Chapter Summaries

Xu Changqing learned how Earth-Origin Fruits could mutate and how Golden Core grades determined access to divine abilities and laws, then buried the seed again and continued his cultivation. As Frost's Descent brought colder weather, Crane Seven arrived, signaling a visit from Chu Qiu.

• Xu Changqing recalled the Earth-Origin Fruit’s properties and three known mutations, including their uses and value.
• Xu Changqing reflected on the advantages of Earth-Grade and Heaven-Grade Golden Cores and resolved to cultivate the seed with Verdant Touch Finger.
• Xu Changqing returned to his Spirit Fields, reburied the Earth-Origin Fruit, and continued studying the Fire Crow Qi-Nurturing Method while cultivating plants and making medicines and wine.
• After Frost's Descent, Xu Changqing sensed a familiar pressure and saw a huge white crane approaching.
• Xu Changqing recognized the crane as Crane Seven and realized its owner, Chu Qiu, was likely visiting.

Chu Qiu visited Xu Changqing after the Crossing Festival, traded a Wood Spirit Puppet for Xu’s Spirit Rice Wine, and left for the Formal Disciple Grand Competition. Xu activated the puppet, named it Fortress, and assigned it to guard and maintain his Spirit Fields.

• Chu Qiu arrived on Crane Seven and congratulated Xu Changqing on his Foundation Establishment, while admitting he had come hoping for Xu’s Spirit Rice Wine.
• Chu Qiu offered Xu the Azure Flood Dragon Cord or a Wood Spirit Puppet as a gift, and Xu chose the puppet because it suited his Wood Spirit Root.
• Xu gave Chu Qiu twenty jin of Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice Wine in return, and Chu Qiu left with Crane Seven to attend the Formal Disciple Grand Competition.
• Xu infused the Wood Spirit Puppet with Wood Spiritual Power and a blood-and-Spiritual-Sense imprint, awakening it and forming a connection with it.
• Xu named the puppet Fortress and ordered it to guard the Spirit Fields, clear droppings and weeds, and fetch clean spring water.

Xu Changqing repaired and advanced the Fire Crow Qi-Nurturing Method, then arranged with Hu Bugui to find Fire Crows for surveillance. They reached the bustling Earthfire Zone during the Alchemy Pavilion’s Pill Appreciation Gathering, where Yu Caiqing invited them to join her.

• Fortress watched Wangwang as it tried to relieve itself, frightening the dog into running toward Stone Mountain while Xu Changqing laughed.
• Xu Changqing fully repaired the Fire Crow Qi-Nurturing Method and advanced it to Level Five, unlocking five Fire Crow contracts, shared vision, scorching flames, Fire Spirit Liquid, and a formation effect.
• Xu Changqing contacted Hu Bugui to buy Fire Crows, and Hu Bugui directed him to the Earthfire Zone and offered to make introductions.
• After lunch, Xu Changqing and Hu Bugui rode Big-Leaf Grass to the Earthfire Zone and encountered Yu Caiqing amid the crowds attending the Pill Appreciation Gathering.
• Yu Caiqing invited Xu Changqing and Hu Bugui to accompany her.

Xu Changqing and Hu Bugui delayed Yu Caiqing’s invitation to the Pill Appreciation Gathering to buy five Fire Crows from Liu Wei. After learning about Fire Crow evolution and the value of Phoenix Feather, they followed Liu Wei to lure the birds with Fire-Attracting Pills, where several Fire Crows gathered overhead.

• Xu Changqing and Hu Bugui told Yu Caiqing they had business to settle, and she agreed to wait half an hour before the Pill Appreciation Gathering.
• Hu Bugui led Xu Changqing to Liu Wei’s stone house, where Liu Wei offered five ordinary Fire Crows for ninety Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Liu Wei explained that Fire Crows could evolve into Leaders or Kings and that Phoenix Feather could trigger their evolution.
• Xu Changqing chose to buy five ordinary Fire Crows rather than use his valuable Phoenix Feather or buy a Fire Crow Leader.
• Liu Wei led Xu Changqing and Hu Bugui near the fissure, placed Fire-Attracting Pills on the ground, and several Fire Crows gathered overhead.

