Chapter Summaries

Lu Qing broke through to the Purple Mansion Realm, reshaped his Purple Mansion, and planted a tea tree at Green Bamboo Courtyard. His breakthrough was witnessed across Spirit Terrace County, where local lineages hurried to congratulate him and present gifts.

• Lu Qing sensed that his dantian had expanded into an ocean of Spiritual Power and used his Divine Consciousness to survey Spirit Terrace County.
• Lu Qing planted his tea tree in Green Bamboo Courtyard and nourished it with water and spiritual qi.
• The people of Spirit Terrace County saw the lightning tribulation end and realized Lu Qing had become a Purple Mansion cultivator.
• The Bai, Zhao, Li, and Chen Clans prepared congratulatory gifts for Lu Qing.
• Bai Shoucai and his eldest son brought the Bai Clan’s gift up the mountain, and Lu Qing welcomed them.

Lu Qing accepted the families’ gifts and told them to manage Spirit Terrace County themselves, asking only that the Dao Academy’s allotted share be paid. He studied the formation diagrams they had brought and began combining formations with the Windchaser Art.

• Lu Qing told the Bai Clan and the other families not to seek him out unless something important happened, while warning them not to short the Dao Academy’s share.
• Bai Shoucai explained to his eldest son that Lu Qing’s indifference to family affairs did not mean he was an ascetic cultivator who would punish them for every offense.
• Lu Qing inspected the gifts and found chests filled with formation diagrams, explanations, books, and Jade Slips about formations.
• Lu Qing studied basic formations and carved a Killing Formation in the bamboo forest to complement his practice of the Windchaser Art.
• Lu Qing tested the formation and his perfected Windchaser Art, moving unseen through the bamboo forest before appearing among the rustling leaves.

Lu Qing created the Gale Formation and used it to reveal a hidden Cultivation Cave in Spirit Terrace Mountain. Inside, he found the remains and records of Carefree Master, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Grand Heaven Domain, and began learning about that domain.

• Lu Qing modified a fragmentary formation into the Gale Formation and decided to pair it with the Cloud Mist Formation.
• Lu Qing detected a weakening hidden formation in Spirit Terrace Mountain and remotely triggered it while staying concealed.
• Lu Qing used the Gale Formation to destroy the remaining mechanisms and reveal a desolate valley with Spirit Fields and a thatched hut.
• Lu Qing explored the hut and found the bones of Carefree Master, who had died after reaching the Ninth Layer of Foundation Establishment.
• Lu Qing read Carefree Master's records and Jade Slips, learning about his past and the Grand Heaven Domain.

Lu Qing discovered Ancient Tree Spirit Liquid in Carefree Master’s abandoned cultivation cave and refined it to strengthen his Divine Soul. Afterward, a strange occurrence began in Spirit Terrace County when something surfaced beneath the Spirit Terrace River.

• Lu Qing searched Carefree Master’s cave, found Ancient Tree Spirit Liquid hidden inside a dead tree, and brought it back to his cultivation chamber.
• Lu Qing examined the records, confirmed the Spirit Liquid was safe, and began refining it to nourish his Divine Soul.
• After seven days of cultivation, Lu Qing’s Divine Soul grew stronger and gained the ability to split his consciousness while his body remained alert.
• Lu Qing tested the new ability, then withdrew his Divine Soul and recovered from the slight fatigue it caused.
• Half a month later, river lanterns on the Spirit Terrace River illuminated something rising from beneath the water.

Lu Qing investigated a bloodied skull and white mist that had trapped boats and caused returning cultivators to drown. His divinations warned him against leaving or sealing the Blood Skull, so he attacked it with a formation and surging river water, though the consequences had yet to appear.

• Bai Shoucai told Lu Qing that the mist trapped boats and the Blood Skull resisted the combined attacks of the city's Foundation Establishment cultivators.
• A local recalled that the river had once been called the Dragon King River and was said to have belonged to a Dragon King ten thousand years earlier.
• Lu Qing ordered everyone near the river to return to the city and received divinations warning that the Blood Skull carried dangerous entanglements if left or sealed.
• Lu Qing chose to destroy the Blood Skull, unleashing Thousandfold Waves, the Gale Formation, and a rain of Spiritual Power arrows against it.

Lu Qing destroyed the eerie threat in the Spirit Terrace River and returned to Green Bamboo Courtyard, where he learned the Outer Academy Grand Tournament had been postponed. The delay left him considering the possibility of entering the Inner Academy himself.

