Chapter Summaries

Zhu Yu learned that Lian Sheng was preparing a ritual in the Underworld Grounds and narrowly avoided being detected while spying on him with the Grass Spirit Art. Three days later, Zhu Yu began cultivating Gold-Chewing Iron-Eating as rain fell over the Underworld Grounds and observers gathered outside.

• Xiang Sui told Zhu Yu that a Qi Refining Perfection Insect Cultivator was simulating a Field to attempt Foundation Establishment, and Zhu Yu recognized an opportunity to obtain Spirit Ruins Origin.
• Zhu Yu hid in the Ghost Wood Forest and used the Grass Spirit Art to spy on Lian Sheng, Mang Xiang, and Mu Ruo.
• Lian Sheng sensed the Qingping Sect spell and corrupted its vegetation, forcing Zhu Yu to sever his connection and flee before the spell could harm him further.
• Zhu Yu recovered at home, resolved to settle his grudges with Lian Sheng, and spent three days preparing to cultivate Gold-Chewing Iron-Eating.
• Zhu Yu began forming the spell's Primary Stomach Dharma Vein with spiritual materials as rain mixed with Corpse Qi fell across the Underworld Grounds.
• More than a dozen observers gathered at the outskirts of the Underworld Grounds and watched the black clouds overhead as the ritual began.

Lian Sheng used a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object and the Underworld Grounds’ terrain to refine the Liansheng Field, drawing spiritual power from cultivators and blanketing the area in snow. Zhu Yu discovered that he had absorbed a remnant of the object’s power, then felt Little Black and Little Jade’s anxious calls.

• Xiang Kui realized Lian Sheng was refining a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object into a field rather than creating a temporary one.
• Lian Sheng’s snowflakes wrapped cultivators’ rings in ice-blue threads and drained their spiritual power to help refine the Liansheng Field.
• Zhu Yu broke the ice-blue mark in his Divine Sea and retained the thread, discovering it was a remnant of Lian Sheng’s Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object.
• Zhu Yu watched the snow transform the landscape and found no sign of the spiritual object’s power in the melted flakes.
• Little Black and Little Jade sent Zhu Yu anxious and uneasy feelings.

Zhu Yu discovered that he could extract the icy-blue Marks from spirit creatures and Corpse Seeds, then searched the Corpse Field for more. As Lian Sheng’s Field condensed, its coffin shattered and he rapidly aged, leaving onlookers wondering whether True Person had attacked him.

• Zhu Yu extracted icy-blue threads from Little Black and Little Jade, then checked the Fierce Tiger Corpse Seed and found no new Mark.
• Zhu Yu entered another part of the Corpse Field, found a human Corpse Seed bearing an icy-blue Mark, and extracted its thread.
• Zhu Yu chose not to plunder the Corpse Beetle Mark, deciding the risk was not worthwhile unless a valuable Foundation Establishment spiritual object was involved.
• Cultivators gathered near the Underworld Grounds lamented that Lian Sheng had built his Field using a Foundation Establishment spiritual object and watched as his Field took shape.
• Lian Sheng’s icy-blue coffin erupted and shattered, causing him to suffer a severe backlash and rapidly age; Mang Xiang and Mu Ruo carried him away.

Zhu Yu examined the incomplete Field he had gained from the president of The Society while Lian Sheng and his followers defected to Dead Soul Ravine. News that True Person Yin Underworld was trapped in an outer-domain Spirit Ruins left cultivators desperate for a path forward, until a Great Thousand Mirror pulled Jiao Zuo and two companions into its radiance.

• The crowd speculated that the True Person had stopped Lian Sheng to prevent others from attaining the position, and Xiang Kui hurried away while Xiang Sui quietly celebrated Lian Sheng's setback.
• Zhu Yu tested the ice-blue Broken Field, found that it could strengthen and suppress cultivators but consumed too much power to sustain, then began refining materials for Gold-Chewing Iron-Eating.
• Three days later, news spread that Lian Sheng had led The Society's subordinates out of Yin-Underworld Grotto and defected to Dead Soul Ravine.
• Cultivators learned that True Person Yin Underworld was suspected to be trapped in an outer-domain Spirit Ruins, preventing disciples from raising their Dao Foundations, and Jiao Zuo and two others received no answer to their request for an audience.
• Jiao Zuo, a leather-armored man, and a birthmarked girl discussed defecting but lacked connections, until an obscure radiance bypassed the tavern's formation and began pulling them toward the Great Thousand Mirror.