Xu Changqing and Hu Bugui captured five Fire Crows, then parted ways as Xu Changqing returned to meet Yu Caiqing. He found her on Alchemy Heart Tower’s third floor, where she was speaking with Dantai Yuanyu.

• Xu Changqing and Hu Bugui lured Fire Crows with Fire-Attracting Pills, captured six, and Xu Changqing bought five from Liu Wei.
• Liu Wei advised Xu Changqing to starve the Fire Crows before taming them, but Xu Changqing declined his offer of help.
• Hu Bugui headed back to Beast Spirit Valley on his camel, promising to unload some dung along the way.
• Xu Changqing returned to the Earthfire Zone and contacted Yu Caiqing, who told him to meet her at Alchemy Heart Tower.
• A burly man stopped Xu Changqing from going to the third floor until Dantai Yuanyu invited him up, where he found Yu Caiqing drinking tea with Dantai Yuanyu.

Xu Changqing met Dantai Yuanyu, who learned that he could cultivate Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice Grain and medicinal herbs but chose not to recruit him from Li Lingbi’s team. Yu Caiqing then brought Xu Changqing to the Alchemy Tower, where she secured his entry to the Internal Pill Appraisal Gathering.

• Yu Caiqing introduced Xu Changqing to Dantai Yuanyu, who asked about his team and learned he cultivated Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice Grain and medicinal herbs.
• Dantai Yuanyu considered recruiting Xu Changqing but left him with Li Lingbi’s team, then departed for the Pill Appreciation Gathering.
• Xu Changqing heard that Dantai Yuanyu planned to introduce Yu Caiqing to her master, and then followed Yu Caiqing toward the Alchemy Tower.
• Yu Caiqing explained the difference between the outer and internal sections of the gathering and told Xu Changqing that her guarantee allowed him to attend the internal event.
• Yu Caiqing identified Xu Changqing as her partner to the guard captain, who let them enter the Alchemy Tower.

Xu Changqing attended the Internal Pill Appraisal Gathering with Yu Caiqing and learned the Foundation Pill refining process by watching Fang Xiaozi work. When Fang Xiaozi finished, the crowd that had watched him had disappeared.

• Xu Changqing entered the Alchemy Tower with Yu Caiqing, who displayed her high-quality [Water-Fire Dragon-Tiger Pill] at the gathering.
• Xu Changqing learned that the gathering scored displayed pills and that its top ten could attract the attention of a Master Alchemist or Alchemy Grandmaster.
• Xu Changqing found Fang Xiaozi's Supreme-Grade [Foundation Pill] and learned that Fang Xiaozi was a newly Foundation Establishment cultivator and Low-Grade Alchemist.
• Xu Changqing and the others urged Fang Xiaozi to demonstrate his Foundation Pill refining, and he began making a batch before the crowd.
• Xu Changqing closely watched Fang Xiaozi's process and learned most of his Foundation Pill techniques.
• Fang Xiaozi finished forming the pills and looked up to find that the people who had watched him had vanished.

Xu Changqing bought a Profound Origin Qi-Gathering Pill and watched Yu Caiqing judge pills at the Internal Pill Appraisal Gathering. Master Alchemist Wang Yangyin arrived with an Earth-Soul Crystal Prism Pill, but declined to join the competition because he always took first place.

• Xu Changqing bought a high-quality Profound Origin Qi-Gathering Pill for ten Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Xu Changqing found Yu Caiqing appraising pills and offered to take over so she could rest, but she declined.
• Rong Yan accompanied Huo Wan around the Alchemy Tower and spent heavily on expensive pill formulas.
• Wang Yangyin entered the gathering carrying an Earth-Soul Crystal Prism Pill, drawing the crowd's attention.
• A manager invited Wang Yangyin to participate, but he refused, saying he always took first place.

