Recaps

Xiao Lin distrusted Ji Li’s offer of free formation diagrams, but Ji Li explained that he needed nine Formation Grandmasters to investigate a sealed place. He revealed that the search was connected to a clue about the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix, leaving Xiao Lin stunned.

• Ji Li offered Xiao Lin the formation diagrams for free if he could set up their formations, but Xiao Lin turned to leave, suspecting a trap.
• Ji Li called Xiao Lin back and admitted that he was searching for nine Formation Grandmasters to open a sealed place; he had already found eight.
• Xiao Lin said he could set up every formation on the diagrams except one above the fifth tier, and Ji Li deemed him qualified to learn more.
• Ji Li secretly told Xiao Lin that he was investigating a clue concerning the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix, shocking Xiao Lin.

Ji Li invited Xiao Lin to join eight other Formation Grandmasters in an attempt to break a formation that might conceal clues about the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix. Xiao Lin accepted, received Ji Li’s formation diagrams and a Voice Transmission Stone, and awaited notice of the gathering.

• Xiao Lin questioned Ji Li’s claim about the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix, and Ji Li said he believed there was an eighty percent chance his ancestral clues were connected to it.
• Ji Li explained that nine Formation Grandmasters would try to break an enormous formation when it was weakest, though their chances were only fifty percent even with Xiao Lin’s help.
• Xiao Lin accepted Ji Li’s invitation, eager to investigate the clues and exchange formation knowledge with the other eight Formation Grandmasters.
• Ji Li gave Xiao Lin all the formation diagrams at his stall, including the Myriad Lightning Demon-Slaying Formation, which Xiao Lin could not yet set up.
• Ji Li gave Xiao Lin a Voice Transmission Stone so he could notify him when the preparations were complete.

Xiao Lin and Ji Li became friends while exploring the Space Trading Assembly, each secretly trying to learn more about the other. When the assembly began, they entered its guarded core area in disguise, ready to attend the trading event.

• Ji Li closed his stall after giving Xiao Lin the formation diagrams, and Xiao Lin asked what he planned to do next.
• Ji Li agreed to explore the assembly with Xiao Lin, and they spent several days shopping and testing each other’s secrets.
• Xiao Lin learned that Ji Li had inherited treasures and clues about the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix from a powerful ancestor, but Ji Li kept the ancestor’s identity secret.
• When the Space Trading Assembly officially began, Ji Li offered to guide Xiao Lin, but Xiao Lin headed for the core area on his own.
• Xiao Lin and Ji Li showed their tokens to the Six-Star Dou Venerable guards, entered the core area, and concealed their identities with cloaks and masks.

Xiao Lin and Ji Li entered the Space Trading Assembly’s final auction hall, took precautions to conceal their identities, and waited among more than a hundred Dou Venerables. The auction began when Old Man Baoshan, a powerful Nine-Transformation Peak Dou Venerable and master of Treasure Mirror Mountain, appeared.

• A gray-robed elder led Xiao Lin and Ji Li through the bronze hall to the ancient auction hall.
• Ji Li shielded them from prying eyes, and Xiao Lin and Ji Li declared themselves friends.
• Xiao Lin and Ji Li observed the gathering as more attendees arrived, including over a hundred Dou Venerables.
• A bell rang, and Old Man Baoshan emerged from distorted space at the center of the hall.
• Ji Li told Xiao Lin that Old Man Baoshan was a renowned treasure appraiser who stood close to reaching the Half-Saint realm.

Xiao Lin and Ji Li attended the Space Trading Assembly hosted by Old Man Baoshan, where rare treasures were exchanged. After the first item sold, Xiao Lin became eager to bid on an Earth-Rank High-Grade Soul Dou Technique.

• Old Man Baoshan began the Space Trading Assembly and enclosed himself in a spatial cage before presenting the first item.
• Old Man Baoshan offered an eighth-tier Nine Netherworld Python Monster Core in exchange for an eighth-tier Pill Recipe.
• A cloaked bidder traded a Pill Recipe for the Monster Core, while Xiao Lin and Ji Li chose not to bid.
• Old Man Baoshan presented the Three Transformations of the Returning Soul, an Earth-Rank High-Grade Soul Dou Technique.
• Xiao Lin recognized the technique as a rare opportunity to improve his use of soul power and prepared to bid.