The Great Thousand Mirror prepared Yin-Underworld Grotto cultivators to enter a Foreign Spirit Ruins and seek its origin, promising rewards to those who returned. Zhu Yu deployed a ring carrying part of his consciousness and his Grass Spirit Art Dharma Seed, and glimpsed light after a disorienting journey.

• The Great Thousand Mirror revealed that True Person Yin Underworld was trapped in a Spirit Ruins and ordered Yin-Underworld Grotto disciples to enter it for Spirit Ruins Origin.
• Zhu Yu used 240 Soul Particles to construct a second ring and considered whether to bring Clover and the Grass Spirit Art Dharma Seed.
• Cultivators across the Yin-Underworld Grotto rushed to prepare, while Xiang Sui and Liang Kuan warned Zhu Yu to quickly find a body after deployment.
• Zhu Yu chose to bring the Grass Spirit Art Dharma Seed and sent his ring, part of his consciousness, and the seed toward the Foreign Spirit Ruins.
• After enduring a disorienting passage through darkness, Zhu Yu saw a glimmer of light ahead.

Zhu Yu entered the Foreign Spirit Ruins, possessed the body of Mi Gousheng, and fought Mi Ya'er in a well after mistaking her for an enemy. White Tofu rescued them and recruited Zhu Yu into Cloud Mountain Stronghold, then admitted his bandits had massacred Mi Family Village.

• Zhu Yu descended into a village ravaged by bandits as the ring's protective membrane weakened, then possessed the body of Goushengzi, a child hiding in a well.
• Zhu Yu fought Mi Ya'er, who attacked him with black scissors, and beat her nearly to death.
• White Tofu pulled Zhu Yu from the well and healed Mi Ya'er with Golden Wound Medicine.
• White Tofu invited Zhu Yu to join Cloud Mountain Stronghold, and Zhu Yu agreed, introducing himself as Mi Gousheng.
• White Tofu apologized and gave Zhu Yu a piece of silver, admitting that his group had massacred Mi Family Village.

Zhu Yu and Mi Ya'er were taken by White Tofu to Cloud Mountain Stronghold after Mi Family Village was slaughtered. They were welcomed as new recruits, while Zhu Yu realized the stronghold’s power and suspected he had found this world’s origin.

• White Tofu consoled Zhu Yu over Mi Family Village, then carried him and Mi Ya'er away, leaving three slain disciples hanging at the village entrance.
• White Tofu brought Zhu Yu and Mi Ya'er to Cloud Mountain Stronghold, where the bandits welcomed him and celebrated his story about recruiting the siblings.
• Zhu Yu observed the stronghold’s formidable fighters and busy workshops as White Tofu escorted the siblings to meet Dong Cheng'en.
• Dong Cheng'en accepted Zhu Yu and Mi Ya'er into the stronghold, gave White Tofu a plaque, and ordered him to collect silver and pursue God Word.
• White Tofu arranged rooms for Zhu Yu and Mi Ya'er, and Zhu Yu reflected that he had encountered this world's origin sooner than expected.

Zhu Yu learned that this realm’s titles were tied to cultivation and agreed to a Blood Pact with Mi Ya'er, who was secretly Lu Wanrong. After she left, he used his True Sight Eye to confirm his advantage, then destroyed Gousheng'er's remaining soul and fully merged with the body.

• Zhu Yu inferred that titles such as Cloud-Entering Hand and Cotton-Hidden Needle manifested from Spirit Ruins Origin and were connected to cultivation.
• Mi Ya'er threatened Zhu Yu, then proposed a mutual non-aggression contract and presented a Blood Pact Talisman.
• Zhu Yu and Mi Ya'er signed the pact, and Zhu Yu resisted the chance to kill her after sensing a vast will enter his consciousness.
• Mi Ya'er returned to her room, while Zhu Yu used his True Sight Eye to inspect the body and confirm that it could aid his cultivation.
• Zhu Yu crushed the faint soul bound by the Clover, ending Gousheng'er's existence and solidifying his consciousness into a thread of Divine Sense.

