritances as an opportunity to obtain resources.
• Two Li Fire Palace Flying Boats arrived above Green Bamboo Mountain Market, carrying three Foundation Establishment Cultivators, nearly a hundred disciples, and Yun Yao.

Yun Yao brought news that a young Divine Sword Sect elder had reached Late Golden Core, prompting Li Fire Palace and Mystic Sound Pavilion to form an alliance and prepare for conflict. Lin Chang'an realized Green Bamboo Mountain Market would grow as a rear base, creating new opportunities for his business alongside the danger of sect war.

• Yun Yao arrived at Green Bamboo Mountain Market, learned Shen Lie and Lu Qingqing had lost goods worth seven or eight hundred Spirit Stones, and let them continue managing her Chamber of Commerce.
• Yun Yao told Lin Chang'an and the others that a Divine Sword Sect elder under three hundred years old had reached Late Golden Core and that Divine Sword Sect had allied with Mystic Sound Pavilion.
• Yun Yao revealed that Li Fire Palace and Mystic Sound Pavilion had formed an external alliance, opened access to inheritances and Foundation Establishment Pills, and planned to use cultivators in the coming struggle.
• Lin Chang'an and Li Erniu discussed Yun Yao's likely pursuit of Foundation Establishment and recognized that Green Bamboo Mountain Market would serve as the alliance's rear base.
• Lin Chang'an returned home and considered how the market's expansion could help him sell Mid-Grade Bloodline Talismans while bringing chaos and possible war.

Lin Chang'an benefited from Green Bamboo Mountain Market’s rapid growth, advancing his cultivation and mastering Mid-Grade Flying Sword Talismans. As the Market’s expansion stirred rivalries among the Three Great Sects and brought bandit attacks, he resolved to grow stronger before attempting to flee the Yue Kingdom.

• Lin Chang'an completed a Mid-Grade Flying Sword Talisman and reviewed his cultivation progress, crediting Elder Lu’s notes and the Evergreen Art for his gains.
• Lin Chang'an saw Li Erniu’s son Zhou Yifan fighting children who taunted him over his surname, then learned the Zhou and Wang Families were forming a marriage alliance amid the Market’s growth.
• Li Erniu told Lin Chang'an that the Zhou Family was moving him into its clan grounds to protect his family, and described the sect-led hunts that had crippled the wolf pack and improved trade.
• Li Erniu reported that Cultivator Bandits were causing trouble outside the Market, apparently at the Divine Sword Sect’s instigation, and Lin Chang'an recognized the threat of a wider war among the Three Great Sects.
• Lin Chang'an decided he needed to reach Qi Refining Late Stage before he could safely consider leaving the Yue Kingdom.

Lin Chang'an bought cultivation and talisman experience journals in disguise, hoping to turn their insights into lasting improvements. He later found Old Man He mentally broken by the news of his grandson He Yan’s death and led him away, letting him believe they were going to find his grandson.

• Lin Chang'an sold a Mid-Grade Golden Light Talisman and bought supplies from Shopkeeper Miao at True Treasure Pavilion.
• Lin Chang'an disguised himself, returned to True Treasure Pavilion, and secretly bought an upper-grade Talisman Master's journal, a Fire Control Technique journal, and a restricted Jade Slip.
• Lin Chang'an changed disguises several times to avoid drawing attention, believing the journals' insights would permanently improve his abilities.
• Lin Chang'an encountered Old Man He, whose mind and cultivation had deteriorated after He Yan died on the way to the Li Fire Palace during the Monster Beast attack.
• Lin Chang'an agreed to take Old Man He to find his grandson and led him away as the sun set.

Three years of cultivation brought Lin Chang'an close to the Qi Refining Sixth Layer and made him capable of drawing first-rank high-grade talismans. At a gathering organized by Lu Qingqing, he backed Yun Yao's effort to establish her Foundation and arrived as she finally joined them, visibly exhausted.

• Lin Chang'an reviewed his progress after three years, noted that his lifespan had increased, and visited Old Man He's grave.
• Li Erniu told Lin Chang'an that Lu Qingqing's gathering was meant to support Yun Yao's Foundation Establishment, and Lin Chang'an agreed that backing her could offer them a refuge amid rising unrest.
• Li Erniu said he would contribute thirty Spirit Stones so his son, Zhou Yifan, might find a place managing Yun Yao's businesses.
• Lin Chang'an and Li Erniu joined Lu Qingqing and her husband Shen Lie at Gathering Immortal Pavilion, where they discussed Wei Yiyi's new life as an alchemist.
• Yun Yao arrived half an hour later, travel-worn and exhausted.

