Chapter Summaries

Ning Chuan spent two days hiding his strength by working as an ordinary boy in Holy Soul Village, while Tang San began training at the Blacksmith Shop. After Ning Dazhuang described damage in the back mountain, Ning Chuan feared Tang Hao had discovered traces of his soul skill and resolved to remain cautious until Tang San left for Nuoding City.

• Ning Chuan helped Liu Lan at home and worked in Ning Dazhuang's carpentry shed, carefully disguising his increased strength as ordinary physical training.
• Ning Chuan heard Tang San hammering at the Blacksmith Shop and realized Tang Hao had begun teaching him the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer.
• Ning Dazhuang told the family that a ravine in the back mountain had fallen trees and a huge, unnaturally neat pit, then warned Ning Chuan and Ning Xiaohe to stay away.
• Ning Chuan feared Tang Hao had made the pit with the Clear Sky Hammer and might have sensed his earlier soul skill, so he concealed his alarm from his family.
• Ning Chuan worked through the rest of the day and decided not to use soul skills or reveal Soul Power until Tang San left for Nuoding City.

Ning Chuan accompanied his father, Ning Dazhuang, to Nuoding City and brought an unusual heavy alloy fragment to find out what it was worth. After selling their furniture and planning to buy cloth for the family, they headed to a prosperous commercial street to look for someone who might recognize the fragment.

• Ning Chuan persuaded Ning Dazhuang to take him to the city by claiming he had found a strange, heavy stone that might be valuable.
• Ning Dazhuang and Ning Chuan left Holy Soul Village with a cart of furniture and entered Nuoding City after paying the gate tax.
• Ning Dazhuang sold the furniture to an acquaintance at a furniture store and collected payment.
• Ning Chuan steered his father toward a busier commercial street rather than an ordinary blacksmith shop or general store.
• Ning Dazhuang agreed to browse the upscale shops with Ning Chuan and look for someone to assess the alloy fragment.

Ning Chuan and Ning Dazhuang brought the unusual metal Ning Chuan had found to Seven Treasures Pavilion, where an appraiser recognized its rarity and bought it. They left with forty Gold Soul Coins and planned to buy cloth and new clothes for their family.

• Ning Chuan persuaded Ning Dazhuang to take the metal to Seven Treasures Pavilion for appraisal.
• The appraiser examined the metal and identified it as an unusual, exceptionally dense material with research value.
• Ning Chuan negotiated the appraiser's offer from thirty to forty Gold Soul Coins.
• Ning Chuan denied finding any other pieces of the metal, and the father and son left with the payment.
• Ning Dazhuang agreed to buy cloth and new outfits for Ning Chuan and Xiao He.

After Ning Dazhuang and Ning Chuan sold the black stone for forty Gold Soul Coins, they used part of the money to buy food and cloth and hid most of the windfall at home. The family celebrated with a rare feast, while Ning Chuan ended the day aware that his dangerous plans were only beginning.

• Ning Dazhuang and Ning Chuan bought pork, bones, cloth, and candy on their way home after selling the stone.
• Ning Dazhuang showed Liu Lan and Ning Xiaohe the coins and explained that Seven Treasures Pavilion had paid forty Gold Soul Coins for Ning Chuan's find.
• Ning Dazhuang and Liu Lan agreed to keep the windfall secret, and Liu Lan hid most of the coins in a buried clay pot.
• Liu Lan cooked a lavish dinner, and the family shared the meal together.
• Ning Chuan returned to his room and listened to the hammering from the Blacksmith Shop, knowing his plans and dangers lay ahead.

Ning Chuan fused five fragmented Earth Crystals into an excellent complete crystal and turned it into a discreet Earth Nourishing Pendant for his younger sister, Ning Xiaohe. The pendant could gently nurture her body and plant-type Martial Soul over time, though its effects would be slight and could not directly create Soul Power.

• Ning Chuan spent 10 points to fuse five Fragmented Earth Crystals into one excellent Complete Earth Crystal.
• Ning Chuan wondered whether the crystal's gentle earth energy could help nurture Ning Xiaohe, who had no Innate Soul Power and possessed a white Little Wildflower Martial Soul.
• The Station assessed the crystal as suitable for long-term, indirect nurturing and warned against direct absorption by mortals.
• Ning Chuan spent 25 points to shape the crystal into a discreet pendant with adjustable energy release.
• The Station completed the Earth Nourishing Pendant, which could slightly strengthen vitality and nurture plant-type Martial Souls through long-term wear.

