Recaps

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.

Lu Qing settled on a sea-bound spirit island, built a pavilion and formations, and began making the island his home. After White Crane Boy stocked its waters with spirit fish, Lu Qing prepared tea and furnished a place for them to sit.

• Lu Qing chose a flat-topped cliff overlooking spiritual fields and lakes as the site for his cave abode.
• Lu Qing set up Cloud Mist and Spirit-Gathering Formations and built a three-story pavilion with spaces for cultivation and crafting.
• Lu Qing surveyed the island and found little evidence of its former resident or human habitation.
• White Crane Boy returned with hundreds of spirit fish and released them into the island's rivers and lakes.
• Lu Qing planted his tea tree, made tables and chairs from nearby wood and vines, and used the formation's mist to prepare water for tea.

Lu Qing shared tea with White Crane Boy, who explained the competition paths into the Inner Academy and mentioned Spirit Prefecture and Myriad Dragon Lake. Under the full moon, Lu Qing underwent a Heart Inquiry, clarified his Dao, and advanced to the Purple Mansion Fourth Realm.

• Lu Qing brewed tea with White Crane Boy, who cooled its cup with ice and warned that entering the Inner Academy through the grand competition required at least the Eighth Realm of the Purple Mansion.
• White Crane Boy explained that the competition offered a chance to become a Direct Disciple, while reaching the Golden Core Realm provided another path into the Inner Academy.
• White Crane Boy mentioned the Corpse Dragon in Spirit Prefecture and regretted being too far away to visit Myriad Dragon Lake for its Lunar Fish.
• Lu Qing felt his Divine Soul stir beneath the moon and entered a Heart Inquiry, facing visions of possible futures along his cultivation path.
• Lu Qing recognized that he sought cultivation itself, brushed aside the illusions, and broke through to the Purple Mansion Fourth Realm.
• Lu Qing concluded that the Dao, rather than laws or Divine Abilities, was what mattered beyond the Purple Mansion Realm.

After breaking through to the Purple Mansion Middle Realm, Lu Qing understood that cultivation depended on beholding his own Dao Heart rather than studying the laws of heaven and earth. He stabilized his cultivation, then collected orders in Spirit Plant City to grow Purple Moon Fruits and Dragonheart Fruits on his island.

• Lu Qing reflected on his breakthrough and realized that his path toward the Nameless Return Ruins revealed his true Dao Heart.
• Lu Qing stabilized his cultivation over several days and surveyed the Spirit Fields on his island.
• Lu Qing rejected unsuitable commissioned tasks and rode to Spirit Plant City to collect several dozen Spirit Plant orders.
• Lu Qing chose Purple Moon Fruit and Dragonheart Fruit orders, reasoning that the fruits were valuable and that Dragonheart Fruit would be in demand while Lunar Fish grew more common.

Lu Qing planted Dragonheart Fruit and Purple Moon Fruit saplings on his island, improved its defenses, and named it Spirit Leaf Island. While testing a spell at the shore, he glimpsed how to borrow the momentum of nature in combat.

• Lu Qing planted the Dragonheart Fruit and Purple Moon Fruit in separate fields and used the Cloud Rain Technique to water them.
• Lu Qing planted White Crane Boy's feathers around the fields, sensing that they would ward off nearby birds and insects.
• Lu Qing improved the island's illusion formation and carved the name Spirit Leaf Island onto a stone stele.
• Lu Qing tested his palm spell at the shore, raising a massive wave that crashed into the sea.
• Lu Qing realized that he could borrow the momentum of waves and other forces of nature to fight.

Lu Qing cultivated the Profound Heaven Origin Scripture and prepared for the yearly external mission required of Purple Mansion disciples. After Chen Fan delivered Song Wen’s invitation to the Heroes' Gathering, Lu Qing accepted, but a divination sign warned of great misfortune.

• Lu Qing cultivated for seven days, refined his spiritual power, and used the Great Concealment Art to hide his Purple Mansion cultivation aura.
• Lu Qing considered the yearly external missions awaiting him and tended his growing Purple Moon Fruits and Dragonheart Fruits.
• Chen Fan arrived at Lu Qing’s island with an invitation from Song Wen to attend the Heroes' Gathering at Little Cloud Dojo.
• Lu Qing accepted the invitation and watched Chen Fan leave with the White Crane.
• Lu Qing returned to his island and saw a divination sign foretelling great misfortune.

