Chapter Summaries

Tang Zhuying questioned Cheng Jingfeng about puppets and the Sacred Spirit Cult as they traveled back toward the Phantom Star Sect. Cheng Jingfeng urged her to report Cangyue City’s corruption to Venerable Tianhong, then privately discussed killing her with Duanmu Fenlong.

• Tang Zhuying asked Cheng Jingfeng about cultivators skilled in puppetry, and he said Guiyi Tower had given him his four puppets.
• Cheng Jingfeng claimed he had investigated the Sacred Spirit Cult and denied possessing any Level 3 Puppets, leaving Tang Zhuying suspicious that he controlled the black-clad puppet.
• Tang Zhuying told Cheng Jingfeng that a Nascent Soul Stage giant had destroyed the Sacred Spirit Cult and that Cangyue City Lord Li Cangyu had secretly bribed sect leaders.
• Cheng Jingfeng recommended that Tang Zhuying report the bribery to Venerable Tianhong, and she agreed as they continued toward the Phantom Star Sect.
• Duanmu Fenlong’s Golden Core appeared inside Cheng Jingfeng’s sedan and asked whether he should help kill Tang Zhuying.

Cheng Jingfeng and Duanmu Fenlong plotted to exploit Phantom Star Sect’s internal strife while hiding their involvement in Cangyue City. At Donghuang Village, Yun Yan agreed to take Fu Caiwei and Fu Nanxing with him and began explaining Leizhou’s place in the wider cultivation world to Su Shi'er.

• Cheng Jingfeng told Duanmu Fenlong to keep investigating the unknown puppet controller and said he would kill Tang Zhuying if she exposed them.
• Cheng Jingfeng argued that Tang Zhuying’s report would cause turmoil within Phantom Star Sect, giving Great Zhao Dynasty a chance to expand its influence.
• Su Shi'er arrived at Donghuang Village, where Yun Yan and the Fu siblings were waiting for him.
• Fu Caiwei and Fu Nanxing thanked Su Shi'er for saving them, and he said he had helped because they were descendants of his late Martial Brother.
• Yun Yan invited Su Shi'er to ask about cultivation during the next seven days and confirmed that Fu Caiwei and Fu Nanxing would leave with him.
• Yun Yan explained that Leizhou lay deep within the Endless Sea and, like Muyun Prefecture, contained many cultivators and competing forces.

Yun Yan told Su Shi'er about the vast world beyond Muyun Prefecture and his plans to cross the Endless Sea back to Leizhou, then challenged him to rethink what made cultivators strong. Su Shi'er listened to Yun Yan's guidance, which began by emphasizing careful thought over diligence and courage alone.

• Su Shi'er was shocked to learn that Yun Yan had crossed the Endless Sea before and that the Five Thunders Orthodox Method could help him pass through its thunderstorm region on his return journey to Leizhou.
• Yun Yan described the cultivation world as a vast planet among countless stars and said he hoped to explore beyond it if his cultivation advanced further.
• Su Shi'er shared his frustration that his strength seemed to trail behind great-sect disciples, despite his hard work, resources, and experience.
• Yun Yan observed that Su Shi'er had rarely received guidance or exchanged ideas with others, then explained that careful thought was crucial to improving as a cultivator.
• Su Shi'er fell into thought as Yun Yan questioned whether Spiritual Root aptitude or accumulated experience alone could explain differences in strength.

Yun Yan guided Su Shi'er to see that Spiritual Root aptitude and inherited cultivation methods were not absolute, and that careful thought and personal adaptation could improve cultivation and techniques. After Yun Yan demonstrated a vastly more powerful Palm Thunder at the same cultivation level, Su Shi'er was left considering how to keep exploring beyond established methods.

• Yun Yan told Su Shi'er that Spiritual Root aptitude mattered but did not determine who would ultimately succeed in cultivation.
• Su Shi'er realized that he could specialize in a method or combine compatible methods, and that careful thought applied to all cultivation arts.
• Su Shi'er gained a clear understanding of how to bring his abilities to their fullest potential and felt confident he could defeat the Hunchbacked Cultivator and the other two.
• Yun Yan said methods and techniques were dead things, then used Palm Thunder to destroy a distant hill while matching Su Shi'er's cultivation level.
• Su Shi'er recognized that Yun Yan's attack was not a move from the Five Thunders Orthodox Method, and Yun Yan explained that cultivators should adapt and continue exploring rather than follow convention.