Ning Chuan found a way to give Ning Xiaohe the amber pendant without raising his parents’ suspicions. Ning Xiaohe happily wore it as a bracelet, and Ning Chuan hoped its Thick Earth Nourishing Power would improve her constitution and nurture her Little Wildflower Martial Soul.

• Ning Chuan returned from the Heavens Trash Station and planned how to give Ning Xiaohe the pendant without making his parents suspicious.
• The next day, Ning Chuan helped his family with their usual chores while keeping watch over Ning Xiaohe.
• When Liu Lan measured Ning Xiaohe for new clothes, Ning Chuan gave his sister the pendant, claiming he had bought it at a roadside stall.
• Ning Xiaohe liked the warm stone, and Liu Lan tied its cord around her wrist as a bracelet.
• Ning Chuan watched Ning Xiaohe enjoy her gift and hoped the pendant’s Thick Earth Nourishing Power would quietly improve her constitution.

Ning Chuan salvaged a damaged Storage Ring from the Junk Ocean and discovered twenty-seven Top-grade Spirit Stones and the incomplete Ten Thousand Herb Appraisal inside. After spending points to open the ring and translate the scroll, he stored the treasures and resolved to grow stronger before using them.

• Ning Chuan recycled cultivation-plane wreckage and earned 8 points from its materials.
• Ning Chuan scanned a heavy ring, learned it was a damaged Storage Ring containing energy crystals and a tome, and spent 5 points to open it.
• Ning Chuan discovered twenty-seven dormant Top-grade Spirit Stones, each containing energy far beyond what he could safely absorb.
• Ning Chuan identified the tome as the incomplete Ten Thousand Herb Appraisal and spent 50 points to translate its medicinal knowledge and pill formula catalog.
• Ning Chuan stored the treasures and decided to increase his strength and plan a safe way to use them.

Ning Chuan used the Recycling Station to convert energy from a Top-grade Spirit Stone into life-source energy for the Willow Deity True Spirit. The successful test slightly increased the True Spirit’s activity and gave him a way to use the remaining stones to nourish it.

• Ning Chuan realized his Green Jade Willow Leaf Grass Martial Soul and First Soul Skill, Endless Life, might convert Spirit Stone energy into life-source energy for the Willow Deity True Spirit.
• Ning Chuan asked the Station to assess the plan, and it judged the method feasible with a 65% success rate and an extremely high risk to his Martial Soul.
• Ning Chuan ordered the Station to proceed, and it built an energy channel linking a Top-grade Spirit Stone, his Martial Soul, Endless Life, and the Willow Deity True Spirit.
• Ning Chuan endured the strain as Endless Life transformed the stone’s energy into gentle life-source energy, which the Station guided into the Willow Deity True Spirit.
• The Willow Deity True Spirit absorbed the energy and became slightly more active, while Ning Chuan’s Martial Soul remained undamaged and the Station confirmed the method had succeeded.

Ning Chuan found an ancient Foundation Establishment Pill formula whose common ingredients might help both him and his sister Ning Xiaohe build stronger foundations. After the station identified Earth Crystal Powder as a substitute for Warm Jade Powder, he set out at dawn to search the back mountain for the three main herbs.

• Ning Chuan carefully searched Ten Thousand Herb Appraisal for affordable pill formulas and found an incomplete ancient Foundation Establishment Pill formula suitable for mortals and low-level cultivators.
• Ning Chuan realized the pill could strengthen Ning Xiaohe's body and perhaps improve her ability to sense energy, while also stabilizing his own foundation.
• Ning Chuan asked the station to find a substitute for Century-Old Warm Jade Powder, and it recommended Fragmented Earth Crystal Powder from his stored materials.
• Ning Chuan decided to search the mountains for Century-Old Polygonatum, Century-Old Poria, and Century-Old Fo-Ti.
• Ning Chuan told Liu Lan he would check nearby traps and gather wild plants, then left the village at dawn with a wicker basket and medicinal hoe.

Ning Chuan searched the back mountain for century-old herbs described in Ten Thousand Herb Appraisal and found an unusually large Polygonatum containing faint Earth-Origin Qi. He left the valley with the precious herb, encouraged by his first success.

• Ning Chuan recalled the identifying features of Polygonatum, Poria, and Polygonum Multiflorum and reasoned that Douluo Continent's ordinary herbs might have gone unnoticed.
• Ning Chuan searched the forest for more than half an hour but found only young medicinal herbs.
• Ning Chuan used the herbs' growing habits to choose a damp, shaded valley and found a young Polygonatum, which he buried again.
• Ning Chuan discovered an enormous Polygonatum in a humid crevice beneath overlapping boulders.
• Ning Chuan carefully dug up the Polygonatum and sensed faint Earth-Origin Qi in its heavy rhizome.