Yun Yao asked her friends to help fund her search for a Second Tier Water-Attribute monster core needed for Foundation Establishment, and Lin Chang'an contributed generously. After discovering the quality of his talismans, Yun Yao recognized him as a First-Order High-Grade Talisman Master, while Lin Chang'an planned to gain her support and access to a complete Golden Light Talisman inheritance.

• Yun Yao explained that she had gathered most of her Foundation Establishment materials but still needed a Second Tier Water-Attribute monster core and a better defensive magical artifact.
• Lu Qingqing and Shen Lie offered five hundred Spirit Stones from the Chamber of Commerce and nearly two hundred from their savings, while Li Erniu contributed thirty and asked that Yifan be allowed to learn from the couple.
• Lin Chang'an gave Yun Yao Spirit Stones and two Golden Light Talismans, prompting the group to congratulate her in advance on her Foundation Establishment attempt.
• After the gathering, Lu Qingqing estimated that Lin Chang'an had lent Yun Yao around a hundred and fifty Spirit Stones, and Yun Yao discovered the talismans were First-Order Mid-Grade Fine Golden Light Talismans.
• Yun Yao realized Lin Chang'an was a First-Order High-Grade Talisman Master, while Lin Chang'an calculated that supporting her could bring him a complete Golden Light Talisman inheritance and the protection of Li Fire Palace.

After Yun Yao warned Lin Chang'an that the sect conflict had expanded to bounty hunting rogue cultivators, he received the Wood Spirit Thorn spell and began training it. Three months later, he disguised himself and entered Mystic Sound Pavilion’s Treasury Pavilion to buy protective magical tools.

• Yun Yao told Lin Chang'an that bounties were being placed on rogue talisman masters and alchemists, including him, as tensions among the Three Great Sects worsened.
• Lin Chang'an tested the Wood Spirit Thorn, discovered its speed and power, and quickly advanced his proficiency despite injuring his fingers.
• Lin Chang'an stayed indoors for three months, cultivating, making talismans, and practicing the spell while using Spirit Liquid to soothe his fingers.
• Lin Chang'an disguised himself as an old man and entered Treasury Pavilion, where a shopkeeper welcomed him and offered to show him Mid-Grade Magical Tools.

Lin Chang'an bought a damaged set of poisoned wooden flying needles at Treasury Pavilion, then realized their previous owner might expose his identity if he used them. After two Cultivator Bandits followed him, he lured one into an alley and killed him with Wood Spirit Thorn.

• Lin Chang'an searched Treasury Pavilion for a concealed Wood-Attribute weapon and settled on three damaged High-Grade wooden flying needles after bargaining the price down to six hundred and ninety Spirit Stones.
• Lin Chang'an left the shop and realized the secondhand magical tools could reveal him if he used them carelessly.
• Two Cultivator Bandits followed Lin Chang'an, and he confirmed their cultivation levels with his Divine Sense.
• Lin Chang'an entered a prepared alley, where one bandit approached him while the other took a separate route to cut him off.
• Lin Chang'an disguised himself as a bearded old man and killed the approaching bandit with Wood Spirit Thorn, discovering that the spell was unexpectedly powerful.

Lin Chang'an killed two cultivator bandits and discovered that his Perfect Grade Wood Spirit Thorn could pierce even a Premium Mid-Grade Golden Light Talisman. Half a month later, dozens of Wind-Splitting Eagles attacked the Market, leaving its cultivators to defend the barrier through the night.

• Lin Chang'an ambushed and killed two cultivator bandits, then disguised himself and disposed of their Storage Bags before returning home.
• Lin Chang'an tested Wood Spirit Thorn against Golden Light Talismans and found that it pierced both Mid-Grade and Premium Mid-Grade defenses.
• Lin Chang'an's Wood Spirit Thorn reached Perfect Grade, and he realized that its power could let him contend with Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators in a close-range ambush.
• Lin Chang'an went to the Gathering Immortal Pavilion with Er Niu, where Little Marquis Shen Lie and Lu Qingqing worried about Yun Yao's absence.
• Half a month later, dozens of Second-tier Wind-Splitting Eagles attacked the Market, and its cultivators fought them from behind the barrier throughout the night.

