Recaps

Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon fought through a canyon full of Human-Faced Spiders, rapidly advancing their cultivation as Chen Qiu repeatedly gained traits. Chen Qiu reached the Eleventh Level of the Qi Refining Realm and prepared to continue toward Qi Refining Great Perfection before Foundation Establishment.

• Chen Qiu used two Heavenly Dao Retrospection Talismans to regain the traits "Start Over" and "Never Lose Heart," then led his Human-Faced Spider Wraiths into battle while Fat Dragon lured monsters.
• The Scholar told the bearded burly man that Chen Qiu likely had a private opportunity and said they would work for him as long as he paid.
• Chen Qiu broke through to the Ninth Level of the Qi Refining Realm and chose the White Trait "Woodcutter's Sacred Physique."
• Fat Dragon reached the Seventh Level of the Qi Refining Realm, and Chen Qiu broke through to the Tenth Level and chose "Alchemy Aptitude."
• Chen Qiu continued fighting despite his exhaustion, broke through to the Eleventh Level of the Qi Refining Realm, and chose the White Trait "Flawless Body."

Chen Qiu deliberately failed Foundation Establishment to exploit his trait and rapidly gain cultivation and Spirit Stones by killing the remaining Human-Faced Spiders. He and Fat Dragon left the canyon with a growing pile of Spirit Stones, while Fat Dragon feared others would discover Chen Qiu’s method.

• As Chen Qiu killed Human-Faced Spiders, he reached the Eleventh Level of the Qi Refining Realm and deliberately attempted Foundation Establishment despite lacking enough spiritual energy.
• Chen Qiu’s Foundation Establishment failed, dropping his cultivation to the First Level of the Qi Refining Realm and leaving him coughing up blood.
• Chen Qiu killed an injured Human-Faced Spider, and his trait increased his cultivation to the Seventh Level while producing eighteen Spirit Stones.
• Chen Qiu explained that Fat Dragon had been his benefactor, then promised to protect him from the Flower-Offering Sect.
• Chen Qiu repeatedly failed Foundation Establishment and killed more spiders, cycling back to Qi Refining Great Perfection and accumulating Spirit Stones.
• Fat Dragon gathered the Spirit Stones and worried that the two brothers might discover Chen Qiu’s ability to produce them.

Chen Qiu survived his nine hundred and ninety-nine failed Foundation Establishment attempts and received a Heavenly Dao Foundation, successfully entering the Foundation Establishment Realm. He and Fat Dragon left the canyon with nearly thirty thousand Spirit Stones, while Scholar suspected Chen Qiu was connected to the Heavenly Dao Edict.

• Fat Dragon grew anxious while packing the enormous hoard of Spirit Stones as Chen Qiu continued fighting Human-Faced Spiders and attempting Foundation Establishment.
• The Heavenly Dao announced across Great Xia Kingdom that Chen Qiu had failed Foundation Establishment nine hundred and ninety-nine times and bestowed a Heavenly Dao Foundation upon him.
• Chen Qiu absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy and formed a jade-like Dao Foundation 110 li wide, reaching the First Level of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
• Fat Dragon handed Chen Qiu seven or eight storage pouches containing more than twenty thousand Spirit Stones, and Chen Qiu calculated that they held 29,970.
• Chen Qiu activated a low-grade talisman to signal the others, then returned with Fat Dragon to the canyon's edge.
• Scholar questioned Chen Qiu about the Heavenly Dao Edict and the depleted spiritual energy around the canyon.

After repeatedly failing and finally reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, Chen Qiu returned to Heaven-Question Market, chose a trait, and rested before setting out to spend his enormous supply of Spirit Stones. The sky cleared overnight, and he began his spending spree with Fat Dragon beside him.

• Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon returned to Heaven-Question Market after Scholar told them two days had passed and the secret realm near Windward City would open in less than three days.
• Chen Qiu learned that Foundation Establishment did not remove his need for food or sleep, then rented an inn room and examined his new traits.
• Chen Qiu rejected Nine Yin Power and Late-Blooming Greatness and chose Focus Power, which strengthened the Lightning-Channeling Art.
• Chen Qiu hid his storage pouches full of Spirit Stones beneath his pillow, slept with his hand on his saber, and woke to find the black clouds gone.
• Chen Qiu took Fat Dragon to shop in Heaven-Question Market’s Area 7 Trading District, carrying the 29,970 Spirit Stones he had gained from his failed breakthroughs.

Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon shopped for clothes and communication gear before discovering that Heaven-Question Market’s auction would offer a Self-Severing Root. Chen Qiu tried to persuade Fat Dragon to buy it, and Fat Dragon left the decision open.

• Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon bought Dust-Repelling clothes and continued to the Zhao Clan Merchant Association shop.
• Chen Qiu chose a Voice-Transmission Ring costing one thousand Spirit Stones and asked to see other useful items.
• The shopkeeper gave Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon invitations and an auction list for Heaven-Question Market’s annual auction.
• Chen Qiu spotted the Self-Severing Root entry, which could grant random entries by severing one’s root.
• Fat Dragon asked Chen Qiu to discuss the matter privately, and Chen Qiu urged him to consider buying the item.

Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon stocked up on talismans and supplies in Heaven-Question Market before leaving Scholar and his brother with money, clothes, and Voice-Transmission Rings. Scholar reflected on Chen Qiu’s generosity and decided to travel to Heavenly Dao Pavilion to seek Heavenly Dao Treasure Jade.

• Fat Dragon refused Chen Qiu’s offer of the Self-Severing Root trait, and Chen Qiu considered bidding on it himself.
• Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon spent 3,617 Spirit Stones on talismans, storage rings, and other supplies.
• Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon gave Scholar and his brother Voice-Transmission Rings, clothes, and Spirit Stones before returning to Heaven-Question Market.
• Scholar returned 400 Spirit Stones from his payment, accepting 100 Spirit Stones per month instead of 500.
• Scholar decided to travel several thousand li to Heavenly Dao Pavilion and sent a streak of cyan light toward the eastern clouds.

Chen Qiu helped Fat Dragon break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, then considered how to improve his slow cultivation and prepared for the auction. Fat Dragon’s new traits left him facing a choice between two near-term deaths and a pregnancy trait, while Chen Qiu tried to reassure him.

• Chen Qiu bought batches of wounded demonic beasts so Fat Dragon could break through, while he replenished the spiritual energy in his own dantian with Spirit Stones.
• Chen Qiu found the Seven Lamps Descend cultivation art, the Lightning-Channeling Art, and two Middle Class Heavenly Dao Retrospection Talismans on the auction list and decided he wanted them.
• Fat Dragon returned after reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm and told Chen Qiu that his three new traits were Yama's Personal Edict, Early Greatness, and Never Misses.
• Fat Dragon despaired because Yama's Personal Edict would kill him in a year, Early Greatness would kill him when he turned twenty-five in thirty days, and Never Misses caused any opposite-sex member of his species who shared a room with him to become pregnant.
• Chen Qiu tried to comfort Fat Dragon by suggesting that a future Pink Trait might reward him for having more children.

Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon attended the annual Heaven-Question Market auction, where Chen Qiu reflected on how cultivation let him survive with dignity. They settled into Heavenly Room No. 7 as the auction hall filled with people, including Foundation Establishment experts searching for targets to rob.

• Fat Dragon suggested using his White Trait to get women across Great Xia pregnant, and Chen Qiu told him to stop pursuing the idea and attend the auction.
• Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon wandered through Area 7 before entering Heaven-Question Pavilion with their invitation letter.
• The Zhao Clan Merchant Association shopkeeper arranged Heavenly Room No. 7 for Chen Qiu and led him and Fat Dragon there.
• Chen Qiu ignored the maidservants and pipa music, reflecting that cultivation meant surviving with dignity.
• The auction hall filled with attendees chatting, seeking treasures, or watching the excitement, while Foundation Establishment experts searched for promising robbery targets.