Zhu Yu and Mi Ya'er celebrated White Tofu manifesting the God Word “Swift Travel” and learned that the Tiger Bone Wine and roasted meat strengthened their bodies. White Tofu began explaining Cloud Mountain Stronghold’s cultivation path, leaving Zhu Yu and Mi Ya'er poised to receive Divine Seeds.

• Zhu Yu sensed that the domain lacked spiritual energy and wondered how White Tofu and the other residents could cultivate there.
• Mi Ya'er joined Zhu Yu outside and complained that White Tofu had not returned with the promised food and wine.
• White Tofu arrived with a crowd of bandits, and Zhu Yu and Mi Ya'er congratulated him on manifesting the God Word “Swift Travel.”
• White Tofu hosted a feast with Tiger Bone Wine and roasted meat, which nourished Zhu Yu and Mi Ya'er's bodies.
• Zhu Yu asked White Tofu how to manifest a God Word, and White Tofu began explaining the cultivation path of Cloud Mountain Stronghold.

Zhu Yu learned how Cloud Mountain Stronghold’s cultivation depended on loyalty and reputation, then considered how to exploit the foreign domain’s Dao Path. Back in the Immortal Tomb, he heard that Lian Sheng had defected to Dead Soul Ravine and began to suspect True Person Yin Underworld’s situation was not what it seemed.

• White Tofu explained the three cultivation stages and how Cloud Mountain Stronghold cultivators advanced through loyalty, righteousness, and Human Hope.
• Zhu Yu realized that foreign-domain cultivators could gain power by building reputations and considered stirring up trouble to obtain a God Word.
• Zhu Yu decided to wait until his Split Spirit received a Divine Seed before choosing how to advance.
• Xiang Sui and Liang Kuan told Zhu Yu that Lian Sheng had led The Society to defect to Dead Soul Ravine.
• Zhu Yu realized his theft of part of Lian Sheng’s Field had caused the backlash that made Lian Sheng believe Yin-Underworld Spirit Ruins barred its creation.
• Zhu Yu connected Lian Sheng’s rumor about True Person Yin Underworld with the Great Thousand Mirror’s summons and wondered whether True Person Yin Underworld was truly trapped in the outer domain.

Zhu Yu agreed to reopen the Grand Lecture with Xiang Sui and Liang Kuan, then learned that their Split Spirits were in the same region of the Foreign Spirit Ruins. The next day, as Zhu Yu rode toward the Market, his Split Spirit watched White Tofu plant a banner demanding a toll.

• Zhu Yu agreed to begin the Grand Lecture the next day with 120 students, and Xiang Sui and Liang Kuan set out to prepare the classroom and recruit students.
• Xiang Sui explained that his Split Spirit had landed in Linwan Town and nearly drowned after trying to gain fame by reciting poetry in a brothel.
• Liang Kuan revealed that his Split Spirit had taken over a civet cat in Lower River Village, while Zhu Yu said his Split Spirit was at Cloud Mountain Stronghold in Qing Province.
• Zhu Yu invited Liang Kuan to join him at Cloud Mountain Stronghold, and Liang Kuan proposed setting a trap for Mi Ya'er; they agreed to meet in a few days.
• Zhu Yu checked his corpses and Dharma Seed, then cultivated with Meditation Fluid and Soul Dispersing Pills as the seed continued to develop.
• The next day, Zhu Yu's Split Spirit watched White Tofu plant a banner at the foot of a mountain that demanded wealth from passersby.

Zhu Yu and Lu Wanrong were sent to collect tolls from a merchant caravan as their test to join Cloud Mountain Stronghold and earn Divine Seeds. The caravan's escort master mistook them for newly recruited bandits and approached with two hundred taels, but someone interrupted the payment.