Lin Chang'an and the cultivators of Green Bamboo Mountain Market endured renewed attacks by Wind-Splitting Eagles, which dropped Demon Beasts into the Market. At Gathering Immortal Pavilion, Lin Chang'an learned that Yun Yao had successfully achieved Foundation Establishment and would return later.

• Lin Chang'an warned Li Erniu to stay inside the Market as Wind-Splitting Eagles threatened its defenses, and Foundation Establishment Cultivators later killed three of the attackers.
• Lin Chang'an cultivated toward the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, then witnessed Wind-Splitting Eagles dropping Demon Beasts into the Market, causing chaos and a massacre among low-level cultivators.
• Lin Chang'an advised Li Erniu to avoid leaving the Market as Cultivator Bandits became more active outside.
• Lu Qingqing told Lin Chang'an, Li Erniu, and Shen Lie that Yun Yao had achieved Foundation Establishment within Li Fire Palace two days earlier and would return to the Market after some time.

Yun Yao celebrated her return to Green Bamboo Mountain Market after achieving Foundation Establishment and becoming a Golden Core Elder’s personal disciple. She thanked her old friends with generous gifts, giving Lin Chang'an a complete First Tier Golden Light Talisman inheritance, while Wei Yiyi regretted turning away from her earlier request for help.

• A flock of Second Tier Wind-Splitting Eagle Demon Beasts terrorized the Market until Mystic Sound Pavilion and Li Fire Palace used net-shaped magical artifacts to inflict heavy losses on them.
• Yun Yao’s return and Foundation Establishment celebration drew the Market’s major Lineages, and she later reunited with Lin Chang'an, Li Erniu, Shen Lie, Lu Qingqing, and Wei Yiyi.
• Yun Yao noticed Lin Chang'an had reached the Qi Refining Sixth Layer and asked Wei Yiyi to switch seats with him.
• Yun Yao recounted obtaining a Monster Core, surviving serious injuries, and returning to her Sect to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill.
• Yun Yao repaid her friends’ earlier support with valuable gifts, including a medicinal bath prescription and ingredients for Li Erniu’s family.
• Yun Yao gave Lin Chang'an a complete First Tier Golden Light Talisman inheritance, revealing to the others that he was already a First-Order High-Grade Talisman Master.

Lin Chang'an used the inheritance Yun Yao gave him to become a First-Order High-Grade Talisman Master and resolved to pursue Foundation Establishment before turning sixty. The Zhou Family then sought to strengthen its ties with him, and he accepted their goodwill while sending a talisman in return.

• Lin Chang'an reflected on Yun Yao's rise to Foundation Establishment and set a goal of attempting Foundation Establishment before age sixty.
• Lin Chang'an studied the First Tier Golden Light Talisman inheritance and successfully advanced to First-Order High-Grade Talisman Master.
• Li Erniu visited Lin Chang'an on behalf of the Zhou Family and explained that Zhou Antai had sent him after the clan learned about Lin Chang'an's connection to Yun Yao.
• Li Erniu returned Lin Chang'an's employment contract with the Zhou Family as a gesture of goodwill.
• Lin Chang'an gave Li Erniu a Spirit Talisman to deliver to Zhou Antai, and Li Erniu realized Lin Chang'an had become a First-Order High-Grade Talisman Master.

Zhou Renmao prepared the Zhou Family for the dangers surrounding its Foundation Establishment Pill plans, while Lin Chang'an advanced his talisman business and tried to resume cultivation. His quiet days ended when a battle between Foundation Establishment Cultivators shattered the Market's grand array and drew the Zhou Family and Mystic Sound Pavilion into the crisis.