At the Space Trading Assembly, a High-Tier Earth Rank Soul Dou Technique drew fierce offers from many Dou Venerables. Xiao Lin offered a rare High-Tier Formation Disk in exchange, astonishing Ji Li and Old Man Baoshan with its value.

• Old Man Baoshan announced that the Soul Dou Technique's owner wanted three Tier 8 Medicinal Pills refined under Six-Colored Pill Lightning or items of equivalent value.
• Nearly thirty Dou Venerables offered pills, Cultivation Methods, Dou Techniques, recipes, weapons, and other valuables for the technique.
• Xiao Lin offered his Formation Disk, which he said was equivalent in value to a Tier 8 Medicinal Pill.
• Ji Li realized Xiao Lin had made the High-Tier Formation Disk himself and gained confidence in his search for clues about the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix.
• Old Man Baoshan recognized the disk's rarity and judged that Xiao Lin had underestimated its value.

Xiao Lin traded a High-Tier Formation Disk for an Earth-Rank High-Grade Soul Dou Technique and learned from Ji Li how valuable and dangerous such disks were. As the Space Trading Assembly reached its climax, Old Man Baoshan introduced an item related to the Saint Realm that Xiao Lin recognized as the final primary material for his weapon.

• Xiao Lin exchanged a High-Tier Formation Disk for the Earth-Rank High-Grade Soul Dou Technique, and Old Man Baoshan handed it to him in disguise.
• Ji Li explained that High-Tier Formation Disks were priceless in the Central Plains and warned Xiao Lin not to reveal that he could make them.
• Xiao Lin agreed to use his High-Tier Formation Disks sparingly, while Ji Li won several items that seemed connected to Heavenly Flames.
• The Space Trading Assembly continued with increasingly rare treasures, and Xiao Lin saw why top experts sought out the event.
• Old Man Baoshan presented a golden-yellow item related to the Saint Realm, and Xiao Lin recognized it as the final primary material he needed to forge his weapon.

Xiao Lin secured the Dou Saint-level Tiger Tendon at the Space Trading Assembly by offering three High-Tier Formation Disks. With the tendon, he had gathered all the materials for his planned weapon and needed only to find a powerful weapon-refining master.

• Old Man Baoshan introduced the Dou Saint-level Tiger Tendon and announced that its owner wanted a low-grade Heaven Rank light-element Cultivation Method or an item of equivalent value.
• Xiao Lin bid three High-Tier Formation Disks for the tendon, surprising Ji Li, who questioned whether the trade was worthwhile.
• Xiao Lin told Ji Li that the Tiger Tendon was the final material he needed for weapon refinement.
• Old Man Baoshan recognized Xiao Lin as the bidder who had previously offered Formation Disks, and the tendon’s owner accepted his offer.
• Xiao Lin received the Tiger Tendon and realized he had gathered all the materials for his weapon, leaving him to find a powerful weapon-refining master.

Xiao Lin watched the Space Trading Assembly without bidding after buying a Dou Saint-level magical beast tendon. The Three Hidden Sects revealed that the finale was one of the Dou Qi Continent’s twenty-three known Heavenly Flames, shocking the hall and drawing eager declarations from the Dou Venerables.

• Xiao Lin passed on the later auction items because he had little use for them and his Xiao Household clansmen could not safely use the high-tier pills.
• Old Man Baoshan announced that the Three Hidden Sects had jointly provided the final auction item.
• Ji Li explained to Xiao Lin that the Three Hidden Sects sometimes supplied a precious finale item when the Assembly lacked one.
• Old Man Baoshan revealed that the finale was one of the twenty-three known Heavenly Flames.
• Several Dou Venerables stood in shock and declared their intentions to obtain the Heavenly Flame.

Ji Li interrupted the bidding for the Wind Fury Dragon Flame and offered an ancient map fragment instead of medicinal pills. Old Man Baoshan identified it as one of four fragments leading to the legendary Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, leaving the hall stunned.

• After the bid of seven Tier 8 Medicinal Pills that drew Eight-Colored Pill Lightning went unchallenged, Old Man Baoshan prepared to announce the winner of the Wind Fury Dragon Flame.
• Ji Li stopped Old Man Baoshan and asked to bid with an item rather than medicinal pills.
• Ji Li handed Old Man Baoshan an ancient, incomplete sheet of yellowed hide for appraisal.
• Old Man Baoshan recognized the hide as one of four map fragments showing the location of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame and valued it at no less than a Tier 8 Medicinal Pill that drew Nine-Colored Pill Lightning.
• Old Man Baoshan asked Ji Li if he was certain he wished to trade the fragment, and the hall fell silent.