At Heaven-Question Market’s auction, Chen Qiu bid on the Green Trait “Self-Severing Root,” but Wang Tiedan was persuaded by his attendant Liu Zide to buy it for a scheme to charge spectators to watch him use it. Chen Qiu stopped bidding at 1,500 Spirit Stones, leaving Wang Tiedan with the trait and a risky plan to make a fortune.

• An auctioneer presented several items, and Chen Qiu became interested when the Green Trait “Self-Severing Root” went up for bid.
• Chen Qiu bid 500 Spirit Stones on the trait, while Wang Tiedan hesitated despite Liu Zide’s urging him to bid.
• Liu Zide proposed staging a public self-mutilation spectacle and charging cultivators to watch, claiming it could bring in thousands of Spirit Stones.
• Wang Tiedan bid 1,000 Spirit Stones, then raised his offer to 1,500 after Chen Qiu countered at 1,200.
• Chen Qiu decided the price was too high and stopped bidding, leaving Wang Tiedan as the highest bidder.

Chen Qiu watched the auction as a Heavenly Dao Trait sparked fierce bidding and prompted a discussion about Foundation Loans and the burdens of government service. Heaven Room Six won the trait for 1,700 Spirit Stones, and a middle-aged man celebrated with his wife, hoping it would strengthen the Zhang Clan.

• The eighth auction item, a hereditary Heavenly Dao Trait, sent bids soaring as factions competed for it.
• A man explained that Foundation Loans barred borrowers from entering secret realms until repayment, then described how his government job and loan had brought financial and family pressures.
• Bidders discussed the value and risks of Heavenly Dao Traits, which could benefit a lineage or burden it with a harmful trait.
• Heaven Room Six won the Heavenly Dao Trait for 1,700 Spirit Stones.
• A middle-aged man told his wife that their third trait might help their children and raise the Zhang Clan's standing.

A young heir learned that his father planned to make an unborn son the lineage head because the child would inherit Heavenly Dao Traits, and he resolved to expose the truth in the Windward City Secret Realm. At the auction, Chen Qiu bought two Retrospection Talismans, the Lightning-Channeling Art, and Seven Lamps Descend for 5,400 Spirit Stones.

• The middle-aged man refused his son’s request to become young master, insisting that the lineage’s inheritance must pass to a child with Heavenly Dao Traits.
• The young man accepted his father’s decision outwardly and planned to reveal the truth in the Windward City Secret Realm two days later.
• Chen Qiu won two Mid-Grade Heavenly Dao Retrospection Talismans for 1,800 Spirit Stones.
• Chen Qiu bought the Lightning-Channeling Art for 600 Spirit Stones and Seven Lamps Descend for 3,000 Spirit Stones.
• An attendant delivered Chen Qiu’s auction purchases, and Chen Qiu calculated that he had spent 5,400 Spirit Stones in total.

After spending heavily at the auction, Chen Qiu kept two maidservants from being expelled and returned to an inn with Fat Dragon. He changed to the top-grade cultivation method Seven Lamps Descend and mastered Lightning-Channeling Art to Major Accomplishment by dawn.

• Chen Qiu approved the two maidservants, allowing them to remain at Heaven-Question Pavilion.
• Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon left the auction house through a private passage and rented rooms at an inn.
• Chen Qiu replaced his cultivation method with Seven Lamps Descend and found that it accelerated his spiritual energy absorption.
• Chen Qiu practiced Lightning-Channeling Art through the night and reached Major Accomplishment by dawn.

Chen Qiu tested his Lightning-Channeling Art before a Heavenly Treasure Vault appeared nearby. Scholar explained how the vault worked and began pointing out its bargains as Chen Qiu hurried to inspect them.