Yu Caiqing placed fourth at the Internal Pill Appraisal Gathering, while Wang Gang won first place with a restored ancient pill formula. After returning home, Xu Changqing checked on his captured Fire Crows and summoned one to begin taming it.

• Wang Yangyin declined to participate in the appraisal and left the Alchemy Tower.
• Wang Gang won first place with his poor-quality [Nine-Aperture Yin-Devouring Pill], a restored remnant formula from a thousand years ago, while Yu Caiqing placed fourth with her [Water-Fire Dragon-Tiger Pill].
• Yu Caiqing received a Spirit-Nurturing Meditation Mat and told Xu Changqing she could use it to improve her chances of refining the [Yin-Yang Interweaving Pill].
• Yu Caiqing asked Xu Changqing to look for Scarlet Yang Ginseng and Profound Yin Ganoderma, and he agreed to ask the spirit farmers.
• Xu Changqing returned home, told Fortress to stop its noisy night patrols, and used the Companion Green Lotus to help Moonlight Grass grow.
• Xu Changqing inspected the five captured Fire Crows and summoned one, intending to tame it using his max-level Fire Crow Qi-Nurturing Method.

Xu Changqing tamed his first Fire Crow by feeding it spirit rice and using the Fire Crow Qi-Nurturing Method, learning about its potential, intimacy, and loyalty. He imagined following the ancient Crow Venerable’s path and ended the chapter by sending the Fire Crow flying into the night.

• The exhausted Fire Crow initially feared Xu Changqing, but his Fire Spiritual Power and Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice restored it and eased its fear.
• Xu Changqing used the Fire Crow Qi-Nurturing Method to establish Spiritual Sense communication, and the Fire Crow eagerly asked for more spirit rice.
• Xu Changqing learned that the Fire Crow had a potential value of 6, Spirit Communion intimacy, and Profit-Driven loyalty.
• Xu Changqing recalled the ancient Crow Venerable, who had controlled tens of thousands of Fire Crows, and imagined doing the same.
• Xu Changqing gave the Fire Crow its first command, and it flew out through the window into the night.

Xu Changqing used his newly tamed Fire Crows to scout Zhu Fuxian’s vast Spirit Fields, where a mysterious cyan light terrified one of them. He tamed all five Fire Crows, discovered their shared vision and Fire Crow Formation, and sent them to patrol his Spirit Fields.

• Xu Changqing tested the Fire Crows’ Shared Vision by sending two of them to Zhu Fuxian’s Spirit Fields, where he saw fifteen acres of crops and empty plots.
• A cyan glow rose from Zhu Fuxian’s fields, frightening the Fire Crows and causing one to flee for an hour before returning to Xu Changqing.
• Xu Changqing fed the frightened Crow One Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice and ordered it to make the other four Fire Crows submit.
• Crow One beat the other Fire Crows into submission, and Xu Changqing named them Crow Two, Crow Three, Crow Four, and Crow Five.
• Xu Changqing discovered that all five Fire Crows could share ten images and that the group could form a basic Fire Crow Formation and produce Fire Spirit Liquid.
• Xu Changqing ordered the five Fire Crows to patrol around his Spirit Fields and make noise if anyone approached.

Xu Changqing sought Scarlet Yang Ginseng and Profound Yin Ganoderma, and Zhu Fuxian offered to sell him some from his stored supply. Xu Changqing visited Zhu Fuxian’s guarded Spirit Fields with Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice Wine, where Zhu Fuxian was impressed by its aroma.

• Xu Changqing contacted Li Sancai and Zhang Su about the medicinal materials, but neither could help before falling back asleep.
• Zhu Fuxian told Xu Changqing that he had Scarlet Yang Ginseng and Profound Yin Ganoderma in storage and agreed to meet him.
• Xu Changqing tended his Spirit Fields, then flew to Zhu Fuxian’s Spirit Fields on Big-Leaf Grass.
• Xu Changqing brought Zhu Fuxian ten jin of his homemade Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice Wine as a gift.
• Zhu Fuxian opened the wine, admired its aroma, and told Xu Changqing that he also brewed wine and studied Spirit Cuisine.

