Chapter Summaries

A strange thunderclap triggered rapid changes in the spirit fields, mutating Xu Changqing’s Jade Marrow Orchid and drawing him to use the Spirit-Pointing Finger on the Creation Azure Parasol. The parasol transformed along with its three attendant creatures, and Xu Changqing was left staring in astonishment at their new forms.

• Xu Changqing, Li Sancai, and Flower Elder discussed the declining yield of water-element spirit plants when an unnatural thunderclap sounded.
• Sun Shangxiang told Xu Changqing that the Jade Marrow Orchid had changed, and Lin Feng explained that it transformed after the thunder.
• Xu Changqing identified the plant as a Purple-Thunder Jade Marrow Orchid, while Li Sancai and Flower Elder left to inspect their own spirit fields.
• A surge of Wood Qi gathered around the fields, and Lin Feng and Sun Shangxiang began cultivating as Xu Changqing suspected an early Spiritual Qi Tide.
• Xu Changqing used the Spirit-Pointing Finger on the Creation Azure Parasol, causing it to grow and transform the Skywatch Eye, Secret-Hiding Woodworm, and Dawn-Origin Pure Dew into new forms.

Xu Changqing discovered an ancient spirit plant, then followed the enormous spiritual energy disturbance to learn that Mu Ji was attempting to break through to Spirit Transformation. The Immortal Sect’s senior figures allowed Xu Changqing to proceed to the Star Vault Palace to observe Mu Ji’s tribulation, while his senior brothers returned to Azurewood Peak.

• Xu Changqing identified the Violetcloud Azure Parasol as an ancient spirit plant and considered using it to forge a powerful puppet.
• A surge of Wood Qi and Fire Qi drew Xu Changqing to Azurewood Peak, where he and his senior brothers realized Mu Ji was breaking through to Spirit Transformation.
• Mu Ji rose into the sky as a streak of dark green light, and Xu Changqing followed him with Qin Ye, Zhou Yan, and Gu Qiao.
• The Elder of Law Enforcement blocked the group from approaching Beyond the Heavens, but several Immortal Sect leaders vouched for Xu Changqing.
• Xu Changqing joined Li Wudao and the other leaders on the way to the Star Vault Palace, while his three senior brothers returned to Azurewood Peak and marveled at his connections.

Mu Ji underwent the Spirit Transformation Heavenly Tribulation in Beyond the Heavens, surviving its first trial by using his Fire Spiritual Root to refine the opposing Molten Fire Tribulation. During the second trial, the laws of heaven and earth disrupted his Wood-Fire balance, and he began to lose control as his Withered-Verdant Hairpin appeared above him.

• At Star Vault Palace, Xuan Yan projected Mu Ji’s tribulation site in Beyond the Heavens for the gathered elders and Xu Changqing.
• Li Wudao explained that Mu Ji’s first trial, Law Nullification, tested his control of his Spiritual Roots as the Molten Fire Tribulation countered his Wood Qi.
• Mu Ji used his Fire Spiritual Root to absorb and refine the magma, enduring the first trial and strengthening his control over the Law of Fire.
• Chao Jin announced the second trial, Law Assimilation, as unfamiliar law patterns suppressed Mu Ji’s Wood-Fire Dual Spiritual Roots and disrupted their balance.
• Mu Ji lost control and sent flames and vines against each other, while Mo Qiushui and Li Wudao warned that the conflicting laws could tear apart his soul.
• Mu Ji’s Withered-Verdant Hairpin flew from his sleeve and hovered above his head.

Mu Ji overcame the first stages of his Spirit Transformation Reversal Tribulation by balancing his Wood-Fire Dual Spiritual Roots with the Withered-Verdant Hairpin and stabilizing his divine soul with a talisman. As the final Law Storm threatened to overwhelm him, Azurewood Peak’s Life Pool sent him vital force, allowing him to form a flourishing domain that began to dissolve the storm.

• Mu Ji used the Withered-Verdant Hairpin and a Daoheart Stabilizing Talisman to resist Law Assimilation and shatter the laws invading his body, returning to youth.
• Chao Jin and Mo Qiushui praised Mu Ji’s method, while Xu Changqing saw hope for his own Multiple Spiritual Roots.
• A powerful Law Storm formed around Mu Ji, dragging him toward its black vortex and cracking his spiritual barrier and talisman’s golden light.
• Azurewood Peak’s Life Pool sent a pillar of Life Force to Mu Ji, strengthening him and the Withered-Verdant Hairpin.
• Mu Ji formed a flourishing domain that combined wood, fire, withering, and flourishing, gradually dissolving and absorbing the Law Storm.