Ji Li used a Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map to obtain the Wind Fury Dragon Flame at the Space Trading Assembly, then led Xiao Lin toward the edge of the Desolate Desert. Just as they thought they were about to escape, someone trapped them, and Xiao Lin realized Ji Li had been pretending.

• Ji Li offered a Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map as payment for the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, and Old Man Baoshan accepted it.
• Ji Li obtained the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, and Old Man Baoshan announced the end of the Space Trading Assembly.
• Ji Li warned Xiao Lin that they might be intercepted after leaving the Subspace and said he knew a safe route out of the Desolate Desert.
• Ji Li led Xiao Lin toward the desert's border, but space suddenly trapped them like a swamp.
• Xiao Lin realized Ji Li had been pretending and wondered what Ji Li intended.

Xiao Lin realized Ji Li had deliberately led him to an ambush by the notorious Gao Brothers, but discovered Ji Li was not working with them. Xiao Lin and Ji Li faced the two One-Turn Dou Venerables in battle.

• The Gao Brothers appeared and demanded that Xiao Lin and Ji Li hand over their Storage Rings.
• Ji Li identified Gao Tian and Gao Hai as notorious attackers, and the brothers chose their opponents.
• Xiao Lin concluded that Ji Li had knowingly led him to the Gao Brothers, then realized Ji Li was not allied with them.
• Xiao Lin and Ji Li agreed to fight the brothers, with Xiao Lin facing Gao Tian and Ji Li facing Gao Hai.
• The two Nine-Star Dou Venerables and the two One-Turn Dou Venerables began battling.

Xiao Lin fought Gao Tian, using his heavy Astral Dou Qi and Seven-Star Void Step to dominate their close-range exchanges before they traded Dou Techniques. The chapter ended with both launching new attacks after their previous techniques collided.

• Gao Tian questioned Xiao Lin's nerve, and Xiao Lin used Seven-Star Void Step to rush in and strike him.
• Xiao Lin's heavy Astral Dou Qi and rapid footwork let him suppress Gao Tian in close combat.
• Gao Tian took a punch to create distance, then summoned a sword of light and used the Great Light Sword Wheel.
• Xiao Lin countered with the Starlight Heaven-Suppressing Seal, and their techniques collided, forcing both fighters back.
• Xiao Lin and Gao Tian attacked again with the Great Compassion Time Palm and Stellar Hand Seal.

Ji Li and Xiao Lin killed the Gao Brothers after Ji Li used a mysterious white mist to leave Gao Hai helpless and Xiao Lin defeated Gao Tian. They reconciled over Ji Li’s test of Xiao Lin’s strength and divided the brothers’ spoils, leaving Xiao Lin newly wealthy.

• Xiao Lin realized Ji Li had somehow made Gao Hai lower his guard, and Gao Tian broke away in rage after his brother died.
• Ji Li offered to help Xiao Lin fight Gao Tian, but Xiao Lin refused and said he would finish the battle himself.
• Gao Tian attacked with Radiance Across the Nine Heavens, but Xiao Lin blocked it with Star-Devouring Jade and struck Gao Tian’s mind with Heavenly Realm Soul Power.
• Xiao Lin killed Gao Tian with God-Slaying Finger and took his Storage Ring; Ji Li then gave Xiao Lin Gao Hai’s Storage Ring.
• Ji Li explained that he had brought Xiao Lin to test his strength, and Xiao Lin let go of his resentment after asking Ji Li to be direct next time.
• Xiao Lin examined the Gao Brothers’ wealth, including cultivation methods, Dou Techniques, pills, herbs, and other valuable items.

After parting ways with Ji Li, Xiao Lin focused on strengthening himself and searching the Central Plains Continent for an Artifact Refiner. He began cultivating the Three Transformations of the Returning Soul, while Ji Li planned to devour his Wind Fury Dragon Flame and pursue the Ancient Heavenly Phoenix formation in three years.