Lu Qing read ominous divinations about Elder Song Wen’s Heroes’ Gathering and weighed whether to attend, while Chen Fan finished delivering the invitations and asked the artifact spirit how to improve his aptitude. White Crane Boy relayed gossip that revealed the gathering’s purpose, leaving Lu Qing with enough information to understand why it had been arranged.

• Lu Qing saw that competing for the Heroes’ Gathering’s top seat would bring disaster, while attending quietly might offer a small benefit.
• Chen Fan delivered the invitations and returned to his room, where he secretly took out a bronze fragment and asked its artifact spirit how to change his aptitude.
• The artifact spirit told Chen Fan it lacked the power to help him and faded into silence.
• Lu Qing continued cultivating while White Crane Boy shared recent gossip about the Heroes’ Gathering.
• Lu Qing learned the purpose behind the Heroes’ Gathering from White Crane Boy’s information.

Lu Qing learned that the Heroes' Gathering was meant to help two powerful Inner Academy elders choose disciples, then arrived at the Little Cloud Dojo and watched prominent Outer Academy figures make lavish entrances. The gathering had just begun, with Yue Jing arriving aboard the Yue Clan's resplendent ship.

• Lu Qing read White Crane Boy's information about the factional motives behind the Heroes' Gathering and decided he could not simply ignore it.
• Lu Qing thanked White Crane Boy and invited him for tea, but White Crane Boy had already left to fish in the White Sea.
• Lu Qing arrived at the Little Cloud Dojo and waited with the other disciples at the shore beneath its cloud-covered peaks.
• Lu Qing watched acclaimed disciples arrive with extravagant displays and overheard others identify the gloomy Senior Brother Lu.
• A Green Robe disciple identified the Yue Clan's arriving figure as Yue Jing and explained that the ship's Merfolk Pearls were valuable treasures.

Lu Qing arrived at the shore for the Heroes' Gathering and avoided a suspicious stranger before learning that most participants would attend by sending out their Divine Souls. He joined the others beneath a tree as they prepared to enter the Daoist Dojo.

• Lu Qing overheard that the Yue Clan had come and that a senior powerhouse might be taking disciples at the Heroes' Gathering.
• Wind and Clouds asked Lu Qing for directions and began introducing himself, but Lu Qing sensed trouble and left when the bells and drums announced the gathering.
• Wind and Clouds stayed behind, puzzled that Lu Qing had left before he could finish, and consulted his booklet on how to chat with others.
• Lu Qing followed Purple Mansion Realm cultivators to the mountain path and learned that participants had to send their Divine Souls out of their bodies to attend.
• Lu Qing spotted Gu Xuantian, Cheng Du, and Su Xinyue among the participants, then chose a place beneath a tree and prepared to connect to the Daoist Dojo.

Lu Qing entered Elder Song’s Little Cloud Dojo through his Divine Soul and attended a Heroes’ Gathering where two Inner Sect elders were seeking disciples. After Elder Song created four enormous battle arenas, Lu Qing watched from the sidelines, intending not to participate.

• Lu Qing projected his Divine Soul into Little Cloud Dojo and found that the jade tablet’s power strengthened his soul slightly.
• Lu Qing arrived at the plaza, tested a cloud couch, and discovered that it helped calm distracting thoughts.
• Song Wen welcomed the disciples and introduced the two Inner Sect elders, Sun and Li.
• Song Wen explained that the first-place contestants could become disciples of either elder and that anyone unwilling to fight could remain in the dojo.
• Song Wen transformed the plaza and raised four battle arenas, whose formations seemed to contain vast inner spaces.
• Lu Qing examined the arenas’ spatial formations and decided he had no intention of competing.

Lu Qing watched the arena battles at Little Cloud Dojo, studied the competitors’ techniques, and explored the surrounding peaks. Meanwhile, Elders Song Wen, Sun Qidao, and Li Luoyang observed the contests and discussed whether the disciples were worth taking as students.

• Lu Qing waited until noon, watched several arena matches, and learned about the competitors’ magic treasures, Gu insects, and combat skills.
• After observing all four arenas, Lu Qing left the crowds and explored Little Cloud Dojo, where he found a lake surrounded by Flying Luans.
• Lu Qing sensed that many Flying Luans had Purple Mansion or possibly Core Formation auras and wondered what realms lay beyond Core Formation.
• Song Wen, Sun Qidao, and Li Luoyang watched the arena battles through a chessboard display and discussed the contestants’ potential.
• Sun Qidao reflected that some disciples had already taken masters, recalling when their masters had been children, while the elders considered taking disciples themselves.