Mu Ji broke through to the Spirit Transformation Realm and left to stabilize his cultivation while Li Wudao explained the realm to Xu Changqing. Xu Changqing returned to Azurewood Peak to check on Mu Ning, then continued his cultivation and began refining puppets.

• Mu Ji refined the final fragment of law, broke through to Spirit Transformation, and flew away to stabilize his realm.
• Li Wudao explained Spirit Transformation and Mu Ji’s Wither-and-Bloom Grand Dao to Xu Changqing and the others at Star Vault Palace.
• After a meeting, Xu Changqing left for Azurewood Peak and found its spiritual energy depleted and Mu Ning unresponsive.
• Xu Changqing chose not to use the Spirit-Pointing Finger on Azurewood Peak and left Mu Ning to recover naturally.
• Xu Changqing tended the Spirit Fields, cultivated Violetcloud Azure Parasol, guided Sun Shangxiang and Lin Feng, and began refining puppets.

Xu Changqing refined the Violetcloud Azure Parasol into a powerful Spirit Plant Puppet, named it Xu Zixiao, and sent it out to explore under his identity. Through their shared senses, Xu Changqing watched the puppet arrive at the Nine Yaoguang Domains.

• Xu Changqing used the Portable Space to shape the Violetcloud Azure Parasol into a humanlike body and embed its Purple Firmament Spirit Crystal core.
• Xu Changqing carved the Nine Chapters of Puppetry into the puppet, infused it with his magic power and essence blood, and awakened it as the Purple Firmament Puppet.
• Xu Changqing armed the puppet with a top-grade dharma artifact, spirit talismans, spirit stones, pills, and nineteen types of runes.
• Xu Changqing named the puppet Xu Zixiao and ordered it to use his name, Xu Changqing, while venturing out to train and explore.
• Gonggong of the Water Spirit Root left with the puppet, and Xu Changqing watched through their shared senses as it arrived at the Nine Yaoguang Domains.

Xu Changqing celebrated Bei Qingtang’s breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm and accepted Mu Ji’s offer to become the Dongting Immortal Sect’s Si Geng. The sect’s Grand Elder and leaders approved his appointment, while Gonggong and Xu Zixiao reached the outskirts of Shimmering Jade Grotto.

• Xu Changqing harvested several spirit plants, gaining 536 years of lifespan while his clone and puppet feasted with the Long Clan.
• After six months of cultivation and exploration, Gonggong and Xu Zixiao reached Shimmering Jade Grotto, where they prepared to investigate its possible connection to the Source of the Profound River.
• Mu Ji summoned Xu Changqing to Azurewood Peak after Bei Qingtang broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm, and Xu Changqing brought her three rare spirit plants as a gift.
• Mu Ji rewarded Xu Changqing with Nine-Revolution Divine-Concentration Pills, a cultivation diagram, and a Spirit Fields Secret Record, then offered him the position of Si Geng.
• Grand Elder Xuan Yan and the Immortal Sect’s leaders approved Xu Changqing’s succession, and Xuan Yan announced that he would take over as Si Geng.

Bei Qingtang learned that her Inferior Nascent Soul limited her potential, while Xu Changqing watched Xu Zixiao explore a dangerous thunder domain and recognized the power needed to awaken his Lightning Spiritual Root. After becoming Si Geng, Xu Changqing restructured the Spirit Fields and demanded loyalty in exchange for Spirit Cultivation Envoy positions, with the Zhang Family pledging its support.

• Mu Ji told Bei Qingtang that her Inferior Nascent Soul could reach Spirit Transformation at most, then proposed taking her on a trip to receive a Daoist title and enter her name on the rolls.
• Xu Changqing watched Gonggong and Xu Zixiao reach the edge of Shimmering Jade Grotto's Floating Thunder Domain and realized its Thunder Source could awaken his Lightning Spiritual Root.
• News spread that Xu Changqing had become Si Geng, and a thousand Spirit Fields members gathered to greet him at Flat-Top Mountain.
• Xu Changqing announced that he would add three Spirit Cultivation Envoys and told Rong Yan that the Rong Family must offer its loyalty to compete for a position.
• Zhang Su presented Xu Changqing with ten land deeds and pledged, on behalf of the Zhang Family, twenty percent of the Spirit Fields' annual profits and obedience to his orders.