• Xiao Lin and Ji Li discussed their plans: Ji Li would devour the Wind Fury Dragon Flame and wait for the formation's weakest moment, while Xiao Lin would grow stronger and seek a master Artifact Refiner.
• Ji Li told Xiao Lin that the formation would be weakest at midnight on the first day of the second month, three years later.
• Xiao Lin and Ji Li parted ways after promising to meet again in three years and challenge each other's progress.
• After Ji Li left, Xiao Lin guessed that Ji Li was descended from a legendary figure, but chose not to ask him about it.
• Xiao Lin began cultivating the Three Transformations of the Returning Soul while searching the Central Plains Continent for an Artifact Refiner.

After repeated rejections from Artifact Refiners unable to forge a weapon from his rare materials, Xiao Lin decided to seek help from Mang Tianchi at the Lei Clan. He reached the Thunder Realm and was challenged by a Lei Clan guard.

• Xiao Lin was rejected by more than ten Artifact Refiners, none of whom could meet his requirements for a weapon made from his top-tier materials.
• Xiao Lin considered settling for inferior materials but decided against it because ordinary weapons would add little to his strength.
• Xiao Lin found the Lei token in his Storage Ring and recalled Mang Tianchi's offer to help him.
• Xiao Lin decided to visit the Thunder Realm and ask Mang Tianchi for help, accepting that he might owe him a favor.
• Xiao Lin arrived at the Thunder Realm entrance, where a Lei Clan guard ordered him to stop.

Lin Xiao visited the Lei Clan and presented Mang Tianchi’s token at the Thunder Realm entrance. Lei Ji recognized him and brought him inside as the clan’s higher-ups prepared to judge whether he deserved their investment.

• Lin Xiao descended at the Thunder Realm entrance and announced that he had come to visit Mang Tianchi.
• A Lei Clan guard checked Lin Xiao’s token and began to notify Mang Tianchi.
• Lei Ji appeared and told the guard to bring Lin Xiao inside.
• The Lei Clan’s higher-ups had heard Mang Tianchi wanted to invest in Lin Xiao, but planned to assess him before offering support.

Xiao Lin asked Lei Ji to find a master Artifact Refiner for the rare materials he had gathered to make a weapon. Lei Ji introduced him to the Lei Clan’s master, Lei Xiu, and led him toward Thunder Mountain to meet him.

• Xiao Lin told Lei Ji he wanted help finding an Artifact Refiner to forge his materials into a weapon.
• Xiao Lin revealed his rare materials, and Lei Ji realized the request could help the Lei Clan win Xiao Lin’s favor.
• Lei Ji said the Lei Clan had a master Artifact Refiner named Lei Xiu and offered to introduce them.
• Xiao Lin followed Lei Ji east through the Thunder Realm toward Thunder Mountain, whose peak was covered in thunderclouds and lightning.

Xiao Lin and Lei Ji brought Xiao Lin to Thunder Mountain to seek Lei Xiu’s help forging an artifact. Lei Xiu examined Xiao Lin’s materials and showed interest in the Stellar Fragment’s Astral Power.

• Xiao Lin and Lei Ji reached the platform at the heart of Thunder Mountain, where Xiao Lin recognized the setup as likely suited to lightning-based forging.
• Lei Xiu emerged from a stone cave and warned Xiao Lin that he would only forge with materials that met his standards.
• Lei Ji introduced Xiao Lin and explained that he had come seeking an artifact refiner’s help.
• Xiao Lin presented his materials, and Lei Xiu praised the Mithril Essence, Lightning-Struck Wood, and Dou Saint-level beast tendons.
• Lei Xiu examined the Extraterrestrial Meteorite, and Xiao Lin explained that it was a Stellar Fragment containing Astral Power.

Xiao Lin stayed in the Lei Clan’s Thunder Realm to cultivate while Master Lei Xiu forged his weapon, improving his cultivation method and advancing to One-Turn Dou Venerable. After Mang Tianchi emerged from seclusion as a Half-Saint, he began guiding Xiao Lin, accelerating his progress.

• Lei Ji invited Xiao Lin to cultivate in the Thunder Realm while he waited for his weapon and Mang Tianchi to emerge from seclusion, and Xiao Lin accepted.
• Xiao Lin spent a year in closed-door cultivation and upgraded the Star Codex from Mid-Tier Earth Rank to High-Tier Earth Rank.
• Xiao Lin advanced from Nine-Star Dou Venerable to One-Turn Dou Venerable after completing his first compression of Dou Qi.
• Mang Tianchi emerged from seclusion as a Half-Saint, was astonished by Xiao Lin’s progress, and took charge of hosting him.
• Xiao Lin occasionally checked on Master Lei Xiu’s weapon-forging progress and consulted Mang Tianchi, whose guidance further improved his cultivation speed.