Xu Changqing bought the Scarlet Yang Ginseng and Profound Yin Ganoderma Yu Caiqing needed from Zhu Fuxian, then sampled Zhu's Green Bamboo Wine. They discovered they both brewed excellent spirit wine and ended the visit drinking and chatting together.

• Xu Changqing followed Zhu Fuxian into his bamboo house and learned that Zhu had cultivated his unusual Azure Spirit Void-Storing Tube himself.
• Zhu Fuxian offered Scarlet Yang Ginseng and Profound Yin Ganoderma, and Xu Changqing bought one hundred stalks of each for eight Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
• Zhu Fuxian served Xu Changqing his Green Bamboo Wine, which he had improved with honey-preserved plums and Scarlet Yang Ginseng.
• Xu Changqing and Zhu Fuxian tasted each other's spirit wines and praised their quality.
• Zhu Fuxian said Xu Changqing reminded him of a deceased old friend, and Xu promised to visit and drink with him often.

Xu Changqing returned to his secluded Spirit Fields after speaking with Zhu Fuxian, then focused on raising his Fire Crows and studying the Nine-Flame Profound Art. As winter deepened, his animals sought shelter from the cold while he stood ready to harvest his ripened crops.

• Zhu Fuxian warned Xu Changqing not to reveal his Scarlet Yang Ginseng, and Xu admitted that he had bought five Fire Crows from the Earthfire Zone.
• Xu Changqing noticed that Zhu Fuxian had lied about the color of the defensive aura and concluded that neither of them fully trusted the other.
• Xu Changqing drank the Fire Spirit Liquid produced by his Fire Crows and found that it provided only a tiny increase to his Fire Spiritual Power.
• Xu Changqing chose to study the Nine-Flame Profound Art instead of the Blazing Sun Finger, using his free time and Supreme-Grade Yellow Rice Wine to aid his comprehension.
• As the weather grew colder, Wangwang retreated to its doghouse and the Pearl Chicken stayed in its nest, while Xu Changqing raised his sickle to harvest the Golden Crow Vine and Moonlight Grass.

Xu Changqing harvested mature Moonlight Grass and Golden Crow Vine, restoring some of the lifespan he had spent on cultivation. Hu Bugui and Zhao Ziyue told him he had missed a matchmaking meet-and-greet, and he ended the chapter insisting that he wanted to improve.

• Xu Changqing harvested 500 supreme-grade Moonlight Grass and 100 supreme-grade Golden Crow Vines, gaining 4,200 days of lifespan.
• Xu Changqing considered planting Mutated Mother Rice in the empty field while he waited to hear whether Yu Caiqing needed more spiritual plants.
• Hu Bugui and Zhao Ziyue arrived for lunch and joked that Xu Changqing needed a Dao companion to make his home feel complete.
• Hu Bugui told Xu Changqing that a meet-and-greet for spiritual farmers had been held at the Core Administration Office, which Xu Changqing had missed.
• Hu Bugui teased Xu Changqing about trading Bai Ling'er for Zhao Ziyue, and Xu Changqing replied, "I want to improve so badly!"

Xu Changqing shared a meal and Spirit Rice Wine with Hu Bugui and Zhao Ziyue, then divided the profits from their Foundry Peak business. Their earnings had fallen as competition increased, while Xu Changqing relied more on the Rogue Cultivator Market.

• Xu Changqing, Hu Bugui, and Zhao Ziyue discussed why cultivators sought dao companions and learned that the Immortal Sect encouraged family lineages to increase the chances of children awakening Spiritual Roots.
• Hu Bugui and Zhao Ziyue helped themselves to Xu Changqing’s meal and half a jin each of Supreme-Grade Spirit Rice Wine.
• Hu Bugui brought the month’s fees, and Xu Changqing counted 380 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and 3,663 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, less than the previous month.
• Xu Changqing, Li Sancai, Zhao Ziyue, and Hu Bugui split the profits, with Xu Changqing receiving 201 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and 2,052 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Xu Changqing visited Li Sancai, who told him Flower Elder had arranged several blind dates for them and gave him three Communication Talismans. Zhang Su then summoned Xu Changqing to meet another prospective Dao companion, and Xu Changqing arrived to find an ornate carriage waiting outside Zhang Su’s Spirit Fields.

