Chapter Summaries

Xu Changqing upgraded the Nine-Flame Profound Art and merged five cultivation arts into the max-level Five-Element Art. After harvesting his spirit fields, he welcomed Wangwang’s unusually large sixth pup and named it Wangzai.

• Xu Changqing spent twenty years of lifespan to upgrade the Nine-Flame Profound Art to max level, gaining nine powerful flame effects, including Black Flame’s ability to merge cultivation arts and spells.
• Xu Changqing used Black Flame to combine the Gold-Carving Formula, Green Lotus Creation Art, Gentle Water Formula, Blazing-Oil Method, and Thick Earth Carries All Technique into the max-level Five-Element Art.
• Xu Changqing harvested the spirit plants across his five mu of Spirit Fields, gaining 44,235 days of lifespan, and chose not to plant more because he planned to move to Red Maple Valley.
• Hu Bugui and Zhao Mo arrived, and Zhao Mo returned Wangwang’s sixth pup after caring for it while Xu Changqing was away.
• Xu Changqing was surprised by the pup’s size and named it Wangzai.

Xu Changqing divided the Return-to-Ruins Secret Realm profits with Hu Bugui, Zhao Ziyue, and Bai Xiaotian while dealing with Wangzai’s energetic antics. After Flower Elder asked him to inspect Red Maple Valley, Xu Changqing arrived to find the valley stripped of its buildings and eerily quiet.

• Hu Bugui gave Xu Changqing the net earnings of 268,658 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, and Xu Changqing distributed the shares among himself, Hu Bugui, Zhao Ziyue, and Bai Xiaotian.
• Hu Bugui left to buy land for spirit beast nests and said Zhao Ziyue would return in the next few days.
• Wangzai dug rapidly underground, and Xu Changqing pulled the pup out before it could undermine the doghouse.
• Flower Elder told Xu Changqing that Red Maple Valley had been cleared and asked him to inspect the site and choose locations for rooms, Spirit Fields, and formations.
• Wangzai ran into Cluck-Cluck’s coop, where Cluck-Cluck kicked it away and sent it back whimpering to Wangwang.
• Xu Changqing reached Red Maple Valley and found the buildings gone, the streets covered in fallen leaves, and the valley quiet.

Xu Changqing surveyed Red Maple Valley and settled on sites for his home, Spirit Fields, and pond, then arranged their relocation with Flower Elder. Afterward, he visited Zhu Fuxian with wine and was welcomed inside.

• Xu Changqing inspected Red Maple Valley, chose a house site, Spirit Fields, and pond, and asked the Crimson Maple Ancient Tree for permission to move the Poplar Tree Spirit there.
• Xu Changqing visited the Core Administration Office, where Flower Elder agreed to arrange for Earth Spirit Root disciples to move his Spirit Fields and increased his total to six mu after learning of his Foundation Establishment Middle Stage breakthrough.
• Flower Elder reminded Xu Changqing to explain his return to Zhu Fuxian, and Xu Changqing set off to visit him that evening with three kinds of Supreme-Grade wine.
• Xu Changqing greeted Zhu Fuxian as Senior Brother Zhu, and Zhu Fuxian teased him before inviting him inside.

After returning to the Spirit Fields, Xu Changqing learned that the Spirit Grain Sect would join them and worried the Yellow Springs Alliance might be behind the sects’ recent migrations. He then explored his Portable Space, which had transformed after his Golden Core breakthrough, and found the Cradle Ice Embryo absorbing the Mirage Dragon’s remains and nearing birth.

• Xu Changqing told Zhu Fuxian how the explosion had delayed his return, and Zhu reassured him while reminding him that his assessments had helped many outer disciples become regular disciples.
• Zhu Fuxian told Xu Changqing that the Spirit Grain Sect would join the Spirit Fields because the Azuretide Sea Region’s Dragon Vein had been severed.
• Xu Changqing suspected the Yellow Springs Alliance had engineered the sects’ arrival, but Zhu Fuxian said the order had come from above and could not likely be refused.
• After drinking with Zhu Fuxian, Xu Changqing returned home and reflected on leaving his five-year home for Red Maple Valley.
• Xu Changqing entered his Portable Space and discovered that it had expanded and transformed into a realm with richer resources and more efficient cultivation.
• Xu Changqing saw that the Cradle Ice Embryo had fused with part of the Mirage Dragon’s remains, and the fetus inside had grown clearer and appeared close to being born.