• Zhou Renmao praised Zhou Antai for cultivating a connection with Lin Chang'an and ordered him to place ordinary long-term orders with the Yun Clan Chamber of Commerce.
• Zhou Renmao warned Zhou Antai that the Zhou Family faced scrutiny as it prepared for Foundation Establishment, despite obtaining a Wind-Attribute Monster Core.
• Lin Chang'an and Shen Lie agreed that Shen Lie would sell Lin Chang'an's high-grade talismans and provide his talisman paper and Cinnabar.
• Lin Chang'an received congratulations from Market acquaintances, then announced that he had entered seclusion when their visits disrupted his cultivation.
• Lin Chang'an saw that a battle between Foundation Establishment Cultivators had shattered the Market's grand array.
• The Zhou Family's Black Water Turtle appeared, and Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Zhou Family and Mystic Sound Pavilion rushed toward the disturbance.

Lin Chang'an learned that Demonic Sect remnants had stolen Foundation Establishment Pills and that the Divine Sword Sect was offering a pill for the capture of talented cultivators, stirring greed and fear throughout Green Bamboo Mountain Market. He resolved to focus on his own cultivation and talisman business as the market braced for further unrest.

• Foundation Establishment Cultivators clashed at Green Bamboo Mountain Market, and the Zhou Family Patriarch cried out after Feng'er was caught up in the attack.
• Lin Chang'an heard that the attackers had stolen Foundation Establishment Pills and planned to exchange a Mystic Sound Pavilion genius's head for another pill.
• Shen Lie told Lin Chang'an that the Zhou Family descendant and a Mystic Sound Pavilion cultivator had been ambushed while carrying their pills.
• Lu Qingqing explained the history of the Mystic Yin Divine Sect and warned that a Divine Sword Sect bounty on sect geniuses could inflame the market.
• Lin Chang'an dismissed thoughts of pursuing a Foundation Establishment Pill and recalled Fairy Nishang, a Foundation Establishment Late Stage genius nearing Core Formation.

After the Zhou Family lost Zhou Feng, its Foundation Establishment Pill, and its alliance with Mystic Sound Pavilion, it pinned its hopes on Zhou Tieshan and began gathering resources for new pills. Lin Chang'an kept a low profile amid rising unrest, gave Li Erniu a defensive talisman, and sought to strengthen his ties with the Zhou Family.

• The Wang Family Great Elder learned of the Zhou Family's losses and gloated over its weakened position.
• Zhou Renmao and the Zhou Family Patriarch grieved Zhou Feng's death and planned to trade the family's resources and two Black Wind Wolf Cubs for Foundation Establishment Pills through Mystic Sound Pavilion.
• The Zhou Family Patriarch ordered Zhou Tieshan to prepare to establish his foundation within the clan, while the family hoped he could succeed with a single pill.
• Lin Chang'an practiced cultivation and talisman-making at home, noting that unrest had raised the price of his Golden Light Talismans and deciding to avoid taking risks for now.
• Lin Chang'an lent Li Erniu a high-grade defensive talisman and said he would conduct more business with the Zhou Family's shops.
• Li Erniu warned Lin Chang'an that disciples from Li Fire Palace and Divine Sword Sect had clashed several times.

Lin Chang'an discovered that He Yan had survived and received a Fireball Talisman inheritance from him, prompting Lin to erase the evidence and move near Shen Lie for safety. Meanwhile, Mystic Yin Divine Sect operatives planned to provoke chaos in the Yue Kingdom, while their Protector secretly aimed to use the unrest to investigate a Secret Realm in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.

• Lin Chang'an found that someone had tended Old Man He's grave, and He Yan emerged after Lin left.
• Lin Chang'an received He Yan's Sound Recording Jade Talisman and complete Fireball Talisman inheritance, memorized the inheritance, destroyed the evidence, and moved near Shen Lie.
• Lin Chang'an heard rumors of the Zhou Family's dealings with Mystic Sound Pavilion and bought a Small Spirit Gathering Array from True Treasure Pavilion.
• He Yan reported that the demonic cultivators had failed to recover the Zhou Family and Mystic Sound Pavilion Storage Bags containing Foundation Establishment Pills.
• The Protector of Mystic Yin Divine Sect ordered his followers to stir up unrest by promising Foundation Establishment through the Divine Cult's secret technique.
• The Protector learned that the Zhou Family's Black Water Turtle was weak while giving birth and planned to exploit the chaos to scout a Secret Realm in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range.

Lin Chang'an cultivated with a Spirit Gathering Array as tensions grew around the Zhou family's planned Foundation Establishment breakthrough. When Zhou Qing visited to trade for talismans, Lin Chang'an sensed that the alchemist had poisoned him, leaving the reason for Zhou Qing's betrayal unresolved.

