Chapter Summaries

Shen Chong entrusted Shen Changchuan with his mother’s and brother’s urns and payment to arrange and maintain their graves before leaving for Central Province. Shen Changchuan chose a site near Dawan City, while both men reflected on the homes and roots they had lost.

• Shen Chong left, and Shen Changchuan remained holding the two urns and a Storage Bag with twenty thousand Superior Spirit Stones.
• Shen Chong explained that he feared enemies might desecrate his loved ones’ graves after he left, so he asked Shen Changchuan to find a burial site and arrange for people to tend it each year.
• Shen Changchuan accepted the Spirit Stones as payment and reward for helping Shen Chong defeat Zhou Tianhai.
• When Shen Changchuan asked where to bury the urns, Shen Chong fell silent because he did not want his mother and brother buried on the Shen Clan’s grounds and knew nothing of his mother’s family.
• Shen Changchuan proposed burying them near Dawan City, where his people could care for the graves, and Shen Chong agreed before departing.
• Shen Changchuan watched Shen Chong leave and reflected that neither of them had found a true home in this world.

Shen Changchuan left Tiannan City with Han Dayong, showing no attachment to the Shen Family, while the Ancestor rejected a suggestion to draw him back into the family. Shen Yingxia blamed Shen Fuxing for losing Shen Chong and Shen Changchuan, but Shen Fuxing insisted his youngest son Xiao Yang would make the Shen Family prosper.

• Shen Changchuan left the Shen Family Estate with Han Dayong after taking leave of the Ancestor, without meeting Shen Fuxing.
• Shen Yingxia suggested that the Ancestor try to keep Shen Changchuan close to the Shen Family.
• The Ancestor refused, recognizing that Shen Changchuan felt no bond with the Shen Family and had already chosen to leave it behind.
• Shen Yingxia blamed Shen Fuxing for driving Shen Chong and Shen Changchuan away and costing the family a chance to rise in power.
• Shen Fuxing emerged from hiding and claimed that Xiao Yang would surpass the two estranged sons and lead the Shen Family to prosperity.
• Shen Yingxia became furious at Shen Fuxing's confidence in Xiao Yang's Innate Spirit Body.

The Shen Family Ancestor warned Shen Fuxing to stop favoring his youngest son and focused on the threat posed by the Central Province Zhou Clan after Zhou Yi and other Zhou family members died. Shen Changchuan buried Shen Chong’s elder brother and mother, then returned to the Dragon Firmament Sect to enter seclusion.

• The Shen Family Ancestor told Shen Yingxia that Shen Fuxing’s actions had helped drive Shen Chong away and contributed to the family’s present crisis.
• The Shen Family Ancestor warned that the Central Province Zhou Clan might retaliate for the deaths of Zhou Yi, Zhou Tianhai, Zhou Lingfeng, and other Zhou family members, then left to make preparations.
• Shen Fuxing celebrated Zhou Yi’s death and planned to make his beloved concubine his legitimate wife and Xiao Yang the heir.
• Shen Yingxia left after failing to change Shen Fuxing’s mind, while Shen Fuxing hurried to visit his beloved woman.
• Shen Changchuan buried Shen Chong’s elder brother and mother near Dawan City, asked a small cultivation clan to tend their graves, and returned to the Dragon Firmament Sect to digest his gains in seclusion.

News of Shen Chong’s victory over Zhou Tianhai spread through the Tiannan Region and nearby cultivation worlds, eclipsing Shen Changchuan’s own achievement of killing Zhou Lingfeng. Shen Changchuan returned to the Dragon Firmament Sect, where Wei Yuting praised his feat.