• Lu Qing unleashed his spells to destroy the threat in the Spirit Terrace River, then withdrew his formation after the ominous Divination ended.
• Lu Qing warned himself to avoid the river and declared the eerie threat eliminated, earning the cultivators’ gratitude before returning to Spirit Terrace Mountain.
• Lu Qing returned to Green Bamboo Courtyard and sensed that his cultivation was nearing the second layer of the Purple Mansion Realm.
• Lu Qing received White Crane Boy’s voice transmission and read Jade Slip messages confirming the Outer Academy Grand Tournament had been postponed, likely until midsummer.
• Lu Qing considered the tournament’s changed timing and the possibility that he might now take part as a contender for the Inner Academy.

Lu Qing’s meditation brought him to the edge of enlightenment in the Great Dao of Water, but an ominous hexagram warned him away before he could dissolve into the Dao. He emerged with the Profound Heaven Origin Scripture at the seventh layer and a deeper affinity for water, then tested his new ability in the snowy courtyard.

• Lu Qing set aside thoughts of the grand competition and focused on cultivating in his courtyard.
• Lu Qing’s insight into Thousandfold Waves led him to touch the Great Dao of Water during meditation.
• Lu Qing’s Profound Heaven Origin Scripture advanced to the seventh layer, but an ominous hexagram pulled him out of enlightenment before he could dissolve into the Dao.
• Lu Qing recognized the danger of greed and resolved to proceed cautiously on his cultivation path.
• Lu Qing used water infused with spiritual power to irrigate the tea tree and saw that it responded eagerly.
• Lu Qing left seclusion after about half a month and noticed the snow that had fallen over the courtyard.

After emerging from seclusion, Lu Qing noticed Cloud Soaring Sect’s Seven True Disciples arriving in Spirit Terrace County to search for a treasure. Their divination failed, killing Seventh, and Lu Qing realized the object they sought was connected to the Blood Bone.

• Lu Qing spotted Cloud Soaring Sect’s great ships approaching Spirit Terrace County and wondered whether their purpose involved the strange presence in the Spirit Terrace River.
• Seventh searched Spirit Terrace County with his eerie green eyes while Second questioned a local informant about the missing treasure.
• Third rebuked the informant for reporting an eerie incident instead of useful information.
• Seventh’s attempt to divine the treasure’s location killed him, and the group’s leader concluded it was not in Spirit Terrace County.
• Third and Fifth blamed an ox-nosed Taoist for misleading them, while Lu Qing recognized that the treasure was connected to the Blood Bone.

Lu Qing reflected on the Cloud Soaring Sect’s failed divination and grew wary of the mysteries surrounding the Spirit Terrace River. As he advanced his cultivation and acquired the Cloud Rain Technique, an ominous sign in an underground palace hinted that the danger had not passed.

• Lu Qing concluded that the Cloud Soaring Sect’s divination may have pointed to more than one possible outcome, and suspected the Spirit Terrace River’s entanglements were not over.
• After the black ships departed, a candle went out in a hidden underground palace, and its strange guardian wondered who had died.
• Lu Qing felt a sudden chill while cultivating on Spirit Terrace Mountain, searched with his Divine Consciousness, and suspected someone was watching or divining him.
• Lu Qing stopped dwelling on the unresolved mysteries and smoothly advanced to the second realm of the Purple Mansion Realm, aided by his understanding of the Great Dao of Water.
• Lu Qing exchanged half his Spirit Stones for the Cloud Rain Technique, hoping to cultivate it toward the divine ability to Call the Wind and Summon the Rain.

Lu Qing cultivated the Cloud Rain Technique and learned that the Outer Academy Grand Tournament would begin in early April, but decided not to register because his cultivation was too low. As the tournament stirred the Outer Academy and reshaped its rankings, he remained in Spirit Terrace County and read the latest news.

• Lu Qing used his Divine Soul's insight into the laws of heaven and earth to cultivate the Cloud Rain Technique and summon and disperse thunderclouds above Spirit Terrace County.
• Lu Qing received White Crane Boy's message about the Outer Academy Grand Tournament and declined to register, citing his shallow cultivation.
• White Crane Boy told Lu Qing that the region from the Demon-Slaying Mission was being prepared as a training secret realm for the Body Refinement Realm lineage.
• Lu Qing read intelligence about older and newly arrived disciples emerging for the Grand Tournament, which displaced many contestants from the Outer Academy rankings.