• Chen Qiu cast the Lightning-Channeling Art three times, leaving shallow pits and using up most of his spiritual energy.
• Scholar warned Chen Qiu that spells consumed too much energy for opening a fight and recommended using spirit weapons before casting a decisive spell.
• A scarlet pillar bearing the words “Heavenly Treasure Vault” rose from the ground, and Scholar identified it as a brief, random cultivation-world opportunity.
• Chen Qiu approached the vault and found six treasures protected by a film that could not be forcibly breached.
• Scholar explained that the vault offered ten Qi-Absorbing Talismans for ten Spirit Stones and a Spirit Beast Ring for fifty Spirit Stones.

Chen Qiu bought treasures from the Heavenly Treasure Vault before a demonic cultivator threatened the group. He killed the attacker with a trait-powered strike and realized he could wield Golden Core-level power, confirming the path he wanted to follow.

• Chen Qiu bought a Spirit Beast Ring and a Mid-Grade Foundation Establishment Spirit-Absorbing Talisman from the scarlet pillar.
• A red-robed demonic cultivator arrived, revealed that the third treasure was an Enlightenment Stone, and threatened to turn Chen Qiu and his companions into banner souls.
• Scholar warned that the Seventh Level Foundation Establishment cultivator was too strong for them and prepared to flee, but Chen Qiu stopped him.
• Chen Qiu self-destructed his white Flawless Body trait and unleashed a lightning strike that killed the demonic cultivator instantly.
• Chen Qiu realized the trait had briefly granted him Golden Core-level power, while Fat Dragon and Scholar reacted with shock.

Chen Qiu bought treasures from the Heavenly Treasure Vault, then spent the day hunting demonic beasts around Windward City to expand his Dao Foundation. After killing 9,890 beasts, his Dao Foundation reached ten thousand li wide, leaving him confident he could overwhelm opponents with waves of spells.

• Chen Qiu collected an Enlightenment Stone, a Random Teleportation Talisman, Spirit-Replenishing Pills, and Demon-Attracting Incense from the Heavenly Treasure Vault.
• Scholar explained that cultivators had gathered in Windward City for the Heaven-Question Market auction and the approaching Heavenly Dao Secret Realm opening.
• Scholar led Chen Qiu and the others to hunt demonic beasts, but exhausted his spiritual energy and could no longer recover it with pills.
• Chen Qiu used a Spirit-Absorbing Talisman and Spirit Stones to help Scholar continue scouting while he killed the lured beasts.
• Chen Qiu and his companions killed 9,890 demonic beasts, expanding Chen Qiu’s Dao Foundation to ten thousand li wide.
• Chen Qiu imagined using thousands of defensive spells followed by thousands of offensive spells as his opening move against future opponents.

After a fortune-teller warned Chen Qiu that his thousands of Wraiths were eroding him, Chen Qiu resolved to release them in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm and strengthened his Lightning-Channeling Art. He and Fat Dragon returned to Windward City for the realm’s opening, where they heard that a cultivator was publicly testing traits by chopping oxen.

• An old fortune-teller warned Chen Qiu that his Green Trait, Vengeful Spirit Summoning, and the thousands of Wraiths he carried could drive him mad and kill him.
• Chen Qiu noticed his body felt unnaturally cold and decided to release his Wraiths when he entered the secret realm.
• Chen Qiu used an Enlightenment Stone to raise the Lightning-Channeling Art to Great Perfection, then spent the night filling his enormous Dao Foundation with spiritual energy.
• Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon returned to Windward City with Scholar and another companion as the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm was about to open.
• A servant invited them to watch a Foundation Establishment cultivator publicly chop eight oxen to obtain random traits, and Fat Dragon suspected the man was the auction buyer who had purchased Self-Severing Root.

Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon went to Windward City’s central square to watch a public trait gamble, where the organizer’s preparations drew a large crowd. As the spectators discussed the danger of drawing traits associated with demonic cultivation, Chen Qiu learned how one such trait rewarded killing close relatives.