After wandering through the Dao Field’s four seasonal peaks, Lu Qing gained a small insight into the Dao of Time. When the Heroes’ Gathering ended, he was summoned to the main peak and became a Nominal Disciple under Li Luoyang.

• Song Wen urged Elder Sun and Li Luoyang to keep looking for disciples, and they explained that Nominal Disciples could visit the Inner Academy once a year to hear the Dao.
• Lu Qing crossed peaks representing winter, spring, summer, and autumn, and the changing seasons gave him an insight into time and strengthened his Divine Soul.
• After the Heroes’ Gathering ended, a paper White Crane summoned Lu Qing to the Daoist Dojo’s main peak.
• Elder Sun accepted several people as his Nominal Disciples, then Li Luoyang accepted those who remained, including Lu Qing.
• Lu Qing noted that the Heaven-Grade prodigies were absent and wondered what standards the elders had used to choose their disciples.

Li Luoyang lectured his seven Nominal Disciples on the Dao, and Lu Qing gained profound insights that transformed his cultivation and aptitude. The lecture left him at the Purple Mansion Sixth Realm after breaking through two realms in a row.

• Sun Qidao and Li Luoyang divided the new disciples between them, and Song Wen allowed them to use his Daoist dojo for their lectures.
• Li Luoyang explained the terms of nominal discipleship to his seven disciples, including Lu Qing, then told them to sit and listen to his lecture on the Dao.
• As Li Luoyang lectured, Lu Qing absorbed the Dao Rhyme and advanced the Profound Heaven Origin Scripture to its tenth layer.
• Lu Qing’s Purple Mansion cultivation rose from the Fourth Realm to the Fifth Realm, then broke through again to the Sixth Realm.
• Lu Qing realized the lecture had improved his comprehension, aptitude, and senses, bringing his aptitude to Earth-grade.

Lu Qing left the Daoist Dojo after receiving a private message from his master, then spent a month in seclusion on Spirit Leaf Island refining the Dao Transmission’s gains. He stabilized his Purple Mansion Sixth Realm and gained a clearer view of how divine abilities wielded laws.

• Lu Qing thanked Li Luoyang, recognized two Earth-grade Genius disciples among the others, and left for Spirit Leaf Island to avoid attention and social obligations.
• After Lu Qing departed, Wind and Clouds challenged Fu Wuding, prompting Lin Tiannan to react coldly as the other disciples awakened.
• Lu Qing returned to Spirit Leaf Island and entered closed-door cultivation, reviewing the eighth and ninth layers of the Profound Heaven Origin Scripture.
• One month later, Lu Qing had fully refined the Dao Transmission’s gains and stabilized his Purple Mansion Sixth Realm.
• Lu Qing contemplated his new insight into divine abilities and laws, realizing that cultivators could wield the same divine ability in many different ways.

After consolidating his realm, Lu Qing learned that trouble had followed the Heroes' Gathering, but he chose to stay on Spirit Leaf Island while the situation settled. White Crane Boy contacted him from the White Sea with news of an ice tide, and Lu Qing decided to take the junior Spirit Planter Master examination.

• Lu Qing read rumors that Lin Tiannan and two others had offended the Inner Sect disciple Senior Brother Feng and suffered setbacks.
• Lu Qing decided to remain on Spirit Leaf Island and avoid outside missions until the aftermath of the Heroes' Gathering passed.
• White Crane Boy contacted Lu Qing and said it would return from the White Sea with fish from the rising ice tide.
• Lu Qing tended his growing spirit trees and estimated that their fruit would ripen in about four months.
• Lu Qing received notice of Spirit Plant Academy examinations and decided to prepare for the junior Spirit Planter Master grade.

Lu Qing practiced on Spirit Leaf Island while a battle-hungry Inner Sect disciple named Wind and Clouds went to challenge Ning Shaohua over Heaven Cloud Blessed Land. As Lu Qing continued studying divine abilities and approached Core Formation, he wondered about the Inner Academy and the master he had recently acknowledged.

• Lu Qing practiced his Great Cloud Rain Technique over the sea around Spirit Leaf Island and received occasional messages from Senior Brother Qian.
• Wind and Clouds asked Senior Brother Qian about Heaven Cloud Blessed Land, learned Ning Shaohua wanted it, and immediately left to challenge him.
• Senior Brother Qian warned Lu Qing about Wind and Clouds, and Lu Qing was glad the commotion might draw attention away from the list of Nominal Disciples.
• Lu Qing reached the Purple Mansion Sixth Realm, sensed a fledgling outline of a divine ability, and read other disciples' comments about the difficulty of mastering divine abilities.