Yun Yan spent seven days guiding Su Shi'er in cultivation before departing to cross the Endless Sea, leaving Su Shi'er with a clearer path forward. After returning to White Cloud Mountain, Su Shi'er completed a powerful puppet and began sorting the treasures taken from three fallen cultivators.

• Yun Yan discussed cultivation with Su Shi'er for seven days, encouraging him to think for himself and adapt to change.
• Yun Yan left with Fu Nanxing, Fu Caiwei, and Fu Nanxing to cross the Endless Sea, while Su Shi'er returned to the Phantom Star Sect.
• Three days later, Su Shi'er completed a puppet powered by the Golden Core of a Peak Golden Core cultivator and stored it as a hidden trump card.
• Su Shi'er sorted the Storage Pouches of the three Hunchbacked Cultivators and set aside their four most valuable treasures.
• Su Shi'er picked up the ribbon weapon used by the Tattooed Female Cultivator and examined its smooth, chilly surface.

Su Shi'er examined four treasures taken from his enemies, sending three unusual artifacts into the Heaven and Earth Furnace for refinement and discovering a Spiritual Sense Attack technique on a silk handkerchief. He committed the Divine Light Stab technique to memory, recognizing its potential while noting that it had limitations.

• Su Shi'er tested the Shuying Sword, decided its soft, yin nature suited Feng Fei better than his own fighting style, and put it into the Heaven and Earth Furnace.
• Su Shi'er inspected the Juque Sword Shield, valued its defense, and considered combining nine exceptional flying swords with his existing sword techniques before placing the set in the furnace.
• Su Shi'er identified a tiny black iron needle as a pinnacle-grade Spirit Artifact, named it the Black Light Needle, and added it to the furnace.
• Su Shi'er read a yellow silk handkerchief and discovered it recorded the Divine Light Stab, the Spiritual Sense Attack used by the Yellow-toothed Cultivator.
• Su Shi'er memorized the technique and recognized that its Spiritual Sense Sword could pierce formations and illusions and was difficult to defend against, though it had limitations.

Su Shi'er finished tempering his treasures and set out for the Weapon Forging Platform to deliver the Jade Essence Heart and prepare the Thousand Evil Sword for reforging. He found the platform in disarray and learned from Chen San that unrest in Cangyue City had sparked scattered battles between the Phantom Star Sect and Evil Cultivators.

• Su Shi'er reviewed the limits of the Divine Light Stab technique and decided to wait until he reached the Golden Core stage before cultivating it.
• The Heaven and Earth Furnace improved the Shuying Sword and Black Light Needle, but the Juque Sword shattered during tempering while its shield survived.
• Su Shi'er left his cave dwelling and flew to the Weapon Forging Platform with the Jade Essence Heart, intending to have Senior Duo Tiangong reforge the Thousand Evil Sword before entering seclusion.
• Su Shi'er saw that the Weapon Forging Platform was unusually empty and its cultivators seemed distracted.
• Chen San told Su Shi'er that upheaval in Cangyue City had led to the killing of Huanxing Langyue Pavilion's person in charge and scattered battles between the Phantom Star Sect and Evil Cultivators.
• Su Shi'er asked Chen San why so few cultivators were refining artifacts and why those still working seemed unsettled.

Su Shi'er learned that the Phantom Star Sect’s investigation into the Sacred Spirit Cult had become a three-year campaign led by the Heavenly Hunt Hall, while the Disciplinary Hall was sidelined and the sect fell into turmoil. He and Chen San reached a lava-surrounded platform in Blazing Flame Mountain, where four figures were waiting.

• Chen San told Su Shi'er that Tang Zhuying and Cheng Jingfeng had helped destroy the Sacred Spirit Cult in Cangyue City.
• Chen San explained that Tang Zhuying reported the Cangyue City Lord’s ties to the cult and accused Phantom Star Sect elders of accepting his benefits.
• After elders opposed Venerable Tianhong’s investigation, the Sect Master established the Heavenly Hunt Hall under Situ Zhen, with Cheng Jingfeng and Tang Zhuying assisting.
• Chen San said the campaign punished mostly those without powerful backing, leaving the sect in fear and disorder.
• Su Shi'er advised Chen San to avoid the campaign and cultivate in seclusion, and Chen San agreed to return to his cave dwelling after meeting Elder Duo Tiangong.
• Su Shi'er and Chen San reached a platform surrounded by lava, where four figures stood.