• Xu Changqing visited Li Sancai and learned Flower Elder had arranged blind dates after failing to contact him and Zhang Su.
• Li Sancai gave Xu Changqing Communication Talismans for three prospective partners with Water, Wood, and Fire Spirit Roots.
• Xu Changqing handed Li Sancai 72 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and 732 Low-Grade Spirit Stones from their Foundry Peak earnings.
• Li Sancai said he planned to enter the Formal Disciple Grand Competition and had been training at Foundry Peak after losing to Huo Wan.
• Zhang Su contacted Xu Changqing and urged him to come meet a blind-date partner who knew Wu Xi'er.
• Xu Changqing flew to Zhang Su's Spirit Fields and found an ornate carriage pulled by two Cloud-Pattern Beasts outside the gate.

Xu Changqing attended a matchmaking meeting and discovered that Zhao Yingli wanted a Wood Spirit Root live-in son-in-law to supply her with spirit plants and medicinal ingredients. He rejected the arrangement and left after clashing with Zhao Yingli over her status as a Low-Grade Alchemist.

• Xu Changqing arrived at Zhang Su's home and mistook Liu Futang, Zhao Yingli's mother, for his matchmaking partner.
• Wu Xi'er introduced Liu Futang and Zhao Yingli, and Zhang Su presented Xu Changqing as a talented Foundation Establishment Realm Spirit Farmer.
• Liu Futang offered Xu Changqing one hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones a month to marry into the family and provide Zhao Yingli with spirit plants and medicinal ingredients.
• Xu Changqing learned the arrangement would make him a live-in son-in-law, called it working like an ox and a horse, and rejected Zhao Yingli's attempt to invoke her status as a Junior Alchemist.
• Xu Changqing left the meeting, declaring that a Junior Alchemist was not qualified to cooperate with him.

Xu Changqing burned the matchmaking talismans and returned to his Spirit Fields, where Zhang Su apologized for the failed match and gave him a Grade-Two Spirit Field as compensation. Days later, after his third field was completed and his crops matured, Xu Changqing reached Initiation in the Nine-Flame Profound Art and formed a fireball.

• Xu Changqing burned the three Communication Talismans and returned to his Spirit Fields.
• Zhang Su explained that Wu Xi'er had arranged the match with Zhao Yingli to help her family, then apologized to Xu Changqing.
• Zhang Su gave Xu Changqing the deed to one mu of Grade-Two Spirit Field as compensation.
• Wu Guangman and his team began preparing a third Spirit Field beside Xu Changqing's second field.
• Several days later, Xu Changqing's third field was complete and the crops in his first field had matured.
• Xu Changqing reached Initiation in the Nine-Flame Profound Art and condensed a fist-sized fireball.

Xu Changqing restored the Nine-Flame Profound Art and raised it to its third level, discovering its powerful fire and mind-confounding effects. The system refused to let him advance it further until he reached the Golden Core Realm, and the scorching flames left his wooden house badly damaged.

• Xu Changqing spent fifteen years restoring the Nine-Flame Profound Art and saw that its first level granted shield-breaking fire effects.
• Xu Changqing raised the art to its second level, and its illusory flame confused the Fire Crow and drew it toward his fireball.
• Xu Changqing attempted to raise the art to level nine, but the system warned that his realm and Fire Spiritual Power were insufficient and that continuing could endanger his life.
• Xu Changqing learned that the first three levels were for Foundation Establishment cultivators while the remaining six required the Golden Core Realm, then examined the effects of his third level.
• Xu Changqing realized the powerful fire might let him refine pills and artifacts, and considered buying a pill furnace, reference books, and a less flammable house.