• Cultivators across the Tiannan Region and neighboring domains discussed Shen Chong’s slaying of the peak Spirit Wandering Realm expert Zhou Tianhai.
• People recalled Shen Chong’s earlier borrowed power and disappearance, and marveled that he had now reached the Spirit Wandering Realm and won a head-on battle.
• Shen Chong’s achievement drew more attention than Shen Changchuan’s victory over the early Spirit Wandering Realm cultivator Zhou Lingfeng.
• Shen Changchuan returned to the Dragon Firmament Sect and noticed that more people regarded him with respect.
• Wei Yuting congratulated Shen Changchuan for killing a Spirit Wandering Realm cultivator while at the ninth level of the Out-of-Body Realm.

Wei Yuting reflected on the immense strength of Jade Clarity Immortal Sect prodigies Xuan Daoji, the Sword Heart Clarity prodigy, and Lin Wushuang, then realized Shen Changchuan’s feat placed him among the sect’s top inner disciples. Shen Changchuan modestly explained that he had killed Zhou Lingfeng with the Jade Talisman Master’s power and an opening created by Zhou’s carelessness.

• Wei Yuting recalled that Xuan Daoji, the Sword Heart Clarity prodigy, and Lin Wushuang could kill Spirit Wandering Realm cultivators despite being in the Out-of-Body Realm.
• Wei Yuting considered how Lin Wushuang defeated the previous Dao Child Candidate and became one of the two candidates after receiving an Old Ancestor’s cultivation and a powerful method.
• Wei Yuting concluded that Shen Changchuan’s victory over Zhou Lingfeng placed him among the strongest inner disciples and said she felt honored to have entered Roaming Dragon’s tutelage alongside him.
• Shen Changchuan told Wei Yuting that he had relied on the Jade Talisman Master’s power and Zhou Lingfeng’s carelessness, and that a direct fight could have gone either way.

Shen Changchuan discussed the Immortal Sect’s upcoming internal competition with Wei Yuting and learned about his strongest potential rivals. After arranging to focus on cultivation, he left to prepare for the competition and to seek his master’s advice about the dangers of antagonizing the Central Province Zhou Clan.

• Wei Yuting praised Shen Changchuan for surviving and defeating a Spirit Wandering Realm cultivator, while Shen Changchuan modestly compared himself to the Immortal Sect’s inner disciples.
• Shen Changchuan recalled that the internal competition had been organized after a Mystic Core Realm Old Devil ambushed and killed many of the Jade Clarity Immortal Sect’s inner elites pursuing Shi Mengting.
• Wei Yuting predicted Shen Changchuan could reach the top ten and described Xuan Daoji, Lin Wushuang, and another leading disciple as his most formidable opponents.
• Shen Changchuan asked Wei Yuting about True Intent, but she could offer little explanation, so he planned to ask his returning master.
• Shen Changchuan decided to consult his master about possible retaliation from the Central Province Zhou Clan and to devote his time to cultivation before the competition.
• Wei Yuting ended Shen Changchuan’s monthly lecture assignment, having already recorded his teaching methods for others to use.

After reviewing his battle with Zhou Lingfeng, Shen Changchuan identified ways to improve his tactics and sensed progress in mastering spatial power. He inventoried his rewards from Tiannan City and discovered that, along with Shen Chong’s 20,000 Superior Spirit Stones, his spoils included a vast collection of stones, treasures, and pills.

• Shen Changchuan spent two days analyzing his fight with Zhou Lingfeng, concluding that he should have used Space Thorn and hit-and-run tactics instead of rushing to kill.
• Shen Changchuan completed his review, clarified how to fight powerful Spirit Wandering Realm opponents, and sensed his control of spatial power improving.
• Shen Changchuan began counting his gains from Tiannan City, including the 20,000 Superior Spirit Stones Shen Chong had given him.
• Shen Changchuan inventoried Zhou Lingfeng’s Storage Bracelet and the Storage Bags of forty or fifty Zhou Clan cultivators he had killed.
• Shen Changchuan found more than 500 Superior Spirit Stones, tens of thousands of mid-grade Spirit Stones, over 200,000 low-grade Spirit Stones, and a wealth of cultivation treasures and pills.