After harvesting Mutated Spirit Rice and expanding his Spirit Fields, Xu Changqing returned to the surface and arranged for Wu Guangman’s team to build his new residence. He then arrived at the Outer Spirit Fields for the third-quarter assessment and was surprised to find Luo Mumu among the assessors.

• Xu Changqing harvested four kinds of Mutated Spirit Rice, raising his remaining lifespan to 2,041 years, and expanded each variety’s planting area to eight mu.
• Xu Changqing inspected the Inscribed Bone Mound’s new treasures and an unfamiliar snake corpse brought out by the Bone-Inscription Puppets.
• Wu Guangman and his team arrived to help Xu Changqing move, and he gave them his detailed house blueprint before departing.
• Xu Changqing overheard Wu Guangman’s team say Han Su was undergoing Foundation Establishment and realized that was why he could not contact him.
• Xu Changqing reached the Outer Spirit Fields for the third-quarter assessment and found that Luo Mumu was the third formal disciple conducting it.

After the Outer Spirit Fields assessment ended, Xu Changqing moved his household to a newly built home in Red Maple Valley and named it Red Maple Residence. He welcomed friends and former disciples to a housewarming gathering, where they arrived with gifts.

• Xu Changqing finished the third-quarter assessment, with twelve outer sect disciples becoming regular disciples, and returned to find his five mu of Spirit Fields had been moved.
• Three days later, Xu Changqing brought his animals and the Poplar Tree Spirit to the completed home in Red Maple Valley, settled them into the grounds, and named the house Red Maple Residence.
• Xu Changqing planned to have Han Xin install formations to protect the residence, then contacted acquaintances and disciples to invite them to his housewarming.
• Hu Bugui arrived first with spirit beast meat, followed by Rong Yan, Ruo Qunshuang, Han Xin, and Zhang Su, who brought gifts.
• Li Sancai arrived with Li Lingbi, Qin Baili, Qiu Su, and Xuancang, each bringing gifts, while Han Su and Li Xianglin later arrived with a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone.
• Miao Huayu, Xu Linshan, and the other newly regular disciples arrived with freshly harvested Spirit Rice Grain.

Xu Changqing celebrated moving into Red Maple Valley with a feast for his guests, then reunited with Yu Caiqing after everyone left. Yu Caiqing told him her constitution had recovered and that she would join Redflame Peak the next day, but she stayed with him for the night.

• Xu Changqing hosted a housewarming feast at Red Maple Residence, where his guests explored the home, ate, drank, and discussed the Azuretide Sea Region.
• The guests gradually departed, and Hu Bugui told Xu Changqing that Lao Zhao was fishing in the Turbid Current Belt and would not return soon.
• Yu Caiqing arrived, and Xu Changqing learned that she had refined the Yin-Yang Interweaving Pill and recovered her constitution, though it had left hidden dangers.
• Yu Caiqing told Xu Changqing that she had joined Redflame Peak with her sister's help and would go up the mountain the next day.
• Xu Changqing and Yu Caiqing walked around Red Maple Residence, shared what had happened in their lives, and went inside together for the night.

Xu Changqing raised the Nine-Bend Tidebirth Art to its ninth layer and tested the powerful water-control abilities of its Tide Core. He then caught Wangwang and Wangzai digging a deep hole and punished them for risking damage to his home.

• Xu Changqing spent thirty years of lifespan to raise the Nine-Bend Tidebirth Art from its first layer to its ninth.
• Xu Changqing summoned a Tide Core and tested how its rotation drew water from the nearby creek and pond.
• Xu Changqing found Wangwang and Wangzai digging a hole more than five meters deep near his home.
• Xu Changqing used Earth Qi and branches from the red maple tree to whip both dogs while Cluck-Cluck watched.
• Xu Changqing ordered Fortress to withhold the dogs' dinner.