After two and a half years of cultivation in the Lei Clan’s Thunder Realm, Xiao Lin reached the Three-Star Dou Venerable stage. He learned that his weapon would be finished in nine days and headed to Thunder Mountain to see it completed.

• Xiao Lin completed his third Dou Qi compression after seven days and broke through to the Three-Star Dou Venerable stage.
• Mang Tianchi congratulated Xiao Lin and answered his questions about cultivation, crediting his talent for his rapid progress.
• Mang Tianchi told Xiao Lin that Lei Xiu’s weapon would be finished in nine days and that Xiao Lin needed to be present.
• Xiao Lin grew more confident about his pact with Ji Li and set off for Thunder Mountain to witness the weapon’s completion.

Xiao Lin visited Thunder Mountain to see Lei Xiu finish forging his weapon. After nine days of lightning and starlight, Lei Xiu completed a crescent-shaped Scimitar that recognized Xiao Lin's Astral Dou Qi and became his weapon.

• Xiao Lin reached Thunder Mountain and found Lei Xiu forging a weapon with lightning.
• Lei Xiu told Xiao Lin to wait nine days while he completed the final stage of the forging.
• Lei Xiu struck the weapon for the last time and cast it into the sky, where it absorbed lightning for three more days.
• The weapon took the shape of a crescent-shaped Scimitar, and Xiao Lin seized it when Lei Xiu called to him.
• The Scimitar resisted Xiao Lin until he released his Astral Dou Qi, then circled him and accepted his soul imprint.

Xiao Lin tested the two forms of the weapon Lei Xiu forged for him, discovering that the scimitar and bow wielded immense Astral Power. He named them the Zhuiyue Blade and Zhuri Bow and left Thunder Mountain with a powerful new weapon.

• Xiao Lin infused Astral Dou Qi into the crescent-shaped scimitar and used its amplified power to cut off one of Thunder Mountain's peaks.
• Lei Xiu revealed that the weapon had a second form, and Xiao Lin transformed it into a bow strung with Tiger Tendon.
• Xiao Lin formed an arrow from Astral Dou Qi and destroyed Thunder Mountain's remaining peak, clearing the storm clouds above it.
• Xiao Lin thanked Lei Xiu and promised to help him in the future.
• Xiao Lin named the scimitar the Zhuiyue Blade and the bow the Zhuri Bow, and the weapon trembled in response.

Xiao Lin spent the final half year of his three-year stay in the Thunder Realm learning to wield his dual-form weapon and preparing to meet Ji Li. After receiving Ji Li’s message, he left the Lei Clan’s territory and set out for Falling Phoenix Ridge.

• Xiao Lin asked Mang Tianchi for help developing weapon techniques, and Mang Tianchi arranged for two Lei Clan Dou Venerators to teach and spar with him.
• Xiao Lin overpowered the instructors with his dual-form weapon while gradually learning to use the scimitar and bow.
• After half a year, Xiao Lin received Ji Li’s message telling him to meet at Falling Phoenix Ridge in seven days.
• Xiao Lin told Mang Tianchi he was leaving, and Mang Tianchi offered to help him if he encountered trouble in the Central Plains.
• Xiao Lin said goodbye to the Lei Clan members he knew and departed the Thunder Realm to meet Ji Li.

Ji Li gathered eight Formation Grandmasters at Falling Phoenix Ridge, where they waited to meet Xiao Lin. Xiao Lin arrived, and all nine Formation Grandmasters were together.

• Ji Li’s eight invited Formation Grandmasters gathered at Falling Phoenix Ridge and began exchanging formation insights.
• Weng Xing arrived as the ninth attendee, and the Formation Grandmasters welcomed him while leaving Ji Li out of their discussion.
• Ji Li’s companions included three Dou Venerables and five Dou Zongs, while Ji Li himself had advanced to Three-Star Dou Venerable.
• Xiao Lin approached Falling Phoenix Ridge, and Zuo He sensed that his aura surpassed those of the Formation Grandmasters.
• Xiao Lin landed near Ji Li and the others, completing the gathering of all nine Formation Grandmasters.