• White Tofu told Zhu Yu and Lu Wanrong to stop a caravan beneath the Cloud Mountain Stronghold flag as their test of allegiance.
• Liu Sheng learned that the caravan was carrying Bai Family goods and warned Shopkeeper Qian about the bandits ahead.
• Qian Gui ordered Liu Sheng to pay no more than three hundred taels, citing his cousin Bai Yutang and the Bai Family's standing.
• Liu Sheng found Zhu Yu and Lu Wanrong alone beneath the flag and assumed they were novice bandits collecting tolls.
• Liu Sheng returned with a sack of two hundred taels, but a voice shouted for him to hold on.

Zhu Yu killed Qian Gui after the merchant threatened him and ordered his carriage to run him down. White Tofu rescued Zhu Yu from Liu Sheng, defeated the escort chief, and decided to report the trouble to Brother Dong.

• Qian Gui accused Liu Sheng of defrauding his caravan, seized the silver pouch, and ordered his driver to charge Zhu Yu and Lu Wanrong.
• Zhu Yu attacked the carriage, took the pouch, and beheaded Qian Gui.
• Liu Sheng attacked Zhu Yu, hoping that killing him would let Liu Sheng break through into the Manifesting God Word realm.
• White Tofu swept Zhu Yu out of danger, shattered Liu Sheng's Big Blade, and left Liu Sheng grievously wounded after his God Word collapsed.
• White Tofu considered eliminating the caravan's witnesses but decided instead to return and report the incident to Brother Dong.

Zhu Yu and Lu Wanrong left with White Tofu after he explained Cloud Mountain Stronghold’s rules, while the Tiger Might Escort Agency’s Liu Sheng woke and learned his failed breakthrough had crippled him. As Wang Fugui gathered Qian Gui’s remains, he discovered a broken golden sword that strengthened his body and secretly kept it.

• White Tofu dismissed Zhu Yu’s worries, explained the stronghold’s rules, and led Zhu Yu and Lu Wanrong away with a silk-laden carriage.
• The abandoned caravan’s drivers fled, and the escort martial artists tended to Liu Sheng while their anger at Cloud Mountain Stronghold faded into idle chatter.
• Wang Fugui picked up Qian Gui’s head and discovered a broken golden sword in the dirt nearby.
• The sword emitted a golden halo, made Qian Gui’s head shrivel into dust, and sent blood-colored light into Wang Fugui, strengthening his body.
• Wang Fugui hid the sword and told his companions he could not find Qian Gui’s head.

White Tofu gave Zhu Yu and Lu Wanrong Divine Seeds, bringing them onto the path of cultivation while claiming a tenth of their future gains. After awakening their talents, Zhu Yu recognized that his seemingly poor Enduring Hardship talent might hold unusual potential.

• White Tofu explained the Divine Seed’s origins and warned Zhu Yu and Lu Wanrong that one-tenth of their future gains would flow back to him.
• Zhu Yu and Lu Wanrong accepted the Divine Seeds, and White Tofu used his Swift Travel God Word to help them take root.
• Lu Wanrong awakened the Herb Gathering talent and realized her new physique could be valuable when crossing Spirit Ruins.
• Zhu Yu analyzed his new physique and awakened the Enduring Hardship talent, considering how its meaning might shape a future God Word.
• White Tofu praised Lu Wanrong’s talent, then asked Zhu Yu what he had awakened, and Zhu Yu answered, “Enduring Hardship.”

After learning that his Enduring Hardship talent offered little advantage, Zhu Yu was assigned to sweep the streets of Cloud Mountain Stronghold while Lu Wanrong joined the Medicine Hall. He settled into his new quarters and discovered his talent suited a body-tempering method, leaving him ready to begin cultivation.

• White Tofu explained the Nurturing God Seed realm and gave Zhu Yu and Lu Wanrong the Horizontal Mountain body-tempering technique.
• White Tofu assigned Lu Wanrong to the Medicine Hall and Zhu Yu to Street Cleaning.
• An old street cleaner gave Zhu Yu his token, broom, and quarters, then left after advising him that safety was a blessing.
• Zhu Yu studied Horizontal Mountain and learned that its four stages of tempering could build strength and toughen the body.
• Zhu Yu realized Enduring Hardship suited the Stone Grinding Method recorded in Horizontal Mountain.