Xu Changqing visited the Core Administration Office to check his points and ask about exchanging them for a cultivation art suited to his Water-Wood Dual Spiritual Roots. Afterward, he refused Ji Mingxuan’s invitation to explore an underwater Secret Realm and headed home.

• Xu Changqing arrived at the Spirit Fields Administration Office and greeted Ji Mingxuan, who introduced him to the newly arrived Wood Spirit Root cultivators from the Azuretide Sea Region.
• Xu Changqing asked Flower Elder about his points and learned he had 5,025, while an Earth Grade cultivation art cost 6,000 points.
• Flower Elder advised Xu Changqing to consult the Grain Master about a cultivation art that could control both Water and Wood Qi.
• Ji Mingxuan told Xu Changqing about an underwater Secret Realm connected to the Spirit Grain Sect’s ancestor and invited him to explore it.
• Xu Changqing rejected Ji Mingxuan’s invitation, saying he only wanted to farm, and left for home.

Xu Changqing mastered the Sea-Covering Seal and tested its destructive power before the year ended. After the Outer Spirit Fields celebrated a record number of new regulars, he reunited with his friends to shop for New Year goods and learned Zhao Ziyue had released the fish he was supposed to bring back.

• Xu Changqing spent several days studying the Sea-Covering Seal, then used twenty years of lifespan to raise it to Level Six.
• Xu Changqing tested the spell in his Portable Space, destroying a massive boulder and flattening and freezing the ground with its water attacks.
• The year ended after fifty-two people became regulars across the four Outer Spirit Fields assessments, earning praise from the stewards, Grain Lords, and Si Geng.
• Lao Zhao returned from Profound Heart City, and Xu Changqing invited Hu Bugui, Zhao Ziyue, and Li Sancai to visit the New Market by the Flower Sea.
• Xu Changqing asked Zhao Ziyue where the fish were, and Zhao Ziyue awkwardly admitted that he had released them.

Xu Changqing and his companions visited the expanded New Market, where they explored its many specialized trading areas and celebrated the New Year. Xu Changqing returned to Red Maple Valley to celebrate with his animal companions, while Hu Bugui discovered a Foundation Establishment Pill in his gift.

• Xu Changqing, Hu Bugui, Li Sancai, and Zhao Ziyue flew to the New Market and saw how its expanded Flower Sea hosted specialized trading areas for spirit farming, talismans, alchemy, artifacts, and formations.
• Li Sancai told Xu Changqing that Xuancang had provided Han Su with an Earth Spirit Root-exclusive Foundation Establishment Pill through installment payments.
• The four friends shopped at the New Market, encountered Zhao Ying's family and Zhang Xue, and Hu Bugui, Li Sancai, and Zhao Ziyue decided to stay there for New Year.
• Xu Changqing gave his friends New Year gifts, returned to Red Maple Valley, and celebrated with Wangwang, Wangzai, Cluck-Cluck, Fortress, and the Poplar Tree Spirit.
• Hu Bugui opened his gift at the New Market and found a Foundation Establishment Pill.

On New Year's Day, Xu Changqing visited Zhu Fuxian, hoping to secure an Earth Grade cultivation method, but news that Profound Heart City had been destroyed interrupted them. He went to the Core Administration Office and asked Flower Elder to exchange for a method, where he reviewed the thirteen options available.

• Xu Changqing rode Shattered Moon, Falling Frost to Zhu Fuxian's Spirit Fields to pay a New Year call and probe for a way to obtain an Earth Grade cultivation method.
• Zhu Fuxian praised Xu Changqing's work and explained that the Spirit Fields' management consisted of Si Geng, himself, Flower Elder, and Xu Changqing.
• Zhu Fuxian learned that Profound Heart City had exploded and been flooded by Evil Water, with more than five hundred Dongting Immortal Sect disciples stationed there, and hurried away.
• Xu Changqing noticed snow falling and flew to the Core Administration Office, worrying that Senior Brother Qin and Senior Brother Chu might have been in danger.
• Xu Changqing asked Flower Elder to exchange for an Earth Grade cultivation method, and Flower Elder presented thirteen available options.