• Fat Dragon asked Chen Qiu whether they should investigate, and Chen Qiu agreed to visit the central square.
• Chen Qiu and his group arrived to find a large audience and Parent-Child Mirrors broadcasting the event around Windward City.
• Liu Attendant paid children to promote the event and explained to his master why they had reported it, offered benefits, and rented expensive clothes.
• Chen Qiu overheard spectators debate whether the gambler might draw a trait suited to demonic cultivation and face public suspicion.
• Chen Qiu learned that the trait called Treading the Immortal Path granted three Spirit Stones for every direct blood relative within three generations killed.

At a public trait-gambling demonstration in Windward City, a middle-aged Wang Family head repeatedly chopped off his oxen and drew traits, eventually acquiring the Self-Destruct Trait. His windfall stunned the crowd and left Fat Dragon regretting his fear of pain.

• Chen Qiu teased Fat Dragon about how his Never Misses trait could make him a fortune, and Fat Dragon rejected the idea as inhuman.
• A naked middle-aged Wang Family head began gambling for traits onstage by chopping off his oxen, drawing Person Below the Stage and Alchemy Aptitude.
• He drew Strength of Nine Oxen twice, each time replenishing his oxen to nine and giving him more chances to gamble.
• The Wang Family head drew the Self-Destruct Trait, then gathered his severed oxen and celebrated with Liu Attendant.
• Spectators sent word to their sects about the valuable traits, while Fat Dragon admitted he suddenly regretted being afraid of pain.

After gaining extraordinary strength from his newly acquired traits, Wang Tiedan imagined himself dominating the upcoming Heavenly Dao Secret Realm, but Liu Attendant warned him that he should avoid provoking Golden Core powers and instead target weaker Lineages. Wang Tiedan agreed with the strategy, though Liu Attendant pointed out that powerful enemies might kill him before he could break through.

• The crowd dispersed after Wang Tiedan’s trait results, worrying that his strength might exceed Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer, while would-be robbers abandoned plans to attack him.
• Wang Tiedan celebrated his newfound strength and looked forward to entering the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm to pursue the Golden Core Realm.
• Liu Attendant reminded Wang Tiedan that they had earned over five thousand Spirit Stones and explained that his strength came with poor defense and mobility against true Golden Core cultivators.
• Liu Attendant advised Wang Tiedan to use his reputation to bully Foundation Establishment Lineages and avoid massacring disciples of powerful sects.
• Wang Tiedan accepted the plan but wondered whether Golden Core cultivators would let him break through; Liu Attendant said he would already be coming to kill him.

Chen Qiu waited outside Windward City for a secret realm to open and assessed his powerful preparations. When Ma Yinxue arrived, Fat Dragon revealed that she was his ex-girlfriend, whom he had helped become a Heavenly Dao Beauty before she left him.

• Liu Attendant persuaded Wang Tiedan to abandon the secret realm and reflected on his plans to raise the Wang Family’s status.
• Chen Qiu waited with the gathered cultivators and reviewed the strength of his Dao Foundation, spells, Wraiths, traits, and talismans.
• Zhao Yishi arrived, drawing attention as a Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer prodigy from the Heavenward Sect.
• Ma Yinxue descended among the crowd, and Fat Dragon explained that Heavenly Dao Beauties gained special benefits when they genuinely loved someone.
• Fat Dragon revealed that Ma Yinxue was his ex-girlfriend, whom he had helped enter the Beauty Rankings before she left him, leaving Chen Qiu speechless.

Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon encountered Ma Yinxue, a Heavenly Dao Beauty and Fat Dragon’s former wife, who mocked him and challenged his past choices. Fat Dragon insulted her back, and Ma Yinxue threw ten bottles of medicinal potions at him, leaving her followers ready for a fight.

• Fat Dragon told Chen Qiu that his recent humiliations were part of the trials on his path to becoming a great figure.
• Chen Qiu learned that Ma Yinxue’s Beauty effect let her husband gain three minor cultivation realms and two temporary traits in the Heavenly Dao Secret Realm.
• Ma Yinxue approached Fat Dragon and mocked him for his failed business and for not clinging to her in the past.
• Fat Dragon slapped Ma Yinxue’s hand away and insulted her, prompting her followers to draw their weapons before she stopped them.
• Ma Yinxue taunted Fat Dragon about her influence and returned ten bottles of the medicinal potions he had once given her.