Xu Changqing announced an open selection for three Spirit Cultivator positions and considered who would take over as Grain Lord. As his first major act as Si Geng, he proposed investigating and clearing dangerous disaster sites across the Spirit Fields, saying Mu Ji had authorized him to handle it.

• Xu Changqing confirmed Zhang Su as a Spirit Cultivator and opened the other positions to a cultivation contest and a popular vote.
• Flower Elder explained that his steward position would remain unchanged unless he died, while Xu Changqing weighed the demands of choosing a new Grain Lord.
• Xu Changqing unveiled a map marking cultivated fields, reclamation areas, and disaster sites, and proposed investigating the dangerous zones.
• Flower Elder warned Xu Changqing that Mu Ji had failed to resolve the disaster-site problem, but Xu Changqing said Mu Ji had told him to handle it himself.

Xu Changqing led the Spirit Cultivator Envoys to inspect the Rage-Spirit Storm’s ruined fields and heard their proposals for restoring them. The group offered several possible methods, but Xu Changqing concluded that none had yet solved the problem of suppressing the chaotic spiritual energy.

• Flower Elder identified the lingering Rage-Spirit Storm disorder and the Spirit-Absorbing Leeches’ muddy swamp as the two most troublesome disasters, and Xu Changqing chose to inspect them.
• At the barren Rage-Spirit Storm site, Li Sancai proposed water spells and a reinforced Earth-Fixing Grand Formation to dilute and suppress the contaminated spiritual energy.
• Zhang Su argued that the contamination had seeped underground and proposed Pure-Spirit Jade Talismans and a Spirit-Gathering Array to cleanse and redirect it.
• Miao Huayu suggested planting spirit plants such as Purifying Spirit Grass to improve the fields while producing something they could sell to Beast Spirit Valley.
• Lin Xiaoman recommended nourishing the soil with water-element spells, then planting Purifying Spirit Grass and using Wood Spirit Root disciples to cast Spring Returns to Withered Wood.
• Xu Changqing praised parts of the proposals but said they lacked an effective way to suppress the chaotic spiritual energy.

Xu Changqing proposed repairing the first ruined Spirit Field by digging out its contaminated earth and using his Auspicious Grain Record to restore it with a rare spirit plant. At a second site, he found a far more dangerous swamp of Spirit-Absorbing Leeches and considered seeking help from Fengrao Commandery.

• Xu Changqing explained that his Auspicious Grain Record could restore damaged Spirit Fields and Earth Veins, and he proposed asking Han Su to help dig out the first site.
• Xu Changqing and the others examined the second ruined Spirit Field, where black sludge, death qi, and giant Spirit-Absorbing Leeches had consumed the land.
• Lin Xiaoman suggested contacting Fengrao Commandery about a rare mother insect that could control other insects, and Xu Changqing planned to speak with Wang Han.
• Xu Changqing examined the toxic, corrosive sludge and realized the second site would be difficult and dangerous to clear.

Xu Changqing mastered the Bloodline Grafting Secret Art and learned that it could create powerful composite bloodlines, then sought an Insect Matriarch to use its abilities. At the Spirit Field Core Administration Office, he reunited with Wang Han and welcomed the returning Han Su, leaving his companions moved by his warmth.

• Xu Changqing upgraded the Bloodline Grafting Secret Art to Masterful Tier, unlocking abilities that could create composite bloodlines and establish new species.
• Xu Changqing recalled the Spirit-Locking Soul-Sealing Array and planned to test a fusion with the Fur-Clad Technique on Zhurong.
• Xu Changqing asked Wang Han about the Insect Matriarch in Fengrao Commandery and offered him ten jin of Purple Firmament Spirit Dew to find one.
• Li Sancai informed Xu Changqing that Han Su had returned, and Xu Changqing warmly welcomed his junior brother.
• Xu Changqing told Wang Han and Han Su that he was fortunate to have them by his side, while Li Sancai saw a resemblance to Li Lingbi of old.