Zhu Yu bought Body Cleansing Soup to support his cultivation of the Stone Grinding Method, while White Tofu reported on the trade route to Dong Cheng'en. Bai Yutang arrived at Cloud Mountain Stronghold and clashed with its leaders, but apologized when Lu Changming appeared.

• Zhu Yu learned that the Stone Grinding Method required expensive medicinal soup, then used White Tofu's silver to buy a dose of Body Cleansing Soup at the Medicine Hall.
• Zhu Yu returned to his hut and used the True Sight Eye to record and analyze the herbs in the soup.
• White Tofu told Dong Cheng'en about the trade route, and Dong Cheng'en explained that Bai Yutang had condensed a Dao Fruit and was opening a route to the grasslands.
• Bai Yutang arrived at Cloud Mountain Stronghold and announced his visit to First Leader Lu, while Wu Yong, Meng Qi, and Lady Shi faced him.
• After Meng Qi's roar provoked the crowd into taunting Bai Yutang, Bai Yutang wounded several bandits with Gang Arrows that the leaders could not fully block.
• Lu Changming confronted Bai Yutang, who recognized his overwhelming presence and apologized to him and the stronghold's brothers.

Lu Changming welcomed Bai Yutang as his sworn seventh brother, while Zhu Yu worked and secretly advanced his Skin Refining cultivation at Cloud Mountain Stronghold. After more than a month passed, the story shifted to the Immortal Tomb, where a refined young man announced that the harvest time had arrived.

• Lu Changming and Bai Yutang praised one another and became sworn brothers, and Lu Changming held a feast for his new seventh brother.
• Zhu Yu gathered unfamiliar plants, developed the Small Body Cleansing Soup, and used it with the Stone Grinding Method to raise his Skin Refining progress overnight.
• Zhu Yu kept working as a filthy, hunched odd-job worker, collected bones and ingredients, and learned that Cloud Mountain Stronghold planned to help Lu Changming's sworn brother break an instructor out of prison in three months.
• Zhu Yu continued his labor and cultivation for more than a month while White Tofu and Lu Wanrong discussed the planned prison break.
• At the Immortal Tomb, a white jade-like praying mantis arrived at a black stone, and a refined young man emerged from a wooden hut and said the time of harvest had come.

Zhu Yu watched the Fierce Tiger Corpse Seed awaken into a powerful Living Corpse and tested its new abilities. He rode the newly named Black Tiger toward the Dharma Repository, while deciding that Little Black would remain his preferred mount.

• Zhu Yu checked Little Jade’s growth and planned to exchange for a contract technique and an Advanced Visualization Method.
• Zhu Yu decided to leave Little Black’s stalled cultivation alone rather than risk ruining its chance to become an Insect Cultivator.
• Zhu Yu broke the Moon Sprite’s Mark on the Fierce Tiger Corpse Seed and waited as it transformed amid Black Flame and tiger roars.
• The Fierce Tiger Corpse Seed emerged as a Living Corpse with three Talent Arts, including Nether Flame and Chang Ghost, and Zhu Yu named it Black Tiger.
• Zhu Yu rode Black Tiger toward the Dharma Repository, then decided Little Black would be steadier and more reliable as his mount.

Zhu Yu exchanged merit and Contribution Points for the Graveyard Grass visualization method, array materials, and a demon-contracting technique, then learned that Black Tiger carried Nether Ghost Tiger bloodline. He rode Black Tiger back to the Market, where Xiang Kui recognized it as a Foundation Establishment spirit material and asked whether Zhu Yu would sell it.

• Zhu Yu exchanged for Graveyard Grass and discovered that its yin, wood, and earth attributes strongly matched his life-bound Underworld Yin-Nurturing Locust Tree.
• Zhu Yu bought and recorded books on array methods, the Descent of the Gods array, and demon control, then investigated Black Tiger's Nether Ghost Tiger bloodline.
• Zhu Yu reflected on his mounting expenses and his experiments with Human Seed anatomy before retrieving Black Tiger from the beast pen.
• Zhu Yu rode Black Tiger through a quieter-than-usual Market and arrived near the pavilion where he taught.
• Xiang Kui sensed Black Tiger's value, examined it, and asked Zhu Yu if he would sell the Foundation Establishment spirit material.