Su Shi'er arrived at the Weapon Forging Platform as Ouyang Yi and another cultivator refined the Li Huo Xuan Bing Sword, and he offered rare spirit jade to improve the chance of reforging an evil weapon into a Magical Treasure. Venerable Tianhong, encouraged by Su Shi'er's connection to Shen Tianyin, began considering how to enlist his help against the Sacred Spirit Cult.

• Venerable Tianhong asked Duo Tiangong to support his opposition to the Sacred Spirit Cult, but Duo Tiangong urged him to wait and focus on tempering Shen Tianyin's Li Huo Xuan Bing Sword.
• Duo Tiangong noticed Su Shi'er and Chen San approaching and brought up Shen Tianyin, prompting Venerable Tianhong to recognize Su Shi'er's potential influence through her.
• Su Shi'er greeted the elders and presented a Jade Essence Heart, then asked whether his Grade Four spirit jade could serve as a better catalyst.
• Duo Tiangong explained that Blood Jade Essence could raise the success rate by at least twenty percent and questioned how Su Shi'er had obtained it.
• Su Shi'er claimed he had bought the materials from descendants of a branch of Huanxing Langyue Pavilion, then handed Duo Tiangong one Blood Jade Essence.
• Su Shi'er produced two more pieces each of Jade Marrow Rock and Blood Jade Essence, leaving Duo Tiangong astonished.

Su Shi'er gave Grade Four Spirit Jades to the craftsmen reforging the Li Huo Xuan Bing Sword, and Duo Tiangong offered to add Azure Cloud Sand to strengthen it. Venerable Tianhong accepted Su Shi'er's Jade Marrow Rock but failed to recruit him into the Disciplinary Hall, leaving Su Shi'er wary of the sect's power struggle and suspecting Tianhong's real motive concerned Shen Miaoyin.

• Su Shi'er offered four Grade Four Spirit Jades to the seniors working on the sword, and Duo Tiangong initially refused the gifts.
• Ouyang Yi persuaded Duo Tiangong to accept the jades and promised to forge Su Shi'er protective robes before he reached the Golden Core stage.
• Duo Tiangong contributed Azure Cloud Sand, which Ouyang Yi said could increase the reforged weapon's power by at least thirty percent.
• Su Shi'er gave Venerable Tianhong Jade Marrow Rock in thanks for saving his life, and Tianhong offered him a Disciplinary Hall token.
• Su Shi'er politely declined to join the Disciplinary Hall, suspecting Tianhong was trying to win him over because of Shen Miaoyin.

Su Shi'er accepted a Disciplinary Hall token and arrest warrant from Venerable Tianhong but decided to hide his identity and avoid using them. He returned to White Cloud Mountain to cultivate, unaware that Xi Xiaoyun had spotted him and recognized him as an enemy.

• Su Shi'er redirected Venerable Tianhong's recruitment efforts toward Tang Zhuying, whom Venerable Tianhong agreed to consider for the Disciplinary Hall.
• Venerable Tianhong gave Su Shi'er a Disciplinary Hall token and an arrest warrant for Xi Xiaoyun and Zhu Wensheng, and Su Shi'er accepted them to avoid offending him.
• Su Shi'er decided he would conceal his identity and appearance within the sect and avoid using the token, then thanked Venerable Tianhong and left.
• Venerable Tianhong and Duo Tiangong discussed persuading Su Shi'er before Shen Tianyin emerged from seclusion, and Venerable Tianhong departed.
• Su Shi'er flew back to White Cloud Mountain intending to enter seclusion, while Xi Xiaoyun spotted him from Qingfeng Mountain and called him a detestable enemy to Cheng Jingfeng.

Cheng Jingfeng manipulated Xi Xiaoyun into pursuing a reconciliation with Wang Su while quietly plotting to use Wang Su’s disciple as leverage. Xi Xiaoyun agreed to approach the administrative elder, and after she left, Lin Ran appeared and questioned Cheng Jingfeng’s intentions.