Shen Changchuan assessed the valuable spoils taken from the Zhou Clan, deciding to sell the pills, treasures, and spiritual artifacts rather than risk using them. He was left wondering how to dispose of the haul safely without losing months traveling to a prosperous immortal city.

• Shen Changchuan estimated that his spoils, mostly taken from Zhou Lingfeng and other Zhou Clan cultivators, were worth at least two thousand Superior Spirit Stones.
• Shen Changchuan decided against using the seized pills and treasures because they might have been tampered with and because pills could make his cultivation progress hollow.
• Shen Changchuan chose to sell the pills, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, and spiritual artifacts, since his own cultivation and techniques made them unnecessary.
• Shen Changchuan realized that entrusting the valuable goods to a sect member could tempt them to disappear with the proceeds.
• Shen Changchuan weighed traveling for months to a major immortal city and lamented the lack of prosperous markets in his remote region.

Shen Changchuan used 160 Superior Spirit Stones to break through to the middle stage of the ninth level of the out-of-body realm. After Senior Sister Wei told him their master had returned, he went to see Roaming Dragon and found him pale and unsteady.

• Shen Changchuan stored Zhou Lingfeng's spoils and sent Senior Sister Wei a Message Talisman asking her to tell him when their master returned.
• Shen Changchuan entered seclusion and cultivated with Superior Spirit Stones, relying on the Golden Wind Jade Dew Gu to handle their immense spiritual energy.
• After two months, Shen Changchuan had spent 160 Superior Spirit Stones and broken through to the middle stage of the ninth level of the out-of-body realm.
• Shen Changchuan consolidated his cultivation for several days before Senior Sister Wei sent word that Roaming Dragon had returned.
• Shen Changchuan went to pay his respects and found Roaming Dragon pale-lipped with a disordered aura, so he asked whether his master was all right.

Shen Changchuan told Roaming Dragon how he had killed Zhou Lingfeng and asked for advice about possible retaliation. After Roaming Dragon reassured him about the Zhou Clan, Shen Changchuan asked what True Intent was and how it differed from the Power of Space.

• Roaming Dragon praised Shen Changchuan for killing a Spirit Wandering Realm cultivator while still at the Ninth Level of Out-of-Body Realm.
• Shen Changchuan explained that he had relied on luck and the Jade Talisman, and Roaming Dragon said the achievement was still impressive.
• Shen Changchuan told Roaming Dragon he feared retaliation from the Zhou Clan after killing its members.
• Roaming Dragon said the Jade Clarity Immortal Sect would deter open attacks but warned that the Zhou Clan might hire killers or Demonic Cultivators through the Black Market.
• Shen Changchuan asked Roaming Dragon to explain True Intent and how it differed from the Power of Space.

Roaming Dragon explained True Intent to Shen Changchuan, revealing it as a power that embodies an immortal cultivator’s personal Dao and can be glimpsed by exceptional cultivators before reaching the Mystic Core Realm. Shen Changchuan realized why prodigies pursued True Intent over the Power of Space: it strengthened them while laying a foundation for future cultivation.

• Shen Changchuan asked Roaming Dragon what True Intent was after learning that two Dao Child Candidates had grasped traces of it.
• Roaming Dragon explained that True Intent went beyond artistic conception, manifesting an intent as real power that resembled the laws of heaven and earth.
• Roaming Dragon distinguished True Intent, an expression of each cultivator’s personal Dao, from the Power of Space, an authority available upon reaching the Mystic Core Realm.
• Shen Changchuan realized that comprehending True Intent early could both strengthen a cultivator and benefit their future progress, explaining why the sect’s prodigies pursued it.

Shen Changchuan accepted that comprehending the Power of Space had been the right path for him, though Roaming Dragon suggested he could still pursue True Intent. Roaming Dragon explained that a Ten Thousand Paths Map might let Shen Changchuan begin comprehending True Intent if he ranked highly in the coming internal competition.