Xu Changqing brought Han Su to excavate a disaster-stricken field, where Han Su revealed he had separated from Xianglin to pursue the Golden Core. After learning that the Tilling Officer Token held the Earth-Sealing Scripture, one of the Five Scriptures, Xu Changqing was left without the token and discovered it had been given to his Eldest Senior Sister.

• Xu Changqing showed Han Su a ruined field and proposed digging out its Earth Qi, soil, and veins instead of repairing them.
• Han Su said he and Xianglin had decided to part, leaving her and their child in the Central Region while he returned to seek a Golden Core.
• Xu Changqing learned from Gu Qiao that the Soul-Nurturing Grass had ripened and went to Azurewood Peak to collect it before meeting Mu Yunsheng.
• Xu Changqing asked Mu Ji for his Tilling Officer Token, but Mu Ji said he had given it to Qing Tang to help her pursue the Earth Spirit Root and become an array master.
• Mu Ji revealed that the Tilling Officer Token contained the Earth-Sealing Scripture, a supreme Heaven Grade technique and one of the Five Scriptures of the Heavenly Origin Realm.

Mu Ji explained that the Earth-Sealing Scripture united earth’s ability to bear life with wood’s vitality, giving Xu Changqing a deeper understanding of Si Geng’s authority. Xu Changqing then brought the matured Soul-Nurturing Grass to Mu Yunsheng in Beast Spirit Valley, where Mu Yunsheng recognized it and joked about being swindled.

• Mu Ji taught Xu Changqing that the Earth-Sealing Scripture awakened Earth Veins through the vitality of a Wood Spirit Root, and Xu Changqing understood its Life-Bearing Unity.
• Mu Ji told Xu Changqing that Qing Tang would deliver him the Tilling Officer Token forged from Resting Soil after she completed her studies.
• Xu Changqing visited Gu Qiao and confirmed that their Soul-Nurturing Grass had matured, then sealed and transplanted the plant with some Spirit Soil and spiritual energy.
• Xu Changqing flew to Beast Spirit Valley, where Mu Yunsheng and the others celebrated the birth of an Earthfire Mystic Rhino.
• Xu Changqing showed Mu Yunsheng the matured Soul-Nurturing Grass, and Mu Yunsheng jokingly accused him of wanting to swindle the Fur-Clad Technique from him.

Xu Changqing received the complete Fur-Clad Technique from Mu Yunsheng and returned to Red Maple Valley, where he reunited with Linglong and Ruo Qunshuang. After studying and practicing the technique, he used the system to raise it to max level and discovered it could eventually create a Myriad Forms Spirit Cloak.

• Mu Yunsheng gave Xu Changqing the complete Fur-Clad Technique and entrusted him with a Soul-Nurturing Grass seed to preserve.
• Xu Changqing declined an Earthfire Mystic Rhino calf, then returned to Red Maple Valley and reunited with Linglong and Ruo Qunshuang.
• Xu Changqing studied the Fur-Clad Technique and spent three days unsuccessfully stitching hides sent by Lin An.
• Xu Changqing grasped the technique on the fourth day and used 120 years of lifespan to upgrade it from Initiation to max level.
• Xu Changqing learned that the max-level technique could fuse nine hides and souls into a Myriad Forms Spirit Cloak with powerful abilities.

Xu Changqing used the Bloodline Grafting Secret Art to replace Wangwang’s weak bloodline with the Spirit Mastiff Bloodline. The graft succeeded, leaving Wangwang stronger and renewed beside the Spirit Spring.

• Xu Changqing decided to extend Wangwang’s life by grafting a rarer bloodline onto him.
• Xu Changqing chose the compatible Spirit Mastiff Bloodline and prepared the Spirit Spring, a Spirit-Gathering Array, a Meridian-Clearing Pill, and warm jade for the procedure.
• Xu Changqing activated the Bloodline Grafting Secret Art, removed Wangwang’s mixed bloodline, and merged the Spirit Mastiff core into him.
• The secret art adjusted the new bloodline’s traits and healed Wangwang as his body grew larger and his vitality increased.
• After the graft fully fused, Wangwang rose with golden fur and a vigorous bark, and Xu Changqing saw that he felt well.