Ning Chuan searched an old pine forest for Poria and unexpectedly met Tang San, whose interest in Ning Chuan’s Century-Old Polygonatum revealed his temptation to gather herbs. Tang San refused to join him and left for home, while Ning Chuan believed he might return secretly.

• Ning Chuan searched beneath ancient pines for Poria and heard someone approaching.
• Tang San met Ning Chuan on his way back from morning training and noticed the Polygonatum in his basket.
• Ning Chuan claimed he was gathering herbs to help support his family and showed Tang San the Century-Old Polygonatum.
• Tang San recognized the herb’s value but concealed his excitement and refused Ning Chuan’s offer to search together.
• Tang San left to return home and forge iron, and Ning Chuan concluded that he might come back alone.

Ning Chuan found an exceptionally large, old Poria and deliberately offered half to Tang San, who eagerly accepted. As they descended the mountain, Ning Chuan counted on Tang San’s newfound interest in gathering herbs to distract Tang Hao from his own activities.

• Ning Chuan dug up a huge, high-quality Poria beneath an old pine tree.
• Tang San returned and questioned Ning Chuan about the heavier basket, so Ning Chuan revealed the Poria and offered to split it in exchange for help carrying it.
• Tang San agreed, carefully cut the Poria in half, and kept one piece for himself.
• Ning Chuan and Tang San headed down the mountain while Ning Chuan planned to use Tang San’s greed for herbs to draw Tang Hao’s attention away from him.

Ning Chuan searched a remote mountain slope for the last herb needed for the Foundation Establishment Pill and found a high-quality Century-Old Polygonum Multiflorum on a perilous cliff. After harvesting it and descending safely, he had gathered all Three Main Herbs for the pill.

• Ning Chuan searched several sunlit slopes for Fo-Ti but found only young seedlings.
• Ning Chuan spotted a steep cliff and climbed a landslide slope to search its rock face.
• Ning Chuan found a thick Fo-Ti vine wrapped around a pine tree and carefully dug out its tuberous root.
• Ning Chuan identified the root by its cloud-brocade patterns as Century-Old Polygonum Multiflorum and secured it in his basket.
• Ning Chuan descended safely with the Fo-Ti, completing his collection of the Three Main Herbs for the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Ning Chuan used the Station to prepare the three main herbs for the Foundation Establishment Pill with the Nine-Steaming Nine-Sun-Drying method. With the ingredients ready for pill refinement, he gathered ordinary herbs to hide his harvest before returning to Holy Soul Village.

• Ning Chuan realized he could not prepare the three main herbs safely at home and decided to use the Station.
• Ning Chuan spent 30 points to have the Station simulate Rootless Water, Morning Dewdrop, and the Nine-Steaming Nine-Sun-Drying process.
• The Station completed the preparation, producing three herb essences that met the requirements for refining the Foundation Establishment Pill.
• Ning Chuan gathered ordinary herbs and wild mushrooms to disguise his harvest and conceal the spiritual herbs' scent.
• Ning Chuan slung the basket onto his back and headed toward Holy Soul Village.

Ning Chuan returned late from the mountains and convinced Ning Dazhuang that he had gone looking for medicinal herbs after hearing about Tang San’s profitable find. His family welcomed him home, while he considered his next steps with the Foundation Establishment Pill, the Top-grade Spirit Stones, and the Willow Deity True Spirit.

• Ning Dazhuang found Ning Chuan emerging from the back mountain and angrily demanded to know where he had been.
• Ning Chuan claimed Tang San had told him about valuable Poria, prompting him to search the mountains for herbs to earn money for the family.
• Ning Dazhuang scolded Ning Chuan for risking his life but grew interested in Tang San’s supposed profitable Poria harvest and took his son home.
• Liu Lan and Ning Xiaohe greeted Ning Chuan with relief, and he repeated his explanation before the family ate a subdued dinner.
• Ning Chuan lay awake considering how to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill and what to do with the Top-grade Spirit Stones and Willow Deity True Spirit.

Ning Chuan nourished the Willow Deity True Spirit with energy from another Top-grade Spirit Stone, then scavenged technological wreckage in the Station. After discovering and safely destroying a canister of T-Virus Serum, he ended the night with new information and materials, more points, and greater caution.