• Shen Changchuan reflected that his opportunities had made comprehending the Power of Space possible and resolved to focus on using it to compete for the top ten.
• Roaming Dragon told Shen Changchuan that his mastery of the Power of Space suggested he might also be capable of comprehending True Intent.
• Roaming Dragon described the Ten Thousand Paths Palace, a Jade Clarity Immortal Sect inheritance that helps peak Spirit Wandering Realm cultivators advance to Mystic Core.
• Roaming Dragon explained that the sect's Ten Thousand Paths Maps reproduce scenes from the palace and can help Spirit Wandering Realm cultivators grasp a small portion of True Intent.
• Roaming Dragon said Shen Changchuan might earn the chance to request a Ten Thousand Paths Map by ranking among the top in the internal competition.

Roaming Dragon explained how True Intent could help Shen Changchuan reach the Mystic Core Realm, and urged him to seek it through the Ten Thousand Paths Map. Shen Changchuan then realized his spells might already contain a path to True Intent and demonstrated a new move, the Longevity Sword.

• Roaming Dragon explained that mastering True Intent could greatly increase Shen Changchuan’s strength and prepare him to reach the Mystic Core Realm.
• Shen Changchuan considered combining True Intent with his Power of Space but doubted his comprehension ability and the Progress Bar Panel’s usefulness.
• Roaming Dragon encouraged Shen Changchuan to look for the Dao within the spells he had mastered, and Shen Changchuan gained an insight.
• Shen Changchuan asked Roaming Dragon to judge a move he had created with his innate Divine Ability.
• Shen Changchuan demonstrated the Longevity Sword, slashing through the void and leaving a glassy-colored rift in space.

Shen Changchuan demonstrated Longevity, a sword strike that showed an embryonic understanding of time-based True Intent. Roaming Dragon revealed the overwhelming power of his own True Intent, leaving Shen Changchuan with a new understanding of his master's strength and the mountains surrounding the Dragon Firmament Sect.

• Shen Changchuan recalled Longevity and used it to make nearby grass rapidly grow, bloom, and wither.
• Roaming Dragon praised Shen Changchuan's strike as an embryonic form of time-based True Intent, not yet true True Intent.
• Roaming Dragon demonstrated his own True Intent with a punch that made the earth heave and mountains rise across a ten-li radius.
• Shen Changchuan recognized the display as the likely force behind the mountains at the Dragon Firmament Sect's entrance and wondered at the strength of the peak Spirit Wandering Realm.

Shen Changchuan watched Roaming Dragon demonstrate Yellow Earth True Intent and learned how true intent could ease a breakthrough to the Mystic Core Realm. Encouraged to pursue a complete true intent, Shen Changchuan resolved to try and considered obtaining the Ten Thousand Paths Map.

• Roaming Dragon's punch left Shen Changchuan unable to move and showed him how vast the gap was between his strength and a peak Spirit Wandering Realm cultivator's.
• Shen Changchuan wondered whether mastering true intent could let him wield power like Roaming Dragon's or develop a divine ability from his Longevity Sword.
• Roaming Dragon explained that his Yellow Earth True Intent was only ninety-one percent complete and described how true intent could nourish cultivation and ease breakthroughs.
• Roaming Dragon told Shen Changchuan that mastering complete true intent before reaching the peak Spirit Wandering Realm could make his eventual breakthrough easier and strengthen his true intent.
• Shen Changchuan resolved to pursue true intent and thought that obtaining the Ten Thousand Paths Map might help him master it.

After spending more than half a year stabilizing his cultivation and studying True Intent, Shen Changchuan had improved his use of the Longevity Sword but made no progress with the Power of Space. At the Jade Clarity Immortal Sect, Xiao Chenyang insulted Senior Brother Hong Yang, and Shen Changchuan looked on in silence.