Fat Dragon confronted Ma Yinxue over their past, and Chen Qiu killed the five men who attacked them with his Lightning-Channeling Art. Fat Dragon then killed Ma Yinxue after she survived his first strike, while Zhao Yishi reluctantly prepared to enter the secret realm.

• Ma Yinxue mocked Fat Dragon by throwing medicine bottles and her worn intimate garments at him, while five of her suitors threatened him.
• Fat Dragon revealed Chen Qiu as his backer, and Chen Qiu shielded him before killing the five attackers with a storm of lightning.
• The onlookers recoiled at Chen Qiu's power, while Zhao Yishi asked his sect master to let him avoid the secret realm and was ordered to enter.
• Fat Dragon approached Ma Yinxue with his Dragon Slayer saber, and Chen Qiu pointed out that Fat Dragon was still the name she had called him before.
• Fat Dragon struck Ma Yinxue again after learning his first blow had not killed her, then denied her accusations about their past to Chen Qiu.

Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon witnessed the opening of the Mock Heaven Minor World and watched cultivators enter despite fearing the powerful opponents gathered outside. Zhao Yishi asked Chen Qiu not to kill him if they competed inside, then ordered his sect disciples to wait outside while he entered alone.

• Chen Qiu asked Fat Dragon about Ma Yinxue, and Fat Dragon dismissed their cursed bond and said he would avoid romance until attaining immortality.
• A panel announced that the Mock Heaven Minor World had opened as a seven-stage trial for cultivators at Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer and below.
• A middle-aged cultivator led his Lineage into the secret realm, and the hesitant crowd followed while wary of Chen Qiu.
• Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon discussed whether anyone might seek revenge, prompting a young man who overheard them to flee instead of entering.
• Zhao Yishi sent a Voice-Transmission Talisman to Chen Qiu and asked him not to kill him if they competed for an opportunity inside.
• Zhao Yishi told his sect disciples to wait outside while he entered alone, and they reluctantly agreed.

Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon entered the secret realm and learned that the ruins belonged to Mocking Heaven Sect, whose first trial demanded that candidates sever their worldly attachments. Zhao Yishi used his freedom to enter ahead of everyone and hide inside an abandoned building, while the others began climbing toward the sect gate.

• Zhao Yishi entered the secret realm first, and Heavenward Sect's disciples revealed that their sect had raised him as its hope after he changed his name from Zhao Batian to Zhao Yishi.
• Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon entered the Minor World and found vast ruins bearing the name Mocking Heaven Sect, while the Heavenly Dao binding kept the other cultivators immobile.
• Zhao Yishi moved freely before the entrance closed and disappeared through the mountain gate, prompting the gathered cultivators to envy his presumed Seize the Initiative trait.
• After the entrance closed, a voice announced that the first of four trials for becoming an Inner Disciple was to sever worldly attachments, and Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon questioned the sect's teachings and the trial count.
• Chen Qiu led Fat Dragon and the others up the mountain path, while Zhao Yishi hid in an abandoned cultivation building using his perfected Invisibility Technique.

Chen Qiu entered the Mocking Heaven Sect’s first trial, which required him to sever his worldly attachments, and killed the Fat Dragon manifestation it presented as his beloved friend. He learned that the manifestation was real and Fat Dragon had died, then buried him before continuing on.

• Chen Qiu and Fat Dragon reached the Bronze Bell, where an inscription announced the trial of severing worldly attachments.
• Other cultivators entered the barrier and emerged shaken, while some ignored the trial and searched the ruins for treasure.
• Chen Qiu entered the trial and saw a Fat Dragon manifestation, which the trial instructed him to kill.
• Chen Qiu struck the manifestation with three Lightning-Channeling Arts and emerged to find the real Fat Dragon mortally wounded outside the barrier.
• Chen Qiu realized the trial had made him kill Fat Dragon, buried his friend, and said, “You led me into initiation; I'll send you into the ground.”