• Cheng Jingfeng told Xi Xiaoyun that Wang Su had Mixed Spiritual Roots and implied that Venerable Tianhong had influenced the decision to give him White Cloud Mountain.
• Cheng Jingfeng urged Xi Xiaoyun to invite Wang Su to a gathering, suggesting they first help Wang Su’s Qi Refining Stage disciple join the sect and gain their favor.
• Xi Xiaoyun secretly considered arranging for Wang Su’s disciple to die during a dangerous mission at Wuliu Plain, then agreed to Cheng Jingfeng’s proposal.
• Xi Xiaoyun left to speak with the administrative elder after Cheng Jingfeng promised to welcome her back.
• Lin Ran emerged from the shadows and asked Cheng Jingfeng whether he truly intended to resolve the conflict between Xi Xiaoyun and Wang Su.

Cheng Jingfeng and Duanmu Fenlong plotted to use Xi Xiaoyun’s attack on Wang Su’s disciple to draw the Phantom Star Sect into a conflict, while secretly pursuing Wang Su’s resources and the Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm. Unaware of the plot, Su Shi'er began a determined period of seclusion to reach the Golden Core stage, though the long hours of cultivation soon grew tedious.

• Cheng Jingfeng explained that Xi Xiaoyun would target Wang Su’s disciple, likely provoking the Phantom Star Sect and letting their allies in the Heavenly Hunt Hall benefit.
• Cheng Jingfeng told Duanmu Fenlong to recover in Lin Ran’s body and use the identity to investigate the Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm.
• Duanmu Fenlong said he could return to Foundation Establishment within ten years, while lamenting that his new body’s poor Spiritual Root would limit his future Golden Core.
• Cheng Jingfeng suspected Wang Su was refining a Spirit Sculpting Pill and promised that capturing him would secure his resources.
• Su Shi'er returned to White Cloud Mountain, gave Feng Fei the sealed Shuying Sword, and entered seclusion with the resolve not to leave before forming a Golden Core.
• Su Shi'er used his Top-grade Gathering Yuan Pills and a Spirit Gathering Formation to cultivate rapidly, enjoying the progress until the routine began to bore him.

Su Shi'er spent seven years in seclusion refining his cultivation method and greatly increasing his cultivation speed, while Feng Fei grew up on White Cloud Mountain and reached Foundation Establishment. After learning to fly on the Shuying Sword, Feng Fei received a Communication Talisman meant for her master and read its message.

• Su Shi'er spent two years contemplating and adapting the Yun Ge Nine Sword Art with elements of several other cultivation arts, eventually finding the best method for himself.
• Five more years passed while Su Shi'er remained in seclusion, bringing his time in seclusion to seven years.
• Feng Fei condensed her True Yuan into liquid and broke through to Foundation Establishment.
• Feng Fei used the Shuying Sword to practice flying, mastering sword flight within an hour while staying inside the formation.
• Feng Fei noticed a Communication Talisman flying through the formation, took it, and received its message despite Su Shi'er being in seclusion.

Feng Fei left White Cloud Mountain to collect her Identity Token while a mysterious woman visited the mountain and sent a message through Su Shi'er's formation. In seclusion, Su Shi'er used a Bodhi Flower to begin forming a Golden Core, leaving his breakthrough underway.

• Feng Fei decided to travel alone to the Hall of Stewardship to receive her Identity Token.
• A mysterious woman recognized Su Shi'er's improved formation and decided he needed a warning about the Heavenly Evolution Token and the sect's power struggle.
• The woman sent a Communication Talisman through White Cloud Mountain's outer formation and departed unseen.
• Su Shi'er, having reached the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage, took out five Bodhi Flowers to aid his Golden Core breakthrough.
• Su Shi'er consumed one Bodhi Flower, causing his True Yuan to surge as an incomplete Golden Core began to form and cleanse his body.

After nearly half a year of upheaval, Su Shi'er formed a barely fourth-grade Golden Pill, then endured three months of painful transformation in his Sea of Consciousness. A heavenly phenomenon over White Cloud Mountain revealed his breakthrough to the Phantom Star Sect, leaving the Weapon Forging Platform elders astonished by how someone with Mixed Spiritual Roots aptitude had succeeded.

• After half a year of turmoil, Su Shi'er formed a Golden Pill with four patterns, though the fourth was faint and barely qualified the pill as fourth-grade.
• Su Shi'er's divine sense transformed with the Golden Pill, causing unbearable pain that he endured rather than give up.
• Three months later, a heavenly phenomenon appeared over White Cloud Mountain and alerted the Phantom Star Sect to a Golden Pill breakthrough.
• More than a thousand cultivators and over a hundred Golden Core experts watched from a distance, following the sect's unwritten rule not to approach a cultivator during a breakthrough.
• Duo Tiangong, Ouyang Yi, and the cultivator surnamed Qiao reacted with shock as Duo Tiangong insisted he had personally seen Su Shi'er's Mixed Spiritual Roots aptitude.