Xu Changqing chose the Water-Wood Circulation Canon and returned to Red Maple Valley, where Lin An revealed he planned to stay in Dongqing City because he and Zhang Laizi had fallen for each other. The chapter ended with Xu Changqing reflecting that the Rogue Cultivator Market remained his steadiest source of income after Profound Heart City was lost.

• Xu Changqing selected the Water-Wood Circulation Canon, spending 6,000 points and leaving himself with 150.
• Xu Changqing returned to Red Maple Valley through heavy snow and worried that the unusual cold might affect the Thousand Sects Dharma Assembly.
• Lin An returned from Dongqing City and told Xu Changqing that he and Zhang Laizi had developed feelings for each other and had already been together.
• Lin An asked to keep traveling between Red Maple Valley and Dongqing City to handle business, and Xu Changqing agreed as long as Lin An did not reveal his identity.
• Lin An handed Xu Changqing the spirit stones, monster parts, and other goods he had earned, while Xu Changqing reflected on the loss of Profound Heart City and the escaped mermaid princess.

Xu Changqing recognized the relentless snowfall as a likely Snow of the Cold Abyss disaster and went to the Spirit Field Core for help protecting the fields. As he set out to find formation masters, Zhang Su warned him that someone wanted to harm him.

• Xu Changqing saw that four days of snow had buried the Spirit Fields and suspected the Snow of the Cold Abyss had arrived early.
• Xu Changqing flew to the palace on Flat-Top Mountain, where Flower Elder and the gathered Spirit Farmers were discussing the disaster.
• Xu Changqing agreed to find Earth Vein steward Yang Zhenyue and request at least ten formation masters to set up Warm-Sun Formations.
• Zhang Su accompanied Xu Changqing from the palace and secretly warned him that someone wanted to harm him.

Xu Changqing learned that newcomers were probing for dirt on him, then joined Zhang Su at the Earth Vein, where they discovered a deadly leak and a hidden spirit insect connected to Rong Long. He captured the Dung Gold Beetle for a friend and prepared to investigate the next location.

• Zhang Su warned Xu Changqing that recent Spirit Fields recruits were secretly seeking bad news about him, and Xu asked Zhang to watch them for signs of trouble.
• Xu Changqing and Zhang Su reached the Earth Vein, where Bei Qinghui let them pass after seeing Xu's Spirit-Nurturer Envoy Token.
• Yang Zhenyue told Xu Changqing that another Earth Vein leak had killed several Formal Disciples and that the Punishment Hall had found hidden dangers left by Rong Long.
• Yang Zhenyue led Xu Changqing to a mine tunnel, where Xu identified a Dung Gold Beetle as the spirit insect he had come to inspect.
• Xu Changqing stored the Dung Gold Beetle in a Spirit Beast Pouch for his friend and left the dung ball behind.

Xu Changqing captured a rare Thunder-Gold Kui from an underground cavern and shared wine with Yang Zhenyue before joining formation masters to protect the Spirit Fields from the snow. Along the way, he learned that strange disasters and disappearances were spreading through the Earth Vein, while Profound Heart City remained silent.

• Xu Changqing identified the Thunder-Gold Kui attached to a massive Thunder-Ringing Stone, subdued it with Black Iron Vines, and stored it in his Spirit Beast Pouch.
• Xu Changqing gave Yang Zhenyue Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice Wine in thanks, and Yang Zhenyue said three hidden dangers remained but the group would continue later.
• Xu Changqing reunited with Han Xin, who asked him for more wine, then traveled with Zhang Su and eleven formation masters toward the Spirit Fields.
• The formation masters reported leaking Yellow Qi, collapsing Spirit Veins, and missing disciples found turned into stone statues; Zhang Su wondered whether the disasters began after the Dragon Vein of the Azuretide Sea Region was severed.
• Xu Changqing assigned the formation masters to install Warm-Sun Formations across the Spirit Fields, and the formations began melting snow and driving away the cold.