• Ning Chuan converted energy from a Top-grade Spirit Stone into life essence, which the Willow Deity True Spirit absorbed and used to grow slightly more solid.
• Ning Chuan scavenged technological wreckage and earned 12 points from titanium-steel armor fragments, a damaged energy capacitor, and silicon-based chip remains.
• Ning Chuan found a damaged Star Ring-7 Optical Computer and recovered fragments of a universal language lexicon, a human mechanics model, and an energy guidance atlas.
• Ning Chuan discovered a canister containing T-Virus Serum and ordered the Station to destroy it, spending 20 points to eliminate the hazard.
• Ning Chuan continued scavenging cautiously, raised his points to 118, and returned to sleep after reviewing his gains.

Ning Chuan went to Nuoding City hoping to buy books on Soul Masters and medicinal herbs, but discovered that useful knowledge was kept behind institutions like Spirit Hall and Nuoding Soul Master Academy. He abandoned the ordinary route and began looking for unconventional ways to gain information, considering the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect’s channels.

• Ning Chuan persuaded Ning Dazhuang and Liu Lan to let him travel to Nuoding City alone to buy books, and Ning Dazhuang gave him a Purple Soul Coin.
• Ning Chuan browsed several bookstores but found mostly fictional or speculative books and only basic guides to common herbs.
• A bookstore owner told Ning Chuan that systematic Soul Master knowledge could be found only at Spirit Hall’s library or Nuoding Soul Master Academy.
• Ning Chuan accepted that ordinary bookstores could not provide the knowledge he wanted and decided to seek an unconventional path through the Heavens Trash Station.
• Ning Chuan searched the city’s Soul Master-related shops and paused outside Seven Treasures Pavilion, considering whether the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could provide information or resources.

Ning Yuan invited Ning Chuan into Seven Treasures Pavilion and revealed that the sect’s experts had found the unusual alloy Ning Chuan sold them valuable for developing high-level Soul Tools. Ning Yuan offered to buy any similar materials and probed where it came from, while Ning Chuan claimed he had found it by a riverbank and could not locate more.

• Ning Chuan considered the risks of approaching the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and decided to keep his distance while his strength remained low.
• Ning Yuan recognized Ning Chuan outside Seven Treasures Pavilion and invited him into a private room for tea.
• Ning Yuan introduced himself as a pavilion manager and explained that headquarters in Heaven Dou City had examined Ning Chuan’s alloy and suspected its spirit-conducting properties could aid high-level Soul Tools.
• Ning Yuan said the sect would pay a high price for any similar materials and asked about their source.
• Ning Chuan claimed he had found the alloy by a riverbank near his village and had searched there without finding another piece.
• Ning Yuan scrutinized Ning Chuan’s explanation but remained uncertain how such unusual metal had appeared in a rural village.

Ning Chuan asked Ning Yuan for books about Soul Master cultivation and herbs, claiming he had failed his Martial Soul awakening and hoped to find another livelihood. Ning Yuan offered to arrange access to basic books if Ning Chuan brought him unusual objects in the future, and watched him leave with growing interest.

• Ning Chuan changed the subject from the strange metal and said he had come to buy books after failing his Martial Soul awakening.
• Ning Yuan explained that cultivation methods and detailed herb guides were closely guarded, but the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had some basic books and illustrations.
• Ning Yuan offered to help Ning Chuan access those books if he brought unusual objects for Ning Yuan to inspect.
• Ning Chuan thanked Ning Yuan and promised to bring him anything strange he found.
• Ning Yuan watched Ning Chuan disappear into the crowd, then murmured that Ning Chuan and Holy Soul Village were interesting.

Ning Chuan sought basic Soul Master knowledge at the Nuoding Branch Hall of Spirit Hall, but learned that its library was restricted. Deacon Mars let him in and gave him a booklet by Yu Xiaogang, leaving Ning Chuan surprised to find the future “Master’s” theories promoted by Spirit Hall.

• Ning Chuan decided Spirit Hall might have the Soul Master knowledge he could not find in ordinary bookstores and headed to its Nuoding branch.
• A guard stopped Ning Chuan from entering because he lacked credentials, but Deacon Mars came out to hear his request.
• Ning Chuan explained that his Martial Soul awakening had failed and asked to consult basic Soul Master materials and local records.
• Mars said Spirit Hall generally kept its books from ordinary people, then invited Ning Chuan inside and took him to a side chamber.
• Mars gave Ning Chuan a copy of Yu Xiaogang’s Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul, and Ning Chuan recognized Yu Xiaogang as the future teacher of Tang San.