Lu Qing watched reports of the Dao Academy’s grand competition and learned that veteran disciples had swept prodigies from the arena rankings. After a lavish, unfamiliar vessel briefly stopped on Spirit Terrace River, he sensed trouble ahead, resumed seclusion, and emerged months later at the Third Stage of the Purple Mansion Realm.

• Lu Qing read jade-slip messages about the approaching grand competition, its vendors, and the arena rankings being reshaped by veteran disciples.
• Lu Qing saw that Gu Xuantian had fallen beyond the top hundred and suspected the Demon-Slaying Mission’s consequences had delayed the competition.
• Lu Qing spotted an unfamiliar, lavishly protected vessel stopping briefly on Spirit Terrace River and feared great trouble would arise there.
• Lu Qing returned to seclusion while Bai Shoucai and the four families managed Spirit Terrace County.
• Lu Qing emerged months later in summer at the Third Stage of the Purple Mansion Realm.

After emerging from seclusion, Lu Qing reviewed the tournament news and reconsidered whether his rapid cultivation was truly unusual, then decided to keep cultivating quietly. North of Spirit Terrace County, the Cloud Soaring Sect’s party and the shabby old Daoist arrived at a muddy river village, where grief and suspicion rose around the search for the place where their companion had died.

• Lu Qing checked his messages, learned the Outer Academy Grand Tournament had ended, and saw that none of his batch had qualified for the Inner Academy.
• Lu Qing read discussion of the tournament’s prodigies and wondered whether his own rapid cultivation was abnormal, but concluded that his Divine Soul, Ancient Tree Spirit Liquid, and earlier enlightenment explained his progress.
• Lu Qing reviewed his cultivation and decided his breakthroughs were stable, then took Spirit Terrace’s continued peace as a sign that trouble had not yet arrived.
• The Cloud Soaring Sect group gathered at a fishing village north of Spirit Terrace County, where the shabby old Daoist insisted his divination had pointed them to the clear stretch of the Spirit Terrace River.
• Third Brother blamed the old Daoist for directing his little brother to his death, while Sixth Brother restrained him and Big Brother suppressed the group’s rising emotions.
• The Cloud Soaring Sect members recovered from Big Brother’s influence and looked at the old Daoist with renewed vigilance.

Bitter-Brow Daoist told the Cloud Soaring Sect cultivators that the Dragon King's lost treasure lay near Spirit Terrace River and that the right time to seek it would come in three months. After learning the river had once been called Dragon King River, the group suspected the old Daoist had manipulated what they noticed.

• Bitter-Brow Daoist explained that the Dragon King's waters were now called Spirit Terrace River and said the cultivators would have to wait three months, until autumn turned to winter, to pursue what they sought.
• The Cloud Soaring Sect cultivators boarded their ship, where Sixth Brother warned Big Brother that Bitter-Brow Daoist was too cunning to trust.
• Big Brother asked about local rumors, and Third Brother brought up Wang Fugui to question him about Spirit Terrace River.
• Wang Fugui said the river was once called Dragon King River, where a Dragon King had ruled from an underwater palace before disappearing or dying during a tribulation.
• The cultivators realized the river's Dragon King history was common knowledge and wondered whether Bitter-Brow Daoist had made them overlook it.

Lu Qing completed and tested an Illusory Formation, finding that it could deceive cultivators of similar strength but not those with stronger Dao Hearts. After a talking fish appeared in Spirit Terrace County, he linked the incident to Spirit Terrace River and received a message that disrupted his plans to leave in two months.

• Lu Qing completed an Illusory Formation and tested it on himself, escaping its effects quickly because of his strong Divine Soul and cautious nature.
• Lu Qing judged that the formation could affect cultivators of similar strength but would struggle against stronger opponents unless their Dao Hearts were flawed.
• After another month on Spirit Terrace Mountain, Lu Qing learned that a strange fish had appeared in a wealthy merchant's pond, spoken the word “Master,” and resisted attacks until a Foundation Establishment cultivator killed it.
• Lu Qing linked the fish incident to Spirit Terrace River and noted that only two months remained before he could leave.
• A sudden message arrived and disrupted Lu Qing's plans.

Lu Qing received conflicting notices about his posting in Spirit Terrace County, then learned his term had ended and prepared to leave amid signs that activity around the Spirit Terrace River was increasing. He departed by mountain road without meeting the incoming cultivator, and three new divinations about his journey appeared.