Xu Changqing’s successful graft of the Spirit Mastiff Bloodline rejuvenated Wangwang and gave it Thousand-Mile Tracking, prompting him to consider changing the bloodlines of his other spirit pets. Half a year later, Bei Qingtang returned the Tilling Officer Token, which revealed the Earth-Sealing Scripture and its authority over the Immortal Sect’s Spirit Fields.

• Xu Changqing confirmed Wangwang had gained a three-hundred-year lifespan, enhanced physical abilities, and Thousand-Mile Tracking, then played fetch with the rejuvenated dog.
• Xu Changqing considered grafting new bloodlines onto Cluck-Cluck and the Black Cat, but Linglong said the Black Cat did not need it, and Cluck-Cluck showed no signs of aging.
• Nearly half a year passed peacefully, during which Lin Xiaoyan became pregnant.
• Bei Qingtang arrived at Red Maple Valley and returned the Tilling Officer Token to Xu Changqing, saying she no longer needed it after comprehending the earth path.
• Xu Changqing activated the token and received the Earth-Sealing Scripture’s sixteen-word essence, while Bei Qingtang explained that it granted authority over the Immortal Sect’s Spirit Fields and Earth Veins.

Xu Changqing bonded with the Tilling Officer Token and used its powers to enrich the spiritual energy in Red Maple Valley. The influx helped him advance to the Late Golden Core Stage, while Sun Shangxiang and Lin Feng also broke through.

• Bei Qingtang told Xu Changqing that she and their master would travel to the Heavenly Evolution Pavilion to register her Dao title, Pure Soil.
• After Bei Qingtang left, Xu Changqing bonded with the Tilling Officer Token and sensed the Immortal Sect’s Spirit Fields and Earth Veins.
• Xu Changqing activated the token’s Spirit Vein Nourishment and Spiritual Energy Convergence effects, filling Red Maple Valley with dense spiritual energy.
• Xu Changqing cultivated with the token’s aid and advanced from the Middle Golden Core Realm to the Late Golden Core Stage.
• Xu Changqing discovered that Sun Shangxiang and Lin Feng had also broken through.

Xu Changqing received the Profound Water Pearl and resources Xu Zixiao brought back from the Nine Yaoguang Domains, then learned he had been ranked sixty-sixth on the Golden Core Tiger Ranking. He concluded that the ranking reflected his rising status rather than unusual attention, while the Mermaid Clan offered to establish trade relations.

• Xu Zixiao returned from the Nine Yaoguang Domains and reported that the Shimmering Jade Grotto exploration had ended, bringing Spirit Stones, Spirit Plant seeds, and Artifact Refining materials.
• Xu Zixiao presented Xu Changqing with the Profound Water Pearl, a gift from Mermaid Clan princess Xuan Zhu, and explained its benefits for Spirit Plants, water veins, and cultivation.
• Xu Changqing checked the pearl's effects, recognized how it complemented his cultivation and Tilling Officer Token, and kept it close to his body.
• Xu Zixiao relayed Xuan Zhu's offer to trade spirit pearls and spiritual water for Xu Changqing's high-quality Spirit Plants, and Xu Changqing welcomed the possibility of mutual exchange.
• Xu Zixiao told Xu Changqing that the Heavenly Evolution Pavilion had ranked him sixty-sixth on the Golden Core Tiger Ranking, which Xu Changqing attributed to his rising status.

Xu Changqing sent Xu Zixiao to Black Miasma Marsh, where they discovered Insect Cultivators using living people to breed Spirit-Devouring Worms. Xu Zixiao attacked the cultivators on Xu Changqing’s orders, and the chapter ended as his Sword Qi cut through their swarming insects.

• Xu Changqing sent Xu Zixiao to Fengrao Commandery to help Wang Han find the mother worm.
• Wang Han led Xu Zixiao into Black Miasma Marsh, where they found corpses wrapped in insect silk and learned that Insect Cultivators were raising insects with living people.
• Xu Zixiao and Wang Han discovered a stronghold with captives in cages and a Spirit-Devouring Mother Worm laying eggs in a blood pool.
• Xu Changqing ordered Xu Zixiao to keep the mother worm alive and kill every Insect Cultivator.
• The Insect Cultivators attacked Xu Zixiao with swarms of worms and poisonous silk, but his Sword Qi sliced through the insects.