• Shen Changchuan focused on stabilizing his mid-stage Ninth Level cultivation, practicing spells, and comprehending True Intent rather than trying to advance his realm.
• Shen Changchuan improved his control of the Longevity Sword but found it weaker than the Power of Space and made no progress comprehending that power further.
• Shen Changchuan hoped to obtain the Ten Thousand Paths Map from the internal competition to help him cross the threshold of True Intent.
• Xiao Chenyang recognized Shen Changchuan and mocked Senior Brother Hong Yang for having been driven out of the immortal sect.
• Shen Changchuan looked toward Xiao Chenyang without answering as the crowd cleared space around them.

Shen Changchuan watched Hong Yang confront Xiao Chenyang at the Jade Clarity Immortal Sect’s grand competition gathering. After Xiao Chenyang won their clash of auras and taunted Hong Yang, Shen Changchuan challenged him to fight in the arena.

• Shen Changchuan and Hong Yang arrived at the Jade Clarity Immortal Sect to prepare for its internal grand competition.
• Xiao Chenyang provoked Hong Yang, and the crowd discussed their rivalry and their masters’ longstanding grudge.
• Hong Yang and Xiao Chenyang clashed auras, and Hong Yang was forced back while Xiao Chenyang stood his ground.
• Xiao Chenyang mocked Hong Yang for falling behind and declared that he was no longer worthy of being his opponent.
• Shen Changchuan called Xiao Chenyang a defeated dog and challenged him to fight in the arena.

Shen Changchuan stepped in to defend Hong Yang when Xiao Chenyang tried to humiliate him, and his presence made Xiao Chenyang back down without a fight. The watching geniuses mistook Xiao Chenyang’s retreat for weakness and ridiculed him.

• Shen Changchuan stood beside Hong Yang and challenged Xiao Chenyang to fight in his place.
• Shen Changchuan recalled that Xiao Chenyang had advanced to the Ninth Level Peak of Out-of-Body Realm but remained confident he could suppress him.
• Xiao Chenyang remembered his crushing defeat to Shen Changchuan and hesitated to strike, recalling reports of Shen Changchuan killing a Spirit Wandering Realm cultivator.
• Shen Changchuan’s presence overwhelmed Xiao Chenyang, who broke into a cold sweat and involuntarily stepped backward.
• The surrounding geniuses mocked Xiao Chenyang for retreating before Shen Changchuan had even attacked.

Shen Changchuan’s presence made Xiao Chenyang retreat without a fight, leaving him humiliated and determined to challenge Shen later. As the onlookers debated Shen’s reputation and doubted his feats, Hong Yang told him he was completely convinced.

• Xiao Chenyang suppressed his anger, decided to study Shen Changchuan before challenging him later, and left without a word.
• The onlookers mocked Xiao Chenyang and asked who had made him back down so easily.
• Some people identified Shen Changchuan and recounted his rumored feats, while others from more powerful regions dismissed them and hoped to face him in the competition.
• The crowd’s discussion did not affect Shen Changchuan, who asked Hong Yang if he was all right.
• Hong Yang told Shen Changchuan that he was completely convinced by what he had witnessed.

Shen Changchuan forced Xiao Chenyang to retreat without a fight, leaving Hong Yang astonished at his junior brother’s strength. Shen Changchuan looked ahead to testing himself against the Jade Clarity Immortal Sect’s greatest prodigies as he and Hong Yang discussed them while leaving the crowd.

• Xiao Chenyang retreated when Shen Changchuan stepped forward, and Hong Yang realized how far Shen Changchuan surpassed him.
• Hong Yang speculated that Shen Changchuan’s past defeat had left Xiao Chenyang with a mental flaw, while Shen Changchuan suspected Xiao Chenyang would seek a rematch.
• Shen Changchuan focused on the upcoming competition and the challenge posed by Dao Child Xuan Daoji and the two Dao Child Candidates.
• Hong Yang predicted Xiao Chenyang would study Shen Changchuan’s methods and attempt to take revenge later.
• Shen Changchuan and Hong Yang left the crowd and discussed the Jade Clarity Immortal Sect’s top prodigies.