• Lin Chang'an used his Spirit Gathering Array to advance his cultivation to the Qi Refining Sixth Layer and worried about the coming conflict between the Three Great Sects.
• Zhou Qing visited Lin Chang'an to exchange Golden Marrow Pills for talismans and explained that the Zhou family was stockpiling supplies for Tie Shan's Foundation Establishment breakthrough.
• Li Erniu told Lin Chang'an that the Zhou family had assigned him to oversee an outer business, and Lin Chang'an comforted him while sensing trouble ahead.
• As the market grew tense over the Zhou family's preparations, Zhou Qing returned to obtain two Golden Light Talismans, offering top-tier pills in exchange.
• Lin Chang'an's perfected Evergreen Art detected a trace of poison as Zhou Qing followed him inside, and he noticed the scent coming from Zhou Qing's sachet.

Lin Chang'an killed Zhou Qing after the two tried to poison each other, then discovered that a major assault had begun against the Zhou Family and other parts of the Market. The Zhou Family’s defenses collapsed amid signs of an insider’s betrayal, while chaos spread across the Market.

• Lin Chang'an and Zhou Qing tried to trade medicinal pills and talismans while secretly plotting against each other.
• Zhou Qing attacked Lin Chang'an with Five Poison Water, but the poisoned tea Lin Chang'an had served made Zhou Qing spit black blood.
• Lin Chang'an used Zhou Qing’s attack and spirit pet as cover to strike with Fireball Talismans and hidden Wood Spirit Thorns, then killed him with the Green Bamboo Sword.
• Lin Chang'an heard a rumble, climbed onto his roof, and saw flames and Cultivator Bandits rampaging through the Zhou Family.
• The Zhou Family learned that its formation had been breached, its medicinal fields burned, its Patriarch intercepted, and its Clan-Protecting Spirit Beast attacked during its birthing period.
• The Zhou Family Patriarch suspected an insider and charged into battle as unrest erupted across the Market.

After killing Zhou Qing, Lin Chang'an concealed the evidence and examined the traitorous alchemist’s stolen wealth, deciding to keep it hidden and use it only for cultivation. The Zhou Family’s secret Foundation Establishment breakthrough turned the Market’s crisis into a victory, while Zhou Qing was mistakenly remembered as a loyal clansman who died in battle.

• Two Demonic Path Foundation Establishment Cultivators fled the Market, blaming Zhou Qing for hiding Zhou Tieshan’s breakthrough and suspecting Zhou Qing had died in the chaos.
• Lin Chang'an burned away the traces of Zhou Qing and his Spirit Beast, then found Spirit Stones, Spirit Grass, pills, magical tools, and alchemy and beast-rearing materials among Zhou Qing’s belongings.
• Lin Chang'an decided not to sell or spend Zhou Qing’s spoils in the Market, keeping them concealed to avoid the Zhou Family’s suspicion.
• Li Erniu told Lin Chang'an that Zhou Tieshan had secretly reached Foundation Establishment and helped the Zhou Family defeat the Cultivator Bandits, leaving the family with three Foundation Establishment Cultivators and a Clan-Protecting Spirit Beast.
• Li Erniu said the Zhou Family believed Zhou Qing had died defending the Lineage; Lin Chang'an feigned surprise and resolved to keep the spoils hidden.

Lin Chang'an attended the Zhou Family's Foundation Establishment Ceremony, where the family displayed its alliance with Li Fire Palace and Mystic Sound Pavilion. The celebration ended in alarm when messengers announced that war had begun.

• Li Erniu invited Lin Chang'an to the Zhou Family's Foundation Establishment Ceremony, and Lin prepared for the event while using Spirit Liquid to cultivate his Spirit Eye.
• The Zhou Family held a grand ceremony attended by Market lineages, Rogue Cultivators, and Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Li Fire Palace and Mystic Sound Pavilion.
• Lin Chang'an gave the Zhou Family two upper-grade Golden Light Talismans and recognized that the ceremony publicly affirmed the family's alliance with the two sects.
• Li Erniu explained that the two sects had each presented the Zhou Family with a Black Wind Wolf cub in exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills.
• Two disciples rushed into the hall with urgent news, and the Foundation Establishment Cultivators reacted with shock as war began.