Venerable Tianhong identified Wang Su as the cultivator who had refined a Spirit Sculpting Pill and searched for Shen Tianyin, while Situ Zhen and Li Yunwen planned to make Wang Su a Guest Elder and obtain his Heavenly Evolution Token. The chapter ended with the Inner Sect Steward Hall weighing the token’s value against Wang Su’s new position.

• Venerable Tianhong told Duo Tiangong, Ouyang Yi, and Qiao that Wang Su had likely refined a Spirit Sculpting Pill using ingredients he gathered in Night Demon Cloud City.
• Venerable Tianhong learned that Shen Tianyin was avoiding him and left to find another way to meet her; Duo Tiangong and the others returned to finish a defensive robe for Wang Su.
• Li Yunwen warned Situ Zhen that making Wang Su an elder could strengthen Venerable Tianhong’s faction, but Situ Zhen said they had to honor their agreement.
• Situ Zhen decided to grant Wang Su the lesser title of Guest Elder and seek his Heavenly Evolution Token, which the sect believed was tied to the greatest secret of the Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm.
• Li Yunwen agreed that obtaining the token mattered more than giving Wang Su a Guest Elder position, which carried little authority or status.

Su Shi'er broke through to the Golden Core stage and discovered the full reach of his divine sense. He received a warning and instructions from Shen Miaoyin, leaving him to guard the Heavenly Evolution Token and stay cautious amid the Phantom Star Sect’s turmoil.

• Li Yunwen agreed to watch White Cloud Mountain for Situ Zhen and kill Su Shi'er if necessary, despite worrying about Shen Tianyin and the Disciplinary Hall.
• After several days, the heavenly power of his breakthrough reached Su Shi'er, ending his Sea of Consciousness pain and advancing him to the Golden Core stage.
• Su Shi'er projected his divine sense across his cave dwelling and realized how much more powerful it was than before.
• Su Shi'er sensed a message talisman pass through the formation, drew it to himself, and received Shen Miaoyin's message.
• Shen Miaoyin warned Su Shi'er that the Phantom Star Sect had changed and Muyun Prefecture was in turmoil, and told him to protect the Heavenly Evolution Token until they met again.

Su Shi'er worried that his Heavenly Evolution Token had made him a target just as Li Yunwen arrived to announce his appointment as a Guest Elder. Across the sect, onlookers and Cheng Jingfeng speculated about the motives behind the promotion and the token’s connection to the Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm.

• Su Shi'er resolved to make others believe that his Heavenly Evolution Token had been destroyed or was no longer in his possession.
• Li Yunwen arrived at White Cloud Mountain and called on Wang Su, announcing that Situ Zhen had ordered his appointment as a Guest Elder.
• Phantom Star Sect disciples were shocked by the unusually rapid appointment and speculated that Wang Su had a powerful background.
• Duanmu Fenlong questioned why Situ Zhen was promoting Wang Su, while Cheng Jingfeng guessed that Wang Su held one of the three tokens tied to the Heavenly Evolution Secret Realm.
• Su Shi'er suspected that Li Yunwen’s visit was really an attempt to get the Heavenly Evolution Token.

Su Shi'er rejected Li Yunwen's offer of an elder's position and refused to hand over the Heavenly Evolution Token. Li Yunwen increased the pressure with his aura, but Su Shi'er stood his ground, leaving their confrontation unresolved.

• Su Shi'er left his cave dwelling to meet Li Yunwen above White Cloud Mountain, determined to keep the Heavenly Evolution Token.
• Li Yunwen offered Su Shi'er an elder's position on behalf of Situ Zhen, but Su Shi'er refused.
• Li Yunwen invoked Venerable Tianhong's support and pressured Su Shi'er, who insisted that circumstances had changed and Tianhong could speak to him directly.
• Li Yunwen released his powerful aura against Su Shi'er, but Su Shi'er endured it while questioning why refusing the position counted as rejecting a favor.
• Li Yunwen demanded the Heavenly Evolution Token, and Su Shi'er denied being obliged to surrender it under sect rules.