Xu Changqing helped contain the Snow of the Cold Abyss by deploying Warm-Sun Formations, though the disaster destroyed the new disciples’ spirit plants and stirred resentment against him. Back in his Portable Space, he tried to tame the Thunder-Gold Kui, and the creature mounted a final resistance as he inscribed a contract talisman.

• Warm-Sun Formations were deployed across most Spirit Fields, melting the snow and limiting the damage.
• Ji Mingxuan’s group and other spirit farmers blamed Xu Changqing for reacting too slowly, while Miao Huayu, Xu Linshan, and others defended him.
• Flower Elder praised Xu Changqing’s response and confirmed that the Immortal Sect would cover the losses suffered by affected spirit farmers.
• Xu Changqing reported that he and Steward Yang had inspected two of five hidden dangers, then returned to Red Maple Valley to tend to his insects.
• Xu Changqing lured the Thunder-Gold Kui with Gold-Thunder Bait, dropped his blood onto it, and began inscribing a Kui-Pattern Contract Talisman as it resisted with its remaining lightning power.

Xu Changqing bonded with a powerful Thunder-Gold Kui and discovered that the Thunder Dragon Water-Repelling Boat had evolved into the Mirage Shadow Thunder Dragon Ship. After several days of inspecting the snow-covered Spirit Fields, he learned that Hu Bugui had reached Foundation Establishment, though Lao Zhao had disappeared.

• Xu Changqing bonded with the exhausted Thunder-Gold Kui and saw its powerful abilities and need for lightning- and gold-attributed energy.
• Xu Changqing summoned the Thunder Dragon Water-Repelling Boat and found it had evolved into the Mirage Shadow Thunder Dragon Ship with new abilities.
• The Thunder-Gold Kui began feeding on the ship’s lightning power, and Xu Changqing decided to raise it in his Portable Space until it matured.
• As snow continued to fall, Xu Changqing inspected the Spirit Fields each day and reported anything abnormal.
• Hu Bugui visited Xu Changqing and announced that he had reached Foundation Establishment; he also said Lao Zhao had disappeared.

Xu Changqing found Zhao Ziyue asleep in Black Dragon Pool, protected by a barrier and surrounded by five Dragonfish, and realized he had gained a mysterious opportunity. Two days later, Zhao Ziyue gave a Dragonfish to a Golden Core Realm cultivator and became his formal disciple, while Hu Bugui worried that he was falling behind his friends.

• Hu Bugui told Xu Changqing that Zhao Ziyue had gone to Black Dragon Pool and could no longer be contacted, so Xu Changqing went to search for him.
• Xu Changqing searched the pool and Dragon-Locking Abyss, where he found Zhao Ziyue asleep inside a gray protective barrier with five Dragonfish circling him.
• Xu Changqing saw a huge water snake arrive and guard Zhao Ziyue, then left when he judged Zhao was no longer in danger.
• Zhao Ziyue and the water snake secretly discussed a plan to seize Xu Changqing's body after Zhao recovered his strength.
• Two days later, Zhao Ziyue gave a Dragonfish to a Golden Core Realm fishing enthusiast and became a formal disciple of Beast Spirit Valley.
• Hu Bugui congratulated his friends inwardly but felt uneasy that Xu Changqing and Zhao Ziyue had advanced while he remained behind.

After the Snow of the Cold Abyss ended, Xu Changqing celebrated with Hu Bugui and Zhao Ziyue, who urged Hu to gain backing by taking a master. Zhu Fuxian summoned Xu Changqing and revealed that Qin Baili had gone missing.

• Xu Changqing welcomed Hu Bugui and Zhao Ziyue after the snow stopped, and Zhao offered Hu a Dragonfish so he could take a master and gain support.
• Xu Changqing explained that becoming a disciple could give Hu connections even if their spiritual roots did not match, and Hu agreed to take a master.
• The three shared a meal while Zhao Ziyue urged them to prepare for trouble, then he left and Hu set out with the Dragonfish.
• Zhu Fuxian summoned Xu Changqing to his spirit fields, where he told him that Qin Baili had gone missing.