• Lu Qing received a notice extending his posting by two months, but suspected it might be connected to the Spirit Terrace River.
• Lu Qing received a revised notice ending his term and decided to leave before the replacement cultivator arrived.
• Lu Qing gathered reports of more cultivators in the region and accepted offerings from the locals before withdrawing the formation on Spirit Terrace Mountain.
• Lu Qing told the locals to coordinate the handover with his fellow disciple, then flew away from Spirit Terrace County.
• Lu Qing took a mountain route rather than traveling by river, and three divinations about his journey back to the mountain appeared.

Lu Qing chose a safe route back to his sect and traveled through the Nine Directions Great Mountains, where contemplating the scenery brought him a small gain in Dao Heart clarity. He reached the outskirts of Pingyang City and continued toward Ping Prefecture.

• Lu Qing compared three Calming Hexagrams and chose the route through Pingyang and Ping Prefecture, which promised a smooth journey and occasional small gains.
• Lu Qing concealed himself in clouds and mist as he traveled through the Nine Directions Great Mountains, avoiding their deeper reaches and strongest dangers.
• Lu Qing reflected on the mountains and gained a moment of clarity in his Dao Heart, fulfilling the hexagram’s promise of a small gain.
• Lu Qing spotted the Red Dust Qi of Pingyang City, left the mountains behind, and approached the immense city across the plains.

Lu Qing entered Pingyang City, sampled its bustling streets and spiritual food, and heard news of the dragon subdued in Spirit Prefecture. He watched an Image-Recording Stone reveal the ink-black Corpse Dragon rising from a vast body of water, whose location was not the Spirit Terrace River.

• Lu Qing entered Pingyang City after paying one Spirit Stone and found a lively city where cultivators and mortals shared the streets.
• Lu Qing ate Cloud Chicken Soup and spiritual rice at an inn, then spent the night cultivating.
• Lu Qing heard people discussing the dragon that a True Person had subdued in Spirit Prefecture.
• Lu Qing watched a wealthy man's Image-Recording Stone show a huge ink-black dragon rising beneath the water.
• Lu Qing recognized the dragon as a Corpse Dragon and noticed that the river in the recording was not the Spirit Terrace River.

Lu Qing traveled by merchant ship toward Silver Peace Prefecture and learned that the Profound Heaven Dao Academy had destroyed the Corpse Dragon and caught those behind it. He left the journey free of the unease and karmic concerns surrounding the incident.

• Lu Qing left Pingyang City, boarded a merchant ship, and chose to disembark at Silver Peace Prefecture.
• While traveling, Lu Qing reflected on his cultivation and planned to register his task and exchange for another Dao Peak after returning to the mountain.
• Lu Qing read messages explaining that Elder Yu had killed the Corpse Dragon and captured the people responsible for raising it.
• Lu Qing learned that a senior expert had visited Spirit Prefecture because of unusual properties at the Corpse Dragon's site, and that its dragon soul had fallen into Myriad Dragon Lake.
• Lu Qing recognized that the hidden enemy he had sensed at Spirit Terrace Mountain was behind the Corpse Dragon and concluded that his earlier divination no longer mattered.

Lu Qing returned to the Dao Academy after completing his garrison assignment and considered investigating Myriad Dragon Lake. After registering his return, he asked Senior Brother Qian to help him find a new cave abode.

• Lu Qing concluded that the hidden mastermind behind the Corpse Dragon might still be alive and resolved to visit Myriad Dragon Lake if he had the chance.
• Lu Qing returned to the mountain gate two days later and registered his completed garrison assignment, receiving its full reward.
• The disciples in the registration hall learned that Lu Qing had reached the Purple Palace realm and envied his cultivation.
• Lu Qing met Senior Brother Qian at the residence registration hall and asked him about available cave abodes.
• Senior Brother Qian brought out projected maps of several unoccupied cave abodes for Lu Qing to consider.

Lu Qing chose an unnamed island with a Spirit Vein and extensive Spirit Fields as his new home, suitable for his Purple Mansion Realm cultivation. White Crane Boy flew him there, and Lu Qing opened the island’s formation to enter.

• Senior Brother Qian showed Lu Qing three cultivation sites, and Lu Qing chose the unnamed island with broad Spirit Fields.
• Senior Brother Qian completed the transfer and added the island’s mark to Lu Qing’s token.
• White Crane Boy waited for Lu Qing and offered him a ride after Lu Qing promised tea once he had settled in.
• White Crane Boy flew Lu Qing across the sect to the island, where Lu Qing opened its formation and entered with him.